(From History Of Fulton County, Illinois 1879)
Henry Rohrer, deceased, came to this county in 1847, with his wife Mary (Doner) Rohrer, and a family of 8 children , -Benjamin, Elizabeth, Mary, Christian, Amanda, Esther, Henry D. and Emma. He first landed at Quincy when he came to the State and remained 4 months, during the meantime riding over the country on horseback looking up a location, and finally selected the homestead in Canton tp. While here his horse died and he was obliged to walk to Quincy, 106 miles, to join his family, which he did in 2 days.
He brought considerable means with him, and at one time owned 1,500 acres of land in Canton tp., much of which is still owned by his sons. He probably built the largest brick farmhouse in the county, at a cost of $20,000. The children with their families still gather at the old homestead, occupied by Henry D., each Christmas time and hold a family re-union. Mr. R. was a strong, vigorous man and the day preceding his death worked and walked home in the evening, a distance of 3 miles. At midnight he was attacked with a stroke of apoplexy and died the next morning at 6 o’clock. He was born Sept. 23, 1811, in Lancaster County, Pa., and died in Dec. 1875.
Henry D. Rohrer was born Aug. 25, 1846, in Lancaster county, Pa. He was brought to this county by his parents in 1847. He married Mrs. Shleich, formerly Nina Broherd, of Farmington, in 1878.
She is the daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Kent) Broherd, natives of Ohio, and were among the first settlers in Fairview township. Mr. B. died June 9, 1879, and Mrs, B. still lives in Farmington tp. Elmer Shleich, son of Mrs. R. , is the only child.
Christian Rohrer, farmer and stock- raiser, is a son of Henry Rohrer, and was born in Lancaster Co. , Pa. , in April, 1838 ; married in that county in 1860 to Elizabeth Herr, who has borne him 4 children,-Henry B., Adeline, Christian, and Cyrus H. He lives on sec. 14, the old, original homestead of his father, and has 320 acres of land here and 640 in Livingston Co. He remembers when deer and wolves were numerous through this county, and has spent many pleasant days roaming the prairie hunting them. Hogs, running wild, were all over the prairie. A person could scarcely pass a brush heap but a “rail -splitter” would start with her family with an “ugh!” He lost a drove of milch cows, which were gone on the prairies for 6 weeks before he found them; by this time they of course were all dry.
Benjamin Rohrer, son of Henry Rohrer, was born in Lancaster Co., Pa. , Jan. 17 , 1833, and was educated at the common schools at Galesburg. He is a staunch Republican, and was appointed adelegate to the State Convention in 1878 to nominate State officers. He takes deep interest in educational matters. He married Mary Hershey March 17, 1856, who was born in his native county March 31 , 1838. They have a family of 9 children, -Abner, born Aug. 20, 1858, died in 1875 ; Hiram, Feb. 22, 1860 ; Benj. F., Nov. 22, 1861 ; Emma, Sept. 18, 1863 ; Abram H. , Jan. 8, 1866 ; Henry H., Jan. 19, 1868 ; Susan, Feb. 26 , 1870 ; Mary H., May 30, 1873, and John D. , Sept. 29, 1876 .
