Andrew Bleakley, farmer, was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, on April 28, 1835, and is a son of Matthew and Jane (Job) Bleakley.
Our subject was the third of five children, of whom two--- John and Andrew (our subject)---are now living. When the latter was ten years of age, his parents emigrated to this country. They came directly to Wayne County, Illinois and settled in Mount Erie Township. There they lived until their death, that of the father in the spring of 1864 and the mother January 10, 1879.
Before our subject left Ireland, he had the privilege of going to school some, and after his arrival here he was permitted to attend the schools of this county. He helped on the home farm until about twenty, and then commencing life for himself, settled in the southern part of Mount Erie Township, where he resided until 1875. He then came to his present location, where he has since resided. He now owns 142 acres in Section 20, and 160 acres in Section 26 of Town 1 north, Range 9 east, and forty acres in Massillon Township. Of the whole there are about 200 acres in cultivation and about three acres in orchards. For a number of years, he dealt quite extensively in stock, but in the last few years has been slowly retiring from the business.
Mr. Bleakley was married on March 10, 1859, to Miss Celia Johnson, a daughter of Moses and Sarah (Mason) Johnson, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Bleakley was born on December 1, 1841, and was the mother of eight children, five of whom are now living----
Of the deceased ones,
Mrs.Bleakley died on October 6, 1880, and he was married the second time, on October 25, 1881 to Mrs. Isabelle Harris, nee Henderson, a daughter of James and Jane (Bunting) Henderson, also natives of County Tyrone, Ireland.
The present Mrs. Bleakley was born in March, 1839.
Our subject was a soldier in the late war, having enlisted on October 8, 1862, in Company H (Capt. Thomas Johnson), of the Ninety-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Col. John J. Funkhouser, and remained out until February 20, 1865, when he resigned. On February 16, 1863, he was promoted to Second Lieutenant. Among the battles in which he participated were those of Chickamauga, Farmington, Murfreesboro and Ringgold. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bleakley are members of the Mount Erie Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Bleakley is a member of Mount Erie Lodge, No. 331, A., F. & A.M., and also of Mount Erie Grange.
In politics, he remains Independent.
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