if gajiigg-s&wy-Y-^-^-^ W I LL C U ,^-: ^ m CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY FROM The History Department All books are subject to recall after two weeks. DATE DUE f^Pf^fe./'' ■ ~«* dwUl^'EO nrT »0t4 Uti FR AfiJi F n 1FS NO! _ClRCiJJ JVTE m i wm^ FRAGILE PAPER Please handle with care, as is brittle. this book the paper PHP ^!^tiot^ nvJ£Bl 3HA*^^ MM Cfi SE PRINTED IN U.S.A. - S47 H67" HI8T0ET Will County, ILLI]N"OIS CONTAINING A History of the County — its Cities, Towns, &e. ; a Directory of its Real Estate Owners; Portraits of Early Settlers and Promi- nent Men; General and Local Statistics; Map of Will County; History of Illinois, Illustrated; His- tory of the Northwest, Illustrated; Constitution of the United States, Miscellaneous Matters, &c., &c. TLLTTSTiaj^TlBZD CHICAGO: WM. LE BAEON, Je., & CO., 186 DEAEBOKN STREET. 1878. /->,. PREFACE. TN presenting our History of Will County, we deem a few prefatory words necessary. We have spared neither pains nor expense to fulfill our engagement with our patrons and make the work as complete as possible. We have acted upon the principle that justice to those who have subscribed, be they few or many, requires that the work should be as well done as if it was patronized by every citizen in the county. We do not claim that our work is entirely free from errors ; such a result could not be attained by the utmost care and foresight of ordinary mortals. The General History of the County was compiled by Hon. Geo. H. Woodrufi", of Joliet, and the Township Histories by our historians, W. H. Perrin and H. H. Hill. Some of the Town- ship Histories are indeed longer than others, as the townships are older, containing larger cities and towns, and have been the scenes of more important and interesting events. While fully recognizing this important difference, the 'historians have sought to write up each township with equal fidelity to the facts and information within their reach. We take this occasion to present our thanks to all our numerous subscribers for their patronage and encouragement in the publication of the work. In this confident belief, we submit it to the enlightened judgment of those for whose benefit it has been prepared, believing that it will be received as a most valuable and complete work. THE PUBLISHERS. CHICAGO: CULTEK, page, HOYNE & CO., PEtNTEttS, lis and ISO KoQroe Street. CONTENTS, Page. History Northwest Territory 19 Geographical 19 Early Exploration 20 Discovery of the Ohio 33 English Explorations and Settle- ments..; 35 American Settlements 60 Division of the Northwest Terri- tory 66 Tecumseh and the war of 1812 70 Black Hawk and the Black Hawk War 74 HISTORIC A I.. Page. Other Indian Troubles 79 Present Condition of the Northwest 87 Illinois 99 Indiana 101 Iowa 102 Michigan 103 Wisconsin 104 Minnesota ..106 Nebraska 107 History of Illinois 109 Coal 125 Compact of 1787 117 Page. History of Chicago 132 Early Discoveries 109 Early Settlements 115 Education 129 First French Occupation 112 Genius of La Salle 113 Material Resources 124 Massacre ot Fort Dearborn 141 Physical Features 121 Progress of Development 123 Keligion and Morals 128 War Record ol Illinois 130 Page. Source of the Mississippi 21 Mouth of the Mississippi 21 Wild Prairie 23 La Salle Landing on the Shore of Green Bay 25 Buffalo Hunt 27 Tnipping 29 Hunting 32 Ir.quoia Chief. 34 Pontiac, the Ottawa Chieftain 43 Indians Attacking Frontiersmen... 56 A Prairie Storm 59 A Pioneer Dwelling 61 Breaking Prairie 63 IliriU^TRATIOIVS. Page. Tecumseh, the Shawnee Chieftain... 69 Indians Attacking a Stockade 72 Black Hawk, the Sac Chi»ettain 75 Big Eagle 80 Captain Jack, the Modoc Chieftain.. 83 Kinzie House 85 Village Residence 86 A Representatj\e Pioneer 87 Lincoln Monument, Springfield, 111. 88 A Pioneer School House 89 Farm View in the Winter 90 High Bridge and Lake Bluff 94 Great Iron Bridge of Chicago, Bock Island & Pacific Railroad, Cross- Page. ing the Kiver at Davenport, Iowa 96 A Western Dwelling 109 Himting Prairie Wolves at an Early Day 108 Starved Kock, on the Illinois River, La Salle County, 111 110 An Early Settlement 116 Chicago in 1833 133 Old Fort Denrbron in 1830 136 Present site of Lake Street Bridge, Chicago, in 1833 136 Pioneers' First Winter 142 View ot the City of Chicago 144 Shahbona 149 WILL COriVTY HISTORY. Page, i Page. General History of Will County... .223 Joliet Township 367 Channahon Township 591 • Jackson Township. 540 Crete Custer Du Page Frankfort Florence Greengarden Homer ..553 ..606 „525 ..5(16 ..575 ,.583 ..516 Lockport " 414 Manhattan Township 634 Monee New Lenox Plainfield Peotone ..567 ..494 ..477 ..616 Page. Reed Township 464 Troy " 610 Wilmington Township 443 Wheatland " 536 Wesl«y " 598 Washington " G41 Wilton " 625 Will " 650 LITHOGRAPHIC PORTRAITS. Page. Allen, B. F 509 Braidwood, J 869 Beggsj 8. R 797 Boyer, Charles E 689 Cagwin, Abijah 491 Cook, M. H 82 Caseeday, G. W 455 Cutter, N. H 491 Demmond, M. H 275 Doolittle, R 491 Daggett, John F 725 Erhard, George 725 Elwood, N. D 347 Francis, Abraham 761 Foster, Lyman 150 Flack, J. J 473 Gougar, John 797 Gooding, William 653 Holden, P. H 527 Page. Holden, Betsy P 545 Holden, C. C. P 563 Holdeu, Sarah J 581 Holmes, A 725 Hagar, Jonathan 743 Harwood, E .'. 419 Henderson, Hugh 329 Higinbotham, H. D 383 Knapp, Ira 815 Leach, Alonzo 311 Little, W. E 365 Miller, T. L 635 Maltby, William 887 McGovney, 797 Mack, Firman 437 Norton, Jesse 311 Osgood, [Jri 293 Paige, J. D 311 Patterson, Anson 491 Page. Preston, J. B 707 Preston, Isaac 725 Reynolds, I. N 599 Reynolds, J. S 617 Rowley, Hiram 311 Runyo'n, A 671 Smich, C. C 851 Sutphen,C. H 401 Sanger, L. P .168 Steel, W. A 186 Stevens, Robert 257 Thornton, Cary 797 Tryon, George 833 Thomas, William 132 Wood, Willard 66 Woodruff, George H 221 Young, John 204 Zarley, Reason 239 IT CONTENTS. BIOGRAPHICAI. SKETCHES. Page. Channahon Township 832 Crete " 889 Custer " 872 DuPage " 895 Frankfort " 838 Florence " 791 Greengarden " 865 Homer *' 765 Page. Joliet Township 659 Jackson " 823 Lockport " 730 Manhattan Township 799 Monee " 900 New Lenox " ....778 Plainfield " 855 Peotone " 877 Page. Beed Township 751 Troy " 884 Wilmington Township 801 "Wheatland " 814 Wesley " 786 Wilton " ..., 902 Washington " 905 Will " 906 OIRECTORT OF REAl. ESTATE OW^TERS, Page. Channahon Township 971 Crete " 968 Custer " 965 DuPage " 950 Frankfort " 947 Florence " 963 Greengarden " 957 Homer " 952 Page. Jpliet Township 909 Jackson " 945 Lockport " 934 Manhattan Township 972 Monee " 941 New Lenox *' 955 Plainfield " 938 Peotone " 958 Page. Reed Township 929 Troj " -966 Wilmington Township 924 Wheatland " 954 Wesley " 964 Wilton " 960 Washington " 973 Will '* 975 ARSTRACT OF IHiEINOI^ STATE liAWS. Page. Adoption of Children 160 Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes 151 County Courts 155 Conveyances 164 Church Organizations 189 Descent 151 Deeds and Mortgages 157 Drainage 163 Damages from Trespass. 169 Definition of Commercial Terms 173 Exemptions from Forced Sale 156 Estrays 157 Fences 168 Forms : Articles of Agreement 175 Bills of Purchase 174 Bills of Sale 176 Bonds 176 Page. Chattel Mortgages 177 Codicil 189 Lease of Farm and Build- ings 179 Lease of House 180 Landlord's Agreement 180 Notes 174 Notice Tenant to Quit 181 Orders 174 Quit Claim Deed 185 Keceipt 174 Real Estate Mortgaged to Secure Payment of Money 181 Release 186 Tenant's Agreement 180 Tenant's Notice to Quit 181 Warranty Deed 182 Will 187 Page. Game 158 Interest 155 Jurisdiction of Courts 151 Limitation of Action 154 Tjandlord and Tenant 165 Liens 179 Married Women 152 Millers 169 MarkH and Brands 159 Paupers '. 164 Roads and Bridges 161, Surveyors and Surveys 160 Suprgestions to Persons Purchasing Books by Subscription 190 Taxes 154 Wills and Estates 152 Weights and Measures 158 Wolf Scalps 164 MISCEM-ANEOUS. Page. Map of Will County Front Constitution of the U. S 192 Electors of President and Vice Pres- ident 206 Practical Rules for Every Day Use.207 U. S. Government Land Measure. ..210 Agricultural Productions of Illi- nois by Counties, 1870 210 Surveyors* Measure 211 How to Keep Accounts 211 Page. Interest Table 212 Miscellaneous Tables 212 Names of the States of the Union and their Signification 213 Population of the United States 214 Population of Fifty Principal Cities of the United States 214 Population and Area of the United States 215 Population of the Principal Coun- tries in the World 215 Page. Population of Illinois 216-217 State Laws Relating to Interest 218 State Laws Relating to Limitations of Actions 219 Productions of Agriculture of Illi- nois 220 Populiition of Will Co 996 Assessors' Report 999 Business Directory 977 Errata 1003 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028806144 K.9.E. UIO.B. 11!-. E- RJ3.E U.l^X RISE The Northwest Territory. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION. When the Northwestern Territory was ceded to the United States by Virginia in 1784, it embraced only the territory lying between the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers, and north to the northern limits of the United States. It coincided with the area now embraced in the States of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and that portion of Minnesota lying oil the east side of the Mississippi River. The United States itself at that period extended no farther west than the Mississippi River ; but by the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, the western boundary of the United States was extended to the Rocky Mountains and the Northern Paciiic Ocean. The new territory thus added to the National domain, and subsequently opened to settlement, has been called the " New Northwest," in contradistinction from the old " Northwestern Territory. " In comparison with the old Northwest this is a territory of vast magnitude. It includes an area of 1,887,850 square miles ; being greater in extent than the united areas of all the Middle and Southern States, including Texas. Out of this magnificent territory have been erected eleven sovereign States and eight Territories, with an aggregate popula- tion, at the present time, of 13,000,000 inhabitants, or nearly one third of the entire population of the United States. Its lakes are fresh-water seas, and the larger rivers of the continent flow for a thousand miles through its rich alluvial valleys and far- stretching prairies, more acres of which are arable and productive of the highest percentage of the cereals than of any other area of like extent on the globe. For the last twenty years the increase of population in the North- west has been about as three to one in any other portion of the United States. (19) 20 THE NORTHWEST TEEKITOKY. EARLY EXPLORATIONS. In the year 1541, DeSoto first saw the Great West in the New World. He, however, penetrated no farther north than the 35th parallel of latitude. The expedition resulted in his death and that of more than half his army, the remainder of whom found their way to Cuba, thence to Spain, in a famished and demoralized condition. DeSbto founded no settlements, produced no results, and left no traces, unless it were that he awakened the hostility of the red man against the white man, and disheartened such as might desire to follow up the career of discovery for better purposes. The French nation were eager and ready to seize upon any news from this extensive domain, and were the first to profit by DeSoto's defeat. Yet it Avas more than a century before any adventurer took advantage of these discoveries. In 1616, four years before the pilgrims " moored their bark on the wild New England shore," Le Caron, a French Franciscan, had pene- trated through the Iroquois and Wyandots (Hurons) to the streams which run into Lake Huron ; and in 1634, two Jesuit missionaries founded the first mission among the lake tribes. It was just one hundred years from the discovery of the Mississippi by DeSoto (1541) until the Canadian envoys met the savage nations of the Northwest at the Falls of St. Mary, below the outlet of Lake Superior. This visit led to no permanent result ; yet it was not until 1659 that any of the adventurous fur traders attempted to spend a Winter in the frozen wilds about the great lakes, nor was it until 1660 that a station was established upon their borders by Mesnard, who perished in the woods a few months after. In 1665, Claude Allouez built the earliest lasting habitation of the white man among the Indians of the Northwest. In 1668, Claude Dablon and James Marquette founded the mission of Sault Ste. Marie at the Falls of St. Mary, and two years afterward, Nicholas Perrot, as agent for M. Talon, Governor Gen- eral of Canada, explored Lake Illinois (Michigan) as far south as the present City of Chicago, and invited the Indian nations to meet him at a grand council at Sault Ste. Marie the following Spring, where they were taken under the protection of the king, and formal possession was taken of the Northwest. This same year Marquette established a mission at Point St. Ignatius, where was founded the old town of Michillimackinac. During M. Talon's explorations and Marquette's residence at St. Ignatius, they learned of a great river away to the west, and fancied — as all others did then — that upon its fertile banks whole tribes of God's children resided, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come. Filled with a wish to go and preach to them, and in compliance with a THE NORTHWEST TEREITOKY. 21 P4 c K H O O 22 THE NOKTHWEST TEEEITOitY. request of M. Talon, who earnestly desired to extend the domain of his king, and to ascertain whether the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Ocean, Marquette with Joliet, as commander of the expe- dition, prepared for the undertaking. On the 13th of May, 1673, the explorers, accompanied by five assist- ant French Canadians, set out from Mackinaw on their daring voyage of discovery. The Indians, who gathered to witness their departure, were astonished at the boldness of the undertaking, and endeavored to dissuade them from their purpose by representing the tribes on the Mississippi as exceedingly savage and cruel, and the river itself as full of all sorts of frightful monsters ready to swallow them and their canoes together. But, nothing daunted by these terrific descriptions, Marquette told them he was willing not only to encounter all the perils of the unknown region they were about to explore, but to lay down his life in a cause in which the salvation of souls w as involved ; and having prayed together they separated. Coasting along the northern shore of Lake Michigan, the adventurers entered Green Bay, and passed thence up the Fox River and Lake Winnebago to a village of the Miamis and Kickapoos. Here Mar- quette was delighted to find a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the town ornamented with white skins, red girdles and bows and arrows, which these good people had offered to the Great Manitou, or God, to thank him for the pity he had bestowed on them during the Winter in giving them an abundant " chase." This was the farthest outpost to which Dablon and AUouez had extended their missionary labors the 3'ear previous. Here Marquette drank mineral waters aiad was instructed in the secret of a root which cures the bite of the venomous rattlesnake. He assembled the chiefs and old men of the village, and, pointing to Joliet, said : " My friend is an envoy of France, to discover new coun- tries, and I am an ambassador from God to enlighten them with the truths of the Gospel." Two Miami guides were here furnished to conduct them to the Wisconsin River, and they set out from the Lidian village on the 10th of June, amidst a great crowd of natives who had assembled to witness their departure into a region where no white man had ever yet ventured. The guides, having conducted them across the portage, returned. The explorers launched their canoes upon the Wisconsin which they descended to the Mississippi and proceeded down its unknown waters. What emotions must have swelled their breasts as they struck out into the broadening current and became conscious that they were now upon the bosom of th3 Father of Waters. The mystery was about to be lifted from the long-sought river. The scenery in that locality is beautiful, and on that delightful seventeenth of June must have been clad in all its primeval loveliness as it had been adorned by the hand of THE NORTHWEST TEREITOKY. 23 Nature. Drifting rapidly, it is said that tlie bojd bluffs on either hand " reminded them of the castled shores of their own beautiful rivers of France." By-and-by, as they drifted along, great herds of buifalo appeared on the banks. On going to the heads of the valley they could see a country of the greatest beauty and fertility, apparently destitute of inhab- itants yet presenting the appearance of extensive manors, under the fas- tidious cultivation of lordly proprietors. THE WILD PKAIEIE. On June 25, they went ashore and found some fresh traces of men upon the sand, and a path which led to the prairie. The men remained in the boat, and Marquette and Joliet followed the path till they discovered a village on the banks of a river, and two other villages on a hill, within a half league of the first, inhabited by Indians. They were received most hospitably by these natives, who had never before seen a white person. After remaining a few days they re-embarked and descended the river to about latitude 33°, where they found a village of the Arkansas, and being satisfied that the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, turned their course 24 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. up the river, and ascepding the stream to the mouth of the Illinois, rowed up that stream to its source, and procured guides from that point to the lakes. " Nowhere on this journey," says Marquette, " did we see such grounds, meadows, woods, stags, buffaloes, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, ducks, parroquets, and even beavers, as on the Illinois River." The party, without loss or injury, reached Green Bay in September, and reported their discovery — one of the most important of the age, but of which no record was preserved save Marquette's, Joliet losing his by the upsetting of his canoe on his way to Quebec. Afterward Marquette returned to the Illinois Indians by their request, and ministered to them until 1675. On the 18th of May, in that year, as he was passing the mouth of a stream — going with his boatmen up Lake Michigan — he asked to land at its mouth and celebrate Mass. Leaving his men with the canoe, he retired a short distance and began his devotions. As much time passed and he did not return, his men went in search of him, and found him upon his kaees, dead. He had peacefuUj^ passed away while at prayer. He was buried at this spot. Charlevoix, who visited the place fifty years after, found the waters had retreated from the grave, leaving the beloved missionary to repose in peace. The river has since been called Marquette. While Marquette and his companions were pursuing their labors in the West, two men, differing widely from him and each other, were pre- paring to follow in his footsteps and perfect the discoveries so well begun by him. These were Robert de La Salle and Louis Hennepin. After La Salle's return from the discovery of the Ohio River (see the narrative elsewhere), he established himself again among the French trading posts in Canada. Here he mused long upon the pet project of those ages — a short way to China and the East, and was busily planning an expedition up the great lakes, and so across the continent to the Pacific, when Marquette returned from the Mississippi. At once the vigorous mind of LaSalle received from his and his companions' stories the idea that by fol- lowing the Great River northward, or by turning up some of the numerous western tributaries, the object could easily be gained. He applied to Frontenac, Governor General cf Canada, and laid before him the plan, dim but gigantic. Frontenac entered warmly into his plans, and saw that LaSalle's idea to connect the great lakes by a chain of forts with the Gulf of Mexico would bind the country so wonderfully together, give un- measured power to France, and glory to himself, under whose adminis- tration he earnestly hoped all would be realized. LaSalle now repaired to France, laid his plans before the Kincr, who warmly approved of them, and made him a Chevalier. He also receivad from all the noblemen the warmest wishes for his saccess. The OheA"- THE NOETHWEST TERRITORY. 25 alier returned to Canada, and busily entered upon his work. He at once rebuilt Fort Frontenac and constructed the first ship to sail on these fresh-water seas. On the 7th of August, 1679, having been joined by Hennepin, he began his voyage in the Griffin up Lake Erie. He passed over this lake, through the straits beyond, up Lake St. Clair and into Huron. In this lake they encountered heavy storms. They were some time at MichiUimackinac, where LaSalle founded a fort, and passed on to Green Bay, the " Bale des Puans" of the French, where he found a large quantity of furs collected for him. He loaded the Griffin with these, and placing her under the care of a pilot and fourteen sailors. LA SALLE LANDING ON THE SHORE OF GREEN BAY. started her on her return voyage. The vessel was never afterward heard of. He remained about these parts until early in the Winter, when, hear- ing nothing from the Griffin, he collected all the men — thirty working men and three monks — and started again upon his great undertaking. By a short portage they passed to the Illinois or Kankakee, called by the Indians, "Theakeke," nolf, because of the tribes of Indians called by that name, commonly known as the Mahingans, dwelhng there. The French pronounced it Kiahihi, which became corrupted to Kankakee. "Falling down the said river by easy journeys, the better to observe the country," about the last of December they reached a village of the Illi- nois Indians, containing some five hundred cabins, but at that moment 26 THE NOBTHWBST TEKBITOKY. no inhabitants. The Seur de LaSalle being in want of some breadstuffs, took advantage of the absence of the Indians to help himself to a suffi- ciency of maize, large quantities of which he found concealed in holes under the wigwams. This village was situated near the present village of Utica in LaSalle County, Illinois. The corn being securely stored, the voyagers again betook themselves to the stream, and toward evening, on the 4th day of January, 1680, they came into a lake which must have been the lake of Peoria. This was called by the Indians Pim-i-te-wi, that is, a place where there are many fat beasts. Here the natives were met with in large numbers, but they were gentle and kind, and having spent some time with them, LaSalle determined to erect another fort in that place, for he had heard rumors that some of the adjoining tribes were trying to disturb the good feeling which existed, and some of his men were disposed to complain, owing to the hardships and perils of the travel. He called this fort " Crevecoeur " (broken-heart), a name expressive of the very natural sorrow and anxiety which the pretty certain loss of his ship, Griffin, and his consequent impoverishment, the danger of hostility on the part of the Indians, and of mutiny among his own men, might well cause him. His fears were not entirely groundless. At one time poison was placed in his food, but fortunately was discovered. While building this fort, the Winter wore away, the prairies began to look green, and LaSalle, despairing of any reinforcements, concluded to return to Canada, raise new means and new men, and embark anew in the enterprise. For this purpose he made Hennepin the leader of a party to explore the head waters of the Mississippi, and he set out on his jour- ney. This journey was accomplished with the aid of a few persons, and was successfully made, though over an almost u iknown route, and in a bad season of the year. He safely reached Cana ia, and set out again for the object of his search. Hennepin and his party left Fort Crevecoeur on the last of February, 1680. When LaSalle reached this place on his return expedition, he found the fort entirely deserted, and he was obliged to return again to Canada. He embarked the third time, and succeeded. Seven days after leaving the fort, Hennepin reached the Mississippi, and paddling up the icy stream as best he could, reached no higher than the Wisconsin River by the 11th of April. Here he and his followers were taken prisoners by a band of Northern Indians, who treated them with great kindness. Hen- nepin's comrades were Anthony Auguel and Michael Ako. On this voy- age they found several beautiful lakes, and " saw some charming prairies." Their captors were the Isaute or Sauteurs, Chippewas, a tribe of the Sioux nation, who took them up the river until about the first of May, when they reached some falls, which Hennepin christened Falls of St. Anthony THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 27 in honor of his patron saint. Here they took the land, and traveling nearly two hundred miles to the northwest, brought them to their villages. Here they were kept about three months, were treated kindly by their captors, and at the end of that time, were met by a band of Frenchmen, BUFFALO HUNT. headed by one Seur de Luth, who, in pursuit of trade and game, had pene- trated thus far by the route of Lake Superior ; and with these fellow- countrymen Hennepin and his companions were allowed to return to the borders of civilized life in November, 1680, just after LaSalle had returned to the wilderness on his second trip. Hennepin soon after went to France, where he published an account of his adventures. 28 THE NORTHWEST TEREITOEY. The Mississippi was first discovered by De Soto in April, 1541, in his vain endeavor to find gold and precious gems. In the following Spring, De Soto, weary with hope long defei'red, and worn out with his wander- ings, he fell a victim to disease, and on the 21st of May died. His followers, reduced by fatigue and disease to less than three hundred men, wandered about the country nearly a year, iii the vain endeavor to rescue them- selves by land, and finally constructed seven small vessels, called brigan- tines, in which they embarked, and descending the river, supposing it would load them to the sea, in July they came to the sea (Gulf of Mexico), and by September reached the Island of Cuba. They were the first to see the great outlet of the Mississippi ; but, being so weary and discouraged, made no attempt to claim the country, and hardly had an intelligent idea of what they had passed through. To La Salle, the intrepid explorer, belongs the honor of giving the first account of the mouths of the river. His great desire was to possess this entire country for his king, and in January, 1682, he and his band of explorers left the shores of Lake Michigan on their third attempt, crossed the portage, passed down the Illinois River, and on the 6th of February, reached the banks of the Mississippi. On the 13th they commenced their downward course, which they pursued with but one interruption, until upon the 6th of March tliey dis- covered the three great passages by which the river discharges its waters into the gulf. La Salle thus narrates the event : " We landed on the bank of the most western channel, about three leagues (nine miles) from its mouth. On the seventh, M. de LaSalle went to reconnoiter the shores of the neighboring sea, and M. de Tonti meanwhile examined the great middle channel. They found the main ■outlets beautiful, large and deep. On the 8th we reascended the river, a little above its confluence with the sea, to find a dry place beyond the reach of inundations. The elevation of the North Pole was here about twenty-seven degrees. Here we prepared a column and a cross, and to the column were affixed the arms of France with this inscription : Louis Le Grand, Roi De France et de Navarre, regne ; Le neuvieme Avril, 1682. The Avhole party, under arms, chanted the Te Deum, and then, after ■a salute and cries of "-Vive le Roi" the column was erected by M. de La Salle, who, standing near it, proclaimed in a loud voice the authority of the King of France. LaSalle returned and laid the foundations of the Mis- sissippi settlements in Illinois, thence he proceeded to France, where ■another expedition was fitted out, of which he was commander, and in two succeeding voyages failed to find the outlet of the river by sailing along the shore of the gulf. On his third voyage he was killed, through the THE NORTHWEST TEREITOKY. 29 treachery of his followers, and the object of his expeditions was not accomplished until 1699, when D'Iberville, under the authority of the crown, discovered, on tlie second of March, by way of the sea, the mouth of the " Hidden River." This majestic stream was called by the natives *"■ MalhoucMa" and by the Spaniards, " Za Palissade,'' from the great TRAPPINfi. number of trees about its mouth. After traversing the several outlets, and satisfying himself as to its certainty, he erected a fort near its western outlet, and returned to France. An avenue of trade was now opened out which was fully improved. In 1718, New Orleans was laid out and settled by some European colo- nists. In 1762, the colony was made over to Spain, to be regained by France under the consulate of Napoleon. In 1803, it was purchased by 30 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. the United States for the sum of fifteen million dollars, and the territory of Louisiana and commerce of the Mississippi River came under the charge of the United States. Although LaSalle's labors ended in defeat and death, he had not worked and suffered in vain. He had thrown open to France and the world an immense and most valuable country ; had established several ports, and laid the foundations of more than one settlement there. " Peoria, Kaskaskia and Cahokia, are to this day monu- ments of LaSalle's labors ; for, though he had founded neither of them (unless Peoria, which was built nearly upon the site of Fort Crevecceur,) it was by those whom he led into the West that these places were peopled and civilized. He was, if not the discoverer, the first settler of the Mississippi Valley, and as such deserves to be known and honored." The French early improved the opening made for them. Before the year 1698, the Rev. Father Gravier began a mission among the Illinois, and founded Kaskaskia. For some time this was merely a missionary station, where none but natives resided, it being one of three such vil- lages, the other two being Cahokia and Peoria. What is known of these missions is learned from a letter written by Father Gabriel Marest, dated " Aux Cascaskias, autrement dit de Tlmmaculate Conception de la Sainte Vierge, le 9 Novembre, 1712." Soon after the founding of Kaskaskia, the missionary, Pinet, gathered a flock at Cahokia, while Peoria arose near the ruins of Fort Crevecceur. This must have been about the year 1700. The post at Vincennes on the Oubache river, (pronounced Wa-ba, meaning summer cloud movitif/ swiftly') was estab- lished in 1702, according to the best authorities.* It is altogether prob- able that on LaSalle's last trip he established the stations at Kaskaskia and Cahokia. In July, 1701, the foundations of Fort Ponchartrain were laid by De la Motte Cadillac on the Detroit River. These sta- tions, with those established further north, were the earliest attempts to occupy the Northwest Territory. At the same time efforts were being made to occupy the Southwest, which finally culminated in the settle- ment and founding of the City of New Orleans by a colony from England in 1718. This was mainly accomplished througli the efforts of the famous Mississippi Company, established by the notorious John Law, who so quickly arose into prominence in France, and who with his scheme so quickly and so ignominiously passed away. From the time of the founding of these stations for fifty j'ears the French nation were engrossed with the settlement of the lower Missis- sippi, and the war with the Chicasaws, who had, in revenge for repeated * There is considerable dispute about tliis date, some asserting it was founded as iate as 1742. V/heu the new court house at Vincennes was erected, all autliorities on the subject were carefully examined, and i'/03 fixed upon as the correct date. It was accordingly engraved on the coruer-stone of the court house. THE NORTHWEST TBEEITOEY. 81 injuries, cut off the entire colony at Natchez. Although the company did little for Louisiana, as the entire West was then called, yet it opened the trade through the Mississippi River, and started the raising of grains indigenous to that climate. Until the year 1750, but little is known of the settlements in the Northwest, as it was not until this time that the attention of the English was called to the occupation of this portion of the New World, which they then supposed they owned. Vivier, a missionary among the Illinois, writing from " Aux Illinois," six leagues from Fort Chartres, June 8, 1750, says: "We have here whites, negroes and Indians, to say nothing of cross-breeds. There are five French villages, and three villages of the natives, within a space of twenty-one leagues situated between the Mississippi and another river called the Karkadaid (Kaskaskias). In the five French villages are, perhaps, eleven. hundred whites, three hundred blacks and some sixty red slaves or savages. The three Illinois towns do not contain more than eight hundred souls all told. Most of the French till the soil; they raise wheat, cattle, pigs and horses, and live like princes. Three times as much is produced as can be consumed ; and great quantities of grain and flour are sent to New Orleans." This city was now the seaport town of the Northwest, and save in the extreme northern part, where only furs and copper ore were found, almost all the products of the country found their way to France by the mouth of the Father of Waters. In another letter, dated Novem- ber 7, 1750, this same priest says : " For fifteen leagues above the mouth of the Mississippi one sees no dwellings, the ground being too low to be habitable. Thence to New Orleans, the lands are only partially occupied. New Orleans contains black, white and red, not more, I think, than twelve hundred persons. To this point come all lumber, bricks, salt-beef, tallow, tar, skins and bear's grease ; and above all, pork and flour from the Illinois. These things create some commerce, as forty vessels and more have come hither this year. Above New Orleans, plantations are again met with ; the most considerable is a colony of Germans, some ten leagues up the river. At Point Coupee, thirty-five leagues above the German settlement, is a fort. Along here, within five or six leagues, are not less than sixty habitations. Fifty leagues farther up is the Natchez post, where we have a garrison, who are kept prisoners through fear of the Ohickasaws. Here and at Point Coupee, they raise excellent tobacco. Another hundred leagues brings us to the Arkansas, where we have also a fort and a garrison for the benefit of the river traders. * * * From the Arkansas to the Illinois, nearly five hundred leagues, there is not a settlement. There should be, however, a fort at the Oubache (Ohio), the only path by which the English can reach the Mississippi. In the Illinois country are numberless mines, but no one to 32 THE NOKTHWEST TBEEITOB.Y. work them as they deserve." Father Marest, siting from the post at Vincennes in 181 2, makes the same observation. Vivier also says : feome individuals dig lead near the surface and supply the Indians and Canada. Two Spaniards now here, who claim to be adepts, say that our mines are like those of Mexico, and that if we would dig deeper, we should fand silver under the lead ; and at any rate the lead is excellent. There is also in this country, beyond doubt, ^copper ore, as from time to time large pieces are found in the streams." HUNTING- At the close of the year 1750, the French occupied, in addition to the lower Mississippi posts and those in Illinois, one at Du Quesne, one at the Maumee in the country of the Miamis, and one at Sandusky in what may be termed the Ohio Valley. In the northern part of the Northwest they had stations at St. Joseph's on the St. Joseph's of Lake jNIichigan, at Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit), at Michillimackanac or Massillimacanac, Fox River of Green Bay, and at Sault Ste. Marie. The fondest dreams of LaSalle were now fully realized. The French alone were possessors of this vast realm, basing their claim on discovery and settlement. Another nation, however, was now turning its attention to this extensive country, THE NORTHWEST TEEKITOBY. 33 and hearing of its wealth, began to lay plans for occupying it and for securing the great profits arising therefrom. The French, however, had another claim to this country, namely, the DISCOVERY OF THE OHIO. This " Beautiful " river was discovered by Robert Cavalier de La- Salle in 1669, four years before the discovery of the Mississippi by Joliet and Marquette. While LaSalle was at his trading post on the St. Lawrence, he found leisure to study nine Indian dialects, the chief of which was the Iroquois. He not only desired to facilitate his intercourse in trade, but he longed to travel and explore the unknown regions of the West. An incident soon occurred which decided him to fit out an exploring expedition. While conversing with some Senecas, he learned of a river called the Ohio, which rose in their country and flowed to the sea, but at such a distance that it required eight months to reach its mouth. In this state- ment the Mississippi and its tributaries were considered as one stream. LaSalle believing, as most of the French at that period did, that the great rivers flowing west emptied into the Sea of California, was anxious to embark in the enterprise of discovering a route across the continent to the commerce of China and Japan. He repaired at once to Quebec to obtain the approval of the Gov- ernor. His eloquent appeal prevailed. The Governor and the Intendant, Talon, issued letters patent authorizing the enterprise, but made no pro- vision to defray the expenses. At this juncture the seminary of St. Sul- pice decided to send out missionaries in connection with the expedition^ and LaSalle offering to sell his improvements at LaChine to raise money» the offer was accepted by the Superior, and two thousand eight hundred dollars were raised, with which LaSalle purchased four canoes and the necessary supplies for the outfit. On the 6th of July, 1669, the party, numbering twenty-four persons, embarked in seven canoes on the St. Lawrence ; two additional canoes carried the Indian guides. In three days they were gliding over the bosom of Lake Ontario. Their guides conducted them directly to the Seneca village on the bank of the Genesee, in the vicinity of the present City of Rochester, New York. Here they expected to procure guides to conduct them to the Ohio, but in this they were disappointed. The Indians seemed unfriendly to the enterprise. LaSalle suspected that the Jesuits had prejudiced their minds against his plans. After waiting a month in the hope of gaining their object, they met an Indian 84 THE NORTHWEST TEKRITOKY. from the Iroquois colony at the head of Lake Ontario, who assured them that they could there find guides, and offered to conduct them thence. On their way they passed the mouth of the Niagara River, when they heard for the first time the distant thunder of the cataract. Arriving x^T~ / An J* ^■^^H.^..V iKoyuoia cuijb;*'. among the Iroquois, they met with a friendly reception, and learned from a Shawanee prisoner that they could reach the Ohio in six weeks Delighted with the unexpected good fortune, they made ready to resume their journey ; but just as they were about to start they heard of the arrival of two Frenchmen in a neighboring village. One of them proved to be Louis Joliet, afterwards famous as an explorer in the West. He THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 35 had been sent by the Canadian Government to explore the copper mines on Lake Superior, but had failed, and was on his way back to Quebec. He gave the missionaries a map of the country he had explored in the lake region, together with an account of the condition of the Indians in that quarter. This induced the priests to determine on leaving the expedition and going to Lake Superior. LaSalle warned them that the Jesuits were probably occupying that field, and that they would meet with a cold reception. Nevertheless they persisted in their purpose, and after worship on the lake shore, parted from LaSalle. On arriving at Lake Superior, they found, as LaSalle had predicted, the Jesuit Fathers, Marquette and Dablon, occupying the field. These zealous disciples of Loyola informed them that they wanted no assistance from St. Sulpice, nor from those who made him their patron saint ; and thus repulsed, they returned to Montreal the following June without having made a single discovery or converted a single Indian. After parting with the priests, LaSalle went to the chief Iroquois village at Onondaga, where he obtained guides, and passing thence to a tributary of the Ohio south of Lake Erie, he descended the latter as far as the falls at Louisville. Thus was the Ohio discovered by LaSalle, the persevering and successful French explorer of the West, in 1669. The account of the latter part of his journey is found in an anony- mous paper, which purports to have been taken from the lips of LaSalle himself during a subsequent visit to Paris. In a letter written to Count Frontenac in 1667, shortly after the discovery, he himself says that he discovered the Ohio and descended it to the falls. This was regarded as an indisputable fact by the French authorities, who claimed the Ohio Valley upon another ground. When Washington was sent by the colony of Virginia in 1753, to demand of Gordeur de St. Pierre why the French had built a fort on the Monongahela, the haughty commandant at Quebec replied: "We claim the country on the Ohio by virtue of the discoveries of LaSalle, and will not give it up to the English. Our orders are to make prisoners of every Englishman found trading in the Ohio Valley." ENGLISH EXPLORATIONS AND SETTLEMENTS. When the new year of 1750 broke in upon the Father of Waters and the Great Northwest, all was still wild save at the French posts already described. In 1749, when the English first began to think seri- ously about sending men into the West, the greater portion of the States of Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota were yet under the dominion of the red men. The English knew, however, pretty 36 THE NORTHWEST TBEKITORY. conclusively of the nature of the wealth of these wilds. As early as 1710, Governor Spotswood, of Virginia, had commenced movements to secure the country west of the AUeghenies to the English crown. In Pennsylvania, Governor Keith and James Logan, secretary of the prov- ince, from 1719 to 1731, represented to the powers of England the neces- sity of securing the Western lands. Nothing was done, however, by that power save to take some diplomatic steps to secure the claims of Britain to this unexplored wilderness. England had from the outset claimed from the Atlantic to the Pacific, on the ground that the discovery of the seacoast and its possession was a discovery and possession of the country, and, as is well known, her grants to the colonies extended " from sea to sea." This was not all her claim. She had purchased from the Indian tribes large tracts of land. This lat- ter was also a strong argument. As early as 1684, Lord Howard, Gov- ernor of Virginia, held a treaty with the six nations. These were the great Northern Confederacy, aud comprised at first the Mohawks, Onei- das, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. Afterward the Tuscaroras were taken into the confederacy, and it became known as the Six Nations. They came under the protection of the mother country, and again in 1701, they repeated the agreement, and in September, 1726, a formal deed was drawn up and signed by the chiefs. The validity of this claim has often been disputed, but never successfully. In 1744, a purchase was made at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, of certain lands within the " Colony of Virginia," for which the Indians received £200 in gold and a like sum in goods, with a promise that, as settlements increased, more should be paid. The Commissioners from Virginia were Colonel Thomas Lee and Colonel William Beverly. As settlements extended, the promise of more pay was called to mind, and Mr. Conrad Weiser was sent across the mountains with presents to appease the savages. Col. Lee, and some Virginians accompa- nied him with the intention of sounding the Indians upon their feelings regarding the English. They were not satisfied with their treatment, and plainly told the Commissioners why. The English did not desire the cultivation of the country, but the monopoly of the Indian trade. In 1748, the Ohio Company was formed, and petitioned the king for a grant of land beyond the AUeghenies. This was granted, and the government of Virginia was ordered to grant to them a half million acres, two hun- dred thousand of which were to be located at once. Upon the 12th of June, 1749, 800,000 acres from the line of Canada north and west was made to the Loyal Company, and on the 29th of October, 1751, 100 000 acres were given to the Greenbriar Company. All this time the French were not idle. They saw that, should the British gain a foothold in tlie West, especially upon the Ohio, they might not only prevent the French THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 37 settling upon it, but in time would come to the lower posts and so gain possession of the whole country. Upon the 10th of May, 1774, Vaud- reuil, Governor of Canada and the French possessions, well knowing the consequences that must arise from allowing the English to build trading- posts in the Northwest, seized some of their frontier posts, and to further secure the claim of the French to the West, he, in 1749, sent Louis Cel- eron with a party of soldiers to plant along the Ohio River, in the mounds and at the mouths of its principal tributaries, plates of lead, on which were inscribed the claims of France. These were heard of in 1752, and within the memory of residents now living along the " Oyo," as the beautiful river was called by the French. One of these plates was found with the inscription partly defaced. It bears date August 16, 1749, and a copy of the inscription with particular account of the discovery of the plate, was sent by DeWitt Clinton to the American Antiquarian Society, among whose journals it may now be found.* These measures did not, however, deter the English from going on with their explorations, and though neither party resorted to arms, yet the conflict was gathering, and it was only a question of time wlien the storm would burst upon the frontier settlements. In 1750, Christopher Gist was sent by the Ohio Company to examine its lands. He went to a village of the Twigtwees, on the, Miami, about one hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. He afterward spoke of it as very populous. From there he went down the Ohio River nearly to the falls at the present City of Louisville, and in November he commenced a survey of the Company's lands. Dur- ing the Winter, General Andrew Lewis performed a similar work for the Greenbriar Company. Meanwhile the French were busj'' in preparing their forts for defense, and in opening roads, and also sent a small party of soldiers to keep the Ohio clear. This party, having heard of the Eng- lish post on the Miami River, early in 1652, assisted by the Ottawas and Chippewas, attacked it, and, after a severe battle, in which fourteen of the natives were killed and others wounded, captured the garrison. (They were probably garrisoned in a block house). The traders were carried away to Canada, and one account says several were burned. This fort or post was called by the English Pickawillany. A memorial of the king's ministers refers to it as " Pickawillanes, in the center of the terri- tory between the Ohio and the Wabash. The name is probably some variation of Pickaway or Picqua in 1773, written by Rev. David Jones Pickaweke." ■* The following is a translation of tlie inscription on tlie plate: "In the year 1749. reign of Louis XV., King of France, we, Celeron, commandant of a detachment by Monsieur the Marquis of Gallisoniere, com- mander-in-chief of New France, to estaOlish tranciullity in certain Indian villages of these cantons, have buried this plate at the confluence of the Toradakoln, this twenty-ninth of July, near the river Ohio, otherwise Beautiful Kiver, as a monument of renewal of possession which we have taken of the said river, and all its tributaries; Inasmuch as the preceding Kings of France have enjoyed it, and maintained it by their arms and treaties; especially by those of KyswicK, Utrecht, and Alx La Chapelle." 88 THE NOKTHWBST TEEKITOBT. This was the first blood shed between the French and English, and occurred near the present City of. Piqua, Ohio, or at least at a point about forty-seven miles north of Dayton. Each nation became now more inter- ested in the progress of events in the Northwest. The English deter- mined to purchase from the Indians a title to the lands they wished to occupy, and Messrs. Fry (afterward Commander-in-chief over' Washing- ton at the commencement of the French War of 1775-1763), Lomaxand Fatten were sent in the Spring of 1752 to hold a conference with the natives at Logstown to learn what they objected to in the treaty of Lan- caster already noticed, and to settle all difficulties. On the 9th of June, these Commissioners met the red men at Logstown, a little village on the north bank of the Ohio, about seventeen miles below the site of Pitts- burgh. Here had been a trading point for many years, but it was aban- doned by the Indians in 1750. At first the Indians declined to recognize the treaty of Lancaster, but, the Commissioners taking aside Montour, the interpreter, who was a son of the famous Catharine Montour, and a chief among the six nations, induced him to use his influence in their favor. This he did, and upon the 13th of June they all united in signing a deed, confirming the Lancaster treaty in its full extent, consenting to a settlement of the southeast of the Ohio, and guaranteeing that it should not be disturbed by them. These were the means used to obtain the first treaty with the Indians in the Ohio Valley. Meanwhile the powers beyond the sea were trying to out-manoeuvre each other, and were professing to be at peac'e. The English generally outwitted the Indians, and failed in many instances to fulfill their con- tracts. They thereby gained the ill-will of the red men, and further increased the feeling by failing to provide them with arms and ammuni- tion. Said an old chief, at Easton, in 1758 : " The Indians on the Ohio left you because of your own fault. When we heard the French were coming, we asked you for help and arms, but we did not get them. The French came, they treated us kindly, and gained our affections. The Governor of Virginia settled on our lands for his own benefit, and, when we wanted help, forsook us." At the beginning of 1653, the English thought they had secured by title the lands in the West, but the French had quietly gathered cannon and military stores to be in readiness for the expected blow. The Eng- lish made other attempts to ratify these existing treaties, but not until the Summer could the Indians be gathered together to discuss the plans of the French. They had sent messages to the French, warnincr them away ; but they replied that they intended to complete the chain of forts already begun, and would not abandon the field. Soon after this, no satisfaction being obtained from the Ohio reo-ard- THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 39 ing the positions and purposes of the French, Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia determined to send to them anotlier messenger and learn from them, if possible, their intentions. For this purpose he selected a young man, a surveyor, who, at the early age of nineteen, had received the rank of major, and who was thoroughly posted regarding frontier life. This personage was no other than the illustrious George Washington, who then held considerable interest in Western lands. He was at this time just twenty-two years of age. Taking Gist as his guide, the two, accompanied by four servitors, set out on their perilous march. They left Will's Creek on the 10th of November, 1753, and on the 22d reached the Monon- gahela, about ten miles above the fork. From there they went to Logstown, where Washington had a long conference with the chiefs of the Six Nations. From them he learned the condition of the French, and also heard of their determination not to come down the river till the fol- lowing Spring. The Indians were non-committal, as they were afraid to turn either way, and, as far as they could, desired to remain neutral. Washington, finding nothing could be done with them, went on to Venango, an old Indian town at the mouth of French Creek. Here the French had a fort, called Fort Machault. Through the rum and flattery of the French, he nearly lost all his Indian followers. Finding nothing of importance here, he pursued his way amid great privations, and on the 11th of December reached the fort at the head of French Creek. Here he delivered Governor Dinwiddle's letter, received his answer, took his observations, and on the 16th set out upon his return journey with no one but Gist, his guide, and a few Indians who still remained true to him, notwithstanding the endeavors of the French to retain them. Their homeward journey was one of great peril and suffering from the cold, yet they reached home in safety on the 6th of January, 1754. From the letter of St. Pierre, commander of the French fort, sent by Washington to Governor Dinwiddie, it was learned that the French would not give up without a struggle. Active preparations were at once made in all the English colonies for the coming conflict, while the French finished the fort at Venango and strengthened their lines of fortifications, and gathered their forces to be in readiness. The Old Dominion was all alive. Virginia was the center of great activities ; volunteers were called for, and from all the neighboring colonies men rallied to the conflict, and everywhere along the Potomac men were enlisting under the Governor's proclamation — which promised two hundred thousand acres on the Ohio, Along this river they were gathering as far as Will's Creek, and far beyond this point, whither Trent had come for assistance for his little band of forty-one men, who were 40 THE NOKTHWBST TERBITOEY. working away in hunger and want, to fortify that point at the fork of the Ohio, to which both parties were looking with deep interest. " The fii'st birds of Spring filled the air with their song ; the swift river rolled by the Allegheny hillsides, swollen by the melting snows of Spring and the April showers. The leaves were appearing ; a few Indian scouts were seen, but no enemy seemed near at hand ; and all was so quiet, that Frazier, an old Indian scout and trader, who liad been left by Trent in command, ventured • to his home at the mouth of Turtle Creek, ten miles up the Monongahela. But, though all was so quiet in that wilder- ness, keen eyes had seen the low intrenchment rising at the fork, and swift feet had borne the news of it up the river ; and upon the morning of the 17th of April, Ensign Ward, who then had charge of it, saw upon the Allegheny a sight that made his heart sink — sixty batteaux and three hundred canoes filled with men, and laden deep with cannon and stores. * * * That eveniug he supped with his captor, Contrecoeur, and the next day he was bowed off by the Frenchman, and with his men and tools, marched up the Monongahela." The French and Indian war had begun. The treaty of Aix la Chapelle, in 1748, had left the boundaries between the French and English possessions unsettled, and the events already narrated show the French were determined to hold the country watered by the Mississippi and its tributaries ; while the English laid claims to the country by virtue of the discoveries of the Cabots, and claimed all the country from New- foundland to Florida, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The first decisive blow had now been struck, and the first attempt of the English, through the Ohio Company, to occupy these lands, had resulted disastrously to them. The French and Indians immediately completed the fortifications begun at the Fork, which they had so easily captured, and when completed gave to the fort the name of DuQuesne. Washing- ton was at Will's Creek when the news of the capture of the fort arrived. He at once departed to recapture it. On his way he entrenched him- self at a place called the " Meadows," where he erected a fort called by him Fort Necessity. From there he surprised and captured a force of French and Indians marching against him, but was soon after attacked in his fort by a much superior force, and was obliged to yield on the morning of July 4th. He was allowed to return to Virginia. The English Government immediately planned four campaigns ; one agamst Fort DuQuesne ; one against Nova Scotia ; one against Fort Niagara, and one against Crown Point. These occurred during 1755-6, and were not successful in driving the French from their possessions! The expedition against Fort DuQuesne was led by the famous General Braddoek, who, refusing to listen to the advice of Washington and those THE NORTHWEST TBBEITOEY. 41 acquainted with Indian warfare, suffered such an inglorious defeat. This occurred on the morning of July 9th, and is generally known as the battle of Monongahela, or " Braddock's Defeat." The war continued with various vicissitudes through the years 1756-7 ; when, at the commence- ment of 1758, in accordance with the plans of William Pitt, then Secre-, tary of State, afterwards Lord Chatham, active preparations were made to carry on the war. Three expeditions were planned for this year : one, under General Amherst, against Louisburg ; another, under Abercrombie, against Fort Ticonderoga ; and a third, under General Forbes, against Fort DuQuesne. On the 26th of July, Louisburg surrendered after a desperate resistance of more than forty days, and the eastern part of the Canadian possessions fell into the hands of the British. Abercrombie captured Fort Frontenac, and when the expedition against Fort DuQuesne, of which Washington had the active command, arrived there, it was found in flames and deserted. The English at once took possession, rebuilt the fort, and in honor of their illustrious statesman, changed the name to Fort Pitt. The great object of the campaign of 1759, was the reduction of Canada. General Wolfe was to lay siege to Quebec ; Amherst was to reduce Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and General Prideaux was to capture Niagara. This latter place was taken in July, but the gallant Prideaux lost his life in the attempt. Amherst captured Ticonderoga and Crown Point without a ^low ; and Wolfe, after making the memor- able ascent to the Plains of Abraham, on September 13th, defeated Montcalm, and on the 18th, the city capitulated. In this engagement Montcolm and Wolfe both lost their lives. De Levi, Montcalm's successor, marched to Sillery, three miles above the city, with the purpose of defeating the English, and there, on the 28th of the following April, was fought one of the bloodiest battles of the French and Indian War. It resulted in the defeat of the French, and the fall of the City of Montreal. The Governor signed a capitulation by which the whole of Canada was surrendered to the English. This practically concluded the war, but it was not until 1763 that the treaties of peace between France and England were signed. This was done on the 10th of February of that year, and under its provisions all the country east of the Mississippi and north of the Iberville River, in Louisiana, were ceded to England. At the same time Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain. On the 13th of September, 1760, Major Robert Rogers was sent from Montreal to take charge of Detroit, the only remaining French post in the territory. He arrived there on the 19th of November, and sum- moned the place to surrender. At first the commander of the post, BeletrC; refused, but on the 29th, hearing of the continued defeat of the 42 THE NORTHWEST TBERITOEY. French arms, surrendered. Rogers remained there until December 23d under the personal protection of the celebrated chief, Pontiac, to whom, no doubt, he owed his safety. Pontiac had come here to inquire the purposes of the English in taking possession of the country. He was assured that they came simply to trade with the natives, and did not desire their country. This answer conciliated the savages, and did much to insure the safety of Rogers and his party during their stay, and while on their journey home. Rogers set out for Fort Pitt on December 23, and was just one month on the way. His route was from Detroit to Maumee, thence across the present State of Ohio directly to the fort. This was the com- mon trail of the Indians in their journeys from Sandusky to the fork of the Ohio. It went from Fort Sandusky, where Sandusky City now is, crossed the Huron river, then called Bald Eagle Creek, to " Mohickon John's Town" on Mohickon Creek, the northern branch of White Woman's River, and thence crossed to Beaver's Town, a Delaware town on what is now Sandy Creek. At Beaver's Town were probably one hundred and fifty warriors, and not less than three thousand acres of cleared land. From there the track went up Sandy Creek to and across Big Beaver, and up the Ohio to Logstown, thence on to the fork. The Northwest Territory was now entirely under the English rule. New settlements began to be rapidly made, and the promise of a large trade was speedily manifested. Had the British carried out their promises with the natives none of those savage butcheries would have been perpe- trated, and the country would have been spared their recital. The renowned chief, Pontiac, was one of the leading spirits in these atrocities. We will now pause in our narrative, and notice the leading events in his life. The earliest authentic information regarding this noted Indian chief is learned from an account of an Indian trader named Alexander Henry, who, in the Spring of 1761, penetrated his domains as far as Missillimacnac. Pontiac was then a great friend of the French, but a bitter foe of the English, whom he considered as encroaching on his hunting grounds. Henry was obliged to disguise himself as a Canadian to insure safety, but was discovered by Pontiac, who bitterly reproached him and the English for their attempted subjugation of the West. He declared that no treaty had been made with them ; no presents sent them, and that he would resent any possession of the West by that nation. He was at the time about fifty years of age, tall and dignified, and was civil and military ruler of the Ottawas, Ojibwas and Pottawatamies. The Indians, from Lake Michigan to the borders of North Carolina were united in this feeling, and at the time of the treaty of Paris, ratified February 10, 1763, a general conspiracy was formed to fall suddenly THE NORTHWEST TEKRITOKY. 43 PONTIAC, THE OTTAWA CHIEFTAIN. 44 THE KORTHWEST TBREITORY. upon the frontier British posts, and with one blow strike every man dead. Pontiac was the marked leader in all this, and was the commander of the Chippewas, Ottawas, Wyandots, Miamis, Shawanese, Delawares and Mingoes, who had, for the time, laid aside their local quarrels to unite in this enterprise. The blow came, as near as can now be ascertained, on May 7, 1763. Nine British posts fell, and the Indians drank, " scooped up in the hollow of joined hands," the blood of many a Briton. Pontiac's immediate field of action was tlie garrison at Detroit. Here, however, the plans were frustrated by an Indian woman disclosing the plot the evening previous to his arrival. Everything was carried out, however, according to Pontiac's plans until the moment of action, when Major Gladwyn, the commander of the post, stepping to one of the Indian chiefs, suddenly drew aside his blanket and disclosed the concealed musket. Pontiac, though a brave man, turned pale and trembled. He saw his plan was known, and that the garrison were prepared. He endeavored to exculpate himself from any such intentions ; but the guilt was evident, and he and his followers were dismissed with a severe reprimand, and warned never to again enter the walls of the post. Pontiac at once laid siege to the fort, and until the treaty of peace between the British and the Western Indians, concluded in August, 1764, continued to harass and besiege the fortress. He organized a regular commissariat department, issued bills of credit written out on bark, which, to his credit, it may be stated, were punctually redeemed. At the conclusion of the treaty, in which it seems he took no part, he went further south, living many years among the Illinois. He had given up all hope of saving his country and race. After a time he endeavored to unite the Illinois tribe and those about St. Louis in a war with the whites. His efforts were fruitless, and only ended in a quarrel between himself and some Kaskaskia Indians, one of whom soon afterwards killed him. His death was, however, avenged by the northern Indians, who nearly exterminated the Illinois in the wars which followed. Had it not been for the treachery of a few of his followers, his plan for the extermination of the whites, a masterly one, would undoubtedly have been carried out. It was in the Spring of the year following Rogers' visit that Alex- ander Henry went to Missillimacnac, and everywhere found the strongest feelings against the English, who had not carried out their promises, and were doing nothing to conciliate the natives. Here he met the chief Pontiac, who, after conveying to him in a speech the idea that their French father would awake soon and utterly destroy his enemies, said : ♦' Englishman, although you have conquered the French, you have not THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 45 yet conquered us ! We are not your slaves ! These lakes, these woods, these mountains, were left us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance, and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white people, can not live without bread and pork and beef. But you ought to know that He, the Great Spirit and Master of Life, has provided food for us upon these broad lakes and in these mountains." He then spoke of the fact that no treaty had been made with them, no presents sent them, and that he and his people were yet for war. Such were the feelings of the Northwestern Indians immediately after the English took possession of their country. These feelings were no doubt encouraged by the Canadians and French, who hoped that yet the French arms might prevail. The treaty of Paris, however, gave to the English the right to this vast domain, and active preparations were going on to occupy it and enjoy its trade and emoluments. In 1762, France, by a secret treaty, ceded Louisiana to Spain, to pre- vent it falling into the hands of the English, who were becoming masters of the entire West. The next year the treaty of Paris, signed at Fon- tainbleau, gave to the English the domain of the country in question. Twenty years after, by the treaty of peace between the United States and England, that part of Canada lying south and west of the Great Lakes, comprehending a large territory which is the subject of these sketches, was acknowledged to be a portion of the United States ; and twenty years still later, in 1803, Louisiana was ceded by^ Spain back to France, and by France sold to the United States. In the half century, from the building of the Fort of Crevecoeur by LaSalle, in 1680, up to the erection of Fort Chartres, many French set- tlements had been made in that quarter. These have already been noticed, being those at St. Vincent (Vincennes), Kohokia or Cahokia, Kaskaskia and Prairie du Rocher, on the American Bottom, a large tract of rich alluvial soil in Illinois, on the Mississippi, opposite the site of St. Louis. By the treaty of Paris, the regions east of the Mississippi, including all these and other towns of the Northwest, were given over to England; but they do not appear to have been taken possession of until 1765, when Captain Stirling, in the name of the Majesty of England, established him- self at Fort Chartres bearing with him the proclamation of General Gage, dated December 30, 1764, which promised religious freedom to all Cath- olics who worshiped here, and a right to leave the country with their effects if they wished, or to remain with the privileges of Englishmen. It was shortly after the occupancy of the West by the British that the war with Pontiac opened. It is already noticed in the sketch of that chieftain- By it many a Briton lost his life, and many a frontier settle- 46 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. ment in its infancy ceased to exist. This was not ended until the year 1764, when, failing to capture Detroit, Niagara and Fort Pitt, his confed- eracy became disheartened, and, 'receiving no aid from the French, Pon- tiac abandoned the enterprise and departed to the Illinois, among whom he afterward lost his life. As soon as these difficulties were definitely settled, settlers began rapidly to survey the country and prepare for occupation. During the year 1770, a number of persons from Virginia and other British provinces explored and marked out nearly all the valuable lands on the Mononga- hela and along the banks of the Ohio as far as the Little Kanawha. This was followed by another exploring expedition, in which George Washing- ton was a party. The latter, accompanied by Dr. Craik, Capt. Crawford and others, on the 20th of October, 1770, descended the Ohio from Pitts- burgh to the mouth of the Kanawha ; ascended that stream about fourteen miles, marked out several large tracts of land, shot several buffalo, which were then abundant in the Ohio Valley, and returned to the fort. Pittsburgh was at this time a trading post, about which was clus- tered a village of some twenty houses, inhabited by Indian traders. This same year, Capt. Pittman visited Kaskaskia and its neighboring villages. He found there about sixty-five resident families, and at Cahokia only forty-five dwellings. At Fort Chartres was another small settlement, and at Detroit the garrison were quite prosperous and strong. For a year or two settlers continued to locate near some of these posts, generally Fort Pitt or Detroit, owing to the fears of the Indians, who still main- tained some feelings of hatred to the English. The trade from the posts was quite good, and from those in Illinois large quantities of pork and flour found their way to the New Orleans market. At this time the policy of the British Government was strongly opposed to the extension of the colonies west. In 1763, the King of England forbade, by royal proclamation, his colonial subjects from making a settlement beyond the sources of the rivers which fall into the Atlantic Ocean. At the instance of the Board of Trade, measures were taken to prevent the settlement without the limits prescribed, and to retain the commerce within easy reach of Great Britain. The commander-in-chief of the king's forces wrote in 1769 : " In the course of a few years necessity will compel the colonists, should they extend their settlements west, to provide manufactures of some kind for themselves, and when all connection upheld by commerce with the mother country ceases, an independency in their government will soon follow." In accordance with this policy. Gov. Gage issued a proclamation in 1772, commanding the inhabitants of Vincennes to abandon their set- tlements and join some of the Eastern English colonies. To this they THE NORTHWEST TEREITOKY. 47 strenuously objected, giving good reasons therefor, and were allowed to remain. The strong opposition to this policy of Great Britain led to its change, and to such a course as to gain the attachment of the French population. In December, 1773, influential citizens of Quebec petitioned the king for an extension of the boundary lines of that province, which was granted, and Parliament passed an act on June 2, 1774, extend- ing the boundary so as to include the territory lying within the present States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. In consequence of the liberal policy pursued by the British Govern- ment toward the French settlers in the West, they were disposed to favor that nation in the war which soon followed with the colonies ; but the early alliance between France and America soon brought them to the side of the war for independence. In 1774, Gov. Dunmore, of Virginia, began to encourage emigration to the Western lands. He appointed magistrates at Fort Pitt under the pretense that the fort was under the government of that commonwealth. One of these justices, John Connelly, who possessed a tract of land in the Ohio Valley, gathered a force of men and garrisoned the fort, calling it Fort Dunmore. This and other parties were formed to select sites for settlements, and often came in conflict with the Indians, who yet claimed portions of the valley, and several battles followed. These ended in the famous battle of Kanawha in July, where the Indians were defeated and driven across the Ohio. During the years 1775 and 1776, by the operations of land companies and the perseverance of individuals, several settlements were firmly estab- lished between the Alleghanies and the Ohio River, and western land speculators were busy in Illinois and on the Wabash. At a council held in Kaskaskia on July 5, 1773, an association of Enghsh traders, calling themselves the "Illinois Land Company," obtained from ten chiefs of the Kaskaskia, Cahokia and Peoria tribes two large tracts of land lying on the east side of the Mississippi River south of the Illinois. In 1775, a mer- chant from the Illinois Country, named Viviat, came to Post Vincennes as the agent of the association called the " Wabash Land Company." On the 8th of October he obtained from eleven Piankeshaw chiefs, a deed for 37,497,600 acres of land. This deed was signed by the grantors, attested by a number of the inhabitants of Vincennes, and afterward recorded in the office of a notary public at Kaskaskia. This and other land com- panies had extensive schemes for the colonization of the West ; but all were frustrated by the breaking out of the Revolution. On the 20th of April, 1780, the two companies named consolidated under the name of the " United Illinois and Wabash Land Company." They afterward made 48 THE NORTHWEST TERBITOBY. strenuous efforts to have these grants sanctioned by Congress, but all signally failed. When the War of the Eevolution commenced, Kentucky was an unor- ganized country, though there were several settlements within her borders. In Hutchins' Topography of Virginia, it is stated that at that time ." Kaskaskia contained 80 houses, and nearly 1,000 white and black in- habitants — the whites being a Httle the more numerous. Cahokia con- tains 50 houses and 300 white inhabitants, and 80 negroes. There were east of the Mississippi River, about the year 1771 " — when these observa- tions were made — " 300 white men capable of bearing arms, and 230 negroes." From 1775 until the expedition of Clark, nothing is recorded and nothing known of these settlements, save what is contained in a report made by a committee to Congress in June, 1778. From it the following extract is made : " Near the mouth of the River Kaskaskia, there is a village which appears to have contained nearly eighty families from the beginning of the late revolution. There are twelve families in a small village at la Prairie du Rochers, and near fifty families at the Kahokia Village. There are also four or five families at Fort Chartres and St. Philips, which is five miles further up the river." St. Louis had been settled in February, 1764, and at this time con- tained, including its neighboring towns, over six hundred whites and one hundred and fifty negroes. It must be remembered that all the country west of the Mississippi was now under French rule, and remained so until ceded again to Spain, its original owner, who afterwards sold it and the country including New Orleans to the United States. At Detroit there were, according to Capt. Carver, who was in the Northwest from 1766 to 1768, more than one hundred houses, and the river was settled for more than twenty miles, although poorly cultivated — the people being engaged in the Indian trade. This old town has a history, which we will here relate. It is the oldest town in the Northwest, having been founded by Antoiue de Lamotte Cadillac, in 1701. It was laid out in the form of an oblong square, of two acres in length, and an acre and a half in width. As described by A. D. Frazer, who first visited it and became a permanent resident of the place, in 1778, it comprised within its limits that space between Mr. Palmer's store (Conant Block) and Capt. Perkins' house (near the Arsenal building), and extended back as far as the public barn, and was bordered in front by the Detroit River. It was surrounded by oak and cedar pickets, about fifteen feet long, set in the ground, aad had four gates — east, west, north and south. Over the first three of these THE NORTHWEST TEERITOEY. 49 gates were block houses provided with four guns apiece, each a six- pounder. Two six-gun batteries were planted fronting the river and in a parallel direction with the block houses. There were four streets running east and west, the main street being twenty feet wide and the rest fifteen feet, while the four streets crossing these at -right angles were from ten to fifteen feet in width. At the date spoken of by Mr. Frazer, there was no fort within the enclosure, but a citadel on the ground corresponding to the present northwest corner of Jefferson Avenue and Wayne Street. The citadel was inclosed by pickets, and within it were erected barracks of wood, two stories high, sufficient to contain ten officers, and also barracks sufficient to contain four hundred men, and a provision store built of brick. The citadel also contained a hospital and guard-house. The old town of Detroit, in 1778, contained about sixty houses, most of them one story, with a few a story and a half in height. They were all of logs, some hewn and some round. There was one building of splendid appearance, called the " King's Palace," two stories high, which stood near the east gate. It was built for Governor Hamilton, the first governor commissioned by the British. Tliere were two guard-houses, one near the west gate and the other near the Government House. Each of the guards consisted of twenty-four men and a subaltern, who mounted regularly every morning between nine and ten o'clock. Each furnished four sentinels, who weie relieved every two hours. There was also an officer of the day, who p r- formed strict duty. Each of the gates was shut regularly at sunset; even wicket gates were shut at nine o'clock, and all the keys were delivered into tlie hands of the commanding officer. They were opened in the morning at sunrise. No Indian or squaw was permitted to enter town with any weapon, such as a tomahawk or a knife. It was a stand- ing order that the Indians should deliver their arms and instruments of every kind before they were permitted to pass the sentinel, and they were restored to tliem on their return. No more than twenty-five Indians were allowed to enter the town at any one time, and they were admitted only at the east and west gates. At sundown the drums beat, and all the Indians were required to leave town instantly. There was a council house near the water side for the purpose of holding council with the Indians. The population of the town was about sixty families, in all about two hund/'ed males and one hundred females. This town was destroyed by fire, all except one dwelling, in 1805. After which the present " new " town was laid out. On the breaking out of the Revolution, the British held every post of importance in the West. Kentucky was formed as a component part of Virginia, and the sturdy pioneers of the West, alive to their interests, 50 THE NORTHWEST TEEEITOEY. and recognizing the great benefits of obtaining the control of the trade in this part of the New World, held steadily to their purposes, and those within the commonwealth of Kentucky proceeded to exercise their civil privileges, by electing John Todd and Richard Gallaway, burgesses to represent them in the Assembly of the parent state. Early in September of that year (1777) the first court ^as held in Harrodsburg, and Col. Bowman, afterwards major, who had arrived in August, was made the commander of a militia organization which had been commenced the March previous. Thus the tree of loyalty was growing. The chief spirit in this far-out colony, who had represented her the year previous east of the mountains, was now meditating a move unequaled in its boldness. He had been watching the movements of the British throughout the Northwest, and understood their whole plan. Ht saw it was through their possession of the posts at Detroit, Vincennes, Kaskaskia, and other places, which would give them constant and easy access to the various Indian tribes in the Northwest, that the British intended to penetrate the country from the north and soutn, ana annihi- late the frontier fortresses. This moving, energetic man was Colonel, afterwards General, George Rogers Clark. He knew the Indians were not unanimously in accord with the English, and he was convinced that, could the British be defeated and expelled from the Northwest, the natives might be easily awed into neutrality ; and by spies sent for the purpose, he satisfied himself that the enterprise against the Illinois settlements might easily succeed. Having convinced himself of the certainty of the project, he repaired to the Capital of Virginia, which place he reached on November 6th. While he was on his way, fortunately, on October 17th, Burgoyne had been defeated, and the spirits of the colonists greatly encouraged thereby. Patrick Henry was Governor of Virginia, and at once entered heartily into Clark's plans. The same plan had before been agitated in the Colonial Assemblies, but there was no one until Clark came who was sufficiently acquainted with the condition of affairs at the scene of action to be able to guide them. Clark, having satisfied the Virginia leaders of the feasibility of his plan, received, on the 2d of January, two sets of instructions — one secret the other open — the latter authorized him to proceed to enlist seven companies to go to Kentucky, subject to his orders, and to serve three months from their arrival in the West. The secret order authorized him to arm these troops, to procure his powder and lead of General Hand at Pittsburgh, and to proceed at once to subjugate the country. With these instructions Clark repaired to Pittsburgh, choosing rather to raise his men west of the mountains, as he- well knew all were needed in the colonies in the conflict there. He sent Col. W. B. Smith to Hoi- THE NORTHWEST TEKEITOKY. 51 ston for the same purpose, but neither succeeded in raising the required number of men. The settlers in these parts were afraid to leave their own firesides exposed to a vigilant foe, and but few could be induced to join the proposed expedition. With three companies and several private volunteers, Clark at length commenced his descent of the Ohio, which he navigated as far as the Falls, where he took possession of and fortified Corn Island, a small island between the present Cities of Louisville, Kentucky, and New Albany, Indiana. Remains of this fortification may yet be found. At this place he appointed Col. Bowman to meet him with such recruits as had reached Kentucky by the southern route, and as many as could be spared from the station. Here he announced to the men their real destination. Having completed his arrangements, and chosen his party, he left a small garrison upon the island, and on the 24th of June, during a total eclipse of the sun, which to j;hem augured no good, and which fixes beyond dispute the date of starting, he with his chosen band, fell down the river. His plan was to go by water as far as Fort Massac or Massacre, and thence march direct to Kaskaskia. Here he intended to surprise the garrison, and after its capture go to Cahokia, then to Vincennes, and lastly to Detroit. Should he fail, he intended to march directly to the Mississippi River and cross it into the Spanish country. Before his start he received two good items of infor- mation : one that the alliance had been formed between France and the United States ; and the other that the Indians throughout the Illinois country and the inhabitants, at the various frontier posts, had been led to believe by the British that the " Long Knives " or Virginians, were the most fierce, bloodthirsty and cruel savages that ever scalped a foe. With this impression on their minds, Clark saw that proper management would cause them to submit at once from fear, if surprised, and then from grati- tude would become friendly if treated with unexpected leniency. - The march to Kaskaskia was accomplished through a hot July sun, and the town reached on the evening of July 4. He captured the fort near the village, and soon after the village itself by surprise, and without the loss of a single man or b}'- killing any of the enemy. After sufficiently working upon the fears of the natives, Clark told them they were at per- fect liberty to worship as they pleased, and to take whichever side of the great conflict they would, also he would protect them from any barbarity from British or Indian foe. This had the desired effect, and the inhab- itants, so unexpectedly and so gratefully surprised by the unlooked for turn of affairs, at once swore allegiance to the American arms, and when Clark desired to go to Cahokia on the 6th of July, they accom- panied him, and through their influence the inhabitants of the place surrendered, and gladly placed themselves under his protection. Thus 52 THE NOKTHWEST TERKITORY. the two important posts in Illinois passed from the hands of the English into the possession of Virginia. In the person of the priest at Kaskaskia, M. Gibault, Clark found a powerful ally and generous friend. Clark saw that, to retain possession of the Northwest and treat successfully with the Indians within its boun- daries, he must establish a government for the colonies he had taken. St. Vincent, the next important post to Detroit,remained yet to be taken before the Mississippi Valley was conquered. M. Gibault told him that he would alone, by persuasion, lead Vincennes to throw off its connection with England. Clark gladly accepted his offer, and on the 14th of July, in company with a fellow-townsman, M. Gibault started on his mission of peace, and on the 1st of Augijist returned with the cheerful intelligence that the post on the " Oubache " had taken the oath of allegiance to the Old Dominion. During this interval, Clark established his courts, placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, successfully re-enlisted his men, sent word to have a fort, which proved the germ of Louisville, erected at the Falls of the Ohio, and dispatched Mr. Rocheblave, who had been commander at Kaskaskia, as a prisoner of war to Richmond. In October the County of Illinois was established by the Legislature of Virginia, John Todd appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Civil Governor, and in November General Clark and his men received the thanks of the Old Dominion through their Legislature. In a speech a few days afterward, Clark made known fully to the natives his plans, and at its close all came forward and swore alle- giance to the Long Knives. While he was doing this Governor Hamilton, having made his various arrangements, had left Detroit and moved down the Wabash to Vincennes intending to operate from that point in reducing the Illinois posts, and then proceed on down to Kentucky and drive the rebels from the West. Gen. Clark had, on the return of M. Gibault, dispatched Captain Helm, of Fauquier County, Virginia, with an attend- ant named Henry, across the Illinois prairies to command the fort. Hamilton knew nothing of the capitulation of the post, and was greatly surprised on his arrival to be confronted by Capt. Helm, who, standing at the entrance of the fort by a loaded cannon ready to fire upon his assail- ants, demanded upon what terms Hamilton demanded possession of the fort. Being granted the rights of a prisoner of war, he surrendered to the British General, who could scarcely believe his eyes when he saw the force in the garrison. Hamilton, not realizing the character of the men with whom he was contending, gave up his intended campaign for the Winter, sent his four hundred Indian warriors to prevent troops from coming down the Ohio THE NORTHWEST TERBITOEY. 53 and to annoy the Americans in all ways, and sat quietly down to pass the Winter. Information of all these proceedings having reached Clark, he saw that immediate and decisive action was necessary, and that unless he captured Hamilton, Hamilton would capture him. Clark received the news on the 29th of January, 1779, and on February 4th, having suffi- ciently .garrisoned Kaskaskia and Cahokia, he sent down the Mississippi a " battoe," as Major Bowman writes it, in order to ascend the Ohio and Wabash, and operate with the land forces gathering for the fray. On the next day, Clark, with his little force of one hundred and twenty men, set out for the post, and after incredible hard marching through much mud, the ground being thawed by the incessant spring rains, on the 2"2d reached the fort, and being joined by his " battoe," at once commenced the attack on the post. The aim of the American back- woodsman was unerring, and on the 24th the garrison surrendered to the intrepid boldness of Clark. The French were treated with great kind- ness, and gladly renewed their allegiance to Virginia. Hamilton was sent as a prisoner to Virginia, where he was kept in close confinement. During his command of the British frontier posts, he had offered prizes to the Indians for all the scalps of Americans they would bring to him, and had earned in consequence thereof the title " Hair-buyer General," by which he was ever afterward known. Detroit was now without doubt within easy reach of the enterprising Virginian, could he but raise the necessary force. Governor Henry being apprised of this, promised him the needed reinforcement, and CJark con- cluded to wait until he could capture and sufficiently garrison the posts. Had Clark failed in this bold undertaking, and Hamilton succeeded in uniting the western Indians for the next Spring's campaign, the West would indeed have been swept from the Mississippi to the Allegheny Mountains, and the great blow struck, which had been contemplated from the commencement, by the British. " But for this small army of dripping, but fearless Virginians, the union of all the tribes from Georgia to Maine against the colonies might have been effected, and the Avhole current of our history changed." At this time some fears were entertained by the Colonial Govern- ments that the Indians in the North and Northwest were inclining to the British, and under the instructions of Washington, now Commander-in- Chief of the Colonial army, and so bravely fighting for American inde- pendence, armed forces were sent against the Six Nations, and upon the Ohio frontier, Col. Bowman, acting under the same general's orders, marched against Indians within the present limits of that State. These expeditions were in the main successful, and the Indians were compelled to sue for peace. 54 THE NORTHWEST TERKITOEY. During this same year (1779) the famous " Land Laws" of Virginia were passed. The passage of these laws was of more consequence to the pioneers of Kentucky and the Northwest than the gaining of a few Indian conflicts. These laws confirmed in main all grants made, and guaranteed to all actual settlers their rights and privileges. After providing for the settlers, the laws provided for selling the balance of the public lands at forty cents per acre. To carry the Land Laws into effect, the Legislature sent four Virginians westward to attend to the various claims, over many of which great confusion prevailed concerning their validity. These gentlemen opened their court on October 13, 1779, at St. Asaphs, and continued until April 26, 1780, when they adjourned, having decided three thousand claims. They were succeeded by the surveyor, who came in the person of Mr. George May, and assumed his duties on the 10th day of the month whose name he bore. With the opening of the next year (1780^ the troubles concerning the navigation of the Missis- sippi commenced. The Spanish Government exacted such measures in relation to its trade as to cause the overtures made to the United States to be rejected. The American Government considered they had a right to navigate its channel. To enforce their claims, a fort was erected below the mouth of the Ohio on the Kentucky side of the river. The settle- ments in Kentucky were being rapidly filled by emigrants. It was dur- ing this year that the first seminary of learning was established in the West in this young and enterprising Commonwealth. The settlers here did not look upon the building of this fort in a friendly manner, as it aroused the hostility of the Indians. Spain had been friendly to the Colonies during their struggle for independence, and though for a while this friendship appeared in danger from the refusal of the free navigation of the river, yet it was finally settled to the satisfaction of both nations. The Winter of 1779-80 was one of the most unusually severe ones ever experienced in the West. The Indians always referred to it as the "Great Cold." Numbers of wild animals perished, and not a few pioneers lost their lives. The following Summer a party of Canadians and Indians attacked St. Louis, and attempted to take possession of it in consequence of the friendly disposition of Spain to the revolting colonies. They met with such a determined resistance on the part of the inhabitants, even the women taking part in the battle, that they were compelled to abandon the contest. They also made an attack on the settlements in Kentucky, but, becoming alarmed in some unaccountable manner, they fled the country in great haste. About this time arose the question in the Colonial Congress con- cerning the western lauds claimed by Virginia, New York, Massachusetts THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 65 and Connecticut. The agitation concerning this subject finally led New York, on the 19th of February, 1780, to pass a law giving to the dele- gates of that State in Congress the power to cede her western lands for the benefit of the United States. This law was laid before Congress during the next month, but no steps were taken concerning it until Sep- tember 6th, when a resolution passed that body calling upon the States claiming western lands to release their claims in favor of the whole body. This basis formed the union, and was the first after all of those legislative measures which resulted in the creation of the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. In December of the same year, the plan of conquering Detroit again arose. The conquest might have easily been effected by Clark had the necessary aid been furnished him. Nothing decisive was done, yet the heads of the Government knew that the safety of the Northwest from British invasion lay in the capture and retention of that important post, the only unconquered one in the territory. Before the close of the year, Kentucky was divided into the Coun- ties of Lincoln, Fayette and Jefferson, and the act establishing the Town of Louisville was passed. This same year is also noted in the annals of American history as the year in which occurred Arnold's treason to the United States. Virginia, in accordance with the resolution of Congress, on the 2d day of January, 1781, agreed to yield her western lands to the United States upon certain conditions,' which Congress would not accede to, and the Act of Cession, on the part of the Old Dominion, failed, nor was anything farther done until 1783. During all that time the Colonies were busily engaged in the struggle with the mother country, and in consequence thereof but little heed was given to the western settlements. Upon the 16th of April, 1781, the first birth north of the Ohio River of American parentage occurred, being that of Mary Heckewelder, daughter of the widely known Moravian missionary, whose band of Christian Indians suffered in after years a horrible massacre by the hands of the frontier settlers, who had been exasperated by the murder of several of their neighbors, and in their rage committed, without regard to humanity, a deed which forever afterwards cast a shade of shame upon their lives. For this and kindred outrages on the part of the whites, the Indians committed many deeds of cruelty which darken the years of 1771 and 1772 in the history of the Northwest. During the year 1782 a number of battles among the Indians and frontiersmen occurred, and between the Moravian Indiaiis and the Wyan- dots. Ill these, horrible acts of cruelty were practised on the captives, many of such dark deeds transpiring under the leadership of the notorious 56 THE NOETHWEST TEEBITOBY. frontier outlaw, Simon Girty, whose name, as well as those- of his brothers, was a terror to women and children. These occurred chie^y in the Ohio valleys. Cotemporary with them were several engagements in Kentucky, in which the famous Daniel Boone engaged, and who, often by his skill and knowledge of Indian warfare, saved the outposts from cruel destruc- IKDIANS ATTACKING FKONTIEKSMKN. tion. By the close of the year victory had perched upon the America^n banner, and on the 30th of November, provisional articles of peace had been arranged between the Commissioners of England and her uncon- querable colonies. Cornwallis had been defeated on the 19th of October preceding and the liberty of America was assured. On the 19th oi April following, the anniversary of the battle of Lexington, peace was THE NORTHWEST TEEBITOKY. 57 proclaimed to the army of the United States, and on the 3d of the next September, the definite treaty which ended our revolutionary struggle was concluded. By the terms of that treaty, the boundaries of the West were as follows : On the north the line was to extend along the center of the Great Lakes ; from the western point of Lake Superior to Long Lake ; thence to the Lake of the Woods ; thence to the head of the Mississippi River; down its center to the 31st parallel of latitude, then on that line east to the head of the Appalachicola River ; down its center to its junc- tion with the Flint ; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's River, and thence down along its center to the Atlantic Ocean. , Following the cessation of hostilities with England, several posts were still occupied by the British in the North and West. Among these was Detroit, still in the hands of the enemy. Numerous engagements with the Indians throughout Ohio and Indiana occurred, upon whose lands adventurous whites would settle ere the title had been acquired by the proper treaty. To remedy this latter evil, Congress appointed commissioners to treat with the natives and purchase their lands, and prohibited the set- tlement of the territory until this could be done. Before the- close of the year another attempt was made to capture Detroit, which was, however, not pushed, and Virginia, no longer feeling the interest in the Northwest she had formerly done, withdrew her troops, having on the 20th of December preceding authorized the whole of her possessions to be deeded to the United States. This was done on the 1st of March following, and the Northwest Territory passed from the control of the Old Dominion. To Gen. Clark and his soldiers, however, she gave a tract of one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land, to be situated any where north of the Ohio wherever they chose to locate them. They selected the region opposite the falls of the Ohio, where is now the dilapidated village of Clarksville, about midway between the Cities of New Albany and Jeffer- sonville, Indiana. While the frontier remained thus, and Gen. Haldimand at Detroit refused to evacuate alleging that he had no orders from his King to do so, settlers were rapidly gathering about the inland forts. In the Spring of 1784, Pittsburgh was regularly laid out, and from the journal of Arthur Lee, who passed through the town soon after on his way to the Indian council at Fort Mcintosh, we suppose it was not very prepossessing in appearance. He says : " Pittsburgh is inhabited almost entirely by Scots and Irish, who live in paltry log houses, and are as dirty as if in the north of Ireland or even Scotland. There is a great deal of trade carried on, the goods being bought at the vast expense of forty-five shillings per pound from Phila- 68 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. delphia and Baltimore. They take in the shops flour, wheat, skins and money. There are in the town four attorneys, two doctors, and not a priest of any persuasion, nor church nor chapel." Kentucky at this time contained thirty thousand inhabitants, and was beginning to discuss measures for a separation from Virginia. A land office was opened at Louisville, and measures were adopted to take defensive precaution against the Indians who were yet, in some instances, incited to deeds of violence by the British. Before the close of this year, 1784, the military claimants of land began to occupy them, although no entries were recorded until 1787. The Indian title to the Northwest was not yet extinguished. They held large tracts of lands, and ir^^ order to prevent bloodshed Congress adopted means for treaties with the original owners and provided for the surveys of the lands gained thereby, as well as for those north of the Ohio, now in its possession. On January 31, 1786, a treaty was made with the Wabash Indians. The treaty of Fort Stanwix had been made in 1784. That at Fort Mcintosh in 1785, and through these much land was gained. The Wabash Indians, however, afterward refused to comply with the provisions of the treaty made with them, and in order to compel their adherence to its provisions, force was used. During the year 1786, the free navigation of the Mississippi came up in Congress, and caused various discussions, which resulted in no definite action, only serving to excite speculation in regard to the western lands. Congress had promised bounties of land to the soldiers of the Revolution, but owing to the unsettled condition of affairs along the Mississippi respecting its naviga- tion, and the trade of the Northwest, that body had, in 1783, declared its inability to fulfill these promises until a treaty could be concluded between the two Governments. Before the close of the year 17'86, how- ever, it was able, through the treaties with the Indians, to allow some grants and the settlement thereon, and on the 14th of September Con- necticut ceded to the General Government the tract of land known as the " Connecticut Reserve," and before the close of the following year a large tract of land north of the Ohio was sold to a company, who at once took measures to settle it. By the provisions of this grant, the company were to pay the United States one dollar per acre, subject to a deduction of one-third for bad lands and other contingencies. They received 750,000 acres, bounded on the south by the Ohio, on the east by the seventh range of townships^ on the west by the sixteenth range, and on the north by a line so drawn as to make the grant complete without the reservations. In addition to this. Congress afterward granted 100,000 acres to actual settlers, and 214,285 acres as army bounties under' the resolutions of 1789 and 1790. THE NORTHWEST TEEKITOET. 59 While Dr. Cutler, one of the agents of the company, was pressing its claims before Congress, that body was bringing into form an ordinance for the political and social organization of this Territory. When the cession was made by Virginia, in 1784, a plan was offered, but rejected. A motion had been made to strike from the proposed plan the prohibition of slavery, which prevailed. The plan was then discussed and altered, and finally passed unanimously, with the exception of South Carolina. By this proposition, the Territory was to have been divided into states V, ^~W>-' A PRAIKIE STORM. by parallels and meridian lines. This, it was thought, would make ten states, which were to have been named as follows — beginning at the northwest corner and going southwardly : Sylvania, Michigania, Cher- sonesus, Assenisipia, Metropotamia, Illenoia, Saratoga, Washington, Poly- potamia and Pelisipia. There was a more serious objection to this plan than its category of names, — the boundaries. The root of the difficulty was in the resolu- tion of Congress passed in October, 1780, which fixed the boundaries of the ceded lands to be from one hundred to one hundred and fiftv miles 60 THE NORTHWEST TERBITOEY. square. These resolutions being presented to the Legislatures of Vir- ginia and Massachusetts, they desired a change, and in July, 1786, the subject was taken up in Congress, and changed to favor a division into not more than five states, and not less than three. This was approved by the State Legislature of Virginip,. The subject of the Government was again taken up by Congress in 1786, and discussed throughout that year and until July, 1787, when the famous "Compact of 1787" was passed, and the foundation of the government of the Northwest laid. This com- pact is fully discussed and explained in the history of Illinois in this book, and to it the reader is referred. The passage of this act and the grant to the New England Company was soon followed by an application to the Government by John Cleves Symmes, of New Jersey, for a grant of the land between the Miamis. This gentleman had visited these lands soon after the treaty of 1786, and, being greatly pleased with them, offered similar terms to those given to the New England Company. The petition was referred to the Treasury Board with power to act, and a contract was concluded the following year. During the Autumn the directors of the New England Company were preparing to occupy their grant the following Spring, and upon the 23d of November made arrangements for a party of forty-seven men, under the superintendency of Gen. Rufus Putnam, to set forward. Six boat-builders were to leave at once, and on the first of January the sur- veyors and their assistants, twenty-six in number, were to meet at Hart- ford and proceed on their journey westward ; the remainder to follow as soon as possible. Congress, in the meantime, upon the 3d of October, had ordered seven hundred troops for defense of the western settlers, and to prevent unauthorized intrusions ; and two days later appointed Arthur St. Clair Governor of the Territory of the Northwest. AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS. The civil organization of the Northwest Territory was now com^ plete, and notwithstanding the uncertainty of Indian affairs, settlers from the East began to come into the country rapidly. The New England Company sent their men during the "Winter of 1787-.8 pressing on over the Alleghenies by the old Indian path which had been opened into Braddock's road, and which has since been made a national turnpike from Cumberland westward. Through the weary winter days they toiled on, and by April were all gathered on the Yohiogany, where boats had been built, and at once started for the Muskingum. Here they arrived on the 7th of that month, and unless the Moravian missionaries be regarded as the pioneers of Ohio, this little band can justly claim that honor. THE NORTHWEST TERRITOEY. 61 Gen. St. Clair, the appointed Governor of the Northwest, not having yet arrived, a set of laws were passed, written out, and published by being nailed to a tree in the embryo town, and Jonathan Meigs appointed to administer them. Washington in writing of this, the first American settlement in the Northwest, said : " No colony in America was ever settled under such favorable auspices as that which has just commenced at Muskingum. Information, property and strength will be its characteristics. I know many of its settlers personally, and there never were men better calcu- lated to promote the welfare of such a community." A PIONEER DWELLING. • On the 2d of July a meeting of the directors and agents was held on the banks of the Muskingum, " for the purpose of naming the new- born city and its squares." As yet the settlement was known as the "Muskingum," but that was now changed to the name Marietta, in honor of Marie Antoinette. The square upon which the block -houses stood was called '■'■ Campus Martius ;'" square number 19, '■'■ Capitolium ;" square number 61, '■'■Cecilia ;'' and the great road through the covert way, " Sacra Via.'" Two days after, an oration was delivered by James M. Varnum, who with S. H. Parsons and John Armstrong had been appointed to the judicial bench of the territory on the 16th of October, 1787. On July 9, Gov. St. Clair arrived, and the colony began to assume form. The act of 1787 provided two district grades of government for the Northwest, 62 THE NOETHWBST TEKKITOBY. under the first of which the whole power was invested in the hands of a governor and three district judges. This was immediately formed upon the Governor's arrival, and the first laws of the colony passed on the 25th of July. These provided for the organization of the militia, and on the next day appeared the Governor's proclamation, erecting all that country that had been ceded by the Indians east of the Scioto River into the County of Washington. From that time forward, notwithstanding the doubts, yet existing as to the Indians, all Marietta prospered, and on the 2d of September the first court of the territory was held with imposing ceremonies. The emigration westward at this time was very great. Tlie com- mander at Fort Harmer, at the mouth of the Muskingum, reported four thousand five hundred persons as having passed that post between Feb- ruary and June, 1788 — many of whom would have purchased of the "Associates," as the New England Company was called, had they been ready to receive them. On the 26th of November, 1787, Symmes issued a jjauiphlet stating the terms of his contract and the plan of sale he intended to adopt. In January, 1788, Matthias Denman, of New Jersey, took an active interest in Symmes' purchase, and located among other tracts the sections upon which Cincinnati has been built. Retaining one-third of this locality, he sold the other two-thirds to Robert Patterson and John Filson, and the three, about August, commenced to lay out a town on the spot, which was designated as being opposite Licking River, to the mouih of which they proposed to have a road cut from Lexington. The naming of the town is thus narrated in the "Western Annals " : — " Mr. Filson, who had been a schoolmaster, was appointed to name the town, and, in respect to its situation, and as if with a prophetic perception of the mixed race that were to inhabit it in after days, he named it Losantiville, which, being interpreted, means : ville, the town ; anti, against or opposite to ; os, the moiith ; L. of Licking." Meanwhile, in July, Symmes got thirty persons and eight four-horse teams under way for the West. These reached Limestone (now Mays- ville) in September, where were several persons from Redstone. Here Mr. Symmes tried to found a settlement, but the great freshet of 1789 caused the " Point," as it was and is yet called, to be fifteen feet under water, and the settlement to be abandoned. The little band of settlers removed to the mouth of the Miami. Before Symmes and his colony left the " Point," two settlements had been made on his purchase. The first was by Mr. Stiltes, the original projector of the whole plan, who with a colony of Redstone people, had located at the mouth of the Miami whither Symmes went with his Maysville colony. Here a clearine had THE NORTHWEST TERKITOBY. 63 '•oeen made by the Indians owing to the great fertility of the soil. Mr. Stiltes with his colony came to this place on the 18th of November, 1788, with twenty-six persons, and, building ^ block-house, prepared to remain through the Winter. They named the settlement Columbia. Here they were kindly treated by the Indians, but suffered greatly from the flood of 1789. On the 4th of March, 1789, the Constitution of the United States went into operation, and on April 30, George Washington was inaug- urated President of the American people, and during the next Summer, an Indian war was commenced by the tribes north of the Ohio. The President at first used pacific means ; but these failing, he sent General Harmer against the hostile tribes. He destroyed several villages, but 'BREAKING PEAIEIE. was defeated in two battles, near the present City of Port Wayne, Indiana. From this time till the close of 1795, the principal events were the wars with the various Indian tribes. In 1796, General St. Clair was appointed in command, and marched against the Indians ; but while he was encamped on a stream, the St. Mary, a branch of the Maumee, he was attacked and defeated with the loss of six hundred men. General Wayne was now sent against the savages. In August, 1794, he met them near the rapids of the Maumee, and gained a complete victory. This success, followed by vigorous measures, compelled the Indians to sue for peace, and on the 30th of July, the following year, the treaty of Greenville was signed by the principal chiefs, by which a large tract of country was ceded to the United States. Before proceeding in our narrative, we will pause to notice Fort Washington, erected in the early part of this war on the site of Cincinnati. Nearly all of the great cities, of the Northwest, and indeed of the 64 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. whole country, have had their nuclei in those rude pioneer structures, known as forts or stockades. Thus Forts Dearborn, Washington, Pon- chartrain, mark the original sites of the now proud Cities of Chicago, Cincinnati and Detroit. So of most of the flourishing cities east and west of the Mississippi. Fort Washington, erected by Doughty in 1790, was a rude but highly interesting structure. It was composed of a number of strongly-built hewed log cabins. Those designed for soldiers' barracks were a story and a half high, while those composing the officers quarters were more imposing and more conveniently arranged and furnished. The whole were so placed as to form a hollow square, enclosing about an acre of ground, with a block house at each of the four angles. The logs for the construction of this fort were cut from the ground upon which it was esected. It stood between Third and Fourth Streets of the present city (Cincinnati) extending east of Eastern Row, now Broadway, which was then a narrow alley, and the eastern boundary of of the town as it was originally laid out. On the bank of the river, immediately in front of the fort, was an appendage of the fort, called the Artificer's Yard. It contained about two acres of ground, enclosed by small contiguous buildings, occupied by workshops and quarters of laborers. Within this enclosure there was a large two-story frame house, familiarly called the " Yellow House," built for the accommodation of the (Quartermaster General. For many years this was the best finished and most commodious edifice in the Queen City. Fort Washington was for some time the headquarters of both the civil and military governments of the Northwestern Territory. Following the consummation of the treaty various gigantic land spec- ulations were entered into by different persons, who hoped to obtain from the Indians in Michigan and northern Indiana, large tracts of lands. These were generally discovered in time to prevent the outrao-eous schemes from being carried out, and from involving the settlers in war. On October 27, 1795, the treaty between the United States and Spain was signed, whereby the free navigation of the Mississippi was secured. No sooner had the treaty of 1795 been ratified than settlements began to pour rapidly into the West. The great event of the year 1796 was the occupation of that part of the Northwest including Michigan, which was this year, under the provisions of the treaty, evacuated by the British forces. The United States, owing to certain conditions, did not feel justified in addressing the authorities in Canada in relation to Detroit and other frontier posts. When at last the British authorities were called to give them up, they at once complied, and General Wayne, who had done so much to preserve the frontier settlements, and who, before the year's close, sickened and died near Erie, transferred hi's head- THE NORTHWEST TEBRITOBY. 65 quarters to the neighborhood of the lakes, where a county named after him was formed, which included the northwest of Ohio, all of Michigan^ and the northeast of Indiana. During this same year settlements were formed at the present City of Chillicothe, along the Miami from Middle- town to Piqua, while in the more distant West, settlers and speculators began to appear in great numbers. In September, the City of Cleveland was laid out, and during the Summer and Autumn, Samuel Jackson and Jonathan Sharpless erected the first manufactory of paper — the " Red- stone Paper Mill" — in the West. St. Louis contained some seventy houses, and Detroit over three hundred, and, along the river, contiguous to it, were more than three thousand inhabitants, mostly French Canadians, Indians and half-breeds, scarcely any Americans venturing yet into that part of the Northwest. The election of representatives for the territory had taken place, and on the 4th of February, 179&, they convened at Losantiville — now known as Cincinnati, having been named so by Gov. St. Clair, and considered the capital of the Territory — to nominate persons from whom the members of the Legislature were to be chosen in accordance with a previous ordinance. This nomination being made, the Assembly adjourned until the 16th of the following September. From those named the President selected as members of the council, Henry Vandenburg, of Vincennes, Robert Oliver, of Marietta, James Findlay and Jacob Burnett, of Cincinnati, and David Vance, of Vanceville. On the 16th of September the Territorial Legislature met, and on the 24th the two houses were duly organized, Henry Vandenburg being elected President of the Council. The message of Gov. St. Clair was addressed to the Legislature September 20th, and on October 13th that body elected as a delegate to Congress Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison, who received eleven of the votes cast, being a majority of one over his opponent, Arthur St._ Clair, son of Gen. St. Clair. The whole number of acts passed at this session, and approved bv the Governor, were thirty-seven — eleven others were passed, but received his veto. The most important of those passed related to the militia, to the administration, and to taxation. On the 19th of December this pro- tracted session of the first Legislature in the West was closed, and on the 30th of December the President nominated Charles Willing Bryd to the office of Secretary of the Territory vice Wm. Henry Harrison, elected to Congress. The Senate confirmed his nomination the next day. ^6 THE NOKTHWEST TBKEITOKY, DIVISION OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. The increased emigration to the Northwest, the extent of the domain, and the inconvenient modes of travel, made it very difficult to conduct the ordinary operations of government, and rendered the efficient action of courts almost impossible. To remedy this, it was deemed advisable to divide the territory for civil purposes. Congress, in 1800, appointed a committee to examine the question and report some means for its solution. This committee, on the 3d of March, reported that : " In the three western countries there has been but one court having cognizance of crimes, in five years, and the immunity which offenders experience attracts, as to an asylum, the most vile and abandoned crim- inals, and at the same time deters useful citizens from making settlements in such society. The extreme necessity of judiciary attention and assist- ance is experienced in civil as well as in criminal cases. * * * * Xo minister a remedy to these and other evils, it occurs to this committee that it is expedient that a division of said territory into two distinct and separate governments should be made ; and that such division be made by a line beginning at the mouth of the Great Miami River, running directly north until it intersects the boundary between the United States and Canada." The report was accepted by Congress, and, in accordance with its suggestions, that body passed an Act extinguishing the Northwest Terri- tory, which Act was approved May 7. Among its provisions were these : " That from and after July 4 next, all that part of the Territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio River, which lies to the westward of a line beginning at a point on the Ohio, opposite to the mouth of the Kentucky River, and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence north until it shall .intersect the territorial line between the United States and Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a sepai*ate territory, and be called the Indiana Territory." After providing for the exercise of the civil and criminal powers of the territories, and other provisions, the Act further provides: " That until it shall otherwise be ordered by the Legislatures of the said Territories, respectively, Chillicothe on the Scioto River shall be the seat of government of the Territory of tlie United States northwest of the Ohio River ; and that St. Vincennes on the Wabash River shall be the seat of government for the Indiana Territory." Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison was appointed Governor of the Indiana Territory, and entered upon his duties about a year later. Connecticut also about this time released her claims to the reserve, and in March a la '^c^ CRETE THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 67 was passed accepting this cession. Settlements had been made upon thirty-five of the townships in the reserve, mills had been built, and seven hundred miles of road cut in various directions. On the 3d of November the General Assembly met at Chillicothe. Near the close of the year, the first missionary of the Connecticut Reserve came, who found no township containing more than eleven families. It was upon the first of October that the secret treaty had been made between Napoleon and the King of Spain, whereby the latter agreed to cede to France the province of Louisiana. In January, 1802, the Assembly of the Northwestern Territory char- , tered the college at Athens. From the earliest dawn of the western colonies, education was promptly provided for, and as early as 1787, newspapers were issued from Pittsburgh and Kentucky, and largely read throughout the frontier settlements. Before the close of this year, the Congress of the United States granted to the citizens of the Northwestern territory the formation of a State government. One of the provisions of the "compact of 1787" provided that whenever the number of inhabit- ants within prescribed limits exceeded 45,000, they should be entitled to a separate government. The prescribed limits of Ohio contained, from a census taken to ascertain the legality of the act, more than that number, and on the 30th of April, 1802, Congress passed the act defining its limits, and on the 29th of November the Constitution of the new State of Ohio, so named from the beautiful river forming its southern boundary, came into existence. The exact limits of Lake Michigan were not then known, but the territory now included within the State of Michigan was wholly within the territory of Indiana. Gen. Harrison, while residing at Vincennes, made several treaties with the Indians, thereby gaining large tracts of lands. The next year is memorable in the history of the West for the purchase of Louisiana from France by the United States for $15,000,000. Thus by a peaceful mode, the domain of the United States was extended over a large tract of country west of the Mississippi, and was for a time under the jurisdiction of the Northwest government, and, as has been mentioned in the early part of this narrative, was called the "New Northwest." The limits of this history will not allow a description of its territory. The same year large grants of land were obtained from the Indians, and the House of Representatives of the new State of Ohio signed a bill respecting the College Township in the district of Cincinnati. Before the close of the year, Gen. Harrison obtained additional grants of lands from the various Indian nations in Indiana and the present limits of Illinois, and on the 18th of August, 1804, completed a treaty at St. Louis, whereby over 51,000,000 acres of lands were obtained from the gg THE NORTHWEST TEKEITOKY. aborigines. Measures were also taken to learn the condition of affairs m and about Detroit. C. Jouett, the Indian agent in Michigan, still a part of Indiana Terri- tory, reported as follows upon the condition of matters at that post : "The Town of Detroit.— The charter, which is for fifteen miles square, was granted in the time of Louis XIV. of France, and is now, from the best information I have been able to get, at Quebec. Of those two hundred and twenty-five acres, only four are occupied by the town and Fort Lenault. The remainder is a common, except twenty-four acres, which were added twenty years ago to a farm belonging to Wm. Macomb. * * * A stockade incloses the town, fort and citadel. The pickets, as well as the public houses, are in a state of gradual decay. The streets are narrow, straight and regular, and intersect each other at right angles. The houses are, for the most part, low and inelegant." During this year, Congress granted a township of land for the sup- port of a college, and began to offer inducements for settlers in these wilds, and the country now comprising the State of Michigan began to fill rapidly with settlers along its southern borders. This same year, also, a law was passed organizing the Southwest Territory, dividing it into two portions, the Territory of New Orleans, which city was made the seat of government, and the District of Louisiana, which was annexed to the domain of Gen. Harrison. On the 11th of January, 1805, the Territory of Michigan was formed, Wm. Hull was appointed governor, with headquarters at Detroit, the change to take effect on June 30. On the 11th of that month, a fire occurred at Detroit, which destroyed almost every building in the place. When the officers of the new territory reached the post, they found it in ruins, and the inhabitants scattered throughout the country. Rebuild- ing, however, soon commenced, and ere long the town contained more houses than before the fire, and many of them much better built. While this was being done, Indiana had passed to the second grade of government, and through her General Assembly had obtained large tracts of land from the Indian tribes. To all this the celebrated Indian, Tecumthe or Tecumseh, vigorously protested, and it was the main cause of his attempts to unite the various Indian tribes in a conflict with the settlers. To obtain a full account of these attempts, the workino-s of the British, and the signal failure, culminating in the death of Tecumseh at the battle of tlie Thames, and the close of the war of 1812 in the Northwest, we will step aside in our story, and relate the principal events of his life and his connection with this conflict. THE NOBTHW^ST TERKITORY. 6if TECUM8EH, THE SHAWANOE CHIEFTAm. JQ THE KOKTHWEST TERRITORY. TECUMSEH, AND THE WAR OF 1812. This famous Indian chief was born about the year 1768, not far from the site of the present City of Piqua, Ohio. His father, Puckeshinwa, was a member of the Kisopok tribe of the Swanoese nation, and his mother, Methontaske, was a member of the Turtle tribe of the same people. They removed from Florida about the middle of the last century to the birthplace of Tecumseh. In 1774, his father, who had risen to be chief, was slain at the battle of Point Pleasant, and not long after Tecum- seh, by his bravery, became the leader of his tribe. In 1795 he was declared chief, and then lived at Deer Creek, near the site of th.e presenb City of Urbana. He remained here about one year, when he returned to Piqua, and in 1798, he went to White River, Indiana. In 1805, he and his brother, Laulewasikan (Open Door), who had announced himself as a prophet, went to a tract of land on the Wabash River, given them by the Pottawatomies and Kickapoos. From this date the chief comes into prominence. He was now about thirty-seven years of age, was five feet and ten inches in height, was stoutly built, and possessed of enormous powers of endurance. His countenance was naturally pleas- ing, and he was, in general, devoid of those savage attributes possessed by most Indians. It is stated he could read and write, and had a confi- dential secretary and adviser, named Billy Caldwell, a half-breed, who afterward became chief of the Pottawatomies. He occupied the first house built on the site of Chicago. At this time, Tecumseh entered upon the great work of his life. He had long objected to the grants of land made by the Indians to the whites, and determined to unite all the Indian tribes into a league, in order that no treaties or grants of land could be made save by the consent of this confederation. He traveled constantly, going from north to south ; from the south to the north, everywhere urging the Indians to this step. He was a matchless orator, and his burning words had their effect. Gen. Harrison, then Governor of Indiana, by watching the move- ments of the Indians, became convinced that a grand conspiracy was forming, and made preparations to defend the settlements. Tecumseh's plan was similar to Pontiac's, elsewhere described, and to the cunnino- artifice of that chieftain was added his own sagacity. During the year 1809, Tecumseh and the prophet were actively pre- paring for the work. In that year. Gen. Harrison entered into a treaty with the Delawares, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel River Indians and Weas, in which these tribes ceded to the whites certain lands upon the Wabash, to all of which Tecumseh entered a bitter protest, averrins THE NOKTHWEST TERRITORY. 71 as one principal reason that he did not want the Indians to give up any lands north and west of the Ohio River. Tecumseh, in August, 1810, visited the General at Vincennes and held a council relating to the grievances of the Indians. Becoming unduly angry at this conference he was dismissed from the village, and soon after departed to incite the southern Indian tribes to the conflict. Gen. Harrison determined to move upon the chief's headquarters at Tippecanoe, and for this purpose went about sixty-five miles up the Wabash, where he built Fort Harrison. From this place he went to the prophet's town, where he informed the Indians he had no hostile inten- tions, provided they were true to the existing treaties. He encamped near the village early in October, and on the morning of November 7, he was attacked by a large force of the Indians, and the famous battle of Tippecanoe occurred. The Indians were routed and their town broken up. Tecumseh returning not long after, was greatly exasperated at his brother, the prophet, even threatening to kill him for rashly precipitating the war, and foiling his (Tecumseh's) plans. Tecumseh sent word to Gen. Harrison that he was now returned from the South, and was ready to visit the President as had at one time previously been proposed. Gen. Harrison informed him be could not go as a chief, which method Tecumseh desired, and the visit was never made. • In June of the following year, he visited the Indian agent at Fort Wayne. Here he disavowed any intention to make a war against the United States, and reproached Gen. Harrison for marching against his people. The agent replied to this ; Tecumseh listened with a cold indif- ference, and after making a few general remarks, with a haughty air drew his blanket about him, left the council house, and departed for Fort Mai- den, in Upper Canada, where he joined the British standard. He remained under this Government, doing effective work for the Crown while engaged in the war of 1812 which now opened. He was, however, always humane in his treatment of the prisoners, never allow- ing his warriors to ruthlessly mutilate the bodies of those slain, or wan- tonly murder the captive. In the Summer of 1813, Perry's victory on Lake Erie occurred, and shortly after active preparations were made to capture Maiden. On the 27th of September, the American army, under Gen. Harrison, set sail for the shores of Canada, and in a few hours stood around the ruins of Mai- den, from which the British army, under Proctor, had retreated to Sand- wich, intending to make its way to the heart of Canada by the Valley of the Thames. On the 29th Gen. Harrison was at Sandwich, and Gen. Mc Arthur took possession of Detroit and the territory of Michigan. 72 THE NORTHWEST TBERITORY. On the 2d of October, the Americans began their pursuit of Proctor, whom they overtook on the 5th, and the battle of the Thames followed. Early in the engagement, Tecumseh who was at the head of the colui^n of Indians was slain, and they, no longer hearing the voice of their chiet- tain, fled. The victory was decisive, and practically closed the war in the Northwest. INDIANS ATTACKING A STOCKAUS. Just who killed the great chief has been a matter of much dispute ; but the weight of opinion awards the act to Col. Richard M. .Johnson, who fired at him with a pistol, the shot proving fatal. In 1805 occurred Burr's Insurrection. He took possession of a beautiful island in the Ohio, after the killing of Hamilton, and is charged by many with attempting to set up an independent government. His plans were frustrated by the general government, his property confiscated and he was compelled to flee the country for safet3\ THE NOBTHWEST TEBRITOEY. 73 In January, 1807, Governor Hull, of Michigan Territory, made a treaty with the Indians, whereby all that peninsula was ceded to the United States. Before the close of the year, a stockade was built about Detroit.. It was also during this year that Indiana and Illinois endeavored to obtain the repeal of that sectjion of the compact of 1787, whereby slavery was excluded from the Northwest Territory. These attempts, however, all signally failed. In 1809 it was deemed advisable to divide the Indiana Territory. This was done, and the Territory of Illinois was formed from the western part, the seat of government being fixed at Kaskaskia. The next year, the intentions of Tecumseh manifested themselves in open hostilities, and then began the events already narrated. While this war was in progress, emigration to the West went on with surprising rapidity. In 1811, under Mr. Roosevelt of New York, the first steamboat trip was made on the Ohio, much to the astonishment of the natives, many of whom fled in terror at the appearance of the "monster." It arrived at Louisville on the 10th day of October. At the close of the first week of January, 1812, it arrived at Natchez, after being nearly overwhelmed in the great earthquake which occurred while on its downward trip. The battle of the Thames was fought on October 6, 18l3. It effectually closed hostilities in the Northwest, although peace was not fully restored until July 22, 1814, when a treaty was formed at Green- ville, under the direction of General Harrison, between the United States and the Indian tribes, in which it was stipulated that the Indians should cease hostilities against the Americans if the war were continued. Such, happily, was not the case, and on the 24th of December the treaty of Ghent was signed by the representatives of England and the United States. This treaty was followed the next year by treaties with various Indian tribes throilghout the West and Northwest, and quiet was again restored in this part of the new world. On the 18th of March, 1816, Pittsburgh was incorporated as a city. It then had a population of 8,000 people, and was already noted for its manufacturing interests. On April 19, Indiana Territory was allowed to form a state government. At that time there were thirteen counties organized, containing about sixty-three thousand inhabitants. The first election of state officers was held in August, when Jonathan Jennings was chosen Governor. The officers were sworn in on November 7, and. on December 11, the State was formally admitted into the Union. For some time the seat of government was at Corydon, but a more central location being desirable, the present capital, Indianapohs (City of Indiana), was laid out January 1, 1825. 74 THE NORTHWEST TEKBITORT. On the 28th of December the Bank of Illinois, at Shawneetown, was chartered, with a capital of $300,000. At this period all banks were under the control of the States, and were allowed to establish branahes at different convenient points. Until this time Chillicothe and Cincinnati had in turn enjoyed the privileges of being the capital of Ohio. But the rapid settlement of the northern and eastern portions of the State demanded, as in Indiana, a more central location, and before the close of the year, the site of Col- umbus was selected and surveyed as the future capital of the State. Banking had begun in Ohio as early as 1808, when the first bank was chartered at Marietta, but here as elsewhere it did not bring to the state the hoped-for assistance. It and other banks were subsequently unable to redeem their currency, and were obliged to suspend. In 1818, Illinois was made a state, and all the territory north of her northern limits was erected into a separate territory and joined to Mich- igan for judicial purposes. By the following year, navigation of the lakes was increasing with great rapidity and affording an immense source of revenue to the dwellers in the Northwest, but it was not until 1826 that the trade was extended to Lake Michigan, or that steamships began to navigate the bosoni of that inland sea. Until the year 1832, the commencement of the Black Hawk War, but few hostilities were experienced with the Indians. Roads were opened, canals were dug, cities were built, common schools were estab- lished, universities were founded, many of which, especially the Michigan University, have achieved a world wide-reputation. The people were becoming wealthy. The domains of the United States had been extended, and had the sons of the forest been treated with honesty and justice, the record of many years would have been that of peace and continuous pros- perity. BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAR. This conflict, though confined to Illinois, is an important epoch in the Northwestern history, being the last war with the Indians in this part of the United States. Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah, or Black Hawk, was born in the principal Sac village, about three miles from the junction of Rock River with the Mississippi, in the year 1767. His father's name was Py-e-sa or Pahaes ; his grandfather's, Na-na-ma-kee, or the Thunderer. Black Hawk early distinguished himself as a warrior, and at the age of fifteen was permitted to paint and was ranked among the braves. About the year 1788, he Went on an expedition against the enemies of his nation, the Osages, one THE NORTHWEST TBKEITORY. 75 BLACK HAWK, THE SAC CHIEFTAIN. 76 THE NORTHWEST TEEEITOBY. of whom he killed and scalped, and for this deed of Indian bravery he was permitted to join in the scalp dance. Three or four years after he, at the head of two hundred braves, went on another expedition against the Osages, to avenge the murder of some women and children belonging to his own tribe. Meeting an equal number of Osage warriors, a fierce battle ensued, in which the latter tribe lost one-half their number. The Sacs lost only about nineteen warriors. He next attacked the Cherokees for a similar cause. In a severe battle with them, near the present City of St. Louis, his father was slain, and Black Hawk, taking possession of the " Medicine Bag," at once announced himself chief of the Sac nation. He had now conquered the Cherokees, and about the year 1800, at the head of five hundred Sacs and Foxes, and a hundred lowas, he waged war against the Osage nation and subdued it. For two years he battled successfully with other Indian tribes, all of whom he conquered. Black Hawk does not at any time seem to have been friendly to the Americans. When on a visit to St. Louis to see his " Spanish Father," he declined to see any of the Americans, alleging, as a reason, he did not want two fa.thers. The treaty at St. Louis was consummated in 1804. The next year the United States Government erected a fort near the head of the Des Moines Rapids, called Fort Edwards. This seemed to enrage Black Hawk, who at once determined to capture Fort Madison, standing on the west side of the Mississippi above the mouth of the Des Moines River. The fort was garrisoned by about fifty men. Here he was. defeated. The difficulties with the British Government arose about this time, and the War of 1812 followed. That government, extending aid to the Western Indians, by giving them arms and ammunition, induced them to remain hostile to the Americans. In August, 1812, Black Hawk, at the head of about five hundred braves, started to join the British forces at Detroit, passing on his way the site of Chicago, where the famous Fort Dearborn Massacre ' ^ a few days before occurred. Of his connection with the British ernment but little is known. In 1813 he with his little band descended the Mississippi, and attacking some United States troops at Fort Howard was defeated. In the early part of 1816, the Indian tribes west of the Mississippi were notified that peace had been declared between the United States and England, and nearly all hostilities had ceased. Black Hawk did not sign any treaty, however, until May of the following year. He then recos- nized the validity of the treaty at St. Louis in 1804. From the tim f signing this treaty in 1816, until the breaking out of the war in 1832^ b and his band passed their time in the common pursuits of Indian lif ' Ten years before the commencement of this war, the Sac and^P THE NOETHWEST TEKEITORY. 77 Indians were urged to join the lowas on the west bank of the Father of Waters. All were agreed, save the band known as the British Band, of which Black Hawk was leader. He strenuously objected to the removal, and was induced to comply only after being threatened with the power of the Government. This and various actions on the part of the white set- tlers provoked Black Hawk and his band to attempt the capture of his native village now occupied by the whites. The war followed. He and his actions were undoubtedly misunderstood, and had his wishes been acquiesced in at the beginning of the struggle, much bloodshed would have been prevented. Black Hawk was chief now of the Sac and Fox nations, and a noted warrior. He and his tribe inhabited a village on Rock River, nearly three miles above its confluence with the Mississippi, where the tribe had lived many generations. When that portion of Illinois was reserved to them, they remained in peaceable possession of their reservation, spending their time in the enjoyment of Indian life. The fine situation of their village and the quality of their lands incited the more lawless white settlers, who from time to time began to encroach upon the red men's domain. From one pretext to another, and from one step to another, the crafty white men gained a foothold, until through whisky and artifice they obtained deeds from many of the Indians for their possessions. The Indians were finally induced to cross over the Father of Waters and locate among the lowas. Black Hawk was strenuously opposed to all this, but as the authorities of Illinois and the United States thought this the best move, he was forced to comply. Moreover other tribes joined the whites and urged the removal. Black Hawk would not agree to the terms of the treaty made with his nation for their lands, and as soon as the military, called to enforce his removal, had retired, he returned to tlie Illinois side of the liver. A large force was at once raised and marched against him. On the evening of May 14, 1832, the first engagement occurred between a band from this army and Black Hawk's band, in which the former were defeated. This attack and its result aroused the whites. A large force of men was raised, and Gen. Scott hastened from the seaboard, by way of the lakes, with United States troops and artillery to aid in the subjugation of the Indians. On the 24th of June, Black Hawk, with 200 warriors, was repulsed by Major Demont between Rock River and Galena. The Ameri- can army continued to move up Rock River toward the main body of the Indians, and on the 21st of July came upon Black Hawk and his band, and defeated them near the Blue Mounds. Before this action. Gen. Henry, in command, sent word to the main army by whom he was immediately rejoined, and the whole crossed the 78 THE KOKTHWEST TERBITORy. Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk and his band who were fleeing to the Mississippi. They were overtaken on the 2d of August, and in the battle which followed the power of the Indian chief was completely broken. He fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes and delivered to the whites. On the 21st of September, 1832, Gen. Scott and Gov. Reynolds con- cluded a treaty with the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes by which they ceded to the United States a vast tract of country, and agreed to remain peaceable with the whites. For the faithful performance of the provi- sions of this treaty on the part of the Indians, it was stipulated that Black Hawk, his two sons, the prophet Wabokieshiek, and six other chiefs of the hostile bands should be retained as hostages during the pleasure of the President. They were confined at Fort Barracks and put in irons. The next Spring, by order of the Secretary of War, they were taken to Washington. From there they were removed to Fortress Monroe, "there to remain until the conduct of their nation was such as to justify their being set at liberty." They were retained here until the 4th of June, when the authorities directed them to be taken to the principal cities so that they might see the folly of contending against the white people. Everywhere they were observed by thousands, the name of the old chief being CKtensively known. By the middle of August they reached Fort Armstrong on Rock Island, where Black Hawk was soon after released to go to his countrymen. As he passed the site of his birth- place, now the home of the white man, he was deeply moved. His village where he was born, where he had so happily lived, and where he had hoped to die, was now another's dwelling placCj and he was a wanderer. On the next day after his release, he went at once to his tribe and his lodge. His wife was yet living, and with her he passed the remainder of his days. To his credit it may be said that Black Hawk always re- mained true to his wife, and served her with a devotion uncommon among the Indians, living with her upward of forty years. Black Hawk now passed his time hunting and fishing. A deep mel- ancholy had settled over him from which he could not be freed. At all times when he visited the whites he was received with marked atten- tion. He was an honored guest at the old settlers' reunion in Lee County^ Illinois, at some of their meetings, and received many tokens of esteem. In September, 1838, while on his way to Rock Island to receive his annuity from the Government, he contracted a severe cold which resulted in a fatal attack of bilious fever which terminated his life on October 3. His faithful wife, who was devotedly attached to him, mourned deeply during his sickness. After his death he was dressed in the uniform pre- sented to him by the President while in Washington. He was buried in a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. " The THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 79 body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a seat constructed for the purpose. On his left side, the cane, given him by Henry Clay, was placed upright, with his right hand resting upon it. Many of the old warrior's trophies were placed in the grave, and some Indian garments, together with his favorite weapons." No sooner was the Black Hawk war concluded than settlers began rapidly to pour into the northern parts of Illinois, and into Wisconsin, now free from Indian depredations. Chicago, from a trading post, had grown to a commercial center, and was rapidly coming into prominence. In 1835, the formation of a State Government in Michigan was discussed, but did not take active form until two years later, when the State became a part of the Federal Union. The main attraction to that portion of the Northwest lying west of Lake Michigan, now included in the State of Wisconsin, was its alluvial wealth. Copper ore was found about Lake Superior. For some time this region was attached to Michigan for judiciary purposes, but in 1836 was made a territory, then including Minnesota and Iowa. The latter State was detached two years later. In 1848, Wisconsin was admitted as a State, Madison being made the capital. We have now traced the various divisions of the Northwest Territory (save a little in Minnesota) from the time it was a unit comprising this vast territory, until circumstances compelled its present division. OTHER INDIAN TROUBLES. Before leaving this part of the narrative, we will narrate briefly the Indian troubles in Minnesota and elsewhere by the Sioux Indians. In August, 1862, the Sioux Indians living on the western borders of Minnesota fell upon the unsuspecting settlers, and in a few hours mas- sacred ten or twelve hundred persons. A distressful panic was the immediate result, fully thirty thousand persons fleeing from their homes to districts supposed to be better protected. The military authorities at once took active measures to punish the savages, and a large number were killed and captured. About a year after, Little Crow, the chief, was killed by a Mr. Lampson near Scattered Lake. Of those captured, thirty were hung at Mankato,vand the remainder, through fears of mob violence, were removed to Camp McClellan, on the outskirts of the City of Davenport. It was here that Big Eagle came into prominence and secured his release by the following order : 80 THE NOETHWEST TERKITOEY. I BIG EAGLE. THE NORTHWEST TERRITOBY. 81 " Special Order, No. 430. " War Department, " Adjutant General's Office, Washtngton, Dec. 3, 1864. " Big Eagle, an Indian now in confinement at Davenport, Iowa, will, upon the receipt of this order, be immediately released from confine- ment and set at liberty. " By order of the President of the United States. " Official : " E. D. Townsend, Ass't Adft aen. " Capt. James Vanderventer, Com'^/ Sub. Vols. " Through Com'g Gen'l, Washington, D. C." Another Indian who figures more prominently than Big Eagle, and who was more cowardly in his nature, with his band of Modoc Indians, is noted in the annals of the New Northwest: we refer to Captain Jack. This distinguished Indian, noted for his cowardly murder of Gen. Canby, was a chief of a Modoc tribe of Indians inhabiting the border lands between California and Oregon. This region of country comprises what is known as the " Lava Beds," a tract of land described as utterly impene- trable, save by those savages who had made it their home. The Modocs are known as an exceedingly fierce and treacherous race. They had, according to their own traditions, resided here for many generations, and at one time were exceedingly numerous and powerful. A famine carried off nearly half their numbers, and disease, indolence and the vices of the white man have reduced them to a poor, weak and insignificant tribe. Soon after the settlement of California and Oregon, complaints began to be heard of massacres of emigrant trains passing through the Modoc country. In 1847, an emigrant train, comprising eighteen souls, was en- tirely destroyed at a place since known as " Bloody Point." These occur- rences caused the United States Government to appoint a peace commission, who, after repeated attempts, in 1864, made a treaty with the Modocs, Snakes and Klamaths, in which it was agreed on their part to remove to a reservation set apart for them in the southern part of Oregon. With the exception of Captain Jack and a band of his followers, who remained at Clear Lake, about six miles from Klamath, all the Indians complied. The Modocs who went to the reservation were under chief Schonchin. Captain Jack remained at the lake without disturbanc& until 1869, when he was also induced to remove to the reservation. The Modocs and the Klamaths soon became involved in a quarrel, and Captain Jack and his band returned to the Lava Beds. Several attempts were made by the Indian Commissioners to induce them to return to the reservation, and finally becoming involved in a 82 THE NORTHWEST TEERITOEY. difficulty with the commissioner and his military escort, a fight ensued, in which the chief and liis band were routed. They were greatly enraged, and on their retreat, before the day closed, killed eleven inoffensive whites. The nation was aroused and immediate action demanded. A com- mission was at once appointed by the Government to see what could be done.- It c#lnprised the following persons : Gen. E. R. S. Canby, Rev. Dr. E. Thomas, a leading Methodist divine of California; Mr. A. B. Meacham, Judge Rosborough, of California, and a Mr. Dyer, of Oregon. After several interviews, in which the savages were always aggressive, often appearing with scalps in their belts, Bogus Charley came to the commission on the evening of April 10, 1873, and informed them that Capt. Jack and his band would have a " talk " to-morrow at a place near Clear Lake, about three miles distant. Here the Commissioners, accom- panied by Charley, Riddle, the interpreter, and Boston Charley repaired. After the usual greeting the council proceedings commenced. On behalf of the Indians there were present : Capt. Jack, Black Jim, Schnac Nasty Jim, Ellen's Man, and Hooker Jim. They had no guns, but carried pis- tols. After short speeches by Mr. Meacham, Gen. Canby and Dr. Thomas, Chief Schonchin arose to speak. He had scarcely proceeded when, as if by a preconcerted arrangement, Capt. Jack drew his pistol and shot Gen. Canby dead. In less than a minute a dozen shots were fired hy the savages, and the massacre completed. Mr. Meacham was shot by Schon- chin, and Dr. Thomas by Boston Charley. Mr. Dyer barely escaped, being fired at twice. Riddle, the interpreter, and his squaw escaped. The troops rushed to the spot where they found Gen. Canby and Dr. Thomas dead, and Mr. Meacham badly wounded. The savages had escaped to their impenetrable fastnesses and could not be pursued. The whole country was aroused by this brutal massacre ; but it was not until the following May that the murderers were brought to justice. At that time Boston Charley gave himself up, and offered to guide the troops to Capt. Jack's stronghold. This led to the capture of his entire gang, a number of whom were murdered by Oregon volunteers while on their way to trial. The remaining Indians were held as prisoners until July when their trial occurred, which led to the conviction of Capt. Jack, Schonchin, Boston Charley, Hooker Jim, Broncho, alias One-Eyed Jim, and Slotuck, who were sentenced to be hanged. These sentences were approved by the President, save in the case of Slotuck and Broncho whose sentences were commuted to imprisonment for life. The others were executed at Fort Klamath, October 3, 1873. These closed the Indian troubles for a time in the Northwest, and for several years the borders of civilization remained in peace. They were again involved in a conflict with the savages about the country of the ^X.^mA- CRETE THE NORTHWEST. TERRITORY. S3 CAPTAIN JACK, THE MODOC CHIEFTAIN. jj4 THE NORTHWEST TERKITORT. Black Hills, in whicli war the gallant Gen. Custer lost his life. Just now the borders of Oregon and California are again in fear of hostilities ; but as the Government has learned how to deal with the Indians, they will be of short duration. The red man is fast passing away before the march of the white man, and a few more generations will read of the Indians as one of the nations of the past. The Northwest abounds in memorable places. We have generally noticed them in the narrative, but our space forbids their description in detail, save of the most important places. Detroit, Cincinnati, Vincennes, Kaskaskia and their kindred towns have all been described. But ere we leave the narrative we will present our readers with an account of the Kinzie house, the old landmark of Chicago, and the discovery of the source of the Mississippi River, each of which may well find a place in the annals of the Northwest. Mr. John Kinzie, of the Kinzie house, represented in the illustra- tion, established a trading house at Port Dearborn in 1804. The stockade had been erected the year previous, and named Fort Dearborn in honor of the Secretary of War. It had a block house at each of the two angles, on the southern side a sallyport, a covered way on the north side, that led down to the river, for the double purpose of providing means of escape, and of procuring water in the event of a siege. Fort Dearborn stood on the south bank of the Chicago River, about half a mile from its mouth. When Major Whistler built it, his soldiers hauled all the timber, for he had no oxen, and so economically did he work that the fort cost the Government only fifty dollars. For a while the garrison could get no grain, and Whistler and his men subsisted on acorns. Now Chicago is the greatest grain center in the world. Mr. Kinzie bought the hut of the first settler, Jean Baptiste Point au Sable, on the site of which he erected his mansion. Within an inclosure in front he planted some Lombardy poplars, seen in the engraving, and in the rear he soon had a fine garden and growing orchard. In 1812 the Kinzie house and its surroundings became the theater of stirring events. The garrison of Fort Dearborn consisted of fifty-four men, under the charge of Capt. Nathan Heald, assisted by Lieutenant Lenai T. Helm (son-in-law to Mrs. Kinzie), and Ensign Ronan. The surgeon was Dr. Voorhees. The only residents at the post at that time were the wives of Capt. Heald and Lieutenant Helm and a few of the soldiers, Mr. Kinzie and his family, and a few Canadian voyagers with their wives and children. The soldiers and Mr. Kinzie were on the most friendly terms with the Pottawatomies and the Winnebagoes, the prin- cipal tribes around them, but they could not win them from their attach- ment to the British. THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 85 After the battle of Tippecanoe it was observed that some of the lead- ing chiefs became sullen, for some of their people had perished in that conflict with American troops. One evening in April, 1812, Mr. Kinzie sat playing his violin and his children were dancing to the music, when Mrs. Kinzie came rushing into the house pale with terror, and exclaiming, " The Indians ! the Indians !^" " What? Where ? " eagerly inquired Mr. Kinzie. " Up at Lee's, killing and scalping," answered the frightened mother, who, when the alarm was given, was attending Mrs. Burns, a newly-made mother, living not far off. KIWZIE HOTJSB. Mr. Kinzie and his family crossed the river in boats, and took refuge in the fort, to which place Mrs. Burns and her .infant, not a day old, were conveyed in safety to the shelter of the guns of Fort Dearborn, and the rest of the white inhabitants fled. The Indians were a scalping party of Winnebagoes, who hovered around the fort some days, when they dis- appeared, and for several weeks the inhabitants were not disturbed by alarms. Chicago was then so deep in the wilderness, that the news of the declaration of war against Great Britain, made on the 19th of June, 1812, did not reach the commander of the garrison at Fort Dearborn till the 7th of August. Now the fast mail train will carry a man from New York to Chicago in twenty-seven hours, and such a declaration might be sent, every word, by the telegraph in less than the same number of minutes. w p THE IfOETHVBST TEEEITOKY. 8? PRESENT CONDITION OF THE NORTHWEST Preceding chapters have brought us to the close of the Black Hawk "war, and we now turn to the contemplation of the growth and prosperity of the Northwest under the smile of peace and the blessings of our civili- za-tif^n. The pioneers of this region date events back to the deep snow A EEPEESBNTATIVE PIONEEE. of 1831, no one arriving here since that date taking first honors. The inciting cause of the immigration which overflowed the prairies early in the '30s was the reports of the marvelous beauty and fertility of the region distributed through the East by those who had participated in the Black Hawk campaign with Gen. Scott. Chicago and Milwaukee then had a few hundred inhabitants, and Gurdon S. Hubbard's trail from the former city to Kaskaskia led almost through a wilderness. Vegetables and clothing were largely distributed through the regions adjoining the 88 THE NORTHWEST TEERITOKY. lakes by steamers from the Ohio towns. There are men now living in Illinois who came to the state when barely an acre was in cultivation, and a man now prpminent in the business circles of Chicago looked over the swampy, cheerless site of that metropolis in 1818 and went south- ward into civilization. Emigrants from Pennsylvania in 1830 left behind LINCOLN MONUMENT, SPKINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. them but one small railway in the coal regions, thirty miles in length, and made their way to the Northwest mostly with ox teams, finding in Northern Illinois petty settlements scores of miles apart, although the southern portion of the state was fairly dotted with farms. The water courses of the lakes and rivers furnished transportation to the second great army of immigrants, and about 1850 railroads were pushed to that extent that the crisis of 1837 was precipitated upon us, THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 89 from the efPects of which the Western country had not fully recovered at the outbreak of the war. Hostilities found the colonists of the prairies fully alive to the demands of the occasion, and the honor of recruiting *'f'''iW;^^V, KM fill m. \mi o 35 « O a Q ■Ji IZi o the vast armies of the Union fell largely to Gov. Yates, of Illinois, anri Gov. Morton, of Indiana. To recount the share of the glories of the campaign won by our "Western troops is a needless task, except to mention the fact that Illinois g-ave co tiie nation the President who save'3 90 THE NORTHWEST TEEBITOBY. it, and sent out at the head of one of its regiments tne general who led ts armies to the final victory at Appomattox. The struggle, on the FAEil VIEW IN WINTER. whole, had a marked effect for the better on the new Northwest, gi nna it an impetus which twenty years of peace would not have produced. In a large degree this prosperity was an inflated one, and with the rest of the Union we have since been compelled to atone therefor by four THE NORTHWEST TBERITOEY. 93 years of depression of values, of scarcity of employment, and loss of fortune. To a less degree, however, than the manufacturing or mining regions has the West suffered during the prolonged panic now so near its end. Agriculture, still the leading feature in our industries, has been quite prosperous through all these dark years, and the farmers have cleared away manj' incumbrances resting over them from the period of fictitious values. The population has steadily increased, the arts and sciences are gaining a stronger foothold, the trade area of the region is becoming daily more extended, and we have been largely exempt from the financial calamities which have nearly wrecked communities on the seaboard dependent wholly on foreign commerce or domestic manufacture. At the present period there are no great schemes broached for the Northwest, no propositions for government subsidies or national works of improvement, but the capital of the world is attracted hither for the purchase of our products or the expansion of our capacity for serving the nation at large. A new era is dawning as to transportation, and we bid fair to deal almost exclusively with the increasing and expanding lines of steel rail running through every few miles of territory on the prairies. The lake marine will no doubt continue to be useful in the warmer season, and to serve as a regulator of- freight rates ; but experienced navigators forecast the decay of the system in moving to the seaboard the enormous crops of the West. Within the past five years it has become quite common to see direct shipments to Europe and the West Indies going through from the second-class towns along the Mississippi and Missouri. As to popular education, the standard has of late risen very greatly, and our schools would be creditable to any section of the Union. More and more as the events of the war pass into obscurity will the fate of the Northwest be linked with that of the Southwest, and the next Congressional apportionment will give the valley of the Mississippi absolute control of the legislation of the nation, and do much toward securing the removal of the Federal capitol to some more central location. Our public men continue to wield the full share of influence pertain- ing to their rank in the national autonomy, and seem not to forget that for the past sixteen years they and their constituents have dictated the principles which should govern the country. In a work like this, destined to lie on the shelves of the library for generations, and not doomed to daily destruction like a newspaper, one can not indulge in the same glowing predictions, the sanguine statements of actualities that fill the columns of ephemeral publications. Time may bring grief to the pet projects of a writer, and explode castles erected on a pedestal of facts. Yet there are unmistakable indications before us of 94 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. LAKE BLUTF. Thp frontage of Lake Bluff Grounds on lake Michigan, with one hundred and seventy feet of gradual ascent. HIGH BKIDGE, LAKE BLTJFF, LAKE COUNTY, ILLINOIS. THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 95 the same radical change in our great Northwest which characterizes its history for the past thirty years. Our domain has a sort of natural geographical border, save where it melts away to the southward in the cattle raising districts of the southwest. Our prime interest will for some years doubtless be the growth of the food of the world, in which branch it has already outstripped all competitors, and our great rival in this duty will naturally be the fertile plains of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, to say nothing of the new empire so rapidly growing up in Texas. Over these regions there is a continued progress in agriculture and in railway building, and we must look to our laurels. Intelligent observers of events are fully aware of the strides made in the way of shipments of fresh meats to Europe, many of these ocean cargoes being actually slaughtered in the West and transported on ice to the wharves of the seaboard cities. That this new enterprise will continue there is no reason to doubt. There are in Chicago several factories for the canning of prepared meats for European consumption, and the orders for this class of goods are already immense. English capital is becoming daily more and more dissatisfied with railway loans and investments, and is gradually seeking mammoth outlays in lands and live stock. The stock yards in Chicago, Indianapolis and East St. Louis are yearly increasing their facilities, and their plant steadily grows more valuable. Importations of blooded animals from the pro- gressive countries of Europe are destined to greatly improve the quality of our beef and mutton. Nowhere is there to be seen a more enticing display in this line than at our state and county fairs, and the interest in the matter is on the increase. To attempt to give statistics of our grain production for 1877 would be useless, so far have we surpassed ourselves in the quantity and quality of. our product. We are too liable to forget that we are giving the world its first article of necessity — its food supply. An opportunity to learn this fact so it never can be forgotten was afforded at Chicago at the outbreak of the great panic of 1873, when Canadian purchasers, fearing the prostration of business might bring about an anarchical condition of affairs, went to that city with coin in bulk and foreign drafts to secure their supplies in their own currency at first hands. It may be justly claimed by the agricultural community that their combined efforts gave the nation its first impetus toward a restoration of its crippled industries and their labor brought the gold premium to a lower depth than the government was able to reach by its most intense efforts of legislation and compulsion. The hundreds of millions about to be disbursed for farm products have already, by the anticipation common to all commercial 96 THE NORTHWEST TEEKITORY. nations, set the wheels in motion, and will relieve us from the perils so long shadowing our efforts to return to a healthy tone. Manufacturing has attained in the chief cities a foothold which bids fair to render the Northwest independent of the outside world. Nearly o ft scribed our names hereunto as witnesses thereof. Peter A. Schenck, Sycamore, Ills. Frank E. Dent, Salem, Ills. Charles Mansfield, [l.s.] Charles Mansfield. [l.s.J ABSTKACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. 189 CODICIL. Whereas I, Charles Mansfield, did, on the fourth day of April, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, make my last will and testa- ment, I do now, by this writing, add this codicil to my said will, to be taken as a part thereof. Whereas, by the dispensation of Providence, my daughter, Anna Louise, has deceased November fifth, eighteen hundred and seventy-three, and whereas, a son has been born to me, which son is now christened Richard Albert Mansfield, I give and bequeath unto him my gold watch, and all right, interest, and title in lands and bank stock and chattels bequeathed to my deceased daughter, Anna Louise, in the body of this will. In witness whereof, I hereunto place my hand and seal, this tenth day of March, eighteen hundred and seventy-five. Signed, sealed, published, and declared to" us by the testator, Charles Mansfield, as and for a codicil to be annexed to his last will and testament. And we, at his request, and in his presence, and in the presence of each other, have sub- scribed our names as witnesses thereto, atthe date hereof. Frank E. Dent, Salem, Ills. John C. Shay, Salem, Ills. CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS May be legally made by electing or appointing, according to the usages or mHoms of the body of which it is a part, at any meeting held for that purpose, two or more of its members as trustees, wardens or vestrymen, and may adopt a corporate name. The chairman or secretary of such meeting shall, as soon as possible, make and file in the office of the recorder of deeds of the county, an affidavit substantially in the following form : State op Illinois, — County. ss. I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be), that at a meeting of the members of the (here insert the name of the church, society or congregation as known before organization), held at (here insert place of meeting), in the County of , and State of Illinois, on the day of , A.D. 18—, for that purpose, the toL- lowing persons were elected (or appointed) [here insert their names] trustees, wardens, vestrymen, (or officers by whatever name they may choose to adopt, with powers similar to trustees) according to th e rules and usages of such (church, society or congregation), and said 190 ABSTKACT OF ILLINOIS STATE LAWS. adopted as its corporate name (here insert name), and at said meeting this affiant acted as (chairman or secretary, as the case may be). Subscribed and sworn to before me, this day of , A.D. 18—. Name of Affiant which affidavit must be recorded by the recorder, and shall be, or a certi- fied copy made by the recorder, received as evidence of smch an incorpo- ration. No certificate of election after the first need he filed for record. The term of office of the trustees and the general government of the society can be determined by the rules or by-laws adopted. Failure to elect trustees at the time provided does not work a dissolution, but the old trustees hold over. A trustee or trustees may be removed, in the same manner by the society as elections are held by a meeting called for that purpose. The property of the society vests in the corporation. The corporation may hold, or acquire by purchase or otherwise, land not exceeding ten acres, for the purpose of the society. The trustees have the care, custody and control of the property of the corporation, and can, when directed by the society, erect houses or improvements, and repair and alter the same, and may also when so directed by the society, mortgage, encumber, sell and convey any real or personal estate belonging to the corporation, and make all proper contracts in the name of such corporation. But the}^ are prohibited by law from encumbering or inter- fering with any property so as to destroy the effect of any gift, grant, devise or bequest to the corporation ; but such gifts, grants, devises or bequests, must in all cases be used so as to carry out the object intended by the persons making the same. Existing societies may organize in the manner herein set forth, and have all the advantages thereof. SUGGESTIONS TO THOSE PURCHASING BOOKS BY SUBSCRIPTION. The business of publishing hooks hy subscription having so often been brought into disrepute by agents making representations and declarations not authorized hy the publisher ; in order to prevent that as much as possi- ble, and that there may be more general knowledge of the relation such agents bear to their principal, and the law governing such cases, the fol- lowing statement is made : A subscription is in the nature of a contract of mutual promises, by which the subscriber agrees to pay a certain sum for the work described ; the consideration is concurrent that the publisher shall publish the book named, and deliver the same, for which the subscriber is to pay the price named. The nature and character of the work is described in tJie prospectus and hy the sample shown. These should be carefully examined before sub- scribing, as they are the basis and consideration of the promise to pay. ABSTRACT OF li^LINOIS STATE LAWS. 191 and not the too often exaggerated statements of the agent, who is merely employed to solicit subscriptions, for which he is usually paid a commission for each subscriber, and has no authority to change or alter the conditions upon which the subscriptions are authorized to be made by the pubUsher. Should the agent assume to agree to make the subscription conditional or modify or change the agreement of the publisher, as set out by prospectus and sample, in order to bi7id the principal, the subscriber should see that such conditions or changes are stated over or in connection with his signa- ture, so that the publisher may have notice of the same. All persons making contracts in reference to matters of this kind, or any other business, should remember that the law as to written contracts is, that they can not be varied, altered or rescinded verbally, but if done at all, must be done in writing. It is therefore important that all persons contem- plating subscribing should distinctly understand that all talk before or after the subscription is made, is not admissible as evidence, and is no part of the contract. Persons employed to solicit subscriptions are known to the trade as canvassers. They are agents appointed to do a particular business in a prescribed mode, and have no authority to do it in any other way to the prejudice of their principal, nor can they bind their principal in any other matter. They can not collect money, or agree that payment may be made in anything else but money. They can not extend the time of payment beyond the time of delivery, nor bind their principal for the p^ayment of expenses incurred in their buisness. It would save a great deal of trouble, and often serious loss, if persons, before signing their names to any subscription book, or any written instru- ment, would examine carefully what it is ; if they can not read themselves, should call on some one disinterested who can. l{)'2 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ITS AMENDMENTS. We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. Aetiole I. Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. Sec. 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of mem- bers chosen every second year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State Legislature. No person shall be a representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the sev- eral states which may be included within this Union, according to theii respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subse- quent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative ; and until such enumeration shall be made the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plan- tations one, Connecticut five. New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylva- nia eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten. North Carolina five, and Georgia three. When vacancies happen in the representation from any state, the Executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies. The House of Representatives shall choose their Speaker and other officers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment. Sec. 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six years ; and each Senator shall have one vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expira- AND ITS AMENDMENTS. ig^ tion of the second year, of the second class at the expiration of the fourth year, and of the third class at the expiration of the sixth year, so that one-third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies happen by resignation or otherwise, during the recess of the Legislature of any state, the Executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies. No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years and been nine years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen. The Vice-President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no vote unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President ^ro tempore, ia the absence of the Vice-President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the United States. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried the Chief Justice shall preside. And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present. Judgment, in cases of impeachment, shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States ; but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to law. Sec. 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for Sen- ators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each state by the Legis- lature thereof ; but the Congress may at any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. Sec. 5. Each house shall be the judge of the election, returns, and qualifications of its own members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business ; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as each house may provide. Each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such parts as may, in their judgment, require secrecy ; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house on any question shall, at the desire of one-fifth of those present, be entered on the journal. Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which the two houses shall be sitting. Sec. 6. The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compen- sation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shaU in all cases, except treason, 194 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same ; and for any speech or debate in either house they shall not be questioned in any other place. No Senator or Eepresentative shall, during the time for which he v^as elected, be appointed to any civil ofiSce under the authority of the United Sta,tes, which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time ; and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a member of either house during his continuance in office. Sec. 7. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives ; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills. Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President the United States ; if he approve he shall sign it ; but if not he shall return it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have origi- nated, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such reconsideration two-thirds of that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objec- tions, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of that house, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the votes of both houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each house respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted), after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment), shall be presented to the President of the United States, and before the same shall take effect shall be approved by him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be re-passed by two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and lim- itations prescribed in the case of a bill. Sec. 8. The Congress shall have power — To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts, and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United states ; but all duties, imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States ; To borrow money on the credit of the United States ; To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several Str.tes, and with the Indian tribes ; To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United States ; To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures ; To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States ; To establish post offices and post roads ; AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 195 To promote the progress of sciences and useful arts, by securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries ; To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court ; To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and otfenses against the law of nations ; To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water ; To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years ; To provide and maintain a navy ; To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces ; To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions ; To provide for organizing, arming and disciplining the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively the appointment of the oificers, and the authority of training the militia according to the disci- pline prescribed by Congress ; To exercise legislation in all cases whatsoever over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the Legislature of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock yards, and other needful buildings ; and To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, or in any depart- ment or officer thereof. Sec. 9. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it. No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed. No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless ui proportion to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to be taken. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state. No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or rev- enue to the ports of one state over those of another; nor shall vessels bound to or from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties m another. „ No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but m consequence ot appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account ot the receipts and expeditures of all public money shall be published trom time to time. 196 CONSTITUTIOK OF THE UNITED STATES No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, ofBce, or title of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state. Sec. 10. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confeder- ation; grant letters of marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit ; make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts ; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility. No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspection laws, and the net produce of all duties and imposts laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the use of the Treasury of the United States ; and all such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress. No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty oii tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay. Article II. Section 1. The Executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice-President chosen for the same term, be elected as follows : Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of Electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the state may be entitled in the Congress ; but no Senator or Representative, or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. [*The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves. And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes for each ; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The Pres- ident of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Rep- resentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ; and if there be more than one who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President ; and if no person have a ma- jority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall in like manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the vote shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the President, • This clause between.brackets bas been superseded and annulled by tbe Tweltthamendment, AND ITS AMENDMENTS. Jgij- the person having the greatest number of votes of the Electors shall be the Vice-President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice-Presi- dent.] The Congress may determine the time of choosing the Electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes ; which day shall be the same throughout the United States. No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President ; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States. In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-Pr.esident, and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or inabil- ity, both of the President and Vice-President, declaring what officer shall then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the dis- ability be removed, or a President shall be elected. The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services a com- pensation which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from the United States or any, of them. Before he enters on the execution of his office, he shall take the fol- lowing oath or affirmation : " I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." Sec. 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; be may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardon for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present con- cur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be. established by law ; but the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers as they think proper in the President alone, m the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session. Sec. 3. He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such mea- sures as he shall judge necessary and expedient ; he may on extraordinary 198 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES occasions convene both houses, or either of them, and in case of disagree- ment between them, with respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper ; he shall receive ambassadors and other public ministers ; he shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States. Sec. 4. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and con- viction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Article III. Section I. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the Supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office. Sec. 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority ; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls ; to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to which the United States shall be a party ; to controversies between two or more states ; between a state and citizens of another state ; between citizens of differ- ent states ; between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens, or subjects. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls, and those in which a state shall be a party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions and under such regulations as the Congress shall make. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury ; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have been committed ; but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed. Sec. 3. _ Treason against the United States shall consist only in levy- ing war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the tes- timony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted. Article IV. Section 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. And AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 199 the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof. Sec. 2._ _ The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states. A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee from justice and be found in another state, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof escaping into another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on the claim of the party to whom such service or labor may be due. Sec. 3. New states may be admitted by the Congress into this Union ; but no new state shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state ; nor any state be formed by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the consent of the Legislatures of the states concerned, as well as of the Congress. The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States ; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of the United States or of any particular state. Sec. 4. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a republican form of government, and shall protexjt each of them against invasion, and on application of the Legislature, or of the Execu- tive (when the Legislature can not be convened), against domestic vio- lence. Article V. The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the ap- plication of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be vaUd to all intents and purposes as part of this Constitution, when rati- fied by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by con- ventions in three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratifi- cation may be proposed by the Congress. Provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in anv manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article ; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate. Article VI. All debts contracted and engagements entered into before the adop- tion of this Constitution shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution as under the Confederation. i. n i. This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land ; and the Judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything m the Constitution or laws of any state to the contrary notwithstanding. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the mem- 200 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES bers of the several state Legislatures, and all executive and judicial oifi- cers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution ; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. Article VII. The ratification of the Conventions of nine states shall be sufficient for the establishment of this Constitution between the states so ratifying the same. Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present, the seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of the independence of the United States of America the twelfth. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names. GEO. WASHINGTON, President and Deputy from Virginia. New Hampshire. John Langdon, Nicholas Gilman. Massachusetts. Nathaniel Goeham, RuFus King. Connecticut. Wm. Sam'l Johnson, Roger Sherman. New York. Alexander Hamilton. New Jersey. WiL. Livingston, Wm. Patbrson, David Brearley, JoNA. Dayton. Pennsylvania. B. Franklin, RoBT. Morris, Thos. Fitzsimons, James Wilson, Thos. Mifflin, Geo. Clymer, Jarbd Ingersoll, Gouv. Morris. Delaware. Geo. Read, John Dickinson, Jaco. Broom, Gunning Bedford, Jr., Richard Bassett. Maryland. James M'Henry, Danl. Carroll, Dan. of St. Thos. Jenifer. Virginia. John Blair, James Madison, Jr. North Carolina. Wm. Blount, Hu. Williamson, Rich'd Dobbs Spaight. South Carolina. j. rutledge, Charles Pinckney, Chas. Cotesworth Pinckney, Pierce Butler. G-eorgia. William Few, Abr. Baldwin. WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary. AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 203 Abticles in Addition to and Amendatory of the Constitih^ion OP THE United States of Amekica. Proposed hy Congress and ratified hy the Legislatures of the several states, pursuant to the fifth article of the original Constitution. Article I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Article II. A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Article III. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but in a manner to be pre- scribed by law. Article IV. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be vio- lated ; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized. Article V. No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia when in actual service in tfme of war or public danger ; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb ; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. Article VI. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation ; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor ; ana to have the assistance of counsel for his defense. Article VII. In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no tact 204 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States than according to the rules of the common law. Akticle VIII. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Article IX. The enumeration, in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Article X. The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. Article XI. The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or sub- jects of any foreign state. Article XII. The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves ; they shall name in their ballots the person to be voted for as president, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice- President, and of the number of votes for each, which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes for President shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed ; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest number not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two- thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a Presi- dent whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next' following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice- President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be the majority of the whole number of electors appointed, and if no person have a major- J^dry^d/c '^2^t4€^^/ MANHATTAN TP. AND ITS AMENDMENTS. 206 ity, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the oiEce of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States. Akticle XIII. Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their juris- diction. Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appro- priate legislation. Article XIV. Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States, and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Sec. 2. Representatives shall be appointed among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of per- sons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed ; but when the right to vote at any election for the choice of Electors for President and Vice- President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the execu- tive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twenty-one years of age and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged except for participation in rebellion or other crimes, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the num- ber of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such state. Sec. 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or Elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previ- ously taken an oath as a Member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state Legislature, or as an execu- tive or judicial officer of any state to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebeUion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each house, remove such disability. Sec. 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States author- ized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and boun- ties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebelhon, shall not be ques- tioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall pay any debt or obligation incurred in the aid of insurrection or rebelhon against the United States, or any loss or emancipation of any slave, but such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void. 206 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES. Sec. 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this act. Article XV. Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, or by any state, on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Sec. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appro- priate legislation. ELECTORS OF PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT. November 7, 1876. COUNTIES. a> C o C4 f a COUNTIES. ■a - . © C S §1 Adams Alexander... Bond Boone Brown Bureau Calhoun Carroll Cass Champaign . . Christian Clark Clay Clinton Coles Cook Crawford Cumberland . DeKalb DeWitt Douglas DuPage Edgar Edwards Effingham . . . Fayrite Foru Franklin Fulton Gallatin Greene Grundy Hamilton Hancock . . . Hardin Henderson. . . Henry Iroquois. , Jackson Jasper Jefferson Jersey Jo Daviess . . . Johnson ... . Kane Kankakee . . . Kendall Knox Lake LaSalle Lawrence. . . Lee 4953 1319 1530 1965 944 3719 441 2231 1309 4530 3501 1814 1416 1329 3957 36548 1355 1145 3679 1938 1631 2139 2715 970 1145 1881 1601 966 4187 703 1695 1996 637 3496 330 1315 4177 3768 3040 6308 1280 1142 363 1495 3218 900 918 1618 3103 8287 3197 1541 1989 2822 39240 1643 1407 1413 1174 1357 1376 2883 466 3265 3431 743 1302 4669 1140 3160 1142 1433 4207 611 1015 1938 2578 3071 1346 1345 2907 1367 5398 3637 1869 5235 2619 6277 1198 3087 17 43 183 145 111 74 604 207 236 112 132 103 377 38 139 66 746 94 35 161 61 43 57 204 391 89 282 1 108 770 134 1 340 349 106 1667 2166 3376 893 2850 1363 524 2633 1647 6001 1329 3080 647 140 61 173 26 309 141 55 514 27 100 Livingston... Logan Macon Macoupin.... Madison Marion Marshall.. .. Mason Massac McDonough . McHenry McLean Menard Mercer Monroe Montgomery Morgan Moultrie Ogle Peoria Pope Perry Piatt Pike Pulaski Putnam Randolph.... Richland Rock Island.. Saline Sangamon ... Schuyler Scott. Shelby stark St. Clair Stephenson . . Tazewell Union Vermilion . . . Wabash Warren Washington . Wayne White Whiteside.... Will Williamson. Winnebago., Woodford . . . Total 3550 2788 3130 3567 4554 3009 1553 1566 1231 3953 3465 6363 1115 2309 845 3486 3069 1345 3833 4665 1319 1541 1807 8055 1043 646 2357 1410 3912 980 4851 1522 910 3069 1140 4708 3198 2850 978 4373 650 3795 1911 1570 1397 3851 4770 1672 4505 1733 3134 3595 2782 4076 4730 2444 1430 1939 793 3811 1874 4410 1657 1428 1651 3013 3174 1673 1931 5443 800 1383 1316 4040 773 459 2589 1552 3838 1081 5847 1804 1269 3553 786 5891 2758 3171 2155 3031 936 1984 1671 1751 2066 3131 3999 1644 1568 2105 1170 3^ 135 86 30 347 34 518 10 90 7 201 109 38 104 95 5 48 117 35 14 3 55 37 641 39 115 183 341 96 99 26 44 3 288 307 138 39 483 469 133 677 41 70 337 375968 357099 169511130 157 Practical Rules for Every Day Use. How to find the gain or loss per cent, when the cost and selling price are given. Rule. — Find the difference between the cost and selling price, which will be the gain or loss. Annex two ciphers to the gain or loss, and divide it by the cost price ; the result will be the gain or loss per cent. How to change gold into currency. Rule. — Multiply the given sum of gold by the price of gold. How to change currency into gold. Divide the amount in currency by the price of gold. How to find each partner^ s share of the gain or loss in a copartnership Rule. — Divide the whole gain or loss by the entire stock, the qiio- tient will be the gain or loss per cent. Multiply each partner's stock by this per cent., the result will be each one's share of the gain or loss. How to find gross and net weight and price of hogs. A short and simple method for finding the net weight, or price of hogs, when the gross weight or price is given, and vice versa. Note.— It Is generally assumed that the gross weight of Hogs diminished hy 1-5 or 20 per cent ol itself gives the net weight, ana the net weight increased by K or 25 per cent, of itself equals the ([ross weight. To find the net weight or gross price. Multiply the given number by .8 (tenths.) To find the gross weight or net price. Divide the given number by .8 (tenths.) How to find the capacity of a granary, bin, or wagon-bed. Rule.— Multiply (by short method) the number of cubic feet by 6308, and point off one decimal place— the result will be the correct answer in bushels and tenths of a bushel. For only an approximate answer, multiply the cubic feet by 8, and point off one decimal place. How to find the contents of a corn-crib. Rule.— Multiply the number of cubic feet by 64, short method, or (207) 208 MISCELLANEOtrS INFORMATION. by 4i ordinary method, and point off one decimal place— the result wili be the answer in bushels. NOTE.— In estimating corn In the ear, the quality and the time it ias been cribbed must be taken Into constderation, since corn will shrink considerably during the Winter and Spring. This rule generally holds good for corn measured at the time It is cribbed, provided It is sound and clean. How to find the contents of a cistern or tank. Rule. — Multiply the square of the mean diameter by the depth (all in feet) and this product by 5681 (short method), and point off ONE decimal place — the result will be the contents in barrels of 31i gallons. Sow to find the contents of a barrel or cask. Rule. — Under the square of the mean diameter, write the length (all in inches) in ebveesed order, so that its units will fall under the TENS ; multiply by short method, and this product again by 430 ; point off one decimal place, and the result will be the answer in wine gallons. How to measure hoards. Rule. — Multiply the length (in feet) by the width (in inches) and divide the product by 12 — the result will be the contents in square feet. How to measure scantlings, joists, planks, sills, etc. Rule. — Multiply the width, the thickness, and the length together (the width and thickness in incties, and the length in feet), and divide the product by 12 — the result will be square feet. How to find the number of acres in a body of land. Rule. — Multiply the length by the width (in rods), and divide the product by 160 (carrying the division to 2 decimal places if there is a remainder) ; the result will be the answel' in acres and hundredths. When the opposite sides of a piece of land are of unequal length, add them together and take one-half for the mean length or width. How to find the number of square yards in a floor or wall. Rule. — Multiply the length by the width or height (in feet), and divide the product by 9, the result will be square yards. How to find the number of bricks required in a building. Rule. — Multiply the number of cubic feet by 22^. The number of cubic feet is found by multiplying the length, height and thickness (in feet) together. ' Bricks are usually made 8 inches long, 4 inches wide, and two inches thick ; hence, it requires 27 bricks to make a cubic foot without mortar, but it is generally assumed that the mortar fills 1-6 of the space. How to find the number of shingles required in a roof. Rule. — Multiply the number of square feet in the roof by 8, if the shingles are exposed 4i inches, or by 7 1-5 if exposed 5 inches. To find the number of square feet, multiply the length of the roof by twice the length of the rafters. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 209 To find the length of the rafters, at one-fourth pitch, multiply the width of the building by .56 (hundredths) ; at one-third pitch, by .6 (tenths) ; at two-fifths pitch, by .64 (hundredths) ; at one-half pitch, by .71 (hundredths). This gives the length of the rafters from the apex to the end of the wall, and whatever they are to project must be taken into consideration. Note.— By K or K pitch Is meant that the apex or comb of the roof Is to be a or a the width of the building higher than the walls or base of the rafters. How to reckon the cost of hay. Rule. — Multiply the number of pounds by half the price per ton, and remove the decimal point three places to the left. How to measure grain. Rule. — Level the grain ; ascertain the space it occupies in cubic feet ; multiply the number of cubic feet by 8, and point off one place to the left. Note. — Exactness requires the addition to every three hundred hnshels of one extra bushel. The foregoing rule may be used for finding the number of gallons, by multiplying the number of bushels by 8. If the corn in the box is in the ear, divide the answer by 2, to find the number of bushels of shelled corn, because it requires 2 bushels of eai corn to make 1 of shelled corn. Rapid rules for measuring land without instruments. In measuring land, the first thing to ascertain is the contents of any given plot in square yards ; then, given the number of yards, find out the number of rods and acres. The most ancient and simplest measure of distance is a step. Now, an ordinary-sized man can train himself to cover one yard at a stride, on the average, v^ith sufficient accuracy for ordinary purposes. To make use of this means of measuring distances, it is essential to walk in a straight line ; to do this, fix the eye on two objects in a line straight ahead, one comparatively near, the other remote ; and, in walk- ing, keep these objects constantly in line. Farmers and others hy adopting the following simple and ingenious con- trivance, may always carry with them the scale to construct a correct yard measure. Take a foot rule, and commencing at the base of the little finger of the left hand, mark the quarters of the foot on the outer borders of the left arm, pricking in the marks with indelible ink. To find how many rods in length will make an acre, the width being given. RuLE.~Divide 160 by the width, and the quotient will be the answer. 210 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. How to find the number of acres in any plot of land, the number of rods being given. Rule. — Divide the number of rods by 8, multiply the quotient by 5, and remove the decimal point two places to the left. The diameter being given, to find the circumference. Rule. — Multiply the diameter by 3 1-7. How to find the diameter, when the circumference is given. Rule. — Divide the circumference by 3 1-7. To find how many solid feet a round stick of timber of the same thick- ness throughout will contain when squared. , Rule. — Square half the diameter in inches, multiply by 2, multiply by the length in feet, and divide the product by 144. Cfeneral rule for measuring timber, to find the solid contents in feet. Rule. — Multiply the depth in inches by the breadth in inches, and then multiply by the length in feet, and divide by 144. To find the number of feet of timber in trees with the bark on. Rule. — Multiply the square of one-fifth of the circumference in inches, by twice the length, in feet, and divide by !'.44. Deduct 1-10 to 1-15 according to the thickness of the bark. Howard's new rule for computing interest. Rule. — The reciprocal of the rate is the time for which the interest on any sum of money will be shown by simply removing the decimal point two places to the left ; for ten times that time, remove the point one place to the left ; for 1-10 of the same time, remove the point three places to the left. Increase or diminish the results to suit the time given. Note.— The reciprocal of the rate is found by inTerting: the rate ; thus 3 per cent, per month, in- verted, becomes J^ of a month, or 10 days. When the rate is expressed by one figure, always write it thus : 3-1, three ones. Rule for converting English into American currency. Multiply the pounds, with the shillings and pence stated in decimals, by 400 plus the premium in fourths, and divide the product by 90. U. S. GOVERNMENT LAND MEASURE. A township — 36 sections each a mile square. A section — 640 acres. A quarter section, half a mile square — 160 acres. An eighth section, half a mile long, north and south, and a quarter of a mile wide — 80 acres. A sixteenth section, a quarter of a mile square — 40 acres. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 211 The sections are all numbered 1 to 36, "commencing at the north-east corner. The sections are divided into quarters, which are named by the cardinal points. The quarters are divided in the same way. The de- scription of a forty acre lot would read : The south half of the west half of the south-west quarter of section 1 in township 24, north of range 7 west, or as the case might be ; and sometimes will fall short and sometimes overrun the number of acres it is supposed to contain. The nautical mile is 795 4-5 feet longer than the common mile. SURVEYORS' MEASURE. 7 92-100 inches ; make 1 link. 25 links " 1 rod. 4rods " 1 chain. 80 chains. > " 1 mile. Note. — A chain is 100 links, equal to 4 rods or 66 feet. Shoemakers formerly used a subdivision of the inch called a barley- corn ; three of which made an inch. Horses are measured directly over the fore feet, and the standard of measure is four inches — called a hand. In Biblical and other old measurements, the term span is sometimes used, which is a length of nine inches. The sacred cubit of the Jews was 24.024 inches in length. The common cubit of the Jews was 21.704 inches in length. A pace is equal to a yard or 36 inches. A fathom is equal to 6 feet. A league is three miles, but its length is variable, for it is strictly speaking a nautical term, and should be three geographical miles, equal to 3.45 statute miles, but when used on land, three statute miles are said to be a league. In cloth measure an aune is equal to 14 yards, or 45 inches. An Amsterdam ell is equal to 26.796 inches. A Trieste ell is equal to 25.284 inches. A Brabant ell is equal to 27.116 inches. HOW TO KEEP ACCOUNTS. Every farmer and mechanic, whether he does much or little business, should keep a record of his transactions in a clear and systematic man- ner. For the benefit of those who have not had the opportunity of ac- quiring a'primary knowledge of the principles of book-keeping, we here present a simple form of keeping accounts which is easily comprehended, and well adapted to record the business transactions of farmers, mechanics and laborers. 212 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 1875. A. H. JACKSON. Dr. Cr. Jan. 10 u 17 Feb. 4 a 4 March 8 u 8 u 13 " 27 April 9 9 May 6 34 July 4 To 7 bushels Wheat at $1.35 By shoeing span of Horses To 14 bushels Oats at $ .45 To 5 lbs. Butter at .35 By new Harrow By sharpening 3 Plows By new Double-Tree _. To Cow and Calf _ To half ton of Hay _ . . By Cash By repairing Corn-Planter _ To one Sow with Pigs By Cash, to balance account 48 6 17 18 3 35 4 35 1875. CASSA MASON. Dr. Cr. By 3 days' labor .at $1.35 To 3 Shoats at 3.00 To 18 bushels Corn at .45 By 1 month's Labor To Cash By 8 days' Mowing at $1.50 To 50 lbs. Flour To 37 lbs. Meat ...at$ .10 By 9 days' Harvesting at 3.00 By 6 days' Labor at 1.50 To Cash To Cash to balance account March 31 (( 31 (( 33 May 1 1 June 19 ti 36 July 10 39 Aug. 13 (i 13 Sept. 1 |3 $6 00 8 10 35 10 00 13 3 75 3 70 18 9 30 00 18 20 $67 75 $67 INTEREST TABLE. A Simple Bule pok aocukatelt Compoting Interest at Any Given Per Cent itdr 4s.-v Length op Time. ^-^^i. -«uk, -^ci Multiply the principal Camquiit of money at interest) by the time reduced to days; then divide this product by the auotient obtained by dividing 360 (the number of days in the Interest year)by the p^ cent of intefest andt/ie quotient thus obtained will be the required interest. J'""' J "J t"" vi^r ceni. oi ijiieresc, ILLUSTRATION. Bequire the interest Of M62.50 for one month and eighteen davs at 6 per cent An ,. 5S?' °!°nt.'i *s 30 days ; one month and eighteen days equal 48 days. »4b2.50 multi- Eooon^n^-»7,''!,!?^f^'"'9,9' 360 divided by 6 (the per cent, of interest) gives 60, and p22'2.0000 divided by 60 will give you the exact interest, which is »3.70. ft the rate of interest in the above example were 12 per cent., we would divide the $222.0000 bv 30 Kiqun » losnnn" (because 360 divided by 12 gives 30);Tf 4 per cent., we would divide by 90 ; It 8 ptr I^ \ "^""^ cent., by 45; and In like manner for any other per cent, ' ' °^ 60y$222.0000($3.7O Solution. S462.50 .48 370000 180 420 420 00 MISCELLANEOUS TABLE. Quire. iam. and 8 ft. long, 1 Cord Wood. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 213 NAMES OF THE STATES OF THE UNION, AND THEIR SIGNIFICATIONS. Virginia. — The oldest of the States, was so called in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the "Virgin Queen," in. whose reign Sir "Walter Raleigh made his first attempt to colonize that region. Florida. — Ponce de Leon landed on the coast of Florida on Easter Sunday, and called the country in commemoration of the day, which was the Pasqtia Florida of the Spaniards, or " Feast of Flowers." Louisiana was called after Louis the Fourteenth, who at one time owned that section of the country. Alabama was so named by the Indians, and signifies " Here we Rest." Mississippi is likewise an Indian name, meaning " Long River." Arkansas, from Kansas, the Indian word for " smoky water." Its prefix was really arc, the French word for " bow." The Carolinas were originally one tract, and were called "Carolana," after Charles the Ninth of France. G-eorgia owes its name to George the Second of England, who first established a colony there in 1782. Tennessee is the Indian name for the " River of the Bend," i. e., the Mississippi which forms its western boundary. Kentucky is the Indian name for " at the head of the river." Ohio means " beautiful ; " Iowa, " drowsy ones ; " Minnesota, " cloudy water," and Wisconsin, " wild-rushing channel." Illinois is derived from the Indian word illini, men, and the French suffix ois, together signifying " tribe of men." Michigan was called by the name given the lake, fish-weir, which was so styled from its fancied resemblance to a fish trap. Missouri is from the Indian word " muddy," which more properly applies to the river that flows through it. Oregon owes its Indian name also to its principal river. Cortes named California. Massachusetts is the Indian for " The country around the great hills." Connecticut, from the Indian Quon-ch-ta-Cut, signifying "Long River." , ^. . Maryland, after Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles the First, of England. New York was named by the Duke of York. Pennsylvania means " Penn's woods," and was so called after William Penn, its orignal owner. 214 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. Delaware after Lord De La Ware. New Jersey, so called in honor of Sir George Carteret, who was Governor of the Island of Jersey, in the British Channel. Maine was called after the province of Maine in France, in compli- ment of Queen Henrietta of England, who owned that province. Vermont, from the French word Vert Mont, signifying Green Mountain. New Hampshire, from Hampshire county in England. It was formerly called Laconia. The little State of Rhode Island owes its name to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean, which domain it is said to greatly resemble. Texas is the American word for the Mexican name by which all that section of the country was called before it was ceded to the United States. POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES. States ahd Teeeitokies. Alabama Arkansas -California Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas. Kentucky Ijoulsiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts — Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraslta Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New York North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania ; . Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Vermont Virginia West Virginia Wisconsin Total States Arizona Colorada Dakota District of Columbia Idaho Montana New Mexico Utah Wellington Wyoming Total Territories, . Total United States Total Population. 996. 484. 580, 537, 125, ■187, 184, 539 680. 191, 364, ,321, 726, 626, 780, ,457, ,184, 439. 827, ,721, 122, 42, 318, 906. ,382. ,071, ,665. 90. ,521, 217, 705, ,258, 818, 330. ,225, 442, ,054, 471 247 454 015 748 109 891 637 792 399 on 915 915 894 351 059 706 923 295 993 491 300 096 759 361 260 923 791 353 606 520 579 551 163 ,014 ,670 38,113,253 658 864 181 700 999 695 874 786 955 ,118 442,780 38,555,983 POPULATION OF FIFTY PRINCIPAL CITIES. New York. N, Y Philadelphia, Pa. . . . Brooklyn, N. Y St. Louis, Mo Chicago, 111 Baltimore, Md Boston, M;ass Cincinnati, Ohio New Orleans, La. ,. San Francisco, cal. . Buffalo, N. Y Washington, D. C... Newark, N.J Louisville, Ky Cleveland, Ohio Pittsburg, Pa Jersey City, N. J . . . Detroit, MTlch Milwaukee, Wis Albany, N. T Providence, R. I Rochester, N. Y Allegheny, Pa Richmond, Va New Haven, Conn.. Charleston, S. C Indianapolis, Ind. . . Troy, nTy Syracuse, N. Y Worcester, Mass Lowell, Mass Memphis, Tenn Cambridge, Mass. . . Hartford, Conn iScranton, Pa Reading, Pa Paterson, N.J Kansas City, Mo Mobile, Ala Toledo, Ohio Portland, Me Columbus. Ohio Wilmington, Del Dayton, Ohio Lawrence, Mass Utica, N. Y Charlestown, Mass Savannah, Ga Lynn, Mass Fall River, Mass... Aggregate Population. 942,292 674,022 396,099 310,864 298,977 267,354 250,526 216,239 191,418 149,473 117,714 109,199 105,059 100,753 92,829 86,076 82,546 79,577 71,440 69,422 68,904 62,386 53,180 51,038 50,840 48,956 48,244 46,465 43,051 41,105 40,928 40,226 39,634 37,180 35,092 33,980 33,579 32,260 32,034 31,884 31,413 31,274 30,841 30,473 28,921 28,804 28,323 28,235 28,233 26,766 MISCELLANEOUS INPOEMATION. 215 POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES. Area in States and square Territories. Miles. States, Alabama Arkansas California Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts... Michigan* Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire, New Jersey New York North Carolina. Ohio Oregon Population, 50,728 52,198 188,981 4.674 2,120 59,268 58,000 55.410 33,809 55,045 81,318 37,600 41,346 81,776 11,184 7,800 56,451 83.531 47,156 65,350 75.995 112,090 9,280 8.320 47,000 50,704 89.964 95,244 1870. 996,992 484.471 560,247 537,454 125,015 187,748 1,184,109 2,539,891 1,680.637 1.191.792 364,399 1.331.011 726.915 626.915 780,894 1,457,351 1,184.059 439.706 827.922 1,721.295 123.993 42,491 318.300 906,096 4,382,759 1,071.361 2,665,260 90,923 Miles R. R. 1875. 1872, 1,350,544 528,349 857,039 1,651,912 1,334,031 598,429 246,280 52,540 1,026,508 4,705,208 1,671 25 1,013 820 227 466 2.108 5.904 3.529 3.160 1,760 1,123 539 871 820 1.606 2.235 1,612 990 2,580 828 593 790 1,265 4,470 1,190 3,740 lo9 • Last Census of Michigan talten in 1874. States anb Territories. States. Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina.. Tennessee Texas Vermont Virginia West Virginia.... "Wisconsin Total States. Territories. Arizona Colorado Dakota Dist. of Columbia. Idaho Montana New Mexico .. mail Washington Wyoming Total Territories, Area in square Miles. Population, 1870. 46,000 1,306 29,385 45,600 237,504 10,218 40,904 23,000 53,924 1,950,171 113,916 104.500 147,490 60 90.932 143.776 121,201 80,056 69,944 93,107 965,082 3,621, 217, 705, 1,258, 818, 330, 1,225, 448, 1,054, 791 353 606 520 579 551 163 014 670 38.113,253 9,658 39,864 14,181 131,700 14,999 20,595 91,874 86,786 23,955 9.118 442,730 Miles R. R. 1875. 1872. 258.239 926,145 1,836,729 5,113 136 1,201 1,520 865 675 1.490 485 1.726 59,587 375 ■■'498 1,865 Aggregate of U. S.. 8,915,803 38,555.9831 60.852 • Included in the Railroad Mileage of Maryland. PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD ]^OPULATION AND AREA. Countries. China British Empire Russia • — United States with Alaska. , France Austria and Hungary Japan vv ; ■ ' ; ■ Great Britain and Ireland. German Empire Italy Spain Brazil Turkey Mexico Sweden and Norway Persia Belgium Bavaria Portugal Holland J^ew Grenada : Chill Switzerland Peru Bolivia. Argentine Republic Wurtemburg Denmark Venezuela Baden Greece Guatemala Ecuador Paraguay Liberia San Salvador... Haytl Nicaragua Uruguay Honduras San Domingo.. Costa Rica Hawaii Population. Date of Census. 446.500.000 886.817,108 81,925,400 88.925,600 36.469,800 35,904,400 34.785.300 81,817,100 29.906.092 87,439.921 16.642,000 10,000.000 16,463.000 9,173,000 5,921,500 5,000.000 5.021,300 4,861,400 3.995,200 3,688,300 8,000,000 2,000,000 2,669,100 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,812,000 1.818,500 1,784.700 1,500,000 1,461,400 1,457,900 1,180,000 1.300.000 1,000,000 828,138 718,000 600.000 572,000 350.000 300.000 350,000 136,000 165.000 62,950 1871 1871 1871 1870 1866 1869 1871 1871 1871 1871 1867 1869 1870 1870 1869 1871 1868 1870 1870 1869 1870 1871 '1869 1871 1870 ■i87i 1870 1871 ■i87i ■i87i 1871 Area in Square Miles. Inhabitants to Square Mile. 1871 1871 1871 ■1870 3,741.846 4,677,432 8,003.778 ■.i,603,884 204.091 240.348 149,399 121.315 160.207 118.847 195.775 3,853,039 673,631 761.586 398.871 636,964 11.373 39,298 34,494 12,680 357,157 132.616 15,992 471.838 497.381 871,848 7.533 14.753 368.238 5.913 19,353 40,879 218,928 63,787 2,968 9,578 7.335 10,306 58.171 66,738 47,098 17,837 31.505 7.633 119.3 48.6 10.2 7.78 178.7 149.4 232.8 262.3 187. 230.9 8b. 3.07 24.4 20. 7.8 441.5 165.9 115.8 290.9 8.4 15.1 166.9 5.3 4. 2.1 241.4 120.9 4.2 247.„ 76.3 28.9 5.9 15.6 277. 74.9 81.8 66. 6. 6.5 7.4 7.6 7.7 80. Pekin London St. Petersburg.... Washington Paris Vienna Yeddo London Berlin Rome Madrid Rio Janeiro Constantinople . . . Mexico Stockholm Teheran Brussels Munich Lisbon Hague Bogota Santiago Berne Lima Chuquisaca Buenos Ayres.... Stuttgart Copenhagen Caraccas Oarlsruhe Athens Guatemala Quito Asuncion Darmstadt Monrovia Sal Salvador.... Port au Prince.. Managua Montevideo Comayagua San Domingo.... San Jose Honolulu Population, 1,648.800 3,251,800 667,000 109,199 1,885,300 833,900 l,-554,900 3,851,800 825,400 244,484 338,000 430.000 1,075.000 810,300 136,900 120,000 314,100 169,500 834,063 90.100 45,000 115.400 36.000 160,100 25,000 177,800 91,600 162,042 47,000 36,600 48,400 40.000 70,000 48,000 30.000 3,000 15,000 20,000 10,000 44,500 12.000 20,000 3.000 7,688 216 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION POPULATION OF ILLINOIS, By Counties. COUNTIES. Adams Alexander. . Bond Boone Brown Bureau Calhoun Carroll Cass - Champaign . Christian .. Clark Clay Clinton Coles Cook Crawford Cumberland De Kalb.-- De Witt... Douglas Du Page Edgar Edwards Effingham. . Fayette Ford Franklin Fulton Gallatin Greene Grundy Hamilton . . Hancock Hardin Henderson . Henry Iroquois Jackson Jasper Jefferson Jersey Jo Daviess. Johnson Kane Kankakee. . Kendall ... Knox Lake La Salle... Lawrence . . Lee Livingston . Logan A&OREGATE, 1870. 1860. 1850. 1840. 1830. 1830 56362 10564 I3152 12942 12205 32415 6562 16705 I1580 32737 20363 18719 15875 16285 25235 349966 13889 12223 23265 14768 13484 16685 21450 7565 15653 19638 9103 12652 38291 II134 20277 14938 13014 35935 5113 12582 35506 25782 19634 11234 17864 15054 27820 11248 39091 24352 12399 39522 21014 60792 12533 27171 31471 23053 41323 4707 9815 11678 9938 26426 5144 11733 U325 14629 10492 14987 9336 10941 14203 144954 11551 8311 19086 10820 7140 14701 16925 5454 7816 III 1979 9393 33338 8055 16093 10379 9915 29061 3759 9501 20660 12325 9589 8364 12965 1205 1 27325 9342 30062 15412 13074 28663 18257 48332 9214 17651 1 1637 14272 26508 2484 6144 7624 7198 8841 3231 4586 7253 2649 3203 9532 4289 5139 9335 43385 7135 3718 7540 5002 9290 10692 3524 3799 8075 5681 22508 5448 12429 3023 6362 14652 2887 4612 3807 4149 5862 3220 8109 7354 18604 4114 16703 7730 13279 14226 17815 6l£I 5.292 1553 5128 14476 3313 5060 1705 4183 3067 1741 1023 2981 1475 1878 7453 3228 3718 9616 10201 4422 1697 3247 3535 8225 3070 1675 6328 3682 13142 10760 11951 3945 9946 1378 1260 1695 3566 1472 5762 4535 6180 3626 6501 7060 2634 9348 7092 2035 759 2333 2186 1390 3124 1090 626 2931 3940 755 2330 3117 4071 1649 2704 4083 1841 7405 7674 2616 483 41 1828 2555 2111 1596 274 3668 931 *23 2999 3444 1763 3155 1542 691 843 MISCELLANEOUS INFOKMATION. 217 POPULATION OF ILLINOIS— Concluded. COUNTIES. Macon Macoupin Madison Marion Marshall Mason Massac McDonough. McHenry .-. McLean Menard Mercer Monroe Montgomery Morgan Moultrie Ogle Peoria Perry Piatt Pike Pope Pulaski Putnam Randolph Richland . . . Rock Island Saline Sangamon .. Schuyler Scott - Shelby Stark - St. Clair Stephenson. Tazewell Union Vermilion . . Wabash Warren Washington Wayne White Whitesides . Will Williamson . Winnebago . Woodford . . Total. . AGGEEQATB. 26481 32726 44I3I 20622 16950 I6184 958r 26509 23762 53988 II735 18769 12982 25314 28463 10385 27492 47540 13723 10953 30708 II437 875J 6280 20859 12803 29783 I27I4 46352 I74I9 10530 25476 1075 1 51068 30608 27903 I65I8 30388 8841 23174 17599 19758 16846 27503 43013 17329 29301 18956 1860. 1850. 1846. 1830. 1880, 13738 24602 31251 12739 13437 10931 6213 20069 22089 28772 9584 15042 12832 13979 22112 6385 22888 36601 9552 6127 27249 6742 3943 5587 17205 9711 21005 9331 32274 14684 9069 14613 9004 37694 25112 21470 11181 19800 7313 18336 13731 12223 12403 18737 29321 12205 24491 13282 2539891 1711951 3988 12355 20441 6720 5180 5921 4092 7616 14978 10163 6349 5246 7679 6277 16064 3234 10020 17547 5278 1606 18819 3975 2265 3924 1 1079 4012 6937 5588 19228 10573 7914 7807 3710 20180 1 1666 • 12052 7615 11492 4690 8176 6953 6825 8925 5361 16703 7216 11773 4415 851470 3039 7926 14433 4742 1849 5308 2578 6565 4431 2352 4481 4490 19547 3479 6153 3222 11728 4094 2131 7944 .2610 14716 6972 6215 6659 1573 13631 2800 7221 5524 9303 4240 6739 4810 5133 7919 2514 10167 4457 4609 476183 1990 6221 2125 ib) 26 2000 2953 12714 1215 2396 3316 iri3io 4429 12960 ^2959 2972 7078 4716 3239 5836 2710 308 1675 2553 6091 I574'i5 13550 1516 2610 3492 *5 5248 2362 1517 1114 4828 *49 55162 218 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. STATE LAWS Relating to Eates of Interest and Penalties for Usury. States and Territories. Alabama Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Dakota Delaware District of Columbia . Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Ontario, Canada Oregon Pennsylvania Quebec, Canada Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Territory West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Legal I Rate al- Rate of lowed by Interest. Contract. per cent 8 lo 6 lo 10 7 7 6 6 8 7 lO 6 6 6 S 6 6 6 7 7 6 6 10 ID lO 6 7 6 7 6 6 6 lO 6 6 6 7 6 8 lo 6 6 10 6 7 12 per cent. 8 Any rate, ID Any rate. Any rate, 7 12 6 10 Any rate, 12 24 10 10 10 12 Any rate, 6 Any rate, 10 12 10 10 Any rate, 12 Any rate, 6 7 Any rate, 7 8 8 Any rate, 12 Any rate Any rate. Any rate. Any rate. 10 12 Any rate 6 6* Any rate. 6* 10 Any rate. Penalties for Usury. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of principal and interest. Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of principal. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of entire interest. Fine and imprisonment. Forfeiture of entire interest Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of ex. of in. above 12 per cent. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of ex. of in. above 7 per cent. No Usury Law in this State. Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of thrice the excess and co'^ls. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of contract. Forfeiture of entire interest. Forfeiture of excess abo\ e 6 per cent. Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of entire interest.- Forfeiture of excess of interest. Forfeiture of entire interest. * Except in cases defined by statutes of the State. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 219 STATE LAWS Relating to Limitations of Actions : Showing Limit of Time in which Action may be Brought on the following : States and Terbitories. Alabama Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Dakota Delaware District or Columbia . Florida Georgia Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Ohio Ontario (U. Canada).. Oregon Pennsylvania Quebec (L. Canada).. Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Territory West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Assault slander, Years. I I I 3 2 I I 2 I 2 I 2 2 I I I 2 I 2 2 2 2 2 I 2 2 2 I 2 3 I 2 2 I I 2 I 1 I 2 I 2 2 I Open Accta. Years. 3 3 2 6 6 6 3 3 4 4 2 5 6 5 3 2 3 6 3 6 6 6 3 5 5 4 2 6 6 6 6 3 6 6 6 6 S 6 6 6 2 2 6 S 3 5 6 6 Notes. Years. 6 5 4 6 6 6 6 3 5 6 4 lo 20 ID 5 15 5 20 3 20 6 6 6 lo lo 5 4 6 6 10 6 3 15 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 4 4 4 5 6 10 6 15 Judg- ments. Sealed and witnessed Instru- ments. Years. 20 ID s 3 20 20 20 12 20 7 5 20 '2o 20 5 IS 10 20 12 20 6 10 7 20 10 S 5 20 20 10 20 10 15 20 10 20 30 20 20 10 10 5 8 10 6 10 20 15 Years. ID 10 S 3 17 20 20 12 20 20 5 10 20 10 15 IS 20 20 12 20 10 6 7 10 10 10 4 20 16 10 20 ID 15 20 20 20 30 20 20 6 S 7 8 20 6 10 20 'S PRODUCTIONS OF AGRICULTURE, STATE OF ILLINOIS, BY COUNTIES.— 1870. JOUNTIES. Total Adams Alexander ... Bond Boone Brown Bureau Calhoun Carroll Cass Champaign... Christian Clart Clay Clinton Coles Cook Crawford Cumberland. DeKalb DeWltt Douglas DuPage Edgar Edwards Effingham Fayette Ford Franklin Fulton Gallatin Greene Grundy Hamilton Hancock Hardin Henderson. .. Henry Iroquois Jacfcson Jasper Jelterson Jersey JoDavless. ... Johnson Kane Kankakee Kendall Knox T.iake LaSalle Lawrence . . . Lee , Livingston Logan Macon Macoupin Madison Marlon Marshall Mason Massac McDonough... McHenry McLean Menard Mercer.... Monroe Montgomery. . Morgan Moultrie Ogle Peoria Perry Piatt Pike Pope Pulaski Putnam Randolpli Richland Rock Island Saline Sangamon Schuyler Scott Shelby Stark St. Glair Stephenson Tazewell Union Vermilion Wabash Warren Washington Wayne White Whitesides Will Williamson.... Winnebago V.'oodford Improved Land. Number, 19.329,952 Numbei". 5,061.578 Other un- improved Number. 1.491, .331 887,926 13,836 145,045 137,307 57,062 398,611 37,684 186,864 92.902 419,368 241,472 118,594 146,922 ■150,177 208,337 348,824 105,506 75,342 384,502 168,539 147,633 364,874 ^65,458 58,912 120,343 187,196 141,228 80,749 228,132 49,572 175,408 193,999 88,996 311,617 28,117 140,954 265,904 322,510 78,548 90,867 118,951 94,147 156,517 67,820 240,120 312,182 164,004 330,829 207,779 533,724 87,828 322,212 377,505 321,709 205,259 231.059 257,032 173,081 166,057 209,458 25,151 261,635 230,566 494.978 134,173 222.809 92,810 276,682 293,450 144,220 316,888 170,729 93,754 94,454 233.785 55,980 19,319 87,271 •140,764 75,079 155,214 72,309 421,748 96,195 85,381 310,179 138,129 231,117 254,857 229,126 75,832 360,251 54,063 266,187 177.592 147,363 93,398 889,809 419,442 128,448 341,373 22,5,504 112,576 17.761 42,613 29,886 35,491 41,866 63.443 29,793 33,493 16,789 19.808 102,201 80,612 48,868 45,214 19,635 78,360 40,384 17,722 29,548 11,897 17,243 66,808 57,686 56,330 93,460 2,996 3,994 123,823 68,750 98,242 6,256 93,878 43,385 44,771 34,705 12,620 22,478 87,642 67,023 94,888 51,427 82,076 3 84,646 10,978 14,244 41,566 21,072 48,117 72,738 12,071 12,462 17,394 18,153 81,324 89,450 61,579 ?8,260 Jl,739 33,396 62,547 58,293 40,366 84,931 45,97. 83,869 47,804 60,217 24,783 43,648 48,666 68,470 5,978 128,958 87,764 12,516 17,184 162,374 50,618 31.239 70,398 51,086 62,477 44,683 74,908 12,376 76,591 43.167 45,268 83,606 53,078 87,558 27,294 55,852 146,794 78,167 21,828 24,261 116,949 37,238 25,217 19,870 1,915 2,658 25,608 16,808 2,754 33,302 6,604 58,503 19,173 5,420 5,225 8,722 3,274 17,337 27,185 5,604 6,551 17,633 7,816 3.S51 14,283 830 26,206 16,786 63,976 86,710 4,076 2,566 29,653 4,605 3,343 18,480 107 14,243 31,459 63,498 5,991 12,250 778 1,868 45,779 79,141 399 10,598 2,283 26.155 24,399 2,386 3,273 7,409 41,788 408 9,115 7,343 13,675 4.142 2,976 31,013 30 14,035 57,998 49,087 13,952 22,588 666 8,495 1,376 13,112 14,913 2,516 220 13,897 9,302 Spring Wheat. Bushels. 10.133,207 Winter Wheat. Bushels. 19.995,198 Rye. Bushels. 3,456,678 Indian Corn. Bushels. 129,921,395 16,191 4.174 1,170 2,025 20,755 809 19,933 21,294 1,610 9,314 2,783 2,016 13,701 14,846 5,300 31,122 509 14,583 1,931 10,486 869 37.810 6,335 1,648 15,287 23,185 700 241,042 18,276 465,236 75 418,078 12,165 102,577 18,360 1,894 500 2,651 144,296 • 60 550 398,059 106,493 7,683 106,096 13,283 77 42,571 865 193,669 21,700 129 181,378 13 161,112 462,379 57,160 890 282,758 188,826 103,466 90,681 267,764 168,914 271,181 450,793 120,206 198,056 85,289 160 550 106,129 73,261 278,871 401,790 211,801 86,162 289,291 59 18,196 17,128 497,038 92,361 26.882 130 28,137 450 243,541 200 89,304 56,221 18 15,526 124,680 2,550 527,394 182,417 44,806 186,290 266 457,455 195,286 176 408,806 178,189 947,616 42,658 368,625 599 117,802 724 221,298 260 127,084 123,091 504,041 195,118 85,737 610,888 154,485 4,904 212,924 84,697 190 11,695 65,461 693 247,360 122,703 195,716 351,310 1,008 111,824 223,930 83,098 577,400 150 92,847 232,750 82,306 69,062 445 10,480 329,036 87,808 100,553 588,367 585 92,191 325 480 1,249 7,684 221 2,193 264,134 2,260 1,L.- 40,963 196,618 861,398 1,207,181 173,652 900 125,628 72,316 36,146 270 10,955 45,798 13,208 651,767 744,891 857,523 196,486 5,580 31,843 350,446 39,762 1,057,497 70,457 44,922 796 1,031,023 150,368 2,379 83,011 247,658 165,724 266,105 452,015 20,989 30 6,240 35,871 4,742 43,811 186 25,721 2,772 48,752 10,722 7,308 3,221 1,619 8,825 20,171 15,497 14,798 21,018 11,540 9,017 7,583 37,508 528 19,759 28.828 11,677 5.195 131,711 512 416 4,930 11,673 133,538 865 96,430 35,766 23,259 524 9,166 6,! 1,562,621 2,118 72,410 180,231 249,658 202,201 5,712 672,486 164,689 184,321 264 1,996 170,787 2,468 108,307 7,186 3,468 23,618 12,935 5,163 113,547 .6,870 48,308 1,121 14,829 26,163 37,232 29,223 2,404 3,686 1'4,517 86,136 49,182 544 52,401 29,264 39,824 4,283 40,778 1,425 3,296 5,535 6,670 157,504 99,502 1,016 9,248 25,303 2,309 222 7,707 8,235 3,401 20,003 568 23,073 20,841 930 28,686 80,534 1,008 185,362 59,027 1,737 52,476 72,212 2,576 8,665 418 31.658 8,080 6,228 137,985 20.426 1,452,905 244,220 1,064,052 466,985 337,769 3,030,404 234,041 1,367,965 1,146,980 3,924,720 1,883,336 614.582 1,019,994 813.257 2,133,111 570,427 581,964 403,076 1,033,849 1,311,635 1,680,325 331,981 2,107,615 353,371 630,24. 962,526 565,671 658,209 1,508,763 509,491 1,051,813 295,971 735,282 1,510,401 172,651 1,712,901 2,541,683 799,810 611,951 461,345 887,981 519,120 1,286,326 343,298 674,333 687,399 681,267 2,708,819 517,358 3,077,028 656,363 1,656,978 1,182,696 4,221,640 2,214,468 1,051,544 2,127.549 1,034,057 1,182,903 2,648,726 183,126 '1,862,490 1,145,005 3,723,379 1,973,886 2,054,962 543,718 1,827,898 8,198,835 1,753.141 1,787,066 969,224 384,446 1,029,725 1,399,188 815,958 195,736 334,259 510,080 482,594 1,459,653 531,516 4,388,768 440,975 752,771 2,082,578 1,149.878 1,423.121 1,615,679 2,063,053 679,753 2,818,027 421,361 3,982,858 836,116 1,179,291 870,521 2,-ie3,943 1.131,458 658,710 1,237,406 2,184,185 T* ....«• Af ^« .^K^ ^/^>^-.t^^ HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. By Hon. George H. Woodruff. INTRODUCTORY. It is probably well known to most who will read these pages, that the writer, some few years since, delivered two lectures on the early history of Joliet and Will County, which Mr. James Goodspeed thought worth printing and publish- ing. Those lectures were hastily prepared, and the record which they gave was very imperfect. Many names of early settlers were overlooked, and one entire settlement was strangely omitted in copying. The writer is, therefore very glad of an opportunity to revise and rewrite the sketch, adding many more names of the first settlers and noticing many matters in our later history. We will, at the same time, omit much that appears in " Forty Years Ago," that was not strictly historical. There will be found in the following pages brief notices, also, of many of our early prominent citizens who have passed away. But no one will be more sensible than the writer that the record will still be imperfect, and that some names will probably be left out, and many matters escape notice which some one will think to be unpardonable omissions. This is one of the things which detract from the pleasure of writing local annals ; but it seems unavoidable, as no one can know and remember everything, and both the time and space allotted to the writer are limited. In one respect, the writer is happy. In the previous effort to preserve a little of our early history, the letter "I" occurred quite often — disagreeably so. The writer did not then know that he had the right to use the word " we." He supposed that the editorial fraternity had the exclusive privilege of hiding behind that impenetrable shield. But having discovered that there is no law to prevent its free use by any one who desires to do so, he has adopted it and will use it freely, leaving the reader to guess when it means only the writer and when it means a clique, a city, a township or a county. The writer regrets that circumstances have made him a fixture in Joliet, and that, like the sessile crustacean known as the barnacle, he cannot go about in search of historic food, and can only gather up that which comes within the reach of his tentacles. But, fortunately, he is to be followed now by others, who will gather up the history of each township separately, and will thus re- cord the many names and facts which he will overlook. This, too, will atone 224 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. for the prominence which he has given to Joliet — a thing which was unavoid- able, as an annalist must necessarily say most about events and circumstances " most of which he saw, and part of which he was." BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY. Will County, as it is now constituted, consists of twenty-three and about one-half townships of land, and is bounded on the north by Du Page and Cook Counties : on the east by Cook County and the State of Indiana ; on the south by Kankakee County, and on the west by Grundy and Kendall Counties. It has an area, therefore, of (about), 541,440 acres, or 840 square miles. In its widest part it is (about) thirty-seven and one-half miles east and west, and thirty-six miles north and south. The fractional half township is occasioned by its embracing a strip about one and a half sections wide of Townships 33 and 84 north, Range 15 east, which lie between Range 14 and the State line, and are added to the towns of Crete (34) and Washington (33). Otherwise, and excepting the towns of Wesley and Custer (which are divided by the Kan- kakee), and the town of Reed, which is the west half of T. 32, R. 9, the town organizations are identical with the survey of townships — that is, each town consists of a township of land. This will be apparent at once to the eye by reference to the map which forms a part of this work. The plan of survey, which was early established for the public lands, ren- ders the description and identification of tracts of land easy and certain. This plan, which is said to have been devised by Thomas Jeiferson, and was adopted in 1786, consists in establishing, first, at convenient distances, meridian lines, which are called ^'principal meridians," and which are started from some well- known point and are run due north and south. Next, a parallel of latitude is run at right angles with the meridian, and is called the base line. From these main lines others are run, called township lines, just six miles each way, which divide the land into townships of six miles square, which are subdivided into thirty- six sections, of 640 acres each, which can again be subdivided, by imag- inary lines, into quarters, half-quarters, etc. The lines running north and south divide the townships into ranges ; and those running east and west, into townships. The meridian line from whch we count starts from the mouth of the Ohio River, and is the Third Principal Meridian. Our ranges are east of this meridian, and the townships are north of the base line. The base line from which we count is somewhat below Centralia, so that the southern line of townships in our county is 32 north, and the western range is 9 east. It is from this Third Principal Meridian that most of the State of Illinois is sur- veyed. By this simple mode of survey, any piece of land is definitely and easily described, even down to ten acres. In all townships the sections are numbered, beginning at the northeast corner and numbering through first course west, then returning on the second, and so on through the township. Of course, along large rivers and on lakes, fractional sections occur. Plats of HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 225 the surveys are recorded in the general and local land offices, and sect- on corners are marked on the prairie by stakes, and in timber by " blazed " trees. The county is largely prairie, although it exhibits a great variety of soil and surface. There are several townships in which there is not a stick of tim- ber (except as introduced by cultivation), yet considerable bodies of timber are found along the streams, and in isolated groves which were early called "islands." In the early settlement of the county, and of the Northwest gen- erally, the settlers were very careful to select locations adjacent to some grove, and to secure a timber lot was deemed indispensable to settlement. It was then supposed that the prairie land two or three miles from timber would be always open to the range of cattle. The prairie is generally of the kind called high or rolling, and many of the low portions were called "sloughs," as they contained water except in the dry season. There is, however, very little of actual swamp land (although considerable was returned as such) in the county, and at present scarcely an acre that is not inclosed. The system of drainage by tiles is coming largely into use, which is making the "sloughs" the most valuable portions of the land. The county is well watered, except in the eastern townships, which are the highest part of the county. A considerable stream is the Des Planes,* or as it is often called, the Aux Planes, which rises far to the north (in Wisconsin) and passinfT through Lake and Cook Counties, enters this county on Section 24, Township 37 North, Range 10 East, or the town of Dupage, and passes on through the towns of Lockport (Township 36 North, Range 10 East), and Joliet (Township 35 North, Range 10 East), a corner of Troy, and through Channahon (Township 34 North, Range 9 East), into the edge of Grundy County, where it is united to the Kankakee, and with it forms the Illinois. Just before leaving the county, it is united with the Du Page, a beautiful stream of about the same size and naturally the fullest in dry seasons, which rises in the northern part of Du Page County, where it is fed by copious springs, and enters this county in the town of Dupage by two branches — East and West Du Page— is united on Section 7 of the township, passes through the towns of Wheatland, Plainfield and Troy, and unites with the Des Planes in the town of Channahon. This union of the two rivers (by the way) is what gives rise to the name Channahon, that word being the Pottawatomie word for "meeting of the waters." The name was given to it by Judge Peck, one of the early set- tlers in that locality, of whom mention is made elsewhere. The Kankakee, which is the largest, perhaps larger than the Du Page and Des Planes united, enters the county at the southeast corner of Township 32, Range 10, and dividing it unequally, passes into Township 32, Range 9, then into Township 33, Range 9, which forms the town of Wilmington, near the southeast corner, ^e give what we believe the correct spelling of the name, although it la often epelled O^l^'"-. ^^ /""""f,* J?' word to be of French origin, and that the meaning is the river of planes, or button-woods, which resemble the European plane tree. 226 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. and, passing through the town diagonally, goes into Grundy County near the northeast corner of the town. A smaller stream, known as Hickory Creek, and which on some old maps was put down as Joliet River, which rises in Cook County, enters the town of Frankfort (Township 35, Range 12 East), passes through it and New Lenox (Township 35, Range 11), and empties into the Des Planes in the town of Joliet, just below the city. Of these streams, the Du Page, the Des Planes and the Kankakee afford good water-powers, which have been more or less improved as will be elsewhere noted. Hickory Creek has also a good water-power at times. Besides these there are minor streams of much value as water-courses. The most considerable are Forked Creek, which enters the Kankakee in the town of Wilmington; Prairie Creek, which enters the Kankakee from the northeast in the township of Wilmington ; Jack- son Creek, which enters the Des Planes from the east in the town of Channa- hon; Spring Creek, which enters Hickory in the town of Joliet; the *Lilly- cache, which enters the Du Page in the town of Plainfield; Horse Creek, which enters the Kankakee in the town of Reed, and Rock Run, "which enters the Des Planes in the town of Troy. These last mentioned streams and sev- eral others for which we have no names, are considerable streams in times of high water, sometimes becoming impassable where not bridged, but in dry sea- sons become mere brooks or dry up altogether. The Lilly-cache, however, being fed by springs which are permanent, is always a beautiful little stream. In the extreme eastern part of the county in the town of Washington (Town- ship 33, Range 15), there is a small lake or pond called Eagle Lake, covering perhaps, a half quarter of land, and surrounded by a considerable tract of marsh. The Des Planes River below Joliet Mound, expands to a considerable width, and is called Joliet Lake. The county also, especially along the water- courses, abounds in springs of good water. All the larger streams abound in fish of the kinds known in common language as pike, buffalo, red horse, bass, sunfish, etc., etc. In the times of Indian occupation they were favorite resorts of the natives for fishing and trap- ping, and abounded in muskrats, mink, otter, beaver, etc., some of which still remain for the delectation of amateur trappers. The muskrat still tells the weather prophet whether we are to have a mild or hard Winter, and is almost as reliable as the moon. This region furnished large supplies in the early days for the fur traders. The various kinds of water-fowl are still abundant and furnish " sport " for those whose hearts and consciences will allow them ruth- lessly to take the life of God's beautiful creatures. The prairies also abound in the native hens and quails, the destruction of which has been restrained by game laws. In the early settlement of the county, deer were very abundant and an occasional one is seen still, but they have mostly gone with the Indian. Prairie wolves were also very abundant in the early day, and a source of much vexation *Thi8 name is often spelled LillycMh, which we suppose to be incorrect as there is no unusual amount of cash on Its banks so far as we know. The word cache is French and means a hole or hidine nlace the namo went into partnership with him. This old mill has long since gone to the limbo of things that were, but the writer hereof has often seen the saw crashing ruth- lessly through huge oaks and black walnuts to supply the needs of new settlers. It was at this mill that the lumber was sawed for the first frame houses of Joliet, built in 1834. To this settlement there also came, in 1830, Lewis Kerchival and son, John Gougar, Michael Runyon, Jared Runyon and Jas. Emmett; in 1831 — John Nor- man, Jos. Norman, Aaron Ware, Thos. and Abraham Francis, Isaac Pence and Samuel Pence. There is a tradition that Jo Smith, the Mormon, once preached at the Point, and that Jas. Emmett and others were converts and left the vicinity. In 1832, were added Cornelius C. Van Home, John Stitts, Peter Watkins and sons, Wm. Gougar and son Nicholas, and Joseph, Alfred and James Johnson. The Johnsons located on Spring Creek, in the edge of what was known as Yankee HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 247 Settlement, most- of which is now embraced in the town of Homer. To these were added, in 1833, Isaac Reynolds and his three sons, Smith, Newton and Milton Reynolds, Judge Davidson and Matthew Van Home; and in 1834, G. S. Green- wood, John Broadie and John Cooper and sons. Later, in 1835 to 1837, came John Carl, Abel Bliss, L. A. Cleveland and many others. It will be understood that the above list includes settlers on both the north and south sides of the creek ; some on what is now known as Maple street. Ohio, Indiana and New York furnished most of these settlers. Most of these have passed away. Some have left sons that perpetuate their family names and are counted among our best citizens. A daughter of the elder Pence has the distinction of being the first Joliet bride, for a description of whose wedding the reader is referred to " Forty Years Ago." Perhaps the most prominent of the persons named above, in our history, was C. C. Van Home. He taught the first school in the vicinity in the Winter of 1832. His place in the point of timber that makes out into the, prairie, in which are the Camp Grounds of the Methodist brethren, was known in the early days as Van Home's Point. He was a marked character, well and extensively known throughout Cook County, of which we then formed a part. He was a man of liberal education, great shrewdness, abundant self-esteem and tenacity of purpose. He got the appointment of Postmaster and Justice of the Peace soon after coming here. The only mail route at that time in the county was a weekly horseback one from Danville to Chicago. This passed by the cabin of Uncle Billy Gougar. As Van Home resided some distance to the east, the office was kept by one of the Gougar boys. In 1834-5, before a post office was established at the city of Joliet, the writer hereof made weekly pil- grimages to Uncle Billy's, after the longed-for letters from home. Well can he recall the old log house (long since replaced by a comfortable frame farm cot- tage), with its two rooms, in one of which the post office was kept. In what a striking contrast to the place where he now gets his mail, was that old dry- goods box, roughly pigeon-holed, with the letters of the alphabet rudely inked on the edges of each partition. With what greed he seized a letter when he happened to get one, although it cost a quarter, and had been several weeks on its dreary way. He remembers how, on one occasion, he had to pay about a dollar for a pamphlet, the margins of which were covered with writing, contrary to law. But it was cheap, even at that price ! And the writers of those letters — where are they ? Gone ! all gone ! But we are sadly digressing. Van Home was one of our most useful cit- izens in those days, transacting the business of the early settlers, aiding them in obtaining their claims and land titles. It was the good fortune of the writer to make his acquaintance before that of any other settler, having met him some- where this side of Niles, when coming into the country, and riding back with him to "Van Home's Point." It was, perhaps, owing as much to his influ- ence as to the good sense of the settlers generally, that two years after he was 248 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. elected as the first Kecorder of the county. But we soon forfeited his friend- ship by our bad behavior in apostatizing to abolition. But we are anticipating. It will be well remembered that Van Home, some years ago, removed to Joliet, and was elected the first Mayor under our city charter, and how he "magnified his oflSce." It may not be improper to add that one of his sons is now Super- intendent of an important Western railroad. 0. C. Van Home died of cholera in 1854. Several members of the Reynolds family still live in our county. J. S. Rey- nolds, who was brevetted General near the close of the late war, and who com- manded the Sixty-fourth Regiment in the important battle at Bentonville, on Sherman's march from Savannah to Washington, is a son of one of them. Hig- ginbotham moved to town many years ago, and built a fine house, where his widow (now Mrs. Sutphen) still lives, while his sons perpetuate his name. He died in March, 1865. Many yet living will remember Uncle Billy Gougar, so noted for his strong good sense and sterling integrity. He held the important trust of County Com- missioner in 1840 and 1841. He died in 1861 at the age 78. Father Beggs officiated at his funeral, which was largely attended. Lewis Kerchival was one of the best citizens and farmers in the county, and died some years since. His son James C, was Supervisor of the town of New Lenox in 1854 and 1855, and again in 1858. He died in 1873 at the age of 55, a worthy son of a worthy sire. Jarod Runyon was, for some years, a Justice of the Peace of the village of Lockport, and now resides in California. We had a visit from him a few years since. FIRST BALL. Mrs. Kinzie, in her "Waubun," gives an account of a ball on Hickory Creek, in 1831. She does not tell us at whose house it was held, but we have ascertained that it was at Mr. Friend's.* Three out of the five single gentlemen, then resident at Chicago, came down to this ball on horseback, of course. One or two of them were officers from the Fort. Parties of this kind were not very frequent, the guests had to be collected from great distances, and consequently they were somewhat prolonged. This one opened with a sumptu- ous repast at noon, at which every luxury which the country then aiforded was dispensed in profusion. As the art of printing had not then been introduced into this region, we have no menu of the feast, but we know what the possibili- ties of the time were. The piece de resistance was undoubtedly a haunch of venison roasted, which might have been supported with fried bacon and prairie chickens. The entremets might have been pumpkin pie, crab-apple sauce, or stewed wild plums, and the fruit was probably melons and wild grapes. There was, also, no doubt, an abundant supply of corn dodgers, saleratus biscuit and wild tunitv to mS'r?!,!!^ r' ^f°" ^^^•"'^fds'l the conjectnre that itwao probably at Kerchivars. Wb are glad of this oppoiv C':;r„t;^iil\T;\Teruf„ge°"biirrd,» t'tL"Li?cbo\rrrer,.'''^'"""°° '" '"" °°"-'^- ^^ *° -* -*«'°- ttVttrosrhrt'orbifdie'i^„:j.Tb?: HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 249 honey. The ball opened at 2 o'clock, and was kept up, with a short recess for supper, until the next morning. But the gay scene was terminated by a tragedy. The Chicago gentlemen, it is presumed, were more stylishly dressed and put on city airs, and were so agreeable and forward in their attentions to the country belles that the native beaux were eclipsed and compelled to take back seats. The Chicago bloods were highly elated with the manner in which they carried off the favors of the girls. Their satisfaction was, however, greatly dampened on discovering, when they got out their fine horses, in the early dawn, preparatory to their return, that by some strange visitation they (the horses) had lost their manes and tails. JUDGE DAVIDSON. Judge Davidson came to this section in 1830, from the State of Indiana. He was originally from the State of New Jersey, where, when a poor young man, earning his living at surveying, he found a lot of pine land which had not been taken up. He managed to secure it, and immediately took his ax and "lifted it up against the big trees." This not only made him " famous," but put some money in his purse, with which he came to Indiana and there invested it in lands at Government price. This soon made him rich. When he came to Hickory Creek, he entered not only the well-known Davidson farm, but several others; and he was, while he lived, one of our most prominent and substantial men, although of retiring disposition, and never seeking office. When he came here, he was still a bachelor, and in the prime of life. He met his fate in the daughter of one of his tenants (Mr. More), to whom he was married, and by whom he had two daughters, well known in Joliet society. His widow has since married Dr. B. F. Allen. It is said that the Judge always kept the ax with which he hewed his way to fortune. He acquired his title of Judge in Indiana, where he held the office of Probate Judge. He died in March, 1844, at the age of 57. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. About the same time, another settlement was made, mostly on the south side of Hickory, in Joliet Township. Robert Stevens and David Maggard made claims in 1830, and brought their families in 1831. Stevens located on the well-known Stevens' place (on Section 2), a well-chosen selection, which made him, in time, the possessor of a valuable property. The first "-fair grounds " were located on this property in a beautiful grove of oak openings, a beautiful and abundant spring supplying water. These grounds, with the fair buildings, were afteri^ard occupied as a soldiers' camp and barracks, when it became necessary to subdue the " onpleasantness " of our Southern brethren. David Maggard settled on the bluff on the west side of the Des Planes about opposite the Rolling Mills. His cabin was the first one erected in the present limits of our city. It stood on the edge of a ravine up which passed the Sac trail. This trail, it is perhaps necessary to many readers to explain, was the trail made by the feet of the Indians and their ponies on their yearly journeys 250 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. from the Great West to Fort Maiden, in Canada, to receive the annuities which it was the cunning policy of the English Government to keep up long after the country had passed from their possession. The fruit of this policy was appar- ent in the fact that in the war of 1812, the Indians were generally, secretly, if not openly, on the side of England, and in the massacre at Chicago, and other barbarities. This trail, which was for many years very plain and distinct, and which was a well-known guide for the early voyager over the prairie from Niles hither, and which is now probably entirely obliterated, divided somewhere near the present cemetery, one branch going south to Ottawa, crossed the old ford below Joliet, and the other crossed the ford opposite Maggard's cabin and went on by Walker's Grove to the Great River. In 1831, Philip Scott, William Bilsland, Major Robert Cook and his aged father, a Revolutionary soldier, Daniel Robb, Jesse Cook and Reason Zarley, were added to the settlement. Seth Scott and Aaron Moore, also John Nor- man, came in 1832 ; William Hadsell and John Goodenow, in 1833 ; Joseph and Jacob Zumalt, in 1834. We suppose Mr. Goodenow, to be the same man who settled in Yankee Settlement before the war. He was the father of Mrs. Michael Rodgers, and died some years since at Reed's Grove. Reason Zarley came here from Ohio, was one of our first Justices of the Peace while we were yet a part of Cook County. He died Aug. 30, 1859, aged 68 years and six months. He was born in 1791 ; served in the war of 1812, and was one of the few survivors that returned from thebloody engagement atBrownstown, where one hundred and thirty Americans were assailed by eight hundred Indian and four hundred British soldiers. He was in the army at the time of Hull's sur- render. He came into the State in 1829, and to this township in 1831, and settled upon the well-known Zarley farm, which he had purchased when the canal land was in market, under the act of 1829. There were few here then except Indians. When the Black Hawk war broke out, he went, with his family, to Danville, returning, after it was over, to the same place, where he resided until his death. He was a man of sterling character, high moral senti- ments, sound mind and strong, good sense and judgment. A large concourse of citizens attended his remains to their resting-place. A Chillicothe, Ohio, paper, noticing his death, speaks of him as one of the pioneers of that country. He was a man of large influence in shaping the early politics of Will County. It is hardly necessary to say that he has supplied us in his sons with two editors and printers, one of whom has lately deceased, while the other, familiarly known as " Cal," still gives shape to our politics and school affairs ; while a third son, sometimes called " Bill," after long and useful service as City Clerk, has got a comfortable seat as County Clerk in the old Court House. Another son, Linton, died in 1850, at the age of 24, having just entered upon the practice of law. When our county was erected, Robert Stevens was elected Sheriff with great unanimity. He was most deservedly popular. But he did not covet HISTORY OF WILL OOUIITY. 251 office, and he declined to qualify, and all that Summer we were without a Sheriff. We are glad to be able to state that this is the only time we know of Bob Stevens (as he was familiarly called) shrinking from his duty, and we knew him pretty well. And for the honor of Will County, we are also glad to be able to state, and we do it without fear of contradiction, that from that day to this there has been no difficulty in getting men to fill the office of Sheriff, or any other county office. Indeed, sometimes there has seemed to be a super- abundance of men who were willing to serve the public. We shall, by and by, give a list of those who have shown their devotion to our county by actual serv- ice. We should be glad to give a list of those who have been willing to do so had the county needed them, but this would require more room than our pub- lisher could spare. Robert Stevens was a native of Kentucky, and raised in Ohio and Indiana. He died in January, 1864. William Hadsell, named above, still lingers in our midst, and may often be seen upon our streets carrying the weight of 88 years of an industrious and honest life. He begins to fail, but says he should have lived to a handred easy enough if he had not got caught in a storm on the prairie a few years since and had to fight lightning, which was a harder fight than he ever had with the British, although a soldier in the war 1812. John Norman erected the first flouring-mill in Joliet — we wish we had a picture of it and the surroundings, as we well remember them. About opposite the Penitentiary there was an island in the Des Planes, heavily wooded — a romantic spot then, where the writer often went in search of plants and fiowers. At the head of this island, across one channel, Norman built a brush and gravel dam, which threw the current strong upon the other side ; near this he built a log mill. His wheel was placed in the current, and the shaft running into the mill, turned the machinery which ground the corn. A very simple affair, hav- ing the capacity of twelve or fifteen bushels of corn in twenty-four hours, but very useful in those early days when corn-dodgers formed an important part of the daily rations. This old mill was not as big a thing as the rolling-mills opposite, but it was built without municipal aid. In this township, yet farther down on the river, a family settled in 1836 or 1837, which we must not forget to mention — that of Robert Shoemaker, the father of Mrs. Dr. A. W. Bowen and Mrs. Josiah McRoberts (and that's how we got the Judge). M. Shoemaker, a partner of J. A. Matteson in the early days of the old wooden block on upper Chicago street, and who has been and we believe now is a State Senator in Michigan, was his son. SETTLEMENTS IN JACKSON, REED AND OTHER GROVES. In the edges of the timber lying along the Des Planes and Jackson Creek, and in the groves known as Jackson's Reed's, Starr's, Troutman's, etc., which now form parts of Joliet, Jackson and Channahon Townships, settlements were early made. In 1831, Charles Reed, Joseph Shoemaker and Wesley Jenkins 252 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTV. settled in Reed's Grove, near the present station of Elwood. John and Thos. Coon, the two Kirkpatricks, Thomas Underwood, Eli Shoemaker, Charles Longmire, James Hemphill, Peter Eib and sons, Archibald Crowl, Henry, George and Lewis Linebarger, Daniel Haight, John and Samuel Catron and Theopilus and Robert Watkins settled in some one of these groves in 1831-2-3 ; and Benj. and Joseph Shanks, Smith Johnson, John Brown, George Young, Peter Brown and son and R. J. Boylan, in 1833-4, and William Cotton in 1835, and, we had almost forgotten him, Peter Doney. Charles Reed is per- haps better entitled than any one else to be called the founder of Joliet, as he came up here in 1883, built a log cabin (the old McKee house) and commenced preparations to build a mill. These preparations consisted, as his deed of sale to MeKee in the Spring of 1834 says, " of a dam partly made on the east side of the river, a house, some fence, a mill-race and some machinery for a mill, both of wood and iron, on the west side of the river." Of this matter, how- ever, we will speak more particularly by and by. Joseph Shoemaker, a most excellent man, a warm friend and an ardent Methodist, opened a splendid farm on the south side of Reed's Grove, which after many years he sold out, and which is now known as the Rogers' place. He was Supervisor of Florence four years. We are sorry to say he has left the State. Jenkins was a fine specimen of a great Hoosier, of whom we have told a pretty good story in " Forty Years Ago," which we will not repeat here. But we don't know why he should have been named Wesley, unless on the principle of " lucus a non lucendo." Hemphill and Bib still have representatives in the county. Joe Shanks was another specimen of a Hoosier, and was Shanks by name and Shanks by nature. The best thing that we remember about Joe is that he was the writer's friend when he ran for Recorder, and gave him his vote, although it was urged against us that we belonged to a temperance society — not a popu- lar thing with " Hoosiers " then or now. ■" Wall," said Joe, " I drink right smart of likker myself, but I allow we'd better have a sober man to do our business." We commend Joe's philosophy to all voters, and the higher the office, the more important the rule. George Linebarger is still living near Elwood, and has been Supervisor of Jackson ten years. R. J. Boylan is still one of the well-known residents of Jackson, and he held the office of County Surveyor for eight years (1840-48), and what he doesn't know about the sections and corners of Will County is not worth knowing. Boylan sometimes tells the story of his first arrival at Joliet, in the Fall of 1834. After a long and tire- some horseback ride from Chicago, he began to look anxiously for the town of " Juliet," of which he had heard all along the road, and, fearing that he might have lost his way, he rode up to a small wooden building, which he found to be a store. On entering, a long, lank youth rose up from the counter, on which he was stretched out — that is, as much of him as the counter would hold of whom he inquired the way to Juliet. The youth somewhat pompously replied : " Sir, if you seek the city of Juliet, look around you." Little did Boylan HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 253 dream that he was on the corner of Bluff and Oneida streets, and that he was addressing the future historian of himself, Joliet and Will County — who would some day have his " pictur " in a book ! It should be mentioned, to the credit of Jackson Grove Precinct, that they built a school house as early as 1833 — perhaps the first in Will County. Henry Watkins, from the Hickory Creek settlement, taught the school. Any one who remembers his little shiny round head will not doubt that his scholars looked upon him with the same awe and wonder as did those in Goldsmith's "Deserted Village" upon the village " o & ^ .1 ji^ii(j gjiii tjjgy gazed, and still the wonder grew, That one small head could carry all he knew." YANKEE SETTLEMENT AND LOCKPORT. We have spoken of the Johnsons as settling in Yankee Settlement. These were " Hoosiers," but, as will be inferred from the name, most of those who settled in that portion of the county embraced in the town of Homer, the north- ern part of New Lenox and the eastern p^rt of Lockport, and called " Yankee Settlement," were Yankees. The word meant in that day those who came from any State east of Ohio, in distinction from those who were called Hoosiers — a term which, though properly applicable only to Indianians, was popularly made to cover all others. When more exactly speaking, those from Ohio were Buckeyes ; those from Kentucky, Corncrackers ; those from Michigan, Wolver- ines, etc., etc. This was a famous settlement in the early days, containing many fine families of well-to-do farmers, where we could find more pretty girls forty- odd years ago than in almost any other locality. How this may be now, the writer cannot say ; circumstances have prevented him from keeping posted in this regard. Offshoots of Yankee Settlement were known as Gooding's Grove and Hadley. Of those who came in before the Sac war, we recall the names of James Richie (the first settler and still living, although for some years blind), James Glover, Abijah Watson, John Pettijohn, Wm. McGaffery, Peter Polly, Joseph McCune, Daniel Mack, John Blackstone, Dr. Nathaniel Weeks and sons, William Ashing, John Goodenow, Joseph Cox, Dick Boilvin, Uriah Went- worth, Calvin Rowley, Holder Sisson, Selah Lanfear, Orrin Stevens, Armstead Runyon, Edward Poor and Benjamin Butterfield. Some of these persons were not "Yankees," and some did not return after the stampede occasioned by the Sac war, and Goodenow, Polly and McCune, on their return, settled in other parts of the county. Holder Sisson came in 1831, from Chautauqua County, N. Y. Having pre- viously explored the West, he came with his family ; and at the same time came Selah Lanfear and Orrin Stevens, with their families, who were from the same county. They came around the lakes, in a schooner ; and after a long and stormy passage, landed at an outpost called Chicago, in the latter part of July. Harry Boardman, who settled in East Dupage, came on the same ves- 254 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. sel. Mr. Sisson was a prominent man in the early history" of the county. He was elected one of the first three County Commissioners, and served in that capacity five years, faithfully and well. He soon moved to the west side of the river, in the town of Lockport, on the old Chicago road. He has very re- cently deceased, at an advanced age. Edward Poor, Armstead Runyon and Benjamin Butterfield were on the ground previously, and some others. Edward Poor is the first name as grantee upon our county records. Armstead Runyon was a prominent man in the early history of Lockport, having been proprietor of a part of the city plat. We believe he is now living in California (if not dead). Mrs. C. E. Boyer, of Lockport, is his daughter. Mrs. Munson, until lately, a resident of Joliet, was a daughter of Selah Lanfear. We remember her as one of the pretty girls of Yankee Settlement. If you should call upon ex-Collector Weeks, you would find one of her daugh- ters, who, in her turn, has pretty daughters too. How the years do creep on, and what changes they bring ! Calvin Rowley came from the State of New York — the first one of the fam- ily — traveling all the way with a peddler's cart. He set up a store near Lock- port, and traded with the Indians. After the Sac war another tidal wave of emigration set toward the West, and brought ma.ny to Yankee Settlement in the years 1833-4-5. Among these were Reuben Beach and sons, Thomas Smith, Chas. M. Grey, George Grey, Levi Hartwell, Jireh Rowley and four sons, Wm. H. Frazier*, Alanson Gran- ger, Addison Collins, Frederick Collins, Norman and Horace Messenger, John Lane, Lucius M. Case, H. S. Mason, Dr. Moses Porter, Abram Snapp, Will- iam Williams and three sons, Benjamin Weaver, Dea. Levi Savage, S. C. Chamberlin and sons, William Bandle, Samuel Anderson, John Griswold, Com- stock Hanford, Nathan Hopkins, Aaron Hopkins, John Fitzsimmons, Benja- min Dancer, Cyrus Cross, Andrew Frank, Sylvester Munson, Lyman Cross, David Parish, Leander Bump, Jacob Bump, Rev. Mr. Ambrose, John Ross, Hiram Olney (now of Manhattan), Rev. Mr. Kirbey, who became Pastor of the Hadley Church, — and Isaac Preston, now of Lockport, in 1836. The following persons settled in Gooding's Grove, and gave that locality its name : Dea. James Gooding and his three sons — James Gooding, Jr., William Gooding and Jasper A. Gooding — and his nephew, Charles Gooding, in 1832. Dea. James Gooding had been a pioneer in Western New York, and was a na- tive of Massachusetts. He resided at Bristol, Ontario Co., until he came West. We remember him well — a tall, noble-looking man. He died in 1849, at the age of 82. Orange Chauncey settled in the same locality before the war. Rev. Jeremiah Porter, the well-known pioneer missionary of the American Home Mission Society, early organized a Presbyterian Church at Hadley. We believe that this was the first regularly organized Church in Will County, outside *Diedml873. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 255 of the " classes " organized by the Methodist itinerants. Dr. Porter, William Bandle, Reuben Beach and John C. Williams were Elders or Deacons in this Church. Soon after the organization of this Church, a Mr. Freeman organ- ized a Baptist Church of sixteen members. Abram Snapp was one of the Deacons of this Church. He was the father of Hon. Henry Snapp, and died in October, 1865. He came to the settlement in 1833. Father Beggs had a sta- tion here in 1833, and others at Reed's Grove, Hickory Creek, East Dupage and Walker's Grove. Dr. Weeks was for many years a practitioner in Lockport and Yankee Set- tlement. His sons are the well-known Judge Weeks and ex-Collector Weeks and Mr. J. H. Weeks, now of Lockport. He was from Western New York. Dr. Porter was also a well-known physician in the early history of the county ; one of the reliable men, whether in Church or State ; a strong upholder of every good enterprise and reform. He moved farther west many years ago, and is now deceased. Lyman Cross died at Lockport in October, 1876, at the age of 82. His death was occasioned by a fall, while at work on a barn. Mr. Bandle, who was familiarly known as Deacon, was a stone-mason, and had the job of putting up the stone-work of the first stone building in Joliet — the old block now known as the Darcey Block, from its present owner, but for- merly and long known as the old Demmond Block, from its first proprietor. He has been dead some years. John Lane was a famous blacksmith, especially known as the maker of prai- rie or breaking plows. The settlers all around used to make pilgrimages to his smithy. Nobody in all the land could shape and temper a plow like him. He might have sat to Longfellow for his picture of the village blacksmith : " The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands ; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands." On many, many an acre of the virgin prairie of Will County did Lane's plows upturn the sod, drawn by from four to eight yoke of oxen and steers, and propelled by a ten-foot ox-gad mounted with a lash perhaps as long, the snap of which wielded by the hands of the Hoosier driver resounded like the crack of a rifle. On, on, over the prairie swells, with steady but ruthless tread, moved the long "breaking team," and on, on, came the giant plow, cutting the turf with its sharp colter, and turning over with its mold-board the rich earth in long, black ribbons ; before it blooming grass and fragrant herb and beautiful flowers ; behind it a dreary waste of black, fat humus, inviting the steps and stimulating the hopes of the sturdy planter. ■ Ah ! breaking teams, plows, Hoosier drivers, prai- ries, and old Lane himself, are now things of the past ! Mr. Lane died in 1857. Addison Collins was one of our leading county men ; held the office of County Surveyor during the first four years of our organization, and served one 256 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. term, 1842-3, as our Representative in the General Assembly of the State. He died in March, 1864. His brother, Frederick Collins, still lives in the old locality, one of the staid and substantial citizens of Homer, fast ripening for a better country. The brothers were from Tioga County, N. Y., and came to the settlement in 1833. John Blackstone, generally called Judge Blackstone, was a man of property and influence. The grove near which is the Hadley post office was known first as Blackstone Grove. James McKee, of whom we shall speak by and by, borrowed the money of him wherewith he purchased the Reed claim, of which we shall presently speak. He was the first Justice of the Peace in Yankee Settlement, when a part of Cook County. Judge Caton has told the writer about his coming down from Chicago in 1833, to try a suit before him — perhaps the first lawsuit in Will County. He died in 1848. Jireh Rowley, commonly know as Capt. Rowley, was also a prominent man in our early history. He settled first on Section 19, but afterward bought the Butterfield place on Section 34, a beautiful spot embracing a little grove, where his youngest son, A. G., now lives. He was an old contractor on the Erie Canal, and built the great embankment near Rochester. This was a very heavy and difficult work. The Canal there crosses a considerable valley and a stream, and passes along the top of the embankment which Rowley made. While the work was in progress. Gov. Clinton, having great anxiety in respect to its success, made frequent visits to note its condition. , On one of these occasions, the Governor and his party got in the way of the laborers and their teams, when Rowley pretty sharply ordered them to get out of the way. Instead of being offended at the brusque mariner of the Captain, the Governor had the good sense to remark to his friends that he should go home with his mind at rest concerning the job, as Capt. Row- ley evidently meant business. Three sons still live in the township. The younger, A. G., has been a Justice of the Peace since 1850, and three years the Supervisor of the town. Capt. Rowley, when he came West, had married a Mrs. Grey, and the George and Charles Grey above named were her sons ; both of these have since been prominent as railroad officials in Chicago, and George is now agent of the Pullman Car Company. Charles has been Mayor of the city. Three of her daughters were also included among the " nice girls " of the settlement, as some of the " boys " still Jiving remember well. One of these is now Mrs. Chamberlin, of Lockport. Her husband is one of the sons of Mr. L. C. Chamberlin, and is our well-known undertaker and furniture dealer of Joliet and Lockport. We remember seeing, not long ago, the fence which surrounds Oakwood placarded with the words, " Chamberlin's Relief cures all pain." We do not suppose the sacrilegious painter, had any reference to our un- dertaker or his business, but unconsciously told a truth, which these placards seldom do. Wm. Gooding was the chief engineer of our canal, and we shall have something more to say of him in the history of that work. The ^^'^If),. 9>f-\ fOECEASEDj JOUET TP. ^ee c;ver Veil/It HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 259 school teacher Hanford, so cruelly murdered at Chicago a few years ago, was a son of Comstock Hanford, bom in 1834. Deacon Beach (this settlement seems to have had a good share of Deacons, and we have noticed that as a rule, it is the best men who get this title, and Deacon Beach was not an exception) has gone to his reward some time since. He died in 1851. Two of the Demmond ^r~Z " ""^^ William-are indebted to him for good wives ; and his son, i.ben W., was Supervisor of Crete in 1862, and deceased in October, 1878. Levi Savage, another Deacon, still lives, and has given to the town of Homer a Supervisor for six years (1867-72), and to our county a Representative in 1872, and to the State and nation a brave soldier in his son, Oapt. Amos Savage, of the Thirty-ninth Regiment, or Yates Phalanx. Of William Williams we re- member little ; he died many years ago ; but we know the family was a good one— from Massachusetts, we believe, as were others of the Hadley people ; hence the name of the locality which was first known as Blackstone's Grove. One member of the family was Elder J. C. Williams, for some time a resident of Hadley, but afterward of Chicago, one of the old, substantial merchants of that city and an Elder in the Second Presbyterian Church ; while another, Charles A., was a preacher of the Gospel, once settled in Rockford ; and another is the present Judge Erastus S. Williams, of Chicago. Still another Deacon was Orange Chauncey, lately deceased (died in 1877), who for a long time, with his family, resided in Joliet, but left again for the vicinity where he originally set- tled. This Deacon was a " Universahst " one, but his wife, who still survives, was a Deacon for a long time in the Baptist Church here — or at least she ouo^ht to have been. Alanson Granger is a name well known in Will County, for a long time a most successful granger on Section 32 of that town. He is said to have run the first reaper in Will County — an old original McCormick made in Brockport, N. Y. He was from Cortland County, N. Y., and died in October, 1874, nearly 72 years of age. To the list of Deacons in Yankee Settlement, we ought to add the name of Comstock Hanford, inasmuch as he was one of the original organizers of the Episcopal Church here. Some of these persons we have named would probably be included in the township of Lockport. It is said that Butterfield built the first house in the present township (of Lockport), and that a Mr. Everden built the first house on the town plat in 1831, little dream- ing that he was beginning to found a city. It is also said that Armstead Run- yon bought his claim, on which he laid out, in 1836, the town plat now known as North Lockport, once known as Runyon's Town. To the list of old settlers in Lockport ought to be added those of D. C. Baldwin, 1834 ; A. J. Matthew- son and John Fiddyment in 1837 ; and Dr. J. F. Daggett, 1838. Dr. J. F. Daggett represented the county in the State Senate after the res- ignation of Hon. Henry Snapp. A. J. Matthewson is our present County Surveyor, and is one of the blessings for which we are indebted to the canal, he having been one of the corps of engineers. West Lockport, where the old mill still stands, was laid out by a company consisting of Wm. Rogers, Lyman 260 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Hawley, Wm. Gooding and E. S. Prescott. John M. "Wilson — Judge Wil- son, of Chicago — was also interested in the mill, which was built by these parties, but whether as one of the original parties to the enterprise or as a purchaser afterward, we cannot say. West Lockport was once the most flourishing part of the town. But it seems that in relation to towns, Bishop Berkley's saying, ''Westward the star of empires takes its way," does not hold good. Mr. Horace Morse built a tavern on one of Runyon's lots in 1836. The site on which the most flourishing part of the city is now located, was laid out in 1837 by the Canal Commissioners, and for many years had the prestige of being the canal headquarters. It is beautifully located, and was well laid out under the skillful and careful supervision of the Chief Engineer. Canal Commissioners Thornton and Fry took up their residence there, and built fine dwellings — fine for that day. We believe it is one of these which has been remodeled into a beautiful home by Mrs. Boyer. LOCKPORT TOWN WEST OF THE RIVER. Across the river on the beautiful blufi" which overlooks the town and ther valley of the Des Plaines, as we have said. Holder Sisson moved, after selling out to Hanford. On this bluiF also located Wm. Rogers, Lyman Hawley and sons, Justin Taylor, Thomas and Harvey Reed, and that "fine ould Irish gin- tleman," Patrick Fitzpatrick, and 0. and L. M. Clayes, and Cyrus Bronson, in 1832-5. These farms, which we suppose have mostly passed into other hands, are among the most finely located in the county. Lyman Hawley was a sub- stantial man from Western New York, the father of our well-known citizens, 0. L, Hawley (now deceased), our County Clerk from 1849 to 1856 (eight years), and who also held the ofiice of County Judge four years (1856 to 1860), and of Walter B. Hawley, who has also been County Clerk. The writer well remembers a notable "raising" we had in 1835 or 1836, when Lyman Hawley built his famous barn — a big thing for that day when barns were not very plenty, and which we believe is still extant, although it doesn't look as large now as when it was the best in all the country. What a lift we had at the big timbers of green oak, and how glad the boys were when the last rafter was up. and we all went to the feast set on the lawn, the old but comfortable log house being altogether too small to hold the guests. What a feast that was, and not the least among the attractions to some was the fact that we were waited upon by three or four blooming daughters of the host, for .Yankee Settlement did not, in those days, have a monopoly of the pretty girls. We could name one old gray head that was there, and who was "sweet" on one of the girls. But we won't for he is married now to somebody else, and it might make a fuss. There were also a Mr. Webb and Thomas Williams still further up the river and also a Mr. Turner at the Lilly-cache Grove. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 261 UPPER HICKORY. In the Upper Hickory Greek timber, east of Van Home's Point, there were early settlers. In 1831, a Mr. Osborn, Wm. Moore, Ilobert Williams, Aaron Ware, John McGoveny and sons, John McDeed, and a Mr. Ghost, and a Mr. Berry, -who soon turned Mormon, settled there. Daniel Lambert, John Duncan, James Troutman and Hiram Wood, in 1832 ; Allen and Lysander Denny, Ambrose Doty, Chester Marshall and sons, Francis Owen and sons, Eliphalet Atkins and sons, Samuel Haven, Myron Holmes and sons, Phineas H. Holden and sons, a Mr. Dewey, and Peter Clayes, father of L. M., Orlando Clayes and Charles Clayes, in 1834-5. A child of John McGoveny, .John W., is another first child born in the county. There were quite a number born first ! However this may be, 'Squire McGoveny, of Mokena, and Thos. G. McGoveny, of Joliet, are his sons. He was from Ohio, originally, and came to the region where he settled in 1831, and died in March, 1869, aged 61. An addition to Mokena is part of his farm. Allen Denny, on the north side of Hickory, and Samuel Haven, on the south side, both kept stations on the underground railroad in Antislavery times. The writer hereof knows of some who paid midnight visits to both stations. A mid- night ride with one or two fugitives was an exciting thing in those days, not without danger of being prosecuted, at least. ILLINOIS BLACK LAWS AND ABOLITIONISTS. For the information of our younger readers, it may, perhaps, be well to explain, and here is as good a place as any to do it, that in those days, besides the general fugitive slave law of the United States, the State of Illinois had in force statutes against the colored man hardly less outrageous and cruel than those of the slave States themselves. Many slaves had been brought into this State while a Territory, and when the State was admitted into the Union the ownership in these was practically confirmed, although the importation of any more was prohibited. The southern part of the State was settled by persons from the slave States, and it was only by a small majority that the State became nominally a free State. Every colored man was presumed to be a fugitive from slavery, and, unless he could prove the contrary, was subject to arrest and sale, although the sale took the form of a lease or indenture. Now, there were, in those days, all over the North, as is well known, many persons known as Abolitionists, who had more respect for the God-given right of self- ownership than they had for the title which human — or rather inhuman — laws gave to one man who happened to be white, over another who happened to be black. These human laws, whether State or national, they hVld to be against the law of God, and therefore void "_ot foro conscientice," however they might be enforced by human courts. It was an easy corollary to this belief that to help a man who was fleeing from bondage was a duty — that to aid in 262 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. his capture was a crime against God and man. To aid the fugitives, these underground railroads — so called because the matter was generally conducted secretly and in the night — were established, consisting of relays of well-known, friends of the slave, who at any time stood ready to harness a team and forward the slave to the next station. Of course Canada was the destination of the fugitives. Nowhere was he sufe under the eagle ; only when he got into the embrace of the lion could he breathe free. As we have said, Denny and Haven both kept stations of this kind. It happened in the course of things that Denny, good old Deacon Gushing and Col. Stewart, of whom we shall soon speak, were once indicted under the black laws of our State for aiding such fugitives. As all know, our brave soldier boys and Father Abraham's proc- lamation destroyed the business of the underground railroad. The march of enlightened public opinion has long since brought about the repeal of the black laws of our State. Allen Denny settled in Sheridan, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., in 1811, when 20 years of age. While there, he engaged in storekeeping, and among other goods, wares and merchandise, sold whisky and its congeners. But he went to hear a lecture of the agent of the State Temperance Society, and was converted to teetotalism. He at once stopped the sale of liquor, and, with five others, one of whom was Samuel Haven, he formed a temperance society. In 1835, he came with the Holmes families to Hickory Creek, where he lived until his death, well known and highly respected. In the war of 1812, he was a soldier, and was present at the battle of Black Rock and the burning of Buffalo, and could give graphic accounts of the stampede of our militia. The Rock Island Railroad run through Mr. Denny's farm, and he laid off a part of it into the village of Mokena. We have not the date of Mr. Allen Denny's death. His brother Lysander died in March, 1872, at the age of 75. 0. and L. M. Clayes we have given as early settlers in West Lockport Township ; but they soon abandoned their claim there, which was on canal land and located on Hickory, where their father, Peter Clayes, and another son, Charles, also settled. Previous to the opening of the railroads, there was a little village (i. e., a store and post oflSce) in the Clayes neighborhood, named Chelsea — L. M. Clayes, Postmaster; but the Cut-OfF Railroad cut off its' pros- pects as a city. Peter Clayes died in 1849, at the age of 74. Chester Marshall, who, by the way, was also a Deacon of a Baptist Church, we believe, was also one of these Abolitionists, and a strong temperance man, always on hand at Temperance and Antislavery conventions. He was a tall, large, noble-looking man. Our State Senator, A. 0. Marshall, and R. W. Marshall, lawyers, in Joliet, are his grandsons. He died in August, 1859, at the age of 80 years. He came to Will County with Benjamin Weaver, of Yankee Settlement, in 1833, from Onondaga County, N. Y. Phineas H. Holden was also a prominent man in early times. He was the father of C. C. P. Holden, of Chicago ; of Major L. P. Holden, of the Eighty-eighth Illinois HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 263 Regiment, and of Dr. Holden, of Frankfort. H(! died in 1872, at the age of 80 years. Of Samuel Haven and the other Havens we will speak by and by. THORN CREEK AND BEEBE's GROVE. Still further east and south, in what is now known as the town of Crete, but then having two settlements, known as Beebe's Grove and Thorn Creek, there were early settlements. In 1833-4, Major Price, Wm. Osborn and Asa Dade; in 1835-6, Minoris Beebe, Shipman Frank, Quartus Marsh and four sons (Jon- athan, Edwin, Horatio and Henry), Jas. L. Dean, Wm. Bryant, J. Stalcop, Wm. R. Starr, Willard Wood, Dea. Samuel Cushing (of whom we have spoken), Nor- man Northrop, John H. Bennett, Moses H. Cook, Henry Milliken, Charles Wood, Hazen Adams, John Kyle and son, Enoch Dodge, Henry Ayers, David Haner, John E. Hewes, J. W. Safford and three sons. One of Mr. SafFord's sons was afterward well-known in Joliet, as the con- fidential clerk of Gov. Matteson, while he carried on business in Joliet. He afterward removed to Cairo, and became a prominent business man and banker. Another son was the Hon. C. P, K. Safford, Governor of Arizona. Both have recently deceased. A daughter of Mr. Safford became justly and honorably noted for her efforts in behalf of our soldiers during the war of the rebellion, on the battle fields of Belmont and Pittsburg Landing and in the hospital at Cairo. Many a soldier yet remembers the " Angel of Cairo." She subsequently became a physician, studied in the hospitals of Europe, where she attracted considerable notice for her modesty of demeanor and her professional and surgical skill. She is now, we believe, married, and resides somewhere in New England. Quartus Marsh was from Monroe County, N. Y. He died in 1850. He was the first settler in his immediate neighborhood. Jonathan Marsh, who died at Matteson, lately, and Edwin, who still resides there, Henry Marsh, for some time a cabinet maker in Joliet, and who got one of Deacon Beach's girls for his wife, as well as H. N. Marsh, so long known and respected in Joliet and Will County, are his sons. Deacon Cushing, we mentioned a little back as one of the indicted. We have a little more to say about this indictment. It was obtained when the brilliant Pat. Ballingall was State's Attorney for the District, and C. C. Van Home was the Foreman of the grand jury and complainant. There were also on the jury some who were outspoken friends of the slave ; but they felt, justly, that their oaths compelled them to find a bill against an infringement of an un- just law. When the ofiicer called early Monday morning to arrest the good ■ Deacon, he was at his breakfast. The ofiicer allowed him to finish, and also to attend to a duty which was as regularly observed as his morning meal — family devotions. It so happened that in the morning's regular lesson in course occurred these words: "Whether it be right to obey God, rather than man, judge ye." When brought into court, he was allowed to give bail for his appear- ance at the next term of court. James McKee promptly volunteered to be his 264 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. bail, and James H. Collins, of Chicago, who was then on his return from Prince- ton, where he had been to defend Owen Lovejoy, on a like charge, volunteered to defend him, and John M. Wilson also volunteered to assist. But before the nexr term of court, the parties complaining had got thoroughly ashamed of their course, and Ballingall entered a nol. pros. The fiexy eloquence of the prose- cuting attorney and the voice of the complainant have both been long since hushed in the grave, while the good old Deacon still lives, fast ripening for that world where we may believe feeding the hungry and pouring in oil and wine into the wounds inflicted by the driver's lash, are not indictable offenses. Blessed be the man against whom no more serious charge can be brought. It is some compensation to the Deacon to have lived to see the time when such an indictment is impossible in all our land. CHANNAHON. In that beautiful portion of our county which lies between the Des Plaines and Du Page Rivers, and near the meeting of the waters, now included in the town of Channahon, some settlers came as early as 1832, while the Indian still cultivated corn on the bottom and fished along the streams. This was a favor- ite spot with them, and they long lingered here. Their canoes passed up and down the rivers, and in the mounds which are still distinguishable they buried their dead. Somewhere near Treat's Island an Indian was buried as late as 1835. He was placed in a sitting posture partly out of the ground, and a pen of saplings placed around him. He is supposed to have been a chief, as the Indians passing up and down always visited his grave, and left various articles upon it as tokens of respect. A little flag was also kept flying over it, which was cared for by the Treats. North of Joliet, the writer remembers to have seen the grave of an infant in the top of a tree. It consisted of two hollow slabs in which the body was placed, being fastened together and to the tree by strips of bark. Perhaps it is a misnomer to call this a grave, and why they thus disposed of an infant's body we know not, unless it was a dim reflection of the Savior's words, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven." Believing that the child's spirit had gone straight to the "happy hunting fields," they placed the body as near as possible to the sky. Among the earliest settlers in Chan- nahon were Isaac Jessup, Wm. E. Peck, E. C. Fellows, H. D. Risley, Peter McCowan, Capt. Willard, Michael Morehouse, Jedediah, "Walter, and B. Gr. Eames, Joseph N. Fryer, Russell Tryon, George Tryon, "Uncle Bont" Schermerhorn and his four sons — Peter, Jacob B., Cornelius and Isaac — and John Ward. These came in 1832-3-4. In 1835, Dr. Peter Schermerhorn, Joseph Lewis, Sam'l Lewis and Dr. Wm. Lewis, Isaac and Bui-ke Van Alstine, Wm. Althouse and a colored gentleman for whom we have never heard any name but "Dick." Several of these settlers were representatives of the old Dutch families on the Hudson, coming from Schodack and vicinity, and, like their ancestors, knew good land when they saw it, and then settled down to stay. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 265 Joseph Davis and his sons came in 1836. Isaac Jessup, long a prominent citi- zen, died in 1853, at the age of 66. He, too, bore the honorable title of Dea- con, and was County Treasurer in 1843-6. His sons still perpetuate his name. A daughter of his, Mrs. E. Jessup Eames, had considerable reputation as a poetess some years ago ; and another, Sarah, who died in 1863, was not altogether unknown to locaV fame. H. D. Risley was from Salina, N. Y., and being elected Sheriif of the county in 1840, he removed to the old county jail, where he remained four years. He was also a canal contractor in canal times. The Van Alstines are still extant and residents of the vicinity, and so is their "Nigger Dick," the same old sinner he was forty-odd years ago. There seems to be little change in him since the time he came up to attend a ball in 1836, when his ox-team got wedged so inexplicably between the old Demmond Block and the precipice in its rear, save that he has grown a little grayer. Dick has the honor of being the first, and for a long time the only, representative of his race in Will County. J. B. Schermerhorn was County Commissioner in the years 1848-9, and Supervisor of Channahon 1854-6. Dr. Peter Schermerhorn was for some years a practicing physician in Channa- hon and vicinity, and afterward removed to Ottawa, where he died. Wm. B. Peck, generally known as Judge Peck, having been a County Judge where he came from in the county of Columbia, State of New York, was a prominent man, something of a politician, and County Commissioner four years — 1839- 42. He died in the year 1849, in the 71st year of his age. E. C. Fellows, the well-known lawyer, and the earliest lawyer in the county, came to Channa- hon at the same time and married a daughter of Judge Peck. He came to Joliet in 1835. It is but recently that he has deceased. Of his ability as a lawyer, especially as a criminal lawyer, everybody in Will County is well aware. George Tryon was Supervisor of Channahon for the years 1850-52. E. H. Jessup, one of Isaac Jessup's sons, was Supervisor in 1862, and John S. Jessup, another son, represented in part our county in the Legislature in the year 1872. He was the first victim of minority representation. J. N. Fryer has been Supervisor from 1866 down to date, and perhaps will be as long as he lives. Michael Morehouse was a native of Connecticut, born in 1791, a good, honorable and intelligent man, who died in 1876. Dr. Knapp and George Tryon came together from Vermont, and were the first settlers in the fpart of the town where they located, now on the beautiful " wide water" made by thecanal,and the favorite resort of Fourth of July picnics. The Indians were dwelling on the bottom of the Des Planes, and at a spot across the river, a little lower down, known then as the "sugar bush," in con- siderable numbers. They were under the supervision of one of old Bourbon- nie's sons, a half-breed. Seymor Treat and son had settled at the island still known by his name, in 1833. The Treats were great friends of the Indians, never refusing them food or shelter, though their supplies were not very abun- dant. The Indians held the family in high regard, and when they received '26Q HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. their last annuity, they gave him |1,000 as a remembrancer, which furnished him the means to go on with the mill which he was building. He had a son and daughter. The son was known as Dr. Treat. The mill was built at the lower end of the island. The Indians were friendly to the early settlers, and never troublesome unless they had drunk too much fire-water. They called this liquid good-na-tosh — clearly a misnomer. As the settlers were not familiar with the Indian language, they had to resort largely to the natural language of signs, at which the Indians are as expert as the deaf-mutes. Dr. Knapp tells an amusing story as to how an Indian tried to make him understand what he meant when he wanted to sell him some " ho-mo-sis-paw-quet " — that is, bee- sugar or honey. This is a story that can't be told except in pantomime, and nobody can do it justice but the doctor. If you ever see him, get him to tell it. It is the best specimen of pantomime we ever saw. We must note the fact that in Channahon, on the southeast side of the Des Plaines, is the large plantation of Charles C. Smith, one of the sons of our old resident and Justice of the Peace, Barton Smith. We gave a little history of Charley in " Forty Years Ago." He has been Supervisor of Channahon for several years, and we wish we had his note for a thousand or two dollars. The village of Channahon was laid out by the Canal Commissioners, and was first named Swifton, after one of their number ; but Judge Peck got it changed by an act of the Legislature to its present name, the significance of which we have already given. ■^ TROUTMAN S GROVE. On the southeast side of the river, within the present town, but known then as Troutman's Grove' there settled, in 1831 or 1832, Joseph McCune and John Troutman ; and i^ 1833, Robert Thornburg and sons, one of whom, John Thornburg, still resides there. TROY. Up the Du Page, in the present town of Troy, there were also some settlers quite early. The first, perhaps^ was Jedediah WooUey, Jr., who came in 1831 and commenced building a mill. The enterprise was interrupted by the Sac war, and completed in 1834. A man of the name of Chipman was engaged with him in the enterprise. Two men of the name of Rexford also settled there and rented Woolley's mill. John Van Riper and sons also settled there early, and a Mr. Fleming. Our well-known citizen, Carey Thornton, also settled on the Channahon road, and opened one of the finest farms in the county. It used to be a good place to stop at and eat pumpkin pie. Josiah R. Holden, a brother of Phineas Holden, of Frankfort Settlement, was an early settler in this township, having located on Section 32, just across the Du Page, where the old Au Sable road crosses. He came in 1834, and was for some years one of our best and most reliable citizens. He now lives in Michigan with a son, who is Secretary of State. Mr. Holden and his wife were members of the old Plainfield Congregational Church, and they celebrated their HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 267 golden wedding about four years since. They were from New Hampshire. Mr. H. is now 81. The famous Haff farm, at the mouth of Rock Run, is also in the town of Troy. This was opened by the well-known Horace Half, commonly called 'Squire Haff, in 1836. It was one of the best farms and he was one of the best citizens of Will County. He resided there many years, but a few years before his death, sold it and came to Joliet, where he died in November, 1865. Coming still farther north, Andrew and Marshall King and another brother settled just west of the mound, in 1833 or 1834. The sons and daughters of these Kings are still among us. J. Q. A. King, the well-known coal dealer and a member of Barnett's Battery all through the war, is one of them. Norman Bradley was also an early settler in the same neighborhood. Directly west of Joliet, on the Rock Run, was another early settler, of the name of Colvin, from whom the grove was named. WILMINGTON AND EOKKED CREEK. On the Kankakee River and Forked Creek, in localities which are now in- cluded in Florence, Wesley and Wilmington, there were early settlers. The earliest of these were John Frazier, Hamilton Keeney, John Williams, Robert Kilpatrick, James Kelly, James Jordan, John Howell and George Beckwith, who came as early as 1834, and perhaps some of them before. Most of these were Virginians. Joseph Hadsall and Mr. Goodwin came in 1835. These were mostly in Wesley and Florence. On the river, Peter Polly settled in 1834, at the head of the Island. Thomas Cox went from Joliet, where he was one of the earliest settlers, to the Kankakee, and laid out the town of Winches- ter, which was afterward changed to Wilmington, in 1836. He had previously made an extensive claim, in ] 834, on Sections 25 and 26, including the island. He built a saw-mill, and some other mills, we believe. i In 1835, Peter Stewart, from Amsterdam, N. Y., visited the West, selected Wilmington as his location, and moved West with his family in 1836. The writer well remembers making the acquaintance of the family while they stopped overnight at the old American Hotel. This hotel, by the way, stood on the ground now occupied by Bush's Block, where he is now writing. From that day forth our acquaintance with Mr. Stewart continued until his death in 1868, at the age of 85. From his first coming to the country, Peter Stewart was an influential and noted man. He was a native of Scotland, having been born in 1783, at Coilantagle Ford, in the parish of Callender, the spot where Scott locates the encounter between Fitz James and Roderick Dhu, when " 111 fared it then with Roderick Dhu, That on the ground his targe he threw." In Scotland, he was the steward of one 6f the great lords of the country. On coming to America he became a lord himself. He acquired a handsome property by contracts upon the Erie Canal, near Albany. He also built the 268 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Auburn Theological Seminary and the Navy Yard buildings at New York. On coming to Wilmington, he built a large, fine house, far the finest in the county at that period, and even now a good one. He laid out an addition to Wilmington, and built a saw-mill on Forked Creek. He was Superintendent of Illinois & Michigan Canal after its completion. The old Stewart mansion was a most hospitable one in the early days. Uncle Peter was a man of exten- sive information, acquired by reading and intercourse with public men. He had a fine library, and his home was a delightful one, overlooking the beautiful Kankakee and Forked Creeks at their junction. Mrs. Stewart was one of the most lovely of women, and might have sat for King Lemuel's picture of the excellent woman. None who knew her have forgotten her, although she has been thirty-two years in heaven. That was a sad day to many hearts when she died. The writer has one souvenir of a visit to the Stewart mansion in 1842, a few years before her death. This is a root of that most beautiful herbaceous plant, the rose-colored spirea, which he found growing in native beauty and lux- uriance by the spring which wells up beneath the bluff on which the mansion stands. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart were mainstays in the Presbyterian Church at Wilmington, while they lived, and liberal supporters of all charitable and phil- antliropic movements. The Stewart house extended its hospitalities to the poor fugitives from Southern bondage, and was one of the stations on the underground railroad of which we have spoken. Mr. Stewart himself enjoyed the distinction of being called the President of the road. This reminds us of a story which is told of Uncle Peter. Once when in Washington, during the Presidency of James Buchanan, he happened to be riding from Washington to Baltimore in the same car with the President, and to be seated near him. A lady in the car requested Col. Stewart to exchange seats with her, saying that she wished to sit near the President. Mr. Stewart, with the bluff and hearty manner for which he was noted, says : " Madam, / am the President. "Indeed!" says the lady, " Of what are you president?" " Of the under- ground railroad. Madam," he replied, as, with great politeness and good humor, he complied with her request. Well, he lived to see "his occupation gone ! " And men who then were compelled to skulk by night through free States, or live under the driver's lash, may now vote and hold office, may go to Congress, sit in Jeff Davis's seat in the Senate and own his plantation ; and a fugitive slave is Marshal of the District of Columbia, where once there were slave pens and auction blocks. Verily the world does move ! Mr. Stewart died Sept. 28, 1868. The veteran preacher, J. G. Porter, who was sometime his Pastor, preached his funeral sermon from the appropriate text, 2d Sam., iii, 38, " Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel ? " The settling of Peter Stewart at Wilmington was accompanied by, and perhaps the occasion of, the coming of others of his countrymen, until it became noted for its Scotch element. Among these we recall the names of Fred. Stewart, his son; Daniel Stewart, his brother (who died in 1874 — age HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 269 74), Arch. J. Mclntyre, Peter Mcintosh, John Mcintosh, David Mcintosh, David Bell, Daniel Mcintosh, the good old Deacon ; Andrew Whitton, a native of the Isle of Man, and his sons, John and James Whitton ; John and David Thompson, and Duncan Mclntyre, in 1836-37 ; Peter McFarlin, in 1840. Dr. Bowen removed to Wilmington from Joliet, and also Edmund Allen, where they still live. Wilmington is now well known on account of its water-power, manufactur- ing enterprises, adjacent coal mines and Kankakee River improvements — all of which will be noticed elsewhere in the town history. There were early settle- ments farther up the Kankakee. UP THE KANKAKEE. Thomas Hatton, afterward a resident of Joliet, and Richard Yates settled across the Kankakee, higher up, in the present town of Custer, as early as 1834 or 1835. Still farther up the^Kankakee, there were early settlements, em- bracing some of the old Indian reservations and the French and Indian settle- ment known as Bourbonnais Grove. One of our first County Commissioners, Thomas Durham, was from Bourbonnais. Dr. Todd, a once well-known and influential resident of the county, purchased five sections of land on Rock Creek, which empties into the Kankakee, near the county line, and perhaps some might have been within the present bounds of the county. The deed was the third one on the records of Will County, as transcribed from Cook County, and is from Shaw-waw-nas-see to Hiram Todd, dated March 22, 1833, convey- ing, for the consideration of $4,000, five sections of land, a reservation, to said red gentleman, by Article 2 of a treaty made October 5, 1832, between Jona- than Jennings, John W. Davis and Marks Cuine, United States Commission- ers, and the chiefs and head men of the Pottawatomies, the said land lying at the mouth of Rock Creek, and including the little Rock village. This deed was witnessed by Luther Rice and C. C. Van Home. Mrs. Shaw-waw-nas-see did not sign this deed, but another was executed a little later which she signed (or made her totem), in token of her relinquishment of the right of dower. She rejoiced in the euphonious name of Ke-kit-o-quah. She probably is not living to set up a claim for dower on the score of defective acknowledgment. Cornelius C. Van Home, a Justice of the Peace (then) of Cook County, took the acknowledgment. Other deeds of Indian reservations executed by Mr. " Lo " are on the county records ; but as this region has passed out of our do- main we omit all further notice of its history. FIVE-MILE GROVE. Some persons settled in what was known as " Five-Mile Grove," now in the town of Manhattan, quite early. The first settlers were a Mr. Stevens and Ephraim^nd Edward Perkins, who settled there in 1832 or 1833 ; Mr. Jones, in 1835, and the Rudds, in 1838. But the town being, with the slight exception of the grove, prairie and out of sight of land, did not entice many settlers until 270 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. a later day. The Bakers, the Lawrances and the Youngs, who made the grove such a famous place for excursions, twenty years ago, did not come until 1849 or 1850 ; and about this time the township filled up rapidly with good settlers, many of whom are now of German nationality. We leave further notice of it to the township historian. TWELVE-MILE GROVE. Twelve-Mile Grove, now a part of Wilton, having two sections of land, mostly timber, attracted some squatters at an early day. As early as 1832, Samuel Holcomb settled at the northeast end of the grove, and Abram Huyck, in 1835. From 1837 to 1840, Frank Chamberlin, James Adams, Horace Fish, Weir Leavitt, Jabez and Hiram Harvey settled there, and many others soon after. The Kennistons, Nelsons and others were somewhat later. Considerable his- torical interest attaches to this grove, on account of the fact that it was orig- inally an Indian Reservation consisting of two sections of land, reserved by the same treaty of which we have elsewhere spoken, and is generally known as the " Se-natch-wine Reservation." One section was reserved to Joseph Laughton, an Indian who seems to have borrowed a whiteman's name, and the other to Se-natch-e-wine, which is commonly corrupted to Snatchwine. The man who bore this name seems to have been a chief We find that his name occurs often in the Indian history of this region. We find it also in the treaties of 1815-16 with the Pottawatomies, spelled Sou-nou-che-wome. The name, in its corrupted form, is perpetuated in a stream in Bureau County — Snatchwine Creek — and a township in Putnam County has the same name. We have not been able to find the meaning of the name. It is not given in the treaties referred to. It is a great pity that more of these names have not been preserved, as some of them would be appropriate now. For instance : Pierce-mack-ie^the man who walks crooked. Mark-sua-ma-nee — the man who is sick when he walks. Oh-ho-shin-ga — the man who cooks little in a small kettle. Shou-ga-tong — the horse jockey. ' Now-ja-ming-he — the man who has no heart. These names we can readily see would be very convenient to have even now. In this grove was once an Indian village, of which Se-natch-e-wine was chief This reservation of two sections was deeded by the chief in question, and Joseph Laughton, to James Kibbin, in 1840, and one section was conveyed by him to the Nelsons. Of course, while the title was unsettled, there were more or less squatter and conflicting claims, the history of which we cannot go into. The title was considered defective until confirmed by act of Congress. An old chief's grave was still conspicuous when the white settlers came. He was buried in the usual way— in a pen of saplings, in a sitting posture, with his gun, pipe, kettles, etc., all ready for use in the happy hunting grounds. Mr. Nelson once obtained a perfect skeleton, teeth all preserved, from the ground HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 271 now under cultivation. The plow still turns up Indian relics. Laughton and Snatcliwine, with other Indians, visited the grove after it had become settled and inclosed. Coming to the fences which had been built, they cut a passage through them until they reached the site of their old village, where they camped for some days. " Old Put" was a noted character in the settlement. His notoriety, how- ever, was of a kind not likely to attract new-comers, and some of the settlers determined to rid the grove of his presence. They did this most effectually. The means resorted to was a coat of tar and feathers and shaving his head, when he was let go. He stood not upon the order of his going, but went, and the grove knew him no more. The Indian name of this grove was Na-be-ne- ka-nong. As Capt. Cuttle says : Please make a note of it. The translation of the word is "Twelve miles from any other place," hence the name by which it used to be known. The stream known as Forked Creek runs through the grove. ° WASHINGTON AND WILL. Some other of the eastern towns of the county are of comparatively recent settlement. Being outside the Indian boundary line, and being almost entirely prairie and at a considerable distance from timber, they were settled slowly at first. The opening of the Illinois Central Road and the Chicago & Danville Road, has, however, rendered them accessible, and they have rapidly filled up, mostly with Germans. The township of Washington, lying directly south of Crete, began to be settled about 1850. The earliest settlers were Jesse Dutcher, Jacob Barney and Charles Fuller, who were soon followed by John Rose, Wm. Strain, Peter Abercrombie, Mr. Selvey , and the ubiquitous John Smith, and a little later Joseph Maxwell, Clinton Fuller and John Bows were added. The Germans then took possession, and have become a power in the county. The township of Will, lying east of Washington, was settled about the same time. John McKenzie, we believe, was the first settler, in 1849, and in 1853 J. M. Gridley, Joseph Baldwin, Mr. Lyons and H. N. Ingersoll ; in 1854-5, John B. Sollitt, F. P. Lilly, P. McMahon, Robert Patterson, William Consta- ble and William Pickard. Rev. S. C. Gilbert, a veteran home missionary, preached the first sermon, in 1854. This is also entirely a prairie township. New York, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont, Ohio and Virginia, of the States, and England, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Prince Edward Island have furnished the tillers of its fertile acres. PEOTONE. Still another prairie township is Peotone, which was also settled from 1849 down. David B. Booth and James Allen were the earliest on the ground, and were soon followed by Samuel Goodspeed, P. Armstrong, Ralph Crawford, J. C. Cowing and others. The Illinois Central Railroad passes through the south- east corner, and a flourishing station of the same name as the town has grown 272 HISTOEY OF WILL COUNTY. up on Section 24. Its population has also been gathered from various States and countries. ^„„ GEEBNGAEDEN. North of Peotone lies another prairie township, known as Greengarden, and before township organization, as Vermont Precinct, and was settled about the same time, being commenced in 1847 by M. F. Sanders and George M. Green. Levi Blanchard and James Hudson came in 1848, the latter-named being a preacher. From 1850 on, the township filled up rapidly, and is now largely German. The streams emptying into the Kankakee, known as Forked Creek and Prairie Creek, have their rise in this township. MONEE. In the township of Monee, lying between Greengarden and Crete, there were a few settled quite early. In 1834, John S. Dilley ; In 1835, John M. Chase, N. C. Tibbitts, S. W. Cooper, Nicholas Young and Ruel Carney ; and in 1836, S. W. Gaines, Aaron Bond, Otis Philips, Hollis Newton, and a Mr. Hall. This town- ship has about three sections of timber in the northeast corner, which will account for its earlier settlement. There is also a little grove in the southeast corner of the town. The first school was opened in 1836, by Otis B. Philips. It has filled up in later years largely with Germans. It has a flourishing sta- tion on the Central Railroad, of the same name. We believe we have now noticed the first settlement? (except Joliet) in the county, and given the names of most of the settlers down to 1837, and, in some instances later. Our aim has only been to relate the beginning of things, leav- ing later history and other names, and statistics generally, to the township his- tories. Of course the rush of immigrants in the subsequent years was so great as to forbid our giving names. It now remains to notice the first settlements within the present limits of the city of Joliet. JOLIET CITY. In 1833, Charles Reed, whose name we have given as one of the first set- tlers at Reed's Grove, and which frequently occurs on our earliest records, both as grantor and grantee, made a claim on the southeast quarter of Section 9, T. 35, R. 10 E., and built a log house on the same, and commenced to make a^ dam and other preparations for a mill. Mr. Reed had purchased several tracts of canal land from the State, in 1833, as did others of the first settlers, the canal land being then in market. He, however, never had any title to this quarter, except a squatter's right, which he sold, together with his improve- ments, to James McKee, as we have elsewhere noted. James McKee was a Ken- tuckian by birth, but came here from Jacksonville, in this State. He was pro- vided with a float, or a right to enter any vacant land belonging to the State, which right had been granted to Sylvia Hall, on account of her suffering as an Indian captive, of which we shall speak by and by. This float, as the assignee of said Sylvia and her husband, Mr. McKee laid upon the fractional quar- IllSTOUY OF WILL COUNTY. 273 ter on wliich Mr. Reed had commenced his preparations for a mill. McKee proceeded at once to the erection of a mill on a somewhat larger scale than had been planned by Reed. Reed's millstone, we remember, was made from a large hard-head, or nigger-head, as they are sometimes called, and for a long time lay upon the old mill-yard. The dam was considerably above the present stone one built by the Canal Trustees, about where the lock-house now stands. The re- mains of it may be seen when the basin is drawn off. A flouring-mill was raised in the Fall of 1834. The raising of this mill was a notable event, in which the writer participated. The frame was built, of course, of heavy, green oak timber, and it required a previous canvass of the surrounding country to get together enough men to raise it. The old frame is still standing, being the building just above the Jefferson Street Bridge. Of course, the building of the present dam below it, rendered it useless as a mill, and it has since been occu- pied for various purposes. For a long time, Cook & Stillman had it for a livery ; then Charles Ward, for storage ; and it now seems to be chiefly used as a boat house for our amateur boat clubs. A saw- mill was also built below and adjoin- ing the grist-mill, which used to do a famous business manufacturing oak and black walnut lumber. Charles Reed, who, as we have already said, is entitled to be called the founder of Joliet, was born in Virginia in 1874. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and a witness of Hull's cowardly surrender. He came to the grove which bears his name in 1830 ; Joseph and Eli Shoemaker accompanied him ; we suppose they came immediately from Indiana. When the Black Hawk war occurred, he, with the other settlers escaped to Indiana. Mr. Reed moved to Joliet in 1833, as we have said ; he afterward removed to Winnebago County, where he died in 186-3. He was appointed by the Gov- ernor one of the appraisers of Canal damages. He was one of the kind of men made for pioneers, restless, honest, enterprising, fearless and hospitable. He was also sagacious and a good judge of land and locations. It is said that the principal thing which made him select this locality, aside from its water-power, was the fact that it v/as on the old Sac trail, which showed it to be on the short- est and best route from Detroit to the Mississippi. It is an unfortunate thing for Chicago that it] is so far one side of this great thoroughfare. This is prob- ably what has retarded its growth. We are sorry for it, but we can't help it. Mr. Reed, after his sale to Mr. McKee, made a claim on the west half of the section, and built a log house just under the hill on which W. A. Strong's house stands. But as there was to be no recognition of claims on canal lands, under the new canal law, he did nor, long remain. The house was afterward occupied by Judge Piersons and family," and was the scene of a mournful tragedy. Mrs. P., in an insane fit hung herself. This gave the old log house the reputation of being haunted. But J. C. Van Auken and family afterward occupied it, and, we believe, were never disturbed. This is the same place which Mr. Joseph Campbell, who came here in 1839, from the land of oaten cakes, bought at the sale of canal lands, and is now the beautiful property of W. A. Strong, Esq. 271 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. James B. Campbell, who was Treasurer of the Board of Canal Commis- sioners, appointed under the act of 1829, held a float from the State also, by virtue of an act of the General Assembly granting pre-emption rights, etc., giving the right to locate any quarter of unsold canal lands. This was the float originally given to the other Hall girl. He located his float on the opposite side of the river, on the fractional quarter of Section 9, Township 35 north, Range 10, containing 66.90 acres, receiving for the deficit thirteen acres on what is now Eastern avenue. His choice has certainly been justified by time. He laid off" the original town of Joliet, and held a public sale of lots in June, 1834. Mr. Campbell, however, never took up his residence here, but, we think, resided at Ottawa for some time. He was, however, well known all over the canal route in an early day. Some of our present property owners have heard, in recent years, of his widow — perhaps have interviewed her or her lawyers — as she re-appeared very suddenly, a few years since, claiming dower in the lots which Campbell, by attorney, had conveyed to various parties. Some settled with her by paying diff'erent amounts. They might have saved their money, as she soon went where all earthly rights and claims are not of much account. At this sale, the lots brought from f 19 to $108. The sale was held in a building then just put up by the Bailey Brothers, on the lot now owned and occupied by Mrs. Kinney, which they had bought before the public sale. This was the first frame house put up in the city, and the lumber was sawed at Sayer's mill. This sale was a great event. From " Walker's Grove" to the "Head of Hickory," from " Treat's Mill " to "the Sag," and from " Bourbonnais " to "Blue Island," and even from the promising village of Chicago, the people gathered to the number of perhaps two hundred. A bountiful collation was prepared by the ladies of the neighboring settlements, who were present to dispense it. Campbell's town was recorded as " Juliet," whether after Shakespeare's heroine, or his own daughter, or by mistake for Joliet, the writer cannot deter- mine. There are various theories ; take your choice. The name was changed afterward, at the suggestion of S. W. Bowen and others, by an act of the Leg- islature introduced by D. L. Gregg, Esq. And here we wish to notify all peo- ple, both in America and Europe, that the proper way to spell it is — Joliet. Please do not waste so many I's and t's and e's when you write it, and although we are a jolly people, please do not pronounce it Jolly -ett, but Zho-liet; accent on first syllable. If you wish to go to the root of the subject, the primary meaning of the word is pretty, which makes it all the more appropriate for our city. Early in March, 1834, Albert W. Bowen, a physician in pursuit of a loca- tion, came to this vicinity and boarded a while with Lewis Kerchival. He had the sagacity to foresee that a town would grow up in this locality, and made a claim on Section 2, in this township. He also built a small frame house on Section 10, near where the Union School House now stands, in which he lived after (Ay\^'^^^^-^^y-y^,.Cy(y (deceased) JOLIET HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 277 the arrival of his wife. Dr. Bowen, who had been a practitioner for nine years in Herkimer County, N. Y., commenced the practice of his profession, and also engaged largely in speculations. He acted as agent for Jas. B. Campbell in the sale of lots, and soon added East Joliet and Bowen's Addition to the town. Dr. Bowen procured the establishment of a post office at Joliet, and was the first Postmaster, holding the office several years, until Taylor's election. He was one of the most conspicuous men in our early history. Major Bowen, of the One Hundredth, who gave bis life for the Union at the battle of Frank- lin, Tenn., was his son. Dr. Bowen has for some years resided at Wilmington, and bears well his 77 years of busy and useful life. In the Fall of 1833, Charles Clement, having some dimes which he thought would grow faster somewhere else, left l^ew Hampshire, and, anticipating the advice of Horace Greeley, came West. Passing through the swamps of Michi- gan Territory, he struck out on horseback from Niles, followed the old Sac trail through Northern Indiana and Illinois, and crossed the Des Planes at a ford north of the city. Seeing no marks of the coming city except the old log cabin of Maggard, he rode on west to Walker's Grove, and from there down to Peoria. He returned in the Spring of 1834 to Walker's Grove, where he heard of Juliet as a point of promise, and he bent his pilgrim steps hither. This time he struck lower down and found James McKee laying the founda- tions of McKee's Town, or West Juliet. Convinced that this was the spot for his dimes, he planted 1,250 of them at once by purchasing ah acre of land of James McKee, west of his mill-yard, which acre embraced land which became the blocks on the northeast and northwest corners of Blufi" and exchange streets, and extending west to Broadway. Events have fully justified his choice. From that time to the present, Mr. Clement has mostly resided at Joliet, and been one of our prominent citizens and property owners, and his dimes have fast multiplied. He was the first Treasurer of the county. He has held other positions of trust, and been found faithful. He now enjoys the distinction of being the " oldest male inhabitant " of the city, and though the writer stands next in the succession, he hopes Mr. C. will long enjoy the honor. His first enterprise in building consisted in putting up a frame house on the ground now covered by Bush's Block, which became afterward the American House, and which was soon occupied by the family of his brother, Daniel Clement, who, with a millwright named Clark, came on in May of the same year. It was here that the hands, among them " Uncle Dick Hobbs," were boarding when the writer came in September. In June of the same year, M. H. Demmond from Herkimer County, N. Y., and George R. Makepeace explored the West, and finally made a plant in the same locality, each purchasing another acre for the same sum of $125, of James McKee, Mr. Demmond's acre joining Clement's on the north, and Mr. Makepeace's still further north, on the north side of Oneida Street. They returned to New York, settled up their affairs and in September came on with 278 HISTORY. OF WILL COUNTY. their families, following the Sac trail from Niles hither. A sister of Mrs. Demmond's, now Mrs. Foltz of Centre street, a hired man of the name of Jenny, and a verdant youth subsequently known and described as "Long George," and sometimes as "Deacon," and at rare and happy intervals by those whose sense of justice is keen, "Judge," accompanied Mr. Demmond. We wish we could illustrate this history with a bird's-eye view of Juliet at this time, September, 1834. The pen cannot be expected to do it justice. Com- ing in through the Hickory Creek timber, crossing the tall grass and weeds of Spring Creek bottom, the first building which greeted the eager eyes of the traveler, was the palatial mansion of Dr. Bowen, of which we have spoken — sixteen or eighteen feet square. Crossing the slough somewhere near the pres- ent Cass street, then covered with grass and weeds in which we could almost be lost, two other dwellings loomed upon the vision. These were occupied by Thomas Cox and Benj. F. Barker. One of these was afterward moved, and altered by J. 0. Norton, and is still extant on North Chicago street. Farther south there were perhaps three other buildings just erected. One of these became historic as the "Juliet Hotel," and stood on the corner north of the Cen- tral Presbyterian Church. This was moved a little east a few years since, and has been cremated. Another was the Bailey house. On the west side of the river, which was then crossed by a ford below the island, was the old log house built by Reed, with an addition by McKee ; the Clement house of which we have spoken ; another which had been built for Mr. Demmond, per contract made by him on his first visit; and further north, a log house just above Cross street, in which lived a Mr. Campbell, and which soon after and for a long time was the home of Barton Smith, Esq., and family. The Maggard house was so far to the north as not to be included in the city limits during its existence. Men were busy building McKee's dam, laying the foundation for the mill, digging the race, and hewing the timbers. Such were at this time all the indications of the future city. To watch the daily progress of the mill, eat Mrs. McKee's hot biscuit, and drink her coflfee, and explore the suburbs, were the onlv re- sources for driving off the blues for the first few weeks ; and a hard time the writer had of it, no mistake. At this time, Deacon Brandon — it is wonderful how many Deacons we are able to get into this history — was lying upon his back, sick with bilious fever, in the McKee addition, and swallowing unlimited quan- tities of calomel, not a cheerful sight for the eyes of a new-comer. He was Mr. McKee's mason. We must not forget a block-house and palisades, built upon the highest part of the blufi", where H. N. Marsh's house now stands, during the Sac war. To this spot the writer often retired to dream of the future city — and of the girl he left behind him. In the course of the Fall and Winter the mill was erected and also a saw-mill, v/hich was rented and run by Dan. Clement and Clark. Mr. Demmond moved into the house he had built, and opened a store in one of the rooms, after the arrival of his goods, via the lakes, which were "hauled" from Chicago with "prairie schooners." The HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 279 Kings, who lived near the mound, hauled several loads. The goods were stored in Chicago at the old warehouse of Newbury & Dole, on the north side of the river. Probably few living remember the first warehouse of Chicago. Mr. Demmond had a prosperous trade, owing largely, no doubt, to his young and popular clerk ; but the accommodations were limited, and he soon planned greater things. He purchased during the Winter the land of McKee, except three acres sold, and another acre reserved for McKee, and the water-power, mill- yard, etc., and in the Spring commenced the erection of the old Demmond block, now owned by John D'Arcy. He laid off " West Juliet," and was soon busy selling lots, his clerk, who had spent a year in diligently looking at the bindings of a large law library, being conveyancer. FIRST WINTER. The following is probably nearly a correct list of the persons who spent the Winter of 1834-5 within the present city limits : A. W. Bowen and wife, Wm. H. Blackburn and wife, Thomas Cox and wife, 0. D. Putnam, Henry Bone and wife, the two Baileys, George West and wife, N. H. Cutter, Benj. F. Bar- ker and wife, Eri Dodge and wife. Jay Lyons, Edward Perkins and James C. Troutman, on the east side of the river ; and M. H. Demmond and wife. Miss Murray, Gr. H. Woodruff, James McKee and wife, Richard Hobbs, Charles W. Brandon, Daniel Clement and wife, Charles Clement, N. H. Clarke, D. Mag- gard, Asaph Webster, wife and son, Mr. Campbell and wife, a family named Lumereaux, and probably one or two others, on the west side. Mr. Makepeace and wife went to Fox River. FIRST CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS. During the Winter of 1834-5, the Rev. J. H. Prentiss, of Onondaga County, N. Y., came on here, under the auspices of the American Home Mis- sion Society, and believing that there were already some here who needed preaching to, and that there would probably soon be many more, determined to locate here, and during the Summer of 1835, came on with his family and es- tablished a mission. He first preached in a little stone house that stood on the southeast corner of Broadway and Western avenue, until a house was built by Demmond, E. Haven, McKee and J. Beaumont and others, for school and church purposes, on Hickory street, on the edge of Comstock's Pond. The house is still extant with considerable revamping, and is occupied as a residence by Mr. Tyrrell. It was long used as a school house and meeting house. Here the famous pedagogue of the early days, John Watkins, once taught. He has been called the first teacher at Chicago and at Joliet. Mr. Watkins was a worthy man and teacher, and we are sorry to take from liim the honor of being first on the ground. But Mrs. Kinzie, in " Waubun," tells of an earlier one in Chicago, and a daughter of B. F. Barker says that a Miss Persis Cleveland taught the first Juliet school in the old block-house. If this was so, the writer protests that he never saw her on his frequent visits to that locality. John Wat- 280 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. kins now lives in Joliet, almost blind, and is occasionally seen upon our streets. If not the first pedagogue in Chicago, he must have been next, as he taught school in the same log house where Father Walker preached and lived in the days of his early labors in that city. S. W. Stone, a later acquisition to our city, taught in the same building, on Hickory street, as early as 1845; and some of our young men, who are not so very young, first learned "how to shoot" — paper wads under his administration. Mr. Prentiss built a shanty on Oneida street, just under the bluff, where he lived until he got his house finished — a house which still remains, and is the one lately occupied by Mr. Denker, on South Broadway. He was the first set- tled minister in the city, and organized a Presbyterian Church in August, 1835. The Episcopal (Christ) Church dates its organization a little ahead. This was organized in May of that year, by Bishop Chase, of "Kobin's Nest," Peoria. Comstock Hanford, John Griswold, Miles Rice, Orlin Westover, A. W. Bowen, Julia Ann Hanford and Amorette B. Griswold were the original members. Some of these were from Yankee Settlement. All, except Dr. Bowen, were outside of Joliet. The original members of the Presbyterian Church were : Simon Z. Haven, Stephen Hubbard, Josiah Beaumont and his wife Eliza, Daniel Reed and his wife Cinda, Elias Haven and his wife Emily N., Eliza Prentiss, Delia Butler (Mrs. Prentiss' sister), and others were soon added. Forty-three names are on the original record, from August 12, 1835, to March 31, 1838, when Mr. Pren- tiss left for another field, and the Church soon ceased to' have records, Septem- ber 2, 1888, being the last entry. Among these names — the writer will be pardoned for mentioning — were an honored father and mother, Theor and Chloe Woodruff, and a beloved wife, Hannah B. Woodruff. Rodney House, the good, gray old Deacon of the present Central Church, who had settled on the Au Sable in 1833, and moved to Joliet in 1835, was also a member. Of course, itinerants of the Methodist Episcopal Church were early on the ground, and organized classes at Juliet, as elsewhere in the county. As early as 1836, the Joliet Circuit was established, of which Stephen R. Beggs was first Elder, who at once commenced the work of building the first Methodist Church building, and organized the Church in 1837. That old Methodist Church was, for several years afterward, the blacksmith shop of the Rock Island Railroad. But long, long it had the honor of being the first and only church edifice in Joliet. Long, long, its walls resounded to the eloquence of the early preachers of the Church, and the shouts, amens and happy songs of the brethren, sisters and children. Long, long, quarterly meetings and love feasts there gladdened the hearts of the|membership. Many, many, precious souls were there "born into the kingdom," some of whom still fight the good fight of faith ; while many, many, have receiv§d the palm of victory, and now shout " amen " to the new song. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 281 1835. The season of 1835 made many additions to our embryo city, among whom were John L, and Richard L. Wilson, George Higley and family, Levi Jenks and family, Archibald Growl, Wm. Walters, 0. F. Rogers, Rev. J. H. Prentiss and family, Abel Gilbert, Geo. Squire and wife, Rodney House and family, William A. Chatfield and family, S. W. Bowen, Abijah Cagwin and family, a Mr. Boland and his two sons, Abner and Andrew, H. N. Marsh and wife, Elias Haven and sons, David Rattray, James Brodie, Francis Nicholson and wife, W. R. Atwell (our first blacksmith) and wife, Allen Pi-att, Dr. Curtis Haven, Barton Smith and two sons and family, Joel George and wife, Sullivan Demmond, Jonathan Barnett, Charles Sayer, J. Beaumont and family, E. M. Daggett, E. C. Fellows, Fenner Aldrich, George Howliston, Alonzo Castle, Asa Rowe, Elias Hyde, Dr. Daniel Reed, David Crozier, Wm. Sherifi', S. B. Hopkins, Walter Seeley, Edson White, 0. W. Stillman, John M. Wilson, and a lawyer of the name of Pepper — not a misnomer. 1886. In 1836, the great speculation year, they came in rapidly. It will be imposible to recall all. Among the additions were J. A. Matteson, Orange Chauncey and wife, Albert Shepard, Uri Osgood, James Stout, Thomas, Edward and Bennett Allen, Dr. R. E. W. Adams and family, Mr. De Berard and family, John Currey and family, J. J. Garland and wife. Dr. Comstock and family, Otis Hardy and family, Edmund Wilcox, Thomas R. Hunter, W. J. Heath, David Richards and family, Hugh Henderson, Capt. Amos Fellows, J. C. Newkirk, Hervey Lowe, Richard Doolittle, Wm. Blair, Rufus Colton, Elnathan Bassett, Wm. S. Burgess, Thomas G. Burgess, S. S. Davis, Wm. A. Boardman, Stephen Hubbard, Giles Jackson (late of Ottawa, deceased). Dr. Scholfield, Wm. G. Hubbard, Dr. Wallace A. Little, Henry Fish, M. Worth- ingham, Thomas Culbertson, John Green, Lewis Reed and sons, David L. Roberts and family, Isaac H. Palmer, E. E. Bush and family. Dr. Simon Z. Havens, Henry G. Brown, David Richards, Theor Woodruff and George Woodruff, and our first installment from Germany, George Erhard, John Beltz and Mr. Gritzner. TWO SIDES TO JULIET. Of course, from the Spring of 1835, building progressed rapidly on both sides of the river. A brisk rivalry, which sometimes got to be right sharp, sprang up between East and West Juliet ; for rivers, like "mountains interpos'd Make enemies of nations, who had else, Like kindred drops, been mingled into one." No soonei: did a stranger make his appearance, than he was seized upon by parties interested in selling lots, and the special merits and advantages of the East or West Side (as the case might be) were urged with all the earnestness 282 HlcJTORY OF WILL COUNTY. and eloquence of a man running for office. Either side called the other " Canada," and to get the start in any enterprise or public improvement was an object which enlisted the energies of all. Communication between the two sides was difficult and occasionally impossible. For some years, we had to rely on the ford or precarious foot-bridges, and on skiffs, "dug-outs" and rafts. After we organized under our town charter, we had a ferry, the boat for which was built by Otis Hardy ; and the first permanent bridges were built in 1837 (which lost their permanency the next Spring) by the ingenious device of scrip, a kind of " fiat money." UNCLE BIGE AND THE DUG-OUT. We gave in that authentic history, " Forty Years Ago," a few incidents connected with this bridgeless period, some comic and some tragic ; but we did not tell the story of "Uncle Bige's" experience in dug-outs. It ought to be placed on record. When " Uncle Bige" first came to this county, in 1835, he pursued for a while during that Summer the business of a traveling merchant. One time, during a period of high water, he came back to Joliet on the West Side. He left his wagon at some safe place and got some one to take him over in a boat. The landlord of the tavern where he stayed wanted some tea. Uncle Bige had a supply in his wagon, and he thought he saw a good way to pay his board bill, and so undertook to go over and get some. When he came to the river, he found no means of crossing except a dug-out. He had never tried to navigate a dug-out, but he had often seen others — even little Indians and squaws — row them about at will, and it seemed an easy thing to do. Most people have the same idea, until they try it. So he got into one end of it without much trouble — this was forty-odd years ago, before he became one of our solid men — pointed the other end toward the place where he wanted to land on the West Side, and pushed boldly out. The river was booming from recent rains, but the dug-out went all right for a few feet until the prow struck the strong current near the center of the river, when its direction was suddenly changed from west to south. Uncle Bige did not like the change. McKeestown was his destination, and not New Orleans. He at once tried to bring about a return to the original direction. He tried to ''■ larboard," and then he tried to '■'starboard," but on went the dug-out toward the maelstrom made by McKee's dam. The prospect was not cheering to a man who had not made his will. He began to get a little excited and to doubt his ability to manage a dug-out. To cheer him, the people who had begun to collect on either shore, gave him some very good advice. One cried out, " Put your paddle on t'other side ; " and another, " Put your paddle on this side ; " and another, " Head her up stream," etc., etc. It is one of our good deeds which affords us great satisfaction in the retrospect, that we offered Uncle Bige some very good advice on this occasion. It may have been the means of saving a future Judge to Will County. Who can tell what great results hang upon the most trifling HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 283 actions ! Uncle Bige tried to follow all this good advice, and was, no doubt, very much encouraged by the interest manifested in his welfare. But the plaguy dug-out obstinately refused to mind the helm ; whichever side he put the paddle seemed to make no difference — on, on she went toward New Orleans. His mind underwent a change in respect to dug-outs. He wished he was on shore where he could read up in the art of navigation. He thought about his wife and children way back in York State, and, perhaps, of some other things. McKee's old dam and the maelstrom seemed to be moving up toward him at a fearful rate. He was fully convinced now that he did not know how to manage a dug-out, and, seeing not far off, just above the dam, a couple of " staddles" that had been left standing, he thought he would rather trust them than it, and concluded to go overboard. This was not a difficult thing to do. The dug-out spilled him easily — as easily as falling off a log, and very much like it. He very soon found the bottom of the Des Planes, and partly by his own efforts, a la crab, and partly by the force of the current, he succeeded in seizing one of the staddles and showing his head above the surface, snorting like a porpoise. The dug-out went on, bottom side up. He did not care for the ship, but he did want to save the cargo. The staddle was now his only hope ; clinging to that with a deathlike grasp, he rested and calmly surveyed the situation. After a while relief came to him in the shape of a rope thrown from the East Side. By the help of this he at last made port. ' It was not the one for which he had first " bent his ventureus prow, " but it gave him real estate security, and that was what he most wanted. He did not get the tea, but he had taken a valuable lesson in the navigation of dug-outs, with which he has remained content. He has never thought he could manage one since. It would take two at least to hold him now ! JULIET POST OFFICE. As we have elsewhere said, when the settlement was first made here, our nearest postoffice was at Uncle Billy Gougar's, and this was called the Juliet postoffice. The mail route — per Indian pony express — was from Danville to Chicago, and passed by Gougar's, through Yankee Settlement. Dr. Bowen, who was well known at the Postoffice Department at Washington, not only officially (having held the office of Postmaster in the place from which he came), but personally, succeeded in getting the route changed to go from Gougar's to Plainfield via Juliet, and soon after a stage mail route was established from Chicago to Ottawa by way of Plainfield and Joliet, which in a little while was run directly from Ottawa to Chicago via Joliet, leaving Plainfield out in the cold. He was appointed Postmaster in 1885, as we have elsewhere stated. SPECIAL MENTION. Now there are a great many of the persons named in the above lists, of whom we should like to make special mention, and respecting whom we should like to record some incidents. But the amount of paper we are consuming admon- 28 i HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. ishes us that we must restrain our inclinations in this regard. Some of these persons are well known ; they have lived long and still live among us, and how- ever pleased we might be to write their obituaries, we cannot do so while they persist in keeping hale and hearty. It would not suit our ideas of good taste. George West was a Methodist preacher, but out of health for some time, and soon left. M. H. Demmond, the proprietor of "West Juliet," was originally from Massachusetts. For several years he was a merchant in Oneida and Herkimer Counties, N. Y., where he accumulated a considerable property by diligent attention and fair dealing. In 1834, he thought he would come West, where he could invest his gains to better advantage. Circumstances have justified his course. He died of cholera in 1854, leaving a handsome property to his wife and his wife's niece, afterward Mrs. Bartleson. Mr. Demmond was never a member of a church, but he was always the most liberal supporter of such religious and educational efforts as secured his confidence and respect. He was the first to welcome Mr. Prentiss, and was his most liberal supporter and friend. And it is but just to say that in this respect his widow, who still lives among us, follows the same course. He was also noted for his honorable and upright dealing, and had the confidence of all. Abijah Cagwin, "Uncle Bige" — we beg his pardon — Judge Cagwin, be- came our County Judge from 1839 to 1842 — four years. "Uncle Bige" still flourishes, like one of the sturdy oaks of fifty years ago, which the woodman has spared. "Uncle Bige," we mean Judge Cagwin, once built a saw-mill on Hick- ory Creek, below the Red mill. He built several dams successively which the high water carried away each Spring, until at last he gave the creek a final dam- ming (with an n in it) and left it to the Joliet Woolen Factory Company. James McKee was a Kentuckian, a marked character, well informed, a great reader, a strong temperance man and Abolitionist, honest but stubborn, a great man to discuss moral and political questions, and hospitable. He was elected a Justice of the Peace and greatly magnified his ofiice. He took the view that his official oath required him to take notice of every infringement of the statute, and he did not wait for a complaint to be made, but at once ordered the arrest of any person whom he saw disorderly. This gave rise to some amusing scenes. The lessees of his saw-mill used to run it on Sunday, and McKee would have them arrested on Monday and fine them. The name Haven has occurred frequently in the preceding lists, and something more ought to be said respecting this family, once so prominent among us. Elias, Simon Z., Curtis and Samuel Haven were brothers, who came here about the same time from the State of New York. Philo A., Orlando H. and James were sons of Elias Haven, of Joliet, and Dr. Rush Haven (now of Chicago), Carlos Haven (late of Chicago, deceased) and Dwight Haven, of New Lenox (School Commissioner of our county from 1865 of 1868, inclusive), are sons of Samuel Haven, of the Hickory Creek settlement. 0. H. Haven, a young man HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 285 who was once a well-known and prominent citizen of Joliet, and represented this district in the General Assembly of 1849, died of cholera in 1854. In 1839, he, with Philo A., built the saw and grist mill which once stood below town, and the dam across the river, which still remains. The California excitement took James and Philo A. from us, and they have never returned to stay. Dr. Rush and Carlos also went there, but came back again, with more or less of the root of all evil. Simea Z. Haven, a physician, returned to New York, and Curtis Haven was many years a physician in Joliet and died here. Elias was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Church, in 1835. Dwight Haven is now, we believe, the only male representative of this once large fam- ily in Will County. His brother Carlos died in Chicago in 1862, having taken high rank as a lawyer. Mrs. James Goodspeed is a daughter of Samuel Haven. He died in March, 1866, at the age of 67. Hugh Henderson came from Norway, Herkimer Co., N. Y., in 1835, and was one of our best known and ablest lawyers. He was a member of the firm of Hender- son & Boardman, and afterward of Wilson & Henderson. He was elected Judge of Probate in 1837, and Circuit Judge in 1839. He was also a member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1847. He had an eminently judicial mind, and his legal opinion always carried great weight. Although he was an ardent poli- tician, he numbered many of his political opponents among his warmest friends. Frank and courteous in manner, and pure and spotless in character and repu- tation, his early death was deeply regretted. He was taken sick while on a visit to his native place, and died there in October, 1854. We told one story of Dr. Comstoek in " Forty Years Ago," and must put another on record, for the Doctor was one of our characters, one of the best of the early day. He was an able preacher as well as a good doctor. He was at home wherever he went. It was a common thing for a woman on going into her parlor to find the Doctor stretched out upon the lounge, reading, or perhaps fast asleep. It was the "old Doctor," and nobody thought of taking oifense. On one occasion, he had visited a patient late in the evening, and, wishing to leave an appointment with another doctor (who, for convenience sake, we will call Dr. B.) for a council next day, he walked, according to his custom, into the house (those were the primitive days when we did not lock every door), and and knowing that the Doctor was not in, opened the door of what he supposed to be the bedroom occupied by Dr. B.'s wife, and proceeded to make known his errand, as he supposed, to her. It happened that the room was occupied by a (then) unmarried sister of Dr. B.'s wife. She was not a little frightened, at first, to see in the dim light a strange man of somewhat singular appearance unceremoniously enter her bedroom (the Doctor wore a shawl wrapped around his neck and shoulders long before men's shawls came into fashion). But she soon discovered that the intruder had no evil intent, and listened quietly to his statement, after making which the Doctor withdrew. Dr. Comstoek found out, the next day, the blunder he had made, and felt that an apology was due 286 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. the young lady. He accordingly called and made his apology by walking through the room where Dr. B.'s wife and her sister were both sitting, and say- ing: "iw the morning behold it was Leah ! " On another occasion, when he visited a lady patient whose disease seemed to baffle his remedies, he entered her room with the abrupt remark, " Desperate diseases require desperate remedies," and forthwith administered a kiss to his astonished patient. C. W. Brandon, commonly known as Deacon Brandon, was our first stone mason and stone cutter, and built the Wilson store (soon to be mentioned), and Barker's stone cottage, long the most costly dwelling in Joliet, now meta- morphosed. He was also the proprietor of the city of Palmyra. We do not refer to the Palmyra built by Solomon, and known as Tadmor in the desert, but the Palmyra of Will County, built in 183ij. If the reader does not know its history or location, let him look upon the county records, where he will find all its noble avenues, its splendid palaces and its grand temples recorded by the same skillful hand that is now writing this history — and you will find them nowhere else. If you have the curiosity to look upon the ground where it stood, and to dig among its ruins, ask Prof. Palmer to point out the spot to you. He married one of the Deacon's comely daughters, and liveis in the vicinity ; and if the city has left any bumps he will know where they are, for he is great on bumps. And while searching for ruins, you might also look up those of Romeo, Lunenburg, West Lockport, Williamsburg, Middletown, Vienna, Carlysle, Chelsea, New Rochester, . and New Buffalo, all once flourish- ing cities of Will County ; but now the gopher burrows unscared amid their ruins. We suggest to the next Fourth of July orator that, instead of asking, " Where are Thebes and Babylon ? " etc., he should vary the question and ask, " Where are Lunenburg ? " etc. Mr. Brandon died in 1871. E. E. Bush was some time mine host of the old " American," and had the honor at one time of feeding J. C. Newkirk, John M. Wilson, Charles, Clement, and this deponent, and others not equally celebrated. Bush was a son-in-law of Lyman Hawley, and consequently the Hawley girls used to be at the American a good deal, which did not hurt it any ; did it, Charley ? Bush moved to Lockport, and was long Postmaster there, where he died many years ago. John L. and Richard L., and a younger brother who came a little later, Charles L.Wilson, were the sons of Judge Quartus Wilson, of Albany, N. Y. They were some time residents here, engaged in merchandising, canal contracting, etc. They afterward removed to Chicago. Richard L. was Postmaster there, under Taylor. The Wilsons founded the Chicago Journal. We don't know whether Chicago feels it or not, but she is greatly indebted to Will County for men as well as for stone and gravel and coal. The list of men we have allowed to go there would be a long one, embracing some of her best lawyers, physicians, judges, merchants, capitalists, and public men, editors, etc., and thus we have helped to raise her out of the mud in more senses than one. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 287 Everybody knows David Richards, and how his farm is now one of the finest portions of the city, and Richards street, a fashionable avenue. We do not suppose that when David set his stakes there he anticipated becoming part of the city. Lewis Reed had a blacksmith's shop under the bluff, just north of Exchange street, where a bold and frowning bluff, with a lime-kiln below, stood where now we make the easy ascent. Could those who want the hill cut down have seen it then, they would be forced to own that it had already been cut some. One of Mr. Reed's sons is the Rev. Francis Reed, a Methodist preacher, now at Mendota. W. J. Heath, above named, is the man who has been so long known in Joliet as Justice Heath, and sometimes, by way of eminence, as Chief Justice Heath. He has worn the justicial ermine many'years ; but he is still extant, and we shall not, therefore, write his obituary, but must leave that pleasing task to some future historian. But we have a little story to tell of him. Mr. Heath did not arrive at the dignity of being Chief Justice of Joliet at one jump, but went through the preliminary steps of Constable, Deputy Sheriff, etc, It so hap- pened at an early day, when the Kankakee River formed the boundary line between Will and Iroquois Counties, that he had given him some papers to serve on a couple of men who resided on the Kankakee. So he set out to hunt them up. After a long and lonesome ride, he arrived at the banks of that stream, and found, living near the ford, one of the men of whom he was in search, on whom he served his process in due form. But here he learned to his chagrin, that the other man lived just across the river. Although he was not yet a justice learned in the law, he even then knew that a process from a Will County Court would not have any force on the other side of the river. Here was a quandary. He did not like to lose his fees and mileage on this paper — it was half of his day's wages — and the whole was little enough reward for his long ride. A brilliant idea struck him. He had often heard it said that everything was fair in war and in love, and he was already enough of a politician to have learned that everything was fair in politics. Then why not in law. He at once resolved on a strategic movement. He crossed over, and, riding up to the man's house, found him with his horse just ready to go away. Mr. Heath told the man that he was happy to find him and with his horse all ready, as he wished very much for a man to go over to the other side to witness the execution of a paper. Would he be kind enough to take that trouble ? The man readily complied. When they had got safely on the Will County side, Mr. Heath asked the man his name. The man told him it was Beebee. " Beebee," exclaimed Mr. Heath. " Ah, I believe I have got a process to serve on you," and accordingly he proceeded to read to the astonished squatter the document with which he was armed. The man was so astonished at the cheeky procedure that for a moment he was speech- less ; but he soon recovered his voice and proceeded to tell Heath what he thought of him, in language more forcible than elegant. But Heath had saved 288 HISTORY OP WILL COUiNTY. his fees and mileage, and cared little for the man's private opinion. Whether in this case the end was large enough to justify the means is a problem in casuistry which we submit to the Joliet Philosophical Debating Club. BLACK HAWK WAR. As. will be seen from the preceding pages, there had begun to be a consider- able immigration into this and other parts of the Northwest as early as 1830 and 1831. This immigration was interrupted in the Spring of 1832, by the Black Hawk war — so called from the noted chief who was its prominent insti- gator.' Although the seat of the war was principally to the west and north, on Rock River, and, although the Pottawatomie Indians of this region were sup- posed to be friendly, yet great alarm was felt by the settlers in this vicinity. It was at once feared that the tide of war would sweep this way, and that a general war of extermination had been resolved upon by the Indians, and that the efforts which it was known Black Hawk was making to draw in all the In- dians of the Northwest, would be successful. There was abundant reason to justify their fears. On the 21st of May, a frightful massacre had been perpe- trated on Indian Creek, about fifteen miles above Ottawa, within thirty miles of Joliet, in which fifteen settlers, men — women and children — had been suddenly surrounded and massacred, with the usual barbarities of Indian war- fare. One boy alone had escaped from the settlement and carried the news to Ottawa. Two girls named Sylvia and Rachel Hall, of the ages of 15 and 17 respectively, had been carried off as prisoners, and held for ransom. As we have elsewhere noted, this event is closely connected with the history of Joliet. The news of this and other atrocities might well arrest further immi- gration and drive out many already here. The settlers at Walker's Grove, with some who had fled from Fox River, to the number of 125 in all, collected at the house of Father Beggs, on Section 16, which seemed most favorably located for defense. This they hastily fortified, by pulling down all the surrounding outbuildings and fences, and forming outer barricades of the material. The question arose whether they would escape to Ottawa or remain at the fort. Mrs. Flagg, the wife of Azariah Flagg, a woman of great decision and judgment, threw the weight of her influence in favor of staying, and presented so many and so strong arguments for this course that the settlers finally determined to stay. It was afterward ascertained that this course saved their lives, and that the party who had committed the outrage at Indian Creek were laying in wait, expecting them. Indeed, one person, the old Dunkard preacher, of the name of Payne, refused to stay, and, trusting to his sacred character, put out for Ottawa and met his fate a little way from the fort. They chose James Walker for their commander, and resolved upon a vigorous defense. They collected all the guns, hoes, scythes, axes, pitchforks, etc., of the neighborhood, and melted up their pewter spoons for bullets. Here they waited a few days, and no In- dians making their appearance, and, as they had but four guns, they thought HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 289 the safer course was to go to the fort at Chicago. Thither, accordingly, they made their way, under the protection of the company elsewhere mentioned, where they found the fort full of settlers that had fled thither for protection. The crowded state of the fort rendered their stay there exceedingly uncomfort- able, and they suffered nearly as much as from their fears of the Indians. The settlers in Yankee Settlement also fled to Chicago. The alarm had been car- ried to the Settlement by Hiram Pearson, of Chicago, and Daniel Mack, of Hadley, who had started for Danville, and who encountered fugitives from the West somewhere near the Des Planes River. They returned at once and gave the alarm, and the families were quickly gathered together and went to Chicago. While there the refugees organized a company of twenty-five, chose Holder Sisson, of Yankee Settlement, their Captain, and started out on a scout to ascertain, if possible, the whereabouts of the Indians. They stayed the first night at an old settler's of the name of Lawton, on the Des Planes, went thence on to Naperville, then down to Walker's Grove, stopping the second night at Fort Beggs. They then proceeded on toward Ottawa, and at Holderman's Grove they met a party from Ottawa, and both parties went to Indian Creek, where they found the mutilated and decaying bodies of fifteen persons, including six children. Having buried these, they went on to Ottawa, where they found the remnants of a regiment which had skedaddled from the encounter at Stillman's Run. They then returned, over the same route, to Chicago. On their return they found the body of the Dunkard preacher; neither his long, reverend beard, nor his peaceful character had availed to save him from the treacherous savage. After a few weeks' stay at Chicago, the discomforts of the fort vere so great that the settlers from Yankee Settlement returned, and built a fort on the Sisson-Hanford place ; and those from Walker's Grove returned to that locality. Scott had arrived at Chicago, bringing with him a foe more dreadful than the Indians even. This caused a more sudden stampede from than there had been to Chicago from the country. Lanfear, and his ox-team, of the Yankee Settlement, -were pressed into the service by Scott to take his supplies to Galena. At this time there was a Pottawatomie village or encampment between Fraction Run and Big Run, Lockport, and remained there a year or two after. A story is told of this fort to this effiect : Runyon, wishing to put the courage and watchfulness of its inmates to the proof, disguised himself as an Indian, and with rifle and tomakawk approached with stealthy step. He came near paying dearly for his experiment, as the defenders were about to fire upon him, when his wife, with the sure instinct of a woman, discovered the disguise and pre- vented the catastrophe. The settlers on Hickory Creek, Jackson's Grove and Joliet Township, and all down the river, being, many of them, from Indiana, sought safety in that direction by a hasty flight. A number having collected near Gougar's, they sent Robert Stevens, David Maggard and one of the Nor- mans to reconnoiter. They saw some Indians on the prairie near the Lilly- 290 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Cache, who seemed to be driving off cattle. They returned and reported, giving it as their opinion that they were Pottawatomies. It was afterward ascertained that this was so, and that they were on their way to assure the settlers that there was no cause for alarm. But the settlers had by this time become so excited that they commenced at once to flee, and to notify all the region of their danger. Every horse, pony and ox-team was at once brought into requisition. The chattels of the settlers were hastily loaded, and women and children placed in the wagons, while the men with their guns rode the horses as guards. When the settlers gathered together on the prairie, there were some seventy or eighty, with twenty teams, mostly drawn by oxen. The stampede, as we have heard it described by some of the survivors, was at the same time terrible and ludicrous. They tell of one who, hatless and coatless, with his supplies of flour, sugar and bacon hastily loaded on his horse before and behind him, was too badly scared to wait the tardy movements of the main column, and put out at the utmost speed of which his horse was capable, throw- ing overboard one article after another of his impedimenta in order to increase his speed, never pausing until he reached the Kankakee. Some accounts have it that he got on to his horse " hindside afore," and that he did not stop until he reached the Wabash. But the narrator, we fear, was given a little to exagger- ation, as even historians sometimes are — a thing very much to be deprecated. But if true, he no doubt presented the boldest front he had to the enemy. The fugitives met a company of armed men from Indiana, who had come out to aid and protect the settlers. Some of the fugitives, having cooled off" a little, returned with them. It was this company which built the fort, of which we have spoken, on the bluff, and which was named "Fort Nonsense" by the early settlers. Mr. Jesse Cook, named in the list of early settlers of the town- ship, was one 'of those who returned and who helped build the fort. Mr. Cook also relates that, on returning to their homes, they found that the friendly Pot- tawatomies had shown their friendship by taking care of the pigs, chickens and provisions they had left in their flight — such good care that the settlers never had to take care of them any more.* Robert Stevens and David Maggard also returned and concealed themselves for a few days in a cave under the bluff on the west side of the Des Planes. Most of the families returned the next Spring. There was also a block-house built, which was standing many years after the writer came, in Reed's Grove, but whether built before or after the stampede we do not know. It will be seen from this record that Will County figured in the Black Hawk war. True, no bloody battles occurred on its soil, but there were many races. * We find the following statement in a biographical sketch of Gurdon S. Hubbard, which may seem to conflict with -what we have given. We conclude, however, that the companies referred to are the same : "In the Spring of 1832, on Sunday morning, news reached Danville of the hostilities of Black Hawk's band, and that they were killing the settlers on the Des Planes and Dn Page Rivers. He (Mr. Hubbard) persuaded Col. Moore, who commanded the Vermilion County Militia, to call out his regiment at once, without waiting the orders of the Governor, and to march for the seat of war. Mr. Hubbard furnished transportation, and bought provisions and ammunition, and the follow- ing Tuesday, the regiment took up its march with ten days' rations. Arriving at Joliet, a rude stockade was built one company left, and another sent to Dn Page, where another stockade was (had been) erected, where they left another company, and the balance joined Gen. Atkinson. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. * 291 No heroes spilled their blood in defense of their hearths and homes, but they took good care that the savages should not spill it for them. At least four, and perhaps more, forts were built, and their pewter plates and spoons were freely sacrificed for the common defense, and Joliet (Campbellstown and McKeestown), are monuments of the bloody slaughter of Indian Creek. COUNTY ORGANIZATION. After the Black Hawk war, which was soon brought to a close by the vigor- ous movements of Gen. Atkinson, while Gen. Scott was fighting the cholera, the tide of imrbigration set in strong to the West. No region presented a more inviting prospect to the farmer than that embraced in Will County. Here, too, were mill-sites up and down our streams inviting the manufacturer, and any quantity of sites for towns and cities to catch the eye of the speculator. The earlier settlements as they were initiated, both before and after the war, we have pretty fully detailed. By 1835, our population had so greatly in- creased that a new county was called for. Chicago was so remote that it was very inconvenient to be obliged to go there as often as the exigencies of business required. Juliet began to be talked of as a county seat. Duringthe Winter of 1835-36, through the efforts of our citizens, especially James Walker and Dr. A. W. Bowen, who went to Vandalia as members of the Third House, and who were both shrewd and influential men, an act was passed creating the county of Will. It received its name from Conrad Will, a member of the Legislature who had died just before. Gov. Ford, in his history, says, that he was chiefly remarkably for his good nature. We accept the name as a just compliment to our people. Dr. Bowen got inserted in the act a provision locating the county seat not only in Juliet, but on the public square which Camp- bell had had the sagacity to appropriate for that purpose. Thus the East Side made a second point on us of the West Side (it had already got the postofiice). An election was ordered in March for a Sherifi', three County Commissioners, Recorder and Coroner. A convention was called to nominate the county offi- cers. This was held in the upper room of the old Demmond Block, which had just been erected. And here the West Side made a point. This conven- tion was called without regard to party, and was largely attended by the sub- stantial settlers throughout the county. Of course they would make out a good ticket. They nominated Holder Sisson, Thomas Durham and James Walker, for Commissioners; Robert Stevens for Sheriff; George H. Woodruff for Recorder (here is the point), and E. M. Daggett for Coroner. The ticket met with some opposition as to Recorder, and Sheriff especially, but it was tri- umphantly elected. In those days we could make a good run, if nothing else. The principal tactics we used was to keep out of sight, which we think was sagacious. It is worthy of note here that at this election those living on the East Side were obliged to go to Philip Scott's on Section 23, and those living on the West Side to Plainfield, in order to vote. Robert Stevens declined to qualify as Sheriff, and 292 HISTOEY OF WILL COUNTY. in the Fall, at the first regular election, " Uncle Fenner Aldrich," who had lived at Plainfield, was chosen in time for the first Circuit Court. We need hardly say that the Board of County Commissioners answered to our Board of Supervisors, transacting the business of the entire county. Their first meeting was held at the " Juliet Hotel," then kept by Thomas H. Black- burn, on March 14, 183d. They appointed Levi Jenks, a west sider, County Clerk and School Commissioner, and Charles Clement, Treasurer of the county. They divided the county into ten election precincts, as follows : 1. DuPage Precinct — ronsisting of Town 37, in Ranges 9 and 10 (now the towns of Du Page and Wheatland). Elections to be held at the house of David E. Clark. Harry Board- man, Seth Wescott and Isaac Scarrett to be .ludges of Election. 2. Plainfield Precinct— 'io-^ns 35 and 36, in Range 9 (Troy and Plainfield). Elections at house of Chester Ingersoll. Oliver Goss, W. W. Wattles and R. W. Chapman, Judges. 3. Canal Precinct — Town 86, in Ranges 10 and 11 (Lockport and Homer). Election at house of Luther C. Chamberlin. Charles Gray, Selah Lanfear and Comstock Hanford, Judges. 4. Joliet Precinct — Town 35, Range 10 (Joliet). Elections at the house of Thomas H. Blackburn. Isaac Merrill, Thos. H. Blackburn and Alonzo Castle, Judges. 5. Hickory Creek — Town 35, in Ranges 11 and 12 (New Lenox and Frankfort). Election at house of Chester Marshall. Mansfield Wheeler, Lewis Kerchival and John I. Davidson, Judges. 6. Jackson — Town 34, Ranges 9 and 10 (Channahon and Jackson). Elections at house of Jasper Willson. Henry Watkins, Seymor Treat and Joseph Shoemaker, Judges. 7. Forked Creek — Towns 32 and 33, in Ranges 9 and 10 (Reed, Wilmington, Florence, Westley and Custer). Elections at house of Robert Watkins. John Kilpatrick, Hamilton Kee- ney and Thomas Cox, Judges. 8. Rock Village — Towns 32, 33 and 34, in Ranges 11 and 12 (Manhattan, Greengarden, Wilson and Peotone, and two townships now in Kankakee County). Elections at house of Sam- uel Davis. Archer Caruthers, Samuel Davis and Hugh Carmiehael, Judges. 9. Thorn Creek — Town 34, in Ranges 13 and 14 (Monee and Crete). Election at house of Minoris Beebe. Minoris Beebe, -, Judges. 10. Kankakee — Towns 32 and 33, in Ranges 13 and 14 (Will and Washington, and two townships now in Kankakee County). Elections at house of Enoch Sergeant. All Election Precincts also to be Magistrate Districts, and elections were ordered for Justices and Constables. Some of these precincts were soon divided. Canal Precinct was divided the next year into Lockport and Spring Creek (now Homer), and Channahon was set off into Van Buren Precinct, and other changes soon followed. At this first session also, the county was divided into seventeen Road Districts, and Super- visors appointed, and all able-bodied men between the ages of 21 and 50 re- quired to work five days on the roads. Trustees of School Sections were also ap- pointed. Viewers were also appointed to lay out the first county road from Juliet to Plaiinfield and on to county line. (The first road projected, and not a good road yet !) They also ordered a writ of adquod damnum (as the records have it), but whom it hit or what it did, we can't say ; perhaps it is lying around loose yet. It was something about a cut-off from the Kankakee to the Des Planes. Jenks made the two first words into one, but we presume it hurt just as badly. They also fixed the price of tavern charges at 25 cents a meal, 12J cents for aw /JyU;^^^$2f^^ (DCCEASsk) JOLIET HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 295 lodging, and 6 J cents for drinks. We regret to say that this is not now in force. All cities have their golden age, when everything is bright and lovely, when the best men are exalted, and the people rejoice. If this period of which we write was not the golden age of Will County, pray tell us what period was. Think of it ! The best men in office, a good square meal for 25 cents, lodging for 12J cents, whisky for 6^ cents, no tramps, no burglars, no gas bills or ice bills, no book or map agents, no lightning-rod peddlers, no oily-tongued interviewers to persuade you that being a representative man and an old settler you ought to have your history and portrait in a book ! But, alas, those times are over and gone. After finishing the county business, which took them four days, the County Commissioners voted themselves $6 each, and adjourned. A dollar and a half a day was not a very big salary steal. Let us note that at the end of the year Mr. Clement was allowed fl6.60, being 2 per cent on the money he handled. Having made his pile, he retired and gave place to Bennett Allen. MORE JOLIET HISTORY. The first stone building put up in Joliet was the block of two stores built by Demmond, of which we have already s]joken. Mr. Demmond moved his store into one part as soon as finished, and soon rented the other. It was necessary that a building of so much importance should be dedicated. This could be done properly only by a ball, and it was determined by the proper authorities that there should be one as soon as the floors were laid and before the partitions were put up. The boys at once canvassed the county for girls. Most of us knew where to find them. The result was an extensive and suc- cessful aifair. The fame of it reached Chicago, and some couples came down to it. Among these were a Mr. and Mrs. Garland, a newly-married couple lately from Michigan. Of course the hotel accommodations were limited in those days. Mr. and Mrs. G. put up at the Higley House, the chambers of which could not properly be spoken of in the plural number, a^ there were no parti- tions. Mrs. G. made herself somewhat unpopular on account of the fastidious- ness she exhibited in objecting to inviting "tired nature's sweet restorer" in so promiscuous a style, although nature was very tired indeed, having danced till 4 o'clock. She actually refused to go to bed until a partition had been extemporized by means of a sheet suspended from the rafters ! But when she afterward came to live among us, and we learned to know her many good qualities, we forgot her unpardonable prudery, and loved her long and well. OLD WILSON STORE. The next stone building was on the east side, and was put up in 1836, by the Wilson brothers, who had come on here from Albany, and opened a store on Chicago street in one of Dr. Bowen's buildings. This is the old stone 296 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. building next south of the City Hall. Deacon Brandon, as we have said, built this store. It is one of the buildings that are historic. The Wilsons opened a store there, where they traded some years, and were succeeded by J. A. Matte- son, where he kept a store and depot for the cloths which he manufactured, part of the time with George Bradner for a partner. There, at one time, Alex- ander Mcintosh, now pretty well known in Will County, was his clerk. Major Safford was also for a long time his clerk. He has lately died in Cairo, where he was a banker. The upper story was rented for a court-room and Clerk's office by the County Commissioners, until the old Court House was built — we mean the predecessor of the present old Court House, long since taken down, as the present one ought to be. Afterward, it was occupied by the Episcopal Church for religious worship. Our worthy citizen, S. 0. Simonds, taught a private school there. S. W. Stone, and, we think, K. J. Hammond, taught there also. We can trace its history no further ; time would fail to tell it all ; for a long time, now, it has been occupied for a dwelling. Among other experiences of the old store we ought, however, to note the fact that in 1851, while occupied as a store house for wool by Matteson, it was struck by lightning, and perhaps that is why the northwest corner is now tumbling out. We suppose when a stranger visits Joliet and one of our citizens wishes to show him the points of interest, he is shown the Opera House Block, the new churches, the dwellings of Mr. Fox, George Woodruif, J. E. Henry, the Centennial and Aiken Blocks, etc.; but in the mind of the writer, and per- haps that of some others, these old buildings, however rusty or decayed, awaken far greater interest. They are full of memories ; they are historic. And we have often thought, what if their old walls could speak — what if they were all phonographs — what if they had anticipated Edison and had recorded every word, and every sight and act as well, of the various persons that from time to time had acted or spoken within them. And what if, at one's bidding, the walls should give out again the sights and sounds which they had absorbed — all the scenes of joy and sorrow, all the acts of piety and of sin, all the oaths and prayers, all the words that soothe and comfort, and all the words that irritate and wound, all the whispers and vows of love, and the pledges of friendship, both those that have been kept and those that have been broken — what, we say, if some Edison should yet discover the secret of unraveling it all to the listener, what revelations there would be, even in the commonest houses, the rooms where any one has dwelt even but a few years ! How many haunted houses there would be ! Perhaps, reader, there are rooms into which we should not want to go. But this is not history. The old wooden block on North Chicago street which made such a famous bonfire a year or two ago, was built about the same time with the Wilson store, and was long the center of business on the East Side. The next stone block was the old one on Bluff street, consisting of six stores, and was built in 1837. We gave something of its history in "Forty Years Ago," and will not repeat it HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 297 here. There is more unwritten history absorbed by its walls, than perhaps any other building in Joliet. What visions come and go through the halls of memory when we chance to walk by it ! The National was built, at least commenced, in 1838, by J. J. Garland and John Curry, two old citizens, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. Garland died first. He was an active and valutible man here, a member of the old Union Church organized by the Foots, and one of the fruits of that revival, and his wife also. Col. Curry more recently deceased, is better known to the present generation, having been long in business here. He was a brother-in-law of M. H. Demmond, and one time a partner. He came in 1836, from Oneida Co., N. Y., and died in March, 1872, at the age of seventy-. OTHER OLD BUILDINGS. The next hotel built upon the East Side, after the Juliet Hotel, was the Exchange, built in 1837, by Abel Gilbert. The upper story was hurried up and finished first, into a ball-room, in order to get ready for a Fourth of July ball, with which the boys on the East Side resolved to dedicate it. They were spurred on by the happy memories of the one in Demmond's Block, and deter- mined that this one should excel it both in numbers and eclat. The West Siders were, however, permitted "to jine." Some did. An efficient committee was appointed to gather in the girls. Every precinct, even away up to " Yellow Heads," was explored, and teams sent to bring them. The girls did not need much urging, but came right along, as they still do, we suppose. 0. W. Still- man, Sul. Demmond, Ed. Wilcox and Allen Pratt, the old "bach" from Bos- ton, and others, were among the eificient managers. Of course it was a grand success. The ball opened e.t 4 P. M., and closed at 4 A. M. Allen Pratt was especially happy and successful as a general-in-chief He knew what Boston style was. It was on account of his eminent services on this occasion that at a sort of adjourned meeting atHigley Hall the next night, some of the West Side boys, feeling that he had done them great credit, and that his services should have some public recognition, crowned and embalmed him. If you want to know how that was done, you must ask Judge John M. Wilson of Chicago, or Judge J. C. Newkirk, of Hudson, N. Y. We don't suppose that any one else could tell the story, although there are several boys still left who witnessed both the ball and the after part ; but not having judicial minds, it is not safe to rely on their statements. There are many traditions against which we warn the public. Another hotel soon after claimed a share of public patronage, and ministered to the pride of the East Siders. This was the " Waving Banner," built, we believe, by Matteson, and opened under the happy auspices of mine host Jacob Patrick. This was afterward called the Washington, and still stands somewhat " depalliated " at the upper end of Chicago street, a monument of the enterprise of 1837. We suppose a good many things happened in this ancient hostelry which would be very interesting if we could get some Edison 298 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. to unwind them. It was a great center, though situated on the circumference, for political meetings, military displays and Fourth of July demonstrations. But perhaps we are spending too much time on these old Joliet buildings. We con- fess to a tender regard for them, and feel that like old men, they are too apt to be forgotten for what is fresh and new, and it is not without a pang of grief that we see one of them take fire and burn up, although we know that it will be replaced by something better, and gives friend Page an opportunity to show the efficiency of the Fire Department. And yet we must mention one more. King Gambrinus would never forgive us if we failed to note the first brewery established in the city of Joliet, and we presume in Will County. Have you noticed that old rookery of wooden buildings which stands upon the tow-path, a little way above the middle bridge ? That was the first brewery, established in 1838, by Beltz & Erhard, two of our earliest German citizens, the advance guard of the great host that has since invaded Will County, and who now form so large and valu- able a class of our citizens. It was built near, or over, one of the finest of natural springs we ever saw. Its waters were cool and pure and sparkling and perennial. Whether they were improved after passing through the various proc- esses which converted them into lager, we shall let each reader decide for him- self. But we are reminded of a little story. It is said that when lager was first introduced into the West, which must have been about this time, an old toper who had always taken his whisky straight, was induced to try a little by way of experiment. He carefully carried the foaming amber to his lips, and tasted a little, made a wry and disgusted kind of face, tasted again and deeper, and then threw the glass at the head of the astonished Teuton, exclaiming " by wormwood and Epsom salts ! " There is still another old building that we have not noticed ; we mean the stone one just above Hyde's mill, a conspicuous object as you go up to the Iron Mills. This was an old agricultural and plow factory, built by JoneS & Cagwin, in 1854, and for several years in successful operation, and one of our most important enterprises. It was subsequently occupied by one of the Sangers for similar purposes. But it seems of late years to have been left to the moles and the bats, and to have shared the fate of all buildings not occu- pied, in losing its windows and everything about it except the walls, a sad proof that the millennium has not yet come. ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN CANAL. A condensed history of the canal must not be omitted from this record. It is intimately connected with the history and prosperity of the county. It was one and a very important cause by which attention was directed hither. The project of a ship-canal, to connect the waters of Lake Michigan with the navigable waters of the Illinois River, was first suggested during the war of 1812, by some writer in Niles' Register. The war had shown of what immense advantage such a canal would be, both in peace and war. It was one of the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 299 compensations of that war in the "West, and also of the Sac war, that they were the means of directing attention to this part of the Great West. In 1816, the title to a strip twenty miles wide was obtained of the Indians, with a view to such a work. As we have already stated, this fact explains what is often seen on the maps — two lines running diagonally across the townships, and marked "Indian Boundary Line." In 1821, an appropriation of $10,000 was made by Congress for a preliminary survey of the canal and for the survey of the twenty-mile strip. Shadrack Bond, the first Governor of our State, in his first message, had called attention to the feasibility and importance of the work. A survey was made under the appropriation of Congress, and the work pronounced prac- ticable. In 1826, Congress donated to the State, for the purpose of its con- struction, every alternate section in a strip ten miles Avide along the route from Chicago to La Salle — a magnificent appropriation of 300,000 acres. In 1829, the General Assembly of our State passed an act creating a Board of Canal Commissioners, and authorized them (not to enter upon the work, but) to sell the lands, and giving settlers a pre-emption right on the same. Under this act many of the earliest settlers got their titles to lands in this vicinity. Fortu- nately, however, the folly of this course was soon seen, and the act was repealed. In the session of 1834—5, another act was passed creating a new Canal Board, and authorizing the Governor to negotiate bonds for its construction, and pledg- ing the Canal lands for their redemption. But even then the immense value of these lands was not appreciated by those who had the money to loan. It was not until at a special session in 1835, when, through the indefatigable exertion of Col. Strode, of Galena, who at that time represented all the region north of Peoria, in the State Senate, the act was so amended as to pledge the faith of the State for their redemption, that the bonds could be negotiated. This was done by Gov. Duncan in 18c56, and in the same year preparations were com- menced for active work. William B. Archer. Gurdon S. Hubbard and William F. Thornton, all Colonels, as public men generally were in those days, were the first Commissioners, who very wisely chose Wm. Gooding as Chief Engineer. Some changes were subsequently made in the Board, and James B. Fry, another Colonel, became a member. The first ground was broken at Bridgeport July 4,'l836. The event was celebrated in grand style. Dr. William B. Egan delivered an able address on the occasion. The work was commenced on the plan of the "deep cut," that is, feeding it directly from Lake Michigan through the South Branch of the Chicago River, as is now done. At the time of letting the first contracts, the mania for speculation was at its height, and labor and provisions were extremely high for those times. Labor was f20 to $30 per month, with board. Pork, $20 to $30 per barrel ; flour, |9 to |12, and other things in proportion'. The first contracts were predicated upon these high prices. To facilitate the construction of the Canal, a road was opened from Chicago to Lockport, known as "Archer's Road," from one of the Com- missioners, on which $40,000 were expended. The propriety of this expend- 300 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. iture was much questioned at the time, and unfortunately for the reputation of Archer for disinterestedness, he was the proprietor of an addition to Lockport. But it is certain that supplies for the laborers had mainly to be brought from abroad, as at this time no great surplus was raised along the line. The work was prosecuted by means of the money obtained from the sale of bonds and of Canal lands and lots in Chicago, Lockport, Ottawa and La Salle, until 1842, at an outlay of over five millions of dollars, when the work was suspended. Although the enterprise was commenced when everything had to be done in the most expensive way, and when the country was on the eve of a great financial crash, yet the State could easily have gone through with it and main- tained her credit if other projects had not been connected with it. The central and southern portions of the State, with very narrow views, looked upon the Canal as entirely for the benefit of the north, and insisted upon compensating railroads as the price of their votes for further appropriations to the Canal ; and, in 1837, the act was passed, which ultimately swamped the credit of the State and brought on our financial ruin. By this act, a loan of eight millions was authorized, on the faith of the State, for the purpose of gridironing our State with railroads, and a four-million loan for the further prosecution of the Canal. The sum of $200,000 from the eight-million loan was to be given to those counties through which no railroad passed for the construction of roads and bridges. And, absurd as was this scheme at that time, loans were made to the amount of nearly six millions. As the practical result of all this, a short rail- road was built from Springfield to Meredosia, and various others were com- menced at either end, as the act required, and great quantities of railroad iron were imported, free of duty, by special act of Congress. But before any other road was completed the whole scheme came to a disgraceful end. It may not be improper to remark, in passing, that it was by the purchase afterward (pay- ing in depreciated scrip at par) of this railroad iron of the State and selling to Eastern roads that Gov. Matteson laid the foundation of his fortune. The great commercial prostration which struck the East in 1837 was, by means of the disbursement of these Canal and railroad loans, warded off from us for a year or two, and the work of the Canal was kept along, although feebly, until 1842 by the help of Canal scrip and of the " contractors' loan," as it was called, from the fact that the contractors had sent Gen. Thornton to Europe to sell bonds, they agreeing to stand the discount, even to 25 per cent, if necessary. This they could afford to do, now that the prices of labor and provisions had greatly fallen. By the Fall of 1840 a debt had been contracted by the State, of $14,237,- 848, which must be paid by a population of 478,929 — nearly thirty dollars for every man, woman and child. And this amount does not include what the State had misapplied from the school fund and from the surplus deposits of the United States. By great exertion, the interest on the Canal debt was paid up to and including 1841 ; but for 1842 no provision could be made, and the work HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 301 Stopped entirely. An expenditure, as we have already said, of over five mill- ions had been made upon it, and the contractors abandoned their jobs, claiming heavy damages of the State. An act was passed for a settlement with them, limiting the amount to $230,000. To the credit of our State, let it be sjiid that the idea of repudiation was never seriously entertained by our people to any extent, and subsequent pros- perity and wise legislation have long since obliterated the debt. But the Canal could not, of course, be allowed to remain long in this condition. The bondholders were equally interested with us in devising some means for its speedy completion. It was a work of too great and too general importance to be abandoned altogether. In the session of 18i2-43 an act was passed which ultimately succeeded in accomplishing this purpose. By this act, the Canal itself and all its unsold lots and lands were transferred to a Board of three Trustees — two to be chosen by the bondholders and one by the Governor of the State. The bondholders were to advance the further sum of $1,600,000 to complete the Canal on another level. The Trustees were to prosecute the work and retain possession of the Canal and its revenues until the debt and further cost of its construction and interest on the same should be fully paid by the tolls and moneys derived from the sale of lands and lots. The Beard was organized and the work was resumed in 1845, and prosecuted until fully com- pleted in 1848. The debt of the Canal and all costs of its construction and the interest thereon were paid from these resources in the year 1871, and the Canal sur- rendered to the State, with a balance on hand of f95,742. In 1865 an, arrangement was entered into by the Trustees with the Board of Public Works of Chicago, by which the Canal has been completed upon the original plan of a deep cut, feeding directly from the Chicago River, thus making it the grand sewer of Chicago nastiness, and justifying, at times, to our olfactories the theory that the name " Chicago" was originally derived from that animal familiarly known as skunk. The Indian who christened- it must have had a prophetic smell of 1873 ! Let us console ourselves with the fact that we have now an abundant water-power, and that our basins are always full, if not fragrant ! In closing this brief history of the Canal, we wish to pay a tribute to its Chief Engineer, William Gooding, who was its firm friend from first to last, its efSoient Director, and against whom no suspicions of jobbery were ever enter- tained. Fully a master of his profession, prepared for all emergencies, urbane in his intercourse with all, he is entitled to the grateful remembrance of every citizen of this State, to the prosperity of which he has been so largely instru- mental. When the above paragraph, copied from "Forty Years Ago," was written, Mr. Gooding was still living. He has since died, and we feel that both his private character and public usefulness demand some further notice in a history 302 IIlrfTORY OF WILL COUNTY. of Will County. William Gooding was a native of Ontario County, N. Y., and commenced his service as a civil engineer on the Welland Canal. Subsequently, he engaged in mercantile business at Lockport, N. Y. He, however, soon re- turned to his chosen profession on public works in Ohio, in the valley of the Scioto. In the Spring of 1832, he was married in Troy, N. Y., and returned to Ohio with the intention of coming West to this region. The breaking-out of the Sac war prevented this, and he remained for a time in Roscoe, Ohio. The war being over, he fulfilled his intention of coming West, and, on May 1, 1833, landed at Chicago, a village then of very small pretensions. He squatted, accord- ing to the usage of the day, upon land at what became known as Gooding's Grove, which he afterward purchased, and where his father and brothers had previously located. Next year, he engaged with the Commissioners of Public AVorks of Indiana, and was there employed when selected as Chief Engineer of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, which position he held until its completion in 1848. He was then. appointed Secretary and Assistant Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, and so continued until the debt being fully paid, the Canal was surrendered to the State. During this period he was employed in some special service as United States Engineer, and also one of the Board of Public Works of the qity of Chicago, while the Canal was deepened and made the grand sewer of Chicago. He also received the appointment of Surveyor of Oregon, but declined to accept the post. Mr. Gooding had been in failing health for several years, and com- pelled to spend his Winters in Cuba, Florida, California, Alabama, etc., until the last Autumn found him too unwell to leave home again, and he declined gradually in strength until the 4th day of March, last, when he closed his earthly career in the 75th year of his age. A large concourse of neighbors and friends, not only from Will County, but from Chicago and the entire length of the Canal met at his late home to pay their sincere tribute of respect to one who had filled so important a po- sition in the public service, and filled it long and well. Rev. J. Porter, a patriarch in the ministry, who had long known and loved him, conducted the funeral services. Besides his valuable public service, his purity of life, and his urbanity, Mr. Gooding was also noticeable for his general culture and his refined taste, and the clear and lucid style of all of his reports and public communications. Mr. Gooding was also naturally gifted with a fine imagination and poetic taste, although his chosen profession was severe and dry, and " The muse but poorly shines In cones and cubes and geometric lines." His beautiful home in Lockport was richly adorned with fruits and flowers, to the cultivation of which he devoted his leisure moments. This home was in striking contrast to the one he first occupied at Gooding's Grove, which was a log cabin of one room, built by contract for $25, he furnishing the timber and a team to haul it with. This was covered with " shakes," a kind of roof which would shed the rain and snow, if the wind did not blaw, and had its chimney outside, according to the style of the times, because if placed inside there would HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 308 have been no room for anything else. This was built with sticks plastered with clay. The furniture was mostly the handiwork of Mr. Gooding, including the bedstead, made of poles. Mr. Gooding used to tell an interesting incident which occurred at this original mansion. One bitter cold morning, Col. Wm. B. Archer, Canal Commissioner, Chief Justice "Wilson, of the Supreme Court, and Robert Dale Owen, came there before breakfast, having stayed at the Sag over night, at a hotel which did not promise much in the way of refreshment. To be so suddenly called upon to entertain these notables was somewhat embarrass- ing to the young wife. The country did not afford very much variety where- with to improvise a breakfast. To add to the difficulty, the guests, except Col. Archer, were strangers, and as the one room was kitchen, bedroom, dining- room, and parlor, and it was too cold to adjourn to the only other place — out- doors — the breakfast must be prepared in their presence. In one all-important respect, however, the hostess was happy. Some little time before. Col. Archer, whose tastes were somewhat of the " Hoosier " order, had seen a piece of calico in Chicago which he greatly admired. It was of a green ground with large blue and yellow flowers and leaves, very pronounced in style. Wishing to make Mrs. Gooding some expression of his regard, he had bought five yards of the goods which struck his fancy, which he had given to her, with the remark that as she was small it would be arnple ; and she had on the dress on this memo- rable occasion. It is perhaps unnecessary to say that she was not bothered with a train, and that crinoline had not then been introduced. CANAL OPENING. The opening of the Canal, in 1848, was a day long to be remembered. Boats started simultaneously from either end of the Canal, to pass over the route. The one from Chicago arrived here about noon, with all the Canal officials and Chicago celebrities, bands of music, and supplies,, both solid and liquid, in un- limited quantities. Of course we had some notables here, who were present to welcome the arrival ; and all the population — men, women and children — turned out to see the first boat from Chicago, a sight for which our eyes had longed so many years. Cannon were fired and the welkin rang with cheers. Speeches were made by the Chicago notables, and speeches were made by the Joliet notables. Only one of these, so far as we know, has been preserved. After various persons had been called out and made their spread-eagle efforts, our popular citizen, J. A. Matteson, was called upon for a speech, to which he responded in the following glowing words : " Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen — I concur." ANOTHER CELEBRATION. When the Canal was completed on the original plan of the deep cut, in 1871, there was, of course, another celebration, which may as well be noticed here. Great preparations were made for this at Chicago, by the Board of Pub- lic Works and other notables. There was poetry in the occasion. It was the 304 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. "meeting of the waters " — the union of the blue waters of Lake Michigan with those of the sparkling tributary of the Mississippi, the classic Des Planes — the marriage of Michigan and Mississippi — and our valley, our beautiful bluiF-bound valley, was the vale in whose bosom the bright waters were to meet. True, the poetry and the brightness and the fragrance, were somewhat abated by the odors and the mud of the South Branch, after passing through which those of the lake were hardly fit for the bridal. Tuesday, the 25th of July, was fixed upon for the day, and four large canal-boats were chartered and put into holiday trim. On these, a crowd of ten or twelve hundred persons, the solid men of Chicago, officials and notables, including Gov. Palmer and Gren. Sheridan, and Members of Congress, Legislature, etc., and, no doubt, a due admixture of bummers and Bohemians. Of course they did not set sail with- out a well-stocked commissariat. At 9 A. M. they started, bound for the port of Lockport. But the first part of the voyage, except for its associations, had little to interest. It was through the heavy clay and rock of the excavation of the summit, which lay in huge piles upon the banks, shutting out entirely all view of the surrounding scenery. The excursionists were forced, as it were, to turn their attention to the resources on board. These were ample, and were liberally dispensed by the persons in charge. But, from causes which we have never heard explained, the progress of the fleet was slow, although a full head of steam was kept on, and every sheet spread to 'the wind. They did not arrive at Lemont until 5 o'clock. It is said that there had been, owing to head winds, a great amount of seasickness aboard. At any rate, the greater share of the excursionists went ashore at Lemont, determined to take the evening train for Chicago. A few, however, went on in the Governor's steamer. Meanwhile, great preparations had been made at Lockport for their recep- tion. Those who went up from Joliet to participate, found the city gay with bunting, and the streets filled with the beauty and fashion of the place. The Canal office was filled with the celebrities of Lockport, and on the west side of it were long tables, spread with spotless linen and loaded with eatables, and awaiting the arrival of the fleet. Great was the disappointment when, at 6 o'clock, news was received of the shipwreck at Lemont. But soon the little steamer arrived, having on board Gov. Palmer and Gen. Sheridan, Mayor Mason, Senator Judd, and others ; and, although the crowd was not as large as expected, it was select, and with this, and the Joliet notables, Lockport had to be content. Gov. Palmer was led to the stand in front of the Canal office, and introduced to the people. He was full of the inspiration of the occasion, and said many bright and humorous and clever things, in as happy a manner as could be expected from one who had just come off' a sea voyage and had not yet found his land legs. Gen. Sheridan and Hayes and Judd followed in a similar strain, and all were happy. The collation was then devoured by the crowd, and darkness closed the scene. It was said that, judging from Gen. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 305 Sheridan's own statement and his appearance, his ride to Winchester was noth- ing to the one to Lockport. One of our local poets, H. R., broke out into poetry on this occasion, which we would like to give, but can find room for a single stanza only : "The waters now have met again — Lake Michigan meets the Dea Planes ; Tlie Illinois joins its refrain, With onward flow ; Old Mississippi takes the bride, Escorts her to the ocean tide. Joining the groom in wedding ride. To sea they go." During the war and at other times, the question of enlarging the Canal to the dimensions of a ship-canal has been agitated, both in our State Legislature and in Congress. But all efforts have so far failed. This was the original idea, and may yet be accomplished. Mr. Gooding was enthusiastic in the belief that it would be done, and that from the first lock to the head of Joliet Lake there would be a continuous manufacturing city. In this distance is nearly half the fall between Lake Michigan and the mouth of the Illinois. As the Canal neared completion, the citizens of Lockport and Joliet com- menced to build boats wherewith to navigate its waters. Lockport had the first boat launched, which was named the Gen. Fry, and the citizens of that place made Joliet a visit as soon as the water was let into the level. On this occar sion, Judge Parks, then the Lockport orator, made Joliet a speech in his usual happy style ; and Joliet replied by the eloquent lips of William A. Little, and all were happy. Warehouses, also, went up in both towns. Henry Fish — who is none of your small fry — Abijah Cagwin and George Woodruff built the three warehouses which stand upon the east side of the Canal basin, and M. H. Dem- mond built the large stone one whose walls yet stand, below the bridge, the most substantial of them all, and yet the first one to become useless — a prey -to the fire-fiend. Otis Hardy built the first Joliet boat and established the first lumber-yard, and for many years kepf it in full blast, with happy re- suits to himself and the community as well ; for the piles of lumber which he sold increased, by steady gains, his pile of bank deposits, and this he now dis- penses, with liberal hand, to all enterprises and charities that command his confidence and sympathies. HIRAM NORTON. Among other benefits which accrued to Will County from the construction of the Canal, we must not forget to reckon the bringing-in of so many men of means and enterprise and character. Conspicuous among them was Hiram Norton, of Lockport. He was born in Skaneateles, N. Y., February 26, 1799. An orphan at the age of 14, he went to Canada in search of employment, which he found with the Canada Stage Company. At 18, having saved a little money, he went to 306 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Lowville, N. Y., and invested it in acquiring an education at the famous acad- emy of that place, where he remained two years. He then returned to Pres- cott, Canada, and entered the service of the Stage Company again. He soon became pecuniarily interested in the Company, and ultimately its proprietor. He was elected to the Canadian Parliament, and twice re-elected, making his term of service fourteen years. He also served on Government Commission for the improvement of the St. Lawrence River and Canal. In 1838, he came to Illinois with the Consulting Engineer of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and was so well pleased with the beauty of the country, and its prospective growth and importance, that he resolved to make it his future home. Lockport was peculiarly fortunate in being chosen as the spot where he pitched his tent. Being already possessed of large means, he at once built a fine residence on one of its beautiful streets, which he soon adorned with exquisite taste. He aided in the completion of the Canal, and when it was finished, rented the val- uable water power created by it, and established the mills, which have become famous for their products all over the region. He established, with his sons, the house of Norton & Company, whose name and reputation are well known and command unlimited confidence. Mr. Norton was sent by this county to the Legislature, in 1858. He was elected almost without opposition. One of the most public-spirited and enterprising of our citizens, he was also one of the best and purest, and died, sustained by a Christian hope, April 1, 1875. Mr. Norton paid the highest income tax in 1867 of any one in Will County — on f35,000. The benefits of his enterprise still continue to be felt by Lockport and Will County, in the continuance of the manufacturing and mercantile enterprises he initiated, by his sons. JOEL MANNING. Another valuable addition to our population, for which we were indebted to the Canal, was Joel Manning, who was appointed Secretary of the Canal Board at its organization in 1836. He was at the time a practicing lawyer at Browns- ville, 111., having come into the State some years before. He was born in October, 1798, and was a graduate of Union College, of the class of 1818. On the opening of the Canal oifice at Lockport, he removed to that place, where he continued to reside until the few last years of his life, when he came to Joliet to reside with his son-in-law, Henry Fish, Esq. Mr. Manning was a prominent and active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a warm-hearted and consistent Christian, whose sympathies were not confined to his own denomina- tion. He passed through all the trials of the hard times which followed the suspension of the Canal, and when Canal scrip was at a low ebb, and would hardly support his family with the most rigid economy, he invested some of it in Canal lots in Chicago, which in time became very valuable. He was called to pass through " great tribulation " in the loss of children, and finally in that of his wife. He died January 8, 1869, universally respected, and HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 307 leaving behind him the odor of a consistent, active Christian life and ex- ample. CHARLES B. BOYER. We suppose it was also the Canal which first brought another citizen to Lockport, a young man of great enterprise and energy, who engaged as a con- tractor in its construction, and in this and in other like enterprises accumulated a comfortable fortune. We refer to Charles E. Boyer. He was elected to the Legislature in 1862, and was a candidate for the State Senate at the time of his death, which occurred September 21, 1868, of typhoid fever. Mr. Boyer married a daughter of Armstead Runyon, who still survives him. JOHN B. PRESTON. Still another valuable citizen of Lockport and Will County was brought here by the Canal, John B. Preston, a son of the venerable Isaac Preston, who settled in Hadley in 1836, and now resides in Lockport. He was born in Washington County, N. Y., in 1817, and was educated for the profession of civil engineer. He came to Will County, in 1837, and took the position of Assistant Engineer on the Canal, and served in that capacity until the work stopped. On its resumption, he took the position of Resident Engineer, in charge of the south half of the work, and continued until its completion. In 1850, at the age of 33, he was appointed Surveyor General of Oregon, where he resided four years in prosecuting the work of that State's survey. In 1854, he took the position of Superintendent of the Canal, and took up his residence again at Lockport, remaining in this position ten years. He was afterward Secretary of the Chicago & Joliet Railroad (now a part of the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis), and secured for the road the right of way between Joliet and Chicago. In 1864, he became a member of the firm of Matteson & Preston, in the whole- sale commission business at St. Louis, and it was while on a visit from there to his parents at Lockport that he met with his accidental death, in the prime of life, at the age of 48. Mr. Preston was a man of rare qualities and powers, of strict integrity, and foremost in every good enterprise. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Government during the war, and of every measure for the enlisting of men and the relief of the disabled. The beautiful public school house of Lockport might almost be called his monument, as he was one of the most active in its erection. The writer well remembers the 15th of April, when the first intelligence which reached Joliet in the morning was that of his sudden death, intelligence which would have sobered and saddened the com- munity for more than a day, had it not been almost immediately overshadowed by news which sobered and saddened the nation. LORENZO p. SANGER. Another valuable citizen (now deceased) must be credited to the Canal, Lorenzo P. Sanger, who was one of the old 1836 contractors, and also subse- quently one of the firm of Sanger & Casey, who built the Penitentiary, and 308 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. of the firm of Sanger & Steele, who so largely developed our stone in- dustry. He was one of the most driving, energetic, enterprising men we have ever had. During the war, he threw all the weight of his political influence, which was not small, on the side of the Union, and would himself have par- ticipated actively in it had not the weight of years been too much to allow it. He died in Oakland, Gal., whither he had gone for his health, in March, 1875. His body was brought home for burial, and rests in Oakwood, beside his wife, who died some few years before him. CHANGES WROUGHT BY THE CANAL. The construction of the Canal of course destroyed McKee's water-power, and made his mill useless for the purpose for which it was intended, and being adjacent to the Canal was taken possession of by the State. McKee recovered damages for the loss of his water-power to the amount of $17,655 and costs. The Haven boys bought the machinery, and set it up in their mill below. The construction and opening of the Canal also wrought great changes in the phys- ical aspect of the region along the route. The west bank of the Des Planes, which, before its construction, was beautifully bordered with trees and shrubs, all through Joliet and below, was now denuded, and a stone wall and a rubble bank given us instead. Our compensation was found in the increased facilities for business, and in the increased population of the towns and country. The Canal also brought into our county great numbers of men whose boast it was that they were from the Emerald Isle, without whose assistance it seemed to be conceded no canal or railroad could be constructed. Many of these laborers became permanent citizens, both in town and country. These have acquired property as mechanics, merchants and farmers. Some have even consented to hold ofiBce and positions of responsibility. The town of Troy is largely settled by Irishmen and their descendants, and this nationality furnished its fair pro- portion of volunteers in the late war. BACK TO EARLY TIMES AGAIN. The history of the Canal has carried us a little forward in our annals, and we return to note some things of an earlier date. And first, let us correct a correction which was made in " Forty Years Ago" in relation to an important event — the first Fourth of July celebration. We have ascertained since, that beyond any question this was held in 1835. In order not to get two great events on the same day, and co render our statement credible that Dr. Bowen read the Decla- ration and attended the first wedding, we shall leave that first wedding entirely out of this history. It probably will not invalidate the marriage. We are satisfied, also, that we did not do justice to the military display. Maj. Cook was the Chief Marshal, and was dressed in full regimentals, and Judge Jonathan Barnett was Assistant Marshal, and wore a red sash, and both had real swords. Both rode Indian ponies, and experienced great diSiculty in keeping near the procession on account of the music. This evil was remedied in a measure by HISTORY 0*' WILL COUNTY. 309 the fact that " Uncle Dick" Hobbs also commanded, on foot, using instead of a sword a crooked stick, which probably answered just as well. These points are settled beyond controversy by S. W. Bowen, our ex-M&yor, who was then a boy, and, I am sorry to say, such a graceless youth, that he, with Cal Zarley and others, lay on the ground and laughed at the cavorting of the Marshals, or, rather, their horses. The writer is also satisfied that he did not do justice to the oration. Cal Zarley says that he well remembers that when the neigh- bors gathered together at his father's to talk over the celebration, they were enthusiastic in their praises of the effort. All agreed that it was a big thing. The only dispute was as to whether the young orator was a preacher or a lawyer. Mrs. Hadsall, the good old Methodist sister, was sure nobody but a Methodist preacher could talk so good ! Our own private opinion, however, is that the only merit the production had was the fact that it was the first in Will County. It ought also to be noted' that we had one Revolutionary soldier present. This was the father of Maj. Cook, who was re-interred on the last Decoration Day, over whose remains our gifted citizen, Capt. Phelps, uttered some of his finest periods. We have an interesting contribution to our history from the veteran Hopkins Rowell, which we will bring in here. We do so with especial satisfaction, as it also indorses our Fourth of July effort — a matter on which we are very sensitive. Geoege H. WooDEurp, Esq.: Perhaps I can contribute an item to your early reminiscences of Will County. You might properly include among the early pioneers of Joliet the late Judge Barnett, H. A. Cagwin, gr., and myself. In the Autumn of 1834, we together journeyed from Clarkson, N. Y., and explored on horseback much of the West and Northwest as far as Dubuque. We passed twice through Joliet, which then had a name, but not many habitations. A few miles east of this prospective city, at Van Home's Point, we found Cornelius Van Home, subsequently a Joliet magistrate and its iirst Mayor. He was at this time drawing fence-stuff with an ox-team and " Sucker wagon," as he called it. This wagon was the product of his own hand, from the rough forest timber. The wheels were sawed oiF from a round oak log. They were about three feet in diameter, being smoothly beveled from the rim to the hub, where they were about one foot through. It did good service (or answered a good purpose). On the well-known " Linden Heights," just southeast of the city,, we visited ilaj. R. G. Cook and his father, John Cook, an old Revolutionary soldier, formerly from Clarkson. The old veteran occasionally indulged in a little of the " ardent," which invariably led him to " tight his battles over again" in so grotesque a manner as greatly to amuse the by-standers. The remains of both him and his son, the Major, are interred in Oakwood Cemetery. All three of our exploring party made purchases at this time in Joliet. Cagwin and Barnett remained in this vicinity, while I returned to Clarkson, N. Y. ' The next Summer (1835), I returned to Joliet, attended the public land sales at Chicago, and through Mr. Van Home, who "bid in" the lands of all the settlers, secured the three eighties, just east of the city, that I still retain. The ' ' claim' ' to the gravel-mound eighty I had previously purchased of the ' ' veteran' ' John Cook. I give a little episode of the land sales. Many moneyed speculators were present, threatening to bid against the claims of settlers. Hundreds of the latter, with sleeves rolled up and faces frowning fiefiance dark as a thunder-cloud, surrounded the officers' stand on all sides, ready to visi't summary vengeance upon any presumptuous speculators. All of these were intimidated 310 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. save one. A powerful, gigantic Sootchman, about seven feet high, dared to bid against a settler, when in an instant lightning struck him in at least twenty places, and he gladly escaped with his life. A CHAKGE OF EPIJODE SOME EED-SKINS. At that time there were about three thousand Pottawatomie Indians in two encampments — one upon the Des Planes River, and the other upon the Kankakee, a few miles above their junction — awaiting removal by the Government to Western reservations. After the land sales, I had some business requiring a horse-back journey to the Mazon River. My route lay through the wild and trackless region between these two encampments. Before this I had seen many Indians, but 3,000 wilder, more uncouth and repulsive human beings can hjirdly be imagined. Their weird, unkempt hair, and nudity, save a frontal patch tied on, more diminutive than the tig-leaf aprons of Adam and Eve, formed a scene never to be forgotten. It is not surprising that I got lost en route to the Mazon, in the midst of such a wilderness of Indians and trackless prairie combined. Neither is it strange that I was somewhat nervous at occasionally meeting detached squads of these villainous fellows during my embarrassed efforts to regain my course, especially when I knew they had occasionally gobbled up solitary white men. Finally I resolved to steer for the forks of the rivers and get a white settler there to pilot me on my way. Having a pocket compass, I was esabled to take my bearings and "strike a bee-line.'' Two or three miles' travel on this course, brought me in contact with three Indians ; two of them passed me civilly enough, but the third being fuller of bad whisky, which they had obtained at "the forks," sprang like a tiger to seize my bridle-reins, brandishing a huge knife in the air and shouting like a hoarse demon, "Money! money!" Being on the alert, I instantly spurred my spirited steed Blackhawk, and "by the skin of my teeth ' cleared him at a single bound, and then (wheeling) facing him, with my eSective peace-maker leveled at liis head, exclaimed, "Take this money, you devil!" He slunk away like a sneaking prairie wolf, but every hair of my head' seemed stiff as a Russian bristle. Permit me to add that the first season in 1834, I assisted in raising the frame of the first house in Joliet, and when a bent fell, one man getting his scalp peeled and Dr. Bowen dressed the- wound. The first Joliet Fourth of July celebration was had in 1835, on the then open prairie near the jail. You were orator of the day, and though young, a very good one, while Dr. Bowen and myself had the honor of presenting the follow- ing toasts: By Dr. Bowen — "Illinois — The prospective Empire State, as her great and varied resources will one day demonstrate." By H. Rowell — "Joliet— In July, 1834, not known ; in July, 1835, a city in embryo." In 1847, I introduced here the first McCormick reaper, Messrs. Stephens, Wheeler and Higginbottom being the purchasers. And although I did not move my family to Joliet until 1857, I was frequently back and forth, and had sent two different parties with teams and outfit to make improvements on my Joliet property. As to Judge Barnett, he died ten or twelve years ago at Kankakee, while Cagwin is or was in California. H. ROWELL. Joliet, October 8, 1878. When elected Recorder, the writer was a clerk for Mr. Demmond, and opened the office in the Demmond Block. But, as illustrative of the strife be- tween sides, of which we have already spoken, we would say that the boys over the river soon began to complain that the Recorder's office was not kept at the county seat, as the law required. The point was well taken. Demmond had laid off his town as " West Juliet." He scorned the idea of being an addition to " that slough over yonder." West Juliet was not then, part of the county seat. But an escape from the dilemma was quickly found. The school section ad- joined the town on the south, lying on both sides of the river, and this had been recorded as an addition to Juliet. A little building about 16x16 was pur- chased on the school section at no great distance, a little below Porter's brew- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 313 ery. (N. B. — The brewery was not built then, and therefore had no influence in the selection.) Here the ofllice was opened and kept until a better one was built. Jenks, who had been appointed County Clerk, also made that his office until the Commissioners rented the upper story of the Wilson store. The first Circuit Court was held in this room (the Wilson store) in October, 1836, by Hon. Thomas Ford, afterward Governor. The entrance to the second story was by a staircase on the south side. The door has been since walled up. The Court was constituted by appointing Levi Jenks, Clerk, and Uri Osgood, State's Attorney. Fenner Aldrich had just been elected Sheriff, having hero- ically stepped forward to fill the gap caused by Bob Stevens' refusal, and he rang out the " 0-yez, o-yez, the honorable Circuit Court of Will County is now in session," for the first time in our history, and with a rhythm and a roar which I do not believe have been surpassed during the succeeding ages. Impressed with a sense of the importance and gravity of the occasion, his voice trembled a little and his chin quivered. But this only made the scene more im- pressive. But this was not all the Court. A grand jury had been summoned and were now called. The following was the original panel : Armstead Runyon, Thomas Reed, Edward Poor, Thomas H. Rickey, Ralph Smith, Reason Zarley, Isaiah Treat, Joseph Cox, Peter McCarty, Wm. Sherifi", Justin Taylor, Charles Goodwin, John I. Davidson, Harry Boardman, Ezra Goodhue, Richard L. Wilson, Samuel Holcomb, George Beckwith, Joseph Shoemaker, Elias Brown, Aaron Moore. Five of these did not put in their appearance, and the Sheriff, as is usual now, we believe, was ordered to fill up the vacancies from the loafers hanging around. George H. Woodruff, William Gougar, Richard Hobbs, Jonathan Barnett and E. S. Sill were scooped up. Reason Zarley was chosen Foreman. We offer this (as finally constituted) as a sample grand jury. They indicted one man for keeping a gaming-house, two others for selling an estray, and three for a riot. As to the petit jury, that being, as the name implies, a com- paratively small affair, we shall not record their names, although our present worthy citizens, Rodney House and H. N. Marsh, formed a part. J. C. New- kirk Esq., now one of the most prominent and substantial citizens of Hudson, N. Y., and a Judge, defended the rioters and got them acquitted. 0. C. Van Home and Abram Van Home and another were the rioters. It was a claim dispute and no riot. Among the early and valuable acquisitions to the West Side, in 1835-36, were John M. Wilson and Allen Pratt. They came together and were both from Massachusetts. They had some money and they invested in West Juliet. Both were long and well known here. Pratt built many buildings. He died in 1856. Wilson has become known as Judge Wilson, long a practicing lawyer here, and later a Chicago Judge. Wilson and Charles Clement initiated the grain trade of Joliet. Their warehouse was an old barn which stood where the brick block on Bluff street now stands. We have not the figures of the number 314 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. of bushels they handled, but the profits of one year's operations, when the firm dissolved, were $9. Probably the number of bushels was something less than are now handled by Carpenter & Marsh, who in one day this season shipped 100 cars of grain. 0. W. Stillman was, we believe, the first Justice of the Peace on the East Side, and we need not say he was a good one, although the boys used to say that he had no Bible, and was in the habit of swearing the witnesses on a copy of " Volney's Euins." The Universalist Church is largely indebted to his efibrts for the fine church edifice they have. He is now a granger on Maple street. William Blair was our first tinsmith and stove and hardware dealer. He ultimately moved to Chicago, where he has long been known as an extensive wholesale dealer, and one of the wealthiest and most honorable of her citizens. Deacon Rodney House, of the East Side, opened the first wagon-shop, and Deacon Beaumont soon followed on the West Side with another. Deacon Beaumont built the house now occupied by Edward Aiken, since re-habilitated (we mean the house), and in this the good, old Deacon lived, using the front room for a shop during the week, and, every Saturday night, cleaning it up and holding meet- ings there on the Sabbath, in which he was joined by the good Deacon on the East Side. We remember to have heard one of the Beechers (Edward) preach there. The old Deacon had his peculiarities — some of them perhaps were faults, as who has not — but there never lived a kinder neighbor, and Joliet has not had many more earnest and sincere Christians. He always showed his colors, and was always on the side of justice and temperance and revivals. He could have no better epitaph than what was said of him by a simple child, who, when she wanted to designate him and did not know or had forgotten his name, described him as "the man who lived in the church." She had never been to church or prayer meeting or Sabbath school, that she had not found the Deacon there before her, and she supposed that he literally "dwelt there in the house of the Lord all the days of his life." ' Our readers will all remember how suddenly he went home in June, 1876, at the age of 73 years and 9 months. George Woodrufi", we need not say, is our present well-known banker, one of the men who have stuck to Joliet through thick and thin — and we have had some pretty thin times — and now enjoys the competence he has acquired. Our names still get mixed occasionally as they used to do in early days. The most ludicrous mistake is when parties go to George H. to borrow money. Only strangers do this. The first public building of the county, which was a Jail and Court House combined, was built in 1837. Blackburn and Wilson were the contractors at the price of $2,000. This stood a little north of the present Jail, and was used not only for holding courts but for other public purposes. The first Baptist Church held their meetings there under the pastorate of Elder Solomon Knapp and others. A very powerful revival was enjoyed by this Church during Elder Knapp's pastorate, in which he was assisted by Elder Powell, an evangelist of much ability. This revival was the year subsequent to the one spoken of in " Forty HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 315 Years Ago," under the labors of the Footes. This church was organized by Elder Ashley, of Plainfield, -who preached to it every alternate Sabbath until the coming of Elder Knapp. It consisted of seven original members as follows : Elijah Johnson, Deacon Green and wife, Mrs. Higginbotham, Mrs. Chauncey, Mrs. Cagwin, and Elder R. B. Ashley. The first baptized convert was the Hon. Henry Snapp. The place used for baptisms was the deep hole below the island. It is hardly necessary to say that this was before the river had been converted into a sewer, while it still bore some little resemblance to the Jordan. How many and how varied the scenes which transpired within those old Court House walls — County and Circuit Courts, temperance and political meetings, the pleadings both of lawyers and preachers, thrilling trials and solemn charges of Judges, the weeping of the condemned and the rejoicings of the acquitted, the groans of sinners and the shouts of the redeemed, all have been heard there — but all are silent now. The voices of Newkirk and Wilson, of Henderson and Boardman, of Fellows, of Osgood and Little are heard there no more. Save the first two, all are silent in death. The building has been razed to its founda- " We build with what we deem^ eternal rock, A distant age asks where the fabric stood, And in the dust sifted and searched in vain, The undiscoverable secret sleeps." Perhaps the reader thinks that a pretty large quotation for so small a build- ing as the old Court House of forty years ago. We think so, too, but it came handy, and we wanted something that sounded well in this history. The present Court House was commenced in 1847, and strange as it may seem, this is what the Signal said of it in 1848 : " The new Court House makes a magnifi- cent appearance and when completed will be an honor to the county." The True Democrat (from which the Republican developed) took down its vignette of the American bird and substituted a cut of the Court House as an ornament. It must be remembered that there were then none of the present surroundings, the Centennial Block and the Aiken Block, with its classic statuary. JOLIET INCOKPOEATBD. In 1837, we had reached such magnificent proportions that it became necessary to obtain an act of incorporation. We could get along pretty well in every other respect but the matter of taxes. These continued to be ridiculously insignificant, and it was felt by those who had the prosperity of the place most at heart, that a just self-respect demanded that we should have more taxes. Accordingly, a public meeting was called in March, at " Uncle Fenner's," at which it was decided by a unanimous vote that we would incorporate. And so we did, by calling an election under the provisions of the general law, for the election of five Trustees, two of whom were to be on each side (or in each Ward.) And now came the opportunity for one of the fiercest contests between the two sides. To gain the odd Trustee was an object of transcendent importance. The act 316 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. required that all voters should own real estate within the corporate limits. This simplified and narrowed the field. The town was thoroughly canvassed, and it was ascertained that the West Side had the most property-owners. We think that from the first and all through our earlier history, the West Side had the most money, hut the East Side had the most shrewdness and diplomacy. So it was on this occasion. An expedient was found by which the West Side majority was overcome. Even in those early days that great moral institution known as the circus, made us an occasional visit. One happened to be here at that time. The men were invited to become real estate owners and voters. Impressed with a sense of the high honor, they accepted, and thirty-six voters were added to the East Side, by the gift of a lot from Charley Sayer. It was a piece of strategy which has not been surpassed even in modern times. The West Side had no lots to throw away, and no circus handy, and was defeated. The first Board were J. A. Matteson, J. J. Garland, Daniel Reed, Fenner Aldrich and R. C. Duncan ; Dr. William Scholfield, Clerk. But the next year we laid out the East Side, and without a circus, too. It was generally supposed that Dick Wilson's was the fertile brain where this scheme was devised. Dick Wilson ! What old settler does not remember him. " Alas, poor Yorick ! where be your gibes now ? your gambols, your songs ? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table in a roar ? " This Board of Trustees built bridges, which with the act of incorporation made us one town. The bridges went off the next spring, and the "fiat" money with which they were built underwent a slight change — the "i" was lengthened into an "1," that was all. If we were not fully determined not to admit any politics into this history, we should here drop a suggestion that such might be the change that would come over all "fiat money." After playing city two or three years longer, the people concluded that taxes were no great luxury after all ; at least, we ceased to hanker after them. The corporation was dissolved by act of Legislature. The era of hard times had come on, and we were willing to dispense with luxuries. The city was organized under the present charter, in June, 1852, with C. C. Van Home, Mayor. Aldermen — First Ward — N. H. Cutter, D. Cassidy; Second Ward— Joel George, Michael Shields; Third Ward— E. Wilcox, T. J. Kinney; Fourth Ward— F. L. Cagwin, S. W. Bowen; Fifth Ward— P. O'Con- nor, Uri Osgood. But this is modern history and we go back to older times. FORGOTTEN RIVALRIES. We have spoken, a little back and elsewhere, of the rivalry between the sides of the river. This was especially conspicuous when the Canal was being surveyed and located. The great question of the day was, would it go down the river through town, or would it go around through the slough ? Slough stock and river stock rose and fell alternately from day to day until the matter was finally decided in a way which made the west siders happy. Demmond used to tell how Abel Gilbert took the level of the slough with a tin dipper and HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. 317 a shingle, in order to convince the verdant inquirer after lots, that the Canal was bound to take that route. But we had a common enemy — Lockport — and, like the Jews during the siege of Jerusalem, we used, temporarily, to forget our domestic quarrels, and combine to fight the common foe. The Signal and the True Democrat let each other alone occasionally, and both pitched into the Lockport Telegraph. The Canal authorities seemed, at least to our jaundiced eyes, to throw all their influence to favor and build up a rival city. We used to dilate largely against the Archer road and the Canal basin and the Canal office, etc., etc. One thing which specially galled us was a map, which was reported to be drawn and exhib- ited to speculators and persons seeking a location, displaying the Canal route from Chicago to Ottawa, on which all the villages were noted, with one excep- tion. There were Romeo and Athens, Kepotaw and Scotchtown, Lockport and Channahon, etc., etc.; but the only thing to indicate the whereabouts of Juliet was a spot marked McKee's Dam. That was a good joke; and if we did not meet it with something equally foolish, it was not for want of disposition. We were also foolish enough at one time to be jealous of Chicago, especially when she tried to defeat our cut-off. But we have got so big now that we do not cherish any vindictive feelings, even against her ; and, indeed, all these old rivalries and jealousies, whether political or personal or between sides of the river or rival towns, we have long since outgrown, and they only call up a smile when reniembered. For men are like apples. While some are crabs, and no culture can ever make them anything else, and while, when green, all are more or less acrid, yet the really good fruit grows mellow with age, the sour juices of the Spring time are converted into sugar in the heats of Summer and Autumn, and the fruit becomes pleasant to the eye and grateful to the taste. So it is with men — those who are men. They, too, mellow as they ripen and lose a large share of their acidity as they pass through the discipline of life and ripen for the husbandman's use. Do you question this ? Just watch when you see some of these old fellows that were at loggerheads forty years ago over town-lots or schemes of specula- tion or politics ; watch, when you see them meet, and see how they grip each others' hands and laugh over the rivalries and contests and jealousies that once made them mad, as the best of jokes. mattbson's factory, et al. There are some other buildings in Joliet beside those noticed in the preced- ing pages that have become historic, and may, without impropriety, come into our general history. One of these is the old factory which stands just below the lower bridge, and which is now occupied as a foundry and machine-shop by Mr. Sandiford. This building was erected by Joel A. Matteson, in 1845, and in 1849 manufactured 2,000 yards of cloth per week. It was for several years a most prosperous enterprise, furnishing a market for the wool raised by our 318 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. farmers, and employment for many persons. The business was, part of the time, carried \ on under the firm of Matteson & Bradner, and the old Wilson store, of which we have spoken, was the depot for buying wool and sale of cloths. This factory was seriously attacked by fire in 1849 (the same Summer in which the old steam mill was burned). This fire occurred when we had no fire depart- ment, and for some time its destruction seemed inevitable. Great crowds col- lected on the bridge and elsewhere to see it burn. It had taken fire in the roof, and was making a fine bonfire. There was plenty of water close by, and the idea seems to have struck the minds of 0. W. Stillman and some others that it would be a good idea to put it out, although it seemed a pity to spoil the fun of the spectators who, at such grfeat inconvenience, had left their beds and gathered there to see it. Stillman, with some assistance, succeeded in getting men enough of his own way of thinking to organize a line for passing pails back and forth ; and, after a hard fight to keep the men in the ranks, and with the devouring element, the building was saved, except the roof and attic. Like many other seeming calamities, this soon had its compensation, as it led, first, to organizing a fire company, and, secondly, to its being rebuilt with an additional story, and cupola as well ; and, under the vigorous exertions of Matteson, it was soon in full blast, with greatly enlarged capacity. But, in time, a change came over the old factory. Matteson was made Governor in 1852, and our city lost his enterprise, and the old factory, after a few more years, ceased to manufacture cloth, etc. While, however, the factory was still in successful operation, Matteson built the brick store opposite, and occupied it for the sale of goods, cloths, etc., and in the second story opened the first bank in Joliet — the old Merchants' and Drovers', William Smith, President, and R. E. Goodell, Cashier, and that is how we got Goodell, who married the Governor's eldest daughter. ° J. A. MATTESON. We have probably never had a citizen in Will County to whom we have been more indebted for his energy and enterprise, than to Joel A. Matteson. He was born in 1808, in Jefferson Co., N. Y., received the common school education of the times, and, after a varied experience as teacher, farmer, mer- chant and contractor in various places, came to Illinois, in 1833, with a wife and one child. He first settled on the Au Sable, in the present Kendall County, when there were but two neighbors within ten miles. He made a claim and opened a farm, but when the speculative mania of 1836 struck the country, he sold out and came to Joliet. From that time to his removal to Springfield, on his election as Governor, he was the most energetic and enterprising of our citizens. The monuments of his enterprise still stand in our midst. Among these are the old factory and the brick store near the Jefferson Street Bridge, of which we have spoken. He also built what was then the finest residence in the city, on the corner of Jefferson and Chicago streets, which were surrounded with beautiful grounds, extending over the lots now covered by the Monroe, HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 319 Simonds and Werner Hall Blocks ; and for a long time the light of a happy and hospitable home shone out from its windows. It was some years since removed further north, and now another kind of light shines forth there — they call it the Sun. Mr. Matteson was soon called into public service, first as Justice of the Peace, then as State Senator for four years. His well-known executive and financial ability secured his nomination and election to the oSice of Governor. His nomination was received with great satisfaction in his own county and elsewhere, by men of the opposite political party. A great jubilee was held at Joliet — speeches and firing of cannon showed the satisfac- tion of our citizens. One of our present police force will always carry a sou- venir of that demonstration — an empty sleeve. Mr. Matteson's administration as Governor was eminently successful. His messages were characterized by large views and enlightened liberality and foresight. During the four years of his administration, the State made great advances in wealth and general pros- perity. The debt of the State was reduced $7,000,000, and at the same time time the taxes were reduced. The 400 miles of constructed railroad were in- creased to 3,000 miles. Gov. Matteson retired from ofiice with a reputation and with prospects that seemed enviable, and a fortune that made him a million- aire, and the owner of a house at Springfield that was palatial. How all this was reversed is a matter of so recent a date as to render its recital unnecessary, even if it came within the scope of our history. Gov. Matteson died in the Winter of 1872-73, at Chicago, and his remains sleep in the family ground at Oakwood. GOLD SEVER. In 1849, 1850 and 1851, chiefly in 1850, occurred a great hegira from Will County. The discovery of a little gold by Capt. Sutter in 1848, changed the des- tiny of the whole Pacific Slope, and of thousands upon thousands of men and fam- ilies all over the States as well. Those who are old enough will recall the wonder- ful excitement which took place all over the land, pre-eminently throughout the West. Gold, gold, gold, was the word upon every lip, the theme of every news- paper, and of everybody's waking or sleeping dreams. .The county papers were filled with advice showing the folly of leaving a comfortable home and an honest livelihood for the uncertain venture. The Lockport Telegraph thus humorously speaks of the matter in 1849 : " The world-wide malady has at last extended to our midst ; symptoms about the same as elsewhere — violent itching of palms, a sensation of nausea at the mere thought of common business, a great relaxation and debility of the mechanical muscles, frequent giddiness of the head, optical illusions in which everything is seen in a yellow light, raging appetite for maps, reports, dispatches, yarns, etc., terminating in a frantic effort to sell out and settle up, at which stage the disease is considered incurable." The editor then falls into a more serious strain, and advises the people to be content with Will County and steady gains. Our other papers spoke in a sim- ilar strain. But advice had but little effect. Quite a number from our county 320 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. went in the Spring of 1849. Some of these came back the next Winter and Spring, having been successful. Carlos Haven came back with $5,000, which he had dug with his own hands in seven weeks. J. A. Gooding and Calvin Rowley also returned successful. This added fury to the flames, and in 1850 and 1851, the number which went from our county was large. We have tried to form an estimate of the amount, but have no reliable data. The True Dem- ocrat, in 1850, gives a list of nearly four hundred that had left that Spring from Will County. The list embraces many of our best and well-known citi- zens (then and since). The greatest emigration was in 1850, although it was kept up in 1851. Most went the overland route. The business of the county was, of course, greatly affected. Merchants made a point to furnish those articles needed for an outfit. The papers of the day were filled with advertise- ments of parties who wanted to sell out, and of emigrant supplies, and with letters from those who were on the way or had reached the Eldorado. Prom- inent among the correspondents of the True Democrats was our friend Alex- ander Mcintosh, now of the Phoenix. We need not say that his letters are interesting reading now. It was an interesting sight for those who remained to watch the teams as they passed through, and note their different rigs and general appearance. From ten to twenty teams a day passed along Jefferson street during the Spring. There were some curious outfits. We recall an instance in which two men had an old crow-bait of a horse between them which carried their slender supplies, and on which they sometimes rode by turns. Another man was on foot, having a knapsack and rifle, intending when he got to the frontier to buy a cow to carry his supplies and furnish him with milk, with which, and his rifle, he expected to subsist. But most went with good outfits — some with cattle and some with horses. Of those who went from our county, some few became permanent settlers there. The large majority, however, returned in a year or two, some with pockets full, and some glad to get back with empty pockets. Our county, no doubt, received back much more than she invested. We remember one who died en route — Benard Ingoldsby — who was out of health when he left. One company lost their way and wandered off, and lost all they had, and lived upon their teams ; were six days without water, and four of the company died. Others had a pretty hard time, and were often hungry and sick. Many now among us could many a tale unfold, some harrowing and some ludicrous. Two of our boys, one a son of Deacon Brandon, and the other named Middlemass, met with a frightful accident, the result of their own carelessness. They came across a keg of powder which had been thrown over- board by some previous voyager, probably to lighten his ship, and they thought they would enliven the solitude with an explosion. They adjusted a slow match and retired to a safe distance. With eager expectation they waited the result. After waiting what seemed to them a long time, twice as long as neces- sary, they concluded that the match had gone out. We have always noticed that persons on such occasions make great mistakes in their estimate of time. HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. 321 They both approached the keg to lay another train. Just as they got to it, it had got ready to explode, and did, tearing and burning the poor boys fright- fully, and almost beyond recognition. Persons who saw them say it was the worst sight they ever saw. None of those who saw them expected they could recover, but cared for them as well as they could. But they ultimately did recover. SOME ANCIENT DOCTORS AND DBUGGISTS. We have spoken of Dr. Bowen and Dr. Comstock, but those were by no means the only doctors in the early days. Dr. R. E. W. Adams came to Joliet in 1836, and was for many years one of our leading physicians. He> was an active member and one of the organizers of the old Union Church, and was zealous in all moral reforms. He was soon followed by his brother, M. L. Adams, the builder of the first foundry, who still resides here, and by William Adams, so long known as mine host of the National, now a resident of Chicago, and also Peter Adams, now of Galesburg. Dr. Adams removed to Springfield some years ago, and has since deceased. We once rode to Chicago with the Doctor at an early day, before the canal was opened, when we went by private conveyance. In those days we used to stop at Flag Creek for dinner. The Doctor was a zealous temperance man. The place where we stopped for dinner was kept by a temperance man, too ; but the story had got about that he kept a little of the ''critter" on the sly, for the accommodation of such of his guests as could not get along without it. While the landlord was out taking care of our horse, the Doctor mentioned the rumor and suggested the propriety of making a search to see if any evidence could be found of its truth. In one corner of the room was a little closet which was locked, but the Doctor had a key which turned the bolt, and on opening the door, behold there was a decan- ter well filled with a liquid, the smell of which left no doubt on the mind that it was whisky. The Doctor took his medicine case from his pocket and took therefrom a little vial marked "antim. et pot. tart.," and empted its contents into the decanter, shook it thoroughly and replaced it, locking the door again, and sat down to dinner as coolly as if he had done a good thing. It relieves our conscience a little- to remember that though accessory after the fact, we uttered a mild protest at the time. Now the subsequent history of that decan- ter we are unable to give, and must leave it to the reader's imagination ; it was no doubt interesting, and, perhaps, cured several persons of a love for whisky, and thus, on the principle that the end justifies the means, vindicated the act of the Doctor. While the Doctor was in practice here, he started the first drug store, in the old wooden store of Demmond's on the corner of the lot now owned by Mrs. Curry. He afterward moved up into the old wooden block which stood opposite the old stone block (now burned down), and there he took into partnership, both in practice and selling drugs, a young doctor of the name of J. S. Glover, who resided here until his death some years after. Drs. Adams and Glover were both lame in the same manner and from similar causes 322 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. — an affection of the hip joint, and being of the same size were often mistaken the one for the other. The writer bought out the drug store of Adams & Glover in 1842, they having before bought out another establishment in the upper end of the stone block (Haven & Rood), and there, where Page bottles pop, and some other things, we commenced the brilliant career of an apothecary. Dr. M. K. Brownson was another of our early physicians, who settled on the Chicago road in 1835, and came to Joliet in 1836 or 1837. Dr. Brownson was our Postmaster under Fillmore, and also held the office of Public Adminis- trator. The Doctor now lives in California. Another early physician was Dr. Scholfield, who was also City Clerk under the first organization. He left for the West soon after the city scrip which he executed, went the way of all " fiat " money, and has been some years dead. Still another of our early physicians, was Dr. Wallace A. Little,jWho also left many years ago, and went to Jo Daviess County, which he has represented in the Legislature, and it is also said that he has got rich in mining operations. Schofield & Little were in partnership, both in the practice of medicine and also in running a small drug store for a while. Another of these benevolent institutions was started in 1846 by Mr. Brown, the father of our present druggists of that name. This was started on Chicago street, opposite the old wooden block. Having spoken of the doctors and druggists of the ancient times, it is proper that something should be said of the HEALTH OF THE COUNTY. In the early settlement of the county, it, in common with the West gener- ally, suffered more or less from malarial diseases, and it acquired the reputation of being unhealthy. During the digging of the canal, too, there were two or three seasons in which there was an unusual amount of sickness, and many died, especially among the laborers — a good many of them, no doubt, as much from the treatment they received as from the disease. But since the county has been generally settled and cultivated, and the people and the physicians have learned better how to treat these diseases, they have ceased to be formidable. In common with most parts of the country, this county was visited with epi- demic cholera in the years 1848 to 1854, and we lost many valuable citizens, among others C. C. Van Home, 0. H. Haven, M. H. Demmond, Dr. Comstock and others ; but since the last-named year there has been no recurrence of the epidemic. In the census of the county taken in 1850 by Mr. Marsh, the pop- ulation of the county is given at 16,709, and the number of deaths for the year previous at 2^2, being 1.38 per cent. This was a cholera year, and no doubt a large portion of the deaths were due to cholera, although the exact number cannot be ascertained. Our papers of the time told very definitely how many died of cholera elsewhere, but were sadly ignorant of its devastations at home — not an unusual thing, we believe. We confidently assert that at present no part of the Union is more uniformly healthy than Will County. We used to HISTORY OF WILL COUIITY. 