Henry Gatiss, a prominent and popular grocer of LaSalle, was born in the
county of Durham, England, March 21, 1839, and is a son of Henry and Sarah
(Hunt) Gatiss. His grandfather, John Gatiss, died in England, his native
home, at an advanced age, leaving a large family. His maternal grandfather
also lived and died in that country. Henry Gatiss was the father of eight
children, six sons and two daughters, as follows: John H., of Eagle River,
Michigan; William, of Thetford, Ontario; Robert B., of Black Hawk county,
Iowa; Thomas W., of Dimmick township, this county; Henry, our subject; Mary
Ann, wife of William Dinsmore, of Earlville, this state; Richard E., of
National City, California; and Sarah Jane, wife of Joseph Elliott, of
Manitoba. The father was married a second time. Miss Jane Pickering becoming
his wife, and to them were born nine children, of whom four are living.
Those living are Joseph P., of Earlville, Illinois; Samuel R., of Manitoba;
Sophia R., of Earlville. Illinois; and Walter, of the same place. The father
of these children in early life was a shaft-sinker in his native land. In
1842 he came to the United States, landing in New York on July 4 of that
year. He immediately went to Bradford county, Pennsylvania, where he
remained until 1856, engaged in mining for an English syndicate. He explored
and opened up about twenty thousand acres of land for them, which he
afterward sold. He then moved to LaSalle, Illinois, and was the
superintendent of the coal shaft for some time, when he purchased a farm of
one hundred and sixty acres, some four and a half miles north of this city.
He then spent his time in tilling the soil until his death, which occurred
in 1877, at the age of seventy-two years and ten months.- He served as a
road commissioner for a number of terms. He was twice married; his first
wife, the mother of our subject, died in 1850, when about forty-five years
of age.
Henry Gatiss, our subject, was but three years of age when
his parents took up their residence in America. He attended the Pennsylvania
schools and worked for his father until he was twenty-six years old. When he
was seventeen they moved to LaSalle, where he has since lived with the
exception of two years spent in Canada. Before making this trip he engaged
in farming, but found the work unsuited to his liking. He then entered a
grocery as clerk and met with such success in this line that in 1877, in
partnership with his brother Richard, he purchased the stock of his
employer, the store being conducted conjointly by them until 1891, when
Richard retired from the business, leaving Henry Gatiss the sole proprietor.
In his twenty-two years' work as a grocer he has built up a large trade, his
patronage extending many miles into the country. His strict honesty and
integrity have won their confidence and made him warm friends throughout the
entire county.
Mr. Gatiss was united in the holy bonds of matrimony
on the 25th of December, 1874, to Miss Margaret Nixon, a daughter of Hugh
and Mary Ann (Robson) Nixon. Three children have blessed this union: Henry
Milton; Stella May, who died at the age of two years and two months; and
Mary. Both the children living are with their parents. Mrs. Gatiss and her
daughter are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which they are
zealous workers. Their residence is on Fifth street, where they have a
pleasant, comfortable home and a house which they rent. Mr. Gatiss has been
a resident of LaSalle for forty-three years. He is a member of the Masonic
fraternity and in politics a Republican.
Extracted 13 May 2019 by Norma Hass from Biographical and Genealogical Record of LaSalle County, Illinois, published in 1900, volume 2, pages 598-599.
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