Professor John Dykeman Conley, after devoting many years to
educational work, in which field he proved particularly successful as an
instructor of the sciences, is now living quietly at Carlinville, where
he is engaged in the breeding and raising of fine chickens. His life
history had its beginning in Brockport, Monroe county, New York,
September 14, 1843, his parents being John Ward and Pamelia E. (Johnson)
Conley, natives of Springfield, Massachusetts, and of Madison county,
New York, respectively. The former was a son of John Conley, who lived
in Springfield, Massachusetts. He died in early manhood, leaving a widow
and only child, John. Mrs. Conley, w'ho in her maidenhood had been Miss
Warner was married again and had children by the second union. The
maternal grandfather of Professor Conley was William F. Johnson, a
native of Saratoga county, New York, and a son of a soldier of the war
of 1812. He married Miss Lucy Hamlin, whose ancestry can be traced back
to James Hamlin in the year 1639. James Hamlin came from London,
England, and located in Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the spring of that
year. William F. Johnson made farming his life work and passed away in
Madison county, New York. Unto him and his wife were born five children,
Pamelia, Jane, Mariette, Darius H. and William Henry Harrison Johnson.
Of these Pamelia E. became the wife of John Ward Conley. In his youthful
days John W. Conley became a boatman on the Erie canal and afterward
engaged in the grocery business in Canastota, New York. He was also at
one time vice president of a boatmen’s organization of New York. He died
in Canastota in 1903, at the age of eighty-eight years and nine months,
having for sixteen years survived his wife, who passed away October 17,
1887, at the age of sixty-six years and six months.
Professor
John Dykeman Conley, whose name introduces this review, was reared in
Canastota, New York, and was graduated from the State Normal School at
Albany in 1863. He afterward devoted many years to the profession of
teaching, serving as principal of a school at Roslyn, Long Island, the
home of William Cullen Bryant, from 1863 until 1865. Desirous of
promoting his own education, he then matriculated in Hamilton College,
of New York, and was graduated A. B. in 1869. During his college days he
became a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon. Later his alma mater
conferred upon him the Master of Arts degree and Blackburn University,
of Carlinville, the Ph. D. degree. In 1869 he supplied the professorship
of natural sciences in Blackburn University, holding fhat chair until
1887, when he became professor of chemistry and geology and vice
president of the State University of Wyoming at Laramie, where he
remained until 1896, acting as president during a portion of that time.
Since this Professor Conley has been teaching chemistry and geology in
Blackburn University. His educational work has been of a superior order;
the geological charts which he has published are among the best that
have appeared on that subject, and he possessed one of the most complete
geological cabinets of the country. On the 1st of January, 1909, he
donated this geological collection to Hamilton College of New York, of
whose board of trustees Elihu Root is now president.
In the
raising of fine chickens Professor Conley is meeting with the same
success which he won in his professional connection. He is now
proprietor of the Evergreen Hill Poultry Farm. From his boyhood he has
been an admirer of pure bred chickens and more than thirty years ago won
first prize on Brown Leghorns at a Macoupin county fair. During the last
five years he has made a specialty of Barred Rocks and Single Comb Rhode
Island Reds, but is now devoting his attention largely to the Rhode
Island Reds for he believes their laying qualities are better than the
other breeds. His scientific knowledge has enabled him to test many
theories in practice and he produces results which have made him the
winner of many premiums in strong competitions. Upon his place he has
various prize-winning birds and his fame as a raiser of high grade
poultry has spread far and wide.
On the 20th of March, 1873,
Professor Conley was married to Miss Virginia C. Mayo, a native of
Carlinville and a daughter of Samuel T. and Elizabeth (Palmer) Mayo. Her
paternal grandfather was Lewis Mayo, a native of Virginia, who made
farming his life occupation and died March 25, 1866. Her father was born
in the Old Dominion and after arriving at years of maturity wedded
Elizabeth Palmer, a native of Kentucky and a sister of Governor John M.
Palmer. Her father, Louis D. Palmer, was born in Northumberland county,
Virginia, June 3, 1781, and married Ann Hansford Tutt, a native of
Culpeper county, Virginia, where her parents, Louis and Isabella
(Yancey) Tutt, were born about 1750. Their ancestors were early settlers
of Virginia, the Tutts coming from England and the Yanceys from Wales.
Louis D. Palmer and his first wife, Ann Hansford Tutt Palmer, had seven
sons and one daughter, Elihu, John M., Winfield Scott, LeRoy A., Louis
Frank, Charles J., George and Elizabeth Ann. After losing his first wife
Louis D. Palmer married again and had three children, Julia, Henry and
Quincy. Of the first marriage Elizabeth Palmer became the wife of Samuel
T. Mayo. They were early settlers of Carlinville, where in 1849 they
erected a fine residence which is now one of the well known landmarks of
the city. Mr. Mayo became the possessor of large landed interests and
was a man of prominence and influence in the community. At the old home
which he built in 1849 he passed away, November 20, 1906, at the age of
eightyeight years, while his wife died in June, 1899, at the age of
seventy-four years. They were the parents of seven children, one who
died in infancy; Virginia C.; Florence E., the deceased wife of James M.
Towey; Elizabeth, who has also passed away; Louisa M., the wife of
Edward A. Gilbert, former lieutenant governor of Nebraska; Carrie
Palmer, who married Samuel Rinaker, a lawyer of Beatrice, Nebraska; and
Walter S., residing in Holtville, California.
The marriage of
Mr. and Mrs. Conley was blessed with two children, John Mayo and
Florence Elizabeth. The former is now a practicing physician of Oshkosh,
Wisconsin. He married Beatrice Mary Roche and they had two children,
Virginia Mayo and Richard Palmer. Florence Elizabeth Conley is now the
wife of George Vincent Learned, of Seattle, Washington, and they have
one son, John Hamlin Learned.
Professor Conley belongs to the
Episcopal church and his wife holds membership in the Methodist
Episcopal church. He also affiliates with Mount Nebo Lodge, No. 76, A.
F. & A. M., and is in sympathy with the teachings and tenets of the
craft. His political views find expression in the support which he gives
to the democratic party at the polls and he has been more or less active
in local political circles, serving from 1880 until 1886 as alderman of
Carlinville, and again from 1906 until 1909, in which connection he has
done effective work for the substantial development and improvement of
the city. He is usually found where the intelligent men of the community
are gathered in the discussion of the vital and important problems that
affect the political, economic and sociological interests of the
country, and his cooperation can always be counted upon for the support
of projects which involve the welfare, stability and progress of the
community.
Extracted 14 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 274-278.
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