323 boast at an early day, when the question as to the health of the West came up, and we were charged with being sickly, that there was one disease of which people never died at the West, to wit, old age. But we cannot make this boast any longer. A large number of the oldest settlers have recently deceased at an advanced age, while others still linger, who must ere long swell the list. Quite a number of persons have deceased within a few years at Joliet, who have crowded hard upon a hundred years, and we have heard of others who exceeded that age. We have many now who, by reason of strength, exceed the allotted limit of fourscore. But inasmuch as Ponce de Leon did not, in 1612, find in Florida the fountain which would restore to old age the vigor of youth, and as no subsequent explorer has found it there, or elsewhere, not even in Min- nesota, and as it is " appointed unto all men once to die "—here, as everywhere, " Pale death, with equal step, knocks at the cottage sf the poor And the palace of the king." We have spoken of the diseases of the county at the early day. The most common of these, although not the most formidable, was the one known in com- mon parlance as the " ague," or the "fever and ague." This has become al- most obsolete (at least in the original form), but it used to be a common expe- rience. True, we never could boast of such a prevalence of it as they could in Michigan, where, it was said, the church bells used to be rung in order that the people might know when to take their quinine. But it used to be considered one of the things that was necessary to constitute a man a settler, the other being the prairie itch. The writer well remembers his first hug at the ague. He had been in the country some three or four years, and had often laughed at the exhibition which others made while undergoing " the shakes," and felt him- self proof against it. He had gone through various other stages of Western experience ; he had had the prairie itch : had come to the age of citizenship, if not of discretion ; had bought a city lot and paid taxes ; had run for office, and got elected ; had gone back East and got a wife ; and yet had never had the " ager !" One beautiful September morning, in the year 1838, he thought he would show the little woman he had persuaded to come back with him, some of the beauties of the country. This could be done in no better way than by a ride to Channahon, or the "mouth of the Du Page," as we then called that locality. Accordingly, in the early morning, with a horse and buggy, we set out. We could say we now with propriety, and we were not a little proud of it, and that was one reason why we were going, to show our cousin Minerva — Mrs. Risley — who we were. The morning was fine and bracing. We anticipated much pleasure. For what is more delightful than a drive into the country when the roads are good, the horse fast and sure, the air balmy and cool, and the dearest little woman in all the world by your side ! We have said that the morning was cool and bracing. It soon began to feel quite cool, and so the writer re- marked to his wife. She said she was warm enough. We rode a little farther? 324 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. and, though the sun got higher, it seemed to grow increasingly cold. In short, it grew colder and colder, as the sun got higher and higher, a phenomenon that seemed inexplicable. Presently, he felt an irresistible desire to yawn and stretch both his upper and lower extremities. There was hardly room to do this ; out went his legs over the dashboard, while his arms went over the seat and around his wife, and pushed out right and left, promiscously. And still it cold and colder grew. He put on the heavy blanket coat, which, fortunately, he had brought along, and his wife's shawl, which she said she did not really need. But it all did no good ; the stretching and gaping continued, and even his teeth began to chatter, and to crown all, he shook — yes, shook ; oh, how he did shake ! and, incredible as it may seem, he shook all over and to the re- motest extremities, and, like great Caesar's, " his coward lips did from their color fly." And all the while, the little wife said she was warm enough. If she had not been the dearest little woman in all the world, he would have been provoked to see her sit there as warm and comfortable as in July, while he was experiencing January and February condensed. But by this time she began to wear a look of anxiety at the strange contortions of her husband. One more resource remained. Giving the reins to his wife, he got out to try what exer- cise would do, and told her to whip up, while he traveled on behind, with his hands hold of the end of the buggy. He followed this up until too leg-weary to continue it, and it seemed to do little good. He could not get warm, and still he gaped and stretched, and chattered and shook, and all the time he had not the least suspicion what the matter was. After riding on a while longer, his sensations gradually underwent a change. Hot streaks seemed to alternate with the cold ones. The gaping and stretch- ing seemed to moderate, and other sensations took their place. A slight head- ache came on, and he felt a suspicion of nausea. The pallid and puckered ap- pearance of the countenance gave place to flushes. The weather seemed to undergo a change. It grew suddenly warm. Ofi" goes the shawl and blanket overcoat. He asked his wife, presently, if it was not getting hot, and was almost provoked at her cool reply that she did not see much change. But it certainly was getting hot, he knew it was, and ofi" goes his undercoat. He became thirsty, and longed, oh, how he longed, for water. Strange ideas and fancies were passing through his mind, and he began to talk strangely and lo- quaciously, almost incoherently. The little wife looked more troubled and anxious than ever, and wondered what had come over her sedate and usually silent husband. Presently he began to feel strangely tired, listless and uneasy, and to long for a good bed and rest and sleep. And now, fortunately, the com- fortable log house of Risley appears in sight. Oh, how welcome ! With no little exertion he gets out, leaves his wife to look after the horse, and soon occu- pied the whole of Mrs. Risley's lounge, and one or two chairs besides. When he and his wife between them had given an intelligent account of what had been happening on the way, Mrs. Risley says, " Why Hen ! you have got the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 325 ague ! " Great guns ! here was a revelation indeed. After all his boasted im- munity from the ague, his defiance of it, the enemy had stolen the march upon him, and here he was, lying prostrate and humbled before it. And even yet he was not done with it ; another stage of the disease comes on, the nastiest of the three. The half-delirious fever passes off, and he begins to perspire. Per- spire ! that is no name for it ; let us use the more homely but expressive word — he begins to sweat. Ah, how he sweats ! It seemed as if all the water in his body — and physiologists say every man has two or three buckets in him, (although we have seen some men we don't believe have a gill of water in them) — it seemed, we say, as if all the water in his body was coming to the surface, and not much sweeter than the Chicago River. And so he continued to sweat, sweat, sweat, for a good hour, saturating towel after towel, until ex- haustion closed the scene and he slept. When the afternoon was well-nigh spent, he awoke, refreshed, and was able to do some little justice to Mrs. Ris- ley's fricasseed chickens and doughnuts, and to start home, an humbler if not a wiser man ; subdued in tone and spirit, a little the worse for the encounter, and with the cheering prospect of a recurrence of the experience in one, or at most, two days. But he invested $1.50 in a box of Sappington's Pills, and thus headed off the fever. This is not an advertisement. A MURDER STORY. We are sensible that our history is getting dull, and it is high time that we should enliven it with a murder story. The readers of " Forty Years Ago " will remember that we recorded one there. We were afraid that we could not find one for this history, but, by the aid of the Signal, we are able to record one for the present occasion equally as tragic as that one. On Thursday, April 30, of the year 1858, some boys, ranging about Hickory Creek near where it enters the Des Planes, came upon the body of a female, partly covered with dirt and stones, lying in a gully about one mile south of the city. It was so much decayed that the features were unrecogniza- ble. The boys gave the authorities notice of what they had found, and the proper officers and many citizens went to the spot. The unanimous conclusion of all who saw the body was that she had been murdered. There was a deep wound in the temple and another in the breast. The hands and feet had been cut entirely off, and were found near the body. An inquest was called, and a verdict was found, in which the public belief was expressed that a foul murder had been committed. Who could it be ? and by whom had the deed been done ? were the questions on everybody's lips. The public were not long held in suspense. On Saturday, a woman residing in the outskirts of the city, having heard of the discovery, came forward (after the inquest) and informed the Mar- shal, J. C. Van Auken, that her daughter — a girl of sixteen — had mysteriously disappeared some three weeks previous. The body was taken up again and another inquest was held, at which the woman testified positively that the body 326 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. was that of her daughter, Mary Cook. Other persons expressed the same belief. The mother also stated that, at the time of her daughter's disappearance, she was enceinte, having fallen a prey to the wiles of a man named David Rich- ardson. One of the physicians who examined the body gave a professional state- ment in respect to it which confirmed that of the mother. The mystery was made plain. Our city had been made the theater of a most foul murder, perpetrated to conceal a crime hardly less diabolical. The public voice was unanimous that the foul perpetrator must be found and brought to justice. Richardson was found and arrested on Sunday morning. He had not been long a resident of the city, but, so far as any one here knew, he had borne a good character, and every one was surprised to find that he was guilty of so foul a crime. But that a crime had been committed, there was no room for doubt, and it seemed equally clear that he was the perpetrator. The Signal said, in its issue of the same week : " We will not prejudge the case ; but a young and unprotected girl has been seduced and ruined by a demon in human shape, and murdered to hide her betrayer's guilt. If there is any virtue in law, let it be applied now." The Signal spoke the voice of the public, which was almost ready to string Rich- ardson up to a lamp-post. Indeed, it seemed at one time as though our city would be disgraced by an application of lynch law. Two days were consumed by the examination of Richardson. The Court House was crowded. State's Attorney Bartleson, assisted by Streeter, con- dacted on the part of the people, with E. C. Fellows for the prisoner. The former testimony of Mrs. Cook and others was brought forward, and the same facts reproduced. The old woman swore positively as to the body being that of her daughter, and the doctor repeated his professional statement. Mean- while the sharp counsel of the prisoner had adopted a theory for the defense. The body had been again examined by four other physicians who came into court and swore positively that the body was that of a woman, and that it had been used to promote the purposes of science, and was partially dissected. They affirmed that the body was that of a much older and larger person than the missing Mary Cook. This testimony produced a ripple in the current of public opinion which had been fiowing so strongly in one direction. Was this so, or was this a cunningly devised scheme of Fellows' to get the villain clear ? For a little the question hung in ' great doubt, each side having earnest advo- cates. When this suspense was at its height and had become truly painful, relief came. In walked Constable John Roberts with a veiled lady upon his arm. The whisper ran around the court-room, " Another witness." She drew aside her veil, and it was indeed another witness, and no less a person than the murdered girl herself— the young and interesting Mary Cook, alive and well ! It only remains to say that it was soon discovered that the body was that of a Mrs. Schemmerhorn, a woman about twice the size of Mary Cook, who had died a few weeks before, and who was the wife of a man who tended the lower HISTORV OF WILL COUNTY. 327 lock. The body had been resurrected by some one for the purposes of dissec- tion, as had been alleged by some of the medical gentlemen at the examination ; some of whom well knew that they were speaking the truth. Old Mrs. Cook had trumped up her story to get black-mail out of Richardson. The affair furnished one more warning against hasty judgments founded on circumstances alone. The doctor who gave the professional opinion has never been called to fill the chair of anatomy in Rush Medical College. The parties connected with the case have generally gone elsewhere, although one lingers about here still who is supposed to have had a hand in it. If any of our readers hanker after a real murder case, we might relate that of Benjamin Pickle, the old blacksmith, who was shot through his shop window on the night of December 6, 1861. Circumstantial evidence fixed the crime upon his brother-in-law, William Zeph. The paper wad found in the ear of Pickle's body was a piece of a German newspaper, the rest of which was found in Zeph's house ; the parts exactly fitted each other. He had a trial, was con- victed ; his lawyers got him two new trials, and he was convicted the third time ; then they got a supersedeas, and while the matter was still pending, he escaped jail and was never found. The first execution in our county was that of George Chase for the murder of Joseph Clark, Deputy Warden at the Penitentiary, in April, 1864. This occurred during the Sheriffalty of John Reid. OUR WAR RECORD. We have given some account of the figure our county made in the Black Hawk war, and, in " Forty Years Ago," we related what was done in the Canal- Irish war. As to what Will County did in the Mexican war, there is not much to be told. This is not on account of the politics of our citizens at the time, for the county then, by a considerable majority, sustained the Adminis- tration, and adopted the motto — "Our country, when she is right; aye, and when she is wrong, too ! " As is well known, under the earlier calls for volun- teers, our State furnished five regiments. For one of these regiments, a com- pany was organized in Joliet, under the captaincy of Robert Stevens, which reported at Springfield just one day too late to get in, so quickly had the quota of the State been filled. What these men would have done to add luster to the already glorious military record of our county, must be left to conjecture. That their career would have been a brilliant one we may safely conclude, if the men were worthy of their Captain. We are able only to name one of them with certainty, as no muster-roll of the company has been preserved. This one now wears a star, not a general's but a policeman's, and is known as Frank Fellows. He was a mere boy at the time, and had to steal his chance to enlist, as the old Captain, his father, although himself a hero of the Irish war, as we have elsewhere related (see " Forty Years Ago "), was the very embodiment of 828 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Whiggery, and did not take much stock in the Mexican war. Many public meetings were held, and considerable excitement existed from time to time dur- ing the progress of the war. Companies from other counties passed through Joliet, and the martial spirit was more or less waked up, and, it is believed that some joined these companies. One from Kane County is particularly remembered, which marched up and down Bluff street one Sunday, with fife and drum, not a little disturbing the worshipers in the old stone block. The ladies of Joliet presented this company with a handsome flag, and quite a time was had over it, eloquent speeches being made on both sides. This flag was returned in 1849, twenty months after presentation, by P. R. Norton, Captain of the company, who assured the ladies that it had waved in triumph over the battered walls of Puebla, Tampico Alta, Sierra Madre, Convent of St. Domingo and the Halls of the Montezumas. Uri Osgood received the flag in behalf of the ladies and made an eloquent reply. So we at least had some bunting in the war. Toward the end of the war, our State furnished another (the Sixth) regi- ment, and we find a statement in the history of the State that one company was from Will and Iroquois Counties. Whether the regiment reached the seat of war, and who of our citizens belonged to it, we have not been able to learn. If any one from Will County fought, bled or died, we should have been glad to record his name. In the late war of the rebellion, our county has a proud record. First and last, between three and four thousand of our citizens went to the war ; and more than five hundred sacrified their lives to preserve the Government and the Union. Having already, as we think, pretty fully and faithfully told the story of what our county did in this war, we do not think it necessary even to give a summary here. If any of our readers have not a copy of "Fifteen Years Ago, or the Patriotism of Will County," he can easily obtain one either of the author or publisher, for the trifling sum of $4. It ought to be in every man's library, and in every school district in the county. This is not an advertisement, but a piece of disinterested and sound advice — as disinterested as a patent medicine advertisement ! THE PRESS, ETC. We gave in "Forty Years Ago" some account of the first newspaper started in Joliet, in 1839. This was the premonitory symptom of the well- known Signal. We understand that the township historian, by whom we are to be followed, will "write up " the press, and therefore we shall have little to say on the subject. We wish, however to leave on record our impression of the immense value of the files of county papers as sources of history. If we were to have the privilege of living over the past, we would keep files of each county paper ; not by any means for the sake of reading over the old editorials, but because their pages would give a picture from week to week of both national ^.:v (deceased) JOLIET HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 331 and local events, which could be found nowhere else. Even the advertisements give much of history. There ought to be provision for keeping such files in our county and city offices ; for the files at the printing offices are liable to be destroyed by fire, as some have been in Joliet, and as all have been in Chicago. And we here record our thanks to the proprietors of our papers for the free access given us to such files as have been preserved. They have afibrded us both amusement and instruction, as well as aided us in our efi"orts to recall per- sons and events. We have noticed that editors are not very reliable as prophets ; for previous to every election we have been told that the fate of the country hung upon the result, and that if the opposite party triumphed, the country would go to universal smash ; and yet the other party often did succeed, and the country went on all the same ! Another thing is very noticeable, and that is that it was always the other party that did all the mean and dishonest things ; and, also, that no sooner did a man who had all along been respectable and reliable, change his way of voting, than he became at once a vagabond and a scoundrel. Perhaps one of the punishments that will be awarded editors in the future world, will be to read ever their old editorials ! At any rate, that is the worst we would inflict upon them. We will give a resume of one number of the Signal of the year 1846, twelve years after our city was born, omitting the editorials. It gives a picture of the early times. In the way of news, we have Gen. Taylor's early dispatches from Mexico, when he was on the Rio Grande and skirmishing with Gen. Ampudia. We have also accounts of the negotiations with England, when we backed down from the " 54° 40'. or fight " position, and took up a more tenable one on °49, and the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. As an interesting item of home news, we are informed that an opposition line of stages has just been put upon the route from Chicago via Joliet to Ottawa. By the way, we have in Jo'liet a souvenir of those old stage times, in the person of our friend Kipp, now a citizen of Joliet who in those days held the ribbons for Frink & Walker with a skill and ability that was never surpassed. We have also, in the way of news, the proc- lamation of Gov. Ford against the Mormons, who were threatening to cut up at Nauvoo, and the announcement that a line of telegraph was soon to be opened from Buffalo to Detroit. The citizens of Joliet village were notified, also to meet at the Court House and organize a wolf-hunt. If you want to know how this was done, read " Forty Years Ago." (We are referring to that great work pretty often, but we can't help it.) By way of advertisements, J. A. Matteson tells the public that he is ready to card the wool and weave the cloth of the people of Will and adjoining counties, and to buy their wool and isell them cloth and other goods. Major SafiFord announces that he has con- cluded to stop with Matteson another year, and will try to please everybody, especially the ladies. Uncle Billy Hadsall advertises as the administrator of the estate of Philip Scott, deceased. (Uncle Billy's own estate will have to be administered on soon.) Francis J. Nicholson tells the public where he keeps 332 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. the " Emporium of Fashion," and is ready to give the gents the latest styles just received from Paris, London and Philadelphia. (The fashions have changed with "Nick" since that day, and -will change still more ere many years.) Alex. Mcintosh advertises a select school, in which he proposes to teach on common sense principles — not to cram ; and " Cal." indorses him, and advises parents to send their children to him. (Mack's wife now beats him — we mean at keeping school.) Charles Clement says he has lots of goods that the people can have cheap by calling at his store, opposite Merchants' Row. J. H. Brown offers pure and reliable drugs and medicines, which can be found in the store opposite the old wooden block on Upper Chicago street ; and G. H. Woodruff offers pills and powders to the West Siders at his store, in the old National. Hervy Lowe says he has seventy-five packages of summer goods he wants to get rid of at a very small advance above cost, on the corner of Chicago and Cass streets. M. L. Adams offers to cast anything you want at his steam foundry, on North Bluff street. Norton & Blackstone, of Lockport, advertise large and splendid stocks of everything ; and Lane & Weeks, of Lockport, manufacture steel plows. A. W. Bowen, Postmaster, tells who has letters in Joliet Post OflBce, that have not been called for ; among others, Sam Ander- son and Col. Curry. (If they have not been called for before this time, they never will be.) H. N. Marsh says he is ready to sell or manufacture anything you want in the furniture line. (We have got one of his tables, and it's good and strong yet.) A good cook is wanted at the National Hotel. (That's what the boarders thought, too.) Dr. Brownson advertises Sappington pills. Daniel Curtis offers to deal out justice as wanted, and E. C. Fellows and Osgood k Little to superintend its administration. Demmond & Wood advertise dry goods and groceries cheap at the City Cash Store. (That piece of Wood is our old reliable insurance man, and we are glad to get him into this history, for he is a pretty well seasoned piece of timber, although he has lately got more young.) Richard Doolittle says he keeps an auction and commission store. (Dick does a little in the way of administering justice now.) P. Filer adver- tises Jew David's plaster, and tells the people that they can find it both at Brown's and at Woodruff's. (That's the plaster the people used to put on the barn-doors to draw the cows home at night, and it will do it yet.) Etc., etc., etc., etc. METEOROLOGICAL. Early settlers in the Northwest used to speak of a great fall of snow which occurred in the Winter of 1830-31, which must have been very remarkable. It is said to have killed off the native game animals to such an extent as to have made them very scarce for several years, and to have been a serious loss to the Indians. It is said to have been four feet deep on a level. We have met with some mention of this remarkable snow in the history of Livingston County. We remember to have heard Mr. Kerchival speak of it when we HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. • 333 first came. He warned us who had settled under the bluff on the West Side, that we would some day get snowed in, saying that he had seen the snow one gentle slope from the top of the bluff across the river, completely concealing the river. But we have never had any such visitation up to this day. There was a deep snow which blocked the railroads, as we shall relate further on, a few years ago. We have never been visited in this county by devastaiting cyclones, although we not unfrequently have had storms of wind and rain and hail, which have been somewhat destructive in limited sections. All our streams are subject to heavy floods, especially upon the breaking-up of Spring, when snow and ice are abundant, and much loss has been experienced at times in mills and bridges, etc. In January, 1849, there was a big flood, especially in the Kankakee. Many families in Wilmington were compelled to leave their houses, and the upper mill was partly carried away by ice, and also the woolen- factory and a saw-mill, and the bridge over Forked Creek. The feeder was also damaged seriously. Another flood in 1867, carried off the railroad bridge landing it within a mile of Morris, and during the ice-gorge below, the water rose several feet in the main street of the city. The damage at this time was estimated as high as $100,000. Thunder and lightning are often very severe, especially along the rivers, and occasionally both animals and men have been killed. Such a thun- der-storm once struck the city of Wilmington, and produced effects which were startling in the extreme, and at the same time had a ludicrous side. It occurred during a political meeting held at the hall, in which Judge Parks was making a political speech, able, and of course on the right side, for that is where the Judge always means to be, even if he has to take the back track or go across lots to get there. He had just reached one of his sublimest flights of fancy and patriotism, holding out the American eagle with outstretched wings over his attentive audience, who, spell-bound by his eloquence, had taken little note of the approaching storm, until a thunder- bolt struck the building and passing into the crowd, struck about twenty of them to the floor, killing one of the number, and knocking the Judge's spread- eagle into smithereens, closed his speech with a climax which astonished the speaker no less than the auditors. The Judge was accustomed to seeing his audiences electrified, but never before or since in so startling and literal a man- ner. He yielded the floor, and acknowledged himself vanquished with his own weapons. The most terrific storm of this kind occurred on Sunday, the 31st day of July, 1864. During the morning service at the German Catholic Church in the north part of the city (the small stone church which has since been replaced by the present large and fine one) the steeple was struck by a thunder-bolt, which startled the entire city. The fluid passed down to the gallery immediately under the steeple, where it separated and passed down to the earth in two cur- rents. For a moment the whole congregation was paralyzed. When conscious- 334 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. ness returned, the scene was beyond description, and without a parallel in Will County. The smoke or vapor of some sort which followed the report, gave the impression that the church was on fire, and an insane rush was made for the doors and windows, which were broken out and torn from their hinges, and but for the presence of mind of the Pastor, a still more frightful loss of life must have resulted. When the terror of the crowd had been calmed, and the fact ascertained that the church was not on fire, the killed and wounded were looked after. They were carried out into the open air, and those who were not fatally injured recovered consciousness in the falling rain. The following persons were found to be dead : Mrs. Hartman, a young mother, 35 years old, leaving three children, one a babe; Mrs. Ingles, age 56; Nicholas Young, a lad of 15; Matthias Engle of the age of 17, and Samuel Weyman of 18 years. About twenty more were seriously, but not dangerously injured. The entire congre- gation were more or less affected. The scene was heart-rending — the moans and cries of the injured and the frightened as well — and the lamentations over the dead, no one who witnessed it will ever forget. We have had many floods in Joliet, more or less damaging to property, especially to bridges, but the one which was the largest, and which will live longest in the memory of our citizens, occurred on Wednesday, the 9th of August, 1865. On that day, which was a rainy one, there occurred during the afternoon, and again in the evening, two showers, which all who wit- nessed them will say were the heaviest they ever knew. They seemed to be like the cloud-breaks we have read of as occurring in some of the canons of the mountains of the West. Every one, however, went to bed serene, not anticipating that there was to be anything serious, although conscious that it was a big shower and the river had commenced to rise considerably. About midnight, the city was alarmed by the ringing of the bells and the shouts and cries of the people, and a scene of terror was presented in the dim light of the stars, which bafiles description. The moving about of people with lanterns and the reflection in the waters, gave a strange and weird aspect to the city, as seen from the blufi". A river of no mean volume was pouring down the R. I. R. R. track from Spring Creek, which was now a mighty stream, covering all the bottom lands in its vicinity. The wall of the upper basin had given way and a Niagara was pouring out, carrying ofl" King's plan- ing-mill and other buildings, and greatly endangering Howk & Hyde's mill. All that part of town known anciently as "the slough," was a second Missis- sippi, the houses were surrounded by water from Scott street to the eastern bins', and the people were being rescued by boats. Furniture and fences were afloat, and men and women imploring help from the windows of the upper stories of the beleaguered houses. The basements on the east side of Scott street were converted into cisterns, and the provisions and utensils necessary for the morning's breakfast were afloat. The old Des Planes which had often been on the rampage before, outdid all former exploits, and was full to the top of the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 335 * tow-path, and poured over the lock without any regard to canal regulations. It was easy to believe the theory that all this beautiful valley from bluff to bluflF was once a mighty Mississippi. Great feats of energy and daring were per- formed in rescuing the inmates from the houses in the sloughs and on the bottom below the R. I. E. R. which was also all afloat. The scenes «f that night, both harrowing and ludicrous, will not soon be forgotten by those who witnessed them. Many families had a tight race to get from the lower floors into the chambers, and some who had no chambers to flee to, found refuge on the roofs. The family of James Congden, on Cass street, reached the second story barely in time, and in the morning, on taking a peep into the parlor which had been so neat and cheerful the night before, they found two pigs had floated in and quartered themselves on the piano, where they were waiting patiently for the waters to assuage. A hired man of M. 0. Cagwin's, on the same street, was not aroused until the waters came over his bed. Without taking very much time to make his toilet, he jumped for the door and on stepping out found the steps had gone, and when he planted his feet where they had been he went in all over. He swam for the barn, cut loose his team and saved them from drowning. The lumber-yards were all afloat and many thousand feet of lumber sought a Southern market without a shipping bill or clearance. Blufi' stock rose suddenly; many fled thither for refuge. W. S. Brooks said his beautiful place on Scott street was for sale, but he still stays there, and we presume does not lie awake nights for fear of a recurrence of the scene. Many felt for a time that they would like to go up higher ; but as the floods subsided we suppose they concluded it was not much of a shower after all. The excitement and damage was by no means confined to Joliet. The railroads leading to the city were flooded and greatly damaged, bridges swept away, culverts destroyed,|tracks torn up and embankments torn away, and the bridges on all the county roads were in like condition, and a virtual blockade was established for a few days. Farm- ers were also great sufierers, stacks of grain and hay were destroyed, and few escaped some damage. RAILROADS. The opening of the canal made a great change in our mode of travel to Chicago. We had been wont to go by stage, a long and tedious ride — hot and dusty in Summer, and cold and uncomfortable in Winter. Or, we could drive our own conveyance, occupying from tliree-fourths of a day to a day and a half, according to the weather. Sometimes it required a day to get across the nine miles lying between "Widow Berry's Point" and the Chicago River, a low, wet, prairie then, although much of it is now included in West Chicago. It consumed three days, generally, to go, do business and return. But now the canal being open, we could go aboard a packet at night and wake up (if we were lucky enough to sleep) in Bridgeport, transact our business and return at night, 336 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. thus losing only one day. This was a great improvement, and for a while we were happy and content. But after a few years, we began to sigh for some- thing better and swifter. Canals were slow. They were safe, to be sure ; but who would not rather risk his life than to be all day or all night going forty miles, when he could do it in a couple of ho.urs ? We must have railroads. The principal towns in the county became agitated with railroad projects ; pub- lic meetings were held, and the county papers were filled with the reports, and with discussions and projects. The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad Company was chartered in 1850-51, and organized in 1851. One of our citizens, N. D. Elwood, Esq., was one of the Directors, and Secretary of the Board. The road was opened from Joliet to Chicago in October, 1852. Matteson was a large contractor, and the work was driven with his usual energy. The President of the road gave Joliet and vicinity a free ride. The packet-boat business soon dwindled and expired. Capt. Connett, the famous canal captain, had to get meta- morphosed into a railroad conductor. Now we could go from Joliet in the morning, buy half the city (if we had the dimes), and return at night. Lock- port was left out in the cold, and she was welcome to her old canal office, over which Jolietians had growled so many years. The Rock Island Railroad was opened to the JMississippi in 1854. The builders of the road (Farnham & Sheffield) chartered some steamboats, and gave the people a big excursion to St. Paul. Happy the man who was important enough to get a ticket. Pleasant memories of that excursion still linger in the minds of many of our citizens. Some interesting stories are told of the affair. Some strong temperance men at home were said to have been very much afraid of Mississippi water in its undiluted state. Preachers, on their return, made the country and the Great West the theme of their discourses. It was not known then that the writer would be a historian, and everybody had forgotten that he v^as Judge, and consequently he got no ticket, and therefore cannot expand the subject. That was a great oversight in Messrs. Farnham & Sheffield. But there was a compensation — we did not have to drink Mississippi water ! There was an in- cident, however, connected with this road, which occurred soon after it was in full operation, about which we know something and will relate a little. On Wednesday night, November 1, 1854, a most appalling accident occurred on the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, a few miles below our city, near Rock Run. The engine of the down passenger train was thrown from the track by running over a horse, and upon it the two forward passenger cars were thrown. One of the steam-pipes of the engine was severed, and the escaping steam was poured through the cars, terribly scalding sixty-two of the pas- sengers, literally cooking some of them alive. Twelve of this number died within a few minutes. The train was brought back to the'city about 8 o'clock in the morning, and the scenes of suffering presented at the depot were indescribable and sickened the heart of every beholder. N. D. Elwood, Esq., and other HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 337 officers of the road were indefatigable in their efforts to relieve the sufferings of those who survived. The stone house on Scott street, next to the present resi- dence of W. A. Steele, was appropriated as a hospital, and thither the survivors were taken. Our physicians, Drs. Harwood, Danforth and Mc Arthur, ■were in attendance by order of the railroad company, and nobly acquitted themselves. The citizens of Joliet, especially the ladies, were untiring in their attention, and everything possible was done to alleviate the sufferings of the survivors. Among the number of the dead was a man .from Gettysburg, Pa., his mother, wife and two children — five of one family ; their name was Laughlin. A niece of Mr. Laughlin was also supposed to be fatally wounded, and four others. Seven others were dangerously scalded, and eleven scalded more or less severely. Four of these died subsequently, making sixteen deaths in all. The hospital was established with Dr. McArthur as Director, and Drs. Bailey, Davis, and others beside the three previously named were called into the service. For many weeks the attention of these doctors, and of our ladies as nurses, was demanded. Some of those who survived were seriously injured for life, losing an eye or an ear, and will carry the marks of the terrible burns to their graves. They will not forget the gratuitous and unremitting services of our men and women as volunteer nurses. Two villages have been built up by this road in our county — New Lenox and Mokena. N. D. ELWOOD. The Secretary of this road, Nelson D. Ehvood, was so long identified with Lockport, Joliet and Will County, that a brief mention of the part he played in our history is called for. He came to this county in 1837, and settled at Lockport, where he obtained employment in the engineer department of the canal. Having the misfortune to lose his father at eight years of age, his opportunities for acquiring an education were limited; but he was possessed of so quick and inquiring turn of mind that he readily acquired the elements of a substantial business education, and was an accomplished penman, accountant and surveyor. In 1843, he was elected County Clerk, and held the office six years. During this time he studied law, and was admitted to the bar of Will County and of the Supreme Court of this State in 1847. On leaving the office of County Clerk, he formed a partnership with Judge Parks, which contin- ued through his life. He was one of the original directors of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and for five years Secretary to the Board, as above re- lated, and mainly instrumental in obtaining the right of way. With Gov. Matte- son, he builtthe Joliet & Northern Indiana Railroad, commonly known as the "cut- off," and now a branch of the Michigan Central, and was its President until it was sold to the Central. Mr. Elwood was also closely identified with the pros- perity of the city of Joliet. He was Mayor during the years 1855 and 1856, and an Alderman from 1857 until his death. He was also placed upon the first Bdard of Penitentiary Commissioners, and continued until his death. He 338 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. was re-appointed when laid upon what proved to be his death-bed, and this appointment was made by an administration adverse to him in politics. Mr. Elwood was long an official member of the Episcopal society, and also eminent as a Mason, holding many important offices in all the grand bodies of the State, He died February 24, 1861, leaving one son, James G. Elwood, present Mayor of Joliet, and a widow now residing in Chicago. THE C, A. & ST. L. E. R. The Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad was chartered and organized in 1851-52. The work was commenced in 1852, and the road opened to this city in August, 1854, and from this city to Chicago in 1857. This road added greatly to our commercial facilities. Passing through Wilmington, Joliet and Lockport, it gave Joliet another route to Chicago and access to the coal-fields of our county ; also to Wilmington and Lockport, the railroad communication they had so long desired. The daily " bus " between Lockport and Joliet was useless, and that city was happy. During the Winter of 1854-65, occurred a great snowstorm, which is, no doubt, yet remembered by many. The train which left Joliet at noon on the 25th day of January, with 350 passengers, 22 of whom were members of the Illinois Legislature, was brought to a full stop when near Dwight. The weather had grown cold and the engines had frozen up, and they were utterly unable to pro- ceed. They were held in this condition for six days and nights, during which it was excessively cold, and there was much discomfort, to use no stronger ex- pression. It was several miles to timber, and the stock of fuel carried by the train was soon exhausted. The seats of the cars and also the second-class cars were cut up for fuel. They had no provisions the first day excepting a few cans of oysters and a few boxes of crackers^ which were in the freight car. Relief, to some extent, was brought in sleigh sfrom the surrounding farmhouses and the nearest villages ; and on the seventh day, an engine from Joliet suc- ceeded in forcing its way through and bringing the shipwrecked train back to Joliet. Some of the Legislature, among them Messrs. Parks and Osgood, went forward from Dwight in sleighs. We wish that this was the only disaster that we were called upon to record in the history of this road. But on Saturday evening of August 16, 1873, there was one which was indeed frightful, and exceeded, in the number lost, that of the R. I. R. R., as there were twenty-three persons killed and thirty- one wounded. The accident occurred about one-half a mile this side of the Sag bridge, in Cook County. The train which left Chicago at 9.40 was well crowded with passengers. Although about ten minutes behind at Willow Springs, it had the right of way to Lemont, and the conductor ordered the engineer to make up the time. There was a heavy fog in the valley, and as the train passed around a curve at the feeder, the engineer saw the flash of a headlight. He instantly reversed his engine, opened the valve and leaped for HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 339 life. An instant collision occurred with a coal train, coming on at full speed, and with much the heaviest locomotive. The passenger engine was thrown into the ditch, and that of the freight train went on like a mad bull, and, toss- ing the express and baggage cars one side, like a leaf in the wind, plunged, with terrible force, into and under the smoking-car, which had been raised up by the collision. The passengers were thrown in a heap to the rear end of the cars, and some tossed, with the seats on which they sat, into the air, and fell, bruised and scalded, into the swamps on either side. The smoke-stack of the locomotive was broken oiF at the first collision, and the end of the smoking-car was pushed over the boiler and rested on the top of it, and the escaping steam filled the car. Only two men in the car escaped injury, and they were in the first seat and were thrown into the air, while one who sat by their side was severely scalded. The concussion of the collision was so great that the pas- sengers in the other cars were stunned for the moment and did not realize what had happened, and that many of their fellow-passengers were dying around them and being scalded alive. Indeed, the only effective assistance came from the neighboring houses, after the citizens had been aroused. The scene which met them was heart-rending in the extreme ; the cries of the suffering pierced the night air, and the crash of the collision and the roar and hissing of the steam were heard at Lemont, and aid dispatched to the scene. Dispatches were sent from Lemont to Chicago, and a relief train, with physicians, nurses and supplies, reached the scene at 2 o'clock A. M. In the mean time, the wounded and scalded had been removed to the uninjured cars, and were attended by those who had come to their rescue from the vicinity. Their con- dition was indescribably horrid. Six were found already dead, and forty wounded, who were enduring the most intense sufferings. They were taken to Chicago hospitals ; two died on the way and fifteen afterward. Among the latter were J. W. Smith, the recently-appointed Warden of the Penitentiary ; J. W. Fluerey, the Purchasing Agent of the same ; James O'Neil, a crockery merchant on Bluff street, Joliet, son-in-law of Dr. Leavy, and two other resi- dents of Joliet — Jacob Lauser and John Metzgar, a brakeman. The engineer of the coal train was arrested and put in jail. The conductor was a resident of Joliet and had been some time in the employ of the company here, and was regarded as a sober and reliable man. He was the son of one of our most an- cient Irishmen (who died soon after). He was not to be found for some time, but was afterward arrested at Monee. He could give no explanation, except that of forgetfulness. There is still another incident of great interest touching this road. In October, 1862, the road was sold at the Court House in Joliet on the third mortgage, for the benefit of the first and second mortgages as well, all repre- senting the trifling sum of $6,500,000. It was bought in at this sale by Sam- uel J. Tilden and partner, for the sum of, $1,600,000. We are happy to have this opportunity of getting Samuel and his "barrel" into the history of Will 340 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. County. This he will no doubt feel to be some compensation for having been swindled (?) out of the Presidency. And as matters have turned out, we are very glad we did not bid against him. We hardly know why we did not, but perhaps the following circumstance, which occurred a little before and which we take from the files of the Signal, will account for it. "The residence of G. H. Woodruff, of this city, was entered last night by some miscreant and about $100 taken from Mr. W.'s pants." Now this "miscreant" is the only man we have not forgiven, but we promise to forgive him if he will return the .prin- cipal, and we will say nothing about the interest and ask no questions. This is certainly a liberal offer as the interest would now exceed the principal. Anyhow we give him due notice that he can't do it again ! There ! we have succeeded in getting into this history, and in such company, too ! Another railroad, the Chicago, Joliet & Peoria Railroad, has been opened from Joliet to Streator. This passes from Joliet along the east bank of the Des Planes, through the towns of Joliet and Channahon, crossing the Kankakee near its mouth, and so on through Grundy, Livingston, Woodford and Tazewell Counties, to Peoria, connecting with Streator by a cross-road. We thus have access to vast coal-fields, and our coal dealers supply those who wish with Streator coal. Yet another railroad — the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes — has been opened, which passes through the townships of Crete, Washington, the ancient village of Crete and the modern ones of Goodenow and Beecher, giving the extreme eastern part of our county all needed facilities. The Joliet & Northern Indiana Railroad, commonly called the cut-off, and now owned and controlled by the Michigan Central, is becoming one of the most impor- tant railroad connections, furnishing as it does a direct communication with the Eastern markets, and it is making Joliet one of the most important centers of the grain and pork trade, as will appear from statistics elsewhere given. The opening of this road was strenuously opposed by Chicago, she being unwilling to lose any part of her immense trade. A fierce paper war was waged during its incubar tion, but the project was so important and so obviously just that it was bound to carry in time. This road was built in 1855, and among the benefits which accrued to us from it, we must not forget, was the coming here of Calvin Knowlton, long time its Superintendent. His given name, we think, another case of lucus a non lucendo. It has also built up two stations — the villages of Spencer and Frankfort. The Chicago branch of the Illinois Central road, which was part of the grand scheme of 1837, but had no vitality until Congress made the magnificent donation of 3,000,000 acres of public lands to the State for its construction, passes through the towns of Peotone, Will and Monee, having created the two flourishing villages of Peotone and Monee. Sev- eral other roads have been projected and surveyed through our county, and will, perhaps, sometime become fixed facts ; but as they are still in the future, we leave them for some future historian. HISTORl' OF WILL COUNTY. 341 PLANKEOADS. The Oswego & Indiana Plankroad was chartered in 1849-50, and the sub- scription books opened in 1851, and the stock soon taken. Directors were chosen in May, 1851. These were J. A. Matteson, M. H. Demmond, H. D. Risley, Isaac Cook and Uri Osgood. The Directors organized by choosing H. D. Risley, President ; Uri Osgood, Treasurer, and H. E. Streeter, Secretary. Under the energetic superintendency of the President, the road was soon opened to Plainfield. Work was also done beyond. This road was in use for several years until worn out, when the road was abandoned. It was under its charter, which was a liberal one, that considerable railroading was done. A plankroad was also constructed for a few miles south of the city. Lockport also rejoiced in a plankroad, chartered under the name of the Lockport, Plain- field & Yorkville Plankroad, organized in June, 1855, at Plainfield. Hiram Norton, John F. Daggett, George Gaylord, D. C. Norton and S. Hamlin were Directors. Hiram Norton, President; J. F. Daggett, Treasurer and SecretaVy; A. J. Mathewson, Surveyor. They built a road to Plainfield, which has also ceased to be a plankroad. Plankroads, like many other things, seem to be obsolete. There are several persons who have been prominent in our early history, but who have now passed from the scene of their earthly activities, about whom it is proper that something more should be said than we have found it conven- ient to do in the progress of our narrative. Some of these we will now briefly notice. We begin with JESSE 0. NORTON. He was born in Bennington, Vt., in December, 1812. His father. Col. Martin Norton, was a soldier, serving his country at the time of his birth. He pursued the usual preparatory course and entered Williams College in 1831, and graduated with honor in 1835. Having no means, and entirely depend- ent upon his own exertions, he immediately commenced teaching, first at Wheel- ing, Peun., and afterward in Potosi, Mo. While here, he formed the acquaint- ance of the lady he soon married, Miss Phebe A. Sheldon. In about one year after their marriage they came to Joliet^-^in 1839. The writer well remembers his first meeting with Mr. Norton, soon after his arrival, and how greatly pre- possessed he was by his courteous and winning manner, and he soon formed an intimate acquaintance with him and his wife. His genial manners soon made him popular and beloved by the community where he had settled, while his ability and integrity soon won a way for him in professional and political life. In 1846, he was elected County Judge, and re-elected in 1848. He was chosen to represent our county in the State Constitutional Convention of 1848. In 1850, he was elected to the State Legislature, and, in 1852, was chosen to rep- resent this District in Congress, and was re-elected in 1854. In 1857, he was elected Circuit Judge, and discharged the duties of the position with ability. In 1862, he was again elected to Congress. In 1866, he received the 342 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. appointment of District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and removed to Chicago. He discharged the duties of this office with ability until April, 1869, when he became associated with Judge J. R. Doolittle in the practice of law, and kept up this connection until the great fire of 1871, which destroyed their library and papers. He subsequently received the appointment of Counsel to the City of Chicago. He died August 3, 1875, and his remains were brought to Joliet, where the greatest portion of his active life had been passed, and they rest in Oakwood. Mr. Norton was an able and effective speaker, both at the bar and on the "stump," and in the legislative hall. Dur- ing his residence in Joliet, he was a member of the Congregational Church (now the Central Presbyterian). Mrs. Norton and four children survive him. TJRI OSGOOD was one of our first lawyers — first in point of time and also of ability. He came here the same year in which our county was organized (1836) and from that day to that of his death was one of our most prominent men. He was gifted with more than ordinary mental powers, and took a high position at the bar. He also filled offices of trust and responsibility. He was elected to the State Senate in 1852, and was the Democratic candidate for Congress in 1858, and made a strong canvass in a Republican district and against a most popular opponent. Mr. Osgood accumulated a considerable property, and established a private bank. He was a man of strictly temperate habits and pure life. His death was remarkably sudden. He had partaken of his breakfast as usual, and risen to go down town to attend Court, when he complained of a pain in his chest. His family at once sent for Dr. Casey, who arrived in a few moments, but found Mr. 0. in a dying condition. He did not live half an hour after getting up from his breakfast. Mr. Osgood was a native of Chenango County, N. Y., and 62 years of age at the time of his death, which occurred February 8, 1871. W. C. GOODHUE, another Joliet lawyer, died October 19, 1870. He was the son of Deacon Ezra Goodhue, one of the early settlers of Plainfield, and a graduate of Knox College, Galesburg, He came to Joliet and commenced the practice of law in 1857. He was comparatively a young man at the time of his death, and his friends anticipated for him a useful and successful career. He had just served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1870, participating actively in its debates and serving on important committees. He was one of the Com- mittee that prepared the address of the Convention to the people. Mr. Good- hue was a member of the Congregational Church in Plainfield. He died Oct. 19, 1870, in the 39th year of his age. AV. B. LITTLE. In the year 1840, one of the most brilliant and promising young men we have ever had came to Joliet. This was William E. Little. He was born in HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 343 the State of New York, 'but while quite young his parents moved to Pennsyl- vania. He acquired a good education, chiefly by his own exertions. One year he spent in Oberlin College, Ohio. After leaving Oberlin, he, at the age of 19, entered the law office of his brother, at Montrose, Penn., and afterward pursued his professional studies at Wilkesbarre, where he was admitted to the bar at 21 years of age. He was then married to Miss Mary J. Curtis, and immediately (1840) removed to Joliet. Young as he was in years and in his profession, he at once took high rank at the Will County bar, which then numbered in its ranks such men as Newkirk, "Wilson, Boardman, Henderson, Osgood, Fellows, Parks and others, and where he also encountered such men as Caton, Collins, Spring, Butterfield, Dickey, Goodrich and others from Chicago. In such a bar and in such a circuit, young Little commanded the respect and admiration of his older brethren, and was justly regarded as a young man of great promise. He also soon entered the political arena, and was as ready and as popular on the stump as at the bar. He was elected, in 1848, by the Demo- cratic party to represent this district, then embracing Will, Du Page, Iroquois and Kendall Counties in the General Assembly. While in the Legislature, he was Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and prepared able reports on the subjects committed to it. It is an interesting incident that, at the same time, his brother was Chairman of the like committee in the Legislature of Pennsyl- vania. In the canvass for the Democratic nomination to Congress in 1850, his friends brought him out as a candidate for the nomination, and he received as high as 38 votes. Richard S. Malony, however, received the nomina- tion. All who knew him believed that his election to Congress was only post- poned a little, and that a brilliant political career was before him. He was a graceful and effective speaker, and while he lived he divided the honors of Fourth of July oratory with Judge Parks. But all his own aspirations and the hopes and expectations of his many friends were blighted by his early death, which occurred September 30, 1851, at the age of thirty-four. The members of the bar of this and adjoining counties, the societies of Masons and Odd Fellows from Lockport and Joliet testified their respect by full attendance at his funeral, and numerous testimonials of respect filled the papers at the time. Mr. Little left a widow and four daughters, who have long been known to the people of Joliet, and loved and honored on their own account as well as that of the husband and father. A beautiful tribute to his memory was given in the True Democrat, from the pen of the assistant editor, Mrs. E. A. W. Hopkins. ^ DAVID L. GREGG must be added to the list of brilliant young lawyers who have once shone at the Will County bar, and who have now gone to a Higher Court. Of his early history, we are not informed. He came here at an early day, was some time editor of the first paper — the Courier, the predecessor of the Signal — was 344 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. elected to the Legislature in 1840, was appointed Secretary of State by Gov. French in 1851, came within two votes of Grov. Matteson for the nomination for Governor; was appointed Commissioner to the Sandwich Islands by Presi- dent Pierce, and after his return received an appointment to a Nevada land office, where he died in 1869. He was first admitted to the bar in Joliet. He was an accomplished scholar, a brilliant orator and a warm politician. We must mention the name, also, of WILLIAM A. BOARDMAN, once a prominent lawyer in the early day, a partner of Judge Henderson and a brother-in-law of Joel A. Matteson and Henry Fish. He was a man of strong reasoning powers and able in argument, although so quaint or odd in his man- ner of expression as often to make it difficult to suppress a smile. He went from here to Lake County, where he became County Judge. He died when visiting some friends in this county, in October, 1872. His death was very sudden. B. C. FELLOWS. ■ As appears, from the foregoing pages, Mr. Fellows first came to Channahon in 1834, and soon after took up his residence and hung out his shingle in Joliet, and from that time until failing health prevented, he was one of our busiest and most successful lawyers. He was a man of keen and penetrating mind, and especially noted as a criminal lawyer, generally employed on the side of the defense, and no client ever suiFered from his neglect. He was a native of Columbia County, N. Y., and died at Lockport in August, 1876. J. E. STRBETBR, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Nebraska, was still another Joliet lawyer for several years, and figured somewhat in our politics. He had many friends here who justly esteemed him for his many fine qualities of head andheart. He always labored under the disadvantage of poor health and a feeble physique, and his ambition always outran his strength. He was a fine speaker, and at the commencement of our war era, as well as in political campaigns, was often heard in eloquent advocacy of what he believed to be the cause of justice and the Union. He enjoyed political excitement, and if his health had been equal to his ambition, would have made, no doubt, a brilliant career. But consump- tion had early marked him as her prey, and he died February 20, 1863. FIRMAN MACK, was for many years one of our most active and reliable business men. He re- sided in Chicago a few years, and came here about 1837. He commenced here at his trade as a shoemaker, and gradually increased liis business from year to year, growing with the place until he became a wholesale dealer and manufact- urer of boots, shoes and leather, employing largely, at one time, convict labor. He built several stores, not less than six in all, and two fine residences, one on HISTORY OF WILL COUilTY. 345 Broadway and another on Richard street. He served the city as School Di- rector, Alderman and Mayor. He was a member and a liberal supporter of the Methodist Church, and aided liberally all other church and benevolent enter- prises. He was a man of few words, but he led an active, busy, useful life. Many will remember his mysterious death, and how startled the community was by the intelligence that his body had been found in the Chicago River. Various theories and conjectures have been entertained in respect to his untimely taking off; but the facts are still wrapt in mystery and will probably never be known until the great day when all things shall be revealed. His death oc- curred August 10, 1872, at the age of 65. J. T. m'dougall was born in Schenectady, N. Y., came to Joliet in 1845, and was for a long time a prominent business man here. He received the appointment of Postmaster under Taylor, which he resigned in 1852, to take the position of Cashier in the Merchants' & Drovers' Bank, established by Matteson — the first bank of issue in Will County. While on the Tennessee River, in the Spring of 1862, upon matters of business connected with the army, he was taken sick and reached St. Louis only to die May 19, 1862. REV. EDWARD SAVAGE, for some time Pastor of the Baptist Church, bookseller. School Commissioner in 1859 and 1860; highly respected as a Christian and an able preacher; died of consumption April 27, 1863. He left one son, on whom his mantle has fallen. He was 46 years of age. •' ° H. ». RISLEY, one of the early settlers of Channahon, afterward Sheriff of our county for four years — 1840-43, President of the Joliet & Oswego Plankroad, and long and well known in business circles here and at Wilmington, where he some time resided; was born in Oneida County, N. Y., and came west from Onondaga County in 1833. He died in December, 1862. JOHN MILLER, one of the earliest settlers of Du Page, and the first Supervisor of the town, and also our Representative to the State Legislature in 1846 and in 1848, was a fine specimen of a Will County yeoman, physically, intellectually and morally. He died, greatly regretted, in March, 1851. AGRICULTURE, AND AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL ASSOCIATION. There have been several county agricultural associations in our past history, and two places, besides the one now occupied, have been fitted up for their use. The first was located on the well-known Stevens Farm, in a beautiful grove hav- ing a beautiful and abundant spring, and buildings were erected, and consider- able improvements made. When the war came on, it was changed into a mili- tary camp and barracks, and afterward reverted to Mr. Stevens. A place was 346 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTV. also fitted up on the hill above the Penitentiary, on the Lockport road, and considerable money expended. This was, however, more of a hippodrome, we believe, than an agricultural association. The present Agricultural and Me- chanical Association is now (Sept. 12) holding its ninth annual fair. It has beautiful grounds in the southeastern part of the city, near the termination of the street railway, which have been beautifully fitted up with the necessary halls and stock pens, and all the usual conveniences of such establishments. There is a fine spring on the grounds which furnishes all the water necessary. The programme for the fair now being held, offers a large and liberal list of premiums, which are open to all competitors. The Association was organized in 1869, under the general act of the Legislature, and has a capital of $26,000. The Board of officers is as follows : President, Charles Snoad, of New Lenox; Vice Presidents, William E. Henry, of Joliet; C. A. Westgate, of Peotone; B. F. Carter, of Troy ; R. J. Boylan, of Elwood ; Frank Searles, of New Lenox ; Secretary, William T. Nelson, of Wilmington ; Treasurer, B. H. Aikin, of Joliet ; with a Board of nine Directors, and eighteen Superintendents under the General Superintendent, L. E. Ingalls. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONS. In no way can we so well give an idea of the kind and amount of produc- tions of the county as by the following condensed abstract from the Assessor's returns : PKODDCTS. 10BE8. BUSHELS. Corn 132,332 4,324,432 Winter wheat 112^ 2,330 Spring wheat l.intended to lease out to other manufactories, thus making this a manufacturing district. These mills were burned July 22, 1877— loss about $30,000— and have never been rebuilt ; but a wire fence manufactory has been erected on the site, as noticed on another page. Before they were burned, the firm, as "William Adam & Co., did a large business in addition to milling, in meal, feed, etc., with lumbermen, and their trade extended up among the pineries. The Joliet Mills were built in 1856, by Houck & Preston, near the upper bridge, cost about ^35,000, and have six runs of buhrs. They are now owned by G. W. Hyde, who in 1866, built a grain elevator in connection, at a cost of $12,000, with a capacity of about 25,000 bushels. The Joliet Woolen-Mills were quite an en- terprise in their day, and were one of the works of Hon. J. A. Matteson, who was the prime mover in the affair of their erection. The building was 45x100 feet and cost about $63,000. After running about two years, it was sold to Woodrufi" Aiken, Hyde and others, who operated it two years longer, when it stopped work and remained idle until 1873. It was then sold to W. E. Henry, but for several years has not been running, and is at present a useless enter- prise. A paper-mill has been erected near where the City Mills were burned. It was begun in July, 1877, and finished and commenced to work about the last of October of the same year. The mill was built by Young & Riebling, but is owned by F. H. Riebling, operated by Riebling & Kramer and run by the power of the Adam Manufacturing Co. It cost about $12,000, and has a capacity of from two to two and a half tons a day. Rag wrapping and hard- ware paper are specialties, with sometimes small lots of Manila No. 2. The 404 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. mill employs usually about sixteen hands, and has its largest trade in Chicago, which is mostly wholesale and shipped in car-load lots. The Rolling Mills of Joliet are among the largest works of the kind, not only in the United States but in the world. This immense concern, known and entitled the Joliet Iron and Steel Company, is located on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, just north of the city limits of Joliet, with a switch connecting with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The corner stone of the Iron Works was laid in March, 1870, and the Steel Works built in 1873, and to their location at this point Joliet owes much of her pres- ent prosperity. To give a full and complete history of this gigantic establish- ment would require more space than we can devote to the subject in these pages. A few points will be given, however, showing their extent and capacity, labor employed, etc., from information received from H. S. Smith, Esq., Gen- eral Superintendent. The Company's works comprise 100 ' acres of level ground with solid rock bottom a few inches below the surface, upon which have been erected the following structures : Two blast furnaces, coke and coal wash- ing works, fire-brick works, the Bessemer works, the steel rail mills, the iron rail mills, the puddle mill, the shops and water works. The walls of all the buildings are of Joliet limestone, which, considering its cheapness and the size and shape in which it is quarried, renders it perhaps the best building stone in the world. The engine and train foundations are of dimen- sion stone of great size and thickness, laid with but little trimming, yet nearly with the accuracy of ashlar work, on a flat rock, the upper layci of which is 480 feet thick. The character of the masonry and the size of the stones in the buildings are first-class throughout. To give some idea of these vast works, the "blast furnaces," with the different buildings pertaining to this department, comprise extreme ground dimensions of 420x240 feet ; the extreme dimensions of the Bessemer works' buildings are 215x157 feet; the new steel rail mill is 446x105 feet, and 25 feet high ; the iron rail mill is 230x80 feet, and 20 feet high ; the puddle mill building is 190x75 feet ; the buildings of the fire brick works are 400x50 feet. The shops belonging to the works are of themselves no inconsiderable establishment. The machine shop is 120x70 feet, and 20 feet high, with slate roof; the foundry is 100x60 feet, 25 feet high, with slate roof; the smith shop is 70x60 feet, 18 feet high ; the boiler shop is a wooden extension of the smith shop 75x60 feet ; the pat- tern and carpenter shop is a 2-story building 70x38 feet, with slate roof; the ofiice and drawing room is a 2-story stone building 45x24 feet. The entire force required in the steel works when running at full capacity is about 800 men, and 400 for a "single turn." The capacity is as follows: Bessemer plant, ingots per week, 1,700 tons ; new rail mill, rails per week, 1,400 tons. The iron and puddle mills are not now in operation, nor have they been for some time, but other departments are running regularly. That these improve- ments are very substantial, may be gathered from the fact that eight or ten, HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 405 years ago, 1,000 tons a month Avas the maximum capacity of the best Bessemer works in America, and that the average production of the best English works of the same nominal size, five years ago, was 1,600 tons per month. At pres- ent the Joliet Works have attained a capacity of from 6,500 to 7,000 tons per month. But it is impossible to transfer to paper in our limited space, the full magnitude of these works, and will pass the subject with this meager notice. The Solar Stove Works are located but a short distance south of the Roll- ing Mills. They were established in 1871, by the late Wm. N. Moore, aid at his death passed into the hands of the present proprietors, known as the Solar Stove Works — A. Cochran, President ; F. S. Moore, Treasurer, and I. D. Stevens, Secretary. Since the first organization of these works, they have enjoyed an uninterrupted prosperity. They employ about forty men, turning out annually some 3,000 cook stoves and 40,000 pieces of hollow-ware, consum- ing 3,000 tons of the best pig iron in their production. The stoves of which they make a specialty, are the Commonwealth, Interior, Columbia, Fidelity and the George Washington. They also manufacture a Cooper's Barrel Heater, which has been sold and used in nearly every State and Territory in America. The company has a large trade and are shipping quantities of stoves through the States of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota, and Dakota Territory. As a manufacturing city, Joliet has considerable prominence among the cities of Illinois, and its location is favorably adapted to this kind of industry. With such a net-work of railroads, together with the canal, it has the very best shipping facilities, and then the water-power is of incalculable value to the manu- facturing interests, and should the whole force of the water-power of the Des Planes contiguous to Joliet be utilized, her citizens will be convinced of the fact that " there's millions in it." One of oldest manufacturing establishments now in operation in the city is the Joliet Manufacturing Company. It was originally established in Plainfield, under the firm name of Dillman & Co., in 1849, as a foundry and a machine shop. In 1863, it was removed to Joliet, and was still operated by the old firm until 1867, when it was merged into a stock company with the above title, and A. H. Shreffler, President ; L. E. Dill- man, Treasurer, and E. C. Dillman, Secretary. From twenty-five to eighty men are employed, and a specialty is made of corn shellers ; but reapers, mowers and plows were at one time largely manufactured by these works. Capital stock is about $69,000, and the factory is near the Michigan Central Depot. R. Sandiford, successor to the firm of Sanger & Co., and proprietor of the Joliet Agricultural Works, located near the Jeiferson street bridge. These works manufacture land rollers. Champion reapers and mowers, horse-powers, etc., and is an extensive establishment of the kind, employing usually from ten to fifteen hands. It furnishes power to the factory of the Joliet Wire Fence Company. The Adam Manufacturing Company was organized and commenced business in April, 1877 — William Adam, President; F. G. Stanley, Vice President, and 406 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. W. J. Adam, Secretary and Treasurer, with $10,000 capital stock. The Com pany manufactures barbed fence wire and staples ; from two to two and a half tons of the former per day, and about one ton of staples, is the capacity of the works. From twenty-five to thirty hands are employed, and the items mentioned are specialties, though other work is done to some extent. The water-power of the Company is excellent, the best perhaps on the river, as well as the oldest, and furnishes power to the paper mill, as elsewhere noticed. The Lock Stitch Pence Company, manufacturers of barbed wire for fence purposes, have their office at the Joliet Manufacturing Company, and their factory near Hyde's Mills at the upper bridge. This Company employ about fifteen men, and their capacity is from one and a half to two tons per day. The Joliet Wire Fence Company has a factory just below the Jefferson street bridge, the power of which is furnished by Sandiford's Agricultural Works ; it also has a factory at the prison, with its business office on the west side of the public square. The capacity of the two establishments is suf- ficient to require the employment of about seventy men, continually. The Company was organized October 1, 1866, with capital stock of $65,000. H. B. Scutt, President ; W. S. Brooks, Treasurer, and J. R. Ashley, Secretary. This is the pioneer establishment, and succeeded H. B. Scutt & Co., who were the first parties to manufacture barbed wire in Will County. They have a large and growing trade, extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast, and from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico. There are, we believe, some other factories of this branch of industry about to begin operations, but of them we have but little information. From the facts given it will be seen that the manufacture of barbed wire for fences is developing into quite an extensive business. The tannery of Houck & Brown is quite a large establishment of the kind, and is located near the Rolling Mills. The business was originally begun' by Firman Mack & E. Cleghorn, about 1864. Mack had cari-ied on the business since 1850 on a small scale. The business passed into the hands of M. Cleghorn (after the death of Mack, which occurred by drowning), who built the present works about 1863. The works were finally sold, and bought by the present firm, who have conducted the business on a much larger scale than here- tofore, and operate a store in addition to their tannery. They employ twenty- one men, and their business amounts to about $80,000 annually. The Wind-mill Manufactory of L. Leach is one of the largest of the kind in the West. In 1871, he invented ■' Leach's Wind-mill." and began the manu- facture of it. and does a very large business in wind-mills, selling in nearly every State in the Union. He manufactures only his own inventions ; and to wind- mills is added the manufacture of earth augers, well-boring machinery, etc. There are several other wind-mills represented in Joliet, but Leach's is the most extensive. The breweries of Joliet are quite a large industry. The Eagle Brewery of B. Porter, is one of the largest establishments of the kind in the State. Mr. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 407 Porter erected his first brewery in 1858, which was burned down ten years later, when he erected his present massive buildings on the West Side, which are 80x100 feet, and three stories high. An artesian well, forty-five feet deep, aifords an unfailing supply of water for carrying on the works. The goods manufactured by the Eagle Brewery are well known and command a large sale throughout the country. The Columbia Brewery, by F. Sehring, is another mammoth establishment, and sells a large amount of goods annually. Mr. Sehring purchased the Columbia in 1868, and has since remodeled it, putting in steam power and all the modern improvements, and it is now one of the best appointed establishments of the kind outside of Chicago. There are one or two other breweries in the city which manufacture considerable goods ; these men- tioned, however, are much the largest, and have most of the trade. The manufacture of sewer pipe, drain tile, fire and bath brick and all this class of goods is an extensive business of Joliet. The material produced in this section is superior to that of any part of the State of Illinois. The clay is peculiarly adapted to drain tile and sewer pipe, and wherever the Joliet tiles have been used, their reputation is good and their merits fully appreciated. For more than a quarter of a century, this line of industry has been in course of operation here, and increasing with the lapse of years, until 'it has become one of the most extensive branches of business. Joliet has the honor of being the only point in the United States where bath brick is manufactured and makes a large quantity of them annually, while the amount of sewer pipe, drain tile, of every size in use, manufactured each year is simply immense. Of other manufactures of Joliet, in addition to those already mentioned, such as brick-making, lime kilns, sash, door and blind factories, planing-mills, etc., etc.-, the city is well represented in all these lines and branches ; . and they are rather too numerous to admit of particularization in our lim'ited space. With the brief mention we have made of this particular source of enterprise, our readers cannot fail to observe the importance of Joliet and its advantages as a manufacturing city. Banking was begun in a small way by private individuals in Joliet more than thirty years ago. The first regular banking institution was the old " Merchants' and Drovers' Bank," of which Joel A. Matteson, E. E. Goodell and William Smith were, we believe, the principal stockholders. It was char- tered and organized as a bank under the above title in 1850, and continued as such for a number of years. There were, however, banks prior to this, of a private character, or individuals who did a general banking business in a private way, of whom Uri Osgood was one of the first in this business. But, as stated, the Merchants' and Drovers' Bank was the first organized efibrt. In those days, the banking system was not so thorough as at the present time, and "wild-cat" banks were as common and as popular (?) as savings banks used to be in Chicago. Joliet was no exception, and so wild-cat banks existed here, as well as several sound institutions, before the era of National banks, among which may be men- 408 HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. tioned the Will County Bank, the Joliet City Bank, etc. The period of National banks dates back to 1864, and the first one organized under the National bank law was the First National Bank of Joliet. It was established September 4, 1864, with George Woodruff, President, and a capital stock of $100,000. Mr. Woodruff is still President, and F. W. Woodruff, Cashier. The Will County National Bank was organized October 10, 1871, with a capital stock of 1100,000, and Henry Fish, President; Calvin Knowlton, Vice President, and George P. Jones, Cashier. In January, 1873, Calvin Knowlton was elected President; J. A. Henry, Vice President, and Henry Knowlton, Cashier, all of whom hold these positions at the present time. The Joliet City Bank was origin- ally established in 1857-58, by the Cagwins, Woodruff and others. It is still one of the leading banks of the city, and is ably managed by Francis L. Cagwin, whose credit is beyond question, and who, in a long business life, has always paid 100 cents on the dollar. The Stone City Bank was organized by Henry Fish in 1873, the first President of the Will County National Bank. He is still the proprietor of it, and is doing a large and safe business. GoodspeSd's Bank was organized in 1870, by Goodspeed & McGovney. In 1872, he bought out McGovney, and has since been sole proprietor. Westphal & Lagger or- ganized the German Loan and Savings Bank in the Fall of 1875. It is still conducted by them and is the only banking institution on the west side of the river. Secret societies are probably coeval with man's existence in organized society, and perhaps will continue to exist until the last syllable of recorded time. We know that the causes which actuate them are beneficent and good, because the re- sults achieved are so grand and glorious. Freemasonry bears an early date in Joliet. From records preserved by W. W. Stevens, Esq., and furnished us for perusal, we find that a lodge was organized as early as 1840, under a dispensation from|the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, before Illinois had a Grand Lodge of her own. The dispensation was signed by Most Worshipful Abner Cunningham, Grand Master of Kentucky, and Right Worshipful Philip Swigert, Grand Secretary, dated November, 1840, arid issued to Juliet Lodge, U. D., Juliet, Illinois. Right Worshipful C. Jackson, proxy of the Grand Master of Kentucky, came all the way from that Grand Jurisdiction to institute this Lodge, and set the brethren to work upon the square. It continued under dispensation until Oc- tober, 1842, when it was chartered by the same august body, as Juliet Lodge No. 10. The first ofiicers under the charter were Jacob Patrick, Master; Nor- man Hawley, Senior Warden ; Aaron Kinney, Junior Warden ; Robert G. Cook, Treasurer ; Maurice Murphy, Secretary ; Thomas J. Wade, Senior Deacon ; Fenner Aldrich, Junior Deacon ; Thomas J. Kinney, Tiler, with twenty-seven original members, besides the ofiicers. Among them will be recognized the names of many of the leading citizens of that day, viz. : Jared Runyon, Thomas Will- iams, David L. Gregg, Joel A. Matteson, James Brodie, Henry G. Brown, Ethan Wetherbeeand Benjamin Richardson, all of whom, with three exceptions. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 409 joined the first year. This was the first Masonic Lodge in Will County, and, from the number, appears to have been the tenth in the State. It continued to work under its charter until 1846, when some dissensions having ariseii in the Lodge, and the Grand Lodge of Illinois in the mean time having been or- ganized, the latter Grand Body annulled the charter of Juliet Lodge, No. 10, and afterward issued a dispensation to establish Mt. Joliet Lodge. In due time it was chartered as Mt. Joliet Lodge, No. 42, by Most Worshipful Nelson D. Morse, Grand Master of Illinois, and under which name and number it still exists. The first officers of the new Lodge were Wm. C. Little, Master; My- ron K. Bronson, Senior Warden ; and Joel George, Junior Warden. For years, the first Lodge (Juliet, No. 10) had no regular place of meeting, but kept their paraphernalia in a chest, and met on the "highest hills, or in the lowest vales," metaphorically speaking, but usually in the old stone block on the West Side. The present officers of Mt. Joliet Lodge are John Gray, Master ; P. B. Ryan, Senior Warden ; J. G. Patterson, Junior Warden ; and John S. Millar, Secre- tary, with 160 members on the roll. Matteson Lodge was organized under dispensation in 1855, by Most Wor- shipful James L. Anderson, Grand Master of Illinois. In October, 1856, it was chartered as Matteson Lodge, No. 175, and named for ex-Gov. Matteson, one of the influential Masons and enterprising business men of the town. The first officers were : William Smith, Master; Nelson B. Elwood, Senior War- den ; James T. McDougall, Junior Warden ; Abijah Cagwin, Treasurer; John McGinnis, Jr., Secretary; Benjamin Richardson, Senior Deacon; W. S. Brooks, Junior Deacon, and C. H. Swayne, Tiler. The following are the pres- ent ofiicers : W. G. Wilcox, Master ; J. 0. Lang, Senior Warden ; George C. Raynor, Junior Warden, and J. L. Raynor Secretary, with about one hundred and fifty names upon the roll of membership. Joliet Chapter, No. 27, Royal Arch Masons, was chartered in November, 1855, by Most Excellent Ira A. W. Buck, Grand High Priest of Chapter Ma- sonry for the State. The first officers were : William Smith, High Priest ; Nelson D. Elwood, King, and A. S. Jones, Scribe. It is in a most flourishing st§,te, and its affairs are at present administered by the following worthy com- panions : David Rosenheim, High Priest; C. C. Olney, King; C. Puffer, Scribe, and John C. Lang, Secretary, with about one hundred and seventy-five members. Knighthood, the highest order of Freemasonry, was introduced in 1858. A Commandery of Knights Templar was organized in the Spring of this year, under dispensation, and in October following, was chartered as Joliet Com- mandery, No. 4, Knights Templar, by Right Eminent Sir J. V. Z. Blaney, Grand Commander of Illinois. The first officers under the charter were : Sir Nelson D. Elwood, Eminent Commander ; Sir S. S. Brooks, Generalissimo ; Sir H. W. Hubbard, Captain General. It is at present officered as follows : Sir John S. Millar, Eminent Commander ; Sir E. W. Willard, Generalissimo ; 410 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Sir William Dougall, Captain General ; Sir J. B. Fithian, Recorder, and the roster shows a record of 137 members. Sir J. G. Elwood, a member of this Commandery, is at present Grand Junior Warden of the Grand Commandery of the State. The Masonic Hall, in which all the bodies held their meetings, was burned in February, 1866, with a loss to the fraternity of about $7,500, including jewels, paraphernalia, the private uniforms of members, etc. No one could enter the hall, and hence, nothing was saved. The insurance was about $4,000. In July, 1872, they were again burned out, this time at a loss of $8,000, with an insurance of about $6,000. They have elegant rooms now in Masonic Block, but do not own the building. It was, however, built specially for their accommodation, and they rent the upper part of it. Odd Fellowship is represented by two Lodges and two Encampments. Pow- han Lodge, No. 29, was chartered July 13, 1847. Charter members were : J. T. McDougall, Abijah Cagwin, Phineas Wheeler, Mansfield Wheeler, S. W. Bowen, A. Mcintosh, Harvey Wheeler and William McDougall. The charter was issued by W. W. N. Parke, Grand Master, and S. A. Corneau, Grand Sec- retary. The first officers were: J. T. McDougall, N. G.; Phineas Wheeler, V. G.; S. W. Bowen, R. S.; A. Cagwin, Tr., and Wm. McDougall, P. S. The present Noble Grand is William Hingston, and R. Sandiford, Secretary, with sixty-five members. As a matter of interest, we would state here that S. 0. Simonds, a prominent merchant of Joliet, was Treasurer of this Lodge for nine- teen years, without interruption, besides holding other ofiices of distinction in the fraternity. William Tell Lodge, No. 219, was chartered October 13, 1857, by Augustus C. Marsh, Grand Master, and Samuel Willard, Grand Secretary. The charter members were : Leopold Schwabacher, Adam Werner, Sol. Louer, Gabriel Hauch, J. L. Guirard and Martin Wagoner. Joliet Encampment, No. 72, was chartered by Charles Parke, Grand Patriarch, and N. C. Mason, Grand Secre- tary, October 8, 1867, and the following were charter members : Ed. Cleghorn, A. D. Edgworth, G. H. Uchlman, Isaac S. Watson, Jacob Whitmore, Gabriel Hauch, Fred Schring and C. C. Braun. Eagle Encampment, No. 139, re- ceived its charter from A. H. Lichty, G. P., and N. C. Mason, Grand Secre- tary, October 8, 1872. The charter members were : A. D. Edgworth, Frank- lin Haines, James McEvoy, F. J. Richards, John Brown, John F. Tarball and George S. Kinney. The present C. P. is W. L. Green, and C. B. Brainard, Scribe. Pocahontas Lodge, No. 59, Daughters of Rebecca, was chartered Oc- tober 14, 1873, by G. Bross, Grand Master, and N. C. Mason, Grand Secre- tary. This is an order conferred on the female relatives of members of Odd Fellowship. By far the most impoi'tant item in the welfare of a city, and that which adds to the health and prosperity of its citizens, is a plentiful supply of pure, fresh water, and on this element, in a measure, its safety depends. The blessed, health-giving water ! No poison bubbles on its brink ; its foam brings not mad- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 411 ness and murder, and no blood stains it§ liquid glass. Pale widows and starv- ing orphans weep not burning tears in its depth, but health and life sparkle upon its surface. The tomb of Moses is unknown, but the weary traveler still slakes his thirst at the well of Jacob. The lofty columns of Persepolis are moldering into dust, but its cisterns and aqueducts remain to challenge our ad- miration. The " Golden House " is a mass of ruin, but its Aqua Claudia still pours into Rome its liquid stream. The temple of the sun of Tadnor in the wilderness has fallen, but its fountain sparkles as freshly in his rays, as when thousands of worshipers thronged its gilded colonnades. It may be that Joliet will share the fate of Babylon, and nothing be left to mark its site but piles of crumbling stone. But the numberless wells of pure water will continue to throw their liquid columns toward heaven as they do now. There are few cities in Illinois that can favorably compare with Joliet in its supply of good water, the health-giving element. The artesian wells, of which there are a number in the city, supply an abundance of water, and that of a quality, too, unsurpassed by any city or country. The limestone springs of Kentucky, supposed to afford the best water in the world, scarcely equal that of the artesian wells of Joliet. These wells, with their inexhaustible supply, are an acquisition to the city, of which the people should be justly proud, and one, too, that will last as long as their own granite hills. The first artesian well was put down in 1866—7, and since that time, in addition to three public wells, a dozen or more have been sunk by private individuals. The well at the corner of Chicago and Jefferson streets is 455 feet deep, and at its completion raised water sixty feet, with thirty-one pounds pressure to the square inch, and with a daily flow of about fif- teen thousand barrels. Pipes were laid on Chicago and Jefferson streets from this well, but owing to some defect it does not at present supply them. Anpther of the city wells is at the East Side public school, and was bored about one thousand one hundred feet deep. The other public well is on the West Side. These wells, to- gether with the number of private ones in the city, afford an apparently inexhausti- ble quantity of water for all practical purposes. Before the era of artesian wells the city was supplied by the ordinary wells, in which water was usually obtained by digging down to the gravel. From the " Geological Survey of Illinois,'' it appears there are two strata of sand rock reached in boring these artesian wells, one at a depth of about four hundred and fifty feet and the other at about one thousand two hundred feet below the surface, and it is in these the best water is obtained. But without going into a full detail of this feature, the reader is referred to the " Geological Survey," extracts from which are found in anotlier department of this work. Beyond the products of her own manufactories, Joliet makes little preten- sions toward a wholesale trade. Though all lines of merchandise are well represented by first-class, enterprising business men, they do not aspire to any- thing further than a good retail trade, which compares favorably with that of any other city of its size in this section of the State. The close proximity of 412 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Chicago would not admit of successful competition in a wholesale business ; there are a few firms, however, that, when occasion offers, wholesale to some extent, but make no special exertions that way. With a population of about twelve thousand inhabitants, and such an admirable location, easy of access, rend- ers Joliet a fine trading point, and we can safely predict for it a prosperous future. Its citizens are intelligent and hospitable ; its merchants and business men are enterprising and energetic, and the majority of its business houses are far superior to those usually to be seen in country towns. As noticed elsewhere, its grain trade is not exceeded in volume in the State, except in Chicago, and its stone quarries are unrivaled almost in the world. Its rolling mills and other manufactories are of the very best, and command a large trade throughout the country. All these interests, centering here, conspire to render this city sec- ond to no other section of the country for the man of wealth to invest his superfluous capital. We have said that the business houses were better than in a majority of country towns. Indeed, there are blocks of buildings in Joliet that would be an ornament in any city — Munroe's new block, the Centennial Block, Aiken's Block, the Masonic Block, the different bank buildings, the post office, Robesson Hall and the Opera House and many others. The Opera House was built by the Joliet Opera House Company, and is, perhaps, the best appointed building of the kind in the State outside of Chicago. It was built in 1873, is of Joliet limestone from the quarries of William David- son, and cost $60,000. The upper part is used for an opera house, and the fii-st floors for stores. Of the latter, three are used by G. Munroe & Son and the other by Gr. L. Vance. This building was erected by a company, of which the following are some of the principal stockholders : 0. Munroe & Son, Wm. Davidson, J. A. Henry, James Ducker, James B. Speer, Dr. Williams, Henry Fish, Rodney House, R. E. Barber, W. A. Steel, F. Zirkle, J. D. Paige," Knowlton, Higgenbotham & Co., D. McDonald and William Gleason, with James Ducker, President ; George H. Munroe, Treasurer, and C. H. Weeks, Secretary. Robesson Hall was built in 1876 ; is a handsome stone front; the lower part business houses, and the upper part a public hall. The post office building is an elegant stone front building, and was erected in 1877 by James G. Elwood, present Mayor of the city, specially for post office purposes, and was so adapted and arranged. The lower part is leased to the Government for ten years, at $600 per annum, while the upper part of the building is the Mayor's office. Surveyor's office, etc. The Joliet Gaslight Company was organized in 1857, with a capital stock of $60,000 paid up. Hon. E. Wilcox was the first President, and superintended the erection of the Company's works, which were completed and the city lighted for the first time in January, 1859. The works are located on North Blufi" street, and have sufficient capacity to supply a larger city than Joliet. They have some eight or ten miles of pipe now laid, and two gasometers — one on each side HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 413 of the river. W. A. Strong, an enterprising citizen of Joliet, is President of the company. The Joliet Public Library was organized and opened to the public in No- vember, 1875. It is a free public library, and is kept up by taxation. A well stocked reading room is in connection with the Library, where all the period- icals and leading publications of the day are kept on file for the benefit of those who feel disposed to pay a visit to the place. The Board of Directors of 'the Library Association are : G. D. A. Parks, Mrs. H. S. Smith, Dorrance Di- bell, Mrs. E. M. Raynor, Benjamin Olin, A. W. Heise, Thomas J. Kelly, Edwin Porter and George Munroe. G. D. A. Parks is President; Mrs. H. S. Smith, Vice President; Dorrance Dibell, Clerk, and Miss Charlotte Aiken, Librarian. This association bought the books owned by the old Joliet Histor- ical Society, and have now about 1,500 volumes, and are adding more as fast as their means will allow them. The Joliet Historical Society was organized in 1867, and assumed the liabilities of the old Library ; and it, in its turn, was succeeded by the present Library. Among the private libraries of Joliet is that of Hon. W. A. Steel, which consists of several thousand volumes, and em- braces most of the standard works of the day, together with many old and rare books not often found in a private library. Joliet was supplied with street cars, this modern addition to city travel, in 1873. Their lines encircle the city, affording cheap transportation within its limits to all who desire this mode of transit to "Walker's Express." The en- terprise of a street railway was inaugurated by E. T. Chase and Norman Carl. They sold it to a man named Cooper ; and he, after operating it for a time, sold it to the present owner and manager, J. A. Henry. While, apparently, not doing a very extensive business, it is yet paying a small dividend above running expenses. Oakwood Cemetery was laid out in 1854, and organized under act of the Legislature in 1857, receiving its charter from the State. It is beautifully sit- uated on a gentle eminence on the north bank of Hickory Creek, east of the city limits, and reached by a branch of the City Railway. The grounds are handsomely and artistically laid out with serpentine walks and drives, well graded and graveled. Cultivated flowers, ornamental shrubbery and native forest trees add their beauty to the place, while the " green grass grows rank in the vapors of decaying mortality." The beauty and care bestowed on the grounds show a kind regard for the " loved and lost " by surviving friends. St. Patrick's Cemetery (Catholic) is a beautiful burying-ground, and kept in good order bv the Catholic citizens of Joliet. St. John's Cemetery (German Cath- olic) is situated northwest of the city, and is a beautiful and well-kept church- yard. The professions, both legal and medical, are well ^nd ably represented in Joliet, and combine an array of talent that will compare favorably with any city in the State. As a work of this kind is not devoted to eulogiums or fulsome puffs of 414 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. any one, we shall not attempt to particularize the professions beyond the bestowal of a well-merited testimonial to their character and worth. Joliet has also pro- duced some eminent men — men who have filled high positions with credit to themselves and honor to their conntry. In the court, the camp, upon the benchi and at the holy altar, they have figured with distinction. And at the head of the State Government, in the halls of the law-makers, and as our representa- tives abroad, they have acquitted themselves with honor and the dignity due their exalted stations. As the "notables" have been particularly mentioned, however, in the general historj)-, we will leave the subject, and conclude our historv of Joliet sans ceremonie. LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP. This town is diversified between woodland and prairie, and is divided by the Des Planes River & the Illinois & Michigan Canal, which pass through it from north to south. Away from the river-bottom, the elevation rises almost to abrupt bluffs, beyond which, on either side, are beautiful table-lands or broad rolling prairies of the most productive soil, relieved only by a belt of timber on the east side of the Des Planes, mostly in Lockport, but extending a short dis- tance into Homer Township. A peculiarity of this section of the country is said to be the non-existence of timber on the west side of the water-courses. Old settlers mention this fact and advance their^ theories as to the cause, some of which are vague and far-fetched ; but without attempting to solve the problem, we will state upon the authority of several parties of this vicinity, that not a tree stands on the west side of the Des Planes but such as have been transplanted by the white people, while a fine forest lined its eastern shore at the time of the early settlement. As regarding this strange freak of nature, we will pass it with the philosophical reflection of the schoolboy, whose theory as to the cause of the magnetic needle pointing to the north was " that it is a way it has." As a civil township, Lockport is described as Town 36 north, Range 10 east of the Third Principal Meridian, and is bounded north by Dupage Township, east by Homer, south by Joliet, west by Plainfield, and is one of the wealthy towns of Will County. The first permanent settler in Lockport Township was Armstead Runyon, who came to the neighborhood in October, 1830. He was born in Kentucky, but removed to Ohio when but 15 years old, where he remained until 18-7, when he came to Danville, 111. Here he remained until his removal to Lockport, as above stated. His first Winter in this section was that of the "deep snow," so vividly remembered by the few old settlers still surviving, and who were here that memorable Winter. Mr. Runyon had a large amount of stock, most of which he left at Danville, except some hogs which 'he brought with him, thinking they would winter on nuts and acorns, but they all perished during the deep snow, as he had nothing to feed them. The next Spring, as HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 415 soon as the snow had sufficiently disappeared to allow travel with safety, he took his men and went to Danville after the remainder of his stock and for provis- ions. The high waters, consequent on the melting of such quantities of snow, detained him six weeks beyond the time he expected to be gone, and his family run short of provisions before his return. Mrs. Boyer, of Lockport, a daughter of Mr. Runyon's, informed us that for several weeks before he returned they had nothing to live on but salt pork and corn bread made of meal so musty that it did not seem fit for a dog to eat. She remembers but two fam- ilies then living in what is now Lockport and Homer Townships besides her father's, viz., Edward Poor and a man named Butler, who lived where Mr. Milne now lives. Of Butler she remembers but little except that he lived there ; but whence he came or whither he went she has forgotten. When her father decided to remove to this section, he gathered up, brought his family and hired men to the place and lived in a tent until he got his cabin ready to move into. Mrs. Boyer remembers very distinctly how the prairie wolves used to come round that tent and render the night hideous with their blood-curdling howls. When the news came of the Black Hawk war, and that the savages were moving in this direction, Mr. Runyon was plowing in the field, which he continued until noon notwithstanding the exciting rumors. He then gathered together his family and what goods he designed to take, and moved on to Hick- oi'y Creek, where the settlers were to rendezvous preparatory to retreating toward Danville. But upon his arrival there he found they were already gone. His company consisted of his own family, Edward Poor's, Holder Sisson's and Selah Lanfear's. Finding that the Hickory Creek people were gone, they held a council of war, and, at Mr. Runyon's suggestion, went to Chicago, or Fort Dearborn, instead of Danville, as originally intended. He was also the first to propose to come out from Chicago and build the block house which was built on Mr. Sisson's place, as noticed further on. Jndians were plenty in this section when they first settled here, but of the friendly Pottawatomies ; and Mrs. Boyer remembers an encampment, or Indian town, on both sides of her father's place, and their trail from the one to the other was by the house. They used nearly always to come in when passing, but did nothing wrong and generally behaved very well. While Mr. Runyon was gone to Danville, and detained so long, it was reported that the small-pox was at the Indian camps, and Mrs. Runyon refused to let any of them come into her house; when they were seen approach- ing, the proverbial latch-string was drawn in. This very seriously ofPended the "noble red men," but they offered no molestation. Mr. Runyon went to Cali- fornia in 1849, where he lived until his death, which occurred in September, 1875. His daughter, Mrs. Boyer, made a trip there to see him the Summer before he died. Though one of the very earliest in this section, he had been away so long that none but the oldest settlers remember him personally. Many of the early settlements of Lockport were made by New Yorkers — men of intelligence and enterprise — qualities still distinguishable at the present 416 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. day. Among these early pioneers, we may mention the following from the Empire State: Holder Sisson and his brother-in-law Cyrus Bronson, Selah tanfear, Lyman Hawley, and his son Warren Hawley, Nathan Hutchins, William Thomas, William Gooding, Isaac Preston, A. J. Mathewson, David C. Baldwin, Edward P. Farley, Col. James Wright, James S. Baker, Justin Taylor, Horace Morse, Hiram Norton, Henry Bush and perhaps others. Sisson was one of the first settlers in the township, and located on the east side of the river, in Octo- ber, 1831, on what has since been known as the Hanford place. He was born in Ehode Island in 1790, and died in April, 1878, at the ripe old age of 88 years. Though born in Rhode Island, most of his life had been spent in New York, until his removal to the West. He served six months in the war of 1812: was Captain of a company during the Black Hawk war, and built a fort or blockhouse on his place near the village of Lockport, in the Spring of 1832. He first located in Indiana, near the present city of Evansville, at which time the country was new and very sparsely settled. During the fifteen years he remained there, he improved five farms, and, finding no market there for his produce, built flatboats and carried it to New Orleans. As an example of his indomitable energy, of the four trips he made to the Crescent City, he returned from two of them on foot. From this Indiana settlement he returned to New York, but did not remain long, until he again removed to the West, as already noticed, in October, 1831, and settled in this township. "When the Black Hawk war broke out, the families of the few settlers were removed to Fort Dearborn (now Chicago) for safety ; they made the trip to that haven of peace in ox-teams, and on the return to the settlement of the men, Mr. Sisson was elected Captain, and proceeded at once to build a blockhouse, and make prepar- ations for defense. On receiving his command, he was ordered by Gen. Scott to proceed with his company to Indian Cresk, in La Salle County, and bury the unfortunate whites massacred there by the Indians. In November, after set- tling in Lockport, he went to Michigan where he had sold a drove of cattle "on time" while living in the Wabash country, to try to make some collections; but the trip was a fruitless one, as well as one of privation both to him and his family at home, which at that time consisted of a wife and five little children. The Winter set in, and he was detained long beyond the time he had intended remaining ; his family was almost without provisions, or any of the necessaries of life. During his absence his wife had to go out and cut wood in the forest and carry it to the cabin to keep her children from freezing. There were few neighbors, and they were at a distance ; Indians were plenty, but mostly of the friendly Pottawatomies, and under these circumstances, the heroic woman endured the long absence of her husband ignorant of his fate, and hardly daring to hope for his return, owing to the severity with which the Winter had set in. His sufierings and perils were great, and a man of less courage and energy would have sunk beneath them. As he was returning from this fruitless trip, while crossing Mud Lake with his Indian pony, the ice gave way and pony and HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 417 rider were submerged; the weather was piercing cold and the snow nearly two feet deep. It was night, and in his frozen clothes he rode on to his home, not knowing whether he would find his wife and children alive or dead. Upon his arrival, finding them all well and comfortable as could be expected under the circumstances, he sat down and wept like a child. But we draw a veil over the meeting, and, as the novelists say, leave it to be imagined ; to describe it is beyond the power of any who never experienced a similar meeting. Soon after the close of the Black Hawk war, he sold his claim to Comstock Hanford and removed to the west side of the Des Planes, on the bluff where George Wightman (who married Mr. Sisson's youngest daughter) now lives. The second night after his removal to this place, a prairie fire, one of those terrors to the early settlers, came well-nigh ruining him. Sixty tons of hay, standing in ricks, were burned, and to-day handfuls of the cinders can be picked up on the spot where the ricks stood. Of 170 head of sheep, they were all burned to death or injured so that they died from the effects, with the exception of six or eight ; and of forty head of cattle, many died from the scorching, and those left he was obliged to sell for a dollar or two apiece to prevent them from starving on his hands, as he had nothing left to feed them. Such were the hardships borne by the pioneers ^yho made this country what it is, and prepared for us homes which cannot be surpassed in any State, or in any country. And yet we frequently hear people complaining of hard times. Hard times ! Why, the present generation knows no more of hard times than, to use a homely phrase, "a hog does of holiday." The few survivors who set- tled here forty years ago or more can bear witness to the fact of hard times now and then. Mr. Sisson *vas elected one of the first Commissioners of Cook County, when Will, Du Page and Lake were included in Cook ; and when Will County was set off, was one of its first Commissioners, both of which facts stand as evidence of his integrity ^nd ability. At the time of sale of the Govern- ment land, he was selected by his neighbors to look after their claims and inter- ests, and all who remember the period of " claim law," know something of the importance and peril attaching to his position. But a look at his face, or his ringing voice, assured all that with him it was not safe to trifle. When Mr. Sisson died, the Lockport Standard paid an eloquent tribute to his worth, from which we make the following extract : " His word was law, his courage has been for nearly two generations a household word; no taint of suspicion mars the soundness of his private and public character. His children simply worshiped him, and they are a unit in the expression that he was never known to do a mean thing, or set a bad example. His widow's views are tersely expressed in these few words to the writer, that he was the most upright and per- fect gentleman she ever knew; that his judgment was always clear; he knew no side but the right. Through all his apparent sternness, he was exceedingly "social, and in many directions as confiding as a child, as loving as a woman ; and it is no exaggeration to say that few lives are so complete in all their details 418 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. and leave so ricli a legacy to those that live after it." Cyrus Bronson, a brother-in-law to Sisson, settled on Section 10, on west side of the river, in 1834. He was born in the land of wooden nutmegs, but had lived some time in New York before removing to Illinois. He was killed by lightning in September, 1857, leaving several sons to perpetuate his name. Cyrus M. Bronson lives one and a half miles from where his father settled forty-four years ago ; another son, Montraville Bronson, lives in the village of Lockport; David H. Bronson lives in McHenry County and Eliel S. Bronson lives in Dupage Township. The widow of Mr. Bronson is still living but is quite old and rather feeble. Cyrus M. Bronson, one of the sons above referred to, is quite a remarkable man and has a most tenacious memory. In fact, as pertaining to early events, and dates of particular occurrences, he is a walking encyclopedia, and we have drawn on him extensively for information contained in these pages. Nathan Hutchins settled under the bluff on the place where Fitzpatrick now lives, who bought it of Hutchins. The latter's father came with him to this country, but did not live long — was a very old man when they settled here, and died in 1835, one of the first deaths which occurred in the town. A brother of Hutchins came out in 1834, and remained two years, when both removed to the neighbor- hood of Rockford. He was a great hunter (the brother) and had but one eye, which adapted him for shooting without the trouble of having to close an eye to draw a bead. A. J. Mathewson, the present County Surveyor, came West in 1837, and was some time engaged in surveying the canal. In 1865, he was appointed by the Board of Public Works of Chicago, for deepening the Canal, and, in 1867, was engaged to make a survey of the Illinois River from La Salle to its mouth. He still resides in the village of Lockport, with an office in Joliet. William Thomas, Greneral Superintendent of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, with headquarters at Lockport, settled in Michigan in 1836, but after a time returned to New York. In 1871, he was appointed Superintendent of the Canal which position he still holds. D. C. Baldwin settleftin this township in 1834, where, after farming a number of years, sold out and removed into the village, embarking in the mercantile trade, which he still pursues. He is noted for having taught the first school in Homer Township. Horace Morse came about 1835, and is mentioned as the first tavern-keeper of the township. William Gooding, together with the family of his father, who are also men- tioned in the history of Homer Towriship, came to Illinois in 1833. He had been prevented from coming earlier on account of " wars and the rumors of wars" of Black Hawk. He and his wife and infant son were the first passen- gers to come around the head of Lake Michigan with the United States mail, and arrived in Chicago in May of the year mentioned, when the metropolis of the Great Northwest was mighty in nothing but its mud and mire, and con- tained but about one hundred and fifty inhabitants besides the garrison. Three days later, they arrived in Gooding's Grove, then a part of Cook County. In 1836, he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Illinois & Michigan Oanal, ((^ ' ^/^tZ^^Z^c^c^t^-t^ (deceased) JOLhET HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 421 which position he held until its completion, in 1848. He traveled over the first completed section of railway in the United States, from Albany to Sche- nectady, N. Y. The cars were something like old-style stage-coaches, and were drawn by horses. He died at his home in Lockport, in May, 1878. E. P. Farley settled in this township in 1837, but of him not much could be ascer- tained. The Hawleys settled here in 1835. The father, Lyman Hawley, set- tled near where Warren Hawley now lives, and at the time, there was not a house or cabin between his settlement and Plainfield. The elder Hawley is dead, but his son, Warren Hawley, is still alive, and one of the thrifty farmers of the country. Isaac Preston came to the settlement in 1836. He was born in New Jersey in 1792, and had lived some time in New York before coming to Hlinois. He remembers to have seen his father with crape on his arm, as mourning for Gen. Washington, when the "Father of his Country" laid down his earthly life. J. B. Preston, a son of Isaac Preston, was a man of much note, and is said to have been the youngest man that ever received the office of Surveyor General. Hiram Norton was one of the most enterprising men the town of Lockport has known, and did more in his day, perhaps, for the build- ing-up of the place than any other man ; and though he has long since gone to his reward, the evidences of his works are still seen and felt by those who sur- vive him. Col. Wright sprung from a good old Revolutionary stock, his father and grandfather both having served in the great struggle for independence,, and participated in many of its battles. He came from Saratoga, N. Y., to Illinois, in 1833, and to Lockport Township in 1837, and settled in the present village of that name, on the identical spot where he now lives. He was brought up on the battle-ground of Stillwater, where Burgoyne received his first check, and which was the first of a series of brilliant engagements that resulted finally in the surrender of the British General and his proud army to the Continental forces under Gen. Gates. Col. Wright's father owned the farm upon which stood the house in which Gen. Frazer died. All readers of our Revolutionary historv are familiar with the death of that gallant officer. One historian thus describes it, in the battle of Stillwater : " Here Arnold did an act unworthy of the glory of the well-fought battle. He ordered up twelve of his best riflemen, and pointing to Frazer, who, on horseback, with brandished sword, was gal- lantly animating his men, he said : ' See that officer. Himself is a host. Let me not see him long.' The riflemen flew to their places, and in a few moments the hero was cut down." Col. Wright says he has often seen the blood-stain on the floor of this hou^e, where Frazer was laid, just under the window, when brought in wounded, and where he breathed his last. A few years ago, there was, says the Colonel, a pot of gold found buried in the barn upon this same farm and is supposed to have been buried there by some of the British officers. Baker settled in the present village of Lockport in 1837, where he has ever since resided. He is a carpenter by trade, and has always followed that busi- ness, and perhaps has left his mark on as many edifices as any other man of his 422 HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. age in Will County. There are, he saya, but three men living now in the vil- lage that were here when he came, viz., A. J. Matthewson, D. C. Baldwin and Joshua Croneen. The village proper of Lockport was laid out, but there were no houses except the Canal office and perhaps a log cabin or two. In one of the latter a man had lived for a time, named Everdeen, but had moved to Bach- elor's Grove. There are some who accredit the man Everdeen as the first set- tler in Lockport Township, but we have been unable to learn anything very definite concerning him, and, from information received from other sources, are of the opinion that he was not the first settler in the town at all. He moved to Bachelor's Grove, in Coot County, but what further became of him we do not know. Selah Lanfear settled here in 1832, and was so near the line as to be hard to say whether he was in Lockport or Homer Township. He was in the block- house during the Sac war, a member of Capt. Sisson's company. He was a brother of Deacon Asa Lanfear, who settled in Homer a few years later. Jus- tin Taylor settled here in 1834, but had come out the year before, on a tour of inspection. He was at Chicago at the Indian treaty, and saw several hundred Indians start for their new hunting-grounds beyond the Father of Waters. He died in 1847. His widow married William Sanborn, and is still living. A coincidence in the family may be mentioned in the fact that they have four sons dead and four living, one daughter dead and one living. Alomon Taylor, a brother of his, came here in 1835, and settled on the farm just north of where Fitzpatrick now lives. He went to California in 1850, and died from an acci- dent received thef-e. In 1852, his widow married Jacob Smith, and at present lives about a mile from their original settlement. Joseph Heath came from Hartford, Conn., about 1834, and settled where C. S. Allen now lives. ' He was a young man then, but afterward married and raised a large family of children, who have gone out in the world to do for themselves, and he has re- moved to Minooka, where he now lives, enjoying his wealth, gained by a life of honest toil. Thomas Webb also came from Connecticut, and settled where Stephen Williams now lives, in August, 1833. He had lived for a time in Ohio before coming to Illinois, and after remaining on this place about four years, moved just over the line in Dupage, where he died, in 1840. Michael Noel was a son-in-law, and lived on the place 'for some time after Webb moved away, when he finally sold it to Williams, who now occupies it, as already stated. William Rogers was from Ashtabula County, Ohio, and settled near where Daggett's mill now stands, in 1832 or 1833. Mrs. John Giffin, a daughter of his, is living about one mile southwest of Lockport village. He finally moved up on the bluff, where he died, some years later. His widow afterward mar- ried John Mulligan, a man of Irish extraction, but had been raised mostly in England, and was a member of the Episcopal Church. It is said that she loved him most devotedly. He was on his way to Pike's Peak, during the gold ex- citement of 1859, when he died, and she had him brought back and interred at home. She then rented the farm and went to live with her children, in Livings- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 423 ton County, where she died, about three years ago, but made the request that he should be disinterred and taken to that locality and buried before her, and she then laid by his side. Her request was complied with, and side by side they sleep.. Harvey and Thomas Reed were from Kentucky ; the latter came in 1832, and the former in 1834 or 1835, and settled where William Mauer now lives. He went to California during the gold excitement of 1849-50, and to Pike's Peak during that excitement, in neither of which he seems to have amassed any great fortune, thus verifying the saying that " a rolling stone gath- ers no moss." Thomas Reed settled where D. Mallon now lives, on the West Side. He sold out about 1858 or 1860, and removed to Iowa, where he died, a few years ago, more than 90 years of age. He was a warm-hearted Kentuckian, fond of his bitters, good-natured and jolly, but whole-souled, and generous to a fault. James B. Marvin settled in this township in 1834, about one mile east of the village, where he lived until his death, which occurred a few years ago. He, with Mr. Mason, mentioned more particularly in the history of Homer Town- ship, made the trip to California, overland, during the gold fever in 1849 and 1850. They were in Sacramento City when it was burned as a huge bonfire on the election of Gen. Pierce as President of the United States. A son of Marvin now lives on the homestead, and the place has never been out of pos- session of the family since its entry in 1834. Hale S. Mason first settled in Homer Township, where his history is more fully given, but has lived in Lock- port since 1846. B. B. Clarke, whose father settled in Plalnfield, and lived for years in Dupage Township, where their history is given, is now a prosper- ous merchant in the village of Lockport. Gen. James Turney was from Ten- nessee and John W. Paddock from New York, the first representatives of the legal profession, and came about 1836 or 1837. Luther C. Chamberlain came from New York, but settled first in Homer Township. Dr. Chancy White was an early settler, and one of the first physicians. Joseph Haight was from the Nutmeg State, and settled in 1834. ^Patrick Fitzpatrick is a son of "Ould Erin," but had resided in Canada from early youth until he came to Illinois. His first visit was in 1832, but owing to the Sac war then going on, he returned to Canada where he remained a year and a half, and came back to this section. He bought the claim of Nathan Hutchins, and settled on the bluff west of the village of Lockport, where he still lives. He is one of the few old landmarks still left in the country. When he settled here, he says there was not a cabin from his place to Plainfield, and Will County was a part of Cook. He voted at the first election held in Will County, but has forsworn politics since the defeat of Van Buren in 1840. Dr. John F. Daggett, who has practiced medicine in Lockport and the sur- rounding country for forty years, is a native of the Green Mountains of Vermont, and came to this neighborhood in 1838. He entered the medical college at Woodstock, Vt., when but 19 years of age, and taught school through the 424 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Winter to pay his course through college, from which he graduated in 1836. He married Angelina Talcott, of New York, a sister of the late Mancel Talcott, of Chicago, and of Edward B. Talcott, one of the engineers who surveyed and laid out the Illinois & Michigan Canal. He still lives in Lockport, and looks as if he was good to practice his profession forty years longer. John Bovee came from Ohio in 1837 and settled in this township, but has been dead many years. Hon. Charles E. Boyer came from Reading, Penn., and first located in Chicago, where he embarked in the mercantile business. In 1839, he came to Lockport and opened a store, but closed it out in a short time and took a con- tract on the Canal. He went to California in 1850, and contracted to build Bear River Canal. He served a term in the State Legislature, and was a can- didate for the State Senate when he died in September, 1868. Robert Milne came from the "banks and braes" of Scotland in 1836, and stopped first in Chicago, where he bought out the first lumber merchant of the Garden City and engaged in that branch of trade. Although pretty well off in regard to worldly wealth, it would probably take a longer purse than his to buy the lumber trade of Chicago to-day. In 1840, he engaged in contracting on the Illinios & Michigan Canal, and built five of the locks. He settled in the village in 1846, owns an excellent farm adjacent, and devotes a great deal of attention to raising blooded cattle, and has imported some very fine animals from the old country. John Griswold came from Vermont, and settled here about 1834 or 1835, where he still lives, a prosperous farmer. Benjamin Butterfield is an early settler, one of the very early ones, and is said by some to have built the first log cabin in the township ; but we are unable to vouch for the truth of this statement. He was in the block house built by Sisson in the time of the Sac war, and went to Iowa. He is said by some to have been in Homer Township, but he has been away so long that few can tell much about him now. Judge Blackstone, First Lieutenant of Sisson's company while in the blockhouse, was also a very early settler, but there is some discrepancy as to his settlement, whether it was originally in Homer or Lockport. This embraces many of the first settlers of Lockport Township up to the time when the influx became too great to keep pace with the arrivals. It may be that there are omissions of the names of many who should be mentioned as pioneers, but if so we have been unable to learn anything in regard to them. Many of them have gone to their account, and others have moved away and all trace of them lost. As already stated, there were plenty of Indians here when the white people began to settle in the vicinity, but they were friendly, lazy, and not at all times disposed to heed that commandment forbidding us to steal. Says the " Will County Gazetteer," of 1860 : "From the observations of the first white settlers in this vicinity, it is evident that what is now Lockport had long been a favor- ite resort of the Indian tribes which had occupied this section of the country. The spreading oaks, the clear running brooks, the rapid river, all made this one of the brightest spots in this paradise of the red man. Here their graves are HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. 425 found, their caches, or places for hiding their corn, etc., and arrow-heads, stone hatchets and other evidences of their having lived and died here. Even after the settlements by the whites commenced, the Indians often came here to spend the hunting and fishing season. Another reason why this became an important stopping-place for them was, that here was the best ford across the Des Planes River, and a crossing could be effected here in consequence of the rapid fall and numerous channels into which the river was divided in extreme high water, when it could nowhere else." But the time came when, "Lo! the poor Indian," with the star of empire, had to wend his way westward. Their old hunting- grounds have changed into broad, cultivated fields, and herds of domestic ani- mals now graze where they once chased the wild deer. Their war-whoop is no longer heard, their council-fires have gone out in the forests and few now living remember them from personal knowledge. Mrs. Wightman says she very well remembers the last Indians she saw in this settlement. She and others of her father's children were sitting on the fence eating butter and bread, when two Indians came along on their ponies, and snatched the butter and bread from their hands. Mr. Rogers, who lived in the neighborhood, had called for some- thing and witnessed their act to the children, became incensed, and seizing Mr. Sisson's horse-whip rode after the Indians and whipped them every jump for a mile or more. She was a small child at the time, but remembers the occurrence and that they were the last she ever saw in the country. Mr. Bronson says that when they took up their line of march for their new hunting-grounds beyond the Mississippi, they presented a rather sad and mournful spectacle, as they trudged along on foot in true Indian file, with heads bowed down and a melancholy and dejected cast of countenance, that might well have become the bard of Bonny Doon, when he wrote "Farewell my friend.-', farewell my foes, My peace with these, my love with those." The first white child born in Lockport Township, is supposed to have been Orrin Runyon, who was born on the 27th of May, 1833. He lives now in Cal- ifornia. This is doubtless correct, as at that time there were but a few families in the town. The first birth on the west side of the Des Planes River, in the present limits of Lockport, was Eliel S. Bronson, a son of Cyrus Bronson, born April 23, 1835. The first marriage was that of Louisa Webb and Michael Noel, and the matrimonial knot was tied by C. C. Van Home, a Justice of the Peace from the Hickory Creek settlement. C. M. Bronson says that upon its being reported that the wedding was to take place, and no invitations having been received by any of the neighbors, he, but a boy at the time, was dispatched to Webb's to reconnoiter, but ostensibly to borrow something, as borrowing was an every-day occurrence at that period of the country's settlement. Upon presenting himself as an Electoral Commission of one, he found the old gentleman sitting on a three- legged stool, eating a piece of the wedding cake, Van Home riding away from the place and. the new bride and bridegroom sitting on the bed looking very 426 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. sweet at each other, all of which seemed to indicate that the deed was done, which proved to be correct, for on entering the house he was introduced to the bride, and offered a "hunk" of the wedding cake. The Webbs were from Ohio, and Noel, it seems, had been the girl's lover before the family came West, and for two years after their removal to Illinois she neither saw nor heard from him, when finally he decided to pay her a visit, which culminated in a mar- riage, the first of which we have any record in Lockport Township. The first death was that of a maiden lady — a Miss Miner, and a sister of Dr. Miner, who lived on a part of Armstead Runyon's land. She died in the Summer of 1834, of consumption, and was buried on what is now known as the Hanford Place. Another of the early deaths was that of the father of Nathan Hutchins, who lived with his son on the west side of the Des Planes, and died in 1835. A custom prevailed in that early day of carrying all dead people to the grave, which seemed to the simple-minded settlers to show more affection for the departed than hauling them in a hearse or wagon. The Fall Mr. Hutchins died was one of almost unprecedented ague, even in this ague climate, and it was hard to find, says Mr. Bronson, four men to carry him to the grave who were not shaking with the ague. There were no grave-yards or cemeteries laid off at that time, and they carried him up on the bluff and buried him near where Fitzpatrick's barn now stands. As nearly as the spot can be designated, it is directly in front of the barn-door, where every time Fitz steps out he treads upon the sod that covers the old pioneer; and it would not be in the least sur- prising should his troubled ghost rise up sometime and confront Fitz for this apparent desecration of his lowly resting-place. The following circumstance is, perhaps, not out of place in this connection. A son of Nathan Hutchins went to Chicago with a wagon and team. He carried a load of produce to be exchanged for groceries and such goods as were needed at home. They were then living near Rockford, having moved to that section in 1836. The young man's team was found stabled by some one who recognized it, and word sent to Hutchins, who came and took it home. It had been there several days, the proprietor of the stable feeding and caring for it without knowing to whom it belonged. From that day to this, the young man has not been heard of. It is said that he had a little money, and whether he ran away or was murdered is, and will perhaps remain forever, one of the unrevealed mysteries. The first practicing physician in Lockport Township was a Dr. Miner, who came to the settlement in the Winter of 1833-34, and lived on Mr. Runyon's place for a year or two. He was an Eastern man, but from what State could not be ascertained. He was a bachelor or widower, and a maiden sister lived with him and acted as housekeeper, and is mentioned elsewhere as the first death in the township. Mrr^. Boyer remembers both him and his sister well, though but a child at the time, but does not know what finally became of him. Dr. Bronson was, perhaps, the next physician, and removed to Joliet. Dr. Chancy White came in 1836, and was from New York, and now lives in Gales- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 427 turg, 111. Dr. Daggett was, perhaps, the next, and has been administering to the alflicted of the community since 1838. The lawyers, stores and post office of the township are more intimately connected with the village of Lockport, and will be given in that chapter. The first Justice of the Peace was Jared Runyon, and was acting in that capacity as far back as 1836 or 1837, though no one can now tell with certainty just when he received the appointment. One of the first roads in the town, other than the Indian trails, was near where the canal is located, and extended from Lockport to Joliet. In 1838, the Canal Commissioners cut a road direct to Chicago, which bears off to the right of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, and, in 1839, the road was opened through from Chicago to Ottawa, on the west bluff, and which afterward became quite famous as a stage route. It used to be a great thoroughfare of travel, when stage- coaches were the common mode of transit. The first mill in Lockport Town- ship, or in Northern Illinois, of any consequence, was built in what is termed West Lockport, by William Gooding, Eli S. Prescott, William Rogers and Lyman Hawley. Rogers had pre-empted the land on which the mill was built, and the names given above were the original proprietors. It was begun in 1836, and completed in 1838 ; was built of stone, and cost $30,000 ; with four runs of buhrs, and is still in operation. Dr. Daggett bought it entire in 1855 but had owned an interest in it for several years previous. Other mill and grain interests will be mentioned in the history of the village. The first minister of the Gospel in this section of the country was a young man from Massachusetts, of the name of Greenwood, sent out by the Home Mission of the Presbyterian Church, and who preached for a year and a half at the house of the elder Bronson, on the west side of the Des Planes River. After leaving his labors in this town, he went to the wilds of Wisconsin, and •once got lost in what was well known in an early day as the "Big Swamp" of the Badger State, and came very near starving to death before he found his way out. He had some property, and when believing he was doomed to perish in the dismal swamp, sat down and wrote his will, threw it on the ground and lay down by it to die. But reviving somewhat after a while, got up and pur- sued his way in a kind of listless manner, until the crowing of a cock infused new life into him and assured him that relief was at hand. He found the cabin of a settler, who took him in, gave him food, and where he remained until his ■exhausted energies were fully restored. The next preachers to proclaim salva- tion in this township were the Methodist itinerants. Revs. Blackburn and Beggs, the latter now living in Plainfield, resting from a long life of labor in the vineyard of the Lord. Another of the early preachers of that day was a Congregational minister of the name of Foster, who used to preach at the schoolhouse, long before there was a church edifice in the town. The old fel- low had a way of wiping his nose on his coat-tail, when preaching, a perform- ance not altogether agreeable to his hearers ; and so Dr. Daggett, with some others, raised a contribution and bought the good old preacher a beautiful red 428 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. bandana, which, with due solemnity, they presented to him. The elder Mr. Bronson was in Chicago one day with his team, and when about starting home was accosted by a very polite, courteous gentleman, with a slight foreign accent, who asked to ride out with him. He brought him out in his wagon, found him very intelligent, and was well pleased with him. Acting upon the injunction to be kind to the wayfaring man, for many have so entertained angels unawares, he kept him over night, and in the morning sent him on to Joliet. A few days later, Mr. Bronson was in Joliet, when the same gentleman came up and spoke to him, apparently very glad to see him. He then learned that it was Father Plunkett, sent to Joliet to take charge of the Catholic Church there, and whose melancholy death is noted in the history of that city. Education received attention at a very early period in the history of Lock- port. The first school of which we have any account was taught in 1835, by a young lady from Joliet, whose name is now forgotten. She afterward married a man named Eastman, and removed to Chicago. The next was taught by a Miss Royce, of Dupage Township. Both of these schools were before the day of schoolhouses, and were taught in a little room built by Capt. Sisson as an addition to his dwelling and intended for a kitchen, but surrendered it for school purposes. The first schoolhouse was built by the neighbors en masse, and was a small log cabin. The work and material were donated — one man giving logs enough, delivered on the spot, for a side and an end, and another for a side, etc., while another cut down a tree, sawed it up and made " shakes," or boards, to cover it. A log was cut out for a window, a large fire-place with a stick chimney, and benches made by splitting open a small tree, boring auger-holes and putting in legs, is a pen photograph of this primitive schoolhouse. There are some who assert that the first school was taught by a Miss Warren, of War- renville, Du Page County, as early as 1834, just in the edge of Lockport, near what was known as the Barnett Place. But of this school we are unable to learn anything very definite. The schools of Lockport have expanded some- what since that day. In 1872, we find there were 10 school districts, 1,244 pupils enrolled, 1 graded school, and 15 teachers employed. There were 10 schoolhouses, 4 districts having libraries, with an aggregate of 320 vol- lumes, and the amount paid to teachers was $6,490. The special tax levied for school purposes was $8,574.60 ; total expenditures for the year, $9,839.81 — leaving a balance of $1,068.36 in the treasury. Further mention is made of the schools and churches in the history of Lockport Village. At the land sale which took place in Chicago, for the land embraced in Lockport Township, the people had organized a kind of protective society against speculators, and appointed one of their number to look after their inter- ests. That man was Holder Sisson ; and faithfully he performed the duty. As the numbers of the claims were called, while Sisson bid on it for them, they would stand around and watch to see if a speculator bid, and if so, unless he took it back very suddenly, they put him in the river until he did. The auc- HISTORY OF WILL COUllTY. 420 tioneer favored the settlers, and as soon as the Government price was reached, it was with him "going, going, GONE." Finally, a compromise was effected, whereby the speculator paid for all the land and gave the the squatter half. This enabled many to procure homes who did not have money to even pay the Government price for a "forty" or an "eighty." As the country settled up, old settlers say it seemed rather hard that they could not let their stock run at large, and cut their wild hay where they pleased. When the first settlers came in, everything was free, the country wild, and every man, for scores of miles, neighbors. As it settled up, these things changed, and people became more and more selfish, until it seems, at the present day, that it is every man for himself, and the take the hindermost. Then a man would loan another a horse or an ox, or anything else that he had, except his wife and babies, though he had never seen him before. But now such confidence would, in nine cases out of ten, be abused. These somber reflections are not those of the historian, but the echo of some of the old settlers who have seen the country grow up, and have marked these changes in the people and in their manners and feelings toward one another. C. M. Bronson remembers two species of birds quite common here when his father removed to this section, in 1834, but which have long since disap- peared. One of them was about the size and very similar to the English cur- lew. It had a bill about seven or eight inches long, and when disturbed would rise in the air, and, circling overhead, pronounce very distinctly the word chelee. The other was somewhat smaller in size, but similar in appearance, and could say very plainly, "go to work." But as the English and Irish came in, who are fond of birds as food, and took to shooting them, they soon disappeared. Mr. Bronson informed us that he was once bitten on the great toe of his right foot by a massasatga, or prairie rattlesnake, and for eight years was unable to do any work. He was finally cured by a severe attack of fevers, in which he came near dying, but which had the effect of driving the poison from his sys- tem, and when he recovered from it was free from the other also. He describes a sickly season when 500 canal men died and were buried, and upon the graves of whom not a drop of rain had fallen from the burial of the first to that of the last. They had come from a country of a different climate, were little used to eating meat, and here they had plenty of it, and working hard in the hot sun, would sicken and die by scores. "When one "shuffled off the mortal coil," the others would hold a "wake;" no matter how pressing work might be, every- thing was "dropped;" and if the departed had anyof the world's wealth, not a lick of work would the others do while it lasted, but drink and fight, and some- times, in their drunken orgies, prepare the matei'ial for another wake. A grave-yard was laid out and consecrated for their special benefit, as the Catholic Church never bury their members except in holy ground. The following anec- dote, by a correspondent of the local press, writing under the no7n de plume of "Styx," will serve to illustrate somewhat the Irish character as represented 430 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. here during the building of the Canal. Writing of some of their little frays, the correspondent says: "Representatives from different parts of Ireland gath- ered into separate settlements, and raising the old songs and war-cries that have so often torn ' the Harp of Erin ' to tatters, they have re-enacted the refreshing dramas of 'Donny Brook Fair' and the 'Kilkenny Oats," in which every sprig of shillalah was rampant and restless. Funerals and 'wakes' followed on the heels of each other — the 'wakes' being productive of more, funerals, and the funerals of more 'wakes!' The writer remembers seeing a funeral cortege that started from the flat, near where the prison now stands, consisting of a dirt-cart with the coffin and mourning occupants, and preceded by the carriage of the priest, who led the way to the Lockport burying-ground. Wrapt in that kind of dreamy forgetfulness that was introduced by the exciting watches of the previous night, the occupants did not notice how the hind-end- board of the wagon had jolted out, nor did they notice, while climbing the hill at the old prison quarry, the coffin had taken a notion to slip out after the end- board, but went on to the grave-yard full of grief and lamentations. ' Begorra, Jamie's gone!' was the startling remark of the sexton as he reached after the missing casket." The Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad passes through Lockport Town- ship from north to south, and was built through in 1856. But as a full and complete history of this great road is given elsewhere in this work, we deem it unnecessary to recapitulate here. The same applies to the Illinois & Michigan Canal, which also passes through the town from north to south, and the history of which is fully given in another page. There is a point or two, however, upon which we may touch in regard to it. That it is designed to become, at no very distant day, a ship-canal, upon which will float thousands of crafts from all parts of the country, there can be little doubt, since a few shovelfuls of dirt have been judiciously removed from the low divide between the Chicago and Des Planes Rivers, permanently uniting Lake Michigan and the Father of Waters. With this few miles of canal widened and deepened for ships to pass through, it would be of untold advantage to the whole country. There are those living to-day who will yet see mighty steamers unloading cotton and sugar at the piers of Chicago, and taking in the grain of the prairies and the minerals of the Superior country, steam away to the Crescent City of the South. As pertinent to the subject, the following extract is from a speech delivered in the Congress of the United States, by Hon. Carter Harrison, on this very enterprise : " Fifty years ago, only a prophet could have ' seen at Fort Dearborn the site of a mighty city. But his mantle of prophecy need not have been heaven-born. It was only necessary that its woof and fabric should be woven of commercial and engineering sagacity, united to close obser- vation of the little bayous and the low divide separating its waters from those of the Des Planes River close by. That divide was only a few inches above the average surface of the lake, and in high water the birchen canoe of the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 431 savage passed freely from otie to the other. * * * j^ggg ^go, the prairie States of the Northwest were a vast inland, shallow sea. Its deep pools were the beds of the present lakes. When the bottom of that sea was upheaved and the barriers to the east and south were broken down, the waters of Lake Michigan flowed through a long cycle of centuries, through the Des Planes River to the Mississippi. As the prairies to the south were gradually lifted, and the outlets to the east were deepened, the southern outlet became nearly closed. Nature thus wrote on that low divide the first engineer's report in favor of a ship-canal to unite the Mississippi and the Lakes. She traced along that flat marsh in the dark waters of that little bayou the plan for tying the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. A gentle breeze parted sister-waters in that sullen creek and carried them to far-distant oceans, where •one would be caught in the grasp of the stream coming down from Labrador, the other to be wooed by the warm embrace of the Gulf-stream, again to be re-united in mid-ocean." With all its natural advantages, it does seem that the making of this a ship-canal would be one of the grandest improvements of the age, and we have no doubt but that a few more years will witness the inauguration of such a movement. Politically, Lockport Township is Democratic. In the days of building the Canal, whereon were employed so many sons of the " old sod," it polled up sometimes rather huge Democratic majorities, as the first thought of the Irish- man when he arrives in this country is the right of franchise, and hundreds of them had been freshly imported for canal purposes. "Young Barney O'Toole was a broth of a boy, Who crossed over the sea with bold Pat Malloy. They landed at night — it was rainy withal — And the next day got work on the raging ' oanawl,' " It is Stated, and very reliably, too, that at the Presidential election of 1840, some of the " Canalers " voted not less than twenty times apiece ; and it is «stimated that along the Illinois & Michigan Canal there were probably 5,000 illegal votes polled for Van Buren. But with the completion of the Canal and the exit of the "Irish Brigade," it has toned down, and the two great parties are more evenly divided, though the Democrats still have the majority. The name of Lockport was given to the village by Armstead Runyon, and the town- ship named for it. The name originated from the first lock on the Canal between Chicago and Lockport being at the latter place, and hence, was deemed an appropriate name. THE VILLAGE OF LOCKPOET. Lockport village is situated on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad and the Illinois & Michigan Canal, about thirty-three miles southeast of Chicago and four miles north of Joliet. The towfi site for Lockport was chosen by the Canal Commissioners, and the village laid out by them. It was selected with a view of making it their headquarters, and soon after its selection, they erected 432 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. their Canal office here, which has ever since, with some improvements, been used for that purpose. The village was laid out under the supervision of Will- iam B. Archer, by a surveyor named Wampler, and the first sale of lots took place on the 22d day of November, 1837, and lots sold to the amount of $6,000. The Canal office was the first building of any importance erected in the town, and doubtless had considerable influence in inducing the first settlers of the vil- lage to come to the place. The Canal Commissioners, as well as many other persons of intelligence, probably over-rated the advantages of this locality for a commercial and manufacturing town. Joliet, only four miles south of the site selected for Lockport, had at that time been laid out and established as the county seat, and the natural advantages of its position, with the agricultural and mineral wealth surrounding it, would preclude the existence of other towns in such close proximity. Lockport, with all her wealth, must eventually become a part of Joliet. It was laid out with much care, and fine taste exercised, as will be seen from its broad and regular streets. The residences are built with regard to beauty as well as utility, many of them being surrounded with taste- fully laid out and highly ornamented grounds. With its eligible location and romantic site on a sloping hillside, and withal its healthy condition, it is very favor- ably adapted for, as it no doubt will some day be, a suburban retreat of Chi- cago. The first store was established in Runyontown town (now North Lockport) by a man named Kellogg, and was but a sort of grocery store, a rather small affair. Goss & Parks kept the first dry goods store at the same place, and at the laying- out of Lockport proper, removed within its limits, Goss and Stephen Gooding opening a store in partnership, and Parks likewise opening one on his own hook. After the retirement of Stephen Gooding, Oliver P. Gooding took charge of this, and soon other mercantile establishments were opened, and Lock- port grew rapidly. The first building of any pretensions erected, was the Canal office, as already stated. There were, however, several cabins and huts put up within the present limits of the village, by the early settlers, long before it was laid out as a village. The first tavern was built by Horace Morse, but Mr. Runyon, we believe, kept travelers before this tavern was built, though he did not pretend to keep a regular hotel. The first post office was established in 1836, over on the west side of the river, at the stone mill, and Edward P. Bush was the first Postmaster. The office remained at the mill until 1839, when it was removed across the river to the East Side, where it has ever since remained. While at the mill, the mail came once a week, and was brought on horseback. In 1839, coaches were put on the Chicago and Ottawa route, and the mail then came that way, which was considered, in that early day, quite an improvement, and a considerable advance toward civilization. The first repre- sentatives of the legal profession were Gen. James Turney and John W. Pad- dock, both long since dead. At present Messrs. L. S. Parker and W. S. Myers, men of ability, constitute the "learned in the law" of Lockport. The first HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 433 village schoolhouse was built in 1839 ; a small frame building, about 18x32 feet, and cost perhaps $200. It was used for schools, religious services, town- hall, and anything else that happened to come along. The present handsome stone building, with its fine clock, was erected a few years ago at a cost of $30,000 — quite a contrast to the little shanty built for school purposes forty years ago. The present building would be an ornament to any town. The fol- lowing is the record of the school for the present year : Prof. D. H. Darling, Principal ; Misses Paxson, Gooding, Devine, Parker and Herron, Teachers. Before Lockport proper was laid out, and as early as 1836, Armstead Run- yon laid out North Lockport, or what was long known as Runyontown, but now called Runyon's Addition to Lockport. West Lockport was laid out by William Gooding, Lyman Hawley, William Rogers and Eli Prescott, the parties that built the stone mill. At one time this was the most flourishing part of Lock- port, but both it and Runyontown have been merged into the village proper. Lockport was incorporated under especial act of the Legislature, approved Feb- ruary 12, 1853, and signed by J. A. Matteson, Governor. At the election for adopting the village charter, the vote was 86 in favor of and 55 against the charter. The first Board of Trustees elected were Isaac H. Steward, Henry Torrey, S. S. Chamberlain, D. C. Baldwin and Chauncy Doud. Henry Torrey was chosen President of the Board, I. H. Stewart appointed Secretary, and Chauncy Doud, Treasurer. The following is the present Board : David C. Baldwin, William Shields, Samuel Matthews, John Ryan and Jacob Lotz. D. C. Baldwin is President of the Board ; William Shields, Clerk ; F. F. Stowe, Police Magistrate ; William A. Johnson, Police Constable, and James Wright, Jr., Street Commissioner. Lockport has always been the headquarters of the Canal Commissioners, and the General Superintendent, Mr. Thomas, has his ofiice here at this time. Without going into a detailed history of the Canal, which has been thoroughly given in another department of this work, we will mention one little anecdote especially pertaining to this section and to Lockport. The first boat that passed through the entire length of the Canal after its completion, was the " General Thornton," and made the passage in April, 1848. But the first that fioated on its Bridgeport-tainted waters was the " General Fry," named for one of the Canal Commissioners. It was built near where the depot now stands, and as it was an event of importance, unprecedented in the history of Lockport, every- body went down to see it launched. As it gently "slided" from the stocks into the " raging canawl," Dr. Daggett rode in on it, and the boat, seemingly conscious that it carried more than Caesar and his fortunes, acquitted itself handsomely, by dropping into the water "right side up." When the Canal was completed and opened to Chicago, in March, 1848, this boat was the first to make the trip to that city. It was the occasion of a grand excursion for the purpose of celebrating an event of great national importance. A magnificent reception was given the excursion, as Chicago, even then, knew how to entertain 434 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. her country cousins. The boat was met at Bridgeport by a propeller and a large number of citizens, who took the excursionists on through the river, and for a lide out on the lake. The river was lined with people on both sides, to see the first excursion that had come through the Canal. They were taken in and "dined and wined," and a general good time had all round. There are those (Blue or Red Ribbonists, perhaps) who remarked with some emphasis, that the entire excursion got gloriously drunk. But doubtless this is a sort of " stretch of conjecture," and should be taken with all due allowance for ill- natured remarks. Lockport is a grain market of considerable importance. Trade in grain began here on the opening of the Canal in 1848. Hiram Norton, the father of the present grain dealer, J. L. Norton, John Milks, Jenkins, and Geo. Gay- lord, were the first who entered the business. Gaylord & Co., with the excep- tion of from 1852 to 1863, have been in the trade ever since, and handle annually from 300,000 to 400,000 bushels of corn and oats exclusively, all of which is shipped by the canal. Gaylord was the first man to buy grain at legal weights, and had a hard fight with the other dealers to maintain it, but eventually carried the day. Since buying the Martin property, Gaylord & Co. have storage and cribbing capacity for more than 200,000 bushels of grain. Their elevators have improved steam-power, and are provided with grain-dumps and all modern conveniences for handling grain. Norton & Co. are the only other firm in the grain business here at present. They handle, including the wheat used in the mill, perhaps between 800,000 and 900,000 bushels annually. With an extensive and well-appointed warehouse and steam elevator of large capacity, they are well prepared for the grain business in any form or shape. George B. Martin, at one time, was a heavy grain dealer at this place — too heavy for the financial benefit of many of his patrons. He commenced busi- ness here in 1849—50, without capital it is supposed, and by dint of energy and good business ability worked up an immense trade, gaining the fullest con- fidence of the entire community. There are, perhaps, few cases on record of a more complete betrayal of confidence. Many hard-working people had deposited their savings with him, and it is even said that washerwomen had money deposited in his hands, when, without warning he failed most dis- astrously, to the amount of $200,000, a failure aggravated in its nature and sad in its results ; scarcely equaled in the distress it wrought among the work- ing people, by Spencer's State Savings failure or Myer's "busted" Beehive, of Chicago. He is said to have been of most excellent family, was not a fast man nor high liver, but is supposed to have managed badly, paid too much interest, and traded too high on borrowed capital. One bad move he made was in establishing a grain point at Romeo, a few miles north of Lockport, which took considerable trade from him, which, otherwise, he would have secured at this place. William Shields and Anderson are now buying grain at Romeo for Norton & Co., and do quite a large business for a country station. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 435 The first Fourth of July celebration in Lockport was an old-fashioned bar- becue, which was gotten up in 1839. Whole animals, such as muttons, pigs and poultry were roasted, and the primitive board groaned under the bountiful supply of eatables. Hiram Norton was President of the celebration ; Gen. James Turney, a lawyer of considerable ability, was the orator of the occasion ; Edward B. Talcott read the Declaration of Independence, and Dr. Daggett marshaled the grand procession. It was a general good time — a day of rejoicing — and everybody enjoyed it to the utmost, winding up in the evening with a grand ball at the Canal office, then the most capacious building in the place, which had been put in "apple-pie order" for the occasion. Fiddlers were rather a scarce article in the country at that time, and the only one of any note was living at St. Charles, Kane Co. Dr. Daggett was appointed a committee of one to procure his services. Of course about the "Fourth," the old fellow's musical accomplishments were in demand ; Daggett found him with several propositions before him for consideration, and the only means of secur- ing him was to outbid all others. He offered him $60, and being the longest pole, it "knocked the persimmon." Daggett brought him over to the scene of action, but as he was extremely fond of the "wine when it is red," before mid- night he was blind drunk. So went their $60, and they were forced to find some one who could make a noise on the catguts, about as harmonious as the filing of an old saw, in order that the dance might go on as laid down in the programme. One of the most important features in the business of Lockport is the industries of Norton & Co., who employ a large number of men in the several departments of their business. Their flour-mills on the west side of the Canal are the largest in the State, having the very best and most improved machinery, with twenty-eight runs of buhrs, under the superintendence of Robert Whit- ley, an experienced miller, and when employed at full capacity, will turn out from seven to eight hundred barrels of flour per day. The Winter wheat used at these mills is brought from the southern part of the State, while the Spring wheat is from the West. In connection is a cooper-shop, in charge of Henry Ripsom, who employs, usually, about thirty hands, making the barrels used at the mills. On the east side of the Canal, at the large warehouse and elevator, is the corn-mill, having five runs of buhrs, and used wholly for corn and for grinding wheat for their home customers. Albert Deeming is Superintendent of the store, carried on in connection with the mills and grain warehouse, and Jacob Lotz is the general shipping clerk and manager of the warehouse. The paper mills of this firm, known as the Lockport Paper Company, are an extensive establishment. About thirty men find employment in them, and they run day and night. The mills were built in the Fall of 1872, and make a specialty of board paper, which is manufactured from straw, using daily about six and a half tons — one and a half tons of straw to a ton of paper. To the efficient man- ager of the mills, Samuel Wilmot, we were indebted for a visit through the 436 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. large establishment, and many items of interest as to its workings and capacity. The stone quarries in and around Lockport are quite an important branch of the business of the place, though in the immediate vicinity of the village the stone does not compare in quality with the quarries of Joliet and Lemont. J. A. Boyer opened a quarry here in 1869, but the quality of stone taken from it did not warrant the working of it, and it was soon abandoned. Mr. Boyer's quarries at Lemont are among the most extensive, and produce as superior a quality of stone as any quarry in this section of the State. He furnished from these quarries much of the material in the beautiful stone-front buildings recently erected on the West Side in the city of Chicago. He, also, has furnished the stone for the new Catholic Church in Lockport, by far the hand- somest church edifice in the village. Though these quarries are not in this town- ship, nor in Will County, yet their proprietor, Mr. Boyer, was born and reared in Lockport, where he still lives, and to omit mention of them here would be to leave out an important part of its history. He employs from one hundred to one hundred and fifty men, and has all the improved machinery and the best of shipping facilities — both on the Chicago & Alton Railroad and the Canal. Oak Hill Quarry, now owned by Isaac Nobes, is one of the best in this sec- tion. Just south of Lockport village, conveniently located to both railroad and canal, has fine facilities for shipping. This quarry was opened by G. A. Cous- ens & Co., afterward passed into the hands of George Gaylord, and, in 1868, Mr. Nobes came into possession of it and has since worked it. He works about thirty-five men, and is supplied with all the modern machinery for working quarries and handling stone. He has one of the finest residences in the State, outside of the large cities. It is built of stone, and presents a very fine appearance. The large quarries of W. A. Steel are in Lockport Township, but were men- tioned in the history of Joliet, where the owner of them lives. The first quar- ries worked in this section of the country, however, were opened by Dr. Dag- gett on the west side of the Canal, a little south of Lockport, and nearly oppo- site Nobes' quarry. He sold $30,000 worth of stone the first year he opened them, and that of an excellent quality. But he is not operating them at pres- ent, owing to the fact, perhaps, of there being so many others in the business that it does not pay as well as it did years ago. It is wonderful to contemplate the inexhaustible supply of stone in the hills, and bluffs of the Des Planes Valley. And the quality, too, the convenient ledges and layers in which it is found, and the easy access to it, is not the least wonderful item in regard to these vast quarries. It almost seems that the layers of stone had been pur- posely arranged fpr the convenience and benefit of man. The history of the press dates back to quite a remote period in the history of Lockport. The first newspaper was established by one H. M. Fuller, in 1848, and was called the Will County Telegraph. During the year 1849, Judge Parks (now of Joliet) became the leading editor, while Fuller remained the publisher, until the Moon arose on the 23d of January, 1850, when it <^CL,a^ JOLIET. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 439 passed into the control and management of John M. Moon, who continued to edit and publish it for a few months. The business men of the town, it seems, owned the paper, while Moon was only editor and publisher, and his political views not altogether coinciding with those of his readers, he was forced to resign his position. The paper was somewhat tinged with Free-soilism, and he, it ap- pears was a red-hot Democrat, and if one may be allowed to judge from the fol- lowing extract taken from his valedictory, this Moon set ingloriously in a cloud- bank : "He pledged himself at the outset to keep the avowal of its proud motto intact; at the same time that he also declared his sympathy with the party named,* in its present sentiments, and in regard to its peculiar objects. Not unmindful that it is not in the power of mortals to command success, he regis- tered his stern determination to deserve respect, by resigning his post as soon as it might seem that the assertion of those sentiments would be incompatible with the feelings of subscribers and the success of the enterprise. That time has fully come. From several quarters he has received intimations to this effect, and they had recently become so plain and so numerous that he could no longer, with consistency, overlook them. His retirement follows in mere consistency." He closes his valedictory with a grandiloquent Micawberistic flourish as follows : '■ He has carried his colors high and fearlessly against the extension of it (slavery) in the free portions of this country upon any pretense or construction whatever; and he wraps these colors around him, now that he can no longer combat as a testimony of the principles for which he fought, and in defense of which he fell." Dr. Daggett succeeded him in the editorial management of the paper April 10, 1850, and follows his high-strung valedictory with a modest salutatory, in which he acknowledges his ignorance of the newspaper busmess and cares of the editor, and ventures to hope that he will give satisfaction to his readers, and as a means to that end declares his intention to please himself. When Daggett sat down in the editorial chair, the name of the paper was changed to Lockport Telegraph. He remained the editor until 1857, and for a few months had for assistant editor — or editress — a Mrs. P. W. B. Corothers, a lady of considerable literary merit, and whom many of our readers will re- member as quite a pleasing writer. The paper underwent several changes in proprietors, viz., Plumb & Holcomb, Daggett & Holcomb, Charles D. Holcomb and we know not what others, until it finally became extinct, and the Phoenix " rose from its ashes." The Lockport Phoenix was established in 1875, and the other branches were added to it the following year, as noticed in the history of Joliet. The plan of publication of each office is to set its ratio of type, which is sent to the central office, and there put in the form of general local and read- ing matter, while the advertisements for each locality are inserted at rates cor- responding to the amount of circulation. The papers are devoted especially to local and county news, and are intended to go with Chicago and other outside journals, so that subscribers ordering one of them with a Phoenix can obtain a • The Free-soil Party. 440 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. complete assortment of reading matter at the usual cost of one country paper. The Phcenix is under the control of J. S. McDonald, a veteran editor and live newspaper man. The Will County Commercial Advertiser, alive and sprightly paper, published by Hawley & Curren, is the Lockport Standard in a new- form and character. It is devoted to home interests and is quite a readable sheet. The people of Lockport, with their ten churches in their midst, have no lack of Gospel influences surrounding them. Religious services were first held in Lockport under the auspices of the Episcopal Church, in 1834, Rev. Isaac W. Hallum, of St. James' Church, Chicago, occasion- ally visiting it and administering to the welfare of the people. The first Rector was Rev. Andrew W. Cornish, at the time Rector of the Episcopal Church of Joliet, where he resided, preaching at the two places alternately. From his day to the present time, the following ministers have ofiSciated : Rev. William Bostwick, 1842-45. During his administration, the parish was duly organized by Rt. Rev. P. Chase, D. D., and the first church was built in 1844. Rev. Charles F. Todd, 1845-46 ; Rev. D. E. Brown, 1847-51 ; Rev. S. D. Pulford, 1852-55. In his time, the present parsonage was secured to the parish. Rev. S. L. Bostwick, 1857 ; Rev. Samuel Cowell, 1858-62 ; Rev. C. A. Gilbert, 1862-66 ; Rev. W. H. Cooper, 1868-70 ; Rev. William Turner, was next, under whose ministry the corner-stone of the new stone church was laid. After the Rev. Mr. Turner, Rev. Mr. Cowell again took charge for three years, and was succeeded by Rev. Mr. Philips, and in the Summer of 1878, Rev. John McKim became Rector. The church cost about six thousand dollars, was finished in 1 874, and is at present under the pastorate of Rev. Mr. McKim. The membership is small, but is fiourishing, with an interesting Sunday school, of which the Rector is Superintendent. The corner-stone of the church was laid September 20, 1870, as above stated, by Bishop White- house, assisted by several local clergymen. It has been completed in excellent style, and is one of the handsomest churches in the village. The Methodist Church was organized in Lockport at an early day. In 1838, this was included in Joliet Circuit, with Rev. William Crissey, Pastor, and Rev. John Clarke, Presiding Elder. In the Winter of 1838, Rev. Mr. Crissey formed the first class in Lockport, consisting of G. L. Works, class- leader, his wife, D. Breesee and wife, M. Brooks, R. Lowrie, Polly McMillen, Dira Manning, A. Heath and Julia Reed. In the Spring of 1842, Col. Joel Manning joined on probation, and was appointed class-leader, a position he held for fifteen years. In 1852, Lockport was made a station, and, in 1854, it and Plainfield were united. In 1854-55, during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Reed, the present fine stone church was built, at a cost of $7,000; and, in 1867, a second parsonage was built, costing about $3,000, on a beautitiful lot opposite the church. The present Pastor is Rev. Mr. Strout, with a large membership and a flourishing Sunday school, of which Arthur Deeming is Superintendent. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 441 The Baptist Church was organized in 1844, by Rev. Solomon Knapp, with twenty-one members. Some years later, their church was built, a neat little frame building, which cost about $1,500. The Church is now under charge of Rev. Robert C. Ray, and has about seventy-six members. A Sunday school is maintained, with an average attendance of eighty children, of which Frank Hopkins is Superintendent. The Congregational Church was organized in 1838, with nine members, viz. : Erastus Newton and wife, John Gooding and wife, Harvey Raymond, Dr. Chauncy White and wife, and William B. Newton and wife. The church was built in 1839, at a cost of $2,000. The first minister was Rev. Isaac Foster, and following him in the order given were Rev. Jonathan Porter, Rev. Alanson Porter, Rev. Joel Grant, Rev. Mr. Whiting, Rev. George Slosser, Rev. Alfred L. Riggs, Rev. H. C. Abernethy, Rev. Mr. Post, Rev. A. B. Brown, Rev. J. E. Storm. The present Pastor is Rev. S. I; McKee, with a membership of fifty. Sunday school established in 1841, Eli Eddy, Superin- tendent, with an attendance at present of about two hundred children, and Prof. D. H. Darling, Superintendent. The Roman Catholic Society was organized here at the commencement of the building of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and was at first attended by the priests in charge of the Joliet Mission. The first resident priest at Lockport was Father Dennis Ryan, and the first church was a small frame shanty, moved from Lemont, which, with some improvements, has been their house of worship ever since. In 1877, the elegant stone church was begun which is not yet completed. When finished, this will be the finest church in the vil- lage, and a handsome ornament to the place, and will cost about $25,000. The architects are Egan & Hill, of Chicago, and the stone is furnished by J. A. Boyer, of Lockport. Father Dorney is the priest in charge, and to his energetic efi"orts is the parish indebted for this magnificent church. A well- attended Sunday school is maintained in connection with the Church. The German Catholics also have an elegant stone church, a comfortable parsonage, and fine grounds. A large membership worship at this church, made up of the German citizens of Lockport and the surrounding country. There are in the village, in addition to those already mentioned, three other German churches and one Swede church. Of these, however, we have not been able to learn much beyond the fact that they are occupied regularly, with the usual church and Sunday school services. Freemasonry and Odd Fellowship are represented in Lockport by flourish- ing lodges. Des Plaines Lodge, No. 23, I. 0. 0. F., is one of the oldest Lodges of this Order in Northern Illinois, and was chartered January 12, 1847, by Stephen S. Jones, Grand Master, and J. F. Ruhci, Grand Secretary. The charter members were John Blackstone, Harvey Mosier, William P. Whittle, John W. Paddock and B. C. Waterman, not one of whom are now living. John Blackstone was the first Noble Grand. The present elective officers are : 442 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. J. H. Weeks, Noble Grand; John Pitts, Jr., Vice Grand; W. J. Deeming, Secretary ; John Geddes, Treasurer — with a membership of thirty-five. The removal of members and the formation of new lodges in the vicinity have kept the membership down at a small number. Lockport Lodge, No. 538, A., F. & A. M., was chartered October 1, 1867, A. L. 5867, by Most Worshipful Jerome R. Gorin, Grand Master, and H. G. Reynolds, Grand Secretary. The first oflicers were : C. H. Bacon, Worshipful Master; John C. Backus, Senior Warden; and William J. Denton, Junior Warden. It is oflScered at present as follows : F. F. Stowe, Worshipful Master ; H. M. Starrin, Senior Warden ; W. C. Fisher, Junior Warden ; and H. R. Wells, Secretary ; with about sev- enty-five members on the Lodge records. The medical faculty of Lockport comprises some able physicians, viz., Drs. Daggett, Bacon, Lamed and Schoop. Dr. Daggett has been a practicing physician in this section since 1838, a period of forty years; and as a success- ful practitioner has few equals. Dr. C. H. Bacon came from New York, and first settled in Mokena, but soon removed to Lockport. He was appointed Assistant Surgeon of the Volunteer Corps, at the beginning of the war, but was promoted to full Surgeon in August, 1863, which he held until November, 1865 ; was appointed Post Surgeon at Johnsonville, Tenn. In 1869, he received the appointment of Physician and Surgeon at the State Prison at Joliet, which he held until July, 1874, since which time he has practiced in Lockport. Dr. Larned is a well-read physician, and Dr. Schoop is a young physician of promise. Writing of doctors and medicine naturally brings to mind grave-yards and burying-grounds. It is with no disparagement or disre- spect to the medical fraternity that we make the observation, but the grave-yard is the final abode of man after he passes beyond the doctor's wisdom ; and in this connection we would say a word or two in admiration of Lockport's little city of the dead. Located on the summit of the east bluff", overlooking the village and the valley of the Des Planes, a more lovely and appropriate spot could not have been selected. It is well laid out and tastefully arranged, shaded with a few grand old forest-trees and plenty of ornamental shrub- bery, interspersed with flowers — fit emblems to the memory of the loved and lost. The organ factory of William Evans is a Lockport enterprise ; and while it is not an extensive establishment, it is of some importance as a manufactory. Organs, from the largest to the smallest, together with melodeons, are made to order, and of an excellent quality. Another factory — if a tannery can be called a factory — is the tannery of John Marks, and which does quite an enterprising business and adds something to the importance of Lock- port. The mercantile business is confined entirely to a retail trade, which is well represented by courteous and energetic business men in all its branches. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 443 WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. The ancient philosophers recognized in nature four primary elements — water, earth, air and fire. This was quite a natural classification, as from these, they readily perceived, came all of their comforts. From the first two came food and drink, and from the last two they derived health and heat. Modern scien- tists have changed and modified the arrangement of the ancient alchemist, so that the earlier classification is now known only in history. And yet these four items, just as the ancients understood them, are the great essentials of life, and to them we turn for all of our needs and all of our luxuries. A locality that furnishes all of these in abundance and of a good quality is a locality blessed by nature with all that- is desirable. These four items entered into the argument which induced the settlement, not only of this but of every country in the world ; and, in whatever locality one or more seemed deficient, a corre- sponding tardiness in occupying the country is observed. Thus, the prairies of the West, though favored with a soil scarcely equaled, and possessed of climate and water unsurpassed, yet apparently lacking in the means of producing warmth, were slow to attract the attention of the speculator or the emigrant ; while the eastern portions of the United States, though not favored with such a good soil, settled two hundred years earlier. When Illinois finally began to fill, we find its first occupants steering immediately for the streams of water, where they rightly concluded lay, with a productive soil, also plenty of fuel and water. Certainly but few portions of the State have been more highly favored with these natural advantages than that of which we write. With a good soil, with water privileges and water-power in great abundance, with timber for fuel and with a salubrious climate, it is not strange that this section had attractions for the early emigrant. Nature seems to have overexerted herself, in this instance, in producing a locality which is at once beautiful, healthy and pro- ductive. The Kankakee River at this place is one of the finest streams in the State or in the whole West. The water, pure and clear, flows over a solid limestone bed, and this, with a rapid descent, tends to purify the stream and the air, and render the surrounding country healthy in an eminent degree. Even the Indians, who preceded the white people, realized fully the advantages of this neighborhood, and the relics of these original owners of the soil are found here in abundance. Arrow and spear heads, stone axes, rude pottery and other articles found upon the banks of the Kankakee, in this township, attest that this must have been a favorite dwelling-place as well as hunting-ground. Not only so, but the fortifications, constructed ■ of earth, on which now grow trees more than two hundred years old, and of which the later race of Indians have not a tradition, points to an earlier race of human beings, who not only made this their home, but defended it with all the skill and power at their command Doubtless, prior to 1836, white men lived in the township of Wilmington. 444 HlriTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Even before the the Black Hawk war, some hunters may have made the banks of the Kankakee their headquarters. If such there were, their stay was but temporary, those inhabiting the section before 1832 retiring, on the rising of Black Hawk and his allies, to safer localities, and those coming in immediately after peace was restored making their stay so short as not to entitle them to the credit of permanent settlers. To Thomas Cox is justly due the honor of being the first permanent settler of this vicinity. In 1836, he laid claim to all of the land on which the city of Wilmington now stands, laid out the town, calling it Winchester, erected the first saw-mill, built a house and disposed of a few town lots. He followed these improvements soon after with the addition of a corn-cracker to his saw-mill, and still a little later by the erection at the upper end of the race, near where Whitten's flour-mill now stands, of a grist-mill and carding machine. These improvements gave the town a wide reputation, and Cox's mills were patronized by many who lived more than fifty miles distant. The old' pioneers of Kanka- kee, Grundy, Livingston and other counties are wont to tell how they took their corn and wheat to the mill at Wilmington, consuming, often, nearly a week in the trip. Having such a long distance to go, it became necessary to wait for the grinding of the grain before their return ; and, as the mill was frequently crowded, they were often necessarily detained several days. The first mill was built without any bolting machinery ; but, after a time, a bolt, made to turn by hand, was constructed, and through this the patrons of the mill were allowed to sift their own fiour. Prior to the erection of the mill, tradition says there was an oak stump that stood near the site of Stewart & Henderson's store, which was slightly hollowed out in the top. A spring-pole was fixed in a suitable posi- tion, and to the end of the pole was tied a bar, into the end of which was fastened an iron wedge, constituting a heavy pestle. The stump was the mortar, into which was cast a small quantity of corn to be pounded and cracked for bread and mush. While undergoing the pounding process, hot water was some- times poured on, and while this prevented the mashing of the grains, it facili- tated the removal of the husk or bran, and a good article of hominy was thereby provided. This primitive machine is said to have been well patronized, and furnished food for the early pionee rs. Fearing that our younger readers may associate Cox's carding machine with a printing press designed to turn out the little bits of paper with which they are wont to amuse themselves on an idle evening, and which gamblerrput to the more base purpose of deluding their simpler-minded companions, thereby gain- 'ing a livelihood, we will say that it was a machine used to straighten the wool of the sheep's fleece, and cut it into rolls or cards preparatory to spinning and weaving into cloth. In the early times, all these processes were common to the farmhouse ; and our grandmothers not only made the clothing for the family but spun the yarn and wove the cloth of which it was made. Times have changed wonderfully in this regard. The carding machine, though a wonder- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. • 445 fully ingenious invention, is a thing of the past; the spinning-wheel, found in a few of the oldest settlers' garrets, has ceased its merry hum, and the loom, if one still exists, is known as a loom in an entirely different sense — an heir-loom. The saw -mill, too, which prepared the most of the lumber for the first houses of Wilmington and vicinity, passed gently down the river years ago. Perhaps the man who has left a deeper, broader, longer and brighter mark on this part of the county than any other, was Peter Stewart. While some may have outranked him in education, and while others may have had the gift of oratory in a higher degree, his impress was doubtless of such a nature as to make him the acknowledged mark of manly character and of all that makes up the respected citizen. Peter Stewart was a native of Scotland. When but a boy he left his home to seek employment and an independence in a distant portion of the country. Without education, and with scarcely sufficient knowledge of the English lan- guage to make his wants known, he went to England and succeeded in obtaining work in Lord Anglesea's garden, as a common laborer. He was, however, under the superintendence of a scientific gardener, who was at the same time a practical civil engineer, and from him he acquired a thorough knowledge of both branches by hard study after the day's work was over. He, at the same time, became greatly interested in the study of botany, and finally became thoroughly versed in the science. By industry and economy he saved sufiicient to pay his passage to America. At the time of his arrival in this country, the Erie Canal was being constructed, and this proved to be a favorable opening. His knowl- edge of engineering soon gave him a paying position on these works, and when the excavation of his part of the canal was done, he built the very first lock on the whole canal. He afterward obtained a number of large contracts for build- ing public works of various kinds, among which were the grading of the Sche- nectady & Utica Railroad and the building of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Dur- ing this time he was not unmindful of his less fortunate relatives, whom he had left in the old country ; and when he had accumulated means sufficient to war- rant, went back and brought over to the United States the balance of his father's family. In 1835, partially to prospect in the interest of the Michigan & Illinois Canal enterprise, which was then receiving attention from both the State and General Government, and partially to look at the land in its proposed vicinity, he came to this neighborhood, selected a piece of land and returned to Amster- dam, N. Y., which had been his home, and the next Spring emigrated to this place. Already he had performed the work of an ordinary life-time, but he was still a young man and his activity continued till his death ; and to name all of the enterprises both benevolent and business in which he had been engaged, would be to consume more space that the design of this work will permit. One of his first works, after coming, >vas that of inspector of masonry of the Michigan & Illinois Canal. He was a stanch Presbyterian, and contributed his means 446 • HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. and influence to building up the society here, without stint. When a building for the use of that denomination was to be erected, the people contributed as they were able, and Peter Stewart gave the balance. He was an Abolitiotjist of the most ultra kind, and yet, always reasonable in his views and demands, commanded the respect of even those of contrary opinions. At one time, a com- pany of men from the South visited Wilmington, in pursuit of a fugitive slave. When their business became known, they were at once surrounded by a mob of citizens, at whose hands they could not but expect violence. Having heard that Peter Stewart was a man of influence in the town, they sent for him to intercede for them. When Stewart arrived on the ground, the would-be slave- catchers implored him to use his influence with the people for their release, and were astounded to find that he was the leader of the Antislavery movement in this neighborhood. But, after learning that they would be only too glad to return to St. Louis, Stewart counseled the citizens to set them at liberty, with an in- junction not to delay their return to their homes, which advice was duly heeded. Mr. Stewart took great interest in the organization of the township into a sep- arate precinct, and of the organization of the town of Wilmington and in what- ever would tend to their prosperity. The history of his expressive title — Colonel — which he wore with good grace, was conferred on him by common consent. On another page, is mentioned a little "unpleasantness" that took place at Lockport many years ago. The mutineers or rioters had been notified of the approach of a posse, commanded by the Sheriff" of the county, but had stood resolute until their appearance on the hill. Then they began to waver a little ; but when the Sheriff" delegated to Peter Stewart authority to go down alone and treat with the belligerents, many feared that he would be roughly received. But Stewart, who was the man for the occasion, went boldly forward and com- manded them to surrender, which they did unconditionally. Peter Stewart passed on to a better land several years ago. His funeral was more largely attended than that of any other person who had preceded him in this city. He left a large, wealthy and influential family, notice of sev- eral of whom appears in the biographical portion of this work. The advent of Cox aiJd Stewart was nearly coincident. Following shortly after, at close intervals, were the members of Cox's family — a son Joseph, and five sons-in- law, Henry and Elias Brown, Peter Polly, John T. Basye and Peter Marlatte. Henry Brown built the first hotel, in 1838, and called it the "Eagle." He did not, however, occupy the house, but rented it to other parties, himself engaging in merchandise. His store was located on the site now occupied by Willard's drug store, and was the first business house on the south side of Crooked Creek, and the second in the town. Basye bought and operated for a time the saw-mill which had been erected by his father-in-law. The whole family — Cox and son and sons-in-law — sold out their interests here and removed to Salem, Oregon, in 1847. A year after Peter Stewart came, his brother Daniel arrived in the neighborhood. He settled shortly in HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 447 what is now Florence Township, in the history of which he receives further notice. James L. Young, familiarly called the " Senator," came to the township in 1837 and settled near the junction of the Kankakee and Des Planes Rivers, but subsequently removed to the village. He was a blacksmith, and swung the sledge until, like Cincinnatus, he was called by his fellow-citizens to take a more responsible position. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace almost continuously since the organization of the township. At the organization of the village he was elected first Clerk. Some years ago, when he held his office in the upper story of the post ofiice building, the boys gave his office the name of the " upper house," and styled the post office the "lower house;" and, as Mr. Young occupied the " upper house," quite naturally was conferred upon him the title of " Senator," which has tenaciously stuck to him ever since. Certainly, this distinction could not rest on more worthy shoulders. Hon. Archibald Mclntyre was the first merchant in this vicinity. His store was located on the north side of the creek, in Stewart's Addition. He was a most successful business. man, and accumulated a large property. As indicated by his title, he was a member of the Legislature, as representative from this district. He was a brother of the Mclntyre of the celebrated lottery firm of Yates & Mclntyre, of Philadelphia. At the time of his death, which occurred a few years ago, he was President of the First National Bank of this city. He was a native of New York, and came to this place in 1837. Dr. A. W. Bowen, though not one of the very earliest inhabitants of this place, deserves mention here, as he was interested here as early as 1838. The Doctor had been living in Joliet for four years when, at the date named, he pur- chased of Cox a half interest in the site of Wilmington ; and soon after, by a division of interests, became sole proprietor of the north part of the original town. Perhaps it may interest some of our readers, who are in any way con- cerned in the real estate, to follow for a little way the title of the land on which the city is built. As previously stated, Thomas Cox pre-empted and entered all of the land, including the island, which he afterward laid out and called Winchester.* A short time before his departure to Oregon, he conveyed the remainder of his landed property to James F. Alden, of Maine, who had recently come to the place. After this, Alden conveyed what he had not already disposed of to his brother, H. 0. Alden ; and from him, the larger portion of the upper town, including the island, was bought by the Kankakee Company. This short abstract will explain how some of the earliest deeds run from Cox, why some in the lower part of the city are traceable to Bowen, and why some of the later primary titles run from the Aldens. As stated, prior to the selection ot this locality as a town site. Dr. Bowen lived at Joliet. That village, now a city of large proportions, was then an insignificant village. At the time of his * A short time after, it haTing been ascertained that there was already one town of that name in the State, it was changed to Wilmington. . 448 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. arrival at Joliet, in 1834, the territory now constituting "Will and some other counties was embraced in Cook ; and, though some thought had been given to 'formation of a new county here, nothing positive had been done. Dr. Bowen took hold of the matter, and circulated a petition, which soon received 500 signatures, praying the Legislature to form a new county out of what is now Will and all of that part of Kankakee County which lies north of the Kanka- kee River. This was at the last session of the Legislature held at Vandalia, in 1835-6. The Doctor was in attendance at the session, and brought such influences to bear that the petition was granted, in exact accordance with the wish of the signers. In the petition was a clause locating the county seat at Joliet. In 1849, Dr. Bowen moved to Wilmington to engage in business. He practiced his profession, established a store, built what has been known as the lower mill, and took a lively interest in whatever tended to build up and pros- ' per the town. The venerable Doctor and his wife still reside at Wilmington, and to their kindness much of what is valuable in this work is due. In 1837, Abner Wright, father, mother, brother and two sisters came from New York to reside at this point. The father, mother and brother are all dead, while he and the two sisters still remain. In the year last named, Daniel Mcintosh, a Scotchman, who had for a few years resided at Amsterdam, N. Y. , immigrated to this part of the county. Mcintosh had been employed on the Brie Canal Works, and was Superintendent of a division, while Seymour was one of the Canal Commissioners. He was a man of extensive business qualifications, and died leaving a large estate. In 1839, soon after Dr. Bowen had built the lower mill, John Fisher, who was a practical miller, came on from Rochester, N. Y., to work in the mill. He died a few years later and left two sons, John and Bryan, who have carried on the business ever since, more recently not only as operators but as proprietors. At present, the mill is owned and operated by Fisher & Pennington, who came into possession in 1859. One of the old stones, on which some of the first grists of corn were cracked, is still in use in this mill, though the old Bowen mill is now idle, except as a store- house. Andrew Whitten came to this vicinity in 1840 from Canada, and engaged in the mercantile trade. He has been very successful in business, accumulating a fortune. His sons are in the banking business, and own large interests in the mill and other enterprises. Franklin Mitchell is a native of Vermont, where he lived until 1836, when he came to Chicago. He stayed in Chicago a few months, when he removed to Joliet and resided four years. In 1840, he came to Wilmington to take cliarge of the Eagle Hotel, then the only one in the village. After remaining in charge of the house three years, he began the erection of the " Exchange," which he completed and occupied the next year. Mitchell, as a landlord, was a great suc- cess, and during his occupancy of the house, a space of twenty-one years, the Exchange was counted one of the best hotels in the State. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 449 In 1854, Peter Stewart built the hotel which bears his name, and a few years subsequently, the Exchange was converted into store-rooms, and for that purpose it is still used. By the year 1846 — the closing of the first decade of the existence of the settlement, and which period may properly be termed the pioneer period — quite a number of persons had selected this township and village as a place of resi- dence. Among the number are remembered S. C. and J. C. Thompson, James Johnson, John L. Wilson, Henry and Robert Northam, John R. Jones, Henry Bowen, John and Robert Lyon, John G. Putman, Jonathan Barnatt and Peter Mcintosh. The two Thompsons were brothers, and were natives of Scotland. S. C. was a good blacksmith, and quite a successful man in business. During the gold excitement which followed the acquisition by the United States of the Pacific Coast, he went to California and stayed a couple of years. Soon after his return from the gold-fields to this his adopted home, he died. J. C. is still a resident of the city. James Johnson was from Erie, Penn. He was a very successful physician, but the injunction, "Physician, heal thyself," was by him unheeded, and he passed away about 1849. John L. Wilson came from Albany, N. Y., and engaged for a time in the mercantile trade. He left here in 1850, and removed to Chicago, where he now resides. He is a brother of Charles L. Wilson of the Chicago Journal, and until recently has been connected with that paper. John R. Jones was a native of Wales, and had been living at Detroit on the farm of Gen. Cass. He died a few years ago. Henry Bowen is a brother of the Doctor. He was a blacksmith, but lat- terly laid aside the anvil and hammer, took up the plow and hoe, and became a farmer. Some years ago he removed to Kansas, where he now resides. The Lyon brothers had charge of the carding machine, but subsequently removed to California. In 1848, came one of Wilmington's most solid men. J. D. Henderson, a native of New York, had been employed in the construction of the upper dam at .Joliet. He came to Wilmington in the year named, to open a store with Dr. Bowen. With him he continued in partnership nine years, when George T. Stewart bought the interest of Bowen, and the firm of Henderson & Stewart has existed without change ever since. His fellow-citizens have shown their appreciation of him by frequently electing him to the highest office within the municipality. In 1849, the Legislature of the State of Illinois passed an act authorizing counties to change their organization to what is known as town- ship organization. The county of Will was one of the first to adopt the system, and Wilmington Township was one of the first to accept the new arrangement. The order for election was made and a preliminary was held March 1, 1850. By the order of the Commissioners, appointed for the purpose of dividing the county into townships, the township of Wilmington consisted of the Congres- 450 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. sionail Towns 33 north. Ranges 9 and 10 east, and that part of 32 north, 9 and 10, lying north of the Kankakee River (this territory now constitutes the townships of Wilmington, Florence and Wesley). The boundaries of the township were given as Channahon and Jackson on the north, Wilton and Rockville on the east, Grundy County on the west, and the Kankakee River and Clinton on the south. By a glance at the map, it will be seen that Clinton must have been what is now known -as Reed Township. The first election for township ofiicers was held at the "'Exchange," April 2, of the year named. The meeting was called to order by Don A. Watson ; Peter Stewart was chosen Moderator, and S. W. Stone, Clerk. John Frazier was elected Supervisor ; John R. Bickerton, Clerk ; Daniel Stewart, Assessor; F. D. S. Stewart, Collector; Elias Freer, Wm. Van De Bogart and William P. Hewit, Commissioners of Highways; Archibald Mcln- tyre and David Willard, Justices of the Peace ; F. D. S. Stewart and Daniel Ferris, Constables ; and Adam White, Overseer of the Poor. It will be noticed that a number of these names appear for the first time in this narrative. Some of them have come in since 1846, some are citizens of what are now Florence and Wesley Townships, and will probably receive further mention in the history of those localities. At this election, 210 votes were cast, most of which were from the immediate vicinity of Wilmington. Even at that date, but few settle- ments had been made, except very near the river. In 1851, the townships of Wesley and Florence were organized as separate precincts, and, from that date, Wilmington Township voted and transacted business alone. Franklin Mitchell was elected first Supervisor of Wilmington Township, as it now exists. His successors have been as follows : 1862, A. J. Mclntyre ; 1853, H. R. Whip- ple ; 1856, John J. Camp ; 1858, R. S. Noble ; 1859, John D. Henderson : 1861, D. W. Cobb; 1863, A. J. Mclntyre; 1865, Franklin Mitchell; 1866, E. R. Willard ; 1867, John H. Daniels ; 1871, S. C. Camp; 1874, Robert C. Thompson ; 1877, Samuel Sillman. A full list of the present officers is as fol- lows : Samuel Sillman, Supervisor ; L. L. Stephenson, Clerk ; W. J. Carter, Assessor ; Martin Carroll, Collector ; Joseph Martin, James Dunn and E. P. Smith, Commissioners of Highways ; Le Roy Baker and S. D. B. Lines, Con- stables ; James L. Young and J- P. Ransom, Justices of the Peace. The township of Wilmington was one of the most active in the effort to suppress the great rebellion. Besides several whole companies of the Thirty- ninth and One Hundredth Regiments, very many enlisted in various other regi- ments, in this and other counties. Quite a number of the best and bravest ofiicers of the regiments named were from this vicinity. S. W. Munn was Major of the Thirty -ninth. He is now a successful lawyer of Joliet. L. A. Baker was Captain of a company in the same regiment, and lost a leg in the service. He was afterward Postmaster of Wilmington. The present Post- master, R. S. Camp, was also Captain of a company. Capt. R. S. Bowen, who raised Company A of the One Hundredth Regiment, was also of this place. HISTORY Of WILL COUNTY. 451 He was afterward promoted to Major; was wounded at Franklin and carried to Nashville, where he died. Capt. M. McN. Stewart of the One Hundredth Regiment, was hit on the side of the head by a cannon ball. Ordinarily a man's biography stops at this point; but, only for a few minutes, Stewart believed himself dead. He still lives and performs the duties of teller in the First National Bank. L. D. B. Lines went out in the One Hundredth and was promoted to a Cap- taincy. Capt. Hezekiah Gardner of the One Hundredth Regiment was wounded at Missionary Ridge, and had a leg amputated to prove his valor. He was afterward promoted to Major of an invalid corps, and is now on the retired list, residing in New York. Several hundred other brave men who left their homes, families and property, deserve honorable mention here, but space for- bids even a mention of their names. Suffice it to say that the township of Wilmington, of which the soldiers were a large part, did its duty well in that most trying period. The township never submitted to a draft, a sufficient num- ber having volunteered, so as not to necessitate such demand. The people of Will County have honored this township, by the selection of several of its citizens to fill positions of honor and trust. George Strathde and Warren S. Noble have both been called to, and served the county in the capac- ity of Sheriffi John H. Daniels was elected to the Legislature, as was also Archibald Mclntyre. Mrs. Sarah Mcintosh was elected to the office of Super- intendent of Schools, and held the office four years, filling the position and dis- charging the duties of the same in a very satisfactory manner. Franklin Mitchell, before the county adopted the township organization act, was for sev- eral years, one of the three County Commissioners. The subject of education received attention in this vicinity at a very early date. As early as 1838, a small private school was kept at Wilmington ; but in the year 1841, a small building having been erected, a public school was established. This first schoolhouse was a very modest affair, indeed. It was a small frame building, and stood on the site of Mrs. Rogers' residence. The ancient academy, college, institute, or whatever it may have been called, is still in existence, forming a portion of a dwelling in which John Patterson now resides. The first term of public school taught in this institute or seminary was by George Bristol. The term consisted of forty-two days, for which Prof. Bristol was to receive $31. Perhaps he did receive it, but the books of the Treasurer do not indicate the fact. There were in attendance at the school, during the session, fifty-three scholars. Authority was conferred by the County Commissioners, October 20, 1841, on Peter Stewart, Thomas Cox and Daniel Mcintosh to organize a school district, within the bounds of Town 33 north. Range 9, and they accordingly met at Cox's house and made the whole town one district, appointing Jonathan Barnatt, Treasurer, and John G. Putman, Samuel C. Thompson and Abner Wright, School Directors. At the next sub- sequent meeting of the Trustees, the Treasurer reported that he had taken a 452 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. census of all the children in the district, and found 117 entitled to public school privileges. He had also received from the School Commissioner $22.22, with which to sustain school the coming year. Previous to this, the town of Florence, or Town 33, Range 10, had not been sufficiently settled to support a school ; and, at the meeting last named, some of the citizens of that locality appeared, desiring to be attached to the Wilmington District for school pur- poses, which request was granted, and thus the district consisted of two full townships. The next Winter, Sarah Fisher taught a half-dozen scholars in that part of "the district known as Reed's Grove. In 1845, the whole district, consisting of the two towns, contained 214 persons under 2Q years of age, of whom 190 were in Wilmington and 24 in Reed's Grove. In 1848, Reed's Grove was cut off as a separate district, and, a short time thereafter, a new school town was formed from Town 33, Range 10, and Wilmington again became independent. The township has gradually grown in population and strength, until there are now seven school districts, each with a convenient house, in which schools are sustained every year. The number of persons of school age is just about one thousand. The total expense of supporting the public schools of this township averages, for the last ten years, a little over |5,000 p«r annum. In 1851, D. U. Cobb was appointed Treasurer of Schools, and has held the office continuously ever since. Wilmington Township is a full Congressional town, consisting of thirty-six whole sections, and is bounded on the north by Channahon, on the east by Flor- ence, on the south by Reed, Custer and Wesley, and on the west by Grundy County. The surface is gently undulating, and is covered in the vicinity of the river with timber. Some of the timber along the bank is of a good quahty and heavy growth, but at a distance from the stream it consists of small and seemingly stunted oak, unfit for much else than railroad ties and firewood. The township is crossed from southeast to northwest by the Kankakee, one of the most beautiful streams of water to be found in the State. The descent through this section, though not so rapid as to require a broken and barren district for its bed, as is the case with many streams afi'ording water-power, has sufficient fall and sufficient volume of water to run more than a hundred mills. Besides the Kankakee, two fine little creeks, the Prairie and Crooked, empty into the Kankakee in the township. The former flows from the township of Florence, entering Wilmington on Section 12 and dropping into the Kankakee at the northwest corner of Section 15 ; and the latter enters the township and empties into the same stream at the city of Wilmington. Stone of an excellent quality is found two and a half miles below Wilmington, near the mouth of Prairie Creek. Some of this stone, used in the construction of the first houses built in the city, is as clear and white as when dressed, and seemingly almost as hard as granite. In the southwestern part appear the croppings of the great Wilmington coal-fields. The land in the neighborhood of the coal deposits is of an inferior quality. The soil is quite thin, and the sub- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 453 soil, being of a kind of quicksand, renders successful cultivation rather uncer- tain. CITY dp WILMINGTON. The village of Wilmington was laid out in 1836, and as this and its imme- diate vicinity was the objective point toward which the early settlers naturally cast their eyes, the early history is necessarily embraced in that of the town- ship. However, in 1854, having attained a population required by law, it was deemed best by most of the leading citizens to organize the village as a separate corporation. It was argued that this would give the village authority to build sidewalks, abate nuisances, control the liquor traffic, and, perhaps, obtain some revenue from the trade in the way of license, and numerous other advantages not enjoyed while merely constituting a portion of the township. Therefore, a notice, signed by " Many Citizens," requesting the residents and freeholders to meet at the schoolhouse on Saturday, the 24th day of June, to take into con- sideration the incorporation of the town, was posted in various public places by S. W. Munn ten dayS before the date specified in the notice. At the meet- ing, Peter Stewart was called to the chair, and James F. Alden was selected as Clerk. The advantages of incorporation were then argued pro and con. (mostly pro), after which a vote was taken, resulting in favor of organization 12 to 1. A day was then appointed for the election of a town board, and on the 3d day of July the election took place. Of the election, Peter Stewart and James F. Allen occupied the position designated at the primary meeting. Sixty-three votes were cast, and D. W. Smead, J. D. Henderson, Samuel C. Thompson, J. A. Seebor and James F. Alden were elected Trustees ; James L. Young was chosen Clerk ; Anthony Riker, Street Commissioner, and Fred. Walrath, Constable. Thus was the incorporation of the village fully accomplished, and under this organization it continued eleven years. D. W. Smead was chosen first President. His successors were as follows : 1855, H. Warner ; 1857, Anson Packard ; 1858, Israel Massey ; 1859, S. W. Munn ; 1860, William Harbottle; 1861, John D. White ; 1862, John S. Jessup ; 1864 B. H. Jessup. About the date last named, the question of changing the charter of the town, so as to give the incorporation some additional powers and a more genteel title, began to be agitated, and resulted in obtaining from the Legislature a charter, February 15, 1865, " constituting the inhabitants of said town a body corporate, by the name and style of city of Wilmington." Under this char- ter, the first election was held on the third Tuesday of March of the year named. John H. Daniels received the most votes for Mayor, and Edward Alden, R. P. Morgan, Jr., William H. Vaughan, M. F. Blish, V. Banyard and J. B. Johnson were elected Aldermen. The succeeding Mayors have been J. D. Henderson, W. H. Odell, J. H. Daniels, D. U. Cobb and the present efficient officer, S. E. Trott. 454 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. The Board of Aldermen, as now constituted, consists of Howard Johnson, John Whitten, Edward Donahoe, Edmund Gushing and Joseph Burton. The early settlers of Wilmington, unlike the pioneers of most other locali- ties, were religious people, and they had but constructed a habitation, which barely sheltered them from the inclemencies of the weather, before they began to take measures for the establishing of a house for the Lord. Like the ancient Israelites, they experienced no trouble in worshiping God, even in the wilder- ness, and Peter Stewart's barn answered the purpose of a tabernacle. In this barn, services were held, and, in 1838, two years after the first settler made his appearance in the vicinity, in it was organized the Presbyterian Ghurch. The organization was effected by J. U. Porter, now a venerable servant of the Mas- ter, and resident of Naperville. Among the original members were the two Stewart brothers and Daniel Mcintosh with, their wives. Rev. Mr. Porter con- tinued to preach for the little society once a month for a year or two, holding the services sometimes in the barn and afterward in the little frame schoolhouse erected about this time. Afterward he was called to the Ghurch, regularly in- stalled, and served the Ghurch as Pastor for twelve years. A part of the pres- ent building was erected in 1840, at a cost of $1,400. Since then some addi- tions have been made which make it quite a commodious and comfortable house. The present minister is Rev. R. K. Wharton. In connection with the Church is a prosperous Sunday school, of which H. L. Gady is Superintendent. The membership of the Ghurch is 121, and of the Sunday school about 150. At about the same date that the Presbyterian Ghurch was organized, the Methodists began to hold religious services here, and a class was formed, though the society was not organized as a separate charge until 1868. In 1840, a small building, now used as a parsonage, was erected, and in this services were held until 1857, when their present fine edifice was built. The building is a large, solid, stone structure, with basement, forty-five feet in width and ninety in length, and cost $15,000. The society has been quite prosperous, and numbers at present 180 mem- bers. Rev. E. W. Drew is the present Pastor. Prof. H. R. Beggs is Super- intendent of the Sunday school. The Episcopal Church was organized in 1857, and was placed in charge of the Rev. Charles B. Stout. In 1857, a small church building was erected on the site of John Fisher's residence. Previous to this, the society had worshiped in one of the public halls of the city. In 1867-68, their present tasty house was put up, at a cost of $7,000. The present mem- bership of the Church is thirty-five. Rev. W. H. Hopkins is Pastor and Super- intendent of the Sunday school. The Catholics established a society at Wilmington in 1855, and built a small house of worship at the date named. This society has been a most flourishing one, and has grown to large proportions. In 1865, having entirely outgrown their first church accommodations, they built, at a cost of $12,000, their present large brick edifice, capable of seating 500 persons. The membership, including "%, fDECE^Eo) JOLI ET. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 457 all baptized persons, is nearly 1,000, 650 of whom are communicants, representing over 200 families. A small parsonage was erected some years ago, which was burned in 1875. The next year a very fine building of this character, containing library, drawing-rooms and every modern convenience, took the place of the burnt one. This building cost the society $6,000. The first priest was the Rev. Mr. Enthout. The present priest, the Rev. Hugh O'Garra McShane. Besides the churches already named, the Swedenborgians have a small house of worship, though services are not now held. Religion and education usually go hand in hand ; and as the first settlers were religious people, they also interested themselves in the subject of educa- tion, and the people of Wilmington have ever been on the alert to adopt what- ever measures would tend to improve the morals and enlighten the minds of the youth. The little frame schoolhouse already alluded to had outlived its use- fulness by 1849, and a more commodious building was demanded and erected on the site of the present fine structure. A two-story brick, capable of accom- modating 200 pupils, was built. For its day, it was considered a very hand- some and convenient afiair, and by many supposed to be ample for all time to come. A curious and amusing incident is remembered in connection with the construction of this schoolhouse. When the building was almost ready for occupancy, and but little time for its completion remained, it was found that there was not a pint of oil in the whole town with which to mix the putty for glazing the windows. It must be remembered that an order could not then be sent to Chicago in the evening, with a certainty of its being filled and delivered the next morning — the railroad made its appearance five years later. How- ever, unlike the five foolish -virgins of Scripture reputation, an inventive genius was on hand, and suggested the substitution of lard which could be had in abundance (if only the virgins had thought about that, how much mortification they might have saved themselves). The suggestion was adopted, and the whiting and the lard mixed made a very fair looking article. The windows were accordingly glazed, and a good job it seemed to be. But some time after school had opened there came a warm day, and suddenly, crash ! a pane of glass slipped from its place and disturbed the quiet of the school. Directly another and then another, until more than half the glazing on the south side was worse than a wreck. Then it was discovered that lard was worse than no grease for glazing purposes, and the balance of the panes were removed before the temperature had caused additional havoc. In 1869, the " brick school- house " was found to be entirely too small for its purposes, and other rooms had to be leased temporarily to accommodate all who desired to attend. The division of the school in this manner was attended with nuftierous disadvantages which the saving of money could not compensate, and so it was concluded that economy indicated the erection of a new and still more spacious build- ing. 458 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Therefore, in the year last named, the City Council passed an ordinance, appropriating $30,000 for the erection and furnishing of the present temple of learning. If not the finest and most convenient school-building in the county, it certainly is one of that description. It is a large brick three-stories high, besides basement, and will accommodate 700 pupils. It is located on what was originally designed for a park, and is one of the finest sites in the city. This is a wonderful improvement over the little frame structure of forty years ago, and indeed over its successor of 1849. The schools of Wilmington have cer- tainly kept pace with the other institutions of this vicinity, and the citizens of Wilmington have good reason to feel proud of their excellence. Besides the graded system at the schoolhouse just described, the authorities have also estab- lished a primary school, and erected a building on the west side of the river, to accommodate the dwellers in that quarter of the city. The school system of this city is peculiar, being an adjunct of the city corporation, and immediately under the control of the City Council. To a Board of Inspectors elected by the people, is delegated the immediate duty of looking after the interests of the schools. A little "special legislation," while the proposition to build the $30,000 schoolhouse was under consideration, helped the friends of the enter- prise out of a difiiculty. As stated, the ordinance appropriating $80,000 was passed July 27, 1869. The Board of Inspectors, who had been elected for the purpose of disposing of this anticipated fund, had been elected on the 16th of March, and had performed several important acts, looking toward the erection of the house, when it was suddenly discovered that the election of the Inspect- ors, though subsequent to the passage of the bill authorizing their election, was prior to its approval, and that their acts were at least of doubtful validity. As soon as this fact became known, a deputation was hurried ofl" to Springfield, the Legislature being still in session, and an amendment legalizing the election of the Board obtained. Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, A., F. & A. M., was authorized by the Grand Lodge of the State of Illinois, October 7, 1856. This is comparatively one of the " ancient" lodges, as the number of lodges in the State at present is nearly eight hundred. The charter members were Joseph Shirk, Cyrus Stowe, Heze- kiah Warner, Franklin Mitchell, George E. Cavanaugh, William G. Cutshaw and William A. Tinsler, the first three of whom were respectively Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Wardens. The officers in charge at present are: J. B. Johnson, W. M.; H. W. Blood, S. W.; John P. Ransom, J. W.; I. Cra- craft, Treas.; 0. D. Row, Sec; Austin Smith, S. D.; W. H. Mitchell, J. D.; S. D. B. Lines, Tiler, and William Hart, Chaplain. Meetings are held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. This Order, in 1870, obtained from the Grand Chapter a charter for estab- lishing a subordinate chapter at this place. The charter was granted October 7, and designated this as Wilmington Chapter, No. 142, and constituted William H. Odell as High Priest, Franklin Mitchell, King, and Alexander Mcintosh, HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 459 Scribe. The balance of the original members were H. Jones, L. A. Baker, F. L, Quigley, 0. J. Jukes and S. D. B. Lines. The regular meetings are held on the first and third Fridays of each month. The two societies occupy a large room in the third story of Empire Block, which they have fitted up for their mysterious purposes in a very tasty and elegant manner. The present officers of the Chapter are W. H. Odell, H. P. ; Franklin Mitchell, King; William Hart, Scribe ; E. W. Willard, R. A. Captain ; H. W. Blood, Prin. Soj.; F. Larned, Captain of Host; Vincent Banyard, Treasurer; L. A. Baker, Secretary, and S. D. B. Lines, Sentinel. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows organized a lodge of that character March 26, 1872, the original members of which were : H. H. Wise, William Harbottle, F., VitenhoflF, L. I. Gildersleeve and L. Lorch. From this original hive have swarmed the lodges at Braidwood, Elwood and Wilton Center. A remarkable fact in the history of this Lodge, is that in all of its existence of six- teen years, but one death has occurred. M. P. Kilbournis present Representa- tive ; John R. Babcock, N. Gr. ; T. W. Kahler, V. Gr. ; J. P. Ransom, Sec. ; T. S. Mcintosh, Treas. The Lodge is styled Will Lodge, 301, and meets every Monday in Empire Block. The present membership is forty-seven, though, at times, it has been greatly in excess of that number. One of the most important interests, and doubtless destined to be the great- est in this section, is that developed by the vast water-power supplied by the Kankakee River ; and, but for some unfortunate circumstances, would ere this have been more fully utilized. The improvement of the river in some of its feat- ures dates back many years. In 1835-36, an act was passed by the Legislature of the State, authorizing the Illinois & Michigan Canal. The project had been agitated for a number of years by both the State and General Govern- ment — by the former as a commercial enterprise, and by the latter as both a commercial and military necessity. The war of 1812 had shown the .necessity of a work of this kind, for the purpose of transmitting supplies for the army, should a foe ever ascend the Mississippi River above the mouth of the Ohio, and Govern nreut accordingly donated a large amount of the public lands in aid of its construction. Work was begun on the Canal the year following the passage of the Canal act by the State Legislature, and was completed in 1848. The original idea was to make it a ship-canal, but a very inferior work was the one completed at the date named. How- ever, this has been deepened, widened and otherwise so improved that small steamboats now make trips, not only the entire length of the Canal, but from the city of Chicago to St. Louis. When the Canal was ready for use, it was found that at the lower end there was a lack of water, and that an extra feeder was necessary for its supply. It was therefore decided to con- struct a dam across the Kankakee at a point which, allowing for sufficient fall, would meet the extra demand. The dam was built at a point in the Kankakee River, near the center of Wilmington Township. 460 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. From this point a canal was constructed, on the north bank of the river crossing the Des Planes River by aqueduct near the northwest corner of the township. The dam alluded to created slack water to the city of Wilmington, and below the dam, to the mouth of the river, it was already navigable. This, however, lacked a means of raising boats to the level of the water above the dam. In 1870, a company of gentlemen from Boston, perceiving the great advantages which must necessarily result from a further improvement of the river, formed a gigantic stock company for the purpose, prominent among whom were Gov. William Claflin, E. P. Carpenter and Joel Hills, who were respectively President, Managing Director and Treasurer. Work was begun, and nearly a half-million dollars were expended. The improvements made to this date consist of the raising of the State dam, to which allusion haa been made, two feet, thus creating navigation to Wilmington ; the construction of a tight earth dam at the city, fourteen feet in height; the building of an overflow dam at the head of the island, five and a half feet high ; and the construction of a monster dam, sixteen feet in height, a mile above the city. At each of these dams are locks of the most substantial character, and of a size to admit boats eighteen feet in width and one hundred in length, and carrying one hun- dred thousand feet of lumber or six thousand bushels of grain. These works make the Kankakee navigable for the boats described, a distance of twenty-one miles, and make an outlet for this region, by water, to Chicago and St. Louis. Boats are run regularly from the mouth of Horse Creek to Chicago every week by E. D. Small & Co., of Wilmington, and Stephen Hanford & Bro., of Eeed Township. The original design was to extend the line of dams and locks to the Indiana line, to tap the bog-iron fields, and to construct a canal to the Braidwood coalfields, thus not only bringing the two materials in contact, but also making a water outlet for the vast fuel product. Not only have these works made all this possible, but the fall of nearly fifty feet of this large volume of water makes a water-power variously esti- mated at the driest season at from four thousand to eight thousand horse- power. But a comparatively small portion of this has yet been utilized. The flour-mill, already alluded to and operated by Messrs. Fisher &' Pennington, is situated at the lower end of the race. This mill contains six runs of stone, and has a capacity of five hundred barrels daily. Messrs. Mclntyre & Co. (or Mclntyre & Whitten) built near the bridge, at about the time the water-works were begun, a fine flour-mill of about the same capacity as the lower mill. At about the same date, Messrs. Chapman & Jukes erected, at the upper end of the island, a building designed for a bolt and nut factory ; but, owing to the financial crisis which swept over the country in 1872, the enterprise failed. The building was bought a few years ago by Dr. S. E. Trott, who turned it into a paper-mill. M. D. Keeney put in the necessary machinery, and the mill is now in successful operation. Straw-board of a good quality is manufact- ured from rye and oat straw, at the rate of seven tons per day. Some years HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 461 ago, a distillery was started in a brick building erected near the bridge, but the parties interested failed, and the high waters subsequently damaged the build- ing so that for many years it stood idle. This Dr. Trott also reconstructed and has introduced into it a planing-mill, turning-lathe and other machinery. The system of water-works for the use of the city in case of fire was introduced last year, and connected with machinery at Whitten's flour-mill and Trott's planing machine. Hydrants, to which pipes are laid, connecting them with the pumps at the mills, are placed at convenient points in the city, so that all of the busi- ness portion and part of the residence property is fully protected. A fire com- pany, of which C. W. Barnhart is Chief Engineer, has been organized, and this system, in connection with a hook-and-ladder company, which is organized on an independent basis, gives the city ample protection. At a moment's warning, the power of either mill can be transferred to the pumps, and in an instant two streams of water, each two inches in diameter, from any hydrant, can be made to play on a burning building. The whole system, consisting of the Holly pumps, pipes, hose and hydrants, has cost about $1,500. The river, on several occasions, has been the cause of much anxiety to the citizens of Wilmington, and the cause of no small amount of damage to property in the immediate vicinity of its banks. On the 14th day of February, 1867, the floating ice gorged at the lower dam — then the only one — and in a few hours all of the business part of the city was under water. The main business street afforded navigation for boats of good size. A considerable amount of goods was damaged in the stores, and business was entirely suspended for some days. The bridges, including the railroad bridge, were swept away, and some buildings near the bank of the river were somewhat injured by floating ice. It is thought that the building of the other dams will hereafter prevent any such mischief. An industry, which bids fair to develop into large proportions, is that of the manufacture of butter and cheese. Indeed, though but in its incipiency, the business has already become one of considerable importance. In 1844, E. Allen of this place, commenced buying butter and grading the same, for the St. Louis market. So careful was he in his selections that Wilmington butter soon attained an enviable reputation, so much so that Mr. Allen could not supply the demand, even at a higher price than was usually obtained for other brands. He continued in the butter trade until a few years ago, when he resolved to erect a creamery. In 1875, he built his cheese and butter factory, at an expense of about $6,000, and began buying milk and manufacturing but- ter, paying for the milk 70 cents per hundred pounds. The enterprise proved quite successful, and last year he began the manufacture of cheese. He is making at present about 75,000 pounds of butter, and 365,000 pounds of cheese per year. The average price received for butter is 33 cents, and that for cheese 9 cents. Much of the cheese manufactured finds a market in 162 HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. Europe. The Wilmington Dairy Association was incorporated June 21, 1877, with William Burke, Joseph Shirk and John Bovee as its officers. Buildings costing $6,000 were erected, and the manufacture of butter and cheese begun. At the rate at which they are now manufacturing, they will turn out 42,000 pounds of butter and 600,000 pounds of cheese per year, the receipts for the former averaging 30 cents, and the latter 8| cents per pound. They consume at present 15,000 pounds of milk per day, and have a capacity of 40,000. The present officers are Lawrence Tinsler, President ; William Burke, Secre- tary, and William Martin, Treasurer. One of the most important events in the history of this part of the State, was the construction of the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, now known as the Chicago & St. Louis. The road was completed through this section in 1-54, and the first train of cars passed through Wilmington on the 4th of July of that year. From that date the real prosperity of the country, within a breadth of fifteen to twenty-five miles on either side of the road, began. Farming lands, which had previously been held at from $2 to f6 per acre, immediately went up to three times these prices. Towns and villages already established grew as they had not grown before. New towns sprang up all along the line. Land, which the Government had been offering for sale for . twenty years, was snatched at by immigrants and speculators. Thus, in a few years alter the completion of the road, though its management was at first comparatively poor, the population doubled. Farms were opened, stores estab- lished, shops built and life and animation took the place of that state of lethargy and dullness which had heretofore prevailed. The road has continued to increase in efficiency and capacity, and has come to be looked upon as necessary to the very existence of the country through which it passes. Probably no event has had such a depressing influence on this community as the failure, in 1873, of J. H. Daniels, banker and speculator, of this city. Daniels had come to the place in 1855, and was the first to establish a bank. His career here was one of exceeding brilliancy ; and to say that the people honored him with their confidence and credit, is but to state the feeling of the people for him in mild terms. Their confidence in his integrity was unbounded, and as a proof of the same, they deposited their substance with him for safe (?) keeping, in preference to investing in enterprises designed to build up and develop the city, to the extent of almost the last penny. When, seemingly, the last dollar had been deposited, the ears of the populace were scarcely able to believe themselves, when it was suddenly announced that it was necessary for the bank to suspend for a short time ; but when afterward it was learned that the concern was hopelessly involved and would pay but eight cents on the dollar, the depositors went home and read the first three verses of the fifth chapter of the First Epistle of James, and other similar passages, and pondered long and deeply. HISTOEY OF WILL COUNTY. 463 The following history of the press of Wilmington has been kindly furn- ished by E. D. Conley, Esq., editor and proprietor of the Wilmington Advo- ■cate : Wilmington's first newspaper, the Wilmington Herald, was established in this place in 1854 by D. H. Berdine. Whether misfortunes never come singly ■or not, that year marked the advent of the cholera in our midst, also. The Herald was a joint stock institution, gotten up by a number of citizens ; and the setting-up of the press and, material was literally a nine-days wonder in the ■eyes of many villagers. Cholera swept oif one of the printers — John J. Post — and sickness and disaster threatened the Herald's success. In less than a year afterward, R. W. Waterman, a large stockholder, obtained control of the office and placed it in charge of William H. Clark, of Michigan, who was to edit and publish the sheet (a six or seven column folio), at a salary of $15 per week. Clark watched his opportunity. The stock gradually merged in the hands of a few, and that few mortgaged it ; a snide " mortgage sale," made in the presence ■of a chosen few, was had, and the Herald passed into the hands of Clark, the consideration being $7.00 ! It run along three or four years, when Joseph Braden, of the Joliet True Democrat, came down to Wilmington with an old Eamage press to trade for the Herald press — a Foster; but the citizens got wind of it and mobbed the office. How the aggrieved and swindled original stockholders settled the matter, the writer does not remember; but it was patched up somehow and security given. In 1856, or thereabout, Clark removed from this place — office and all — to Kendall County, where he established the Ken- dall County Clarion. The present publisher of the Advocate was chief " devil " of the Herald office for some time, while J. H. Reubenau, now a C. & A. express-train conductor^ was the principal typo when not engaged in stealing Waterman's dry wood. W. R. Steel, Esq., established the Wilmington Independent here in 1861 ; so, if the Herald's coming brought with it cholera, the Independent, not to be outdone, brought the pomp and circumstances of war. The Independent became Republican in politics, and had quite a good circulation in the Kankakee Valley. It was purchased by Alexander Mcintosh in 1861. It was run along until the Fall election in 1872, when it suspended publication and was sold under a mortgage. H. H. Parkinson, under a lease, run it a year longer, when the paper died, and the material was sold to parties abroad. In the meantime, June, 1870, the People's Advocate was started by Jacob H. Warner, at the instance of many who, in political issues, opposed the policy of the Independ- ent. When the Advocate was 35 weeks old — February 18, 1871 — E. D. Conley, Esq., purchased a half interest and became its chief editor. But partnership proved a bad horse to ride, and dissolution in ownership followed. In May, 1872, Mr. Conley bought the office for $2,000 cash, and from that date to this the Wilmington Advocate has been issued regularly, and is generally recognized as a fixed and solid institution. 464 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Another Wilmington Herald and a paper known as the Wilmington Free Press have, within a few years, been issued in this city ; but both proved short lived. At the present writing — September 20, 1878 — the Wilmington Phoenix is published in this city, though principally edited and printed in Joliet. REED TOWNSHIP. This is now the smallest township in the county, containing only the west half of Congressional Town 32, Range 9 east of the Third Principal Meridian. For the fifteen years ending 1875, it was the largest, embracing within its limits all of that territory now constituting Custer. As now laid out, it con- tains eighteen sections, and is bounded as follows : On the north by Wilming- ton, on the east by Custer, on the south by Kankakee County and on the west by Grundy. The first name given to the township, by the Commissioners, was Clinton, which, however, was changed, at the first meeting of the Board of Supervisors, to Reid, in honor of one of the pioneers of this section. On the first maps and in the first reports, the orthography of the name is found as here indicated ; but on the later maps and reports it is spelled as indicated at the head of this article. For what reason this change has been made, or if made by common consent or practice — the later method being the more natu- ral way — we are unable to inform our readers. The land, for the most part, is a level plain or prairie. In some portions, more especially in the southern, it is covered with timber of a small growth. In this portion the surface is more broken, but cannot be considered hilly. It is not crossed by any stream of water, but all of that supply is obtained from wells. Good water abounds at a depth of from twenty to forty feet. The land is of a poor quality for agricultural purposes, the soil being quite thin, with a species of quicksand underlying. In his history of New York, Washington Irving begins with the creation of the world, citing as a reason that as the first occupants of that island, the Knick- erbockers, were not only descendants of Noah, but also of Adam, therefore, the history could not be complete without an allusion to that primary event. So, in the history of Reed Township, we are forcibly reminded of a declaration of the Almighty, when he had completed the creation, that it was " all very good." Various constructions and explanations have been put upon this aver- ment of the Lord, seeing that so much of the world is evil, and that even Nature — especially to the uneducated — seems to be in many respects deficient in her purposes. No more striking illustration of this idea can be found than in the apparent waste of forces in the creation of the " dry land " spoken of in the tenth verse of the first chapter of Genesis. Especially is this notable in a locality deficient in productiveness, which is, at the same time, surrounded by territory of a most prolific character. And here, again, in this township, we HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 465 observe the wisdom of the Creator, and the verification of that declaration of His, that it is " all good," while the ignorance of man would condemn it. The surface of the township of Reed, to look upon, like the apples of Sodom, is all that is desirable ; but like that deceptive fruit to the agriculturist, it is only a source of sorrow. For a number of years after the first settlement was made, and the first attempt made to induce the soil of Eeed to return to the toiling laborer a compensation for his expenditure of strength and time, it was believed that this section was a failure, and numerous tracts were sold for taxes from year to year, and the epithet "land poor" seemed to apply with propriety to its owners. But behold the wisdom of the Creator ! In this region, which man so irreverently denounced, was stored by Him, for many thousand years, an article for the use of man's extremity, which renders this one of the most valuable tracts in the State. All hoarded up, eighty feet under the ground, and con- densed into a small space, is suddenly found the fuel with which to supply the deficiency that had always been felt existed in the prairie country ; and, all at once, the land which could have been bought "for a song " jumps to $100 per acre, and, within the space of ten years, a city of five thousand inhabitants buds and blossoms, as it were, by magic. Owing to a scarcity of timber and a want of water, the township was one of the latest in the county to settle. Twenty years before, settlements had been made along the Des Planes and Kankakee. Not until the opening-up of the railroad could an emigrant be induced to lose sight of the belt of timber lying along the banks of the streams of water. When that event transpired, and fuel and other commodities were transported to a distance from their place of growth or manufacture, a life on the prairie began to appear possible, and this section began to develop. Prior to 1854, the date of the event named, probably not more than four or five families had shown the hardihood to venture so far from the original settlements. William Higgins, who came to this vicinity (being just a few rods west of the township line, in Grundy County) in 1850, says that when he arrived here, James Curmea had been living on Section 6 about six months. Curmea was a native of Ireland, had been peddling through the country, and, becoming tired of the business, settled at the point mentioned. He entered all of the section, and, though a large land-owner as regards real estate, he was poor, the soil proving to be of a very unfruitful nature. He lived on his land until 1865, when the discovery of coal in this section suddenly made him a rich man. His, farm, which had coat him fl.25 per acre, and which, a few weeks before, could have been bought for $10, was considered worth $100 ; and shortly after, he actually sold it for the last price named. The tract now belongs to the Wilmington Company. Curmea took his money, removed to Morris and started a bank, in which business he is still engaged. P. Kilgore was "squatting" on Section 4. He was also from the Emerald Isle. In 1855, he sold out to Frank and Thomas O'Reilley, and removed to Kankakee. The O'Reilleys were also from Ireland. They 46ti HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Still reside in the township. William Smith was a Yankee, from the hills of Vermont. He could scarcely be called a " settler," as his business was that of hunting, and his home was wherever his dog and gun could be found. His range was from the head of the Kankakee to its mouth, but .his headquarters were in this township. The report of his rifle years ago ceased to be beard, and then it was known that "Smith the hunter" was gone to a "happier hunt- ing-ground." Patrick and James Dwyer came in 1850. They are still here. William Sterrett and Timothy Keane are also old settlers, and still reside in the township. Dennis Glenny was a stone-cutter on the Hlinois & Michigan Canal. He is another native of Erin. He came to the township in 1856, and still resides here. Besides those already named, there were but few who could lay claim to being permanent settlers ; and neither were there any additional settlements until the discovery of coal. Even now, there are, perhaps, not more than twenty families outside of the city limits. Though Reed Township was organized in 1850, the portion now embraced in Custer contained, until 1865, nearly all the inhabitants; and, though Custer is but three years old in name, it, and not Reed, is the original township; so that in reality, what is now called by the name of Reed, is a new town with the old name. The division occurred three years ago, on the petition of citizens of the eastern portion of the township. As now constituted, the west eighteen sec- tions were organized April, 1875. The present officers of the township are: John Young, Supervisor; John Bamrick, Clerk ; Dennis Downey, Assessor ; David Francis, Collector ; Barney Higgins, Dennis La Hynes and Henry Roc, Commissioners of Highways; Nathan Groldfinger, Henry Hillman and Edwin Wakefield, Justices of the Peace ; William J. Stewart, John Gaddis and J. Randick, Constables, and James Powers, School Treasurer. CITY OF BRAIDWOOD. In many respects, this city is peculiar, and in its growth certainly is a won- der; and, to any but inhabitants of the West, who are somewhat used to such phenomena as a large city springing from the ground in a decade, it would be considered a marvel. In 1865, where now stands the city of Braidwood, with its five thousand inhabitants, its seven churches, its three schools and its gigan- tic systems of mining machinery, was simply nothing but a sea of tall grass, or in the Winter a boundless field of snow, reaching out to meet the horizon, with scarcely a cabin intervening. As before stated, this locality was considered almost worthless, with only a few unthrifty farmers scattered through the neigh- borhood. In 1864, William Henneberry, while digging a well discovered the first coal. He had already sunk the well to a reasonable depth, but had failed to find water. Procuring a drill he continued his search, by boring to a greater depth. When about eighty feet below the surface, he came upon what proved to be a fine vein of coal. As soon as the fact became known, great excitement prevailed, and a shaft was sunk at a point known as Keeversville. This shaft HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 467 fully realized the expectations of its projectors, and but a short time intervened before works of simple character were erected for the purpose of raising the product. Individual and small company enterprises were thenceforward organized with varying success. The parties originating the' same usually having more enthusiasm than capital, their efforts generally proved comparative failures. In 1865-66, J. D. Bennet, M. B. Killbourn, C. L. Whitcomb, Seth Turner and C. D. Wilbur leased some land, proposing to operate for coal. Wilbur was the State Geologist, and was a great enthusiast on the subject of coal desposits. Their work was, however, but scarcely begun, when a company of gentle- man from Boston completed an organization for the same purpose, and Bennet and his company sold out to them. The Boston organization was what is now known as the Wilmington & Vermilion* Coal Company, J. M. Walker being President, and A. T. Hall, Treasurer. With ample means at their command, the success of the work was fully assured, and the Company has continued in successful operation ever since Though the demand for the product is not so great as formerly, 700 men are in the employ of the Company at Braidwood. Of these, about one-half are colored. The colored portion of the miners work almost exclusively in a mine by themselves. In the Summer season, when the demand for coal is comparatively limited, the workmen are employed only about one-half the time. They receive in Summer, 85 cents per ton, and in the Winter, 90 cents. The average work of a day, per miner, is two and a half tons. Two shafts are operated by the Braidwood detachment, at which about 10,000 tons each are raised, the capacity of both shafts being about 30,000 tons per month. In addition to shafts, engines and other machinery, the Com- pany own 300 cars with which they transport the products of the mines to Chicago and other markets. They also run two general stores, at which the miners obtain most of the necessary articles of food and clothing. One of these stores is located near the offices of the Company, and the other in the central part of the business portion of the city. The managers of the Wilmington Company's works at this place are : Esaias Hall, Superintendent, and H. 0. Alden and B. F. Washburn, Clerks. The Eureka Mining Company commenced operations in 1865. At first the enterprise was known as the Rhodes Coal Company, with D. P. Rhodes as President or Manager ; but subsequently a new organization was formed by A. B. Meeker, D. P. Rhodes, W. L. Brown, C. B. Brown, George L. Dunlap and Perry H. Smith. Of these. Meeker was President, and W. L. Brown was Secretary and Treasurer. With the exception of C. B. Brown, withdrawn, and H. Pratt, who has been introduced as Secretary, the primary organization remains intact. William Maltaby, the present Superintendent of the mines, has performed the duties of that position since the organization of the Company. * The Company also operate mines at Streator, on the Vermilion River. 468 HISTORY OF WTLL COUNTY. The Company employ, at their two shafts, 425 men, about 300 of whom are at work all of the time, the remainder waiting their turn for employment, which is given to all from two to four days each week. About 130,000 tons of coal are raised per year, the capacity of the shafts being over 200,000. The total expenses of the Company amount to about $18,000 per month. Not only are the minutiae of the operations of the two companies about the same, but they, with the companies in adjacent townships, unite their interests, divid- ing profits after all necessary expenses are paid. James Braidwood has, perhaps, done more than any single individual to develop the coal industry in this region than any other man ; especially was this the case in its early history. He came from Scotland to America, in 1863, and to this vicinity, in 1865, and assisted in sinking most of the early shafts. In 1872, he, in company with some others, sunk the Braidwood shaft. Sub- sequently, the works were burned, and, in 1876. he started, on his own resources, the shaft now known as the Braidwood shaft. He is not connected with the pool, but employs his men and sells his coal at prices independent of all corporations, most of his product being disposed of to the Bridgeport Rolling Mills at Chicago. He employs about eighty men, who receive 85 cents per ton for mining. The amount of coal raised at this shaft is 130 tons per day. The capital invested is $20,000. The appearance of the city is remarkable in some respects. The companies who own the land have always sold lots with a clause in the deed, reserving the right to mine the coal that lay beneath. In consequence, we find a whole city, built entirely of wood. With the exception of a small brick schoolhouse, which antedates the coal discovery, and a bakery rebuilt a year or two ago on land which had already been undermined and had settled, there are no stone or brick buildings ; but the light balloon frames, which a settling of the earth would not injure, are universal. The vein of coal here is from three to three and a Jialf feet in thickness ; and, after a lead has been worked and abandoned, the roof falls in, and a corresponding depression soon after makes its appearance on the surface of the ground. The settling is quite gradual, and is usually completed within a year. In time, doubtless, the site of the city will all have been worked over ; and, after some sweeping fire which sooner or later comes to every wooden town, a more substantial class of buildings will take the place of the frame struct- ures, and the city will put on a more presentable appearance. During the first year or two, people came in and retired so rapidly that it is hard to say who were here first. Many who came in to work in the mines left as suddenly as they came, and not even their names are remembered. Some who came to carry on trade made their stay quite brief, and are not entitled to notice as permanent settlers of the town. Others who worked here for some years, yet having fam- ilies, relatives or friends at other points, never considered this their home. Among those who came to the place, at the beginning, was William Maltahy, Superintendent of Mines for the Eureka Company. Mr. Maltaby is a native of HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 469 England, where he worked at mining before coming to this country. In 1863, he came to this vicinity on a kind of prospecting expedition, and moved to the place in 1866, to superintend the Company's works. He has been in their em- ploy ever since. John Young is a Scotchman. He came to the neighborhood in 1867, and worked at the mines. He has, by industry and economy, accumu- lated considerable means, and is now engaged in merchandise. His residence in this city, and his intercourse with his fellow-citizens, have made him quite popular. He is the present Supervisor of Reed Township. Daniel McLaugh- lin came in 1869. He was also a native of Scotland, and a miner. He is present Mayor of the city, having been elected to that office in 1877. Hon. L. H. Goodrich was the first Mayor of the city, being elected in 1873. Mr. Goodrich was formerly from New York City, but had lived, . before his removal to this place, a number of years in Gardner. From the latter place, he was elected as Representative to the Twenty- ninth General Assembly of the State, and re-elected to the Thir- tieth. He was also, for six successive years, chosen from that township as Supervisor, and, for eight years, Justice of the Peace. He is at present in the mercantile trade. Esaias Hall is from Vermont, and removed to this place in 1866, to superintend the mines of the Wilmington Company. He is still in their employ in the same capacity. Robert Huston is from New York City. He came to this place in 1870, and engaged in the mercantile trade. John H. Ward is a native of Ireland. He came to Wilmington and resided for a num- ber of years. In 1866, he removed to this locality, where he has since resided. Within five years of the laying-out of the town, which occurred in 1865, among those who have become permanent residents and at the same time are recognized as leading citizens, are E. W. Felton, David Paden, William Jack, B. F. Sweet, John Broadbent, Edward Davidson, Duncan Rankin, John James, William Chalmers, John Barnett, John Cox, B. W. Reese, W. H. McFarlane, Meshach Dando and Robert Paden. The first house within what is now the site of Braidwood was the little brick schoolhouse, already referred to. The first dwelling erected is said to have been built by Paddy Nary, a miner in the employ of one of the first mining companies. Daniel Small built the first house designed to be used as a store, and J. D. Bennet put in the first stock of merchandise. The store-building has since served the purpose of schoolhouse and church. Andrew Benney is credited with the building of the first hotel. Benney was a miner, and built the hotel for the accommodation, more especially, of employes of the mines. He is now a resident of Missouri. Dwellings, shops and stores followed so fast and in such numbers that to name them or their projectors and builders would require more space than the design of this work would permit. Many of the miners have bought lots, which usually consist of a half and in some cases an acre or more of ground, and built them comfortable little homes. 470 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. In 187-5, Braidwood presented the unusual example of a community organ- izing a city government without previously having incorporated as a village. In 1872, the State Legislature passed a general act for the government of all towns having a population of 2,000 and upward, and conferring upon them the style and charters of lities. Upon this basis, it was found that Braidwood had already attained that number, and steps were accordingly taken to carry into effect the provisions of the law. A primary meeting was held, and, in accord- ance with the sentiments there expressed, an election was decided upon to take place the 21st of April, 1873. The result was the election of E. W. Felton, David Paden, William Jack, B. F. Sweet, John Cox and B. W. Reese, as Aldermen ; L. H. Goodrich, Mayor ; William Chalmers, City Clerk ; John Barnett, Street Commissioner ; William H. McFarlane, Police Magistrate, and Robert Paden, Marshal. In 1877, Daniel McLaughlin succeeded L. H. Goodrich as Mayor. The present ofBcers of the city are : John Mclntyre, John Cox, Frank Lofty, John Crelly, Richard Mulrooney, Nicholas Keon, Richard Phillips and John Broadbent, Aldermen ; Daniel McLaughlin, Mayor ; William H. Steen, Clerk ; John S. Keir, Treasurer ; Patrick Muldowney, Marshal ; William Mooney, Attorney ; and Meshach Dando, Police Magistrate. Of the Aldermen chosen at the first election in 1873, John Cox has retained his place in the Council ever since. The veting population of the city is fully 1,000, though 940 votes is the highest number yet polled at any election. Society in most mining districts is usually considered below par, but not only does present observation prove quite contrary, but the history of the town and its benevolent, Christian and educational institutions show conclusively that, in this instance, the moral and religious features compare very favorably with other towns of like age and size. Braidwood has five churches — the Presbyterian, Methodist Episcopal, Cath- olic, Congregational and Primitive Methodist —all occupying good comfortable buildings, besides which the Mormons, the Colored Methodists and Colored Baptists hold religious services and contemplate the erection of houses of wor- ship. The M. E. Church held religious services here as early as 1867. Rev. A. C. Price was the first preacher, and ministered to the congregation at the date named. The first services were held in the old schoolhouse, and a class was formed with William Anderson and wife, William Davids and father and mother, Samuel Bales and wife and John Runsey and wife ; and these, with a few others, soon after organized the Church. About two years later, the society, having increased in numbers and wealth, built their present house of worship. It is a frame building, capable of seating two hundred and fifty persons, and cost the society $2,000. The Church has been quite prosperous, and the membership at this date is 150, of which the Rev. John Rogers is Pastor. In connection with the Church is a flourishing Sunday school of 150 members, under the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 471 superintendence of L. H. Goodrich. In 1871-72, Rev. R. Davis, a missionary in connection with the Presbyterian Church, was preaching through this part of the State, and, amongst the points visited by him, was this, at which he stopped and preached ; and it was through his influence that an organization of this denomination was effected. As often happens, the organization of the Sunday school, in the early Spring of 1872, was the primary move, in this instance, of the more decisive measures adopted soon after. In June, of the year mentioned, the persons of that persuasion met to take into consideration the propriety of establishing a church of this denomination. Among the original members were David Paden, John James, Duncan Rankin, William Chalmers and E. A. Beadle, with other members of their families. At this time they held meetings in what is known as the Grove Schoolhouse. Rev. William Penhalagan was the first reg- ular preacher after orgai)ization. Rev. Thomas M. Gunn, now of the First Church of Joliet, was subsequently called and installed Pastor of this Church. He resigned in 1877, to take charge of the Joliet congregation, as stated. In 1873, the society began the erection of a house of worship, which, though still unfinished, afibrds for them comfortable accommodations. The building thus far has cost about $5,000, and is 40 feet in width and 60 in length. The present membership is 130, of which the Rev. John Currier is the stated sup- ply. The Sunday school, in connection with this Church, is under the super- intendence of Duncan Rankin, and numbers about one hundred and forty. The Catholic organization was formed by Dr. John McMuUin, while Pastor of the Wilmington Church. When Dr. McMullin was promoted to the higher office of Vicar General, Father Daniel Riordan succeeded him as Pastor of this Church. Afterward, Father Riordan was also promoted to Secretary and Chancellor of the Diocese, and the vacancy thus occurring was filled by Father Thomas O'Garra, who was also promoted, being called to serve in the temple on high. Succeeding Father O'Garra is the present Pastor, Rev. R. H. McGuire. During the period of Dr. McMullin's administration, the original building was erected. In this the congregation worshiped until 1875, when the additions of the front and back were made. In the same year, the parsonage was built. The value of the church property is put down at about $10,000. About two hundred and fifty families worship here. The strike which occurred in 1877 severely aifected the strength of the Church. Prior to this, the mem- bership was nearly twice the number stated. The Congregationalists erected, in 1873, a neat little building for church purposes. It is about 28x32 feet, and cost $800. The membership at present is twenty-five, all of Welsh nativity, and services are conducted in that language. Rev. Griffith Evans, of Braceville, is Pastor, and William Davis is Superin- tendent of the Sunday school. The Primitive Methodists have a small house of worship, neatly furnished. Rev. Julius Marks is Pastor, and Thomas Davy is Superintendent of the Sunday school. Besides the buildings already named, a small church-house was erected some years ago by the Welsh Baptists, 472 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. but this is now vacant. The Mormons, to whom allusion has been made, are of the persuasion who cleave to Joseph Smith, and disclaim any affiliation with the Salt Lake Mormons, or sympathy with their peculiar beliefs and practices. These accept the Book of Mormon as an additional divine revelation, but in other respects are not different from some of the evangelical Christians. The strike of 1877 had the effect of bringing to this place several hundred colored people, who, if not universally known to be practically pious, are noted as a peculiarly religious people. Though very poor, and mostly ignorant, they yet hold religious services, and contemplate the erection of a house of worship. The Odd Fellows organized a lodge of that Order here September 16, 1872, of the name and number of Banner Lodge, No. 495. Duncan Rankin was the first N. G.; Robert Paden, V. G.; John Skinner, Secretary; and William iN^eath, Treasurer. Duncan Rankin was the first Representative to the Grand Lodge, and continued to represent the T^odge for four years. The present membership of the Lodge is 160. John Barkell is present N. G.; James Fairley, V. G.; James Sims, Treasurer; W. H. Steen, Secretary; and W. W. Gallagher, Representative. Meetings are held every Wednesday evening. A year and a half later, Diamond Encampment, ISTo. 152, was established, with John Brown as C. P.; Robert Meredeth, S. W.; John Peart, J. W.; Nicholas Hoffman, Treasurer ; William Gallagher, Scribe ; and Thomas Dur- ham, H. P. John Stephenson, William Neath, Theodore Green and John Skinner were also original members. The present officers are : Peter Barr, C. P.; James Hunter, S. W.; J. Jafrey, H. P.; William Rixon, J. W.; John Ste- phenson, Scribe; and Peter Harwood, Treasurer. The Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons began "work" here October 8, 1873, with Alexander Patterson as first W. M.; Ira R. Marsh, S. W.; Egbert W. Felton, J. W.; Robert Dunlap, Isaac and C. Zeigler, William Campbell, John Broadbent, John B. Barnett, E. Davison, W. H. Watson, Thomas Fergu- son, John and David Skinner, William Chalmers, Robert Harrop and William White were also charter members. They now have a membership of seventy. Their hall, recently fitted up, is a model of neatness and taste. Meetings are held on the first and third Thursdays of each month. John Broadbent is present Master; F. Packard, S. W.; James W. Patterson, J. W.; F. M. Salla- day. Secretary; J. B. Backus, Treasurer; E. Davison, S. D.; Winfield Blood, J. D.; and Peter Abrams, Tiler. The educational facilities provided by the inhabitants of Braidwood consist of three large two-story buildings. One of these is located in the old part of the town, one near the depot, and the other in the vicinity of the Eureka shaft. These, like all other buildings of the city, are constructed of wood. They afford accommodation for at least one thousand pupils. One of the efficient adjuncts to the means of educating the youth and the public generally is the public library. In 1876, through the efforts of William Maltaby, Superintendent of the Eureka Coal Company, $1,500 were subscribed (deceased) JTOUET HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 475 and a library of 1,400 volumes was established. The enterprise, though only a nucleus of what it is designed to be, is duly appreciated by the reading pub- lic, and is proving a real blessing to the community. The rooms of the asso- ciation are kept open all of the time, and all who have leisure have the privilege of visiting the place and consulting the volumes to be found there. Mr. Malt- aby was elected first President of the association, and still remains such oiEcer. M. Dando is the present Secretary. The most effectual means of disseminating general information, and consequently one of the most potential for general and practical education, is the newspaper. In this regard Braidwood is fortunate in having established the only daily in the county outsiile of Joliet. The his- tory of the press in this city, though short, has been varied and, until lately, quite precarious. Several attempts were made to established a paper at this point, but either through lack of fitness on the part of the publishers or of ap- preciation on the part of the public, each proved a failure. Jacob Warner was the first to embark in the business, and started the News. He was followed by Thomas Simonton with the Journal. Then Fred Dalton, former publisher of 'the Streator Monitor, began the publication of the Republican. The first num- ber appeared June 17, 1875, and the prospect for a live paper appeared fair. In a short time, however, the concern became so involved that it was impossible to proceed. At this point, Henry H. Parkinson, of Bloomington, took hold of the work, and through his untiring efforts, and in spite of discouragement, that would have broken down many fiien, the paper has not only lived, but has increased in circulation and popularity, and a year ago bloomed into a daily. Mr. Parkinson, prior to his coming to this place, was publishing at Blooming- ton the Anti-Monopolist. , The undertaking proved to be a failure, and absorbed all of the means at his command ; therefore, when he arrived at Braidwood, he was in such an embarrassed condition that the prospect seemed anything but flattering. However, by the Summer of 1877, the paper had gained the confi- dence and support of the people, and was in a fair way to permanent success. Then, the strike took place, and again the establishment was flat, so much so that its proprietor had to borrow a few quires of paper, and with this the lit- tle daily was started. From that time the enterprise has been prosper- ous and its success is now assured. Mr. Parkinson has his office all paid for, owns the building in which it is kept, Eind the paper has a circulation of over five hundred. In the mean time two other attempts have been made to establish papers here. Jacob Warner published the Braidwood Herald during the political canvass of the Fall of 1876. In 1877, R. W. Nelson began the publication of the Daily Phcenix and issued a few numbers. Since the panic of 1872-73, many of the capitalists all over the country have withdrawn their means from manufactures and other enterprises, which formerly gave employ- ment to those, who, though not lacking in muscle, brain or will to continue the business were yet without money or credit. Thus thousands of men and -women all over the country were without the means of gaining a livelihood. 476 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. As a consequence, a competition amongst laborers reduced wages, and still many, who would gladly have worked for smaller hire, had nothing to do. Labor arrayed itself against capital and manufacturers continued to withdraw their means and invest in bonds and mortgages which were not threatened, and which, therefore, they considered safer, though not affording as great profits. This apparent conflict has kept increasing until absolute necessity on the one hand and safety on the other have led to the organization of opposite parties. In 1877, this general strife culminated in a strike on the part of employes in, all departments requiring labor. Mechanics, miners, railroad men and com- mon workmen were infected with a premature desire to suddenly right their fancied or real wrongs. Trains were stopped, shops were closed and machinery of all kinds stood idle. This was the state of affairs in July, 1877. On the 1st of April, of the year mentioned, ih€ coal companies of Braidwood had asked of their employes a reduction of 15 cents for Summer and 25 cents for Winter on each ton of coal mined, the reduction to take effect at once. The men would not accede to the terms proposed, and at once they stopped work, arguing that an unfair advantage was being taken of them in that many of them had bought lots of the companies and had improved the same, making it impossible ior them to remove without serious loss. The companies were deter- mined, however, and to keep their works in operation brought in miners from other localities, whom they employed by the day. After a month, several hundred colored miners were brought, who went to work for the companies at the reduction formerly proposed. Though deep mutterings were heard on all sides and some threats were made, nothing serious took place and hopes were entertained that the threatened trouble would finally blow over. But toward the last of July, the general strikes occurring, and riots becoming common in many places throughout the land, the spirit of defiance took possession of the strikers, and they determined to drive out the "blacklegs," who, upon being apprised of the intention of the strikers, though promised protec- tion by their employers and the county authorities, fled from the city. Some went to Wilmington, some to Morris, and others, who could obtain no means of conveyance for themselves and families, camped on the prairie. At this juncture, the Sheriff despairing of preserving order, the Governor was called on to furnish soldiers to quell the hourly- expected outbreak. Accordingly, Gov. CuUom ordered 1,300 soldiers to the scene of the trouble, 200 of whom occupied the city about three weeks, the others returning to their homes in a few days. On the appearance of the soldiery, the " blacklegs " returned to the city and resumed work. At the end of the three weeks alluded to, the excite- ment attending the riot, as well as the disturbances themselves, ceased, railroads were in operation, factories were opened, and business generally yfna as brisk as before, and this community partaking of the modified sentiment prevailing in other parts, the trouble which had for some weeks threatened bloodshed was at an end. Many of the strikers have taken their former places in the mines. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 477 and some, with some of the "blacklegs," have departed to other fields of labor. Peace and good feeling is so far restored that the visitor sees no trace of the once threatened rebellion. While the excitement was at its highest pitch, Gov. Cullom visited the city and spoke to the people, counseling peace and good order, and promising protection to the laborers to the extent of the full power of the State or of the United States army. The soil of the surrounding country, though but poorly adapted to agricultural pursuits, is yet quite well adapted to grazing and the dairy business, and this latter industry is just now receiving attention. A creamery or cheese factory, now in successful operation, was established here last Spring. A company was formed, with Duncan Rankin as President. Buildings were erected at a cost, including machinery, of $2,000. The establishment, though in its infancy, manufactures 150 pounds of butter and 900 pounds of cheese per day, consuming, for the purpose, 9,000 pounds of milk. The product is shipped — the cheese to Chicago and the butter to St. Louis, the former article bringing 6J cents and the latter 25 cents per pound. The principal business street of Braidwood, extending from the depot to the works of the Eureka Company, is built up on both sides with unbroken lines of stores, shops and offices, with scarcely a vacancy, except the narrow cross, streets, for more than a mile. The observer can but imagine what a blaze will occur here some time ; and it can only be a matter of time, the greatest wonder being that the time has not already come. There will then be active work for the fire company. Realizing this state of afi"airs, a company for the purpose of controlling the fiery element was organized June, 1877, with James S. Patterson as Fire Marshal, and H. H. Parkinson, Secretary. The implements of the company consist of hooks, ladders and trucks usually belonging to such organ- izations. The company is independent, though the city furnishes all apparatus necessary for use in their duties. The balance of the city, though built of the same combustible material, yet being so sparsely built and occupying so much space, is less likely to experience a general conflagration. The space occupied by the city is fully two square miles. PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP. Plainfield lays claim to the honor of the first settlement in Will County. The first settlement made in Walker's Grove, a body- of timber just south of the present village of Plainfield, dates back half a century or more. Look at the figures, 1826 — 1878 ! Fifty-two years are between these milestones. Thirty years are the average of a generation's life-time, and hence the earthly span of almost two generations has run out since the " pale face " missionary pitched his tent by the "side of the river of waters," or to use more homely language, since the old soldier of the cross, Rev. Jesse Walker, established an Indian mission on the banks of the Du Page. The years have rolled by, decades* have faded into a half-century, since white people began to exercise 478 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. dominion in this section — the very paradise of Will County. The Indians long ago, the lords of the domain, roaming at will through the lofty forests and over the flower-decked prairies, live now only in fireside legends, and this heautiful region, once their own undisputed hunting-grounds, has- become the abode of the superior race — the white man. Cities, towns and villages have taken the place of the red man's lodge and wigwam, and their hunting-grounds are productive farms. It. may be a matter of question as to whether an itinerant preacher of the Methodist Church can justly be termed a settler. Their home is where duty and the work of the Master calls them, and, like Him who said, "the foxes have holes, and the fowls of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head," they often, and in those early days on the wild front- ier, were forced to make a bed of the green earth, with the blue sky to serve as drapery for their couch. Father Walker was born in the Old Dominion, in 1766 ; a hundred and twelve years before the writing of these pages, and entered the ministry on probation in 1804. He made a trip to Illinois, a kind of tour of inspection, in 1806, in company with William McKendree (after- ward Bishop McKendree) to look at the country. Illinois was then a part of Indiana, and being highly pleased with the section they visited, were, at the next meeting of Conference, transferred to circuits within its bounds. The fol- lowing extract from " Forty Years Ago," written by Hon. George H. Woodruff, of Joliet, is appropriate here, and is a well-deserved tribute to the good old preacher : " Walker returned from this Conference to his family, arriving about noon — commenced immediately to prepare for the journey, and by 10 o'clock the next day, he and his family were on the way. The journey had to be made on horseback, and four horses were required — one for himself, one for his wife and youngest daughter, and one for his oldest daughter, a girl of sixteen, while the fourth carried the stock of books, which was part of the outfit of a Meth- odist preacher, the sale of which aided in eking out their scanty salary. * * * * Jesse Walker became an able and efiicient preacher of Meth- odist Christianity in Illinois, although he had received but a, very limited educa- tion. In 1821, we find him reporting to Conference in respect to his labors as a missionary among the Indians, and it was in this capacity he came to Plain- field in 1826, where there was then, and for several years subsequently, an Indian village. In 1827, he was Superintendent of Fox River Mission. He is said to have held the first camp meeting in the State, and the first quarterly meeting in Chicago, and also to have preached the first Protestant sermon in St. Louis. In 1829, he had charge of the Des Planes Mission, and formed the first class at Walker's Grove." His son-in-law, James Walker, accompanied him to Plainfield, or Walker's Grove, as the beautiful grove a little south of the vil- lage was then called, and may probably be termed the first actual settler in Plainfield Township, if not in Will County. His claim was made, we believe, in 1828, and his first cabin erected in 1829. James Walker was from Tennes- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 479 see, but had first located at Ottawa, and was a prominent man in the early his- tory of the county, and one of its first representatives in the State Legislature. He brought with him from Ottawa a horse-power mill, which he set up and at once proceeded to business. This mill, however, will be referred to again, fur- ther on. Mr. Walker, together with Dr. Bowen — so often mentioned in the history of Joliet — was the principal lobbyist in engineering the act through the Legislature for the formation of Will County ; and after its organization as a county, he was one of the first Commissioners, Holder Sisson and Thomas Durham being his colleagues in that capacity. He was also commandant of "FortBeggs" during the Sac war, which is more fully noticed in another page. Perhaps it will not be amiss to give the following extract from a work by Rev. S. R. Beggs, entitled "Pages from the Early History of the West and Northwest," referring to Father Jesse Walker, before passing to the further settlement of Plainfield. In speaking of the first session of the Methodist Conference held at Plainfield, the author says: "It was at this Conference that we resolved to remove the remains of Jesse Walker from their obscure resting- place, one mile south of our cemetery. I think it was in the Fall of 1834 that I performed the marriage ceremony which united him to his second wife. He had then served two years in the Chicago Mission station, after which he sus- tained a superannuated relation, and settled on a small farm about twelve miles west of Chicago, on the Des Planes River, and there he remained until he changed the cross for the crown, on the 5th of October, 1835. He was buried in Plain- field, and there rested until his sons in the Gospel resolved to remove his remains to their present resting-place. When the hour arrived for the inter- ment, the Conference adjourned and marched in solemn procession to the grave. The remains of his first wife had been disinterred, and brought to be buried with him. In one large coffin the bones were placed, and laid as nearly in their natural order as possible. It was a season of great solemnity, both to our village and to the Conference. It ha'd been arranged that there should be several speakers to bear testimony to the zeal of this untiring servant in the work of the Lord before the coffin was concealed from our sight. As I had known him personally longer than any one present, I was to lead in the' remarks. After singing and prayer, I proceeded to give a concise history of his arrival in this State, as a missionary, in the Fall of 1806, his extensive and different fields of labor, and especially our labors in the Central and Rock River Conferences. Rev. J. Scarritt, who followed, was very happy in his remarks in portraying the untiring labors, great usefulness and happy death of this unexcelled mis- sionary." This seems but a fitting tribute to the faithful old servant of the Lord, and who is generally termed the first white settler, not only of Plainfield Township, but of Will County. Rev. S. R. Beggs, another veteran Methodist preacher, is an early settler at Plainfield, and the oldest settler of the place now living. He settled here 480 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. in the Summer of 1831, near where he still lives. Father Beggs was born in Rockingham County, Va., in 1801, and when 4 years old his father removed to Kentucky, where he remained two years, and then settled in Clarke County, Ind., on the Ohio River, seventeen miles above the falls. Here the family were subjected to all the privations incident to a new home in a great wilder- ness, that of chills and fever being included. As an illustration of the times, Mr. Beggs says he was 7 years old before he ever possessed the luxury of a pair of shoes. At an early age he entered the ministry, and became an itiner- ant Methodist preacher, laboring in Indiana, Missouri and Illinois, settling, as above stated, at Plainfield in 1831. To show the hardships those early preach- . ers underwent to plant the Gospel in the wilderness, we again quote from Father Beggs' book. Referring to his year's labor, he says; "My quarterage this year was $23 ; my clothing, that I had brought from home, was by this time bo nearly worn out that it was necessary to replace it with new. Some of the sisters spun wool and made me a coat of blue and white cotton, a pair of white cotton pants and one of mixed. One of the brothers gave me his old hat, which I got pressed, and then I was fitted out .for Conference." Think of this, ye high-salaried, stall-fed pastors, who proclaim the Word from marble desks, in gilded temples, resplendent in your broadcloth and white cravats ! Think ye, will not these self-denying men of God, who braved danger, hunger and cold to spread the Gospel, receive the brighter crown when they arrive in the Kingdom ? We are not writing a religious history of the country, but thelong associations and administrations of Fathers Beggs and Walker in this particu- lar portion of Will County, are so interwoven and connected with its history that to omit it would be to leave out the most important part of it. In 1836, Mr. Beggs was appointed to the Joliet Circuit, and commenced the work of build- ing the first Methodist Church, also the first church edifice in Joliet, as noticed in the first part of our work. During the Sac war, his house, then considered the strongest building in the Plainfield settlement, was constructed into a fort. Two log pens which he had built for a barn and shed, were torn down and made into fortifications around his house, into which the settlers all crowded. But Indian outrages growing more alarming every day, it was finally decided to risk trying to get to Chicago. The settlers were formed into a company, and James Walker elected Captain. Being only teams enough to carry the people, their effects were left behind, many of which were taken or destroyed by the Indians before the whites were permitted to return. But the cloud of war rolled away before Scott's legions, and the people could finally return in safety to their homes. In 1829, a Frenchman of the name of Vetel Vermette settled at Plainfield. He did not remain very long in the settlement, however, but sold his claim to Jedediah Woolley, Sr., and left for some other land. Of him very little is known, as few are living who remember him. In the Summer of 1830, Reuben Flagg, from Vermont, came to Plainfield with his family. He was two months HIST0B,"5' OF WILL COUNTY. 481 •on the road, and arrived in the settlement on the 9th of July. Chicago at the time consisted of about a dozen houses, mostly the huts of Indian traders and half-breeds. From Detroit, Flagg was accompanied by Woolley, noticed as huying out the Frenchman Vermette. In a letter written by Mr. Flagg to H. N. Marsh, in 1851, he stated that when he settled at Plainfield, there were, besides Walker and Vermette, Timothy B. Clarke and Thomas Covel, and that he knew of no others then in the county, except three families on Hickory Creek, viz., a Mr. Rice, Mr. Brown and Mr. Kercheval, and the nearest white settler on the west was at Dixon's Ferry. He is said to have hauled the lum- ber to Chicago to build the first frame house erected in that city, and which was sawed in James Walker's saw-mill, on the Du Page, near Plainfield. Timothy B. Clarke, from Trumbull County, Ohio, came to Plainfield in 1830. He emigrated to Illinois in 1820, and settled in Tazewell County when that part of the State was an almost unbroken wilderness. He remained there about eight years, when he removed to Fort Clarke (now Peoria), remaining there a year or two, and moved up and made a claim within seven miles of Ottawa. This claim he afterward sold to Green, who built a mill on it, so extensively patronized by the early settlers of Northern Illinois, many coming to it from a •distance of from fifty to one hundred miles. From this place, Mr. Clarke removed to the Plainfield settlement, as already noted, in 1830. This was before the Sac war, and the Indians, who were quite plenty in the neighborhood, were friendly disposed, but exceedingly troublesome. They would go into the fields and help themselves gratuitously to corn, potatoes and anything else they wanted, without so much as "By your leave, sir." He could not stay there in peace, and so, in 1834, moved up into Dupage Township, near Barber's Corners. He had several sons, one of whom, B. B. Clarke, is a prosperous merchant in Lockport, where he has been since 1868. The elder Clarke was a carpenter and builder, and erected the first frame house in Chicago, then a little suburban village in this section of the country. In that house the Indians were paid ofi" before leaving for their new hunting-grounds toward the setting sun. He removed to Missouri in 1835, and from there to Iowa in 1847, but returned to Dupage, and died at his son's in 1848. B. B. Clarke was 16 years old when his father removed to Plainfield, in 1830, and remembers distinctly the Indian troubles of that rather stormy period. He served in the Black Hawk war, first in Walker's company, which soon disbanded, however, and afterward enlisted in Capt. Sissop's company.' During the most perilous times, he went from Plain- field to Ottawa with a team after provisions, with a guard of only four men. They made the trip in safety, though several hats were found along the trail pierced by bullets, whose wearers had been murdered by the Indians. Mr. Clarke says that when his father first removed to Plainfield, the nearest mill was in the vicinity of Peoria, distant 180 miles. His father went there once to mill — bought grain there to save hauling it both ways — and the " rainy season " setting in, the waters arose (there were no bridges) and as a consequence, he 482 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. was gone six weeks. His family, in the meantime, had to live on potatoes, and by pounding corn in a kind of mortar, which was sifted and the finest of it was made into bread, and the coarse into hominy. The elder Clarke was a soldier in the war of 1812, and had a soldier's claim to land in the Military District lying between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, and had bought the claims of other soldiers to lands there. He sold a quarter- section of land in this military territory for $75, and took pay in augers, which, next to the ax, was the prin- cipal implement used by the pioneer. He also had a claim to canal lands in Dupage Township, a part of which is now owned by his son, B. B. Clarke. The latter went to California in 1850, overland with teams, and was five months on the way. He remained about two years in the Golden State, and then returned to the old home. A brother, Hiram Clarke, went out in 1849, when the gold fever first broke out, and William, another brother, went with his brother B. B., in 1850. At this latter period, so many had crossed the plains with teams that the grass had been devoured by their stock for a space of two miles on both sides of the trail, and they would take their teams in the evening to the grazing and remain by them during the night to prevent their being stolen. William and Hiram Clarke still live in California. Mr. Clarke tells the following incident of the early times : He and one of his brothers took a lot of ponies to Chi- cago, for the purpose of selling them to the Indians when they received their stipendiary remuneration, as Wilkins Micawber would put it, and stable accom- modations being more meager then than now in the Garden City, could find no barn in which to put their stock, were forced to turn them loose in a lot. Hear- ing a racket among them during the night, his brother went out to learn the cause, when he found an Indian trying to get them out. Without a word, he fell upon the savage with his big horse-whip, and the faster he ran the faster he rained the blows upon him, the Indian indulging in the guttural Ugh ! Ugh ! every jump. Arriving at the fence, he made no efibrt to climb it in the ordi- nary way, but scrambled to the top and fell over on the opposite side. This caused them some alarm, lest he should return with assistance, but the night passed without further molestation. Another of the very first in this settlement was Thomas Covel. He came from Ohio in 1830, made a claim near Plainfield village where he remained for a time, then sold out and moved up on Salt Creek, where, some years later, he died. Though one among the very first settlers, beyond this no information of him could be obtained. John Cooper, a brother-in-law' of Clarke's, came from Ohio in 1830. After remaining in this place a few years, removed to Iowa, and from Iowa to California in 1862, and resided there until his death, in 1872. James Gilson was another of the early ones who settled here in 1830. He came from Tennessee, and lived near the village, and kept a shop on his farm and did quite a business in repairing guns. He was a pioneer by nature, and when the country began to settle up around him, he "moved on " to Iowa in search of a location more congenial to his tastes, and there died. From New York, the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 483 settlement of Plainfield received John and Benjamin Shutliff and Jedediah WooUey, Sr. John Shutliff and WooUey came in 1832, and the former, after a few years, sold out and moved jaway, but where we could not learn. Woolley bought out Vermette the Frenchman, then sold the claim to Rev. Beggs and improved another farm on the east side of the grove, on which he lived several years, sold it and removed into Troy Township, about eight miles from Plain- field. Benjamin Richardson was from the East, but what State could not learn. He settled here in 1834, and in a year or two moved to Joliet, where he is no- ticed further. Benjamin Shutliff settled in this town in 1834, and was a brother of John Shutliff. In a few years, he moved " West to grow up with the country." Jonathan Hagar was born in the city of Quebec, C. E., and, when 10 years of age, removed with his parents to Vermont, where he resided until 1829, when he came West and settled in Michigan, and five years later removed to Ohio. In 1835, he came to Plainfield, making the journey from Cleveland to Detroit by steamer, and from thence to Chicago by stage. The village had been laid out the year before (1834) by Chester Ingersoll, as elsewhere stated, and con- tained, on Mr. Hagar's arrival, a blacksmith-shop, tailor-shop, a wagon-shop^ two taverns, and perhaps one or two other houses, of which a man named Royce owned a shop, in which he manufactured fanning-mills. James Gilson had a shop on his farm, and being quite a genius, did an extensive business in repair- ing guns. Robert Chapman lived near the village, and now lives in Elwood. Mr. Hagar was one of the first merchants of Plainfield, and has always been one of its active and enterprising business men. He remembers when he could stand in his store door of mornings and see the wolves scampering across the open common of the village. Jason Flanders came from New Hampshire in 1834, and settled in Plainfield Township. He came overland in wagons to Troy, N. Y., thence by water to Detroit, and the remainder of the way by land, arriving at his destination in June. He had six children, one of whom is the present State's Attorney of Will County, Hon. James R. Flanders, of Joliet, A few years after his settlement in Plainfield, Mr. Flanders built a house of hewn logs, " sided " it with walnut, finished it inside with walnut, upper story walls, floor and ceiling finished in walnut, neatly " planed," and after it was all finished in fine style, had it immediately whitewashed, showing how much a fine walnut finish was appreciated in those days. He and his neighbors used to cut timber in the Plainfield woods, have it sawed into boards, and then haul them to Chicago to build some of the first frame houses put up in that city. He used to tell a story of a uian that accompanied him on one of these trips, who had a fine In- dian pony, and was bantered to trade by a stranger, who offered him forty acres of land in Chicago. Completing the trade and making out the papers, they started the next morning to look up the land. After proceeding a short distance, they had to take a boat and rowing out a little way, " There," said the man, "your land is rightabout here, under this water." The purchaser considered himself "sold," but wisely determined to hold the land — probably because he could 484 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. not sell it — and years afterward sold it for $80,000. Another man offered to ■trade Mr. Flanders a tract of land that was "in sight" for one of his horses, but he declined it. Had he made the trade, and held the land until the proper time, it would have made him a millionaire. He lived a highly respected citi- zen of Plainfield, and died a few years ago at a ripe old age. The Green Mountain State furnished the settlement Lorin Burdick, S. S. Pratt, Oliver Goss, Thomas Rickey, Deacon Goodhue and Hardy Metcalf Burdick was one of the early settlers of Plainfield — a man of exalted charity and benevolence and an enterprising citizen. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and one of the heroes of the battle of Plattsburg ; had one son in the Mexican war, and three in the late war ; and a brother, Timothy Burdick, also a, soldier of 1812, died of sickness in the army in Mexico during that war. We extract the following from the Plainfield correspondence of the Commercial Advertiser. Speaking of Mr. Burdick, it says ; * * " Jje hauled the first lumber from Chicago used in building the Court House in Joliet ; hewed the timber used in building the first bridge across the Du Page at Plainfield, and assisted in building the first saw-mill in this section of the country, located on the Du Page ; also in erecting the first church, the first schoolhouse in Plain- field, and the first hotel in Lockport. He donated liberally in money toward purchasing the land for the first burying-ground, and assisted in laying it out, and is one of the early settlers to whom Plainfield owes her existence. His sud- den illness, resulting in death August 3, 1878, was caused by taking Paris green through mistake for sulphur, which he was in the habit of using. Deacon Goodhue settled here in 1832. He entered land about a mile northeast of Plainfield village, on the Chicago road, and when he died in 1856, still lived on his original claim where he settled forty-six years ago. Goss came to the set- tlement in 1834, and made a claim just south of the village, where he died in 1842. Metcalf came in 1834 or 1835, made a claim, sold out and moved away many years ago — where, no one now remembers. Pratt settled in the township in 1835, where he still lives. Rickey settled here in 1834, and died more than thirty years ago. William Bradford, Daniel, Chester and Enoch Smith, Chester IngersoU, John Bill and J. E. Matthews came from the old Bay State — the home of Charles Francis Adams and Ben Butler. The Smiths settled in the town in 1832. David sold'out and died soon after; Chester went to Wisconsin in 1833, and what became of Enoch no one now remembers. Chester IngersoU was here during the Sac war, and has a son now living in Homer Township. He laid out the south part of the village of Plainfield, sold out his lots and entered other lands three miles northeast of the village ; improved a large farm, sold it ultimately, and, in 1849, went to California, where he died some years later. Bradford settled here in 1834. He entered land below the village of Plainfield, on which he died the year following. John Bill was a wagon-maker by trade, the first mechanic of that " stripe" in the settlement, and located HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 486 here in 1834. He entered land and made a claim about a quarter of a mile from the village, where he lived until about two years ago, when he removed to Maryland, and died soon after. Matthews came to the settlement in 1831, and made a claim on the river just above the present village of Plainfield. In 1835, he built a mill here which, with some additions and improvements, is still doing service in that line. B. B. Clarke says he helped to raise it, and very distinctly remembers of some rather heavy lifting at the green timbers. Matthews went to Oregon when people first began to emigrate to that magnificent country. Another early settler of Plainfield was John Fish, who came to the place as early as 1833. He was from Indiana, and in a short time moved up on Salt Creek, fourteen miles west of Chicago, where he died. Edmund Reed came from Kentucky in 1833-34, and finally moved up near Racine, and whether he is yet alive could not be learned. W. W. Wattles also settled here in 1833. He came here from Chicago, but his native place could not be ascertained. He bought out Timothy B. Clarke, finally sold out himself, and moved up north of Chicago. Robert Chapman, Scofield and a few other early settlers located about Plainfield and Walker's Grove, concerning some of whom but little informa- tion could be obtained. This includes the early settlers of Walker's Grove, as Plainfield was called, up to 1834 or 1835, or at least all of whom we have been able to learn anything definite. Since that date, the town has settled up and increased in population until, from the. few names here given, it had at the last census, in 1870, about eighteen hundred inhabitants, with as handsome a little village as may be found in Will County. As a township, Plainfield is described as Town 36 north, Range 9 east, and lies in the western tier of towns, with Wheatland on the north, Lockport on the east, Troy on the south, and Kendall County on. the west. The Du Page River flows through the town from north to south, thor- oughly watering and draining the country along its course. A peculiarity of the stream in this section is displayed by the two Lilly-Caches, a couple of little brooks that have their source in the immediate vicinity of each other, one flow- ing very nearly south into the Du Page, the other due west into the Des Planes — one dull, dark and sluggish, the other clear, bright and pure as crystal drops. Plainfield is mostly high, rolling prairie, except the grove of timber that lined the Du Page River, and as farming lands, is not excelled in the county, nor perhaps in the State. No railroads pass through it, but it is devoted almost wholly to agriculture. The old Indian boundary, mentioned in the general history, crosses diagonally the northwest corner, and the plankroad from Joliet- to Plainfield, one of the first regularly laid out roads in the county, is still a great thoroughfare of travel, though the " plank " does not make much show. The first white child born in Plainfield Township, of whom there is any definite information to be had, was Samantha E. Flagg, a daughter of Reuben Flagg, and was born September 9, 1830. This is also supposed to have been 486 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. the first birth among the whites in 'Win County. The first death was that of Albert Clarke, in 1831, a son of Timothy B. Clarke, mentioned among the first settlers of Walker's Grove. The first marriage remembered was James Turner to a Miss Watkins, in 1831 or 1832, and were marriedby Kev. Mr.Beggs. The first physician who ever practiced medicine in this neighborhood was Dr. E. G. Wight. He came from Massachusetts and settled in Naperville in 1831, and the circle of his practice was bounded by Chicago, Mineral Point, Ottawa and Bourbonnais Grove, and was more than a hundred miles across either way. He built the first frame house in Naperville, and removed to Plainfield in 1847, but had been practicing here since 1831. He died in 1865. He became blind when scarcely past middle life, and for eight years his son, R. B. Wight, went with him on his professional visits and led his horse. He finally went to an oculist at Rochester, N. Y., who partially restored his sight, and for fifteen years before his death he could see to get about with comparative ease and safety. The experiences of this pioneer physician would fill a volume Per- haps the first resident physician was Dr. Charles V. Dyer, who came to the settlement in the Fall of 1835, and practiced medicine during the Winter. But the settlement being small, the next Spring he concluded to risk his fortune in the then unpromising marshes of Chicago. The subsequent greatness of that city and the prominence of the Doctor there up to the time of his death, prove the wisdom of his decision, and illustrate the mutability of human conditions in the careers of both individuals and cities. The first blacksmith in the town was one of the Shutliffs, who opened a shop in 1833-34, and did the light work the settlement needed. The first bridge in the township was built across the Du Page at Plainfield, and was a rough wooden structure. The timbers were hewed by Lorin Burdick, as noticed in the sketch given of him elsewhere. The rude affair presented a striking contrast to the excellent stone and iron bridges at present spanning the Du Page and Lilly-Cache. The first mill built in Plainfield Township, or Walker's Grove, was by James Walker. It was a horse-power mill, which he brought with him from Ottawa, and at once set to work. But he built without delay both a saw and grist mill on the Du Page, which was swept away by a flood in 1838. At this mill was sawed the lumber of which a man named Peck built the first frame house erected in Chicago, and which stood on the corner of La Salle and South Water streets. Reuben Flagg, a? elsewhere noted, hauled the lumber to Chicago, and with an ox-team at that. Matthews, as mentioned in another page, built a mill north of the village of Plainfield which, with some additions and improvements, is still in operation. It is owned by Noah Sunderland, but is run by M. H. Avery, who is doing quite a lively business with it. It has three runs of stones, with all the modern attachments. Quite an item in the history of Plainfield Township is Clarke & Co.'s cheese factory, erected last Spring, just outside of the limits of the village of Plainfield. It is a frame building with stone base- ment, and has a sufficient capacity to consume twenty thousand pounds of milk HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 487 per day. Cheese is the principal product of the factory, and they turn out about sixty cheeses a week, of fifty-two pounds weight each, besides making a small quantity of butter. The first school in Plainfield Township was taught by a man, whose name is now forgotten, in the Winter of 1833-34, and the first regular schoolhouse was built in 1833 of rough logs with a stick chimney, the exact type, and coun- terpart of many others described in these pages. But the schools have kept pace with the other improvements, and, in 1872, we find there were eleven school districts, five hundred pupils enrolled, twenty-two teachers employed, two graded schools.and'a comfortable schoolhouse in each district. The amount paid teachers was $3,026.38 ; total expenditure for the year, f4,597.90, leaving a balance in the treasury of $1,381.05. The schools of Plainfield at the present time are in a flourishing condition, and will compare with those of any tQwn in the county. The first Supervisor of Plainfield after township organization, was L. Hamlin for the year 1850. Since then, the following gentlemen have served in the Board of Supervisors for the years as given with their names : J. Ballard, 1851 ; A. Culver, 1852 ; L. Hamlin, 1853 ; Cyrus Ashley, 1854 ; W. Wright, 1855-56 ; A. Culver, 1857 ; D. Van Dersoll, 1858 ; A. Culver, 1859 ; W. Wright, 1860 ; W. C. Caton, 1861-68 ; A. McClaskey, 1869-76 ; H. Strattan, 1877-78. Other township officers are J. D. Foster and E. Corlin, Justices of the Peace ; H. R. Frazer, Town Clerk, and George N. Chittenden, School Treasurer. The township is Republican in politiss, giving from one to two hundred Republican majorities in all important elections. Having thus followed the history of Plainfield from the first settle- ment at Walker's Grove to the present fiourishing period of its existence, we will now take a brief glance at the VILLAGE OF PLAINFIELD. Plainfield is beautifully located on the east bank of the Du Page River, about one mile north of the center of the township of Plainfield, and is nine miles north- west of Joliet. Chester Ingersoll is accredited with laying out the village proper, which is sometimes termed South Plainfield, while the north division was laid out by 'Squire Arnold. He was a New Yorker, and came here in 1834; laid out the village that year, and was one of the first to keep a tavern in the place. Being a little at " loggerheads " with Ingersoll, as our informant expressed it, his addition was laid ofi" a little " catering." The meaning of the latter word was gathered while taking a stroll through the village, when we found the streets of the two sections coming together at an angle of about forty-five degrees. But even with this defect, it is a very pretty little village and claims from one thousand to twelve hundred inhabitants. James Walker put up the first dwell- ing within the present limits long before it was laid out as a village. It was a small log house, and was occupied by Walker some time as a residence. Inger- soll built the next house, which was soon after .the one above-mentioned. Arnold 488 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. put up the first house occupied purposely as a tavern, though Walker had kept a house of entertainment previously. " Uncle Fen " Aldrich also kept a tavern here. This was one of the stopping-places on the stage-route between Chicago and Ottawa, and the half-way point between the two places, hence, it was a good place for hotels. Jonathan Hagar and Samuel Sargent opened the first store in the upper story of John Bill's wagon-shop. The next year, they put up a storehouse, which has since been converted into the Congregational parsonage. Mr. Hagar continued in business here until 1861, when he retired, and is one of the wealthy men of the place. He tells the following anecdote as an exam- ple of the pernicious effects of sowing " tares :" An old lady, one of the early settlers of the village, brought with her from the East a quantity of burdock- seed, declaring it to be " such an excellent yarb," that she was bound to have a crop growing. She accordingly sowed it in every available spot. That the crop did grow, the citizens of the village can bear witness, notwithstanding their utmost efibrts to the contrary. The village was incorporated under special act of the Legislature February 23, 1861. This embraced North Plainfield only, we believe. In April, 1869, it was again incorporated by special act, including both the north and south divisions of the place, and June 30, 1877, it was incorporated under the general law of the State. The first Board of Village Trustees were as follows : J. McAllister, George N. Chittenden, Robert Webb, Jonathan Hagar and John D. Shreffler. The Board organized for business by making J. McAllister President, and George N. Chittenden, Clerk. The present " City Fathers " are: Alexander McClaskey, President; A. J. Perkins, C. E. Eraser, Joseph McCreery, George W. Flagg, P. Y. Dundore, and H. A. Tounshendeau, Clerk ; Ira Vanolinda, Police Magistrate. The business of Plainfield presents the fol- lowing outlook : Two general dry goods and grocery stores, two grocery and hardware stores, two drug stores, one book and stationery store, one furniture store, one hotel, one restaurant, two livery stables, five blacksmith-shops, three wagon-shops, four practicing physicians, two cider-mills ; with barber-shops, meat-markets, harness-shops, tailor-shops, paint-shops, millinery-shops, etc.; but neither saloons nor lawyers. It has, however, a Red Ribbon Club of 382 members — John D. Shrefiler, President, and H. A. Tounshendeau,- Secretary. The first schoolhouse was built in North Plainfield in 1837, and was rather, a small aifair. It was burned in 1846 or 1847, and the present two-story frame building erected, at a cost of f 1,500. Prof. Giden Bartholf is Princi- pal, and Miss Amanda Dillman, teacher of the Primary Department. In 1851 the village was divided into two districts, and a good two-story frame house erected in the lower district, or South Plainfield, at a cost of $1,200. Prof John H. Stepman is Principal, and Mrs. M. C. Dresser, teacher of the Primary Department. The first post ofiice was established in Plainfield in 1833, and James Walker was the first Postmaster. This was one of the points on the stage route between Chicago and Ottawa, and, after coaches were put on the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 489' mail was brought to Plainfield over this route. The benighted citizens of Joliet used to come here for their mail, as opportunity occurred. This was in the good old times when Dr. Bowen was Postmaster there, and he would frequently carry the entire mail for Joliet in his hat. It would take several hats to con- tain the Joliet post office now, or even that of Plainfield. The present Post- master of Plainfield is John Sennitt, who has been in the service of Uncle Sam in this department for the past ten years. Plainfield is sometimes called the "Village of Churches,' and, for a place of its size, is well supplied with temples of worship. This is one of the first spots in Will County where the sound of the Gospel was heard. Here, Father Walker established an Indian Mission, it is said, in 1826, and here, ih 1829, he formed a class composed of the following members : Jesse Walker and wife, James Walker and wife, Mr. Fish and wife, Timothy B. Claike and wife, and Mr. Weed and wife. Father Beggs, in his book, several times referred to in this work, and from which this information is taken, thinks that this was the first class formed within the bounds of the Rock River Conference, and states, further, that when the Mission* was abandoned the class was given up. In the Fall of 1832, Rev. Mr. Beggs succeeded to the charge here, with Father Walker as Presiding Elder. The first church edifice built at Plainfield was by the Methodists, and was erected in 1836. It was a rather small, plain affair, compared to the elegant stone church of the present time. In 1854, Lockport and Plainfield were united, and so remained for a number of years, until the strength of each church became sufficient to admit of their being formed into stations. The fine stone church of the Methodists was erected in 1868, and dedicated by Bishop Simpson. It is built of Plainfield stone, and cost about $22,000. The Church numbers upon her records more than three hundred members, with Rev. J. A. Phelps as Pastor, and John D. Shreffler, Superintendent of the Sunday school. The Baptist society was organized October 16, 1834, on the principle of total abstinence, and Rev. J. E. Ambrose was the first Pastor. The original members were : Leonard Moore, Elizabeth Moore, Rebecca Carmon, Thomas Rickey, Jane Rickey and Alfred B. Hubbard, six in all. It was one of the four churches that entered into what was called the Northern Baptist Associa- tion. The Church at Plainfield is the only one of these that has not changed its place of meeting. In the Fall of 1836, the first church-house was built, at a cost of $2,500 ; was 26x36 feet, and is now used as a blacksmith-shop. In giving place to the following anecdote, in this connection, we intend no sacri- lege or disrespect toward this venerable Church : Soon after the completion of their church-building, a Baptist minister of the name of Edwards made his appearance in the village and announced his purpose of holding revival meet- ings. The new church was accordingly placed at his disposal, and he entered upon his work. For an entire week did he labor with that "wicked and * The Des Planes Mission. 490 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. rebellious people." Day after day, he went about among them praying and exhorting ; night after night, he held up to them the joy of the redeemed, or portrayed in glowing words the anguish of the lost. But neither the gentle voice of persuasion nor the terrible thunders of Sinai had the desired effect, and on the last night of his labors, after an impassioned appeal, in which he vainly implored them to "flee from the wrath to come," he declared that they had "sinned away the day of grace:" that "Ephraim was joined to his idols," and that all that remained for him was to " shake off the dust from off his feet." Taking his handkerchief from his pocket, he proceeded to literally carry out the Scripture injunction by wiping the dust from his feet in their presence, strode out of the house, and was seen no more in that neighborhood. The present church edifice was erected in 185-7, and cost between $4,500 and $5,000; dedicated by Rev. Charles Button. Rev. A. D. Freeman was the first Pastor, now residing at Downer's Grove. The present membership is 131, and Rev. H. C. First is Pastor, a position he has held for the past four years. Mrs. H. C. First is Superintendent of the Sunday school, which has an average attend- ance, of seventy children. There have been 536 admissions to the Church, by baptism and otherwise, since its organization. The Congregational Church was organized in September, 1834, by Rev. N. C. Clarke, who had been preaching in the vicinity as early as 1832 and 1838. The original members were James Mathers and wife. Deacon Ezra Goodhue and wife, Andrew Carrier and wife, and Oliver Goss and wife. The first regular Pastor of the Church, was Rev. Alfred Greenwood, mentioned elsewhere as the first preacher in Lockport Township. He remained with the Church but a year or two. A resolution appears upon the Church records at an early date, requiring members "to abstain from drinking ardent spirits, manufacturing, trafficking in it, or otherwise using it, except for medicine." The first case of discipline was that of a brother, reported as having sold whisky to the Indians. During the first two years the Church did little more than maintain its existence. It suffered much from trouble among its members, growing out of land claims. A council was finally called to aid in settling the difficulties. As the course most likely to bring peace and harmony, and agreeably to the advice of the council, the Church disbanded, and out of its elements a Presbyterian Church was formed in 1836, by Rev. Mr. Gould. This organization continued about seven years, when the form of government was changed, and it again became a Congregational Church, with Rev. E. W. Champlin, Pastor. The Rev. Daniel Chapman succeeded him, and through his energetic efforts the present church edifice was erected in 1850, at a cost of $2,200, exclusive of the foundation, and was dedicated in June, 1851. The present membership of the Church is near eighty, and since August, 1878, at which time the Rev. Mr. Ebbs closed his pastoral labors, it has been without a regular minister. The Sunday school was organized about 1843, with Jonathan Hagar as Superintendent. About sixty scholars are in attendance, and Mr. Hagar is still Superintendent. <»_^.^^r^^^i5-^?C-'^^,Si^'- y'^^-^P'T— J OLIET ■'■^k-'^. -^^ k/f ^ ^:„yirHaf^t' / Cc^^c-tAf ow J OLIET JOLIET ^<<^^«^>>o-6<*S?%6c^ G^^:^ HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 493 The Universalist Church was built in 1868, at a cost of $6,000, and is one of the handsomest church-buildings in the village. It was dedicated by Rev. W. S. Balch, of Galesburg, and the first regular Pastor was Rev. Mr. Rowland. The present membership of this Church is small, but flourishing for a small village like this. Rev. Mr. Tibbitts was their Pastor until within the past few months, when he resigned, since which time they have been without one. The Sunday school was organized in 1868, and has a large attendance. The Evangelical Church was built in 1855, and cost about $3,000. It was dedicated by Rev. Mr. Tobias, Presiding Elder, and the first Pastor was Rev. John Kramer, now of Watertown, Iowa. The present Pastor is Rev. Henry Messner, with a membership of 113. The Sunday school was organized cotem- poraneously with the Church, and the first Superintendent was David Shreffler. The average attendance is about ninety-seven, and P. Y. Dundore is the Super- intendent. The iNorthwestern College was located here in 1851, under the auspices of this Church. The building was a stone basement, with a frame, two stories high, 46x66 feet in size, and cost $10,000. The founder and originator of the school was Bishop Esher, and its first President A. A. Smith, with a general average attendance of 180 students. The College was destroyed by fire in 1873. Until the year 1869, it was under the patronage of the Evan- gelical Church, as above stated. In that year it was removed to Naperville, and the building in Plainfield lay idle until 1871, when it was re-opened, and changed to the Fox River Union College, and was under the direction of the Congregational Church. In March, 1872, it passed into the hands of individ- uals, with Mrs. J. D. Field as Principal, under the name of Plainfield Academy, under which organization it remained until destroyed by fire. The Plainfield Ucho was established in 1876, by H. A. Tounshendeau, as a family newspaper, and was an excellent little paper during its brief existence. It was one of the half-dozen newspapers embraced in the Phoenix confederation, as noted in the history of Joliet. The former editor of the Echo is now the Plainfield correspondent of the Lockport Commercial Advertiser and has charge of«ing son. The tide of public opinion had changed when the discovery was made at the grave, and now those who had been so eager to hang Van Home were still more eager to hang McLaughlin and his wife. The development of the matter shows that old McLaughlin, his wife and son had conspired to ruin Van Home, and that they had dug up the body of the old man, taken it to the mill-pond — a distance of two miles — examined it closely enough to detect the missing teeth, or extracted them on purpose to make it correspond with the son, and then depos- ited it in the water. They had taken the wagon of Van Home and drawn it to the creek and back to turn suspicion on him. The old man got wind of the turn affairs had taken upon the opening of the letter, and made his escape before the infuriated people could get hold of him, or perhaps the historian would have the melancholy duty to perform of chronicling a sure-enough murder story, instead of one with the murder left out. Samuel Haven was also a New Yorker, and settled in this township in 1835 or 1836. He had four sons, viz., Dwight, Carlos, Rush and Alvin. Rush Haven is a physician, and lives in Chicago ; Carlos died here, and was buried in the little cemetery of New Lenox village ; and Dwight and Alvin are still living in the township. Joseph S. Reynolds was from Ohio, and settled in the town in 1833.. He had lived some time at Ottawa before coming to this settle- ment. He died some twenty-five years ago, but has sons still living in the 500 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. township, who are honored and respected citizens. Jason Rugg and David Hartshorn came from Vermont in 1836, and settled near where the village of New Lenox now stands. They had made arrangements for removing here in 1832, hut rumors of the Indian war going on at that time deterred them, and their coming was postponed until the date given above. They have both been dead several years, and both sleep in the pretty little village cemetery. James C. Kercheval was a son of Lewis Kercheval, mentioned in an earlier part of this chapter. Though but a boy, he took part in the Black Hawk war until the settlers were forced to flee to the older settlements for safety. He died in 1873, and his widow is still living in the town. The Francises came from Ohio, but were originally from England. John Francis, an Englishman, removed from England to Ireland in the year 1690, settled in the county of Cavan, and married Jane McGrregory, a Scotch lady, whose father fled from Scotland to Ireland in the time of the persecution waged by the Catholics against the Protestants. They had two sons, William and John. William died when a young man. John married Mary Sharp, by whom he had five sons — William, John, Richard, Edward and James ; and three daughters — Mary, Jane and Margaret. John married Margaret Cranston, of Scotland, by whom he had two sons. James married Esther Ingram. William married Jane Love, who was of Scotch ancestry ; and Jane married Alexander Meharry. William Francis, who married Miss Jane Love, had four sons — John L., Thomas, Abraham and Isaac; and three daughters — Jane, Margaret and Mary. Will- iam Francis, who married Jane Love, emigrated from Ireland in the year 1815, and settled in Brown County, Ohio, where his family all remained until the year 1831, at which time Abraham married Mary Ann J. Davison, of Adams County, Ohio, and moved with his brothers Thomas and Isaac to the site where the widow of Abraham Francis now lives with her son, A. Allen Francis, in the town of New Lenox, Will Co., 111. The next Spring, Mary, with her hus- band, Aaron Wear, came and settled on the section just west of Abraham Francis. Thomas removed to Bates County, Mo., where he died two years afterward. Aaron Wear removed to Morgan County, Mo., in the year 1857, where he died a few years later. Abraham Francis had five sons and six daugh- ters, of whom four sons, A. Allen, John, Charles and George L., and four daughters, Margaret (wife of N. P. Cooper), Mary A. J. (wife of John S. Blackstone) Lydia E. (wife of A. S. Haven), and Addie A. (wife of Jesse Meharry), are still living, and all but two of them live in their native town, New Lenox. Abraham died on the place where his widow now lives, an active, intelligent lady, apparently but little beyond the prime of life. She was mar- ried when but 16 years of age, and came at once to Illinois, and with her hus- band made a home where she still lives, awaiting the summons to join the companion of her youth, up beyond the blue sky. She relates the following of Father Beggs, the pioneer Methodist preacher : He came to their cabin one day, soon after they had settled in the neighborhood, and asked where her HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 501 father was. She told him he was at home in Ohio. He then inquired what she was doing away out here in the wilderness, so far away from her father's ; when, with naivete, she answered that she " had come here with her husband;" at which revelation he seemed a little surprised, from her childlike appearance. John Francis, another of her sons, is living within a short distance of her ; while a married daughter, Mrs. Cooper, also lives in the immediate neighbor- hood. The four sons reside on one street, and their farms join each other, making a continuous stretch of two and a half miles. Henry Watkins, father of the pioneer -school-teacher, came from New York and settled in New Lenox Township in the Fall of 1831, where he lived until his death, about fifteen years ago. Of others who settled on Hickory Creek at a very early period, we may mention Michael and Jared Runyon, Isaac and Samuel Pence, Joseph, Alfred and James Johnson, and Henry Higginbotham. There were, perhaps, others who are entitled to mention as early settlers, but their names have escaped the few who survive them. Higginbotham bought out Col. Sayre in 1834, and the saw-mill firm before alluded to became Wheeler & Higginbotham. The Johnsons settled near the line of Yankee Settlement, on Spring Creek. The Fences and Runyons were among the very early settlers. The Fences were in the settlement before the Sac war, but the exact date of their coming is not remembered. Edward Foor, an old soldier of the war of 1812 and of the Black Hawk war, is living on Maple street with his son, Robert Poor. He first settled in Homer Township, where he receives further notice. As stated in the beginning of this chapter, settlements were made on Hickory Creek as early as 1829, which were among the first made in Will County, perhaps Plainfield, or Walker's Grove having a little the precedence. As a natural consequence of this early settlement, births, deaths and marriages occurred here at an early period. The death of Mr. Brown, mentioned as one of the first settlers on the Creek, who died in the Fall of 1830, was the first death in this township, and is supposed to be the first person who died in Will County. The first marriage was Miss Anne Fence and Thomas Ellis. The marriage took place on the 4th of July, 1834, and was a part of the programme of the "day we celebrate," and the happy event was solemnized in Joliet, by B. F. Barker, a Justice of the Peace. This wedding is graphically described in " Forty Years Ago," to which our readers are re- ferred for particulars of the bridal costume and "fixins." It is also supposed to be the first wedding in the county. The first white child born in New Lenox Township, and perhaps in the county, was Elizabeth Norman, born in January, 1832, and Margaret Louisa Cooper, nee Francis, was the next child born in the township, and was born the 3d of January, 1834. The first practicing physi- cian in the Hickory Creek Settlement was Dr. Bowen, now of Wilmington, and the first preacher was Father Beggs, or Rev. Mr. Prentiss, who located in Joliet in an early day. We are informed by A. Allen Francis, who derived the information from the man himself that Joseph Shomaker was the first settler 502 HISTOE-Y or WILL COUNTY. in what now comprises Will County, probably arriving in the Spring of 1828, in what is now known as Reed's Grove, in the township of Jackson. We have it from Mr. Francis, also, that the first marriage in the county was that of Jedediah Woolley, Jr., of Troy Township, to Betsy Watkins, daughter of Henry Watkins, of Ne>v Lenox Township, January, 1832; and that Father Walker preached the first sermon, in 1832, in the fort or blockhouse, and Stephen Beggs, the second. The first mill was built by Joseph Norman, on Hickory Creek, about 1838 or 1834. Col. Sayre's mill was built previously, but was just over in Joliet Township. The first bridge was built across Hickory Creek, near .John Gougar's. It was built of logs, and was a rough affair. The township is well supplied with excellent bridges at the present day — having two iron bridges of improved patent, one across Hickory Creek, at New Lenox village, and the other across the north branch, while there are a number of excellent wooden bridges of substantial build. The first road laid out was the State road from Chicago to Blooming- ton, but was a little off the direct route, and was never used. The first traveled road was from Joliet east to State line, and passed by Gougar's. The first post office was kept at Mr. Gougar's, though C. C. Van Home was the Postmaster. This was not only the first post office and Postmaster in New Lenox Township but in Will County. The mail was carried on horseback from Danville to Chi- cago. Sometime after its establishment in 1832, the office was removed to Joliet, and Dr. Bowen became Postmaster. The first Justice of the Peace was C. C. Van Home. The present Justices are: T. G. Haines and Dwight Haven. Township Clerk, Sinclair Hill ; Township Treasurer, T. G. Haines, and John Francis, Supervisor. Since township organization, the following gentlemen have represented the town in the Board of Supervisors : J. Van Dusen, 1850 ; A. McDonald, 1851; B. F. Allen, 1852; G. McDonald, 1853; J. C. Kerche- val, 1854-55; D. Haven, 1856-57; J. C. Kercheval, 1858; D. Haven, 1859-60; Allen Francis, 1861-63; T. Doig, 1864; D. Haven, 1865; T. Doig, 1866-67; D. Haven, 1868 ; T. Doig, 1869 ; C. Snoad, 1870-71; John Francis, 1872; P. Cavenagh, 1873; John Francis, 1874, and is still Supervisor. " The first school was taught in New Lenox Township in the Winter of 1832-33, by C. C. Van Home. In the Summer of 1832, a schoolhouse had been built in the timber on Hickory Creek, which was a small log structure, and in this building Van Home taught the following Winter. John Watkins, the pioneer teacher, taught in this house afterward. He, it is said, taught the first school in Chicago. The school facilities of New Lenox have increased since that day, as, in 1872, the reports showed 8 schoolhouses ; 366 pupils enrolled; 14 teachers; amount of special tax $2,896.88; amount paid teachers, |2,210.13 ; total expenditures for the year, |3,342.57 ; balance in treasury, $1,338.96. The first chjjrch edifice built in New Lenox Township was the Methodist Episcopal Church, erected in 1850, and was called Bethel Methodist Church. Before this church was built, services were held in HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 503 the schoolhouses, and before schoolhouses, in the people's cabins. The Mormons •were the first who preached in the settlement, and used to promulgate their heavenly revelations as early as 1831, and next after them came the Methodists, who are mentioned as the first "real, sure-enough" preachers. The camp grounds of the Methodist Church, belonging to the Rock River Conference, located a little west of the village of New Lenox, in a beautiful grove, are very beautiful, and admirably adapted to the purposes for which they are used. The name New Lenox was taken from Lenox, N. Y. The first Supervisor under township organization was J. Van Dusen, and came from Lenox, N. Y., and when asked to name his township by the County Commissioners, gave to it the name of his native town. Previous to that it was known as Van Home's Point, from a point of timber near the center of the town, and at a still earlier date it went by the name of Hickory Creek Settlement. Maple street is a road running through the north part of the town from east to west, and was so named in consequence of the first settlers planting a number of maple-trees along the line of the road. On the political issues of the day, New Lenox is pretty evenly divided. Some years ago it was largely Republican, but with National Grreenbackers and Democrats, the Republican majority has been whittled down to the little end of nothing. As this is one of the early settled portions of Will County, its history could hardly be considered complete without some special reference to the Indians and the Sac war of 1832, so often mentioned in these pages. Although nearly a half-century has passed since those rather "ticklish " times, and most of the participants are gone where " wars and rumors of wars " come not to disturb their peace and tranquillity, there are a few left who remember well the great excitement of that period. And the very Indians themselves are almost forgot- ten by the masses, or only remembered through the reports from the distant West of their robbing, plundering and murdering. But on the 18th day of May, 1832, Hickory Creek Settlement, for the small number of inhab- itants it contained, perhaps was about as excited a community as one will gen- erally meet with in half a life-time. On that day news was brought to the set- tlement of the death and destruction being dealt out by Black Hawk and his dusky warriors. A committee of a dozen men who had the best horses were appointed to go to Plainfield and reconnoiter, and bring back news as to the truth of the reports. Thomas and Abraham Francis were on the committee, and the news brought back was not calculated to allay the existing excitement in the least. On approaching Plainfield, they discovered Indians firing on the fort or block- house, and the committee stood not on their retirement, but fell back precipi- tately, to put it into the mildest form possible. On their return, they reported to the settlers that the Indians were coming and killing everything before them. A council of war was called at " Un^le Billy " Gougar's, and it was determined to seek safety in flight, and on the 18th of May they commenced the line of inarch. The majority retreated toward the Wabash settlements, while some few 504 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. went to Chicago. The bustle and excitement of getting ready to start, and the mo- mentary expectation of hearing the terrific yells of the savages, gave rise to some ludicrous scenes, as serious as was the cause of alarm. Mr. Pence's girls came to Mr. Gougar and asked him to yoke up their oxen for them. " Yes, in a minute," said he; but before he could get ready to do so, the brave girls had yoked the cattle themselves, hitched them to the wagon, and were gone on the way toward safety. (Young ladies of Will County, how many of you could perform such a feat to-day, if an emergency should arise to demand it ?) The first day the cavalcade arrived within four miles of the Kankakee River, where they encamped for the night, intending to start at daylight and drive to the river before breakfast. But just after starting the next morning, a man named Lionbarger came up hatless, riding bare-back, and did "a tale unfold" of Indi- ans in pursuit and of murder and carnage, that completely dispelled the appe- tites of the already frightened fugitives, and they did not stop for breakfast until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and " thirty miles away " from their encampment of the previous' night. As the women and children would see the trees along the way that had been buri^ed and blackened, they would shriek, Indians ! and thus the march or retreat was continued through to a place of safety. It was dis- covered afterward that Lionbarger had mistaken fence-stakes for Indians, and hence his story of the pursuit and of his own extreme fright. He rode, it is said, eighty miles without stopping, bare-headed and without a saddle, a feat that has never been excelled, as we are aware of, even by Jim Robinson the great bare-back circus-rider. But the storm of war soon passed ; the dark and lurid clouds rolled away toward the west, and the sun came forth in all his glory — the olive-branch of peace waved over the land, and the fugitive settlers returned to their claims in July of the same year which witnessed their precip- itate retreat, never more to be disturbed in their peaceful pursuits by the red men of the forest, who, like Dickens' little Jo before the " peeler," have moved on before the "superior race," the white men, and are still moving on toward the "golden sunset," where erelong they will hear the roar of the last wave that will settle over them forever. THE VILLAGE OE NEW LENOX. This pretty little village is situated on the banks of Hickory Creek, and on the Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, thirty -three miles from Chicago, and about six miles from Joliet. It is surrounded by a beautiful grove of timber, and grand old forest-trees shade it in Summer and protect it against the storms of Winter. The village of New Lenox was laid out in 1858 by George Gay- lord, of Lockport, and surveyed by A. J. Mathewson, County Surveyor. The village is known on the original plat by the name of Tracy, and was given in honor of the General Superintendent of the railroad at the time of the laying- out of the village. But with a modesty rarely met with in the present day, he shrank from such notoriety, and at his urgent request, the name was changed HISTORY OF WILL COUIiTY. 50a to New Lenox, to correspond 'witli the name of the township. A man of the name of Robinson built the first residence in the village, and Van Home put up the next one. Both of these were built before the village was laid out. David Letz built the next house, which is now a part of the hotel kept by Doxtader . The first storehouse was erected by Paschal Woodward, who owned both the building and the stock, though it was managed by a man named Haines. The first post office was established in 1858, and John B. Saulsbury was appointed the first Postmaster. The mail-bags are now handled by Ward Knickerbocker. An excellent grain warehouse was built by Samuel Woodward, and is now owned by the railroad company and rented by George Hilton, who handles grain pretty extensively. The first schoolhouse was built long before the village was laid out, and stood just across the street from Ward Knicker- bocker's store. The present handsome school edifice was built in 1869, is a two-story frame and cost about $3,000. Prof. Frank Searles is. principal of the school, and employs an assistant during the Winter season. The following is a summary of the business carried on in the village : Three stores — W. Knick- erbocker, Tunis Lynk and George Hilton ; three blacksmith-shops, one grain warehouse, two wagon-shops, one hotel, one tin-shop, one physician — Dr. F. W . Searles. J. B. Saulsbury carries on a butter-factory, which is quite an estab- lishment, and adds materially to the importance and business of the village. He does not make cheese, but devotes his entire attention to the manufacture of butter, and works up from four to five thousand pounds of milk daily, which is made up on shares for his patrons. The village has two pretty little churches, viz.: The Methodist and Grace Episcopal. The Methodist Church was built in the village in 1859, and is the same, as mentioned in another page, as being built in the township in 1850, and called Bethel Church. It was taken down in 1859 and moved to the village and new material added to it and the present edifice erected, at a cost of about • $1,000. It has about sixty members, under the pastorate of Rev. George P. Hoover. Allen Francis is Superintendent of the Sunday school, which is well attended. Grace Episcopal Church was opened to service in September, 1870. It is a frame building, painted stone-color, and cost $2,000, with a membership of about fifty, under the pastoral charge of Rev. Mr. Turner. Quite a flourishing Sunday school is maintained under the superintendence of Sinclair Hill. Upon a sunny slope of the village, where the south winds sigh through the forest-trees that shade it, is the beautiful little village grave-yard, where sleep the loved ones, who have gone to their rest. It is a pretty spot and shows many traces of loving hands in the planting of shrubs and flowers above the sleeping dead. The village of Spencer is situated on the cut-off division of the Michigan Central Railroad,, about nine miles from Joliet, and is two miles from New Lenox village. It was surveyed by A. J. Mathewson, County Surveyor, for Frank Goodspeed and Albert Mudge, who owned the land on which it is loca- 506 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. ted. It was laid out in 1856, about the time the railroad was built through this section. The first storehouse erected in the place was the one occupied by Russell Kennedy in 1856, the same year the village was laid out. The post office was established in 1857, and James Holmes was appointed Postmaster, an office he still holds. The first grain elevator was built in 1857 by the railroad company, and, on its completion, was dedicated by a rousing ball, in which the boys and girls of the surrounding country participated to their entire satisfac- tion. In 1875, H. S. Carpenter built another large elevator, and this, like- wise, was similarly dedicated. Indeed, this seems to be the usual mode of opening elevators in this section of the country. It is now operated by W. M. Dudley, who, also, has the other elevator rented, in order to keep other parties out of the business at this point. He handles annually something like 800 car- loads of grain — principally corn and oats. The general business of Spencer is two stores, by N. P. Holmes and Knapp Brothers ; one saloon, a post office, a blacksmith-shop, a shoe-shop, two grain elevators and one grain dealer. There is neither a church or schoolhouse within the limits of the village. A consid- able amount of business is transacted in this little and apparently unimportant village — far more than a stranger would imagine at first sight ; but it is in the midst of a rich and fertile region, and immense quantities of grain and stock are annually shipped from this little station. FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. " Frankfort-on-the-Main," otherwise Frankfort Township, comprises one of the stair-steps of Will County, forming a "jog" in the line, and is bounded on the north and east by Cook County, on the south by Greengarden Township, on the west by New Lenox, and had a population, in 1870, of about one thou- sand nine hundred and twenty inhabitants. The town is mostly fine, rolling prairie, with the exception of a few sections bordering Hickory Creek, the only water-course of any consequence. Frankfort Township is termed the summit of this portion of the State, and is said to be the highest point between Chicago and the Mississippi River. It is described as Town 35 north, Range 12 east of the Third Principal Meridian, and is as fine an agricultural region as Will County can boast. Forty-eight years have come and gone since white men began to settle in the territory now embraced in Frankfort Township. William Rice is supposed to have been the first white man whose footsteps marked the virgin prairie in this portion of Will County. He made a kind of prospecting tour through here in 1828, but did not make a permanent settlement until in the Summer of 1831. During the Spring and Summer of that year, John McGovney, Will- iam Moore, William Rice and a man named Osborne settled near where the village of Mokena now stands. Not long, however, were they allowed to remain in peace and tranquillity. The notes of war were wafted to them upon HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 50T the prairie winds, and the war-whoops of Black Hawk and his warriors warned them that this was no safe abiding-place. Early in the Spring of 1832, safety demanded a retreat to a more thickly-settled country, and they accordingly returned to the Wabash settlement, or to Lafayette, Ind. McGovney, Moore and Rice were from Ohio, and Osborne had come from Indiana, but whether that was his native place or not could not be learned. After the close of the Indian war, McGovney and Rice came back to their claims, in the Spring of 1834. Moore and Osborne, it appears, however, were fully satisfied with frontier life, and never returned — at least not to this settlement. Mr. McGovney pre-empted eighty acres of land, and succeeded in getting a "float" on another " eighty," a portion of which is embraced in the present village of Mokena. He is considered the first permanent settler of Frankfort Township. The land was not in market at the time he settled here, and set- tlers chose their locations and " squatted," provided there were no prior, claims Range 11 was sold in 1836, and Range 12 in 1838, at Chicago. Mr. McGovney died on his original place March 11, 1859. W. W. McGov- ney, a son, now lives in New Lenox Township ; another son, Ozias, is a prosperous merchant in the village of Mokena ; Thomas G., another son, lives in JoHet, and Elijah, the youngest, lives on the old homestead. The family consisted of eight children, and all lived until the youngest was 32 years old. Matthew Van Home settled here, it is said, in 1832, and remained during the Black Hawk war. He was from New York, and was good-naturedly termed by his neighbors a Mohawk Dutchman. He settled one mile west of the present village of Frankfort, in the Hickory Creek timber, where he lived and died, and where his widow still lives, in the same old house where they spent more than half their lives. Peter Clayes came from New Hampshire, and set- tled first in the vicinity of Lockport, but removed to Frankfort Township in the Spring of 1837. Orlando and Levi M. Clayes, his sons, came in the Fall of 1836 ; CharlcS, another son, came out and worked on their claim during the Winter, and in the Spring the remainder of the family came. They bought their claim from one Robert Smith, who was from Vermont, and settled here in 1835. The elder Clayes is dead, and Charles lives on the homestead place. E. Atkins and a brother, John Atkins, came from Vermont, and were among the first settlers in the township after the close of the Sac war, and about the same time came Weir and Duncan, from the Wabash settlements. Their first names are now forgotten. Foster Kane and Archibald Crowl were from the same section. It is said that Kane was in the settlement all through the Black Hawk war, and settled on the place afterward occupied by Matthew Van Home ; but this we are inclined to doubt somewhat. Crowl settled near the village of Mokena, in 1834 or 1835. He finally moved to Missouri ; Kane moved South in a short time after the war was over, and afterward to Missouri, where he died many years ago. Daniel Wilson came from Ohio and settled in 1834 or 508 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 1835. Francis Owen was from Kentucky, and came in 1835. Phineas Holden and Trueman Smith were from Vermont, and settled also in 1835. Ambrose Doty came from Ohio, in 1834, and settled on the line between Frankfort and New Lenox Townships. His land lay on both sides of the line, and his first cabin was built just over the line in New Lenox Township ; but when, some years later, he built a new and more pretentious residence, he set it on the opposite side of the line, and thus became a resident of Frankfort Township. As stated, he came from Ohio, but was born in Norris County, N. J. He has been living for some years in Frankfort village. Isaac Francis also came from Ohio, but was a native of the "Ould Sod," and settled in the town in 1835. Allen and Lysander Denny, a Mr. Wood, and David Ketcbum came from New York in 1834 or 1835. Wood had two sons, Hiram and Sydney ; one of them, a Methodist clergyman, moved to the Rock River country ; the father and the other son moved away, also, but where, we could not learn. The Dennys set- tled in the Hickory Creek timber — Allen near Mokena, and Lysander on the Creek, where he built a saw-mill, and after a time sold out and moved to the village of Spencer, where he died. Allen finally returned to New York, where he died several years ago. William Knight, also a New Yorker, came in the Fall of 1834, and settled in the Grove, but sold out in a few years and returned to New York. This includes a number of the early settlers of Frankfort Town- ship, and, perhaps, a majority of those who settled in the town prior to the (and sale, are mentioned in this list. After the sale of these lands, the com- munity rapidly filled up until not a section was left unoccupied. There are no bet- ter farming lands in the county, as shown by the following statistics from the Assessor's books for 1877. ACRES. BUSHELg. Corn 5,721 188,900 Spring Wheat.. 24 400 Oats 4,822 175,170 Rye 2 60 Buckwheat 7 126 Irish Potatoes 208 15,170 Apple Orchard 262 s Flaxseed 125 POUNDS. Grapes 1,500 TONS. Timothy Meadow 2,395 ' 3,050 Clover Meadow 30 30 Prairie Meadow 1,865 2,380 Pasture 1,664 (not including woodland.) Fat Sheep sold 145 — average weight, 90 lbs. per head. Fat Cattle, " 244 " " 1,000 '.' " Fat Hogs " 867 " " 250 " " No of Hogs died of Cholera 316 " " 100 " " No. of Cows kept 835 Pounds of Butter sold 25,780 Gallons of Milk sold 185,150 JOU^T HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 511 John W. McGovney, a son of John McGovney, noticed as the first settler ■of this township, was the first white child born in the settlement. He was born in the Spring of 1832, just before the settler left the place for the Wabash settlements, at the beginning of the Sac war. As to the first death and mar- riage, the few survivors of the early days, are somewhat uncertain as to •who they were, or when they occurred. The first physician who practiced the healing art in the neighborhood was Dr. Moses Porter, of Hadley ; Dr. W. P. Holden was the first resident physician in the township, and practiced many years, but has at length retired and given the field to younger men. The first mill was built by Matthew Van Home, about 1835-36, and was originally a saw-mill only, but a run of stones was afterward added, for grind- ing corn. A saw-mill was built prior to this by Denny, but it was a saw-mill only. A store was opened, in 1836, by 0. & L. M. Clayes, which was the first mercantile effort in the township. They continued in the business for eight or ten years, when they closed out, and one M. C. Farewell opened a store in the same house they had occupied. The latter did business under the firm name of Farewell & Case. Case lived in Chicago, and furnished the goods, and Fare- well conducted the store. A post ofiice was established in 1837, with L. M. Clayes as Postmaster one of the merchants mentioned above. The name of the oflSce was Chelsea, and after the Clayes Brothers discontinued their store, the office was moved to Van Home's, and he was made Postmaster, an office he held until some years after the post office had been moved to the new village of Frankfort, as noticed hereafter. When the office was first established, the mail was brought by "horse express fast line" from La Porte, Ind., to Joliet once a week. A village was laid out here in 1848-49 by Charles Clayes and M. C. Farewell, which was called Chelsea. The former owned the premises, and the place had some show of becoming quite a town; but upon the completion of the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad it was abandoned, and the last traces of it have now disappeared. The first sermon preached in the town was perhaps by Father Beggs, who, as noticed in other parts of this work, was one of the pioneer preachers of the county. The Rev. Mr. Blackwell, another of the early Methodist itinerants, formed a class at Mr. Doty's about 1836 or 1837, just over the line in New Lenox Township, but at that day was included in this settlement, or this was included in that, and all known as the Hickory Creek Settlement. Mr. Doty's residence was a regular preaching-place until the era of schoolhouses, as there was no church edifice built until after the village of Frankfort was laid out. There is but one church-building in the town outside of the villages — the German Lutheran Church — which is located about three miles northeast of Frankfort village. It was built in 1877 ; is a neat frame building, costing about |1,500, and has quite a flourishing membership. The church history will be again referred to in the history of the villages. The first schools taught in the town 512 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. were by Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Hiram Wood, but to which belongs the honor of teaching the first, no one can now tell. They both taught in a little log schoolhouse, which stood on Section 19, built for school purposes, but afterward converted into a dwelling. The school facilities have somewhat increased since' then, and will compare favorably with any town in the county. In 1872, we- find there were ten districts and nine schoolhouses. There were 652 pupils enrolled, and fifteen teachers employed, with two graded schools in addition to the common schools. The amount paid teachers was $2,724.90, leaving balance in treasury of $2,818.14. Further notice of the schools will be made in connec- tion with the history of the villages of Frankfort Township. The first Justices of the Peace were Thomas Lang and Matthew Van Home. Lang had the- precedence by a few years, and after his term Van Home dealt out justice to the offenders of the law. The present township ofiicers are John McDonald, Super- visor; J. S. Glaus and George Morgan, Justices of the Peace; John Cappel, Town Clerk, and Moriz Weiss, School Treasurer. In 1852, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was built through the town. The first freight shipped over the road was consigned to Ambrose Doty and Isaac Francis, and consisted of a couple of car-loads of lumber. There were no- stations, and when the railroad men asked where they should put it off, were told anywhere in the township, said they could leave it one place as well as another, and put it off near the present village of Mokena. In 1855, the " Cut-Off," or Joliet Division of the Michigan Central was completed through, and the town- has since been blest with unbounded railroad facilities. These roads were built without aid from the township, and so were independent of the town, and the town of them. There has, we believe, been another road projected, and, per- haps, partly graded, but has been dropped or discontinued. But as the railroads- of the county are extensively noticed in the general history, we will pass with- out further mention of them here. The cheese-factory of Messrs. Baumgartner & Co. is an extensive establish- ment. It is owned by a stock company, consisting of John and Jacob Baum- gartner, George Geuther, Francis Maue and E. Higgens. They have an excel- lent brick factory with stone basement, built at a cost of $6,000.. It is about two miles north of Frankfort village, and was built in 1875. The manufacture of butter and cheese is carried on rather largely, but not to the full capacity of the factory, owing to the lack of material. About $10,000 is the amount of business annually, but much more could be done if a greater supply of milk could be obtained. This township was named by Mr. Cappel, an old German citizen, for Frank- fort-on-the-Main, his native place, a name it has always borne. The town is largely Republican, and has always been so. It is remembered by many that at one period of its history there were. not half a dozen Democratic votes in the entire town. But the latter party has gained some strength in the last few years, and the National Greenback party at present bids fair to create a revolu- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 513 tion in its political record. The war history, like all portions of Will County, is good, and many brave soldiers are accredited to this township. THE VILLAGE OF MOKENA. Mokena is situated on the Chicago & Rock 'Island Railroad, about ten miles east of Joliet. The original village was laid out in 1852, before the Rail- road was fully completed, by Allen Denny. An addition was made to it soon after, by John McGrovney, which- was surveyed by A. J. Matthewson, County Surveyor. Knapp & Smith put up the first building, which was used for the double purpose of store and dwelling, and they were the first merchants in the place. The first hotel was built by Charles Gall, in 1853, and was the next next building erected after Knapp & Smith's store, which had been put up in the Winter of 1851—52, before the village was laid out and before the Railroad was completed. William McCoy built the first blacksmith-shop, in the Winter of 1853-54. Ozias McGovney was the first Justice of the Peace in the village, and was elected in 1850, an office he held for twenty-one years uninterruptedly. He is also a lawyer by profession, but has not practiced for a number of years, and at the present time is engaged in the mercantile business. A post office was es- tablished in the village in the Spring of 1853, and Warren Knapp was the first Postmaster, receiving his commission soon after the inauguration of President Pierce. Ozias McGovney is the present Postmaster, and has been for the past three years. McGovney bought out Smith, of the firm of Knapp & Smith, and the firm became Knapp & McGovney, and so continued for a number of years. They were the first grain buyers, and bought from wagons and loaded into the cars without the aid of elevators. Cross & Jones built a steam-mill in 1855, and about 1865, took out the machinery and shipped it to Kansas, when the mill building was changed into the Mokena Elevator, and is owned and operated by Charles Hirsch, the only grain dealer now in the village. Noble Jones speculates in grain and has an office here, but does business mostly on the Board of Trade, in Chicago. The first "schoolhouse was built in 1855, and was a small frame, costing $1,000. James Pierce taught the first sch6ol in it, soon after it was completed. The present elegant schoolhouse was built in 1872, is a substantial two-story frame, with stone basement, and cost, together with furniture, about $10,000, just ten times the amount of the first schoolhouse. Mrs. Sarah Baldwin is Principal of the school ; Miss Swalm, assistant teacher, and Miss Clara Williams is teacher of the Primary Department. It is a flourishing school, ably-managed and well-attended. The Mokena Advertiser, a spicy little newspaper, was established by Charles A. Jones, in 1874, and was published until May, 1877, when he died, and the paper was discontinued. His brother, however, carries on a job office in the old Advertiser office. The village is not incorporated, though containing about six hundred inhab- itants. Several efforts have been made to incorporate it, but have always been 514 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. defeated, and so it still exists under township organization. The business of Mokena may be summarized as follows : Five general stores, two hardware stores, two drug stores, two blacksmith-shops, two wagon-shops, two harness- shops, three hotels, one furniture store, three millinery stores, two butcher- shops, and seven lager-beer saloons, grain buyers, etc. There are two physi- cians — Drs. Alexander and Joy. A large majority of the citizens are Ger- mans ; are honest, industrious and enterprising citizens, quietly moving on in their own easy way, without interfering in the business of others. The Mokena Methodist Church was built in 1868, but the society was or- ganized several years before, in the schoolhouse. The present Pastor is Rev. Richard Gillespie, and the membership of the Church is rather small. The building is occupied every alternate Sabbath by the Baptists, who have quite a prosperous society, with Rev. J. B. Dibell as Pastor. He has been in charge of the Baptist congregation since 1851, except two years. A large and flourish- ing Union Sunday School of these denominations is carried on under the super- intendence of Deacon Rollin Marshall. The German Lutheran Church was built in 1859, and is a substantial frame building, which cost about $1,500. It was built under the pastorate of Rev. Charles Myer. The present minister is Rev. Charles Schwaub, and the society numbers seventy-two members. The Church supports an interesting Sunday school, with E. Oswald as Superintendent. St. Mary's German Catholic Church was built in 1864, under the ministe- rial labors of Father Fasbanter, and cost $1,400. About thirty families wor- ship at its altar, under the spiritual guidance of Father Francis Sixen, present Pastor of the congregation. A good Sunday school is usually maintained, though it is having a kind of recess at present. This embraces about all of the historical facts pertaining to the village of Mokena, which is a neat and tasty little town, though it does not present the appearance of a place that is improving and building up very rapidly. " FEANKFOET-ON-THE-MAIN." The village of Frankfort was named for the township, and the township was named for Frankfort-on-the Main, as already noticed. Frankfort village is situated on the Joliet cut-ofi' of the Michigan Central Railroad, about twelve miles from Joliet, and was laid out in 1855 — the same year the cut-off railroad was built through the township. It was laid out by S. W. Bowen, who owned eighty acres of land embraced in the village. The first store was kept by a man named Higley, a very small affair (the store — not Higley), and did not continue long. The next store — and the first really deserving the name — was opened by N. A. Carpenter in the Spring of 1855, who also put up the first building designed for a storehouse. The first hotel was built by a man named Doud in the Summer of 1855, and still does duty as a hostelry under the supervision of J. R. Letts. The post oflBce in the village was kept by Carpen- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 515 ter, as deputy under Van Home, who was mentioned in the township history as accepting the Chelsea post oflSce from L. M. Clayes. After its removal to this place, the name of the oiBce was changed to Frankfort. Van Home remained Postmaster for three years, but the duties of the office were performed by Mr. Carpenter, and after the expiration of the three years, William B. Cleveland became Postmaster. At present, Lewis Claus opens the mail-bags and dis- tributes the contents to his patrons. Nicholas Fortmiller kept the first black- smith-shop, in 1855, and is now a farmer in Greengarden Township. The first grain bought at this place was by N. A. Carpenter, who bought for J. L. Hurd & Co., of Detroit. They built the first grain elevator, in 1856, which was burnt in February, 1878. John McDonald was the next buyer, and is still in the business, a prosperous grain merchant. He bought, for a number of years, from wagons, and loaded in the cars. In 1878, he built his elevator, one of the best in the county, and which cost between |6,000 and $7,000. It has a capacity of about twenty-five thousand bushels, and is supplied with steam-power. McDonald has a large trade in grain, and ships altogether East, over the " cut-off" railroad. The Frankfort Elevator was built in Decem- ber, 1875, by Carroll & Mayer, and at present is owned and operated by D. W. Hunter. It cost about $8,000, and has a capacity of 42,000 bushels ; is sup- plied with steam-power — Chase's patent. There are from ten to twelve hundred car-loads of grain (corn and oats) handled by this elevator annually, all of which is shipped directly East. The business of Frankfort consists of four general stores, viz.: L. & J. S. Claus, B. Baumgartner, Jacob Mueller and B. Bal- chowsky ; A. B. Barker, drug store ; T. Herschbach, hardware and stoves ; two hotels, Curtis Williams and J. R. Letts ; Stevens Brothers, manufacturers of plows, wagons and agricultural implements, with butchers-shops, blacksmith and wagon shops, harness-shops, millinery-shops and several lager-beer saloons. Dr. Haas is the only practicing physician since the retiremenc of Dr. Holden. The first schoolhouse in the village was built in 1856, and is now used as a dwelling-house. Josiah Carpenter taught the first school after its erection. The first school in the village, however, was taught by Miss Lizzie Kent before the building of the schoolhouse. The present handsome and well-designed schoolhouse was built in 1870 ; is a two-story frame, and cost about $5,000. The Principal of the school at present is Prof 0. P. Blatchly, with Miss Raver as assistant teacher, and an average attendance of about one hundred and fifty pupils. The Methodist Church was built in 1856, and was the first church edifice in both the village and the township. The society was originally organized in the "log schoolhouse," one mile east of the village, and grew out of the society formed at Doty's, as elsewhere mentioned. The building is a frame, cost about $2,000, and the present Pastor is Rev. George K. Hoover. A Sunday school is maintained, of which John Sinclair is Superintendent. The Baptist Church was built in 1863, a frame building, costing $1,600. Rev. David Letts was the first Pastor, and lives now in Iowa, Rev. Stephen Bar- 516 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. terick is the present Pastor, and has a membership of thirty or forty. The society supports a flourishing Sunday school, of which the Pastor is Superin- tendent. The German Evangelical Lutheran (United) Church was built in 1868. It is a frame building 30x56 feet, cost $2,000, and has a membership of about forty. Rev. T. Walter is Pastor, who is also Superintendent of the Sunday school, which is attended by from forty to sixty children. Our Chris- tian Neighbor is a small religious paper, published monthly in the village, and edited by the Rev. George K. Hoover. The Frankfort Germania Saengerbund is a society devoted to musical cult- ure, and controlled by a President, Vice President and Board of Directors. It was organized in June, 1875, and incorporated by act of the Legislature. The first Board of Directors were Martin Muff, Jacob Mueller, Charles F. Bau- man and George Fink, and the present Board are M. Muff, C. Kuerschner, C. F. Bauman and Nettles. Martin Muff is President ; Casper Kuerschner, Vice President, and Ludwig, Roehler, Teacher. They have an excellent hall, which cost $1,200, and three acres of ground in the beautiful grove north of the village, which cost $265. The society numbers twenty-five members, is in a flourishing state, and the next annual meeting of the Will County Saenger- bund will be held in their hall, in the village of Frankfort. The fee of mem- bership is $2, and 50 cents a month, dues. It is a source of much interest to the German citizens, who comprise a large majority of the population of the place. The oldest citizens of the village still surviving are : N. A. Carpenter, A. B. Barker and Mr. Ruggles. Henry Dressier is the oldest German citizen of the place. HOMER TOWNSHIP. The classical land of Homer — the site of the famous " Yankee Settlement," and peopled from the old and refined States of the Union, is one of the finest townships of Will County. About three-fourths of it is fine rolling prairie, as rich and productive as the sun shines on in his daily journey, while the remaining fourth is covered, or was at the time of its settlement, with excellent timber, mostly white oak. It is bounded on the north and east by Cook County, on the south by New.Lenox Township and on the west by Lockport, with a population, in 1870, of 1,280 inhabitants. No railroads cross its borders, nor are any large villages or towns located within its limits, but it is a thoroughly farming district and still maintains its reputation of Yankee thrift and intelligence. It is described as Township 36 north, Range 11 east of the Third Principal Meridian. The first settlements in Homer Township was before the Sac war, during which period some of the settlers fled with their families to the Wabash settle- ments and others to Fort Dearborn at Chicago, but returned to the settlements and joined Sisson's company in the blockhouse so often referred to in these pages. The following names were among those belonging to Capt. Sisson a HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 617 •company in the blockhouse during the Indian war : Benjamin Butterfield, Thomas Fitzsimons, James Glover, John McMahon, Joseph Johnson, James Ritchey, Edward Poor, Joseph and James Cox, John Helm, Salmon Groode- now, Joseph McCune, Selah Lanfear, Peter Polly, David and Alva Crandall. Of these, Joseph Johnson and his two sons are supposed to be the first settlers in Homer Township. They were from Ohio, and came in the Fall of 1830, and were in the town during the Winter of the deep snow, and suffered all the hardships of that dreary Winter. The elder Johnson died in the Summer of 1846. James Ritchey came from Ohio, and settled here in the Spring of 1831. He made a trip through the country in November of 1830 and selected his location, and moved out in the following Spring. During his first trip to the country, in the Fall of 1830, he says, as he wandered through dismal swamps, dark forests and lonely prairies, he for the first time in a long trip wished him- self safe back at home. He made his claim on Section 9, where he has lived «ver since, but has recently sold out to his son-in-law, with whom he at present lives. Mr. Ritchey is in good bodily health, but has been almost blind for a number of years. Edward Poor was a North Carolinian, but had lived for years in Tennessee, and came here from Indiana in the Spring of 1831, and is yet living in New Lenox Township. He served in the war of 1812, also in the Black Hawk war, and is now about 84 years of age. Joseph and James Cox came from Indiana in 1831, but whether that was their native State or not we are unable to say. John McMahon is the first who settled in what was termed Gooding's Grove. He made a claim there and sold it to Gooding, upon his arrival in 1832. McMahon came from Indiana, but was originally from Ohio, and was here during the Indian war. Salmon Goodenow was from Ohio, but had lived some time in Indiana before settling in this township in 1882. Joseph McCune was his brother-in-law, and after the war was over, returned to Indiana, where he remained for a time and then came back and settled in what was called Jackson's Grove. Goodenow moved down about Reed's Grove, where, it is said, he got tired of life and finally cut his own throat. John Helm came from Indiana and settled in Gooding's Grove in 1832. He went to Indiana during the war, and when it was over, came back to the Grove and found James Gooding on his claim, and sold it to him for flO, and shook the dust of Yankee Settle- ment from ofi" his feet. Benjamin Butterfield, who lived on the place afterward occupied by Jireh Rowley, and which Rowley bought from him on his arrival in the country, was an Eastern man, but had been living some time in Indiana before removing to Homer. He is noticed in Lockport, also, and as removing to Iowa, where he was living when last heard from. Peter Polly and a younger brother were in the fort, and came from Indiana in the Summer of 1832. Selah Lanfear was from New York, and came to the settlement in 1832. He is said to have first settled in Lockport Township. Yankee Settlement extended to tlte river in Lockport Township, and it is a rather difficult task sometimes to keep all on their respective sides of the fence. David and Alva Crandall were from 518 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. New York, and came to the settlement in 1832. Both were in the fort, and Alva was Orderly Sergeant of Capt. Sisson's company, while David was a private in the same command. John Blackstone, or Judge Blackstone, who settled at Ha(i^Iey Post Office, was First Lieutenant of this military company, while John Kay, a brother-in-law of Blackstoiie's, was Second Lieutenant. They were from Ohio, and married in the Glover family. Thomas Fitzsimons was from New York, and came in 1832. He started to California during the gold excitement of 1849 and 1850, and died before reaching his' destination. Jame& Glover was from Ohio, and settled in the town in 1 831 or 1832. He went to Iowa in 1854, and was alive at the last heard from him. Two others belonged to the mil- itary band were of the Homer settlers, viz.. Ashing and McGahan, but of them little could be ascertained. This, so far as can now be ascertained, comprised the settlement of Homer Township, or, as it was then called, Yankee Settlement, at the time of the Black Hawk war, and the names above given were in the blockhouse in 1832, and were members of Capt. Sisson's company. Nearly all of them are gone to join that army of white-robed saints over on the other shore, where the pale-face and the savage do not war with each other, but sit down in peace together in the Father's kingdom. None are known to be alive now except James Ritchey and Edward Poor ; the former is extremely sprightly, except his blindness, for a man of his years, and possesses a most wonderful memory. In fact, his recollections of the time ?pent in the fort are as vivid as though of recent occurrence. Mr. Poor, as stated, lives in New Lenox Town- ship. Several of the others were alive when last heard from, but as they have removed to other States there is no definite information concerning them. Their Captain, Holder Sisson, died but a few months ago, as noticed in the history of Lockport Township. Luther C. Chamberlain came from New York in 1832, and purchased a claim to eighty acres of land in Homer Township, and a claim to eighty acres of Canal land, then returned to New York, and in January, 1833, came back, bringing his two sons with him. His son, S. S. Chamberlain (now of Lock- port), rode an Indian pony through from New York, which his father had pur- chased at Plainfield on his first trip. Through representations made by Mr. Chamberlain on his return home from his first trip to this section, when he came back in 1833, the following gentlemen came with him to look at the country: Ebenezer Griswold, Warren Hanks (a bachelor at the time), Capt. Rowley and his son J. B. Rowley (the latter still living in Homer), Oscar Hawley (oldest son of Lyman Hawley, and for a number of years clerk of Will County), Abram Snapp (father of Hon. Henry Snapp of Joliet), and Dr. Weeks (the father of Judge Weeks of Joliet). The most of these returned for their families, and came back and settled in this township, of whom were Dr. Weeks, Capt. Rowley and Mr. Snapp ; here they lived, honored and respected citizens to the day of their death. Mr. Chamberlain settled where Rev. Mr. Cowell now lives, and planted the beautiful row of maple-trees that are now the HIST0R"5' OF WILL COUNTY. 51& admiration of all who pass that way, and are said to be the first trees planted in Homer Township. He died in May, 1878, at the age of 90 years. S. S- Chamberlain says he slept in Lociport for the first time on the night of Feb- ruary 27, 1833, and that there is not another man living, so far as his knowl- edge extends, that can with truth say the same. He remembers to have heard his father and Capt. Rowley remark that the prairies of Homer would never be settled in their life-time, and they would always have it for the range of their own stock, and in four years there was not an "eighty" left vacant. Deacon James Gooding, the father of William, Jasper A. and James Gooding, Jr., was from New York, and came to this township and settled in Gooding's Grove in 1832. He was 60 years of age when he came to the settlement, and lived at the Grove bearing his name until his death. His son, William Gooding, who is mentioned in the history of Lockport Township, planted a nursery and cultivated an extensive orchard here, perhaps the first eflbrt at fruit-growing in the township, or even in Will County. Benjamin Weaver came from New York in the Fall of 1833, and died in 1870, at the advanced age of 90 years. John Lane was also from New York, and came to the settlement in 1833. He was the inventor of the first steel breaking-plow ever used in Northern Illinois or in th(! Western country. He has been dead many years. Frederick and Addison Collins were from New York State, and were brothers. Addison was a lawyer by profession, and had practiced for a time in Rochester before removing West. He went to the Legislature from this county, and it is said that it was through him that Gov. Matteson's little speculation in Canal scrip was discovered. But this is familiar to all our readers, and is withal an unpleasant theme, so we will pass it without further allusion. Addison Collins died in this town in March, 1864. Frederick Collins is still living within a mile or two of where he settled some forty-five years ago, and is still an active man for his time of life. Jireh Rowley came from Monroe County, N. Y., in 1838, and settled on Section 19, where he lived about three years, when he sold out and entered land on Section 34, where he lived until his death, which occurred in Decem- ber, 1844, on the place now occupied by his son, A- G. Rowley. Calvin Row- ley, another son, came out in 1832, driving a peddler-wagon all the way through from New York. He made a claim, on which he erected a cabin, and in which the family moved upon their arrival. Calvin Rowley now lives in the city of Rockford. Hiram Rowley, another son, lives in Chicago, and J. B. and Phineas K. Rowley, two other sons, live in this township, and are prosperous farmers. The Rowleys bought their claim from Benjamin Butterfield, who had entered the land where 'Squire Rowley now lives. The elder Rowley had mar- ried a second wife before leaving New York — a Mrs. Gray, who had several children, and they came West with the Rowley family. There were three daughters and two sons ; one of these sons, Charles M. Gray, is freight agent of the Michigan Southern Railroad, a position he has been in for the past 520 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. twenty years. The other son, George M. Gray, is agent of the Palace Car Company of Chicago. One of the daughters married S. S. Chamberlain, of Lockport. They came round the lakes on their way here, in an old schooner, and landed at Chicago, when Chicago was not, but a swampy marsh called Chi- cago, since grown into the recognized metropolis of the Northwest. Their landing at Chicago, and their trip form there to Homer, is graphically described by 'Squire Rowley in an article written about two years ago for the Joliet Sun : " On or about the 17th of July, 1833, the sail-vessel Amaranth, anchored in Lake Michigan, nearly opposite Fort Dearborn (Chicago), after a voyage of three weeks out from Buffalo, N. Y., and having on board about seventy- five souls, and among them was the writer, then a boy about 10 years old. The vessel was relieved of her cargo by means of small boats, and the passengers after being taken on shore, were entertained as best they could be, ' in and around ' the residence of Herman Bond, which was built of logs and sods, and was located near the foot of Monroe street. Chicago then consisted of the fort at the mouth of the river, the house of John Kinzie, and some French shanties ■on the North Side, the hotel kept by Ingersoll, at the forks, a store at Wolf Point, the intersection of Lake and South Water streets, the frame of what was afterward called the Mansion House, on the north side of Lake, between Dear- born and State streets, a few other shanties, and the ' palatial residence ' of our host. After taking in Chicago the next day, three of the several families who had journeyed together thus far chartered some ' prairie schooners ' and ' set sail ' for their destination, in what is now the town of Homer, Will County. This ■colony was composed of the families of Capt. Jireh Rowley, John Lane and Charles M. Gray, the latter, now and for many years past, freight agent of the Michigan Southern Railroad at Chicago. We made our way as we could through the tall rosin weeds, with very little track, to Lawton's (now Riverside) and thence to Flagg Creek. Here we found the body of a log cabin, and the owner, Mr. E. Wentworth, whose place in after years became quite a noted stage stand. W^e fought the mosquitoes until morning, and after partaking of our frugal meal, we launched out upon the prairie, and at noon halted at the Big Spring near Lilly-Cache Grove, and upon what is now the farm of Thomas J. Sprague. After refreshments, we moved on, crossing the Des Planes River at what was known as Butterfield's Ford, opposite the present town of Lockport, and near nightfall arrived at our destination, all weary and sad. Calvin Rowley (now of Rockford) who came on prior to the Sac war, was here and had erected a log cabin in the timber, about a mile and a half east of the river. Here we stayed until other and better places could be provided. On looking around we found already here, Selah Lanfear, Luther Chamberlain, Holder Sisson, Capt. Fuller, Armstead Runyon, Edward Poor, James Ritchey, John Blackstone, John Stitt and a few others settled in what was afterward called the Yankee Settlement." We offer no apology for this lengthy extract, but deem it very appropriate in these pages. It is but the reflex of hundreds of the early set- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 521 tiers and their early experiences, as many of our readers will be able to testify when they peruse this work. Hale S. Mason, another of the pioneei's of Homer who is still living, was originally from the old Bay State, and came to this settlement in 1834, where he lived for twelve years, when he moved into Lockport Township, and located about a mile northeast of the village, and where he still lives, an active old man. Two years ago he and his good lady celebrated their golden wedding, and to them it has been a golden life. Happy in each other's love and each other's society, they have gone hand in hand down life's pathway, sharing its joys and dividing its sorrows. They came through in ■ wagons from Bristol, Ontario County, N. Y., where they had for some time resided, and which, we believe, was Mrs. Mason's native place, and were on the road four weeks, arriving here on the 6th day of June. Mrs. Mason kept a diary or journal of the trip, and no doubt it contained many items of interest — items that would be very entertaining to read at this distant period, if it could be fished up out of the " rubbish of forgotten things." Mr. Mason's two sons, who were rather young then, enjoyed the trip for the first week, but after that became so tired of the monotony that they seemed almost as ready to die as to get into the wagon of a morning and start on the journey of the day. Jaspfer A. Gooding came out with the Masons, and a daughter of his soon grew so homesick that she said one day she would be willing to go back in a wagon to the old home in New York if the road was all like the " Black Swamp," a piece of road, it seems, that was extremely bad, from trees that had been grubbed up, leaving holes on either side. But one of Mason's boys spoke up, and said he would not be willing to go back in a wagon over such a road as that, " 'cause the wagon jounced too much." Mr. Mason went to California during the gold fever of 1849-50, and was rather successful while there ; was in Sacramento City, he says, when they attempted to illuminate it in honor of the election of Gen. Pierce as President ■of the United States, and burned up nearly the entire place in their excitement. James Gooding, Jr., a brother of William and Jasper A. Gooding, came to Homer Township before the Sac war, and was one of those who ran away (!) in an ox-wagon from the Indians, and took refuge in the fort at Chicago. In 1834, Deacon Asa Lanfear came to the neighborhood. He was from Cayuga County, N. Y., and settled on what was called " Hawley Hill," the first who located there. He remained on this his original claim until his death, ■which took place in 1871, and his widow, who is still living, occupies the old homestead. She has been blind for twelve years, but otherwise is quite healthy and active. The following new-comers from " York State " were added to the settlement in 1834, besides those already mentioned : Alanson Granger, Cyrus Cross, Levi Savage, Reuben Beach, Nathan Hopkins, Samuel Anderson and Horace Messenger ; and John Ross from the Buckeye State. These are all dead except Horace Messenger and Levi Savage. In fact, but very few of the pioneers of Homer are left. Mr. Ritchey and Mr. Poor, who were in the 522 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. stockade with Capt. Sisson, and Savage, Messenger, Frederick Collins, Mason, who came in a year or two after the war, are the only landmarks left of the early times. And erelong these, too, will be gone. Already are they on the shady side of life, '' descending the hill of existence in the shadow of age," and trem- bling on the line that divides two worlds. After this period, the town rapidly filled up, and, by 1840, it was almost entirely settled and fenced. The first post ofiice was established in Homer Township in 1836. This was the Yankee Settlement, bear in mind, and the Yankees were wide-awake, intelligent people, and would not be deprived of their mail and other reading matter. The office was called Hadley, for Hadley, Mass., from which some of the settlers came who were active in getting it, and Reuben Beach was appointed Postmaster. A store was opened by Pratt & Howard, and Hadley became quite a business place, with some chance of becoming a town. At one time it bQasted two stores, a post office, blacksmith-shop, church, etc., but rail- roads and the canal changed the order of things, and the glory of Hadley waned. The post office and church are all that now remain of the once busy place. Charles Haley is at present the Postmaster of Hadley. Before the office was established here, the setDlers of Homer went to the post office on Hickory Creek, at "Uncle Billy" Gougar's, for their mail matter, and right gladly forked over their quarters (which was then the postage on letters, pay- able at the office of delivery) for the long-wished-for letter from the old home in the Yankee States. When the post office was established at Hadley, the mail was carried on horse-back from Chicago, but a few years later, a mail- route was formed between Michigan City and Joliet, and then it was brought to Hadley over this route in a kind of open hack or stage. The first store in the township was kept by Norman Hawley, on Hawley Hill, in 1835. The goods were hauled from Chicago by ox-team express, then the usual mode of transportation. This spot once made some pre- tensions toward becoming a village ; but, as Josh Billings said of the attempt of the two railroad trains to pass each other on a single track, " it was a shock- ing failure." Mr. Lanfear built the first house on the hill ; the first school- house in the township was built there, then a blacksmith-shop and the store just mentioned. But the only trace of the village still remaining is the hill itself. Reuben Beach built a saw-mill on Spring Creek about 1838 or 1839, and several years later, Jaques & Morse built a steam saw-mill. These are the only efforts made in the mill business in this township. Before Beach put his mill in operation, the settlers used to haul what little lumber they were forced to use, from Col. Sayre's mill on Hickory Creek. With the lumber thus pro- cured some of their first shanties were built, while others were built of logs, " chinked and daubed," and had chimneys made of sticks and mud. The first school in Homer was taught by D. C. Baldwin, the veteran hard- ware merchant of Lockport, and was taught in the Winter of 1834-35, on Sec- tion 19, in a little log shanty with stick chimney which had been put up as a HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 623 " claim hut " and abandoned. It is said by some that a Miss Sallie Warren taught a school before Baldwin, but from the most reliable facts now to be had, ■we are of the opinion that Baldwin preceded her. The next Summer after Baldwin's school. Miss Abigail Raymond taught a school in a building that had been put up for a cow stable, on the place of Deacon Lanfear. The first house for school purposes was built on Hawley Hill, by the neighbors, who donated the time, labor and material. An old settler — but young enough then to shoot paper wads in that primitive building — thus alludes to some of the comforts and conveniences pertaining to it : " Our seats and desks were made of split puncheons, and our ' persuaders ' and ' reminders ' were the young hickories growing around the schcolhouse." Among the scholars who attended this early temple of learning, were some of the brightest men of Will County, of whom we may mention Hon. Horace Anderson, Hon. Henry Snapp, Judge C. H. Weeks, N. L. Hawley, Esq., Judge E. S. Williams, of the Cook County Cir- cuit Court, and others. Mrs. Fred Collins, then Miss White, taught a school ■in the settlement in a little log cabin, still standing on Mr. Collins' farm, in 1838. But the schools of Homer have increased since that day, as we find in 1872, there were in the township 8 districts and 9 schoolhouses. There were 412 pupils enrolled, 16 teachers employed, at a cost of $2,213.53. The total expenditures of the year were f2,683.30, leaving a balance in the treasury of $122.67. The first church organized in Will County is said to have been the Presby- terian Church at Hadley, in this township, by Rev. Jeremiah Porter, the pioneer of the American Home Mission Society in the Northwest. The society was organized about 1833 or 1834, and Rev. Mr. Porter and Elder Freeman, both of Chicago then, preached alternately for some time at this place ; and people of all religious beliefs within a radius of ten or fifteen miles would come together and worship God without the restraints resulting from closely-drawn sectarian lines, as at the present day. Mrs. Mason says they owned a yoke of oxen and Mr. Gooding a wagon. On Sunday they would hitch their oxen to his wagon, and both families jump in, and off" they would go ten miles to "meeting." Churches there were none. Religious services were held in the groves — " God's first temples " — and at the cabins of the settlers. The first church was built at Hadley about 1838 or 1839, and was church and schoolhouse combined. The The people met in it, of all denominations, and were not selfish nor confined to one particular sect. But the church there has passed away and the society has drifted into the Congregational Church, near the center of the town- ship. This edifice was erected in 1862 ; is a neat frame, and cost $1,500. Rev. George Slosser was the first preacher. The membership is rather small ; has been decreased by death and removal, but is in a flourishing state. Rev. Mr. McKee is the present Pastor, and William Storm Superintendent of the large Sunday school. The Baptist Church at Hadley was originally organized by Elder A. B. Freeman, as already stated. He was the first Baptist preacher 524 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. in Northern Illinois, and is said to have baptized the first person on the western shore of Lake Michigan, in April, 1834. The church was built there a year or two before the Congregational Church above mentioned. It has a large membership and a flourishing Sunday school, but no regular Pastor is in attend- ance at present. The first wedding in Homer Township or Yankee Settlement, of which we have any definite record, was Westley Brewer to the widow of Alva Johnson, and they were married about 1833 or 1834, by John Blackstone, the first Justice of the- Peace in the township. The first birth and death are not remembered ; but the fact that the population has increased from a half-dozen persons to twice as many hundreds is pretty good evidence that there have been births, but the first. one cannot now be mentioned ; neither can the first death be given with any degree of correctness. The first blacksmith was John Lane, and, as elsewhere stated, made the first steel plow ever used in the West. He procured ah old, worn-out saw-blade at Col. Sayre's saw-mill, which he cut into strips about three inches wide, and, after making several trials, he succeeded in manufacturing a plow which was a great improvement on the wooden ones then in use. In after years he became a noted plowmaker, and his son, John Lane, Jr., of Chicago, sustains well the father's reputation as a plow manufacturer. C. M. Gray manufactured at an early day such articles as grain-cradles, fanning-mills, etc.; but the improved reapers and threshers have taken the place of these old-time implements. As already stated, John Blackstone was the first Justice of the Peace in Homer, as well as one of the first in Will County. The first Supervisor after township organization, was Samuel Blount, in 1850, followed by Ira Austin, in 1851; A. Collins, 1852-63 ; Ira Austin, 1854-59 ; Alanson Granger, 1860 ; J. D. Frazer, 1861; S. Knapp, 1862; A. Granger, 1863; A. G. Rowley, 1864-65 ; Levi Hartwell, 1866 ; Amos Savage, 1867-72 ; J. H. Bandle, 1873 -74; Amos Savage, 1875-76; J. D. Frazer, 1877-78. Other. township offi- cers at present are, A. G .Rowley* and A. A. Ingersoll, Justices of the Peace; Amos Savage, School Treasurer, and also a member of the State Board of Equali- zation, and Philip J. Sharp, Town Clerk. Homer is Republican in politics, nearly two to one, but was Democratic in the time of the two great parties — Whigs and Democrats. However, the reversal and upheaval of political parties have changed the general order of things, and the Republicans carry the day with as much or more ease than did the Democrats of yore. Taking into consideration the fact that in Homer was embraced the very heart of the Yankee Settlement, filled up by people who came from the old settled States, and were scholars and people of enlightened views, it would be but natural to conclude that Homer was named for the famous poet — the author of the "Iliad " and "Odyssey." We dislike to spoil such a pretty little romance, but the facts of history demand it. The name was bestowed on the township by Alan- *HaB held the office uniDterruptedly since 1861. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 525 son Granger, who came from Homer, Cortland Co., N. Y., and gave it in honor of his native place. In the process of naming the townships, the County Commissioners asked him to find a name for this one ; he consulted his neigh- bors and decided on Homer. Its war history is written in another volume, and also on many a hard-fought battle-field of the late rebellion, and we will not repeat it here. The Yankee Settlement has furnished the country with some able men, but as this part of the subject is mentioned in the general county history, we will pass on without further allusion. As stated in the introduction to this chapter. Homer has neither railroads, large towns nor villages ; but one or two small country stores, a blacksmith- shop or two, a post oflSce at Hadley and at Gooding's Grove, and two neat and tasty little church edifices. Aside from this, the town is devoted wholly to agricultural pursuits, and as to the productiveness of the land, it is not surpassed in the county, and scarcely in the State. Referring again to the article in the Joliet Sun, already quoted from, the writer very truthfully says : " Standing, as we now do, at the close of the year 1876, and looking over the northern portion of the State, and thinking of the great change that has been wrought, we are led to wonder how so much could be accomplished in a few short years. Chicago grown to be one of the greatest commercial centers on this continent, our own city of Joliet numbering its 15,000 inhabitants, with its four railroads and canal giving great commercial advantages, besides being the seat of justice of one of the most important counties of the State." When Homer was first settled, its prairies were considered the most beauti- ful that the enthusiastic Yankee had seen. They were just rolling enough to resemble the billows of the ocean after a storm had passed, and the thick grass, three or four feet high, overtopped with fragrant blossoms, might — without violence to the comparison — have been taken for the land of Beulah, which Bunyan " saw in his dream," lying on the borders of the Celestial City. Mrs. Mason says she used to take rides across the prairies, when the wild flowers were as high as the top of the wagon, and as the oxen tramped over and the wagon wheels crushed them, they yielded a sweeter perfume than " Price's Unique Extracts," or the distilled essence of the richest exotics. DU PAGE TOWNSHIP. This is one of the extreme northern townships of the county, and is bounded on the north and east by Du Page and Cook Counties, on the south by Lock- port Township, on the west by Wheatland, and in 1870, had a population of 1,118 inhabitants. The Du Page River waters the northwest part of the town, the Lilly-Cache Creek, the southern part, and the Des Planes River clips off a small portion of the southeast corner. A sudden widening of the river here forms a considerable body of water, called Goose Lake. About two miles of the Chicago & Alton Railroad are in Du Page, but as there is no station, it had 526 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. about as well be without a railroad altogether. Romeo Station, however, is just over the line, in Lockport Township. The old Indian boundary passes across the northwest corner, and the old Chicago and Ottawa stage-route crosses diag- onally, very nearly through the center. Du Page is wholly devoid of towns and villages, and is devoted exclusively to the dairy business and to agriculture. As a civil township it is known as Town 37 north. Range 10 east, and is very fine prairie, with the exception of a few small groves along the water-courses. The Winter of the " deep snow " found a family or two in Du Page Town- ship. In Central and Northern Illinois, the deep snow is a chronological event, from which the few old settlers who witnessed it date all important items in their history. There are at this date, however, very few left who witnessed that great fall of snow, which occurred in the Winter of 1830-31, almost half a cen- tury ago. Occasionally we meet one who experienced the privations incident to four feet of snow for two months, which was the depth of this "great white carpet " we have so often been called upon to notice. To tell of all the sufier- ings and trials of the few who bore the brunt of that snowstorm in this section of the country, would be to repeat an " oft-told tale." We forbear. As stated above, there were a few families here that Winter. Pierce Hawley, Stephen J. Scott and his son, Willard Scott, and Ralph Stowell came to this township in the Fall of 1830, and settled in the grove of timber bordering the Du Page River. Hawley was originally from Vermont, but first settled, after coming to the country, in Sangamon County, then embracing nearly half of the State. Later, he removed to Holdeman's Grove, and in the Fall of 1830, settled in this township, as noted. He was of the Mormon faith, and at the time these "Latter-day Saints" concentrated their "elect" at Nauvoo, he joined them there, and when driven from that place by the gentiles, he followed the Saints to Utah. But when the corrupt organization admitted a plank into their plat- form allowing the "faithfal" a "plurality" of wives, he threw off the Mor- mon faith and left Utah in disgust. He was of a kind of roving disposition, and loved wild, frontier life — was Daniel Boone-like ; and when people began to get too thick around him, would pull up stakes and move on toward the West. From Utah he went to Iowa, where he died. The Scotts came from Baltimore, the "Monumental City of the East," and settled, upon their arrival in Illinois, at Grose's Point (now Evanston), and in the Fall of 1880, came to Du Page Township. The elder Scott went to California during the gold fever of 1849 and 1850, by the overland route ; was 70 years of age at the time of his going, and died in the Golden State. His oldest son, Willis Scott, who came to the settlement two years later, lives in Chicago ; and the other son, Willard Scott, who came with his father, is a prosperous merchant and banker in Naperville. Stowell came from Ohio here ; but whether that was his native State or not, we are unable to say. He settled where Glover now lives, and afterward moved down on Fox River. He died several years ago. These were the families that waded through the deep snow of 1880-81, in this township. They are gone, (deceaseo) FRAN KFO HTTP. HISTORY OF WILL COUHTY. 529 but have left descendants behind, who recount their early trials and hardships in the opening-up of this country. In 1831, the settlement was increased by the arrival of Israel P. Blodgett, Robert Strong, John Dudley, Harry Boardman, Rev. Isaac Scarritt ^nd Lester Peet. Blodgett came from Massachusetts, and settled where Royce now lives. He was the father of Judge Blodgett, of Chicago. The Judge is remembered in the town as a boy of rather delicate appearance, who was very studious, at- tended the public schools, and taught by way of improvement and of defraying his own expenses. The result is his present exalted position. The father moved to Downer's Grove, where he died some years ago and where his widow now lives. Strong, Boardman and Peet were from Vermont. The former was born in 1806, and when 8 years old, his father removed to Pennsylvania, and five years later, removed to New York. Upon arriving at man's estate, and having taken to himself a life-partner, Mr. Strong came to Illinois, arriving in <3hicago in July, 1831. He at once proceeded to Plainfield, but found the land all "claimed" in that section. He says there were then twelve families living at Plainfield, or Walker's Grove, and they told him there was " no room for any more immigrants." He left his family at the house of Timothy B. Clarke, and went out prospecting for a location. He chose the place where he still lives, and bought it from two men named Selvey and Walker, who had a claim on it. He took possession at once and settled his family on the spot, and for forty-seven years they have occupied it. Selvey was an early settler, and was here during the Sac war. He was at one time very wealthy and owned a great deal of land in this section and a large number of lots in Chicago. Mr. Clarke remembers his selling lots on Lake street, in the very heart of the city, at $50 a lot ; and his father once bought from Selvey the lot on which the Union Hotel now stands, corner of Canal and Madison streets, for $53. But being one of those easy, confiding men, he strove to accommodate everybody, and, as a consequence, lost all his great property. He died near Aurora, quite poor, and has a son in this county who works as a farm laborer, by the month, for a living. Dudley was an acquaintance of Strong's, and never really ma,de a settlement in the township. Boardman came from New York, and made the trip around the lakes, landing in Chicago in the Summer of 1831. He was originally from Vermont, but, like Strong, had lived for some time in New York before emigrating West. Mr. Boardman was an active man in the settle- ment, and favored every enterprise for the good of his town. The first reaper used in Will County was bought by him and operated on his farm, in 1846, which was the year previous, it is said, to the one used by Granger, in Homer Township, mentioned in the " Combination Atlas " of the county. It was a McCormick Reaper. Boardman had known McCormick in New York, before removing to Illinois, and meeting him in Chicago one day, McCormick proposed to sell him a reaper. Mr. Boardman had a large crop of wheat, and said to McCormick, " Suppose I should buy one of your machines and it would not 530 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. work, I would lose a large part of my wheat crop." Whereupon McCormick proposed to enter into a bond, agreeing to pay the damage if it did not do what he claimed for it. Said Boardman, " I don't know that your bond is any bet- ter than your word." But finally he bought a machine on those conditions, and McCormick gave a bond, guaranteeing it as above stated. It was shipped to him and he cut his crop of wheat, it fully coming up to the guarantee given by McCormick. Two of his neighbors bought reapers the same season, and thus those labor-saving machines were introduced in the county. He was one of the first County Commissioners, an oflSce he filled with credit to himself and satisfaction to others. He died in May, 1877. Peet settled here in 1831, near the county line, where Swartz now lives, and died a few years after his settlement. Rev. Scarritt was a Methodist minister, and came originally from some one of the Eastern States, but his wife was a Virginia lady. He settled a little east of where Mr. Strong lives, and upon the election of his son, P. P. Scarritt, Sheriff of Will County, the elder Scarritt moved to Joliet and made a home with his son, ■where he died, several years ago. This comprised the residents in the town at the close of the second year after the first settlement was made within its borders. In 1832, the year of the Black Hawk war, but few additions were made to the settlement here. Seth Westcott, John Barber and John Miller are all of whom we have any account of locating here during the year 1832. Westcott came from New York, but was originally from Vermont. He settled on tte south side of the river, where his son, Seth Westcott, Jr., now lives. The elder Westcott has been dead three or four years. John Barber came also from Ver- mont, and settled near Barber's Corners. He had twin sons, whose names were Francis and Franklin ; [the latter lives now^on the old homestead, a pros- perous farmer, and the picture of health and vigor. The father died a few years ago, after having been confined to his bed for nearly twenty years from rheumatism, and for several years had been blind and incapable of feeding him- self. John Miller, another Vermonter, settled east of Barber's Corners, and was quite a prominent man of the township. He was the first Supervisor after township organization, and was the only Representative that Du Page has ever sent to the State Legislature. He died in the Spring of 1851, but a few weeks before his term of service as Supervisor had expired. In 1833, Samuel Good- rich also from Vermont, settled a few rods west of Strong's. He removed to Minnesota a good many years ago, and died there in 1876, or about that time. Col. William Smith settled here in 1834. He came from New York, and removed to Joliet a few years after coming to the country, where he was long known as one of the prominent men of the city, and where he died a few years ago. Timothy B. Clarke settled here this year, as noticed in the history of Plainfield Township ; and his son, B. B. Clarke, of Lockport, still owns a por- tion of the land to which his father then laid claim. The elder Clarke was a soldier in the war of 1812, and also during the Black Hawk war. He was at HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 531 one time offered the School Section in Chicago, which embraced the lot on which Field & Leiter's wholesale house now stands, at $18 per acre. But it was a low, swampy marsh, thickly set in willows, and during a large part of the year impassable to a horse, and Mr. Clarke had little idea that it would ever be worth the taxes. Harry and Philip Lord, two brothers, came from New York in 1833 or 1834, and made claims and settlements in this town, but of them we could learn but little. Jonathan Royce came in 1835, from New York, but was originally from New Hampshire. He died here ten or twelve years ago, and his son, Abner Royce, now lives on the place where his father located, and which is the original farm settled by Israel Blodgett. Mr. Royce was a prominent man of the settlement, and owned at one time over three thousand acres of land in this township. His wife, who survived him several years, seems to have been not only a very remarkable lady, but to have sprung from a genuine old Revo- lutionary family. When she died, April 25, 1875, the Will County Courier thus referred to the event : " The deceased was the relict of the late Jonathan Royce, of Du Page, and had lived in Will County for the last forty years. She moved with her husband and family into this county in 1835, and commenced life in her new home on the farm where her death occurred. She was born at Walpole, N. H., May 5, 1784. Her maiden name was Emery. Her father was a Revolutionary soldier, who enlisted at the age of 16, and was with the patriots until the close of the war. He was one of the minute-men at Concord, and participated at Lexington, and received a wound at the battle of Saratoga Springs from which he never fully recovered. He was with Washington in all his campaigns, being one of that little band of patriots who united at Valley Forge and went on that famous march into New Jersey, and the masterly retreat across the Delaware River. Mrs. Royce inherited from her father the spirit of patriotism which characterized him, and during our civil war was the warm friend of the soldier, doing all that she could to aid the cause. She was the mother of a large family of children, most of whom are living and citizens of this State. She lost her husband about ten years ago, who at his death was 86 years of age, and has been long anxious to join him. They traveled the jour- ney of life together for sixty years, honored and respected in society, and in her death society loses one of its most reverenced and beloved members." After referring to the funeral services, which were conducted by the Rev. Mr. Porter, of Naperville, the Courier notices the fact that she was followed to the grave by about seventy blood-relations, forty-seven of whom were her descendants, and that she lived to see children of her great-grandchildren. She died at the age of 90, and retained her faculties to the very moment of her death. Thomas Williams, living in the southern part of the town, is an old resident and a prominent man. He was born in the county of Cornwall, England, and came to America in 1825, and to Illinois in 1834, stopping in Chicago until 1836, when he came out and engaged in a contract on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. He built a portion of the Portage Railroad across the Alleghany Mountains 532 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. before he came to Illinois, and after quitting the Canal he built twelve miles of the Galena Division of the North-Western Railway ; and, later still, with Mr. Boyer, went to California, where they took a contract to build a levee at Sacra- mento along the city front ; also a tunnel 1,900 feet long, by which the city is supplied with water. After years of an active business life, he is on his farm, quietly resting from his labors, and enjoying the peace of his fireside. In 1833, quite a little colony came to the township from Western New York, consisting of Andrew Godfrey, Shubel Swift, Peter Steward, Hiram Warren, Joseph R. Bessey, a family named Clifford, and Hannibal Ward. This colony made claims and settlements in the valley of the Du Page River, and all are now gone from the township except Hiram Warren. Shubel Swift lives at Waukegan, and Steward lives at Naperville. Sylvester Ward, a son of Han- nibal Ward, lives near Barber's Corners, and is one of the prosperous and •wealthy farmers of the county. Hannibal Ward, a cousin of Sylvester Ward, is operating the latter's cheese factory, in the southern part of the town. Warren still lives on the place where he originally settled. Samuel Whallen was also from New York, and came to the Du Page Settlement in 1836. He lived to be 94 years old, and died in the township about five years ago. Thomas J. Sprague, another New Yorker, came out on a prospecting tour in 1837, and returned the next year and settled. He lives now at what is called Sprague's Corners, a wealthy farmer. This comprises most of the early settlers up to the time when the rush of immigration began. Settlements were made here as early as 1830, but, as Du Page possessed but a small scope of timbered land there was room for but few inhabitants, until the virtues of the prairies were discovered years later. The early settlers all chose timbered localities, many believing that the prairies would never be of any value save for pasturage. Some even ventured the prophecy that their children would never live to see the prairies settled. In ten years from the time the first claim was made on the Du Page River, there was not a section left vacant in the entire township. Quite a large number of the first settlers of Du Page, perhaps a majority of them were from Vermont, and were an intelligent class of people. The only on« now living, of those who settled here previous to the Sac war, is Robert Strong, and he, as already stated, is on his original claim. Willis Scott, of Chicago and Willard Scott, of Naperville, were here at that time, but were bovs or young men. Mr. Strong is the only old landmark left in the beautiful valley of Fountaindale, and is a man much respected in the neighborhood. He is the oracle, so far as regards the early history of this township, and but for him many of the particulars given in this chapter must necessarily have been left to conjecture. The first mill in Du Page Township was a saw-mill built in 1836 by Alden & Scott. In 1840, another saw-mill was built by Ward, a little above the one iust mentioned. Both were on the Du Page, and were washed away during a season of high water, and the old dams are still observable where these original HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 533 mills were located. The only grist-mill was a little concern by Pierce Hawley, supplied with horse-power, and used to grind both corn and wheat. The "bolting" was done by band, and we were told that it turned out a very fair quality of flour ; not in quantity and quality with Norton's mill, at Lockport, but then, it satisfied the pioneers, who were often glad to get either flour or corn meal, and even that of an inferior quality. Ralph Stowell kept the first tavern in the township, where Glover now lives, and also kept the stage-house after stages were put on the route between Chicago and Ottawa. Shubel Swift also kept a tavern in the early time's, at what was called " the Junction," being the junction of the Chicago, Plainfield and Joliet roads. Du Page has no village within its limits, nor has ever had a store really deserving the name, but a few little stands, at various times, merely for neighborhood accommodation. The first bridge was built across the Du Page where the Joliet and Naperville road crosses, about 1836 or 1887. It was built of logs, and was a rough affair. A number of good, substantial bridges span the two branches of the Du Page in the town at present. The first post ofiice was established at the stage-house already mentioned, and Mr. Stowell was the first Postmaster. The office was originally called Fountaindale, but finally changed to Du Page Post Office, by which name it is now known. As Du Page Post Office, it has traveled all over the township two or three times. Was first kept at the stage-house, then at Barber's Corners, at Col. Smith's, at the Junction, again at Barber's Corners, and, indeed, it is hard to designate a place in the town where it has not been. There was, at one time, another post office in the southwest part of the town- ship, called " Long John," and was established during the popular period of the man for whom it was named.* The man who made the efi'ort to get the office was said to be an Abolitionist, and Long John swore that no Abolitionist should have it, but that he would get it for any good Democrat, and so A. C. Paxson was made Postmaster, and he made the Abolitionist his deputy, and thus whipped the devil around the stump. But, Long John post office has passed away, and Du Page is now the only post office in the town, of which Samuel Angleman is Postmaster. The first school was taught in this township by Josiah Giddings, in the Winter of 1832-33, in a little house built for the purpose, a few rods west from where Mr. Strong lives. The house was a rude afiair, of hickory logs split open and notched down on edge with the split side in ; the cracks between the logs stopped with sticks and mud, and a chimney of the same material. This early pedagogue went to Wisconsin, where he lived at the last heard from him. When the first school districts were laid ofi". Will then being a part of Cook County, this original schoolhouse of Du Page Township was in School District No. 1 of Cook County, and thus entered in the "book of the law and testi- mony." Du Page has always maintained its early reputation for schools, and spared neither pains nor expense to disseminate knowledge among its inhabit- * John Wentworth. 534 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. ants. In 1872, it had 11 school districts ; 375 pupils enrolled ; 22 teachers employed, and 10 good, comfortable schoolhouses. The amount of special tax levied was $2,454.31 ; amount paid teachers, $2,350.62. Total expenditures of the year, $3,749.23, leaving a balance in the treasury of $435.85. The first preachers in this section were Rev. Isaac Scarritt and Rev. Jere- miah Porter, both of whom have often been noticed among the early divines in different portions of this county. Which one of these ministers preached the first sermon it is impossible to say now, but it is supposed to have been Scarritt, as he settled here as early as 1831. The first church society was organized in 1833, by Rev. N. C. Clark, in the schoolhouse above alluded to, and was a Presbyterian or Congregationalist, or a cross of the two. Like Du Page Post Office, it fluctuated a good deal, and was sometimes Presbyterian and sometimes Congregational. The first church edifice was built about 1854 or 1855, and was remodeled about three years ago. It is a very handsome edifice, and is known at the present day as the First Presbyterian Church of Du Page. The present Pastor is the Rev. J. G. Porter, of Naperville, who has in his charge about one hun- dred members. A large and flourishing Sunday school is carried on at the church, of which Robert Strong is Superintendent, a position he has occupied so long that the "mind of man runneth not to the contrary." A Methodist Church was built at Barber's Corners, some years after the erection of this, but of it we could not learn much. The society was, at one time, on the point of dissolu- tion. Last year, the Rev. Mr. Hughes, from the town of Crete, preached to them, and, to some extent, revived the work at this place. A small Sunday school is still maintained, of which Mrs. Derby is Superintendent. The Mor- mon doctrine used to be promulgated throughout this township pretty extensively, by the Elders of that faith. Mr. Strong says the first Mormon sermon he ever heard was preached at Plainfield, in a little while after he came to the county. A great many prominent people embraced the faith, and some even went to the Mormon settlement at Nauvoo. This, however, was before they adopted that broad and liberal platform, allowing a man all the wives he could support; and, when this wholesale measure was adopted, many of the more sensi- ble became disgusted and threw off the rotten yoke of Mormonism forever, while a few still clung to their idols, following the Prophet's fortunes to Salt Lake City. The first death recorded in Du Page Township was a Mrs. Cleveland, who had just moved into the settlement and died in 1882, and was buried in the cemetery near Mr. Boardman's — the first burial made in that grave-yard, since the receptacle of many of the pioneers of this part of the country. The first birth occurred in the family of either Willard Scott or Mr. Hawley, as both Mrs. Scott and Mrs. Hawley had brand-new babes when Mr. Strong came to the settlement, in 1831, and which must have been born in the early part of that year. As to the first marriage, there is some uncertainty as to whom it belongs. One of the first remembered was a daughter of Shubel Swift to HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 535 «, Mr. Godfrey; but whether it was the first it is not possible to say with certainty. The first Justice of the Peace was the Rev. Isaac Scarritt, who, it seems, was commissioned to deal out justice to the offenders of the civil law as well as the divine law. The present Justices of the Peace are John Marvin and Thomas Stanners ; Sylvester Ward is School Treasurer, and Thomas Williams, Supervisor. When the county adopted township organiza- tion, in 1850, John Miller was elected the first Supervisor of Du Page. Since then, the following have served in that capacity for the years given in connec- tion with their names : A. C. Paxson, 1851-52 ; R. W. Smith, 1853-54 ; H. Boardman, 1855 ; E. D. Eaton, 1856 ; A. C. Paxson, 1857 ; T. H. Abbott, 1858-59; B. B. Clarke, 1860 ; J. P. King, 1861; Robert Strong, 1862; B. B. Clarke, 1868; E.Virgil, 1864; R. W. Smith, 1865-67; A. Godfrey, 1868 ; J. P. King, 1869 ; John Royce, from 1870 until succeeded by the present incumbent, Thomas Williams. The dairy business receives considerable attention in this town. The quantity ■of milk produced is, perhaps, greater than in any other township of the county. Besides the amount consumed at the two factories, a great deal is shipped to Chicago from Romeo Station, just on the line between Lockport and Du Page, and which is said to be one of the best milk stations on the Chicago & Alton Kailroad. The oldest cheese-factory in the town is the one near Barber's Cor- ners. It was built originally at Leraont by a man named Hess, from Plain- ■field. A company was organized at Barber's Corners about 1870, who bought the factory and moved it from Lemont to its present location. Last Spring, it was bought by S. R. Richardson, and has cost him about $2,000. It is a frame building with a brick basement, and its arrangements for cheese-making -are complete in every detail. He makes up the milk of his patrons on shares, and is, at the present time, making, upon an average, eight cheeses per day, with a constantly increasing business. The factory of Sylvester Ward was built at Sprague's Corners in the Spring of 1877, and is a large and commodious estab- lishment. It is a substantial frame with stone basement, and cost $3,000. It is being operated by Hannibal Ward, a brother of the owner, who is said to be an experienced cheese-maker. They have hitherto been making up the milk on shares for their patrons, but have recently commenced buying milk, and also manufacturing at a certain compensation. As stated in the introduction of this chapter, Du Page is prairie land, with the exception of a few sections of timber along the Du Page River, and a small grove in the southeast corner of the town. The prairie is of the finest and most productive. When white people first began to settle here, they found the prairie teeming with wild flowers, their beauty and fragrance surpassing all that they had ever dreamed of floral loveliness. Some of the more romantic of them say, that it seemed as if the whole earth had been converted into green grass, blue sky, blossoming flowers and glorious sunshine. This beautiful valley of the Du Page was originally called Fountaindale, from the numerous springs 536 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. to be found along the margin of the Du Page River. But upon the adoption of township organization, in the process of naming the towns, Du Page was deemed an appropriate title for this, owing to the fact that the two branches of the Du Page River are united within its borders. Thus the pretty and roman- tic name of Fountaindale was discarded for the less euphonious one of Du Page. During the Sac war, the few whites then living in Du Page, were forced to seek safety in flight. Some of them went to " Fort Beggs," and some to the fort or blockhouse at Naperville. But .when the clouds of war blew over and the olive-branch of peace was held out, they returned to their deserted homes and redoubled their efforts to open and improve their claims. Politically, Du Page is Republican ; but from the information gathered of its early history, we are of opinion that in the days of Whigs and Democrats, it gave its majorities to the latter party. Its record during the war was patriotic, and many of its citizens shouldered their muskets and marched to the front, and risked their lives for the Union they loved. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP. Wheatland is the northwest township of Will County, with Kendall and Du Page Counties on the west and north ; Du Page Township on the east, and Plainfield Township on the south. It is described as Town 37 north. Range 9 east of the Third Principal Meridian, and at the last census contained 1,133 inhabitants. It is watered by the Du Page River and its branches ; the former entering its territory at the northeast corner, flows through it a little west of south. It is wholly prairie, having but a few acres of timber, and, like the surrounding lands of Plainfield and Du Page, is the finest farming and grain sec- tion of the county. There are no villages or railroads cutting up and marring its beautiful surface, and the snort of the iron horse is never heard, save as faint echoes of his voice float over the prairies from the distance. ' Rev. Isaac G. Foster is supposed to have been the first permanent settler in Wheatland Township. He came from Watertown, N. Y., and settled here in 1837. It is scarcely known at the present day whether Mr. Foster was a minister or not, although the prefix of Rev. is used, and he was generally termed "Priest" Foster. There are none, however, who I'emember to have heard him preach. He now sleeps with his fathers. Chester Ingersoll, who first settled in Plainfield Township, settled in Wheatland about the year 1839. He laid off the village of Plainfield, as mentioned in that part of this work, and as his history is there given at some length, we deem it unnecessary to repeat it here. Joseph B. Wightman came from Rome, N. Y., and settled in Plainfield in 1838. In 1840, he removed to Wheatland Township, being the third family to settle in this town. Previous to his settlement in Plainfield, Mr. Wightman had lived in Kendall County, where he settled in 1834, upon his first arrival in the West. George Wightman, a son of his, settled also in Wheatland at the same time,. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 53T where he resided until 1865, when he removed into Lockport Township, and located on the farm known as the Sisson Place, west of the village of Lockport. Mr. Wightman married the youngest daughter of that old pioneer. Holder Sisson,. whose history is fully given in the history of Lockport. . His father and mother are still living in Du Page Township, rather feeble and aged, and the former quite deaf A man known as "Hoosier " Smith settled in Wheatland the next year after the Wightmans, on Spring Brook, and in a few years moved away ; of him very little is remembered, as he remained but a short time ; he was probably from Indiana, however, as he went by the name of "Hoosier" Smith. Another settler of 1841, was David Cheeny, from Massachusetts, and a man named Eddy. It is not known where Eddy came from, nor where he lives at pr«sent. Cheeny had settled in Plainfield before coming to this section, as did several other families, who became residents of Wheatland Township. L. G. Colgrove settled in this township in 1839, and, in 1840 and 1841, several other families were added to the scattered settlement of Wheatland ; among them, Simeon B. Tyler and Anthony Freeland. In 1843 and 1844, they came in still more rapidly, including quite a colony from the "banks and braes" of "Auld Scotia" dear, among whom may be numbered the McMickens and Clows, who are more extensively noticed in the general history of the county. This year, there were also added the families of William and A. B. Cotton, James and John Robbins, and many others. In fact, they were coming in at this time in such numbers that it was not an easy matter to keep trace of them. From the dates above given, it will be seen that Wheatland is recently set- tled, as compared to other portions of Will County. That it was not settled until so long after other sections, is due to the fact that it is all prairie. We v^ere informed by Robert Clow that the entire township contained but about five acres of timbered land ; and at the time of the first settlements made in this part of Illinois, there were no such things known in the West as board or wire fences, and as stock was allowed to run at large, people were forced to put rail fences around their cultivated lands. Thus it was that the timbered land was taken up before the prairie, and for years the latter was deemed unfit for any- thing but pasturage, while many were of the opinion that they would never be cultivated. The old Indian boundary or trail, mentioned in another page, passes through this township, and was visible long after settlements were made. Robert Clow says it passed through his father's farm, and showed plainly for years after they came to the country. Perhaps no township in Will County has a more diversified population than Wheatland ; very nearly half of it are Pennsylvania Dutch and their descend- ants, while the remaipder rank as follows, viz. : Forty American families, forty Scotch families, twenty-four English families, with two or three families of Irish or French nationalities ; and we may add, that many of the model farmers of the county are to be found in Wheatland Township. Their handsome residences, the neat and tasty manner in which their farms are kept, and the care and attention 538 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. bestowed on fine stock, all denote first-class farmers. We were told that the finest farm lands in the county are embraced in ten miles square in this corner, including Wheatland, a part of Du Page and Plainfield Townships ; and having been pretty well all over the county, we are quite willing to indorse the statement. There are no villages in Wheatland Township, as already stated, nor mills, and, in fact, the town contains very little of historic interest beyond its actual settlement, and the enterprise and energy of its "sturdy yeo- manry." The first birth in Wheatland is supposed to have been Levi B. Wightman. There are some, however, who are of opinion that it was a daughter of Mrs. Russell, formerly Mrs. Ingersoll. Just which is entitled to the preference, we are unable to say, but think it safe to say that both were jurst — that is to say, the first two. The first death was a child of B. T. Durant. It, at least, was the first burial in the public cemetery, located at the schoolhouse near East Wheat- land Post Office. The death of an elderly lady of the name of Coburn is remembered by some of the citizens as taking place" at quite an early day ; but whether it was previous to that of the child mentioned, could not be determined, nor much information obtained in regard to her in any way. The first marriage was, probably, Rufus B. Olmstead to Juliet Foster, a daughter of "Priest" Foster, as the people called him. The date of the wedding is not remembered, neither is the name of him who united the happy couple. The first schools taught in the township were on Sections 5 and 13, and there is some controversy as to which was taught first ; but the preponderance of evidence, as the lawyers say, we believe is in favor of that on Section 5. However, they were taught very nearly at the same time, and in 1846 or 1847. There is another report of a school, believed by some to have been taught prior to these, by a Miss Elizabeth Hoag. She, it is said, taught a school in a pri- vate house belonging to Ira B. Thomas, on Section 26, before the building of schoolhouses. If so, it was probably the first taught in the town. At tlie present time, Wheatland will compare favorably with any part of the county as to the excellent character of its schools. At the close of the school year of 1872, the Superintendent of Schools reported ten schools and an equal number of houses, and 368 pupils enrolled. Twenty teachers were employed; five dis- tricts had libraries, containing a total of 156 volumes. The amount of special tax for the support of schools was |2,176.0B ; amount paid teachers, $2,257.80 ; total expenditure for the year, $3,573.12, leaving a balance in the treasury of $620.06. Thus it will be seen that the schools of the town are in a flourishing condition, well supported and well patronized. The first Justices of the Peace in Wheatland Township were Robert Clow, the present efficient Circuit Clerk of Will County, and Edward Lilly, but as Mr. Lilly declined to qualify, Mr. Clow was really the first officiating Justice. The present Justices of the Peace are John McMicken and Augustus B. Cotton. Other township officers are, A. S. Brown, Town Clerk ; Franklin Boardman, HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 539 School Treasurer, and John McMicken, Supervisor. When the county adopted township organization, in 1850, D. W. Cropsey was elected first Super- visor, and served during the years 1850 and 1851. Since his time, the list of Supervisors and their terms of office have been as follows: S. Simmons, 1852-53 ; F. Boardman, 1854-56 ; Robert Clow, 1857 ; S. Simmons, 1858-60 ; Robert Clow, 1861-76 inclusive, when he was elected Circuit Clerk of the county, and John McMicken, the present incumbent succeeded him. Mr. Clow has served his township and county in various offices, in all of which he has acquitted himself with credit, and we should take this opportunity of giving him an extended notice, but know that his modesty and good sense shrink from such notoriety. Hence, we pass without further allusion. The first regular preacher, unless we except "Priest" Foster, was the Rev. Mr. Oburn, who sometimes preached at the house of Mr. Finley, in the south- Tvest part of the town, on Section 80, about the year 1846 or 1847, but what denomination he claimed, we do not know. The first church was built by the United Presbyterians, in 1855, and was erected on Section 19. It is a substan- tial frame building, and cost about $1,500. The Rev. James Buchanon is the present Pastor, and has a large and flourishing membership and Sunday school under his charge. In 1864, the German Lutherans built a church on Section 14, which is quite an elegant edifice, costing $8,100. It has a flourishing membership, and a large Sunday school for a country church. The first Directors, or Trustees, were Jacob Fry and John Leppert, Sr. The first meet- ings were held at their houses. The first clergyman to preach to them was Rev. Mr. Leisman. In 1863, land was deeded to the Church by Robert Clow, Jr., and wife, and the present building was erected. Their first Pastor was Rev. Ernest Buhre, who remained with them until his death, which occurred in 1877. He was a man much beloved by his people. Rev. William Uffen- back succeeded him in the pulpit. The present Directors are Jacob Fry, Rich- ard Weinhold, John Smidt, Joseph Smidt and Frederick Stultz. The following story is told of an old German citizen and member of this Church. About the close of the war, when greenbacks were plenty, and fears manifested by some of those who always experience all their woes in anticipation, that greenbacks were of little value, this old German friend concluded to invest as many super- fluous greenbacks in the church as possible. So, with this idea in view, he started out on a tour of collecting, or begging, to obtain money for the purpose of adding a steeple and bell to their church, and used for his strongest plea the instability of greenbacks, or the uncertainty of their long remaining of value. In 1868, the German Evangelical Association, or German Methodists, built a church on Section 17, at a cost of between |2,500 and $3,000. It is a hand- some frame building, well finished, and presents a modern appearance. A flourishing Church and Sunday school are maintained, and ably supported by the German citizens of this part of the town. Wheatland has several pretty little cemeteries, which are kept in good order, and show much respect for the 5i0 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. beloved dead. There are two on Section 14, one at the schoolhouse, one at the German Lutheran Church, and another on Section 8. The first post office established in the township was called East Wheatland, but what year we were unable to learn. It is located on Section 1-5, and Tam- arack Post Office was established some years later in the southwest corner of the town. There is a store at Tamarack Post Office, the only institution of the kind maintained in the entire township. In the early times, prior to township organ- ization, Wheatland was known as Oregon Precinct. But in the process of naming the townships, as "made and provided " by law, this was called Wheatland by a man from the Empire State, whose native place was called Wheatland, and the name has been retained ever since. Politically, Wheatland Township at the present day, is largely Republican, perhaps three-fourths of its voters supporting that ticket. Before the organi- zation of the Republican party, however, it was probably Democratic ; but as in many other sections of the country, it has changed its base, politically speak- ing, in the last decade or two of years. During the late war, Wheatland did its duty equally well with other portions of Will County. Its citizens waited no urging ; that the old flag had been defied by rebels and traitors, was suffi- cient incentive to send them to the army by the score. But as the deeds of the Will County soldiery have already been written, we shall not repeat them here. The recent settlements of Wheatland Township, and the absence of any- thing like towns or villages, leaves but little here to write about, or to make history. It is now pretty thickly settled, and that by an intelligent and ener- getic class of people, with excellent schools and churches. It has good roads and a number of substantial wooden bridges, but these are of such modern date as to be hardly considered an interesting matter of history. Then, with these brief pages, we will leave it for some future historian to do it more ample justice. JACKSON TOWNSHIP. This is one of the earliest settled townships in the county, the date of its first settlement being almost coincident with that of Chicago. Chicago was laid out August 4, 1830, and the first settlement was made at Reed's Grove six months later. This grove being situated at the corners of Jackson, Channahon, Wilmington and Florence Townships, has given rise to no little misunderstand- ing as to the location of some of the early settlers of this vicinity ; and we shall not be surprised if some of our statements do not receive immediate indorse- ment. Several parties, or colonies, who settled in the Grove, though in the immediate neighborhood, since township lines have been established have proved to be in difi"erent townships. This fact also makes the narration of events in one township, without at the same time bringing in the history of other town- ships, quite difficult; and a small amount of repetition will therefore be necessary. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 641 Reed's Grove received its earliest white settler in 1831. At that time, Indians were plenty in this part of the State, and the Grove was one of their favorite resorts and dwelling-places. The territory now embraced in these townships was occupied by the tribe or nation called Pottawatomies. The rela- tions between these people and their early white neighbors were of the most friendly character. They hunted, visited and drank together, as peaceably as the more modern occupants of the county. To Charles Reed belongs the credit of being the first settler, not only of Jackson Township, but of the grove which still bears his name. Reed was a man of energy and spirit. He had a family of grown up children, some of whom were already married ; and, being desirous of seeing them settled in homes of their own, such as he was unable to provide for them in the older settled States — he resolved to emigrate to this place. Accordingly, he with his two sons-in-law, Charles Koons and Eli Shoemaker, and Joseph Shoemaker (brother of Eli), set out for this place in the early Spring of 1831, and reached the grove March 2 of that year. At that time, but few families had settled in the whole section now embraced in Will County. Dwellers at a distance of twenty^five miles were considered neighbors. Joseph Shoemaker, though mentioned here as a member of this settlement or colony, did not in reality settle in Jackson Township. He is usually accredited as the first settler of Wilmington Township ; but this, too, seems to be an error, as his cabin was just on the north side of the line subsequently located between Wilmington and Chan- nahon. Reed, with the balance of his family, removed from the township more than twenty-five years ago, and while the country was yet indeed new. George Kirkpatrick and brother and James Hemphill lacked but a few months of being the first. They came from Ohio, and settled here in May following the advent of Reed. Of these, George Kirkpatrick still resides in the township, but the other two are dead. James Hemphill died in 1863. During the Spring of the next year, two new companies settled in the town- ship. Wesley Jenkins, Thomas Underwood — brother-in-law of Jenkins — and Jefi'erson Ragsdale were from North Carolina. Of the " Jenkins Colony," as it was called, none are left, all having removed to other parts. Jenkins was quite a character — a very loud and emphatic-spoken man, and a great admirer of Gen. Jackson, whose glory was then at its height. It is related that when the matter of naming the creek, which traverses the township, and from which it is named, was under consideration, Jenkins swore with violent gesture that no personage was worthy of the name but the " Hero of New Orleans," and Jackson it was called. A Methodist Church was organized in this neighborhood at a very early date, and one of its members felt that he was " called to preach." Some doubted the genuineness of the calling, amongst whom was this profane Jenkins, who accounts for the preacher's determination to proclaim the Gospel, by saying that it was his custom to go out early every morning to feed his hogs, and in 542 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Stentorian tones, -whicli might be mistaken for Gabriel, to call his pigs to their morning meal. On one occasion, he says, while performing this work in the dim light of the approaching morning, he observed running with the hogs, with hymn book in hand, this self-styled preacher, who, he avers, had mistaken his voice for the "call to preach." Indeed, the conduct of the preacher, as subsequently developed, has gone far toward verifying Jenkins' story, the preacher having long since fallen from grace. Jenkins was the life of all the house and barn raisings, and enlivened all of the husking and other " bees " with his peculiar, though sometimes profane, jokes. The Linebarger colony arrived here from Indiana the same Spring with Jenkins. The company Consisted of Henry, John, George and Lewis. The last named, however, settled in the town of Florence, a short distance from the others. They were also Carolinians, and had left there years before and had resided for a time in Indiana, near the Wabash. Of these, Henry Line- barger lived here but four years, dying here in 1836. George Linebarger is now a resident of the village of Elwood. He has been a very useful citizen, a leader in the Methodist Church, and one of its most pious members. He is now in poor health, and waits but for a short time to take up his residence in another and better country. John Linebarger, though he came to the township at the date named, returned to Indiana a few weeks later, and did not make the township his permanent home until 1850. He now resides in Elwood, and is engaged in the grain business. Peter Bib, with his three sons, George, Levi and Augustus, was from the State of Virginia. The elder Eib was very fond of his gun, and an excellent marksman. He found here plenty of game on which to practice his skill. It was not an uncommon thing to see from fifty to one hundred deer in a single drove. Turkeys, wolves and other game were so plenty as to make them almost a nuisance. Mr. Eib passed away years ago, but his sons still remain and are amongst the best citizens of the community. In 1832, emigration to these parts, and indeed to all Northern and Western Illinois, received a very severe check. Previously, the whites and red men had been on the best of terms ; and especially in this region there seemed to be no jealousies existing between the two races. Land and game were so plenty, and the white settlers were so few, that the Indians here did not feel as though their rights were being encroached upon. And then again, the tribes dwelling in this part of the State were of a more civilized character than some others. Indeed, some of the leaders or chiefs were so much so that when the proposition to build the Michigan & Illinois Canal was being agitated, they were not only willing to have the improvement made, but gave it all the encouragement they could ; and it is said that among the first acts of Congress relating to the proj- ect there is a clause permitting the free use of the Canal forever to these people. However, before the completion of the work, the stealthy stroke of the Indian's paddle, propelling his canoe, had ceased. The causes which led HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 543' to their removal were just beginning to take shape, when the emigrants whose names have been given had barely completed their journey. Black Hawk, of whom mention is made on pages 74-79, and his followers and allies had become restless and jealous of the white people, who were in that part of the country , steadily encroaching on both the real and fancied rights of their red brethren. These jealousies eventually broke out into actual conflict, and the State and national military were called out to quell the deadly trouble that seemed to be rising. Of course, great excitement prevailed everywhere, and in sparsely- settled neighborhoods like this, with no commensurate means of resistance at hand, and with a people in their midst who, though professing friendship, were yet known to be of a treacherous nature, the most serious apprehensions were entertained. In this state of fear and anxiety the inhabitants of this vicinity were living when, about the latter part of May, 1832, news was brought to the neighborhood of the massacre of several families and the capture and abduction of two young ladies near Ottawa. In those days, this was considered only an adjacent neighborhood, and very naturally the alarm created in this place was intense. A meeting of all the citizens was immediately called, and it was quickly resolved that, in consideration of their utter inability to repel an attack, it was best to remove to the more thickly settled country on the Wabash, whence many of them had formerly emigrated. Accordingly, on the following night at 10 o'clock, there were found nearly twenty wagons and teams gathered at Five-Mile Grove prepared to start. At about the time fixed for their departure they were joined by some parties who reported the Indians approach- ing. This precipitated their flight, and great confusion prevailed. One man had loaned his ox-yoke, and had sent for it, as he could not harness his cattle without it ; but when the announcement was made that the enemy were near, he snatched a rail from the fence, and with a half-dozen strokes of the ax fash- ioned it into a substitute, which in a moment more was bound on the necks of his oxen with withes of hickory, as quickly cut from the brush, and he was one of the first to start for the Wabash. It had been intended to take the cattle and all of their household goods ; but so great was their hurry that everything of the kind was left behind. The gads werg applied to the hides of the oxen, and the flight was as rapid as possible. Their way lay through the townships of Manhattan, Wilton and Rockville, crossing the Kankakee at one of its fords. After traveling some miles, finding that they were not pursued, two of the men determined to return and bring forward the stock which had been left behind. However, when they came to the settlement no stock could be found, having wandered off' into the woods. One of the men then bethought him of a bag of maple sugar which had but recently been manufactured from the sap of trees which grew here. Throwing this across his horse, he, with his companion, set out to overtake the main party. They had traveled but a few miles when they perceived, at a distance, two real Indians rapidly following them. They very naturally conjectured that 544 HISTORY Of WILL COUNTY. these were only scouts of a large party of human butchers, and put spurs to their horses. On looking back, they found that the Indians were pursuing them rapidly. The bag of sugar was a real burden and difficult to carry, so it was allowed to slip to the ground. Thus relieved, horses and riders dashed forward with increased rapidity. Indians are notoriously fond of sugar, and this was quite a prize, and, as they stopped to examine, taste and eat, the pursued parties left their would-be captors far behind. As they came up with their friends, they were just crossing the Kankakee. As soon as the report that they were being pur- sued had spread to the company, confusion was worse than confounded, and the alarm vented itself in the shrieks of the women, the cries of the children and the curses of 'the men, mingled with the bellowing of the sharply goaded oxen. One team seemed to partake of the excitement, but instead of rushing for the other side, stood stock still, unable to move. The driver, in his desperation, believ- ing the wagon mired, hastily unhitched the oxen from the load, and, placing his wife, who was the other occupant of the wagon, on one ox, he bestrode the other, and, applying the lash with renewed vigor, they gained the other shore and soon overtook the train. The relation of such incidents, at this date, causes no little merriment, but at the time of their occurrence were very serious indeed. Even those who were participants tell the story of " Five-Mile Massacre," and laugh heartily ; though it is said that the hero of the bag of sugar was ever afterward quite sensitive on that point, and, although a man of piety, no man could say " sugar" to him without running great risk of being knocked down. On the evening of the second day, having found that the last incident related was only a scare from some friendly Pottawatomies, the party halted, and it was proposed to have supper and a night's rest. But here, again, were enacted the scenes of the crossing of the Kankakee. Just as the fires had began to blaze, preparatory to cooking the much-needed meal, a horseman galloped into camp and stopped just long enough to say that the Indians were after them in ear- nest. Thus, their supper and sleep were dispensed with, and not until three nights and days had passed did they stop long enough to take a nap, or eat, except as they fled. After several days more of travel, during which they received no further alarms, they reached Danville, whence they learned troops had been sent to take care of the savages, and all fear and anxiety were at an end. Soon after, Black Hawk and his people were removed to the other side of the Mississippi River ; and, all fear of molestation having passd, most of the former residents of this neighborhood returned. They found the most of their cattle and hogs, and their crops were unmolested. The cows, however, "had gone dry," and the corn was sadly in need of cultivation. The wagon was recovered from the bed of the Kankakee, and even the greater part of the bag of sugar was restored by the hand of one of the friendly red men, who had only pursued them to inform them that there was not the least danger. In the Fall of 1832, arrived Jacob and Joseph Zumalt. The Zumalts removed to Cal- ifornia some years ago. They were natives of Ohio. Betsey Parker Holden (deceased) FRANKFORT TR HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 547 The most systematic and extensive, and at the same time one of the most important, settlements of this part of the county was made in 1834. This colony consisted of R. J. Boylan, Peter Brown and two sons — John and Ara — and Smith Johnson. These parties were from New Jersey, .