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Henry Rogers was born in Johnson county, Indiana, on the 5th of December, 1834, and is the son of J. A. and Mary A. (Hammer) Roger. Henry lived on a farm until about sixteen years of age, when his parents removed to Madison county, Iowa, and then remained until 1864, when he came to Cass county, Iowa, and located on section 33, Atlantic township. He owns three hundred and twenty acres of land, two hundred and fifty acres of his farm are under cultivation, and the remainder is timber and pasture. In 1878 he built a commodious house, and has a nice stock farm. He has an interest in the National bank at Atlantic, and is a very prominent man in political affairs. Mr. Rogers was married in Madison county, in 1855, to Eunice DeBusk, a native of West Virginia. They have four children living---Mary Ann, Eliza Alice, William Lewis and Sarah L. They have two children dead---John H. and an infant.

Casper Beekman, a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Schon) Beekman, was born in Germany, on the 4th of March, 1847. His father died in October, 1847, and his mother, a sister of Casper Schon, died in 1870. Casper came to America in 1865, and located in Pike county, Ohio, where he remained with his friends until January, 1866, when he came to Cass county, Iowa, and settled in Atlantic township. About three years after his arrival to this township, he bought some land north of where he now lives, and remaining there about three years, when he sold his farm, and purchased his present farm and moved there in the spring of 1874. He now owns one hundred and sixty acres of land, has a fine residence, terraced lawn and a large barn. Mr. Beekman was married in Cass county, in September, 1869, to Lizzie Schon, a daughter of Casper Schon, one of the earliest settlers of the county. They have been blessed by four children---Frank, aged fourteen; Charles F., aged twelve; Katy, aged seven, and Edward, aged four.

William Hopley, one of the prominent men of Atlantic township, came to Cass county in June 1858, and first located in Washington township. He was born in Cheshire, England, on the 1st of December, 1837. He came to America in 1854, and remained in Jersey City until 1858, when he came to Cass county. He soon after established a dairy having about thirty cows. On the day of Lincoln's assassination, which occurred on the 14th of April, 1865, he came to Atlantic township, and settled on section 32. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, and has since added six hundred and thirty acres of land, and is doing a thriving and successful business. He devotes most of his attention to stock raising and dealing in high graded Shorthorns. He has now one hundred and fifty to two hundred head of cattle, and has a large number of hogs. He built his present residence in 1876, and now has one of the best farms in the township. Mr. Hopley was married near Burlington, Iowa, in February, 1864, to Mattie Okell, also a native of England. She died on the 9th of April, 1884, leaving seven children to mourn her loss. The children's names are---Jennie, Mattie, Sophia, Thomas, Glenn, Mabel, and Frank. In politics, Mr. Hopley is a Republican, and is much interested in the political affairs of the county.

S. W. Wilson, proprietor of the Grove City nursery, is a native of Belmont county, Ohio, and was born on the 7th of August, 1846. When seven years of age his parents removed to Rock Island county, Illinois, and there remained about three years, when they came to Washington county, Iowa, where his father died in 1861, and his mother is still a resident of that county. S. W. there received his education, and there remained until 1871, when he removed to Cass county, and entered into the nursery business, with Silas Wilson. In 1877 the partnership dissolved and since that time Mr. Wilson has run the business alone. He is doing a flourishing business, and has greatly adapted his energy and good management to the welfare of his occupation. Mr. Wilson was married in Cass county, on the 16th of November, 1872, to Amanda Peterson, a native of Iowa. They have four children---Thomas L., Harry M., Clarence L., and Bessie M. The family are members of the United Presbyterian church.

George Jillich, one of the substantial citizens of Atlantic township, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on the 22d of October, 1844, and is the son of John V. and Anna Jillich. When about five years of age, George moved with his parents to Huron county, Ohio, where his father farmed. In 1860, George went to Chicago, and staying about one year he removed to Lewis, Cass county, Iowa, and there lived one winter. He then lived on his farm in Atlantic township, which he purchased in 1866, and now owns one hundred and fifty-four acres of good land, about half improved. He was married in Ohio, in 1865, to Mary Jane Bennett, a native of Huron county, Ohio. They have two children living---George and Frank. Lillie died in January, 1882, aged eight years. Mr. Jillich enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Sixty-sixth Ohio National Guards, and was taken into the hundred day service. In September, 1863, he was discharged, and in the spring of 1864, he re-enlisted in the One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Ohio, and served in that regiment until the close of the war, in 1865.

Transcribed by Deb Lightcap-Wagner, April, 2014 from: "History of Cass County, Together with Sketches of Its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens", published in 1884, Springfield, Ill: Continental Historical Co., pp. 846-848.