Christopher Hamrick was born April 10, 1851, in Bureau County, Illinois. His father and mother were Willis Hamrick and Sarah Jane Triplett. He lived in and near Wyanet, Illinois all of his life.

 

In his early life, Christopher was a farmer. He married Emma Sapp on January 31, 1870. Emma was born June 9, 1854, in Harrington, Delaware, and moved with her family as a young girl to a nearby farm in Bureau County. Her parents were Levi Sapp and Susan [?].

Christopher (who was known as Chris) and Emma had twelve children: Harley, Howard, Levi, Rozella, Clara Belle, Eugene, Edith, Netti May, Glennie Pearl, Orin, Emma, and Harry.

 

In later years, Christopher was in the mercantile business in Wyanet. He was a trustee of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and a very respected member of the community. He died from a sudden heart attack on August 2, 1923. After Chris' death, Emma moved to Rock Island, Illinois, to live with one of her daughters. She died in Rock Island on January 13, 1945. Christopher and Emma are both buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery at the edge of Wyanet, Illinois.

 

Christopher, Emma, and family, circa 1898: