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JOHN MAXWELL was born in the city of Springfield, September 11, 1842. He is now closely connected with the farming and stock raising interests of his native county, owning and successfully managing a farm in Illiopolis Township, that ranks among the best in the place. He is a son of the late well-known Archibald Maxwell and Margaret (Wilson) Maxwell who were natives of Scotland. The father learned the trade of a stonemason in the old country and became very proficient in his calling. Shrewdly foreseeing that his chances were much better in this country than in his old home, he emigrated to America and came to Illinois in the '30s. Here his skill and ability as a stonemason were early recognized and he was employed as foreman on the old State Capitol in Springfield. Many monuments to his skill still remain in that city, such as the Fitzgerald building, the Gov. Matteson building and others, of which he quarried most of the stone himself. He finally retired from that business, and turned his attention to farming near Buffalo, Ill., where he staid eleven years. He then came to a farm in Illiopolis Township on which he resided until within a few years of his death. He then made his home with his son, our subject, until he died in 1882. He was a firm Presbyterian in his religious belief and lived a life in strict accord with that faith.

The parents of our subject had nine children of whom five are living, namely: one daughter, Mrs. Finley, a resident of Iowa; Robert, who lives in Dakota; Archibald, a resident of Austin, Texas; William, a physician at Omaha, Neb. and our subject.

The latter forms the subject of this brief biography. He was reared as a farmer and had good advantages for acquiring a thorough knowledge of agriculture. He obtained a fair education in the public schools and when it came time for him to make choice of a calling, he selected that to which he had been bred as he has a natural taste for it. He bought a tract of raw land and from that has developed his present attractive, highly cultivated farm. He tills the soil after good methods and as a result raises good crops. His stock is of the best breeds and is well cared for. The fine orchard which he has planted here is already a good source of income.

In his early manhood Mr. Maxwell was accidentally shot by a companion while hunting, but by pluck and grit he succeeded in saving the wounded limb that yet bears marks of the accident. He is a man of good roundabout sense, is systematic in the management of his affairs and is accordingly prospered in his work. His position in the township is among its best citizens. He was reared in the Presbyterian faith, to which he remains true, and he is a Democrat of the strictest type in his politics.

The marriage of our subject with Mary Hanson took place in Christian County, in the year 1883, and has been of mutual benefit as in her he has found a helpmate and companion, and she has in him a devoted husband. They have five children: Archibald, Margaret, John, James and an infant, William Crighton.