RICHARD AINSWORTH
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History of Menard and Mason Counties, Illinois, 1879, by Miller & Ruggles
Mason City Township
Page 784
RICHARD AINSWORTH, retired farmer, Sec. 6; P. 0. Mason City ; one of the early settlers of Mason Co.; born in Lancashire, England, Dec. 5, 1817 ; after receivings common-school education, he was engaged in the cotton factories of Blackburn until 25 years of age, when he, with two brothers, emigrated to America, landing in New Orleans; they then came up the river to Cincinnati, thence to Cass Co., Ill., where, after a short residence, they came to Mason Co. and located near Bath in the fall of 1842; here he entered eighty acres of land, to which he afterward added until he had accumulated between 600 and 700 acres, upon which he resided until 1877, when he disposed of the same and, after a residence of one year at Natrona, removed to Mason City Township and erected his present residence, removing into the same in October, 1878. Mr. Ainsworth is one of the self-made men of Mason Co. ; arriving in the county without means ; he borrowed the money to enter his first eighty acres of land ; he has always confined his business to farming, and has, by his hard labor, perseverance and correct business habits, placed himself among the large landholders and successful farmers of Mason Co.. owning, as he now does, 1,450 acres in Mason Co. and 1,520 acres in Iroquois Co., his real estate being valued at upward of $100,000, aside from personal property; he has not accumulated the above by a miserly manner of living; he is known as being very liberal; contributes liberally to the cause of religion and education, and is very kind to the poor, and especially to his own tenants, with whom, upon failure of crops, he assumes the largest share of the losses; he has devoted much time to literature, being particularly interested in ancient and modern history, and has, by years of reading and study, become familiar with all the topics of the day. His marriage with Mary J. Talbott was celebrated in 1840, in Blackburn, Lancashire; she was born in the above place in November, 1817; she died in Mason Co. Feb. 24, 1874; they were the parents of eight children, of whom two sons and two daughters now survive, viz.: Mary J., wife of John B. Abbott, of Natrona; John J., farming near Mason City ; Sarah A. and William T., the last two living at home.
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Maintained by Mason County Coordinator
Donna
Mayer