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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----Edward  K., born December 5, 1865; John M., born June 14, 1867;  Thomas A.,     born October 14, 1870; Sarah J., born December 13, 1872; and  Permelia B., born May 28, 1877.  Of the deceased ones, Matthew B.,  born July 14, 1860, died January 10, 1880;  Andrew J., born October  1, 1862, died September 1, 1865; and Mary M., born March 10, 1875,   died July 16, 1876.  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.