^ind came well prepared, and with a full understanding of the enterprise in which they were embarking. Most pioneers in those days " pulled up stakes," as the saying was, and moved with but little previous knowledge of the country to which they were going. In many cases they were guided by unreliable reports, sometimes seemingly by instinct and sometimes entirely by accident. But in the case of Boylan and his company, the greatest care was taken. Maps were consulted, the most reliable reports were procured and read, and all of the information obtainable was procured and used. R-. J. Boylan, a practical surveyor and a man of excellent judgment, was sent forward to select, survey and locate the land. He came to this neighborhood, and having located twenty-one eighties, or 1,680 acres, notified the balance of the colony, who came on at once, and occupied the land. Hardly a finer selection could be made than this, consisting of land on, and in the vicinity of, Jackson Creek. Of the original colonists, only Mr. Boylan remains. Mr. Boylan has been a very active man, having been identified with almost every enterprise of any consequence in this section of the country. He has held many positions of honor and trust, among which may be named that of County Surveyor and Township Treasurer, the latter of which he has occupied for the last sixteen years. In consequence of this activity, united with strictly temperate habits, he now enjoys, at an advanced age, per- fect health and the exercise of his full mental faculties. His house is the only stone dwelling in the township, and is situated on the bank of the fine little stream named in honor of the " Hero of New Orleans." Though the origi- nal Browns and Johnson have passed away, they have left behind numerous descendants and kindred, who occupy the old and original selections, as made in 1834. Henry Watkins and sons, Henry, Jr., Benjamin and Peter, arrived from New York in 1834. None of this family now reside here, all having moved away. About the last-named date, a schoolhouse was built at Reed's Grove, and Henry Watkins was employed to teach the first school therein. Edward Kirk was also one of the oldest settlers in this part of the county. He had come to the county a year or two previous to his settling in Jackson in 1835. Mrs. Adaline Grant is one of the oldest residents of the county, having lived here about forty-five years. She is now a resident of Elwood. The Indian scare having blown over, the country began now to settle quite rapidly. Many soldiers who came with Gen. Scott in 1832, to assist in subdu- ing the Indians, afterward came to the State to reside. Through their descrip- tions of the country, many more were induced to emigrate. The proposed canal doubtless had much to do with the settlement of this region. , 548 HISTOKY OF WILL COUNTY. As in all pioneer towns and neighborhoods, so in this, there was that notable feature of roughness, and yet accompanying it was universal kindness and hos- pitality ; so that, while the old settlers are willing to admit an improvement iit the manners and morals of the people, they are wont to disclaim against the lack of sympathy and brotherly feeling as compared with the times when their nearest neighbor lived miles away. In those times, they say, if any one was sick, everybody within a radius of twenty miles knew and manifested the deep- est interest. Did one of the pioneers die, his funeral was attended by every inhabitant of the country, and births and marriages were subjects of universal congratulation. If a house or barn were to be raised, every man in the neigh- borhood was invited to assist and stay to dinner ; and if, perchance, a neighbor were overlooked in the invitation, it was taken as cause for serious affront. Newspapers were not so plenty as now, and in the pioneer settlements a copy was seldom seen. Indeed only one small weekly was published in Chicago prior to 1835, and it was a number of years after that when a few copies began to find their way to this neighborhood. Not until about 1840, was a post-roiit& established through this part of the county, so that the settlement was in a measure isolated from the balance of the world. As before stated, about 1840, a post-route from Joliet to Danville was established, and an oiEce was located on Jackson Creek. James Gager was first Postmaster, and kept the office at his house. Though a great convenience to the community, it was a great nui- sance to its keeper ; and consequently it had a precarious kind of migratory ex- istence of about fifteen years, until it was finally .permanently located at Elwood, on the completion of the railroad and the location of that town. The township of Jackson was one of the first to organize in 1850 as a sep- arate precinct. A large number of the present townships contained such a, limited number of inhabitants that it was found necessary to attach them to others until they should be strong enough for separate organization. The first election was held April 2, 1850 ; but who the first officers were, or who have been their successors, is not so clearly remembered that we feel safe in giving them ; and as the township records were destroyed in the Elwood fire in 1874, the names are therefore not obtainable. The names of the present officers are : Henry Spangler, Supervisor ; Jona- than Hougham, Collector ; Francis Shearn, Assessor ; Albert Linebarger, Clerk ; P. F. Dooley and Joseph Tehle, Justices of the Peace ; Robert Barnes, Constable ; R. J. Boylan, Jacob Palmer and Cyrus Hemphill, Commissioners of Highways, and R. J. Boylan, School Treasurer. From the very first, the inhabitants of this township have manifested more than an ordinary interest in those two reforming and elevating iniiuences— religion and education. Hardly had the early pioneers unloaded their wagons before religious services of a public character were performed. Like the Puri- tans, when they had but just disembarked from the Mayflower, they fell down on their knees and thanked God for their safe journey through the trackless HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 649 waste. As early as 1833, an organization for religious purposes was effected. This consisted of a Methodist class, of which William Thornburg was appointed First Leader. This little organization was what has since developed into the Elwood M. E. Church. From a paper prepared and read before the Elwood Church, by Rev. G. J. Kinne, we are permitted to lay before our readers a com- plete though brief history of this oldest Church in the township and one of the oldest in the county. Soon after the establishing of the class alluded to, a schoolhouse was built in the vicinity, and in this services were held for a number of years. Among the old pioneer preachers who visited the place and preached to the people, are mentioned the names of Jesse Walker, John Sinclair, S. R. Beggs, S. H. Stocking and others. Under their preaching, the Church prospered and grew in numbers, influence and wealth until, in 1852, they found themselves able to build a house of worship. The site selected was nearly a mile west of the vil- lage and of its present location. The cost of the building was f 1,800. In 1866, it was determined to remove the building to the village. It was thought that the location at the Grove, on account of the growing village at so short a distance, was not the most suitable site for an increasing membership. Dur- ing the migration of the house which so many had learned to love, meetings were held in it daily. Like the travels of the tabernacle, which the Israelites carried from Egypt to the land of Canaan, the journey of the old church was consecrated from its beginning to its end by the prayers and praises of the peo- ple. By October of the year named, the house had been remodeled and was complete for re-dedication. At present, the building, inside and out, presents a neat and attractive appearance, and will afford accommodations for about two hundred and fifty sittings. The next year after the removal, this branch was made a separate charge. The organization has continued to increase in numbers and importance. The membership is about one hundred, of whom William Clark is present Pastor. In connection with the Church is a flourishing Sunday school, under the Super- intendence of William Nicholson. The school numbers about one hundred members. The Baptist Church of Elwood was built in 1859, at a cost of about $2,000. Rev. Mr. Renfrew was the first preacher. For some years past, the society has not been in the most flourishing condition, and at times the building has been closed. At present, services are held twice each month, by Rev. Mr. Bradbier, of Gardner. A Sunday school is in operation, with Bateman Lloyd as Super- intendent. The membership of the Church is about fifty, and of the Sunday school, about as many. In 1863, the Reformed Lutherans of this township living in the vicinity of Jackson Creek organized and built a neat little church on the southwest cor- ner of Section 15, at a cost of |1,200. Rev. Rufus Smith, Edward Loomis, S. Bosley, Henry and Christopher Lichtenwater and Christopher Faut were 550 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. amongst the leading projectors of the work. Rev. Smith was the first preacher, and for a time labored in this corner of the Lord's vineyard with good accept- ance ; but, by and by, his opinions in regard to the subject of religion under- went a change, and with him coincided many of his flock, and it was decided to abandon the organization. Accordingly, about five years after the house was built, the congregation assembled and a motion was made and carried that the house be ■' deeded to the Lord," and that He look after its interest in the future. The instrument was drawn up in due form and regularly signed, but whether delivered or recorded we are not permitted to know. Since that event, the house has been occupied irregularly by different denominations ; at present by the Methodists, Rev. Olif Morse conducting the services. The United Brethren have held religious services in the northeastern part of the township for over twenty-five years. In 1865, they erected, on the north- east corner of Section 11, their present house of worship, at a cost of $2,000. The building is a neat frame, 30 feet in width by 45 feet in length, and will seat one hundred and fifty to two hundred persons. Rev. Mr. Marglist is present Pastor, and Isaac Overholser is Superintendent of the Sunday school. On the northwest corner of Section 24, stands the German Methodist, or, more properly speaking, the Church of the Evangelical Association. This is also a frame building, and was erected in 1865. It is 28x36 feet in size, and cost $1,400. It was erected at the instance of William Poleman, John Grise, Isaac Moyer, William Kriemier, Jacob Wible and other prominent members of the Association. Rev. Rieman Snyder is the resident Pastor, and M. Moyer is Superintendent of the Sabbath school. Preaching and other religious services have been held here for over twenty years by this denomination. Besides the churches named, church service and Sunday schools are held in several of the public schoolhouses in the township. As intimated, the church and school go hand in hand in their influence for good on the human family ; and so we find in this and many other towns many instances where the schoolhouse and the church-building stand adjacent to each other, and many more in which one building answers both purposes. In 1834, the first school was opened in Reed's Grove, with Henry Watkins as teacher of fifteen boys and girls. School has been maintained in the township ever since; and, from the date named until 1870, there was a continual increase in the number of persons in attendance at the schools. Since 1870, the attendance has remained about the same. We have it on the best authority that the con- dition of the schools in this township is very good. As an indication of what is being done for the education of the youth of Jackson Township, a few items are here given : Number of persons under 21 .'., 724 Number of persons between 6 and 21 years 512 Numberof persons attending sohool 4.55 Number of male teaobers 6 Number of female teachers 12 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 561 Number of months taught 88 Number of dfijs' attendance 41,278 Number of persons between 12 and 21 who cannot read 00 Estimated value of school property $9,000 00 Highest wages paid to any teacher 60 00 Lowest wages paid to any teacher 25 00 Total expenditure for school purposes (1877) 4,736 00 The attention of the reader is directed to the second and third items. A comparison of these two will disclose the fact that nearly 90 per cent of all between 6 and 21 have attended school during the past year ; and when we take into account that scarcely any over 18 years of age ever attend, the showing for those of from 6 to 18 is still better. Another expressive item also appears in the table. There is not one person in the township between 12 and 21 who cannot read and write. In France, Spain, Italy and some other Eastern countries, usually termed enlightened nations, and several of the southern States, from 30 to 60 per cent of the adults cannot even read. The inhabitants of Jackson Township are proud of their schools, as they have good reason to be. Jackson Township is bounded on the north by Joliet, east by Manhattan, south by Florence and west by Channahon. It is a full Congressional town, and is described as such as Town 34 north, Range 10 east of Third Principal Meridian. It contains thirty-six sections, or 23,040 acres. Most of the land in this township is first-class, of a deep rich soil, well adapted to the production of corn, rye, oats and vegetables. Nearly all of the land is well farmed, and the neat and, in many cases, ele- gant dwellings and other buildings betoken a thrifty and prosperous population. Originally, about one-fourth of the township was covered with timber, but the early settlers cut off a large portion, not only for fuel, but for fencing, house and barn building ; and but for the railroad, which now brings lumber for the latter purposes, and the discovery of coal as a substitute for the former, hardly a tree would now be left. As it is, probably three or four sections may, with propriety, be denominated timber land. The township is well watered by Jack- son and Prairie Creeks, the former of which flows through the central part, from east to west, and the latter through the southeast corner. The Chicago & St. Louis Railroad crosses the township in the western part, entering near the north- west corner of Section 4, and diverging toward the west, leaving near the south- west corner of Section 81. VILLAGE OF ELWOOD. The year 1854 was eventful for numerous localities between Joliet and Bloomington, as it ;narks the completion of what was then called the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, now called the Chicago & St. Louis, and the location of most of the villages and towns along the line. Before that date, a town in Jackson Township was not thought of; and, had it been, any other portion would have been as likely to be fixed upon as its present site. As soon as the 552 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. road was completed, steps were at once taken to establisli a station at this point, and this being accomplished, the village followed as a consequence. A conven- ient trading-point was at once provided, and the country and its products demanded tradesmen, mechanics and professional men. The town was surveyed and platted and lots offered for sale in 1854 and 1855, by Messrs. Spencer, Gardner and Myers, gentlemen interested in the road. The first house built in the town was erected by William Turner, formerly of New York, but at the date of which we write, a resident of the township. In this building he displayed the first stock of goods ever oiFered for sale in the township. Turner was also appointed Postmaster, and kept the office in his store. Joseph Partee, who had also been living in the neighborhood, built the first dwelling, and James Barrett built the second. George Blair built the first blacksmith-shop. To these were added stores, shops and dwellings, and the town grew quite rapidly, so that, in 1869, it was found advisable to incorporate the same. Only a few scraps of the original records and lists escaped the fire of 1874, so that no complete list of its officers or narration of its public acts can now be given. It is, however, remembered with certainty that William Muhlig was first President, and R. SpafFord, John Linebarger, William Eversoll and T. A. Mapps were members of the Board of Trustees. W. F. Keith was first Police Magistrate. In 1873, the town was re-organized under the general law of the State. The present ofiicers are: John H. Bridge, President; John Linebarger, C. D. Wickes, Bateman Lloyd, John Pinneo and J. J. Lichten- walter, Trustees ; W. H. Kinne, Clerk ; and W. W. GifFord, Treasurer. On the night of the 28th of May, 1874, a fire swept over the business part of the town, which, for destructiveness, taking into account the size of the place, exceeded that of Chicago of two years before. The fire broke out in the store of William Nicholson, which stood near the center of the business por- tion, and in a few hours every store but one and the hotel had given way before the fiery element. This was a serious blow to the little town. Prior to this, it had been, though slowly, yet steadily increasing. The loss of property was estimated at $30,000, of which not more than $1,000 was insured. Though some of the burned district has been rebuilt and business is carried on as before, some of the proprietors were so much crippled as not to be able to start again, and the village still feels the loss sustained. The present population is about four hundred. The schools of the village are in good condition. The first term taught in the village was by William Grant, who kept the same in the Baptist Church. The schoolhouse, which is the same now in use, was built a few years after the location of the town, at a cost of $2,500. In this building Thomas Greenlaw taught the first term. At present the school consists of three departments, of which S. B. Robins is Principal, and Nelson Wickes is Assistant. School is sustained about nine months each year. Elwood Lodge, No. 410, I. 0. 0. F., was established at this place October 11, 1870, with William Muhlig, Sidney M. Stevens, Thomas C. Pennington, HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 553 Oharles H. Eddy and J. S. Hughes as charter members. During the time of its existence, but two of its members have died. The number of members now Tjelonging is thirty. The present N. G. is A. H. Linebarger; V. G., G. C. Wickes ; Secretary, Nelson Black ; and Treasurer, Robert Spafford. The alarm of war, and that the country's life was in danger was not ■unheeded by the citizens of Elwood and of the township of Jackson. Like the namesake of the township, on a former occasion, when the serpent of rebell- ion raised its ghastly head, the strong men of this vicinity but stopped to utter the well-known and expressive sentence, "By the Eternal, etc.," and then rushed off to the nearest recruiting office to enroll themselves for " three years or during the war." The promptness with which they flocked to the standard of 'the country was not surpassed by any other township, and many of them sacri- ficed their lives to protect it. CRETE TOWNSHIP. The township of Crete is one of the two largest in the county, being about nine sections more than a Congressional town. The Congressional survey des- cribes it as Town 34 north, Range 14 east, with all of Town 34, Range 15 •east, lying in Illinois — the balance of last-described town lying in the State of Indiana. The township is bounded on the north by Cook County, on the east by Indiana, on the south by Washington Township, and on the west by Monee. Plum Creek, which flows from near the southwest corner and leaves the town- ship at the northeast corner, cuts it diagonally into two unequal porticms. Ly- ing along the banks of this and a small southern branch of the same, is a heavy 'belt of timber, formerly named and still known as Beebe's Grove, from one of its earliest settlers. The northwest corner, along Thorn Creek, is also covered Tvith timber, and is called Thorn Grove. Ten or twelve sections, therefore, of the township of Crete are woodland ; not so heavy, however, as formerly, the largest trees having fallen before the woodman's ax. The injunction of the poet, "Woodman, spare that tree," was unheeded by the early settler, and most of the noblest of the forest's representatives entered into the construction of their dwellings, or were consumed in the shape of fuel. Strange as it may seem, land was actually cleared for agricultural purposes ; though just outside and adjoining were thousands of acres better adapted for farming than the land thus labori- 'ously prepared for the plow ; but then, they had seen it done so in the East or South, from whence they had come, and the prairie would have been an experi- ment, and they had no time or disposition to try it. The soil is varied ; some of the land is very fertile, and in other parts of the township the reverse is the case.' All of the land is well adapted for the purpose ,of grazing, and dairying for several years has been carried on quite extensively. Hogs, cattle, corn and other grains and vegetables, common to this climate, .are raised. In the southeastern portion was formerly an extensive marsh cov- 554 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. ering about a section. Successful drainage has redeemed this land and made it- good pasturage. Prior to 1869, the market was Chicago, with occasional trad- ing with Monee, on the Illinois Central Railroad. In the year named, the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, or Danville & Vincennes, line was completed through the western portion of the township, making a direct outlet for produce. The village of Crete had already been laid out and built up ; but on the com- pletion of this line, it took a new growth, and is now one of the most thriv- ing places in this part of the State. Another town in the southwestern part also sprang up, and the convenient trading-point of Goodenow waa estab- lished. The original settlements of Crete Township were four, and quite distinct. The settlements of Thorn Grove, Beebe s Grove and Wood's Corners, on the State road, were almost identical as to time, but divided as to locality more defi- nitely than are the townships of to-day. Especially was this the case with the two grove settlements ; while Wood's Corners, now the village of Crete, being just on the borders of Thorn Grove, partook more of the identity of that set- tlement. The German settlement, which began a few years later, though not confined to any one locality, was yet distinct, in that the people were from the same country and spoke a different language ; and, too, their settlements were made mostly on the prairie, the borders of the groves having generally been previously occupied. If any of these settlements can claim priority, probably the advantage, on that score, lies with Thorn Grove, David Haner being the first permanent set- tler of that locality. His location here was certainly as earlv as 1834. There may have been some one in that part of the Grove east of the Monee Township line ; but, as this family was permanent, members of it still residing here, the claim, if for no other reason, appears good. One or two other names have been suggested ; but, as the evidence in the one case is conflicting, and in the other case the parties having removed at an early date, we give them other places in the matter of chronology. Mr. Haner died many years ago, perhaps as many as thirty, but his inter- ests were closely identified with the neighborhood. He was the first Constable in this section, at a period following closely on the organization of the county. He was from the State of New York. Following soon after, came to Thorn Grove, James Rice and William Brooks— Rice from Indiana and Brooks from New York. In the cabin of the former are said to have occurred the first death, the first birth and the first mar- riage iA this township. Very soon after the arrival of these two men, with their wives, James Rice, Jr., was born, and almost coincident was the death of James Rice, Sr. Very shortly after, Mr. Brooks' wife died, and Mr. Brooks and Mrs. Rice each being in want ol a partner, their marriage was celebrated in the aforementioned Rice mansion. The united family removed to Minnesota some years ago. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 655 A. R. Starr and Erastus Cole, both from New York, came in 1835. Both these men are dead ; but a son of the former now resides in Joliet, and a son of the latter still lives here, and is a large farmer of this township. In 1838, A. Wilder, formerly of New York, but more recently of Ohio, moved into the neighborhood. Mr. Wilder still resides in this neighborhood. He has always been and still is one of the most prominent of the citizens of Crete Township. In the mean time, the State road, mentioned in Washington Township, was attracting some settlers. Doubtless from its very publicity, and from the de- sire of the human kind for society, or even the frequent sight of his species, the "Big Road," all along its extent, became a continuous settlement. Willard Wood was the nucleus or founder of the Corners, or what has developed into the village of Crete, and, in 1849, laid out the town. Mr. Wood has probably been more closely identified with the interests of this vicinity and of the wholfr township than any other man. Willard Wood taught the first school, in the Winter of 1837-38, a short distance north of the Corners ; and, in 1840, was appointed first School Treasurer. Charles Wood was a brother, but does not reside here now, having removed to Minnesota. Luman Hewes came, with a large family, from Vermont, in 1837. The family consisted of Mr. Hewes and wife, sons John, Austin, William, Benjamin, Luman, Jr., Daniel and Wallace, and one daughter. Four of the sons — John, Benjamin, Daniel and Wal- lace — are still residents of the township; the balance are all dead. They have all been successful men. All bought farms and improved them, though some are at present engaged in other business. Enoch Dodge came from New Hampshire, in 1838. He is dead, but the family still reside here. Asa Lyttle was also an early settler in this neighbor- hood. He was a native of Vermont, and is now a resident of Minnesota. B. Boardman, now of California, was also from Vermont. B. Staiford was another Vermonter. He was the father of Gov. Stafford, of Arizona, and also of Mrs. Dr. Mary Blake, Medical Lecturer in one of the medi- cal colleges of Boston. During the late war, Mrs. Blake repaired to the scene of battle and engaged in the work of nursing and caring for the sick and wounded soldiers, and, in that capacity, gained the enviable title of " Le Petite Angel." In the eastern portion of the township, where lies the longest stretch of timber-land, quite an extensive settlement was being made at the same pe- riod. Minoris Beebe is credited with being the pioneer, and his advent was, no doubt, as early as 1834. In honor of him the grove was named. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence and worth, and was one of the first Justices of the Peace in this section of the county. Following him but a short time after, was Hardin Beebe, uncle of Minoris and father of Judge Beebe, of Kankakee. Quartos Marsh, with five sons — Edwin, Jonathan, Henry, Nelson and Frank — came about the year last named, or a very short time after. Of .556 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. this family, Nelson was afterward editor of the Joliet Republican. The family, as a whole, was one of the best in the township. Maj. John Kyle was one of the earliest residents of the Grove, and was the first death. He was from the Green Mountain State. His son Merrill was Colonel in the late war. He is now a resident of Blue Island, near Chicago. Several other members of the family live in the city, and are all wealthy. J. E. Burritt and son, Elisha, son-in-law Henry Mulligan, and Norman Northrup, came together from Connecticut. Mr. Mulligan subsequently re- moved to the western part of the county. His oldest son is Superintendent of one of the railroads of Michigan, and resides at Detroit, in that State. North- rup removed some years ago to Monee, where he died. His widow, who after- ward married Willard Wood, has also recently died. Shipman Frank and James L. Dean were both from New York. Frank was the first Postmaster in the township and was commissioned to take charge of the oiEce of Endor, which was the first established. The post ofiice has been, with the exception of a couple of years, from 1856 till 1858, in existence ever since. Mr. Frank died many years ago. His son, Augustus, is in the Treas- ury Department of the United States, at Washington. While the war with Mexico brought a large number of settlers to this coun- try, they having been in the service and received warrants for land, which they located here, so, also, the result of that war having opened up the extensive Pacific Slope to emigration, it was the means of removing many others to the gold-fields of California. The treaty of peace with Mexico had scarcely been signed, when there was almost an exodus from some of the Eastern States to dig for the precious metal. Among the number from this section who thirsted for gold was James L. Dean. He did not realize his bright anticipations, however, but died on the way. His family continued to reside here, until about 1859. Rev. David Ripley was the first preacher who located in the township. He was from Connecticut, and had been preaching in that State and New York, prior to his coming here. By him the first church organization in the township was effected, itbeingthat of the Congregational denomination, in 1839. Hiram Rowley and John Pease were from New York. The father of Rowley was one of the con- tractors for the building of the Erie Canal. It is said of him that on one occa- sion, while in the discharge of some of his duties, Gov. Clinton and some other gentleman were on the ground inspecting the works. Mr. Rowley not being acquainted with the gentlemen or their business at the place, and noticing that they were somewhat in the way of the laborers, ordered them to stand aside, ■and not to interfere with the work. Gov. Clinton, instead of taking offense at the seemingly rude treatment of His Excellency and companions, complimented Mr. Rowley on his zeal and energy in carrying on his business. Pease carried the first mail from Chicago to Iroquois, in 1836, at which time the post oiBces of Endor and Crete were established. Moses Cook and John Williamson were also here before 1839. They are still residents of the township. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 557 In the year last named, Samuel Gushing, or Deacon Gushing as he is more .generally called, arrived from New York. He has a history that would make a respectable appendix to "Uncle Tom's Gabin"; and all of the interesting inci- dents of his pioneer life, which was at a period when the Antislavery move- ment in this country was just beginning to assume shape, and when the under- ground railway, for the transfer of colored passengers from bondage to a land of freedom, was just being established, would make a volume. Notwith- standing the laws of Illinois imposed severe penalties on any convicted of in anywise aiding or abetting a fugitive in his efforts to gain his liberty, Samuel Cushing accepted the position of agent and conductor, and his house was a real station. Mr. Cushing thinks he has helped to place beyond the reach of their pursuers, about eighty or ninety of these fugitives. The usual method of opera- tion was to receive the " human chattels " from the hands of a former conductor, from Wilmington or Joliet, before daylight, keep them concealed in the upper room of his cabin through the day ; and then, as night came on, convey them to Grown Point in Indiana, arriving there before light the next morning. Many incidents of an exciting and interesting character took place, which, but for want of space, are worthy of mention here. Suffice it to say that Mr. Gushing's operations finally culminated in 1843, in his indictment and arrest for ''harbor- ing slaves." It seems almost incredible that such a proceeding should have taken place so short a time ago. Thirty-five years have barely passed, and there is not a slave in the land. Then the poor, trembling fugitives came, seeking shelter and protection from such as were adjudged outlaws in the free State of Illinois. The following is a copy of the original indictment, still in the possession of Mr. Cushing, and is certainly, to say the least, considering the character of the man, the time and place, and the nature of the offense, a great curiosity : Of the October term of the Will Counly Circuit Court, in the year of our Lord, one thousand «ight hundred and forty-three. State of Illinois, Will County : The Grand Jurors, chosen, selected, .and sworn, in and for the County of Will, aforesaid, in the name and by the authority of the peop'e of the state of Illinois, on their oath present that Samuel Cushing late of said county, at the county aforesaid, on the first day of July, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and forty three, four negroes, then and there slaves, and owing service to a person to the jurors unknown, residing in the state of Missouri, one of the United States of America, then and there, to wit : on the day and year, and at the county aforesaid, in the dwelling house of him the said Cushing then and there situate did harbor, he the said Samuel Cushing, then and there well knowing the said negroes then and there to be such slaves, and fugitives from service as aforesaid ; contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the same people of the state of Illinois. And the Grand Jurors, chosen, selected and sworn, in and for the county aforesaid, in the .name and by the authority of the people of the state of Illinois, on their oaths aforesaid, do fur- ther present, that one Samuel Cushing, late of said county, on the first day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty three, at the county aforesaid, one female negro, and one male negro, there and then being slaves and owing service to a person to the jurors unknown, in the state of Missouri, one of the United States of America, then and there to wit: on the day and year aforesaid at the county aforesaid in the dwelling house of him, the said Samuel Cushing then and there situate did harbor, he the said Samuel Cushing then and 568 HISTORi' OF WILL COUNTY. there well knowing the said female negro and the said male negro, then and there to be sucb slaves and fugitives from the said state of Missouri; contrary to the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the said people of the state of Illinois. And the Grand Jurors chosen, selected and sworn, in and for the county aforesaid, in the name and by the authority of the peopl e of the state of Illinois, on their oath aforesaid do further present that one Samuel Gushing, late of said county, on the first day of July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty three, at the county aforesaid, two colored persons then and there being slaves and owing service to a person to the Jurors unknown in the state of Missouri, one of the United States of America, then and there, to wit : on the day and year last aforesaid, at the county aforesaid, in the dwelling house of him, the said Samuel Gushing, then and there and then situate, did harbor, he the said Samuel Gushing, then and there well knowing the said two colored persons, then and there to be such slaves as aforesaid, and fugitives from their said service as slaves aforesaid ; contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the same people of the state of Illinois. P. PALLINGALL, States Attorney, Pro Tern. Seventh Judicial Circuit. On the back of the document appears the following indorsement : Will County Circuit Court, October Term, 1843. The People of the State of Illinois vs, Samuel Gushing. Indicted for harboring Slaves. A True Bill. C. G. Van Home, Foreman. Witness — D wight Haven, Carlos Haven. Then comes the list of grand jurors : C. C. Van Home, John Runyon, John Tanner, Jr., Moses Porter, Jr., J. S. Reynolds,. William Wigant, Robert Strong, William fSowe, John Robb, James Walker, Asher Holmes, Reu- ben Willard, George Woodruff, Titus S. Abbott, Dennis Kelly, Lyman Meacham, Lucius Robinson, Horace Messenger. It would, doubtless, be injustice to some of the names of the grand jurors whose signatures are given as indorsing this action, to suppose that they sym- pathized with the spirit which incited the movement. On the contrary, some of them will be recognized as leaders in the very cause for which Mr. Gushing was called upon to answer. On this indictment Mr. Gushing was arrested, taken to Joliet and held to bail until the next term of Gourt. At the term mentioned, though Mr. Gushing would have acknowledged to ten times as much as charged, the Prosecuting Attorney was not ready for trial ; and an immediate trial being demanded, a nol. pros, was entered, and the law-breaker allowed to return to his work of " aiding and harboring slaves, contrary to the form of the statute in such case made and provided, and against the peace and dignity of the peo- ple of the State of Illinois." At the session of the grand jury mentioned, Col. Peter Stewart, of Wilmington, was indicted for a like offense and with like results. Fifty years hence, in the absence of records, it would be exceedingly hard to cojivince any one that such proceedings ever took place ; and, indeed, at the present time the relation of the event sounds like a story of a century past. Mr. Gushing still resides here at an advanced age, and expresses no regret for HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 559 the part he took in feeding the- hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the cold and weary, worn traveler, remembering that the Master had said, " Inas- much as ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me." The first German who made l^is appearance on the prairie was William Rinne. His first habitation was, if anything, of a more primitive character than any of its time. It consisted simply of what might be denominated the <'ellar of a house, lacking the very material part, the building, or, in other words, simply a square hole in the ground, with a low wall of sods built above the surface and covered with prairie grass, supported by poles. In this burrow he lived five or six years, the while toiling and economizing until he had not only paid for his land, but had saved sufiicient to build a more comfortable abode. John 0. Meier, the present Supervisor of the township, came in 1844, and is next to the wealthiest man in this part of the county. John 0. Piepenbrink is one of the richest, if not the wealthiest, men in the township. He came to the township in 1849, and began the manufacture of butter and cheese. The business, though at first a small matter, has developed into a concern of large proportions, from which Mr. Piepenbrink has realized a fortune. •John and Christopher Scheiwe came about the same time, and have been exceedingly successful in business. Conrad Tatge was one of the first German settlers, and, through his influ- ence, probably, more of that people have come to this neighborhood than through that of any other man. Mr. Tatge served the county for eight years as Circuit Clerk, in which position he merited and gained the esteem of all with whom he transacted business. The German settlement grew most rapidly from 1848 till 1856, at the end of which period most of the Government, rail- road and speculators' lands had been bought by them. Since then the German population has steadily increased by settlers in the village, and also by those who buy out the original purchasers of the land, they, in turn, removing to newer localities further west. The German people of Crete Township have proved to be most industrious, intelligent and honorable citizens, and the indi- cations of their prosperity are observed on every hand. Gustavus Brauns was the first German merchant. He came to Crete and opened a store in April, 1857. He has been a very successful man in business, and has the confidence and respect of not only his own people, but of all of his fellow-citizens. Beside these already named, among the early German set- tlers, were John Windheim, Conrad Weinhofier, Henry Scheiwe, Philip Jurd- ining, Henry Ohlendorf, Conrad Hecht and Christopher Batterman, settling in various portions of the township, and mostly before the year 1850. The history of the churches of Crete Township is almost a history of the township itself, as nearly all of the leading citizens — especially of the early Qjjgg were, directly or indirectly, connected with these enterprises ; and to 560 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. this fact, in connection with the deep interest taken in educational matters^ must be attributed the excellent state of morals and intelligence found here- Like the Puritans, when they landed from the Mayflower, the first thing was to set up the altar in the wilderness ; and_, like the Israelites, when they had safely landed on the borders of the promised land, they erected to God a tab- ernacle. Though, as before stated. Rev. David Ripley organized the first church- that being a Congregational- society — the Methodists really organized the first class for religious culture and teaching. A class of this denomination was- formed by the noted pioneer preacher, S. R. Beggs, at Thorn Grove, in 1836, ■ with fifteen members. This was the first religious organization in the east end of the county. Five years later, it was transferred to the village of Crete, but no building was erected until 1852, the meetings of the society in the mean time being held in schoolhouses and, in warm weather, in the open air in the grove. The building erected at the date named cost $1,500. The present Pastor of the Church is Rev. U. C. Reynolds. I. C. Reed is Superintendent of the Sunday school. The present membership of the Church is 123, and of the Sunday school, about as many. The Congregational Church at Beebe's Grove was organized in 1839 by Rev. David Ripley, with Nathaniel Frank and wife, Mrs. Beebe, James L. Dean and wife, Moses Cook and wife, John Kyle and mother and Samuel Gushing and wife as members. Of these original members. Cook and Cushing and their wives are all that are now living. Soon after the organization of the Church, Rev. David Ripley died, and Rev. J. Thompson was called to fill his place. It is rela- ted that once the minister's horse strayed away from his stable, and, for over a week, no trace of him could be found. At the end of the period named, however, some one, in passing the church-building,* heard a noise within, and, supposing some one was inside preparing the room for Church services, pushed open the door, when lo ! the poor horse confronted him with looks and actions which indicated that, though he had not been holding religious meetings, he ha.dheen fasting for a long time. The horse, after leaving home, had, doubtless, from force of habit, taken the road to the church, and, finding the door ajar, had pushed it open and walked in for the purpose of protecting himself from the inclement weather. " Old Dick " was always afterward dubbed the "Pious Horse." Six years after the organization at Beebe's Grove, another church of the same denomination was started at Thorn Grove, by Rev. E. C. Brige. Eight or ten years later, the two organizations were united, and steps taken to erect a building for religious worship at the village of Crete. The building was com- pleted a short time thereafter, at an outlay of $2,000. The membership at present numbers about sixty persons, though more than one hundred others have been dismissed by letter to other organizations. Rev. J. F. Smith is present Pastor, and Mrs. Smith is Superintendent of the Sunday school. *The schoolhouse was then used for church purposes. HISTORY' OF WILL COUNTY. 561 The German Lutheran denomination has been exceedingly prosperous since its establishment here. Trinity Church, of this denomination, is the result of the union of two branches — the one at Beebe's Grove and the other near the village. Rev. 0. Weil was the first minister, and preached here a year, in 1849. He was succeeded by Rev. August Selle, who labored with the Church for eight years, and did most of the work in systematizing the enterprises with which the society has since been connected. Mr. Selle organized the first Lutheran Church established in the city of Chicago. In 1860, their present house of worship was erected. It stands nearly a mile south of the village of Crete, is a neat structure of the kind and cost $2,640. The society also owns two schoolhouses, one southeast and the other southwest of the village, in which schools are kept open the most of the year. At each of the schoolhouses, and at the church, they have ten acres of land. They, also, by special agreement with the school authorities, have a school in the public school-building in the village, in which the religion of the Church, the German language and some of the primary branches taught in the common schools are learned. Rev. Gottlieb Traub has been, for the last twelve years. Pastor of the Church. At its first organization, the Church consisted of thirteen families; the present membership is 131 families. The Albright Evangelical Church, located in the southeastern corner of the township was established in 1856, by Rev. George Fetters, with twelve familes. The society has not been very prosperous, the Lutheran Church located a quarter of a mile south, in Washington Township, completely over- shadowing it. In 1862, under the pastorate of Rev. Noah McLain, a small house of worship was erected for $800, on land owned by Conrad Hecbt. Seven families at present belong to the organization, and Rev. William Gross is minister. Willard Wood. Esq., now a resident of the village of Crete, taught the first school in the township, in the Winter of 1887-38, and public action looking toward the establishing of a public school system was taken in 1840, On April 11, of that year, the school township was organized, with Luman Hewes, M. H. Cook and Norman Northrup as Trustees, and James L. Miner as Treasurer and Clerk. Miner, however, refused to act, and so Willard Wood was chosen in his place, and continued in oiEce until 1846, when Richard Brown was appointed. The first business done^by the Board was the division of the township into three school districts, with the six northeast sections, or Beebe's Grove, as District No. 1 ; the northwest twelve sections, or Thorn Grove, as No. 2, and the south half of the township as No. 3. Thefirst two of these districts organized at once, and under the public system Miss Eliza Burrit taught during the Summer of 1840 at Beebe's Grove. This was the first term taught in this neighborhood, and was held in the schoolhouse previously mentioned, in which Elder Thompson's " Pious Dick " kept his forced fast. This school- house was a very simple affair indeed ; and, as it was a fair sample of the architecture that prevailed in those days, a brief description of it will doubtless prove interesting. ,562 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Interested parties to the number of eight or ten came together by appoint- ment, bringing with them their axes, saws and whatever implements they hap- pened to possess, and built it on the mutual assistance plan. Small trees were felled and cat to the length of twenty feet. Notches were cut in each end to admit others designed to rest thereon. Then the logs were laid up, in the manner of constructing a rail pen. When the building had been raised to a sufficient height, openings were cut for a door, fireplace and windows. The craclis between the logs were "chinked" — that is, partially filled with small pieces of wood, wedged in, and then daubed with mud. The roof was made of "clapboards," or very large shingles, split from the bodies of straight- grained trees, and these were held in their places by the weight of poles laid thereon. In the building of King Solomon's Temple, it is found worthy of record that it was constructed " without the aid of ax, hammer, or any tool of iron." In our temple of learning it is worthy of note that, with the excep- tion of a few nails in the door, not a piece of iron entered into its composition. The door was made of the boards of which, formerly, a dry goods box had been constructed ; was hung on wooden hinges, and fastened with a wooden latch, which only the ingenuity of the backwoodsman could invent, being raised by means of a leather thong attached to it, and hung through a small auger-hole a few inches above. The floor was made of "puncheons," or logs split in two parts, each of which, with it flat surface turned upward, rested on the ground. The desks were broad boards, resting on pins driven into the wall. The seats were constructed of slabs, into the ends of which were inserted wooden pins, serving as legs or supports. These benches were placed in front of the desks, and while the children studied from their books the sharp edges of the desks served as supports for their backs. The chimney and fire-place were composed of small sticks, built up after the manner of the house, and plastered with mud, the fire-place being very ample to admit of large logs used for fuel. The same Summer that the public school was opened at Beebe's Grove, a school was taught by E. Smith in District No. 2. The next year (November, 1841), Dis- trict No. 3 was organized and school established there. The school land, being the section cornering with the village of Crete, on the southeast, was sold in 1841, at an average of about $2.00 per acre. In 1850, the number of districts had increased to six, since which time no new districts have been formed. The following items, extracted from the books of the Township Treasurer, Willam L. Adams, and of the Treasurer of the fractional township, J. C. Doescher, will doubtless prove interesting to many readers, as indicating the present condition of the schools : Town 14. Town 15. JNumber ot schools 6 1 Number of persons under 21 744 124 Number of persons between 6 and 21 497 83 Number of months taught during the year 40 8 Value of school property 58,250 $300 Amount paid for teaching 1,865 235 Total paid for support of schools 2^696 264 •t~^ , 'T^i V 1k>- ^.^^^^^C^^ CHICAGO FORMERL Y OF FRANKFORT TP HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 565 By no means least among the enlightening and elevating influences in a community is a good newspaper, and as such deserves to be classed with the pulpit and the rostrum. The Unterprise, which is all that its name indicates, was established at Crete in 1875. Its first number appeared on the 25th of December of the year named. C. E. Carter, who had been in the newspaper l)usiness in Wisconsin, originated and founded the paper, and by him it has been edited and published ever since. The Enterprise is a sprightly eight- column quarto, full of local and foreign news, and enjoys a good patronage, both by way of subscriptions and advertising. It is issued every Friday. It is independent in politics and religion. The Crete Sash, Door and Blind Factory, located at the village, is worthy of more than a passing notice. This institution was founded in 1869 by Messrs. Conrad Tatge, Christopher Knabe, William Hahnlein and F. Sennholtz. Two years later, a stock company was formed, with a capital of $21,000, with Walter Looct as Manager, and Gustavus Brauns as Secretary and Treasurer. Twenty hands are employed in the manufacture of the articles before mentioned, and also of moldings and stair-rails. Lumber for use is brought directly from the pineries. The product of the factory finds sale in the southern part of the State and in Indiana. A fire insurance company, called the Crete Farmers' Mutual, with a capi- tal of $20,000, is one of the institutions of this township. Conrad Tatge, Henry Scheive, John 0. Meier and Gustavus Brauns were the originators of the scheme, the last-named being the first Agent and Secretary. Its province is to insure farm-buildings and other careful risks, the rate being about 1 per cent. The call of the President for soldiers to suppress the rebellion was heard by many in this township, and hearing, they left all — homes, firesides, friends and kindred — and followed the beat of the drum to the field of battle. A number of the brave boys who left us never returned. Their bones lie mingled ■with the soil of the country which they went out to rescue from the hands of traitors. The names of some of them are here given. Among those who were tilled or died of wounds or disease contracted in the army are remembered : A. Quackenbush, John W. Cole, Robert Cave, M. H. Cook, Orlando Hewes, William Conskay, Conrad Ingleking, August Myer and James M. Mulliken. Whether there were others or not, we could not learn, but surely this was enough; and, though the prayers of brothers, sisters, parents and friends ascended day after day for their safe return, the sacrifice was demanded, and it had to 'be made. In 1850, the township of Crete, embracing all of what now constitutes the townships of Crete and Washington, was formed. The first township election occurred on the 2d day of April of the year named. The meeting was called to order by Willard Wood. Moses H. Cook was elected Chairman or Moder- ator and E. W. Beach was chosen Secretary. They were sworn to perform the 566 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. duties of their oflBces according to law, by J. Marsh, a Justice of the Peace. At this first election, there were 109 votes cast, of which the following persons received majorities for the respective offices : N. Brown, Supervisor ; Z. Han- derson, Clerk ; J. Luce, Assessor ; D. Wilkins, Collector ; Horace Adams, Overseer of the Poor ; A. Wilder, S. W. Chapman and William Hewes, Com- missioners of Highways ; H. E. Barret and 0. H. Barret, Constables, and H.. Sprague and J. Marsh, Justices of the Peace. The present voting population of the township is not less than three hun- dred and fifty, though the highest vote ever cast has been but 334. The present township officers are : John 0. Meier, Supervisor ; Emit Walter, Clerk ; Henry Hattendorf, Collector ; Henry Cole, Assessor ; A= Darling, William Diersen and H. N. Doescher, Highway Commissioners; Charles Smith and D. E. Hewes, Justices of the Peace, and Frank Pease and. Lorenz Tillotsen, Constables. VILLAGE .OF CRETE. The village of Crete was laid out in 1849, by Willard Wood, who lived here, occupying the site since 1837. Mr. Wood built at the place now occupied by the Hewes House, at the last-named date, and kept the house as a hotel. As mentioned in the history of Washington Township, places for the accommoda- tion of the traveling public sprang up all along this great highway, and among the number was the Wood Tavern. Of course it was not the commodious hotel that now occupies the corner, but a small log structure ; though the use of that corner, with numerous changes and additions, has always been devoted to that purpose. Until about the time of the laying-out of the town, the same log cabin was the hotel ; but, at the date named, it gave place to a more pre- tentious afiair. Wood then erected a building 26x36 feet, which he occupied until 1865. In 1873, the Hewes brothers, Daniel and B. F., came into pos- session, and built the main part of the house, and have occupied it ever since. The first merchant to locate here was H. H. Huntley. He opened his store directly after the town was laid out, in 1849. Z. Handerson came in a year later, and opened another store. George Gridley had been blacksmithing here for some years before the town was laid out. Dr. H. H. Hitchcock, now of Chicago, was the first physician at the Cor- ners, but removed from here about the time the village started. Dr. G. W. Minard, who still resides in the place, was a student of Hitchcock's, and suc- ceeded to his practice. The post office was established at the Corners in 1836, and was named Crete; and from this the village, in 1849, and the township, in 1850, have derived their names. Crete is one of the most enterprising towns on the line of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad. It is composed of men of ability and thrift, as indicated by buildings, both public and private, which are of a superior charac- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 567 ter. Some of their fine stores and private residences would appear respectable in towns of ten times its size and pretensions. VILLAGE OF GOODBNOW. This town was the direct product of the building of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, and was laid out by George W. Goodenow the same year. Mr. Goodenow, at the same time, built a storehouse and put in a general stock of merchandise. The same year, William Kophmeir erected a hotel and saloon, and Herman Brinker built a wagon-shop and dwelling. Next year James Darling built a blacksmith-shop, which was at once occu- pied by Samuel Rose. Darling removed to Kansas. Mr. Goodenow was first Postmaster, and still occupies the position. The village is situated on the south- east corner of Section 32, about four miles south of Crete. It is a fine location for a town, and but for the hard times which have intervened since its beginning, would doubtless by this time present a greatly improved appearance. MONEE TOWNSHIP. The " war of the races " came to a crisis in 1832. Probably no year in the history of Illinois has been more eventful than the one named. Certainly, no year has brought so much anxiety and excitement to Northern and North- western Illinois, as did the year 1832. Previous to this time, it is true, there was considerable unrest and fear experienced by the inhabitants from their red neighbors, the Indians. Though to all outward appearances they were on friendly terms, yet the farmers, conscious that they were encroaching on the assumed rights of the others, and knowing full well their treacherous dispositions and their sensitiveness on the subject, were all the while apprehensive of trouble. During the year named, all their forebodings and much more were realized. Black Hawk and his allies had been wrought up to such a pitch, that neither threats nor promises by the Government or the State would longer avail, and war between the two races seemed inevitable. The State and nation were prompt to deal with the belligerents, but not until a number of wholesale butch- eries had been perpetrated were the Indians brought into subjection and removed from the State. In the mean time, though no actual demonstration occurred in this section, yet all were in such a state of suspense and anxiety that the county was for a time entirely deserted, some going to the nearest for- tifications for protection, and others returning to the East to be out of harm's way until the trouble might blow over. After peace and order had been re- stored, those who for a time had left their pioneer homes returned, bringing with them many new settlers. Among the number who emigrated to this county soon after the close of the troubles alluded to, were a number of fami- lies from Ohio. John S. Dilly, John M. Chase, S. W. Cooper, S: W. Gaines, Nicholas Young and Aaron Bonell, were the original and first settlers of Monee 568 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Township, and, like all early emigrants from the heavily timbered regions of the East, sought the neighborhood of the little groves, found here and there throughout this part of the State. All of these men, with their families, settled in the northeastern part of the township, in the vicinity of Thorn Grove. A notable feature of many pioneer settlements is the rough character of its mem- bers. Many early settlers have been people who, having been reduced in means and character in their original dwelling-places, have fled to a strange and new country, in the hope of recuperating their fortunes, and either to run away from their characters or reform their doubtful habits. Then, too, in a new country, the restraining influences of church and society, added to which may be counted that of the law, are much less felt than the older settled sections. But this settlement seems to have been a notable exception to the rule, every man of the primary settlement proving himself worthy of the name of a " good citizen." Indeed, one of the number bore the title of Parson, and as such min- istered to the people in things spiritual, while he at the same time cultivated the soil. Of these old pioneers only two still remain. The rest are all gone to other parts, or have departed to that " bourn from which no traveler returns." S. W. Cooper still resides on the old place. He has from the first been ranked as one of the soundest men in the township, and as such has enjoyed the respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens to an unlimited degree. He was the first Supervisor of the township when the two townships now denominated Monee and Will were a single precinct, and were known as CarcY- S. W. Gaines is the other survivor. Whatever can be said of a man of good reputation also attaches to his name. He has accumulated a handsome property, and now enjoys the fruits of his hard toil and early hardships incident to a pioneer life. John M. Chase is credited with building the first house in the township. Chase was a well-to-do farmer, and a man who enjoyed the confidence of his neighbors, as witnessed by his election to the ofiice of Justice of the Peace and several other honors conferred tipon him. However, he did not remain here long enough to merit the title of permanent resident, but sold out his improve- ments after a few years' residence and returned to Ohio. Aaron Bonell and sons continued to reside here for a number of years, and then removed to the southern part of the State. Dilly and Young are both dead. Young was the preacher alluded to. After his death, the balance of the family all removed further West. In 1834, William Hollis Newton came from the State of New York. He is also dead. He was a good citizen, and was well liked by all who knew him. W. H. Newton, Jr., is one of the wealthiest men in the township, and enjoys the reputation of being the model farmer in this portion of the country. His residence, with the numerous houses and barns for poultry, stock, grain and tools, almost equals the number found in a respectable-sized village. Otis Phillips was also from New York, but came a year after Newton. He lived here several years and then removed to Wisconsin, where he has since HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 569 died. He is, without doubt, entitled to the honor of being the pioneer edu- cator, as he taught the first school established in this part of the grove. J. E. Phillips, now residing near the village of Monee, came from New York the next year — 1836 — and settled at Thorn Grove. Mr .'Phillips has proved to be one of the reliable citizens of this section, and has been as intimately associated with all of the events transpiring in this vicinity as any other man ; and to him we are, in a great measure, indebted for whatever may be valuable in this nar- rative. The same year, came from Ohio, William Kinney. He was a farmer, in moderate circumstances, but spent much of his time in hunting. Indeed, we may well believe that many of the early residents were wont tp obtain a subsistence from the use of the rifle. Thorn Grove, in the time of which we write, abounded with game of dif- ferent kinds, and the tables of the early settlers were generously spread with meats that are now rare, and are only eaten as a luxury. And yet; while thus well supplied with venison, turkey, wild chickens and ducks, many articles of food, now common, were almost entirely dispensed with. Tea, coffee, most spices and sugar were obtainable at greater expense than many of them could afford, and home-prepared substitutes took their places. Rye coffee, sassafras tea and corn bread instead of wheaten, with mush and milk, constituted their fare. In the matter of clothing and furniture, their allowance and quality were still more primitive. Silks and broadcloths, furs and kids, were reserved for a later generation. There were no fine carpets on their puncheon floors, no expensive pictures on the walls or tapestry at the windows. Such luxuries were neither obtainable nor desired. The little marketing that was done required long journeys to the nearest stores ; and goods of every kind, owing to slow and expensive transportation, were very dear. The houses of the pioneers were not stately or imposing structures, such as have more recently taken their places. A one-story, one-roomed log cabin was about the most stylish house in the neighborhood. In the construction of the first houses, there was not used a sawed board in the whole building, and, in some, not a single piece of iron — not even a nail. Wooden hinges and latches (with the string out) for doors, puncheons for floors, clapboards for roofs, and wooden pegs, on which to hang clothing, were some of the makeshifts to which they were obliged to resort. Perhaps none but those who have experienced the events witnessed and passed through by them, are fully competent to describe them ; and, certainly, none but such as have witnessed them can fully comprehend the changes which have taken place, both in the appearance of the country and the condition of its inhabitants. The people are accustomed to cry " hard times ; " but if they could be placed back in time forty years, and be required to fill the places of those old pioneers, deprived of all social and com- mercial privileges, as were they, they would learn a lesson that neither essays nor speeches can teach. Even in the new settlements of the now Western country, things are very different. Now the railroad and telegraph precede 570 HISTORY Of WILL COUNTY. emigration, and postal facilities are coincident. For these our fathers were obliged to wait twenty years. The year 1837 was one of the worst in the financial history of the country, and especially of Illinois, that ever occurred; and for a time emigration to these parts was, in a measure, checked. Occasionally a new settler made his appearance. Guided, some by letters and others, as it were, by instinct, they dropped in from time to time, but not for several years after the earliest date mentioned did the township settle rapidly. At first, all the settlements were made in the edges of the timber, but when all of the Jand in the vicinity of the wooded portions had been occupied, shanties here and there on the prairie began to appear. By the year 1850, seventeen years after the first settler made his appearance, the following additional residents are noted : John S. Holland, Stephen, Jacob and James Goodenow; George, Emerson and Minet E. Baker; A. J. Smith, Eugene Lashley, August Klien and Simeon Abbott. Of these, some are dead, some have removed further west or returned to their native States, and some are still residents of the township. The Bakers were from Ohio. They lived here a few years after the date last named, and then again took up their line of march toward the setting sun, their last resting-place being in the State of Iowa. Johii S. Holland came here in 1845, made some improvements, and died a few years after. The family have all removed — one son to Chicago, where he now resides. A. J. Smith was here before 1845, and resided in the township until about 1855, at which date his death occurred. He was a native of Ohio, was a good man, and was one of the earliest Justices of the Peace. Ebenezer Lashley, for the last fifteen years a resident of Douglas County, of this State, came to this township from Ohio. He was one of the best informed of the early residents of the county, and his removal was a source of regret to all his neighbors. Stephen Goodenow and brothers (Jacob and James) were from the several States of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Indiana, and came to this part of the country about 1845. George and Franklin Goodenow, relatives of the above, settled in the adjoining township, the former of whom is proprietor of the town of Goodenow, on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad. Stephen Goodenow now resides in the village of Monee. As before intimated, the first land occupied was that in the eastern portion of the township, in the vicinity of Thorn Grove. In 1854, however, the Illinois Central Railroad was completed, and a station being established in the western part, on that line of road, improvements began to be made in that neighborhood. Since that date, the west side of the township has taken the lead in population. By an act of Congress, each alternate section of land in this and other townships through which this railroad passes (excepting lands already entered, the school section and the "reservation") was transferred to HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 571 the Illinois Central Railroad Company to assist in building the road. In transferring the land to the Company, the price of the remaining Government land was raised to $2.50 per acre, being double its former price, and at that price nearly one-third of the land was purchased by settlers. The lands occu- pied by settlers prior to the road was bought at fl.25 per acre, and that from the Railroad Company from f2.50 to $10.00, according to location and date of purchase. The Indian reservation, sometimes called Coon Grove, consisted of about three-fourths of Sections 28, 29, 32 and 33. This land had been deeded by treaty to a small family or tribe of Indians, and by them was held until a comparatively recent date, when it was put upon the market by their agent, Henry M. Ward, and sold to different parties who now occupy it. The ancient aborigines, to whom the land belonged, have long since removed from this part of the country. Monee Township is bounded on the north by Cook County, on the east by Crete, on the south by Will and on the west by Greengarden. About one- fourth formerly consisted of timbered land : but the supply of fuel and building material in former times demanded the sacrifice of a considerable portion, and the amount of woodland is now much smaller. In 1850, the township was included with Will in a single precinct, though not that Will added anything to the voting population, for at that date Will had not within its bounds a single inhabitant. So, in reality, considering the population, Carey Township was what is now called Monee. The township of Carey was organized, with all others of the original townships named in the first division of the territory, in 1850, on the 2d day of April of the year named. From a few miscellaneous papers still in existence in the Clerk's office, we find that C. W. Cooper was first Super- visor ; J. E. Phillips, Assessor, and W. H. Newton, Clerk. The records of Carey Township have been lost, and we are, therefore, unable to make any fur- ther definite statements in regard to the first organization. In 1859, that por- tion of Carey now known as Will was struck off, in accordance with the wishes of its inhabitants ; and, the village of Monee having been established and so named, the old name of Carey was dropped and the name to correspond with the village was adopted. The organization of the township, as at present con- stituted, is : John 'Kolstedt, Supervisor ; E. R. Freese, Clerk ; Fred. Rave, Assessor ; Jacob H. Barlage, Collector ; Adam Gorman, Henry Deters and George Kolstedt, Commissioners of Highways ; John A. Heins and Henry Conrad, Justices of the Peace ; Peter Bischman and Gustav Kettering, Con- stables, and August Ehrhardt, School Treasurer. As before intimated, the first school was taught at the " Grove " by Otis Phillips. Like the township records, the school records of the township have been lost, and nothing positive can be stated in regard to this school except that it was in a little cabin owned by Mr. Phillips, the teacher. The date was, no doubt, about 1836. All schools in the State of Illinois at that date were sup- ported by private means, and of course this was a subscription school. It is 672 HISTOKY OF WILL COUNTY. o further remembered that Mr. Phillips was not only a good teacher, but a good' man and well worthy of the title of " pioneer schoolmaster." In 1855, a system of reports from Township School Treasurers was adopted, and from an old report, dated 1858, from the Treasurer of this township, we are able to give some interesting statistics, indicating the condition of schools at that time. It is therein stated that there were in the township : Districts, in each of which were schoolhouses 4 Male teachers 2 Female teachers 7 Persons between the ages of 6 and 21 years 328 Persons under 21 472 Months of school taught 34 Average monthly wages paid male teachers $ 34 00 Average montly wages paid female teachers 17 50 Whole amount paid teachers .' 870 00 Whole amount paid for support of schools 1,238 59 Some corresponding figures, indicating the present condition of schools,, give additional interest : Number of schools 7 Number of persons between 6 and 21 668 Number of persons under 21 938 Number of months taught 73 Highest wages paid any teacher per month $ 75 00 Whole amount paid for teaching 2,913 00 Whole amount paid for support of schools 3,405 00 Estimated value of school property '. 5,500 00 Formerly, churches were organized at the Grove ; but since the towns of Crete and Monee have been established and movements made toward organizing church societies there, these organizations have either been abandoned or removed to the villages. The war record of this township is bright with many honored names. A large number of the best and strongest men, when the call for troops to suppress the rebellion was made, entered the army and followed the old flag even to the mouth of the cannon, and some into the very jaws of death. John Clark, Isaiah Cook, Charles Bergen, C. J. Garret, T. J. Kemp, G. A. Baker and A. F. Clark were among the number who lost their lives to save the life of the Union. Henry Carstons was reported missing, and, as supposed, was killed. There were, doubtless, others, but we are unable to learn their names. Surely,, these were a large and costly sacrifice, and worthy of the cause in which they fell. VILLAGE OF MONEE. The year 1853 was an eventful one for this section of the State, which had, prior to that time, been without commercial privileges, except as carried on, by means of wagons, with Chicago. The enterprise of building a railroad through this part of the State had long been talked of, and some legislation had resulted HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. 67S therefrom ; though but few realized the importance of the scheme until the road was completed. In a few years, towns sprang up all along the line, and lands heretofore unoccupied were taken up in a short time. In a very few years, this Avhole region was almost as thickly settled as it is to-day. The western part of the township soon became the most densely populated, and the town of Monee has sprung up from what was, prior to that event, an open plain. The village of Monee was laid out by Henry M. Ward, for August Her- bert, in 1853. August Herbert was in the Mexican war, and, being honorably discharged at the close, he was given a warrant entitling him to 160 acres of the unoccupied Government land, wherever he might choose to locate. So, in 1849, he found his way to this township, and located the southeast quarter of Section 21. When the railroad was located, though it did not run through Herbert's land, it ran so close that his land became available as a part of the- town site. He therefore sold to the railroad company forty acres ; and this, together with what Herbert laid out, embraces the principal part of the village. In 1853, Herbert built the first house in the village. He also built, in partner- ship with others, a warehouse ; built a storehouse and opened a general store, in which he continued until about two years ago, when he removed to Grant Park^ where he now resides. Though Herbert erected the first building (now a portion of Kettering's Hotel), a house had been brought by Simeon Abbott, from the south part of the township, which was used by the employes of the railroad company as a lodging-house. This house is still standing and occupies one of the most prominent corners in the village, and is used by Messrs. Sonneborn & Son for a tailoring establishment. Mr. Abbott lived in the house for a time, and then removed to Iowa, where he still resides. The first store building was erected in 1853, by 0. B. Dutton, the same now being in use by August Schifiier. Among the other early residents of the village were Adam Vatter, Bronson Wiley and Theodore Wernigk. Of these, Vatter was a carpenter, who gave most of his attention to the erection of churches ; and nearly all of the German churches in this, Greengarden, Peotone and Crete Townships are works of his. He still resides here. Wiley was the first blacksmith, and Wernigk was the first physician. Laban Easterbrooks is also one of the oldest residents, having resided in the village for twenty-one years. " 'Squire Brooks," as he is familiarly called, is a native of Rhode Island, and has always enjoyed the friendship and business relations of Gen. Burnside, of that State. Mr. Easterbrooks was a carpenter, and Burnside was Cashier of the Land Department of the Illinois Central Railroad ; and, through that relation, came to possess large tracts of land in the township of Greengarden. The General, having been acquainted with the 'Squire, and wishing some improvements made on his land, employed him to look after his estate — have it fenced and build houses on the same. The post office was established here in 1853, with 0. B. Dutton as Post- master. 574 , HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. The schoolhouse was built in 1854, and Margaret Wilson was installed as first teacher. Five years ago, an addition of one room was made to the orig- inal building, and three teachers, of whom F. Stoflflet is Principal, are now em- ployed. In 1866, Joseph Koenig and Oscar Kohler built a steam grist-mill ; but the enterprise did not prove a great success and it has not been in use for several years. In 1865, August Schiifer built a warehouse and began handling grain. Two years later, Messrs. Tatge, Miller & Herbert erected their building for handling grain ; and following them, in 1872, F. Luehrs, of Greengarden Township, also erected a warehouse. In 1865, G. A. McGilvery built a hay-press, which is still in use, being operated by J. I. Rice, of Peotone. An attempt to establish an academy for a higher and special course of instruction was made in 1872. The building, called the Monee Academy, was erected in that year, named by Messrs. Janzen & Stassen. Prof. Janzen was put in charge of the institution, and hopes were entertained that this would de- velop into one of the leading institutions of the country. But after a short time, it was found that the encouragement received was not sufficient to warrant its continuance, and was abandoned. The leading church of the village is the Lutheran. The German element is largely in the majority, and nearly all adhere to that faith. The Church was established in 1857, by Rev. William Schaefer, and a house of worship ■erected in 1858. The cost of the house was $1,500. It stands in the midst of the burial ground, where lie the remains of Christian Schurz and wife, father and mother of Carl Schurz, now a member of President Hayes' Cab- inet. The congregation consists of about eighty families, of which Rev. C. F. Hafheing is Pastor. The Congregational Church, which stands in the north part of the village, Tvas the second built, and the society was the second organized. The house was built at an outlay of $2,100, in 1866, the society having been formed five years earlier by Rev. W. B. Atkinson. Rev. George Dunlap officiates as minister. The M. E. Church was organized by Rev. Mr. Ross, and the building erected in 1868, at an expenditure of $1,500. The building stands in the west part of town, and is occupied part of the time only, by Rev. W. H. Crawford. This society has not been in as flourishing a condition as formerly, and, for a time, the house was closed. Rev. Charles Steisabei'ger organized the German Catholic society of this place in 1866, and two years later they built their house of worship. The building cost $1,500, and stands in the eastern part of the village near the Congregational Church. This society has never been strong here, and services are now held only occasionally. Some years ago, perhaps about 1860 or 1861, a newspaper called the Monee Eagle, was started here by J. G. Scott. The Eagle soared high for a HISTOKY OF WILL COUIITY. 575 -while. It continued its flight for about three years, when it drooped, folded its ^ings and died. The village of Monee was incorporated in 1874, by the elec- tion of officers on the 9th of November of that year. The first Board con- sisted of Edward Wernigk, President; Henry Hoffman, Charles Plagge, Philip Vollmar, Christopher Schoenstedt and August Schiffer, as Trustees ; William T. Hutchinson was Clerk, and B. Hayen, Treasurer. The present officers are Simeon Miller, President ; John A. Heins, Charles Mertz, Chris- topher Schoenstedt, Gustav Jordans and William Kohlstedt, Trustees ; Charles Pragst, Clerk ; John Kohlstedt, Treasurer, and Laban Easterbrooks, Police Magistrate. ■~o" FLORElsrCE TOWNSHIP. It is claimed for this township, that it is the best, in many particulars, in the whole county. In soil and in society, in thrift and in intelligence, the inhabitants of Florence acknowledge their superiority. After a careful examination into the several items enurperated, we are not disposed to attempt to change public opinion, in regard to the good qualities of this locality, for certainly a finer place for the display of all that is desirable in a farming com- munity would be hard to find. The land is exceedingly rich, and the soil deep and very productive. The surface is gently undulating — -just sufficiently so to render drainage easy, and, at the same time, prevent the washing from heavy rains incident to rolling or broken groundi Thrift and prosperity are mani- fested on every hand, in the well-cultivated fields, fat and fine-bred stock, com- fortable and, in some instances, elegant dwellings, and in the well-graded and "well-kept highways. The queerest part of the story, perhaps, is that much of the best land in the township was not occupied until long after the little strips of timber along the streams — though of a greatly inferior character of soil — was occupied and improved. The reason for this becomes apparent, when it is considered that the first inhabitants of this country were all from the heavilyr wooded States, that it was then apparent that the little bits of timber here and there must answer for both fuel and building purposes, until artificial forests could be grown, and that the prairie land was as dear as the timbered. In the minds of many Eastern people contemplating emigration, the timber question is yet an important one. Now, however, inhabitants of the prairie experience but little inconvenience from the lack of this former essential, the "depths" producing an unlimited amount of fuel, and the railroads supplying from other sections building material of a better character than ever was produced here. In early times, a saw-mill was one of the first institutions to appear in the new settlement. These have nearly all disappeared — not because the timber is completely exhausted — but rather that the lumber brought from the pineries of Michigan and Wisconsin is more easily worked and of a more suitable quality for building. The whole township is devoted to farming in connection with 576 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Stock-raising and dairying. Immense crops of corn, oats and rye are produced; considerable pork is raised, and within the past few years, a good deal of attention has been devoted to butter and cheese making. The township is a full Congressional town, containing thirty-six full sections, and is described in the survey as Town 33 north, and 10 east of the Third Princi- pal Meridian . It is bounded on the north by Jackson Township, on the east by Wil- ton, on the south by Wesley, and on the west by Wilmington. It is watered by Prairie Creek flowing through the northwestern part, and by Forked Creek and its branches flowing through the southern portion. These furnish excellent stock water to the farms lying adjacent. Stone, adapted to foundations for houses and for making lime, is found in some parts, and quarries are worked for these purposes. Some dispute as to who was the first settler of this town- ship has arisen in consequence of the nearness of some of the first settlements to the northwest corner, across the line from which other early settlements were made in adjoining townships. We have no doubt, from close investigation, that Lewis Linebarger is justly entitled to that honor. Several others of the Line- barger family came to Jackson Township in the year 1832, and, as we have seen in the history of that township, returned to Indiana on the appearance of the Indian troubles. The next Spring, Lewis moved out and settled at what has since been known as Starr's Grove, though the neighborhood was then really considered a part of Reed's Grove. Perhaps, from this circumstance, Linebarger has been incorrectly accredited to Jackson Township. Linebarger built a log cabin, which was the first, and made other improvements. He did not enter the land, but subsequently sold his claim to Arthur Potts, and removed to Oregon, where he still resides. Arthur Potts, though not the next to make his appearance as a settler, was yet in the township of Wesley in 1834, and moved on the claim purchased of Linebarger a year or two later. Potts was a native of Indiana. He lived here until 1854, and then removed to Iowa, having sold his farm to Duncan Mcln- tyre. Another of the Linebargers also settled in here in 1834. He, too, has removed to Oregon. Henry Moore was here in 1834. He was a native of Indiana, a good farmer, and removed to Iowa a number of years ago. In 1835, the township received an addition to its population that proved to be an addition, not only as to numbers, but in worth, in energy, in industry, and in general benefit to the community. Henry Althouse is a native of Prus- sia. He came to this country in 1819, landing in Baltimore that year. All that he had in the world, when he stepped ashore, was the clothes on his back, plenty of energy and a thorough knowledge of the baking business. In the business of baising he engaged, working at the trade in Maryland, Virginia and Ohio. In 1821, he married the lady with whom he has now lived fifty-seven years. In 1835, he concluded to turn farmer, and, with that intent, came to this place and laid claim to a piece of land. To this he has, by the utmost energy HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 577 and industry added, until, at one time, he has owned 1,500 acres. He would own it now, but having a view to the comfort and welfare of a large family, has divided it up and given to each of the nine surviving children a good farm and -other property of value. He now resides at Wilmington, occupying the fine residence of the former banker, Daniels. He is 80 years of age; but, with the exception of his loss of sight, retains his faculties, and seems a quarter of a century younger. John Kahler was also one of the earliest citizens of this vicinity, having settled here in 1835. , James Martin came in 1836. He was a native of Ireland, and proved to be a first-class citizen of this community. When he first came to the neigh- borhood, he assisted in the building of Dr. Bowen's mill at Wilmington. The school records show him to have been one of the first School Trustees, in 1842. His son William still occupies the old homestead, though the father has lain in the cemetery seventeen years. James W. Martin, another son, has filled the office of County Treasurer to the satisfaction of all parties. About this time came Walter and Thomas Monteith. They were from New York. They lived here about ten years, and then removed to Oregon. Since their removal to that State, report says they have become very wealthy. David Bell was one of the next to settle here. He is a native of New York, and came first to Wilmington, where he earned a little money working at the trade of carpenter, bought a little land in the southwest part of the township, and by constant industry and good management has become wealthy. In 1837, Duncan Mclntyre and Daniel Stewart came from New York. Mclntyre took a claim on Section 28, the farm now belonging to Selah Morey, and built a cabin. Being unmarried at the time, he took to live with him Nel- son Wright and family, who had emigrated from New York with him. Subse- quently, Wright removed to Oregon, and Mclntyre sought elsewhere for a housekeeper ; and in this connection a little romance is related. Some years before, Mclntyre and some friends, while on a tour of inspection in the neigh- boring township of Wesley, were suddenly surprised by seeing coming toward them a man leading a little girl, then a mere child. The man informed them that they were emigrants from Michigan, and had just arrived at the place; that their wagon, with the balance of the family, had been left a little way behind, and they were seeking a place to spend the night. The man was Joseph Hadsel, and the little girl was his daughter. All of the gentlemen were struck with the quiet and simple beauty of the little girl ; but no one dreamed that this was to be the future Mrs. Duncan Mclntyre. But when Mr. Mcln- tyre's tenants, the Wrights, left his place, he then brought to mind the modest, intelligent face of Joseph Hadsel's daughter, who was then living with her father in the adjoining township. An opportunity was not long in presenting itself for Mclntyre to renew the acquaintance of the now young lady, and his estimation of her growing as their acquaintance increased, and her regard for 578 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. him being of an equally high character, they were married in 1840. Three years later, Mclntyre and his wife returned to New York, where they lived four- teen years, and then returned to Florence, where he died some years later. Mrs. Mclntyre still resides at Starr's Grove, and with her lives her mother, the former Mrs. Hadsel, now verging on to her fourscore years, and one of the oldest residents of this part of the county. Daniel Stewart, mentioned in Wilmington Township, was one of the stanchest and most honorable citizens of this neighborhood. In his line of business he was most successful, and accumulated a large amount of property. His death occurred about three years since. Walter W. Monteith. cousin of the Monteith before mentioned, came about the year 1841, aftd worked for a time in Gov. Matteson's woolen-factory at Joliet. On coming to this township, he settled near the center. He was one of the most popular (and deservedly so) citizens. He was the first Supervisor of the township, and held numerous other positions of honor and responsibihty, in all of which he discharged the duties of the same in a most satisfactory manner. He has been dead about eighteen years. Charles Starr, after whom the little grove on Prairie Creek was naimed, was native of Nova Scotia. He was the father of Judge C. R. Starr, of Kankakee. Mr. Starr came to this country and to this township in 1842. He died a few years ago at a very advanced age — nearly 100 years old. In the same year, William Van der Bogert arrived from New York. He was elected, the same year, a Trustee of schools in this township, being one of the first three. Isaac Jackson also arrived in 1842. He was a native of Nova Scotia, and came with his family to Starr's Grove, having purchased 100 acres of land at that place. Mr. Jackson was a Quaker preacher, though in some points he differed from the orthodox Quakers. Before removing from Nova Scotia, he had built, at his own expense, a church, in which he preached his peculiar doctrines to all who desired to hear him, free of expense to his auditors. On leaving that country, he donated the house of worship to the congregation. After coming to this country, he frequently held religious services at schoolhouses throughout the county. Mr. Jackson was a most profound mechanical genius; and whether the circumstances called for the shoeing of a horse, the framing of a house, the building of a carriage in all of its parts, or the transforming of a piece of iron into the delicate hairspring of a chronometer, he was always found equal to the occasion. At his son Delancy's may be seen some of the instruments manufactured by him for his own use, which are pronounced by experts to be of the very finest character. He died here in 1875, at the advanced age of 90 years, his wife having preceded him in 1856. Enoch Jackson, a son of the above, served for eighteen consecutive years as Justice of the Peace in this township, during which time not a single one of his decisions was ever reversed by the higher courts. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 579^ By the year 1848, quite a number more permanent settlements had been made, so that the population had become nearly one hundred. Among the principal ones who arrived during the years 1842-48, are remembered John Jordan, Rufus Corbett, George A. Gray, Adam White, Edward Gurney, the Bas- kerville family, Selah and Leonard Morey, "William Barret, Dr. B. H. Strong, Adam White and sons John and James, C. G. Jewell, R. H. Nott, Andrew Layton, Henry Hand and Hezekiah Warner. The first move looking toward the organization of a means of educating the youth of this township originated with Henry Althouse, the next Winter after arriving here. The school consisted of only his own children and a child or .two belonging to one of the neighbors. The school was taught in a room of Althouse's dwelling, by a young lady employed by him, and was more on the nursery style than conforming to the strict rules of the modern public school, the young lady being employed as much for the purpose of taking care of the children as for instructing them. In 1841, the first steps were taken to estab- lish a school for general and public instruction. A petition was prepared, and at the meeting of the Board of Trustees of Wilmington Township, in the Spring of the next year, presented to that body praying to be admitted as a part of the Wilmington District. The petition was considered favorably, and a school was established within the bounds of Florence, during the Winter of 1842-43. The attendance was only six scholars, and the term lasted but thirty-five days. Sarah Fisher is entitled to the credit of being the pioneer educator of the pub- lic school system of this township ; and for her services, as Principal of this Florence Academy, or Starr's Grove institute, or whatever it was called, she received $11.50. In 1845, the number of scholars in the township, living near Starr's Grove, had increased to twenty-four, and Town 33, Range 10, was set ofi' as a separate district. No schoolhouse had yet been erected, but schools were held in such rooms of private houses as could be spared. The first schoolhouse was erected in 1849, and was built by Selah Morey, for $250. The building, though not occupied at present for its original purpose, has been reconstructed, and is now in use as a dwelling. J ames Martin, John Kahler and William Van der Bogert were the first Trustees. In 1865, the number of schools had increased to six ; and at the present writing there are eight. In 1865, there were 482 persons in the township under 21 years of age, 342 of whom were between 6 and 21, and 284 of whom attended school during that year. The total amount expended that year for the support of schools was |1,174, of which $1,140 were paid as teachers' wages. These items are given for the purpose of comparing with like figures at the present time, which, with additional items showing the condition of schools at present, are given below : Number of schools 8 Number of persons under 21 439 Number attending school 243 580 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Number of teachers 14 Number of days attendance 24,fi47 Highest wages paid any teacher $ 48 00 Whole amount paid teachers 2,082 00 Total expense of supporting schools 2,632 00 Estimated value of school property 3,852 00 It will be seen by the above, that in 1865, the township had just reached its maximum, as to school population, and that since then, though the number of children has really decreased, additional school facilities have been provided, and although wages, gold, interest, and every commodity has decreased to one- half, the amount expended for the sustenance of schools has been almost doubled. This would indicate almost 400 per cent increase in expenditures — taking into account the depreciated values of other items- — which, if an indica- tion of an equally increased efficiency in the system, should be a. source of con- gratulation to all patrons of the system. We are reliably informed that the schools of this township rank among the highest in merit in the county. The first year after the township organization act was in force, in this county, the township of Florence voted with Wesley and Wilmington, and John Frazier, of Wesley, was first Supervisor of the three. In 1851, however, the inhabit- ants of Florence determined to "set up a government of their own "; and, a petition to the Board of Supervisors having met with favorable consideration, an election was called to choose township officers, on April 1, 1851. W. W. Monteith was chosen Moderator of the meeting, and John Kahler, Clerk. There were 42 votes cast, of which the following persons received majorities for the respective offices, and were declared elected : W. W. Monteith, Super- visor; William Van der Bogert, Assessor; Leonard Morey, Clerk; C. G. Jewell, R. H. Nott and G. A. Gray, Highway Commissioners; Charles Starr and Hezekiah Warner, Justices of the Peace ; Henry Hand and Andrew Lay- ton, Constables; Rufus Corbett, Overseer of the Poor; and Henry Hand, Col- lector. The voting population of the township has increased to about two hundred. The present officers of the township are: Royal Corbin, Supervisor; W. P. Strong, Clerk; William Nelson, Assessor; Peter Ohlhues, Collector; Cornelius Murphy and Edward Gurney, Justices of the Peace ; Wesley Cook and William G. Cutshaw, Constables ; Patrick Naughton, David Forsythe and John Hayden, Commissioners of Highways ; John M. White, William Kerr and David Forsythe, School Trustees, and W. P. Strong, School Treas- urer. Florence Township was no idle spectator to the struggle of the country during the years 1861-65, to maintain the Union, but gave many noble sacri- fices, that the Government might live. The township was not drafted during the whole war, but furnished its full quota at every call. Among those who not only risked their lives in the service of their country during this momentous period, but of whom even that was demanded and freely given, are remembered : Walter Van der Bogert, killed by a shell ; Charles Morey, died of disease con- ..eyc^ foEX^SEo) CmCAGO fOlfMERLYOrNEW LENOX Tl? HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 583 tracted in the army ; Henry Ohlhues, killed ; Daniel Linebarger,* killed at €liickamauga ; Norman Kahler, died of wounds ; Thomas Martin, died in the army ; Charles Jackson, died of disease ; Thomas Stewart, died of army dis- ease ; William and John Shoemaker, died of disease ; Albert Wilkins, of dis- ease ; Almon Merrill, killed. A number of these names will be recognized as descendants of the old pioneer stock, named at the beginning of this article. Their fathers had braved dangers and suffered hardships to subdue the country, and make them homes, and now, when every fireside seemed to be in danger, they rose up with one accord to protect them. The only church-building within the boundaries of the township is the one erected by the German Evangelical Association, in 1874. The house is located on ■ the southwest corner of Section 10, and is a neat frame structure, 32 feet in width and 43 in length. It is completely finished and paid for, having cost the Association $2,965. These people have had preaching in the Ticinity for the last fifteen years, in schoolhouses and at private residences. John Jacob Asher was the first minister of this denomination who held religious serv- ices here, l^icholas Witcshie and wife, Henry and John Rockey and J. Tay- lor were the first members of the organization which was effected twelve years ago. When the house was completed, B. C. Wagner was the first minister employed to fill the pulpit. The present membership is about thirty, with Rev. Riemen Snyder, of Jackson Township, as Pastor. The northwestern and southwestern portions of the township, being adjacent to the towns of Elwood and Wilmington, are well provided with church privileges, though no houses of worship are to be found in those localities. GRBENGARDEN TOWNSHIP. This township, until 1853, was included with Manhattan in what was known as Carey. Three years before the date named, the township of Trenton had been formed, and prior to that the territory of Greengarden had been in one precinct and another, as suited the convenience of its few inhabitants and the fancy of the courts that were authorized to appoint polling-places. Business now transacted within the limits of the .township was done directly with the county authorities and at the county seat. By and by, the old county system became burdensome, and the business of each locality was delegated to local authorities. The mapmakers have always had a hard time of it. No sooner have they succeeded in getting a creditable article ready for the market, than a new boundary line, a new railroad or a new town would be located, and the sale of their works was thenceforth a drag. It is not only interesting and instruct- ive to look over a map of the olden time, but, in a sense, quite amusing. If we compare a map of the easteri;! coast of the United States, as published by the aathority of the British Government, in the year 1700, with the more modern pub- «'He was neTer seen after the battle and is supposed to have been killed. 584 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. lications of like character, we shall find features so different in the two as would! not only be surprising to people ignorant of the history of the country subse- quent to that date, but which would cause no little astonishment in the minds of the well informed. liook at a map of the Northwest during a period just prior to 1765, and you will find it marked as "French Territory." Then this same territory, from the date named until 1778, is delineated as a "British Province." After this, from 1778 until 1787, what is now the State of Illi- nois appears as a part of Virginia. After this, for thirteen years, it is called the "Northwest Territory." In 1800, when our grandfathers were going to school, they were taught to call the whole of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan by the name of "Indiana Territory," and by this title it was known until 1809, when the mapmakers again had to change, and Illinois and Wis- consin were called the "Illinois Territory." In 1818, when our fathers began to study geography, the atlases in which grandfather and grandmother studied would no longer answer the purpose, for Illinois had then become a State, with boundaries co-extensive with what we now find them. The changes which have come to the State, in its geographical features, since its admission into the Union, are equally noticeable. The original number of counties was only fifteen. These have been divided and changed so that we now have one hun- dred and two, each change being a source of grief to the map publishers. Originally, the county was divided into voting precincts, then into townships, and the townships have been changed ' and divided to suit the wishes and con- venience of the inhabitants, with not the least regard for the feelings of those whose business it was to furnish the people of the county with maps. The township of Grecngarden, like many others, has worried the mapmakers. But little more than thirty years ago there was nothing here for the artist to sketch but the two little creeks and a boundless sea of grass ; but since then the changes in school districts, roads, farms and buildings have been so frequent and marked, that, almost before a chart of the township was off the press, a new one was required. Probably, however, the description of the township which follows will remain the same for many years to come, as, at present, the whole of it is settled up, and no more changes are likely to be made for many years. Greengarden Township is bounded on the north by Frankfort, on the east by Monee, on the south by Peotone, and on the west by Manhattan. It is described in the Congressional survey as Town 34 north. Range 12 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is a full Congressional town, containing thirty- six full sections, or 23,040 acres. The land in Greengarden will not suffer in comparison with any other town- ship in the county. Scarcely an acre, except what is taken up by the beds of Prairie and Forked Creeks, is untillable. The- surface is gently undu- lating, none being either too rolling or too flat for successful cultivation. The soil is all that the agriculturist or the G-ardener could desire, being deep and rich, and capable of producing enormous crops of corn, oats, hay and vege- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 585 tables of every kind. The two creeks named both rise near the center, and alFord stock- water to the adjacent farms, except in the dry est seasons, when they are sometimes dried up. The township is entirely devoid of a natural growth of timber, and this accounts for the tardiness of its settlement. When the township of Crete, in the eastern part of the county, and all of the western portion of the county had been well settled, this vicinity was just beginning to receive a few apparently unwilling squatters. They came from the heavily wooded States of Vermont and New York, or the equally densely timbered countries of the old world, and, finding the land adjacent to the little belts of timber already occupied, were loath to venture out upon the prairie, as the lands- man is reluctant to venture upon the untried waves of the great ocean. The absence of timber for fuel, fencing and building purposes was certainly a great drawback. Not until 1865 was it known that within a few miles was a con- densed forest of fuel that would supply all this country for ages to come. Then, too, the prairie, as a field for farming operations, was only an experiment. It looked much to them as if an absence of timber might indicate a dearth in those qualities of soil necessary to produce good crops. The subjugating of the prairie, though, in comparison with the clearing of the eastern farms, a trifle, was, in their eyes, no small matter. The little bar-share plow, with the wooden mold-board, in common use in the East, was not to be thought of to turn over the thick prairie sod, matted with grass-roots, as hard almost as hickory withes. But soon the inventive genius of the Yankee supplied an article, though some- what rude and unwieldy, with which most of these prairies have been brought to cultivation. The original "sod-plow " is now seen no more forever, as it has long since outlived its usefulness. It consisted of a large share, cutting a furrow two feet in width, with iron bars for a mold-board. The beam of the machine was fifteen feet in length. No handles were needed, though sometimes they were attached, but were used only for the purpose of starting or throwiagit out of the ground. To this immense machine were hitched from five to eight yoke of oxen. The breaking was usually done late in the Spring ; and, with the turning-over of the sod was deposited seed, which produced an inferior crop of corn the first year, growing and ripening without further attention. From this crop has come the brand of a favorite drink in the Western country. Hay was cut with scythes and gathered with hand-rakes. Wheat was cut with cradles and threshed by causing horses to tread upon it. These ancient landmarks have all passed away, and but few who wielded them remain to tell us the story of these and the many other peculiar institutions of the olden times. Here and there is seen a whitening head. Here and there we behold a tottering frame. Erelong, they too will have passed from earth, and their places will be filled with the more modern style of humanity. The first to venture out on the almost unknown waste of the prairie of Greengarden Township was M. F. Sanders, from Vermont. The date of his advent was 1847, and he has consequently been a resident thirty-one years. The " 'Squire," as he is familiarly called, is well 586 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. off in this world's goods, having not only survived the hard times incident to pioneer life, but has something " laid by for a rainy day." He was the first Justice of the Peace, and, in that capacity, performed the first marriage cere- mony in the township. G. M. Grreen, or " the Deacon," as he was generally called, was also a native of Vermont, and came to the place about the same time. He was a man of good qualities and well worthy to bear the cognomen universally bestowed npon him. He removed from this place to Joliet, where he died some years ago. Following these two families, and mainly through their influence, were a number of families from the same State. Within three or four years, Rev. James Hudson, Daniel Haradon, David McClay and Hiram Twining arrived from Vermont and settled in the same neighborhood — the northwest part of the township. These people, it seems, were mostly of one religious faith — being that denominated Christians — not the branch sometimes called Disciples or Campbellites, but the branch founded by Smith and others some seventy-five years ago, and who would under no circumstances acknowledge any other name but that of Christian. In Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and some of the Eastern States are many of this persuasion ; but in this section a church of this faith is rare. Horace Mann, one of the greatest acknowledged educators of this country, did his last work as President of Antioch College, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, the college then being one of the educational institutions of the denomination. Elder Hudson, soon after his arrival, organized the little com- munity into a Church ; and as such it was very prosperous for a few years, and drew around it a large number of enlightened and substantial people. But the good man's labors were not of long duration. His body was laid away beneath the prairie sod soon after his work in this wild field had been successfully inaugurated. Hiram Twining still resides on the old place. His house, built before roads or partition lines were definitely known, proclaims itself to be one of the ancient landmarks, by not "being placed due east and west," but varying from that usually accepted rule several degrees. In this house many of the early religi- ous and other meetings were held. The first township and school elections took place here, it being nearer the center of population than others of sufficient size for the purpose. About the same time, the Baileys and the Bemiss family arrived — the former from New York, and the latter from Michigan. Morrison and Martin Bailey were brothers. They were men of intelligence, and were counted as leaders in society and politics. Morrison Bailey was the first teacher that ever presided over a school in the township. At the first township election, held in 1853, Martin was elected Moderator, one of the four Overseers of Highways, Justice of the Peace and Supervisor. Morrison Bailey was the first Township Clerk. The Baileys removed a few years later. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 587 The Bemiss family consisted of Simeon and three grown sons — Ephraim, James and Edwin. In the first election, this family was also honored with six offices. Simeon was elected Commissioner of Highways ; James, Clerk pro tem, and Justice of the Peace ; and Edwin, Road Overseer, Collector and Con- stable. This family also removed from the township after a short residence. Augustine Hauser, John Young, A. A. Angell, D. G. Jaynes and William Hutchinson were also early settlers. Hauser was a native of Switzerland, and came here with a little fortune, which .he proposed to double in a short time in the manufacture of cheese. But it seems he was a little ahead of the time ; for the business, which to those embarking in a few years later was the means of realizing to them fortunes, was the means of his complete failure, and he left the township several thousand dollars poorer than when he came. The article manufactured by him was, it is said, of a superior quality ; but the reputation of Western cheese was not yet made, and, on account of the prejudice of dealers and consumers for the Eastern product, Hauser's scheme proved a failure. In the mean time, while the settlement in the northwestern part of the town- ship was well under way, another settlement was being formed a little further east and south. The first settlement was, in every respect, a Yankee enter- prise, while the other was as positively German ; and, while the former had for its central point its church organization, so also had the latter. The Dierks family and the Strassens, though not the earliest German set- tlers, came about 1851, bringing with them a preacher of their own faith, and immediately set about the organization of a society, and subsequently of erect- ing a house of worship. Probably, the very first German in the township was John T. Luehrs, now of Monee, who had come to this vicinity three years be- fore. Following him, in 1849, was his brother, F. Luehrs. The Dierkses were cousins to Luehrs, and came over at the instance of their relatives who had preceded them. The Dierks family consisted of Simon, Fred and G. A. .Dierks, who have since all removed to Nebraska. On the recommendation of Luehrs, amongst numerous other families scattered all over this part of the State, came to the township in 1850, 0. H. Remmers, B. B. Henry, A. and G. G. Beiken. Peter and William Young, from the same country, but who had been living in Ohio, also came in 1850. The Youngs were not satisfied here, and sold out, William returning to Ohio and Peter moving further south. Fred Hassenjager and Peter Bowlander, the latter now a resident of Monee, were also among the earliest Germans. Hassenjager is an example of what industry and economy may accomplish in the face of deprivations and hardships incident to a pioneer life. When he came here, he was as poor as the poorest, now he is among the wealthiest citizens of this part of the county. One of the most important public acts of the township occurred about the close of the period of the two settlements named, and was the separation of the two portions of Trenton Township, now designated as Manhattan and Green- garden. It seems to have been the understanding from the first that, when 588 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. both sections should have attained to a population suflSciently strong for sepa- rate organization, such division should take place, though it was hardly ex- pected that it would take place so soon. However, owing to the rapid filling-up of each, it was found not only feasible, in 1853, but there were many reasons adduced for separate organization, and thus a " peaceable secession " was accom- plished. Petitions were, therefore, presented to the proper authorities, and, by them, a division was made, accompanied with an order to hold elections. The elec- tion was accordingly held in this township, the first meeting taking place at Hiram Twining's house, on the 5th day of April, 1853. Martin Bailey was chosen Moderator and J. N. Bemiss, Clerk, pro tem. The result of the ballot was the election of Martin Bailey, as Supervisor ; Morrison Bailey, Clerk ; Edwin Bemiss, Collector ; George M. Green, Assessor ; A. A. Angell, Over- seer of the Poor ; Martin Bailey and J. N. Bemis, Justices of the Peace ; Ed- win P. Bemiss and A. A. Angell, Constables, and John Young, Simeon Be- miss and D. G. Jaynes, Commissioners of Highways. Of these, Martin Bailey had been Justice before, during the union of the two townships, and adminis- tered the oath to the judges and clerk on this occasion. The present officers of the township are : H. H. Strassen, Supervisor ; Andrew Murdie, Clerk ; August Voigt, Assessor ; Peter Kenepper, Collector ; Jacob Froehner, Martin Sippel and Henry Hoppe, Commissioners of High- ways ; Henry Strassen and John Bobzine, Justices of the Peace, and George Jacobs, Constable. At the first election, there were twenty-seven voters present ; at the last, 204. It will be noticed that most of the present officers are German, while the first corps of officers were as decidedly Yankee. During the first few years, the settlement was marked by a preponderance of Americans ; but of later years, the German element has not only increased more rapidiy, but, in reality, most of the Yankee population has disappeared, having sold out their farms to the Germans. In 1851, a post office was established in the Yankee settlement, with Rev. James Hudson as Postmaster. The office was called Greengarden, and has been in existence ever since, though for the last two or three years its location has been within the bounds of Manhattan Township. These country post offices, like some orphan children, have a kind of vagrant existence, with no certain home, but travel from place to place at the pleasure or forbearance of their keepers. Greengarden Post Office has been no exception, as it has had many homes. Sometimes it has been sought, and at other times it has not had where to take up even a temporary abode. Due attention has been given to the intellectual and moral wants of the people and to the youth, and schoolhouses and churches abound. In the Winter of 1850-51, Morrison Bailey taught the first school, which consisted of fifteen or twenty scholars. Eight years later, from a report made HISTOR')' OF WILL COUNTY. 589 to the State Supei-intendent of Public Instruction, we learn that three schools had been organized, and in two of them schoolhouses were built. In the same year, 102 scholars were attending, out of 262 entitled to school privileges, that is, between 6 and 21 years of age. The present condition of the public school system in Greengarden Town- ship may be gathered from the following items extracted from the books of Township Treasurer F. Luehrs : Whole number of schools 9 Number of persons between 6 and 21 576 Number of persons under 21 790 Number of months taught during the year 58 Highest wages paid to any teacher |45 00 Amount paid out to teachers 1,752 30 Total paid for support of schools 2,438 20 Besides the instruction given in these schools, two private schools within the limits of the township, and another just in the border of an adjoining town- ship, afford school accommodations for quite a number of children. There are four church- buildings, three of which have organizations. The Christian Church, already alluded to, is the oldest, being organized in 1847, and a building erected in 1861. The original members of the Church were : Rev. James Hudson, Samuel Bowen, Abel Perkins, Sr. and Jr., and Daniel Haradon, with their wives. In 1861, when the building was erected, the mem- bership embraced about forty persons. The house was raised on the 4th day of July of the year named, and dedicated soon after by Rev. Noah Johnson, under whose pastorate it had existed for some time, and who was mainly instrumental in having the building erected. This, it will be remembered, was the begin- ning of the rebellion, and most of the strong men of this neighborhood fought as they professed, and enlisted in the army. Therefore, during the balance of the struggle, the Church was weak. After the war was over, quite a number who had been spared to return removed further west ; and, one drawback after another following, the organization continued to weaken until it was finally abandoned, and the building has not been occupied for two or three years. The German Baptist society was organized by Rev. H. Jacobs, who had emigrated from Germany with some of the founders of the Church. The date of the organization, though we are not able to state precisely, was about 1855, and the building was erected about six years later. The cost of the building was $1,400, and of the parsonage, |800. The church was erected during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Janzen. It is a neat little frame, and stands on the southeast corner of Section 14, in an inclosure in which are deposited the remains of many of its early supporters and members. This church has also decreased in numbers, many of them having removed further west. The present Pastor is Rev. S. Kornier. St. Peter's German Evangelical Lutheran Church, situated two miles further .north, was erected in 1867, at a cost of $2,000. Previous to this, for four 590 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. years, services and school had been conducted in the parsonage, which had beeiv built in 1863. The Church was organized at the last date named, by Rev. William Schaefer, with about twelve families. Four years ago, a new church- building was determined upon, and a fine edifice was erected at a cost of $3,000, and the old building has since been used as a schoolhouse. Rev. S. Lang is the- present Pastor and teacher. The congregation numbers about forty-three fam- ilies. School is sustained six months in each year. In 1871, the German Methodists erected a neat little church and parsonage near the middle of the northern portion of the township, at a cost of $1,200. The first Pastor was Rev. Carl Stelner. The present Pastor is Rev. Oust Peter, and the member- ship of the Church consists of about twenty-five families. School is kept open about six months each year. German, the common branches of education, and the religion of the denomination are tanght. Throughout Will County, Greengarden is noted for its societies and mutual organizations, important among which is the Greengarden Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, protecting against losses by fire and lightning. This Com- pany is composed of about one thousand two hundred members. It was organ- ized in 1867, under the then existing township insurance law, and received its- charter in 1869. The officers of the Company are composed of a president and vice president, secretary and treasurer, who are and must be residents of the- township of Greengarden, and of a director from each township aside from itself where said township shall have acquired a membership of thirty members. Its- first local officers were : President, Henry Stassen ; Vice President, Frederick Buchholz; Secretary, Henry Vischoever, and Treasurer, H. H. Stassen. Its first officers outside the township, which then consisted of its directors and solicitors, were: Henry Suhl, H. H. Stassen, Sr., Henry Engleman and Peter Conrad. Its present local officers are : President, Henry Eisenbrandt ; Vice President, Christian Buck; Treasurer, H. H. Stassen, and Secretary, August Voigt. Its present officials in and outside the township, which consist of its directors and solicitors, are : William Beutien, Nikol Eyrich, John Schoops, Andrew Holl, Henry Engleman, Diedrich Thiesfeld, August Stoekig, Hasch Siemsen, Charles E. Holstein, Henry Vischoever and John Stassen. The first application was made April 11, 1867, by Rev. Frederick Boeber, of Green- garden Township, policy $1,000. This is the cheapest insurance company in the State. Its motto is a union of many for the protection of the individual member, minus a profit to a third party. It insures farm property only, and. charges a one-half-per-eent cash premium, besides a premium note of 3 per cent on the one hundred dollars' worth of property insured by its members. Out of the one-half-per-cent cash premium charged, this Company has defrayed all expenditures, such as salary to officers, incidentals, etc., accompanying the organization of a company, and all losses incurred up to the present date, 1878, and has yet a cash balance on hand large enough to warrant the assertion that it will not make an assessment for a number of years to come. This Com- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTT. 591 pany is chartered for fifty years, at the expiration of which time, according to stipulations in contracts, its renewal can be obtained. Den Werth einer Sache weis man am besten zu schatzen, wenn man es nicht hat. For a new township, and thinly settled as was this in 1861, Greengarden did a noble part in the late war ; and its record compares well with that of other portions of the county and State. Quite a number lost their lives in the service of their country, amongst whom are called to mind John Depuy, Stephen C. Kenny, George W. Holmes, Matthew Bush, Bllery B. Mitchell, E. J. White, Albert E. Devereaux, J. D. Blanchard, Albert Haradon and Erastus Rudd.. '"'' Requiem eternam dona eis Domine." CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP. Channahon is an Indian word, signifying the "meeting of the waters," and. alludes to the confluence of the Des Planes and Du Page Rivers, which occurs near the center of the township, and was bestowed on the town by Judge Peck, one of the early settlers of the country. It is described as Township 34 north,. Range 9 east, and is one of the best watered and best drained sections of the county. The surface is uneven and rolling, in some portions rising into blufis, but upon the whole containing much fine farming land, though very little open prairie. At the time of the first settlements in Channahon, much of it was timbered, and what is termed in other States, "open barrens." It lies in the western tier of townships, adjoining Grundy County, and is south of Troy and north of Wilmington Township, with a population in 1870, of 1,164 inhabit- ants. The Illinois & Michigan Canal, and the Chicago, Pekin & Southwest- ern Railroad pass through the town, and afi"ord excellent shipping facilities for the large amount of grain and stock annually produced by its enterprising cit- izens. Upon the whole, Channahon may be set down as one of the wealthy and prosperous townships of Will County. Joseph Shoemaker is supposed to be the first white settler in Channahon Township. He came from Ohio, and made a claim here in 1831, and is still living in the corner of the town, but has traveled around considerably since his first settlement in this section ; has made a trip to California, and to Nebraska^ but finding no place better than Illinois has returned and settled in his old township. The Tryons and Knapps came from Vermont in 1833, and settled on Section 8, between the Des Planes and Du Page Rivers. The colony con- sisted of George and Russell Tryon, who were both single men at the time, and Dr. Ira 0. Knapp, his wife and Miss Knapp, a single sister, now the wife of Lyman Foster of Plainfield. Dr. Knapp is a nephew of the Tryons, and his wife and sister comprised the only ladies of their party. He built a log house on his claim 18x20 feet in size, in which all lived for two or three years. Dr. Knapp says he at one time had eight boarders in this little house, as other 592 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. early settlers would come in, and he would entertain them until they found locations and provided other accommodations. His description of this prim- itive residence shows what the early settlers had to put up with forty years ago, and were contented if even a shelter could be procured. As stated, the house was 18x20 feet, and three sides of it were of logs, while one end was left open for a fire-place, which was the usual mode then of cabins and fire-places, and the only sawed boards were what the door was made of, the floors and roof being of "shakes" or "clapboards," and puncheons or slabs split out of trees. Dr. Knapp.and George Tryon still live upon their original claims ; Russell Tryon died about three years after their settlement liere. The party stopped first in Plainfield, or Walker's Grove, and finding the timbered land all claimed in that region started out on a prospecting tour, and came down through the present township of Troy into Channahon, west of the Du Page River, where they selected locations, and returned to Plainfield for the purpose of removing their eifects to their claims. In coming back to the place selected, they met with a man named McGill, mentioned as an early settler in Troy Township, who volunteered to come with them and show them eligible points for settle- ment. Instead of allowing them to gO to the west side of the river, where they had selected claims, he conducted them to their present places, and told them the land was far superior to that on the opposite side, a fact that subsequent developments have proved to be true. New York State furnished Channahon a number of its early settlers, and some of its most enterprising and worthy citizens. Among them we may men tion Michael Morehouse, J. N. Fryer, Isaac Jessup, E. C. Fellows, Dr. Scher- merhorn and his brother, Barant; Judge William B. Peck, Peter McCowan, Burke and Isaac Van Alstine, H. D. Risley, Jedediah, Gerry and Walter Eames, and a man named Baurlyte. Dr. Schermerhorn was a practicing physi- cian, and settled in the town in 1834. Jacob B. Schermerhorn, a son of his, also came this year, but before the old gentleman, and made a claim on Section 8, where he died about fifteen years ago. Barant Schermerhorn, a brother to the Doctor, came the following year, and settled in the neighborhood, where he died many years ago. The Doctor, after practicing his profession here several years, removed to Ottawa. He died some years ago, but his widow was still, living there at the last known of her. Morehouse settled on Section 17, in 1834, where he died in 1875 at the age of fourscore. He was a married man when he came to the settlement, but boarded with Dr. Knapp until he made his claim and built a house. J. N. Fryer was a son of Mrs. Morehouse by a former marriage, and came here with them. He is living near the village of Channahon, and is one of the most prosperous farmers and citizens of the township, and withal one of the popular and public-spirited men of the day, as evidenced by the fact that he has held the office of Supervisor of the town since 1866 without interruption. Isaac Jessup and family settled in the town in 1834, in good time to raise a crop of corn that season. The first flour they used in their HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 503 new home was procured from Thornberg's, who settled here the previous year. John S., a son of Isaac Jessup, and who was rather young when they came to the country, is now a merchant in Wilmington. Another son is an Episcopal clergyman in New Orleans. It is said that Butler, when in command at New Orleans during the war, arrested and imprisoned him at Fort Pickens because he would not pray for the President of the United States according to the Episcopal Creed. The other sons of William Jessup are dead, but several daughters are still living. He died in 1853. Judge William B. Peck settled in the town in 1835, a little north of the present village. He received his title of Judge while living in New York, and was what was termed a " Side Judge," corresponding, we presume, with the Associate Justices of other States in the olden time. E. C. Fellows and George Tryon married daughters of Judge Peck. The wife of the former is still living, and two sons of the Judge are living, one in New York and the other in California ; but the old gentleman died some twenty years or more ago. E. C. Fellows settled in the town in 1836, but soon removed to Joliet, where for some time he was a prominent lawyer, and where he is noticed as one of the first lawyers in that city. Burke and Isaac Van Alstine settled northeast of the village of Channahon in 1835. The former is still a resident of the township, while Isaac lives in the village. Peter McCowan settled in 1835 on Section 5, where he died about fifteen years ago. H. D. Risley settled in the town in 1834, and was a prominent man and served a term as Sherifl" of the county. He died about 1856 or 1857. Jede- diah, Gerry and Walter Eames, three brothers, settled in this section in 1834, and are all dead. Baurlyte settled here in 1834, but after a residence of a year or two, became disgusted with the wilderness of the West and returned to New Y^ork. Robert Thornberg, Seymour Treat and a man named Greggs came from Indiana in 1833, and are numbered among the very first settlers of Channahon Township. Thornberg died several years ago, but his sons are still living in the neighborhood. Greggs moved to Iowa in 1836. Treat and his two sons, Isaiah and Stephen (one of them a doctor), settled in this township as above stated, and built a grist-mill at the foot of the island, which is called by their name. The Lewises came from the chalky cliffs of Old England, and first settled in Grundy County, just over the line. Joseph Lewis has long been one of the prominent business men and merchants of Channahon. He settled in Grundy County in 1834, and, in 1850, removed to the village of Channahon, where he still lives. Henry Lewis and Dr. William Lewis, his brothers, came to the country in 1833, the year before Joseph came. Dr. Lewis was one of the early practitioners of this section of the country, and died in Grundy County, and Henry was drowned some years ago in the Kankakee River. Gibson Willard came here in 1834 and made a claim, but did not bring his family until the next year. Reuben G. Willard, a nephew, came with him, and, several years later, Reuben Willard, a brother to Gibson Willard, settled in the town. They 594 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. are all gone now, either dead or moved away, except some grandchildren, who still live in the neighborhood. Hosea Buel settled on Section 5 in 1835, and died twenty or twenty-five years ago. Joseph McCune settled in this township, east of the Des Planes Eiver, in 1832 or 1833, where he died a few years ago. John Troutman settled in the same neighborhood about the same time of McCune. John Ward settled in the town in 1834, but of him but little could be learned. In giving the list of settlers in Channahon Township, we should not omit the mention of a small part of the Fifteenth Amendment, whom many of our readers will remember as "Nigger Dick." This comprises the names of the early settlers so far as they can now be obtained. Any omissions of names entitled to mention as early settlers, result from the fact that the few pioneers left have forgotten them. Forty years is a broad expanse, over which the- memory may not always travel with clearness, and that many should be for- gotten is but characteristic of human nature. Channahon Township was, previous to its settlement by the whites, a favor- ite abode and hunting-ground of the Indians of the Pottawatomie tribe, and many of them were to found here after white men began to settle in the town. They had a village here at one time, traces of which long remained, and mounds, where they buried their dead. Judge Woodruif mentions the grave of one, in his "Forty Years Ago," near the residence of Mr. Treat, who was buried in a sitting posture, and supposed to be one of their prominent men, as they always took great pains to visit it in passing up and down the river. They made a visit to Chicago to receive their wampum, before leaving for the "Far West," and returned to Channahon for a farewell look at the homes of their youth. It is said that many shed tears on leaving forever the spot where their lives had been passed, and that all appeared downcast and sad. If this be true, it shows up a new phase of Indian character, and proclaims them, after all, tinged with a light touch of humanity, though there are many who are a little- skeptical as to the feeling said to have been displayed by them on leaving this- section, and say that most of them manifested the most childish enthusiasm at. the " change of base." But on one point they generally agree, and that was, their loneliness after the departure of the Indians ; for quite a sociability had sprung up between the two races, particularly between the female portion, and, the squaws would frequently visit the whites and bring their papooses with them, and seemed to enjoy, with the most unbounded delight, the hospitality extended by their pale-face sisters. The chief, Bourbonnais, or, as called by the French and Indians, Bil-bo-nee, with the accent on the last syllable, had a great many ponies, and seems to have been quite a lover of horse-flesh. The Indi- ans were great gamblers and horse-racers. " Bil-bo-nee " had a race-course near his village, where they used to race a great deal, and would sometimes bet high on the speed of their ponies. Their track was straight and very level, and did not circle, like those of their white and more refined friends. The chief was a great friend to the white people as long as he remained here, and parted. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 595 ■with them with apparent regret. And, as stated above, a kind of lonely feel- ing settled over the community after the Indians had gone. For, with a feel- ing somewhat akin to that of the poet, who wrote within a gloomy prison : " With spiders I have friendship made, And watched them in their sullen trade ; Have seen the mice by moonlight play — ' ' and for a lack of a suflSciency of copmanionship in this, their wilderness, a warm friendship had originated between the races ; and when the Indians departed, it left quite an opening in the country, and some few there were who mourned their absence. The first white child born in the township was George Knapp, a son of Dr. Knapp, and was born in July, 1 834. This, at least, is the first that can now be recalled. Jedediah Eames was killed by lightning in April of 1835 or of 1836, which was probably the first death which occurred in the small settle- ment. Just who were the first parties to commit matrimony, cannot now be ascertained. Judge Peck's daughters were married very early in the history of the settlement ; but whether George Tryon and Miss Peck were the first mar- ried in the town is not known, but they were among the first. Dr. Knapp was the first practicing physician, and Dr. Lewis was the next and very soon after Knapp, while Dr. Schermerhorn was also one of the early doctors of the town. Dr. Knapp retired from the practice of medicine more than twenty-five years ago. The fii'st preacher " crying in the wilderness " of Channahon was the Rev. Mr. Perry, who proclaimed the Word here as early as 1836. He was a Congregational or Presbyterian minister, and was said to be the laziest man the township ever knew. Dr. Knapp went fifteen miles for him to come and preach in their neighborhood. Services were held in the house of Russell Tryon, who was unmarried and gave the use of his residence for a chapel and schoolhouse. The following story is told in illustration of Mr. Perry's "native indolence: " He cut his foot one day, very slightly, with an ax, a wound that an ordinary man would have paid no attention to. But he bundled up his foot with several pounds of rags, dismissed his school, and declined to preach the first Sunday after it occurred. The next Sunday, however, he appeared, with foot well bun- dled up, hobbling along with a cane, and when commencing to preach, put his foot on a chair, while he bore his entire weight on his well foot. During his sermon he became somewhat excited, forgot his wound, set his lame foot on the floor and the well one on the chair, which so amused the audience that the good eflect of his sermon, if there was any, was lost. He also taught the first school in the township, which commenced simultaneously with his preaching, and was taught in Russell Tryon's house, which, as above stated, was used both as a church and as a temple of learning. The first schoolhouse was built in 1837-38, on Section 8, near Dr. Knapp's, and was a frame building, something uncommon for school edifices at that early day. In 1872, the school record was as follows : Nine school districts ; 415 696 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. pupils enrolled; 13 teachers employed; 1 graded school; 5 schoolhouses ;. special tax for support of schools, $12,000 ; amount paid teachers, $3,357 : 'total expenditures for the year, $5,375.95; balance in treasury, $310.80— which statistics have not materially changed since that report. The first church edifice, and the only one in the town, was built in the vil- lage, where it is again referred to. The first mill was built on the Des Planes River, by Seymour Treat and his son, as already noticed. It was a log struct- ure and ground wheat and corn. It was built in 1837-38, and has long since passed away; "But," says Dr. Knapp, "when we got that mill in operation in our settlement, we thought we had a big thing." The first post office was established in 1836, through the instrumentality of Judge Peck, who was the first Postmaster. The name of the office was Du Page, a name it bore until the layingout of the village of Channahon, when it was removed to the village and the name changed to Channahon. Judge Peck was also the first Justice of the Peace, and was appointed or elected to the office about 1837. At present, J. N. Fryer and Albert Randall are Justices of the Peace ; J. N. Fryer, Super- visor ; Dr. Joseph Fitch, School Treasurer, and Timothy Gorman, Town Clerk. The first road laid out, passed through the southwest corner of the township to Joliet, and the first bridge was built across the Du Page River, on Section 18 ; and was built by the people, of logs, and a rather rough affair. The town is well supplied with bridges at the present time, over the Du Page, Des Planes and the Canal, though none of them are iron bridges. They are substantially built, however, with stone foundations, and answer all practical purposes. The first store is noticed in the history of the village. The first blacksmith was Julius Sackett, who kept a shop in the town as early as 1838 or 1839, though of him, little could be learned. The first Supervisor of Channahon, after town- ship organization in 1850, was (jreorge Tryon, who served for 1850-51. Since then the following gentlemen have served in that capacity : H. Henderson, 1853; J. B. Schermerhorn, 1854-56; Charles C. Smith,' 1857-61; E. H. Jessup, 1862 ; John T. Randall, 1863-65 ; J. N. Fryer from 1866 to 1878, inclusive, and is the present incumbent. His long service as Supervisor is the most satisfactory evidence as to his efficiency in the office he fills. The sandstone quarries of Channahon furnish a very superior quality of building-stone, and were opened originally by Joseph Lewis, long one of the prominent business men of the village of Channahon. Another quarry of a similar character was opened and worked for a time by Patrick Conroy. None of these quarries are now in operation, a fact that seems strange, when we con- sider the excellent and cheap transportation of freights by way of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. With the apparently inexhaustible supply, the ease with which the stone is reached, it would be natural to suppose that this would be the leading business of the town. Quite an item of importance in the history of this township, is the cheese-factory and creamery. It is owned by Charles C. Smith, one of the wealthy and solid men of the place, and George Alexan- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 59 T (ier. The factory was built in the Spring of 1877,. and has since done a large and extensive business, which is increasing rapidly in volume. They manufact- ure both cheese and butter, purchasing a large quantity of the milk used, while some is made up for their patrons. A grain elevator was built some years ago by H. S. Carpenter, on the Canal, a short distance above the village of Channa. hon, which is now owned by a man named Knapp,* but is at present standing idle. The business has, during the past Summer, been transferred to the Rock Island Railroad which passes within a few miles of the place. The building is an excellent one, provided with steam power, and it seems a pity that it should remain closed and tenantless. The township is pretty evenly divided on political issues, a small majority, however. Democratic. In the old times of Whigs and Democrats, it voted solid, almost, for Andrew Jackson, and many there are who still vote for the old hera of New Orleans, notwithstanding the great revolution of political questions. Its record during the late war was patriotic, as was every portion of Will County. But as their history and patriotism have been ably written, we shall not attempt to repeat it here. VILLAGE OF CHANNAHON. The village of Channahon is situated on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and on the Du Page River, a little above its junction with the Des Planes, and has the double advantage of a most excellent water-power, and a cheap freight trans- portation. It was laid out by Myrvin Benjamin, in 1845, and was called Du Page, after the first post office established in the township. During the build- ing of the Canal, it is said that the Canal Trustees had something to do with the village, in some way or other, and called it " Swifton," after one of their number ; but this story is disputed by some of the old citizens of the place, who say that its name still stands upon the records as Du Page, although the name of the present post office is Channahon, and the village is usually called by the same name. The first house erected in the village was put up by Benjamin, about the time of the laying of it out, and was used as a hotel by Mrs. Story. It is now occupied as a residence by David Billsland. Chauncey Stickney opened the first store in the village in 1845, which was the first mercantile venture in the township as well as in the village. After the laying-out of the village, Du Page post office was removed into it and the name changed to Channahon, and at present Charles Fowler is Postmaster. The following is the business sum- mary: Four stores, by C. & C. E. Fowler, J. Lewis, Dr. Joseph Fitch, Timothy Gorman ; one grocery store ; two blacksmith-shops ; one wagon-shop and hard- ware store. For a small place like Channahon, there is quite an extensive business carried on, and a good trade maintained. They have the advantage of a daily mail, which is brought across the country from Minooka, a point on the Rock Island Railroad. The Channahon Mills were built by Joseph Lewis, and * No relation to Dr. Knapp of this township. ^98 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. after passing through the hands of several parties, are now owned by a man named Sprague, and at present operated by a Mr. Eversoll. They are frame buildings, containing two runs of buhrs, for flour and feed, and run by the water power of the Canal. The Methodist Episcopal Church, located in the village of Channahon, is the only church edifice in either township or village. It was built in 1852-53, and is a large and handsome frame building. Rev. R. K. Bibbins was the Pastor last year, but the session of Conference just closed sent to the charge Rev. Mr. Gillespie. There is a membership of between eighty and ninety, with a Sunday school equally strong, under the superintendenee of Dr. J. Fitch. Although this is the only church-building in the township, religious services are frequently held in the schoolhouses, as well as Sunday schools. The first schoolhouse built in the village of Channahon was in 1839, before the village was laid out, and is now degraded by being used as a stable ; the next one was "built in 1854, and burned in 1868, when the present handsome edifice was erected and opened in 1869. It is an elegant and substantial two-story frame building, finished ofi' in the most approved modern style. The school is graded, with a high-school department, and is in charge of Prof. Layburn, assisted by Misses Brown and Blount. The Masonic Order is represented by Channahon Lodge, No. 262. It was chartered in 1857, and the present ofiicers are as follows : Albert Randall, Worshipful Master ; Nelson Bedford, Senior Warden ; R. C. Miller, Junior Warden, and C. Fowler, Secretary, with forty-five names on the roll of mem- bership. • This comprises the history of the pretty little village, nestled among the bluffs of the Du Page and Des Planes Rivers. It is a beautiful location for a town, but, owing to the railroads which pass within a few miles of it, there is but little probability of its ever growing to the size of Chicago. Shermanville is a place only in name. A stone quarry was opened here a few years ago, and an effort made for a village ; but for some cause the quarries were discontinued, and the prospects of a town became extinguished. There is not, we are told, a house or even a cabin to designate the spot laid down on. the map as Shermanville. Gravel Bank Station is another place of like propor- tions, and consists chiefly of a side-track on the Chicago, Pekin & Southwest- ern Railroad, for shipping grain and stock. WESLEY TOWNSHIP. The alarms of cruel butcheries and inhuman massacres by the Indians had hut ceased to echo through the State of Illinois, and the tracks of the red men were still visible in the soil — the Government having but recently removed them to reservations beyond the Mississippi — when emigrants from all portions of the East and South came pouring into the State. Prior to 1832, many settlements ^. NEW LENVX ; TP HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 601 tad been made in the southern and northwestern portions of the State ; and, in the part of the State now embraced in Will County, a few white people had settled among the Indians. But in the year named, owing to the troubles alluded to, this county, with others near the scene of hostilities, was entirely depopulated, and immigration was temporarily ehecked. As soon,however, as it was apparent that the danger was past, the tide again set in with redoubled volume. Before the Black Hawk troubles, probably, no white man had ever con- sidered the part of the county now called Wesley Township his home, no traces of white men's cabins, or other improvements being detected two years later. John Williams, who still resides in the township, says that, when he first visited the place, in the Fall of 1833, there were no indications that it had ever before been inhabited except by Indians, and that his little cabin, erected at that time, "was the first domicile of that nature ever erected here. Williams was from the Old Dominion, formerly, but had come to the vicinity of Danville in 1831, and was living there when the war broke out. He remembers quite .well seeing the troops leave Danville, on their march to Rock River, where Black Hawk was gathering his allies, preparatory to taking possession of that region, and sweeping off the white population who had dared to encroach upon his domain. In 1838, he came to Joliet, and from there out to this place, to select some land, split rails and build a cabin, preparatory to making a permanent settle- ment the next Spring. In May of the next year, 1834, he moved to the place, occupied his land and began making other improvements. Mr. Williams was then 33 years old, being born in 1801. He still lives at the age of 77, with body and mental faculties unimpaired, and it is to him that we are indebted for most of the early history of the township. Though Williams was the first to make an improvement in Wesley Town- ship, he was preceded two weeks in its occupation. When Williams came to occupy his new home, he found George M. Beckwith, Andrew Petfcijohn and Absalom Hey worth already here, and learned that they had left Indiana about a month before, and had arrived here after a journey of twelve days. Beck- with's brother, Daniel W., had been employed by the Government to survey this portion of the State, and from him he had learned of the character of the country, and had moved out. George M. Beckwith was a lawyer, or at least practiced a little in the lower courts, and before Justices of the Peace. He was also a good farmer. He died in 1845, of what is sometimes termed " milk-sickness." His widow afterward married John Frazier, who was also one of the early citizens in this neighborhood. Daniel Beckwith, to whom allusion has just been njade, took a severe cold while engaged in the work spoken of, from which he never recovered, but died in 1834. A few weeks after Williams settled in his new home, John and Alexander Frazier and James W. and Joseph Kelly, from the same neighborhood in 602 HISTORy OF WILL COUNTY. Virginia, made their appearance in the community. These were men whose- coming would be a source of congratulation to any neighborhood and at any time ; but at the time of which we write were they especially welcome. John Frazier was a man of education, and proved to be one of the most useful and influential citizens of the township. He was the first Supervisor of Wilming- ton Township, when Wesley constituted a portion of it ; and, upon the division he was elected to the same office from this precinct. There was hardly a posi- tion of responsibility and trust but that he has filled, and that with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He died September 13, 1868, and his brother Alexander about two years later. Arthur Potts and Robert Wat- kins, from Virginia, and Hamilton Keeney, from the same State, emigrated to this place a little later, arriving in the Fall of 1834. Watkins was a man of good judgment and some education. He was one of the early Justices of the Peace, being elected to the ofiice before the township was organized. Hamilton Keeney was also a leading man. During the year 1835, quite a number of new settlers made claims and occupied land, among whom are remembered J. T. Db.vis, George Gay, T. McCarty, Wesley Carter and Griffy Davis. J. T. Davis was an old veteran of the Revolutionary war ; was in Washington's army, and in the important capture of the Hessians at Trenton. He used to relate the circumstances at- tending this movement with great minuteness and much interest. One of his greatest enjoyments was in thus "fighting his battles over again," and many a pleasant hour the younger folks enjoyed in listening to the old soldier's stories. The other Davis, "Grifiy," was not a relative of the veteran. He came from Ohio, with his young wife, who took sick almost as soon as she ar- rived, lingered for six months, and died. This was the first death that occurred in the neighborhood. Rough but kindly hands laid her away in the soil of the strange land, and Davis returned to his native State. The place of burial was marked with only a slight wooden headboard, and, it having long since decayed, the spot is not now known. David Blackwell, though not a permanent settler, being a Methodist preacher, came in this year, and organized the Church of that denomination. William Forbes, William Goodwin, John Strunk, Henry Moore, Joseph Hadsel, Daniel McGilvery, John G. Putman and Elias Freer came in during the two years ending 1837. Forbes was a soldier of the war of 1812, and, like Davis, was fond of entertaining his friends with incidents of his soldier life. He was a millwright, and in this trade he is said to have excelled. He was subpoenaed in the great Parker wheel suit, as a witness against the patentees ; and, though they had successfully contested the rights of many millers to use their device on account of its "back-action" feature, Forbes showed so con- clusively to the Court the fallacy of their claim that not only did they lose this suit, but never afterward attempted to enforce a claim against an infringer. One of the counsel for the plaintiffs declared that Forbes knew more about HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 603 hydraulics than any other man in America. John Strunk was a son-in-law of Forbes, and was also a miller. He worked in the mills at Wilmington for a time, and afterward moved to Momence, and bought the mill at that place. He died at Momence, about fifteen years ago. William Goodwin was one of the most substantial farmers of Wesley Township. His farm, near the center of the township, is one of the most valuable in this vicinity. William Good- win died about* a year ago, at the age of 68 years, leaving a very large estate. Daniel McGilvery was a Scotchman. He died of consumption, in 1856. All of his family have since been taken away by the same disease, Joseph Hadsel was a native of New York, but had lived for a time in Michigan. His family consisted of himself, wife and six children, all of whom, except his wife, now verging on to her fourscore years, and a daughter, wife of the late Duncan Mclntyre, of Florence Township, are now dead. One son, Charles, met a . torturous death at the hands of the Indians, in New Mexico, whither he was traveling in 1862. Two other sons, Thomas and William, both died the same day, in this township, one of consumption and the other of pleurisy. The older Hadsel passed away in 1862. Elias Freer was a native of New York. His son, Dr. Freer, was one of the most prominent physicians of the Northwest, being, at the time of his death, a couple of years ago, President of Rush Med- ical College, of Chicago. Another son, L. C. P. Freer, is a prominent lawyer of the same city. Elias Freer removed from the township some years ago. Some of the old settlers will remember Adam Eeinish, of Reinish Creek. Could his history all be known, it would, doubtless, prove an interesting one, as he served in the war between the French and Russians, and was with Napoleon's army in the retreat from Moscow. No one familiar with that wonderful cam- paign can doubt but that Reinish saw sights that neither pen nor words can faithfully describe. John G. Putnam, mentioned among the early settlers of Wilmington, was also an early settler here, being in this neighborhood as early as 1837. By the year 1845, many more had joined the settlement, prominent among whom were James Gould, John Kilpatrick, Anson Packard, David Willard, B. F. Morgan, Richard Binney, Robert Kelly and William Killy. Their names are given as nearly in the order of their coming as can now be remem- bered. James Gould was one of the most solid men of the township. He grew quite wealthy, and when he died, left a large estate, all of which was accumulated here. John Kilpatrick was also a good citizen, and left to the world a legacy of value — a good family. Hon. David Willard is a native of New York. When he first came to the county, he was employed as a laborer by Peter Stewart. He is a man of high standing, politically and socially. He has served the county eight years as County Judge, and in the discharge of his duties gave the most eminent satisfaction. B. F. Morgan is also of New York. He has gained the enviable reputation of being a good citizen. Richard Bin- * June 18, 1877. 604 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. ney was a native of New York. He was a man of worth and a successful farmer. He died in 1856, leaving a wife, who still survives him. William Killy was from the Isle of Man. All that can be said of a good citizen can be truthfully said of him. He died about eight years ago. His son John occupies the farm. Robert Kelly came from New Orleans. A little incident is related of his com- ing, which is at the same time interesting and amusing. When Kelly came to the neighborhood, it was with the object of purchasing a piece of land, with a view of making it a home. Having fixed upon a tract belonging to John Kil- patrick, which land was for sale, a bargain was struck, the deed made and the purchase-money paid down — $800, all in Mexican dollars. Kelly, having bought his home, went his way, intending to return the next season to put out a crop and make improvements, and Kilpatrick pocketed his cash, congratulat- ing himself on having made a good sale. By and by Kilpatrick wished to use some of the money, and it was paid out in various ways — some of it paying bills at the store and other amounts being loaned to neighbors, who used it for difi"erent purposes, so that, in a short time, it was all in circulation. All at once it was discovered that the whole lot of coin was bogus. In those times, money did not leave a community and circulate so rapidly as now, so that, although the $800 had all been paid out, it had not left the neighborhood, and small amounts were in the hands of almost everybody. By common consent, and a suspicion that, perhaps, after all, the money was genuine, it continued to cir- culate and was paid out and taken at par. Gradually the coins became scarcer, indicating that they were finding their way out into the world ; but " Kilpatrick's currency '' was a standing joke for years after the last piece was seen. Kilpatrick and Kelly were both innocent parties, having both received and paid out the" stuff,' Supposing it to be good. Kelly returned in the Spring following and occupied his farm, and was much surprised to learn that it had been bought with counterfeit money, and gratified that it had been placed beyond redemption. Nearly all of the settlers of this neighborhood were Methodists, and one of the first public acts was to organize a society for the purpose of holding religious services. In the Winter of 1834-35, meetings were held, and Rev. David Blackwell was sent by the M. E. Conference to preach. A Church and Sunday school were organized, and these have both continued in operation ever since. Although this society is the only religious organization in the township, and, although it has been quite strong and wealthy, no exclusive church-building has ever been erected. For a number of years, services were held in the little schoolhouse. After a time, when the congregation had outgrown its narrow quarters, it was proposed to build a new schoolhouse of such dimensions as would answer both- purposes, and this building has ever since been occupied by the society and the school. The first members of the society or class were John Frazier, James W. Kelly, Hamilton Keeney, John Williams and John Kilpatrick, with their wives. Rev. Mr. Meedham is the present Pastor of the Church. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 605 The first school taught in the township was in John Williams' log kitchen . The school was taught by John Frazier, in the Winter of 1836-37. The next Summer it was deemed expedient to build a house for that purpose. This was the first schoolhouse erected on either bank of the Kankakee River, in what is now Will County. The building is still in use, but not as a schoolhouse. It now serves the ignoble purpose of a lumber-room, on the farm of Frank Childs. The earliest record of schools dates back to 1841, and shows three schools in operation at that time. Of these, Timothy McCarty, James Hadsel and Joseph Dunlap were Directors of District No. 1 ; James W. Kelly, Robert Watkins and John Williams, of No. 2 ; and G. M. Beckwith, John Kilpatrick and Nathan Smith, of No. 3. The school township then, as now, occupied all of Town 32 north. Range 10 east ; and, consequently, all of that portion of Custer Township, then settled, was embraced in District No. 3, Nathan Smith being the Director from the " other side of the river." The arbitrary formation of all Congressional towns into school towns, while townships are bounded in many cases, as in this, by difiierent lines, makes it impossible to give exact statistics. At the date named, there were in the school township, 132 children, 46 of whom were in District No. 1 ; 51 in District No. 2 ; and 36 in District No. 3. The first name appearing on the record as School Treasurer, is that of David Willard, who continued to exercise the functions of that office until 1865. In 1846, a new district, designated as No. 4, was formed of that portion of No. 3 which lay in Custer, or south of the river. The following table will serve to show the con- dition of schools at this date : No. of schools 10 No. of persons between 6 and 21 354 No. of children attending school 317 Amount paid teachers $1,824 00 Total expenses for sustaining schools 2,394 00 The first year after the township organization act was in force in this county, Wesley Township was a part of Wilmington, as was, likewise, Florence. Of these three, John Frazier was elected Supervisor. The next year the township of Wesley was formed and township officers elected. The first election was held at the schoolhouse, in District No. 2, April 1, 1851. Henry D. Childs was Moderator, and H. B. Putman, Clerk. Fifty-eight votes were cast, of which majorities were declared for John Frazier as Supervisor ; Elias Freer, Clerk ; David Willard, Assessor ; Anson Packard, James Gould and Daniel McGilvery, Commissioners of Highways ; B. F. Morgan, Collector ; David Willard and Alfred Warner, Justices of the Peace ; Daniel Ferris and Palmer Robinson, Constables ; and Samuel Jewet, Overseer of the Poor. The present ofiicers are as follows: Harvey Warner, Supervisor; Levi A. Richardson, Clerk ; D. B. Ritchey, Collector ; H. H. Jones, Assessor ; John Ritchey and Amasa Richardson, Justices of the Peace ; Charles Muncey, Constable ; Joseph John- 606 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. son, George Binney and Thomas W. Jones, Commissioners of Highways ; and Schuyler Ackerman, School Treasurer. The notes of the bugle, summoning the loyal men of the country to come forward and rescue the country from the hands of those who would destroy it, were heard and heeded by the brave boys of Wesley ; and scarcely had the first blast broken the peaceful stillness which usually precedes the storm, when many who loved country more than homes or kindred, were on their way to the front. Some of them never returned, but their bodies lie in the soil beside those with whom they struggled ; others were permitted to return, disabled by wounds or disease, to die at their homes and be laid to rest by friendlier hands, in the little cemetery whither their fathers and kindred had preceded them ; and, with thanks to God, who had preserved them through all of the dangers and hard- ships of the campaign, others returned at the close of the war and are still spared to their friends and to the country which they served so faithfully. The township of Wesley consists of about twenty-nine sections, being all of Congressional Towns 32 north, Ranges 9 and 10 east of the Third Prmoi- pal Meridian, lying east and north of the Kankakee River. The land in the north and east parts of the township is first-class, being of rich, deep soil and very productive of corn, hay, rye and oats, large crops of which are raised. The south and west portions are bi;oken by sand ridges, and these are, in a measure, barren. Wheat is grown here to some extent; and John Kelly says that his farm has produced fair crops every year for thirty-nine years. Of late years, many of the farmers have been giving attention to dairying and a cheese and butter factory has been recently built in the eastern part, by Elnathan Wright, of Manteno, 'to accommodate that industry. Stone of a good quality, but rather difiicult to quarry is found along the bank of the Kankakee. Forked Creek which enters the township in the northeast corner and leaves at the northwest corner, flows, with long and gradual bend, through the central part, affording fine stock-water to the farms in its vicinity. Nearly one-half was formerly covered with timber. Much of the best timber, however, has been cut down, and the most of that remaining is valuable for posts and fuel. It is hardly necessary to inform our readers that the township was named in honor of the great apostle of Methodism, John Wesley. The pioneers of this vicinity were nearly all of that persuasion ; and when a name was required for it, they bestowed upon it that name which, next to the saints, is dear to every Methodist. CUSTER TOWNSHIP. Although this is the newest township in regard to name, it was, neverthe- less, one of the first organized. The territory now embraced within its bound- aries was, in reality. Reed Township, though the portion containing eighteen sec- tions of the original forty-four sections recently struck off from the west side now HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 607 bear that name. The earliest settlements were all made along or near the bank of the Kankakee River, and when the organization of Reed was effected, there was scarcely an inhabitant in Reed outside the present boundaries of Custer. However, as the proposition to "secede" came from the eastern portion, the west end retained the name of Reed, and the east end was left to seek a new one. As Custer Township (it having existed as such only two years), its story ■would be soon told ; but its early history not being included in the one headed Reed Township (that being but little else than the history of Braidwood, whose interests and peculiarities are entirely different), we find it necessary to go back many years. The history of this portion of the county, though not so ancient as that of some others, is yet sufficiently so to give it that desirable flavor which makes a narrative of this kind interesting; for to repeat only what everybody already knows is a task quite as irksome to the writer as it would be tedious to the reader. The township, as now laid out, consists of all that por- tion of Congressional Towns 32 north and 9 and 10 east, lying southwest of the Kankakee River and east of the section line separating Sections 3 and 4, in Range 9 ; and is bounded on the north by Wilmington Township, on the east by the Kankakee River, on the south by Kankakee County, and on the west by Reed Township. But little can be said in favor of the soil, as it is usu- ally of a poor quality. Some good farms are interspersed with the sand ridges, but for the most part the land is adapted only for grazing. Doubtless, a con- siderable portion of the west side of the township has, underlying its surface, a • deposit of coal of the same character and quality as that found at Braidwood, and only awaits the miner's pick to make it of equal value. The township is watered by the Kankakee, Horse Creek and another small branch of the Kan- kakee. The Chicago & St. Louis Railroad crosses the northwestern corner, •cutting off an eighth of a section, and furnishing, at Wilmington and Braid- wood, commercial facilities for the western part. The Kankakee being nav- igable for small steamers to the eastern point, an outlet is thus furnished for the upper portion. Though navigation has been improved by the building of the dams at Wilmington, it has in reality been used for that purpose during wet seasons since the earliest settlements of the adjacent country. As early as 1834, the products of the farm were boated down the Kankakee to the Des Planes, and up the latter river to Chicago. It is related that during the year named some parties loaded a boat on Sugar Creek, a tributary to the Iroquois, with 300 bushels of oats, 300 bushels of wheat and some hams, with the design of taking them to Chicago to supply the garrison stations there. The trip down the Kankakee was accomplished without accident or unusual trouble ; ■but after entering the Des Planes, when near Treat's Island, the boat dipped water and so dampened the grain that they were obliged to unload and try to dis- pose of their produce at that point. At that time, settlers were arriving in that neighborhoo'l quite rapidly, and they had no trouble in disposing of their whole .cargo — the oats at 50 and the wheat at 75 cents per bushel. At present, small 608 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. steamers owned by Messrs. Small, of Wilmington, and Stephen F. Hanford, of Warner's Landing, ply regularly between these points and Chicago, carrying to that city corn, oats, rye and other products, and bringing back lumber, salt and other heavy articles. The "Landing," which is located near the eastern point of the township, is considered the head of navigation during the dry sea- son, but when the river is ordinarily full, boats can run much higher. In 1871-72, considerable work was done on the proposed Decatur & State Line Railroad, which was to cross the river at a point a short distance above the landing. Large sums of money were expended and a good portion of the road was ready for the ties. At this time a dozen huge pillars rear themselves from the bed of the Kankakee, over which the trains were to pass, like great monuments, reminding one of both the sincerity of its projectors, and of what, must be the disappointed hopes of them and of the inhabitants of this vicinity. About the time that this work was in progress, the great fire in Chicago occur- ring, so crippled some of the friends of the enterprise that work had to be sus- pended. Then it was proposed to interest some Boston capitalists, but before arrangements were complete, a repetition of the Chicago catastrophe also- occurred in Boston; and, other reverses following, work has never been resumed. Some hopes are still entertained that the line will yet be completed. The very earliest settlements occurred between the years 1836 and 1840. Andrew Yeates, Thomas Hatton, Samuel Taft and Nathan Smith were the first who could, with propriety, be called permanent settlers. There were a few others during this period, but as they did not remain long, their mention is not a matter of importance. Andrew Yeates was a native of Ireland. He was a man of means and ability. It is doubtful if he was ever fully appreciated in the community, as it was not generally known that his education and capabilities were of a supe- rior character. Unlike most emigrants from foreign lands, who come to this country on account of poverty and for the purpose of simply gaining a liveli- hood, Yeates came with plenty of money, and could have lived without work. He removed to Kankakee County some years ago, and has since died. His widow is still an inhabitant of the township. Thomas Hatton was a brother-in-law of Yeates. Samuel Taft was a native of New York. Like many others, he was attracted to this neighborhood by the abundance of game, and made its capture and destruction a means of live- lihood. At that date, this was one of the easiest means of subsistence. The- woods swarmed with deer, turkeys and other game ; and the hunter could, in one day, bring down enough to last his family for weeks. The skins of the deer and coon, and the scalps of wolves brought a small revenue, that supplied him with such clothing as the pioneer customs of the country demanded. The river teemed with fish, and these could be caught at all seasons of the year. After Taft's death, which occurred many years ago, his wife married Dar- win Dodd, by whom she has had twenty-four children, all of whom are alive- HISTORY Of WILL COUNTY. 609' and -well. They live in Minnesota. It will not be surprising to learn that Mr. and Mrs. Dodd are thorough " grangers," and believe in ignoring the small merchants and middle-men. Thev buy directly of manufacturers, hats, shoes, calico and all kinds of eatables not produced on the farm. Nathan Smith, now a citizen of Wilmington and Police Magistrate of that city, is a native of Ver- mont. He was for a few years a citizen of Wesley Township, and his name appears as one of the first School Directors of District No. 3 in 1841. James Hines came to the township in 1846, by which time had also arrived John S. Hoyte, Joseph Wood, Jeremiah Gray, Elias Winchell, Patrick Judge and R. S. Noble. Henry Hudson, from Ohio, also came in 1846, and still resides in the town- ship. Hudson carried the mail from Wilmington to Pontiac for nine years, ending in 1854, at which date the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad was com- pleted, and Hudson's services were no longer required. Stephen F. Hanford is a resident of thirty years. In 1848, he came to this place, and entered, with soldier's land warrant, a large tract of land, of which he still owns over one thousand acres. He is a native of Ohio, and came to the State six years before his advent to this place. G. H. Blanchard, John Wing, Orlin Miller and Abram and John Wurts had also settled here by 1846. One of the most prominent and able men who ever resided in this part of the county was Richard Warner, a native of Ohio, who came to this township in 1853. Warner had been a member of the State Senate of Ohio, and had filled other positions of honor. He was for several years Supervisor, and it was largely due to his influence during his occupancy of that office, that the magnificent bridge across the Kankakee at Wilmington was erected. His death, which occurred nineteen years ago, was considered a public calamity. At the time of his demise he was possessed of a large estate. John Kahler, now a resident of Wilmington, but prior to coming to this county a resident of Pennsylvania, was also an early settler. He farmed here for many years, but old age compelled him to give up agricultural pursuits and engage in lighter work. Religion in this township is not indicated by church spires, but we do not doubt that there is real, genuine piety here. Though there are no church build- ings or organizations, the inhabitants are not without church privileges. On every side in the adjoining townships are churches and buildings — especially at Braidwood and Wilmington — where many of the religiously inclined attend. There being no village within the limits, it has not been a natural abiding place for lawyers or doctors, the people supplying themselves with law, physic and theology at the neighboring towns. Due attention is given to the subject of education, and five schools are in successful operation, the first of which was established in 1846. Full school statistics in regard to this township are not obtainable from reports, as the territory embraced in Custer lies in two Congressional towns. '610 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. In 1876, the citizens of the eastern portion of Reed Township, seeing that their interests were entirely different from those of the western portion, and that the tastes, habits and pursuits were somewhat inharmonious, petitioned to the Board of Supervisors to be set off as a separate precinct. A majority of the Board coinciding with the views of the petitioners, a division was made as •described, and an election of township officers ordered. The tragedy of the brave Gen. Custer and his troops being fresh in mind, the township was named in his honor. The first officers elected were : George Petro, Supervisor ; M. L. Russell, Clerk ; I. T. Palmer, Assessor, and John Evans, Collector — all of whom continue to hold the respective offices. John Meadern and Lewis Mon- teith are Justices of the Peace ; James Bradford, Constable ; Henry Miller, A. G. Taylor and Ira Smith, Commissioners of Highways. The highest vote jet polled was 103. Warner's Landing, though not a laid-out village, contains a store, black- smith-shop and other conveniences common to a small country town. Grain is shipped from here in large quantities, as indeed it is the exclusive market for the products of the farm for this neighborhood. Horse Greek Landing answers about the same description, and affords the same facilities for shipping grain, etc. TROY TOWNSHIP. Jedediah WooUey, Sr., was one of the earliest settlers of Plainfield, but of that township it could hardly be said that he became a permanent resident, as he removed from it before the land came into market. He, however, lived there some time, and there experienced some of the trials and privations of pioneer life incident to this country at a period prior to 1835. In the year named, he removed to Troy Township, made a claim and settled permanently. His son, Jedediah Woolley, Jr., had already made some improvement, having built a saw-mill on the Du Page, which flows through the township. The saw- mill was completed and in operation by the Fall of 1834. His was the first mill enterprise in Troy, and one of the very first in the county. It was looked upon as a great addition to the industries of the community, and furnished lum- ber for most of the early buildings in this vicinity. The canal and railroad, though dreamed of, had not been built, and the only commercial communication with the village of Chicago was by means of wagons, and so most of the houses prior to that date were built entirely of logs. A dwelling of the character in use in those days would be almost a curiosity now ; and, as compared with the fine farmhouses and almost palatial residences of Troy and vicinity, would, at least, be considered a novelty. They generally consisted of a pen, from six- teen to twenty feet square, built up of small logs, notched at each end, to admit of others lying thereon. The pen was built to the height of about ten feet, and divided into a lower and upper room by joists of small logs covered with HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 611 T)oards split from the bodies of straight-grained trees. Sometimes the upper joom was dispensed with, and the single room answered the purpose of kitchen, pantry, parlor, dining-room, bed-room and cellar. Floors were not considered indispensable, and Mother Earth herself was the floor and carpet. A bedstead has been described to us as consisting of two poles driven into holes bored into the logs which formed the wall of the building, and supported at the other ends by a stake driven into the ground. A bed-cord was made of bark stripped from the body of a hickory-tree. Windows were glazed with panes made by satu- rating strong white paper with grease. This made a fine substitute for both glass and curtains, for, while it admitted the light, it also prevented the direct Tays of the sun from entering, being translucent without being transparent. The roof of the dwelling was constructed of split shingles — an article scarcely known at the present — held in their places by poles laid thereon. Jedediah Woolley, Jr., was County Surveyor when Will was a part of Cook County, and surveyed the county. Both he and his father are dead. A man named Chipman was partner with the younger Woolley in the saw-mill. Chip- man was from the State of Ohio. He did not find the country all that he had anticipated, and, after a short residence, he returned to the Buckeye State. Alford McGrill, a son-in-law of the Elder Woolley, moved to the township at the same time. He is spoken of as kind-hearted, big-souled man, and well liked by all who knew him. It was such men who made the pioneer life toler- • able to those whose former lives had been spent in localities where social advan- tages had been somewhat superior to what they found in their new homes. It was McGill who guided the Knapps and the Tryons of Channahon, to the place of their location, and recommended it as the finest soil in the country. Like many other great-hearted, social fellows, he had one fault developed by the in- fluence and habits of pioneer life. The cup, to which he was most friendly, Tvas his worst and most relentless enemy, and finally overcame him entirely, dragging him down to an untimely grave. Cary Thornton was a native of Pennsylvania, but had lived in the State of New York prior to coming here, in 1835. At that date, he came West, and attended the land sale and purchased a half-section of land. The next year, 1836, he, with his brother William, moved from New York to the land purchased the year before, each occupying one-half The location of the land was in the southern part of the township, and is now known as the Farnsworth property. Cary Thornton removed to the city of Joliet, in 1866, where he still resides, an active old gentleman of 79 years. William Thornton removed to Lake County, where he died about six years ago. Josiah Holden, a brother of Phineas Holden, who settled in New Lenox at an early date, was in the township as early as 1836. He moved away and died many years ago. Dr. Alexander McGregor Comstock, whom, from the name we imagine, to have been a Scotchman, came here from New York, about 1837. He moved to the city of Joliet and died of cholera, during the reign of 612 HISTORY OF WILL COU-STY. that fatal plague years ago. He was the first resident physician, and a man of much intelligence and of excellent attainments. Horace Haff was from the Black River country, of New York, and settled in this township about 1837. By him the township was named West Troy, probably from the city of the same name, near which he had formerly lived. A portion of the name was afterward dropped, leaving it as we now have it. Andrew and Marshall King came to this place from Indiana, and settled in the north part of the township. Andrew died here, October, 1849. Marshall moved to Texas, where he died several years ago. A son of Andrew King is a resident of Joliet, and is engaged in the lumber trade. The Kings were natives of Kentucky. After the settlements already mentioned, but few additional were made for some years. The panic of 1837, continuing for several years, put a check upon immigration, and not until the completion of the Canal, which passes through the southeast corner, did the township again grow in population. In several ways, the Canal contributed to the rapid development of this part of the State. The works were pronounced complete in 1848, and boats began to ply along the line. Formerly, grain and produce of all kinds had to be hauled by wagon over bad roads, to the nearest market, which was Chicago, and supplies of gro- ceries and other necessities had to be obtained there by the same means, and, consequently, emigrants looking for homes, located at points where commercial advantages were more convenient. When the Canal was completed, bringing these facilities to this portion of the State, immediately a new impetus was given to the settlement of Troy Township. Again, a number of the laborers on the works being now out of employment, and having saved some of their earnings, located on the adjacent lands. Quite a number of our Irish citizens- date their arrival in the township, with the completion of the Canal. The subject of education has received its share of attention by the Trojans. The first school was taught in a litte log structure, erected for that purpose, on Mr. Thornton's place. This was about the year 1836 or 1837, but who was the pioneer educator is not now remembered. The first teacher whose name can be recalled with sufficient distinctness to fix dates, was Miss Rebecca Boardman,. who taught here in 1840-41. From this small beginning has developed, in proportion to the development of the country, a system of education in this township, that compares favorably with any township in the county. As indi- cating the progress in this direction, it may be mentioned that ten years after the completion of the Canal there were in the township six organized schools, with three hundred and two persons of proper age to receive their benefits, of which number two hundred and thirty were in attendance. A few additional items extracted from an old report to the School Commissioner, at the date indi- cated, 1858, will prove interesting : Number of schools 6 Number of months taught 42 Number of children in schools 230 HISTOKY OF WILL COUNTY. 61 3 Number of persons under 21 406 Number of persons between 6 and 21 302 Average salaries paid teachers per month $ 24 00 Whole amount paid for support of schools 1,308 00 In 1872, the school population had reached its maximum, as had, also, the number of schoolhouses ; and, as other statistics for that year do not vary greatly from the present, some of the most essential are appended : Number of schools 10 Number of teachers employed 13 Number of months schools sustained 72 Number of children enrolled 375 Number of persons under 21 160 Number of persons between 6 and 21 627 Whole amount expended for school purposes |2,216 00 In each of the districts is a comfortable schoolhouse, nearly all of which are furnished with the improved desks, maps and the simpler pieces of school apparatus. Though the Gospel was preached at an early date in this township, owing to its proximity to Joliet, and other points where churches and all the means of affording religious advantages abound, no church-buildings are to be found here. Preaching in the schoolhouses is had occasionally, and Sunday schools are sustained. Dr. Comstock, before mentioned, was also a preacher, and, as such, not only offered to his patients, sick with the infirmities of the body, remedies for their corporeal diseases, but pointed the people to the Great Physician who heals both body and spirit. The following anecdote is told of him in the "Forty Years Ago:" " Dr. Comstock will be remembered as one of oiy most respected citizens and physicians. He was somewhat eccentric, and many anecdotes could be told of him. He was a man of strong mind and of con- siderable culture, both literary and professional. He could repeat the standard poets by the yard, and was at home with Virgil in the original. He was not remarkable for his style, either in dress or equipage. He was also a local preacher of the Methodist Church, and often supplied acceptably the pulpit of his own and other churches, in the absence of the regular preacher. He had a brother living in Michigan who often came to visit him, and who was in some respects very much like him, while in others he- was very unlike. He had held the position of Chaplain to Congress at one time, and was always very sleek and well dressed, and carried a gold-headed cane. He was also a physician, and also a preacher, but of the Baptist faith, although not of the ' hard-shell ' variety. I used to think of Dickens' Cheeryble Brothers whenever I saw them together. They were very much attached to each other ; and our Methodist Doctor always marked with a white stone the day when his brother came to visit him. On one occasion as our Methodist Doctor was in front of his house, about getting into his old wagon for a professional tour — house, horse and wagon very much alike in their general make-up, the Baptist Doctor drove up in a splen- 614 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. did new ' sulky,' one of those unsocial vehicles which will hold but one. The Methodist Doctor saw him coming, took in at a glance the whole rig in such marked contrast to his own ; and although longing to rush up and take his brother by the hand, he coolly folded his arms, surveys for an instant the Baptist and his 'turn-out,' and with a merry twinkle of the eye exclaims: ' Close communion, carriage and all ! ' " Troy Township is described in the Congressional survey as Town 35 north. Range 9 east of the Third Principal Meridian, and is bounded on the north, east and south by the townships of Plainfield, Joliet and Channahon, and on the west by Kendall County. It is divided into two almost equal parts by the Du Page River, which flows through it from north to south ; and this stream, together with Buck Run and their branches and the Canal, constitute the water privileges in the township. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad passes^ through the southern part, and the new railroad known as the Joliet & Mendota, now being warmly agitated, will pass through by way of Grintonville, and will, probably, soon be running. The land is about three-fourths prairie ; the bal- ance, known in other States as " barrens," is covered with timber, some of which is of good quality, though the land embraced in the timber tract is ;iot of a& good a quality for corn raising as the adjoining prairie. There are some as fine farms in Troy as are to be found in Will County. D. C. Searles, Myron Spencer, James Paul, the McEvoys, W. A. Dix, Brady and others are among the model farmers of the county, and have large and well-improved farms. This is thoroughly an agricultural region, and the lai'ge amount of grain and stock produced find a ready market by means of the Illinois & Michigan Canal and by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, which pass through it. Bird's Eye Bridge is on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, about five miles south of Joliet. It received its name from a man of the name of Bird, who formerly lived near the bridge, a hundred yards below the place. A grain ware- house and elevator were erected here by H. S. Carpenter, of Joliet, about the year 1867. In 1870, M. Truby purchased the establishment and remodeled it throughout, putting grain-dumps and all the modern improvements in the eleva- tor. He conducts a general grain business under the firm name of M. Truby & Son. The elevator will store about twenty thousand bushels of grain, and the cribbing capacity is about as much more. They handle annually about two hundred thousand bushels, which they ship by canal. Recently, however, they have put in a side-track on the Rock Island Railroad, which passes within a few rods of the place, which will enable them to take advantage of the Winter markets and will necessitate much less storage. A post office was established here in 1870, and called Bird's Eye Post Office, with M. Truby as Postmaster. They get the mail over the Rock Island line, the mail-bags being thrown off daily at the side-track. Mr. Truby has erected for himself at this point a very handsome residence, costing about $3,500. The firm keep a kind of supply HISTORY OF WILL C0U!1TY. Gl^ Store for the benefit of their customers ; also a pretty extensive lumber-yard. There are also shops of various kinds common to a country village. Grintonville, or Grinton's Mill, is another little hamlet on the Du Page River, five miles from Joliet. It was regularly laid out by William Grinton and called after his name. Mr. Grinton was an early settler, and built a mill here about the year 1845. It is a three-story building, with three runs of buhrs, and is owned at present by J. I. Mather, who is doing a good business in the way of milling. It is on the Du Page River, and is run by power obtained from its waters. In addition to this, there are in the place two blacksmith- shops, one wagon-shop, one shoe-shop and two saloons. There are no stores here, but there is a fine opening for one, and it seems strange ihat the want has not been supplied long ere this. A post office was obtained for this point, but the appointee to the office of Postmaster being found ineligible — not having been naturalized — the proj ect for a post office failed and the place is still without one In the early times, when much of the clothing was made at home, and the cloth from which it was cut was spun and woven there, woolen-factories or carding machines were common all over the country. Sheep were raised prin- cipally for their wool, and nearly all the product was consumed in the neigh- borhood. Now, a mill for the purpose of making rolls, is a novelty. The wool- picking, the carding, the spinning, the weaving, are all of the past ; and even the making of the clothing, though, there is a sewing machine in almost every house, is largely done by manufacturers. A factory for the purpose of convert- ing wool into cards preparatory to spinning, was built here by the McEvoys ; but for many years it has stood idle, though at one time it did an extensive busi- ness. The factory was built about 1848 or 1849. It is now owned by some of the McEvoys. The Will County Poor Farm and Asylum is located in Troy Township. The institution is at present under the supervision of C. W. Cropsey, whose able management is highly approved by the people and the Board of Supervis- ors who visited it at their last session. At present, there are accommodated at the Farm forty-two paupers and nineteen insane persons. A few of these unfortunate people do a small amount of manual labor, most of them, however,^ being too feeble either in body or mind to be of any service. To the establish- ment are attached eighty acres of land. The buildings are large and comfort- able, and well adapted to the purpose for which they are designed. The whole concern speaks loudly in honor of the county and its immediate management. The township was one of the first organized in the county, being set off as a separate precinct by the Commissioners in 1849. On the 2d day of April, 1850, the first election was held. The first Supervisor was J. H. Robinson. His successors have been as follows : John McEvoy, 1852 ; John T. Randall, 1853 ; P. Rowan, 1855 ; G. Kinsilla, 1856 ; J. Dillon, 1859 ; N. Hull, 1861 ; H. -W. Searles, 1863; J. Dempsey, 1865; D. C. Searles, 1868; Wm. McEvoy, 1869 ; D. Murphy, 1872 ; D. 0. Searles, 1875. ^16 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Troy Township is Democratic in politics, as it has been since the advent of the Irish, and has scarcely ever failed to give a good round majority for the •candidates whose names appeared on that ticket. As will be seen by the war history of "Will County, the record of this town- ship in that regard compares well with other sections. PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. In 1850, when the township of Wilton was formed, Town 33, Range 11, or Tyhat is now known as Peotone, contained only two voters, and it was, there- fore, necessary to include -it with some other township, and as Wilton was already pretty well settled, it was concluded to embrace within its limits the two Congressional towns. It was not until 1858 that the voting population of this section was considered sufficiently strong for separate organization. During a period embraced between the years 1849 and 1858, about twenty- five families came to the township, most of whom became permanent settlers. Most of these, however, settled during the years 1855 to 1858. The most of the earliest settlers selected the little stream which flows through the township from the northeast to the southwest, and is a branch of Forked Creek. In 1849, when some settlements had been already made in every adjoining township except Will, this locality was but just beginning to come into notice. The first actual settlers were Daniel B. Booth and James Allen, from Massa- chusetts. These two men made the first improvements in the township. Both located on the land now owned by Samuel Goodspeed, having entered one-half of Sections 19 and 30, through which, it will be noticed. Forked Creek runs. While he remained, he gave most of his attention to butter-making. It had not become generally understood that this land was well adapted for agricultural purposes, and Booth's idea seems to have been that in pasturage was its prin- cipal value; and when he found his dairy business a failure, he resolved to dispose of his interest and remove to a more congenial clime. From here he removed to Joliet, in 1855, and from thence to Texas, where he has since died. Allen seems, also, to have been dissatisfied with the country, as he stayed but a few years, and returned to the East. These two men could scarcely be deemed permanent settlers, and are hardly deserving of that credit. The year 1855 is, in reality, the year from which the real prosperity and substantial settlement of the township dates. In that year, Ralph Crawford, Samuel Goodspeed and the Cowing brothers came in and made improvements which have not only proved substantial, but which have increased in number and value. These men, too, have stuck to the town- ship, borne its burdens, and shared in its trials and all of its enterprises. Crawford had really been in the township the year before, had bought his land, done some breaking, and made other improvements. He has been exceed- ^^S^J prosperous, having accumulated a fortune since his location at this place. *^''» CHICAGO. FORMEFLr OF NEW LENOX HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 619 Besides his fine farm, on which he lives, he has another farm in Texas of 32,000 acres. Mr. Crawford has always enjoyed the confidence and favor of all of the citizens of the township, and has been honored by them with almost every ofiice and honorable position within their gift. As before intimated, Samuel Goodspeed bought the interest of Booth. He settled on the place in the Spring of 1855, where he has resided ever since. Mr. Goodspeed had lived in the county twenty years prior to his removal to Peotone Township, having settled in Plainfield in 1835. He has proved to be one of the most substantial citizens of this portion of the county, and has filled almost every position of honor and trust, and that to his own credit and the satisfaction of the people. He was Moderator of the first township meeting, in 1858, one of the first three School Trustees, in 1859, and has held various other ofiices since. John G. and James H. Cowing have been amongst the most substantial inhabitants of this vicinity. They had also been in the State some years, but Tyere originally from New Hampshire. James H. Cowing has been dead about ten years. John C. was one of the first three Commissioners of Highways, and is serving in that capacity at this time. John Poland and Daniel Gleason, two Irishmen, and brothers-in-law, were here in 1855. They both removed from the township but a short time since. Noland still owns a farm here. P. Armstrong, now of Peotone, came with Goodrich as a laborer, and entered some land, but gave it up and removed to the village. The next year, 1856, Arnold, Tobias and Cornelius Eahs, Moses Wright, Milton Smith and James F. Johnson made their advent. The Fahs brothers were from Mary- land, "Wright from New York, and Smith and Johnson fromJMichigan. Of the Fahses, only Tobias still resides here. Cornelius is dead, and Arnold removed to Chicago two or three years after his settlement here. After removing to Chicago, Arnold Fahs engaged in the lumber trade, from which he realized a large fortune. He died at that place about two years ago. Moses^W right was elected first Supervisor and first Assessor in 1858, and the next year returned to Michigan, from whence he had come. Milton Smith was an enterprising man. He died eight or nine years ago, and his family ''removed to Iowa. James F. Johnson continued to reside here until a year ago, when he sold out and removed to Kansas. George Reynolds and William W. Kelly settled here in |1857, the former ■coming from New York and the latter from Boston. Both Reynolds and Kelly have since removed to Chicago. The above, with Thomas Lockey, Smith Shaw and William P. Bonn, are all that are now remembered 'who became permanent residents before 1858, at which date the village of Peotone com- menced to grow. From that date, for a number of years^ the township settled rapidly. Indeed, at that date, nearly all of the land not held by the Illinois Central Railroad had been occupied by actual settlers or bought by speculators. 620 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. It was at that date that a move was made looking toward the separate organiza- tion of the eastern half of Wilton Precinct into a separate township. The usual formalities of signing and presenting a petition to the County Board hav- ing been observed, and an ordefr from that body having been obtained, the first annual township meeting was appointed for April 6, 1858. At this meeting, Samuel Goodspeed was elected Moderator, and George Reynolds, Clerk pro tern. The oath was. administered to the officers in charge of the election by Richard Constable, a Justice of the Peace, of Wilton. The result of the ballot was the election of Moses Wright, Supervisor ; George Reynolds, Clerk ; Moses Wright, Assessor ; William W. Kelly, Collector ; James H. Cowing, Overseer of the Poor; Milton Smith, James F. Johnson and John C. Cowing, Commissioners of Highways ; Cornelius Fahs and Ralph Crawford, Justices of the Peace ; and James Fahs and James H. Cowing, Constables. At that date there were in the township 25 voters. Since then, the township has cast as many as 237 votes — an increase of nearly 1,000 per cent. The population was at that time about 125 ; the present population exceeds 1,200. The present officers are : Michael Collins, Supervisor ; William Young, Clerk; William Crawford, Assessor; Louis Gundlach, Collector; John Meyer, Jr., John C. Cowing and Henry Gintert, Commissioners of Highways ; F. C. Hasenmeyer and Henry Joint, Constables ; Louis Gundlach and David Morri- son, Justices of the Peace ; William Dunlap, Jonathan Dennis and D. L. Christian, School Trustees ; and Peter Conrad, Treasurer. In 1858, every township in Will County had established schools except Peotone. This was, previous to that date, entirely destitute of school accom- modations. There were a few children sent to the township of Wilton, where schools had been in operation for eight or ten years ; but the distance was so great that only during the finest weather could they be made available. A year after the organization of the township, however, a movement was made toward putting in operation the means for establishing schools in the midst of the settlements within the bounds of Peotone Township. On the 28th of Feb- ruary, 1859, the voters of the township met at the house of J. F. Johnson and elected Samuel Goodspeed, A. H. Fahs and Tobias Fahs, School Trustees ; and by the Trustees, Ralph Crawford was elected Treasurer, which office he held for the next fourteen years. , At the meeting just mentioned, the Trustees divided the township into four school districts. Two of these, the one in the Goodspeed neighborhood, and the other at the station, which was then attract- ing settlers, built houses and opened school the same year. The next year, the Third, and the next, the Fourth Districts established schools and built houses. Both of the first schoolhouses are still in use — the one for the pur- pose for which it was erected, the other, with some additions, doing duty as a church. By 1866, the number of districts was increased to six, and in all except one were school-buildings. At that time, which was seven years after the first HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 621 steps were taken to establish the system in the township, there were 453 per- sons under 21 years of age, 301 of whom were entitled to the benefits of the common-school system, being between the ages of 6 and 21 years. Of these, 248 were reported as having attended school the previous year. The people of the township were at that time making up for lost time, 248 persons out of 301 being a large proportion for a newly-formed township. Another seven years, we find, has increased the number of schools to 9, and the number of enrolled scholars to 366, out of 398, entitled to school privileges. A few items taken from the report of the Treasurer to the County Su- perintendent of Schools for 1877, will doubtless prove interesting, especially as compared with the preceding figures : Number of School Districts 9 Number of persons under 21 791 Number of scholars enrolled 427 Number of persons between 6 and 12 613 Highest wages paid any teacher, per month f 70 00 Whole amount paid teachers 2,280 00 Total expenditure for school purposes 3,380 00 Estimated yalue of school property 10,000 00 In each district is to be found a comfortable schoolhouse, and, in several, are buildings that are a credit to the district. Nearly all are furnished with modern desks and apparatus, and we are credibly informed that the schools of this township are in a flourishing condition. The people have provided well for the moral and religious instruction of them- selves and of all who care to avail themselves of these privileges. Besides the churches of the village, mentioned elsewhere, there are three handsome church- buildings. The United Presbyterian Church was organized in 1860 by Rev. R. W. French, who was subsequently called to the pastorate in 1861, at which time he moved to the neighborhood. The original members were Thomas Luther, David Gilkerson and James E. Shaw, with other members of their families, and a few other persons, to the number of eighteen. In 1867, the building was erected at an outlay of $3,600. It is a very neat and comfortable house, 30x45 feet in size, and well furnished throughout. The membership numbers at present about fifty. It is not as strong as at a former period, quite a number having withdrawn to unite with the Presbyterian Church of the village, and several families having removed to Kansas. Rev. R. W. French has been the Pastor ever since the organization of the Church. Sunday school is kept open during the Summer. Wesley M. E. Church, of West Peotone, was organized in 1868, and a building erected in 1870, at an expense of $3,000. The building is 32x48 feet, and is a very neat and comfortable structure. Rev. R. Wright was the first minister who ofiiciated as such in the new building. The present membership of the Church is about thirty, with Rev. N. Crichter as Pastor. Sunday school is kept open throughout the year; of this, William Crawford is Superintendent. 622 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. St. John's German Evangelical Church, in the northern part of the town- ship, was organized in 1866 by Rev. F. Baeber, with sixteen families. Mr. Baeber preached here a year and a half. The whole establishment consists of four acres of land, a parsonage, schoolhouse and church edifice. The parson- age was the fir^t building erected in 1868. In this church, services were held with varying frequency, until 1871, when the building of the chapel was com- pleted. In 1873, the schoolhouse was built. The buildings have cost — the parsonage, $1,500 ; the church, $3,000, and the schoolhouse $400. The con- gregation consists at present, of about fifty families, of whom Rev. D. Behrens is Pastor and teacher. The school is kept open six months in the year, the children attending the public schools a portion of the time. We would not forget that when the life of our country was in danger, in 1861-65, Peotone Township, though but illy able to contribute largely to its support in men or means, having been so recently settled, did her part and made several noble sacrifices ; but, unfortunately, on account of a method which then prevailed, proper credits were never given, and many of their names appear in the Adjutant General's Reports as credited to other towns. The township of Peotone is described in the Congressional survey as Town 33 north, Range 12 east of the Third Principal Meridian. It is bounded on the north by Greengarden, on the east by Will, on the south by Kankakee County, and on west by Wilton Township. The township is not greatly diversified in soil or sur- face, but 18 mostly of a rich, deep soil and a slightly rolling surface, broken only by the two creeks which flow through it. There are no native groves of timber ; but on many of the older farms are to be seen fine little groves of soft maple, elm and poplar, planted by the early settlers. The products of the town- ship are those common to most parts of the county, and consist of corn, hay, oats and rye. Within the last year or two, considerable attention has been given to the dairy business, and the result has been the establishing by Messrs. Conrad & Son, of a cheese-factory, a half-mile west of the village of Peotone. The factory was built this year, and business began August 5. The build- ings are commodious and well adapted to the purpose for which they are designed. The cost of buildings and machinery was $4,000. They began operations with the consumption of 2,000 pounds of milk per day. The capacity of the factory is 14,000 pounds, which limit, it is confidently thought, will be reached in a short time. For some years, hay has been a reliable crop, and a large amount of both timothy and the native prairie hay has been cut and shipped. However, as the prairie was gradually fenced up and tilled the natural product decreased. Farmers have been giving more attention to stock than formerly, and a larger amount of this product has been consumed at home for the purpose of winter- ing cattle and sheep. In 1869, Oliver Lipincott built a hay-press at the vil- lage, for the purpose of preparing the hay for the city and Southern markets. HISTORY' OF WILL COUNTY. 623 The press is still in operation, but, for reasons already assigned, the business of hay-pressing has somewhat fallen oif. Formerly, considerable wheat was raised here, and, in 1858 to 1868, especially during the earlier years of that period, wheat was considered a staple crop ; but of late years the crop has been a failure, and its cultivation has been almost entirely abandoned. In 1872, Messrs. Elling & Rathje erected a fine mill for the purpose of manufacturing this product into flour. The mill cost nearly $12,000, and is one of the finest of its kind in the conntry. It is built on the Holland plan, with four large fans, of fifty feet each in length, which furnish power equal to forty horses. Owing to the fact already mentioned, that but little wheat is now produced here to keep the mill at work, the grain is brought by railroad from Minnesota and other places, and ground here, for consumption by those who formerly raised the article. VILLAGE OF PEOTONB. In 1855, a year after the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad, the site of the village was bought from that Company, and, in 1856, it was laid out by David Goodwillie. For a couple of years, no one seemed disposed to embark in business here, as the settlements, prior to that time, had been made mostly in the western part ; and what little business was done was transacted at Twelve Mile Grove, in the adjoining township. Gradually the eastern portion of the township began to be settled, and a demand for postal and commercial privileges began to arise, which were no sooner demanded than they were supplied. In 1858, John F. Pickering erected a house, in which he lived and also opened a small stock of goods. In the Spring of the next year, he erected the first real store-building. Thus opened, business of various kinds began to ap- pear; and, in the Summer of 1859, several families came to the village, bought lots and made some improvements. A post office, the first ever established in the township, was established about this time. In the Winter of 1859-60, as has been stated on another page, the first school was taught. The first teacher was W. W. Clark. Dr. Charles Stedman located here soon after, and was the first resident physician. A warehouse had been erected by Messrs. Harding & Comstock, in 1857 ; but this being the beginning of the "hard times" period, yet fresh in the minds of many of the early settlers, but little, by way of grain- buying, was done for several years. Partially owing to the same cause, the town improved but slowly until the midst of the war or near its close when money was plenty, and produce plenty and in great demand. Then, Messrs. Comstock, Gilkerson & Worden, and Messrs. Schroeder & Rathje, began buy- ing large quantities of grain ; and, in 1868, both firms erected elevators. This was, indeed, the beginning of the period of Peotone's solid growth. Prior to 1866, not more than fifteen houses were to be found here, one of which was the store. From that time forward, for about eight years, the town improved rapidly. New dwellings, stores, shops and churches went up. During that period of prosperity, three churches, a good schoolhouse, and most of the stores 624 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. and other buildings now found in the lively little town were erected. Then began to be felt another period of hard times, consequent upon the panic of 1873, since which time Peotone, like most other places, has shown no signs of special activity. In 1869, the village was incorporated. The first election was held June 6, of the year named, and the following oiBcers were selected : C. A. Westgate, President; B. S. Smith, Emanuel Wirt, Joseph Imholtz and John F. Pickering, Trustees, and John F. Pickering, Clerk. The present ofEcers are: Philip Sultzbaugh, President; E. B. Cowing, Fred. Schroeder, N S. Beedy, Martin Collins and James Barnhardt, Trustees ; Martin Collins, Clerk ; James Barnhardt, Treasurer ; John Conrad, Police Magistrate, and Fred. Wahls, Constable. In 1869, the old school-building, which had been erected ten years before, was found to have outlived its usefulness, or rather its capacity was found too limited for its purpose. It was thought by some that additions to the old build- ing would be the better way to enlarge the school capacity ; but it was finally resolved to build anew from the ground, and dispose of the old building for other purposes. The house erected is a very fine one, for a place of this size, and cost about $7,000 The M. E. Church was the first to organize, and one of the two first to build. The organization was effected in 1858, by Rev. John Hitchins, and consisted at first of ten members. The building, which stands in the west part of the town, was erected in 1867, and cost the society $3,000. The parsonage, owned by the Church, cost $1,000. Rev. Henry Hill is present Pastor. The German Evangelical Church was erected the same year, the society having been recently organized. In 1870, it was set ofi" as an Independent Church, having formerly belonged to the Rockville Circuit. The building is a frame structure, and stands in the southeastern part of the village. Though to outward appearance a good building, it was poorly constructed, and must, at no distant date, be taken down and replaced by one of more substantial character. Rev. John Wellmar officiates as minister. The Presbyterian Church was organized in 1871, by Rev. J. H. Trowbridge, with seventeen members. The building of the new schoolhouse a year or two before, and its recent occupancy, left the old schoolhouse vacant. This house had not been a stranger to the sound of the Gospel or the songs of praise. All of the denominations, during a period prior to the erecti'on of their houses of worship, had made use of this building for Church and Sunday school purposes. So when the building was vacated by the school, the society purchased it and refitted it for their use. Rev. W. F. Wood is minister of this congregation. The parsonage is the best in the village. The German Lutheran Church is the best building of the four. It was built in 1875, and stands in the southwestern part of the village. The organization of the society had been accomplished four years before, by Rev. F. Baeber. The present Pastor is Rev. Christopher' HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 625 Wobus. In connection with all of the congregations are flourishing Sunday schools, and each minister is provided with a comfortable parsonage. Peotone Lodge, No. 636, A., F. & A. M., was established October, 1869. The charter members were Samuel Jamison, Charles A. Westgate, John B. Sollitt, Charles Gates, David Grilmore, Benjamin Sellers, Rufus K. Reynolds, August Herbert, Henry Rape, W. F. Hutchinson, D. F. Mason, J. M. French, A. A. Manson, J. D. Downing, J. L. Miller, John M. Tobias and F. Eldei^ The regular communications are held on the second and fourth Saturdays of ■each month. The present membership is thirty-seven. The present principal officers are C. A. Westgate, W. M. ; Charles Gates, S. W. ; R. G. Jorgenson, J. W. ; Thomas Collins, Sec, and Philip Sultzbaugh, Treas. WILTON TOWNSHIP. Of all of the interesting little nooks in Will County, Twelve-Mile Grove is, without doubt, the most romantic. Not only on account of location has it this peculiar aspect, but associated with it, were it in our power to unearth it, is an ancient history of a sufiiciently wild flavor for a poem like to that of Hiawatha. Almost entirely secluded as they were from the rest of their race, with surroundings at once so beautiful and so well adapted to their style of life, we cannot but conceive that the wild people who dwelt here must in many respects have been peculiar. The little grove is said to have been one of the finest tracts of timber in Northern Illinois, and was full of deer, wild turkeys and other game, at the time of the earliest settlement by the whites. The fine little stream, a branch of Forked Creek, dividing the township diagonally into two almost exactly equal parts, flows over a rocky bed, along which the grove, on either side, lies. On every side lies the open prairie, and in approach- ing the timber one is reminded of the little clumps of timber described by Eastern travelers as appearing on the Great Desert, toward which their anxious eyes and weary limbs ever turn for refreshing shelter and drink for themselves and thirsty animals. Formerly this feature was much more apparent than now, the adjacent prairie having long since been occupied and planted here and there by the early settlers, not only with fruit-trees, but also with those of the forest, so that at present the whole township presents the appearance of a succession of little groves. The land of Wilton Town- ship is of varied quality and appearance, in some portions being very rich and productive, and in others quite the reverse ; in some portions being very flat, and in others undulating. In some parts of the township stone of a good quality is found, which answers a good purpose for foundations for buildings, though it has been utilized to a limited extent for other purposes. Wilton Township formerly embraced the township of Peotone, but was sep- arated from it by order of the Board of Supervisors in 1858. The township, ,as now constituted, embraces all of Town 33 north, Range 11 east of the Third 626 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. Principal Meridian, and is bounded on the north, east and west by the respect- ive townships of Manhattan, Peotone and Florence, and on the south by Kan- kakee County. As before intimated, the township, or rather that portion still known as Twelve- Mile Grove, was occupied by a small tribe of Indians. The grove was reserved, by act of Congress, ratifying a treaty with these people, for their sole use and benefit; but, though they were not concerned in any way in the Black Hawk disturbance, or any other unfriendly or hostile act toward the whites, they removed from here the same year that saw the exodus of the hostile tribes. They simply abandoned their lands here, not because of any encroachments by the whites, nor because of their inability to hold the title to the land, for tbe Government would doubtless have protected them in their rights, but, perhaps, because they did not like the idea of being separated so far from others of their race. From the best information in our possession, Joseph Lawton, one of the owners of the land, was a half-breed ; and, from him and others of the tribe of Ce-nag-e-wine, the land comprising the grove was bought, by James M. Kibbin, William T. Nelson and A. M. Wiley, ten or twelve years after the Indiana had. deserted it. A considerable portion of the land in the township was granted, to the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and, from that Company, bought by such settlers as came in after 1853. Samuel Hocum, who is usually accredited, with being the first settler at the Grove, really affiliated with the Indians, and, when they left here to reside at Council Bluffs, followed their fortunes thither. Hocum, whatever his character may have been, was, in one characteristic which distinguishes the civilized white from the uncivilized red man, of civilized pro- clivities, in that he lived in a house. It is said that he built the first cabin erected by white men in the township, and that it stood at the east end of the grove, on the farm now owned by Chauncey Clinton. The exodus of the Ho- cums, the Lawtons and the other Indians, took place about 1835, at which date Abram Huyck came to the township and settled on Section 36, since and still called Huyck's Grove. For two years, the Huyck family were the only inhab- itants of the township, and Twelve-Mile Grove was deserted. Abram Huyck died about fifteen years ago, and the family removed to other parts. When the whites first began to settle here, many traces of the former occu- pants of the grove were yet visible. Among the most interesting of these, as- illustrating their methods of sepulture, were the tombs of three Indians, sup- posed, from the profusion of their decorations, to be chiefs. The sepulcher, or whatever it might be called, consisted of a little pen, built up of small sticks, laid, one upon the other, to the height of about four feet, being from four to five feet square. The whole was covered with sticks, weighed down with heavy stones. And therein, on a kind of stool, sat the three " poor Loes," looking lonesome and ghastly enough. The cracks between the sticks composing the pens were sufficiently •wide to admit of inspection, while being at the same time too small to allow of HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 627 their being disturbed by wild animals. In this position, these ghastly remains sat in all of their feathers, beads and jewelry, with the flesh decaying from their bones, for a number of years, till at length a. foolish lad, who lived in the neighborhood, upset their charnel-houses, scattering their bones about the sur- rounding country. In 1837, three families from Canada came in and settled at the grove. These were Franklin Chamberlin, Oliver Chamberlin and James Adams. The Chamberlins were father and son. The Chamberlins built the first frame house. The timbers were " got out," hewed and prepared from the grove, and the boards were brought from Wilmington, where a saw-mill had recently been built. Adams occupied the Hocum cabin. The Chamberlins remained here until 1845, when they removed to Black Oak, near Chicago, where they still reside. At the time of which we write, in addition to the wild animals desirable for food, there were also wolves in great numbers. Geese, chickens, sheep and pigs were their favorite repast ; and it was almost impossible to protect them from the voracity of their natural enemy. An able and eloquent representa- tive had risen in the Legislature and declared that, " When the denizen of the prairie is locked in the embrace of Morpheus, the shades of night have settled 'round his abode and all nature has settled to rest, then the noisome wolf rises from his lair, and, roaming up and down the land, seizes the inoifensive pig and the innocent lamb, devouring them, to the great detriment of said denizens," and the law for the protection of domestic animals against the ravages of " said wolf" had been passed, allowing to any one who would secure the scalp of one these " noisome " animals, a bounty of $1. The business of wolf-hunting at once became quite lucrative. For a number of years afterward, in the newly settled counties, nearly all of the State taxes were paid in this kind of currency. The younger Chamberlin was a skillful hunter of the wolf, killing from twenty to forty every Fall. For these, he received for the scalps $1 each, and for the pelts, 50 cents. In those times, the hardest that have ever been known in this State, this was counted a large amount of money. But, though the profit derived was comparatively great, the propagation of the wolf was neglected,, and now, a wolf, should one be captured in the county, would be counted as a curiosity. If intelligence were necessary to " keep school " in those days, the Adams family must have been in that respect more than ordinary, as the first two terms taught in the township, in 1841 and 1842, were taught respectively by Lydia and Sallie Adams, daughters of James Adams. At about the last date named, the Mormons at Nauvoo were in all their glory. Missionaries were being sent to all parts of the country to enlighten the people on the peculiar, doctrines of Joseph Smith, as revealed in the Book of Mormon ; and among the places visited in this part of the State was Twelve-Mile Grove. Their efforts here were not without success. The Adams family, having become fully established in. '628 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. the faith, sold out and removed to headquarters at Nauvoo. A few years later, when the conflict arose between the authorities of the State and the troops of Smith, which resulted in the death of that would-be prophet, and the succes- sion of Brigham Young to the Prophet's position, most of the Mormons removed to Salt Lake. Among the faithful who followed the fortunes of Young to the new land of promise, were Adams and his family. In crossing the plains, among the hundreds of these people who perished was Lydia Adams. Sallie after- ward became one of the wives of an influential and wealthy Mormon, and still resides in that country. Several other converts were made to Mormonisra in this neighborhood, some of whom still reside here, but repudiate the doctrine of plural marriages, cleaving to the faith as expounded by Joseph Smith, Jr., now of Piano, 111. The Chamberlins and Adams sold out their possessions here to one Reuben Putnam, more generally known as " Old Put." Putnam had the reputation of heing a horse-thief, a cattle, pig and sheep thief, and a robber of all kinds of goods on which he could lay hands. He was even credited with having in the ^rove an underground stable in which he concealed his ill-gotten gains, and in ■which he accommodated members of a then numerous gang of horse-thieves that infested the country ; and it is not doubted that Putnam was one of the leaders. " Old Put's " favorite mark for his stock was to cut off both ears and tail, and in this way destroy all other marks that might previously have been made by rightful owners. Certain it is that he was the terror of this part of the country, and as such prevented for a time the rapid settling of the township. But finally his operations became so gigantic, and his attitude toward his neigh- bors became so unbearable, that forbearance ceased to be a virtue, and it was •determined to bring him to grief Suits numerous had been brought against him ; indictments had been procured ; and all legal measures had been tried to bring him to justice, but always to the defeat of those instituting such proceed- ings. So a few of the citizens of the neighborhood, to the number of seven, entered into a compact to rid the county of his presence. It is unnecessary to repeat the names of the seven who planned the scheme, or to give the minutiae thereof. Sufiice it to say that, one day in June, 1853, Old Put was plowing corn in his field, when suddenly, what to him appeared to be an Indian, grap- pled his arms from behind and held him fast ; then another, who seemed to be a negro, appeared with a tar-bucket, and another Indian came up with a bag of feathers. Quicker than it takes to tell it, two or three \ more negroes stripped him of his clothing, and a pair of sheep shears applied to his scalp, divested him of his hair. In four minutes from the time of commencing the operations, Mr. Put presented a striking appearance. So much did he resemble the descrip- tions of that ancient one called Scratch, that the boys who took part in the work were really struck with fear. He had been covered from head to foot with the tar and feathers ; and to add to the Satanic appearance as if having just issued from the ground, they had rolled him in the fresh-plowed dirt. After HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 629 the work had been completed, he was asked if he understood the meaning of all these proceedings, and upon giving an affirmative answer, he was told that he would be allowed just ninety days to settle up his business and get out of the country, and was assured that if he were found in the neighborhood at the end of the period named, the seven had sworn a great oath never to rest day or night until he was quartered. At the end of the eighty-seventh day, it was noticed that Put still lingered, as if loath to leave the scene of the drama in which he had taken so prominent a part ; but after that date he was a stranger to Twelve-Mile Grove, having suddenly vanished. For a long time his countenance presented rather a sallow appearance, look- ing much as though he was undergoing an attack of the jaundice. He spent much time in trying to find out who had been his persecutors ; but so well had they concealed their plans that for many years it was not known who had taken part in the work. Four of the men employed in the matter are still residents of the county, and are among the best citizens. The thing proved so popular, and those con- cerned in it kept it so well, that others who had nothing to do with it hinted that they "knew more about it than they cared to tell." Hiram Harvey and sons came to the township from Canada in 1841, stayed three years and then removed to Five-Mile Grove, where they resided nearly four years, returning to Twelve-Mile in 1848. Jabez Harvey, one of the best-esteemed citizens of the township, went to California during the gold fever, and had returned by June, 1853, having in the mean time, seen somewhat of the manner of dealing with outlaws in that, country, at that time governed neither by the principles of law nor morals. Mr. Hiram Harvey is now over 70 years of age, hale and hearty, and in the enjoyment of all of his youthful energy. He is the oldest resident of the township. From 1841 until 1845, Alanson Williams, J. Taft, Dr. A. B. Mead, Amos Van Valtonburg and Alfred Warner made their appear- ance in the neighborhood. They resided here but a short period — but four or five years — and then removed to other places. During the residence of Dr. Mead, the post office of Wallingford was established near the center of the township, with Mead as Postmaster and mail-carrier, between this point and Wilmington, and for his services he received the proceeds of the office. After Lis removal, the office was removed to the head of the grove, where it has since remained. By 1848, quite a number of Irish families had also settled in the neighborhood. At the date last named, the Illinois & Michigan Canal -was completed, and a number of the laborers on the works, having saved a por- tion of their wages and being out of employment, concluded to engage in farm- ing, and took up their residence here. Some of our best citizens are of Irish nativity, among whom are John Brown, Roger Waters and Thomas McCor- mick. In 1846, Kibben, Nelson & Co., the new proprietors of the reservation, came to the Grove with a view to making improvements and selling out the land. The land was surveyed and offered for sale ; and, there being no other 630 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. timber near, coal not yet having been discovered in the county, and the rail- road not yet having been projected, the people were greatly excited over the prospect of having the only source of fuel and lumber disposed of without a chance to obtain a piece ; and as a consequence, land, which can to-day be bought for $20 per acre, brought f 100. The proprietors who had bought the reservation for a trifle became rich men in a short time. The Nelson family, of whom W. T., mentioned above, was a member, con- sisted of the father, John Nelson, and sons W. T., S. Q. and D. M. They came from Indiana to reside at the Grrove in 1848. John Nelson had been, in the State of his former residence, one of the first citizens of the county in which he liveJ, and was honored with many positions of trust, among which was that of member of the Assembly of the State. Mr. Nelson died two or three years after his removal to this place. W. T. Nelson now resides in an adjoining township, and the two other brothers still reside near the village of Wallingford. George and David Dancer, brothers, from the northern part of the State, came in 1848. The former still resides here, but the latter has removed to Iowa. Samuel C. Baker and brother Caleb settled here in 1849. Caleb is one of our most wealthy and respected citizens. Samuel C. now resides in Colorado, and is engaged in the cattle trade. Joseph Cook was the first blacksmith. His shop at first consisted of a bel- lows, anvil and a few hammers, and the broad branches of a tree were his only shelter. Of him it could with propriety be said : " Beneath a spreading chestnut-tree, The village smithy stands, The smith a mighty man is he. With large and sinewy hands ; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bauds." All except the tree, which was an oak instead of a chestnut. A horse-power saw-mill was erected by Henry Stone, now of California, in: 1850, but it run but a short time, as the completion of the railroad brought lumber of a more desirable character to within a short distance. The first goods were sold in 1856 by J. Hopkins, at Wallingford. Hopkins did not continue in the business long, but sold out to S. G. Nelson. A store was started in Wilton Center in 1857, by Barret & Hersperger, and by them it was run for about three months, when they sold to Jabez Harvey, who has contin- ued the business without intermission or suspension for twenty years. There were at one time three post offices in the township. The first estab- lished was the one at Ingham's Hill, near the center of the township, and then removed to Wallingford. About 1856, a post office called Pierce, was author- ized at Huyck's Grove, and another at Wilton Center. Pierce Post Office- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 6S1 existed but a short time. The one at Wilton Center was somewhat irregular, until a few years ago when it became a permanent fixture. In 1850, there were in the township, as then organized — embracing, also, Peotone — about twenty-five voters. The precinct, with the Grove as center for an indefinite area surrounding, was called Dallas. In the year named, how- ever, the Commissioners of the county changed the name, giving the precinct a definite boundary, with Supervisor and other township officers. The first election was held April 2, 1850. Of this meeting, Henry Stone was elected Moderator, and William T. Nelson, Clerk pro tern. Twenty-six votes were cast, of which the following persons for the respective ofiices received majorities : William Dancer, Supervisor ; Horace Kelsey, Clerk ; James M. Kibbin, Assessor ; Joel 0. Norton, Collector ; Hugh Kennedy, Overseer of the Poor; George Dancer, Samuel Hall and Alfred Warner, Commissioners of Highways ; Samuel Wilson and Patrick Boyland, Justices of the Peace, and Edward Graham and John McGowan, Constables. In 1858, the eastern half of the precinct, now constituting Peotone Township, was, by order of the Board of Supervisors, set off as a separate township, and Wilton left with boundaries co-extensive with what we now find them. The present officers are : S. G. Nelson, Supervisor ; G. Boynton, Clerk ; A. J. Mills, Assessor ; D. M. Nelson, Collector ; George Mackender, John White and James Cavency, Highway Commissioners ; S. G. Nelson and Jabez Harvey, Justices of the Peace ; George Rose and B. F. Dunham, Constables, and Jabez Harvey, School Treasurer. The present voting population is 240. One of the most important public acts of the township was the voting of f 35,000 to aid the Decatur & State Line Railroad, which was to cross the township and locate a station at Wilton. The road has not yet been completed, and, as one of the provisions of the call for an election was that the bonds were to be issued only when the first train of cars were run through the township, they have not yet been called for. The township took more than ordinary interest in the great war for the preservation of the Union, in 1861—65. No draft was ever enforced, the quota of each call being filled by volunteers, or by substitutes, paid by subscriptions or tax. Nearly all who enlisted from this township were in the One Hundredth Illinois Infantry. Many of the brave boys who left us never returned. Of this number are remembered Alva Hoyt, Richard L. Barr, William Bruce, Ira Temple, Amos and James Gauthrop, Simon Conchlin, Ahaz Young, Giles L. Greenman, Joseph Robinson, Frank Patchett, Robert Stevens, Don A. Rob- inson, Henry Doncaster and James T. Ladieu. The last named died a double death in Andersonville Prison. Isaac Jenks, though he received such wounds as would have killed a common man — his head being literally shot to pieces — still lives. Jerry Kennison was promoted to the office of Captain, and S. G. Nelson was honored with the title and office of Major. 632 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. As before intimated, the first school was taught in 1841. This was the school not only for the township, but for all the country adjacent. Pupils attended this school who lived ten miles away. The number of children living in the township at that time scarcely warranted the building of a houae and the establishing of a school. The house was built by James Adams, Frank- lin Chamberlin and Hiram Harvey, and was a partnership concern. It was constructed of bass-wood logs, split in two parts, and laid up in the manner of a rail pen, with the flat surfaces inside. The puncheon floor, slab seats and desks and the huge fire-place, common to most of the pioneer schoolhouses such as appear in our cut on page 89, were features of this school-building. In 1849, the school township was organized, with Horace Kelsey as Treasurer, and iu 1850, the first public school-building was erected at Wilton Center, which build- ing is still standing and doing the service as originally designed. It was, doubtless, considered a grand affair in its early days, though at present it looks somewhat antiquated — however, in a pretty good state of preservation. It is con- structed of stone, which were taken from the quarry near by, the stones being raised and hauled by difi"erent parties, who gave their time and labor to the enterprise. The building is 20x30 feet, and in height is scarcely eight feet between joists. Above the door appears the following inscription, cut deep in the stone cap : 0^ 1850. • ^. KNO^A/'LEDGE IS POWER. In this building, Chauncey Steele taught the first term. The schoolhouse proved to be, in addition to its use as a temple of learning, a great convenience for numerous other purpose. In it have been held political meetings, debating societies, churches and Sunday schools, indignation meetings and ratification meetings and assemblies of all sorts and sizes, except large sizes, which could not be accommodated within its modest inclosure, and were, therefore, held in the grove. Soon after the date of the building of the schoolhouse in District No. 1, a school was organized at the north end of the Grove and a building erected there ; and, within eight years, three more had been built, making, in 1858, five organized districts, each with a school building of its own, and hav- ing a school population of over four hundred. At present, there are seven whole districts and two union. The school pop- ulation is 610 children under 21 years of age, of whom 408 are between the of 6 and 21. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 633' The value of sctool property is estimated at $2,000. The whole amount paid for sustaining schools last year was nearly $2,500. Jahez Harvey, who succeeded Kelsey, the first Treasurer, in 1864, is present Treasurer and Clerk of the Board of Trustees. VILLAGE OF WALLINGFORD. As previously stated, Nelson, Kibbin and Wiley had purchased of the Indians the tract known as the "reservation." Afterward that portion which now constitutes the site of the village was sold to H. B. Goddard, by whom, in turn, it was conveyed to Charles W. Keith, who laid out the town and offered the lots for sale. Doubtless, high anticipations were indulged in, regarding the destiny of Wallingford, as Keith advertised it extensively. Charts of the town were lithographed and sent to every corner of the East and West. Some of them still in existence show what a nice town may be built on paper, all with streets and alleys, public squares and fine parks. But, alas, for human expectations ! the enterprise proved a failure, and Wallingford stands a monument of blasted hopes. It is now simply a little trading-point, with a score of houses, a store and a few shops. Keith, after having disposed of a few lots, sold the site and the adjoining farm to Noah Thayer, of Aurora, who still owns it. VILLAGE OE WILTON CENTER. Wilton Center was platted, originally, in 1860 ; but, subsequently, the plat was taken up and a new plat made in 1876. The plat consists of about forty acres, of which Jabez Harvey is principal proprietor. Its history is not greatly dissimilar, as to success, to its little rival at the other end of the grove. It con- tains two general stores, two wagon-shops, two churches, and dwellings and other buildings in proportion. The population is about one hundred and fifty. The M. E. Church was erected in 1866, and cost about $6,000. From the report to the Conference, we learn that its membership is 162. Rev. A. H. Needham is the present Pastor, and John Crawford is Superin- tendent of the Sunday school. The Baptist Church was built in 1868. It is a neat frame building, capa- ble of accommodating about two hundred persons. The membership of this Church is forty seven, with Rev. 0. C. Dickinson as Pastor and Superintend- ent of the Sunday school. Both of the above denominations had held services here for many years prior to the erection of their houses of worship, holding meetings in the school- house and in private dwellijigs. Lodge No. 640, I. 0. 0. F. was estabhshed at this place, June 15, 1877, with seven members, most of whom had belonged to Wilmington Lodge. Of the number named, A. J. Mills was N. G. ; J. G. Thompson, V. G.; Henry Storch, Secretary ; and Jabez Harvey, Treasurer. The present membership is 634 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. thirty-three, the officers of which, with the substitution of Lorenz Reitz as V. (jr., and Charles Weber as Secretary, remain as at first constituted. Meetings are held on Saturday of each week. MANHATTAN TOWNSHIP. " A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," sang the bard of Strat- ford-on-Avon. This township was erst known as Trenton — a name bestowed by William Nelson, the first Supervisor after township organization. When Will County adopted township organization, there not being a sufficient number of voters in this to form a township, it and Greengarden were embraced in one, under the name of Trenton, after the town in which Mr. Nelson had resided in New York. In 1853, the population having sufficiently increased, the two towns were separated, and the name of Manhattan was proposed by John Young, Esq., the first Supervisor of this one, and no objection being made by Nelson, it was duly named for the island of the Knickerbockers, since which time it has been known as Manhattan Township, 34 north. Range 11 east. It is a beautiful undulating prairie, lying in gentle eminences, having much the appearance of the swell of the ocean after a storm has passed away. No timber breaks the monotony of the prairie, except Five-Mile Grove, and which com- prises less than a section of land. It is thoroughly an agricultural region, than which there is none better in Will County, with no towns or villages, or manu- factories to interfere with the farming interests. Its population, in 1870, was 922 souls. The first settler in Manhattan Township was Orin Stevens, but of him little can now be learned further than that he had made a settlement at Five-Mile Grove. He was keeping a sort of tavern there when the next settlers came in, in 1834. The Perkinses were the next to settle after Stevens, and consisted of Ephraim Perkins and four sons, viz., Orin, Edward, Ephraim and Pliny Per- kins. They were from Trenton, N. Y., and Edward came out in June, 1834, and bought out the man Stevens. Where Stevens was from, when he settled at Five-Mile Grove, or what became of him after he sold out, are items of the township history lost in the things of the past. Edward Perkins was a single man when he first came to the settlement, but returned to New York in the Fall and married, and brought his young wife to the West. Jerrod Gage came about this time, and he and Perkins entered into partnership in the dairy busi- ness at Five-Mile Grove. The next Spring (1835), Perkins' father and brothers came out, and also Gage's father and his family. The elder Gage had been an extensive dairyman in "York State," and being an ardent admirer of Henry Clay, the "Sage of Ashland" and renowned Kentucky statesman, once made for him a mammoth cheese, and presented it to him during one of his cam- paigns. When Edward Perkins returned from New York, after his marriage, he located for a time in Joliet, as noticed in that part of this work, and was ^ B EEC HER HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 6S7 interested with Dr. Bowen in his Addition to the city of Joliet. The elder Perkins and Gage are both long dead; Edward Perkins died in this township ; Orin went to California during the gold fever, and when about to start for home, died; Pliny and Ephraim Perkins, Jr., are both living still in this State, but in what part our informant had forgotten. Hiram Harvey also settled at Five-Mile Grove, about 1835 or 1836, and was from the East, but what partic- ular State we were unable to learn, nor do we know what became of him. These few settlements around Five-Mile Grove seem to have been all that were made in the township until a quite recent date, as compared to other portions of the county. As this little grove was the only timber in the town, and it required a score or two of years for the people to find out that the prairies were habitable, probably accounts for the long gap that occurred just here in the arrival of new-comers to this section, as the next we find coming in about 1847 and 1850, and which we will now notice. John Young came from New York City in 1849, and settled in this town- ship, where he remained until 1876, when he removed to Joliet. His son, Mansfield Young, a prosperous merchant of Joliet, married Miss Sarah Walker, daughter of Joseph Walker, of New York, who is said to have been a most amiable and lovely woman, beloved by all who knew her. She died in 1876, and he and his father (also a widower) now live together, the old and the young bereaved ones forming a single family. Samuel Bowen and his two sons were from the Quaker State of William Penn, and came also in 1849. Bowen had first settled in Jackson Township, where he remained some time before com- ing to Manhattan. He has been dead some years. Bryan Gorivan and son •settled in the town in 1848. They were from Ould Ireland, the "blissed Gim of the Say," are still living, and are prosperous farmers of the community. Martin Bergen was also from Ireland, and came to the country a poor man, but went to work, and by industry and energy became the owner of about six hun- dred acres of fine land, and amassed considerable other property; was honored with office, and had been for some time School Treasurer of the township, when he suddenly decamped, and his business was found to be in rather a deranged condition. His accounts as School Treasurer were short a thousand or two, but so secured that nothing was lost. His neighbors, who speak of him in kindly terms, seem to wonder at his going away when he apparently had suffi- cient property to liquidate all his liabilities. Freeman Gay came from the bleak shores of the Pine-Tree State, about 1847 or 1848, and settled in this neigh- borhood, where he remained a number of years, and finally removed into Jack- son Township. He is still living there, and is a wealthy farmer of that town. William Nelson, a prominent citizen of the town in the early days, came here from Trenton, N. Y., but was an Englishman by birth. He settled in this section in 1848, and gave the town the name of Trenton, when it and Greengarden were known as one township, as noticed in the beginning of this 638 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. chapter. He sold out, some years ago, and removed into Jackson Township,, where he still resides. William and Charles Bissett were from Bonny Scotland, and came to the settlement in 1848. Charles died in a short time after their settlement here. William went to California during the gold excitement of 1849 and 1850, where he still lived the last known of him. A man named Borders settled here in 1849. He was from Ohio, and did not remain long in the set- tlement. What became of him no one knows or seems to care, as he was, to use a Southern phrase, " small potatoes " anyway, it was said. Clarke Baker came from New York, and bought land here in 1847, but did not settle on it until 1850. He is still living, an active, energetic man of fourscore and two years, and is one of the respected citizens and wealthy farmers of the township. He is the preseni; Supervisor, an office he has held for several years, as will be found on another page. This comprises a number of the first set- tlers of Manhattan Township up to a period when the tide of immigration poured in with a rapidity defying the power of the historian to keep pace with names and dates. When township organization went into efiiect, in 1850, there were but ten legal voters in the territory now comprised in Manhattan Town- ship, and, as already stated, was not sufficient to form a township of itself, but was, with Greengarden, known as Trenton Township, and so remained until 1853, when they were separated and organized under their present names. William Nelson was the first Supervisor of Trenton Township, and held the office in 1850; was succeeded by M. Bailey, who served during 1851 and 1852, when the towns were divided, and John Young elected Supervisor of Manhattan for 1853. Clarke Baker was elected in 1854, and held it for two years, when Mr. Young was re-elected, and held the office from 1856 to 1860, inclusive. In 1861, Clarke Baker was again elected and also in 1862, and in 1863, was succeeded by G. A. Buck, who served until 1865, when J. E. Baker was elected, serving from 1865 to 1869, inclusive. Gr. A. Buck was then re-elected, and served 1870-72, and was succeeded by S. Robinson, in 1873-74, when Clarke Baker was again elected, and has held the office ever since. Other township officers are Clarke Baker and Hiram Olney, Justices of the Peace ; Hiram Olney, Town Clerk ; Michael Haley, Constable, and George A. Buck, School Treasurer. As recent as the settlement of Manhattan Township has been, the early record of mortality is somewhat cloudy and vague. The first death of which we have been able to learn definitely was that of Charles Bissett, who is noticed as settling here in 1848, and who, it is said, died in a year or two afterward. A child of Stephen Bowen was born in 1850, and was probably the first, or, at least, the first in what might be termed the second era of settlements in the town. It might be claimed that Edward Perkins was the first settler of the township to perpetrate matrimony, though he married in New York. But to come down to a more modern date, George A. Buck and Miss Sarah Baker were married at quite an early day. We do not give these, however, as being HISTORY OF WILL COUHTY. 639 the first births, deaths and marriages which actually occurred in the town, and are inclined to think they are not ; but they are the first of which we have been able to learn anything definite. It is altogether probable that, with many Ger- man and Irish immigrants coming in, there were births at an earlier date than those given. But it is stated by some of the early settlers that children were rather scarce in Manhattan in the early days of its settlement, and that it was long before there were enough to form a school. Mr. Young, who had resided in New York City, where the crop of juvenility was ponderous, says his wife was often annoyed there by the noise and racket of children in their neighbor- hood ; but used to say frequently, after she had been " here a spell," that she would give much to hear the noise of children at play. The first Justice of the Peace in the township was William Bissett, and received the office in 1849, but did not hold it long, as he sold out in 1850 and went to California. The first blacksmith-shop was kept by a man named Cun- ningham, in 1851. Where Cunningham came from, or whither he went, no one can now tell. There is no village in Manhattan Township, nor 'has there ever been a store within its borders, nor a post office established for its particu- lar benefit. But very recently Greengarden post office was moved over, just inside of the Manhattan line. Joliet is the point of traffic of its citizens, and is the post office where the large majority of them get their mail matter.' It is there they haul their grain and other farm produce, and hence, stores and post offices have not been at all required in their town, and would not, perhaps, be much patronized if they were as plenty as Falstaff's blackberries. The first and the only church structure ever erected in Manhattan Town- ship, is the Episcopal Church, built in 1857, under the ministerial charge of Rev. Clinton Locke, who at the time was Rector of the Episcopal Church in Joliet, and now of Grace Church, Chicago, and whom we noticed as officiating in the reception of President Hayes in his recent visit to Chicago. The church edifice is a frame, and cost about fl,500. Some dozen or twenty families wor- ship there at the present time under the pastorate of Rev. A. W. Glass. Other religious organizations have regularly-established societies in the township, and hardly a schoolhouse but serves as a temple of worship and for Sunday schools, but there are no other church edifices. The first schoolhouse was built in 1852, and in it was taught the first school in the township. For as before stated, there were but few children in the settlement for several years, and consequently not much need felt for schoolhouses. In 1872, a little more than a score of years after the second era of immigration set in, we find the town contained eight school districts and eight good, substantial schoolhouses. There were 415 pupils enrolled and 13 teachers employed ; the district tax levy for the support of schools was $1,135.22, and $1,422.35 the amount paid to teachers. The schools of Manhattan are in a flourishing state ; each district has a good, comfortable schoolhouse ; the best of teachers are employed, and school main- tained for the usual number of months each year. 640 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. When Mr. Young settled in Manhattan Township, in 1849, there was not, he informed us, a rod of fence in the town, but a little in Five-Mile Grove, where Mr. Baker had bought land. Aside from that little bunch of timber, it was an unbroken prairie, well set in tall, waving grass, overtopped with wild- flowers, and presenting a picture of beauty equal to the most extravagant ideas of the Western prairies to be obtained from the New York Ledger and kindred publications. The town is sufficiently rolling to drain well ; in fact, there is not a section but that is capable of being well drained. It is irrigated by Jackson and Mud Creeks, two small brooklets that usually go dry in the Sum- mer season, but sometimes in long " rainy spells " get on the rampage and become rather boisterous streams. There are no, mills in this town, nor rail- roads, and as before stated, no villages or cities, or "corner lots," and hence, there is very little in the way of history pertaining to it, beyond the mere fact of its settlement, and that of its being, as already noted, one of the finest agri- cultural districts in the county. Although originally settled by New Yorkers, and other 'Eastern people, the foreign population has rather the ascendency at present. The German and Irish elements are well represented, and can boast of many excellent and wealthy farmers. As showing the importance of Manhattan as an agricultural community, we present the following statistics from the last Assessor's books : ACRES. BDSHELS. Corn 8,371 210,330 Oats 3,857 16,510 Irish Potatoes 5,880 Apple Orchards 135 Flaxseed : 231 TONS. Timothy Meadow 2,063 2,500 Prairie Meadow 2,101 2,643 Pasture 5,959 (not including woodland.) No. pounds wool shorn 160 lbs. No. of Fat Sheep sold 15 head. No. of Cows kept 557 " No. Fat Cattle sold 107 — average weight, 1,000 lbs. per head. No. Fat Hogs " 1,408 " " 2-50 " From the above figures it will be seen that Manhattan is an excellent farm- ing district, and does its part in swelling the agricultural resources of the county. The political record of Manhattan is Democratic by a very small majority, or has been, until the present "shaking of the dry bones of the valley " caused by the National Greenbackers, and just now it appears somewhat uncertain as to what a day may bring forth. The township bore a good record in the late war, as is shown by reference to the "Patriotism of Will County." As the deeds of its soldiers are perpetuated in the pages of that work, we' shall not go into details of their war history here. They bore the perils of the war for the HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 641 Union, and we will pass from the subject, with this tribute to those who sleep their last long sleep : " Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud, A flash of the lightning, a break of the waye, Man passes from life to his rest in the grave.'' WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. This township is situated in the extreme southeastern part of the county, and is the most distant from the county seat of any township, being from its center, in a direct line from Joliet, twenty-seven miles, and by rail not less than thirty-five. Since the division of Reed Township, this is one of the two greatest in area in the county, including within its limits all of Congressional Town 33 north and 14 east, and about one-fourth of Range 15. The township presents more than an ordinary variety of soil and surface, being in some portions quite flat and in others rolling ; in some portions a deep, rich soil, and in othefs lacking in this character. It is watered by the small stream which drains Eagle Lake, which also furnishes stock water for the northeastern, central and southwestern parts. Eagle Lake, formerly much larger than at present, covers an area of a quarter of Section 7 and the swamp adjacent, nearly all of this and Section 18. Before the work of draining the lake was begun, hundreds of bushels of cranberries were annually produced and gathered here, but now this industry is destroyed. The other products of the township consist of corn, rye, oats, pota^ toes and hay. Stock-raising is carried on to some extent. The Chicago, Danville & Vincennes Railroad passes through the western part, furnishing an outlet for its products and a means of communication with other parts of the country. Prior to the completion of this line, most of the marketing was hauled direct to Chicago, or shipped' by the Illinois Central at Peotone or Monee. Most of the land in this township, being outside of the Illinois Central limits, was sold to original settlers or to speculators for $1.25 per acre, and was occupied within a period ending about 1857. The first settler in the township was a man of the name of Jesse Dutcher. But little is known as to whence he came or whither he went ; but, in 1851, he he was found here occupying some land a couple of miles north of Washington Center. The line running through the Center, and continuing through Crete, and thence to Chicago, with its southern terminus at Vincennes, Ind., was the main traveled road between those two extremes, and was one of the most- used thoroughfares in the State. Marketing of all kinds was hauled from Vin- cennes and all intermediate points by way of this road to Chicago. As a con- sequence, little settlements sprang up all along the line, and, at short distances, houses for the accommodation of the traveler and teamster, and for the profit of the owners, were opened. These houses were scarcely deserving of the name of hotel or tavern, but were owned by parties who were opening farms, and 642 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. having built cabins of more than ordinary size, established this species of lodging-house in connection with their farming operations. Such an establish- ment was Dutcher keeping at the time remembered by the earliest settler, in 1851, and for two or three years later. How long he had been there, we are unable to say ; but those who saw him there at the date named, judging from the looks of his house and other improvements, credit him with a half-dozen years' previous residence. Dutcher was also a preacher, and, as now remem- bered, was of the Methodist persuasion. Perhaps he was not a regularly- licensed minister, as his stay, in such case, could not have been so prolonged. However, like his ancient prototype, Melchizedek, the priest of Salem, he went as he came, unknown to any of his cotemporaries, and the balance of his history is lost to this part of the world. Four miles south and a mile west of the Dutcher Tavern, hotel, caravan- sary, or whatever it might be called, was, at the same date, another stopping- place of a similar character, though, if report be true, of a little less respecta- bility, as its proprietor was anything else than a preacher. At this place, which was near what is now known as the Sollitt Farm, James McBein " took the stranger in " and accommodated him for a compensation ; and, with this Scriptural argument, he went before the Bar Supreme many years ago to plead admission to the "Heavenly Mansion." The McBein family have all removed from the township. By an examination of the map, it will be discovered that these two hotels or taverns were not on the same section line ; but they were on the same road, which did not follow the section line in all cases, but meandered about, follow- ing sometimes the bank of a creek, and at others being confined to the highest ridges of land. Along this general highway other habitations sprung up in due time, and the " big-road " settlement was distinct for many miles up and down its course. Among these were John Rose, William Strain and Joseph Maxwell. John Rose was probably the third settler in the township, and is almost entitled to the credit of being the first, as the settlements previously named could scarcely be called permanent. Certain it is that the Rose family is now the oldest family in the bounds of Washington Township. Mr. Rose was a native of Ireland, and came to this part of the country in 1851. He settled on the west side of Section 3, which, it will be noticed, is near the line of the former " big road." John Rose died in 1858. Heirs of the family still occupy the old homestead. William Strain was also a native of Ireland. He came to this place in 1852, and still resides here, a few rods north of the " Center." Joseph Maxwell came from Ohio with T. L. Miller, and still resides here. Philip Nolan was also one of the earliest settlers in this part of the town- ship. Nolan had lived in Chicago a couple of years before removing to this vicinity in 1851. Joseph White was one of the prominent men of the early times in this neighborhood, though his residence here was but brief, extending from HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 643 the year 1854 till about 1858. It was at his house, on the Catcher farm, that the first township election was held, in 1856 ; and at this election he was chosen one of the first Justices of the Peace. After the exodus of Dutcher, White installed himself as landlord and farmer, and continued here until 1858, when he removed to Indiana. While these settlements were being made, another, known at the time as " The Settlement," was being made in the northeast corner of the township, in the vicinity of Eagle Lake. Among the first settlers in that neighborhood were Henry Bahlman, Peter Dohse, Andrew Carstensen, Pade Kruse, Charles EuUer and William Bliss, most of whom have since removed to other places. The Bahlman family, of whom Henry Bahlman, Jr., is a member, still reside here. The modest-looking lake was, about twenty years ago, the scene of a horrible and most disgusting tragedy, with which, however, none of the citizens were in anywise connected. Parties, residents of other parts of the county, to conceal another crime, and for the small consideration of $50, com- mitted a crime here that has justly cursed them for all time to come. The night was dark and gloomy, and well calculated to inspire the two monsters who committed the devilish deed with feelings which must be necessary to the accomplishment of such an inhuman act. Their victim was an infant, of which they had been put in charge for the purpose of procuring for it a home in some institution established for such unfortunates. But either the price received or the idea of a more effectual concealment of the original crime, impelled them to committing the little body to the depths of Eagle Lake. The details of the crime, though published in all of the papers at the time, are too disgusting for further mention, except to say that the perpetrators were discov- ered, arrested, tried and convicted, but by some means they escaped the just penalty of their dark deed. By 1856, farms were also being opened in the southern- and western parts of the township. The Germans, who are now more than half owners of the township, were beginning to arrive ; and by the year last named, there were about twenty additional families, among whom are remembered : Rensellaer and Edwin C. Richards, W. and C Lyon, Joseph Irish, Horace Morrison, William and M. Watkins, Richard Lightbown, Isaiah and Stephen Goodenow, Robert and David Dunbar, John B. Bowes, John Miers, Peter Dohse, H. Spanler, John Tatmire and Aaron and Miles Johnson. The township was yet a part of Crete, and voted and transacted all political business with that precinct. In the year mentioned, however, a move was made toward establishing this as a separate precinct. A petition was prepared and presented to the Board of Supervisors ; and no good reason appearing to the contrary, an election for the purpose of organization and for selecting township oflScers was by them ordered to take place on the 1st Tuesday of April, 1856. As has been stated, the ■election was held at the house of Joseph White, and the record which is still •extant indicates that there were thirty voters present. Rensellaer Richards was 644 HISTORY OF WILL OOUNTY. chosen Moderator and William Watkins, Clerk pro tern. They were sworn tc perform the duties of their positions according to law, by William Hughes, a Justice of the Peace, and were about to proceed to business, when it was men- tioned that as William Watkins had not resided in the town a year, he was con- sequently ineligible. M. Watkins was therefore chosen and qualified in his stead, and the election proceeded. Rensellaer Richards was elected Supervisor and Assessor ; Edwin C. Richards, Clerk ; William B. Conner, Collector ;: William A. Bliss, Overseer of the Poor ; Joseph Irish, Joseph Maxwell and Henry Bahlman, Commissioners of Highways ; Joseph White and WiUiam. Watkins, Justices of the Peace ; and Isaiah Goodenow and J. H. Irish, Con- stables. The Richards family must have been both a popular and competent one, as they monopolized the three most important offices. The names of the present officers are: F. Wilke, ' Supervisor ; Charles Holtz,, Clerk; Henry Bahlman, Jr., Assessor; August Guritz, Collector; Henry Valtner, John Tegtmeir and Edmund Smith, Commissioners of Highways ; Charles Holtz and Henry Lattz, Constables ; Rudolph Pecht and Henry Bahl- man, Justices of the Peace; and Christopher Koelling, School Treasurer. The number of votes polled is about 200, though a full ballot has never been cast. The township is well supplied with school facilities, there being, besides the seven public schools, four private schools supported by the different religious denominations. The first efi'ort to provide school advantages for the children of the township was in 1855, when Sabina Graham was employed to teach a few children, in a room of the Dutcher- White Hotel. The next Spring, a little shanty was erected in that neighborhood. This first schoolhouse was a simple Summer concern, constructed of rough boards, and was but twelve feet long and as many wide. At first it was designed for only a single Summer, but was pressed into the service for several years. Miss Graham was an excellent teacher, and her praise as a kind and diligent instructor may still be heard from some of her early pupils, now grown to be middle-aged men and matrons. In 1857, a good schoolhouse, which is still mentioned in this vicinity as the "new schoolhouse," was erected in this vicinity, and the following year the township was divided into two districts, and a second house was erected. A few items extracted from the School Commissioners' report of that year, will prove interesting to our readers, as showing the satisfactory advance in this^ direction at the present date : Schools 2 Number of months in each year 9 Average wages , $19 63 Number of scholars attending 99 Number of persons under 21 171 Number of persons between 6 and 21 112 Amount paid to teachers 402 74 Whole amount paid for school purposes $1,992 14 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 6i^ If the items in regard to attendance and number between 6 and 21 are both correct, it shows a remarkably high percentage of those entitled to school privi- leges taking advantage of the opportunity. Especially is this so, when the newness of the settlement is taken into account. In 1866, eight years later, we find 4 schools here, with 569 persons under 21 ; and still eight years later, in 1874, the number had increased to 6 schools, with 612 persons under 21. The present status of education may be determined from the following figures : Number of persons under 21 881 Number of persons between 6 and 21 650 Number of scholars attending 237 Number of schools 7 Number of months taught 46J Amount paid teachers .$1,959 00 Total expenditures for school purposes 3,087 00 The present apparent meager attendance is accounted for by the fact that about four hundred children, between the ages of 5 and 14, are in attendance at the parish schools, of which there are four in the township. The oldest organized church in the township is St. John's Evangelical Lutheran, near Eagle Lake. This organization was accomplished in 1850 -; but, as has already been stated, there were not more than two families resident in Washington Township, and they, as has been intimated, being of other belief; in regard to religious matters, it will be surmised that the organization could not have been effected here. The church was at first established a mile north of its present location, in the township of Crete. A building for religious and edu- cational purposes was erected there at the date named, and church and school were kept open there until 1864. Rev. Gustav Pollack was the organizer of the enterprise, and was Pastor for fifteen years. In 1864, it having been determined to build a new house of worship, a new location was selected for the same, though school has been kept open at the old site till the present time. The new building at i Eagle Lake is a very neat and commodious one, and cost the society $5,000. The old building, a mile north, was torn down a few years ago, and a new schoolhouse erected at a cost of $1,000. A dwelling for the use of the teacher was also built, at an expense of $900. At the Lake a parsonage, costing $2,200, was built in 1865 ; also a schoolhouse was erected which cost $1,200. At the north establishment, in Crete Township, A. Albers is employed as teacher. In the school at the Lake, Friedrich Fathaur has been teacher ever since its organization. The congregation or society consists of 118 families, of whom Rev. J. F. Nuoffer is Pastor. St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, located a mile northwest of Beecher, was organized in the Spring of 1865, by Rev. Gustav Pollack, who had been preaching in this vicinity. Herman Lossner was installed Pastor, in which position he is still engaged. The organization was first started with ^4:6 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. "twenty families, which has increased to eighty-five, embracing a membership, as ■estimated by other denominations, of about three hundred and fifty persons. In 1865, a two-story building, for the use of Pastor, and as a church and schoolhouse, was erected, at a cost of $2,500. In 1867, a neat parsonage, cost- ing $1,250, was built ; and the other building has since been used for school and church purposes. It is proposed, next year, to build a church edifice 40x60 feet, at an expenditure of about $3,500, the plans of which are already procured and most of the money subscribed. At this establishment, as at all of the others of this denomination, school is kept open nearly all the year, and the common branches of German and religion are taught. At the age of 14, or confirmation, the children attend the public schools. Albert Dorn has been in charge of the school for the last three years. St. John's German United Evangelical Church, located two miles southeast of Beecher, was established and an organization effected in 1864. Rev. Peter Lehman had been preaching in the vicinity for a year before, and organized the society at the date named, with a membership of forty families. After the Ohurch had been established. Rev. Philip Albert was installed as Pastor, and acted as such for two years. The present Pastor is Rev. Emil Keuchen, who has been in charge as minister and teacher for the last six years. The society owns a plat of ten acres, on which was erected, in 1864, a church edifice 30x44 feet, at a cost of $1,960, and, in 1876, a parsonage for $1,150. The present membership is 850 members, or 85 families. Religious and secular instruction are given to the children of the parish, six months in the year. The Congregational Church, at the village of Beecher, was organized Jan- uary, 1872, the house of worship having been erected the year before. The original members were eight in number ; the present membership is about twenty. The building was erected at a cost of $1,250, and is 24x82 feet in size. The lumber was donated by dealers — friends of T. L. Miller, of Chicago; $175 was contributed by citizens of the village, and Mr. Miller paid the bal- ance. Rev. J. F. Smith, now Pastor of the Congregational Church, at Crete, •was the first Pastor. At present, .T. C. Hunt, a student of the Theological Seminary, ofliciates as Pastor. Sunday school is sustained with S. S. Hunt as Superintendent. In the great struggle to preserve the Union, in 1861—65, Washington Town- ship was well represented, and did its part creditably. Among those who enlisted and never returned, having fallen a sacrifice on the field, were Peter Dohse, L. M. Lyon and D. T. Moore. There were, doubtless, others ; but, from an unfortunate method of recording enlistments which prevailed at the beginning, they were accredited to other localities. Doubtless, the most interesting industry, and at the same time one which lias given the little village of Beecher a reputation co-extensive with the ■whole country, is the breeding of fine stock, as carried on by T. L. Miller, Esq., of this place. HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 647 Mr. Miller came to this place in 1852, and located land, preparatory to embarking in the gigantic enterprise in which he is now engaged. He did not, however, begin operations until 1861, in the mean time engaging in other business in Chicago. In the year last named, he removed to this place, and from that time till 1870 engaged in the cattle business in a small way, and with no definite idea of future plans or prospects. During all this time, how- ever, he carried on an extensive correspondence, and conducted a thorough course of investigation and experiment, so that, in 1870, his mind was fully made up, and his future plans fully mapped out. Then began the great work that has not only proved to be one of the most extensive in the United States, but which has also already led to a grand success. After careful study and minute consideration, he decided, much against the then popular opinion of the leading cattle men of this country, to adopt the Hereford breed. The Durham cattle had for years been accorded, by breeders of this country and the landed gentry of England, the first place as beef-producing cattle. For nearly a century the short-horn breeds had held the prestige, though the Herefords were accredited with being good stock. A few feeble attempts had been made in this country, prior to the inauguration of Mr. Miller's enterprise, to introduce the stock ; but the great character of the competing herds already attained so overshadowed them that their efforts in this direction were almost lost sight of When, there- fore, Mr. Miller announced his intention of breeding the Hereford stock, he was not looked upon as a competitor, but was regarded with feelings akin to pity. Even his warmest friends could not but feel apprehensive of his ultimate failure ; and, perhaps, no one but himself discerned the grand success with which his efforts have been crowned. After awhile, however, he began to be recognized as a competitor ; and since that time, he has fought his way, foot by foot, until, if his cattle do not stand pre-eminent, they at least bear the reputa- tion of equal merit with any herd or breed in the world. When it is considered that all of this change in sentiment, in the face of such gigantic opposition, during a time of such severe financial depression, has been wrought almost by one man, we come either to one or the other of two conclusions : that the ■character of stock which Mr. Miller handles must be of a superior quality, or that he is a man of much more than ordinary courage, good management and pluck. Perhaps it would not be incorrect to credit the enterprise with both of these advantages. The farm devoted to the purpose indicated lies alongside the eastern part of the village of Beecher, and consists of 1,000 acres of the finest land in the township, divided into fields of convenient size for the purpose of pasturage and raising the crops necessary for feeding the stock. On the west side of the farm, a half-mile from the railroad station, are the barns, together with dwell- ings for the family and employes. The principal barn is an immense structure, capable of sheltering, on its first floor, 200 head of cattle, and of holding, on the second floor, 600 tons of hay and other feed, reserving space in the center 648 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. of the floor for cutting and otherwise preparing feed. On the third floor, is the mill for grinding corn, oats and other grain for the use of the stock. Sur- mounting the building, is one of Nichol's double-fanned wind-mills, of twenty horse-power, used for driving the feed-mills, cutting hay and drawing water. The whole structure is built in the most substantial, convenient and tasty man- ner, so that it is not only finely adapted to the purpose for which it was designed, but is an attractive object, and, from its high elevation, can be seen for many miles. Beside the great barn, there are also the hay -barns, the tool- house, barns for pigs, sheep and colts, and all built in the same substantial and convenient manner. The fine stock of the establishment consists of 250 thorough-bred heifers, of the Hereford species ; 300 Cotswold Sheep, and 200 Berkshire hogs. The estimated value of lands and improvements is $25,000, and of stock, $100,000 ; the sales last year amounted to $30,000. Mr. Miller's trade is largely with stock-raisers of the plains of Colorado, Wyoming and Texas, to which this breed of cattle is found to be peculiarly adapted. There are employed in the care of the farm and stock fifteen hands, some of whom have been brought from the county of Hereford, England, for the express purpose of taking care of the stock with which they had been familiar for many years. Wanhington Center , prior to the location of the C, D. & V. R. R. was the central point, not only as regards location, but as to business. From about 1860 till 1870, a large amount of business was transacted here, and fortunes were made in iiierchandise and other trade. About 1860, Miles Johnson, who had previously been in the business at Monee, opened a store at this place. Lewis Jessen started a blacksmith-shop, and Charles Holtz opened a hotel. Johnson was appointed Postmaster, and carried the mail to and from Monee for $15 per year and the proceeds of the ofiice. He continued in business several years, and then removed further south. Jessen, by hard hammering and blowing has accumulated a little fortune. He still resides here. Charles Holtz has got rich keeping a hotel and dealing in stock. After Johnson retired from the business of selling goods, Messrs. Flint & Miller put in a stock of goods and carried on the business for two years, when they sold out to Lewis Metterhausen, who immediately moved the goods to the sta- tion, into a house which he had just built. In the meantime the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, or Danville & Vincennes Railroad, had been completed, a station established, and the town of BBBCHER laid out. T. L. Miller had begun his fine stock enterprise, secured the location of a station here, and laid out and named the new town. Thenceforward the growth of the Center was checked, and the station became the point, from which improvements have widened until the village of Beecher has not only over- HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 649 shadowed the Center, but by building out toward it, has nearly enveloped it in itself. Beecher was laid out in 1870 by George Dolton, for T. L. Miller, and commenced at once to build up, and develop a trade which compares favorably, at this time, with towns three times as old. As we have seen, Metterhausen opened the first store in the village, in what proves to have been the second building erected, and which also proves to have been the first store-building. Metter-hausen had been a teacher in the Lutheran school. He sold goods here for a time and then went into the liquor trade, in which he is still engaged. James Burns built the first house — a dwelling — and sold lumber for a few months and then removed to Michigan, from whence he had come. Shortly after this, Henry Bielfeldt built and opened a hotel. Carl Melow moved his blacksmith-shop from the Corners in 1871, and Rudolph Pecht opened a furniture store. Fred Schmidt built a second hotel, and John R. Miller moved the old dancing hall from the Corners and put in a second stock of goods. William Struve, formerly of Monee, followed Burns in the lumber and coal business. By and by the post office was removed from the Corners to Metterhausen's, and he was appointed Postmaster. Elliot Miller, son of T. L. Miller and now partner in the firm of L. Grould & Co., of Chicago, was appointed first station agent. About this time, T. L. Miller built the first warehouse, and Henry Block commenced buying grain, eventually buying the warehouse and continuing the business until the present. The period extending from 1870 to 1873, was a lively one for this vicinity. The sounds of the ax, hammer and saw were heard in all directions, new-comers were arriving almost daily, and, by the end of the period named, the village had grown in size and importance to proportions hardly expected by its most enthusiastic friends. Though its growth has not ueen rapid, within the last few years, it continues to show signs of animation and prosperity. There are now three warehouses, five general stores, and other stores, shops and dwellings in proportion. A wind-mill, a short distance north of town, built by Henry Ditmers' is worthy of mention. The mill is now owned and operated by Herman Ehlers. It is built on the Holland plan, runs two sets of buhrs and is used for grinding flour and feed, most of which is custom work. Eagle Lake is a little village in the northeast part of the township, on the margin of the little body of water of the same name. It is not a regularly laid out town, but the lots have been sold by the description of "corners and. bounds." It contains about two dozen houses, a store, saloon and shops. It is simply an improved or concentrated settlement, whose establishing dates back to the location of its early settlers. Herman Lepien brought a stock of goods here about fifteen years ago, a post office was obtained, and gradually the place has assumed the style of a village. Its location is quite pleasant, and for a country place without railroad communications, does a brisk busi- ness. 650 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. WILL TOWNSHIP. One of the most remarkable facts in connection with the history of the- West is its rapid development. Eastern people compare the census of a quar- ter of a century ago with that of to-day, and remark, with astonishment, the wonderful increase in population and resources in this part of the country. It is true, the West has had some advantages over the East in its development. Improved machinery, a better system of communication and travel, and improved means of transportation, doubtless, partially account for it; but is hard to conceive that all these results could have been brought about, without bring- ing to mind that the parties concerned in the opening-up of the country were men of more than ordinary pluck and intelligence. Twenty-five years have scarcely passed since the first blow was struck, since the first shovelful of earth was moved, since the first furrow was turned and since the first shanty was erected in the township of Will, now alive with population, and teeming with herds of stock and dotted all over with the habitations of its owners. That "truth is stranger than fiction " is well illustrated in the growth of some of our Western towns and cities, which bud and blossom, as it were, in a single night. Irving's hero of Sleepy Hollow would not have been less surprised had he taken his twenty-years nap on the prairie of Will Township. His feelings upon awaking must, indeed, have been quite similar. Twenty years agO;. where is now a succession of well-cultivated fields, with orchards and gardens,, was nothing but an unbroken expanse of wild prairie ; where were then less than a hundred inhabitants, are now almost a thousand. Will Township was one of the last to settle, the wood and water question being until a recent date the great desideratum. In 1852, the first actual settler made his appearance in this locality. All of the adjoining townships had already received some population ; and two years previous, the township organization act, which gave a corps of ofiicers to each six miles square containing enough inhabitants for organization, had been passed, while this section contained not a single inhabitant — white, black or red. John McKenzie, who is generally accredited with being the first settler, was a Scotchman, but had lived in the country some time before removing to this locality. He lived here six or seven years and then removed to Missouri. He •was in that State at the breaking-out of the war, and engaged in the service of the Government as a spy. On one occasion he was captured by the enemy and put in prison, to await trial by a court martial ; and had his case ever come to trial, he would doubtless have suffered the penalty of death, as the evidence against him was sufiiciently conclusive. James M. Gridley had been living in Crete and other places in this part of the State, since 1840. He came to this township in 1853, and built the second house. He has been one of the prominent men of the township, and one of its HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. 651 most solid citizens. Gridley was a native of New York. Joseph Baldwin was^ a native of Massachusetts, but had been to California and brought back a few hundred dollars of the " yellow metal." He remained here but a few years, when he removed to Missouri with the aforementioned McKenzie. James Maxwell came out here in 1853, from New Jersey, and bought some land, but returned to his home in the East and lived until 1861. He says that when he came first, in 1853, there was but one little shanty in the whole township, and is not certain that it was occupied. In 1853, Henry Lyon came from Chicago, or rather from tl\e Michigan & Illinois Canal, where he had been working, and settled on the land now owned and occupied by F. P. Lilley, to whom he sold out a year later, and returned to the more congenial pursuit of working on the Canal. The next year, 1854, brought several good and enterprising families to this vicinity, among* whom were H. N. Ingersoll, F. P. Lilley, Patrick McMahon and John B. SoUitt. The first of these, H. N. Ingersoll, had really been here the year before, and had purchased the land to which he moved in the Spring of 1854. Mr. Ingersoll was one of the substantial citizens of the township, and one of its most prominent men. He continued to reside here until about three years ago, when he sold out and removed to Iowa. F. P. Lilley is still a resident of the township, and has been one of its most reliable citizens. He had been, previous to his coming here from Chicago, his former home, a workman on the canal and railroad. McMahon is a native of Ireland ; he still resides here. John B. Sollitt, now a resident of Peotone, was formerly a resident of Chicago, where he was engaged in butchering for the Chicago market. In 1855, William Constable, James Pickard, Robert Patterson and R. 0. Hutchins came, the first three from New York and the last from Vermont. William Constable has been a most successful man in business. When he came to this place he was as poor as the poorest ; but by industry, economy and good management he has made quite a fortune. His property is estimated at about $25,000. Robert Patterson, the present Supervisor, and one of our most substan- tial business men, also came poor and is now wealthy. R. 0. Hutchins resided here but a few years. He had been a gunmaker, and on the breaking-out of the war, in 1861, he returned to his native State and engaged in his old trade of making fire-arms for the Government. Mr. Hutchins was the first School Treasurer of Will Township, having been appointed to the oiEce in 1856. Samuel Storer and Lorenzo Tobias, the former from New Hampshire and the latter from New York, came in 1856. Storer was one of the most important citizens that ever lived in the township. He was son-in-law of Gov. Windsor, of New Hampshire, having married his daughter. He was elected first Super- visor of the township, in 1859, and, the year following, was sent, as Represent- ative of this district, to the Legislature of the State. The township lost one of its most promising citizens when he removed to California, which he did in '652 HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 1862. Lorenzo Tobias was one of the two first Justices of the Peace elected in 1859. He died here about ten years ago. None of the family now reside here, all having removed to other parts. George W. Smith also came in 1856. He was one of the first Justices of the Peace, and also one of the first High- way Commissioners, being elected to both offices in 1859. During the period of the three years ending 1857, there were a few others who settled in this township, but whose stay was so short that it is not thought worth while to consume space with their mention. The same may be said with Tespect to the following year. The years 1857 and 1858 were almost a repeti- tion of the hard times experienced in 1837, and emigration to this vicinity received a check. From 1859, however, the rush of settlers to this part of the county was very rapid, and in a short time the whole township was fully occu- pied. The townships of Will and Monee, previous to 1859, were embraced in a single precinct, which was called Carey. In the year last named, the two sections agreed to a separation, and petitions to that effect were accordingly presented to the Board of Supervisors, who ordered a division, with boundaries and names as indicated. On the 5th of April, 1859, in accordance with the order of the Supervisors, the voters, inhabitants of the new township of Will, met at the schoolhouse in District No. 1, and organized by the election of township officers. H. N. Ingersoll was elected Moderator, and Robert Patterson was chosen Clerk pro tem. Nineteen votes were cast, of which a majority were polled for the follow- ing persons : Samuel Storer, Supervisor ; R. 0. Hutchins, Clerk ; H. P. Tobias, Assessor ; ~F. P. Lilley, Collector ; H. N. Ingersoll, Poormaster ; John B. SoUitt, James M. Gridley and George W. Sinith, Commissioners of Highways; L. D. Tobias and George W. Smith, Justices of the Peace ; and H. P. Wright and Robert Patterson, Constables. The township has from its first settlement been noted for its good schools. The first settlers took a deep interest in whatever tended toward the education and enlightenment of the youth, and when there were only a half dozen fami- lies within its bounds, steps were taken to establish a school. In the Winter of 1855-56, it began to be talked over that a school was not only a possibility but a real necessity. On the 18th of February, notice having been given, the legal voters met at the house of F. P. Lilley, and proceeded to organize Congressional Town 33, Range 13, into a school township by electing a Board of Trustees and a Treas- urer. F. P. Lilley, James M. Gridley and H. N. Ingersoll were chosen Judges, and R. 0. Hutchins, Clerk of the election. H. N. Ingersoll, James M. Grid- ley and John McKenzie were elected Trustees, and by them R. 0. Hutchins was appointed Treasurer and ex- officio Clerk. A Board of School Directors was appointed, and forthwith preparations were made for the erection of a school- (oeccased) LOCKf^ORT HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 655 building, which was completed and ready for occupation by Fall. The first school was taught by Sarah M. Wolcott, and the Treasurer's books, which are still in existence, show that she received in the following April $6.30 of her salary. The whole township remained in one district till 1859, when it was divided into three. A few items taken from the- Township Treasurer's report to the School Commissioner for the year 1858, will doubtless prove interesting as compared with similar statistics of the present year : Whole number of schools 1 Number of teachers employed during the year 2 Average wages paid per month $23 Number of male scholars 9 Number of female scholars , 4 Number of persons under 21 41 Number of persons between 6 and 21 25 Principal of school fund |100 In 1866, there were yet only 3 schools, but the number of scholars had increased to 99, and the number of persons under 21 had increased to 224, of whom 133 were between the ages of 6 and 21. The average monthly wages of male teachers was $50, and of female teachers $25.47. The township school fund had been increased by the sale of the school sec- tion to $8,157, being at that time the fifth in amount in the county. As far as the facts could be obtained, we give corresponding statistics from the reports of School Directors for 1878 : Total number of persons under 21 374 Total number of persons between 6 and 21 306 Average number of months school sustained 7 Value of school property $4,140 Highest monthly wages paid any teacher $50 Total expenditures for support of schools f 2,800 Number of children attending school 270 Number of schools in the township 9 While there is nothing of wonderful nature in the above comparisons, the increase being simply the natural effect of the rapid settlement of the township, there is sufficient to indicate that the growth of the public-school system has been equal to the other interests of the township, and the condition of the schools is in a high degree satisfactory. While the township is not "dotted all over" with church edifices as it is with schoolhouses, we are led to believe, from our short intercourse with its people, that the moral and religious natures have not been left uncultivated. It is true, there is but one church-building or church organization in its whole bounds but, being adjacent to towns on all sides where these accommodations abound, the township seems to need only the one already erected and standing near the center. The Presbyterian Church of Will Township was organized and the • building erected about the same time, 1865. There had been some preaching, 656 HISTORY OP WILL COUNTY. by both Presbyterians and Methodists, and both denominations had some claims on the field ; but it was agreed on all hands that more than one church could scarcely live, and that a union of forces was the better plan. Neither party was very tenacious ; but when a party, who was not a member of either denom- ination, came forward and proposed that if the society to be formed should be Presbyterian, he would donate ten acres of land and $1,000 toward the erec- tion of a church edifice, it was decided to organize a Presbyterian Church. George W. Smith was the liberal donor, and not only did he fulfill his obliga- , tion, but added to it $500 more. The original members of the society were D. J. Board, H. N. Ingersoll, George W. Smith, Thomas F. Clark, Henry Neal and James Maxwell, with their families. Most of these afterward became members of the Church. The building was erected at a cost of $7,500, and is a credit to the society, the Church and the township. The first Pastor of the Church was Rev. E. J. Hill ; the present Pastor is Rev. George Dunlap. The present membership of the Church is forty-seven, and of the Sunday school, about eighty members. This township took a most lively interest in the late war, nearly all the able- bodied men enlisting and entering the service. At one time, there more -of the citizens of this township in the army than there were legal voters. Of course, the township was not drafted, nearly all of its able-bodied men having volun- teered. Several who thus left their homes friends and firesides to battle for the country which our fathers had done so much to establish, gave up their lives in its protection. Among such are remembered Benjamin F. Gridley, James H. Ingersoll, William Pickard and J. S. Cotton, the last of whom died in Andersonville prison, where so many of our brave boys suffered a double death, that of starvation. The present ofiicers of the township are : Robert Patterson, Superivsor ; 0. P. Lilley, Clerk; Robert Bayne, Assessor ; John Shultz, Collector ; Charles O'Neil and F. H. Steinberge, Commissioners of Highways ; James Maxwell and Robert Patterson, Justices of the Peace; William Chamberlain, F. H. Steinberge and I. Dubridge, School Trustees, and 0. P. Lilley, School Treas- urer. The present voting population of the township is about one hundred. Will Township is in the southeastern part of the county, and is bounded as follows : on the north, by Monee ; on the east, by Washington ; on the south, by Kankakee County, and on the west, by Peotone Township. It is a full Congres- sional town, containing thirty-six whole sections, and is described in the survey as Town 33 north, Range 13 east of the Third Principal Meridian. The land is somewhat rolling, though not what is usually termed broken. The soil is rich and productive, and, in most parts, deep and is well adapted to the production of corn, oats, rye and hay, large quantities of which are raised. About one-half of the land formerly belonged to the Illinois Central Railroad, and was bought of that Company for $2.50 to $5.00 per acre. Th« Illinois Central Railroad passes through the northwest corner of the township, cutting ofi" about one and HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY. 657 a half sections, though no station has ever been established in its limits. Black Walnut Creek furnishes stock-water to the farms lying adjacent, in the north- western portion. Along this little stream the first settlements were made. The township is entirely devoid of natural timber, though numerous little groves and thrifty orchards give it the appearance of one of the older settled Eastern places, where the absence of timber is due to the industry of the early wood-chopper and lumberman. For some years, it was thought that the climate of Northern Illinois was too severe for apples and other fruits, but later years have proved that this section is well adapted for such purpose ; and at this writing the ground, in the orchards of this and adjacent townships, is literally covered with the product. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF P^TROISTS. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. E. H. AKIN, dealer in real estate, Joliet ; was born in Johnstown, Fulton Co., N. Y., July 3, 1815 ; at the age of lY, he went to Onondaga Co., and in 1847, to Berrien Co., Mich. ; followed the mercan- tile business there one year ; removing thence to Chicago; in 1849, he came to Lockport, and shortly afterward went to California, where he followed mining until 1851 ; returning, he engaged in farming near Lockport, and, in 1854, removed to Joliet ; here he followed his trade of a cooper, for a short time, and then engaged in manufacturing staves, which he continued until 1860 ; in 1861, he removed to Hennepin, Putnam Co., 111., where he en- gaged in flour manufacturing and dealing in grain, which he shipped to Chicago and St. Louis. He did a very successful busi- ness during the war, and, in 1867, returned to Joliet, since which time he has been en- gaged in the grain trade, woolen manufact- uring and real estate transactions. In 1872 he laid out Akin's Addition to Joilet, com- prising forty acres, lying near the Fair Grounds, and accessible to business by the street railway ; most of these lots have since been sold and improved. He also owns considerable other property in diff'er- ent parts of the city ; in 1877, he built the Akin Building on Jeiferson st. He is a Director of Oakwood Cemetery, and one of the originators and a Director of the People's Loan and Homestead Association, which was organized in 1874. He was married June 10, 1840, to Miss Sophronia C. Merrill, of Cortland Co., N. Y., and has four children — Charlotte C, Libraran of the Joliet Public Library ; Lucy H., John J., a banker in Roodhouse, 111., and Edward C, a law student in Joliet. W. J. ADAM, Secretary of the Adam Manufacturing Co., Joliet; is a native of Joliet; he was born Sept. 18, 1851. He is a son of William Adam, who came to Joliet in 1849, and has been a prominent business man here ever since. Mr. Adam was educated in the public schools of Joliet, and at Jennings Seminary in Aurora, 111., graduating from the scientific department of the latter institution in 1870; the fol- lowing year, he entered the employ of Adam & Wilcox, and two years later became a member and the managing partner of the firm of William Adam & Co. While in the milling business, he served two years as Vice President of the Illinois State Mill- ers' Association, and was also a Delegate to the National Millers' Association three successive years. He was a member of the first Board of Directors of the National Millers' Insurance Company. On Jan. 22, 1877, their mill burned down, and soon afterward the Adam Manufacturing Com- pany was formed, and Mr. Adam became Secretary and Business Manager, which position he now holds. PETEE ADELMANN, dealer ia gen- eral merchandise, Joliet ; was born in Lockport, Will Co., 111., Jan. 5, 1852. He is the son of Christopher Adelmann, who coming from Bomberich Biern, Germany, settled in Lockport in 1846, and is still a respected and substantial citizen of that city. The son, Peter Adelmann, received his education in the Lockport public schools, and in Biyant & Stratton's Busi- ness College in Chicago ; he then went to Iowa and engaged in clerking in a leather and shoe-finding house in Council Bluffs, from which city, at the age of 18 years, he came to Joliet, and started in the dry goods 660 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: business with Anthony Schall ; in Febru- ary, 1877, he purchased his partner's inter- est, and has since continued the business alone. He was married on the 21st of October, 1873, to Miss Louisa Soheidt, daughter of Hon. Anton Scheidt, of this city ; they have three children — Anthony C, Frederick P. and Cora. L. E. D. AVERY, attorney at law, Joliet (firm of Fithian & Avery) ; was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., Feb. 2, 1846 ; the fol- lowing year, 1847, his parents removed to Illinois, settling on a farm in Lisbon, Kendall Co. ; his father is a well-known fruit-grower and nurseryman and to this business the son was raised ; he attend- ed the Newark Seminary, in his na- tive county, several terms, and, on becom- ing of age, he with his brother started a nursery near Dwight, Livingston Co.; two years later, he sold his interest to his brother and engaged in dealing in stock ; in 1871, he removed to Chebanse, Kan- kakee Co., and there added a general mer- chandise business to his stock in trade ; he remained there until 1874, when he came to Joliet and began reading law in the office of Messrs. Hill & Dibell ; he was admitted to the bar in January, 1877, and in the following September, entered into partnership with John B. Fithian in the practice of the law. He was married Dec. 25, 1871, to Miss Mary Sidlow, of Grundy Co., 111., and has one child — Hubert C. ALEXANDER ANDREWS, grocery merchant, Joliet ; was born in Meriden, New Haven Co., Conn., Oct. 29, 1824; in early life he learned the trade of car- penter and joiner ; he came West to Illi- nois in 1852, and settled in Peoria Co., where he engaged in carpentering for a number of years ; in 1858, he purchased a farm in Knox Co., and followed agricult- ural pursuits till 1870 ; he then spent one or two years in traveling, and, in 1872, lo- cated in Joliet ; here he worked at his trade until November, 1876, when he engaged in his present occupation. He was married in 1843, to Lucia S. Lewis, a native of Connecticut ; has two children — Frank and Fred. Mr. Andrews has a fine trade and is deservedly popular as a business man. JACOB ADLBR, stock dealer, Joliet ; born in Prussia, Germany, March 17, 1 836 ; he emigrated with his parents to America when 2 years of age, landing in New York, coming directly West and re- maining in Chicago for a few months, then a short time in Indiana, then a short time at Sag Bridge, Will Co., when he removed to New Lenox, where he went to school one year, then to Joliet in 1843, where he attended school in the old log schoolhouse, the first school house in the township ; he remained with his father upon the farm until 22 years of age, when he engaged in the grocery and provision business about one year, then selling out, he went to Pike's Peak and traveled over a large part of the Western Territories; returning to Joliet in 1861, he engaged in the butch- ering and stock business, which he has since successfully followed ; he has been largely engaged in farming, and raising, buying and shipping stock to the Chi- cago and Eastern markets. He married Jan. 11, 1866, to Emily Erhard, daugh- ter of George Erhard, one of the pioneers of Will Co. ; they are the parents of six children now living, viz., Louisa M., Jacob C," Lawrence J., Emily F. V., Michael L. and Angeline A. P. P. ADLBR, dealer in live stock and proprietor of Adler's wholesale and retail market, Joliet ; was born in Joliet Oct. 7, 1842 ; he is a son of Michael Adler, who came to Will Co. over forty years ago and is now living in Joliet at the age of 75 years; Mr. Adler received an English education in the Joliet public .■schools, and then learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed for four years ; at the age of 21, he began business for himself and has followed various kinds of business to the present time. He was married in 1865, to Miss Mary A Flick, of Joliet and has four children — Angeline J., Lizzie L., Peter J. and Frederick J. OREN W. ARNOLD, groceries and provisions, Joliet ; firm ot Arnold & Bowen ; born in Orleans Co., N. Y., July 12, 1835, where he attended school until 10 years of age ; he emigrated with his parents to Joliet in the winter of 1845 ; in the spring fol- lowing, he removed with his parents to Iroquois Co., and engaged in farming for a period of seventeen years, when he re- moved to Troy Tp., Will Co., where he lived six years, being engaged in learning the trade of carpenter, and farming ; he then went to Minnesota for his health, taking JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 661 with him two droves of horses ; after dis- posing of them he engaged at his trade for two years ; returning from there to his farm in Troy Tp. in 1874, where he lived until 1877, when he engaged in the above business in Joliet, cor. Bluff and Exchange sts. He marriedin 1859, HelenSammons ; they had one child, which died in infancy. Mrs. Arnold died Jan. 30, 1862. Mr. Arnold again married, Dec. 25, 1868, to Minnie Clark ; she was born in Plainfield, Will Co. Her parents were among the early settlers of Will Co. Four children were the fruit of this union, viz., Hellen, May, Lillian E., Burt C. and Francis W. F. ALFRICK, blacksmith, Joliet ; born in G-ermany Feb. 20, 1837, where he lived and attended school constantly until 15 years of age, when he engaged in farming three years ; he emigrated to America when 18 years of age, landing in New York Nov. 27, 1854; from there he went to Picton, C. W., where he learned the blacksmith trade, working at the same for a period of ten years ; he emigrated to Joliei, lU.i in November, 1865, and engaged at his trade, which business he has since successfully fol- lowed ; he owns his place of business and other real estate upon Bluff St., and has a fine residence upon Broadway, which he erected in 1875 ; all of the above he has accumulated by his own hard labor, strict integrity and industry. He married March, 1860, Jane Storm ; she was a native of Scotland ; they had five children by this union, viz., Robert L., Isabella R., Emma, Maggie and Frederick. Mrs. Alfrick died. Mr. Alfrick again married to Susan Kluth ; she was born in Chicago Oct. 6, 1849. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ALLEN, physician, Joliet ; was born of New En- gland parentage, in Watertown, Jeffer- son Co., N. Y., Deo. 12, 1815; when about 4 years of age, his parents re- moved to St. Lawrence Co., where he passed his early years on a farm situated on the banks of the river St. Lawrence, attending the district school during the winter seasons; soon after attaining his majority, he went back to Watertown, his native place, and there spent six years, first as a student at the Black River Liter- ary and Religious Institute, a part of the time teaching school, and later pursuing his medical reading, under the direction of Drs. Hannibal S. Diokerson, of Watertown, and M. K. Bates, of Brownsville; he com- pleted his full term of medical study, at- tending courses of medical lectures ac Geneva College in 1841-42, and, in the summer of 1844, came West, prepared to engage in the practice of medicine ; he followed this practice for a few months in Kane Co., and the following winter en- gaged in teaching in New Lenox Tp., in Will Co., where he made the acquaintance of Mrs. Priscilla W. Davison, a young widow lady, relict of Judge John J. Davi- son, to whom he was married April 17, 1845 ; he continued to reside in that town- ship, performing satisfactorily the duties of administrator of the Davison estate, and, jointly with his wife, that of guardian to her infant daughters, and was also engaged in farming, till, in the summer of 1860, he built a residence in the city of Joliet, into which, with his family, he removed in the spring following, and has here since con- tinued to reside. He has four children living — Helen A., now the wife of C. W. Cross, attorney-at-lawin Nevada City, Cal. ; Florence M., wife of H. C. Plimpton, now a resident of Joliet, 111 ; Frank E. and Mortimer A., the last-named in the employ of Field, Leiter & Co., in their wholesale house, in Chicago. Mrs. Allen has two daughters of her former marriage — M. Jennie, wife of Maj. John M. Thompson, of New Lenox, and Rachel D., wife of H. N. Higinbotham, general manager for Field, Leiter & Co., Chicago. Dr. and Mrs. Al- len are both earnest and consistent mem- bers of the Ottawa Street M. B. Church, and also zealous and earnest advocates of the cause of temperance. Dr. Allen is in no sense of the term an oflfice-seeker, yet has held various ofiices much of the time during his residence in Will Co. ; for several years he served the township of New Lenox as Supervisor or Town Clerk; in 1857 and 1858, held the ofiioe of County School Commissioner, and has been most of the time a member of the Board of School In- spectors during his residence in the city of Joliet. Having considerable leisure time, he has devoted a portion of it to literary pur- suits, being a frequent contributor, both in prose and verse, to the city papers, and occasionally furnishing an article to vari- ous leading periodicals; among the prose articles from his pen which have been well received by the public, may be mentioned, 662 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: " How I Was Once Robbed," "A Visit to tbe Mammoth Cave;" "The Short Pa- pers," a series of twenty-two articles; " Notes and Opinions on California ; " "A Trip to Florida — Notes by the Way," eight papers; and "The Uncle's Legacy," a serial tale, running through six months of •^ the Will County Courier, and many brief- er articles ; among the articles in verse, which have been read with approval, were "Women Sufifrage ; " " Carrier's Address ; " "The Wonderful Pamphlet;" "Bring Flowers," a song for Decoration Day ; "The Two Fishers of Men;" "Ode for the Fourth of July;" "The Secret Cave," a legend of the Cumberland ; and several articles partaking somewhat of the humor- ous, entitled, " Experiences, Advice, Com- ments and Suggestions of Barney O'Toole," etc. ; he has in course of publication, " Irene, or the Life and Fortunes of a Yankee Girl," a tale, in eight short cantos, comprising a neatly executed volume of 160 pages, 16mo, which may be obtained at the book stores, or by addressing the author, at Joliet, 111. GEORGE ABBOTT, proprietor of the New England Restaurant, Joliet ; was born in Keene, N. H., Dec. 1, 1829; there he resided until 1853, when he went to Missouri, and remained two years, returning to Keene. He shortly afterward came to Illinois, and after spend- ing one year in Rockford, settled in Joliet, in October, 1857 ; in 1858, he engaged in the restaurant business, keeping the Rock Island Railroad Restaurant for eight years. He is the oldest restaurant man in the city; in March, 1866, he started the New England Restaurant. He was mar- ried in February, 1855, to Miss Eunice A. Foster, of Keene, N. B., who died in June, 1861. He was married again on the 12th of December, 1866, to Miss Abbie A. Cutting, of Joliet ; they have six children — Isabel, John M., Lawrence D., George, Lulu M. and Lydia Belle. JAMES R. ASHLEY, Secretary Joliet Wire Fence Co., Joliet; was born in Lewis Co., N. Y., in February, 1825 ; in 1837, his father came West with his fam- ily and settled in Plainfield, Will Co., 111.; he was a minister in the Baptist Church, and labored many years for the churches in Plainfield, Naperville, Downer's Grove, and organized the church in Joliet ; he till resides in Plainfield, having almost completed his fourscore years. James enjoyed a good common-school education, and was at an early age introduced to business life ; after his majority he began mercantile life in Plainfield, which he fol- lowed twenty years ; in 1871, he sold out his store, and in the spring of 1874, began business in Joliet in company with A. B. Sharp, in the manufacture and sale of the Excelsior Axle Grease ; this he con- tinued till January, 1876, when he formed a copartnership with Scutt & Watkins, under the firm name of H. P. Scutt & Co., and engaged in the manufacture of barbed fence ; in October, 1876, he pur- chased the interest of Mr. Watkins in the firm, and a stock company was formed under the name of the Joliet Wire Fence Company, of which he was chosen Secre- tary, a position he still holds. He was married Oct. 27, 1850, to Julia F. Tyler, a native of Troy, JN. Y.; has one child living — Ellie M.; three deceased — Alice E., Christina and Nellie. H. E. BALDWIN, Joliet, of the firm of Nelson, Ferriss & Co., proprietors of the Joliet Morning News, and the Greenback News, was born Sept. 25, 1853, in Lacon, Marshall Co., 111., but during the first year of his existence his parents removed to a farm on the bank of the VermUion River, opposite Streator ; two years after- ward they removed to the vicinity of Ottawa, and, in 1862, made that city their residence ; his father engaged in business, and continued until 1869 ; Horace E. attended the high school, under the management of Professor Thomas H. Clark, until January, 1870, a period of nearly eight years ; the following June, he, in company with his mother and three sisters, went to Woodson Co., Kan., where his father had already gone ; he farmed there about two years, and, on St. Patrick's Day, 1873, began to learn the printing business at La Cygne, Linn Co., in that State ; in May, 1875, he went to Chi- cago and completed his apprenticeship with the Metropolitan Printing Company; his parents having removed to Kansas City, Mo., he spent the fall and winter of 1876 with them, taking a six-months course of study in the Kansas City High School ; at the request of friends in the Joliet Phoenix office he became an em- JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 66? ploye of tlie firm of McDonald, Perriss & Co., Feb. 4, 1811, and in July follow- ing, became connected with the Morning News, while under the proprietorship of Charles F. Dutcher ; on the 1st of Octo- ber, 18*77, he became a member of the firm of Nelson, Feriiss & Co. CAPT. WILLIAM W. BISHOP, of the firm of King & Bishop, dealers in lum- ber, lath, shingles, etc., Joliet ; was born in Ulster Co., N. Y., Feb. 26, 1837 ; he remained on the farm until 1859, when he came to Chicago, and engaged in the lum- ber business, in the employ of Eeed & Bushnell, with whom he remained until the beginning of the rebellion. In 1862,^ he entered the Union army as a member of the 103d 111. V. I.; was elected First Lieutenant of Co. A, and soon afterward promoted to Captain, serving as such dur- ing the war. As showing the character of the services he rendered his country we copy the following : Headquarters First Div., 16tli A. C, I La Grange, Tenn., May 25, 1863. / General Order No. 87. The General commanding the First DiTision, takes this means of bringing to the notice of the entire command, the meritorious conduct of a detachment of the 103d 111., under com- mand of Capt. Wm. W. Bishop, stationed at Por- ter's Creek. On the night of the 22d inst. , infor- mation reached Capt. Bishop that the notorious guerrilla band, under the command of Sol. Street, was encamped within three miles of his station. He started immediately with his little command at a double-quick through the brush, and succeeded in completely surprising the guerrillas : killing three, wounding six and capturing six prisoners. Loss on our side, in the captain's own language, " Not a scratch." This is to be regarded as an earnest of the glory that awaits the 103d, and it is held up for imi- tation by our troops, whenever opportunities like this may present themselves to any of them. A copy of this order will be sent to each officer, non-commissioned officer and pri- vate, who participated in the surprise. By order of Brig. Gen. Wm. S. Smith, Commanding First Dii . W. H. Harland, A. A. A. G. He was present during the siege of Vicks- burg and battle of Mission Ridge ; accom- panied Sherman from Chattanooga to Atlanta, and on his famous march " from Atlanta to the. sea," through the Carolinas to Washington, where with his regiment, he participated in the grand review of the army at the close of the war ; he was mus- tered out of the service in Louisville, Ky., in 1865 ; returned to Chicago and engaged in the lumber business ; in 1869, he came to Joliet and entered into partnership with John P. King in the lumber business. He was married in September, 1 865, to Miss Julia A. King, of Chicago, and has two children — Minnie D. L. and Grace. REV. GERARDUS BECHER, Pastor of St. John the Baptist's Church and Superior of the Franciscan Fathers, of the Strict Observance, Joliet ; was born in Rhineland, Germany, April 27, 1834; he received his preparatory education in the parish schools of his native country, and then entered Warendorf College in West- phalia; in 1862, he came to this country, and completed his education in St. Joseph's College, Teutopolis, 111., where is located the mother-house of the Order in this country ; he was ordained a priest of the Franciscan Order about five years later by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Yunker of Alton ; remained about a year longer, and was then transferred to Quincy, where he be- came a Professor in the College of St. Francis Solanus. and at the same time at- tended the congregation at Warsaw, 111., and another in Gilman Tp.; from Quincy he returned to Teutopolis, and spent two years as Prefect of St. Joseph's College, and then became Superior of the Convent of St. Francis, and Pastor of the congrega- tion ; after the death of the late Father Nolte, he was sent to Joliet in December, 1876. Father Gerardus' Chief Assistant, Father Symphorinus Forstmann, is one of the many victims of persecution under the present dynasty in Germany, having been expelled by Bismarck, together with eighty- four others of his brethren from West- phalia, in 1875; after completing his studies in the convent in St. Louis, he was assigned to Joliet in 1877. It was a desideratum of the Bi.shop in calling the Fathers to Joliet, that they might admin- ister to the spiritual wants of the Catholie prisoners in the State Penitentiary, which, through the politeness of Warden Mc- Claughry, they have been enabled to do. This duty is performed by Father Augus- tine MoClory, who is a native of Pitts- burgh, Peon., and came to Joliet in 1877. There are here four fathers and three lay brothers, who, besides attending the con- gregation, are the spiritual advisors of the Sisters of the Franciscan Convent and. «64 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Academy, and also give religious instruc- tion to the pupils in the Academy. REV. MAURICE FRANCIS BURKE, Pastor of the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Joliet ; was born in County Limerick, Ireland, May 5, 1845; when but a child, he accompanied his parents to this country ; they came directly to Chicago ; when about 18 years old, he entered the old University of St. Mary's of the Lake in Chicago ; previously to this, he had taken a commercial course at Bryant & Stratton's Business College in Chicago ; in 1866, he went to Rome and spent nine years as a student in the American College ; he was ordained a priest on the 22d of May, 1BY5, by Card- inal Patrizi, Vicar General of Rome, under Pope Pius IX, after which he returned to Chicago, previously, however, spending a few months in traveling in Italy, Switzer- land, Germany, England and Ireland ; soon after his return, he was appointed Assistant Pastor of St. Mary's Church in Chicago, and remained as such until his appointment as Pastor of St. Mary's Church, Joliet, April 27, 1878. JOHN BROWN, of the firm of Houck & Brown, tanners and curriers, wholesale and retail dealers in sole leather, shoe findings, etc., Joliet; has for twenty-three years been a citizen of Will County ; he is a native of the Isle of Man ; was born on the 25th of November, 1826 ; served his apprenticeship at the tanner's trade in Douglas, Isle of Man, and followed the business there for ten years ; he came to the United States in 1853 ; spent two years in New York City, and in 1855, came to Lockport, Will Co.; the following year he came to Joliet, and entered, upon his present business, which he has con- tinued through the several changes in the firm that have taken place since that time ; in 1863, the Joliet Tannery was built by Mack, Cleghorn & Co., of which firm Mr. Brown was a partner ; he has attended strictly to his business, never taking any active part in political afiairs, nor seeking office of any kind. He was married in the Spring of 1850, to Miss Catharine Kissack, of Douglas, Isle of Man ; they have had ten children, six of whom are living — Richard J. (now in business in Chicago), Prank E., Eliza J., Charles H., George W., and William H. JOSEPH BRAUN, proprietor of the Apollo Hall, Joliet; was born in Erbach, Wurtemberg, Germany, May 27, 1 837 ; when he was 14 years old, he was appren- ticed to a tailor to learn the business; in April, 1855, he came to this country; spent a short time in Buffalo and in Canada West, coming to Joliet the same year, and starting in his present business, in which he has been very successful ; in 1856, he went to Minnesota and remained till 1859, with the exception of a short time spent ia St. Louis and Quincy ; he then went to Naperville, 111., and remained till 1861 as clerk in Stenger's brewery ; in 1865, in company with Joseph Braun (another gen- tleman of the same name, since deceased) he built the Columbia brewery, and fol- lowed the brewery business till February, 1868, when he disposed of his interest to Mr. F. Sehring, the present proprietor ; in 1874, he revisited his native country in company with Mr. John Reicherdt, and spent about four months in travel in all parts of Germany. He was married March 2, 1862, to Miss Frances C. Braun, of Joliet ; she is a native of Soulnt, France, and came to this country at the same time with Mr. Braun; they have two children — Mary M. and Willie K. Mr. Braun served as Street Commissioner in 1872. J. E. BUSH, dealer in grain, Joliet; is a son of Stephen N. Bush, who came to Joliet from Washington Co., N. Y., in 1861 ; he was born in Washington Co., N. Y., Nov. 5, 1835; he prepared for college at Whitehall Academy in his native county, and in 1856, entered Will- iams College, Mass., graduating in 1860; he came to Joliet the same year; spent two years in a grocery store ; one year as teller of the First National Bank, and, in 1864, purchased the elevator built by Abijah Cagwin (which was the first elevator built in Will Co.), and engaged in the grain business ; this elevator has a capacity of 30,000 bushels; in 1872, he erected the elevator near the Michigan Central Depot with a capacity of 20,000 bushels ; he handles upward of half a million bushels of grain per annum. He was married in 1863 to Miss Marian C. Wood- ruff, daughter of George Woodruff, of Joliet ; she died in 1876, leaving two chil- dren — George W. and Jennie C. Mr. Bush was married again in 1877 to Miss JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 665 Bella G. Kenyon, daughter of John Ken- yon, of Wheatland, 111. ; they have one child — John K. J. D. BROWN, druggist and chemist, Joliet ; born in Raymertown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., March 12, 1826 ; he received his academical education in Lyman Cross Academy, Troy, N. Y., completing the course in 1842 at the age of 16 ; he then engaged in the drug business with his uncle at Lansingburg, N. Y., where he remained three years. He emigrated West and located in the drug trade in Joliet in 1846, since which time he has been successfiilly engaged in the above business during a period of upward of thirty-two years ; he is the senior member of the firm of J. H. Brown & Co., his brother, J. H., being the junior partner for the past nine years. He married in New York Sept. 10, 1846, to Adelia Brown; four children were the fruit of this union, two of whom are now living, viz., George and Mary M. Mrs. Brown died in Sep- tember, 1855. His second marriage, to Emily Gr. Bartle, was celebrated in Sep- tember, 1858 ; three children have been born to them — Eugene, Helen and Horace. JOSEPH BARTHELME, farmer ; P. O. Joliet ; born in Alsace, Germany, Feb. 17, 1828, where he lived until 18 years of age, and engaged in farming ; he emigrated to America at the above age, landing in New York April 27, 1846, going directly t(j Pennsylvania ; he engaged in the canal business until October, 1848, when he emigrated to Joliet and worked in the quarries and lime-kilns for a period of twelve years ; in 1860, he engaged in farming, renting sixty acres two miles from Joliet, which he worked for seven years, when he purchased eighty acres on Sec. 6, Joliet Tp., which he has since continued to work ; he owns besides his farm of eighty acres, which is located one mile from Joliet, his present residence on Bluff street, which he has owned since 1851. He married June 11, 1851, to Mary Wiles; she was born in Alsace, Germany, March 22, 1833 ; they have by this union ten children now living, viz., Mary Ann, Helen, Frank, Joseph, Michael, Antonette, Edward C, George, William and Alexan- der. Mr. B. has h«ld the ofiice of Alder- man for two years in the ward in which he lives. T. BURKE, livery, feed and sale stable, Joliet; born in Lowell, Mass., May 11, 1840, removing when quite young to Joliet, 111., where he has since lived, being en- gaged in various pursuits in his youth when not attending school ; his first business enterprise was in trucking, to which he has added the livery, feed and sale stable, car- rying on the only business of the kind west of the river, and keeping a good stock of horses and carriages for rent which receive his personal attention, and are always found in first-class order. He married July 11, 1856, in Joliet, to Mary Hennesy ; she was a native of Ireland ; they have by this union eleven children now living, viz., Mary A., John R., Bernard, Helen, Katie, Anna, Thomas F., William, Sarah, Hattie and Alice. R. S. BROWN, of the firm of Zarley & Co., publishers of the Joliet Signal; is a native of Joliet ; he was born Aug. 30, 1845 ; he is a son of R. D. Brown, who who came to Joliet from Rensselaer Co., N. Y., in 1845, and still resides here ; Mr. Brown was educated in the public schools of the city, and at the age of 17 entered the Signal office as an apprentice ; this was in 1862; he became familiar with every branch of the business, afterward becoming foreman, and in 1873, became a partner in the firm. ALEXANDER BURDEN, merchant tailor, Joliet ; born in Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland, on the 8th of April, 1832 ; he learned the trade of a tailor in his native country, and, when about 17 years of age, left Scotland and came to America ; the first five years he worked at his trade in Lowell, Mass., Oneida Co., N. Y., Ottawa, Can. and Cincinnati, Ohio ; in March, 1853, he came to Joliet and has continued in the merchant tailoring business here ever since. He was married March 3, 1853, to Miss Elizabeth Jamieson of New York Mills, Oneida Co., N. Y, ; she was a native of Loch Winnock, Scotland, and came to this country, in 1849 ; she died Aug. 29, 1877, leaving four children — David, Jennie, Maggie and Willie. NATHANIEL BARNS, farmer and stock -raiser. Sec. 34; P. 0. Joliet; born in Rockland Co., N. Y., June 18, 1818, where he lived until 40 years of age, being engaged in farming and dealing in stock until he emigrated to Joliet Tp., Will Co., 666 BTOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 111., in 1858, upon his present place, since which he has been (ixtensively engaged in farming and has expended a great deal of time and money making improvements, such as draining, etc; he owns 160 acres under a high state of cultivation, three and one-half miles from Joliet. He married Oct. 1, 1849, to Mary E. Thiell ;' she was from the same place as Mr. Barnes ; she was born June 21, 1829 ; they are the parents of ten children — Emily A., Isaac and Edward, deceased; the living are George J., Rosalia, Grace, Nathaniel, Eliza, John Henry and Blanche. Mr. Barnes has held the office of School Di- rector for more than ten years and has always taken a deep interest in the cause of education in the district where he lives. LEWIS BROWN, farmer. Sec. 24; P. 0. Joliet ; born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., June 2, 182Y, where he attended school in winter and worked upon his father's farm in summer until 13 years of age, when in 1840, he removed with his fath- er's family to Will Co., 111.; he settled upon his present farm in 1863 ; owns 160 acres of well-improved land, valued at $60 per acre. He married Miss Christy Smith- ley, Oct. 19, 1871 ; she was born Oct. 13, 1839, in Westmoreland Co., Penn.; they are the parents of three children — Jennie Luella, born Oct. 21, 1872 ; Lydia May, born Feb. 17, 1875, died Feb. 19, 1876; Katie Bell, born June 2, 1877. ^ WALLACE B.CASWELL, proprietor St. Nicholas Hotel, Joliet; was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., in 1831 ; his father was a farmer of moderate circumstances, possessing a small piece of land which he tilled with his own hands ; he recognized the value of an education and made every effort to secure for his children that mental culture which is imperishable ; but Wallace was not a studious youth ; the glorious fun of fishing, hunting, "I spy," •' two-old-cat " and other athletic sports, had for him a far greater charm than the problems of his arithmetic, the puzzling intricacies of his grammar, the comprehensive knowledge contained within l;he pasteboard lids of his geography, or even the polysyllables of his spelling-book ; all told, his schooling amounted to less than three years of con- stant attendance ; to this day he acknowl- edges, that it was his own fault that not even a common-school education accompa- nied him when he embarked for himself in the struggles of life ; it was in the vocation of an apple-peddler that pennies first poured into the capacious pockets of his "flap" trowsers ; with a basket well-laden with pippins, greenings, Spitzenbergs, gillyflow- ers and rusty-coats, gathered from his father's orchard, he daily plodded to the village of Albion for several years and returned at night jubilant with success, or dejected by failure, according as good or ill luck had attended his labors among the fruit-loving denizens of the village; in those days (a matter which will be a sur- prise to the fruit-venders of this genera- tion) a "square meal" could be obtained for 3 cents, and to indulge in the extras of the season 5 cents was considered an ex- orbitant demand ; in 1844, his father came West, purchased a small farm and grist-mill at Plainfield, nine miles north- west of Joliet ; from that date till the present, the subject of this sketch has been a resident of this State ; in 1845, he en- tered the village store as clerk, owned by a Mr. Goddard, at the munificent salary of $4 per month, without board ; Mr. G. also operated stores in Elgin and St. Charles ; he continued with him at intervals, until 1858, vibrating from one point to another, as occasion and the interests of his employer might require ; in 1849, he was employed in the dry goods and carpet store of H. W. Bigelow, of Chicago; his positions and employments have been various, and fortune and mis-fortune have not been strangers to him. He was married in 1854, to Esther J. Eurn, of Plainfield. At one time we find him a prosperous business man, amassing wealth rapidly ; again we see him penniless, with a great debt upon his shoulders ; at the breaking-out of the war, he was doing a thriving grocery trade in Joliet. He en- tered the army as sutler, and, at first, money "rolled in by the bushel," and indicated that bis fortune was made ; but these were uncertani days ; when about thirty-five miles south of Louisville, on his way to Bardstown, John Morgan, the daring, dashing cavalryman of Southern fame, despoiled his train of six loads of sutler's goods, "cabbaged" his horses and left him with a whole skin, but not money enough to get back to Joliet ; again he replenished his stock and the same result followed ; after having once more purchased a JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 667 full stock, he sold out, took notes in pay- ment, never realized a cent from them, and returned to Joliet as poor as he was five years before. In 1864, he began operating the old National Hotel on the west side of the city ; here he remained almost ten years accumulating money as if by magic ; in 18*73, he furnished the Kobertson House at an expense of $20,000 ; in one year he lost half of the amount accumulated in the preceding ten years ; he next pur- chased one-half interest in the Gait House, Chicago, and in one year shelved the bal- ance ; he opened the St. Nicholas as a hotel June 17, 1875. GEORGE M.CAMPBELL, Secretary and Treasurer of the Joliet Stone Co., Joliet ; was born in Unity, Waldo Co., Me., Jan. 5, 1848 ; in early childhood, he removed with his parents to Springfield, Mass., and lived there and in that vicinity until he was 9 years of age ; the family then removed to Linn Co., Iowa, and five years later, in April, 1862, came to Joliet ; his parents resided here four years, and then returned to Massachusetts ; he was educated in the public schools of Joliet and at the Springfield, Mass., English and Classical Institute ; he followed the busi- ness of clerking and book-keeping until May, 1875, when the Joliet Stone Co. was organized, he being one of the three equal partners, and on its incorporation, Dec. 1, 1877, he became Secretary and Treasurer of the company. He was married Dec. 25, 1873, to MissLibbie R. Snapp, daugh- ter of Hon. Henry Snapp, of Joliet, and has two children — Jessie M. and Ida A. M. B. CAMPBELL, M. D.; physician and surgeon, Joliet, was born in Williston, Vt., Nov. 29, 1843; he received his pre- paratory education at the Williston Acade- my, after which he studied medicine in the office of Dr. E. A. Pond, of Rutland, Vt., who has since become famous as the inventor of the American Sphygmograph, for measuring and tracing the pulsations of the heart ; from his office he entered the medical department of Harvard Uni- versity, where he graduated and received his degree, March 7, 1866 ; during his course of studies he served one year as medical cadet in the regular army ; after graduating, he spent one year in practice with Dr. Pond, in Rutland, and then came West, and located in Wilmington, 111.; he I practiced medicine there until 1874, when 1 he removed to Joliet; Dr. Campbell was thoroughly educated as an allopathic physician, but, in 1872, having become fully convinced of the superiority of the law of " Similia similibus curantur," or so-called homeopathy, after thorough'prep- aration he joined the Illinois State Homeo- pathic Medical Association, and, in 1874, was elected a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy. ROMAINB J. CURTISS, M. D., phy- sician and surgeon, Joliet; was born in Richland Co., Ohio, Oct. 1, 1840 ; at the age of 16 years, he entered Hillsdale Col- lege, Mich., and after leaving there at- tended one course of medical lectures at Bufialo Medical College ; in 1862, he en- tered the Union army as Hospital Steward of the 123d Ohio Vols., and in April, 1863, was appointed a Medical Cadet in the reg- ular army ; served on the hospital-boat which, during the siege of Vicksburg, con- veyed the wounded up the river to Mem- phis and St. Louis, and was afterward trans- ferred to the General Hospital at Cincin- nati ; in 1864, he graduated and received his degree of M. D. from the Ohio Med- ical College, and was appointed Assistant Surgeon in the U. S. Navy, serving till the close of the war ; he then located in Erie Co., N. Y., where he practiced medicine seven years, during which time he pursued a medical course at the Bellevue Hospital Medical College, graduating from that in- stitution in March, 1868 ; from Erie Co. he came to Joliet in 1873 ; he is a mem- ber of the Erie County Medical Society, of the Will County Medical Society, and also a corresponding member of the Bos- ton Gynecological Society. He was mar- ried Nov. 29, 1870, to Miss Sarah A. Beal, of Erie Co., N. Y. H. S. CARPENTER, of the firm of Carpenter & Marsh, grain merchants and proprietors of the Union Transfer Eleva- tor, Joliet; was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., Nov. 25, 1826 ; he resided there until he was nearly 20 years of age ; he received an academic education in Rochester and Albion, N. Y., and in 1846, came to Jol- iet ; he taught school nine quarters in Troy Tp.,and then engaged in speculating, buying and selling property, etc.; about twenty -five years ago,he engaged in the grain business, being now the oldest grain mer- 668 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: chant in JoKet ; in the Spring of 1874, the firm of Carpenter & Marsh was established and the Union Transfer Elevator erected, at a cost, including the mill and dock in con- nection therewith, of some $15,000 ; they now do a yearly business of $1,500,000, and handle about five millions of bushels of grain per annum. Mr. Carpenter was married Jan. 22, 1850, to Miss Henrietta Spencer, of Troy Tp., and has three chil- dren — Charles H,, George and Sarah P. CHARLES CLEMENT, retired, Jol- iet ; has been a permanent resident of Joliet since 1834, and is the oldest living inhabitant of the city ; he was born in Windsor, Vt., Jan. 13, ] 810 ; after receiv- ing a common-school education, he spent some time in an academy at Atkinson, N. H.; in 1833, he came West, and passed through Joliet (then containing but two log cabins), on his way to Peoria ; the fol- lowing spring, he returned and made his home here, where he has continued to re- side ever since ; he soon afterward engaged in mercantile business, which he continued most of the time until his retirement from active business, about 1865 ; in the spring of 1839, he, with others, established the first newspaper in Will Co., the Joliet Courier, which afterward became the Jol- iet Signal ; he has served three years as a member of the Board of Supervisors, be- ing the first Supervisor upon the organiza- tion of the township ; he has held the offi- ces of Alderman, School Inspector, etc. He was married Aug. 5, 1844, to Miss Cordelia Wilcox, of Elbridge, N. Y., and has two children. J. J. CULVER, JoHet ; dealer in live stock, and proprietor of Bluff Street Mar- ket ; was born in Montgomery County, N. r., Dec. 5, 1828 ; at the age of 14 years, he entered a store as clerk, and at the age of 20, engaged in general mer- chandising for himself^ which he continued till 1857 ; when, being in poor health he came West, bringing with him a stock of goods, which he traded oif for a farm in Channahon Tp ; he followed farming there seven years, and then removed to Joliet and engaged in his present business, which is quite extensive, as he retails an average of forty cattle per month. During the war he did a large and successful business in buying and shipping stock. He has a farm of nearly 200 acres south of the city, and also rents some 300 acres more, on which he ■ usually feeds 100 head of cattle, or 1,000 sheep. For the past four years, has confined his attention mainly to sheep- raising, shipping stock, and attending to his business in town. He was married Oct. 21, 1853, to Miss Lydia A. Knox, df Montgomery Co., N. Y., and has four children — Willie K., Aggie C., Edward E. and Charles S. ABIJAH CAGWIN, dealer in grain ; Joliet ; was born in Oneida Co. N. Y., May 19, 1807 ; in 1824, he removed with his parents to Brockport, Monroe Co., and there began business as a tanner and cur- rier, owning an extensive tannery which burned down in 1834 ; he was also en- gaged in shoe manufacturing. He came to Will Co., in 1835, and settled about two miles from Joliet — then Juliet — where he built a saw-mill, in which he sawed the lumber used in building the first grain warehouse in Will Co., which Mr. Cagwin erected a few years later. Here he was elected Justice of the Peace, serving eight years; in 1839, he was elected County Judge, and moved into the city ; at the expiration of his four years' service as County Judge, he engaged in merchandis- ing, afterward associating with him hia brother, Francis L. Cagwin ; in 1856, he with others, established the Will County Bank, the firm being Cagwin, Higinbo- tham & Co. ; a few years afterward, he en- gaged in the grain and produce business, which he has continued to the present time. He has served three terms as City Treasurer ; one term on the Board of Supervisors, and four years as Supt. of the Will County Alms-house and Poor Farm. He was married in 1827, to Miss Hannah Scriber, of Brockport, N. Y., but formerly from Rutland Co., Vt., and has eight children — Merritt 0., of Elwood, 111., Helen A. (Mrs. Elvis Harwood, of Joliet), Sarah A. (Mrs. Barritt, of Joliet), Thomas P., of Joliet, Hamden A., of Joliet, Nancy A., of Joliet, Rose L. (Mrs. A. R. Briggs, of Joliet), and Abijah S., of Joliet. GEORGE N. CHAMBERLIN, of the firm of S. S. Chamberiin & Son, under- takers and dealers in furniture; Joliet; was born in Lockport, Will Co., 111., Dec. 20, 1851 ; he is a son of S. S. Chamberiin, who came to Will Co. at an early day, frequent reference to whom will be found JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 669 in other parts of this work. Mr. Cham- berlin was educated in the High School in his native town, and when about 20 years of age, entered the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern R. R. Co., in Chicago, in the telegTaph department, re- maining with them two years ; he then spent some three years in the office of Norton & Co., of Lockport, and in 1876, engaged in his present business with his father, who is the oldest undertaker and furniture dealer in Will Co. He was mar- ried Dec. 5, 1876, to Miss Ella E. Munger, daughter of Charles E. Munger, of Chicago, for twenty -five years a resident of Joliet ; they have one child — Fred M. JOHN R. CASEY, M. D., physician and surgeon, Joliet ; has been a resident and a practicing physician of Joliet, since 1858 ; he is a native of Illinois, and was born in Jeiferson Co. Jan. 28, 1835 ; at 16 years of age, he entered McKendree College, Lebanon, 111., where he remained three years ; leaving College, he entered upon the study of medicine under the in- struction of Dr. Charles A. Pope, at that time one of the most prominent surgeons in the West. He attended medical lectures in the St. Louis Medical College where he graduated and received his degree in 1857. After practicing medicine one year in 01- ney, Richland Co., 111., he located in Joliet, as above stated. In May of the same year (1858), he was appointed physician in charge of the State Penitentiary Hos- pital in this city, occupying that position ten years. He is at present President of the Will County Medical Society, and also holds the office of City and County Phy- sician, to which he was elected several years ago ; he has also served one year on the Board of Aldermen. He was mar- ried in June, 1863, to Miss Ada Vander- pool, of Joliet ; a native of New York City, and has four children — Florida, Wil- lis W. Dwight and Laura. CHARLES W. CLEGHORN, proprie- tor Joliet Soap Works, Joilet ; was born in the Province of Ontario Aug. 16, 1853. He is a son of Rev. Thomas, a Methodist clergyman, and who wag a brother of Edward Cleghorn, of this city. His father was a native of New York State, but lived in Canada from the age of 5 years until 1870, when he removed to Michigan, and resided there until his death, which occurred in February, 1878. After his father's death, his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth (Williams) Cleghorn, removed with her family to Joliet, where they now reside. Charles W. came to Joliet in 1870, and learned the tanner's trade with Messrs. Mack, Cleghorn & Co., and continued till July, 1876, when he engaged in his present business. He manu- factures three brands of soap; the "Granite," he considers his finest soap ; is of his own invention, and unexcelled for either toilet or laundry purposes ; his two other brands, the " Standard " and " Boss," are both ex- cellent articles, and are furnished at prices which should induce the people of Will Co. to patronize home industries, and ask their grocers for Cleghorn's soaps. WILLIAM P. CATON, retired, Joliet; one of the pioneers of Will Co. ; was born in Orange Co., N. Y., March 28, 1815 ; he lived in Oneida Co., N. Y., until 18 years of age, being engaged in mercantile pursuits and attending school ; at the above age, he removed to Ann Arbor, Mich., where he remained three years, clerking in a general store ; he then came to Chicago in 1836, clerking for a short time; then to Milwaukee, clerking until the following year ; he then returned to Illinois and took up 2,000 acres of Government land in Cook Co., sixteen miles northwest of Chicago ; here he lived until 1848, when he removed to Chicago, being engaged in mercantile pursuits and inspector of canal-boats until 1856, when he removed to Plainfield, Will Co., and engaged in farming until 1871, when on account of ill health he was obliged to give up farming, since which time he has lived in Joliet, but not engaged in active business. He owns his residence and the one adjoining on Oneida St., Joliet. He married Nov. 28, 1844, to Elizabeth Steele ; they are the parents of five chil- dren now living — William E., Hannah E., Charles A., Albert R. and Minnie E. JOHN CLARKSON, retired mill- wright, Joliet ; born in Lancashire, England, Oct. 25, 1809, where he learned and worked at the millwright trade until 28 years of age, when he emigrated to America, land- ing in New York July 3, 1837 ; remaining there three months, then to llochester four months ; then to Black Rock Dam during the winter of 1837-38, returning to Roches- ter for the summer following ; then to Rome, Mich., for eighteen months ; from 670 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : there to Chicago, and to Joliet by stage, where he located May 20, 1840 ; he first engaged here in building Jones' Steam Flour- Mill, the first of the kind in Joliet ; upon its completion, he with Thomas Keegan, went to Marseilles and built the first flour mill at that place ; from there he went to Chicago and built the first elevator erected in that city. His reputation as a work- man of superior skill at his trade having become generally established, he has been extensively employed in building mills and elevators in all the neighboring towns around Joliet up to the time of his retiring from active labor. He owns a fine resi- dence on the west side of the river, where he resides. He married in England April 12, 1837, to Alice Hodson ; she was born in Lancashire, England, May 1, 1816 ; they are the parents of three children now living, viz., Ellen J., Margaret A. and Mary Ann. Mr. C.'s mother emigrated to America and Joliet in 1844, being then upward of 80 years of age, where she lived until her death in 1848. Mr. C. has filled difierent offices of trust, among them School Trustee for eight years and School Director for three years. CARSON BROS., groceries and provis- ions, Joliet. Hugh H. Carson, the senior member of the above firm, was born Jan. 1, 1852, in Rhode Island, where he at- tended school and worked in a cotton-fac- tory until 10 years of age, when he emi- grated with his parents to Joliet, locating at this point Aug. 1, 1862 ; at the above date, his father, James Carson, purchased the grocery and provision business of W. B. Caswell, which business he successfully continued until succeeded by his sons May 10, 1875. Robert Carson, the junior mem- ber of the above firm, was born in Rhode Island Sept. 18, 1855 ; emigrating West with his parents to Joliet ; he, with his brother, was employed in the store of their father when not attending school, until they succeeded in the business. The above firm carry a full and complete stock in their line, and have a good trade which is rapidly increasing ; their success may be attributed to their thorough knowledge, close personal attention and honest dealing in business. H. W. COPE, horse-collar manufaot^ urer, Joliet ; born in Newark, N. J., Dec. 13, 1843, where he lived and attended school until 14 years of age, when he im- migrated with his parents to Joliet, where he lived two years ; in 1859, he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he lived two years and commenced to learn his trade • from there he removed to Newark, N. J. where he lived two years ,when he returned to Joliet and finished his trade ; he pur- chased the interest of his father in July 1868 ; he confines business exclusively to the manufacture and jobbing of horse collars, supplying the wholesale trade largely in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Indiana; he employs four hands and such machinery as can be made practical. He married in Joliet July 6, 1865, to Lottie V. Cook ; she was born Nov. 23, 1843, in New York ; they are the parents of two children now living, viz., Lottie A. and Henry L. BARBARA CAMPBELL, farmer. Sec. 28 ; P. 0. Joliet ; widow of Joseph Campbell ; her maiden name was Barbara Kelly ; she was born in Scotland Dec. 13, 1807. She married Mr. Campbell in Scot- land July 12, 1833 ;• Mr. Campbell was born in Scotland Sept. 30, 1807, where he lived until 28 years of age, when he immi- grated to America and settled in Joliet Tp., Will Co., 111., in 1839, and en- gaged in quarrying ; he was for several years in partnership with ex-Gov. Matte- son in quarrying and contracting, and had some contracts building the Canal. He died June 23, 1858 ; his widow, who sur- vives him, continues to live at the old home, which contains 195 acres of well-im- proved land. They were the parents oi five children now living, viz., Joseph, Rob- ert, John, Annie and Barbara. THOMAS CULBERTSON, retired miller, Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in New Castle Co., Del., Aug. 23, 1814, where he learned the trade of milling; he removed to Joliet in 1836, and engaged at his trade for two years, when the dam was destroyed for the benefit of the Canal ; afterward worked at Norman's Island and Wilmington ; returned to Joliet in 1839, and settled where he now resides, purchasing what is known as the Red Mill in 1849, which he continued to run until 1867. He married Miss Martha M. Ker- cheval in Joliet Nov. 19, 1856 ; her par- ents settled in Will Co., in 1829 ; they are parents of three children — Thomas Edwin, born July 16, 1858 ; May Evelyn, born Oct. 23, 1861 ; Emma Elizabeth, born (deceased) LOCKPORTTP. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 673 Jan. 13, 1864, died Aug. 28, 1865. Mr. C. lias filled the offices of School Trustee and Director in the town where 'he lives for several terms. N. H. CUTTEK, farmer ; P. O. Joliet ; whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Jaffrey, Cheshire Co., N. H., March 12, 1805; up to the age of 21, he was engaged in farming with his par- ents, after which he learned the trade of joiner and carpenter; in 1828, he moved to Lowell, Mass., and after being engaged at his trade for a short time, was employed in machine shops up to the fall of 1829 ; he then went to Oneida Co., N. Y., and worked in Rogers' Machine Shops up to 1834 ; in the fall of the same year he came to Joliet, where he has resided ever since, engaged mostly in farming. Has been Alderman, Justice of the Peace, Assessor and School Director. He married Rebecca R. Bailey, of East Hampton, Mass., Feb. 15, 1838 ; she was born April 14, 1805. Mr. Cutter, while living in the East spent his winters in school teaching. GEORGE W. CASSEDAY, deceased, formerly of Joliet, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Bedford Co., Va., Dec. 1, 1803. His father dying when he was 6 months old, his mother moved to St. Anne, Ky., where they lived until he was 14 years of age, when they moved to Troy, Ohio ; at this place he learned the trade of carpenter. On January 13, 1824, he married Miss Delilah Murphy, and in the fall of 1825 moved to Vermilion Co., 111., where he engaged in farming up to the spring of _ 1827, when he moved to Edgar Co., 111., working at his trade of carpenter, and also farming ; in 1829, he moved to Paris, of the same county, and remained there up to 1834, when he returned to Vermilion county ; in 1851, he came to Joliet, where he lived up to his decease, July 23, 1863. When he came to Joliet, having pur- chased a large tract of land, he laid out an addition to the city known as " Casse- day's Addition." He had five children; three living — Maria L. (now Mrs. Jo- seph G. English, of Danville, 111.), Mary C. (now Mrs. John Durham, of Danville, 111.), and Henry Clay; two deceased — David, and Harriet M. MRS. SOPHIA (MURRAY) DEM- MOND, Joliet ; was born in Petersburg, N. Y., July 26, 1804; she is a daughter of John Murray, who was formerly from Bennington, Vt.; her mother, Cynthia Weaver, was a native of Rhode Island ; Mrs. Demmond's parents removed to near Auburn, N. Y., when she was a child; and after five years to Sharon, in the same State, where they resided till their death. Her marriage with the late Martin H. Dem- mond, occurred in Frankfort, Herkimer Co., N. Y., April 10, 1831. Mr. Dem- mond was a native of Massachusetts, and was born March 4, 1803 ; he went with his parents to Sangerfield, N. Y., where he was apprenticed to the tanner and cur- rier's trade ; he, however, did not find this business congenial, and having a taste for mercantile pursuits, he soon afterward engaged in merchandising in various places, in which he was quite successful ; he first married, soon after becoming of age, Miss Adelia Woodrufi^, a daughter of Theodore Woodruff, of Clinton, N. Y.. and a sister of George H. Woodruff, of this city ; she, however, died during thei first year of their marriage. While in business in Frankfort, he married Miss Murray, as above stated, and, in 1834, re- moved to Joliet ; he was so intimately identified with the early history and growth of this city, and his connection therewith is so fully recorded in the his- torical portion of this work, that any far- ther allusion here is unnecessary. He was a man of pure morals and sterling integ- rity; "his word was as good as his bond." He died of cholera July 18, 1854, leaving a wife, but no children. A niece of Mrs. Demmond's, Miss Catherine Murray, was a member of the family, from the age of 10 years until her marriage with Freder- ick Bartelson, an attorney at law in Joliet, who afterward raised a company for the 100th Regiment, I. V. I., was commis- sioned Captain, afterward promoted to Colonel, and killed at Kenesaw Moun- tain. She is now the wife of J. R. Cas- selberry, of Philadelphia. Mrs. Demmond continues to reside in the old homestead erected by her husband soon after his arrival here. R. DOOLITTLE, Justice of the Peace, Joliet; was born in Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y., June 15, 1809, where he resided until his removal to Joliet in the spring of 1837 ; after following the grocery business two years, he was elected 3 674 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : Justice of the Peace, and held the office twelve years, and was also Assignee in Bankruptcy during the existence of the old United States bankrupt law ; in 1838, he was elected County Judge, but declined to qualify, and Geo. H. Woodruff was elected in his place; in 1852, he resumed business, the firm being Doolittle & Stone, who erected the three-story brick building on the south side of Jeiferson street, the second building west of Ottawa street ; the same year, 1852, he, with six other citi- zens of Joliet, was appointed by the Legis- lature to divide the city into wards, and call an election for city officers. In 1840, previous to the organization of the city, he had served on the Board of Trustees, of which he was the Treasurer ; he remained in the grocery business until 1862, when he sold out to Mr. Stone, and for a number of years was engaged in railroad contract- ing, merchandising, etc. ; he served as Alderman from 1862 to 1866 ; in 1871, was again elected Justice of the Peace. He was married April 5, 1838, to Miss Sarah A. Boss, a native of Canada, and has five children living — Theresa C, Eben B., George H. of Port Huron, Mich., Georgeana and Jesse A. FRANK DEVINE, contractor and builder, Joliet ; is a native of Dutchess Co., N. Y. ; he was born at Fishkill Land- ing, on the Hudson River, July 3, 1849 ; when he was about 18 years old he went to New York City and worked at his trade of a carpenter until after the great fire in Chicago in 1871 ; he then went to that city and took part in its rebuilding during the next two years ; in 1873, he came to Joliet and began business as a contractor and builder ; he is acknowledged to be one of the most skillful and reliable workmen in his line of business ; he has built some of the best residences in the city, besides other buildings, among which may be mentioned St. Mary's Church, on which he did the carpenter work. He was married June 5, 1876, to Miss Nellie O'Reilly, daughter of James O'Reilly, of Joliet ; they have one child — James. EUGENE DALY, undertaker and dealer in furniture, Joliet; is a native of the county of Longford, Ireland ; he was born on the 13th of May, 1826; in 1844, he came to this country and spent three years in Sag Harbor, L. I., where he learned the trade of a cabinet-maker; coming to Chicago, he worked at his trade there until the fall of 1850, when he came to Joliet and started in business for himself; he is the oldest undertaker and furniture man in Joliet ; he has- held several public offices, among which may be mentioned those of Coroner of the county, Super- visor and member of the Board of Alder- men. He was married in 1852 to Miss Bridget Thompson, of Joliet; she is also a native of the county of Longford, Ireland; they have eight children living — Margaret, Mary A., John, Catherine, Joseph J., Ellen, Charlie and "Willie. JOHN T. DON AHOE, Joliet; Treasur- er of Will Co. ; was born in Joliet Oct. 16, 1855; he is a son of Timothy Donahoe, who came to Joliet from Ireland in 1853, and is now a resident of Wilmington. John T. left school at the age of 13, and entered the grocery store of his brother in Wil- mington as clerk, remaining with him until he was 17 years old ; they then engaged in business in partnership in Braidwood, and, on attaining his majority, he purchased the interest of his brother and continued the business alone until his election as County Treasurer in November, 1877 ; he is the youngest Treasurer Will Co. has ever had, and probably the youngest man ever elected to that office in this country. J. C. DILLMAN, proprietor of the Mansion House, Joliet ; was born in Sum- mit Co., Ohio, Sept. 7, 1824; his early years were passed upon the farm, his father and grandfather being farmers ; in the fall of 1849, he came to Will Co., his father, Michael Dillman, having come with the other members of the family the spring before ; the family settled in Plainfield, where the father died in 1861, leaving ten children, five of whom now live in Will Co. ; Mr. Dillman followed farming until 1871, when he removed to Joliet; in 1875, he became proprietor of the Mansion House, where the traveler is always sure of courteous treatment and good accommoda- tions, at a reasonable price ; being a strictly temperance house, it is a desirable family hotel. Mr. Dillman was married Feb. 19, 1846, to Miss Sarah A. Steese, of Summit Co., Ohio, and has five children living — Lavina C, Amanda J., Michael S., Edward L. and Charles S. ; one daughter, Alice J., died Feb. 12, 1861. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 675 WILLIAM DAVIDSON, Joliet; born in county of Cumberland, England, Oct. 28, 1851, where he lived until 22 years of age, when he came to America ; he first located in Connecticut, and from there to Kankakee, 111., in 1850, where he resided four years ; then to Joliet in 1854, where he engaged in the quarry business, which ho has continued to the present time ; he owns what is known as Davidson's Quarry, located one mile southwest of Joliet, on the C, R. I. & P. R. R. WILLIAM DOUGALL, M. D., phy- sician and surgeon, Joliet ; was born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, March 1, 1842 ; his father, John Dougall, was a leading cotton-spinner in the west of Scot- land, and, in 1858, came with his family to this country, settling near New Haven, Ind., where he died in 1874 at the age of 75 years ; his mother was Margaret Hous- toun, a descendant of the ancient Ren- frewshire family of that name ; she was born in the town of Houstoun, Renfrew- shire, and" still survives; the son, William, was educated in the high school of Glas- gow. On the breaking-out of the rebell- ion, he enlisted in Co. C, 15th Ind. V. I., June 1, 1861, and participated in all the engagements of his regiment until Oct. 1, 1863, being severely wounded at the battle of Stone River ; on the above-mentioned date he was commissioned Captain in the 13th U. S. Colored Regiment, and served as such until April, 1865, when the war, having closed, he resigned, and, returning home, resumed the study of medicine ; he attended a course of medical lectures in the University of Michigan, and afterward in the Chicago Medical College, from which institution he graduated, and received his degree March 4, 1868, and soon afterward began practice in Lemont, Cook Co., 111. ; in 1872, he located in Joliet, where he is now engaged in the practice of his profes- sion. He was married Oct. 1, 1872, to Miss Cassie Walker, daughter of Edwin Walker, of Lemont, and has one child — Mamie C. Dr. Dougall is a member of the Will County Medical Society, and of the American Medical Association, and was Secretary of the former two years. GEORGE RANDOLPH DYER, re- tired; Joliet; was born in Rutland Qo., Vt., June 13, 1813 ; his father, Daniel Dyer, had a State reputation as a sheep- raiser and substantial farmer ; he was a soldier of the Revolutionary war ; after the close of the war he was commis- sioned Major in the Massachusetts State Militia, and his commission, signed by Gov. John Hancock himself, is now in the possession of his son George R. ; the ven- erable and well-known Dr. Charles V. Dyer, of Chicago, was his brother ; his mother was a Miss Olin, of the popular Vermont family of that name. Capt. Dyer received an academic education in West Rutland, Academy, and at the age of 21, started West, and drove from Claren- don, Vt., to Chicago, 111., alone ; he resided in Chicago and Milwaukee till 1841 ; dur- ing this time, he helped organize the Terri- tory of Wisconsin ; in 1838, he assisted in surveying -the Fox River, with a view to use the same as a feeder for the Illinois Canal ; in 1841, he came to Will Co. and engaged in farming and stock-raising; in his early life in Will Co. he was noted far and wide for his remarkable energy and success in life ; in 1856, he was elected Sheriff of the county, and after his term of office expired he returned to his farm, where he resided till the breaking-out of the war in 1861 ; when the first gun was fired, true to the blood of his patriotic ancestors, he, with his two sons, went into the war for the Union ; his oldest son was commissioned Captain when but 17, and served through many a well-fought battle ; he died Nov. 13, 1863, from disease con- tracted in the Southern swamps. During the last thirty-five years Will Co. has known Capt. Dyer as a citizen of note, not a little eccentric, witty,joIly as a companion, and satirical in the reproving of that which had not sense to recommend it. As a defender of the rights of man, he has ■ always been distinguished, and he consid- ered it no disgrace to be called an Aboli- tionist ; he joined hands with them in bring- ing this country to be what it is to-day. In bold activity and uncompromising devotion, Capt. George R. Dyer was the undisputed pioneer in Will Co. of that enthusiastic movement, as it was called by his friends, and fanatical movement, as it was called by his enemies, which ultimately struck the shackles from the American slave. He jvas married Jan. 8, 1841, to Miss Eliza- beth H. Kimball, of Elgin, a lady of fine natural endowments and graceful manners, 676 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : whose excellent sense, fine culture and domestic accomplishments eminently fitted her for a helpmate for a young man with a full head and an ^empty pocket ; the matured woman has more than fulfilled the fair promise of the young-bridd ; six chil- dren have been born to them, four of whom still survive — Belle E,., Daniel B., Lizzie L. and Ida May (now Mrs. A. A. Whiting). George D. died in 1863, and Susie Olin (Mrs. R. Schermerhorn) died in 1872. D. G. EDGERLY, agent M. C. R. R. Joliet Cut-Ofi', Joliet ; was born in Perry, Genesee (now Wyoming Co.), N. Y., in 1831. At the early age of 5 years, he lost his father, a prominent merchant of the town. His mother subsequently married a wealthy farmer, and his life, to about the age of 16, was spent upon his stepfather's farm. On leaving home, he spent one year in a dry goods store in Warsaw ; he next went to Bufialo,and was employed as check clerk in the firm of Kimberly, Pease & Co. (late Pease & Beech- er), forwarders of general merchandise. This firm owned and operated lines on the lakes and Erie C^nal. The formation of the American Transportation Co., in 1855, absorbed all the small ofl&ces and companies, and he next located at Dunkirk, N. Y., in the employ of the N. Y. & Erie R. R., under S. D. Caldwell, now chief man- ager of the Red Liais ; he served eight years as check clerk ; from Dunkirk he returned to Bufialo and was appointed assistant agent ; here he remained ten years. In January, 1873, he was placed in charge of the 33d station. New York City ; this position he held two years. In 1876, he engaged in business in Buffalo, but only continued a short time. In January, 1877, he came to his present position at Joliet. His tine business qualifications have won for him positions of honor and trust, that do not usually fall to men so early in life. WILLIAM EVANS, foreman roll- turning department, Joliet ; was born in England June 20, 1841 ; his family emi- grated to America in 1846, and settled in Pennsylvania ; here his father engaged in iron-mining, and in the mining districts William passed his youth and early man- hood ; in 1862, he went to his trade in Dan- ville, Penn., working five years under the instruction of Charles D. Hunt ; in 1870 he came to Chicago, and was employed in the roll-turning department in the North Chicago Rolling-Mills ; here he remained one year ; in June, 1 87 1 , he came to Joliet and entered the employ of the Joliet Iron and Steel Co. ; here he has since resided, excepting a residence of about six months in Springfield in 1873, when these works shutdown. He was married in December 1864, to Mary E. Propst, a native of Penn- sylvania ; has one child living — William D. ; three died^ — Phillip D., and two in infancy. GEORGE ERHARD, Joliet, whose portrait appears in this work, was born May 7, 1807, in the town of Middlestray, Province of Milrickstuart, Lower Frank, Wurtzberg, kingdom of Bavaria ; he emigrated to America in June, 1832, with his mother and two sisters, and first went to Detroit, Mich., where in August of same year his mother died of cholera; in October, .1833, he moved to Chicago, and April 26, 1836, came to Joliet with his brother-in-law, John Belz. In 1838, they returned to Chicago, and married two sis- ters, Louisa and Veronica Periolet ; Lou- isa, the wife of Mr. Erhard, was born in the town of Highfelt, in Alsace, near Strasbourg, in France ; she emigrated to Chicago, with her two brothers and sister, in 1834. Mr. Erhard returned to Joliet, and having formed a copartnership with John Belz, built a large brewery on Bluff street, West Side, Joliet, being very suc- cessful until the depreciation of wildcat money caused them to close their business. He had nine children, five living — George C, born Nov. 22, 1838, now carrying on an agricultural and seed store in Joliet; Eaiily, born Nov. 11, 1842, wife of J. C. Adler, of Joliet ; Joseph, now farming in Troy Tp., Will Co. ; Louisa and Lawrence ; his four younger children are dead, and are buried in the West Side German bury- ing-ground, in Joliet. He and his brother- in-law, John Belz, were the first German settlers in this cfiunty, and George C, the eldest son of Mr. Erhard, was the first German male child born in Will Co. COL. JOHN B. FITHIAN, of the firm of Pithian & Avery, attorneys at law, Joljet ; was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Oct. 26, 1849 ; he is a son of Dr. William E. Pithian, a physician and Presbyterian JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 677 clergyman ; in 1857, the family removed to Iowa and resided in different parts of the State until 1862, when his father took charge of the Sanitary Department at Helsna, Ark.,' and afterward was appointed Medical Inspector of the Department of the Tennessee ; during that time John B. was Chief Clerk at Helena, and in 1863, re- ported to the Sanitary Department at Vicks- burg, and was present during the siege of that place ; after the war, he came to Illi- nois and followed the newspaper business at various points until 1873 ; he then came to Joliet, and was employed in various ca- pacities in the Illinois State Penetentiary until the spring of 1876 ; in the mean time he had been improving his spare time in studying law in the offices of Munn& Munn, and C. B. Garnsey, Esq., of Joliet; he was admitted to practice in September, 1876, and in September, 1877, formed a partnership with E. D. Avery, which still continues. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens' Corps, and on the organiza- tion of the 10th Battalion I. N. G-., was appointed Adjutant under Lt. Col. Parsons; in July, 1877, he resigned, but on the breaking-out of the Braidwood disturbances, he enlisted as a private, and served during the riot ; on the organization of the 12th Battalion, Oct. 15, 1877, he was elected Major, and on the 9th of February, 1878, was promoted to the rank of Leiut. Colonel, which position he still holds. He was mar- ried Jan. 18, 1878, to Miss Edna E. Whittaker, of Carlinville, 111. JOHN J. FLACK (deceased), formerly of Joliet, whose portrait appears in thiswork, was born on May 10, 1799, in Washington Co., N. Y. He married Dec. 24, 1818, Miss Elizabeth Nelson, who was born in same county Dec. 15, 1799. In 1819, he moved from Washington Co. to Essex Co., N. Y., and was largely engaged in farming and the manufacture of lumber and iron, also a large dealer in horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. He was also for many years an officer of the court. Mr. Flack having in the year 1844, purchased large tracts of land in the State of Illinois, moved his family to Joliet in 1845, and became very largely engaged in farming and stock-raising ; he also was interested in property, both in Chicago and Joliet. He was an officer of the court in Will Co., and Joliet also, for many years. He died Sept. 25, 1876, aged 80 years, 5 months and 15 days; his widow still sur- vives him, a good wife and mother, and a lady beloved by all. They had eight chil- dren, all born in Essex Co., N. Y. — Jane A., born Sept. 8, 1819; W. Nelson, Jan. 1, 1821; J. Alexander, Aug. 4, 1823; Mortimer A., May 25, 1825 ; Maria A., May 15, 1827; Whalon J., Nov. 23, 1829; Washington J., Sept. 19, 1832, and Martha J., born July 6, 1839. 0. FOX, dealer in clothing, hats, caps and gents furnishing goods, Joliet ; has ibeen a citizen of Will Co. for the past twenty-three years ; he was born in Stan- stead, Province of Quebec, Aug. 21, 1828 ; when he was about 15 years of age, he left home, and going to Boston, Mass., engaged as clerk in a mercantile house ; about six years later he went to New York City, where he remained the same length of time ; he came West in 1855, locating in Joliet, where he has been in business ever since ; first in the book and stationery business for some nine years ; then five yearsasacon- j tractor, employing the convict labor in the Penitentiary in the manufacturer of cigars ; in 1868, he engaged in his present business. He keeps a full supply of goods in his line at prices to suit the times ; in addition to this business, he has for the past three years carried on a Penitentiary contract in manufacturing cigars. He wds married June 16, 1858, to Miss Anna J. White, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and has four children living — Jennie A., Jessie B., Allie A. and Mamie J. Mr. Fox resides in a beautiful residence, one of the finest in Joliet, located on the bluffs overlooking the city. This was erected by him in 1874, and is an ornament to the city and a credit to its builder. i VALENTINE FAHRNER, M. D., I physician, Joliet ; was born in Marienbad, a watering-place of Bohemia, Dec. 9, 1803; he was educated at the Gymnasium of Egra, after which he pursued his pro- fessional studies at the University of Prague, where he graduated and received the degree of M. D. in 1833. He began practice in his native town, where he continued until 1854 ; he then came to this country, and located in Chicago; in 1868, he returned to Bohemia, remaining one year, and on coming again to the United States, spent two years in Mokena, III, coming to Joliet in 1871. He was married in 1842, to 678 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Miss Maria Anna Tauber, of Teschau, Bohemia ; she died May 28, 1873, leaving two children — John and Anna Catherine (now Mrs. Henry Lehner, of Troy Town- ship. John Fahrner, son of the above, was born in Marienbad, Bohemia, Feb, 11, 1 854, and came with his father's family to this country, and has continued with them ever since. He received his preparatory education in the school of the Benedictine Fathers in Chicago, after which he attended medical lectures in the University of Prague in Bohemia, and has since continued his professional studies under the instruc- tion of his father, with whom he is asso- ciated in practice. JOSEPH FRIEDRICH, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Biul, Weisserberg, near Strasbourg, Alsace, April 25, 1820 ; he was raised to the bus- iness of stock-raising and farming, and in 1840, came to the United States ; he spent about three months at work near Buffalo, N. Y.; going from there to Chicago, and shortly afterward coming to Joliet ; he worked for awhile on the.dam at I his place, and in the spring following went to Look- port, and was employed for about five months on the Canal ; thence, in the fall, to Chicago. The following summer, he located in Naperville, 111., and resided there till he settled in' Joliet in May, 1847, except a short time spent in the South ; in the spring of 1848, he purchased his present farm adjoining. the city, where he owns seventy-six acres of land. He was married Fob. 17, 1845, to Miss Sarah Weis, a native of Germany and has eight children — Joseph E., now in business in Joliet, Charles, Oswell J., Frank E., William, Sarah, Josephine and Annie. W. D. FAY, photograph artist, Joliet ; was born in Northampton Co., Penn., May 23, 1827 ; he entered upon the business of photographing at the age of 20 years, previously to which he had followed the trade of a tailor ; he continued the photo- graph business in his native State until 1860, when he removed to Joliet, where he has resided to the present time ; he is the oldest photographer in Joliet, and one of the oldest in the State. He held the office of Street Commissioner one year, and in 1869, was elected City Treasurer, holding the office two years ; he is at present Township School Treasurer, to which he was elected in June, 1877. He was married in 1858, to Miss Catharine R. WaldroB, of Harford, Penn., and has two children — Alpha A. and Winnifred W. JAMES H. FERRISS, P. 0. Joliet; of Nelson, Ferriss & Co., proprietors of the Joliet Morning News ; was born near Oswego, Kendall Co., 111. He is a son of Wm. H. Ferriss, formerly of Clinton Co., N. Y. His mother was Eliza M. Brown, formerly of Erie Co., Penn. The subject of this sketch became a resident of Bristol Station, 111., where he received a common school education ; at the age of 10 years he entered a store — half saloon and half grocery — -and tended bar till he was 14 years of age, when he was seized with a spiritual, or no-spirit-at>all turn, and joined the Good Templars. He afterward attended a commercial college, run a butcher- shop, lived three years as a Kansas squatter, followed the live-stock trade, and was one of the proprietors of the Yorkville Neios during the Peter Cooper campaign. He also reported for the Joliet Sun, in an obscure capacity, in 1874, and with three others launched the Phoenix newspaper enterprise, in Will Co., on Jan. 1, 1877. In October, the same year, he, with his present associates, purchased the Morning News, and since then has pursued a steady and consistent course. During all his eventful career, he has never been mar. ried, had any bones broken, or had his life insured, but lives on in hopefulness, etc. JAMES R. FLANDERS, attorney at law, firm of Hagar & Flanders, Joliet; was born Aug. 27, 1846, in Plainfield, Will Co., 111., and is a son of Jason and Lucy Flanders. He attended the pubhc schools of Plainfield, and the Northwestern College, located at Plainfield, until May, 1864, working on a farm during vacations. On the 10th of May, 1864, he enlisted in Company C, 132d I. V. I., serving un- til Oct. 17, 1864. After his discharge from the army, he returned to school, and remained in school until the spring of 1867; he then entered the law office of Randall & Fuller, in Joliet, and read law until Oct. 1867 ; he then taught school in Henry Co., 111., until the spring of 1868 ; read law during the summer, and the following winter, again taught school at the same place. During the summer of 1869, he JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 679 continued his law studies, and in Septem- ber of that year, entered the Law Depart- ment of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he graduated in March, 1871. He was admitted to the bar in Michigan, April 4, 1871, and to the bar of Illinois, June 20, 1871, and immediately began practice in Joliet. He was elected City Attorney of Joliet in the spring of 1873, and re-elected in the spring of 1874, and again elected in the spring of 1 876. In November, 1876, he was elected State's Attorney of Will County, which office he still holds. He was married to Miss Sarah A. Arnold, April 10, 1877. JAMES G-OODSPEED, publisher and proprietor of the Joliet Republican, Joliet ; was born in Tioga Co., Penn., Dec. 3, 1836 ; he came to Joliet in 1859 ; he was educated at Alfred University, N. Y., and after leaving college entered the law office of Goodspeed & McKobert in Joliet ; he was admitted to the bar in 1861, and continued in practice until 1869, when he purchased the Joliet Republican, which he has continued to publish to the present time. The Republican is the oldest Republican newspaper in the Seventh Congressional District, and has a larger circulation than any other paper published in the district ; it is issued both as a weekly and semi-weekly, and has a circu- lation of fully 1,800. Mr. Goodspeed was appointed Postmaster in 1871, and still holds the office. C. B. GARNSEY (Garnsey & Knox), attorney at law, Joliet ; was born in Liv- ingston Co., N. Y., Oct. 25, 1842; he was educated at the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, and in 1859 came to Will Co., spending a year or more in Wilmington ; in 1861, he entered the law department of the Chicago University, graduating July 1, 1862. On the 30th of the same month, he enlisted in Co. A, 100th 111. V. I.; was soon afterward transferred to the non- commissioned staff as Commissary Ser- geant of the regiment, and served as such during the war, being with his regiment from the time it left home, until its muster out in July, 1865, when he returned to Joliet, and entered upon the practice of his • profession. He was appointed Master in Chancery in 1867, and served four years, resigning in 1871. He is at present Cor- poration Counsel for the city of Joliet, to I which he was appointed Jan. 1, 1878. He was married in 1867 to Miss Mary A. Henderson, of Wilmington, 111., and has two children. W. D. GARDNER, steel-blower, Joliet ; was born in Portage Co., Ohio, in 1847; his life was that of a farmer's son until he was 22 years of age ; his father-in-law, A. S. Dunning, was for a number of years superintendent of the converting depart- ment of the Cleveland Rolling-Mills, and when in the employ of the same company in 1868 he came to Chicago. Mr. Gard- ner accompanied him, and engaged in the manufacture of steel for the Union Rolling- Mills Company ; in December, 1872, his father-in-law took the same position in the works at Joliet, where he remained till 1 877. Mr. Gardner came at the same time, and has remained ever since. He was married Dec. 27, 1868, to Anna B. Dunning, a native of Ohio ; has one daughter — Emma. He is recognized as one well qualified for the very responsible position he occupies. WM. GRINTON, Jr., real estate and loans, Joliet ; was born in the Province of Ontario March 17, 1844, but came to Plainfield, Will Co., with his parents when less than a year old, and, therefore, can almost be said to be a native of Will Co. ; he is a son of William Grinton, a promi- nent citizen of the county, the founder of the village of Grinton, in Troy Tp., and the builder of the Grinton Mill, one of the old landmarks. Mr. Grinton came to Joliet in 1853 ; was educated in the public schools of the city and at the Lake Forest Academy, 111., and after leaving school followed the grocery business in Joliet for two years ; he afterward spent a short time in the commission business in St. Louis ; he was also engaged for two years in the grocery business in Morris, 111., re- turning in 1868 to Joliet, and engaging in his present business ; on the organization of the Stone City Bank he became Cashier, and held that position the first two years. He was married March 24, 1864, to Miss Anna Stevens, daughter of the late Robert Stevens, one of the early settlers of Will Co. ; their children are Robert W., Anna L., Jessie and Orace. ALBERT H. GREEN, foreman of the shoe department of the Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet; born March 10, 1855, 680 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: in Brooklyn, N. Y., where lie lived until the year 1869, when he came West and engaged in the shoe business at Marshall- town, Iowa, for one year; then returning to New York in 1870, where he remained six years, he again engaged in the manufacture of shoes ; he emigrated West and to Joliet in 1876, where he has continued to work at the shoe business until the present time ; has been foreman of the treeing, packing and shipping department since March, 1877. He married Aug. 2, 1877, to Miss AUie Vanderhoff, daughter of Levi VanderhofF, of Joliet ; they are the par- ents of one daughter, born Sept. 18, 1878. JOHN GREEN, superintendent of the shoe department at the Illinois State Prison, Joliet; born in London, Bng., Dec. 27, ; educated at the Clifton boarding school, Northamptonshire ; served two years as assistant commercial traveler in London and vicinity; in 1844, came to Brooklyn, N. Y., and learned the shoe business in all its details ; he then visited England, and, upon returning, traveled through the Eastern States, and worked in some of the Eastern factories. In 1852, he married Miss Margaret Ann i Granger, of Brooklyn, N. Y., and traveled one year through the Eastern States as salesman, returning then to the shoe manufacture as foreman of a feshionable custom business ; then traveled again three years as salesman, when he again returned to factory life, first as cutter, then as foreman and super- intendent, in which capacity he is now en- gaged, and has been for the past twenty years. His first wife died m 1870, leaving five children — Albert H. (now foreman in the shoe department, who married Miss Allie Vanderhofi', of Joliet, and has one daughter — Carrie H., now Mrs. William Henderson, of Brooklyn, N-. Y.), Ida E., William and John (who died in 1871). In 1872, Mr. G. married Miss Harriet A. Bazin, daughter of John H. Bazin, Esq., and removed to Joliet in 1874 with his family, excepting Carrie. The factory under his direction was the first ever started to make exclusively fine shoes with convict labor. Mr. Green has been a fre- quent contributor to the shoe trade journals of the country for many years, in 1872, furnishing one hundred and eighty col- umns, many of the articles being repub- lished in the trade journals of England, France and Germany. ALEXANDER GROSS, general super- intendent of the stone-cutting department Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet ; born in Baden, Germany, Jan. 26, 1834, where he lived until 20 years of age, learning and working at the trade of stone-cutting in his father's quarries ; he emigrated to America in 1854, landing in New York July 26, and came to Chicago the follow- ing September, engaging at his trade for two months, when he went to Macon Co. and worked at farming for four months; returning to Chicago, he again engaged at his trade until the panic of 1857, when he came to Joliet, and after working one year as foreman of the stone cutting de- partment of the Illinois State Penitentiary, he was appointed general superintendent, in 1858, which position he has filled with credit since that date, a period of twenty years. Mr. . Gross married in February, 1868, Margaret Vebel ; she was born in Prussia; they are the parents of five children, three living, viz., Laura, Theo- dore, Rosetta; the deceased are Albert and Amelia. JOHN GREENWOOD, farmer. Sec. 25; P- 0. Joliet; born in Herefordshire, England, Sept. 29, 1813; came to this country when 18 years of age, living in New York State eight years, following farming ; removed to Will Co., 111., in 1840, where he has continued the occupa- tion of farming ; he owns 240 acres of land, worth $60 per acre. Married Mary Ann Brown, of New York State, June 1, 1836 ; they had thirteen children by this union — George, born Aug 5,1838; Mary, May 11, 1840; John W., June 27, 1842, deceased ; Harvey B., Dec. 26,1844, deceased; William, Nov. 27, 1846; Jane, April 11, 1848, deceased; Llewellyn, November, 1850, deceased; Bennett, Oct 23, 1-852, deceased ; Sarah, April 11, 1854, deceased; John Fletcher, Sept. 2, 1856, deceased ; and three children who died in infancy. Mrs. Greenwood died Aug. 27, 1874. Mr. Greenwood mar- ried for his second wife Sarah A. Houston on Jan. 23, 1875 ; she was born in Huron Co., Ohio ; they have one child by this un- ion — Charles Albert, born April 7, 1877. Mr. Greenwood has held the office of School Director for more than twenty years. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 681 FRANK HAVILAND, proprietor of livery, sale and hoarding stable, Joliet ; was born in Ithaca, Tompkins Co., N. Y., March 15, 1842. Early in 1862, he en- listed in the 109th N. Y. Vols., and was appointed a Sergeant in Company A ; he served in the Army of the Potomac, and participated in all the engagements of that army until the battle of Petersburg, where he was wonnded June 17, 1864 ; he received three wounds, one in the left hand, by a fragment of a shell, which car- ried away one of his fingers, and at the same time two wounds in the right leg ; on his re- covery, he was sent on detached duty to An- napolis, Md., where he remained till his discharge in August, 1865, just previous to which he received an unsolicited and unexpected commission as First Lieuten- ant. He came to Joliet in the fall of 1865, and the pext spring engaged in his present business ; he has served one year as City Marshal and one term as a member of the Board of Aldermen of Joliet. He was married Dec. 3, 1874, to Miss Merrion Millar, of the town of Troy, WUl Co., 111. H. HENRY HAYEN, blacksmith, Joliet; born in Germany in 1845, where he lived untU 21 years of age, where he learned and worked at the trade of black- smith until he emigrated to America, landing in New York, Oct. 29, 1866; came directly to Joliet, Will Co., 111., and engaged in blacksmithing, wagon- making and general repairing, and manufacturing all kinds of stone- cutters' and marble- workers' tools, which business he has since successfully followed. He was married July 16, 1872, and has two children now living, viz., Francis and Mary. Mr. Hayen owns his place of busi- ness and residence located at No. 91 Bluff street, which he has made by his own hard labor. EDWARD C. HAGAR, attorney at law (firm of Hagar & Flanders), Joliet ; was born in Plainfield, Will Co., 111., April 19, 1846 ; he is the son of Jonathan and Catharine (Goodhue) Hagar ; his father came from Cleveland, Ohio, and settled in Plainfield in 1835 ; he was the first merchant in that town ; his mother is a daughter of Deacon Ezra Goodhue, and came to Plainfield with her fathers's fam- ily in 1834. Mr. Hagar was educated at the Northwestern Evangelical College in his native town, graduatina: in 1867 ; in 1870, he entered the Law Departinent of the University of Michigan, completing his course and graduating in the spring of 1872 ; he was admitted to the bar in Michigan in April, 1872, and by the Supreme Court of Illinois in June of the same year. In November, 1872, he was elected State's Attorney, and in December following, he formed a law partnership with James R. Flanders, which still con- tinues ; he held the office of State's At- torney four years. He was married March . 24, 1875, to Miss Hattie C. Gager, a native of Warren, Ohio, and has one child — Elmer G. H. HOWK, retired merchant and miller, Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Watertown, Jcfierson Co., N. Y., Feb. 23, 1806 ; in his early life he engaged ex- tensively in lumbering in his native State ; in 1851, he came west, and located in Jol- iet, and in connection with Joel A. Matte- son, afterward Governor of the State, took a contract on the R. I. &P. R. R., extend- ing from Blue Island to within ten miles of Joliet; they graded and put in the culverts a distance of thirty-four miles. His son subsequently built a store-room on the West Side, near the lock, and engaged in supplying boats on the Canal. Mr. Howk built the Joliet Mills, on the lock, with six runs of stone, and in company with Mr. Hyde, his nephew, and now sole proprietor, operated them seven years ; he contracted all the machinery in Watertown, N. Y. ; since retiring from the mill, he has not been actively engaged in business pursuits, but is leading a quiet, retired life, enjoying the fruits of honest toil and the compe- tency gained by a well-directed and well- spent early manhood. H. D. HIGINBOTHAM, deceased, for- merly of Joliet, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Worcester, Otsego Co., N. Y., Jan. 10,1806; he was brought up upon a farm, and had such advantages of educa- tion as were offered at the district school of his neighborhood ; his father's ancestors were English, and settled in Barbadoes in the early settlement of the American Col- onies ; his grandfather lived in Rhode Island, and married a Miss Lippit, of Providence ; he followed the sea for some time, as captain of a whaler from Newport ;. 682 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Charles Higinbotham, the father of H. D., was horn in Rhode Island, and came to Ot- sego Co., N. Y., with his parents, about the year 1800 ; he married Miss Gertrude Du- mont, of Westford, N. Y. ; from this mar- riage the subject of this sketch was born, and in 1831 , married Miss RebecoaWheeler, of Westford, N. Y. ; she was born in Ca- naan, Columbia Co., N. Y. ; soon after their marriage they moved to Oneida, N. Y. ; there he engaged in the blacksmith business, and in June, 1834, moved to lUinois, and settled on Hickory Creek, in the now town of Joliet, and purchased a farm of 160 acres: here he engaged in farming and blaoksmithing, and was very successful in his business; in 1854, and for some time after, he was engaged in a saw-raill and planing-mill, at what is now called the Red Mills of Hickory Creek. Here on Hickory Creek all their children were born, except Albert H., the eldest, who was born in New Lenox, Madison Co., N. Y., Nov. 5, 1831; Ambrosia R. was born Oct. 1, 1834; Ann Eliza, Dec. 2, 1836; Harlow N., Oct. 10,1838; Gertrude D., July 6, 1842 ; Mary Ellen, Sept. 27, 1845, and Charles S., Dec. 24, 1848. Of these, Albert H. married Elizabeth Ella White, of Chicago, and are now living in Joliet; Ambrosia R. married M. 0. Cagwin, of Joliet ; Ann Eliza married M. G. Dem- mond, of Joliet ; Harlow N. married Rachael Davidson, of Joliet ; he is in the mercantile house of Field, Leiter & Co., Chicago; Gertrude D. married Thomas Leddy, of Joliet, both deceased ; Mary Ellen married R. C. Darwin, of Joliet ; she is now de- ceased ; Charles S. married Cynthia L. Kemp, of New Lenox, now residing in Kansas. H. D. Higinbotham and family moved to Joliet in the fall of 1854 ; he built a fine residence on Cass St., where he resided until his death ; with his energy and perseverance, he aided very much in making the city of Joliet what it is to-day. He held several prominent ofiices under the city government. He died March 13, 1865, leaving a widow and children and a large circle of friends to mourn his loss. His widow, Rebecca Higinbotham, in 1871, married C. H. Sutphen, a prominent citi- zen of La Salle Co., 111., and a cousin of the late H. D. Higinbotham ; Mr. and Mrs. Sutphen now reside at the old Hig- inbotham homestead, on Cass st., Joliet. GEORGE HOUCK, of the firm of Houck & Brown, tanners and curriers, wholesale and retail dealers in sole-leather and shoe findings, etc., Joliet ; was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, Dec. 13, 1827 ; when he was about 12 years of age, his parents came to this country, and pur- chased a farm in Erie Co., N. Y. ; Mr. Houck remained on the farm until 1846, when he went to Buffalo, and entered the employ of ex-President Millard Fillmore, where he continued one year ; he then served three years at the tanner and cur- rier's trade, learning thoroughly every branch of the business ; in 1850, he came to Chicago, living there until 1853, when he came to Joliet, and entered the employ of Mack & Cleghorn ; in 1863 the firm of Mack, Cleghorn & Co. was formed, Mr. Houck becoming partner ; the same year, they built the Joliet Tannery ; the present firm of Houck & Brown was formed in 1876; they give employment to twenty men. Mr. Houck was married in 1853, to Miss Anna Hohman, of Chicago, a native of Hess Cassel, Germany ; they have three children living — Mary, now Mrs. William Grassley, of Chicago ; Lizzie, wife of Fred- erick Steinburn, of Joliet, and Annie S. HON. HUGH HENDERSON, Joliet; deceased ; was born on the 9th day of June, 1809, in Norway, Herkimer Co., N. Y. ; he received his education at Fair- field Seminary, in his native county ; after which he read law in the office of George Feeter, Esq., a prominent lawyer of Little Falls, Herkimer Co.; in 1836, he came to Joliet, and shortly after his arrival was admitted to the bar, and at once took high rank among the members of the legal pro- fession. He was married Dec. 23, 1837, to Miss Helen A. Myers of Herkimer Co., who came to Joliet in the fall of 1836, and who still survives him, living in the same house which he built in 1838. In 1837, he was elected County Judge, hold ing the office one year ; he was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1845 ; in 1849, he was elected Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, and held the office until his death, which occurred on the 19th of October, 1854, while on his first visit to his old home in Norway, N. Y. We quote the following from the re- marks of the late Hon. Uri Osgood, on the occasion of presenting to the Circuit JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 683 €ourt, the proceedings of the Will County Bar, upon the death of Judge Henderson : " By his knowledge of the law, his un- remitting attention to the duties of his office, his urbanity, his sterling integrity, and accommodating business habits, he acquired the affections and respect of the members of the bar, and the people of the ' circuit ; he had attained a high position as a lawyer and a judge ; he was firm but courteous, honorable and irreproachable in morals, and in all the relations of private life ; he was respected and honored, and highly esteemed as a useful member of society." He left four children — Sarah Margaret, who was born Oct. 21, 1839, and is now the wife of Capt. John A. Kelly, of Lyons, Mich. ; Daniel C, who was born May 31, 1845, learned the print- er's trade in Joliet, and in 1866, went to Chicago, and entered the employ of Hor- ton & Leonard ; in 1870, he returned to Joliet, and in 1871, established the Joliet Record, a Democratic weekly newspaper, which has steadily increased in circulation and influence, and has a circulation of 850 copies ; James E., the second son, was born May 23, 1848, learned the printing busi- ness, and is now associated with his brothers on the Record; John D., the youngest son, was born Oct. 16, 1851, en- tered the telegraph office of the C, A. & St. L. R. R. Co., about ten years ago, re- maining until some five years ago, at which time he joined his brothers in the publication of the Record. DR. M. F. HAND, dental surgeon; Joliet ; has been a practicing dentist in this city for the past twenty-two years ; he was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., May 5, 1834 ; he received an academic education, and at about the age of 18 years, began the study of dentistry ; in 1856, he came to Joliet, and began the practice of his profession. In 1862, he enlisted in Co. H, 100th 111. Vols., serving in the army of the Cumber- land, and afterward in the Quartermaster's Department of the Army of the Tennessee, under Capt. Alexander Mcintosh, of this city ; returning in July, 1865, he resumed practice in Joliet. He was married Jan. 14, 1874, to Miss Harriet E. Speer, of Joliet. P. C. HALEY (of the firm of Haley & O'Donnell), attorney at law, Joliet; was born in Saranac, Clinton Co., N. Y., March 17, 1849, and came to this county with his parents in 1852 ; he was educated in the Joliet Union School and the Uni- versity of Notre Dame, Ind., reading law during vacations in the office of T. L. Breokenridge, of this city; in 1870, he entered the law department of the Univer- sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., where he graduated in 1871 ; he was admitted to the bar in October, 1871, and began practice in May, 1872, in company with James K. Flanders, having an office in Joliet and also in Wilmington ; this part- nership continued until December, 1872, when it was dissolved, and Mr. Haley con- tinued alone until 1874, when the present firm of Haley & O'Donnell was formed. Mr. Haley is at present Alderman from the Fifth Ward, being elected in April, 1878 ; he also served as City Attorney in 1874. He was married Dec. 1, 1875, to Miss Mary A. D'Aroy, of Joliet, and has one child — Margaret C. OTIS HARDY ; P. 0. Joliet ; one of the early settlers of Will Co. ; was born near Windsor, Vt., Sept. 23, 1810; in 1813, his parents left their Eastern home and made the journey to Marietta, Ohio, descending the Alleghany and Ohio Rivers on rafts; in 1819, they removed to Meigs Co., Ohio ; when he was 14 years old, Mr. Hardy was apprenticed to the trade of a carpenter, serving an apprenticeship of six years, and receiving during that time the sum eighteen pence ; he came to Joliet in 183'6, making the journey from Cincin- nati on horse-back, previous to which he spent about four years in Louisiana ; he continued the carpenter's trade until 1848, when he engaged in the lumber business for twenty years, or until 1868, since which time he has been in the banking and gas business ; he is one of the original stockholders of the First National Bank, and a stockholder in the Joliet Gas-Light Co. since 1862; he has always been an active temperance man, and for the past two years has been President of the Joliet Reform Club ; he is a zealous member of the M. B. Church, to which he has be- longed since he was 22 years of age, assisting liberally in the support of all its enterprises ; he buUt, at his own expense, the Richards Street M. E. Church and parsonage at a cost of over $5,000 ; he also bore about half the expense of build- 684 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: ing the chapel at the Rolling-Mills, which cost some $2,000, besides contributing largely to the building and support of the Ottawa Street Church ; he has been a member of the Quarterly Conference since 1837, and President of the Will County Bible Society for the past forty years. He was married Oct. 14, 1838, to Miss An- gelia Hopkins, of Joliet, a native of Ver- mont; they have three children living — Mrs. W. J. Maclay, of Napa City, Cal., Mrs. N. D. Dyer, and Mrs. T. H. Mc- Bride, of Joliet. GEORGE S. HOUSE, attorney at law, Joliet; is a native of this State; he was born in Grundy Co., then a part of Cook Co., March 1, 1837 ; he is a son of Rod- ney House, one of the early settlers of Will Co., and now a resident of Joliet ; he came with his parents to Joliet in infancy, and this city has been his home ever since ; he prepared for college in Utica Academy, Oneida Co., N. Y., after which he entered Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y., in 1856, graduating in 1860 ; he then pursued the study of law under Prof. Theodore W. Dwight, now of Columbia College, New York, receiving the degree of B. L. in 1862 ; returning to Joliet, he entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he still continues. He was mar- ried in 1863 to Miss Virginia A. Osgood, daughter of the late Hon. Uri Osgood, of Joliet, and has five children. JOHN HULSWORTH, foreman of the smith-shops, Joliet ; was born March 2, 1822, in Yorkshire, Eng. ; he emi- grated to America in 1847, and first labored in Philadelphia and New York about one year ; he next went to Rich- mond, Va., and remained a short time; he then made a tour through the Southern States, visiting New Orleans, Memphis, and various other cities South and West, finally locating in St. Louis in the latter part of 1849 ; here he remained till 1853 ; he then came to Alton, on the C, A. & St. L. R. R., where he was foreman most of the time in the shops till August, 1859 ; he then came to Joliet, and was eight years foreman in the shops of the State Prison ; he was next foreman for the Dillman Manufacturing Company four years ; in 1871, he took the position of foreman in the shops of the Joliet Iron and Steel Works, which he still holds. He was married in 1854 to Caroline P. Bryant, a native of Connecticut ; had one son — John H., deceased, and one, Edwin A., living. C. B. HAYWARD, publisher and pro- prietor of the Joliet Daily and Weekly Sun, Joliet ; was born in Fairfield, Frank- lin County, Ind., July 1, 1844; at the age of ten years he entered the office of the Locomotive, in Indianapolis, completing his trade with Cameron & McNeely, book and job printers. In 1860, he went to Carthage, Mo., where, with his brother, he engaged in publishing The South- west. On the breaking-out of the war, their oflice was captured by the rebels, and taken into Arkansas. Mr. Hayward made his way to Fort Scott, Kansas, and pur- chased the Port Scott Bidletin, and a year and a half later took a partner and founded the Fort Scott Union Monitor, now one of the leading papers of Kansas, which he continued to publish about a year and a half. In the mean time, he was appointed U. S. Assessor, for that division, and served about a year and a half. He then came to Marseilles, 111., where he re- sided one year, and from that place to Joliet, and had charge of the Joliet Re- publican oflice about a year and three months. In 1872, he established the Joliet Sun. He has built up an extensive job-printing business, and a large and healthy circulation among the best people of the county. The Daily Sun is the oldest and largest daily published in the Seventh Congressional District. Mr. Hayward was married in April, 1872, to Miss Mary E. Monroe, daughter of George Monroe, of Joliet, and has three children — Josephine, George B. and Thomas. MRS. HANNAH HUTCHINS, farm- er ; P. 0. Joliet ; the widow of Wm. H. Hutchins, resides one mile north of Joliet ; she was born Aug. 28, 1817, in Saratoga Co., N. Y. ; she was married to W. H. Hutchins in 1837, in New York State. Mr. Hutchins was born in New York City, Sept. 1, 1817, where he lived until 15 years of age, when he removed to Northern New York, where he lived three years ; then to Saratoga, where he was married, living there nearly five years ; thence to New York City, living there five years. He removed to .Will Cc^ JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 685 111., in 1847, and always lived within four miles of their present home. In early life, Mr. Hutchins was engaged in mer- cantile business, after coming West, he was engaged in loaning money and dealing in real estate. They had seven children by this union, viz, ; Thomas H., George Ed- gar, deceased, Sarah E., deceased ; Anna M., Mary E., Jennie C. and William J. Geo. Edgar died from wounds received in the army. Mr. Hutchins died July 21, 1877. ELVIS HARWOOD, deceased; Joliet ; whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Wilmington, Ind., May 17, 1824; where he remained until he was sixteen years of age ; he then commenced the study of law in the office of Alexander C. Downey, at Aurora, Ind., and was admitted to practice Dec. 14, 1843; after the end of one year, finding this profession unsuited to his tastes, he studied medicine with his brother, John Harwood, M. D., and after .attending a course of lectures in the med- ical college of Ohio, in the years 1846-47, practiced for three years at Crete and New Lenox, in this county, and in the year 1850, coming to Joliet, continued the practice of his profession up to 1868, from which time, up to the day of his death, Feb. 1, 1870, he was largely engaged in the real estate business. lu 1861, he went to California, returning from there in the summer of 1862. The same summer, he was appointed Assistant Surgeon of the 100th Regiment I. Y. I., being afterward promoted to Surgeon of the " Pioneer Brigade," which position he held until his resignation, on account of ill health, in the spring of 1863. He was elected Alder- man of the city of Joliet, from 1863-67, and Mayor, 1868-69. He married Miss Helen A. Cagwin (daughter of Abijah Cagwin, of Joliet), Jan. 24, 1850 ; she was born Oct. 30, 1830 ; they had five children, three living — Alma L., William E. and Bertha H. ; and two deceased — Flora A. and G-eorge T. J. A. HENRY, retired, Joliet; the above-named gentleman has been a resi- dent of Joliet for the past twenty years; he is a native of Hunterdon Co., N. J., and was born April 25, 1825 ; he began railroading in 1842, on the Hartford & New Haven Railroad, where he remained four years, and then spent four years more on the New Haven & Northampton Rail- road, at the end of ^hich time he came West and engaged in railroad contracting in Ohio and Indiana ; in the year 1858, he came to Joliet and spent several years as roadmaster of the Chicago & Alton R. R., after which he built two branches of the road ; in 1870, he went to Texas and built- the Houston & Great Northern Railroad ; at the end of three years, he returned to Joliet and erected his elegant residence on Eastern avenue, the finest in the city. He was married in Winsted, Conn., April 26, 1846, to Miss Nancy Briggs, of Winsted; she died Jan. 21, 1878, leaving one daughter, wife of Dr. Julius Folk, of Joliet. GEORGE H. EOSMBR, M. D., physician and surgeon, Joliet ; is 'the old- est son of W. H. C. Hosmer, the poet, author and lecturer ; he traces his ancestry to a period prior to the Revolutionary war; at the battle of Concord the first two who fell by a volley of British musketry, were Capt. Davis and Abner Hosmer, the latter of whom was a lineal ancestor of the sub- ject of this sketch ; the Doctor's great- grandfather, Dr. Timothy Hosmer, was surgeon of the Sixth Continental Regi- ment in the war of the Revolution, and afterwards a prominent pioneer in the set- tlement of the Holland Purchase, in Western New York ; his father, George Hosmer, was an aide-de-camp of General Schuyler in the war of 1812 ; a prominent lawyer, member of the State Legislature, and for twenty-one years District Attorney of Livingston Co., N. Y.; Miss Harriet Hosmer, the famous sculptress, is also a cousin. Dr. Hosmer was born in Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., Aug. 23,1839; he thoroughly prepared for college at the Owego Academy, where he spent nine years ; he then entered the University of New York, remaining two years in the literary department, after which he pur- sued a three-years course in the medical department of the same institution,, grad- uating in 1865 ; he practiced medicine one year in Ontario Co., N. Y., removing thence to New Baltimore, Macomb Co., Mich., where he remained until his re- moval to Joliet in 1870. He was married in 1866, to Miss Ann Belford, of Boston, and has one son — George B. Dr. Hosmer is a regular physician, but clings to no 686 BIOGEAPHICA.L SKETCHES: dogma, seizing upon any remedy froin whatever source, which will accomplish his object, the relief of the patient and the cure' of the disease; he takes an active interest in educational matters, and is now on his second term as a member of the Board of School Inspectors of Joliet. A. W. HEISE, M. D., physician and surgeon, Joliet ; one of the oldest and most prominent physicians of Joliet, was born in Bramsche, in the Province of Hanover, Germany, Sept. 4, 1823; he received his literary education at the Gymnasium of Osnabruck, and entered the University of Goettingen, where he pursued his medical course, and graduated in 1846 ; he then attended a covirse of medical lectures in the University of Heidelberg, receiving the ad eundem de- gree of M. D. from that institution, in 1847 ; taking part in the revolution of 1848, he was compelled to leave the coun- try, and accordingly sought a home in America; a general pardon of all those implicated was issued some five years later by the German Government, but Dr. Hcise being then so long in this country, and intending to make it his permanent home, did not care to take advantage of it ; the first year in this country he spent in traveling in the Eastern and Southern States, supporting himself by correspond- ing with some of the German newspapers ; in 1849 he located in Du Page Co., 111., and continued the practice of medicine there until 1856 ; he then went to New York as House Surgeon in the Marine Hospital on Ward's Island, remaining there until September, 1857, when he came to Joliet, and has been engaged in the practice of his profession here ever since. In 1861, he entered the army as Surgeon of the 11th I. V. I., and the following spring was appointed Surgeon of the 100th I. V. I.; after the battle of Murfreesboro, he was promoted to Brigade Surgeon, and after the battle of Chicka- mauga, was appointed Operator of the Brigade, with the privilege of choosing his own assistants without regard to rank ; owing to illness, he was afterward obliged to retire from active service in the field, and was appointed Inspector of Hospitals and Consulting Surgeon of the Corps ; in 1864, owing to continued ill health, he tendered his resignation, which was finally accepted with a*great deal of reluctance • his ability and skill as an army surgeon were so apparent as to merit and receive recognition and honorable mention in the " Medical and Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion ;" in 1872, he was appointed Physician in Charge of the Illinois State Penitentiary, in this city, which position he still holds. L. E. INGALLS, real estate and loans, Joliet ; is a native of Will Co. ; he was born in the present town of Du Page Oct. 26, 1839 ; he is a son of Henry Ingalls, who came from Vermont and settled in that township in 1837, and resided there until 1841, when he removed across the line into Du Page Co., and there lived until his death, which occurred March 10, 1876. He left a family of nine children, all but one of whom are now living. The subject of this sketch remained at. home until he was about 15 years old ; then after spending three years in this county, he went to Iowa, and remained four years,, going thence to Wisconsin, where he spent two years in the lumber business ; return- ing to Illinois, he continued the same busi- ness in Lemont, Cook Co. ; he came to Joliet in 1870, and followed the lumber business till 1871, when he disposed of his business to Mason & Plants, and since then has been farming and dealing in real estate, etc. He owns a fine farm of 260 acres on Sec. 12, well improved with good build- ings where he resides, and is engaged quite extensively in stock-raising and dairying. He was married Oct. 27, 1865, to Miss Millie Emmerson, of Door Co., Wis. ; she died March 7, 1868. Mr. Ingalls was married again, on Jan. 14, 1870, to Miss Esther E. Bartholmew, of Marengo, Mc- Henry Co., Ill ; they have four children — Millie R., Roy K., Myra B. H. and Charles L. REV. SOLOMON KNAPP, Joliet; one of the pioneer ministers of Will Co. ; was born in Mayfield, Fulton Co., N. Y., then a part of Montgomery Co., March 29, 1803 ; he was brought up on a farm, his father being an extensive farmer, and em- ploying a large number of men ; his educa- tion was such as was afibrded by the com- mon schools up to the time he began study- ing for the ministry and preaching, which was when he was 29 years of age. He was ordained a clergyman of the Baptist JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 687 Church in February, 1834, previous to which, he originated the Baptist movement in Grloversville, N. Y., which has since grown to be one of the most important Baptist interests in the State. At 31, he removed to Cayuga Co. and took charge of a large church in Cato. During his min- istry of four years, he received 300 new members into the church, 183 of them by baptism ; he afterward spent two years in Port Byron, N. Y., coming to Will Co. in 1840 ; he settled in Homer, and took charge of the Baptist Church in Joliet, preaching in the afternoonin Lockport, and in Homer in the evening. In 1841, he be- came Pastor of the church known as the Aux Plaines Church, now the Hadley Church, removing in the fall of the same year to Rockford, 111., where he became Pastor of the First Baptist Church ; at the close of the first year, owing to an adverse family affliction, he was obliged to sever his con- nection with the Rockford Church and re- turn to Homer; in 1843, he took chaige of the church in Plainfield, remaining two years, during which time he organized the Baptist Churchat Lockport, having pastoral charge of both churches ; he was afterward again) Pastor of the Hadley Church, and took the preliminary measures for the erec- tion of their house of worship ; in 1854, he removed to Cedar Falls, Iowa, and organized the Baptist Church there, and had charge of the church in Waterloo ; two years later he returned to Homer, broken down in health, and settled on a farm ; he continued farming five years, and then re- moved to the city of Lockport, residing there two years, during which time he preached nine months in Metamora, 111., witnessing a glorious ingathering in the church, and some $75,000 added to the finances of the church ; since then he has had pastoral charge of churches in Seneca, Morris Co., and in Gilman, Iroquois Co., besides which, he has supplied the churches in the vicinity until his voice failing, he was obliged to discontinue preaching. He was first married in 1823, to Miss Eliza E. Lanfear, of his native town ; she died in Homer in February, 1853, leaving six children. He was married again, in June, 1853, to Miss Martha H. Cook, a native of Hadley, Mass., and who was one of the pioneer teachers of Will Co., having come in 1840; they have one daughter — Florence C. Mr. Knapp unites financial ability with power as a preacher, and although his benefactions have always exceeded any salary he has received, he is still the possessor of a comfortable compe- tence. HENRY C. KNOWLTON, Cashier of the Will County National Bank, Joliet ; is a son of Calvin Knowlton, President of the above-named bank ; he was born in Spen- cer, Worcester Co., Mass., April 29,1842 ; he lived in the city of Worcester until he was 12 years of age, his father being en- gaged in business in that city ; at the age of 12 years, he accompanied his parents to New Albany, Ind. ; thence to Michigan City, and in 1856, to Joliet ; he received an English education in the public schools, and in 1861, entered the ofiice of his father, then Assistant Superintendent of the Michi- gan Central Railroad ; he remained there until the organization of the Will County National Bank, which he entered as Assist- ant Cashier ; in 1877, he was elected Cashier. He was married on the 20th of November, 1870, to Miss Sophie Lippen- cott, of Wilkesbarre, Penn., and has one child — Joseph L. JULIUS KRAUSE, watchmaker and jeweler, dealer in watches, clocks, silver- ware, etc., Joliet; was born in Silesia, Prussia, Dec. 2, 1843 ; he is a son of Julius Krause, who was an inspector and general overseer of the estate of one of the nobility in that country ; when he was about 14 years old, he was apprenticed to learn the watchmaker's trade, and after completing his apprenticeship, he worked at his trade in various places until 1868, when he came to this country, and the same year began business in Joliet. He was married Feb. 14, 1871, to Miss Mar- garita Young, daughter of Henry Young, of Joliet ; she was born in Bufialo, N. Y., June 2, 1852, and came to Joliet with her parents in 1858 ; they have three children — Henry A. G., Julius J. A. and Juaneta J. M. CALVIN KNOWLTON, President of the Will County National Bank, Joliet ; was born in Worcester Co., Mass., Jan. 2, 1817 ; in 1842, he went into business for himself in Worcester, where he remained until 1848 ; he then began railroading as train-dispatcher on the Worcester and Nashua Railroad ; in 1853, he removed 688 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: to New Albany, Ind., as Superintendent of the Louisville, New Albany & Chicago Railroad, shortly afterward changing his residence to Michigan City ; he came to Joliet in 1856, and held the position of Superintendent of the Joliet Division of the Michigan Central Railroad, afterward becoming Assistant Superintendent of the entire road, and continued as such until 1873 ; in 1871, the Will County National Bank was established, and, during that year, Mr. Knowlton was elected President. He has served two years as Alderman, but with that exception has avoided public offices of all kinds. He was married in 1838 to Miss Mary C. Warren, also a native of Worcester Co., Mass., and has two sons — Henry C, Cashier of the Will County National Bank, and Edward R., a grain dealer of Joliet. JOHN P. KING, dealer in lumber, etc. (King & Bishop), Joliet ; was born near Terre Haute, Ind., Dec. 18, 1832 ; in 1835, his father, Andrew King, came to Will Co., and opened up a farm near the present city of Joliet, on which he re- sided until his death, which occurred in 1849 ; he left a family of eleven children, of whom eight are now living in this State, four of them being residents of Joliet. The oldest son was John P., the subject of this sketch ; when he was 19 years of age, he made the journey, via the Isthmus, to California, where he followed mining, farming and staging for twelve years, being for three years one of the proprietors of the stage-line from Yreka to Red Bluffs ; he returned to Joliet in 1864, and, in 1866, engaged in the lumber business, which he has continued ever since ; in 1869, W. W. Bishop became a partner, the firm now being King and Bishop. He is at present Alderman from the Seventh Ward, to .which he was elected in April, 1877 ; he was elected School Trustee in June, 1877, and still holds the office ; he is a prominent member and Trustee of the Universalist Church. He was married Sept. 12, 1867, to Miss Hannah Leonard, of Joliet, and has three children — Lulu B., G-ertie and Harless W. A. P. KNOX, of the firm of Garnsey & Knox, attorneys at law, Joliet; is a native of this State; he was born in Kane Co., on the 12th of January, 1840 ; en becom- ing of age, he came to Joliet in 1861, and. about four years afterward, began the study of law in the office of Messrs. Goodspeed & Snapp ; he was admitted to the bar in 1867, and began practice in Joliet, form- ing a partnersliip with Messrs. Goodspeed & Snapp, which continued for several years, the firm being Goodspeed, Snapp & Knox ; the present firm of Garnsey & Knox was formed in 1877. BIr. Knox was appointed Master in Chancery for Will' Co. in 1871, holding the office' until 1877. He was married Sept. 2, 1869, to Miss Jennie McGovney, of Joliet, and has one child. JOHN KEYES, druggist, Joliet ; was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., Nov. 27, 1841 ; in May, 1869, he came West, and in July following, located in Lemont, Cook Co., 111., when he entered the employ of B. Van Buren & Co., as clerk in the drug busi- ness; in October, 1869, he came to Joliet, where he has since resided ; here he first clerked for J. H. Brown & Co., druggists, remaining three years ; in April, 1873, he opened a store for J. M. Brown, having general charge of the business ; June 1, 1874, he formed a copartnership with F. W. Schroeder, which continued three years and two months ; in November, 1877, he started in business for himself He was married Oct. 21, 1872, to Beulah T. Thornton, a native of Troy Tp., Will Co., 111. ; her father, Cary Thornton, whose portrait appears in the work, is one of the pioneer settlers of Troy Tp., and is the oldest living early settler of that section. Mr. Keyes is thoroughly versed in his pro- fession, and is recognized as a man well qualified in every respect for his business. THOMAS J. KELLY, dry goods; Joliet ; born in Ireland, and emigrated when quite young to America, landing in New York Jan. 8, 1848; on account of ill health he remained with his uncle, the Rev. John Kelly, in Jersey City, for one year, he then came West, locating in Joliet May 11, 1849 ; he then lived jipon his father's farm until 1854, when he entered the College of Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind., remaining here until February, 1856, when, on account of ill health, he went East, remaining with his uncle, Eugene Kelly, in New York City, one year, when he went to St. Mary's College, Wilmington, Del., where he remained two years; then one year at the College of the Holy Cross, (DEaASEDJ LOCKPORT JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 691 near Montreal, Canada; he then returned to Joliet, and remained upon his father's farm until ISGT, when he engaged in the above business, which he has since success- fully followed, being the oldest continuous dry goods house in Joliet ; during the period from 1868 to 1876, his junior brother was associated with him ; at the latter date, he purchased his brother's interest, since which time he has continued the business alone. He married Sept. 10, 1868, to Mary, eldest daughter of Patrick Fitz- patrick of Lockport, 111. ; her parents were among the very early settlers of Will Co., settling in the county before the formation of Will Co., upward of forty years ago. Mr. Kelly is a nephew of Eu- gene Kelly of New York City, who is to- day the wealthiest Catholic banker in the Ignited States; he is also a relative of John Kelly the celebrated Tammany sachem, of New York City. FRED. KIESSLING, butcher and stock dealer, Joliet ; born in Bavaria, Ger- many June 13, 1850, where he lived and attended school until 13 years of age, when he was apprenticed in the butchering busi- ness for three years, which time he served and, after successfully passing his examin- ation, he emigrated to America, landing in New York Oct. 5, 1866 ; coming directly West, he located in Joliet, Will Co., 111., where he has since continued to live ; for ten years he resided on Summer st.. West Side. Joliet ; being an excellent judge of stock, he has been engaged in buying stock for other parties when not engaged in buying on his own account ; since lo- cating here he has given his exclusive attention to buying and shipping stock in connection with his butchering business, his store and market being located corner Bluff St. and Western ave.. West Side, Joliet. THOMAS KEEGAN, retired mill- wright, Joliet ; born in county of West Meath, Ireland, April 11, 1803, where he learned and worked at the millwright trade until 29 years of age, when he immi- grated to Canada, landing at Quebec in 1832 ; here he engaged upon Government works until the cholera forced him to leave, when he went to Toronto and engaged at his trade for three years ; next, to Roches- ter for three years, then to Rome, Mich., for eighteen months ; from there he went to Chicago, from which place he came by stage to Joliet, where he located his family May 20, 1840, which place he has since made his home ; he owns a fine residence on Centre st., which he erected in 1850; Mr. K.'s first work in Joliet was building- Jones' steam flour-mill in 1840, being the first mill of the kind in Joliet ; from there he, with John Clarkson, went to Marseilles, and built the first flour- mill of that place, then to New Orleans, where he remained until being driven away by the yellow fever, when he came back to Joliet, since which time his skill and labor have been extensively employed in all the neighboring towns as well as in Janesville and Watertown, Wis. He married May 11, 1835, to Ann O'Brien, born in Ireland in 1807 ; ten children were the fruits of this union, nine of whom are deceased ; Ellen, the one living, now lives with her parents. E. R. KNOWLTON, dealer in grain, hard and soft coal and wood, Joliet ; is a son of Calvin Knowlton, President of the Will County National Bank ; he was born in Worcester, Mass., Jan. 23, 1844 ; at the age of Y years, he accompanied his parents to New Albany, Ind. ; thence shortly afterward to Michigan City, and, in 1856, to Joliet ; he attended the public schools of this city. His first business ex- perience was in the hay business in Matte- son, Cook Co., 111., where he remained about two years ; he then returned to Wor- cester Co., Mass., and engaged in farming, and after six years, came again to Joliet, since which time he has been in the grain business here. He was married Jan. 11, 1865, to Miss Alice J. Wheeler, of Matte- son, Cook Co., 111., and has one child — Mary L. ALONZO LEACH, retired, Joliet; was born in Sangerfield, Ooeida Co., N. Y., Sept. 28, 1816; when he was 8 years of age, he left his native county, and went to Eaton, Madison Co., N. Y. ; in 1836, he went to Michigan, and in 1838, came to Joliet ; he spent about a year in charge of a hotel, and then engaged in the soap and chandlery business ; in 1842, he was elected Constable, and appointed Deputy Sheriff, and served until 1848, when he was elected Sheriff of Will Co. The constitution not allowing an incumbent of the ofiice to hold two terms in succession, he retired at the end of his term, but was again elected in 692 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 1852, and again in 1858 ; in the mean time he was engaged in farming and stock-rais- ing. On the breaking-out of the war, he was appointed sutler of the 4th 111. V. C., under Col. Dickey. After the battle of Pittsburg Landing, he sold out and returned home, where he engaged in dealing in stock. He was appointed Postmaster at Joliet in 1867, and held the office two years. He was married May 10, 1856, to Mrs. Mary Gutterson, of Joliet, who died Nov. 2, 1866. JVIr. Leach was married again, May 8, 1870, to Mrs. Mary J. White, of Joliet; she died Jan. 31, 1871. JOHN LAMBERT, dealer ia coal, wood, coke, etc., Joliet ; was born in Lam- bertville, Hunterdon Co., N. J., Jan. 12, 1847. In January, 1862, at the age of 16 years, he enlisted in Co. D, 1st New Jersey V. C. ; served one year on detailed duty in Virginia, and was discharged by reason of ill health ; he again volunteered as a Sergeant in Co. A, 3d N. J. V. C, serving till the close of the war ; during the first year he was detailed as private orderly to Gen. Burnside ; afterward, under Gen. Custer, he participated in the Shenandoah campaign of 1864, including the battles around Washington, the battle of Win- chester, and terminating in the splendid victory of Cedar Creek, the occasion of Gen. Sheridan's famous ride " From Win- chester twenty miles away ; '' in 1865, in the battles of Waynesboro, Ashland, Dinwiddle Court House and Five Forks, where he was wounded by a fragment of a shell, losing a part of his left hand, and also had his horse shot under him ; after this he participated in all the battles under Grant until the surrender of Lee, and in the grand review of the army in Washing- ton, where his company was reduced to but four men able to perform duty out of the original number of 101. He was discharged Aug. 9, 1865. Mr. Lambert came to Grundy Co., 111., in 1867, and in 1870, to Joliet. He was for six years an officer at the State Penitentiary, alter which he served as Deputy Sheriff under Warren S. Noble, serving during the strike in Braid- wood in 1877. During the exciting polit- ical campaign of 1876, Mr. Lambert organ- ized the Republican Guards of Joliet, of which he was chosen Captain. He was married in April, 1876, to Miss M. E. Bishop, of Joliet, and has one child — Anna E. JOHN C. LANG, editor of the Joliet Republican, Joliet, is a son of Thomas J. Lang, one of the early settlers of Will County, who emigrated from Groton, N. H., to this county in 1836, and settled in the town of Frankfort ; afterward removed to Plainfield, where he now resides. John C. Lang was born in Frankfort, Will Co., March 24, 1844; in 1862, he entered the Union army as a member of Co.D, 100th I. V. I., and served till the close of the war, participating in all the arduous service and all the battles of that regi- ment, and returning with it in 1865. He then spent two years on the farm, and, in 1867, made the trip via the Isthmus and California, to Arizona Territory, where lie remained three years, engaged in mining, and in the employ of the Government in the Quartermaster's Department ; in July, 1870, after his return from the West, he entered the employ of the Illinois State Penitentiary, in this city, occupying suc- cessively the positions of Guard, Keeper, Assistant Deputy, and Deputy Warden, until October, 1874; from December, 1874, to August, 1875, he was employed on the Joliet Record, since which time he has been editor of the Republican. He was married Nov. 19, 1874, to Miss Emma Webster, of Joliet, and has two children — Francis M. and Horace W. H. M. LYFORD, dealer in clothing, hats, caps, furs and furnishing goods, Joliet; has been engaged in his present business in this city since 1868; he is a native of the Province of Quebec ; he wa» born in Stanstead, Dec. 3, 1844; he lived there until he was about 17 years of age, when he left home, and, going to Boston, entered a wholesale grocery house as a clerk, remaining there four years ; on com- ing West, he went first to St. Louis, where he remained about a year and a half, com- ing to Joliet as above stated ; his business career in this city has been a successful one, as he studies the wants of his cus- tomers, and uses every endeavor to supply them, keeping a fine line of goods at the lowest prices. Mr. Lyford was married in December, 1865, to Miss Ellen A. Ladd, of his native town, a daughter of 0. A- Ladd, now of this city ; they have one son — Winfield E. Lyford. Mr. Lyford is Col- JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 693 lector of the city and township of Joliet, to which office he was elected in June, 1878. JOHN D. LBLAND, Steward of the Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet. John D. Leland, born in the State of New York, came West in 1868, and was soon there- after, under Elmer Washburn, Warden, appointed Steward of the Illinois State Penitentiary, which position he success- fully held until August, 1872, when under the force of circumstances he was induced to resign ; after a few years spent in farm- ing, and on the produce market, his well- known qualities as to economy and carefulness in performing the duties of Steward of the Penitentiary, gave reason for a renewed call to that position, in 1877; under his present supervision, the extensive commissary department of the Penitentiary has been managed at less ex- pense and to more general satisfaction than at any previous time in the history of the institution. JOHN LEY, farmer. Sec. 18 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Prussia Oct. 17, 1823, where he followed farming until 19 years of age, when he emigrated with his parents to America in 1842, and settled in WiU Co., Joliet Tp., on Sec. 19, living there until 1852, when he removed two miles east of Joliet, near the Red Mill, where he lived until 1856, when he settled upon his present place ; he owns 220 acres of well-improved land, which he has accumulated by his own energy and industry. He married, in 1847, Elizabeth Magert ; she was born in Vir- ginia ; they have four children living, viz., John, Valentine, Frederick D. and Law- rence; the deceased are Joseph and Hub- bert. Mr. Ley has held the office of School Director for three years ; also, as Road Commissioner. FRANK B. MARSH, of the firm of Carpenter & Marsh, grain merchants and proprietors of the Union Transfer Elevator, Joliet ; was born in Joliet June 27, 1849 ; he is the son of H. N. Marsh, an early set- tler of Will Co., and for many years past the agent of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company in this city. He was educated in the public schools of Joliet, and at the Chicago Academy ; in 1S68, he became ticket agent and telegraph operator of the C, R. I. & P. R- R., and continued till the spring of 1874, when he entered into partnership with H. S. Carpenter in the grain and elevator busi- ness ; they are now the heaviest dealers in Northern Illinois outside of Chicago ; they do an extensive export business, about three-fourths of their grain being pur- chased for foreign shipment. Mr. Marsh was Superintendent of the Will County Historical Society in 1871 and 1872, pre- viously to its being merged into the Joliet Public Library. He was married Feb. 4, 1873, to Miss Kate Richmond, of Joliet, and has two children — Horatio Richmond and Loren William. H. N. MARSH, freight and ticket agent of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company ; has been a resident of Joliet since 1835 ; he is a native of Franklin Co., Mass., and was born Nov. 15, 1812; about 1828, his parents emi- grated to Western New York, where they resided until 1835, when they came to Will Co., and settled in what is now Crete Tp., Mr. Marsh at the same time locating in Joliet ; he followed his previous business of cabinet-making until the spring of 1847, when he purchased the True Democrat, which, on the organization of the Repub- lican party, was changed to the Joliet Repuhlican; previous to this, he had served two years as School Commissioner of the county ; he continued to publish the True Democrat until July, 1852, and in October of the same year, on the com- pletion of the C, R. I. & P. Railroad to this point, he took charge of the office in this city, and has remained in charge ever since, with the exception of an interval of three years, from 1864 to 1867, during which period he served as Postmaster of Joliet; in 1850, he was appointed Asst. U. S. Marshal, to take the census of WiU Co.; he was elected a member of the City Council in 1876, and again in 1878. GEORGE J. MUNROE, attorney at law and financial agent, Joliet ; was born in Baraboo, Sauk Co., Wis., Feb. 11, 1853; after receiving an English education in his native county, he entered Oberlin College, Ohio, at the age of 16 years, and after spending two years in that institution, became a student in the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, graduating from the classical department in 1872; he had previously been engaged in teaching during 694 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Ms vacations, and after graduating he assumed charge of the public school at Marlboro, Stark Co., Ohio, remaining one year ; he then spent about six months in traveling in the West, after which he began the study of the law in the office of Sleeper & Whiton in Chicago, and also attended one course of lectures at the Union College of Law in that city ; he was admitted to the bar Jan. 15, 1877, and practiced in Chicago until the fall of the same year ; in March, 1878, he settled in Joliet, and entered upon the practice of his profession ; in addition to his law practice, he does quite an ex- tensive business in loaning money for Eastern capitalists. He was married Nov. 21, 1877, to Miss Addie P. Simonds, eldest daughter of S. 0. Simonds, Esq., of Joliet. G. MUNROE & SON, wholesale and retail grocers, Joliet ; this is the largest grocery house in Will Co., doing a business of at least a quarter of a million dollars per annum ; it was established in 1865 ; George Munroe, the senior member, was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y., April 4, 1821 ; he came to Will Co. in 1849, and spent thirteen years in farming in Florence Tp. ; previously to this, he had been en- gaged in the foundry business. He was elected Sheriff of Will Co., in 1862, and served two years ; has also served one term as School Trustee, and one term on the Board of Aldermen. George H. Mun- roe, son of George Munroe, is also a native of Jefferson Co., N. Y., where he was born Sept. 24, 1844, and accompanied his par- ents to Will Co. in 1849. On the election of his father as Sheriff, in 1862, he en- tered the office as Deputy Sheriff, remain- ing two years. In 1865, he became a partner in the firm of G. Munroe & Son. He was married in May, 1869, to Miss Eva Weeks, of Joliet. In 1875, the Joliet Stone Company was organized, and Mr. Muaroe, being one of the three equal stock- holders, was made President, which posi- tion he still holds ; he is also Treasurer of the Joliet Opera House Company. UZIAH MACK, manufacturer and wholesale and retail dealer in boots and shoes, Joliet ; was born in Northampton Co., Penn., Jan. 14, 1835; in early child- hood, he accompanied his parents to North- umberland Co., and several years later, to Montour Co., in the same State, where he lived until he came to Joliet, in 1858. In July, 1862, he enlisted in Co. H, 100th 111. Vols. ; was appointed Sergeant, and afterward promoted to Sergeant Major, and finally to First Lieutenant of Co. K, in which position he served till the close of war ; he served under Gen. Thomas in the Army of the Cumberland, and with Sher- man in his march through Georgia, as far as Jonesboro and Lovejoy ; he was with the command from the time it left home until its return, in 1865. After the war, he went to St. Joseph, Mo., and engaged in business, remaining there two years, when he sold out and returned to Joliet, where he entered into partnership with his uncle. Firman Mack, in the wholesale and retail boot and shoe business, the firm be- ing P. & U. Mack, which continued until the death of his partner, Aug. 10, 1872, since which time he has continued the business alone. He was married AprillQ, 1867, to Miss Jennie Flemming, of Truro, Nova Scotia ; she died Oct. 15, 1876, leaving three children— Robert L,, Mary and Willie. ISAAC T. MILLSPAUGH, Police Magistrate, Joliet ; was born in Orange Co., N. Y.,Feb.26, 1820; his parents died when he was about 15 years old, and he then went "out VVest " to Tompkins Co., N. Y. ; he made his home there and in Cort- land Co. until 1844, when he removed to Joliet ; he followed his trade of a black- smith for a year or more, and made the first steel plow in Joliet ; he then went to Chicago and engaged as fireman on the old Chicago & Galena Union R. R. (now a branch of the Chicago & Northwestern), which extended at that time but eight miles west of Chicago ; he fired the first new locomotive on that road ; about a year later, he returned to Joliet, and run one season on the packet from Chicago to Peru ; he then became a fireman on the Chicago & Rock Island R. R., and run the first en- gine into Joliet, in 1852 ; he was the first blacksmith in the Chicago & Alton round- house, where he worked half a dozen years or more. He served for fourteen years as Assessor for Joliet Tp. ; he was elected Police Magistrate in May, 1878. He was married in March, 1842, to Miss Charlotte Elizabeth Noyes, of Cortland Co., N. Y. ; she died in 1846, leaving one son, Charles H., who served through the late war as Drum JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 695 Major of the lOOtli 111. Vols., and is now a musician in Joliet. Mr. Millspaugh was married again, in July, 1852, to Miss Mary L. Roberts, of Joliet, formerly of Look- port, N. Y. ; they have one son — Frank D., a fireman on the Michigan Central R. R. G-. N. MARVIN, keeper, weighmaster, shipper and receiver. State Prison, Johet was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., in 1818 his early life was that of a farmer's son he followed agricultural pursuits during his residence at the East; in 1858, became West and located in Plainfield, Will Co., where he was employed as foreman on the farm of A. McAllister for one year ; he then purchased a farm on the Plainfield road two miles west of Joliet, which he farmed two or three years ; he next re- turned East and spent one or two years ; after traveling some months, he again returned West to Joliet, and was en- gaged as foreman on the farm of William P. Caton for three seasons ; he had charge of 1,500 acres, harvesting about 400 acres of meadow each season; Jan. 9, 1868, he connected himself with the prison and has remained here ever since. His first mar- riage to Marietta Hammond occurred in 1838 ; his second marriage to Laura C. Barber, a native of Pennsylvania, was cel- ebrated in 1873 ; has three children — Emma A., George W. and WiUiam A., all married. ALEXANDER McKEOWN, rail in- spector, Joliet Iron and Steel Works, Joliet ; was born in Antrim Co., Ireland, Feb. 2, 1851 ; he attended the common schools and besides was a student in Kennedy College, Dublin, nine months; he immi- grated to America May 1, 1872, and first settled in Joliet, where he engaged in learn- ing core-making in the Joliet Foundry ; at this he spent eleven months and then en- gaged in the steel-rail mill as laborer ; here he worked two months, when he was promoted to the position of rail inspector, night turn; he served two years and at the shutting-down of the mills in 1873, he went to Springfield and labored at general work in the mills there four months ; subsequently, he labored at Bridgeport mills seven months, and on the re-open- ing of the Joliet mills, returned and was for three years and four months rail inspector on the night turn; in 1877, he went to the Vulcan Mills, in St. Louis, and remained seven months ; he then went to Mississippi and was engaged at various points in State work till March, 1878, when he returned to Joliet and was pro- moted May 1 following, on the re-open- ing of the mills, to the position of rail inspector, day turn ; thus, by close atten- tion to business and strict uprightness with his employers, he has secured for himself a position of responsibility and trust which he richly merits. COL. S. W. MUNN, attorney at law, Joliet ; was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., May 14, 1824 ; his father was poor and unable to assist him in obtaining an education, and he was, therefore, obliged to to depend upon his own exertions for what learning he received ; he worked on a farm for $8 per month, for nine months, attend- ing a district school during the remaining three months ; thus he worked two years for one man ; he also spent six months at a seminary in his native county ; in 1845, he left home on foot, with carpet-bag in hand and $30 in his pocket, and went to Ashtabula Co., Ohio, where he engaged in teaching and attending school at Grand River Institute, a Presbyterian manual- labor school, where he could pay his way by his industry ; here he remained three years, in the mean time reading thoroughly a few of the elementary works on law. In 1848, he married Miss Imogene Mixer and removed to Wisconsin, where he com- pleted his law studies and was admitted to the bar and began practice in 1850 ; in September of the same year his wife died, leaving one child — Charles W., who is now engaged in practice with his father in Joliet ; in 1852, he went to California, and engaged in mining and surveying for the Government ; returning, he located in Wil- mington, 111., and resumed the practice of his profession. In August, 1861, he raised a company of volunteers in Wilmington, of which he was commissioned Captain, and which was mustered in as Co. A, of the 39th I. V. I. ; in December, 1862, he was promoted to Major, and served till Janu- uary, 1863, when he was compelled by failing health to resign ; he participated in the campaign of 1862, in the Shenandoah Valley, including the battle of Winches- ter, then under Gen. McClellan until the army left Harrison's Landing, in August, 696 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 1862, when his Division was ordered to SuiFolk, Va., where it remained until he resigned. On his return to Wilmington, he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the then Ninth Judicial Circuit, serving four years; in the spring of 1865, he re- moved to Joliet, where he has since been engaged in general practice of law, and in November last was elected as Represent- ative to the Legislature ; he served for a time on Governor Cullom's Staif, with the rank of Colonel. Col. Munn was married in 1851, to Miss A. 0. Crocker, of Madison, Ohio ; they have two children — Minnie I. (wife of R. A. Chapin, of Colo.) and Frank E., H law student in Geneva, Ohio. CAPT. ALEXANDER McINTOSH, political editor of the Joliet (Sm/i, Joliet ; was born in Fulton Co., N. Y., of Scotch parent- age in 1 822 ; he was raised on a farm ; when he was 19 years of age, he entered the academy at Galway Center, Saratoga Co., N. Y., as a student, and acquired a liberal education, spending three years in that institution ; he came to Joliet, 111., in 18-15, and, in 1847, started in Joliet the True Democrat, now the Joliet Repub- lican; he sold out in 1848, and, in 1849, went to California, where he remained three years; returning to Joliet in 1852, he repurchased the True Democrat, which he published and edited until 1857 ; in 1856, he was elected on the Republican ticket Circuit Clerk and Recorder of Will Co., for a term of four years ; in 1863, he was appointed by President Lincoln, Captain and Quartermaster in the United States Army was with Sherman's army in 1864 ; was on the famous march to the sea, and up through the Carolinas and Virginia to Washington ; he was retained in the serv- ice after the disbanding of the volunteers, being assigned to Mobile as Post Quarter- master ; in 1866, he resigned this position and returning Will Co., embarked in mer- cantile business in Wilmington ; in 1869, he purchased the Wilmington Independent, which he published until 1873; in the spring of 1874, he returned to Joliet, and in the fall of the same year became the political editor of the Joliet RepiiUican, which position he retained till January, 1877 ; in the fall of that year, he entered upon the editorial management of the Joliet Phcenix, from which he withdrew in July, 1878, to assume the position of political editor of the Joliet Sun ; Capt. Mcintosh joined the Republican party upon its organ- ization in 1856, and has ever remained true to its principles, and, although a man of pronounced views on all political and moral questions, and participating in many exciting political campaigns, he retains the entire respect and confidence of his fellow- citizens of all parties. F. MUNCH, dealer in coal, wood, coke, etc., Joliet ; is a son of F. X. Munch, who came to this country from Alsace, settling in Will Co., in 1839 ; he served as a soldier in the war with Mexico, and is now a highly respected citizen of Joliet Tp. ; his son, F. Munch, was born in Joliet Tp, April 3, 1851, and remained at home un- til he was nineteen years of age, and then spent two summers in working near Mi- nooka; in 1873, he came to Joliet City, and spent two years in the employ of J. Q. A. King, starting in business for him- self in 1875. He was married Nov. 16, 1876, to Miss Jennie Hurley, daughter of William Hurley, of Minooka ; they have one child — Louis I. DAVID G. MURPHY, firm of Mur- phy Brothers, livery and feed stable, Joliet ; is a native of County Roscommon, Ireland ; he was born Jan. 14, 1844 ; his father, P. P. Murphy, came to this country in 1850, settling in the town of Troy, where he was a prominent and respected citizen for twenty-seven years; he died in 1877, at the age of 92 years ; the family consisted of fourteen children, nine brothers and five sisters, eight of whom are living; David G. resided in Troy until March, 1874; fol- lowed farming, and represented his town- ship in the County Board of Supervisors for three years ; on coming to Joliet, he engaged with Francis Murphy in his pres- ent business. In 1876, he was elected Supervisor in Joliet by a very large ma- jority, but declined to serve. He was married June 10, 1868, to Miss Mary MoGuire, of Lockport, 111., and has five children — • Catherine F., Mary Ahce, Thomas B., Winnifred A. and Angela A. Mr. Murphy's brother. Father Thomas B. Murphy, late Pastor of St. Mary's Church, in this city, died April 10, 18'78 ; he was a gentleman universally respected and be- loved, not only by the members of his con- gregation, but by the entire population of the city and county. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 697 C. W. MUNN, of Munn & Munn, at- torneys at law, Joliet ; was born in Water- loo, Wis., Dee. 30, 1848 ; he is the son of Col. S. W. Munn, the senior member of the firm ; in early childhood, he accompa- nied his parents to Columbus, Wis. ; thence to Madison, Lake Co., Ohio, where the family resided until March, 1854, and then removed to Wilmington, Will Co., 111., coming to Joliet in March, 1864; after receiving an English education, Mr. Munn entered the law department of the Michi- gan University, at Ann Arbor, Mich., where he graduated March 29, 1871 ; he had previously read law in his father's office, and was admitted to the bar Aug. 13, 1 870 ; he began practice in Joliet in April, 1871, and .Dec. 1, 1872, formed a partner- ship with his father, which still continues. He was married in December, 1871, to Miss Helen C. Matthews, of Joliet; she died Sept. 26, 1872, leaving one child — Helen I.; he was^ married again Jan. 19, 1876, to Miss Lida M. Squier, of Livings- ton, Essex Co., N. Y. ; they have one child — Lulu L. T. A. MASON, dealer in lumber, man- Tifacturer of sash, doors and blinds, pro prietor of the Stone City Planing-Mill, Joliet; was born in New Hartford, Oneida Co., N. Y., March 14, 1846 ; he is a son of Daniel C. Mason, an eztensive railroad contractor ; his grandfather, Arnold Ma- son, was one of the original contractors of the Croton Water Works in New York City ; Mr. Mason first came to Illinois in the spring of 1867 ; after spending a few months in Chicago, he returned East, and engaged in the blank-book and stationery business in Utica ; in 1870, he came to Joliet, and, with F. W. and H. B. Plant, erected the Stone City Planing-Mill, and engaged in the lumber business ; he was educated at the Utica High School and at Whitestown Seminary, N. Y. He was mar- ried Sept. 25, 1872, to Miss Elizabeth E. Caton, of Joliet, and has three children — Cornelia Louise, William Caton and Kit- tie Marie. Mr. Mason is at present a member of the Board of Aldermen from the Fourth Ward, being elected in April, 1877. B. B. MASON, real estate and loans, Ji/liet; was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. 20, 1826 ; in 1834, his father. Hale ^. Mason, came with hid family to Will Co., and settled in Gooding's Grove, in what is now Homer Tp. ; he was for a good many years Canal Collector of Lock- port ; for a number of years Justice of the Peace, and is now an honored resident of the town of Lockport. Mr. Mason con- tinued farming until the spring of 1854,; in the fall of that year, he came to Joliet and spent the winter, removing the follow- ing spring to La Salle, 111., where he resided for fourteen years, during eight of which he served as Postmaster of that city; returning to Joliet in 1870, he entered the abstract office of George H. Ward, and, in 1875, engaged in his present business ; he is Secretary of the Peoples' Loan and Homestead Association of Joliet, which was organized in 1874, having a capital stock of 5,000 shares of $100 each. He was married in the spring of 1850 to Miss Elizabeth C. Olney, daughter of Hiram Olney, an early settler of Homer Tp. ; she died in 1858, leaving two children, one of whom, Ella B., wife of Leonard G. Wilson, is now living. Mr. Mason was married again in 1864 to Miss Lizzie L. Miner, of Aurora, 111. MAJ. ROBERT W. McCLAUGHRY, Warden of t/he Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet ; was born in Fountain Green, Han- cock Co., 111., July 22, 1839 ; he remained at home on the faim until 1856, when he entered Monmouth College, graduating in 1860, after which he remained in the col- lege one year as Professor of Latin ; re- turning to Hancock Co. in 1861, he settled at Carthage, and engaged in editing the Carthage Republican. In response to President Lincoln's call for 300,000 men, he enlisted in August, 1862, as a private in the 118th 111. V. I. ; was chosen Cap- tain of Co. B, and in November following, was elected Major of the regiment ; he participated in all the campaigns which resulted in the capture of Vioksburg in the Gulf Department in the fall of 1863, and in all the campaigns in Western Lou- isiana until June, 1864, when he was transferred to the Pay Department as Pay- master, and assigned to duty at Springfield, 111. ; he remained there until Oct. 13, 1865, when he was mustered out to accept the office of County Clerk of Hancock Co., to which he had been elected ; he held this office until 1869 ; the next two years he was engaged in the stone-quarry busi- 698 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: ness in Sonora, Hancock Co., and fur- nished the stone for the railroad bridge over the Mississippi River at Keokuk, and for the foundations of the new State Capi- tol at Springfield; in 1871, he went to St. Louis in charge of the St. Genevieve quarries, but the following year, his health failing, he returned to Monmouth, 111-, and entered the ofiice of Judge Glenn to attend to a portion of bis business, where he remained till Aug. 1, 1874, when he was appointed to his present important and responsible position. He was married in 1862 to Miss Elizabeth C. Madden, of Monmouth, 111., and has five children living. THOMAS F. MORAN, assistant su- perintendent of the Joliet Gas Works ; born in the county of Roscommon, Ire- land, in 1832, where he lived until 18 years of age, when he emigrated to A.merica, landing in New York Jan. 9, 1851, going directly to Frostburg, Md. ; he was en- gaged in the mining business for two years ; from there he went to Philadelphia, where he was engaged in the Northern Liberty Gas Works for eight years, when, in 1861, he was called to fill the ofiice of Assistant Superintendent of the Joliet Gas Works, which position he has since held during a period of seventeen years. He married in Philadelphia in 1853 to Mary Brannan ; she was born in Philadel- phia ; they have six children now living, viz. : Edward V., Mary, Michael J., Agnes, Catharine and Joseph L. Mr. Moran has held the ofiice of Alderman in the ward in which he lives in Joliet. JAMES H. McFARLIN, butcher and general stock dealer, Joliet ; born in Troy, Will Co., Ill, July 25, 1854, living there seven years, when he removed with his parents to Manhattan Tp., where, after ob- taining a common-school education, he en- gaged in farming until he removed to Jol- iet, in May, 1869, when he commenced work with J. Adler at butchering, remain- ing in his employ until October, 1878, a period of nine years ; at the above date he engaged in the above business upon his own account on Chicago st., corner of Wallace st. ; he is also engaged in the stock business, buying and selling largely ; having had an experience of upward of ten years in the business, his judgment in stock is considered sound and reliable. I PETER MACKIN, groceries and pro- visions, flour and feed, Joliet; born in Armagh Co., Ireland, June 24, 1849, where he lived until 22 years of age, at- tending school in his youth ; then engaged in farming until the above age, when he emigrated to America, landing in New York March 17, 1871 ; coming directly West, he visited his brother at Peoria, 111., for a short time, when he came to Will Co. and engaged with Patrick Fitzpatrick in Lockport Tp. for one year, when he came to Joliet and engaged in business with Thomas Delaney, purchasing the lot and erecting a store at No. 33 South Chioaga St., where they engaged in the groceries and provisions, fiour and feed business for three years, when their store was destroyed by fire ; Mr. Mackin then purchased hia partner's interest and rebuilt his present store in 1876, since which time he has been doing a very successful and profitable business, which may be attributed to his strict integrity and honest dealing. BENJAMIN L. MAYHEW, Deputy Warden of Illinois State Prison, Joliet; born in Dennysville, Wash. Co., Me., June 16, 1822 ; his ancestors came from England in 1642, landing at Martha's Vineyard, Mass. ; Mr. M. came to Boston in 1842, where he lived and worked at the trade of machinist until 1845, making one voyage at sea during this period, when he went to Cambridge, Mass, and was connected with the Cambridge Prison as guard for two years; in 1847, he was appoioted Deputy Keeper, which position he held for eleven years. On Dec. 15, 1856, Deputy Warden Galen C. Walker, of the Charlestown State Prison, was murdered in the chapel by con- vict James Magee, and upon the 29th inst. of the same month, Warden Solon H. Tenny was murdered by convict Charles D. Decatur ; the two chief officers having been murdered, Mr. Mayhew Was selected to take full charge of the Charlestown State Prison, which he did with great credit for twenty-one days, till new officers were appointed, Mr. Mayhew meanwhile re- taining his old position at Cambridge; in 1 858, he was appointed Deputy Warden of the Charlestown, Mass., State Prison, which office he held for ten years ; he then emigrated to Illinois, and in the year 1870, was appointed Deputy Warden of the Illi- nois State Penitentiary at Joliet, which JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 69& position he has since held, with the excep- tion of four yeare' absence. Mr. Mayhew married Oct. 31, 1847, to Miss Frances J. Nickerson ; she was born in Westminster, Vt., May 23, 1821 ; they are the parents of two children now living, viz. : William B., born in Cambridge, Mass., Nov. 1, 1848, now serving his fifth year as Engi- neer in the U. S. Navy; Maria ¥., born in Cambridge, Mass., Jan. 11, 1857; Ed- mund L., born in Charlestown, Mass., Nov. 8, 1860, deceased. GALLUS MULLER, chief clerk of the Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet; born in Switzerland, Canton of St. Gall (Wyl), June 12, 1841 ; after a collegiate education in St. Gall and Lucerne, he entered the University of Munich", Bavaria, in 1860, and attended here one year ; the Qext two years were passed in Turin, Italy, when he emigrated to America in 1863, landing in New York upon the 20th of De- cember ; coming directly to Chicago, he soon thereafter engaged in the music busi- ness, which he followed until 1870, when he came to Joliet as book-keeper for the Illinois State Penitentiary ; after working ■ a short time in this capacity, he was ap- pointed chief clerk, and has held this office since that date, during a period of eight . years, and under five difierent administra- tions. He was married in Chicago, in 1866, to Miss Marie De Hez ; they are the parents of four children, viz., Alice, M. Pia, Walter and Ida. CAPT. JAMES MILLER, chief en- gineer of Illinois State Penitentiary, Joliet; born in Glasgow, Scotland, March 11, 1826, where he learned and worked at the trade of machinist until 25 years of age, when he emigrated to America, landing in Quebec in 1852, coming directly to Morris, Grundy Co., 111., where he engaged in the foundry and machinist business during a period of ten years ; in 1862, he raised a full com- pany of 102 men for the war, which he took to Chicago, and after remaining in Camp Douglas three months, the regiment was mustered out of service, the several companies joining other regiments ; Mr. Miller then enlisted in the U. S. navy as fireman, which position he held for three days, when he was promoted to Asst. En- gineer, which oflice he held seven months, when he received his commission as Chief Engineer, and held this position for three years until the close of the war ; Mr. M. then returned to Morris, and again engaged in the foundry and machinist busi- ness for a period of two years, when he was appointed, in 1867, as chief engineer of the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet, which office he still holds. He married in Scotland in 1852, to Miss Elizabeth A. Miller ; she was born in Scotland in 1825 j they are the parents of five children — James W., John Edwin, Frank, Margaret and Lillie. D. McCANN, deceased, farmer ; P. 0. Joliet ; born in Fayette Co., Ind., Nov. 3, 1823, where he lived and followed farm- ing until 1864, when he removed to Will Co., and purchased the farm where the family now live, consisting of 250 acres of land, now valued at upward of $50 per acre ; he died here Oct. 2, 1873. He married Miss Elizabeth Honnymon, of Union Co., Ind., Sept. 13,1850 ; they were the parents of six children — William W., Lycurgus C, Charlie W., Irene (died Feb. 28, 1862), Ada and Lillie B. R. H. MAPPS, farmer and auctioneer. Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Joliet ; born in Cumber- land Co., Penn., July 12, 1819, where he worked at the cooper's trade for several years, when he moved to Ohio, and worked at his trade until he moved to Joliet in 1846, where he followed his trade until he purchased the farm where he now resides v owns 136 acres of land, valued at |55 to $60 per acre. He married Miss Susanna Shofi'ner, a native of Ohio ; they havs six children — -Albert, born March 1, 1849 ; Levi, June 16, 1852 ; Jesse, Sept. 9, 1856, died Nov. 5, 1857 ; John W., born March 16, 1859; Armina, Oct. 2, 1863; Lillie A., Feb. 11, 1867. Mr. Mapps has filled the offices of School Director and Trustee in his township several terms. HON. JESSE 0. NORTON, deceased, whose portrait appears in this work, was born at Bennington, Vt, Dec. 25, 1812; he entered Williams College in 1831, and graduated with honor in 1835 ; he came West after graduating, and first taught school at Wheeling, Va., and afterward in Missouri; in 1839, he came to Joliet and opened a law office ; he was first elected City Attorney ; his genial manners made him popular, and the people of his county gave him all the honors and distinction in their power; in 1846, he was elected 700 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : County Judge, and re-elected in 1848 ; he was also elected to the State Constitutional Convention in 1848 ; in 1850, he was elected to the State Legislature, and in 1852, he was elected to represent this dis- trict in the Congress of the United States ; during that session, he took an active part in the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, resisting that measure with all his eloquence and power ; his course was approved by the people of his district, and he was re-elected in 1854; in 1857, he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court ; he was again elected to Congress in 1862, and served with honor until March 5, 1865 ; in 1866, he was ap- pointed by President Johnson District Attorney for the Northern District of Illi- nois, and removed to Chicago. He subse- quently resumed the practice of law in company with Judge J. R. Doolittle. He died Aug. 3, 1875, and his remains were interred in Oakwood. He married Miss Phoebe Ann Sheldon Dec. 25, 1837, at the residence of Gov. Dunklin, Potosi, Mo. ; they had seven children, four living — Mar- tin, Libbie (now Mrs. Gen. J. T. Tor- rance), Annie and Jessie (now Mrs. Wal- lace C. Barker), and three who died in infancy. Mr. Norton in youth was sober, industrious, studious and ambitious, and when he came to man's estate, in every office he was called to fill by his fellow- citizens, he performed its duties with in- dustry, promptness, ability and courtesy. There was in him a genial, aifectionate and loving nature, refined, high-toned and ex- alted by a true Christian life, which those who knew him can fully appreciate. It was in his home that these virtues of the soul shone forth and made a beauty of character which no wealth can purchase and no intellectual greatness can supply. ROBERT W. NELSON, Joliet ; born in Granville, Washington Co., N. Y., Sept. 20, 1851 ; at the age of 15, he moved to Schenectady, N. Y., and entered the Union School, where he remained for two years ; he then entered the dry goods store of H. Ostrom & Co., and, after a few months' stay there, obtained a situation in the drug store of A. Truax & Co., where he remained for two years ; by that time he was taken with the Western fever, and followed the advice of that astute philosopher, Horace Greeley, went West, and located in Chicago in the spring of 1871 ; here, in conjunction with his brother, he started in the coal trade, and afterward added that of clothing; the clothing store was moved to Braid- wood in 1875 ; in 1876, he withdrew from the firm of Nelson Brothers & Barhgdt, they continuing in the coal trade in Chicago, while he continued the clothing business at Braidwood until the fall of 1877, when he closed up that business, and commenced the publication of the Joliet News. M. B. OGDBN, M. D., homeopatUc physician and surgeon, Joliet; has practiced medicine in Joliet for the past thirteen years; he is a son of Dr. S. G. Ogden, late of Cherry Valley, 111., and who died in 1874, at the age of 75 years ; he be- longs to a family of physicians, his great- grandfather, grandfather, father, two broth- ers and some ten cousins being members of the medical profession. Dr. Ogden was born in Toronto, Province of Ontario, Oct. 24, 1834; he received his general educa- tion at the University of Toronto, and then pursued a medical course of three years at Ralph's Medical School in that city. In 1858, he went to Wisconsin and practiced nearly five years in Pond du Lac, where he was largely interested in flour manufact- uring ; thence he removed to Rockford, 111., and during the winter of 1863-64, attended the Hahnemann (Homeopathic) Medical College in Chicago ; in 1865, he located in Joliet, where he still remains ; in the winter of 1 867-8, he pursued his second course of lectures at the Hahnemann Med- ical College, graduating in February, 1868. Associated with him in practice is his brother, E. J. Ogden, of Chicago, who visits Joliet once a week. Dr. Ogden was married in August, 1859, to Miss S. M. Pitcher, of Pond du Lac, Wis., and has one son — Edward C, now a student in the Hahnemann Medical College, in Chicago. HON. BENJAMIN OLIN, attorney at law, Joliet ; was born in Allegany Co., N. Y., Aug. 12, 1838; when he was quite young, his parents came West, and settled in La Salle Co., afterward removing into Kendall Co. ; after receiving an English education, he spent awhile in Beloit Col- lege, and then entered the law office of Messrs. Gray & Bushnell in Ottawa, 111., afterward continuing his studies with John Cruthers, Esq., of Oswego, Kendall Co. On the breaking-out of the war in April, 1861, he assisted in enrolling Co. K, 20th JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 701 I. V. I. ; was elected First Lieutenant, and served about a year, when he was obliged to resign owing to ill health ; returning, he spent some time in Colorado recruiting his health, after which he reviewed his law studies in the office of Mather, Taft & Bates in Chicago. He was admitted to the bar in the winter of 1862-63, and began the active practice of his profession in Morris, 111.; he afterward formed a partnership with Hon. Perry A. Armstrong, of that place, which continued until the removal of Judge Olin to Joliet in 18Y0. While in Morris, he served as Alderman and School Inspector. About a year after coming to Joliet, he entered into copartnership with Capt. Egbert Phelps, which lasted until 1873, when he was elected County Judge, and in 1877, was reelected for another term of four years. He has held the office of School Inspector in this city, and has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Joliet Public Library since its organiza- tion in 1875. He was married in Septem- ber, 1865, to Miss Julia A. Schauber, of Schenectady, N. Y. C. C. OLNEY, manufacturer and dealer in marble and granite monuments, tomb- stones, etc., Joliet ; was born in Perry, Genesee Co., N. Y., June 15, 1833 ; he is a son of Hiram Olney, who came to Will Co. in the fall of 1835, and settled in what is now Homer Tp., and who afterward re- moved to Manhattan Tp., where he now resides at the age of 78 years. Mr. Olney remained at home until he was 19 years of age, and then came to Joliet and began working at the marble-cutter's trade, which has been his business ever since ; he is there- fore, the oldest marble dealer now in Joliet, having followed the business either for himself or in the employ of others for the past twenty-six years. His business is not confined to Will Co., but extends into Cook, Iroquois, Livingston, Grundy, Ken- dall, Kankakee and Du Page Cos., III., and Ijake Co., Ind. He was married in Jan- uary, 1868. J. L. O'DONNELL. of the firm of Haley & Donnell, attorneys at law, Joliet ; is a native of the State gf Illinois ; he was born in La Salle Co. Aug. 10, 1849; he was educated in St. Mary's College, Niagara Falls, N. Y. ; after which he read law in the office of Glover, Cook & Campbell, of " Ottawa, 111., and with Mayo & Widmer, of the same place. He was admitted to the bar in Springfield, 111., in January, 1874, and the 1st of August following, formed a law partnership with P. C. Haley, Esq., which still continues. He was married on the 19th of September, 1877, to Miss M. C. Edgerly, of Putnam Co., 111. A. A. OSGOOD, real estate and loans, Joliet ; is a native of Joliet ; he was born Sept. 29, 1839. His father, Hon. Uri Osgood, came to Joliet in 1836, from Oxford, Chenango Co., N. Y., where he was born Dec. 22, 1809 ; he studied law with Hon. Henry R. Mygatt, of his native town, taking a seven-years course, and at once came West, stopping in Chicago long enough to obtain his license to practice in this State, and then settled in Joliet, where he was a prominent and wealthy citizen and a leading attorney for thirty -five years. He at one time purchased all of Jeiferson St., from Ottawa st. to the river for two black horses and $50 in money. He es- tablished the first bank in Joliet about 1850, which he continued until 1861 ; in 1852, he was elected to the State Senate, serving two years, and in 1856, was a can- didate for Congress against the Hon. Owen Lovejoy. He also held various offices of trust and responsibility in this city and county, among them that of District At- torney. He died in 1871, leaving a wife and five children, of whom Augustus A. is the oldest. He was educated at Russell's Military Institute, and at Yale College. In 1861, he enlisted in the 100th 111. V. I., and was elected First Lieutenant of Co. B. ; served as Aide-de-camp on Gen. Has- kell's staiF, and after the battle of Stone River, he resigned owing to ill health. After spending a few weeks at home he entered the Quartermaster's Department under Capt J. M. Huntington, and three months later was made Chief Clerk under Capt. G. M. Smith, Chief Quartermaster of the Cavalry Corps of East Tennessee ; he afterward held the same position with Capt. Thos. D. Fitch, Chief Quartermas- ter of the Department of Kentucky, re- maining till the close of the war. He afterward read law in his father's office ; was admitted to the bar Oct. 29, 1868, and practiced with his father until the death of the latter in 1871. In 1873, he purchased the insurance business ot W. W. Stevens, which he continued till September, 1877, 702 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: since which time he has been engaged in the real estate and loan business. F. W. PLANT, of the firm of Mason & Plant, lumber dealers, manufaourers of sash, doors and blinds, and proprietors of the Stone City Planing-Mill, Joliet ; was born in Utica, N. Y., Sept. 13, 1843. His father, James Plant, was one of the earliest settlers of that city, and, at his death, in 1859, left but two older settlers than himself; he was from Brandford, Conn.; he left two children — one daughter, now living in Ottawa, 111., and one son, Francis W. He prepared for college in the Utica Academy, and, in 1860, entered Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y., gradu- ating in 1864 ; he then entered the em- ploy of the Oneida Bank, in his native town, and shortly afterward engaged in the book and stationery business; in 1871, he came to Joliet, and with F. A. Mason and H. B. Plant, established the lumber firm of Mason & Plant ; they erected their storehouse on Des Plaines street, and the Stone .City Planing-Mill, a two- story building, on Joliet street, and are undoubtedly the heaviest lumber deal- ers in the city; Mr. Plant is a Director and Treasurer of the Peo- ple's Loan and Homestead Association of Joliet. He was ^married Oct. 16, 1867, to Miss Lizzie Merle, of Brooklyn, L. I., and has four children — Helen M., Laura M., Grace M. and James M. JOHN PETTIGREW, foreman of the molding department, Joliet ; was born in New Lanark, Scotland, March 2, 1842 ; at the age of 17 years, he went to his trade, in Glasgow, working under in- structions seven years ; Sept. 12, 1866, he emigrated to America, first settling in Chicago, where he labored for Carlisle, Mason & Co., for a period of five years; in May, 1871, he came to Joliet, and en- tered the employ of the Joliet Iron and Steel Co.; during the latter part of 1873 and the first part of 1874, he worked at Marseilles and Rockford, and, on the re- opening of the Joliet works, in October, 1874, he returned, and was employed as foreman -in the molding department — his present position. He was married in 1864 to Agnes Robertson, a native of New Lanark, Scotland ; has six children — John, Jane, Thomas, Charles, Agnes and William. CHARLES PBTTIGKEW, master mechanic, Joliet ; was born in New Lan- ark, Scotland, Feb. 4, 1844; in 1862, he went to his trade, in the Scotland Street Iron Works, at Glasgow ; here he served an apprenticeship of five years ; in May, 1867, he emigrated to America, first set- tling in Chicago, where he was employed as machinist in the Excelsior Iron Works ; in 1870, he came to Joliet, and was em- ployed as machinist two years ; next, he was foreman in the machine-shops eighteen months ; in August, 1873, he took his present position, that of master mechanic in the Joliet Steel and Iron Works. He was married in 1868, to Agnes Cameron, a native of New Lanark, Scotland ; they have three daughters — Edith S., Agnes M., and Clara B. J. F. PERRY, County Superintendent of Schools, Joliet ; is a son of Dr. Joseph, of Crete ; he was born in Fairfield, Conn., June 21, 1846 ; his father was a teacher in the public schools of New York City, and the family resided, a portion of the time, on the old homestead . in Fairfield, and the balance in New York ; in 1854, the family removed to Will Co., settling in Crete ; Mr. Perry prepared for college principally in a classical institution in Bridgeport, Conn., and, in 1866, entered Yale College, where he graduated in 1870 ; after graduating, he taught a year in the East, and then returned to Illinois ; he taught, one year, as Principal of the pub- lic school in Madison, Cook, Co., and two years, in the same capacity, at Dalton ; in 1874 he came to Joliet as Superintendent of the East Side Schools, continuing as such until Jan. 1, 1878; in November, 1877, he was elected County Superintend- ent of Schools, which position he now holds. CAPT. ANSON PATTERSON, mail agent and express messenger of the Joliet branch Michigan Central Railroad, Joliet ; was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., April 14, 1830 ; when he was about 4 years old, his parents removed to Seneca Co., N. Y., in. 1845 to Seneca Co., Ohio, and, in 1847,to Will Co., 111. ; his father, Joseph Patter- son, still resides in Joliet Tp. Until the breaking-out of the war, Capt. Patterson followed farming, being engaged for nine years, during the winters, teaching, eight of which he taught in one district. In 1862, JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 703 he entered the 100th 111. V. I. as First Lieutenant of Co. E, and, after the battle of Chickamauga, was promoted to the rank of Captain, serving till June, 1865 ; among the principal engagements in which he participated were the battle of Chicka- mauga, siege of Atlanta, battles of Jones- boro', Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nash- ville, besides several minor engagements ; he was wounded at the battle of Chicka- mauga Sept. 20, 1863. Keturning to Joliet, he was engaged in various kinds of business until 1869, when he was ap- pointed Postmaster at Joliet, holding the office two years, at the end of which time he entered upon his present position. He was married in 1851 to Miss Helen M. McClure, of Joliet ; they have had ten children, seven of whom are now living. JAMES G. PATTERSON, of the firm of James G-. Patterson & Son, grocers and news-dealers, Joliet ; was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1831, and came to the United States in 1851, settling in Haver- straw, Rockland Co., N. Y. ; three years years later he went to Newburg, thence to New York City, coming to Joliet in the spring of 1855 ; he was enf'aged in manu- facturing wagons and carriages, and fol- lowed that business until 1862, when he engaged in his present business. He was married April 23, 1855, to Miss Mary A. Harris, of New York City, also a native of County Tyrone, Ireland ; they have seven children — William A., Margaret J., Lillie M., James C, Eliza E., Emma K. and John H. J. D. PAIGE, proprietor of Paige's Bottling House, Joliet ; was born in Onei- da Co., N. Y., March 27, 1837 ; in 1844, he accompanied his parents to Jefierson Co., Wis. ; in 1857, he left home and came on foot to Joliet, with $1 in his pocket ; he went at once to work, and has been at work ever since ; he has now one of the largest and best-appointed houses in his line of business in the West ; besides which he has established branches of his business in Grand Rapids, Mich., Mar- shalltown, Iowa., and Braidwood, 111. ; he was appointed Fire Marshal of Joliet in May, 1877, and has given much study and his best efforts to the Department ; during his administration the Department has been changed from a voluntary to a paid organization, the Gamewell fire-alarm tele- graph has been introduced, the horses are now owned by the Department (instead of being hired wherever opportunity occurred, as was previously done), and are kept at all times in the engine-houses, with har- ness on, ready to be hitched up at ten sec- onds' notice ; many other improvements have been added, and the , proficiency to which the Joliet Fire Department has at- tained under the administration of Mr. Paige is evident from the fact that at the National Firemen's Tournament in Chi- cago, in September, 1878, the Joliet Steamer Company No. 1 carried off first honors in extinguishing burning buildings, with a priee of $350 cash and an elegant silver set, and also took two other prizes, one of $100 and the other $75 ; Mr. Paige is at present Township Assessor, to which office he was elected in April, 1878. CHRISTIAN FERDINAND PAS- OLD, manufacturer and dealer in boots and shoes, Joliet ; this gentleman is a na- tive of Fleiszen, Bohemia, and was born July 10, 1830 ; he began learning his trade with his father when about 12 years old ; in 1852, he came to this country, spending one year in New York City, and locating in Joliet in 1853 ; the first eight years he was employed as foreman for Firman Mack, and in the fall of 1860, started in business for himself He was married April 13, 1857, to Mrs. Catherine Sesser, of Joliet; she was born in Baireuth, Kingdom of Bavaria, June 5, 1837, and came to Joliet with her parents in 1854; they have eight children — Rosetta, Christian Ferdinand, Jr., Charles Wilhelm, Joseph Friederich, Henry Herman, Oliver George, Flora El- vira and Martin Julius. Mr. Pasold has served two terms in the City Council, from the Third Ward (now the Fourth) ; in 1869, he was elected City Collector, and, the same year, Town Collector, holding those offices one year. HON. EDWIN POUTER, proprietor of the Eagle Brewery, and manufacturer of Porter's Joliet Ale and Lager Beer, Joliet; was born in Granger, Medina Co., Ohio, April 19, 1828 ; went to Cleveland when quite young, and there received an academic education ; in 1856, he came to Joliet, and engaged for two years in man- ufacturing malt; in 1858, he erected his first brewery, which was burned down in 1868, and, the same year, he erected his 704 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: present extensive buildings. He was Chief Engineer of the Fire Department for five years, beginning in March, 1861 ; he has served three years as member of the City Council, and, in 1863, was elected Mayor, re-elected in 1864, and again in 1871. REV. WALTER HENRY POWER, Pastor of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Joliet ; was born in Waterford, Ireland, in May, 1830 ; he received his classical edu- cation at Tramore, a celebrated watering- place near Waterford ; in March, 1849, he came to America, and entered the Semi- nary of St. Charles Borromeo, on Logan Square, Philadelphia, where he spent five years, and completed his theological stud- ies ; he was ordained a clergyman of the Catholic Churcb in December, 1853, by Bishop Neumann, of Philadelphia, and was appointed Assistant Pastor of St. Pat- rick's Church, of that city, and was short- ly afterward transferred to St. Philip's Church, Southwark, Philadelphia ; he aft- erward spent a year as assistant to the Foreign Vicar General of the Diocese of Philadelphia ; from there he went to Ham- ilton, C. W., as assistant to the Bishop, where he remained two years ; in March, 1859, he came to ,Illinois, and located at Lacon, Marshall Co., where his jurisdic- tion extended over five counties, embra- cing some half a dozen churches ; in June, 1860, he was transferred to Aurora, and in May, 1861, became Pastor of St. Pat- rick's Church, in Chicago ; in November, the same year, he assumed the pastoral charge of St. Michael's Church, in Galena, where he remained eight years, coming to Joliet, as Pastor of St. Patrick's Church, in September, 1869. J. W. PATTERSON, of the firm of Patterson & Longley, dealers in coal, wood and coke, Joliet ; is a native of Newburg, N. Y.; he was born Sept. 12, 1853 ; he is a son of Thomas H. Patterson, of this city ; in early childhood he moved with parents to Haverstraw, N. Y., near the battle ground of Stony Point, and there lived until the spring of 1865, when the family came to Joliet ; he was educated in the public schools and at Russell's Business College in Joliet; he also attended the Chicago University for a time ; in 1875, he began keeping books for his father and the firm of Lyons & Patterson, and con- tinued at this until 1877, when be engaged in the coal business for himself He was married Oct. 18, 1876, to Miss Hattie A. Strickland, daughter of the late Henry Strickland, an early settler of Joliet ; they have one child — Claire. JUDSON C. PORTER, local editor of the Joliet Republican, Joliet ; was born in Fairfield Co., Conn., July 27, 1846 ; when he was 3 years old, his parents removed to Litchfield Co., in the same State; at the age of 15, he left home, and went to New Britain, Hartford Co., where he spent two years in the Connecticut State Normal School, after which he engaged in clerking ; in 1868, he came West, and taught one year in Kankakee ; in 1869, he removed to Aurora ; thence, in 1872, to Joliet, and in 1875, became local editor of the Joliet Republican. He was married in New Britain, Conn., Oct. 8, 1867, to Miss Mar- tha J. Holmes, of Hartford Co. ; they have two children — Edith May and George E. FRANK ROBESSON, dealer in gro- ceries, liquors, fiour, feed, etc., and propri- etor of Robesson's Hall, Joliet ; was born on the 24th of June, 1828, in that portion of Italy then adjoining and now a part of France ; at the age of 18 years he was ap- prenticed to learn the shoemaker's trade, and two years later (1848), he became a cavalry soldier in Victor Emanuel's Italian aripy, where he served eight years; after this, he spent one year in Lyons, and, in 1857, came to America ; in 1858, he came to Will Co., and worked three months for Thomas Mappu for his board; after this, he built a small shanty in Joliet and began working at his trade ; he was so poor then that for two days he had nothing to eat ; he followed shoemaking about a year, in the mean time selling a little confectionery, etc., when, having accumulated a little money, he started in a small way selling liquors, groceries, etc.; he now owns four buildings in Joliet, besides other property; in 1875, he built Robesson's Hall, at a cost, including lot, of $31,000. He was mar- ried in 1862 to Miss Josephine St. Angle, of Oswego, N. Y., and has one child — Josephine. DAVID ROSENHEIM, dealerin cloth- ing, hats, caps, gents' furnishing goods, trunks, valises, etc., Joliet; was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Dec. 11, 1847 ; he was educated in the public schools of his native country ; on arriving at the age JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 705 of 15 years, be left home and came to this country ; his father had died but a short time before ; his mother followed her son about twelve years ago, and now resides in Chicago ; on arriving in Joliet, young Rosenheim entered the employ of Morris Einstein, with whom he remained until 1869, when he became a partner in the firm ; in 1875, he purchased his partner's interest in the business, which he has since continued alone ; he carries a well-selected stock of about $12,000 — the largest in his line in the county — consisting of all grades of men's, youths', boys' and children's cloth- ing, furnishing goods, hats, caps, trunks, valises, etc., at prices to suit the times ; he is courteous in manner and honorable in his dealings, and it is these qualities that have contributed largely to his success. He was married June 18, 1878, to Miss Augusta Lindaur, of Chicago. Mr. Rosen- heim is a prominent member of the Ma- sonic fraternity, having taken all the Con- sistory degrees of Scottish Rite Masonry, and for the past year has held the office of High Priest of Johet Chapter, No. 27. R. A. M. F. J. RAPPLE, dealer in live stock and proprietor of Joliet Street Market, Joliet ; was born near Strasbourg, Alsace, France, Dec. 19, 1837 ; in 1845, he came with his parents to this country, coming direct to Joliet, where he has lived for thirty- three years. His father, Simon Rapple, a highly-respected farmer of Will Co., died in 1877, leaving five children, the subject of this sketch being the third in age ; for the past fifteen years, Mr. Rapple's busi- ness has been farming, dealing in stock, etc. He was married Nov. 13, 1856, to Miss Margaret Adler, daughter of Michael Adler, one of the early settlers of Joliet ; they have ten children living — Lawrence L., Fred J., Jr., Veronica, John M., Louise B., Simon P., Angle -M., Theresa, Ella and Frankie C; one daughter, Louise, died in 1862. Mr. Rapple was elected a member of the Board of Supervisors in 1877, and re-elected in 1878. BARBER, RANDALL & FULLER, attorneys at law, Joliet; this firm, although existing as a firm only since January, 1877, is composed of some of the oldest and most prominent members of the Will County bar. Hon. R. E. Barber was born in Rutland Co., Vt., in 1822 ; at the age of 10 years, he came with his father's family to Will Co.; he read law in Joliet, and was admitted to the bar in 1847 ; in 1852, he was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of Will County, holding the office until 1856 ; he has been a member of the Board of School Inspectors some ten years ; in 1876, he was chosen Mayor of Joliet, and served one term. Hon. S. W. Randall is a native of Hoosick Falls, Rens- selaer Co., N. Y.; he was born March 23, 1808, butremovedtoFredonia,Chautau qua Co., when about 9 years of age ; he was educated at the public schools and at Fre- donia Academy ; at the age of 16, he began as an apprentice to learn the printer's trade, and worked two years on the Fredonia Censor ; he afterward removed to Frank- lin, Venango Co., Penn., and began read- ing law in the office of Judge Galbraith,. and afterward with the late Chief Justice Thompson, in the mean time teaching school and working at the printer's trade ; he was admitted to the bar in 1834, and, in 1835, removed to Erie, Penn., and engaged in practicing law and in editing the Erie Ohserver; in 1843, he came to Joliet, and engaged in the practice of his profession ;. he was elected Judge of the Circuit Court in , and served- years; in 1850, he was elected to the State Legislature, and has held other offices of trust and re- sponsibility. Buel A. Fuller was born in Coles Co., 111., Aug. 8, 1833 ; his parents removed to Danville, 111., in 1835, and about five years later to Perryville, Ind.^ there he entered a printing office, working during the day, and attending school even- ings ; about 1848, at the age of 15, he en- gaged in publishing the Temperance Jour- nal and Sons Companion in Danville, 111., the first temperance paper in the State ; he afterward went to Louisville, Ky., and thence to Madison, Ind., as foreman on the Madison Courier; in 1852, he came to Joliet, and became joint-owner and pub- lisher of the True Democrat with Alex- ander Mcintosh ; after awhile, his health failing, he retired from the newspaper business, but resumed it again in 1856 as publisher of the Kankakee Democrat; in the mean time he had been pursuing the study of law, and, in 1857, was admitted to the bar in Joliet ; the next year he was elected City Attorney, serving two terms. The integrity, affability and modesty of all 706 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: these gentlemen are so well known in Will €o., as to require no mention 'here. CHARLES RICHARDS, M. D., phy- sician and surgeon, Joliet ; was born in Newport, Herkimer Co., N. Y., July 26, 1832 ; at the age of 10 years, he removed with his parents to New Haven, Huron Co., Ohio ; after receiving an English educa- tion, he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. F. Gr. Armstrong, of New Haven, Ohio ; he attended medical lectures at the Albany Medical College, where he graduated in' 1855; he then located in New Haven, Ohio, and practiced medi- cine there until 1868, when he came to Joliet, and has been a practicing physician here ever since. He is a member of the Will County Medical Society, of which he was formerly Secretary ; he held the office of Coroner of Will County from 1870 to 18*74. He was married on the 25th of March, 1858, to Miss Harriet Mulford, of New Haven, Ohio. DAVID RICHARDS, farmer and stock-raiser, P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., March 27, 1813; he was raised to the dairying business, which he followed until he came West in 1837, making the journey with a team, and settling in Joliet ; the first three years he spent in handling stock through the West, buying principally in Illinois and driving to Wisconsin and selling to the settlers ; he then engaged in the meat bus- iness in Joliet, handling stock at the same time ; in 1842, the State became bankrupt and all internal improvements ceasing, Mr. Richards being engaged in supplying the contractors on the Canal, became involved in the financial wreck, and although he paid in full, lost the accumulation of years ; "'*' _|4, he engaged in farming and rais- Sm dealing in stock, in which he has ci^tinued with good success to the present time ; he was one of the parties engaged in the Joliet Woolen-Mill enterprise which was started in 1866 ; he had the manage- ment of the feeding department of the Michigan Central Stock-Yards, for seven- teen years, and received the first car-load of stock which was shipped into Joliet by rail ; he subdivided and sold the east half of the northwest quarter of Section 15, known as the Canal Trustees' Subdivision, and embracing a part of the best-settled portion of the city at the present time ; he still owns a large amount of real estate in the city, besides about seven hundred acres of farm lands in the county ; he erected his fine residence on the corner of Washington and Richards streets in 1860. He has been too much engaged in his own business to seek or accept public office of any kind. Mr. Richards was married Jan. 16, 1840, to Miss Mary A. Larraway, of Herkimer Co., N. Y.; they have six children living — Mary, now Mrs. T. H. Ingersoll, of Joliet ; Nancy Jeanette, wife of J. D. Smith, of Omaha, Neb.; John, Newton, William M. and Anson. JOSEPH REICHMAN, of the firm of J. and J. Reiohman, proprietors of the Joliet Meat Market, No. 4, Chicago street, Joliet ; was born in Baden, Germany, Feb. 13, 1836 ; in that country it is necessary for every boy or young man to serve an apprenticeship to whatever business he in- tends to follow through life ; Mr. Reich- man remained on the farm until he was about 16 years of age, and then began learning his present business ; in 1855, he came to this country, and after spending a few months in Brie, Penn., came to Chi- cago ; in 1857, he settled in Joliet and en- gaged in his present business, being the oldest in the business in the city ; he has attended strictly to business and enjoys the results of his labors in a fine home adjoining the city. He was married in July, 1869, to Miss Annie Koch, of Joliet; they have had five children, three of whom are living — Anton, Mary and Albert. JOSEPH J. REICHMAN, of theabove firm was born in Baden, Germany, March 17, 1851, and lived there until he was 17 years old; in 1868, he came to the United States, coming direct to Joliet, where he entered the employ of his uncle, Joseph Reichman, in the market business, and, in 1874, became a partner in the firm. He was married Jan. 14, 18^2, to Miss Chris- tina Wucherpfening, of Mokena, Will Co., and has three children living — Regina, Julius and Amalia ; his oldest child, Jose- phina, died in infancy. JOHN H. RAPPLE, dealer in live- stock and proprietor of Rapple's meat mar- ket, No. 3, North Bluff street, Joliet; is a native of this county ; he was born in Joliet Township, on the 20th of January, 1848 ; he is a son of Simon Rapple, who came to Will County from Alsace, in 1845; y h^ ^r/f J^^^^ (deceased) LOCKPORT JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 709 lie was educated in the parish schools of Joliet; he followed farming until 1870, when he engaged in business for himself in the confectionery trade; in July, 1874, he went to Southwestern Kansas and opened a farm and remained there until the summer of 1877, when he returned to Joliet and engaged in his present business. HOPKINS ROWBLL, contractor, Joliet; was born in Hopkinton, N. H.. May 16, 1810 ; removed, in infanoy, with his parents, to Clarkson, Monroe Co., N. Y. (then part of Genesee Co.), and there lived until he first came West, in 1834 ; he followed the business of brickmaking and farming, receiving an academic educa tion in the Clarkson Academy ; he came West, as an explorer, in 1834 and 1835, and on his latter visit purchased from the Government 80 acres of land, containing the gravel-pit adjoining the city on the east, first buying the claim of John Cook, an old Revolutionary soldier, who had set- tled there in 1832 ; he also purchased an- other tract, of 160 acres, near by ; he still retains his original purchases, on one of which he began about twelve years ago to develop the extensive gravel-pit above al- luded to ; in 1847, Mr. Rowell again came West, as the General Agent for C. H. McCormick for this region of country, in- cluding Wisconsin, Northern Indiana and Northern Illinois ; he was the first to introduce the McCormick Reaper in Joliet, selling it to Robert Stevens, Henry D. Higinbotham and Mansfield Wheeler ; this reaper was in existence until a few years ago, when it was allowed to be destroyed, much to Mr. Rowell's regret; in 1857, Mr. Rowell located here, with his family, and has since been a permanent resident ; he is the author of a pamphlet entitled, " The Great Resources and Superior Ad- vantages of Joliet," published in 1871, of which 20,000 copies were circulated, and did much toward bringing the nat- ural resources of Joliet to the attention of capitalists and others, in the East ; he also furnished numerous articles on the subject to the Eastern papers, besides per- sonally visiting, on the part of the city, several of the Eastern cities. He was married in 1848, in Watertown, N. Y., to Miss Mary E. Blood, of that city, and has five children — Jacob H., of Minneapolis, Minn., Annie J., Nathaniel J., Laura J. and S. Jennie. Mr. Rowell has absolutely declined being a candidate for any ofiice, both before and since coming to Joliet. R. ROBERTSON, proprietor of the Robertson House, Joliet ; was born in Fifeshire, on the Firth of Forth, Scotland, within a few miles of the City of Edin- burgh, May 16, 1822 ; he was raised to the business of flour-milling, and, at the age of 20 years, came to America, and settled in New York City ; there he en- gaged in the distillery business, which he continued until 1864, and then came to Joliet and purchased the Joliet Distillery, which he run for two years ; in 1872, he built the Robertson House, which burned down in 1874 ; the following year, he erected the present elegant four-story-and- basement building, containing seventy-two sleeping-rooms above the ofiice floor, com- modious and spacious parlors, etc. ; this is the largest hotel within a circuit of forty miles. Mr. Robertson was married, previ- ously to coming to this country, to Miss Margaret Duncan, of AUoway, Scotland, and has six children living. ERNEST RUDD, farmer. Sec. 23, P. 0. Joliet; born in Will Co., 111., Aug. 24, 1854, where he has always lived, and followed the occupation of farming upon the place where he now resides; he owns 50 acres of land, two and one-half miles from Joliet, valued at $60 per acre. Mar- ried Martha M. Miller, May 21, 1875 ; she she was born in Niagara Co., N. Y., March 20, 1853 ; they have two children — George Sanford, born Dec. 12, 1876 ; David Clar- ence, born Aug. 11, 1878. MRS. PH(EBE RUSSELL; P. O. Joliet ; one of the early settlers of Will County ; was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., Nov. 1, 1812. She is a daughter of Benjamin and Phoebe Weaver, and came to Homer Tp. with them in 1833. Her father was familiarly known as " Uncle Ben Weaver," and was a promi- nent citizen of Homer till his death in March, 1872, at the age of 91 years. Her mother had died ten years previously. Miss Weaver was first married Deo. 12, 1833, to Chester Ingersoll, a native of Vermont, who settled in Will County in 1828, and took an active part in the Black Hawk war. After their marriage, they removed to Chicago and kept the first hotel kept by an American in that city ; 6 710 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: returning after two years, they settled in Plainfield ; and, seven years later, re- moved to Lockport, thenee to Wheatland, and, in 1847, removed to California ; Mr. Ingersoll died in San Francisco in Sept. 1850, and Mrs. Ingersoll returned with her family in Will County ; the family con- sisted of four children — C^hester, now of Kansas ; Benjamin F., who served through the war, and now resides in Joliet ; Josiah, who also served through the war, and died in January, 1871, from disea.se contracted in the service of his country ; and James K. P., now of this city. In July, 1851, Mrs. Ingersoll married the late Benjamin F. Russell, of Steuben Co., N. Y., a native of New Hampshire ; they lesided in Homer until Mr. Russell's election as Circuit Clerk and Recorder of Will County, in 1859, and then they removed to Joliet ; Mr. Russell held the office two terms of four years each, making one of the most efficient officers the county ever had ; he also held the office of Assistant Assessor of Internal Revenue two terms ; he died Sept. 12, 1874, and in his death Will County lost one of her most honored citizens. He left three daughters — Emily J., Ida M. and Mary W.; but one of whom is now living — Ida May, now Mrs. J. J. La Fon- taine, of Joliet ; he also left one son of a former marriage — Francis A., now of Michigan. Mrs. Russell was on the first stage ever run from Chicago to Plain- field, when there was but one house between the two places. ROSITER RUDD, farmer. Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Lafayette, Ind., Nov. 3, 1840 ; removed with his father's family to Joliet Township, Will Co., 111., when 1 year old ; he worked upon his father's farm until 24 years of age, when his father died and Mr. Rudd became the possessor of his present farm, which con- sists of sixty acres of well-improved land, valued at $50 per acre. Married Aug. 15, 1860, Miss Jane Gregg; she was a native of Canada ; they are the parents of five children — Luly, Fayty, Harriet, Free- man and Mansfield, all living ; Mr. Rudd has filled the office of School Director for six years with entire satisfaction. MOTHER M. FRANCIS SHANA- HAN, Joliet ; Superior of the Convent of the Sisters of St. Francis ; is a native of County Limerick, Ireland ; when quite young, she came to this country with her parents, who settled in New York State, residing in Cold Spring and Hudson, and afterward removed to Chicago ; she was educated in St. Patrick's School, in Chicago, completing her studies there when about 17 years of age ; she remained with her parents until she entered into religion at the age of 24 ; after completing her novitiate, she was made Directress of the school of St. Boniface in Chicago ; one year later, she was transferred to Freeport, III., returning thence to Chicago, from which city she went to Mansfield, Ohio, as Directress of St. Peter's School, and in June, 1877, came to Joliet as Superior of the Convent here ; this is the mother house of the order in this portion of the country, having twenty-one missions in Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Missouri ; there are eight teachers in the home institution, five of whom are engaged in teaching in the academy, and three in Father Gerardus' Parochial School. W. W. STEVENS, attorney at law, Joliet ; was born in Oxford Co., Maine, July 14, 1832 ; when he was but two years of age, his parents removed tO' Dover, thence to Sullivan Co., N. H., where he made his home until 1855. He received an academic education at the Andover Academy, N. H., where he grad- uated in July, 1854; the following year he came to Will Co., and engaged in teaching, soon afterward settling in Joliet, where he studied law in the office of Parks & Elwood; he was admitted to the bar in March, 1859, and has contin- ued the practice of his profession ever since ; he formerly did an extensive in- surance business, having the largest agency in the city; but in 1873, he disposed of that branch of his business to A. A. Osgood ; he was elected City Attorney in 1863, and has been several times re- elected to the same office ; he has, also, served three years on the Board of School Inspectors. He was married Sept. 6, 1859, to Miss Althea H. Hawley, daugh- ter of Oscar L. Hawley, one of the earliest settlers of Will Co., and has seven children. HON. HENRY SNAPP, attorney at law, of the firm of Snapp & Snapp, Joliet ; was born in Livingston Co., N. Y., June 30, 1822 ; when he was but 3 year* JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 711 old, his father's family removed to Roches- ter, N. Y., and, in 1833, came to Will Co. and settled in what is known as " Yankee Settlement," in Homer Tp.; his father, Abram Snapp, was a farnjer, a man of inflexible will, of sterling and uncompro- mising integrity, of commanding presence, and, though of unassuming manners, a man of great talent, and a highly respected citizen; he died in 1865, leaving four children — three daughters and one son, Henry, who inherited, to a large extent, the characteristics of his father ; he remained at home, on the farm, until he became of age, when he came to Joliet and read law in the oflSces of E. C. Fel- lows, Esq., and Hon. S. W. Randall ; he was admitted to the bar in 1843, but did not begin practice until 1850 ; he started out in his profession with a determination to make an able lawyer ; he relied not upon natural ability, but applied himself to study, and has been a close student ever since ; being a ready speaker, and a man of brilliant imagination, and of pro- nounced opinions on all moral and political questions, it is not strange that he should be selected by his fellow-citizens to repre- sent them in the councils of state ; he was elected to the State Senate in the fall of 1868, and in 1872 resigned the office to accept the nomination as Representative in Congress, from the Sixth Congressional District (now the Seventh); he was elected for the unexpired term of Hon. B. C. Cook, who had resigned, and having served out his term, declining a renomination, he returned to Joliet and resumed the prac- tice of his profession ; it may be mentioned that in 1854 he held the office of City Attorney ; was for eight years a partner of Hon. Francis Goodspeed, now Judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Illinois. He was married in January, 1847, to Miss Adeline Broadie, of Joliet, and has five children — Sarah, wife of Dorrance Dibell, of Joliet ; Elizabeth (now Mrs. George M. Campbell, of Joliet), Henry D., (engaged in practice with his father), Howard M. (attorney at law in Joliet), and Charles D. C. W. STAEHLE, bookbinder, Joliet ; was born in Tubingen, Kingdom of Wur- temberg, Germany, March 13, 1825; he was educated at the University of Tubing- en, and afterward learned the book- binder's trade, which he followed until he was 26 years of age, when he came to the United States; this was in 1851 ; he spent four years in New York City, work- ing at diiferent trades, the last year as draughtsman for Blias Howe, the inventor of the sewing machine ; from New York, he came directly to Joliet, and for eight years was engaged as pattern-maker in Jones' agricultural foundry ; in 1 859, he established his present business in a small way, having no capital, afterward combin- ing the picture-frame business ; by atten- tion to business and the wants of his customers, his business has steadily in- creased, until now his house is the leading one in his line in the city. Mr. Staehle has been Notary Public for the past nine years ; in 1868, he was elected City Col- lector, serving one year ; he has been a member of the Board of School Inspect- ors constantly since 1868, the past six years being Clerk of the Board. He waf married in 1849 to Miss Mary Bertsoh, os Wurtemberg, Germany, and has seven children living — Christian, Louise, Otto, Albert, Edwin, Fred and Martha. COL. LORENZO P. SANGER (de- ceased), Joliet; was born in Littleton, N.. H,, March 2, 1809. When but a small boy, he accompanied his father's family to Livingston Co., N. Y., at that time a vast wilderness in the then Far West, and, like other pioneers, could only obtain the com- mon log schoolhouse education in the win- ter, and in summer worked on a farm or in a saw-mill. When the Erie Canal (termed at that time, in derision, " Clin- ton's Ditch") was begun, his father, David Sanger, took a contract on the Canal, at Rochester, and afterward at Black Rock, about 1824, where he remained until the Erie Canal was completed. At this time but three steamboats were running on Lake Erie, and Lorenzo P. Sanger went on the Pioneer as steward. In the fall of 1826, his fatherremoved to Pittsburgh, Penn., and engaged in heavy contracts on the Penn- sylvania Canal, and continued until com- pleted, finishing near Johnstown, Lorenzo having charge of a part of the work. When about 20, he took a contract to build a lock near Livermore, Penn., and was known as the " boy contractor." When this was finished, he went into the mer- cantile business at Blairsville, Penn. He married Rachel Mary Denniston, of Den- 712 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: niston's Town, Westmoreland Co., Penn., Feb. 3, 1830, and, the same year, removed his store to that place. About 1831, he joined J. Noble Nesbit at Freeport, Penn., in sinking a salt-well. After drilling sev- eral hundred feet, they struck a large flow of salt water, and with it what the salt men termed "that infernal American or Seneca oil," since known as petroleum ; and as the value of the oil was not then known, the well was abandoned and he lost all. From Freeport he went on the Beaver Ca- nal and built a lock and dam twelve miles above Beaver, at the mouth of Kanakanes- sing Creek. When this was completed, he removed to Miamisport, Ind., and engaged in heavy contracts on the Indiana Canal. His work was on the Indian Reservation, and was completed amid many discourage- ments, the country being almost a wilder- ness and very unhealthy. In 1835, he started in the then fashionable way of traveling, viz., on horseback, to St. Joseph, Mich., and joined Gen. Hart L. Stewart, now of Chicago, in merchandising and warehouse business, and steamboating on the St. Joseph River. At the letting of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, in June, 1836, Stewart, Sanger & Wallace contracted to dig Sections 156 and 157, on the heavy rock ex- cavation, above Lockport, 111. The next season, he removed permanently to Illinois, and followed the Canal to La Salle, where he built lock No. 15. He next formed a company and took the contract to improve the rapids of Rook River at Sterling, 111. In March, 1843, he joined Smith Gal- braith in a line of stages from Chicago to Galena, via Dixon, and the next year pur- chased Galbraith's interest. While at Ga- lena, he was elected State Senator. In 1847, Frink & Walker, Sanger & Co., Da- vis & Moore, and Neil, Moore & Co. united and formed the Northwestern Stage Co., embracing Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wis- consin, Iowa and Missouri, Mr. Sanger removing to St. Louis and taking charge of the western division until 1851, at which time the firm of Sanger, Camp & Co. contracted to build the western division of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, after completing which, Sanger, Stewart & Truesdail took the contract for building the North Missouri Railroad from St. Louis to Macon, Mo. Both of these roads were heavy enterprises, through comparatively new countries, and involved the engaging of hundreds of subcontractors. Both have become important trunk lines. In 1857, the State of Illinois let to Lorenzo P. Sanger and Samuel K. Casey, under the firm name of Sanger & Casey, the con- tract to build the State Penitentiary at Joliet, and in June, 1858, leased to them the convict labor of the State, the convicts being then confined in the Penitentiary at Alton, the commerce and discipline of the latter being in charge of W. A. Steel until July, 1860, when the last of the convicts were removed by him to the new Peniten- tiary at Joliet. During the last named year, he removed to Joliet, and, in 1862, to a farm one mile northwest of the city. Having, during his busy life, been the em- ployer of tens of thousands of men, and the nation at this time being in the midst of the war of the rebellion. President Lin- coln-wrote to Gov. Yates to send Mr. Sanger a commission as Colonel and request him to join the army in Tennessee and Kentucky for staff duty or whatever his health would enable him to do. This was done, and Col. Sanger immediately threw up his business and joined the army in Kentucky, where he remained until his health was almost entirely gone, when he was compelled to return home in a prostra- ted condition, from which he never fully recovered. In 1865, Col. Sanger and W. A. Steel, under the firm name of Sanger & Steel, opened quarries north of and ad- jacent to Joliet, which proved to be the best limestone yet found in America, and which they developed into a very large business, employing from three to four hundred men and a hundred horses, the canal and railroad also passing through their works. Though Missouri, Wiscon- sin, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois patron- ized their works largely, the United States Government was their heaviest customer for material to build the Rock Island Ar- senal, Marine Hospital in Chicago, Custom Houses at Des Moines, Iowa, and Madison, Wis., etc. The same year, 1865, Sanger, Steel & Co. took the contract to deepen the twenty-one rock sections of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. This was to lemove solid limestone sixty feet wide and ten feet deep, the object being to remove perma- nently the lift-lock in Chicago and Jack's lock near Lockport. Col. Sanger died in JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 713 Oakland, Cal., where he had gone for the benefit of his health, on March 23, 1875, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Joliet. He had three children — Maj. W. D. Sanger, who served as an aid on Gen. Sherman's staff in the late war, and died in St. Louis in November, 1873; Frances Louise, wife of Hon. W. A. Steel, of Jol- iet, and Henry A. Sanger, now of Flor- ence, Ala. Col. Sanger, although a man of unyielding purpose and rugged charac- ter, was kind-hearted in his public dealings, and exceedingly tender in the private and domestic relations of life. HON. W. A. STEEL, proprietor of the Joliet Stone Quarries, Joliet ; was born in Blairsville, Penn., Oct. 11, 1836; his father, Hon. Stewart Steel, was a lawyer of eminence in that State ; Mr. Steel, when about 1 7 years of age, spent a short time in mercantile business in Cumberland, Md., and Pittsburgh, Penn. ; in 1855, he came West and spent a short time in Joliet on his way to Missouri, where he built si x miles of the North Missouri Railroad, and there made his first start in a business career which has been so eminently suc- cessful ; in 1857, he returned to Joliet, which since that time has been his perma- nent home. He became cashier for Messrs. Sanger & Casey, who had just obtained the contract for building the State Peniten- tiary. In 1858, he went to Alton as Dep- uty Warden of the State Penitentiary ; then located in that city, the Warden be- ing Samuel K. Casey, who resided in Joli- et, and remained in the sole charge of the commerce and discipline of that institution until July, 1860, at which time he re- moved the last of the convicts to the new institution at Joliet ; he then entered the law office of Judge Newton D. Strong, of St. Louis, having previously pursued his law studies in private ; he was admitted to the bar in St. Louis on the 4th of April, 1861. On the breaking-out of the rebell- ion, he engaged in the construction of four monitors for the Government, viz. : the Tuscumbia, Indianola, Chillicothe and the Etlah, the last being a full-blooded monitor ; he afterward enrolled a battalion of 450 men, called the National Iron Works Battalion ; was commissioned Major and placed in command of the battalion, and stationed in St. Louis for tbe defense of that city, where he remained until after the close of the war. In July, 1865, Mr. Steel engaged with his father-in-law. Col. Lorenzo P. Sanger, in opening his present extensive quarries, the largest in the coun- try, the firm being Sanger & Steel, and so continued till March 1, 1871, when he purchased Mr. Sanger's interest, and is now the sole proprietor. Among the prom- inent buildings for which Mr. Steel has furnished the stone may be mentioned the Custom-houses at Madison, Wis. and Des Moines, Iowa, about sixty Court Houses and Jails in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, among them the new Court House at Rockford, 111., the finest in the State out- side of Chicago, and the St. Louis Four Courts ; the Government buildings at Rock Island, for which he furnished fully 30,000 car-loads of stone ; the railroad bridge over the Mississippi River at Du- buque, the United States Marine Hospital at Chicago, and a portion of the stone for new State Capitols of Illinois and Michi- gan, besides which are churches and private buildings without number. Stone from his quarries is to be found in the cemeteries throughout all of the Northwestern States. Besides his quarry interests, he sank and worked the first shafts in the Wilmington coal region. In March, 1870, Mr. Steel was licensed to practice in the Supreme Court of the State, and on the 22d of April following, in the Supreme Court of the United States, and in the United States Court of Claims, Jan. 10, 1871 ; he has not followed the practice of the law except in the United States Courts at Washing- ton, and then only attending the oases of himself and friends. He led the move- ment which procured the passage of an act of the Legislature empowering the city of Joliet to make an appropriation for the building of the Joliet Iron and Steel Works, the largest in this country, and with two exceptions, the largest in the world ; this was accomplished in the face of the most violent opposition, not the least being the Governor's veto. He was mar- ried Jan. 16, 1862, to Miss Frances Louise Sanger, daughter of the late Col. Lorenzo P. Sanger, of Joliet, and has three children — Sanger (now a student in Racine Col- lege), Louise and Frances. Mr. Steel has collected a very valuable library of 6,000 volumes, including works on law, medicine, theology, science arid general literature, 714 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : among which are many old and rare vol- umes, some of which were printed as long ago as 1537 ; a further notice of this library may be found in the history of the city, in another part of t;his work ; he also iaaugurated the first public library in Jol- iet, in 1867. Mr. Steel was first elected Mayor of Joliet in 1869, and has three times since been elected to the same office. HENRY SCHIBK, dealer in wines and liquors, Joliet ; was born in Carlsruhe, Baden Baden, Germany, Oct. 25, 1842 ; in 1848, the family came to America and located in Frankfort Tp., Will Co. ; here he grew to manhood, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits for about twenty-six years; in 1874, he moved to Joliet and engaged in his present occupation. He was married March 12, 1866, to Henrietta Mueller, a native of Germany; has three children — Matilda, Emma, Edward. Owns 120 acres in Frankfort Tp. ROBERTL. SEWARD, retired farmer; P. 0. Joliet; was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., in 1828 ; his early life was that of a farmer's son ; he enjoyed the advantages of the common schools of his native State ; in 1847, he began the trade of wagon-makiug | in Portlandville, on the Susquehanna River, and worked under instructions three years; in August, 1850, he came West to Illinois, ; and first engaged in working for Rodney ' House, and continued with him two years ; i he then engaged in carpentering about one ' year, and, in 1854, purchased a farm in New Lenox Tp., and followed agricultural ' pursuits about eleven years ; in 1865, hav- ing sold out, he moved to Jackson Tp., where he farmed six years; in 1871, he moved to Joliet, and has since not been actively engaged in business, except some transactions in real estate and loaning money. He was married in April, 1853, to Sarah M. Moore, a native of Otsego Co., N. Y. ; she died in January, 1859. His second marriage, to Mrs. Elizabeth Ger- man, was celebrated in June, 1861 ; her maiden name was Brown, a daughter of one of the early settlers of Will Co. From : the first wedlock two children were born — Eugene W., of Russell Co., Kan. ; Cora S. His father came with him to Illinois, and died at the advanced age of 89 years. CHARLES H. SUTPHEN, retired; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Cherry Valley, Otsego Co., N. Y., Feb. 15, 1806 ; his father, Gilbert Sutphen, was a native of New Jersey, and was of Dutch and Irish descent, his father, John Sutphen, having come from Holland some time before the Revolutionary war, and his mother being of one of the first families of Dublin, and came with her parents to America and set- tled in New Jersey about the same time. Shortly after the Revolutionary war the family removed to Cherry Valley, N. Y., and settled on a farm about four miles south of the village ; on this farm Gilbert Sutphen, the father of Charles H., grew to manhood, and married Mary Higinbotham in Worcester, Otsego Co. ; she was of English descent, born in Rhode Island, and removed to Worcester, N. Y. with her parents when quite young. After their marriage, Mr. Sutphen's parents continued to reside in Cherry Valley until the break- ing-out of the war of 1812 ; his father was called upon to help defend his couDtry, and joining the army, fell at the battle of Lundy's Lane ; his family consisted of five children — Julia Ann, Mary Ann, Charles H., Sarah and Jane, of whom the subject of this sketch is the only one now living. After his father's death, Charles H., then 8 years of age, was sent to live with his grandfather, Higinbotham, in Cazenovia, Madison Co., N. Y., and re- mained two years, attending school a por- tion of the time ; he afterward lived three years with one James Cagwin in the same county ; his mother then marrying Thomas South worth, of Sherburne, Chenango Co., N. Y., he lived on the farm with them until the age of 21, with the exception of one year spent in attending an academy ; his health being impaired, he, on the advice of a physician, went to Boston, and took a voyage on a cod-fishing vessel up the Straits ; returning with his health somewhat improved, he shipped as Cap- tain's clerk with Capt. Law on board the ship Concordia in the merchant service, making one voyage, and on his return to Boston, Capt. Law obtained him a situation in the Custom-house as messenger to the Surveyor of Customs — Elbridge Gerry, son of the late Elbridge Gerry, Governor of Massachusetts and late Vice President ot the United States ; in this office he re- mained two years, spending his evenings in the acquisition of useful knowledge. Mr. Gerry then secured him a situation in the JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 715 Pay Department of the U. S. Army, where he remained eight years, or until Sept. 1, 1834. He was married in 1831 to Ehzabeth H. Dow, of Boston, and, in April, 1834:, came to Illinois and selected a claim at the head of Indian Creek (timber), in La Salle Co. ; on a portion of his claim now stands the village of Earl- ville ; he returned for his family in May ; left the army office Sept. 1, and started for Illinois, arriving safely with his family in his new home in October, 1834 ; he built a double log house on the site of the present village of Earlville aud went to farming; in 1835, the land came into market, and, in 1839, he purchased 1,000 acres, and occupied it as a stock farm for over twenty years; in 1853, he built a large brick house near where the log one stood ; he was one of the first Justices of the Peace in Indian Precinct, Earl Tp., and held the office continuously for fifteen years, when he resigned ; he was also Postmaster of Earlville for seven years ; he held many other prominent offices, including that of Supervisor from that town. He had a family of six sons and three daughters. Charles T. Sutphen was the first white male child born in the township ; he and Albert are in California ; George is in Aurora, 111., Frederick in Missouri, and Gilbert and William are in Iowa. Sarah married S. Cook, of Earl, now deceased. Carrie T. was the first white female child born in the township, and married W. H. Graham, of St. Louis. Mary married O. S. Gray, of Ottawa. They are now both deceased. Mr. Sut- phen's wife died April 6, 1870, and, in 1871, he removed to Joliet, where he still resides, and married the widow of the late H. D. Higinbotham. DR. GEORGE B. SALTER, dentist, Joliet; came to Joliet in 1860; he was born in Stark Co., Ohio, Oct. 6, 1837 ; in 1845, his parents removed to Monroe, Mich., and there he lived until 1857, when hie went to Freeport, 111., and there learned dentistry ; in 1859, he removed to White- water, Wis., and one year later came to Joliet, as above stated, and has practiced dentistry here ever since ; he has been a member of the State Dental Association since 1867, and in 1877, was a delegate to the American Dental Association. He served one term as Vice President of the Joliet Library and Historical Society. He was married Jan. 13, 1864, to Miss Mat- tie Ellis, of Whitewater, Wis., and has one daughter, Viola B. HON. ANTON SCHEIDT, dealer in hardware, tinware, stoves and house-fur- nishing goods (Scheldt & Smith), Joliet ; was born in Schoenenburg, Alsace, France, Jan. 30, 1827 ; in 1849, he came to the United States ; spent one year in the State of New York, and then came West, re- maining a short time in Chicago, and com- ing to Joliet in 1850 ; the first two years he worked in a wagon and plow shop in Homer Tp., and in April, 1852, was married to Elizabeth Palmer, of Joliet, who was born in Harthaem, in the King- dom of Baden, Germany, in 1824, by whom he has four children ; the same year (1852), he built the Chicago House, on Bluff St., and kept it as a boarding-house until 1862. In 1857, he entered into partnership with Sebastian Stephen in the brewery business; in 1862, he purchased his partner's interest, enlarged the brew- ery, and run it until 1874, when he leased it to Henry Eider, the present occupant. In 1875, he entered upon his present busi- ness, with his son-in-law, Paul Smich ; besides their regular line of hardware busi- ness, they are large contractors and manu- facturers of all kinds of galvanized-iron work, etc. Mr. Scheldt has served eleven years on the Board of Aldermen, being first elected in 1861 ; in 1874, he was chosen Mayor of the city of Joliet, holding the office one year ; he has also served three terms on the Board of Supervisors. JOSEPH STEPHEN, manufacturer and dealer in harness, saddles, etc., Joliet ; is a son of John Stephens, who came to Joliet in 1846, and is now a resident of this city ; he was born in Grassendorf, Alsace, France, Feb. 17, 1837, and came, with his father's family, to this country in 1845, and, after spending one year in Ohio, came to Joliet as above stated ; he learned his trade of a harness-maker with John Bergen, in Joliet, completing his apprenticeship when he was 15 years old, after which he worked at his trade in various places in this State and Iowa for six years ; he then went to Waco, Texas, where he remained till the break- ing-out of the rebellion, when he found himself obliged to either take sides with 716 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : the South or leave the country ; he chose the latter alternative, and returned to Joliet; in the fall of 1861 , he began his present business. He was married Nov. 12, 1861, to Mi?s Antonette Helmel, who was born in Rinough, Alsace, Aug. 4, 1832, and came to this country, with her parents, in early childhood ; they have five children : Lottie L., Oscar J., Ed- mund R., Herman and Bertram. Mr. Stephen is at present School Trustee, to which office he was elected in April, 1877. JOHN SCHEIDT, manufacturer and dealer in pure candies and dealer in fruits, nuts, etc., Joliet ; was born near Stras- bourg, Alsace, Jan. 1, 1829; he came to this country at the age of 15, with his parents, who settled in Bloom, Cook Co., 111. ; he continued to reside in Bloom un- til 1856, when he came to Joliet, and kept a boarding-house up to 1864, after which he engaged in his trade of a carpenter. He was elected City Marshal in 1863, and served two years ; he has twice been a member of the Board of Aldermen, and is now on the Board of Supervisors, having . been elected in April, 1878. Mr. Scheldt erected his store and established his pres- ent busings in 1877. He was married Aug. 6, 1850, to Miss Catherine Clos, of Crete Tp. ; she was born in Prussia Feb. 22, 1831, and came to Will Co., with her parents, in 1840 ; they have nine children — Frank A., Mary A., John, Peter A., Michael, Edward, Henry B., George and Katrina A. G. SCHULTE, editor and proprietor of the Wochenhlattfur Nord-lllinois, Joliet ; was born in the Province of Westphalia, Germany, Feb. 25, 1841 ; he was educated as a civil engineer in the Academy of Ber- lin, where he graduated in 1862 ; in 1865, he came to America, and for two years was connected with the Abend Zeitimg, Chi- cago ; he was then engaged for a year as a civil engineer on the Hell Gate excava- tions in the East River, New York ; he then returned to Chicago, and was em- ployed by Cook Co. for three years as a civil engineer in the preparation of the " Cook County Atlas ;" then, after spending a short time on the Illinois Stoats Zeitung, he came to Joliet and purchased the Woch- enhlatt, a live German newspaper, estab- lished in November, 1877, and having a circulation of some two thousand copies. J. B. SOLLITT, Jr., Deputy Sheriff of Will Co., Joliet; was born in Yorkshire, England, Sept. 9, 1843 ; when he was about 6 years old, his parents came to this country and settled in Chicago, where they resided until 1855 ; they then came to Will Co. and settled in the township of Will, be- ing among the early settlers of that town- ship ; they now reside in Peotone ; Mr. Sol- litt followed farming until March, 1877, when he engaged in business in Peotone; in March, 1878, he was appointed to his present position. He was married Feb. 26, 1868, to Miss Jennie E. Sollitt, of Chicago, and has three children living — Delia E., Elmer A. and Beatrice V. In 1874, Mr. Sollitt was elected Supervisor, and served three years, until his removal from the town, when he resigned the office ; he served nearly three years as Township Treasurer, two years as Commissioner of Highways and about three years as School Director. HON. W. A. STRONG, President of the Joliet Gas- Light Co., Joliet ; was born in Waterloo, Seneca Co., N. Y., Oct. 3, 1828 ; he made his home there until 1850, when he came to Illinois, settling in Joliet, where he shortly afterward engaged in the hard- ware business ; in 1863, he was elected Mayor of the city of Joliet, holding the office one year ; he has served several years as member of the Board of Aldermen ; he was at one time engaged in the stone- quarrying business, the firm being Strong & Davidson, and owning and operating the quarry formerly known as the Wilson Quarry ; he continued this business three years ; in 1865, he was elected President of the Joliet Gas-Light Co., which had been organized in 1858. FREDERICK SEHRING, proprietor of the Columbia Brewery, Joliet; has lived in Will Co. since 1847 ; he came with his parents from Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger- many, where he was born on the 19th of December, 1834; the family settled first in Frankfort Tp., and, in 1854, came to Jol- iet and engaged in the hotel business ; Mr. Sehring remained in the hotel until 1860, when he entered the office of the Circuit Clerk as Deputy under B.. F. Russell ; in 1863, he was elected Treasurer of Will Co., and re-elected in 1865; in 1868, he purchased the Columbia Brewery, which he has since remodeled, putting in steam- JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 71T power and all the modern improved ma- chinery ; it is now one of the largest and finest breweries in the State, outside of Chicago ; Mr. Sehring has been Alderman from the Second Ward for the past five years. He was married Jan. 16, 1865, to Miss Louise Bez, of "Wurtemberg, Ger- many, and has seven children living — Su- san E., Louis J., Margaret, Henry, Her- man F., Annie and George. P. SHUTTS, of the firm of Zarley & Co., publishers of the Joliet Signal, Joliet; was born in Ulster Co., N. Y. Oct. 7, 1849; when he was about 5 years of age, he accompanied his parents to Co- lumbia Co., N. Y., when they spent a year in preparation for their departure for the West ; in 1855, they came to Will Co., and settled about two and a half miles south- east of Joliet ; Mr. Shutts received an English education in the old Babylon stone schoolhouse, and in the fall of 1872, en- tered the Signal ofiice to learn the print- er's trade. He became one of the propri- etors in March, 1876. D. Y. SMITH, foreman of the car re- pairs, Chicago & Alton Railroad, Joliet ; was born in Fallsbury, Sullivan Co., N. Y., June 9, 1833 ; he remained on the farm until he was 16 years old, and then learned the carriage and sleigh making business, which he followed until 1856, he then went to Scranton, Pa., and was employed for a year in the car shops of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Co., from which place he went to Dubuque, Iowa, in the car department of the Du- buque & Pacific Railroad Co. (now the Illinois Central) ; in July, 1860, he came to Joliet, and was employed under the master mechanic until 1863, when he be- came foreman of the car repairs, which position he still occupies. He was married Jan. 21, 1863, to Mrs. R. E. Tullock, of Joliet ; she is a native of Delaware Co., N. Y., and has been a resident of Joliet for the past thirty-three years ; they have one daughter — Zuleika Y. Mrs. Smith has also three children of her former marriage — Jannette A. Tullock (now Mrs. Hurd), Avalena (wife of L. P. Baker, of Winter- set, Iowa) and George A., of Joliet. F. G. SMITH, carriage manufacturer, Joliet; was bom in Walpole Co., N. H., May 1, 1837 ; when he was about 12 years of age, he removed with his parents to Essex Co., N. Y.; at the age of 13, he entered his father's carriage manufactory, and there thoroughly learned every branch of the carriage business, which he con- tinued in Essex Co. until 1876, when he came to Joliet ; he first located at 54 and 56 Bluff street, and recently removed to Van Buren street, opposite the Episcopal Church ; he was the first to introduce the Concord side-spring in Joliet, and is also the sole manufacturer in this city of the New Empire cross-spring buggy. Mr. Smith was married in October, 1855, to Miss Abbie R. , of Mont- pelifer; she died in March, 1875, leaving one son, Franklin A., now engaged with his lather. He was married again Oct. 1 1 , 1877, to Miss Ella A. Haywood, of Will Co. JOHN I. ST. JULIEN, manufacturer and dealer in harness, saddles etc., Joliet; was born near Strasbourg, Alsace, on the 15th of February, 1840 ; in the fall of 1854, he came to this country in company with his uncle, who settled in Naperville, Du Page Co., 111.; he remained with his uncle two years, and in 1856., came to Joliet, and learned the harness maker's trade with Henry Schrader, and worked at that until May, 1870, when he started in busi- ness for himself He was married Oct. 6, 1869, to Miss Helen Stephen, daughter of John Stephen, of Joliet, who came in infancy with her parents from Alsace ; they have four children — Albert J., Frank E., Adelia M. and Ida L. CONRAD SCHWEIZER, wholesale dealer in wines and liquors, Joliet ; is a. native of Switzerland ; he was born Nov. 25, 1838, and resided there until 1859, when he came to the United States, com- ing direct to Joliet ; he had previously learned the trade of a carpenter, and, after reaching Joliet, he followed carpentering and farming till 1863, when he went to California and remained until the spring of 1870 ; while there he was engaged in min- ing and working at his trade ; on his return to Joliet, he engaged in his present business. JOSEPH STOOS, retired, Joliet ; was born Dear Strasbourg, Alsace, May 28, 1826 ; his father was an extensive con- tractor, employing as many as 300 men ; his son Joseph remained at home and learned thoroughly every branch of the 718 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: ■builder's art ; in 1855, he came to America, locating at once in Joliet ; he followed his trade here for about two years when he began contracting for himself; he did the carpenter work on St. John the Baptist's Church, and superintended the building of Porter's brewery, Werner's Hall, the Jeff- erson Street Bridge and Scheldt's brewery, besides erecting over two hundred other buildings in Joliet, which stand as monu- ments of his skill; in 1876, having ac- quired a comfortable fortune, he retired to give place to younger men and those more needy of employment. Mr. Stoos has served two years in the City Council of Joliet. He was married Feb. 29, 1857, to Miss Mary Hossinger, who was born near Strasbourg Deo. 14, 1837, and came to this country with her parents when 8 years of age. They have had eight chil- dren, four of whom are living — Theresa A., Mary E., Josephine M. and Alfred P. MKS. MAGDALENA STEPHEN, Joliet; was born in Schoenenburg, Can- ton Sultz, Alsace, Feb. 24, 1826 ; she is a daughter of Peter and Barbara Weishaar, and came to this country with her parents, who settled in Madison, Cook Co., TIL, in 1844; her father died April 15, 1862; her mother is still living in the full possession of her health and faculties, at the age of 88 years ; she was married July 12, 1851, to Michael Blattner, of Madison. He was a native of Schoenenburg, Alsace, and came to this country at the same time with the Weishaar family ; he died Oct. 2, 1852, leaving one daughter, Mary Philomena, wife of Dr. John Scheuber, of Fond du Lac, Wis. On the 14th of July, 1853, the subject of this sketch married the late Sebastian Stephen, an early and respected citizen of Joliet. He was born in Dower- dorf, Alsace, on the 8th of September, 1810 ; was apprenticed to the tailor's trade at the age of 14 3'ears, and at 22 entered the French army and served seven years ; in the spring of 1843, he came to this coun- try, and the following year, 1844, settled in Joliet ; he followed the merchant tailor- ing business until about 1857, when he engaged in the brewery business ; in 1862, he resumed merchant tailoring, which he continued till his death, which occurred ■July 4, 1873; he was first married in 1845, to Miss Angeline Orte, who died in December, 1852, leaving three sons — Se- bastian, Aliosius and Henry. Mrs. Ste- phen still resides in Joliet, surrounded by her family of six children — Prances C. (now Mrs. Michael Meyer, of Joliet), Mary E., Theresa J., Joseph A., Eosa K. and Jennie A.; one daughter, Mary Magdalena, died in February, 1857. FRED X. STUFFLER, hardware mer- chant, Joli t; was born in Wilmington Will Co., 111., April 1, 1848 ; when he was 1 year old, the family moved to Joliet; here he grew to manhood, attending the city schools until he began the active duties of life ; at the age of 18 years, he left home and engaged in learning the tinner's trade ; in this he served an apprenticeship for three years ; in 1874, he engaged in business for himself at his present location. He was married April 23, 1872, to Mary A. Bai- thelme, a native of Joliet, Will Co. ; has two children — Josephine, Laura. Mr. Stuffier started in life with limited means, and what property he now owns has been accumulated by personal industry and good management ; he has a good and growing trade ; he handles only the best of material, and suffers no work to go out from his es- tablishment without'his personal inspection. I. D. STEVENS, secretary Solar Stove Works, Joliet ; was born in Joliet, Will Co., 111., in 1851 ; he enjoyed the advan- tages of the public schools of his native town, gaining thereby a good common- school education ; in 1863, he entered the employ of John Virgil, now of Chicago, as clerk in his confectionery store ; here he remained two years ; he next clerked one year for W. R. Ramsdell, in his grocery store ; in 1868, he and his brother W. D., purchased the lumber-yard of Otis Hardy, and conducted the business two years ; he next entered the employ of the U. S. Ex- press Co., and labored for it about two and one-half years ; he then engaged as clerk for the Solar Stove Works, and at the death of the late William N. Moore, the founder of the estabKshment, Mr. Stevens was chosen Secretary, a position he still holds ; these Works employ some 40 men, turning out annually 3,000 cook-stoves, 40,000 pieces of hollow-ware, consuming 3,000 tons of the best pig-iron in their production. Mr. Stevens was married in 1872, to Kate Flack, a native of Aurora, Kane Co., 111. ; has two children — Morti- mer and Jennie. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 719 F. W. SCHROEDEE,, grocery mer- •chant, Joliet ; was born in Hesse Cassel, Germany, April 30, 1848 ; when but 3 or 4 years of age, he came, with his family, to America, his father first settling in New York, where he engaged in the tannery business ; about the year 1854, the family came West to Cincinnati, Ohio ; here Mr. Schroeder attended school a number of years ; at the age of 14, he went to Toledo, and engaged in learning the drug business ; at the age of 20 or 21, he went to Kala- mazoo, Mich., and took a course in Par- sons' Business College ; he next located in Lemont, Cook Co., and entered the employ of B. Van Buren, having general charge of the drug store, post office, etc. ; in 1872, he opened a drug establishment in JoKet ; in the fall of 1873, he bought his present place of business, and, in the fall of 1874, formed a copartnership with John Keyes for three years ; in 1877, he bought out his partner, and, since that time, has con- ducted the grocery trade alone. He was married June 1, 1872, to Mrs. Alice M. Ireson, a native of England ; she has one child by her former husband. Mr. Schroe- der, though comparatively a young man, has gained for himself a fine reputation as a thorough business man, and his trade is almost double that of any other business house on the East Side ; the stock is full and complete at all times. HENRY SCHOETTES, wines and li(luors, Joliet; born in Westphalia, Ger- many, July 11, 1842, where he lived un- til 26 years of age, when, after receiving a common-school education, he learned and worked at the cigar trade, until he emi- grated to America, landing in New York in 1868; coming directly West, he located in St. Louis for three years, being engaged in manufacturing of cigars ; from there he removed to Streator, 111., and engaged in in the manufacture and sale of cigars, when he came to Joliet in 1871, and was employed as foreman in J. Beohenberger's cigar-factory for one year; in 1872, he engaged in the saloon business, on Bluff St., for one year, when, in 1873, he pur- chased his present place of business and residence, at No. 159 South Chicago st. Mr. Schoettes was elected Alderman of the ward in which he lives, at, the last munici- j)al election of Joliet. He was married in 1873, to EKzabeth Moder ; they were the parents of two children, one of whom is deceased ; the name of the one now living is Marv P. BENJAMIN STEVENS, butcher. Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Joliet; born in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England, Oct. 16, 1824, where he learned and followed the slaughter- ing busines until he came to America, in 1 854, and settled in Joliet the same year and engaged in the slaughtering business, which business he has since followed ; Mr. Stevens has slaughtered nearly all the meat used in Joliet for nearly twenty years. He mar- ried, July 18, 1857, Miss Elizabeth Bos- som ; she was born in Oxford, England, June 23, 1831 ; she came, with her parents, to America in 1854. Mr. Stevens has about thirty acres of land one mile south of Joliet. They have one child liv- ing — Ann, born Oct. 3, 1858. WILLIAM SYMINGTON, farmer, Sec. 19; P. 0. Joliet ; born in Lancaster Co., Penn., in January, 1811, where he lived until 14 years of age, when he re- he moved to Erie County, living there until came to Will Co., 111., in November, 1837 ; on April 2, 1850, he started overland for California, arriving at Sacramento Aug. 10; he went directly to the mines and followed mining for six months, meeting with good success ; on Feb. 22, 1851, he sailed from San Francisco and arrived home the 15th of May; he settled upon his present place in 1852 ; he has 150 acres of well-improved land, which he has accumu- lated by his own energy and industry. He married, June 12, 1837, Dorothy Haarer ; she was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Oct. 8, 1815, and came to this country when 16 years of age ;. they are the parents of seven children — Sophia, Charles W., William H., Dolly, Rosa E. A., Alice A. Warren A.; two deceased were Margaret and Catharine. Mr. S. has been School Director for more than twenty years. DANIEL C. SLEEPER, Assistant Deputy Warden Illinois State Peniten- tiary, Joliet; born in Sandown, Rocking- ham Co., N. H., July 5, 1832, where he lived until 13 years of age, when he went to Methuen, Mass., learning the trade of hatter ; which trade he followed until 1854, when he emigrated West and settled in Joliet as clerk for Hayden Bros., in the grocery business, for two years ; then one 720 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : year in tli6 same business with S. 0. Simonds ; in 1858, he was appointed, by- Warden S. K. Casey, as keeper and assist- ent book-keeper of the Illinois State Peni- tentiary ; in the spring of 1864, he visited Montana for his health and engaged in mining for three and a half years, when he returned to Joliet and was again appointed keeper until 1 869, when he was appointed Assistant Deputy Warden, which office he has since held, with the exception of nine months, from July, 1871 to April, 1872, when he was Assistant Superintendent of the Reform School, at Pontiac, 111. Mar- ried, June 20, 1861, to Alice M. Richard- son ; she was born in Joliet April 11, 1839 ; they are the parents of three chil- dren—Kate F., born May 1, 1862 ; G-eorge B., born May 29, 1864; Daniel C, Jr., born May 19, 1874. MRS. NANCY STEVENS, farmer ; P. 0. Joliet ; the widow of Robert Stevens, re • sides just ease of the limits of the city of Joliet ; she was the daughter of Lewis Kercheval and was born in Ohio, and came to Illinois when 16 years old, with her father's family, in the fall of 1830 ; she remembers vividly the winter of the "deep snow'' and its accompaniment of severity. In 1835, she was married to Robert Stevens, whose portrait is found on another page of this work ; Mr. Stevens was born in Kentucky, but reared mostly "^ in Ohio, and at an early age immigrated to ^ Indiana, where he remained several years, S coming to Illinois, and to Joliet Tp., in 1831, and settled upon the place where his :^ widow still lives; Mr. S. was Captain of a military company in Bartholomew Co., Ind., until he removed to Illinois, in 1831, '-y and retained his sword and uniform until the time of his death, which occurred Jan. 6, 1864; he was elected the first Sheriff of Will County, but, not desiring office, refused to qualify ; during the fright occa- sioned by the Sac war of 1832, Mr. S. took his family to Danville, 111., and sent them, under safe escort to the Indiana settle- ments, while he returned and raised a crop on his claim. Mr. S. was twice mar- ried, his first wife was Lydia Ann Pence, and three children were the fruit of this marriage — all dead ; by his last wife, who survives him, he had six children — Lewis K., Thomas J., James, Sarah Ann, Mary A. and Albert. M. W. SHURTS, railroad contractor, Joliet ; was born in Hunterdon Co., N J Aug. 29, 1820 ; in 1846, he left New York for California, being a member of the 1st N. Y. Regt. I. V., raised for the Mexican war, Col. J. D. Stevens command- ing ; they were five months and eight days making the voyage, and on reaching San Francisco, theirs was the only vessel in the harbor ; at that date, there were just six houses in the now prosperous city of San Francisco, and these were unworthy the name ; the regiment was not actively engaged in the war, though it made sev- eral excursions after the Indians ; in 1849, he returned to New York, occupying seven months on the eastern passage ; in 1850, he came West, and located in Pulton Co., 111., where he engaged in various pursuits ; in 1859, he returned East, and subse- quently went to Virginia ; here he con- tracted on the Richmond & York River R. R.; afterward, he contracted work on Long Island and on the south side of Long Island ; in 1870, he again came West, and subsequently went to Texas and engaged two years in railroading ; he built 240 miles of the Houston & Texas Cen- tral R. R.; in 1875, he made a trip to Europe, and since then has spent much time in pleasure-seeking. His first wife was Agnes Hageman, a native of Ne^w" Jersey ; his second marriage was to Maria Simonds, a native of New York State. For the past few years Mr. Shurts has led a retired life, and is now devoting him- self to the improvement of his farm, near the limits of the city, on which he hopes to lead a quiet and happy life during hia declining years. CONRAD TATGE, Joliet; the sub- ject of this sketch was born in Hesse- Cassel, Germany, May 26, 1827 ; he was raised to farming pursuits, and, in 1848, came to this country, remaining in Chi- cago until 1851, when he came to Will Co. and settled in the town of Crete; he purchased land from the Government and opened a farm ; he was the first German, to settle upon the open prairie ; those who had come previously had located in the timber along the creek ; he remained on his farm until 1865, when he rented it out, and purchased another adjoining the village of Crete, to which place he removed; he was elected Commissioner of Highway* JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 721 in 1853, and Township Collector in 1854 ; in 1858, he was chosen Justice of the Peace, and held that office ten years, re- signing in 1868, upon being elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of Will Co.; he then removed to Joliet, and, in 1872, was re-elected to the same office, serving until 1876 ; he joined the Republican party on its organization, in 1856, and has been a member ever since ; he was married Nov. 11, 1851, to Miss Sophia Wassmann, of Hanover, Germany; they have had twelve children, eight of whom are living, viz., Caroline, Sophia, William H., EmmUia, Gustavus, Emma, Amanda and Juliana. WILLIAM TONNER, City Clerk, Joliet ; was born in Centre Co., Penn., June 21, 1816; he was raised on a farm, re- ceived a thorough English education, and, at the age of 16 years, engaged in teach- ing ; he taught about twelve years, six of which he taught in one school ; in 1846, he came to Will Co., and engaged in farm- ing, in Plainfield ; in 1850, he made the overland trip to California, where he spent two years in mining, returning in 1852 ; in 1857, he was elected County Clerk, and removed to Joliet ; he held the office for eight years; from 1865 until 1877, he was engaged in investing money, buying and selling property, etc. , also having con- siderable interests in the oil regions of Pennsylvania ; he was elected City Clerk in December, 1877. He was married Feb. 5, 1839, to Miss Catherine J. Shref- fler, of Centre Co. Pa., and has one daughter living — Mary Alice (now Mrs. Henry A. Sanger, of Florence, Ala.); one daushter, Myra J., wife of R. H. Willis, died in Omaha, Neb., Oct. 31, 1867. CARY THORNTON, retired, Joliet, whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Bucks Co., Penn., Oct. 3, 1800; his ancestors were Quakers, and came to Pennsylvania with Wm. Penn in 1681 ; the subject of this sketch lived with his parents until he was 23 years of age, assist- ing upon the farm ; in 1823 he moved to Michigan, and, after remaining one year, moved to Rochester, N. Y. ; engaged in trade of carpenter and joiner up to 1836, when he came to Will Co., andsettled in Troy Tp., on Sec. 34, farming up to the time of his removal to Joliet, in 1866, where he still resides, at the good old age of 79. He has been Commissioner of Highways, and although repeatedly solicited, he would never accept of any other office in the gift of his neighbors. He married Miss Lucy Ware (the daughter of Benjamin and Betsy Ware), at Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 21, 1832 ; she was born in Putnam Co., Vt., July 18, 1810; they had three children, two living — Rutledge, born Aug. 1, 1834, and Beulah, born Oct. 15, 1839, and mar- ried to John Keyes, of Joliet, Oct. 21, 1872; and one deceased, Sidney, born June 22, 1846, and died April 4, 1848. Mr. Thornton is the oldest living settler of Troy Tp. CORNELIUS C. VAN HORNE, de- ceased, formerly of Joliet Tp., was born in Hunterdon Co., N. J., April 13, 1794; shortly afterward, his parents removed to Amsterdam, N. Y., where his father, a widely-known clergyman of the Dutch Reformed Church, lived many years. In the spring of 1832, Mr. Van Home came to Illinois and located in Will (then Cook) Co. He died in Joliet July 7, 1854. In 1813, he married Elizabeth Veeder, who died, in Will Co., in 1838 ; in 1842, he married Mary M. Richards, who is still living ; by his first marriage he had seven children — Abra- ham C, born in 1815 ; Simon V., born in 1818 ; Anne, born in 1822 ; Cornelius P., born in 1824; Margaret C, born in 1826 ; Barney W., born in 1829, and Andrew J., born in 1832 ; by his second marriage he had five children — William C., born in 1843; Augustus, born in 1844 ; Elizabeth, born in 1846 ; Theodore C, born in 1849, and Mary, born in 1852 — all now living. He was a man of great force of character, and of liberal education, and had much to do with the shaping of events in the early days of Will Co., in the history of which his name occurs often and very prominent- ly ; he gave his name to the locality known as Van Home's Point. He was succes- sively a Postmaster and a Justice of the Peace', and, upon the incorporation of Joliet as a city, he was chosen its first Mayor ; after a long, active and useful life, he died in 1854, one of the victims of cholera. F. E. VOIGT, foreman Motive-Power Joliet Cut-off R. R., Joliet ; was born in Leipsic, Saxony, Germany, Aug. 23, 1841 ; the family emigrated to America in 1846, and stopped in Chicago a short time ; 722 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : thence to Michigan City, Ind., and was the first German family settling in the vil- lage and vicinity ; here, F. B. gTew to manhood, and learned his trade; in 1858, he started to California on foot, taking the overland route and the life of a pioneer and adventurer ; in the latter part of 1859, he reached his destination, having spent almost two years with the Indians, making his way from tribe to tribe ; the winter of 1858, he spent in Salt Lake City ; after reaching California, he engaged in mining, and was very successful, making some S4,000 ; leaving the mines, he went to San Francisco, and, on account of a rheu- matic affection, he sailed to Honolulu, in the Sandwich Islands; here, after a so- journ of some months, having effected a cure, he visited the West India Isles. During the late war, he was in the employ of the Government, in the locomotive de- partment of the Nashville & Chattanooga R. R. He was afterward engaged in con- structing and rebuilding locomotives at Nashville, Tenn. ; subsequently, he was engaged as roundhouse foreman on the A. & M. R. R., at Vincennes, Ind. ; here he remained four years; thence to Seymour, Ind., where he had charge of the shops as master machinist two years; he then went to Europe, and remained one year; in the fall of 1872, he returned, and took the position of roundhouse foreman at Michi- gan City, on the M. C. R. R. ; in 1877, he came to his present position. He was married July 16, 1872, to Emma Theme, a native of Germany. Owns real estate in Michigan City and Vincennes, valued at $5,000. GEORGE L. VANCE, manufacturer and dealer in furniture, Joliet ; was born in Caledonia Co., Vt., March 13, 1840 ; he received an academic education at the Newbury Seminary, teaching school during the winter vacations ; on becoming of age, he engaged in the boot and shoe business in Rutland, Vt. ; in 1864, he went to Washington, as corresponding clerk in the Internal Revenue Bureau, remaining until 1870 ; in the mean time, he pursued a course of law studies in the law depart- ment of Columbia College, in Washington, graduating, and receiving his degree of Bachelor of Laws, in 1867. The same year, he was married to Miss Lizzie K. Fowler, of Brooklyn, L. I., who died in 1873, leaving two children — George A, and Gracie F. In 1870, he removed to> Houston Co., Minn., and engaged in busi- ness. He held the office of Postmaster three years and Justice of the Peace twa years; in 1873, he resigned these offices, disposed of his business and removed to Joliet, and entered upon his present busi- ness. He is an active Sunday-school worker, has been Superintendent of the Baptist Sunday school for the past five years and President of the Will Co. Sun- day School Association for the past two years. CHARLES WERNER, proprietor of Werner's Hall and Werner's stone quarry, Joliet; has been a resident of this city for the past twenty-seven years, having come direct from Germany in 1851 ; he was born at Frankfort-on-the-Main,in Hesse-Darmstadt Sept. 14, 1828 ; when about 15years old, he was apprenticed to the mason's trade, which he continued until 1851, when he came to this country, landing in New York in July, and coming direct to Joliet ; he soon afterward engaged in working at his trade, and, in 1865, engaged in the stone- quarrying business, which he still continues; he, with his brother, built the Will County Jail and Sheriff's house, the Joliet Union Sehoolhouse, St. Mary's Cath- olic Church, besides a large number of prominent buildings in different parts of the city; in 1868, Mr. Werner purchased Young's Hall, on Chicago street, which burned down in 1874, and the following year he erected Werner's Hall on the same site, at a cost of $20,000 ; he served as Town Collector in 1877. He was mar- ried July 17, 1853, to Miss Mary A. Goeble, of Joliet, a native of Prussia ; they have one child — Bertha. 0. R. WESTMANN, photograph artist, Joliet ; was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, Feb. 18, 1833 ; his father, 0. B. Westmann, Sr., was the Russian Envoy to the Court of Hesse-Darmstadt, and died when Orloff R. was but two years of age ; the family remained in Darmstadt ; he was educated in the Gymnasium of Darmstadt, graduating when about 15 years of age; he then entered the German army as a cadet, and, after the revolution of 1849, was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in the 1st Infantry ; he served until 1853, when he came to this country ; he first JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 723- engaged in clerking in Chicago ; in 1855, he purchased a farm in Du Page Co., and engaged in farming for two years ; in 1 857, he went West, and spent fifteen years in Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico, engaged in merchandising and mining, and, during the last few years, in photographing, making views for the Smithsonian Insti- tution at Washington ; returning in 1872, he spent two years in Ottawa, and, in 1874, came to Joliet, and purchased the gallery of Mr. John Edgworth, the oldest gallery in the city, where he does as fine work as can be found in this country or Europe ; he makes all kinds of pictures, large and small, and guarantees satisfaction to his customers. S. H. WHITED, retired, Joliet ; was born in Albany Co., iS[. Y., May 24, 1808 ; when he was 19 years old, he went to Herkimer Co.. and there learned the painter's trade ; he worked for three years for $30 a year, and clothed himself, and at the end of that time had $50 laid by, principally the result of extra work ; this illustrates the habits of industry and econ- omy which have been characteristic of his whole life; in 1852, he came to Chicago, settling in Joliet the following year ; he worked at his trade till 1855, when he pur- chased a farm at Twelve-Mile Grove, and followed farming two years, at the end of which time he returned to Joliet. In October, 1861, he volunteered in Col. Wil- son's Mechanics' Fusileers in Chicago, and remained until the disbanding of the regi- ment in February following ; about three months later, he again enlisted in Capt. Ford's cavalry company, attached to Cush- man's regiment, serving three years, prin- cipally engaged in scouting service ; in 1865, he returned to Joliet. It should be mentioned that while living in Herkimer Co., he held successively the offices of Corporal, Sergeant, First Lieutenant and * Captain in the New York State Militia, holding a commission five years. He was married in 1832 to Miss Sarah Hinchman, of Little Falls, N. Y.; they have five chil- dren living — Blias H., ticket agent of the Michigan Southern and C, R. I. & P. Rail- road Companies in Chicago; Harriet A., Charles W., Jessie 0., also in the office with his brother in Chicago; and Jerry H., train dispatcher and division operator on the Central Pacific Railroad at Carlin, Nevada. CHARLES W. WHITED, Joliet; son of S. H. Whited ; was born in Little Falls, N. Y., March 17, 1842, and came to Joliet with his father's family, and, at the age of 15, entered the office of the Joliet Republican to learn the printer's trade. In June, 1861, he enlisted in Capt. Dan- forth's company, which was first a portion of the 4th Mo. Cav., then was attached to the 53d 111. I. V., and finally became Co. F, 13th 111. Cav. ; he served two years, and was discharged by reason of ill health. He then entered the employ of the C, R. I. & P. R. R. Co. as fireman, and afterward on the Chicago & Galena Railroad; he then went south as a bridge carpenter with Sherman's army, r'feturning at the close of the war ; since then he has had charge of the telegraph repairs on the C. & A. R. R. three years; on the C, C. & I. C. R. R. two years ; five years on the U. P. R. R. from Omaha to Ogden ; since 1873, he has been in the employ of the Western Union Telegraph Co. He was married June 12, 1871, to Miss E. W. Putnam, of Little Falls, N. Y., and has one child — • Samuel C. E. H. WEBB, dealer in dry goods and notions (firm of Chittenden, Northrup & Co.), Joliet; was born in Columbia Co., N. Y., May 20, 1844; when he was but 2 years old his parents removed to Columbia Co., Wis. ; he received his edu- cation in a select school at Poynette, Wis., and at the State University at Madison ; in February, 1 863, he enlisted as a private in Co. H, 36th Wis. V. I., and served eight months in the army of the Potomac, par- ticipating in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna and Cold Harbor, besides smaller battles and skirmishes ; at Cold Harbor he was disabled, and while lying in the hospital he received a commission as Second Lieutenant of Co. A, 51st Wis. V. I., and was trans- ferred to the Western army in Missouri ; returning from the war, he entered the dry goods business at Portage City, Wis. ; he afterward spent three years in business in Dakota Territory, and, in 1871, came to Joliet and engaged in his present business. He was married May 20, 1874, to Miss Mary Chittenden, of Plainfield, 111., daugh- ter of George N. Chittenden, one of the early settlers of Will Co. ; they have two children — Elizabeth W. and Winnifred. 724 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Mr. Webb is an active worker in the M. E. Church, of which he has been a member for the past eight years. EDMUND WILCOX, Justice of the Peace, Joliet ; is one of the early settlers of Will Co. ; he came here in 1836 from Onondaga Co., N. Y., where be was born Sept. 18, 1816. After receiving a pre- paratory education at Schenectady, N. Y., he entered Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y., when 15 years of age, gradua,ting in 1835 ; the following year, he came to Joliet, and was employed as a clerk one year, until he became of age, when he engaged in the mercantile business in com- pany with Charles Clement, and two years later purchased the interest of Mr. Clem- ent, and afterward changed to an exclu- sively dry goods business; in 1858, he sold out and became one of the originators of the Joliet Gas-Light Company ; was its first President, and superintended the erection of the works ; he personally super- intended the gas works for five years, at the end of which time he resumed mer- chandising, which he continued until 1870 ; he was one of the gentlemen designated by the act of the Legislature incorporating the city of Joliet in 1852, to lay off the wards and organize the city government ; he was chosen the first Alderman from the Third Ward (now the Fourth) ; served four years, and was again elected in 1870, serving two years ; in 1854, the year of the cholera, he served the city as Mayor pro tem. in the absence of the Mayor ; he lias been repeatedly solicited to become a candidate for Mayor, but has as often declined ; he was a member of the Board of Supervisors in 1856, 1857 and 1859 ; he was prominent in obtaining the charter of the C,, R. I. & P. R. R., and was one of the committee appointed to confer with Eastern capitalists, their efforts resulting in the building of the road by the owner of the Michigan Southern Railroad. Mr. Wil- cox was elected Justice of the Peace in 1877. He was married March 23, 1845, to Miss Sarah M. Green, of Washington Co., N. Y., and has three children living — William G., Fred C. and Charles C. GEORGE H. WOODRUFF, dealer in drugs, medicines, books, stationery, etc., Johet; was born in Clinton, Oneida Co., N. Y., Aug. 16, 1814, and resided there until 1834 ; he entered Hamilton College, Clin- ton, N. Y., in 1829, at the age of 15 years and graduated four years later ; he then entered the law office of Hon. Daniel Gott, in Pompey Hill, Onondaga Co., N. Y., and remained one year, at the end of which time he came West, as the clerk of M. H. Demmond, Esq., the original proprietor of the western portion of the city of Joliet ; he remained with him until the organiza tionof the county in 1836, when he was elected County Recorder, and re-elected in 1839; on leaving the Recorder's office, in 1843, he entered upon his present business ; in 1838, he was elected County Judge, but resigned the office at the end of one year ; he served one term as a member of the Board of Trustees under the village organi- zation ; Mr. Woodruff is the author of "Fifteen Years Ago ; or. The 'Patriotism of Will County," and of two very admir- able lectures, entitled " Forty Years Ago," and consisting of reminiscences of early times in Joliet ; he is the author of the " General History of Will County" in this work, besides which he has been an occa- sional lecturer and contributor to news- papers and periodicals for many years. GEORGE WOODRUFF, President of the First Mational Bank, Joliet ; was born in Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y., Dec. 7, 1812, and lived there until his removal to Will Co. in 1836 ; on his arrival in Jol- iet, he engaged in the grocery and provis- ion trade, which he continued until 1841 ; he the spent two years in farming in Plain- field Tp.; at the end of which time he re- turned to Joliet and resumed trade ; in 1852, he built an elevator and engaged in the grain business, in which he continued until 1864; some time after engaging in the grain business, he sold out his store, and about 1857 or 1858, associated him- self with P. L. Cagwin and others in estab- lishing the JoUet Bank ; he afterward pur- chased the interest of his partners, and in 1864, the First National Bank was organ-* ized with Mr. Woodruff as President and his son, Frederick W. Woodruff, as Cash- ier ; he was a partner with others in build- ing and operating the Joliet Woolen-Mill, which was burned down dfter running sev- eral years ; he is one of the original stock- holders of the Joliet Gas-Light Co., of which he has been Treasurer for a number of years ; he has served one term on the Board of Supervisors and one or two terms ^^ ?> .42_^Ja ^ I '^^ 'St ^ ^m^ ^^uiMi^ LOCHPORT '4/UJ) foECEKSEO) NEW LENOX TH. ( j in the coal mining business ; he leased, for ten years, a piece of coal land ; here he sunk the first coal shaft on the C, A. & St. L. R. R., located near Braceville sta- tion ; he then was engaged by a company to sink two shafts ; one of them was in Reed Township, Will County, and was the first coal shaft sunk in Reed Township ; was engaged in overseeing the Braceville coal shaft ; he then entered a mining com- pany composed of miners, known as the Joint Stock Coal Mining Company of Gardner. This company was engaged in sinking a coal shaft at Gardner; struck a large flow of water. After spending $25,000, they abandoned it. He then returned to Braceville ; thence with Odell & Cady, drilling for coal ; Mr. Moris is one of the oldest and best posted coal miners in this vicinity; Nov. 10, 1873, he entered the dry goods business ; this busi- ness he has followed ever since. Married Jan. 18, 1862, to Miss Eliza Jane Murphy, of New York, by whom he has had six children, two living. Father died in 1867 ; mother lives in North Wales. IRA R. MARSH, merchant, Braid- wood; was born in Attica, N. Y., June 22, 1843, and is the son of J. Wells and Laura (Smith) Marsh ; his father was engaged in the mercantile business, and died when Mr. Marsh was but one year old. Mr. Marsh's first business in life was working at bookbinding ; then in the den- tistry one and a half years ; he then set out in learning photography, and was engaged at this business about one and a half years in Buffalo, N. Y. In 1862, he enlisted as private in Co. B, 112th N. Y. V. I. for three years or during the war ; was with the Army of the James ; par- ticipated in some of the hard-fought battles during the war — Cold Harbor, Fort Fisher and in the battle of New Market Heights ; he received a wound in the side which dis- abled him for about four months ; he re- joined his regiment and served until the close of the war ; mustered out June, 1865 ; in 1866, he came West to Illinois and set- tled at KeifersviJle ; here he commenced the grocery business, this being the first store at the mines ; he remained there about two years ; returned East one year, 758 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: and in 1869, came to Braidwood ; here he commenced to clerk for Lawrence & Tin- celcr ; he purchased an interest, and then the firm was L. Tinceler & Co. ; to-day he is in business alone ; owns one of the best boot and shoe stores in Braidwood, and ranks as one of the leading merchants of this vicinity. Married in 1876, to Miss Annie White; one child. Has held several offices of trust. City Clerk and Supervisor of Keed Township. Republican in politics. WILLIAM MOONEY, attorney at law, Braidwood. This gentleman was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, July 18, 1841, and is the son of Thomas and Ann (Clark) Mooney, of Ireland ; his father was a miner ; when Mr. Mooney was but 9 years of age, he commenced to work in the coal mines ; he followed mining while in Scot- land ; in 1865, he emigrated to America, landing in New York City ; thence to Pennsylvania and Ohio ; engaged in min- ing ; in 1866, he came to Braidwood, Will Co., 111., and commenced to work for the C. & W. Coal Co., mining. Mr. Mooney has held several offices of public trust ; in 1870, was elected Justice of the Peace ; in 1873, was elected to the Legislature, Twenty-ninth General Assembly (elected on the Independent ticket) ; in 1877, was elected City Attorney ; this office he still holds ; in these offices Mr. Mooney has ac- quitted himself in a very creditable and efficient manner ; was admitted to the bar to practice law by the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1875. Democrat in politics and a Catholic in religion. Married in 1876 to Miss Kitty O'Connor, of Illinois ; have one child. WILLIAM MALTBY, Superintendent of the Eureka Coal Co., Braidwood. The above-named gentleman is one of the prom- inent men of Braidwood ; was born in Selston, England, March 7, 1840, and is the son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Clark) Maltby, of England ; his father was en- gaged in taking care of the stock of a large coal and iron company in England ; Mr. Maltby, when 7 years of age, com,- menced to work on his father's farm by straddling a mule and driving them tandem to the plow ; he came in contact with the miners here; he was induced to enter the mine, driving coal-cart and mining ; in 1862, he emigrated to Canada and landed in Quebec ; then to Lake Superior ; from there he went to Jackson, Mich.; in 1863,. he came to Illinois, to Peoria and Pairbury -^ then East to Pennsylvania ; entered the coal business for two years ; then to Nova Scotia, prospecting for coal, for Charles S. Richardson ; not finding coal, he returned to New York City ; then to Michigan ; from there he came to Chicago, TIL, and in Dec, 1866, was appointed Superintendent of the Rhodes Coal Co., now known as the Eureka Coal Co. of Chicago ; this company employs between 400 and 450 men ; ca- pacity of seventy cars per day, twelve tons to a car. Mr. Maltby came to America financially a poor boy ; to-day he has risen from the lad that was engaged in driving the mule to the plow to a Superintendent of one of the largest coal companies in the West ; is the President and one of the founders of the Braidwood Library, with 1,300 volumes. Mr. M. has been married twice ; to his first wife, in 1858, Miss Do- rinda Green, of England, and to his second wife, in 1873, Addie Varley, of England; has six children. DANIEL McLaughlin, Mayor of Braidwood, Braidwood. The subject of this sketch is one of the most prominent men of Braidwood ; was born in Lanark- shire, Scotland. Aug. 9, 1831, and is the son of John and Catherine (Hutton) Mc- Laughlin, natives of Ireland ; his father was engaged in stone cutting ; Mr. Mc- Laughlin, when he was but 10 years of age, set out in working in the coal-mines at Woodsides, Scotland, in the mining of coal and iron ; he has followed this busi- ness principally throughout life; in 1869, he emigrated to America, and landed in New York City; from here he went to Boston, Mass.; then he came West to Chi- cago, 111.; thence in Sept., 1869, to Braid- wood, Will Co., HI; here he commenced working in the coal-mines, and followed this business until 1877 ; in April, this year, he was elected by the National Green- back party as Mayor of Braidwood by a large majority ; in this office Mr. McLaugh- lin is giving entire satisfaction to the people he represents, proving himself a gentleman of acknowledged ability. Mr. McLaughlin is in politics a National Greenbacker ; a memberof the Catholic Church. He mar- ried in 1851 to Miss Bridget Dougherty, by whom he had ten children, six liv- ing. REED TOWNSHIP. 759' CORNELIUS O'DONNELL, saloon and boots and shoes, Braidwood ; this gen- tleman was born in Tipperary Co., Ireland, and is the son of Jeremiah and Catherine (Powell) O'Donnell, of Ireland ; his father was engaged in farming here ; Mr. O'Don- nell was raised on his father's farm, and in 1863, he emigrated to America, and landed in New York City ; ' came direct to Will Co., and commenced farming; then in the coal-mines. Goose Lake ; thence to Keifers- ville ; here he remained until 1870 ; thence to Braidwood, and entered the mercantile business. Mr. O'Donnell has held several offices of public trust ; that of Constable seven years, and Deputy Sheriff of Will Co. four years under George M. Arnold; these offices he has held in a creditable and efficient manner. Is a Democrat in politics, and is a very active worker ; a member of the Catholic Church. Married Jan. 11, 1872, to Miss Margaret Leo, by whom they have had five children — four living. FRANK T. O'REILLY, farmer; P.O. Braidwood ; was borninMeath Co., Ireland, May 1820, and is the son of Michael and Rose (Tully^ O'Reilly, of Ireland; his father was a blacksmith and a farmer; was raised on his father's farm ; at the age of 14 years, he was engaged in driving a dray between Kells and Dublin, and engaged at this business until he emigrated to America, in 1847, with his mother and children ; his father died when he was about 9 years of age ; landed in New York City ; they then went to Somerset Co., N. J.; here he was engaged in working in the copper- mines eighteen months ; then to Newark, N. J., and worked in chemical factory about one year ; then to the city of New York, where he was engaged in driving a team for a sugar refinery ; at this business four years ; then purchased a horse and dray, and was drayman in New York two years ; then with the family they emi- grated to Illinois, and settled in Will Co., Reed Tp., on the farm they now own, in July, 1855; first purchased 200 acres at $6 per acre, being among the first set- tlers of this township ; made all improve- ments on the farm ; country very wild ; plenty of deer and prairie wolves. Married in 1853, to Miss Mary Bradly, of Ireland, by whom they have had eight children, seven living. Has held several offices of public trust of Reed Tp. Democrat in ; politics, and a member of the Catholic j Church. Thomas O'ReOly is a brother of j Frank T. O'Reilly, and was born about 1817 ; ! have been with each other throughout ! life ; both are highly respected farmers of j Will Co.; they started in life poor boys ; ' have worked hard — driving the dray to a 1 successful farmer ; own 530 acres of im- proved land. ALEXANDER PATTERSON, furni- ture, livery stable, Braidwood ; the subject of this sketch is one of the prominent mer- chants of Braidwood ; was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, June 5, 1828; his parents are James and Christiana (Strong) Patterson of Scotland; his father was engaged in the mining business ; when Mr. Patterson was but 8 years old, he commenced ; working in the mines and followed this t while he was in Scotland; in 1852, he j emigrated to America, and landed in New York City ; then to the coal-fields of Penn- sylvania ; remained there two years, where he got the gold fever ; he then went tO' California seeking gold ; engaged in min- ing for gold two and a half years very sue cessfuUy ; he then came to Illinois and settled in De Kalb Co., here he purchased a farm with his hard earnings in Califor- nia; he commenced farming in De Kalb Co., this, his first experience; he remained here about five years, then to Morris, Grundy Co., engaged in mining, then in the manufacturing of brick with one of the largest brick-making machines in the State, having a 6apacity of 25,000 brick per day; he then, in 1872, came to Braid- wood and commenced the livery and feed business; firm's name Patterson, McKinley & Co., he then bought out McKinley, and it is now A. & J. W. Patterson : com- menced the furniture business in 1874 ; is the largest store-room in the city of Braid- wood, 22x80, two stories high ; the livery is one of the best liveries in Braidwood, keep from ten to fourteen horses on hand, with buggies and vehicles for the same. Mr. Patterson commenced life a very poor boy, his first start was in the gold-field of Cali- fornia; from this he has been very success- ful in life, to-day ranking as one of the successful men of Will Co. ; he is the founder of the Masonic Braidwood Lodge,, No. 704, and he and his son J. W., are very active members. Mr. Patterson is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and 760 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: a National Greenbaoker in politics. Mar- ried in 1849 to Miss Jane McKinley of Scotland ; seven children, four living : two sons and two daughters ; his two sons J. W. and Alexander, are engaged in busi- ness with Mr. Patterson. JOHN E. PPINGSTON, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Braidwood ; was born in Kendall Co., 111., in 1855, and is the son of Henry W. and Annie (Manegold) Pfingston ; his father Henry W. Pfingston, was raised on a farm ; was born in Han- over, Germany, and emigrated to America in 1847, and settled in Kendall Co., 111. ; here he engaged in farming until 1855, and with his family moved to Will Co., and settled on the present homestead in Reed Township, being among the first set- tlers in this vicinity here he first purchased 160 acres of land, and set out in farming in Will Co. ; here he remained until his death which occurred Nov. 8, 1875, at the age of 55 years, leaving a wife and two children ; his widow is now living on the old homestead' with her son John E., who' is engaged in working the farm. He married in 1878 to Miss Myra Olmstead of Illinois. Sarah E. married I. G. McLane. MOSES PELTIER, merchant. Braid- wood ; was born in Soral, Lower Canada, Aug. 3, 1833, and is the son of Antoine and Scholastic (Boivin) Peltier, of Canada; his father was a baker by trade ; was born in 1811, and remained^ in Canada until the breaking-out of the war in 1837 ; he then came to Illinois and settled in Res- den, Grundy Co. ; here he was engaged in baking for the Canal Company ; then en- gaged in keeping a hotel and stage house ; was the first Postmaster of Resden ; held that office for nine years ; in 1840, he sent for his wife and son Moses, the only child, to come to Illinois ; arrived, settled in Resden, Grundy Co. ; here Mr. Peltier was engaged very extensively in the warehouse business ; in 1844, he took a contract on the Canal feeder, from Wilmington to Caaal, and built this feeder ; his part- ner left, taking with him what mon- ey he had of Mr. Peltier's, which was almost a financial ruin to Mr. Peltier ; he died in the old town of Kankakee in 1859, honored and respected by his fellow- man, leaving a wife and one son. Moses Peltier, in 1862, went to Wilmington and entered the mercantile business; in 1870 came to Braidwood, and was engaged in the butcher business ; in 1876, entered the boot and shoe business ; to-day is engaged in the boots and shoes, flour and feed busi- ness. Democrat in politics ; Catholic in religion. Married April 13, 1861, to Miss Mary J. McCabe, of New York ; seven children. His mother was born in 1810, now living with Mr. Peltier. HENRY H. PARKINSON, editor and proprietor Braidwood Republican, Braid- wood ; was born in London, Eng., Dec. 22, 1849, and is the son of Henry and Rachel Parkinson, of England ; when Mr. Parkin- son was very young, with his parents, emi- grated to America, and landed in New York City ; chen direct to Wilmington, Will Co., 111. In 1860, he entered the Independent office, of Wilmington, 111., and commenced to learn the art of print- ing , here he remained about three years, then in traveling in different parts of the country ; at St. Louis ; then to Joliet ; here he was engaged in working in the Repub- lican o&ce; thence to Lexington, McLean Co., 111. ; here he started the Lexington Courier, Republican paper ; then to Say- brook, 111., and started the Saybrook Ban- ner ; he returned to Wilmington, 111., and took charge of the Independent office, and remained there one year ; he then returned to Saybrook and sold out his paper and moved to Bloomington, 111. ; here he com- menced the publication of the Bloomington ■ Anti-Monopolist, a Granger paper ; thence to Braidwood, and purchased the Braid- wood Republican from F. D. Dalton ; the Braidwood Republican is a daily paper, having a circulation of 500 daily ; this spicy paper is an earnest, live and unterri- fied Republican journal, free and outspoken, a terror to rings and corrupt office-seekers, and death to political stealings and unprin- cipled doings in general ; its columns are devoted to politics, literature, agriculture, re- ligion, science and local and general news ; it is the best of advertising mediums ; its editor and proprietor, Mr. H. H. Parkinson, ranks high among the citizens of Braid- wood, and personally is a gentleman of long journalistic experience; in connection with the paper, there are complete job printing rooms, with facilities for turning out first-class work, from a visiting-card to a circus bill. Mr. Parkinson is a Repub- '-T't^^tG^^^ri' (deceased) NEW LENOX TP BEED TOWNSHIP. 763 lican in politics. Married Miss Harriet A. Smith, of Michigan; two children. THOMAS ROE, farmer ; P. 0. Braid- wood; was born in Lancashire, Eng., in 1820, and is the son of Henry and Mary (Knight) Roe, of England ; in 1855, he emigrated to America and landed in New York City ; then to Illinois, and set- tled in Chicago ; here he was engaged in the lumber business ; he came to Will Co. in 1865, and first purchased eighty acres at $5 per acre ; here he has lived ever since, engaged in farming ; owns a good, improved farm of 200 acres. Mr. Roe is a very prominent member of the P. M. Church, having been a local preacher of this church over twenty years ; is Superin- tendent of the Sunday School. Married in 1840, to Miss Sarah Hill of England, by whom they have five children living. JOSEPH RANDECK, saloon. Braid- wood ; was born in the county of Budevise, Bohemia, Nov. 21, 1850, and is the son of 3Iichael Randeck, of Bohemia, who was a mason by trade ; when Mr. Randeck was about 12 years old, he commenced to learn his trade as a tinsmith ; in 1865, he emi- grated to America and settled in Chicago, 111. ; here he remained about three years, engaged at his trade, tinsmithing ; he then, in 1868, came to Braidwood; here he was engaged in working in the coal-mines, and remained in Braidwood ever since, except ing one and a half years he spent in Chi- cago. Mr. R. commenced the saloon busi- ness in 1877 ; to-day owns one of the lead- ing saloons of Braidwood. In 1877, he. was elected Constable ; this office he still holds. Manied Miss Rossi Jerena, of Bohemia ; three children. DUNCAN RANKIN, merchant, Braid- wood; this gentleman is one of the most solid and reliable merchants of Braidwood ; was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, May 19, 1828, and is the son of Angus and Mar- garet (Clark) Rankin, of Scotland ; father at one time was connected with the Post- office Department, but in the latter part of his life was mining. When Mr. Rankin was but a lad he commenced mining ; this he followed, and in 1850, he emigrated to America and landed in Boston, Mass. ; then to the coal-fields of Pennsylvania ; here he remained for about twenty months ; not satisfied with mining for the black dia- mond, he caught the news that gold could be found in the Far West, and in 1852, he started for the gold-fields of California ; here he arrived, and commenced mining for gold ; he remained about one year ; success very good ; returned to the States and settled in Illinois, De Kalb Co. ; here he purchased a farm with the money he he had made in California, and commenced farming in lUinoiis-; this, his first experi- ence in farming, but, with hard labor, he was successful ; remained in De Kalb Co. ten years ; then to Grundy Co. ; here he entered the coal business by operating a coal shaft known as Rankin Coal Shaft ; in this business two years ; he then went to Morris, Grundy Co., and commenced the mercantile business ; here he remained about six years, and in 1869, he came to Braidwood ; opened a general store ; his success was very good, doing about the largest business of any merchant in the city ; he then opened on the opposite side of Main St., a clothing, dry goods, boot and shoe store ; on account of business he consolidated both stores, then opened a branch store in Morris. Mr. Rankin is President of the Braidwood Creamery Association, manufacturers of cheese and butter, which rank as No. 1 in Chicago and St. Louis markets ; is Inspector of Mines of Will Co. Also a prominent Odd Fellow and Mason. Member of the Pres- byterian Church, and Republican in pol- itics. Married Nov. 13, 1848, to Miss Elizabeth Brown, of Scotland, by whom they have had thirteen children, eight living. JOHN SHBNK, butcher, Braidwood.; the subject of this sketch was born in Erie Co., Penn., 1842, and is the son of Michael and Sarah (Carter) Shenk, who are among the early settlers of Reed Tp., Will Co., having made their home here in 1858 ; Mr. Shenk was raised on his fath- er's farm and remained there until 1875 ; he then entered the butcher business in Braidwood ; this business he has followed ever since ; forms a partnership of Shenk & Kellogg ; these gentlemen have one of the best meat markets in Braidwood. Mr. Shenk married in 1868, to Miss Sarah Wright. WILLIAM H. STEEN, merchant, Braidwood ; was born in Renfrewshire, Scotland, July 29, 1849, and is the son of James and Agnes (Hare) Steen, of Scot- 8 764 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : land ; his father was a coal miner ; here Mr. Steen, at the age of 9, entered the mining business ; in 1865, with his father, emigrated to America and landed in New York City, thence to the coal field of Penn- sylvania, in Schuylkill Co.; engaged in mining about three years ; then to Ohio one and a half years in mining ; returned to Schuylkill Co., Penn., and in 1870, came West to Illinois and settled in Braid- wood ; here he commenced working in the mines, and remained in this business until 1877. Was elected City Clerk of Braid- wood in 1877, which ofiice he still holds; was also Alderman of the city of Braidwood two years. Is a National Greenbacker in politics, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Married in 1869, to Miss Mary Ann Robinson, of Scotland, by whom they have two chil- dren. W. D. STEWARD, farmer ; was born in Wayne Co., Ohio, July 30, 1826, and is the son of John P. and Elizabeth (Moatz) Steward ; his father was a shoe maker by trade ; the latter part of his life was farming ; Mr. Steward was raised on his father's farm, and in 1850, came West to Illinois and settled in Custer Tp.; he first purchased 420 acres of land, at 80c. per acre, purchased from the Government ; here he has remained ever since, engaged in farming and stock raising ; owns to-day 280 acres of fine improved land. Married Rosella Tanner, by whom they have six children. JOHN H. WARD, insurance, Braid- wood; was born in Ireland, Aug. 15, 1840 ; toiigrated to America with his parents in 1846 ; his father, Hugh Ward, was a mason, by trade ; was engaged in working on the Erie Canal ; first settled in Pennsyl- vania, here about one and a half years ; then to Bufi'alo, N. Y., and remained for three years ; came West to Illinois and settled in Wilmington, Will Co., in 1851 ; Mr. Ward, in 1866, came to Braidwood, and has been engaged at his trade, mason, having plastered the first houses built in Braidwood ; he is agent for some most reli- able insurance companies of the United States : Continental, of New York ; Home, of Columbus, Ohio ; German- American, of New York, etc. At the breaking-out of the late war, enlisted in Co. 1, 100th I. V. I.; was honorably discharged on the account of sickness. Mr. Ward has held several' oiBces of trust in his township ; Town. Clerk and School Director. Democrat in politics ; member of the Catholic Church. Married twice ; in 1865, to Miss Lustatia Brown ; second wife, 1876, to Miss Mary Keane, of Illinois ; three children by first wife and one child by second wife. His parents are now living in Joliet, 111. COL. EDWIN WAKEFIELD, Justice of the Peace, Braidwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Monmouthshire, Eng., in 1830, and is the son of Charles and Mary Ann (Leohie) Wakefield; his father was a professional gardener ; Col. Wakefield •worked with his father in the garden until he was about 13 years of age; he then entered the coal mines, and followed coal mining for over twenty-five years; in 1855-6, Col. Wakefield served as gunner in the British Royal Artillery, in the Crimean war. In 1857, he emigrated to America; he has been enaged in mining in difierent parts of Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ken- tucky and Illinois. At the breaking-out of the war, he enlisted as Captain of Co. D, 7th Mo. V. I., June 1861 ; he partici- pated in some of the hard-fought battles ; was at the siege and capture of Vicksburg, Miss.; was promoted as Major of the 7th Mo., Nov. 29, 1862 ; resigned Aug. 1, 1863. He then came to Illinois, and set- tled in Braceville, Grundy Co., nine years in mining ; in 1874, came to Braidwood, and entered the mercantile business. Has held the ofiice of Justice of the Peace in Grundy Co. Is a National Greenbacker in politics. Married in 1863, to Josephine Brumfield, of Ottawa, 111.; have four chil- dren. JOHN WALKER, saloon and boarding stable, Braidwood ; born in Ayrshire, Scot> land, about 1837, and is the son of Andrew and Jane(Ritchie ) Walker, of Scotland. His father was an engineer in the coal mines ; Mr. Walker, at the age between 8 and 9 years, commenced working in coal mines; and followed mining and sinking of shafts while in Scotland ; in 1866, he emigrated to America, and came direct to Braidwood ; here he was first engaged in helping sink- ing coal shafts ; in 1868, he commenced the butcher business, and followed this business about sixteen months; he then en- tered the saloon business ; this business he has followed principally ever since. Mr.- HOMER TOWNSHIP. 765 Walker married Miss Elizabeth Steel, of Kilmarnock, Scotland, by whom they have had eight children, five living. JOHN YOUNG, merchant, Braidwood; was born in Gateside, Ayrshire Co., Scot- land, Dec. 25, 1840, and is the son of John and Margaret (McCollum) Young, of Scot- land. Mr. Young, when he was about 8 years of age, commenced to work in the coal mines in the Parish of Dairy, Scotland, and followed this business ; in 1867, he emi- grated to America, and landed in New York City ; he came direct West to Illinois, and settled in Braidwood in 1867 ; here he commenced mining, and continued in this business until 1877, when he entered the mercantile business. He was nominated by the National Greenback party in 1877) for Supervisor of Reed Tp., and was elected to that office, and from the faithful manner he filled the office, he was re-elected to the same office in 1878, by a large majority ; he has held other offices of public trust in which he has acquitted himself in an ef- ficient manner. Mr. Young was married in 1859 to Miss Mary Colquhoun of Scot- land, by whom they have had eleven chil- dren, five living. Is a National Green- backer in politics, and is a strong worker in the ranks ; member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Young's father died in 1849, at 58 years of age ; his mother is now liv- ing in Scotland, and is a descendent of the poet, Robert Burns. HOMER TOWNSHIP. J. B. AUSTIN, fai-mer. Sec. 11 ; Good- ing's Grove, P. 0. ; was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., July 4, 1824 ; he lived with his parents up to the age of 14, when he came with his uncle, Ira Austin, to this county in 1838, who settled near Gooding's Grove P. 0., and lived with him until 1851. He purchased the farm he now resides on in 1851. Has been Collector, Assessor, Constable and School Director. Mr. Austin was the Captain of the first canal-boat that went through the Illinois and Michigan Canal. His first wife was Laura Sanders of N. Y. State ; she died July 3, 1865 ; they have four children, William B., born in 1851 ; Marion E., April 26, 1853 ; Albert H., Feb. 6, 1854; Lyman A., Nov. 26, 1856. He married his second wife. Miss Betsey McGregor, in Homer Township, Oct. 22, 1867 ; she was born Mov. 17, 1845 ; have seven chil- dren — Jennie, born Dec. 16, 1868; BuelP., born July 22, 1870 ; Ira W., born Nov. 6, 1871, and died March 3, 1873 ; Charles H., born Nov. 16, 1874 ; James H., born Aug. 9, 1876, and John, bom Aug. 4, 1878. Mr. Austin served in the Com- missary Department during our late war, from Aug. 2, 1862, to Feb. 1, 1865. THOMAS BUMP, deceased, farmer. Sec. 24 ; was born in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., June 7, 1819 ; he came to this county in 1834 with his parents, who were among the pioneers of this county, and who laid claim to the land he afterward purchased from them, and upon which he lived up to the day of his death, Aug. 25, 1877. He married Miss Mary Fagen, of N. Y. State, in 1840 ; she died June 5, 1869 ; they had ten children, six living — Lucinda, born Jan. 11, 1841 ; Jacob, Jan. 30, '43; Albert, Nov. 6, 1845 ; Alonzo, June 20, 1847; LydiaA., Jan. 25,1849; Leonard, Dec. 5, 1855, and Oscar R., Dec. 23, 1861 ; four dead, Albert, born Nov. 6, 1845, and died April 26, 1864, in Wash- ington, from disease contracted in the army; Henry J., born April 4, 1858, died Nov. 24, 1861 ; Alfred J., born Oct. 25, 1863, and died Aug. 24, 1864, and one born Aug. 19, 1854, died Aug. 21, 1854, in infancy. ISRAEL BROWN, deceased, farmer, Sec. 11 ; was born in New Jersey, June 15, 1799 ; he first went to the State of New York, when quite a boy, and remained there until he was 2 1 years of age ; he then went to Black Rock, N. Y., remain- ing there ten years, working as a wagon- maker ; in 1822, he went to Canada, where he lived for thirty-six years carrying on the business of wagon-maker; in 1858, he came to this county and settled upon his farm where he resided up to the day of his decease, Sept. 7, 1873 ; his widow still lives upon the farm. He held the office of 766 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : bailiff, seven or eight years, in Canada. Married Miss Jane B. Clark, of Black Rock, N. Y., Jan. 2, 1823 ; she was born in New Hampshire, Dec. 29, 1804 ; had eight children, Rodney A., born Oct. 25,' 1823 ; Sarah Ann, in Sept. 20, 1825 ; Thomas W., April 7, 1828; Caroline, Deo. 7, 1831, died July 23, 183J ; Mary Jane, bora June 23, 1833, died March 11, 1868; Robert C, Sept. 23, 1836, died April 18, 1863, at Murfreesboro, Tenn., from disease contracted in army ; Nancy S. W., Oct. 31, 1840, and Daniel C, born June 7, 1842. SAMUEL J. BLOUNT, deceased, far., Sec. 11 ; was born in Richmond, N. Y., on July 6, 1815 ; he lived there with his parents till he was 21 years of age, engaged in farming, until his coming to this county (1836), when he first worked for William Gooding, on Sec. 3, and resided always in the neighborhood of "Gooding's Grove;" in 1845, he purchased the claim to the farm his widow now resides on, and lived there until his decease, Feb. 28, 1878 ; had been Postmaster at "Gooding's Grove" many years, Justice of the Peace, School Trustee, Road Commissioner, Collector and Supervisor. Married Mrs. Caroline A. Bliss (daughter of James Gooding, Jr., and widow of Philenzo P. Bliss), in Homer Township, Jan. 3, 1841 ; Mrs. Blount had one child by Mr. Bliss — Phi- lenzo P., Jr., born June 16, 1839, and eight children by Mr. Blount — -Rhoda, born Nov. 12, 1841 ; James, born in April, 1843, died in Nashville, Tenn., Dec. 11, 1862, from disease contracted in the army; George, born Nov. 17, 1844 ; Mary M., Dec. 5, 1846; Caroline, June 3, 1849; Elva Lucretia, Dec. 3, 1851 ; Frank A., July 22, 1854, and Azuba, Oct. 17, 1857. WM. J. BBNTLEY, farmer, Sec. 15 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Homer Tp. March 28, 1843 ; he lived in this county until the age of 17, when he moved to Cook Co., remaining two years. In 1862, he enlisted in Co. F, 100th 111. V. I., and served as such seven months, and dis- charged on account of disability. He married Miss Ann M. Dixon, of Lockport, in Homer Tp., Feb. 28, 1867 ; she was born Aug. 2, 1841. His father, Robert Bentley, was born in Cambridgeshire, Bng., Aug. 13, 1814 ; he came to Amer- ica with his parents in 1833, who settled in Lockport, N. Y., remaining there six years ; in 1842, he came West and settled in Homer Tp., living there sixteen years, when they went to Palos, Cook Co. ; in 1862, they returned to Will Co. ; in 1875, he purchased his present farm. Has been School Director and Path Master. Mar- ried Catharine Rahill, of Southampton, Eng., in Lockport, N. Y., May 10, 1842 ; she was born Nov. 1, 1821 ; they had ten children, seven living — William Joseph, Robert James, Charles Edward, Mary Ann, Martha Ellen, Alice Kate, Asa Lin- coln ; three dead — Sarah Ann, Frederick Benjamin and Florence Jenette. H. F. BOWEN, farmer, Sec. 16 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., April 10, 1812; he lived there until the age of 20, when he went to Plymouth, Mich., and remained there ten years, car- rying on mercantile business and school teaching ; in 1850, he came to Chicago, remaining there nearly a year, and then re- turned to Plymouth, Mich.; about a year after, he returned to Chicago, and went from there to Marengo, McHenry Co., and taught school ; in the fall of 1852, having moved to this county, he purchased the farm upon which he now resides. Has been Town Clerk four years. Married first wife. Miss Mary T. Bennett, from near Rochester, N. Y., in Plymouth, Mich., in April, 1835; she died in June, 1850; they had three children — Lowell M., John M. and Charles H., all dead. He married his second wife (widow of Alonzo Inger- soll) Feb. 20, 1852; she died Oct. 5, 1861 ; he married his present wife (widow of David E. Davis) April 17, 1862; they have one child (adopted) — Mary E., daughter of David B. Peck, brother of Mrs. H. F. Bowen, born Feb. 9, 1863, in Des Moines, Iowa. JEFFERSON BUMP, farmer. Sec. 15; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Chau- tauqua Co., N. Y., Jan. 31, 1826, and re- mained theie until he was 8 years of age ; in the fall of 1834, he came West with his parents and settled in Will Co. ; in 1852, he crossed the plains to California, and prospected in the mines and tended pack- trains of mules across the mountains until 1859, when he returned to this county and purchased the farm in 1860 upon which he resides, containing eighty acres, being one- half the land originally preempted by his HOMER TOWNSHIP. 767 parents. Has been School Director three years. Married Miss Fannie Mariah Rockafellow (daughter of James and Nan- cy Rockafellow, of Chautauqua Co., N. Y.) in Plainfield Dec. 20, 1860 ; she was born April 30, 1844 ; they have six children- Sarah Angelina, born Nov. 4, 1861 ; Nel- son James, May 7, 1864, Clarence Josiah, Oct. 24, 1863; Nancy Helen, Sept. 20, 1867; Frank Gile, July 20, 1869, and Lucy Loretta, born June 28, 1873. LEANDER BUMP, farmer, Sec. 15 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., May 7, 1809; his parents moved to Crawford Co., Penn., when he was 6 years of age, and after remaining there some four years, went to Chautauqua Co., N. Y., and after remaining twelve or fourteen years, moved West in the fall of 1834, and settled in Will Co., in this township, on the farm he and his brother Jefferson now reside on. His father, Jacob, died Aug. 12, 1849, and his mother, Lydia, April 16, 1852 ; they were among the first settler's in this county, and with their families passed through the many hardships and trials of a pioneer's life. He married Miss Elizabeth Lucy Dixon, of Milton, Mow- bray, Leicestershire, Eng., in Homer Tp., April 13, 1859; she was born Sept. 1, 1839 ; they have four children — Walter James, boro Sept. 4, 1860; Florence Ann, born Dec. 16, 1863, and died May 15, 1876 ; Lydia Jane, born Sept. 25, 1867, and George Jacob, born July 17, 1869. A. B. BROOKS, farmer. Sec. 10, P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., Feb. 14, 1809 ; his parents moved to Del- aware County when he was 10 years old, and remained there until 1826, when they moved to Erie Co., N. Y,; in 1837, he moved to this county, his parents following. His father, Benjamin, died on the farm his son Alonzo now resides on, in 1864, and his mother, Annie, in 1836 ; in 1839, Alonzo moved to his present farm, where he has ever since resided. Has been Justice of the Peace nearly twenty years. Assessor, Highway Commissioner, School Director, President Homer Mutual Insurance Co. Married first wife, Annie Edmonds, of Delaware Co., N. Y., in October, 1831 ; she died October 14, 1837 ; they had one child — Joseph E., born October, 1833. He married second wife, Jane Weaver, in Homer Township, Aug. 29, 1838 ; she was born Jan. 20, 1807 ; they had five children, one living — Sterling A., born Jan. 21, 1848; four dead— William Harrison, Harrison and two who died at birth. JOSEPH E. BROOKS,farmer,Sec. 11 ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Erie Co., N. Y., Oct. 12, 1833; he lived there until he was 4 years of age, and then came with his mother, in 1837, to this county, and after the death of his mother in October of same year, he went to live with Holder Sisson until spring of 1838, when he lived with Wm. Frazer up to August, from which time until he was 21 he remained with his father, Alonzo; in 1867, he moved to the farm upon which he now resides. In 1869, he went to Cass Co., Mo., remaining four years, and then returned to this township, and has lived since on his farm. Has been School Director. Married Eunice Z. Coon, of Mokena, Will Co., Nov. 28, 1855; she was born Jan. 25, 1834 ; have three children — Louis D., born Oct. 5, 1856 ; William H., born Dec. 18, 1858, and Annis I., born Aug. 13, 1862. JOHN BRINCKERHOFF, far., Sec. 31; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Water- vliet, N. Y., May 15, 1836 ; he moved to this county with his parents in 1838, and worked upon the farm until the age of 22 ; in 1860, he crossed the plains to Pike's Peak, returning the same fall; in 1866, he went to Chicago and carried on the grocery business two years; he returned to this township; in 1869, he purchased from his father the homestead upon which he now resides, containing 160 acres. Has been School Director three terms, and is such at present. He married Rebecca Brecken- ridge, of Canada in New Lenox Township, Aug. 19, 1858; she was born in Canada Dec. 7, 1839 ; they have six children — Clarence Eugene, born Nov. 9, 1859; George Erwin, March 8, 1862; Martin Schuyler, Jan. 29, 1866 ; John Jerome, Jan. 18, 1869; Howard Horace, Aug. 19, 1872, and Gertrude Rebecca, Oct. 14, 1875. MARTIN B. BRINCKERHOFF, re- tired farmer, Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Albany, N. Y., July 11, 1806 ; he attended school to the age of 14, when his father sent him to the country to learn farming, receiving only his board; at the age of 20, he worked his own farm in Albany Co., and remained on it up to 768 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : 1837 ; he came West in 1838 and settled on farm Sec. 31, and continued such up to 1869, when his son purchased the farm, with whom he has since resided. Has been School Director and Road Commis- sioner. He married Eliza Van Duser, of Madison Co., N. Y., in Montgomery Co., N. Y., Dec. 24, 1827 ; she was born in Madison Co., N. Y., in 1808, and died in Homer Tp., Jan. 4, 1873 ; they had seven children, three living — Gertrude (now Mrs. Mellen), born April 5, 1829; John, born May 15, 1836 ; Mary (now Mrs. Harris), Feb. 4, 1834, and four dead — John, died Feb. 5,1832; James, March 7, 1833 ; Martin, died at Nashville, Tenn., Feb. 8, 1863, from disease contracted in the army, and Emma Cecilia, in Septem- ber, 1870. A. C. CUTLER, farmer. Sec. 26; P. 0. Hadley ; was born in Chenango Co., N. Y., Sept. 13, 1827 ; he lived there until he was 7 or 8 years of age, when he moved with his parents to Erie Co., Ohio, and from there lo Huron Co., Ohio ; at the age of 13, he followed the life of a sailor upon the lakes; in the fall of 1844, he came with his parents to Illinois, traveling most of the way by team; for some years he drove stage for Fink & Walker, of Chicago ; he also freighted through this Western country, and afterward went to Chicago and was engaged in the manufacture of shingles and also connected with the Police Depart- ment for eight years ; in 1865, he crossed the plains to Colorado, mining and pro- specting, and again in 1866 ; he came to this county in 1869, and first settled on Sec. 36, and moved from there to Hadley P. 0., being its Postmaster for three years ; in 1873, he came to his present farm of 105 acres. He married Miss Elizabeth Glines, of Homer Tp., Sept. 6, 1870; she was born in Feb., 1864 ; they have two children — Clinton E. B., born July 3, 1871, and Ida Lucy, Feb. 5, 1875. LEROY CORWIN, farmer. Sec. 2 ; P. 0. Goodintr's Grove ; was born in West Lockport May 15, 1851 ; he came with his parents to this township when he was about 3 years old ; he remained with his parents, engaged on the farm until he was 15 years of age, from which time he has worked his own way through life ; he now works the farm of H. McGregor. He married Miss Hannah Adams, of Indi- diana, in Richland Co., Wis., Sept. 5, 1875 ; she was born Feb. 11, 1855. FREDERIC COLLINS, farmer, Sec. 21; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Berk- shire, Tioga Co., N. Y., June 29, 1812 ; he was engaged in farming with his parents until the year 1833, when he came to this county and first settled on Sees. 27 and 28, and obtained a pre-emption upon the land, where he resided forty-one years, and in the winter of 1874, moved to where he now resides ; Mr. Collins was among the first settlers, when a fence was a novelty and the red men were their neighbors. He married Miss Nancy Mason White, daugh- ter of Jonah White, of Spencer, Mass., in Lockport Tp., March 13, 1839; she was born in Skaneateles, N. Y., July 23, 1814 ; they had four children, three living— Ho- ratio, born Feb. 3, 1840 ; Adeline Eliza, (now Mrs. Hatch), born Sept. 19, 1841, and Ellen Samantha (now Mrs. Bird, of Mich- igan), born Aug. 13, 1850, and Emma Adella, born Sept. 5, 1856, and died July 26, 1857. Mr. Collins has passed through the many struggles and incidents and dangers so common to the pioneer of the Great West, and is to-day hardy and robust at the ripe old age of 66. NATHAN CORWIN, farmer. Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., March 15, 1810; he lived there, engaged in farming, up to the time he was 24 years of age, when he came West, and first moved to Wayne Co., Mich., and was engaged in clearing up timber land; two years afterward, he moved to La Grange Co., Ind., where he remained thirteeo years ; he oame to this county in 1848, and first lived in Plainfield two years, and then in Lockport Tp. three years, farming;, and in Lockport three years, keeping hotel ; in 1855, he came to this township, where he has since resided ; - has been Poor Mas- ter and School Director. Married his first wife, Sophia Jewell, of Arcadia, Wayne Co., N. Y., June 30, 1831; she died Jan. 26, 1843 ; they had five children — Melissa, Mary U., Horace T., Henry E. and Lydia. He married his second wife, Eliza Ann Cole, of Wayne Co., N. Y., in 1848 ; they had seven children — David R., Austin, Leroy, De Witt C, Alice, Edward L. and William F. H. T. CORWIN, farmer, Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Lima, La HOMER TOWNSHIP. 769 Grange Co., Ind., Aug. 4, 1836 ; he moved to this county with his parents in 1855, and lived with them until the age of 21 ; in 1874, he purchased the farm upon which he now resides, now containing sev- enty acres. He has been School Director three years. He married Miss Helen C. Heed (daughter of George Reed) in Homer Tp., Jan. 31, 1867 ; she was born in Bristol, Ontario Co., N. Y., Sept. 24, 1845 ; they have two children —Elmer R., born Feb. 20, 1867, and Myrtie J., born June 10, 1877. Mr. Corwin served three years as Sergeant of Co. G, 39th 111. Inf., and was wounded at Bermuda Hundred in 1864, and served the balance of his enlistment in Marine Hospital in Chicago. REV. SAMUEL COWELL, Episco- pal clergyman, Lockport ; was born in Providence, R. I., July 3, 1820 ; at the age of 20, he graduated at Brown Univer- sity ; he then studied law one year with his father, the Hon. Benj. Cowell, Chief Justice of Court of Common Pleas of Rhode Island ; in 1844, he was ordained as an Episcopal Minister; he first preached in Western Pennsylvania for seven years ; in 1854, he moved to Saco, Maine, and was Pastor of Trinity Church four years ; in June, 1858, he came to Lockport, and was Pastor of St. John's Episcopal Church four years and Chaplain of State Penitentiary four years under the appointment of Gov. Bis- sell ; although compelled by ill health to iretire from the ministry, Mr. Cowell has been engaged upon missionary work, and laid the corner-stones of two churches at Lockport and New Lenox, in this county ; he now resides on his farm, about -one and one-half miles from Lockport. Married Margaret Marshall in Washing- ton, Penn.j'Oct. 4, 1852; she was born in Washington, Penn,, Oct. 27, 1829 ; they had five children, four of whom are liv- ing. BENJAMIN M. DANCER (de- ceased), farmer. Sec. 25 ; was born in the State of New York, Dec. 24, 1809 ; when he came West, first settled in Chica- go, remaining there about two years ; his parents coming West, they all went to Kankakee Co., 111., where his mother died, when he first came to this county he lived near Hadley P. 0. ; in 1843, he settled upon the farm his widow now resides on. and lived there until his death, Jan. 4, 1864. Had been Supervisor. Married Miss Emily Simmons (daughter of Thomas Simmons, one of the early pioneers of this county, having come here in 1833, from Dunkirk, N. Y.) in Joliet, Oct. 30, 1843 ; shg'was born May 3, 1823; they had eight children — John and William (twins), born Nov. 12, 1844, Mariah, March 7, 1846; Mary, born March 22, 1851, died March 21, 1864; Emma, born May 16, 1853; Benjamin P., born Feb. 22, 1857, died November of the same year ; Alice R., born Aug. 12, 1859, died March 16, 1860 ; George, born Dec. 30, 1861, died July 14, 1877. PATRICK DUNN, farmer. Sec. 22; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in the parish of Laighlin Bridge, Carroll Co., Ireland, March 17, 1825, and lived there until he was 25, years of age when he emigrated to America, and first lived in Salem Co. Mo., one year; he then crossed the plains to California, and remained six years, com- ing to this county where he has resided ever since ; he purchased his present farm in 1861, now containing 150 acres. He enlisted as a private in Co. F, 100th 111. Inf., Aug. 10, 1862, and served to the close of the war in 1865. He married Miss Johanna Dugen in Lockport, March 6, 1869 ; she was born in Tipperary, Ire- land, in 1839, and came to America in 1858 ; they have two children — William, born Feb. 1, 1870, and Mary, born Nov. 13, 1871. PETER DICK, farmer, Sec. 15; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Rheinboyer, "Germany, May 19, 1821 ; he came to America with his father in 1845, who set- tled in Williams Co., Ohio, and lived there thirteen years; in 1858, he came to this county, and lived in Lockport Tp. five years, when he purchased and moved upon the farm he now resides on, containing eighty acres. He married Miss Barbara Saltsgiver Feb. 6, 1847, in Williams Co., Ohio, Dec. 25, 1828; they had nine children — George B.,born Nov. 23, 1847; Liddy C, born Nov. 5, 1849 ,; John W., Aug. 28, 1851; Lewis L., June 8, 1853 ; Theodore R., Feb. 6, 1855 ; Michael A., Jan. 23, 1858 ; William H., Feb. 24, 1862, died March 15, 1863 ; Mertie, June 15, 1864, and Bertie, July 26, 1866— both the latter dying at birth. 770 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: GEORGE DAMM, farmer, Sec. 14; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Bavaria. Ger- many, Feb. 8, 1828 ; came to America in in 1847, witt his parents, who settled on the Du Page Co., 111., and lived with them until he was 27 years old ;■ in 1865, he came to this county and settled upon the farm upon which he now resides, containing 160 acres. Has been Road Master. Mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Ott in Du Page Co.,. 111., May 8, 1855 ; she was born in Central Square, N. Y.; they had seven children — Laura Mariah and Francis Ellen (twins), born April 4, 1857 ; Frank Stephen, Jan. 18, 1860 ; Edward Valentine, May 27, 1862 ; Albert Casper, Aug. 27, 1866, and died Jan. 10, 1874; Barney Joseph, Nov. 30, 1871, died April 17, 1872, and Mary Sophronia, April 6, 1873. JAMES D. FRAZER, farmer; P.O. Lockport ; was born in Pittsford, Monroe Co., N. Y., Oct. 5, 1821 ; he was one of nine children ; his mother was of Dutch and his father of Scotch extraction ; his great grandfather was frozen to death on the Green Mountains, Vt.; his parents being poor, the subject of this sketch was thrown upon his own resources early in life, work- ing upon a farm until 19 years of age, from which time up to the age of 27 he was employed in collecting and driving stock from Ohio, Pennsylvania and Western New York to Boston ; on June 8, 1849, he came West and purchased a farm in this township, now owned and occupied by Harmon V., one of his brothers ; in 1852, he crossed the plains to California, remaining there nineteen months mining at Yreka ; he returned to this county in April, 1854, and has been engaged in farming ever since; in 1854, was elected Highway Commissioner, and in 1861, was elected Supervisor of the town, and having in that year oifered a resolution before the Board of Supervisors instructing the County Treasurer to receive the county taxes in "greenbacks" has been called and known as the " Veteran Green- backer;" in 1865, he was elected Assessor, and in 1874, was again elected Supervisor, beingre-elected in 1878 to the same posi- tion ; he has always taken an active part in politics, and in whatever would advance the interests of his county has always taken a prominent part ; he was a Delegate to the convention of 1856, which organized the Republican party. He married Mary P. Lane (daughter of John Lane, the inventor of the first steel plow), in Lock- port in this county, April 12, 1857 ; she was born in Pittsford, N. Y., Sept. 4, 1830 ; they have three children — John D., born March 29, 1858; Mattie J., Jan. 16, 1863, and Mary F., Feb. 16, 1867. SAMUEL GOTTS (deceased), farmer; was born in Norfolk, Eng., Jan. 19, 1819 ; he came to America at the age of 14; he first settled in the State of New York, and afterward in Canada ; he came to this county in 1852, and lived here up to the time of his decease. May 2, 1878; he came to his present farm in the spring of 1855, where his widow now resides, con- taining eighty acres. He married Mrs. Hannah Luther in Joliet Aug. 15, 1850; she was born in Franklin Co., Mass., April 18, 1827; she has six children — Lydia Luther (by first husband), born Aug. 23, 1848; by second husband — Isabella,, born. Feb. 9, 1856; Sarah, born Dec. 5, 1858; AloDzo, born Jan. 9, 1863 ; Wilham, born Nov. 13, 1868, and Charles, born June 17, 1872. JOHN HALEY, farmer. Sec. 35j P. 0. Hadley ; was born in Waldec, Prussia, Germany, April 2, 1822; he lived there until he was 25 years of age, when he came to America in July, 1 847, and settled first in Wayne Co., N. Y., living there six and a half years, blacksmithing ; moved from there to Prince Edward Co., Can,, working at the same trade ; in the spring of 1860, he came to Will Co., and settled where he now resides ; farms 250 acres. Has been Highway Commissiocer six years and School Director many years. He married Miss Elizabeth Kunzen, of Prussia, in Alliance, Wayne Co., N. Y., in July, 1847; she was born Oct. 21, 1823 ; they have eight children — John, born May 14, 1848 ; George L., born Jan. 7, 1850; Carrie, born Nov. 3, 1852; William H., born Nov. 17, 1854; Charles P., born Sept. 26, 1857 ; Alexander, born Oct. 3, 1860 ; Frank, born Dec. 18, 1864, and Emma, born June 16, 1868. CHARLES HALEY, blacksmith, Had- ley; was born in Waldec, Prussia, Ger- many, Jan. 21, 1836; he was engaged in learning the trade of blacksmith from the age of 15 up to 18, when he came to- HOMER TOWNSHIP. 771 Canada with his mother in 1854, living there up to 1874, carrying on the trade of blacksmith, and from there he came to Hadley Postoffice, in this township, carry- ing on a blacksmith shop, and is now also Postmaster. He married Miss Aldura Lawson, of Prince Edward Co., Upper Canada, May 5, 1863; she was born April 18, 1842 ; they have four children — Manly B., born June 20, 1864; John C, born April 7, 1867; Adolph, born Dec. 13, 1870, and Carrie, born Oct. 10, 1872. PETER HOMEDING, farmer. Sec. 24 ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Prus- sia, Germany, Sept. 18, 1829 ; he lived there until he was 23 years old, farming ; in 1852, he came to America, and came to Will Co., and has lived here ever since; in 1864, he purchased the farm upon which he lives, containing sixty-four acres. Mar- ried Miss Susan Miller, of Prussia, in Joliet, Nov. 28, 1858 ; she was born Feb. 2, 1824; had five children — Katie, born Sept. 15, 1858; Maggie, born April 16, 1860; Matt, born May 10, 1861; Nicho- las, born in 1864, died in 1865, and Peter, born March 24, 1866. LEVI HARTWELL, farmer. Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Hadley, Mass., Deo. 10, 1817 ; at the age of 11, he was thrown upon his own resources ; at the age of 12, he learned the trade of black- smithing with John Lane, and served an apprenticeship of seven years — three years in New York State and four years in Illi- nois, having come to this county in 1833 with Mr. Lane ; he also worked for John J?. Manny one year, and in Galena about a year; returning to this township in 1838, he again worked for John Lane up to 1842, when he settled upon the farm upon which he now resides, making all the im- provements on thirty acres, at the same time carrying on the manufacture of steel plows up to 1862, since which time he has devoted himself to his farm, now contain- ing 110 acres. Has held the office of Constable and Path Master seven or eight terms ; Town Commissioner thirteen years ; School Director twelve years ; Supervisor two years and Poor Master one year. He married his first wife, Miss Louisa Poor, in Homer Tp., Nov. 3, 1842 ; she was born in Indiana, Sept. 11, 1823, and died Oct. 26, 1867 ; they had five children, one only living — :Samuel, born June 27, 1856, and four dead — William E., first, died Jan. 12, 1846; William E., second, died at East- port, Miss., May 5, 1865, of disease con- tracted in the army ; Charles died Feb. 14, 1869, and Levi died May 20, 1873. He married his second wife. Miss Emma Trask, of St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., in Chicago, April 22, 1868; she was born Nov. 10, 1847. A. A. INGE RSOLL, farmer. Sec. 9; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Plainfield^ Will Co., 111., Nov. 20, 1839 ; he haa always been a resident of this county. His mother came with her parents from Syra- cuse, N. Y., in Oct., 1833, and settled upon the farm upon which he now resides, and died there. The subject of this sketch lived with them up to the year 1862 ; he then enlisted in Co. G, 100th Regt. I. V. I., serving three months, when he was transferred to the Pioneer Corps of the Army of the Cumberland ; remained in such from Nov. 27, 1862, to Oct. 8, 1863, and then was transferred to the First U. S. Vet. V. Engineers until mustered out, July 2, 1865. Has been Town Clerk, and is now Justice of the Peace. He married Miss Fanny M. Myrick, of Orland, Cook Co., March 28, 1866; she was born Sept. 19, 1847 ; they had three children, two living — Annie A., born Oct. 15, 1867, and Walter Judson, born March 19, 1869, and one dead — Florence B., born Aug. 1, 1874, and died April 20,1877. His grand- parents, Benjamin and Phoebe, came to this county in October, 1833, and were among the first settlers in the county, there- being but very few families, and as the pioneers of this county, they and their families passed through the many dangers and hardships only to be found in a new country. In 1847, his grandfather, Ches- ter IngersoU, crossed the plains to Cali- fornia, and was the first white man that built a house in San Francisco. Benjamin Weaver died March 2, 1870, and Phcebe died Nov. 15, 1859, and lie buried in Brooks' burying-ground, on Sec. 10, near the homestead. JOHN JUNGBL, farmer. Sec. 12; P. 0. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Luxem- burg, Germany, May 8, 1829 ; he lived there until he was 23 years of age, engaged in farming, when he came to America (1852), and settled in Du Page Co., living there three years ; in 1855, he came to this- 772 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : county and settled where he now resides ; farms 200 acres. He married Miss Mary Ann Wagner, of Rhenish Prussia, Glermany, Dec. 31, 1856; she was born Nov. 15, 1836; they have ten children — -Peter, born Dec. 14, 1856; Mary K., Sept. 4, 1858 ; Susie, March 8, 1860 ; Katie, Feb. 25, 1862 ; Nicholas, May 1, 1864 ; Maggie, April 5, 1866 ; Johnnie, April 13, 1868 ; Lizzie, April 19, 1870 ; Barney, Aug. 25, 1872, and Annie, May 28, 1875. SETH B. JONES, deceased, farmer. Sec. 11 ; was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., Aug. 31, 1828 ; his parents moved to On- tario Co., N. Y., when he was a child, where he remained until he was 27 years of age, engaged in farming ; in 1855, he moved West and settled in Kankakee Co., 111., where he lived until his coming to this county in 1865, and settled upon the farm containing 110 acres, upon which his widow now resides, and where he lived until his decease, Nov. 20, 1875. Had been School Trustee. Married Miss Julia E. Codding, of Bristol, Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. 28, 1850 ; she was born in Bristol, N. Y., March 3, 1831 ; they had five children — Elliott E., born' Sept. 20, 1853 ; Arthur, born March 30, 1857 ; Annette 0., born Deo. 3, 1858, and died Feb. 17, 1861; Theresa L., born Oct. 17, 1860, and Marcia C, born Aug. 22, 1862, and died May 3, 1876. W. H. LANFEAR, farmer and stock raiser, Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Lookport ; was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., Dec. 25, 1830 ; he moved with his parents to this township, when he was 5 years of age, and was en- gaged with them in farming until the age of 21 ; his father died June 23, 1871 ; his mother still lives, at the ripe old age of 82. The subject of this. sketch purchased the farm, upon which he now lives, in 1852, having made all the improvements and set out all the trees upon it, contain- ing at present 200 acres. He was Town Commissioner in 1875, 1876 and 1877 ; also School Director six years. He mar- ried Miss Emily M. Savage, daughter of Levi Savage, of this township, Feb. 25, 1852 ; she was born in G-ranville, Wash- ington Co., N. Y., July 24, 1830 ; they had seven children, three living — Mary Ann, born Dec. 16, 1852; Albert H.,0ct. 31, 1865, and Nettie E., Dec. 26, 1867, and four deceased — Asa W., born Nov. 8, 1854, died March 22, 1871 ; Ida M,,born Aug. 2, 1856, died Jan. 6, 1860 ; Charley B., born Nov. 3, 1872, died July 24, 1873, and Willie H., died Sept. 1874; the last two being twins. J. S. L\NPEAR, farmer and stock raiser. Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Lookport ; was born in Homer Tp., July 25, 1837, in ihe homestead where his parents had resided since 1835, and where his father died June 23, 1871 ; Mr. Lanfear has farmed the same since he was old enough to do so, and lives on the same place at present, now containing 150 acres. He. has held the office of Town Clerk six years, and School Director seven years, which position he still holds. He married Miss Amelia Hill, a daughter of Isaac F. Hill, of Madison Co., N. Y., in Homer Tp., Sept. 1, 1857; she was born in Oneida Tp., Madison Co., N. Y., Oct. 1, 1834 ; they have one child -De Etta, born March 20, 1852. RICHARD S. McL AUGHRY, farmer. Sec. 9 ; P. O. Lookport ; was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., Feb. 13, 1822 ; he lived there until he was 12 years of age, when he came West with his parents, who first settled in Paddock's Settlement, in Cook Co., where his parents died ; in 1850, he crossed the plains to California, prospecting and mining one year, when he returned to Cook Co.; in 1860, he lived upon his farm near Gooding's Grove. In the fall of 1862, he enlisted in Co. F, 100th 111. V. I., and was elected as Captain of the same company, serving up to 1864 ; he was wounded at Mission Ridge, Georgia. He married his first wife, Mary Pitzsim- mons, in Cook Co., 111., Oct. 10, 1844 ; she died Deo. 8, 1845 ; they had one child —Thomas J., born Dec. 8, 1845, died in Andersonville prison, Georgia, in 1864; he married his second wife, Jane Petty- john, in Cook Co., in 1847 ; she died in April, 1853 ; they had two children — WiUiam L., born in June, 1848, and Han- nah M., born Sept. 21, 1850, died Oet. 20, 1869 ; married his present wife, Eliza- beth Benton, of Geauga Co., Ohio, Jan. 3, 1854; they have seven children — Richard M., born Nov. 23, 1853 ; Helen E., Jan. 17, 1858; Alice G., Feb. 26, 1860 ; Jessie P., Nov. 19, 1862 ; Herman T., July 15, 1865 ; Bernice, Jan. 28, 1868, and Flor- ence M., July 10, 1870. ' HOMER TOWNSHIP. 773 HORACE MESSENGER, farmer and stock raiser, Sec. 33 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Chenango Co., N. Y., April 26, 1807 ; he lived with his parents to the age of 20, farming, then farmed six years in Onondaga Co., N. Y., by the month; in 1834, he came to this county (then Cook) and made his claim ; then returning to Onondaga County, married and returned with his wife in 1835, and worked and improved the farm upon which he has ever since resided, containing over four hundred acres ; Mr. Messenger is one of the earliest settlers in the coutny. Has been Highway Commissioner, but, although repeatedly requested, steadily has refused to hold any other office. Married Miss Fanny Shead (daughter of Stephen Shead, Onondaga Co., N. Y.) in Onondaga Co., N. Y., in April, 1835 ; she was born in Vernon, N. Y., June 13, 1810 ; they had seven children, six living — Horace, born April 26, 1807 ; Fanny S., June 13, 1810; Mary Jane, Nov. 4, 1838; Francis Ann, March 18, 1840 ; Horace Isaac, Feb. 5, 1844, and Helen Louisa, April 18, 1847 ; one dead — William H., born Feb. 20, 1836, died April 4, 1839. JAMES W. MOONEY, farmer. See. 32; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Ulster Co., N. Y., Nov. 6, 1815, where he was engaged in farming, except four years, when he clerked in a grocery store ; he came to this county in 1848, and first set- tled in Homer Tp. ; in 1861 he moved, into Lockport Tp. and after remaining sixteen years, returned to Homer Tp, and for two years was engaged in boating on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, and now resides with his sons, John H. and Charles W., who work the Garden Farm in this township. Was Township Assesor and Highway Overseer in Lock- port Tp. Married Lydia Ann Burt (daughter of Harlow and Hannah Burt, of Wayne Co., N. Y.) in Wayne Co., N. Y., Dec. 31, 1836 ; had eleven children- Jane M., born Aug. 16, 1839; Julia A., May 1, 1841 ; Francis, born Aug. 30, 1842, died Aug. 26, 1843 ; Charity, born Feb. 3, 1844 ; died March 4, 1849 ; Mary, born April 14, 1846 ; Helen, Aug. 24, 1847; John Henry, Dec. 30, 1849; Harriet Francelia, March 17, 1851 ; Lydia Josephine, Sept. 11, 1853; Will- iam Burt, April 7, 1855, died May 4, 1856, and Charles Wesley, born July 7, 1857. BARNEY OTT, farmer. Sec. 14; P. 0. Gooding's Grove; was born in Baden, Germany, June 5, 1821 ; he lived with his parents fifteen years ; from that time up to tlie age of 2 1 , he worked at the trade of weaver; he came to America in 1842; and the first year lived in Onondaga Co., N. Y., working in a salt factory ; from there he went to Canada, remaining two years farming; in 1846, he came to this State and lived in Du Page Co. nineteen years farming, when he moved to this county (1865), and purchased the farm upon which he now resides, of 152 acres. He married Miss Elizabeth Walter (daugh- ter of Andrew Walter, of Darmstadt, Germany,) inDu Page Co., Sept. 10, 1851 ; she was born June 8, 1 831 ; they had thirteen children — Frank, born Feb. 16, 1853, died Feb. 26, 1854; Michael, born May 10, 1854; Eva, Oct. 30, 1855; Catharine, born April 16, 1857, died Feb. 26, 1858 ; Mary, born Feb. 2, 1859 ; Lib- hie, Jan. 8, 1861 ; John, Aug 8, 1862 ; Katie, July 14, 1864; Peter, Jan. 2, 1866; Clara, March 20, 1868; Emma, March 9, 1870 ; Maggie, Oct. 21, 1872, and George B., Nov. 24, 1874. DWIGHT PRESTON, farmer. Sec. 11 ; P. O. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Feb. 21, 1823; he moved with his parents to Otsego Co. when he was 4 years old, and lived there until 1852, when he came to this county and settled on Sec. 11 ; in 1857, went to Marion Co., 111. In 1861, enlisted in Co. F, 39th Reg. 111. Inf, and was promoted to 1st Sergeant Nov. 15, 1862, serving until the close of the war ; he was wounded at Warebottom Church, Va., May 20, 1864, and remained in hospital until his (Ksoharge June 8, 1865; he then came to Will Co., and has remained here ever since. Has been Collector and Con- stable. He married Emeline Brooks, of Otsego Co., N. Y.,Dec. 1, 1844; shedied Nov. 28, 1872 ; they have two children — Adelbert D., born Sept. 13, 1845, and Hannah E., June 15, 1848. His son Adel- bert D., married Lydia Coon Dec. 26, 1869 ; they had four children — Marion D., born Oct. 2, 1870 ; Grace B., Feb. 28, 1873 ; William Adelbert, June 23, 1 875, died June 21, 1877 ; and Mary L., Aug. 25, 1877 774 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: NELSON KEED, farmer, Sec. 9; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Deo. 4, 1827 ; he lived with his par- ents until 9 years of age, when he was thrown upon his own resources, and has made his way in life upon his own exer- tions ever since ; he came to this county in January, 1 852, and first settled on a farm in Sec. 9 ; in 1872, he purchased the farm henow resides on, his wife's parents, James and Eve Ritchey, residing with them from that time. Has been School Director sev- eral terms, and is so at present. Married Miss Margaret Ritchey in Homer Tp. Jan. 21, 1858 ; she was born on the " Ritchey Homestead," Nov. 6, 1838 ; they have four children — Carson, born Feb. 19, 1860; William R., April 14, 1866; Mary P., Dec. 8, 1868, and Harry, Oct. 25, 1874. JAMES RITCHEY, retired farmer, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Bedford Co., Penn., Oct. 30, 1800 ; he remained there until he was 4 years of age, when his parents moved to Ross Co., Ohio, and remained there until Oct. 20, 1830, when Mr. Ritchey and family moved to Fountain Co., Ind., and in Nov. 24, 1830, he came to this county, and took up his claim to the land he now resides on, and returning, brought his family on in the fall of 1831; in 1832, himself and- family were compelled to take refuge in B'ort Dearborn for eighteen days ; his fam- ily then returned to Indiana, and he him- self came back to his farm, returning sev- eral times that season to visit his family; the fall of same year, he brought his fam- ily again to Will Co., where they have re- sided ever since. He married Miss Eve Thatcher (daughter of Sylvester Thatcher, of Ross Co., Va.) in Ross Co., Ohio, Dec. 30, 1823; she was born in Aug., 1801 ; tbey had eight children — Mary (now Mrs. Lewis Bush), born Dee. 5, 182^ ; Riley, Oct. 2, 1827, and died Nov. 7, 1862, at Cave City, Ky., from disease contracted in the army; George, April 26, 1830 (now residing in Oregon) ; Samuel I., Aug. 16, 1833 (now living in Montana); John, May 24, 1836 (residing in Boulder City, Colo.; Margaret (wife of Nelson Reed), Nov. 6, 1838 ; James Marion, April 7, 1841, and died at the age of 10 months, and Elizabeth R. (wife of Levi Poor, of Audrain Co., Mo.), Oct. 30, 1843. Mr. Ritchey and wife are the only living per- sons who were in this township who were "forted"in May, 1832; when he came here there was but one family (the John- stons, now all dead) ; as a pioneer of this county, he has encountered many hard- ships and struggles in the wilds of this great West, when their only companions were the Indians and the wild beasts of the forest ; his recollection of the events of that early day are vivid and fresh to him, and he is now in the enjoyment of a hale and hearty old age, being near 78 ; he lost, however, his eyesight from inflam- mation in 1854; his journey to Indiana from Ohio, was made by horse-teams, and from there to this county by ox-teams, as the roads at that day were impassable to horses, being "mired down;" he has made numerous trips to Indiana for pro- visions, it being the only place they could get them in the years 1831, 1832 and 1833, as they raised nothing until 1834 ; Chicago in 1833 contained only 170 per- sons. PETER RE UTER, farmer. Sec. 23; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Trier, Rhenish Prussia, Oct. 10, 1834, and farmed until he came to America in 1864, and settled in Will Co. ; in 1874, be purchased the farm of ninety-six acres upon which he now resides. He married Helen Bea- ver in Prussia, Jan. 7, 1862 ; she was born in 1 840 ; they have nine children — Angelina, born Nov. 4, 1862 ; Susie, born Aug. 4, 1864 ; Mary, born Dec. 5, 1865; Louisa, born Feb. 2, 1867 , Lizzie, Jan. 2, 1869 ; Katie, Aug. 9, 1871 ; Peter, Aug. 19, 1872 ; Edward, Oct. 16, 1875, and John, born Nov. 21, 1877. HENRY REED, farmer. Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. 30, 1825 ; he lived there until there until the age of 27, engaged in farming; in January, 1852, he moved to this county and with his brother was engaged in buy- ing and selling cattle, near Gooding s Grove, for two years ; he then purchased a farm near Hadley, and lived on it until the winter of 1864, when he returned East, and after' remaining one year, returned and purchased the farm upon which he now re- sides, in January, 1868. Has been Super- visor two years. Assessor one year, Road Commissioner two years in Orland,Cook Co., 111., and is now Road Commissioner of Homer Tp. He married Miss Mary Tot- HOMER TOWNSHIP. 775 -man of Ontario Co., N. Y., June 13, 1854 ; she was born in Jeiferson Co., N. Y., June 10, 1834 ; they had six children, five liv- ing — Morris A., born Aug. 8, 1860; Edna L., born Nov. 4, 1862 ; Wallace L., born Aug. 9, 1866; Frank L., born May 4, 1868, and Henry B., born Nov. 27, 1875; one dead — Emerson W., born Aug. 31, 1856, died June 20, 1859. J. B. ROWLEY, farmer, Sec. 20; P. O. Lockport ; was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Feb. 11, 1811, where he resided fifteen years, and afterward in Monroe Co. seven years ; in 1833, he moved to this county and made a claim, and afterward purchased the land upon which he now resides, at the land sale in Chicago in 1835 ; his farm now contains over 210 acres, which belaid out, and upon which he made all the improve- ments. Married Miss Ardelia Lanfear in Homer Tp., April 13, 1836 ; she was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., Feb. 17, 1818 ; they had six children, two living — Olive (now Mrs. Link), born April 21, 1838 ; Irvin E., born May 11, 1863, and four dead — Francis B., born April 17, 1844, died Dec. 9, 1844 ; Adelia Ann, born Feb. 25, 1846, died April 23, 1848 ; Albert, born Feb. 27, 1851 , died April 6, 1865, and Ella M., born June 21, 1858, died Deo. 30, 1859. Mr. Rowley was among the first settlers, and passed through the many struggles of a pioneer life. HIRAM ROWLEY was one of the earliest settlers of Will Co.; he arrived in the year 1833 ; we are indebted to his son, John K. Rowley, of Chicago, the historian of the Rowley family in the United States, for the following extract from the proof- sheets, pertaining to the lineage of Mr. Row- ley ; he says, "After years of research, my conclusions are that the Rowleys are all related ; that Moses Rowley, who emigrated from South Wales in the year 1700, was the original Rowley in this country ; he married at Cape Cod, Mass., and set- tled in East Haddam, Conn. Joseph Rowley, the grandfather of Hiram, resided in Richmond, Mass., where he enlisted Oct. 1, 1775, in the Revolutionary war; was in Col. Simon's regiment ; marched to Lake George, thence by boats to Ticon- deroga, N. Y., where trace is lost of his exploits. In 1776, he served under Col. Ford, hunting Tories ; in 1777, was in the same service under Col. Ashlev. During 1778, 1779 and 1780, frequently volun- teered to go out in scouting parties after Tories and Indians. He was a brave soldier, and would have served longer had it not been for an accidental fall, which rendered him unfit for hard service. He was born in Colchester, Conn., in 1752, and died at Victor, N. Y., Dec. 23, 1835. Col. Aaron Rowley, of Revolutionary fame, was a brother of his." Capt. Jireh Rowley, the father of Hiram, was twice married. The second time to the mother of Charles M. and George M. Gray, well-known citizens of this county, as well as the county of Cook, in fact, throughout our whole coun- try. The Captain in business, was the Vanderbilt of his time, and distinguished himself as a true citizen and brave defender of his country in the war of 1812. • More of his life will be found elsewhere in this history. Hiram Rowley was born Nov. 16, 1813, and was one of the family of eight children who grew to maturity by the first wife, consisting of one daughter and seven sons, all of whom are now living but three. Jireh Rowley, Jr., died Aug. 6, 1875. It is a singular coincidence, that he was named after the father of so large a family, and filled a similarly prominent place in the estimation of the public in Western New York, where he always lived. Hiram had none of the advantages in early life for cul- tivatioa children now have. His mother died when he was quite young, and to use his own language, " he came up instead of being brought up." The spirit of advent- ure seized him at the age of 20 years, and he left his home in Victor, Ontario Co., N. Y., and all the hallowed associations of his youthful days for the uninhabited West. The journey by boat and stage took three weeks. He settled on a tract of 376 acres of land at Beebe's Grove, three miles east of Crete, where he commenced the struggle for a livelihood on his own account. Farm- ing in those days meant hard labor without any of the luxuries of life, and as an evi- dence, one year in particular, Mr. Rowley transported oats by ox-teams to Chicago, a distance of thirty miles, and sold them for 10 cents per bushel, and other cereals at a proportionate rate ; but notwithstanding all discouragements, he persevered and finally built on his place a comfortable log house, and married Cynthia Kile, in 1837, who, like himself, h^d come with her family 776 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES; from an adjoining county in the Empire State. H. N. Marsh, Esq., of JoHet, mar- ried Miss Mary Kile, a sister of Mrs. Rowley, for his first wife. Aunt Cynthia, so called, on account of her eagerness to be doing Christian acts for everybody and everywhere, proved a helpmeet indeed, and the young couple, prospered in a worldly point of view. A few years later, they sold their farm and moved to Yankee Set- tlement, now Homer Tp., and settled per- manently upon the east half of his father's homestead, about one mile west of Hadley. Here is where the old settlers locate them, and where a thousand memories cluster, dear to their hearts, because the scenes en- acted there were at a period in their Hves when they had become matured and best calcula,ted to enter into the arena of life in earnest. They added farm to farm, and were honorably prosperous. The result of their marriage, has been three sons and one daughter. The eldest son became quite well known as a teacher in this county before he took up his abode in Chicago, where he has for many years been prom- inently identified in the banking and real estate business. The second son, Andrew W., also became known as a music teacher. His youngest son, Asa B., and charming daughter, Sarah E., the Benjamin of the flock, also became proficient in music before the family moved to Lockport, and after- ward to Chicago, where they all now reside. Mr. Rowley was too far advanced in life to imitate his forefathers in the late re- bellion, but the Union army had his hearty sympathy, and his sons, although they did not enlist, aided with their means the fam- ilies of those who did enter the service. In politics, he has been an unswerving Re- publican since the organization of the party. The success of the Roman Catho- lic Church in this country has given him much uneasiness. He has always been a warm advocate of free schools and of hav- ing the Bible read in them. Personally, Mr. Rowley is of a sympathetic nature, and clings with great tenacity to the be- liefs he has once espoused. His house was a home for itinerant Methodist preachers, and he has for forty years been a zealous member of that denomination. He is hale, hearty and temperate, and has the promise of many years of life. His sons are all married and settled in life, and he has a competence even in these depressing times,, and an abiding faith in the future that it will be well with him. JOHN SUTTEN, farmer. Sec. 16 ; P. 0. Lockport; was born in Hackonby, Lin- colnshire, Eng., Sept. 21, 1819 ; he was engaged in farming up to the time of his coming to America, in 1854; he first stopped in Arnoldsville, Steuben Co., N. Y., eighteen months, when he came to Lockport; in 1870, he settled upon the farm upon which he now resides. He married Mrs. Ruth Beals (widow of Eben- ezer Beals, of Cambridge, Eng.) in Lock- port on Nov. 20, 1870; she was borninDit- ton, Cambridgeshire, Eng., Dee. 24, 1814. GEORGE SPERRY, farmer, Sec. 14; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Rochester, N. Y., April 27, 1826 ; he carried on ag- ricultural implements business two years, and taught school forthree years in the State of New York ; in 1856, he came to this county, teaching school eight years during the winter months and farming during the summer ; in 1857, he came to the farm he now resides on. He enlisted as a private in 1862, in the 100th 111. V. I., serving two years, and was promoted to First Lieutenant 22d N. Y. Cav., serving as such six months, when he was promoted as Captain in the same regiment, and also served as Regimental Quartermaster, and subsequently, before being mustered out,, as Brigade Quartermaster ; he was jiro- moted to the rank of Major for service in the field in the capture of Early's army at Waynesboro, Va., and remained such until mustered out July 4, 1865 ; Mr. Sperrj, during his term of service, was responsible for over one million and a half of Govern- ment property, and, what very few offi- cers of our army can say, has certificates of non-indebtedness from every department of the Government from which he had drawn supplies, consisting of the Quartermaster's, Ordnance and Commissary. In 1873, he went to Kansas and took up a claim of 160 acres under the " Homestead Law." He married his first wife Miss Mary D. Cook (daughter of Hon. Bates Cook, for- mer Controller of the State of New York under the late Gov. DeWitt Clinton) in Lewiston, N. Y., July 6, 1851 ; she died in Henrietta, N. Y., April 6, 1853; he married his second wife, Mrs. Oliver Peck. April 5, 1857. HOMER TOWNSHIP. 77T HON. AMOS SAVAGE, farmer, Sec. 28 ; P. 0. Lookport ; was born in Homer Tp. June 18, 1836, on the homestead where his parents had settled in 1833; his educational advantages were limited, as was the case among the early settlers in the wilds of the West; the subject of this sketch taught district school from the age of 19 to 24 during the winter months, working upon the farm during the summer ; he was first elected Supervisor in 1861, and resigned shortly afterward to enter the army as Second Lieutenant of the 39th I. V. I., being afterward promoted to First Lieutenant, and then as Captain, serving three years and three months, until dis- charged on account of disability ; upon his return to the county he was again elected Supervisor, serving continuously until his election to the Legislature of IlHnois in the fall of 1872, serving one term of two years, upon which he was again elected Supervisor, serving up to 1876, when he was elected to the State Board of Equah- zation for the Seventh Congressional District for the term of four years. Mr. Savage has always been active in politics, and has worked faithfully in whatever position he has been elected to fill to the best interestsof the county. He married Miss Mary L. Slate (daughter of Asahel Slate, of Georgetown, S. C.), in Lemont, Cook Co., Feb. 25, 1864 ; she was born in Georgetown, S. C, June 22, 1837; has five children — Helen E., born Dec. 8, 1864; Frank M., born July 19, 1867; John H., born June 25, 1870 ; Willard A., born Sept. 14, 1872, and Mary A., born May 13, 1874. WILLIAM TILSY, farmer, Sec. 24 ; P. O. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, May 15, 1833; when he was 17 years of age, he came to America and worked on the canal, and afterward worked for many farmers in Will Co. — six years for A. B. Brooks ; he purchased his farm in 1856, and settled where he now lives in 1876 ; has been School Director six years. Married Miss Dora Holm, of Mecklenburg, Germany, in Chicago, Nov. 7, 1857 ; she was born Sept. 3, 1838; they have five children — Lewis, born Sept. 3, 1858 ; William, born May 3, 1862; Mary E., born Nov. 25, 1864; Henry, born Dec. 29, 1869, and Carrie, born Aug. 5, 1873. P. P. THOMAS, farmer, Sec. 2; P. 0. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Darien, N. Y., Nov. 17, 1834; he went with his parents to Naperville in June, 1835, and remained with them until the age of 12, when his mother died in December, 1846, and he was then thrown upon his own resources; at the age of 13, he drove a notion wagon through Northern Illinois and Wisconsin; at the age of 16, he worked in the lead mines near Mineral Point, and at various other places, and smelted for Corwith & Co. at the age of 19, after which he worked at the trade of car- penter and joiner up to the spring of 1864 ; in May of the same year, he crossed the plains to Montana, mining and pros- pecting for five years ; in December, 1868,. he returned to Chicago, and, in February,. 1869, purchased the farm upon which he now resides, containing 320 acres; has been School Director. Married Miss Mary Rogers, daughter of D. B. Rogers, of Lu- zerne Co., Penn., Dec. 30, 1870. MATHIAS WAGNER, farmer. Sec. 13 ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Rhenish Prussia, Germany, in October, 1822 ; he lived there until he was 3 years of age, when he came to this country in 1852 ;'he first lived in Du Page Co., 111., three months, and then lived with Augustus Gooding about a year ; in the spring of 1854, he moved where he now lives; he owns 138 acres. He married his first wife, Annie Piefer, of Rhenish Prussia, Germany, in 1852 ; she died in April, 1862 ; they had four children ; two died in. infancy — Martin, born May 4, 1853 ; Mary, born in 1854, died the same year. He married Margaret Hermon, of Rhenish Prussia, in May, 1862; they have seven children — Mary, born Dec. 29, 1866; Katie, born June 28, 1867; Maria, born Mareh 14, 1869 ; Lena, born June 24, 1871; Attila, born March 24, 1873; Su- sanna, born Nov. 28, 1874, and Pete, born July 30, 1878; two died — Margaret, in 1864, and an infant. ROBERT WHITE, farmer. Sec. 17 ; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Cambridge- shire, Eng., March 19, 1833 ; he came to America in 1854 ; he farmed up to his coming to this county ; he settled in Yankee Settlement, Homer Township, the same year, and worked for Robert Bentley ^ in 1865, he moved to Orland, Cook Co., 778 BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCHES: 111., remaining there seven years farming, when he returned to this township and settled where he now resides ; has fifty-one acres. He enlisted in Co. P, 100th Keg- iment 111. Inf., and served during the war, being mustered out with his regiment June 13, 1865 ; he was wounded through the thighs at Kenesaw, Mountain, on June 27, 1864. Has been School Director seven years. He married Mrs. Francis Vande- water (widow of Daniel Vandewater) in Homer Township, March 14, 1861 ; they have eight children, three by Mr. Vande- water-Hannah ( now Mrs. Martin O'Brien), born March 17, 1852; Sarah Jane, Sept. 3, 1855, and William D., Aug. 29, 1857; five by Mr. White — Robert J., born Dec. 31, 1861; John Thomas, Dec. 8, 1866; Elizabeth Ann, Jan. 25, 1869 ; Charles H., July 1, 1871, and George W. R., Nov. .29, 1873. NICHOLAS WELTER, farmer, Sec. 13; P. 0. Gooding's Grove; was born in Moltzh, Rhenish Prussia, Germany, Nov. 16, 1841 ; he lived there until he was 15 years old, when he came to America (1857) and first went to Chicago, staying there three or four years ; in 1864, he came to Will County and settled upon his farm; in 1872, kept store at Gooding's Grove P. 0., and came to where he now lives the year after. M^arried Maggie Meyer, of Prussia, in Chicago, in January, 1862; she was born April 13, 1843; they had nine children — Katie, born Oct. 27, 1863; Lina, Oct. 13, 1864, died Aug. 11, 1865 ; Nicholas, born Nov. 15, 1866 ; Lizzie, Aug. 6, 1868; Mathew, Sept. 15, 1869, died in October, 1874; Cecilia, born Jan. 25,1872; Christian, May 4, 1873 ; Susie, Sept. 15, 1875, and Maggie, July 3, 1877. MATTHIAS ZIMMER, farmer. Sec. 12 ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove ; was born in Rhenish Prussia, Germany, July 16, 1832; he hved there twenty-five years farming; came to America in 1857, and first went to Chicago, and from there to Lake Tp., Cook Co., remaining fifteen years, and came from there to this county, and purchased the farm he now resides on; farms 190 acres. He married Catharine Yeager, of Rhenish Prussia, Jan. 7, 1853; they had thirteen children — Nicholas, born Jan. 6, 1851; John, March 4, 1856; Anthony, July 17, 1858; Matthias, Sept. 26, 1860; Mary, Oct. 26, 1862 ; Pete, Jan. 25, 1866; Kate March 19, 1868; Clara, June 29, 1872; Christoph, Jan. 25, 1875; Susanna, Jan. 20, 1876, and three dead — Matthias, died Jan. 1, 1849 ; Ange- line, Oct. 19, 1865; Cecilia, Feb. 26, 1870. NEW LENOX TOWNSHIP. ABEL BLISS, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Now Lenox ; was born in Hampden Co., Mass., Feb. 9, 1810; came to this State in 1837, and settled in New Lenox Tp., Will Co.; the township at that time was called Van Horn's Point, deriving its name from the point or stretch of timber running south from Hickory Creek, and at that time owned by Mr. Van Horn. Mr. Bliss was married May 6, 1840, to Miss Lucinda Blake ; she was born in Hampden Co., Mass., Oct. 14, 1816; they have had seven children, three of whom are living — Harriet M., Abel, Jr. and Alice P.; de- ceased — Ellen J., William S., Mary B.and Josie. Mr. B.'s farm contains 500 acres, valued at $60 per acre. MRS. ANN BROADIE, farmer; P. O. New Lenox; one of our earliest set- tlers; was born in Brown Co., Ohio, Feb. 28, 1832 ; came to this State with her father's family when she was 3 years old, and settled in New Lenox, Will Co., where she has since made her home. She was married May 11, 1854, to the late Robert J. Broadie, deceased, who was born in Ohio Feb. 5, 1829, and who died Deo. 21, 1873; they have had five children, three of whom are living — Esther Ann, John G. and Sarah A.; deceased — Lydia and Anna. The farm of Mrs. Broadie consists of 735 acres, valued at $40,000. GEORGE S. BROWN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Tolland Co., Conn., May 18, 1825 ; came to this State in 1850, and settled in Mokena, where he remained two years ; he removed from there to Lockport in Missing Page Missing Page NEW LENOX TOWNSHIP. 781 1852, and from there to New Lenox in 1876, where he now resides ; his farm con- sists of eighty acres, valued at $5,000. "Was married in New York Dec. 5, 1848, to Miss Martha A. Petteys, who was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., Dec. 23, 1830 ; they have had seven children, five nf whom are living— Ida E., G. W., Rose Belle, Ed- ward C. L. and Lillie May ; deceased — Millard P. and Frankie. Mr. Brown was a participant in the Mexican war of 1816. In his boyhood, he had a curiosity to see the world, and travel ; he, therefore, left his home at the age of 16, and set out for New London, where he shipped on board the ship Mystic, bound for the northwest- ern coast of North America ; she left her port Sept. 14, 1841 ; he was discharged at the Sandwich Islands, and there shipped aboard the sloop Portsmouth, a man-of- war, for the Mexican service; he served two years, and was discharged at the close of the war, at Boston, Mass., in May, 1848. MRS. BRIDGET CUNNINGHAM, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Spencer ; was born in Kilkenny Co., Ireland, Oct. 8, 1822 ; came to this country in 1850, and settled in the East, where she remained several years, when she removed to this State, and settled in Manhattan, Will Co., in 1857; she removed from there to her present home in New Lenox in 1866 ; she now owns 160 acres, valued at $8,000; is the widow of the late James Cunning- liam, deceased, who was born in Long- ford Co., Ireland ; they have had eight children — Mathew, Thomas, Richard G., Martin, Mary E., Michael J., Katie L., ■and Maggie E. Mr. C, previous to his death, held several public offices in New Lenox Tp.; he died March 27, 1874. PELEG CROSS, farmer and dairy- man ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Rhode Island, May 10, 1821 ; came to this State in 1869, and settled in New Lenox, where he now resides; his farm consists of 113 acres, valued at $7,000. He was married Dec. 31, 1852, to Miss Phebe Felps, who was born in Columbia Co., N. Y., Feb. 16, 1829 ; they have had three children — Sarah E., Mary A., and Phebe F. Mr. Cross, previous to his coming to this State, held the offices of Township Clerk and Assessor several terms in Rotterdam Tp., New York .State. R. W. CROSSEN, carriage manufact- urer. New Lenox ; was born in Coburg, Ont., Feb. 25, 1855 ; came to the United States in 1865, and settled in Joliet, Will Co., 111.; he obtained a liberal education by close and early attendance at school until he was 1 8 years of age; he engaged as an appren- tice in carriage-making, and served three years, at the expiration of which time he went into business on his o^n account, and in which he continued for two years ; finally disposing of his stock and other collaterals, he removed to New Lenox and purchased the right he now owns. His parents and relations are still residents of Joliet. JEROME DOXTADER, farmer and hotel-keeper ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y., Nov. 1, 1829; came to Illinois, and settled in New Lenox, Will Co., in 1852, where he now resides. He was married to Miss Delia Hartshorn Sept. 24, 1856 ; she was born in Will Co., Ill, Oct. 23, 1840, and died July 24, 1878 ; they have had three children— Willard, born Jan. 6, 1859; John D., Feb. 13, 1862 ; Lydia L., Oct. 6,. 1868. Mr. Doxtader is now the proprietor of the first hotel constructed in New Lenox ; his present farm consists of ninety-four acres, valued at $7,000. JOHN FRANCIS, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Will Co. , 111., Jan. 8, 1843 ; is the son of the late Abraham Francis, deceased, who was one of our first settlers ; the farm of Mr. Francis consists of 375 acres of land, valued at $18,- 500 ; is situated on Sees. 9,. 5 and 8. He was married to Miss Harriet M. Bliss, who was born in New Lenox, Will Co., 111., Sept. 5, 1846 ; they have had three chil- dren — John E., Howard B. and Hattie. Mr. Francis has held the office of School Trustee nine years. Township Collector two years, and Supervisor five years. A. ALLEN FRANCIS, farmer and dealer in live-stock, also breeder of short- horn Durham cattle ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in New Lenox, Will Co., 111., Sept. 7, 1840 ; is the son of the late Abraham Francis, who came to this State in 1831 ; the farm of Mr. Francis consists of 1,000 acres, valued at $60,000. He was married to Miss Lizzie J. Haven Sept. 15, 1870, who was born in New Lenox, Will Co., 111., March 31, 1849 ; they have 9 782 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: one child — Mary Luella, born Oct. 20, 1877. At present holds the position of President of Will Co., Agricultural and Mechanical Association, and President of New Lenox Mutual Fire Ins. Co. ISAAC M. GILLETT, Jr., farmer and stock, Sec. 36 ; P. 0. Spencer ; was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., Oct. 6, 1850 ; he lived in New York about six years ; then with his parents came West and settled in Homer Tp., Will Co.; he remained here on the farm about sixteen years when he came to his present place and has remained here since ; the place belongs to his father, and contains 300 acres, 240 of which are located on Sec. 1, in Manhattan Tp., and is principally devoted to stock-raising ; he makes a specialty of pure Sufl'olk swine. See advertisment. WILLIAM GOUGAR, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Pickaway Co., Ohio, Aug. 24, 1818 ; came to this State with his father's fam- ily in 1831 ; has been a farmer and stock -raiser from boyhood ; his present farm consists of 372 acres of land, valued at $22,000, situated on Sec. 20, in New Lenox Tp., and on Sec. 20, in Joliet. He was married Dec. 29, 1859, to Miss Clarissa Hawkins, who was born in Kanka- kee Co., 111., Feb. 19, 1839 ; they have had four children, three of whom are living — William, Nellie and Frank ; deceased, Hester. Mr. Gougar participated in the Black Hawk war, which is fully described by him in the general history of the town- ship. A. GALLAGHER, hardware dealer; P. 0. Spencer ; was hoxfi in New Brunswick, Dominion of Canada, April 25, 1848 ; came to this State and settled in New Len- ox in 1876, where he has since resided. He was married to Miss Jane Denny, who was born in Will Co., 111., Jan. 4, 1848 ; they have had two chOdren, viz. : Elsie May and Jennie M. Mr. G., beside his merchandising operations, owns and carries OQ a farm situated on Sec. 23, and valued at $3,000. MRS. N. GOUGAR, farming and dairy ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Knox Co., Ohio, Jan. 3, 1823, and is the widow of the late Nicholas Gougar, who was born in Montour Co., Penn., Oct. 30, 1813, and who died Jan. 12, 1878; they were married April 9, 1851; have two adopted children, viz. : Lydia and Eugene. Mrs. G. came to this State from Ohio in 1850, and settled with her parents in New Lenox. Her farm contains 135 acres, val- ued at 110,000. J. E. GOUGAR, farmer and dairyman ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in New Lenox, Will Co., March 21, 1834 ■, excepting the time spent in receiving his education at Beloit, Wis., and Joliet, 111., he has been a permanent resident in New Lenox. He was married to Miss Hattie Perkins Nov. 24, 1864; she was born in Grundy Co., Ill, Deo. 28, 1841 ; ihey have had four children, two of whom are living, viz.: Charles P. and Hattie May ; deceased — Ella and Florence. Mr. Gougar has fol- lowed the pursuits of a farmer from boy- hood ; he now owns 1 60 acres, valued at $10,000. He has also held the office of Assessor three terms, and Township Col- lector several years. JOHN, GOUGAR, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Joliet ; one of our very early settlers ; was born in Montour Co., Penn., March 20, 1810 ; he removed with his father's family to Ohio when he was 8 years old, and from there to Indiana when he was in his 12th year ; he remained there but a short time, when he came to this State ' and settled where he now re- sides in New Lenox; at the time of his arrival, the surrounding country was all embraced in Cook Co., and what is now the township of New Lenox did not then have a name ; he arrived here Sept. 10, 1830, at which time there was but one building in Chicago, which was then used as a French trading-post, and was situated on the west side of the river ; Mr. Gougar has now spent forty-eight years in this county, during which time his occupation has been that of a farmer and stock-raiser; his present farm contains 340 acres, valued at $20,400. He was married in this State Jan. 2, 1849, to Miss Mary A. Miller, who was born in Pennsylvania May 21, 1813 ; they have had one child, viz. : Lewis, born Nov. 10, 1852. SAMUEL H. HINE, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. O. Speucer ; was born in Chau- tauquk Co., N. Y., Feb. 19, 1825; came to this State in 1836, and settled in New Lenox, Will Co., where he now resides; his farm consists of 290 acres, valued at $17,000. He was married Jan. 1, NEW LENOX TOWNSHIP. 783 1867, to Miss Barbara Leisure; they have had four children — Esther M., Ida E., Isaac H. and Mary Roseanna. G. L. HALEY, farmer; P. 0. Hadley; was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., Jan. 7, 1850 ; came to this State in 1860, and settled in Homer Tp.; he removed from Homer to New Lenox in 1876 ; he has now under cultivation thirty-five acres, val- ued at $2,100. He was married Nov. 25, 1875, to Miss Emma L. Dancer, who was born in Homer, Will Co., 111., May 14, 1851 ; they have had one child — Mary Edna, born Nov. 19, 1877. DENNIS HOGAN, farmer and stock- raiser; P. 0. Spencer; was born in Ire- land March 12, 1820 ; came to the United States in 1848, and to Illinois in 1854; settled in New Lenox, where he now re- sides. He was married to Miss Mary A. McCabe, who was born in Ireland May 6, 1837 ; they have five children — Ellen E., Katie M., Denice L., Gregory M. and Theresa J. The farm of Mr. Hogan con- sists of 240 acres, valued at $14,500. J. S. HOLMES, dealer in grain, coal and ground feed ; P. 0. Spencer ; was born in New Lenox, Will Co., Aug. .30, 1848 ; is the son of the late Asher Holmes, deceased, who came from New York State in 1835. Mr. H. was married Jan. 24, 1871, to Miss Sophie Willis, who was born in New York City Aug. 14, 1852 ; they have had five children — Rayuor E., Arthur W., Laura E., Herbert H. and Bessie J. Mr. H. is at present School Trustee ; was elected in April, 1878. JAMES E.HOLMES, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Spencer ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Chautauqua Co. N. y., June 25,. 1827; came to this State with his father's family and settled where he now resides, in New Lenox Tp, in 1835. He was married Jan. 8, 1854, to Miss Mary E. Stiffler, who was born in Miami Co., Ohio, Jan. 29, 1838; they have had four children, three of whom are living, viz.: Delia J., 'William R. and George E. ; deceased — -Rosilla. The farm of Mr. H. consists of 138 acres, valued at $8,500. Since his residence in this town- ship, he has held the office of Town Clerk one year, Postmaster twenty-two years, which position he still retains ; also the office of Street Commissioner nearly two years. ASHER HOLMES, deceased. New Lenox Tp., whose portrait appears in this work, was born in Sherburne, Chenango Co., N. Y., in September, 1796 ; at the age of 9, his parents moved to Chautauqua Co., N. Y. ; in 1826, he returned to Chenango Co., and married Aug. 26 of the same year Miss Eliza Ann Elmore ; they moved back to Chautauqua Co., and remained there until the year 1831, when they again returned to Chenango Co., remaining there until his coming to Will Co. in the spring of 1835 ; he settled on Sec. 22, in New Lenox Tp., where he died ; his widow still lives on the homestead. He held the office of Justice of the Peace in Chenango Co., and that of School Treas- urer in New Lenox Tp. He had six children, five living — James E., born June 25, 1827 ; Myron P., born June 8, 1830 ; Orsamus, born in August, 1838 ; Lydia E., born Feb. 5, 1840, and Sophie, born Aug. 14, 1852, and one deceased — EHza Ann, born Jan. 18, 1834, died in May, 1873. CHAS. E. KERCHEVAL, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Joliot ; was born in New Lenox, Will Co., Sept. 21, 1843; he is the son of the late Jas. C. Kercbe- val, deceased, who was a native of Ohio, and emigrated to this State in 1830 ; he was a participant in the Mohawk war, and one of the first settlers in the State ; Mr. Chas. Keroheval was married April 29, 1868, to Miss Hattie A. Frazer, who was born in Will Co., 111., Jan. 20, 1850. Mr. K. for the past ten years has, in addi- tion to farming, given special attention to raising and breeding fancy swine ; his present farm consists of eighty acres, val- ued at $6,000. He has also acted as School Trustee ; held offices of Assessor and Township Collector. M. H. KELLOGG, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Madison Co., N. Y., May 17, 1830 ; came to this State and settled in Chicago in 1853; he removed from there to New Lenox, Will Co., where he now resides, in 1867. He was married to Miss Mary A. McElcheran Aug. 24, 1861 ; she was born in Albany, N. Y.,Sept. 24, 1830 ; they have had two children — one of whom is living, viz., Myron B., born Oct. 26, 1863 ; de- ceased — an infant. Mr. Kellogg's farm consists of 100 acres of fine rolling prai- 784 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: rie situated on Hickory Creek, and is part of Sec. 22 ; it is valued at $12,000. TUNIS LYNK, general merchant, New Lenox; an old and prominent [set- tler ; was born in Columbia Co., N. Y., Jan. 20, 1829 ; came to this State and settled in New Lenox in 1848, where he has since resided. He was married to Miss Lydia Ann Hartshorn, who was born in Rutland Co., Vt., May 30, 1831, and who died Jan. 7, 1877 ; Mr. L. was married again Feb. 5, 1878, to Miss Olive 0. Rugg, who was born in New Lenox, Will Co., 111., March 1, 1847. Immediately after his arrival in this township, he pur- chased the property now owned by Will- iam Gougar, which then consisted of 105 acres, and on which was located the second saw-mill built in the township ; he pursued the business of millwright and farmer until his purchase of his second farm, now owned by Jacob Waltz. At the out- break of the war, Mr. L. entered into mer- cantile business, in which he yet continues ; he has also acted as gencr.il depot agent since that time and has also held the office of Postmaster in New Lenox Tp, from April, 1867, until June, 1869 ; he was also the first express agent in the township ; has held the office of Township Collector four terms ; is at present general freight agent. CORIDON S. LEWIS, retired ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Decatur, Otsego Co., N. Y., Dec. 13, 1816 ; came to this State in 1849, and settled in Stephenson Co. ; removed from there to New Lenox, Will Co., in 1865, where he now resides ; his occupation while in Stephenson Co. was that of a carpenter and builder. He was married Jan. 11, 1838, to Miss Cath- erine Bogardus, who was born in Berne, Albany Co., N. Y., June 14, 1814 ; they have had four children, three of whom are living, viz. : Leslie, Candace and Carrie ; deceased — Marilla. CYRUS A. LEWIS, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., July 19, 1824 ; came to this State in 1850, and settled in New Lenox ; his farm consists of 268 acres, valued at $18,000. He was married to Miss Emeline Seward, who was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., Sept. 20, 1825 ; they have had nine children, seven of whom are living, viz. . Mary R., Spencer, Cannie, Nellie, Almon, Sherman and Jennie; de- ceased, two infants. Mr. L. has held the offices of School Director, School Trustee and Road Commissioner several years. WM. PINK, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Spencer ; was born in Germany Feb. 28, 1830 ; came to this country in 1856, and settled in Illinois ; he has been a resi- dent of New Lenox since 1866 ; his farm consists of seventy-five acres, valued at $4,000. He was married to Miss Mary Pullman, who was born in Germany ; they have had eight children, seven of whom are living, viz. : Bernard, Susie, Kittie, Peter, Annie, Mary and Nick ; deceased, Mary. GEN. J. S. REYNOLDS, lawyer, Chi- cago, formerly of New Lenox Tp. ; was born Dec. 3, 1839, in New Lenox Tp., Will Co., 111., where his parents, Isaac N. and his wife, still reside ; the son, after arriving at the age of 17, went to Chicago, and attended the public schools, graduating from the high school in 1861. On the breaking out of the war, he presided over a series of war mass-meetings of young men ; he soon enlisted, and began recruit- ing the battalion called Yates' Sharpshoot- ers ; he was in active service nearly four years, and made a gallant record ; he was promoted five times by commissions from the Governor of Illinois, and twice by commission from President Lincoln ; he took part in seventeen battles and many skirmishes, was thrice wounded, and tad his sword shot from his hand at Resaca ; he commanded the 64th I. V. I., which he had once helped to recruit under the name of Yates' Sharpshooters, during its march with Gen. Sherman from Atlanta to the sea; at the recommendation of his superior officers, he was promoted to Brig- adier General, near the close of the war. After leaving the army, in 1865, he began the study of law in Chicago, graduated from the law department of the Chicago University, was Admitted to the bar in 1866, and began the practice of law in Chicago, at first with a partner ; he is now engaged in the practice of admiralty alone in the city of Chicago. In 1867, he was elected a member of the Illinois Legisla- ture, from Chicago, and re-elected in 1869, where he served with honor ; he also served four years on the Chicago Board of Educa- NEW LENOX TOWNSHIP. 785 tion ; in 1872, lie was elected to represent the First District in the Illinois State Sen ate, aft- er which he was appointed, by the Governor, a commissioner from Illinois to the Expo- sition at Vienna ; in May, 1873, he sailed abroad, and his travels extended through- out most of the countries of Europe and into Asia Minor ; in 1875, he became a a member of the Board of Commissioners to locate the State Institution for the Ed- ucation of Feeble-minded Children ; in 1875, he was elected Senior Vice Com- mander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. Jan. 31, 1877, he was married to Mattie A. Carey, of Chicago, daughter of George W. Carey, Esq. ; has one child — born Jan. 23, 1878, named Joseph S., Jr. ISAAC N. REYNOLDS, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; one of the earliest and most prominent settlers : was born in Champaign Co., Ohio, Oct. 13, 1811 ; came to this State with his father's family in 1818, and settled in the southern part, where he remained until 1833, when he came north to Will Co. and settled in New Lenox, where he now owns 365 acres, valued at $27,000. He was married April 10, 1834, to Miss Ruey A. Halderman, who was born in Ross Co., Ohio, March 26, 1815 ; she is the daugh- ter of Abram Halderman, who was among the very first settlers in La Salle Co. ; they have had ten children, seven of whom are living, viz.: Abram, Joseph S., Isaac N., Charlotte E., Hattie A., William N. and Ruena P. ; deceased, Sarah J., John H. and Charles P. JOHN M. REYNOLDS, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Mokena; one of our early settlers ; was born in Champaign Co., Ohio, Feb. 11, 1813; came to this State with his father's family in 1818, and set- tled in the southern part, where he remained until 1833, when he came north to Will Co., and settled in New Lenox. He was married Oct. 15, 1835, to Miss E. W. Snapp, who was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., Oct. 2, 1818. She is the daughter of Mr. Abram Snapp, now deceased, who was the first settler, and constructor of the first building on the prairie then called the Yankee Settlement ; they have had four children, two of whom are living — Clara M. and Nellie I. ; deceased — Abram S. and Sarah J. The farm of Mr. Reynolds con- sists of 290 acres ; its probable value is 818,000. MRS. CARRIE STORMS, farmer ; P. 0. Hadley ; was born in New York Nov. 3, 1851 ; came to this State in 1860 ; is the widow of the late James Storms, de- ceased, who was born in Scotland Dec. 15, 1846, and who died May 23, 1877 ; they have one child — -Harry W., born Aug. 9> 1874. The farm of Mrs. Storms consists of sixty acres, valued at $4,000. HEINRICH STEIN, farmer and stock- raiser; P. 0. Spencer; was bora in Ger- many, Jan. 15, 1837 ; came to the United States in 1856, and settled on his present farm in New Lenox, Will Co., 111. ; it con- tains 148 acres ; is situated on Sec. 34, and is valued at $7,500. He was married to Miss Louise Stricher, who was was born in Germany July 22, 1838 ; they have had four children — Henry, Lizzie, Emma and Louise. Mr. Stein has held offices of Street Commissioner and School Trustee, three years each. MRS. W. A. SHARTS, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Herkimer, N. Y., Jan. 20, 1822; is the widow of the late W. A. Sharts, who was born in Columbia Co., N. Y., Feb. 12, 1825, and who died Feb. 2, 1878; they were married Oct. 23, 1851 ; they have had three children, two of whom are living — Ellen, born Nov. 11, 1852 ; Josephine, June 22, 1857 ; Charles T., born Jan. 1, 1856 ; died Jan. 17, 1864. Mrs. Sharts continues the business in which her hus- band was engaged, it being that of a farmer and stock-raiser; her farm contains 108 acres, valued at $7,000. HENRY SCHRADER, farmer ; P. O. New Lenox ; was born in Germany, Jan. 13, 1816; came to the United States in 1851 ; settled in Joliet, 111., in 1853, where he remained until 1873, when he removed to New Lenox ; his present farm consists of 140 acres, valued at $11,000. He was married Nov. 15, 1855, to Miss Dora Bues, who was born in Germany March 28, 1835; they have had seven children, five of whom are living — Arvine, William, Alfred, Meta and Cora ; deceased — Henry and an infant. Mr. S.is at present School Director in District No. 2, New Lenox Tp. DWIGHT M. SNOW, farmer and breeder of herd registered Jersey cattle ; P. 786 BIOGRAPHICiL SKETCHES: 0. New Lenox ; was born in Worcester Co., Mass., Sept. 28, 1826 ; came to this State in 1861, and settled in McLean Co.; lie re- moved to Will Co., and settled in New Lenox in 1S70 ; his present farm consists of eighty acres, valued at $6,000. He was married Oct. 9, 1849, to Miss Maria A. Woods, who was born in Worcester Co., Mass., March 8, 1826 ; they have had four children, three of whom are living — Nellie M., Kate F. and Fred M.; deceased — Charles E. CALVIN SEWARD, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Joliet ; one of our early set- tlers; was born in Otsego Co.,N. Y., Sept. 23, 1812 ; came to this State, and settled in Joliet, Will Co., in 1846, where he re- mained until his arrival on his farm in New Lenox, which contains 160 acres, valued at $10,000. He was married May 17, 1838, to Miss Sarah M. Van Dusen, who was born in Otsego Co., N. Y., March 22, 1815 ; they have had ten children — five of whom are now living— Nancy E., Gilbert, Luoinda J., Margaret E. and Sarah M.; deceased ^- four infants and Andrew J. Mr. S. has held the office of Collector in New Lenox Tp. one year. FRANK SEARLES, farmer and stock- raiser; P. 0. Hadley ; was born in West- chester Co., N. Y., July 24, 1823 ; came to this State in 1850, and settled in Homer, where he remained four years ; he removed from there to New Lenox in 1854, where he has since resided ; his farm con- sists of 104 acres, valued at $8,000. He was married to Miss Emily White April 1, 1851 ; she was born in Lake Co., Ohio, June 6, 1827 ; they have had two children — Frank W. and Agnes E. Mr. S. has held township offices of different kinds in New Lenox for several years. His son Frank W. passed examination and re- ceived diploma at Chicago Medical College as physician and surgeon ; he is at present the only physician in New Lenox. ALEXANDER M. STORMS, farmer and stock raiser ; P. 0. New Lenox ; was born in Ross-shire, Septland, Jan. 10, 1840 ; came to the United States in 1861, and settled in New Lenox, Will Co., 111., where he now resides. He was married Feb. 17, 1876, to Miss Emily M. Frank, who was born in New Lenox, Will Co., 111., March 12, 1848 ; thev have one child — Frank R, born April" 4, 1877. The farm of Mr. Storms consists of 172^ acres, valued at $13,000. JOHN J. WALZ, farmer and stock raiser ; P.O. Spencer ; was born in Germany, Feb. 5, 1836 ; came to the United States in 1854, and settled in New Lenox, Will Co., 111., in 1856 ; his farm contains 240 acres of land, valued at $14,000. He was married April 6, 1868, to Miss Henrietta Stricher, who was born in Germany Nov. 20, 1846 ; they have had three children, two of whom are living — Adeline and George A..; deceased, Herman Frank. Mr. Waltz is at present Commissioner of High- ways. W. C. WILSON, farmer and carpen- ter ; P. 0. Spencer ; one of our early set- tlers ; was born in Cortland Co., N. Y.; came to this State in 1835, and settled in Joliet ; he removed from there to New Lenox in 1837, where he has since resided ; his farm consists of eighty-five acres, val- ued at $4,500. He was married to Miss Eliza Ann Gougar, who was born in Indi- ana ; they have had eight children, six of whom are living — Charles L., Catharine J., William W., John F., Lewis F. and Mary L.; deceased, George W. and Eliza A. WESLEY TOWNSHIP. SCHUYLER ACKERMAN, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Passaic Co., N. J., May 4, 1834, and is the son of John V. W. and Helen Ackerman, of New Jersey ; his father was a farmer, died in 1859, 56 years old ; his mother died in 1878, 74 years old ; Mr. Ackerman was raised on his father's farm ; in 1857, with his brother Henry, they emigrated West to Illinois, and settled in Wesley Tp.; here he has remained ever since, en- gaged in farming His brother, James E., was in the late war ; participated in some of the prominent battles. Mr Ackerman is WESLEY TOWNSHIP. 78T :a Republican in politics. Held several offices of trust in Wesley Tp.; is Township Treasurer, which of&ce he has filled for the last three years. Married in January, 1867, to Miss Abbie C. Carpenter ; born Feb. 26, 1840 ; daughter of Charles Carpenter of New York ; born March 4, 1808. Was an early settler of Will Co.; have one child — Annie Elizabeth. Mr. Ackerman is a member of the M. E Church. GUY M. BECKWITH, farmer ; P. 0. Kankakee ; was born in Wesley Tp., Will ■Co., Ill, Sept. 12, 1840, and is the son of Geo. M. and Phoebe S. (Barden) Beokwith; his father was born in Bedford Co., Penn., about the year 1816 ; when he was 2] years old, his parents moved to Newark, Wayae Co., N. Y.; he and his brother left New York together for the Far West, first stopping on the Wabash River near Terre Haute, Ind., thence to North Ann Prairie, four miles northeast of Paris, 111., which is thirty-six miles south of Danville, 111., where they broke land; in 1818 or 1819, they came to the salt-works, four miles west of Danville, where they worked liard for several years. June 22, 1827, George M. Beckwith married Charlotte Gilbert, by whom he had one child — Lucy E.; the wife died Feb. 10, 1831, 26 years old. He was a Captain, and his brother was a Major in the Black Hawk war. He came to Wesley Tp., Will Co., at an early day, being about the first settler here ; he engaged in farming ; he died respected and honored. Guy M. Beckwith enlisted as private in Co. A, 100th 111. V. I., in August, 1862 ; participated in all the battles of this regiment; was mustered out in June, 1865. In 1873, was Supervisor of Wesley Tp. Owns 228 acres of fine im- proved land. Married in 1868, to Miss OrceUa E. Pain, of Michigan, by whom he has three children. HIRAM GOULD, farmer ; P. 0. Wil- mington ; was born in New York, Dec. 25, 1827 ; son of James and Lydia (Goodwin) Gould. James Gould, with wife and five children, came west, and settled in Ohio ; here they remained about seven years en- gaged in farming ; they then moved to Illi- nois, and settled in Wesley Tp., in 1844 ; here he first purchased 120 acres of land ; he died Aug. 29, 1876, at 76 years of age, leaving wife and eleven children ; his wife .(Lydia Gould) died in 1878, at 71 or 72 years of age. Mr. Hiram Gould was married in 1855 to Miss Elizabeth Binney, daugh- ter of Richard Binney, who was among the early settlers of Wesley Tp.; came here about 1841 or 1842. Mr. Gould, in 1849, went to California ; engaged in gold-min- ing ; was very successful ; returned home in 1851 ; three children — two boys and one girl ; he was a resident of Wilmington, but principally has been engaged in farming throughout life. WILLIAM GOODWIN, deceased; this gentleman was one among the first settlers of Will Co., 111. ; was born in Watertown, N. Y., June 8, 1815, on his father's farm ; was a millwright by trade. In 1832, he emigrated West tc Illinois, and settled in Joliet ; here he helped build the firsthouse ; also helped build a distillery; here he worked, and having saved suificient money, he came to Wesley Tp., and pur- chased a farm, and commenced farming; this was about 1844 ; here he remained until 1850 ; that year he went to California, and remained there until 1852, engaged in gold mining with very good success ; he then returned to his farm in Wesley Tp. He first married Rebecca Althouse, deceased ; he then married Mrs. Sarah Budlong in 1870, wife of the late Hamil- ton Budlong, who died in 1868, daughter of Benjamin and Betsey (Lawton) Butter- field, who emigrated West to Will Co. in 1844 ; father died in 1864, at 66 years of age ; mother died in 1877, at 79 years of age. Mr. Goodwin came West financially a poor boy, but, with hard labor and good management, before his death he ranked as one of the successful farmers of Will Co. ; he was entirely blind five years be- fore his death ; he died June 18, 1877. Thus passed away one of the old settlers of Will Co., honored and respected by all, leaving a wife and seven children to mourn his loss — Elizabeth, wife of Hazard Jones ; Hiram, in Colorado ; Dolly, wife of Will- iam Cramer, of Missouri; Irwin, in Idaho; John, William and Phillip ; farm contains about 670 acres of land with fine improve- ments. GEORGE GOODTNG, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Oct. 18, 1802, and is the son of George and N. (Wilder) Gooding ; father was a farmer, and was a soldier of the war of 1812. Mr. Gooding was raised on his 788 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: father's farm, and remained East until 1856 ; he had obtained while in his native State a fortune, but going the securities of others he failed; he then, in 1856, came West with a borrowed capital invested in the present farm ; first purchased 280 acres of land, at f 20 per acre ; here he set out farming and stock-raising ; has been very successful ; to-day owns 900 acres of fine improved land. He married Jan. 25, 1826, to Miss Aoh^ah Reed, born in Hartland, Conn., July 31, 1801 ; six children. CHARLES R. HAZELTON, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Benning- ton Co., Vt., Dec. 31, 1809; son of Elisha and Mary (Kent) Hazelton ; father was a cloth-dresser by trade. Mr. Hazel- ton was brought up on a farm ; in 1833, he moved to Sandusky Co., Ohio, and there engaged in farming about eighteen years ; in 1854, he came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Wesley Tp. ; he first purchased 160 acres of land; to-day he ranks as one of the successful farmers of Will Co. ; owns 516 acres of fine improved land. Mr. Hazelton has been married twice ; his fir.it wife was Mary Wolcott of Sandusky Co., Ohio ; second wife Ann Ball ; have seven children, two by first wife, and five by the second. HENRY H. JONES, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Ross Co., Ohio, July 7, 1832, and is the son of John T. and Salome Jones ; his father was a farm- er, and in 1850, came to Illinois and settled in Will Co., Wesley Tp.; he is now living in Chicago, 111.; his mother died in 1876, at the age of 68 years ; Mr. Jones was brought up on his father's farm, and has farmed principally through life ; with his parents, in 1850, came to Will Co., and settled in Wesley Tp.; here he has remained ever since ; he made all the improvements on his farm. Mr. Jones, in his political opin- ions, is a Republican, and a Methodist in religion. Married Miss Linda V. Packard, of New York, daughter of Ansen Packard of Plymouth, Mass., who with his wife and three children, emigrated West, and settled in Will Co., in about 1844 or 1845 ; both parents are dead ; have seven children. HAZARD JONES, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; the subject of this sketch is one of the prominent farmers of Wesley Tp. ; was born iu Chenango Co., N. Y., April 1, 1826, and is the son _of Samuel and Annie (Hazard) Jones, who emigrated West and settled in Will Co., Wesley Tp., on the present farm, in 1851 ; here Mr. Jones has been engaged in farming ever since ; when the family first came here, the surrounding country was comparatively new ; built all the improvements on the farm ; Mr. and Mrs. Jones have retired from the farm, and are now living in Wil- mington, Will Co., 111. Mr. Hazard Jones married Elizabeth Goodwin ; have seven. children, and is the daughter of William Goodwin, who was born in Watertown, N. Y., in 1815 ; raised on a farm, and emi- grated West to Illinois, and settled in Joliet, Will Co., in 1832 ; one of the first settlers of the county ; he helped build the first house in Joliet ; he died respected and honored by his fellow-men, June 18, 1877, Mr. Jones is a Republican in politics. The farm contains some 600 acres. ELNATHAN W. JONES, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; the subject' of this sketch is one of the prominent farmers of Wes- ley Tp.; was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., May 11, 1808, and is the son of Seth and Beteey (Simmons) Jones ; mother wasborni in Rhode Island ; .father was a native of Massachusetts, having moved to New York at an early day ; here Mr. Jones re- mained on his father's farm until he was 25 years of age. He was married Jan. 28, 1834, to Laura M. Briggs ; born in 1814, wife of Nathaniel Briggs, who was asoldier of war of 1812 ; he then moved on a farm, and in 1848, he returned to his father's farm ; here his father died Oct. 8, 1848, at 78 years of age, leaving wife and eleveni children ; nine children still living. In 1849, he came West to Illinois, and pur- chased 131 acres of land of John Will- iams of the present farm ; he then in 1851, moved his wife and five children west to the present farm ; here he has been engaged in farming ever since ; the street he lives on is known as Virginia street, on the account at one time of a great many Virginians living on this street ; Mr. Jones lost his wife, who died Sept. 8, 1870. BENJAMIN F. MORGAN, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; this gentleman is one of the old settlers of Wesley Tp.; was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., April 2, 1811, and is the son of Ebenezer and Hannah (Chapman)Morgan; father, from Massachu- setts ; was engaged in farming and stock- WESLEY TOWNSHIP. 789- raising ; motlier, from New York, who died when Mr. Morgan was very young ; his father remarried ; he moved to Chautau- qua Co., N. Y.; here Mr. Morgan remained until 1840 ; Aug. 12, 1840, he married Miss Elizabeth J. Sternburg, of New York ; started West to Illinois ; arrived and settled in Wesley Tp., Nov. 12, 1840 ; when he first came here, the country was very wild ; set out and made all the improvements on his farm, which to day is one of the finest improved farms of Wesley Tp. ; he owns 200 acres of land that were made by hard labor and good management ; Mr. Morgan's first wife died ; he then married Miss Betsey E. Gould in Oct., 1861, who was born in Ohio about 1841, and is the daugh- ter of James and Lydia Gould. Mr. Mor- gan has held several ofiices of public trust. Republican in politics. Five children ; Erie F. was in the war, 100th I. V. I., but on the account of disability, was honorably discharged; Philip C, Irwin C. (Sidney S., deceased), and Mary E. A. EICHARDSON, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Vermont, June 23, 1805, and is the son of William and Mary (Starks) Richardson ; father was a shoemaker ; with his parents he moved to New York ; here he remained until 1856, and with his wife and nine children emi- grated to Illinois, and settled on the pres- sent homestead ; here he has remained ever since. He holds the ofl&ce of Justice of the Peace ; this office he has held for the last twelve years. Married Miss Mar- tha Goodwin, of New York. Mr. Rich- ardson is a Republican in politics ; owns 170 acres of improved land; one son, Joseph W., enlisted in the late war, in 39th I. V. I., First Lieutenant ; died of sickness in the war. DAVID M. REDMAN, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Upper Canada, Nov. 20, 1806, and is the son of Charles and Susanna (Marr) Redman ; father was a school teacher, and a native of Ireland ; was in the war of 1812 ; was taken pris- oner at Queenstown Heights, was slightly wounded in the leg ; his mother, a native of Pennsylvania ; with his parents came to America when he was very young ; at 17 years old he started to learn his trade as carpenter and joiner in Stroudsburg, Penn. ; in 1856, he came to Illinois and settled in Kankakee, and remained there about seven years engaged at his trade ; in 1863, he came to Will Co., and settled on the present farm. Married twice; first wife Miss Sallie Ann Yetter, of Pennsylvania ; married second time to Miss Rachel King, of Indiana ; fourteen children ; owns 184 acres of fine improved land. His son John P., was in the late war, 113th I. V. I. ; served until the end of the war, and was honorably discharged ; Thomas M., born Oct. 29, 1855 ; has taught in the District School, is now with his brother Eugene engaged in farming on the farm. BENJAMIN D. RITCHEY, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Ross Co., Ohio, Oct. 24, 1815, and is the son of Matthew and Rachel (Davis) Ritchey ; father was a native^ of Scotland, having emigrated to America when he was very young ; was a soldier during the Indian war. also a soldier of the war of 1812 ; died in 1822, at 65 years of age ; mother died in June, 1862, at 88 years of age. In 1855, Mr. Ritchey came to Illinois and settled in Wesley Tp. ; first purchased 560 acres of land at $15.50 and $8 per acre ; has been engaged in farming and stock-raising ever since ; owns to-day, 367 J acres of fine improved land. Republican in politics. HARVEY WARNER, farmer; the subject of this sketch is one of the best known and highly respected farmers of Wesley Tp. ; was born in Lima, Liv- ingston Co., N. Y., May 9, 1807, and is the son of Asahel and Sarah (Ketchum) Warner, of Columbia Co., N. Y. ; his^ father was a farmer. Mr. Warner was brought up on his father's farm ; in 1830, he married Miss Elvira Aurther, of New York, by whom he has two children ; in 1849, emigrated West to Illinois and settled in Wesley Tp. ; here he has lived ever since. In 1851, he was elected Supervisor of Wesley Tp., and held this office for four years ; in 1874, he.^- was elected to same office, and holds same office to-day ; this office he has filled with honor to himself and to the people of Wesley Tp. His political opinions are Democratic. When he first came here he purchased 250 acres of land for $2,700. UNCLE JOHN WILLIAMS, farmer;. P. 0. Wilmington ; the subject of this sketch is the oldest of the living settlers that first settled in Wesley Tp.; was born 790 BIOGRAPPTICAL SKETCHES: in Greenbrier Co., near the White Sulphur Springs, Va., April 5, 1801, and is the son of Richard and Thankful (Morrison) Will- iams, of Virginia ; his father was a farmer ; here he was raised on his father's farm. When he was about 21 years of age, he married Elizabeth Burr, daughter of Aaron Burr. His father then placed him on a farm, and he farmed in Virginia until 1 831 ; ho then, with his wife and three children, emigrated West to Illinois, and settled in Vermilion Co., and remained there until 1834; he then moved with his family to Will Co., and settled in Wesley Tp. May 5, 1834 ; here he has remained ever since. To tell of his reminiscences of when he settled in here, would make a history in itself; he came here when the country was wild ; plenty of Indians, deer and wolves ; was here in 1832 during the Black Hawk war ; attended the great (powwow) Indian treaty in Chicago in 1833 ; has met the great Indian chiefs, Robinson and Billey Caldwell, and remembers when John Went- worth first came to Chicago. He lost his fest wife, who died in April, 1845. Mar- ried second time to Miss Susan Graff, of Butler Co., Ohio, who died Aug. 27, 1860. Married his third wife, Mary Oownover, of Butler Co., Ohio. He attended Govern- ment land sale in Chicago in 1838, and purchased 420 acres of land at $1.25 per acre ; states that the first sermon preached in Wesley Tp. was in 1835, by David Black- well. Mr. Williams is a member of the Methodist Church, which church he has belonged to for the last sixty years. Had two sons in the late war — Leroy S. and John R.— in the 100th 111. V. I.; both did good service and were honorably dis- charged. ALFRED WARNER, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Lima, Livings- ton Co., N. Y., May 19, 1814, and i.s the son of Asahel and Sarah (Ketchum) War- ner of New York ; Mr. Warner was brought up on his father's farm, and when 19 years of age, he was farming it by the month ; in 1844, he came West and settled in Ohio ; engaged in farming and mercantile business ; in 1849, came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Wesley Tp.; the country was very new at that time ; but few houses between him and Joliet; in 1853, he made a trip to Australia, prospecting ; returned in 1875. Married in 1839 to Miss Rachel L. Curtis, born in New York May 24, 1818. Mr. Warner's political opinions are Democratic. Owns 217 acres of fine improved land. His son, Norman C, was born in New York Nov. 26, 1839 ; came West with his parents ; received a good common-school education, and taught district school before the war. At the breaking-out of the late war, he enlisted in the 39th 111. V. I., as 2d Lieutenant; he took a very active part in recruiting for the' regiment ; participated in some of the hard-f(jught battles; Aug. 16, 1864, was wounded in the leg at the battle of Deep Bottom on the James River; this wound caused his leg to be amputated; for his gallant service at this battle, he was bre- vetted as Major ; he then received a clerk- ship in the War Department at Washing- ton, D. C. Here he studied law and graduated at the Columbia College in 1867; came West and is now practicing law in Rockford, 111.; ranks as one of the prominent attorneys of that vicinity. He has taken a very active part in politico in Will County. A. H. WARNER, farmer ; P. 0. Rock- ville ; was born in Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y., Dec. 5, 1804, and is the son of Asahel and Sarah (Ketchum) Warner ; father was a farmer ; here Mr. Warner was brought up on his father's farm ; in 1846 or 1847, he came West and was looking for location in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Illinois ; in 1848, with his wife and three children, came to Illinois and set- tled on a farm in the southern part of Illinois, near Shawneetown ; here he rented, and in 1850, started for Will Co., with 150 head of cattle, and three head of horses ; drove through, and arrived in 1850, and first settled in Wesley Tp., on what is known as the Beckwith farm ; the first year he was here, he put up 150 tons of hay ; here he set out in farming, and has farmed it ever since ; in about 1853 or 1854, he built the present home stead. He is a Democrat in politics, Married Sophia Merrill of New York have had eight children ; six living ; owns 425 acres of fine improved land, which improvements were made principally by Mr. Warner. Had two sons in the late war — Frank and Charles ; participated in some of the hard-fought battles ; was hon- orably discharged. FLORENCE TOWNSHIP. 791 JUDGE DAVID WILLARD, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; the above-named gen- tleman is one of the best known men of Will (Jo.; was born in Allegany Co., N. Y., June 13, 1818, and is the son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Sanders) Willard ; father a native of Massachusetts, engaged in farm- ing ; mother, of Fort Edwards, Washington Co., N. Y. His father was. a volunteer in the war of 1812 ; was one of the first set- tlers of Allegany Co., N.Y., he died in 1877, at 90 years of age ; Judge Willard was raised on his father's farm ; he received a high- school education, and at the age of 21, he was engaged in the winter months in teach- ing the district schools. In 1844, he married Miss Hodah Axtell, of Allegany Co., N. Y.; he then with his wife started for Illinois, then the Far West, in a wagon drawn by horses, taking them eighteen days in making the trip ; came via Jamestown, N. Y., Erie, Penn., then following the lake- shore to Cleveland, Ohio, thence through La Porte ; arrived in Illinois, and settled in Wesley Tp., Will Co., on the farm he now lives on, which was purchased before he . left New York State ; the country was new, but few settlers, and no improvements on his farm ; he set out in farming ; here he has lived ever since, with the exception of a few years he lived in Joliet ; he has made all the impi:ovements on his farm, which ranks among the many fine improved farms of Wesley Tp. Judge Wilson has held vari- ous of&ces of public trust ; - was Township Treasurer of Schools about 1 846, Justice of the Peace about 1848; this office he held for several years ; was Supervisor of township for many years ; was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Will Co.; he was Supervisor of township during the war, and took a very active part in the enlist- ment of men for the army, from Wesley Tp.; in 1865, he was elected County Judge for four years, and in 1869, he was re- elected to same office, term expiring in 1873 , during all of his offices in township and county, he has proven himself a gentle- man of acknowledged ability, whose duties have been performed in a faithful manner ; his political opinions are Republican, which party he has taken a very active part in ever since its organization. Have two children. FLORENCE TOWNSHIP. JAMES BASKERVILLE, farmer. Sec. 22; P. 0. Wilmington; owns 290 acres, valued at $40 per acre ; born Oct. 12, 1833, in Tipperary, Ireland ; emigrated to the United States in- 1847, with two sisters and six brothers — nine in all — their parents having died in Ireland in 1845 ; the whole family located in Oneida Co., N. Y., where James remained three years ; thence to this township in 1850. Married Jane Fogarty in February, 1860 ; she was born in November, 1836, in Tipperary Co., Ireland, and emigrated to this country with her parents in 1846 ; have seven children — Mary A., Andrew J., Charlotte J., Anna M., George, John and Ella R. His brother Andrew enlisted in 1862, in the Chicago Board of Trade Battery, and died in the service, of typhoid fever, at Louisville, Ky. , in 1863. RUFUS CORBETT, farmer. Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 101 acres, valued at $50 per acre ; held the offices of Highway Commissioner and School Director eleven years ; born Feb. 26, 1811, in Kenne- bec Co., Me. Married Mary A. Currier Nov. 13, 1844; they emigrated to Illinois that fall, locating- near Joliet, this county ; there Mr. Corbett rented what is known as the Kinsey Farm, in partnership with Dr. Hoffman , for one year ; thence to the farm where he now resides in 1846, his family staying at the residence of A. Hill until he built the house in which he resides at pres- ent, which residence they had covered and occupied as soon as Aug. 31, 1846 ; have three children living — Frank M., Helen A. and Emily C; one died in infancy. Frank M. enlisted in the war of the rebell- ion, in Co. E, 39th 111. V. I., Feb. 24, 1864, to serve three years, or during the war ; was discharged Dec. 6, 1865. He married El- laer Meede Aug. 24, 1875 ; she was born in Louisville, Ky., in 1858. Helen A. mar- ried Thomas McQueen and Emily C. mar- ried Archibald McQueen, both of Scotland. 792 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : JOHN FRIDLEY, farmer, Sec. 10; P. O. Wilmington ; owns 160 acres, valued at $50 per acre; born in Switzerland March 26, 1838 ; emigrated to the United States in 1857, and came direct to this township. Married Mrs. Meria Dellen- bach, of this township, in 1866 ; she was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1827, and came to this country in 1852 ; Mrs. Fridley's children by her first husband are John and Frank Dellenbaoh ; one child by second marriage — E. Franklin Fridley. Mr. Fridley enlisted in the 100th 111. V. I. Aug. 21, 1862 ; was wounded in the knee, near Kenesaw Mountain, June 18, 1864, from the effects of which he was helpless for two months ; he remained in the hospital nearly eight months before he rejoinied the regiment ; was mustered out June 12, 1865, at Nashville, Tenn. When Mr. Fridley proposed leaving his native country, like many others, " Chill /jenury repressed Ms noble rage, And froze the genial courage of his soul." However, he was encouraged by a friend, who lent him money to pay his fare ; so when he arrived here he was not only with- , out money, but actually in debt for his passage to this country ; now he enjoys a comfortable home. CHARLES HAZARD, farmer, Sec. 33 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 120 acres, valued at $50 per acre ;' held the oflBce of Supervisor four years. Highway Commis- sioner and Justice of the Peace one term ; .born Aug. 13, 1813, in Sidway, R. I.; em- igrated to New York in 1822 ; remained there until 1852 ; thence to Will Co., 111. Married Fannie Broadrick in 1834, in Chenango Co., N. Y.; she was born at Conway, Mass., Oct. 31, 1815; have five children — Enos E., Sarah P., Charles D., G-eorge B. and Ellen M., all born in Sulli- van, N. Y., except Edos E., who was born in New Berlin, N. Y. Mr. Hazard and his family located on the farm he now owns on his arrival (November, 1852) in Will Co., which was then unimproved prairie. JOHN HBNNINGS, tenant farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; occupies a farm of the Whitter estate; born in Denmark Dec. 2, 1823 ; married Catherine Youngson in Denmark Oct. 1854; they emigrated to the United States in 1854, locating in Will Co., where he has still remained ; have eight children, Frank, Catherine, Dory, Mary, John, George, Willie and Fred; Mrs. Hennings died here, Nov. 23, 1873. Mr. Hennings enlisted in 39th 111. V. I., Co. A, March 8, 1864, was wounded simul- taneously on the head and right shoulder while in the conflict before Richmond, from the effects of which he was confined to the hospital three months ; at the ex- piration of said time joined his regiment again ; was captured by the enemy in the morning of the day on which Gen. Lee sur- rendered. JOHN HEYDON, Sa., farmer and stock-raiser. Sec. 12; P. 0. Elwood; owns 665 acres of land, valued at $55 per acre; born in Carlow Co., Ireland, March 15, 1814. Married Hannah Kinsfer, in Car- low Co., in 1834 ; she was born in said county in 1814 ; they emigrated to the United States in 1834, and located in Ken- nebec Co., Maine,, where they lived for seventeen years ; then moved to Illinois in 1851 , and located in Joliet, where they lived three years ; thence to the place which he now owns, in 1854; have five children living, Daniel ; Thomas, married Margaret Byron ; John, Jr., married Bridget Bergan ; Catherine, widow of the late P. Tulley, and Hannah. When Mr. Heydoncameto this county, his finances were very limited, but by industry, care and economy, he has accumulated a competency, and is one of the most extensive farmers in Will Co. ; he has given to those of his family, who are doing for themselves, a good start in the world ; Thomas got 160 acres of land on Sections 8 and 17, and to John, Jr., he gave 180 acres of land on Sees. 11 and 12; besides having, as above stated, 665 acres in reserve, in a high state of cultivation, in a beautiful location. Such is the reward of industry. Daniel and Hannah reside with their parents on the old homestead. DELANCY M. JACKSON, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. 0. Elwood ; owns 160 acres of land, valued at $50 per acre ; Highway Commissioner, one term, and School Di- rector over twenty years ; born in Corn- wallis, Nova Scotia, Sept. 3, 1823, and came here with his father, as will be seen in the general history. Married Harriet Gould Feb. 4, 1849 ; she was born in Houndsfield, N. Y., Dec. 18, 1830, and emigrated to Ohio with her parents ; thence to Illinois, in 1845, and located in Wesley Township ; have five children, Andrew M., FLORENCE TOWNSHIP. 793 Aaron E., Albert J., Arthur D. and James I. CHARLES JACKSON, farmer, Sec. 9 ; P.O. Wilmins;ton ; owns eighty acres of land, valued at $50 per acre ; born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, March 18, 1815 ; left his native place for the West in 1850, stopped one year in Boston, where he worked at the carpenter trade ; then set out for the West again, and arrived in Illinois in May, 1851, and located in this (Florence Tp.), Will Co. Married Martha E. Cating in this county, Nov. 6, 1851 ; she was born in Ross Co., Ohio, Oct. 30, 1825, and came here with her sister Vernelle (now Mrs. Charles Dille) ; have five children living, and one deceased ; Hannah died Sept. 28, 1854; Fannie, Malcolm, Bstella, Margaret and Josephine. Mr. Jackson's residence has been in Florence Township ever since he came to Illinois in 1851 ; purchased his present farm in 1856 ; traded and repurchased the same in 1869. THOMAS LACEY, farmer. Sec. 6 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 240 acres, valued at $50 per acre ; born in Tipperary Co., Ire- land, in 1812 ; he emigrated to United States, landing at New York, May 27, 1840, and located in Oneida Co., N. Y., where he resided about four years. Mar- ried Catherine McCarty in Utica, N. Y., Feb. 28, 1844; she was born in Cork Co., Ireland, and emigrated to this country with an uncle — M. Crimmins — when she was about 4 years old ; they (Mr. and Mrs. Lacey) emigrated from New York to Ver- mont, where they kept boarders on a line of railroad ; thence toMiohigan, where they were about two years ; thence to Chicago, 111., two years, where he had charge of the grading of streets ; thence to Aurora, where he had charge of the grading of the first sec- tion on the C, B. & Q. R. R. Before he left Chicago, although working for 75 cents per day, he went to Joliet and bought eighty acres adjoining the city limits for about flO per acre. He has resided in and in the vicinity of Will Co. for the last thirty years, and came to his present home in March, 1873, from Grundy Co., where he had been for two years previous. His wife died in La Salle in 1854, and was buried at Joliet ; left three children — Annie, born in New York Nov. 22, 1850; Nellie, March 10, 1852, and John J., March 12, 1854. Married second wife, Rosa A. Oon- lin, at Joliet ; she was born in Longford Co., Ireland, in 1826, and came to the United States with a cousin in 1840. Two chil- dren by second marriage — Jerry, born Oct. 25, 1857 ; Thomas, born Dec. 30, 1858. WILLIAM MARTIN, dairying; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 240 acres, valued at $40 per acre ; born April 30, 1849, where he now resides. His father, James Martin, mother, Catherine Graham (Martin), both born in Ireland ; emigrated to the United States at different periods. Were married in Rochester, N. Y., in 1836, and emigra- ted to Will Co. in 1837, locating in Wil- mington, where he lived for about ten years ; thence to the farm now owned by William in 1847. There were eight children, three living — Mary (now Mrs. T. Baskerville) ; James W. and William. Mr. Martin, Sr. went to California, the overland route, in the spring of 1850, where he died the succeeding fall. Thomas enlisted July, 1862, in Co. A, 100th 111. V. I., and died of disease contracted by exposure June, 1863, at Murfreesboro, Tenn. Two died in infancy --^ Edward died herein 1864; John died January, 1870. JAMES W. MARTIN, farmer. Sec. 23 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 240 acres, valued at $40 per acre. Was elected County Treasurer in November, 1873, and re-elected in November, 1875, and served until Dec. 5, 1877. Was born in Wilming- ton, this county, Feb. 22, 1846. Married Viola M. Linton Jan. 13, 1875 ; she was- born Jan. 23, 1846, in Montezuma, Ind., and came to Illinois with her parents in 1862. One child— Charles H. DANIEL MoINTYRE, farmer and stock-raiser; P. 0. Wilmington; owns 248 acres, valued at $45 per acre. Been Highway Commissioner three years and School Director three terms. Born Sept. 26, 1841, in this township, on what is now thfe Selah Morey farfn. Sec. 28. Married Roselma Thornburg Feb. 19, 1862; she was born March 15, 1843, in Channahon Tp., this county; her father, Robert Thornburg, and mother, Clorinda Wright, were among the earliest settlers of Channa- hon Tp., as will be seen in the general history. Mr. Mclntyre's father was one of the earliest settlers of Wesley Tp., and subsequently into Florence in 1837. Have six children living and one dead — Clorinda 794 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : L., William, Daniel J., Margaret E., John R. (deceased), Martha A. and Jessa. MRS. LUCINDA McINTYRE, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. 0. Wilmingion ; widow of the late Duncan Mclntyre ; owns 172 acres, valued at $60 per acre ; she was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., Nov. 2, 1827, and came to Wesley Tp., this county, with her father, Joseph Hadsall, and family, as will be seen in the general history, at a very early date ; her husband D. Mclntyre, was born Dec. 13, 1807, in Perth, N. Y.; he settled in Wesley Tp., also at a very early date, but subsequently moved to i'lorenoe Tp. in 1837, where he purchased a farm on Sec. 28 ; had the family of Nelson Wright, formerly of Ohio, keep house for him ; and one Lutz also lived with him some time. Was married Sept. 8, 1840, in Wesley Tp., at her father's, J. Hadsall ; had seven children, four living — Daniel, John, Annie E.. deceased, Thomas R., deceased, Archibald D., James W. and MargaretE., deceased. Mr. Mclntyre, wife and two children, went to Perth, Fulton Co., N. Y., in 1844 ; they purchased the farm which they now own, and returned in 1855. Mr. Mclntyre died here Nov. 3, 1858. WILLIAM McGINNIS, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 270 acres here, valued at $50 per acre, and 400 acres in Livingston Co., valued at $35 per acre ; born in Rochester, N. Y., in 1826 ; they moved to Boston when he was very young ; thence to this county with his mother in 1837, his father having died in New York ; they. located at Joliet, where they resided until 1849, at which date he went to California, and returned to Joliet in 1851; heleft Joliet in 1852, and settled in Reed Tp., where he lived until 1870 ; thence to Livingston Co. four years ; thence to his present residence in 1874. Married Eliza Palmer Nov. 11, 1855, in chis county; she was born in Orange Co., Vt., Feb. 29, 1840, and came to this county with her parents in 1850; have four children living —Margaret, died Sept. 15, 1872; John, Frank, Mary and Gertrude ; William, died Nov. 30, 1872. S. R. MOREY, farmer, Sec. 17 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns eighty acres, valued at $40 per acre. Has held the offices of Township Clerk, School Treasurer and Road Overseer. Born May 7, 1830, in Clearfield (now Elk) Co., Pa.; came to Will Co., with his father's family Dec. 31, 1847. Married Louisa H. Smith in Oswego Tp., Kendall Co., 111., Jan. 3, 1861 ; she was born March 15, 1840, in Connecticut, and came to Kane Co., 111. with her parents in 1852 ; thence to Ken- dall Co. in 1853 ; four children— Emeline, Grace, Horace and Selah. His two brothers, Vinal and Charles, enlisted in the late rebellion in 1862 ; Vinal, in the 88th I. V. I., was in the service until the close of the war, and Charles, in the 100th I. V.I., was in the service until 1864, at which time he was discharged, on account of sickness ; he died at home Nov. 4, 1865 ; Oscar also enlisted Feb. 24, 1864, and served until December, 1865, at which date he was discharged. W^ILLIAM NELSON, farmer. Sec. 15; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns eighty acres, val- ued at $40 per acre; born Nov. 8, 1816, in Sterlingshire, Scotland ; emigrated to- Canada in 1830; thence to the United States in 1833 ; located at Trenton, Oneida Co., N. Y.; remained there four years; thence to Joliet, Will Co., 111., remain- ing; about six months ; thence to what is known as the Five-Mile Grove, Manhattan Tp., and remained there one year ; there were only two habitations in the township,, both owned by Perkin Bros., one of which Mr. Nelson rented ; being so sparsely settled in that vicinity, Mr. Nelson pre- ferred to go to New Lenox Tp., which was then better populated ; there he lived with A. Francis for about four years ; in partnership he bought a farm with Asa McDonald, where he lived three years; sold to McD., and returned to Five-Mile Grove, where he lived until 1860. Mar- ried Mary A. Rudd in 1846, in New Lenox Tp.; she was born in New York State, and came to Illinois with her parents in 1845 ; have five children living — Mary E. (now Mrs. W. Cook), William W., James (deceased), Nettie (now Mrs. C. Faut), Olive Z. and Leonard. Mr. Nelson was Supervisor of Trenton (now Manhattan Tp.), also Assessor of Trenton and Florence, which office he now holds in Florence; in March, 1860, he moved to his present residence. JOHN J. OHLHUES, farmer. Sec. 14 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns ninety- three acres, valued at $50 per acre ; born. FLORENCE TOWNSHIP. 795- in Holstein, Germany, Oct. 19, 1837; emigrated to the United States in 1859, with his father's family, which consisted of parents, Jacob Ohlhues and Margaret Graf (Ohlhues) and their three sons John, Peter and Henry, besides their daughter and son-in-law Mrs. and Mr. Reils. John married Mary Schultz, at Joliet, in Sept., 1867 ; she was born in Hanover, Ger many, July 24, 1843, and came to this country with her parents in 1857 : have five children — Magdalena, Henry, Edward, Emma and Mary. His brother Henry en- listed in February, 1 864, ia Co. E, 111. V. I., and was killed while pursuing the enemy at Fort Gregg, Va., on April 8, 1865. He was married to Ellen Neiman, here, in November, 1864; left no children. Peter Ohlhues resides with his brother-in- law, Mr. J. Reils. DENIS RIORDEN, farmer, Sec. 14 ; P. 0. Wilmington; owns 160 acres, val- ued at $50 per acre ; born in McCrome, Cork Co., Ireland, 1817 ; when about 20 years of age, .he went to England, and was employed by Pratt & Sewil, contractors, for five years in London ; then he went to Shetlam, Scotland, where he worked eighteen months ; thence to Gravesend, where he worked two years ; returned to London, and took pas- sage on the Christiana, Capt. Ham- mond, and was seven weeks on the ocean ; landed at New York ; went to Bridgewater, Mass., and worked there for the Mount Hope Iron Work Co. fifteen years ; eleven years of said time was night work ; at the expiration of said time he moved to Illinois, and located in Florence Tp., Will Co., where he worked by the day, and rented farms on the share for about nine years ; then purchased the farm which he now owns, for $35 per acre. Married Sarah Moran, daughter of Paul Moran, of Leitrim Co., Ireland ; she came to the United States about the year 1843; have three children — Hannah, Timothy and Mary. Mr. Riorden's brother Timothy enlisted in the late war in the 69th Mass. V. I., and was captured by the enemy, and died in prison at Salisbury, N. C. JOHN REILS, farmer, Sec. 14; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns ninety-four acres, valued at $50 per acre ; held the office of School Director for four years, which office he still holds ; born in Holstein, Germany, Dec. 15, 1827. Married Catharine Ohl- hues Nov. 1, 1856, in Holstein; she was born March 13, 1832 ; they emigrated to the United States in 1859, and came di- rect to Florence Tp.; he rented various farms for about six years, then purchased the farm which he now owns, for $23.25 per acre, in 1869 ; have three children — Charles, Alice and Sarah. Mr. Reils, like many of the people who began life in the West, had nothing to begin with but good health and willing hands ; he now owns a a very nice and comfortable home. JAMES SIME, farmer, stone-mason and bricklayer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns- 160 acres, valued at $50 per acre ; born in Fifeshire, Scotland, March 15, 1847 ;. emigrated to the United States in 1869, with his father, James Sime, Sr.; his mother and rest of the family followed soon after ; they all located in Plainfield Tp., this county ; there his mother still resides ;, his father sustained injuries in his own house which proved fatal, from one John Wiley, who was giving them unnecessary disturbance while in a semi-drunken and epileptic fit, Oct. 2, 1876. Married Mag- gie Douglas March 30, 1875, in Chicago; she was born in Newark, N. J., Oct. 21, 1853, and came to Wilmington, this coun- ty, with her parents in 1872 ; have one child — James. Mr. S. worked on the building of the Iron Works at Joliet for six years ; four and a half years of said time he was foreman on the building ; also built the masonry along the line of the D. between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. ALLEN SMITH, farmer, Sec. 16 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; 100 acres, valued at $50 per acre, owned by his sons Oscur and Silas. Silas married Mary Niece in March, 1878. Mr. Smith, Sr., was born in Franklin Co., Vt., Oct. 24, 1809. Married Annie Bell in 1831, in Vermont; she was born in Franklin Co., Vt., and died there in 1833. Married for his second wife Annie Rice; she was born May 15, 1811; they emi- grated to Illinois in 1857, and located in this neighborhood ; had eleven children- — ■ all by second marriage — ten living — Elvira, Olive (deceased), Warner, Edgar D., Ed- nah R., Laura M., Joseph A., Ezra W., Oscar L., Silas C. and Emma R., all born in Franklin Co., Vt. Warner enlisted in 1861 in Co. 1, 100th 111. V. I.; Edgar D., in 1861. 796 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: in Co. A, lOOth Ill.V.I.; both served un- til the close of the war. Elvira is now Mrs. Philo Draper, of Minnesota; Ednah is now Mrs Andrew Baird, of Iowa ; Laura is Mrs. W. Baskerville, of this county ; Emma is Mrs. Alex. Niece, of this county. JOSEPH SHIRK, farmer and stock dealer, Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 318 acres, valued at $30,000; born Aug. 17, 1819, in Washington, Penn.; moved with his parents and family to Franklin Co., Ind., in 1824 ; thence to Parke Co., Ind., in 1828, with all his father's family, consisting of seven boys and seven girls. Married Margaret Linwn July 18, 1841, in Parke Co., Ind.; she was born in Craw- ford Co., Ill, in 1824 ; they moved to Will Co., 111., in 1854 ; had five children — David L., Emily J., Joseph N., Sarah 0. and William H. Mrs. Shirk died here March 5, 1854. Married for his second wife Mary A. Brown Dec, 15, 1854 ; she was born in 1829 in Parke Co., Ind.; had four children by second marriage — Andrew J., Alice, Albert and Isabell. Mr. Shirk's grandfather was born on the Alps, Switzer- land, and emigrated to this country on the breaking-out of the Revolution with fifteen of his relatives, who settled in what is now Washington Co., Penn.; he was in the Revolution, participating in the battles of Trenton and Yorktown, at the latter being wounded in the heel so as to cripple him for life. At Mr. Shirk's residence may be seen the discharge from service of his grandfather in Gen. Washington's own hand-writing ; he died in Franklin Co., Ind., at the advanced age of 81 years. Mr. Shirk's father (David) was a soldier in the war of 1812, under Capt. Arm- strong, whose discharge Mr. Shirk has also as a relic ; he (David) died in Parke Co., Ind., at the aa;e of 73 years. LAURANCE TINSLAR, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 161 acres of land, valued at $10,000 ; born June 19, 1823, in Madison Co., N. Y. Married Delia S. Marsh Nov. 9, 1847, in Alleghany Co. ; they moved to Skaneateles, Onondaga Co. ; thence to Auburn, where he was superin- tendent of the spinning department in the Auburn Woolen Mills for three years; gave up said position with the intention of going to California, but finally abandoned the idea. Prom Rochester, N. Y., they came to Illinois, located at Braceville, Grundy Co., where they resided until November, 1866, at which date they moved to Wilmington, Will Co., where he estab- lished a meat market, which he conducted one year ; disposing of his interest in that he opened a similar establishment in Braid- wood, which he owned for two and a half years ; at the end of said period, he opened a boot and shoe store in Braidwood, which business he was in about one year, then sold, and purchased the establishment (boots and shoes) of Arnold & Sisson, of Wilmington, which establisnment he owned three years, then traded it for his present farm. Children by first marriage are Lu- cian W., Eva A. and Esther A. Mrs. Tins- lar died in Braceville, 111., 1866 ; married second wife, Katie McCabe ; she was born in Malone, Franklin Co., N. Y., June 2, 1842 ; children by second marriage are Laurance (deceased), Hiram, Delia, Lau- rance (deceased), and Katie B. JAMES WHITE, farming and dairy ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 133 acres of land, valued at $40 per acre ; born Oct. 26, 1842, Lycoming Co., Penn.; came to Wilmington, Will Co., with his parents when about 2 years old. Married Sarah Hazard Dec. 26, 1865, in this county; she was born Dec. 15, 1844, in Madison Co., N. Y., and came to this county with her parents in 1853 ; have four children — Clarence E., Fannie E., Florence A., Charles A. His father, Adam White, and mother Margaret Watson (White), were natives of Scotland, and emigrated to the United States in 1833 ; they had twelve children, five living — John M. (mentioned elsewhere), Mary, Adam, Robert and James. JOHN M. WHITE, farmer. Sec. 28; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 300 acres of land in this county, and 413 acres in Kan- kakee, valued at $35,600. Held office of Collector two years, Supervisor one term, in 1865, and Township Trustee for eight years, which office he now holds ; born Dec. 23, 1823, in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to this country with his father's family in 1833; they located in Living- ston Co., N. Y. ; thence to Ontario Co., two years later ; thence to Williamsport, Penn. All the family, consisting of his father (Adam White), mother (Margaret Watson White), five brothers and two sisters, located within two miles of Mr. MO KEN A ; ->tj i« i < Q ii a > «a ' >j >iB»i5>«>ii«'S>^» ^ ^ 'o^issg*?"^'^'^'^***"^^®***'*''*!*^'^'*'**'*'^'****'*! "^^?2^ cv5^^.^?^^^^^?D r^CK r-p i^ NEW LENo/n-p. PLAINFIELD ///y \ MANHATTAN TOWNSHIP. 799 "White's present residence in 1844. Mr. White married Margery Mcintosh, daugh- ter of D. Mcintosh, Jan. 20,' 1853; she was born in Little Palls, N. Y., Jan. 13, 1834; have six children — William W., Daniel M., Ida S., John B., Prank E., Arthur R. ; William "SV., married Juliette Nelson April 1, 1874 ; Daniel M., married 'Sarah A. Nelson Deo. 25, 1876. Mr. White went to California across the plains in the spring of 1850 ; remained about two years, then returned to this Township to the farm where he now resides, and on which he has remained ever since. HENRY WARD, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. 0. Wilmington ; owns 120 acres of land, valued at $50 per acre. School Director one term ; was re-elected in 1878. Born in Norfolk Co., England, Nov. 29,1832_; emi- grated to the United States in 1850, with his brother John, who ' jated in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and married Jane Thompson; she died in 1859, leaving one child — Mar- tha J.; he married his second wife, Mar- garet Robinson. John died in New York, in 1868 ; Mr. Ward stopped in St. Law- rence Co., N. Y., where he lived about six years ; then moved to Peoria, 111., in 1856, where he lived "four years. Married Diana Pratt in Peoria in 1860 ; they moved to Will Co., this township, where they have have lived ever since ; she was born in Peoria Co. April 14, 1841. Mrs. Ward's parents came to Peoria, 111., from Mass. in 1838 ; like many pioneers of the West, they suffered much discomfort, privations, and even sustained heavy loss, his entire effects being lost during the voyage on the lakes ; he and his wife and one child crossing the country by stage and canal, as they suited the location and circumstances ; it took four months to make the trip from Massachusetts to Peoria, 111., which may now be accomplished in so many days, have five children — Myron H., Arthur J., Julia E., Mary and Carrie F.; one dead, a girl, a twin with Mary. MANHATTAN TOWNSHIP. ANDREW AMEND, farming. Sec. 28 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Germany in the spring of 1829. He married Miss Suzan Zipf in 1848; she was born in Bavaria in 1816 ; they have one adopted daughter, viz., Suzan. He left Germany when quite joung and came to the United States with his parents, who settled in Huron Co., Ohio, and engaged in farming; remained until 1850, when he went to Iowa and remained a few months, when he came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Plainfield ; remained two years; thence to Sec. 1 of Joliet Tp., and lived there four years; he then moved on the Plankroad and re- mained some ten years ; he then went to Ohio and engaged in grocery and saloon ; remained until 1865, when he came to Joliet and engaged in saloon and boarding- house; he also' acted as Constable some ten years; in 1878, he came to his present place ; he started in poor circumstances, and now owns 101 acres here, besides some residence property in Joliet. His mother died in Ohio in 1855, and his father died in Canada in 1860. GEORGE A. BUCK, farmer and stock- raiser ; Sec 17 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Berkshire Co., Mass., Sept. 10, 1829. He married Miss Helen C. Wolcott May 12, 1856 ; she was born iu same place, and died April 16, 1857. His present wife was Miss Sarah H. Baker, married March 22, 1859 ; she was born in Rensselaer Co., N. Y., Oct. 20, 1836; they had ten children, six living, viz., Helen C, Laura C, Werden, Jennie T., Kate F. and Fred A. He lived in Massa- chusetts until 1856, being engaged in farming and general merchandise, also teaching ; he then came West and settled in Lake Co., 111., where he remained about six months, and then came to Will Co., and settled on his present place, part of which he bought in 1854, while here on a visit ; he ns 640 acres in this township, and has improved over 3,000 acres. He has been Town Clerk, Supervisor and Town Treasurer. CLARK BAKER, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Hoosick, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., 10 800 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: March 3, 1796. He married Miss Lucina Welsh Dec. 20, 1826 ; she was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y., Aug. 28, 1806 ; they had five children, two living — Mary E. and John C. He lived in New York until 1850, being engaged in farming and surveying ; he then came West and settled on his present place ; while in New York, he served in the militia of that State in the 1812 war; he came West in poor cir- cumstances and at present owns over 1,200 acres, mostly in this township. He has been Supervisor some ten years, and Jus- tice of the Peace for twenty-five years. JACOB LUTZ, farmer, Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Wayne Co., Ohio, April 24, 1848. He married Miss Laura p]vans Feb. 25, 1869 ; she was born in Iroquois Co., 111., Nov. 14, 1848; they have four children — Elton, Evaline, Willis and Rosy. He lived in Ohio twelve years, then moved to Indiana with his parents ; remained about six months, then came to Illinois and settled in Will Co., Jackson Tp. ; he lived there with his parents until 1871, when he settled on his present place. In 1863, he enlisted in the 64th 111. V. I., 1st Battalion Yates' Sharp Shooters ; was in the battles of Resaca, Kenesaw Moun- tain, Atlanta, etc. He started without any capital, and now owns eighty acres, which he has earned by his own labor. THOMPSON MACKEY, farming, Sec. 7 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Columbiana Co., Ohio, June 14, 1824. He married Miss Sarah Sproule Aug. 31, 1852 ; she was born in Hancock Co., West Va. ; they had eight children, five living, viz., Edgar S., Flora J., James E., Adam W. and Bellella. He lived in Ohio about nineteen years on the farm ; he then followed steamboating on the Ohio and Mississippi for about nineteen years ; he then came to Illinois and settled on his present place. He has been Assessor and Road Commissioner a number of years each. M. E. MOYER, farming, Sec. 19 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Cumberland Co., Penn., Nov. 18, 1829. He married Miss Abbie F. Neitz Sept. 29, 1859 ; she was born in Lehigh Co., Penn., Nov. 21, 1836 ; they had five children, three living, viz., Priscilla S., Clara M. and Addie P. He lived in Pennsylvania until 1847, when he came to Illinois and settled in Naperville, where he remained about nineteen years,, being engaged in farming and brick- making ; in 1866, he came to his present place, and has lived here ever since carrying on the farm. HIRAM OLNEY, farming and stock- raising Sec. 3; P. 0. Joliet; the subject of this sketch was born in Cayuga Co., N. Y., July 13, 1800. He married Miss Harriet Daniels Jan. 17, 1822; she was born in Otsego Co., N Y., Feb. 22, 1803 ; they had seven children, four living, viz., Cephas C, William H., Marietta A. and Henrietta. He lived in New York until 1835 ; was principally engaged in farming and teach- ing ; he then came West, and settled in the town of Homer, this county, and engaged in farming ; remained until 1854, when he came to his present place, and has remained here since, except six years in Joliet. He owns 120 acres in this township. He has been Road Commissioner, Assessor, Town Clerk and Justice of the Peace, also Town- ship Trustee ; was also Town Clerk in Homer, and Trustee. ADAM ROHRBACH, farming. Sec. 10 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Hesse, in Germany, March 3, 1835. He married Mrs. Hazemann, form- erly Miss Catheron P. Bernard, March 12, 1860 ; she was born in Alsace, France, Jan. 28, 1828 ; they had four children, three living, viz., Henry J., Frederick A. and Louisa J. ; his wife had three children by fqrmer marriage, one living, viz., Eliza Ann. He lived in Germany nineteen years ; he then came to the United States and settled near Peoria, 111. ; and after three years residence there, he became converted and joined the Evangelical Association, and became a preacher in same, traveling to most all parts of the State; in 1875, he settled in Will Co., and in 1877, he settled on his present place. He came to the United States in very poor circumstances, and now owns 160 acres well improved in this township. STEPHEN ROBINSON, farmer. Sec. 21 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Cumber- land Co., Me., June 3, 1820. He mar- ried Miss Sarah Grundy July 8, 1843; she was born in Sheffield, England, March 4, 1824 ; they had six children, five living, viz., Ellen J,, Mary F., Frank, Annie and Eva. He lived in Maine eighteen years ; then came to Illinois and settled in Tazewell. WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 801 Co., where he followed farming and car- pentering, and remained until 1853, when he came to Will Co., and settled in Plain- field Tp., where he followed farming, also acted as foreman for a bridge-building company. In 1867, he came to his present place, and has lived here ever since. He has held the oflSce of Supervisor for two terms, also School office. His oldest Son, Orestes, enlisted in the 2d 111. Regt. V. C, and died in New Orleans Oct. 6, 1863. JOHN W. SMITH, farmer and stock- raiser Sec. 28 ; P. 0. Joliet; the subject of this sketch was born in Lincolnshire, En- glandFeb. 10, 1825. He married MissCath- eron Phillips April 15, 1861 ; she was born in Herefordshire, England, March 1 9, 1834; they had seven children, four living, viz., Saline C, Anna N., Mary C. and Martha Jane. He lived in England until he was 20 years of age ; he then came to the United States via New Orleans ; thence to St. Louis, when he returned to England, remaining some six months ; he went to Australia, where he remained one year, and then again come to the United States and settled in Ohio, where he remained a short time, and came to Illinois ; in 1858, he settled in Will Co., and in 1869, he settled on his present place. He had no means to begin with, and now owns 480 acres in this town- ship, all of which he has earned by his own labor. HENRY THIEL, farming, Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Cur Hessen, Germany, Aug. 16, 1829. He married Miss Christianna Winneka April 2, 1866 ; she was born in the same place in Germany Aug. 21, 1843 ; they had three children, two living, viz., Henry August and Chris- tian Frederick. He lived in Germany twenty-eight years, working at his trade of stone mason ; he then came to the United States, and settled in Will Co., 111., at Troutman's Grove, where he engaged in farming, and remained fourteen years, and then came to his present place, and has lived here siace. He came to this county in poor circumstances, working by the month ; he now owns 160 acres in this town- ship, which he has earned by his own labor. THOMAS WHITE, farmer and stock. Sec. 36; P. 0. Wallingford; the subject of this sketch was born in Lincolnshire England Sept. 23, 1831. He married' Miss Kittie Reeson July 1, 1851 ; she was born in Lincolnshire, England, July 31, 1827 ; they had six children, three living, viz., John T., William and Fannie. He lived in England until 1853, when he moved to Canada, where he remained but a short time, and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he engaged in the stone quar- ries ; he then went to Du Page Co., 111. ; remained about three years ; then he went to Lee Co. ; then, in 1863, he came to Will Co., and settled near where he now lives ; in 1868, he came to his present place, and has lived here since.. He started in very poor circumstances and now owns 320 acres in this township. RICHARD WATKINS, farming. Sec. 22 ; P. 0. New Lenox ; the subject of this sketch was born in Herefordshire, En- gland, Feb. 12, 1826. He married Miss Catherine Russell Oct. 10, 1854 ; she was boru in Herefordshire, England, Oct. 3, 1830 ; they had eleven children, nine living, viz., William J., Rosa, Richard, Annie I., Frank, Lillie J., Ellen K., John A. and Clara M. He lived in England twenty-one years, then came to the United States and settled in Ontario Co., N. Y., where he remained six years ; he then came to Illinois and settled in Will Co. ; in the spring of 1874, he settled on his present place, and has resided here since. He owns 107 acres in this township, which he has earned by his own labor, having starte without any capital. WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. EDMUND ALLEN, proprietor of the Wilmington Butter and Cheese Factory, Wilmington; born in Broome Co., N. Y., May 21, 1814 ; removed to Illinois in the summer of 1835, locating at Joliet, where he engaged in mercantile business ; Mr. Allen put up the first barrel of beef that was sent from Chicago to the New York market ; the packing was done at the pack- ing-house of G. W. Doll, and the beef 802 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: shipped by the old favorite steamer Illi- nois to Ealph Mead, New York City. Jan. 1, 1844, he removed to Wilmington, engaged in merchandising and milling, at the same time making the butter trade a specialty, being instrumental in establish- ing a trade in the latter commodity which has placed Wilmington foremost as a market for a good grade of butter ; since 1856, he has given his entire attention to this line of business, buying and shipping to the St. Louis market, until 1875, when he erected one of the best butter and cheese factories of the Northwest. Mar- ried in 1842 to Miss Elizabeth Shoemaker, who was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y.; four children by this union— Robert L., Edmund A., John J. and Mary E. VINCENT BANYARD, staple and fancy groceries, wooden and willow ware, confectionery and bakery, Wilmington ; born in County of Norfolk, England, Sept. 23, 1830; came to this country in 1850, locating in Brie Co., Penn., and, five years later, removed to Union Co., Iowa; came to Wilmington, his present home, in 1859, and engaged in his present line of business in the building formerly occupied by Mr. Mitchell, and known as the Eagle Hotel ; he built the store he now occupies in 1865 ; was a member of the City Council in 1865-66. Married in 1863 to Miss Mary A. Dickson, who was born in Erie Co., Penn., Dec. 12, 1844; three children by this union — Bessie V., born Jan. 16, 1864 ; Mary J., Dec. 18, 1865, and Vin- cent W., Oct. 8, 1870. Mr. Banyard is a member of the following Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, and Wilming- ton Chapter, No. 142. ALBERT W. BOWEN, retired, Wil- mington ; born in Berkshire Co., Mass., Feb. 6, 1803, but removed in early child- hood with his father's family to Oneida Co., N. Y., this and Herkimer Co. being his home for many years ; in 1827, he graduated at the Western College of Physicians and Surgeons at Fairfield, N. Y., and, six years later, removed to Illinois, locating in Joliet in the spring of 1834, where he engaged in the practice of his profession ; in December of the following year, he went to Vandalia, then the State Capital, at his own expense, for the purpose of having Will County set ofi' and the county seat located in Joliet ; in 1836, he partially gave up the practice of medicine, and engaged in mercantile business, under the firm name of A. W. Bowen & Co., and the following year purchased a half-interest of Thomas and Joseph Cox in the present city of Wilmington (then called Winches- ter); in 1838-39, he built the Wilming- ton Mill, which was the first flouring-mill built here, and, the same season, sold his store to Gov. Matteson, giving his special attention for several years thereafter to the practice of medicine ; in 1849, it became necessary for him to devote a greater share of his time to his business interests at Wil- mington, and, in the fall of that year, he removed his family. He served as the Treasurer of the Board of School Trustees for several terms ; also served as member of the Town Board and City Council. Married in March, 1831, to Miss Mary C. Shoemaker, who was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y.; four children by this union — Rod- ney S., Major of the 100th 111. I.V.; was wounded at the battle of Franklin Dec. 1, 1864, and died of wounds on the 3d. As the Doctor was among the first settlers of the county, much morj will be found con- cerning him in the general history of the county ; also the separate histories of the cities of Joliet and Wilmington given in this work. JOHN BOVEB, farmer. Sec. 14; P. 0. Wilmington ; born in Wyoming Co., N. Y., Feb. 19, 1831 ; removed to Catta- raugus Co., of that State, in 1836 ; thence to Crawford Co., Penn., in 1841 ; came to Ilhnois in July, 1854, locating in Rockville Tp., Kankakee Co. Owns 160j acres of land, valued at |8,000. Served as School Trustee one term. Married in 1861 to Miss Sarah A. Frazer, who was born in Wesley Tp., this county; two children — Frank and Mary. LEROY A. BAKER, insurance, Wil- mington ; born in Cortland Co., N. Y., ' June 10, 1835, where he resided until 1855 ; then removed to Illinois, locating at Wilmington ; was employed in the dry goods store of R. W. Watterman for sev- eral years, and, about one year prior to the rebellion, was engaged at carpenter's work. On the 5th of August, 1861, he enlisted in the 39th (Yates' Phalanx) I. V. I., and, in October, this regiment was ordered to the Army of the Potomac ; commissioned Second Lieutenant Aug. 5, 1861 ; pro- WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 803 Bioted to First Lieutenant Nov. 17, 1861, and, on the 1st of the following month, re- ceived a Captain's commission ; at the bat- tle of Deep Run, Va., he was severely wounded, losing his left leg, Aug. 16, 1864, and, on the 17th of the following December, at his request, he was mustered out, by order of the War Department. Was appointed Postmaster at Wilmington in June, 1865, and held the oflSce up to the time of his resignation, April 1, 1874 ; has served as School Inspector, School Trustee and Town Clerk, and is now Dep- uty Sheriff. Married, in 1857, to Miss Betsey B. Spicer, who was born in Cort- land Co., N. Y. ; she died in February, 1861 ; two children — -Frank D. and Lizzie B. Was again married, in 1861, to Miss Mary L. Spicer, who was born in Cortland, N. Y. : one child by this union — Minnie C. Mr. Baker is a member of the follow- ing Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, and Wilmington Chapter, No. 142. ROBERT H. BEGGS, Principal Pub- lic Schools, Wilmington ; born near Vir- ginia, 111., Sept. 24, 1844; lived on farm till 1865, teaching at intervals during the last three years of thjg time ; graduated at Illinois College in 1868 ; taught three years in Virginia, 111. , as Principal ; gradu- ated at Illinois Normal University inl872; returned to Virginia the same year, as Su- perintendent of Schools and Principal of High School, retaining the position till 1875. Married Gertrude Town, of Bloom- ington. 111., Sept. 1, 1875, and removed to Wilmington shortly afterward, to take charge of the public schools, which posi- tion he still retains; two children — Helen Orlena, born Sept. 18, 1876, and Dollie Kate, born Jan. 2, 1878. HOMER C. CASTLE, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Wilmington ; born in Ontario Co., N. Y., May 22, 1834, where he resided till 1854, when he removed to Illinois, locating in Wesley Tp., this county ; he also resided in Homer and Wilton Tps., and in 1867, removed to his present location ; owns 160 acres of land, valued at $8,000. Married, in 1856, to Miss Adaline Gooding, who was born in Ontario Co.^ N. Y. ; nine children by this union. Mr. Castle is extensively engaged in breeding and shipping Poland-China hogs. EDWARD D. CONLEY, Wilmington ; born in Toronto, Canada, in 1844, and soon afterward came to the United States, settling in Buffalo, N. Y. ; removed to Wilmington, 111., in May, 1849. At 19, enlisted as a private in the 39th I. V. I,, and served about two years ; participated in Grant's last campaign, and was present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox ; on his regiment's muster-out, he returned home and resumed going to school. In 1867, engaged in the furniture and undertaking business, in which he had already served an apprenticeship ; afterward, became a drug store clerk, and also dabbled some in writing newspaper locals and verse ; pur- chased a- half interest in the People's Ad- vocate newspaper in February, 1871, and became sole editor and proprietor in 1872. Was repeatedly elected to the town and city clerkships. On Dec. 28, 1874, was married to Miss Mary A. O'Connell. Is still publisher of the Wilmington Advocate, up to the date of this publication. HERBERT L. CADY (Holmes &Cady, hardware, Braidwood ) ; P. 0. Wilmington ; born in Essex Co., N. Y., July 16, 1834, where he resided until his removal to Illi- nois in 1861 ; he first located at Lockport, this county ; in 1863, he took charge of the Braceville Coal Shaft, the mining in- terest then just developing in this part of the State, this shaft being the first operated in that locality; in 1866, he removed to Wilmington, his present home, and the same year Odell & Cady leased land of D. Glenney and opened what was known as the Glenney Shaft, which they sold to A. B. Meeker the following year; in 1871, the firm of Holmes & Cady engaged in the hardware business at Braidwood, and now have, in connection with that line, a harness shop at Wilmington and Braidwood. In 1858, he was married to Miss Lucy, daugh- ter of William L. Wadhams ; she was bora in Essex Co., N. Y.; had four children by this union — William L., Frederick E., Herbert A. and Frank B. (deceased). Mr. C. is a member of the following Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, and Wilmington Chapter, No. 142. EDWARD DONAHOE, groceries, pro- visions, crockery, glassware, etc.; Wilming- ton ; born in County Tipperary, Ireland, Jan. 7, 1848 ; came to this country in early childhood with his parents, who located at 804 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Joliet, this county, in April, 1854; in September, 1867, he removed to Wilming- ton and engaged in business, and, in 1874, established a branch store at Braidwood, which he afterward gave to his brother John T.; was member of the City Council in 1876-77. Married Feb. 1, 1872, to Miss Bridget M. Feehan, who was born in Ireland ; have three children by this union — Mary J., Timothy J. and Mathew J. C. HILL DUCK, editor and publisher of the Wilmington Phoenix, Wilmington ; born in Du Page Co., 111., May 15, 1842, but moved to Chicago in early childhood, where he resided until 1854, when he moved to Lookport, this county, and en- tered the drug store of Dr. Hanley, with whom he remained four years ; then re- turned to Chicago and continued in the same business. In 1862, he enlisted in Co. I, 127th 111. V. I., and the same year he was appointed Hospital Steward, Acting Assistant Surgeon ; mustered out in the latter part of 1863. Soon after his return from the army, he located at Seneca, La Salle Co., and engaged in mercantile busi- ness under the firm name of Wright & Duck ; in April, 1877, he took charge of the Wilmington Phmnix, as editor and publisher ; Mr. Duck is now a member of Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, A., F. & A. M.; also Past Master and charter member of Seneca Lodge, No. 532. JAMES E. EVANS, livery and feed stable, Wilmington; born in Oneida Co., N. Y., Oct. 8, 1853, but moved to Illinois in early childhood with his parents, who located in Will Co. in 1856 ; removed to Wesley Tp., this county, in 1860 ; in 1865, he removed to Hamilton Co., Iowa ; thence to Chicago in 1872 ; came to Wilmington, his present home, and engaged in the livery business in May, 1877. BRYAN FISHER, miller, Wilming- ton ; born in Chester Co., Penn., Sept. 18, 1824 ; removed to Illinois with his father's family in June, 1839, stopping in Chicago for a few months and locating in Wilming- ton, his present home, in the following September ; Mr. Fisher has been engaged in milling since he came to this city, a period of nearly forty years. In 1850, he was married to Miss Lucy A. Hitchcock, who was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y. ; five children by this union — Eliza J., Thomas B., Cornelia, Maria L. and Walter F. JOHN C. FISHER (J. C. Fisher & Co.), milling, Wilmington ; born in Rochester, N. Y., Feb. 15, 1834; when about 5 years of age, his father's family removed to Illinois, and, after a short stay in Chicago, located in Wilmington, in Sep- tember, 1839; here his father engaged in the milling business, which he followed up to the time of his death. The subject of this sketch has followed his present busi- ness since boyhood, and, in 1860, pur- chased an interest in the mill ; owns forty acres of coal land, valued at $4,000, and city property, including mill interest, valued at $30,000 ; served as member of City Council in 1870. Married, in 1858, Miss Annie F. Ford, who was born in the North of Ireland ; seven children by this union, five living — John T., George R., Frank C, Charles V. and Fannie P. ; lost one — Mary C., died in 1867. RICHARD H. GURNEY, livery, Wilmington ; born in Gloucestershire, En- gland, Feb. 9, 1837 ; came to the United States with his father's family, locating at Joliet, this county, in 1844; after a resid- ence in Channahon Tp. for several years, he removed to Wilmingtou, his present home, in 1863, and engaged in his present business ; owns 720 acres of farm and coal lands, valued at $30,000, and city property valued at $10,000 ; was a member of City Council in 1869 and 1870 ; member of Wil- mington Lodge, No. 208, A., F. & A. M.; Mr. Gurney is giving considerable atten- tion to the breeding of Norman grades of horses, and also extensively engaged in raising cattle for Chicago and other markets. MILTON H. HILBURN, proprietor of Phoenix Foundry & Machine-Shops, Wil- mington ; born in Livingston Co., N. Y., Jan. 31, 1828, but removed, when about 9 years of age, to Columbia Co., Penii., where he resided until 1847, then remov- ing to Illinois, and, after spending about one year in other parts of this county, located at Wilmington in the fall of the following year, when he engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements, making the manufacture of plows a spe- cialty; in 1867, he removed to Ilion, N. Y., where he continued in the same busi- ness until his return to this city in 1877 ; WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 805 was a member of the Board of Trustees in 1864; during his term of service, the charter of the town of Wilmington was amended and the city incorporated. Mar- ried, in 1853, to Miss Sarah Tuttle, who was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y.; she died in 1855; their daughter, Sarah J., •died in 1856 ; was again married, in 1858, to Adalade J. Marsh, who was born in Hartford, Conn. ; three children, one liv- ing—Cora E.; Etta E. died in 1863 ; Milton M., in 1874. Mr. Hilburn is a member of the following Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, Wilmington ' Chapter, No. 142, and Joliet Commandery, No. 4. HENRY P. HOWLAND, Sr., dealer in furniture, Wilmington ; born in See- konk, Mass., May 5, 1836 ; removed to Providence, R. I., in childhood, which was his home until he came West ; removed to Illinois in 1870, locating at Wilming- ton, his present home. Married in 1857 to Miss Mary Carlin, who was born in Ireland ; seven children by this union, four living — Mary E., Ludia A., Henry F., Jr., and John F.; lost three — Lydia, Susan and Joseph. WILLIAM HART, draying, Wilming- ton ; born in county of Kent, England, March 14, 1819 ; entered the navy of his native country in 1835, serving until 1841, when he entered the merchant service, where he remained two years; in 1850, he moved to this country, locating at Wil- mington, his present home, Saturday, Nov. -30. Married in 1845 to Miss Isabelle A. Knight, who was born in county of Kent, England ; they have one child by adoption — Bertha. Mr. Hart is a member of the following Masonic bodies, Wil- mington Lodge, No. l!08. and Wilmington Chapter, No. 142. JOHN HOLMES, contractor and build- er, Wilmington ; born in Glasgow, Scot- land, Dec. 17, 1832; came to this country in 1857, stopping for a short time in Chi- cago, and locating in Wilmington, his present home, in October of that year, where he engaged in contracting and building; in 1867, the firm of Clute & Holmes built the planing-mill which they operated in connection with contracting and building for several years. Married in 1862 to Miss Adeline E. Kelley, who was born in Wesley Tp., this county ; five children by this union, four living — Fred G., Mabel, Isabelle and James ; Frankie died in 1864. Mr. Holmes is a member of Talmud Lodge, No. 24, Knights of Pythias. JOHN D. HENDERSON, Henderson & Stewart, dry goods, Wilmington ; born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., December, 1814, where he resided until his removal to Illi- nois in 1845, locating at Joliet in the spring of that year ; in connection with the work on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, then in progress, he superintended the work on the upper dam at Joliet ; in May, 1848, he removed to his present home, and engaged in mercantile business, under the firm name of Bowen & Hender- son, which continued until 1857, when Dr. Bowen's interest was purchased by Geo. T. Stewart, member of the present firm. Mr. Henderson has served in various official capacities ; was member of the first Board of Trustees of the town of Wil- minsrton.in 1854; also served as Mayor of the city in 1867, 1868 and 1869. Mar- ried in 1837 to Miss Helen M., daughter of Daniel Johnson, of New York ; by this union there are two children— Helen L. and Mary A. JOHN B. JOHNSON (Johnson & Rowe), contractors and builders, Wilming- ton; born in Erie Co., Penn., Feb. 8, 1830 ; removed to Illinois in October, 1851, lo- cating in Wilmington, his present home, where he engaged in contracting and build- ing, which he has followed for nearly twenty-seven years ; in 1868, he was em- ployed by the Cayuga Chief Manufactur- ing Co., and spent several years in traveling throughout the Northwestern States, re- siding at Aurora during that period. Married in 1854 to Miss Anna M. Jones, who was born in Madison Co., N. Y. ; two children by this union — William H. and Anna H. Mr. Johnson is a member of the following Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, Wilmington Chapter No. 142, and Joliet Commandery, No. 4. ORREN S. KNAPP, teaming, Wil- mington ; born in "Channahon Tp., this county, Oct. 14, 1836; his father, Ira 0. Knapp, was one of the first settlers of the township, locating there in the fall of 1834, and now resides on the original claim made ; the subject of this sketch removed to Wil- mington Tp. in 1860, locating on a farm. 806 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: on Sec. 4, where he resided until 18Y2, removing to Wilmington, his present home, that year ; owns 320 acres of land, valued at $12,800. Married in 1858 to Miss Elizabeth C, daughter of Henry Althouse; she was born in Florence Tp., this county; five children — Ira 0., Minnie E., Herman, Mason and Samuel. TOWNSEND W. KAHLER, grocery and bakery, Wilmington ; born in Colum- bia Co., Penn., Aug. 15, 1836, where he resided until his removal to Illinois, in May, 1859, locating in Florence Tp., this county, where he engaged first in teaching, and afterward in farming ; removed to Wilmington, his present home, in 1872, and engaged in his present business, under the firm name of McQueen, Kahler & Co., which was soon after changed to McQueen & Kahler, and, two years later, he sold his interest in the firm, and commenced busi- ness on his own account ; owns eighty acres of land in Florence Tp., valued at $3,000, and city properly to the value of $1,000. Served as Town Clerk, in Flor- ence Tp., two years, and member of the Board of School Trustees, in this town- ship. Married in 1858 to Miss Emily Price, who was born in Columbia Co., Penn. ; one child by this union — Clarence H. Mr. K. is a member of Wilmington Lodge, No. 30], I. 0. 0. P. SOLOMON LOUER, clothing and gents' furnishing goods, Wilmington ; born in Bavaria, Germany, March 26, 1826 ; came to this country 1845, locating in Greene Co., N. Y., where he resided until 1852, then removed to Massachusetts; thence to Illinois the following year, locating at Joliet, where he engaged in his present line of trade, and is now the oldest established house in the line of clothing and gents' furnishing goods in Will Co.; in 1866, he established his Wil- mington store, continuing both houses un- til 1875, when he sold his .stock at Joliet. Married in 1857 to Miss Regina Bohm, who was born in Bavaria, Germany ; nine children by this union, six of whom are living — Albert, Charles, Helen, Emma, Cora and Daisy ; lost three — Hedwig, Henry and Edward. ADDISON I. LYON, restaurant, Wil- mington ; born in Allegany Co., N. Y., April 23, 1828; removed to Michigan in early childhood with his parents, who set- tled in Kalamazoo Co., that State, in 1833; in December, 1854, he removed to Kanka- kee City, Kankakee Co., Ill, then a town of about 300 inhabitants, where he opened a harness-shop, but soon sold to another party ; these, he says, were hard times, and, in order to pay his taxes, which amounted to the sum of only sixty cents,. he borrowed a gun and ammunition, went out in search of game, and, at three shots, secured one dozen prairie chickens, sold them for $1.25, and met the demands against him ; he followed farming for some ten years near the city, and, in 1866, removed to Wilmington, his present home. Served as member of the City Council ia 1870 and 1871; City Marshal in 1872 and 1873. Married in 1851 to Miss Sarah E. Stewart, who was born in New York ;. she died April 28, 1861 ; three children, two living — Worthington A. and Edward S. Anna E. died May 28, 1861. Was. again married in 1862 to Mrs. Mary E. Robinson (Marks) ; she was born in Seneca, Co., N. Y. Mr. L. is a member of Will Lodge, No. 301, I. 0. 0. P., and Talmud Lodge, No. 24, K. of P., at Braidwood, 111. MOSES MERRILL, farmer and local preacher ; P. 0. Wilmington ; Mr. Mer- rill is a native of New Hampshire ; he was born at Warren, in that State. Married, his wife at Haverhill, and removed to Ohio in 1838, settling near Cleveland, at the village of Brooklyn ; in early life, his plan was to enter the ministry ; he com- menced his course of education to that end ; he fitted for Dartmouth College at Newbury, Vt., but a severe illness, long, protracted, hindered his carrying out this idea ; nevertheless, he pursued his classical, studies, of which he was very fond, until he had read the whole college course ; he has kept up his Greek to the present day, and. now, at the age of 78, he reads it with as much ease and correctness as a college professor ; at Brooklyn he established a school — Brooklyn Academy — of which he was Principal for several years, but his health failing him, he made up his mind to remove West and engage in farming ; he came to this State in 1849, and settled at Riverside, his present place of residence, one mile below Wilmington. JOHN W. BIERRILL, attorney, Wil- mington ; is the son of Moses Merrill, and was born at Rumney, N. H., Aug. 30; WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 8or 1829 ; he received his education chiefly at Brooklyn Academy, Ohio, pursuing his classical studies, however, under his father's private tuition ; concluding to make law his profession, he entered Judge Norton's office at Joliet in 1856, and after reading the usual length of time he was admitted to practice ; his diploma, signed by Sidney Breese, Chief Justice of the State, is dated April 19, 1859 ; after spending a year or more in a real estate office in Chicago as an examiner of titles, etc., he returned to Wil- mington, in this county, and opened an office, where he has continued to practice as an attorney up to the present time. THOMAS S. McINTOSH, dealer in paints, oils, varnish, glass, brushes, wall paper, etc., Wilmington, 111. ; born in Wil- mington, Will Co., 111., Aug. 25, 1841 ; his father, Daniel Mcintosh, who was a native of Scotland, was among the first settlers of Wilmington, locating here in the winter of 1836 and 1837. Thomas S. followed farming till 1864, and then engaged in his present business, which he has followed since. Married in 1866 to Miss Emma E., daughter of Charles Cottel; she was born in Washington Co., Me. ; four chil- dren by this union, three living — Alice, NeDie and Emma. Laura died Aug. 8, 1878. Mr. Mcintosh enlisted in the 138th I. V. I. in 1864, and served until the close of the war. Member of Will Lodge, No. 301, I. 0. 0. F. THOMAS McQueen (McQueen & Morris), grocery and bakery, WUmiugton ; was born in the city of Paisley, Scotland, Sept. 12, 1841, but removed to this coun- try in early childhood with his father's family ; they settled in Fulton Co., N. Y., in 1842, where the subject of this sketch resided until 1861, then removed to Illi- nois, locating in Florence Tp., this county, and engaged in farming ; served as Col- lector, Postmaster and School Director, one term each. On the 7th of August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. A, 100th Kegt. I. V. I.; wounded at the battle "of Chickamauga, Sept. 19, 1863, and discharged the follow- ing June, on account of gunshot wounds. Removed to Wilmington in 1872, and en- gaged in his present business. Married in 1870 to Miss Helen Corbett, who was born in Florence Tp., this county. Mr. McQueen is a member of Bowen Post, No. 17, G. A. R. WILLIAM MoINTOSH, manufacturer of farm-wagons, Wilmington ; was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., July 12, 1825, but resided in different parts of the State, his father being engaged on public works for many years ; removed to Illinois with his father's family in the winter of 1836-37, making the journey by land, in wagons and sleighs, locating first, in Flor- ence Tp., this county, two miles east of the present city of Wilmington; he re- moved to Wilmington 1843, and learned blacksmithing, and, in 1856, engaged in the manufacturing business. Married in 1847, to Miss Sarah, daughter of John Fisher ; she was born in Pennsylvania ; five children by this union — Elizabeth, (wife of I. Barker), Margrie (wife of D. Hart), Mary, Fannie and William. FRANKLIN MITCHELL, market gardener, Wilmington ; was born in what is now Sullivan, then a part of Chester Co., N. H., Feb. 8, 1812, but removed when quite young, to Windsor Co., Vt., where he resided until 1833 ; thence to Jeiferson Co., N. Y.; in April, 1836, he removed to Illinois, locating at Joliet, where he engaged in the mercantile business, and, four years later, to Wil- mington, continuing in the same business for one year, under the firm name of Mitchell & Rolfe; in 1841, he opened the Eagle Hotel, in a building on the corner where A. D. Wright's store now stands, and,, in 1844, he erected a brick building for that purpose, which was the first hotel built in the city ; this he occupied until 1862 ; owns sixty acres of land, valued at $1,800, and city property valued at $12,000 ; member of the Board of Town Trustees, in 1857 ; also served as County Commissioner some twelve years. Married in 1838, to Miss Hai>nah Poor, who was born in Jefferson Co., N. Y.; she died Jan. 15, 1847; four children by this union — William C, Mary A. (wife of Wm. H. Vaughn), and Carrie P. (wife of Thos. C. Linton), and Charles F., who enlisted in Co. A, 100th Regt. J. V. I., in August, 1862 ; commissioned Second Lieutenant Aug. 30, 1862, wounded at the battle of Stone River, Tenn., Dec. 31, 1862 ; died of wounds, Jan. 4, 1863. His second mar- riage was in 1850, to Miss Ann Van De Car, who was born in Canada ; four chil- dren — Josephine (wife of JohnR. Getty),. 808 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Louisa (wife of Frank Burnham), Fran D. and Georgiana. Mr. Mitchell is a member of the following Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, Wilmington ■Chapter. No. 142, and Joliet Commandery, No. 4. H. F. MOULTON, conductor C, A. & St. L. R. R., Wilmington ; was born near Portland, Me., Feb. 4, 1830 ; when about 15 years of age, he left his native State and went to Massachusetts, where he was employed for several years in the fac- tories at Lowell and Lawrence; in 1853, he removed to Illinois, locating at Bloom- angton, McLean Co., and. on the 1st of August of the following year, engaged as brakeman on the Chicago & Alton R. R., which was put in operation that season ; in the spring of 1855, he took charge of a freight train, as conductor, and in Febru- ary, 1861, was transferred to a passenger train, which position he has held for over seventeen years, without loss of time, and is now the oldest in the service of any conductor on the road. Married in 1856 to Miss Josephine Connor, who was born in New York City ; four children by this union — Belle, Jennie, Charles and Harry. Mr. Moulton is a member of the following Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, Joliet Chapter, No. 27, and Joliet Commandery, No. 4. His longest absence from service on the railroad was during Ms trip to England, from June to Sep- tember, 1877. DAVID R. MONTBITH, Bogart & Monteith, Center Market, Wilmington ; born in Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y., ■Oct. 26, 1836, but removed to Illinois in early childhood with his father's family, locating at Monteith's Grove, Florence Tp., this county, in 1840 ; his father superintended Gov. Matteson's woolen- mill at Joliet, for several years, but on account of failing health removed to Wil- mington ; the subject of this sketch made the overland journey to Montana in 1866, with the Montana Gold & Silver Mining Co. of Philadelphia; from Ft. Laramie they took the new route, called Boseman's Cut-oiF, 300 miles nearer than the old Salt Lake route, reaching Virginia City on the 4th of October ; this route, though less in distance, was far more dangerous ; Mr. M. acted as scout during the trip, ihaving encounters with the Indians nearly every day ; his letters to the Independent of April 3 and Sept. 25, 1867, give a full account of the trip and life in the mines during his stay ; he visited mines in Washington Territory, Montana, Idaho, California and Utah, returning in 1869; owns 184 acres of land, valued at 17,200. Married in 1869, to Miss Sarah J. Bell, who was born in Ohio ; three children by this union — Mamie, Fred and Ern- ARCHIBALD J. McENTYRB (de- ceased), Wilmington Tp.; born in Fulton Co., N. Y., in 1814; removed to Illinoi.s in 1837, locating in Wilmington, where he first engaged in farming ; afterward, in mercantile pursuits for several years; at the organization of the First National Bank of Wilmington, he became Presi- dent, which position he held up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 2d day of March, 1877. In 1865, he was elected to the State Legislature on the Republican ticket, serving during the session of 1865-66. Married in July, 1845, to Miss Jane Whitten, who was born in Darling, Canada ; by this union there were ten children, seven of whom are living — Annie (wife of M. N. M. Stewart), Nettie, Mary, Maggie, Archibald J., Lottie and Nellie ; three deceased — John, Andrew and George. DENNIS E. O'HERON (D. E. 0' Heron & Co.), grocers, Wilmington; born in Cork, Ireland, Dec. 4, 1846, but removed to this country in early child- hood, with his parents, locating in New York City in 1852, where he resided about five years ; then removed to Illinois, locating at Wilmington, his present home; his early experience in his present line of business was first with D. L. Bachelers, and afterward with Randall Bros., of Wil- mington, serving also as clerk in the stores of Geo. Monroe & Sons, and Chittenden, Northup & Co., of Joliet; in March, 1876, he commenced business at his pres- ent location, on his own account, Mr. W. C. Mitchell becoming a partner in April of the present year. Married in 1875, to Miss Sarah M., daughter of Norman H. Case ; she was born in Connecticut ; two children by this union, one living — Katie May; Norman C. died Sept. 17, 1876. Mr. O'Heron is a member of the follow- ing Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 809 No. 208, Wilmington Chapter, No. 142, and Joliet Commandery, No. 4. JAMES A. PERRY, proprietor of Riverview Stock Farm ; P. 0. Wilming- ton ; born in Whitestown, Oneida Co., N. Y., Aug. 6, 1832 ; where he resided until 1859, when he removed to Illinois, and, after a short stay in Chicago, located in Florence Tp., this county, in the fall of that year ; he followed farming for several years, and afterward engaged in the grain trade at El wood ; since 1864, he has been engaged in raising, importing and export- ing Norman and English thorough-bred horses, having now on hand a large num- ber of fine horses at Riverview Stock Farm, near Wilmington ; owns 425 acres of good farm land. Married in 1854 to Miss Esther Rockfeleller, who was born in the State of New York. SAMUEL RAUWORTH, proprietor of the City Meat Market, Wilmington ; born in Sheffield, England, May 12, 1842 ; came to this country in October, 1860, lo- cating in Wilton Tp., this county, where he engaged in farming, working in the packing houses in the city of Chicago dur- ing the winters; in 1870, he returned to England, remaining there aboutsix months ; on his return, he took up his residence at former location, where he resided until 1 877 ; then locating in this city and en- gaging in his present business; owns 120 acres of land in Iowa, valued at $3,240. Married in 1864 to Miss Hannah, daugh- ter of Charles Robinson ; she was born "in Edwinstowe, England ; had seven children by this union, five living — Lotty, Harry, Ellen, Gracie D. and Eddie 8.; Joseph B. died Feb. 26, 1866, and Florence P. Feb. 28, 1869. Mr. R. is a member of Will Lodge, No. 301, I. 0. O. F. WESLEY P. RAY, (Ray & Thomp- son, dealers in grain, coal, live and dressed hogs), Wilmington ; b irn in Monroe, Sara- toga Co., N. Y., Dec. 28, 1825 ; removed to Western New York when about 7 years of age, his parents locating in Chautauqua Co.; in 1840, he removed to the State of Michigan; thence to Illinois in 1844, lo- locating at Lockport, this county, and four years later, came to Wilmington, his pres- ent home; in 1850, he went to California, by the way of the Isthmus, reaching San Francisco, then a city of tents, in Novem- ber of that year, and engaged in mining operations, which he followed till 1855 ; then returned to the States ; his second trip to the Pacific Slope was made in 1860, by the overland route ; spent considerable time in prospecting in the mining districts of California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, and, in 1862, his exploring party (led by a Mr. Grimes, who was killed in an encounter with the Indians) discovered the Boise mines of Idaho ; he was also among the first at the Owyhee mines, and in 1863, he discovered the Poor Man's Mine, which proved to be one of the richest silver-mines of the Pacific Slope. Married Jan. 1, 1850, to Miss Susan L. Tuttle, who was born near Portland, Me.; had five chil- dren by this union, four living — R. Belle, Joseph H., Georgie L. and Susie ; Prank died in 1876 from injuries sustained while getting ofi' the cars near Joliet. JOHN P. RANSOM, Justice of the Peace and insurance agent, Wilmington ; born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Nov. 29, 1817 ; removed to Illinois in June, 1844, locating in what is now Richmond Tp., Mc- Henry Co.; served as Assessor in that town in 1850 ; this was the first assessment made after the township organization ; he followed farming until 1851 ; then en- gaged as millwright till 1862. Enlisted in Co. H, 95th 111. V. I., Aug 13, 1862 ; commissioned Second Lieutenant in June, 1863, having command of the company in all the following engagements : Champion Hill, siege of Vicksburg, Red River cam- paign, Guntown, Miss., siege of Mobile an d battle at N ash vill e ; mustered out Aug. 22, 1865. Removed to Wilmington in 1868, and engaged in the grocery business ; was elected Justice of the Peace in 1 873 ; re-elected in 1 877. Married in December, 1842, to Jane M. Denison, who was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y.; she died in 1849 ; had two children by this union, one living — Mariah, widow of Eugene I. Thomas ; El- len, wife of A. Brown, died in June, 1866. He was again married in 1850 to Louisa A. Streeter ;.she was born in Ontario Co., N. Y.; had two children, one living — -John C; Martha died in 1855. Mr. R.isamem- ber of Wilmington Lodge. No. 208, A., P. & A. M. and Will Lodge,' No. 301, I. 0. 0. F. ORLANDO D. ROWE (Johnson & Rowe. contractors and builders), Wilming- ton ; born in Warren Co., Penn., Jan. 12, 810 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: 1843; moved to Ottawa Co., Mich., in 1855, where he resided until 1870, remov- ino; to Topeka, Kan., that year ; came to Wilmington, his present home, in 1875. Married in 1871 to Miss Frances E. Spen- cer, who was born in Branch Co., Mich., in 1853 ; have three children by this union — Elanor M., Mary A. and Eva M. Mr. Eowe is a member of Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, A., P. & A. M. He en- listed in the 3d Mich. V. I. in June, 1861 ; transferred to Battery K, first U. S. Artil- lery, Jan. 3, 1863, and remained in the service until June 10, 1864; participated ^ during his term of service in the following battles: Blackburn's Ford, July 18, 19, and 20, 1861 ; first Bull Run, July 21 ; all engagements on the Peninsula up to and including the battle of Williamsburg; Chancellorsville, May 4, 1863 ; Beverley's Ford, June 9 ; Upperville, June 19, 20 and 21; Gettysburg, Md., July 3 ; Williamsport, July 6 ; Boonsboro, July 7 and 8 ; Brandy Station, Aug. 1 and 4; Culpoper, Sept. 13; Rapidan River, Sept.l4; movements against Richmond from May 4to Juoe 10, 1864. FRANCIS SHIELDS, groceries and farming, Wilmington; born in County Roscommon, Ireland, in 1833 ; removed to this country in 1852, locating in New York City, where he engaged as clerk in a wholesale dry goods house, and, two y^ars later, came to this State, locating at Wil- mington ; in 1856, he engaged in the grocery business ; owns 410 acres of land, valued at $10,450, and city property valued at $10,000. Married in 1857 to iVliss Elizabeth Mahar, who was born in Queens County, Ireland ; nine children by ' this union, six of whom are living — Thomas, Mary A., Caroline, Agnes, William and Julia ; lost three — Francis, died in Sep- tember, 1862 ; Michael, Sept. 29, 1864 ; Ann, Aug. 21, 1868. SAMUEL SILLIiMAN, boots, shoes, hats and caps, Wilmington , born in Will- iams Co., Ohio, June 3, 1848, where he resided until his removal to Wilmington, his present home, in 1870 ; engaged in his present business in the spring of 1874. Married, in 1877, to Miss Lettie, daughter of John Thomson ; she was born in the city of Wilmington ; they have one child — Chauncy L. CHARLES E. STINSON (Trott & Stinson), homeopathic physician, Wil- mington; born near Bath, Me., Jan. 22 1848, where he resided until he came West ; he received his early education at Litchfield Academy, graduating at that institution in 1869. and, in September of the following year, removed to IlliDois, locating at Wilmington, where he com- menced the study of medicine with Dr. S. E. Trott ; he completed his course of study in the Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago, and graduated with the class of '72 and '73 ; commenced the practice of medieine in this city in 1873, and, the fol- lowing year, removed to Pontiac, where he continued his practice for two years, re- turning to Wilmington at the expiration of that time ; he is a member of the Will Lodge, No. 301, I. 0. 0. F. ELI D. SMALL, dealer in lumber and agent for the negotiation of loans, Wil- mington; born in Noblesville, Bamilton Co., Ind., March 5, 1841, but removed to Ohio in early childhood, wiih his father's family ; thence to this State in 1851, locat- ing in Wilmington Tp., this county ; came to the city of Wilmington, his present home, in 1854; since 1862, he has been engaged in the lumber trade and boating, in connection with other business ; ui 1867, he engaged in mercantile business, under the firm name of Small Bros., which continued till January, 1872, when he dis- posed of his interest in the store, and en- gaged in the lumber business on a more extensive scale, under the firm name of E. D. Small & Co. ; they own propeller Mohawk Belle, and ship all lumber by way of canal and river to their lumber-yards at this place — Horse Creek and Hanford's Landing, the one at Horse Creek opened in 1875, and the latter in 1878. Several. experiments have been made by different parties, and, up to 1866, over $260,000 had been expended on the lUinois & Michigan Canal and Illinois River in de- vising ways and means by which steam could be made a cheaper means of trans- portation on the canals than horse-power; great credit is due Mr. Small, owner of the Mohawk Belle, and N. RuUison, owner of the Whale, for their persistency and final success in this undertaking. In June, 1871, he was married to Miss Kate W., youngest daughter of I. B. McGinnes, of Gardner, 111. ; she was born in New Brunswick, N. J.; two children WILMINGTUN TOWNSHIP. 811 by this union — Charles D. and Howard McG. MALCOLM N. M. STEWART, bank- ing, Wilmington ; born in Amsterdam, Montgomery Co., N. Y., July 24, 1834, and is a son of Peter and Elizabeth Stew- art ; in 1836, his father's' family removed to Illinois, locating in the north part of the present city of Wilmington, the loca- tion having been selected by his father the year previous ; this has been the home of the subject of this sketch since the above date. At the breaking-out of the war in 1861, he enlisted in the Chicago Dragoons (April 17), being the first volunteer from Will Co.; on the 15th of July, 1862, he enlisted in the 100th I. V. I., receiving tis commission of First Lieutenant of Co. A on the 30th of the following month ; promoted to Captain in September, 1864, and on the 13th of March, 1865, received Brevet Major's commission ; during his term of service, he participated in the fol- lowing battles ; Phillipi, Rich Mountain, Laurel Hill, Chaplin Hill, Stone River, Chickamauga, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Columbia, Eranklin and Nashville. Owns several tracts of farm and coal lands ; also city property. Married in 1871, to Miss An- nie, eldest daughter of A. J. and Jane Molntyre ; two children by the union — Jean and Margaret. Mr. Stewart is giv- ing considerable attention to thorough-bred horses, having imported from both Prance and England some very fine stock. JAMES N. STEWART, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; born in Wilmington Tp., Will Co., 111., July 14, 1838, and is a son of Peter Stewart, who settled there in the spring of 1836; this has been the home of Mr. Stewart since childhood, and he is the oldest native-born of Wilmington Tp. ' now living ; owns an undivided interest in 1,400 acres of farm lands. He was a member of the City CounQil in 1868, and has served as President of the Board of School Inspectors one term. In 1863, he was married to Miss Emily, daughter of Charles Stowell ; she was born in St. Charles, Kane Co., 111. ; two children by this union — Edward P. and Charles J. Mr. Stewart is giving considerable atten- tion to raising fine cattle for Chicago and other markets. DANIEL STEWART, deceased; born in Scotland in the year 17P9 ; in 1825, he removed to this country, locating in Her- kimer Co., N. Y., where he resided until 1836, when he removed to Illinois, locating near Wilmington in the fall of that year ; here he engaged in farming, which was his occupation up to the time of his death, which occurred Aug. 15, 1874. His mar- riage to Miss Calphurnia Jackson, of Herkimer, N. Y., was in 1836; she sur- vived him but a few years, her death occur- ring Nov. 9, 1877 ; by this union, there were seven sons, only two of whom are living — Peter D. and Jerome B., now res- idents of Wilmington. Thomas enlisted in the 39th I. V. I. in August, 1861; wounded Oct. 13, 1864, at the battle of Petersburg, and died of wounds on the 30th of the same month ; Lincoln died at Chicasjo May 15, 1875. JOHN D. SMALL, general stock of merchandise, Wilmington ; born in Find lay, Hancock Co., Ohio, July 10, 1846 ; removed to Illinois in the spring of 1852, locating in Wilmington; in 1864, he attended school at Notre Dame, Ind., and four years later commenced business on his own account in this city, purchasing the stock of groceries owned by M. F. Blish. Married in 1868 to Lura Phelps, who was born in Lawrence, Mich. ; three children by this union. Mr. Small is extensively engaged in the butter trade, having shipped over 100,000 pounds during the past year. ROBERT C. THOMPSON (Ray & Thompson, dealers in grain, coal, live and dressed hogs), Wilmington ; born in Gallo- wayshire, Scotland, Nov. 28, 1828 ; re- moved to this country in childhood with his father's family in 1833, stopping in New York City until the following spring, when they removed to Oneida Co., N. Y. ; in 1853, he removed to Illinois, locating in Wilmington, his present home, and soon after engaged in boating on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, which he followed some five years, and then took the position of foreman for Taylor & Co, of Joliet, stone contractors ; a few years later, he engaged in the grocery and provision busi- ness at Wilmington, and, in 1868, in the grain trade under the firm name of Ray & Thompson. Has served as Deputy Sheriff of Will Co. four years, Supervisor of Wilmington Tp. three years, and mem- 812 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: ber of the City Council six years. Mar- ried ia 1856 to Miss Christie Zuell, who was born in Johnston, Fulton Co., N. Y. ; one child — Sarah L. Mr. Thompson served as foreman on the mason work in the constructioQ of Rush and Madison Street Bridges, Chicago, using the debris of old Fort Dearborn for the abutment of the former. DAVID C. THOMPSON, manufact- urer of carriages and farm-wagons, Wil- mington ; born in Wigtonshire, Scotland, Oct. 20, 1820 ; came to this country with his father's family in 1834, settling in Oneida Co., N. Y. ; in 1850, he removed to Illinois, locating in Wilmington, his present home, and four years later engaged in his present business, in which he has continued since. Owns eighty acres of land in this county, valued at $1,500; eighty acres in Minnesota, valued at $1,000, and city property valued at $10,000. Mar- ried in 1847 to Miss Ellen Wright, who was born in England; she died in 1853; three children by this union, one living — James W. John C. died in 1849 ; Samuel in 1853. Was again married in 1856 to Miss Helen, daughter of H. D. Risley ; she was born in Salina, Onondaga Co., N. Y. ; five children by this union, four living — Ellen B., Jesse D., Frederick W., Helen J. Minerva J. died Nov. 24, 1871. STINSON E. TROTT f Trott & Stin- son), homeopathic physician, Wilmington; born in Whitefield, Lincoln Co., Me., Oct. 26, 1842 ; he received his early education at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, located at Readfield, Me. ; in the winter of 1864 and 1865, he attended lectures at the Com- mercial Hospital and Eclectic Medical In- stitute at Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating at the Hahnemann Medical College at Chi- cago in 1867 ; he commenced the practice • of medicine in Iroquois Co. , this State, in 1866, and two years later removed to Wil- mington, his present home, where he has been in the constant practice of his profes- sion since, having also taken an active part in the business interests of the city, espe- cially in connection with the water-power, being instrumental in securing the location of the paper-mill and the adoption by the City Council of the Holly systeiVi for pro- tecting the city from fire ; elected Mayor of the city of Wilmington in March, 1877, and is the present incumbent. Mar- ried in 1873 to Miss Augusta J. Swart- hout, who was born in Romulus, Seneca Co., N. Y. ; one child by this union — Jo- sephine. EDWIN RUTHVEN WILLARD, physician and surgeon, Wilmington ; born in Aurora, Erie Co., N. Y., Aug. 29, 1829 ; his father, Samuel Willard, was the son of Nathaniel Willard, of Lancas- ter, Mass. ; he received his education at Fowler's and McElvane's seminaries, ia the States of New York and Michigan, and commenced the study of medicine in the office of Samuel Niles, M. D., in 1848 ; attended Rush Medical College, Chicago, graduating at that institution in 1852, lo- cating at Wilmington, his present home, the same year. Served as Vice President of Will Co. Medical Society in 1861, Sec- retary in 1865, President in 1876 and member of the Board of Censors of the same ; he is also a member of the Illinois State Medical Society and the American Medical Association ; his contributions to medical literature consist of papers on " Puerperal Fever," " Inversion of the Uterus," " Extraordinary Surgical Cases," " Perineal Section," " Placenta Praevia," " Diphtheria," etc. ; he has also furnished the press with frequent contributions. During the war of the rebellion he was Surgeon of the 13th I. V. C. ; held also the different positions of brigade, division and post surgeon ; he continued in active service in the medical department until after the close of the war, Und during his term of service was at the following bat- tles : Shiloh, siege of Vicksburg, Bayou Metre, Austin, Little Rock, Benton, Batesville. Pine BlufF, Arkadelphia, Oko- lona. Little Missouri River, Prairie de Ann, Camden, Jenkins' Ferry, Cross Roads, Mount Elba, Douglas Landing and Montioello. Served as Supervisor in 1866 -67, School Inspector several terms and member of the City Council in 1866-67. In 1868, he engaged in the drug business, under the firm name of Willard & Fox, and, the following year, purchased his part^ ner's interest; owns 315 acres of land, valued at $15,750, and city property val- ued at $10,000. Married Sept. 27, 1853, to Miss Ann Mcintosh, who was born in New York ; five children by this union — George E., now practicing medicine in the WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 813. city of Chicago; Eufjene S., Marcia G. A., Samuel and Daniel McI. The Doctor has been in the constant practice of his profession in this vicinity since 1852. ANDREW D. WRIGHT, dry goods, Wilmington ; born near Edinburgh, Scot- land, Aug. 6, 1833, but removed to Can- ada in early childhood, with his parents ; in 1858, he came to Illinois, locating at Chicago, where for a time he was employed as clerk in the wholesale and retail establish- mentof Potter Palmer; in 1861, heremoved to Elgin, Kane Co., and engaged in the dry goods business, under the firm name of Wright & Martin ; some two years later, he sold his interest in the store to his partner, and afterward was engaged in business at Seneca, La Salle Co., under the firm name of Wright & Duck ; re- moved to Wilmington in 1868, and en- gaged in his present business. Married in 1863 to Miss Susanna B. H. Duck, who was born near Naperville, 111. ; four chil- dren by this union — Archibald D., Mabel J., Lottie L. and Georgie L. CHARLES M. WILLARD, Wilming- ton ; born in Friendship, Allegany Co., N. Y., Aug. 25, 1820, where he resided until 1859, then removing to Steuben Co., Ind. ; while a resident of the State of New York, he followed teaching for many years ; in March, 1869, he came to this State, locating at Wilmington , engaging as clerk in the drug store of E. W. Willard for several years. Mr. W. is a member of Will Lodge, No. 301, I. 0. 0. F. ERASTUS W. WILLARD, druggist, books and stationery, Wilmington ; born in Allegany Co., N. Y., Oct. 22, 1838 ; re- moved to Illinois in January, 1856, locat- ing at Wilmington, where he engaged as clerk in the drug store of Dr. Matthew J. Johnson ; this was the first store of its kind established in the city ; Mr. Willard's present store contains a part of the furni- ture and fixtures of the former establish- ment, and, as a relic of former days, has in his possession a druggist's show-bottle, first owned by Dr. Bowen, and then by Henderson & Stewart, from whom he pur- chased it and its contents, the latter said to have been manufactured at Alden's dis- tillery, and the age now not less than 30 years. In 1860, he returned to his native State, and enlisted in the 23d N. Y. V.I., in April, 1861, remaining in the army till May, 1863 ; served as Chief Hospital Steward at Falls Church, Va., and after the army moved to other points, he was commissioned First Lieutenant in the 78th. N. Y. V. I., but did not muster; in May, 1863, he was appointed Enrolling Officer, and during the following months enrolled the township of Friendship, Allegany Co. ; returned to Illinois in September, 1863, and enlisted in the 138th 111. V. L the following April ; commissioned First Lieutenant June 21, 1864. Engaged in his present business in 1865, and, two years later, built the store he now occupies. Married in 1871 to Miss Jessie R., daughter of Dr. Daniel and Jessie Duck ; she was born near London, England ; two children — Francis D. and Erastus J. Mr. Willard is a member of the following Masonic bodies : Wilmington Lodge, No. 208, Wilmington Chapter, No. 142, and Joliet Commandery No. 4. JAMES WHITTEN, Cashier of the First National Bank, Wilmington; borni in Canada May 2, 1829, and is a son of Andrew and Janet (McPhee) Whitten, both natives of Scotland, the former born Jan. 12, 1801, and the latter Dec. 13, 1803; they left Scotland May 21, 1821, and located to Canada the same year ; the removal of the family to Illinois was in 1838, locating first in Dresden, Grundy Co.,. thence to Wilmington in 1841 ; the subject of this sketch, together with his brother, John Whitten, J. W. Stewart, and others from this place, made the overland trip to California ; they were afterward joined by a company from Joliet, but became sepa- rated from both the Wilmington and Joliet companies, making the last four to six weeks of the journey alone, reaching the Pacific Slope in 1850; he spent about two years in the mining districts of California before his return; for several years he was engaged in merchandising and farming prior to the opening of the First National Bank of Wilmington, which was organized in 1863, and commenced business the fol- lowing year, at which time he became Cashier, and has since held the position. Owns 680 acres of coal lands, valued at $68,000 ; 500 acres of farm lands, valued at $30,000, and city property valued at $20,000. ABNER WRIGHT, stone and brick mason, Wilmington; born in Steuben Co.,. S14 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : N. Y., Dec. 27, 1812, afterward residing in Livingston Co., that State, for several yeais prior to his coming West ; in 1836, he came to Illinois, Wilmington being his first location, which he reached in Decem- ber of that year. Mr. Wright has been engaged in his present business for the most part since his residence here, a period of forty-two years, and in a greater portion of the buildings in this city he can see his handiwork. Owns forty acres of land in Custer Tp., this county, valued at $1,000; also city property in Wilmington. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP. THOMAS BURNET, farmer; P. 0. Tamarack ; was boro in Scotland in 1811, and is the son of James Burnet, a weaver by trade; Mr. Burnet, at the age of 12, commenced to learn his trade — weaver ; this business he followed while in Scot- land ; in 1834, he emigrated to America ; he first stopped in Saratoga Co., N. Y. ; here he remained about one and a half years, then West to Michigan and thence to Connecticut ; from Connecticut he re- turned to New York, and, in 1852, he came West and settled in Will Co., 111. ; here he has remained ever since. Mr. Burnet is one of the deacons in the Union Scotch Church in Wheatland. Married Miss M. Willie, of Ayrshire, Scotland, by whom they have three children. Mr. Burnet owns 105 acres of improved land. He was the cause of naming Tamarack, as, when he came West, he brought some tamarack trees with him ; these were planted, and the present post oflSce Tama- rack derived its name from these trees. WAKREN W.B0UGHT0N,deceased, Wheatland Tp. ; the subject of this sketch was among the first settlers of Wheatland Tp. ; was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Feb. 10, 1817, and was the son of Orris and Sibyl Ann (Newel) Bqughton, who emigrated West, with six children, to Illi- nois, and settled in Wheatland Tp., Will Co., May, 1842 ; here they set out in farming. Orris Boughton died in August, 1843, at 61 years of age; his wife, Sibyl Ann, died in February, 1860. Mr. War- ren W. Boughton married Mary Scott, born in Geauga Co., Ohio, Jan. 9, 1822. Mr. Boughton, in 1850, started for the gold-field of California, and died on his way, leaving a wife and two children — Newel J., who was a soldier in the late war; enlisted (1861) in Co. L, Boulton's Battery, and served until the close of the war; was honorably discharged; he died in 1876. William D. is working on the old homestead, engaged in farming; was born in Wheatland Tp., Will Co., 111., Feb. 28, 1846. Married Miss Emma J. Boardman, daughter of Franklin and Mina (Bates) Boardman, who settled in Will Co. in 1844. JAMES BARCLAY, farmer; P. 0. East Wheatland ; was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, July 16, 1820, and is the son of Andrew Barclay, a weaver by trade ; Mr. Barclay learned the trade of weaver, and was foreman in a weaving department ; in 1856, he emigrated to America, and came direct to Will Co., 111. ; here he has re- sided ever since, engaged in farming. He married Miss RacherMcMicken, of Scot- land. Member of the United Presbyterian Church. FRANKLIN BOARDMAN, farmer; P. 0. East Wheatland ; this gentleman is one of the best known farmers in Wheat- land Tp. ; was born in Colchester, Vt., March 15, 1818, and is the son of Amos and Harriett (Ames) Boardman ; father was born in Burlington, Vt., October, 1789 ; was a farmer, and also engaged in the lumber business ; was a soldier of the war of 1812 ; he died March 17, 1877 ; mother was born in Vermont July 22, 1791 ; died July 29, 1846. Mr. Board- man was raised on his father's farm ; in 1844, he emigrated West, via canal and lake, to Chicago; thence by wagon and team to Will Co. ; he first lived with his uncle two years; then to the present homestead; here he has remained ever since, engaged in farming. Mr. Board- man has held several offices of public trust ; was Supervisor in 1854, 1855 and 1856; has held office as Township School Treas- ;^^ J- '^ -^ 'AM CHANNAHON WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP. 817 urer since 1852; was appointed Postmas- ter at J]ast Wheatland in about 1 870. Mr. Boardman is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Baptist Church of Plain- field. He was married Sept. 2, 1842, to Mina Bates, of Colchester, Vt., daughter of George Bates, who was born in Thom- son, Conn., 1786, died about 1875, and Mary (Hine) Bates, born in Colchester, Vt., March 1, 1788 ; died in the fall of 1874. Mr. Boardman came West and landed in Chicago, having but $33 in money ; he came to Will Co. ; with hard labor and good management, to-day owns a fine improved farm. JAMES CLOW, farmer; P. 0. East Wheatland; came to Will Co., in 1844; was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. AUGUSTUS B. COTTON, farmer; P. 0. East Wheatland ; Justice of the Peace ; was born in Isle of Wight, Bng. , Sept. 14, 1828, and is the son of William and Jane (Brett) Cotton, who emigrated to America in 1841, with four children ; came direct to Will Co., 111., and settled in Plainfield; here they remained until 1843; then to Wheatland Tp. William Cotton was born in Fresh Water, Isle of Wight, Sept. 28, 1790; his wife, Jane Cotton, was born May 15, 1798 ; they returned to England, and father died at Plymouth, Eng., October, 1870 ; mother died at Leamington, Eng., May, 1870. The children are Caroline (married E. Clark), bcxn. Jan. 12, 1 818, died in the fall of 1853 ; John, born April 16, 1824, died in February, 1842 ; Cornelius, born Jan. 21, 1888, died in September, 1854; Will- iam, born July 6, 1840, and Augustus B., who married Georgianna Robins, of En- gland, daughter of James and Sarah Rob- ins ; came to Will Co. in September, 1843 ; parents both dead. DETMAR DELIUS, farmer; P. 0. Aurora; was born in Germany May 12, 1812, and is the son of William Delius. Mr. Delius emigrated to America, and landed in New York City in 1852; he came West and settled near Naperville, 111.; then to the present farm; he owns eighty acres here ; he and his brother William have been engaged in farming; his brother William is now dead, having died in August, 1878. GEORGE W. DAVIS, farmer; P. 0. Aurora. The subject 6f this sketch was born in Rutland Co., Vt., and is the son of Jonathan and Jerusha (Lochlin) Davis, who, in 1842, emigrated West and settled in Wheatland Tp., Will Co., 111.; here they lived until their death. Jona- than Davis was a soldier in the war of 1812, died Jan. 10, 1850, aged 64 years and 6 months ; Jerusha Davis died Feb. 9, 1850, aged 61 years ; they came to this country very poor ; they first settled, near what is now known as the Vermont School- house, which was erected by the settlers from Vermont, in about 1847. Mr. Davis is the only male that is left in the neigh- borhood out of a large settlement that set- tled in here from Vermont ; he has been engaged in farming and at his trade, wag- on-making, in Will and Grundy Counties. To-day owns a fine improved farm of 160 acres of land. Married in 1847, to Miss Harriet Curtis, of Vermont, daughter of Thaddeus and Charlotte (Kimble) Curtis, of New Hampshire ; have ten children. DAVID DAGUE, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. East Wheatland ; was born in Washington Co., Penn., Feb. 9, 1826 ; son of Jacob and Catharine (Belman) Dague ; father was a farmer, now living in Wayne Co., Ohio, having emigrated there when Mr. Dague was but 6 years old ; here Mr. Dague remained until he came to Will Co., 111., April 15, 1854; here he has remained ever since, engaged in farm- ing and stock-raising, having brought to Wheatland Tp., the first Jersey stock ; this he is engaged in breeding for dairy stock ; owns 140 acres of fine, im- proved land, and ranks as one of the lead- ing farmers of Will County. Married Miss C. Grill, of Pennsylvania, by whom he has had five children, three living. JOHN EICHELBERGER, farmer; P. 0. Naperville ; this gentleman was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., Dec. 21, 1814, and is the son of George Eichelberger, of Lancaster Co., Penn., who was a farmer here ; Mr. Eichelberger was brought up on a farm and farmed it through life ; in 1848, he came West to Illinois and pur- chased fifty-four acres of land, paying $200 for the same ; he returned East, and, in 1852, with his wife and two children, came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Wheatland Tp.; here he has remained ever since ; been engaged in farming, and, with hard labor and good management, to-day 11 818 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : owns a fine, improved farm, 276 acres. He married Susan Hembright, of Lancas- ter Co., Penn. S. B. FRASER, farmer ; P. 0. Plain- field'; ttis gentleman was born in Sullivan County, N. Y., Sept. 24, 1832, and is the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Brown) Fraser, natives of Ireland, having emi- grated to America when they were young ; Mr. Fraser was brought up on his father's farm, and has been engaged in farming ever since; in 1847, he started West with his father and mother, but on the way his mother took sick on the lake and died in Chicago ; came to Will Co. and ' first settled near Plainfield, then near Lock- port, thence to Wheatland Tp. here he has remained ever since; owns to-day 160 acres of fine, improved land. Mr. Fraser married Miss Ann Brown, daughter of James Brown. DAVID FRY, farmer ; P. 0. Plain- field ; was born in Wayne Co., Ohio, Dec. 7, 1850, and is the son of Jacob and Catherine (Grill) Fry, who emigrated from Pennsylvania to Ohio in 1841, then, in 1854, to Wheatland Tp., Will Co., 111.; Mr. Fry was brought up on his father's farm, and has farmed it through life. He was married, Dec. 19, 1872, to Miss Mariah Bopp ; she was born in York Co., Penn., June 27, 1857, and is the daugh- ter of William Bopp, who was born in Saxony, Germany, in July, 1821, and Catherine (Ganserd) Bopp, bom in Baden, Germany, in 1 828 ; they emigrated to America in 1852 ; came to Illinois in 1864. Mr. Fry is a member of the Ger- man Lutheran Church, of which Church his father, Jacob, is one of the first members. Have three children. JACOB FRY, farmer; P. 0. Plain- field ; the subject of this sketch is one of the successful farmers of Wheatland Tp.; was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., March 9, 1816, and is the son of Henry Fry, a farmer ; Mr. Fry, when he was 1 2 years of age, was sent out and brought up among strangers, and remained in his native State until 1841 ; he then emigrated West to Ohio, and settled in Wayne Co. ; here he was engaged at his trade, blacksmith- ing, and remained until 1854 ; then came to Will Co. and settled in Wheatland Tp.; here h6 has remained ever since, engaged in farming. He was married to Miss Catherine Grill, of Berks Co., Penn. ; had four children; when he married, he was worth about $150 cash ; he went to work at his trade, blacksmithing, saved a little money,' and invested in land, the present farm, and, with hard labor, good manage- ment and industry, to-day owns 871 acres of fine, improved land, with improvements that rank among the first of Will Co. ; Mr. Fry is one of the first members of the German Lutheran Church of Wheatland Township. SAMUEL GRILL, farmer; P. 0. Plainfield; was born in Berks Co., Penn., 1820, and is the son of Samuel and Han- nah Grill, of Pennsylvania ; his father was a farmer; Mr. Grill was brought up on his father's farm ; in 1841, he moved to Wayne Co., Ohio; here he was engaged in farming, and remained there until he came to Will Co., 111., in 1854, and settled on the farm he now owns ; when he first came here, he was worth about $3,000 ; he invested in land, and to-day is one of the successful farmers of Will Co. ; owns 404 acres of fine, improved land. Married Miss L. Dague, by whom he has had eleven children, eight living. GEORGE HERZOG, farmer; P. 0. Plainfield ; was born in Baden, Germany, July 9, 1836, and is the son of George and Razan (Swenty) Herzog ; father was a farmer ; Mr. Herzog was raised on farm, and, in 1852, emigrated to America, with his parents ; they first settled in York Co., Penn. ; here they were engaged in farm- ing, and, in 1858, he came to Illinois and settled in Will Co. ; here he has remained ever since ; Mr. Herzog came to this county very poor, but, with hard labor and good ' management, owns 204 acres of land, with improvements that rank with the best in Will Co. He married in 1860 Miss Sarah Grill, ot Lancaster Co., Penn., by whom he has had five children, four living. His father is now living, at the good old age of 69 years ; mother died at 52 years of age. LEONARD HAAG, farmer; P. 0. Aurora ; was born in Germany Dec. 7, 1826, and is the son of Peter Haag, of Germany, a weaver by trade ; in 1842, with his father, mother and family, emi- grated to America; first settled in New York State ; remained there about one and a half years, Ihen went West to lUi- WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP. 819 nois, and settled in Kendall Co. ; thence to i Kane Co. ; here four years ; he then, in 1869, settled on the present farm. Mr. Haag married Miss Mary Bruner, of Germany, by whom he has eight chil- dren. Mr. Haag came to the State very poor, but, with industry, he is one of the successful farmers of Wheatland Tp. ; owns 280 acres of improved land. CHARLES KINLEY, deceased ; was born in Nova Scotia, 1821, and the son of William Kinley, who was a farmer ; Mr. Kinley was brought up on his father's farm, and engaged in farming through life ; he came to Will Co. about 1843, and settled on the present homestead with his father and mother and eight children; his father, William Kinley, died in Oswego, 111., aged 84 years and 7 months ; Mr. Charles Kinley was a man who was loved and honored by his fellow-men ; he died June, 1861, leaving an estate of 200 acres of land, which had been made by hard labor and goo(J management, to his wife and five children. He married in 1849 Miss Mary Vinson, born in Prince Ed- ward Island, in 1831, daughter of Will- iam and Mary (Cory) Vinson, of En- gland, who emigrated to America 1845; now residents of Plainfield, Will Co., 111. DANIEL LANTZ, farmer ; P. 0. Au- rora ; this gentleman was born in Erie Co., Penn., Nov. 23, 1831, and is the son of Peter and Catherine (Schelly) Lantz, of Lancaster Co., Penn. ; father was a farmer, and died in Pennsylvania, at about 53 years of age ; his mother came West to Will Co., and died in 1870, at 73 years of age ; Mr. Lantz was raised on a farm ; he came West with mother and family, and settled in Wheatland Tp. ; here they first purchased eighty acres of land, set out and commenced farming, and has been engaged in farming in Wheatland Tp. ever since ; to-day, owns a fine, improved farm of 120 acres. He married Miss Elizabeth Holdi- man, of Pennsylvania, by whom he has had ten children ; seven children living. Mr. Lantz has held several offices of public trust ; was Constable some ten years ; also School Trustee. Is a member of the Evangelical Church, and is one of the Trustees of this Church. JOHN LANTZ, farmer; P. O. Naper- ville ; was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., Nov. 26, 1815, and is the son of Peter and Cath- erine (Schelly) Lantz, of Pennsylvania ; father a farmer ; Mr. Lantz was raised on his father's farm, and, in 1850, came West to Illinois, and settled in Will Co., Wheat- land Tp.; here he has been engaged in farming ; they first purchased eighty acres of land, and Mr. Lantz, by hard work and good management, at one time owned 480 acres of land. He married Annie M. Schott ; have six children — Isaac V., born 1840 (married Lena Staedle, of Germany, who died April, 1876 ; four children ; he is now farming the old homestead of 200 acres) ; Jacob, born 1842 (married Isa- bella Fendeman, of Illinois ; five chil- dren) ; Betsey Ann, born 1843 (married Christian Schaal ; seven children) ; Sarah L. (married Israel Stark ; seven children) ; Peter, born 1846 (married Amelia Minnich, of Pennsylvania ; two children) ; Susan born 1850 (married John Stoner ; four children). Mr. Lantz has had forty grand- children. Is a member of the Evangel- ical Church. JOHN LEPPERT, JR., farmer ; P. 0. Naperville ; was born in Baden, Ger- many, Sept. 26, 1833, and is the son of John and Magdalene (Baum) Leppert, of Ger- many ; they started for America with six children, and landed in New York City in January, 1854; they came to Will Co., 111., and arrived in Wheatland March 20, 1854; here they set out in farming; first purchased the 160 acres now owned by Mr. George Leppert, at SIO per acre ; here they have remained ever since. Mr. John Leppert, Sr., was born in Baden, Germany, Dec. 15, 1804. Mrs. Magda- lene (Baum) Leppert was born March 12, 1803; she died June 11, 1878. John Leppert, Jr., was married, Jan. 24, 1861, to Miss Elizabeth Studle, of Germany ; have three children-; own 160 acres of fme, improved land, which improvement was made principally by his father. GEORGE LEPPERT, farmer ; P. 0. Aurora ; was born in Baden, Germany, in 1838, and is the son of John and Magda- lene (Baum) Leppert ; father a farmer ; was born in Baden, Germany, Dec. 15, 1804; mother born March 12, 1803; with six children emigrated to America, and in January, 1854, landed in New York City; they first went to Ross Co., Ohio; here they remained about t*o months, then went to Illinois and settled in Wheat- 820 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : land Tp., Will Co., on the farm that is now owned by Mr. G-eorge Leppert ; here they set out in farming ; being poor, they worked very hard, and to-day they rank among the successful farmers of Will Co. Mr. John Leppert, Sr., is one of the first members of the German Lutheran Church of Wheatland Tp.; he and Mr. Jacob Fry were 'the tir&t Trustees; these gentlemen took a very active part in erecting the present Lutheran Church of Wheatland Tp. Mrs. Magdalene Leppert died a Christian- lady, June 11, 1878. Mr. George Leppert has been married twice ; first wife was Miss Wilmina Schaefer, of Germany ; died in 1868 ; , second wife. Miss Elizabeth Westphal, of Germany ; two children — one by first wife and one by second wife. Owns 160 acres of land. JACOB MATTER, farmer; P. 0. Naperville ; was born in Dauphin Co., Penn., Feb. 1, 1818, and is a son of Chris- tian Matter (was a soldier of the war of 1812), was a shoemakgr by trade and was engaged in farming the latter years of his life. Mr. Matter learned the shoemaker trade, but, on account of his health, turned his attention to farming ; moved to Jeffer- son Co., Penn., with his parents; here his father died, leaving a wife and five chil- dren. In 1844, he came West to Illinois; first settled in Naperville ; his first pur- chase was eighty acres of Government land, at $1.25 per acre, the present farm now farmed by his son Abraham ; Mr. Matter was a resident of Aurora eight years. Married Miss Nancy Milliren, of Jefferson Co., Penn., by whom he has had ten children — five boys and five girls. Abraham was a soldier in the late war ; was taken sick at Vicksburg, Miss.; was honorably discharged. JOHN McMICKEN, farmer; P. 0. Aurora ; the subject of this sketch was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, January, 1815, and is the son of William McMicken, a shoemaker by trade ; he, with wife and four children, emigrated to America in 1843 ; came West same year to Milwaukee, Wis., then to Chicago, thence to Aurora, III; he purchased 160 acres of Govern- ment land, at $1.25 per acre, situated on Sec. 6, Wheatland Tp., Will Co., in 1843 ; this is supposed to be the first entry of Government land in that part of Wheat- land Tp. William McMicken married Grace McCracken, of Ayrshire, Scotland ; both were members of the Union Presby- terian Church of Scotland, he being an Elder of the ChurcR for a number of years; he died August, 1848, aged 65 years ; she died in 1857, aged 73 years. Mr. John McMicken is, perhaps, one of the best known farmers of Wheaton Tp.; has held several offices of public trust ; in 1857, he was elected Assessor of Wheat- land Tp.; this office he filled until 1877; this year he was elected Supervisor of Wheats land Tp., which office he still holds ; also, has been Justice of the Peace for the last twelve years ; in all of these offices he has given entire satisfaction, having proved himself a gentleman of acknowledged abil- ity, whose duties have been performed in a faithful manner. He is a Republican in politics. Mr. McMicken was married in 1852 to Miss J. Harvey, of Scotland, daughter of James Harvey. Owns 130 acres of fine, improved land. JAMES PATTERSON, farmer; P. 0. East Wheatland ; was born in Dum- friesshire, Scotland, January, 1832, and is the brother of D. Patterson, who was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, Oct. 8, 1829, who came to Will Co., 111., and set- tled in Wheatland Tp. in 1849 ; came here very poor, but, with industry, to-day they own 440 acres of land, with improve- ments that rank with the best of Will Co ; in 1853, they purchased the present farm from John H. Hall, who had erected a house 12x14, two stories high, the first floor used for a horse-stable, and the sec- ond story used to sleep in ; this house was also the home of Messrs. D. and J. Patterson for several years, and is now standing on the farm. Mr. D. Patterson married in 1859 Miss Jane Williamson, of Scot- land, daughter of John Williamson, a farmer of Late Co., III. THOMAS PATTERSON, farmer; P. O. East Wheatland ; was born in Scotland Jan. 14, 1822, and is the son of John and Jane (Howell) Patterson, of Scotland ; father was a farmer ; Mr. Patterson emi- grated to America in 1858, and, same year, came to Will Co., 111.; here he has remained ever since. He married Miss Agnes Palmer, of England ; have three children, two daughters and one son. Owns 120 acres of improved land. WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP. 821 MUNGO PATTERSON, farmer; P. O. East Wheatland ; was born in Dum- friesshire, Scotland, and is the son of John and Jane (Howell) Patterson ; his father was a farmer ; Mr. Patterson was raised on his father's farm; in 1841, he emi- grated to America, and landed in New York City ; he then went to Wayne Co., N. Y.; here he was engaged in farming, and remained there until 1844. While in New York, he was married in 1842 to Miss Agnes Clow, of Scotland. In 1844, they emigrated West to Illinois, and set- tled in Wheatland Tp., Will Co.; here he has remained ever since, engaged in farm- ing. Mr. Patterson is a Presbyterian in religion. Have six children ; John was in the late war ; enlisted in the .52d I. V. I., served full time and at the close of the war was honorably discharged, and is now living in Indiana. SAMUEL E. EANCK, farmer; P. 0. East Wheatland ; was born in Lancaster Co. , Penn., Jan. 9, 1834 ; his ancestry came, in an early day, from "der Faderland," and settled Id the State, purchasing their land directly from William Penn ; Mr. Ranck is able to trace his descent in a di- rect line through six generations, extend- ing through a period of 200 years ; his early life was that of a farmer's son ; he enjoyed the advantages of the public schools, and acquired a good common- school education ; having lost his father when he was 14 years of age, his older brother and himself conducted the home farm tiU he grew to manhood ; in March, 1859, he came West to Illinois, and pur- chased eighty acres in Du Page Tp., Will Co., built a residence thereon, and farmed it six years; he then sold out, and pur- chased where he now lives. He was mar- ried in 1856, to Catherine M. Emery, a native of Pennsylvania ; she died in 1867 ; his second marriage, to Mrs. Barbara Mus- selman, occurred in 1868 ; from first wed- lock, six children were born — Maggie A., Carrie E., Ida F., Mary C, Bffie C, Min- nie A. ; of these, Mary C. is deceased. Owns 165 acres, valued at $12,000. Has held the oiBce of School Director for the past twelve years. He also owns 160 acres in Texas. JOHN ROBINS, farmer ; P. 0. East Wheatland ; was born in the Isle of Wight, England, Feb. 7, 1824, and is the son of James and Sarah Robins ; his father was a pilot ; he, with wife and fam- ily in 1843, emigrated to America; came direct to Illinois, and settled in Wheatland Tp.; here they purchased forty acres of land, and built a small house and commenced farming; father died the second winter after they came here ; mother died Oct. 6, 1870, "aged 78 years. DANIEL SLICK, farmer ; P. 0. Na- perville ; was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., Aug. 7, 1823, and is the son of John and Annie (Stoner) Slick, of Lancaster Co., Penn. ; father was a carpenter by trade ; Mr. Slick at 18 commenced to learu his trade, shoemaking, and followed this prin- cipally while in Pennsylvania ; in 1844, he emigrated West to Illinois, and first set- tled in Du Page Co. While here, he married Margaret Swilly, of Lancaster Co., Penn. ; he then came to Will Co. ; returned to Du Page ; thence to the present farm here ; he has been engaged in farming ever since ; Mr. Slick first made a purchase of forty acres of Government land, at $1.25 per acre ; owns to-day 120 acres of fine, improved land ; when he came West he was very poor ; to-day is one of the suc- cessful farmers of Wheatland Tp. Mem- ber of the Evangelical Church. CHRISTIAN SCHAAL, farmer; P. 0. Naperville ; was born in Germany Aug. 7, 1832, and is the son of Christian and Annie Mary (Leib) Sohaal, of Germany ; emigrated to America in 1856 ; came to Illinois, and was very poor ; he first was working on a farm by the month near Naperville ; then to Will Co. ; here he worked very hard ; he saved his money, invested in land, and to-day owns a farm of 120 acres, with good improvements. He married Miss Elizabeth Lantz, of Lancas- ter Co., Penn., daughter of John and Annie Mary Lantz, who were among the early settlers of Wheatland Tp. ; have seven children. JACOB STARK, farmer; P. 0. Na- perville ; the subject of this sketch was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Coller) Stark, of Pennsylvania, who emigrated West in 1844, with nine children, and settled on the present farm that Mr. Stark now owns ; here they set out in farming and made all the improvements on the farm, as the country was comparatively new ; 822 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : Mr. William Stark has retired from farm- ing, being in bis 78th year; now living in Du Page County ; Jacob Stark married Miss Mary Hartman, daughter of Adam and Susan (Buget) Hartman, of Lancaster Co., Penn., who emigrated West to Illinois, in 1842 ; have ten children. Is a member of the EvangeUcal Church. Owns 220 acres of fine, improved land. ISRAEL STARK, farmer; P. 0. Naperville ; was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., Dec. 11, 1842, and is the son of William and Elizabeth (Coller) Stark; his father was born in Lancaster Co., Penn.; his mother was born nearPhiladelphia,Penn ; in 1844, with nine children, emigrated West to Illinois, and settled in Wheatland Tp., Will Co., on the farm where his son Jacob now lives ; here they set out in farm- ing ; Mr. Wm. Stark having retired from farming, he moved to Plainfield, then to Naperville; at present, he is living in Du Page Co., at the good old age of 78 years. Mr. Stark married Miss Sarah Lantz, of Erie^o., Penn., by whom he has seven children. He is a member of the Evangel- ical Church. His brother Martin was in the late war ; enlisted in the 33d 111. V. I.; served until the end of the war and was honorably discharged. A. S. THOMAS, farmer; P. 0., East Wheatland ; the subject of this sketch is one of the old settlers of Wheatland Tp., Will Co.; was born in Franklin Co., N. Y., June 26, 1809, and is the son of E. and Lepha (Smith) Thomas, who both died in New York ; his father was a shoemaker, tanner and currier, by trade ; Mr. Thomas learned the shoemaking trade, and followed this and farming, while in New York ; in 1837, he* and Mr. Orland Royce started in a wagon drawn by two horses, for Illinois, then the Par West, taking them the whole of November to make the trip ; they arrived in 1837 ; Mr. Thomas pur- chased 160 acres of the present farm at a Government land sale in Chicago, in 1839, at $1.25 per acre; he states there was not a house between his farm and Plainfield when he first came here, only a shanty standing on what is now known as Jacob Fry's farm, and also says the first frame house built in this vicinity was on the farm now owned by Wm. King. Mr. Thomas mar- ried in 1872. ADAM THOMSON, farmer; P. 0., East Wheatland ; was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, Sept. 6, 1822, and is the son of Benjamin Thomson, of Scotland ; when Mr. Thomson was but 17 years of age, he commenced to learn the carpenter trade ; this business he followed for over twenty- three years, working in Scotland, England and America ; in 1854, he emigrated to America, and landed in New York City, and, on June 29, 1854, arrived in Will Co., 111.; here he has lived ever since. Mr. Thomson has held several ofiices of public trust ; at present, holds office as Township Assessor, which office he was elected to in 1877- Is a Republican in politics, and a Presbyterian in rSligion. He married Miss Mary Patterson, of Scotland. THOMAS VARLEY,far.; P. 0., Au- rora ; the subject of this sketch was born in Yorkshire, England, June 25, 1824, and is the son of William and Mary CNewsam) Varley, of England ; Mr. Varley was a laborer; in 1850, he emigrated to Ameri- ca, and came West to Will Co., 111.; here he worked by the day, farming ; he saved a little money by hard labor, and, in 1854, sent for his wife and three children, who arrived the same year ; he then settled on a small piece of land ; to-day he ranks as one of the successful farmers of Wheatland Tp.; owns 280 acres of fine, improved land. He married Martha Craven, of En- gland, who died with dropsy. May, 1878. HENRY WESTPHAL, farmer ; P. C, Aurora ; was born in Germany, Feb. 15, 1824, and is the son of Henry and Doris, (Leapstolf ) Westphal, of Germany; his father was a farmer ; here Mr. Westphal was raised on his father's farm, and, in 1857, with his parents, emigrated to America ; he came direct to Illinois, and settled in Du Page Co.; then to Will Co., and settled in Wheatland Tp.; his father and mother both died in Wheatland Tp.; when they came to this country they were very poor, but, with hard labor and good management, Mr. Westphal ranks to-day as one of the successful farmers of Will Co.; owns 245 acres of fine, improved land. He married Miss Sophia Wornkey, of Germany, by whom he has had six children — four living. He is a member of the German Lutheran Church, and was one of the first members of this Church in Wheatland Tp. JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 823 JACKSON TOWNSHIP. ARA BROWN deceased ; was born in New York, near Syracuse, Feb. 19, 1820. He married Miss Martha Hougham Oct. 11, 1846; she was born in Butler Co., Ohio, April 6, 1824; they had thirteen children, seven living, viz., Sarah, Elias, Ara, Nancy Jane, Mary, Prank and Mar- tha May. He lived in New York four- teen years, when, with his parents, he came to Will Co., 111.' (then Cook); this was in 1835 ; he settled in this township ; his father, Peter Brown, was from New York ; he died March 7,-1841, aged 59 years 10 months and 4 days ; his mother was Miss Mary Teeple ; she died Sept. 17, 1840, aged 55 years 9 months and 2 days ; he lived with his parents until their death ; he died on the old homestead Sept. 8, 1865. W. Z. BROWN, farmer. Sec. 15 ; P. O. Elwood ; was born on his present place May 11, 1843. He married Miss Susan Gonter March 13, 1867; she was born near Joliet April 18, 1845 ; they had four children, three living, viz., Daniel N., George R. and Willis G. He began farm- ing on his own account when 17 years old and has always lived on his present place. His father, John Brown (deceased), was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., Nov. 14, 1814, and died Dec. 15, 1848. He mar- ried Miss Susan Zarley; she was born in Scioto Co., Ohio, Jan. 2, 1820; but three of their children are living, viz., Sarah M., Mary E. and W. Z. ; he was among the first settlers of this township, having set- tled herein 1834. Mr. W. Z. Brown's wife's father, Michael Gonter, was born in France Aug. 2, 1812, and died Nov. 11, 1873; he married Miss Catheron Arnholt Aug. 28, 1833 ; she was born in France May 3, 1808 ; they had four children, three living, viz., Catheron, Michael and Susan ; they came to the United States in 1839, and settled near Joliet ; in 1851, they came to this township. Mrs. Gonter lives here with her daughter. JOSHUA BUSH, farmer. Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Chenango Co., N. Y., Sept. 12, 1845. He married Miss Margaret R. Grant Jan. 1, 1867 ; she was born in this township Oct. 30, 1847 ; her father, John Grant, was born in Scotland March 12, 1816. He married Miss Rosanna Lam- ping March 10, 1839 ; she was born in New York Feb. 18, 1821, and died April 16, 1843; one child living— William C. ; he married his second wife, ■ Mrs. Kelly, formerly Miss Adaline Frazer, March 13, 1844; she was born in Virginia Dec. 18, 1815 ; they have three children living — Margarette R., John A. and James M. He settled on this farm about 1839, and j died Sept. 12, 1854. Mrs. Grant came : to this county in 1834, and settled in Wesley Tp. Mr. Bush had a family of five children, three living — Mary Ella, ; Eva May and Harry E. He came to this county with his parents when 2 years old ; in 1869, he came to his present place. In 1862, he enlisted in the 100th 111. Inf.; was in the service till the close of the war ; was in the battles of Chickamauga, Stone River, Chattanooga, Atlanta, etc. ; he was wounded at Franklin. G. E. CO WELL, M. D., physician, Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was bora in Bradford Co., Penn., April 27, 1843. He married Miss Catheron M. Fer- ryman Nov. 8, 1868 ; she was born in Guernsey Co., ,Ohio, Aug. 16, 1843 ; they have one child living, viz., Nellie G. He lived in Pennsylvania twenty-two years, when he came West to Illinois, and settled in Grundy Co., at Minooka, where he read me'dioine ; in 1871, he graduated at the Hahnemann Medical College, of Chicago, then settled at Elwood, where he has fol- lowed his profession since. In 1862, he en- isled in 141st Penn. Vol. Inf., and was in the service about eighteen months ; at the bat- tle of Chancellorsville he received five sep- arate wounds, which disabled him from further service. He has held the office of Alderman and was President of the Tem- perance Society. MERRITT 0. C AG WIN, grain dealer, Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Brockport, Monroe Co., N. Y., May 14, 1828 ; in 1836, he came West with his parents, who settled in Cook Co. (now Will), two and a half miles east of the present city of Joliet, whore his father built a saw-mill near the site of the present grist-mill, located on Hickory 824 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : Creek, known as the Red Mill. The first board sawed at this mill was the occasion of a grand ball. In Joliet, on Sept. 6, 1849, he was married to Miss Mary Jane Wheeler ; she was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., March 22, 1829, and died Julyl9, 1850 ; his present wife was Miss Ambrosia R. Higin- botham, a cousin of his fiirst wife, and the second wedding; was performed in the same house as the first, Jan. 8, 1852 ; she was born in Joliet, Cook Co. (now Will) Oct. 1, 1834. He remained at home with his parents until 1844, when he was employed in a dry goods store in Joliet, owned and managed by Messrs. J. T. McDougal and F. L. Cagwin, where he remained until October, 1 848, when he went to Chicago, and was engaged as an auctioneer until his return to Joliet in May, 1849, when he again entered the employ of Messrs. MoD. & C. ; but this time he was engaged in selling goods form a wagon on the road ; his route was an extensive one, reaching into the Wabash country in Indiana, and his average sales were $2,000 per month; in April, 1850, he again severed his con- nection with the Messrs. Mc. D. & C, and purchased a stock of dry goods from Geo. H. Woodrufl', Esq., which he was then closing out, and disposed of them on the road, mostly in exchange for stock — sheep and horses ; the followingyear he abandoned his wagon, and bought and drove sheep from Southern and Central Illinois and Indiana to Chicago this he continued until May, 1853, when he was taken with the gold fever, and embarked for California, where he remained but one year, engaged in transporting goods by mule pack over the mountains to furnish traders' posts and mining camps ; on his return to Joliet, he entered the grain business, and, in the following year, built the Masonic Block, which was destroyed in 1864 by fire ; in 1 858, he exchanged his Joliet property for a tract of 1,000 acres of land in Wilton Township at the head of the Twelve- Mile G-rove, situated about twelve miles southeast of Joliet, and there removed and engaged in farming and stock-raising. He was Supervisor from Wilton for five successive years, and introduced before the Board the resolution creating a fund for the protection of soldiers wives and children. He disposed of his land in Wilton and returned to Joliet in November, 1864, and there again entered the grain trade in copartnership with his father, where he remained until October, 1866, when he removed to Wil- mington, 111., and engaged in same busi- ness, and he was the first regular buyer on the railroad at that station. While there he was a member of City Common Council, and was one of the original " Building Com- mittee," who accepted the plans and speci- fications for the present magnificent pub- lic school-building. He also was a char- ter member with Messrs. Whitten Bros., and to whom he sold his interest, of the firm who built the White Cloud Plouring- Mills, in August, 1869,hecame to Elwood, 111., where he has since resided, and engaged in the grain, lumber and coal business ; three months later, in November, his eleva- tor filled with grain, was burned to the ground ; he continued his lumber and coal business, although somewhat enlarged, and in copartnership with D. B. Curran, Esq. until January, 1872, when he built a ware- house at Braidwood, and commenced busi- ness as the first grain buyer of the city ; he purchased and cribbed that winter 45,000 bushels of ear-corn ; he continued the business until December, handling over 200,000 bushels of grain, when he sold to Wm. H. Odell, Esq. ; in May, 1874, he purchased of Ed. H. Aiken the West Side' Elevator in Joliet, which he still operates in copartnership with his PETER W. CORBIN, farmer. Seer 30; P. 0. Elwood; the subject of this sketch was born in Vermont Aug. 29, 1831. He married Miss Sarah Hill Feb. 19, 1861 ; she was born in Vermont Jan. 12, 1834; they had six children, five living, viz., Hellen I., Julia M., Carrie E., Warren H. and Aug. B. He lived lived in Vermont until he was 21 years of age ; he then went to California, his object being mining ; but not meeting with much luck, he engaged in farming, and remained there seven years ; he then came to Illinois and settled on his present place ; he started in poor circumstances, and now owns 185 acres in this township. His father settled in Will Co. while he was in California, and now lives in Wilmington Township. CAPT. EDWARD B. CRAFTS, farmer. Sec. 13; P. 0. Joliet; the subject of this sketch was born in Derby, Conn., Jan. 13, JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 825 1814, where his ancestors have lived ever since the settlement of New Haven in 1640, and one of whom (Maj. Moses Mans- field) destroyed the power of the Pequods in a battle, on the site of which was after- ward located the village of Mansfield, named in honor of the victory. He married Miss Sarah Ann Thompson Oct. 9, 1846 ; she was born in Durham, Greene Co., N. Y., Nov. 21, 1813; her parents were from Connecticut; they have two children, viz., Edward Thompson and Elizabeth Mansfield. His son is a physician,'and resides in Florida; his daughter is married, and lives in, Joliet. He lived at his birthplace until he was 15 years old, training himself for college with the intention of becoming a physician, but failing in health he took passage on a brig bound for Barbadoes ; this was in 1829; he then engaged as a sailor, being promot- ed until, in 1835, he was made Captain; during one of his voyages he was ship- wrecked on Long Island ; he then shipped as mate, but was soon again made Captain. He quit the sea in 1846, and engaged in general merchandise in Connecticut ; in 1850, he bought his present place, and built and occupied same in 1851. He has been Supervisor three years, also School Trustee and Road Commissioner. He owns 160 acres in this township. P. F. DOOLEY, farmer. Sec. 10 ; P. 0. Joliet ; was born in Troy, N. Y., Aug. 3, 1835. He married Miss Sarah M. Brown March 21, 1864 ; she was born in this township May 27, 1839 ; they have six children, viz., Susannah, Eleanor, Grertrude, Sarah F., James C. Z. and Fran- cis B. When 3 years old, his parents left New York and went to Chicago, 111., where they remained a few months, and then came to Will Co., and settled in Channahon Tp., and engaged in farming. Mr. P. F. remained there until he was 17, when he went to California ; engaged in mining and remained until 1861, when he came to this county ; in 1864, he went to Montana, and remained three years, when he returned to Will Co. and settled on his present place. He is now serving on his third term as Justice of the Peace ; he has also been School Trustee and Director. He owns 209 acres in this county. His parents were among the early settlers of Channahon. His father, James Dooley, died in 1856 ; his mother died in 1853. HARMON DEUTSCHMAN, farmer, Sec. 34 ; P. 0. Elwood ;■ the subject of this sketch was born in Germany Feb. 25, 1851. « He married Miss Sarah Gockley Nov. 1 6, 1871 ; she was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., Sept. 25, 1854 ; they have three children, viz.: Clara, born Dec. 10, 1872; Frank, born March 30, 1875; Ellen, born June 5, 1877. He lived in Germany until he was 15 years old ; he then came to the United States and settled in Will Co. with his parents. His father, William, came to this county in 1855, and worked on the farm until 1873, when he bought his pres- ent place ; he lost his wife in Germany, and he died here in 1875 ; they had but the one child. Mr. Harmon came to his present place in 1874 ; he owns 160 acres, which are well improved. DANIEL EATON, farmer, Sec. 10 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Antrim Co., Ireland, Sept. 26, 1827. He married Miss Mary McClintock Aug. 15, 1848; she was born in same place Nov. 8, 1829 ; they had ten children, six living, viz., Joseph, Daniel, Robert, Nancy, Ann and Mary. He lived in Ire- land until 1855 ; was engaged in farming ; he then came to the United States, and set- tled in Kendall Co., 111., where he engaged in farming, and remained until 1862, when he came to Will Co., and settled on his present place. He is no oflBce- seeker, his only office being connected with the school and road. He came here in poor circumstances, and now owns 300 acres, which he has principally earned by his own labor. GEORGE EIB, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. O. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Harrison Co.', W. Va., March 17, 1816. He married Miss Mary Ann Zumaalp ; she was born in Adams Co., Ind. ; they had nine children, seven living, viz., Peter B., Louisa, Blmenda, Mary Alinda, Catheron Amanda George W.. and Jacob L. He lived in West Virginia about ten years, when with his parents, he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where they remained two years ; they then moved to Fountain Co., Ind., and remained there six years ; in 1833, they came to Illinois, and settled on their present farm. . His mother was Miss Matalena Gilbert ; born in Pennsylvania and died in Ohicr ; his father, Peter Eib, died here ; he was born in Lancaster Co., Penn. There were ■826 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : but a few families in this township when they came here, they being among the first FREEMAN GAY, farmer, Sec. 16; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Kennebec (now Franklin) Co., Me., Aug. 9, 1817. He married Miss Agusta S. Gay ; she was born at the same place Aug. 3, 1820 ; they have four children, viz., Leslie P., Elsie E,., Ernest L. and Clementine M. He lived in Maine until he was 18 ; then went to Boston and learned the mason's trade ; remained ten years ; then, came West, and settled on Hickory Creek, Will Co., 111. ; this was in 1845 ; he then went near Wilmington, then back to Hickory Creek ; then to Five- Mile Grove, and, inl850, he went to Cali- fornia and remained four years, when he came to his present place and has lived here since ; he started in poor circum- stances, and now owns 390 acres, which he has earned by his own labor. SBTH GIBLER, farmer. Sec. 10 ; P. 0. Joliet; was born in Scioto Co., Ohio, April 2, 1839. He married Miss Mary Brown Feb. 11, 1862; she was born in this township Feb. 11, 1842 ; they have two children, viz., Bertram W. and Oscar. He lived in Ohio about fourteen years, when he came to Will Co., 111., and lived with Mr. Gabriel Noel until he was 21 ; he then engaged in farming, in company with Mr. W. Z. Brown, for two years, -when, on being married, he came to his present place ; this was in the spring of 1863. He has been Assessor some three years. He owns 135 acres in this county. His mother died in Ohio ; his father, Mor- gan '/ibler, lives in Piatt Co., this State. G. F. GURNEY, farmer. Sec. 36 ; P. O. Blwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Gloucestershire, England, July 2, 1832. He married Miss Eliza Brighton Feb. 26,1857; she was born in Liverpool, England, April 12, 1837 ; she went to Scotland when young, and lived there un- til she was 17, when she came to the United States ; they had eight children — seven living, viz., Francis R., Elsie A.,. Elmer G., James A., Eliza M., Nellie J. and Otto H. He lived in England until 1844, when he came to the United States a^d settled in Joliet, 111. ; engaged in la- horing on the farm ; remained one year ; then to Channahon Tp., where he remained one year ; he then went to Grundy Co., remaining one year, and went to Wilming- ton, Will Co., where he remained two years ; then to Channahon, remaining several years ; then to Florence; then to Wilton ; and, in 1867, he settled on his present place ; he started without any capi- tal, and now owns over 500 acres in this county. W. W. GIFFORD, of the firm of E. Gifibrd & Son, general merchandise, El- wood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., March 4,1844. He married Miss Lydia Bryan Sept. 24, 1867 ; she was born in Stark Co., 111., May 12, 1845; they have two children, viz., Edson B. and M. Estella. He lived in New York three years, when, with his parents, he moved to Grundy Co., 111., where they remained until 1855, and then they moved to Kendall Co., where they re- mained until 1872, when they came to Will Co., Ill, and settled in Elwood and engaged in their present business. In 1861, he enlisted in the 36th I, V. L; was in the service two years and four months ; was in the battles of Pea Ridge, Perry ville. Stone River and Chickamauga ; at the latter place, he was wounded and disabled from further service. He has held the offices of Town Clerk, and Vil- lage Clerk, Trustee and Treasurer. EDSON GIFFORD, of the firm of E. Gifford & Son, general merchandise, Elwood; the subject of this sketch was born in Washington Co., N. Y., Feb. 10, 1820. He married Miss Lydia Whipple; she was born in New York ; they have had five children, two living ; his wife died while in Grundy Co. His present wife was Miss Harriet Kendall, who was the first child born in a frame house in Big Grove Tp., Kendall Co., 111.; in 1846, he left New York, and came to Grundy Co., 111., and engaged in farming ; then went to Kendall Co., and engaged in general merchandise ; then to Morris, engaging in general mer- chandise, and, in 1872, he came to Will Co., and settled in Elwood, where he en- gaged in his present business, and has con- tinued here since. J. L. HARLEY, farming. Sec. 33; P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Washington Co., Va., March 29, 1830. He married Miss Ellen Turpie Oct. 28, 1859; she was born in Cincin- JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 827 nati, Ohio, Oct. 11, 1833 ; they had ten children, nine living, viz., Bruce T., Ruth A., Ida B., James E., Ralph J., Theodore L., Joel A., Mary and George W. He lived in Virginia three years, then moved with his parents to Clinton Co., Ind., and lived there about five years ; while there, his father died Sept. 10, 1835'; they then moved to Carroll Co., Ind., where he re- mained until 1852 ; from there he went to California ; object, mining, which he pur- sued four years, with fair success ; he then came to his present place. He is no office- seeker, his only offices being connected with the school and road. He started in poor circumstances ; he owns 160 acres in this township, which he has earned by his own labor. His mother died in this county. CYRUS HEMPHILL, farming. Sec. 17 ; P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in this township March 14, 1837. He married Miss Elizabeth Linebarger March 14, 1861 ; she was also born in this township Oct. 7, 1840 ; they have four children, viz., Daniel E., Alvin W., Luella E. and Herbert H. He has always lived in this township, except two years in Florence, and, except one child, all the family were born here. He has not been an office-seeker, his only offices being connected with the school and road. His father, James Hemphill, was born in Adams Co., Ohio, Jan. 24, 1803. He married Miss Rachel Porter ; she was born in same place June 18, 1808, and died Oct. 11, 1872 ; his father died Sept. 6, 1863 ; they were among the first settlers in this township, having settled here in 1831. JOHN HIBNBR, farming. Sec. 8; P. O. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Guernsey Co., Ohio, about 1804. He married Miss Nancy Kirtz in 1837 ; she wa* born in York Co., Penn.; they have had fourteen children, twelve living, viz., George W., Frank A., James' C., David, Martin E., John W., William A., Elizabeth, Phebe Jane, Nancy A., Sarah A. and Lucinda. He lived in Ohio till 1847, when he moved to Missouri, where he remained one year; from here he went to Wisconsin, remaining six months; in 1848, he came to Will Co., 111., and settled on his present place, and has lived here since ; he has not been an office-seeker; he started in poor circumstances, and now owns about 500 acres in this county, which. he has earned principally by his own labor. J. P. HEMPHILL, farming. Sec. 20 : P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Adams Co., Ohio, Sept. 19, 1830. He married Miss Nancy Nott July 4, 1855 ; , she was born in Washing- ton Co. (now Morgan Co.), Ohio, Sept. 4, 1831 ; they have had ten children, eight living, viz.. Alpha E., Belle M., Alonzo P., E. Mary, Phina E., Sarah L., Roswell J. and Cyrus W. He lived in Ohio two years, when, with his parents, he moved to Fountain Co., Ind., where they remained until 1884, when they came to Illinois, and settled in Will Co., at Troutman's Grove, where he lived until he was married ; he then moved to Sec. 8, this township, and then to Sec. 2 ; he next went to Florence Tp., where he remained five years ; he then came to this township, and, in 1868, he came to his present place; he has held no offices, except those connected with the school and road. W. F. KEITH, dealer in drugs, med- icines, books, stationery, etc., Elwood ; was born near Rome, Lewis Co., N. Y., Aug. 11, 1827 ; his father was a Method- ist clergyman, a member of the Genesee Conference, and died when his son W. F. was quite young ; after his father's death, . the son lived in Livingston Co. and in the city of Buffalo ; he was educated in the public schools of Bufiklo and at Rich Academy in Attica, N. Y.; in 1855, he came West, and, after spending two years at Naperville, he came to Joliet in 1857. On the breaking-out of the war, he enlisted in the 19th I. V. I., as a musician in the Lockport Band, and remained until March, 1862, when he was discharged for disabil- ity ; returning, he engaged in merchandis- ing in Elwood, his being the only store in the village for four years ; at the end of this time he engaged in his present busi- ness ; he has been prominent in the build- ing-up of the village ; on the incorpora- tion of the village in 1868, he was chosen Clerk of the Board of Trustees, serving two years ; he was a member of the Board seven years, three of which he was its President ; he has been Police Magis- trate two years, and Notary Public for the past twelve years ; he served his township two years as Supervisor, and has also served three years as School Director ; in 828 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: March, 1878, he entered the office of the County Treasurer in Joliet, as Deputy, where he is still engaged. He was mar- ried July 17, 1866, to Mrs. Hannah Leverich, of Naperville ; they have two children — William H. and Edward E.; he has also one son, Clarence A., by a former marriage. WILLIAM KKEIMEIER, farming, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Prussia March 5, 1829. He married Miss Mary Pohlman March 26, 1854 ; she was born in Prussia March 6, 1835; they had ten children, nine Uving — Ella M., Eliza A., Amanda A., Susan M., William P., John E., Mina S., Ida P. and OUver P. He lived in Germany about twenty years ; then came to the United States and settled at Little York, Penn. ; remained there seven years, when he came to Illinois and settled in Will Co; this was in 1856; in 1869, he came to his present place, and has lived here since. His only offices have been connected with the school and road. He came here in poor circumstances, and now owns 254 acres, which he has earned by his own labor. CICERO KYRK, farming. Sec. 16 ; P. 0. Elwood ; was born in this township, on his present place, Dec. 1, 1847. He married Miss Artha A. Houghton Dec. 25, 1873 ; she was born in this township Feb. 17, 1857 ; they have two children — Sarah R. and Mary E. He has always lived in this township, except three years in Texas ; he now rents the farm of the estate ; his father, Edward Kyrk, was born in 1807, probably in Orange Co., N. Y. ; he married Miss Sarah Davis ; she died in 1843; they had one child, viz., William T. ; his second wife was Miss Mary Kyrk : she was born in Ohio ; they had eight children, three living, viz., Cic- ero, Elmira and Dennis. His wife's father, Andrew Houghton, was born in Ireland, and came to this county when 18 ; he married Miss Sarah Young ; she was born in this township ; they now live in Kansas. GEORGE LINEB ARGER, was born in Lincoln Co., North Carolina, June 6, 1810 ; at the age of 10, he removed with his parents to White River, Ind., where they remained until the fall of 1821, when they emigrated to Parke Co., Ind. Was married Feb. 9, 1832, to Miss Susanah Beard. During the following spring, came to what was then called Cook Co., now Will Co., and located near the head of Jackson Grove ; only a few days passed when the Indian war broke out, when he returned to Indiana until September, 1832 ; returned to his old location at Jackson's Grove. Had nine children, five living; wife died in 1854; was married same year ; Kad six children, four are liv- ing at present writing. JOHN LINEBARGER (of the firm of John Linebarger & Co.), dealer in grain, Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Lincoln Co., N. C., Nov. 4, 1812. He married Miss Nancy Stone Feb. 12, 1835 ; she was born in Ohio, and died July 2, 1847 ; they had three chil- dren, one living, viz., Mary E.; his present wife was Miss Saj-ah C. Linton, married Feb. 27, 1848 ; they had nine children, seven living, viz., William H., Josephine, Thomas C, Isabelle, Minnie M., Carrie and Emma J. He left North Carolina, with his parents, when 8 years old, and settled in Parke Co., Ind., where he lived until 1850, when he came to Illinois and settled near Wilmington, and remained there eighteen years, (luring which time he served as Supervisor several terms ; he then came to Jackson Tp., and has remained here since ; in 1832, he assisted his brother to move to this county, and spent several weeks here at that time ; he engaged in his present business in 1868. A. J. LINEBARGER, farming, Sec. 20; P. 0. Elwood; the subject of this sketch was born in this township Jan. 7, 1834, and is, therefore, among the first born in this township. He married Miss Elizabeth Phillips April 30, 1856; she was born in Germany, Jan. 1, 1834 ; they have three children, viz., Lewis H., Laura E., Emma J. He has always lived in the township ; he lived with his parents until he was 22 years of age, when he was mar- ried and began farming on his own account on his present place ; he owns 320 acres , in this township. J. J. LICHTENW ALTER, dealer in grain, lumber, etc. ; P. 0. Elwood ; the sub- ject of this sketch was born in Stark Co., Ohio, Aug. 27, 1829. He married Miss Mary ShuU Feb. 24, 1853 ; she was born in Lebanon Co., Penn. He lived in Ohio until 1860, and was engaged in farming and car- JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 829 pentering ; he then moved to Whitley Co., Ind., where he followed farming and also op- erated a lumber-mill,and remained aboutfive years; he then went to Springfield, Ind., and engaged in the grocery business, continu- ing four years ; in 1868, he came to Illinois and settled in Elwood ; he carried on the grocery and drug business for three years ; he then took agency of the Canton Iron Bridge Co., and furnished the trade in several States; he then engaged in the lumber business, and has continued in same since ; in November, 1877, he added the grain business. MORGAN BROS., farming and stock. Sec. 31 ; P. 0. Elwood ; WilHam and Sid- ney ; were born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., where they lived until 1849, when they came to Illinois with their parents, who settled in Kendall Co., where they remained about four years, and then came to Will Co. ; and in 1855, they came to the present place. Mr. William R. married Miss Morriah Ellenwood Dec. 27, 1876 ; she was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., Nov. 10, 1853 ; they have one child, viz., Eliza A. Mr. Moses Morgan, deceased, was born in Vermont, Aug. 11, 1815, and died Aug. 20, 1877. He married Miss Eliza Ann Storrs Jan. 9, 1840 ; she was born in Upper Canada ; they had five children ; four living, viz., William, Sidney, Ltcy E. and Emily C. MICHAEL MOYER, farming. Sec. 22; P.O. Joliet ; was born in Lebanon Co., Penn., July 10, 1803. He married Miss Sarah Erb April, 1828; she was born in Lancaster Co., Penn. ; they had four children ; three living, viz , Henry, George L. and Michael, Jr. He lived in Pennsylvania until 1845 ; was engaged in farming ; he then moved to Dayton, Ohio, where he remained four months ; he then came to Illinois and settled in Du Page Co. ; engaged in farming, and remained there nine years ; and then he came to Will Co. and settled on his present place ; he started in poor circumstances, and now owns 120 acres, well improved. WILLIAM F. MOORE, farmer, Sec. 34 ; P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in the town of Channa- hon, Wm Co., 111., March 6, 1841 ; he married Miss Mary Schoonmaker Nov. 20, 1862 ; she was born in Rochester, N. Y., and died July 29, 1866 ; his second wife was Miss Almira Spencer, married May 13, 1872 ; she was born in Troy Tp., this county ; he has one child living, by his first wife, viz., Lotta, and two by his present wife, viz., Mary Jane and Laura May; he has always lived in this county, except one year that he lived in McLean Co.; he came to his present place March 29, 1864; he started in poor cir- cumstances, and now owns 160 acres in this township. JOHN MEAD, retired, Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Saratoga Co., N. Y., Aug. 15, 1798 ; he married Mrs. Betsy Cagwell, formerly Miss Luce ; she died April 11, 1866 ; they had two chil- dren — not living ; his present wife was Miss Nancy Cox ; they were married April 23, 1867 ; no children. He lived in New York seventeen years, and then went to Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1855, when he came West to Illinois, and settled in Will Co., and engaged in farming ; in 1875, he sold his farm, and removed to the village of Elwood, and has lived here since. GABRIEL NOEL, farmer. Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Scioto Co., Ohio, July 2, 1820 ; he married Miss Elizabeth Zarley Oct. 15, 1848; she was born in Will Co., near Joliet, Nov. 22, 1831 ; they had twelve children — seven living — viz., Albert E., Calvin Z., Ervin R., Elvis C, Sue E., Rose M. and Frank G. He lived in Ohio twenty- seven years, and was engaged in farming and milling ; he then came West to Illinois, and settled in Joliet, remaining there one summer ; he came to his pres- ent place, and has lived here since ; he has held the offices of Road Commissioner, School Trustee and Director. He owns 200 acres in this county. WILLIAM NICHOLSON, hardware, etc., Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Cambridge, Washington Co., N. Y., March 26, 1838 ; he married Miss Caroline E. Benedict Oct. 12, 1863 ; she was born in Dalton,Maas., Aug. 19, 1839 ; they have four children, viz., Lewis, Ed- ward B., RoUin H., and Franklin E. He lived in New York until 1865 ; was en- gaged in farming ; he also spent nearly four years at the Troy University ; he then came West to Illinois, and settled in this township ; engaged in farming, which he iSO BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: followed until 1868, when he removed to Elwood and engaged in his present busi- ness, forming a partnership with George A. Pearson, whom he afterward bought out; in May, 1874, his place was burned, with his entire stock ; on June 10, he was doing business in an old wooden building, hauled to the site of his former store, and the first of the following October he occupied his present bri^k store. He has held the offices of Town Clerk and Village Trustee. JACOB PALMER, Jr., farmer. Sec. 12; P. 0. JoUet; the subject of this sketch was born in Stark Co., Ohio, Aug. 13, 1824. He married Miss Eliza Bucher March 11, 1847 ; she was born in Stark Co., Ohio, May 3, 1830 ; they had seven- teen children ; twelve living, viz., William D., Ephron, Eldin P., Francis W., Marion, John J.,- Daniel, George E., Elmer E., Dora E., Alvin and Hiram. He lived in Ohio until 1857, when he came to Illi- nois and settled on his present place, and has lived here since. He has been Road Com- missioner nearly twenty years. He started in poor circumstances, at first renting his place, and now owns 200 acres in this township. His father, Jacob Palmer, Sr., was born in Virginia Feb. 10, 1792. He married Miss Elizabeth Cutchall ; she was born in Maryland and died in Ohio ; his second wife was Mrs. Sarah Bucher (Hofiman) ; she also died in Ohio ; his third wife was Mrs. Weaver (Cring) ; she was born in Pennsylvania and died in Ohio ; he has five children by his first and three by his second wife. He came to Will Co., Ill, in 1871, and lives on Sec. 11, this township. WILLIAM POHLMAN, farmer. Sec. 36 ; P. 0. Elwood ; was born in Prussia May 16, 1828. He married Miss Amelia Harming Feb. 3, 1853; she was born in Prussia in February, 1836 ; they had eleven children, nine living, viz., Mary E., Catheron M., Emma C, Charles F., Henry F., George T., J. Edward, Sarah R. and Francis L. lie lived in Prussia sixteen years ; he then came to the United States, and landed at Baltimore, and re- mained in that neighborhood about six years, engaged in farm labor ; then moved to York Co., Penn. ; engaged in quarry- ing and lime-burning ; remained five years ; then came to Illinois and settled in this township, engaging in farming ; in 1868, he came to his present place. He is no- office-seeker, his only offices being con. nected with the school and road. He came to this county in poor circumstances ; he now owns 422 acres in this township, which he has earned by his own labor. DANIEL RICHARDS, farmer. Sec. 1 ; P. 0. Joliet; the subject of this sketch was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Aug. 4, 1826. He married Miss Elmira Cooley Dec. 10, 1848; she was born in Ononda- ga Co., N. Y., June 22, 1828; they had three children, two living, viz., Euratus and Elsey G. He lived in New York un- til June, 1839, when he moved to Huron Co., Ohio, and engaged in farming. While here, he was married, and, in 1853, he came to Illinois and settled in Joliet ; in 1857, he came to his present place, and has lived here since. He has not been an office-seeker. He came West in poor cir- cumstances, and now owns 220 acres, which he has principally earned by his own labor. ROBERT SPAFFORD, Postmaster, Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Upper Canada Sept. 30, 1822. He married Miss Elizabeth Beckwith April 20, 1847 ; she was born in Upper Canada March 5, 1827 ; they have eight children, viz., Moses, Sarah E., Irinda, Daniel, Robert, Jr. ; Mary, Rachel and Norah. He lived in Canada about twenty- six years ; was engaged on his father's farm ; he then moved to Illinois, and set- tled in Will Co., in 1848, and engaged in farming in Jackson Tp., and has lived here since, except three years in Mar- seilles ; he followed farming until 1860, when he took the position of railroad agent at this place, and continued eight years ; he then clerked in a general mer- chandise store for four years ; in 1872, he was appointed Postmaster, and has held the office since. He has been Assessor several years ; also Constable, Town Trustee and School Director. HENRY SPANGLER, farmer. Sec. 12 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Summit Co., Ohio, Feb. 26, 1837. He married Miss Rachel Grove in February, 1857 ; she was born in Summit Co., Ohio, April 26, 1836; they had five children, four living, viz., Samuel M., Elvy G., Alvin 0. and Dora A. ; Amanda M. JACKSON TOWNSHIP. 831 died July 13, 1878; he lived in Ohio twenty years, then came to Illinois and settled on his present place, and has lived here since. He has been Supervisor of this township ten terms, Justice of the Peace eight years, also Collector and Road Commissioner. He was in moderate cir- cumstances when he came here ; he bought an eighty, going in debt for the greater part of the same ; he now owns 400 acres in this township which he has principally earned by his own labor. HENRY SNOAD, of the firm of H. Snoad & Co., dry goods and groceries. El- wood; the subject of this sketch was born in Kent Co., England, Sept. 26, 1819. He married Miss Julia Caswell Oct. 20, 1847 ; she was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., and died March 6, 1857 ; they had three children, none living ; his present wife was Mrs. Betsy A. Winslow, for- merly Miss Sheldon ; she was born in New York Aug. 9, 1822, and married Jan. 3, 1858. He lived in England twenty- two years ; then came to the United States and settled in Tioga Co., Penn., and en- gaged in farming ; remained four years ; then came to Illinois and settled in Will Co., at Plainfield, where he engaged as clerk in general merchandise store ; re- mained three years, when he moved to Joliet and engaged in grocery, and remained one year ; he then went to Kankakee Co., engaged in farming, and next returned to' Will Co., and, in 1853. he engaged in farm- ing in Jackson Tp., and followed same un- til 1867, when he engaged in his present business. He has held the offices of Post- master, Justice of Peace and Town Clerk. He formerly was Station Agent on C. & A. R. R. THOMAS TAIT, farming. Sec. 2 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born on one of the principal Isles of Shet^ land, Sept. 23, 1830. He married Miss Catharine A. Shutts Oct. 12, 1858; she was born in Columbia Co., N. Y., Sept. 19, 1840; they had eight children, seven living, viz., John S., Magnus P., Margaret, Thomas H., Fred, Cassius and Sarah V. ; Kate died in infancy. He lived at the place of his birth until May 14, 1838, when he took ship for America, arriving in Chicago, 111., the 19th of July follow- ing ; remaining but a short time, he went to Lake Co., Ill, and remained there until the winter of 1841, when he came to Will Co., 111., and remained about one year ; he then went to Canada, and remained until 1846, when he returned to Will Co. and settled in Homer Tp. ; remained two years, and then moved to Joliet Tp., where his father still lives ; he bought his present place in June, 1851, and moved on same in fall of 1858. He has held the offices of Supervisor, Road Commissioner, Town Trustee and Collector. He owns 170 acres, well improved, which he has earned by his own labor. WILLIAM W. WOOD, farming. Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Brasher, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., July 11, 1835. He married Miss Esther C. Edgerton Oct. 18, 1861 ; she was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., April 16, 1837 ; they have seven children, viz., Hattie M., Emma E., Frank W., E. Blanche, Alice M., Jessie P. and Harvey E. He lived in New York until 1865, being engaged in farming ; he then came West and settled in Will Co., 111., on his present place, and has resided here since ; his parents live in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. ; he came here in fair circumstances ; he owns 270 acres in this township. SHELDON YOUNG, farming. Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Elwood ; the subject of this sketch, was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y., Dec. 3,1820. He married Miss Eliza Hougham Dec. 1, 1842 ; she was born Aug. 18, 1822, in Fayette Co., Ind. ; they had thir- teen children, eight living, viz., Ara B., Lena Ann, Albert L., Mary Ella, Emma, Julia B., Martha E. and Walter H. He lived in New York eighteen years, and, in 1838, he came West and settled in this township ; in 1844, he settled on his pres- ent place ; Mrs. Young lived two years in Fayette Co., Ind. ; moved to Butler Co., Ohio, where she remained three years ;. moved to Parke Co., Ind., lived there twelve years, when she came to this county on horseback, over a hundred and fifty miles, to visit a sister, where she lived until she was married. Mr. Young has been Supervisor, Road Commissioner, School Trustee and Director. He came here without any means, in fact, was in debt ; he now owns 112 acres in this township. 832 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP. GEORGE ALEXANDER, farm and stock, See. 15 ; P. 0. Channahon ; the subject of this sketch was born in this county, on Hickory Creek, Oct. 27, 1837. He married Miss Emma Bedford Feb. 14, 1860 ; she was born in New Jersey Nov. 11, 1841 ; they had seven children, five living, viz. : Janet, Hattie, Mary, John and Jessie. He has always lived in this coun- ty ; he has been Road Commissioner ten years and Collector several terms during the past twenty years ; he has been deal- ing largely in stock ; he bought an inter- est in a creamery during the past year, and since that time he has added tl»e dairy busi- ness to his farming and siock business ; he owns 650 acres in this county. His father, John Alexander, deceased, was born in Scotland June 7, 1811. He married Miss Elizabeth Turner Dec. 25, 1833 ; she was born in England Sept. 22, 1812 ; they had seven children, six living, viz., Ann, George, Elizabeth, John, Isabella and Mo- riah. He lived in Scotland eleven years, then moved to England, where he lived eleven years ; he then came to the United States ; he crossed the Atlantic five times, and finally, in 1835, he settled on Hickory Creek, this county ; in 1838, he came to his present place, living in a log cabin, which yet remains on the farm. He superin- tended some twenty miles of the Iron Moun- tain Railroad, and was for some time fore- man of a stone-quarry, now owned by his son. He died Sept.. 15, 1856, and had lost his wife March 23, 1853. DANIEL BAILEY, farm and stock, Sec. 13 ; P. 0. Elwood ; was born in Pennsylvania, and married Miss Rebecca Bordman ; they had one child, viz., Al- exander, now living in Missouri. His present wife was Mrs. Brown, formerly Miss Susan Zarley ; they were married July 14, 1848 ; they have two children, viz., Cal- neh and Ella. He left Pennsylvania when 1 year old, and moved to Ohio with his parents ; they then moved to Champaign Co., 111., where his parents died. In 1838, he settled on his present place ; he started in poor circumstances, and owns about 500 acres in this county. His son, Calneh, was born on the present place July 18, 1849. He married Miss Ella Caswin March 18, 1874 ; she was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., April 4, 1852. In 1869, he began farming on his own account ; he has about forty acres in his own name, which he has earned himself He has been School Director some five years, and Clerk of Board some time. E. E. BATES, blacksmith and wagon- making, Channahou ; the subject of this sketch was born in Penobscot Co., Maine, Sept. i6, 1830. He married Miss Nancy M. Hutchins (formerly Miss Knapp) Oct. 15, 1854 ; she was born in Montpelier, Vt. He lived in Maine eighteen years ; he then moved to Brooklyn, N. Y., where he engaged in the pork and butter busi- ness, remaining there until 1852 ; he then came to Illinois and settled in Plainfield, engaging in blacksmithing, and remained there until 1856, when he came to Chan- nahon, and engaged in the blacksmithing and wagon business, which he continued until 1866 ; he then engaged at driving a wholesale notion wagon from Chicago, con- tinuing in same until 1873, when he en- gaged in his present business in its present location. ALLEN P. CARPENTER, farming, Sec. 5 ; P. 0. Channahon ; the subject of this sketch was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., Jan. 27, 1834. He married Miss Ellen Spencer Jan. 10, 1855. They had two children; both died. He lived in New York until 1853, when he came West and settled in Joliet, where he remained one year and then came to this township, and engaged in farming ; remained three years ; then. he went to Troy Tp., and lived there two years ; he then went to Minooka, Grundy Co., 111., and engaged in the grain business ; remained two years ; then he en- gaged in same business at Minooka Land- ing ; remained three years ; then in 1865 he came to his present place; in 1868, he became partner with Marshall Truby, in the grain business at Joliet and Bird s Bridge ; they carried on the business seven years. He came West in poor circum- stances, and now owns 178 acres in this township. WILLIAM H.CAVBNDER, farming. Sec. 3; P.O. Bird's Bridge; the subject, of this sketch' was born in Greenfield, N. mi ^- CHANNAHON Ti CHA.NNAHON TOWNSHIP. 886 H., Feb. 22, 1828. He married Miss P. A. Steel April 27, 1856 ; she was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Nov. 11, 1841 ; they have seven children, viz., Francis E., Dora E., Libbie M., Mary A., Emma C, Sinclair S. and Anna Belle. He lived in New. Hampshire seven years, when his par- ents moved to Michigan, where he lived until 1849 ; he then went to California, where he engaged in the mining and stock business, meeting with good success, hav- ing accumulated over $12,000 during four years ; in 1854, he returned to Michigan, and remained until 1865 ; he then went to Texas, and bought a drove of cattle, his family coming to Joliet at the same time ; he returned from Texas the same year, and marketed his stock in Chicago, and then came to Will Co. and settled in Troy Tp., and engaged in the grain business at Bird's Bridge ; in 1 868, he came to his present place. He started in poor circumstances, and now owns 165 acres in this town- ship. GEORGE B. DAVIS, farm and stock, Sec. 16 ; P. 0. Channahon ; the subject of this sketch was born in Schoharie Co., N. Y., May 7, 1821. He married Miss Olive Comstock Jan. 12, 1843 ; she was born in Tompkins Co., N. Y., Jan. 8, 1824 ; they had nine children, four liv- ing, viz., George H., Sarah, Oliver C. and Wilber B. He lived in New York about six- teen years, when he came to Will Co., 111., with his parents, and settled in this town- ship ; in 1846, he came to his present place ; he has been School Director and Trustee of the School Fund ; he started in poor circum- stances, and now owns 187 acres in this township and 300 in Texas, which he has earned by his own labor and managenient. His parents were from Rhode Island ; his father, Joseph, was born Aug. 13, 1787, and died Sept. 30, 1838. He married Miss Martha Burlingame ; she was born March 5, 1787, and died July 25, 1863. His father settled in thLs township in 1836, and the family followed in 1837. His wife's father was Dr. Alexander Comstock ; he was born in Saratoga Co., N. Y., Sept. 9, 1788. He married Miss Esther Salt- marsh Feb. 10, 1823 ; she was born in Columbia Co., N. Y., Dec. 17, 1790 ; they came to Joliet in the fall of 1836, where he practiced medicine until he died, July 9, 1854 ; Mrs. Comstock died Aug. 7, 1874. JOSEPH FITCH, M. D., physician, druggist and general merchandise, Chan- nahon ; the subj ect of this sketch was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., July 29, 1825. He married Miss Harriet A. Duncan July 20, 1852 ; she was born in Dearborn Co., Ind., Feb. 2, 1826 ; they had two chil- dren, one living, viz., Mary E. He lived in New York until 1847 ; was engaged in teaching, also read medicine ; he then went to Dearborn Co., Ind., and engaged in teaching ; he also finished his course in medicine, graduating in the Indianapolis Medical College in 1 850 ; returning to Dearborn County, he commenced the prac- tice of medicine; in April, 1852, he came to Channahon, and soon returned to Indi- ana, where he married and came back to Channahon, and commenced practicing ; in 1862, he added his present business; he started in poor circumstances, leaving home at the age of 17 ; he educated him- self, and now enjoys a fair practice and good general business. CALEB FOWLER, general merchan- dise, Channahon ; the subject of this sketch was born in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Dec. 9; 1818. He married Miss Harriet Handy June 23, 1842 ; they had eight children, five living, viz., Charles E., Frank D., Mary H., Ella F. and Hattie A. He lived in New York about twenty-four years when he was married and moved to Ashland Co., Ohio, where he engaged at his trade of carpenter, and remained there until 1854 ; he then came to this township, where he followed his trade until 1870, when he and his son, C. E., bought out Mr. C. Bradford and established their present business ; he has held the offices of Town- ship Treasurer twelve years. School Trust- ee, Town Clerk and Justice of the Peace. J. N. FRYER, farm and loan agent, Sec. 17; P. 0. Channahon; the subject of this^ sketch was born in Schodack Landing, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., July 11, 1818. He married Miss Charlotte Beardsley Oct. 1, 1849 ; she was born in Litchfield Co., Conn., Nov. 24, 1822 ; they had six chil- dren, five living, viz., Jennie J., Kittie L., Chauncey M., Lotta B. and Leonard S.; Albertine M. died. He lived in New York until 1834, when he came to Illinois and settled on his present farm, and lived at home until 1849, when he built his present house (the first regular frame built 12 836 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCHES : in this township) and has lived in same since ; he was one of the Commissioners appointed to divide the county into town- ships ; he has held the office of Justice of the Peace for twenty-five years, and School Director for fifteen years ; he has been Town Collector and is now serving in his fourteenth term . as Supervisor ; he started in limited circumstances and now owns between three and four hundred acres in this township ; his father died in Albany, N. Y.; his mother, Mrs. Sarah Schermerhorn Four, married Mr. M. More- house in 1832, and is now Jiving on an ad- joining farm. STEPHEN GLIDDEN, farming and stock ; P. 0. Channahon ; the subject of this sketch was born in New Hampshire, Sept. 15, 1820. He married Miss Mary L. Barnet, July 4, 1849 ; she was born in New York ; they had eleven children, five living, viz., Pernelia, Sarah J., Melissa, Ella and Harvey O. His parents left New Hampshire when he was six months old, and moved to New York, where he lived twenty-seven years ; he then came to Illinois and remained one year ; he then returned to New York and married, and then came to Will Co. and settled in this township ; he came here in poor circumstances and now owns 1,036 acres in this township, all of which he has earned by his own labor and man- o prpTyipTl'f D. C. HEMPHILL, farmer. Sec. 25 ; P. 0. Blwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Adams Co., Ohio, Sept. 19, 1830. He married Miss Hannah Russell March 14, 1856 ; she was born in Mont- gomery Co., N. Y., Oct. 15, 1834 ; they had ten children, nine living, viz., Laura, Ida May, Russell J., Arthur D., Charles B., Frederick, Burton C, Kitty and Wil- bur. He lived in Ohio two years ; then moved to Indiana, where they remained two years, when they came to Will Co., '111., and settled at Troutman's Grove; he remained with his parents until he was 21 years of age, when he went to Reed's Grove and engaged in farming ; remained one year, when he was married and set- tled on his present place; he owns 152 acres in this township, which he has earned principally by his own labor. DR. IRA 0. KNAPP, farmer, Sec. 8 ; P. 0. Channahon ; the subject of this sketch was born in Barre, Vt., Feb. 12, 1810 ; he married Miss Almira Joslyn July 8, 1833 ; she was born in Waits- field, Vt., Jan. 26, 1810, and died April 13, 1862; they had six children, four liv- ing, viz., George, Orren, Melinda and Solon, all married; his present wife was Mrs. Ann S. Peebles ; they were married Sept. 10, 1864 ; she was born in England ; they have no children. He lived in Ver- mont until he was 23, when he came to Will Co., 111., and lived in Plainfield Tp. three months andthen came to his present place ; he followed his profession for some fifteen years after coming here, and since then he discontinued his practice ; he came to this county in debt, and has owned considera- ble land here, but has disposed of all but about one hundred acres. He has not been an office-seeker, his only office being that of Justice of the Peace. MICHAEL LONG, farmer ; Sec. 10 ; P. 0. Bird's Bridge ; was born in Thur- lass Co., Ireland, in 1811 ; he married Miss Bridget O'Brien ; she was born in Ireland ; they had six children, five living, viz., James, John, Michael, Jr., Johanna and Mary. He lived in Ireland until 1834, when he moved to Canada, and lived there two years ; he then moved to Syracuse, N. Y.; he then went to Chicago, and next engaged on the canal; he then settled on his present place. He came here in poor circumstances ; his son James owns 160 acres in this township, which he bought of his father, in 1878. JOSEPH LEWIS, general, merchan- dise and farming, Channahon ; the sub- ject of this sketch was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent Co., England, Dec. 15, 1812. He married Miss Ann Towner in 1835 ; she was born in Peckham, Kent Co., En- gland, and died in the winter of 1842; they had five children, three living, viz., Mary, Catheron and Jane, all married. His present wife was Miss Harriet Scott ; she was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., March 24, 1820, and married Nov. 30, 1845 ; they had seven children, five liv- ing, viz., Alta F., Harriet S., Anna C., Henry D. and George A. He lived in England until he was 22 years of age ; he then came to the United States, and set- tled in what is now Grundy Co., 111., where he engaged in farming, and remained fifteen years ; he then, in 1850, came tO' CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP. 837 Channabon, and engaged in general mer- chandise, and continued same until 1864, when he came to his present place and en- gaged in farming, and has remained here since ; he has held the offices of School Director, Justice of the Peace and Notary. His wife's parents were among the first settlers of this county, fleeing to the Wa- bash during the Black Hawk war. CHARLES McCOWAN, farmer, Sec. 7 ; P. 0. Channabon ; the subject of this sketch was born in New York, Sept. 28, 1832; he married Miss Mjra Newton, Jan. 1, 1854; she died in 1861; they had two children, one living, viz., Carrie; his present wife was Miss Lenna Curtis ; they were married March 17, 1865 ; they had four children, one living, viz., Roy; he lived in New York about three years, then came to this county, with his parents, who settled in this township ; he came to his present place about 1857, and has lived on same since ; he has been Poormaster and School Trustee ; he was considerably in debt on starting, and now owns sixty- five acres in this township. His father, Peter McCowan (deceased), was born in Edinburgh, Scotland ; he married Miss Isabelle Tarrant ; she was born in En- gland ; they were among the first settlers of this township ; both have since died. GEORGE W. McCUNE, farming, Sec. 26; P. 0. Elwood ; was born in Will Co., 111., Feb. 25, 1841. He married Miss Clara E. Houghton Jan. 28, 1869 ; she was born at Columbus, Ohio, April 6, 1849 ; they have four children, viz., James B., Etta, Emma and William G. He has al- ways resided in this county ; he is no office- seeker, his only office being connected with the schools ; he began farming on his own account on becoming of age, and owns 325 acres in this township, which he has earned principally by his own labor ; his parents settled here prior to the Black Hawk war, and fled to Chicago during the same. JOHN T. RANDALL, farming, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Channabon ; the subject of this sketch was born in Orleans. Co., Vt., Aug. 2, 1815. He married Miss B. S. Russell Sept. 4, 1836 ; she was born in Wilbra- ham, Mass., April 24, 1815 ; they had six children, five living, viz., Albert T., Oscar T., Gershom A., Laura A. and Mary; Joseph R. died- Jan 21, 1872. He lived in Vermont ten years, when his parents moved to Western New York, where he lived until 1835 ; he then went to Cuya- hoga Co., Ohio, where he was married, and lived there until 1839, when he returned to his old home in New York, and lived there until 1849, when he came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Troy Tp., and lived there five years, when he came to his present place. Three of his sons were in the army for the greater part of the war. He has been Supervisor of this and Troy Tps., and other offices connected with the school and road. He started in poor cir- cumstances, and now owns 271 acres in this township. CHARLES C. SMITH, farm and stock. Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Channabon ; the subject of this sketch was born in Jefierson Co., East Tenn., May 2, 1818. He married Miss Corinza Burr July 24, 1850 ; she was born in Tippecanoe Co.,Ind., June 19, 1831 ; they had ten children, nine living, viz., Barton, Emma Jane, William T., Ella May, Charles W., Lucy M., CoTinza A., Sarah E. and Floyd H.; Edgar F. died Sept. 5, 1873. He lived in Tennessee ten years, when his parents moved to Fountain Co., Ind., and engaged in farming; remained until 1835 ; they then moved to Joliet, 111., where they carried on a general teaming business until 1840 ; he then fol- lowed peddling until 1847, when he came to his present place, and followed stock-raising during the the summer, and acted as buyer for the American Fur Company during the winters until 1852, when he turned his entire attention to his farming and stock interests ; his business, though starting in a very small way, has grown to enormous proportions, and he is at present farming over 3,000 acres ; he is also very largely interested in stock-raising ; during the past year, he has bought an intere^tin a creamery at Channabon, 111., since which time he has added a dairy of 150 cows to his farming and stock' business. He has been Road Commissioner some five years, and was Supervisor four years, one year receiving the unanimous vote. His father, Barton Smith, continued his residence in Joliet until he died in September, 1862 ; his mother, Mrs. Fatha Smith, died in 1875. Mr. Smith practiced as a veteri- nary surgeon in Joliet, and was Justice of the Peace and Police Magistrate. 838 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. B. BADMGARTNBR, general mer- chant, Frankfort Station ; was born in Switzerland June 6, 1833; came to the United States in 1851, and settled in Illi- nois ; his first permanent residence in the State was in Frankfort Tp., commencing in 1862. He was married to Miss Char- lotte Maue, who was born in Germany in 1839 ; they have had five children, two of whom are living, viz., Emma and Albert ; deceased, Greorge, Frankie and Lena. Mr. B. is at present holding the of&ce of Town- ship Trustee ; has held office of Collector and several other offices previously. D. BRUMUND, farmer and stock-rais- er ; P. 0. Mokena ; was born in Grermany Jan. 23, 1815 ; came to the United States in 1849, and settled in Will Co., 111. ; he has been a resident of Frankfort Tp. since 1850 ; his farm consists of 300 acres, val- ued at $18,000. He was married to Miss Lena Folkers ; they have seven children, viz., J. H., Peter, Delia, Lena, Julia, Helen and Eliza. GEORG-E BAUCH, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany Nov. 6, 1826 ; came to the United States in 1851, and to Illinois in the same year, when he located on his present farm, in Frankfort, Will Co. ; it contains eighty acres, valued at $5,000. He was married to Miss Katie Siepp, who was born in Germany ; they have had seven children, all of whom are living, viz., Dan, John, Katie, Mary, George, William and Jacob. JOHN BREIDERT, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. New Bremen ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany June 24, 1812 ; came to the United States in 1846, and this State and settled in Frank- fort in the same year ; his farm consists of 100 acres, valued at $6,000. He was married to Miss Christina Press, who was born in Germany ; they have had seven children, six of whom are living, viz, Elizabeth, Christina, Gottlieb. John, Mar- garet and George ; deceased, Peter. The farm of Mr. B. is situated on Sees. 12 and 11. JOSEPH S. GLAUS, of the firm of Claus Brothers, general merchants, Frank- fort Station; was born in Cook Co., 111., Dec. 29, 1844; came to Frankfort in 1868, where he has since resided. He was married May 22, 1872, to Miss Mary E. Carpenter, who was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., June 18, 1845, and who died Sept. 9, 1875. Mr. Claus is at present holding the office of Justice of the Peace, which position he has maintained nearly two years. NORMAN A. CARPENTER, retired, Frankfort Station ; was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., Oct. 4, 1818: came to this State in April, 1855, and settled in Frank- fort ; at that time, Mr. Carpenter says there was but one store in the village ; it was at that time owned by one Mr. Higley; he built immediately upon his arrival, and opened a store for general merchandise, which he continued until 1866; ^ was the second merchant in Frankfort ; the railroad running through this place had at this time just commenced doing business. Mr. C. was married to Miss Mary E. Stantial, who was born in England Sept. 22, 1822; they have had three children, two of whom are living, viz., Emily and Eva ; deceased, Mary E. Mr. C. acted as first Postmaster, under Mr. M. Van Horn, in Frankfort Village ; the was the first official in that position in the village. JOHN CAPPEL, of the firm of Krapp & Cappel, butchers and dealers in live stock, Mokena ; one of our natives of Illi- nois ; was born in Frankfort, Will Co., 111., May 26. 1846, and is the son of the late Frederick Cappel, deceased, who was one of our first settlers and pioneers. Mr. J. Cappel was married to Miss Elizabeth Werner, who was born in Illinois ; they have had five children, all of whom are living, viz., Julia, Emma, John, Willie and George. Mr. C. has held the office of Deputy Sheriff four years ; Collector, one year, and Township Clerk six years ; his property, which contains eight-five acres, is situated on Sec. 10, and is valued at $4,000. CHARLES CLAYES, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., July 4, 1819; came to Illinois and settled in Will Co. in 1835; and in Frankfort Tp. in 1837 ; his present FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. 839 farm contains 295 acres, is situated on Sees. 21 and 16, and is valued at $18,000. He was married to Miss Eliz» A. Williams; they have had seven children, six of whom are living, viz., Amelia L., Emma S., Mary J., Charles W., Mattie H. and Addie E.; deceased, an infant. Mr. C. was the first Township Clerk in the town- ship after its organization. W. B. CLEVELAND, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in New York Sept. 21, 1820; came to this State and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., in 1844 ; his farm consists of 125 acres, sit- uated on Sees. 19 and 20, and is valued at $7,00l>. He was married May 22, 1865, to Miss Stella M. Martin, who was born in Vermont Aug. 6, 1846 ; they have had six children, five of whom are living, viz.; Lillian E., Willie J., Clarence M., Mabel S. and Eva M. ; deceased, Emily L. Mr. C. has held the office of Justice of the Peace eight years. Supervisor two years and School Trustee several years. HENRY ENGELMANN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany Oct. 30, 1824; came to the United States in 1853, and settled in Monee Tp., Will Co., 111.; he removed from there to Frankfort in 1863 ; his farm con- sists of 120 acres, valued at $6,000. He was married to Miss Mary Voigt ; they have had four children, viz., Mary, Henry, Sophia and Louisa. JOHNSON FOLKERS, butcher and dealer in smoked and salt meats, Frankfort Station; was born in Germany June 11, 1835 ; came to the United States in 1846, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., 111., in 1850. He was married to Sophia Eber- hart, who was born in Germany ; they have three children — Frank, Willie and Peter. Mr. F. was a participant in our late war ; he enlisted in the 20th I. V. I. ; served two years and was discharged with honor on account of disabilities, in Octo- ber, 1864. GEORGE FINK, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany Jan. 13, 1839 ; came to the United States in 1851, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., 111. ; his farm con- sists of 109 acres, valued at $7,000, and is situated on Sec. 27. He was married to Miss Christina Briederdt ; they have had seven children, six of whom are living, viz., Mary, Emma, George, Henry, Gus- tavo and John ; deceased, Mattie. Mr. F. was elected Township Collector in April, 1877 ; his time for the same office expires April, 1879. HENRY GRONOW, farmer and stock- raiser; P.. 0. Frankfort Station; one of our natives of Illinois ; was born in Frank- fort, Will Co., April 16, 1850 ; he is the son of John Gronow, who is one of our early settlers. The farm of Mr. G. con- sists of 130 acres, valued at $6,500. He was married to Miss Sophia Pauling Feb. 11, 1877, whowas born in Du Page Co., 111., Sept. 23, 1851 ; they have one child — Aurelia. MRS. C. W. HARPER, farmer and stock-raiser; P.O. Mokena ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Kentucky, Aug. 3, 1834; is the widow of the late Thomas Harper, deceased, who was born in England May 21, 1832 ; died July 28, 1870. He was one of our first settlers*and pioneers. They were married March 5, 1857, and have had four children, all of whom are living, viz., Elizabeth P., Ann W., Susan B. and Thomas P. Mrs. H. continues the business in which her husband was engaged, namely, that of a farmer and stock-raiser; her farm consists of 180 acres, valued at $10,000. THOMAS HERSCHBACH, general hardware, Frankfort Station ; was born in Joliet, Will Co., Aug. 31, 1844; is the son of Henry Herschbaoh, who was one of our first settlers and pioneers. Mr. H. was married to Miss Alvina Maue, who was born in Germany ; they have three children, all of whom are living, viz., Charles, Otto and Emma. N. P. HOLDEN, M. D., retired, Frankfort Station ; one of our early and most prominent settlers; was born in New Hampshire June 20, 1820 ; received a liberal education in boyhood ; at the age of 23, he entered Rush Medical College, at Chicago; graduated and received a diploma in 1846 ; his practice continued until the time of his retirement in Febru- ary, 1878; in 1854, he purchased the property he now owns, and which is located on Sees. 26 and 25, and which contains 400 acres, valued at $20,000. Dr. H. was married to Miss Caroline Parrish June 30, 1847 ; they have had six 840 • BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: children, three of whom are now living, viz., Wright, Milton and Franklin ; de- ceased, Charley, James and Sarah. PHiNEAS -HEMMBNWAY HOL- DEN, was born in HoUis, N. H., May ti, 1792 ; was the son of David Holden and Bridget Atwell ; his father was born July 31, 1769, and his mother was born in 1770 : they were married July 31, 1788, and had fourteen children, to wit : David, born July 31, 1789 ; died Dec. 12, 1700; William Cummings, born Aug. 16, 1790; Phiheas Hemmenway, born May 6, 1792, died Feb. 23, 1872 ; Bridget, born Jan. 19, 1795, died Aug. 9, 1796; Josiah Rhodes, born Feb. 22, 1797; Bridget, born Dec. 10, 1798, died Sept. 12, 1800; Mira. born Nov. 28, 1800 ; David, born Dec. 27, 1802, died Dec. 11, 1833; Mil- ton, born July 11, 1804; Adam Mont- gomery, born May 18, 1806, died Oct. 5, 1863; Sarah, born March 10, 1808; Lucetta, born March 4, 1810 ; Charles Cocsworth Pinokney, born Jan. 10, 1812, died March 7, 1816; Mary Ann, born Sept. 17, 1814; died July 24, 1841; of these, Rhodes, Milton, Sarah and Lucetta, are still living ; Mr. Holden's grandparents were David Holden, born Dec. 10, 1738, and Sarah Hemmenway, born Oct. 25, 1739 ; they were married July 13, 1761, and had nine children. David Holden, died Aug. 8, 1803, and Sarah Hemmen- way Holden, died April 7, 1830 ; his great- grandparents were John Holden, born about 1695, and Sarah Davis, born in 1700; they were married Nov. 22, 1715, and had ten children ; she died Dec. 21, 1753, and he died Dec. 27, 1753 ; John's grand- parents were Richard Holden, born in 1609, and Martha Fosdick ; they were married between 1634 and 1639; they had nine children ; he died March 1, 1696, aged 87 years; she died in 1681. John, the last named, and his brother Justian, were born in Suifolk Co., En'g.; they were arrested in the streets of London for their adherence to Puritanism, but through the influence of a member of Parliament, named Holden, they were released and fled to America ; they embarked at Tip- wich, in April, 1634, in the ship Francis, and settled in Watertown and Cambridge, in Massachusetts. The father of Phineas Hemmenway was a cooper by trade, and, with his young wife, early removed to Groton, N. H., where they settled on a small farm, where the subject of this sketch received as good an education as the country at that time afforded. His father was for many years one of the Selectmen of the town, quite a prominent position at that time, and died Oct. 13, 1823; his mother died Dec. 30, 1839; Mr. Holden was married April 17, 1817, to Betsey Parker, daughter of Levi Parker, who was born June 25, 1752, and Abigail Pool, of Hollis ; her father had by his first wife, who was Rebecca Fletcher, of Westford, Mass.: Levi, born Jan. 9, 1778; William, born in 1780 ; George, born Oct. 11, 1783; by his second wife, whom he married in 1785: James, born Jan. 6, 1787; Luther, born ; Calvin,' born ■; Betsey, Jan. 14, 1792, and Samuel, June 23, 1800. Her grandparents were William Parker, of Groton, and Susanna Kemp, who were married March 30, 1736, and had: Susanna, born Feb. 10, 1737; William, Sept. 28, 1741 ; Tytil, born May 1, 1744; Samuel, March 7, 1746 ; Isaac, born Jan. 22, 1749 ; Levi, June 25, 1752; Susanna, Oct. 10, 1755, and Ruth, no date given. Mrs. Holden's mother died July 16, 1823, aged 64 years; her father diud Sept. 10, 1825, aged 72 years; of the children, Samuel only is living; he resides at Davenport, Iowa ; is now 78 years old, but in good health. Mrs. Holden's father was an oflBcer of the Revolution, and was attached to the command of Gen. Wash- ington, and stationed near West Point at the time of the treason of Gen. Arnold, and at which time Major Andre of the British army, was detected as a spy and arrested at Tarrytown, N. r.jand executed at Tappan, on the Hudson River ; Lieut. Levi Parker saw him hung, and, so long as he lived, related the sad spectacle, and re- gretted that Arnold could not have been hung in his stead ; Lieut. Parker was a meritorious and gallant officer, serving during the war. Mr. and Mrs. Holden were married at Dunstable, Mass., April 17, 1817, and immediately commenced life together on a small farm in Groton, N. H. ; here they lived until 1830, when they removed with their family of six children to West Hartford, Vt.; at this place, Mr. Holden purchased 80 acres of land, mostly timber, and commenced his new farm with that energy only known to FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. 841 those who have seen the ups and downs of New England life; they remained here until the spring of 1836, when they sold their little homestead, and, on June 1, emigrated with their family of nine chil- dren, for Illinois, arriving at Chicago June 30, 1836 ; Mr. Holden's younger brother, Josiah, had settled in Will County, near Joliet, in 1834, whither Mr. Holden and his family immediately proceeded; they found him and his family finely located on the Du Page River, about seven miles below Pluinfield, and were received with true Western hospitality ; shortly after this, Mr. Holden located a claim of 160 acres at Skunk Grove, on the headwaters of Hickory Creek (now Frankfort), where they commenced life in earnest on the prairie ; they erected a snug log house, and here they struggled together for many years to ' raise their large family, working early and late, and economizing in every possible manner ; when they began their prairie home, the county was entirely new, the nearest neighbor on the south wag thirty miles, at Bourbonnais Grove ; the nearest post office, fourteen miles, at Joliet. Their claim was on the Sac trail, a path worn deep in the ground by the Indians ; this trail had been traveled for centuries, by all appearances — it was the Indians' direct route from Detroit to the Far West — it ran nearly on a bee-line ; the Indians had displayed such good judgment in lay- ing but this trail, that the settlers, as the country became settled, adopted it ; in many places this trail was worn for more than two feet in the earth, and no man of this day can tell or form any idea as to how long it had been traveled by the red man. Their family now consisted of Elizabeth W., born in Tyngsboro, Mass., April 27, 1818; Newton P., born at Groton, N. H., June 20, 1820; Mary Plmeline, born in Groton, N. H , Sept. 13, 1822; David L., born in Groton, N. H., Nov. 13, 1824 ; Charles C. P., born in Groton, N. H., Aug. 9, 1827 ; Sarah Ann C, born in Groton, N. H., Sept. 3, 1829: George M., born in West Hartford, Vt, July 11, 1831 ; Mira Jane, born in West Hartford, Vt., June 30, 1833, and Levi Parker, was born in West Hartford, Vt., July 14, 1835 ; Mary Emeline was married to J. W. Freer, then a farmer on the Kankakee River, above Wihnington, in this State, Feb. 22, 1844; she died of consumption, Nov. 28, 1845, leaving one son, Henry C. Freer ; Sarah Ann C., died of consumption, Feb. 13, 1847 ; she was a lovely girl, admired by all who knew her ; she was the idol of her father's family ; the loss of these two loving daughters weighed heavily upon Mr. Holden, as also upon the whole family ; Elizabeth W. was married to Cromwell Wilson, of Fort Madison, Lowa, Jan. 9, 1848 ; Mr. Wilson is a retired capitalist ; they have never had any children-; they reside at Fort Madison. Newton P. was married to Caroline Parish, June 30, 1847, at Bristol, 111. ; they have had : Sarah, Wright P., Milton and Frank ; Sarah died Feb. 11, 1873, with consumption; Wright is studying law ; Frank is at school, and Milton is on his father's farm, at Frankfort ; David L. was married to Miss Esther Parish in 1871, and has four fine boys — Homer Phineas, Charles C. P., Howard and Morton; George M. was married in 1856, to Minerva Butler, and had several children, two of whom only are living — -Charles and William ; Mira Jane was married to J. M. Brown, and has had several children, two of whom only are living — Malcolm and Willis ; Levi Parker was married to Charlotte E. Rey- nolds in March, 1865; they have two lovely little girls — Birdie and Cora ; Charles C. P. was married, Sept. 17, 1855, to Sarah J. Reynolds, who died July 26, 1873, of purpura hemorrhagica, aged 37 years 3 months and 15 days ; Mr. and Mrs. Holden lived to see the country, which was a wilderness when they came to it, settled up and dotted all over with first- class farms, with villages in every direction, railroads running through all parts of the State, with one through their own farm ; they had lived to see all these things ac- complished, and their children well settled in life. April 17, 1867, they had their golden wedding, all their children being present, except EHzabeth; many came from Chicago to congratulate the aged couple on their fiftieth anniversary of their wedding ; it was a happy time for all — chil- dren and grandchildren. Mrs. Holden was afflicted with a cancer in the face, which first made its appearance in about 1864; it continued to grow and spread, until Sept. 24, 1869, when she yielded up other life this dreaded disease ; during the 842 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: last years of her life, she had suffered the most excruciating pain, but bore it all with a meekness and forbearance seldom to be met with in this world ; from her youth, she had been a consistent Baptist, not merely in word but in deed ; the privations she had to endure during many years after her removal to Illinois, were met without a murmur, saying " it is all for the best"; she lived for her family, and those she left behind her are sad witnesses of this fact ; she always had a kind word for everybody and none knew her but to love her ; Mr. Holden took her death very hard, but would fill up the time as best he could in visiting his children in Chicago, Joliet and elsewhere ; he had been in his neighbor- hood quite a prominent man, always taking an active part in politics, but never seeking oifice ; he had been an original Henry Clay Whig, but since that party had become extinct, he had joined the Republicans ; when Lincoln was nominated for the Presi- dency the first time, in 1860, he was an anxious looker-on in the lobby of the Convention ; Lincoln having been an old Whig, he claimed that he would make a safe and good President ; of this he was sure; the truthfulness of this assertion has ■been verified to the letter. Mr. Holden was present at the laying of the corner- stone for the Bunker Hill Monument, which corner-stone was laid by Gen. La- fayette, June 17, 1825 ; he was a careful observer, and read much from the news- papers of the day, keeping well posted as regards current events ; early in February, 1872, he took a severe cold, caused by a trip which he had taken to visit his chil- dren in Chicago ; his condition was not thought to be dangerous, when, suddenly he was taken away, dying on February 23, 1872, at the good old age of 79 years 9 months and 18 days ; he died on his farm, that which he located in August, 18.'56; he was buried by the side of Mrs. Holden and his two daughters, Emeline and Sarah, in a beautiful lot in Oakwood Cemetery, near Joliet. HON. CHARLES C. P. HOLDEN, Chicago ; is a native of Groton, New Hampshire ; he was born on the 9th of August, 18.^7, and is the son of Phineas H. and Betsey P. Holden. His mother was the only daughter of Lieut. Levi jarker, of the Continental army. His parents had a small farm among the rugged hills of New Hampshire. In 1830, they removed to West Hartford, Vermont, set- tling on an eighty-acre farm, where they re- mained until June 1, 1836, at which time they removed, with their family of nine children, to Illinois. Arriving in Chicago on the morning of June 30, 1836, the family at once obtained conveyances and started for the country, first seeking the home of Josiah R. Holden, brother of the senior Holden, who lived a few miles below Plainfield, on the Du Page River, in Will County. After a brief visit, Mr. Holden located a claim at Skunk Grove on the headwaters of Hickory Creek, now Frank- fort. Mr. Holden received but a very limited education, having to go with his brothers and sisters a distance of three miles to a school kept in a rude log hut. Subsequently, the family had a school taught in their own house, and the teacher of the school was Mr. A. B. Saffbrd, now a leading banker of Cairo, 111. In 1842, his father placed him in Charles Sweet's grocery store on North Water street, where the freight-house of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway now stands. In 1845, he went into W. W. Barlow's bookstore, where he remained on a salary of $ 1 2 per month until the spring of 1847, at which time, the Mexican war still raging, he enlisted in Company F, 5th Regiment Illinois Volun- teers. Mr. Holden carried his musket for nineteen months, serving until the close of the war. After a short visit to his home he entered the employment of A. H. & C. Burley, booksellers, at that time at 122 Lake street in this city. He remained in their service until March 19, 1850, at which time he left, in company with seven others, by the overland route, for California, where he arrived early in July of that year. Mr. Holden immediately commenced mining, and following it closely for fifteen months in the dry diggings of Logtown, and on the Middle Fork of the American River, when in October, 1851, he joined his old employer, W. W. Barlow, and went to Napa Valley, where he entered into farm- ing and stock-raising, remaining here until the fall of 1853, when he closed up his operations, and took passage on the steam- ship Winfield Scott from San Francisco, December 1, for home. The second night FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. 84S out, when off Santa Barbara, in a dense fog, the steamship was wrecked by running on the rocks of Anna Capa Island. The passengers, however, were safely landed, arriving in New York January 1, 1864. From New York he went to New England, returning to Chicago, March 18, 1854. February 20, 1855, he entered the service of the Illinois Central Railroad Company in its land department, with which cor- poration he continued until February 4, 1873. September 17, 1855, Mr. Holden was married to Miss Sarah J. Reynolds, daughter of Isaac N. and Rue Ann Rey- nolds, of New Lenox, Will Co., 111. His wife was born on the farm where he married her ; her mother, Mrs. Reynolds,was a daughter of the late Abraham Holder- man, who was one of the first settlers in northern Illinois, having located a large tract of land at Holderman's Grove, La Salle and Kendall Counties, in 1830. Mr. Holderman was a native of Pennsylvania. In 1858, Mr. Holden was a delegate to the State Convention at Springfield, 111., at which Convention Abraham Lincoln was first brought prominently before the American people. In April, 1861, Mr. Holden was elected to the Common Coun- cil of Chicago. When Mr. Holden first entered the Council, the war had just been declared. The Council voted money and supplies liberally to its citizen volunteers, and through his own effort, in 1862, he raised a company (E) for the 88th Illinois Volunteers. This company was com- manded by his brother, Levi P. Holden, who had enlisted in the service at the be- ginning of the war in the 20th Illinois Volunteers. Subsequently Capt. Holden was promoted to Major of the same regi- ment. He had one other brother in the service, David L. Holden, who was com- missary Sergeant of the 53d Regiment. Mrs. Holden also had two brothers in the service, one of whom, John H. Reynolds, a Sergeant in Company E, 88th Illinois Volunteers, died January 23, 1863, in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., just after the battle of Stone River. Joseph S.Reynolds another brother, was a Captain in the Yates Sharpshooters ; and, after going with Sher- man to the sea, he returned home a Brig- adier-General. Mr. Holden had a repre- sentative in the army in the person of Alonzo C. Ide; Mrs. Holden had hers in the person of Harris Durkee ; and her sister, Rowena P. Reynolds, had one in the person of Frederick A. Hausmann. Late in 1864, when President Lincoln called for 300,000 more, Chicago's quota was very large, and the various wards were called upon for their respective quota. Mr. Hol- den organized a draft association, of which he was President, for his ward (at that time the Tenth), to raise money to fill their quota, and succeeded . in raising nearly $52,000 for this purpose. There was no draft in this ward. In December, 1870, Mr. Holden was elected President of the Common Council, and at the time of the great fire, when all was confusion, the main part of the city in ruins, after looking over the field on the morning of Oct. 9, he quickly con- cluded that something had to be done to- relieve the 100,000 people then in dire distress, and that, too, quickly. Calling to his aid Mr. 0. E. Moore and Capt. Miller, he took possession of the church on the corner of Ann and Washington streets, and here was formed a nucleus which subsequently became world-renowned for the great good done. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon of that ever memorable day, Mr. Holden had succeeded in getting together the Mayor and Police Commissioner Brown, when, at his request, the Hon. S. S. Hayes drew up the following proclamation : WiiEKEAs, In the providence of God, to whose will we humbly submit, a terrible ca- lamity has befallen our city, which demands of us our best efforts for the preservation of order and the relief of the suffering; Be it known, That the faith and credit of the city of Chicago is hereby pledged for the nec- essary expenses for the re ief of the suffering. Public order will be preserved. The police and special police, now being appointed, will be responsible for the maintenance of the peace and the protection of property. All officers and men of the fire department and health department will act as special police- men without further notice. The Mayor and Comptroller will give vouchers for all supplies furnished by the different relief committees. The headquarters of the city government will be at the Congregational Church, corner of West Washington and Ann streets. All per- sons are warned against any acts tending to endanger property. All persons caught in any depredations, will be immediately arrested. With the help of God, order and peace and private property .shall be preserved. The city- government and committees of citizens pledge- themselves to the community to protect them '844 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: and prepare the way for a restoration of pub- lic and private welfare. It is believed the fire has spent its force and all will soon be well. R. B. Mason, Mayor. Geokgb Tayloe, Comptroller. (By R. B. Mason.) Charles C. V. Holden, President Common Council. T. B. Brown, President Board of Police. Chicago, October 9, 1871. After the great fire both political parties Bominated him for the mayoralty. Hon. Joseph Medill was nominated upon what was termed the fire-proof ticket for the same position. The city press indorsed the fire-proof ticket. Mr. Holden, with his associates on the ticket, made a gallant fight, but were beaten at the polls, and the entire fire-proof ticket was elected. Mr. Hol- den continued to serve in theCouncil untjl the until the expiration of his term,Dec. 1, 1872. In February, 1873, Mayor Medill nominated Mr. Holden for the position of Police Com- missioner. Mr. Holden, being largely engag- ed in building at the time, declined the prof- fered position, as will be seen by the following: Hon. Joseph Medill, Mayor, Dear Sir: From the proceedings of the Council last evening, I learn that my name was submitted by your honor as Police Com- missioner, to fill the vacincy caused 'by the removal of Mr. Reno. While I am not only willing but anxious to serve your honor and the best interest of the city in its present diffi- oulties, my other positive engagements will not allow me to fill the proffered position. Thanking you most kindly for your preference, I have to ask that you will submit some other name and withdraw mine from the Common Council, I am, yours most respectfully, Charles C. P. Holuek. Mr. Holden was appomted West Chi- cago Park Commissioner by Gov. Palmer, in March, 1869, and re-appointed in 1871, for seven years. In 1872, he was one of the Greeley electors on the State ticket ; he was elected County Commissioner in November, 1874, for the term of three years ; Mr. Holden was chosen President of the County Board on the first Monday in December, 1876 ; the Court House had but just been commenced, but during his term of ofilce he gave it his unqualified attention, laying the corner-stone of the same July 4, 1877 ; the County Hospital was also begun and carried to completion ■during his term of Cocnmissioner ; in 1867, Mr. Holden procured the charter for the Chicago & Illinois River Railroad, and during its first years was its President ; it is now in operation between Joliet and Streator ; Mr. Holden is now engaged in building the Joliet & Mendota Short Line Railway. Mr. Holden's wife died after a long and painful illness, July 26, 1873 ; she was a most lovely woman, adored by all who knew her ; for nearly eighteen years she had been the joy of Mr. Hold- en's household, making all happy around her, and Mr. Holden attributes the great success which he had during those years to his departed and lovely wife ; soon aft- er their marriage, and in 1858, her sister, Rowena P. Reynolds, came to live with the family, and has ever since been a mem- ber of it ; Mr. Holden's sister, Sarah Ann C., died of consumption in 1847 ; his sis- ter Mary Emeline, wife of Dr. J. W. Freer, died of consumption in 1846 ; his mother, Betsey Parker Holden, died of cancer in the face Sept. 24, 1869, aged 78 years; his father, Phineas H. Holden, died of old age, hurried on by a severe cold, Feb. 23, 1872, aged 79 years and 10 months ; his wife and these members of his family now rest in the beautiful Oak- wood Cemetery, near Joliet, in this State. Mr. Holden was married to Miss Louise R. Jones, daughter of John Jones, of Cin- cinnati, Ohio, on, the 28th of April, 1875. < Of his father's family living, there are Newton P. Holden, County Physician of Cook Co.; David L. Holden, station agent for the Illinois Central Railroad at Mat- teson, III; George M. Holden, long of this city, now in the employ of the city as one of its trusted officers; Maj. Levi P. Holden, at Hampton, Iowa; Mrs. Eliza- beth W. Wilson, of Ft. Madison, Iowa, and Mrs. Mira J. Brown, of Chicago. SARAH J. HOLDEN, daughter of ■ Isaac N. and Rue Ann Reynolds, was born April 11, 1836; she was the second child of a family of ten children, the eldest be- ing a boy ; her parents, at the time of her birth, lived on a farm seven miles east of Joliet, in this State (now New Lenox); they were among the very first settlers in Will Co., having located there in 1834; Mrs. Holden's mother was the daughter of the late Abraham Holderman, one of the pioneers of Northern Illinois, having located at Holderman's Grove, in La Salic Co., in 1830. Mrs. Holden being the eldest daughter of thefamily, much devolved FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. 845 on her, as is usually the case, especially in a new country ; and when a mere child she exhibited those traits of industry that were so noticeable in her through life. At the age of 7 years, pieced, with her own hands, a bedquilt, which is now in the posses- sion of the bereaved husband as a relic of her industrious habits in her younger years. At the age of 10, while gathering gum from the wild rosin weed,, on the prairie, in company with her younger brother, Joseph S. (now State Senator from Chicago),- she was bitten by a rattle- snake, and, being some distance from her home, ere she reached it the virus had de- veloped itself throughout her system. Everything was done that could be to allay the poison ; physicians were called, and, after weeks of great suffering, she slowly recovered from the effects of the bite of this most poisonous reptile. She received a good education at the district school and in the academies of Joliet and Plainfield. Mr. Holden can well remember seeing her by the roadside, going to and from school when a mere child, the Holden family liv- ing but a few miles from the Reynolds homestead. On Sept. 17, 1855, she mar- ried Mr. Charles C. P. Holden, and from tliat period till the day of her fatal sickness, it was her greatest pleasure to make her home pleasant, and friends around her hap- py. She always wanted some member of her parents' family included in her house hold, and, in the spring of 1858, she pre- vailed upon them to let her younger sister (Birdie) come and live permanently in her family. She loved her home, and very seldom took the usual pleasure-trips that most people enjoy so much. In 1857, she accompanied her husband on a trip to New England and the White Mountains. She liked well enough the trip of a couple of days, to Springfield, Cairo, Dubuque, or some other neighborhing city, but did not enjoy long ones. On one occasion, Mr. Holden was going to Cincinnati on busi- ness ; it was in 1870, and when asked if she would not like to go along, she replied, '' No ; I will stay at home. Birdie had better go." Again, Mr. Holden proposed to go to Niagara, but Mrs. Holden sug- gested that she preferred to remain at home, and said, " Take Hattie and Birdie." And so it was at all times. When but a child it had been her greatest delight to aid her mother in her household duties. Long before she was large enough to stand by the side of the table, she would get a chair and stand in that, and by so do- ing be enabled to wash and wipe her mother's dishes, which otherwise she could not accomplish. She lost a dearly-beloved brother, who died in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., a few days after the hard-fought battle of Stone River, in January,1863 — John H. Reynolds,who but . a few months before had enlisted in Capt. L. P. Holden's company, in the 88th 111. V. I ; and, the following spring, her younger brother, C. C. P. Reynolds, died of scarlet fever. The death of these two brothers seemed a hard blow to her. She had one other brother in the army. Gen. Joseph S., whom she followed with a sister's love until he went with Sherman to the Sea, and then returned in safety to his home. Her eldest brother, Abram H. Reynolds, lived with his family at Wenona, 111., and it was in the spring of 1867 that word came that his family were severely sick, when by the next train Mrs. Holden was en route for Wenona ; and in a few days, when she returned, she brought with her his youngest daughter, then 3 years old, a lovely little girl. She had been named after Mrs. Holden, Sarah J. She had taken such a liking for little Sadie that she prevailed upon the parents to allow her to keep the child, and she has ever since re- mained in the family, Mrs. Holden always taking the greatest pains to properly bring up and educate her. Before her death, she would often speak of Sadie, hoping that she might continue to be a good girl and a blessing to the family. Mrs. Holden was very benevolent, and from the time she commenced housekeeping until the day of her sickness, she had one or more families whom she was aiding in various ways to make a livelihood, and some of those whom she had so befriended, with tears in their eyes, followed her remains to the tomb. Early in March, 1872, she went to visit her parents at New Lenox, as was usual with her several times a year, and, whilst at their home, on March 14th, was sudden- ly prostrated in sickness. She was taken violently sick with purpura hemorrhagica. Dr. Holden, her brother-in-law,who resides at Frankfort, was called immediately to her bedside, and did all that could be done to 846 BIOGKAPHICAL SKETCHES: save her life. Dr. Casey, of Joliet, and Freer, of Chicago, were also called in con- sultation. For four months she lay at the point of death. Her mother and sisters Hattie, Birdie and Lottie (who came from Iowa on purpose to minister to her), were constantly in attendance, as was also her sister-in-law, Caroline P. Holden, for a large portion of the time; and her hus- band attributes the saving of her life at that time to the extraordinary care and attention that she received from those above mentioned and others ; he believes if it had not been for Dr. Holden she could not have survived that first attack. In J uly, a change took place, and she slowly began to recover ; and, on Oct. 12, had so far recovered as to be enabled to once more look upon her own home ; and never was mortal more happy at the result than was Mr. Holden. But, sad to say, she was not fully restored to health; it was only partial, and that but temporary. She had several severe attacks during the winter of 1873, the disease having assumed another character, and now appeared in disease of the bladder. In the month of April, she expressed much anxiety for the health of her sister Birdie, whose constitution she feared was giving away, caused by over- watchfulness and care upon her during her long sickness ; and an opportunity having presented itself by which Rowena (Birdie j could take a trip with her brother Joseph S. Reynolds, to Europe, Mrs. Holden urged that she should do so; "for," she said, "it will, in all probability, save Birdie's life, and her absence will have no eflfeet as to the final result with myself" Birdie left Chicago for this trip May 7, 1873, in company with her brother, her sister Hat- tie immediately taking her place until her return. It was a sad parting, the two sisters, who had been so closely allied to- gether for more than fifteen years, now to separate, and probably forever. In July, she commenced rapidly to fail; her mother and sister Hattie were constantly with her to alleviate her sufiering as best they could. She gradually grew weaker, and, on Friday, July 25, at about 3 o'clock P. M., she called her husband to her bedside, when she said to him, " Charles, I cannot live but a little while. God has forgiven my sins, and I am ready to die." She then made various bequests — to her sister Birdie she gave her diamond ring and many other articles of great value and use- fulness ; to her sister flattie she gave her watch and chain ; also a heavy plain ring, together with other articles ; to her sister Lottie she gave her pearl and jet jewelry ; to her mother, her sister-in-law Caroline (Dr. Holden's wife), her niece Sadie, and others, she gave beautiful presents. While making these bequests, she suddenly stopped and said, " Charles, what shall I give you?" Thinking for a moment, she said, "Oh, I will give you my books." As she had quite a collection of valuable works, and knowing her husband's fondness for their library, no doubt flashed across her mind when she made this valuable gift. Mr. Holden asked her what dispo- sition she wished to make of her silver- ware — for she had a large quantity — her reply was, " Oh. you will need it." She had, at different times, brought money into the family, but, above all, had brought to her husband's aid, for more than seventeen years, her advice, which was to him of inestimable value. Soon after this conver- sation, she relapsed into a weak stupor, but was perfectly conscious when aroused, and during the night repeatedly assured those caring for her of her trust in the Savior. Toward morning she was suffering very much, and, as her mother was bending over her, in deep grief, the husband said, " Sarah, do you know your mother?" when, quickly looking up, she replied, " Why, bless your heart, yes. The Messenger came at 10:25 A. M., July 26, and then passed away one of the noblest and best women that ever adorned a house- hold. " Forever shall she be in praise, Named softly as the household name Of one whom God has taken." Her father and mother are still living. Her brother, Abram H., married Martha Link, and they have five children living ; Sarah, his second daughter, has been adopted by Mr. Holden. Her brothers, Isaac, William and Gen. Joseph S., are still living, as also her sisters, Harriet A., Charlotte E. and Rowena P. ; the latter is a member of Mr. Holden's family. [From the Chicago Evening Journal, July 28, 18T3.] This forenoon, at 11 o'clock, the rela- tives and friends of C. C. P. Holden, Esq., assembled at his residence, No. 323 West FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. 847 Monroe street, for the purpose of uniting with him in paying the last earthly tribute of respect to his wife, deceased on Satur- day last. It will be remembered by the readers of the Journal, that early in the spring of 1872, Mrs. Holden, while on a visit to her parents at New Lenox, Will Co., in this State, was taken violently sick with purpura hemorrhagica, and for many months was not expected to live, but finally a change took place, and Id the following October she so far recovered as to be able to be brought home. She gained steadily until the middle of December, when she was again prostrated by severe sickness. From this attack she partially recovered in the months of March and April, but in the month of May she was again attacked with more severity than ever, resulting in her death, as stated. The deceased was a few months over 37 years of age, and was mar- ried to Mr. Holden on Sept. 17, 1855 ; she was the daughter of Isaac N. and Rue Ann Reynolds, upon whose farm, in Will Co., she was born ; she was a granddaugh- ter of the late Abraham Holderman, who was one of the original pioneers of North- ern Illinois, having settled at Holderman's Grove, La Salle Co., in 1831. Mrs. Holden was a woman of most amiable dis- position and great kindness of heart. Her manners were very engaging, and all who knew her were won by the kindness which always illuminated her face with its attract- iveness. She was eminently domestic in all her tastes, finding the happiness of her life in her family, and studying to make home attractive, and those she loved happy. During her entire and most distressing ill- ness, she constantly exhibited a childlike trust in Grod and submission to His will that most beautifully illustrated the con- solations afibrded by a religious faith. Only the day before her death, she called her friends about her, assured them of her trust in the Savior, her belief thac she could not live, her readiness to die, and then passed away in the hope of a blessed immortality. Mr. Holden, in this deep afiliction, has the heartfelt sympathy of an extended circle of friends, as was attested by the large num- ber present at the funeral services this morning. Among the prominent citizens present were Hon. L. L. Bond, Samuel Hoard, E. F. Runyan, Alderman Wilce, ex-Aldermen Daggy and Salisbury, E. S. Albro, Alderman Bateham, and C. N. Holden. The house was filled to overflow- ing with friends of the family, all desirous of viewing the face of the " dear departed," ere her remains should be laid away for- ever in the silent tomb. In the center of the front parlor stood the elegant metallic casket in which reposed the remains of the deceased lady. The casket was beau- tifully adorned with flowers and sprigs of evergreens, and at the foot stood a small harp encircled by flowers of sweetest fra- grance. On the top of the burial case, surrounded by a wreath of white roses, there was a silver plate bearing the follow- ing inscription : " Sarah J. Holden. Died July 26, 1873, aged 37 years 3 months and 15 days." Around the casket con- taining the sacred clay were gathered the husband, child, father, mother, brother, and several other relatives of the deceased. The solemn and impressive ceremonies were opened with music, a portion of the choir of the Second Baptist Church singing a plaintive dirge, with organ accompani- ment. After the singing, Rev. T. W. Goodspeed, of the same Church, read a portion of Scripture from the eighth chap- ter of Romans. He then proceeded to make some very appropriate and touching remarks, setting forth the more prominent characteristics of the deceased, mentioning several interesting incidents of her illness, and her religious experience, etc. He spoke from a personal acquaintance with the departed one, of her amiability and many virtues. At the close of his address, the choir sang the well-known hymn com- mencing: "Sister, thou wast mild and lovely." At the conclusion of this exer- cise. Rev. E. S. Osgood, D. D., an ol(i and intimate friend of the Holden family, made a few remarks appropriate to the occasion, and then the friends took a final look at the face of the deceased, and amid sobs and tears which told of the heavy sorrow resting upon many hearts, the casket was closed and borne to the waiting hearse, Messrs. Aldermen Wilce and Bateham, E. S. Albro, Prof. Palmer, J. T. Lit- tle and David Cole acting as the pall- bearers. A long line of carriages was then formed, and the funeral cortege slowly wended its way to Rosehill Ceme- tery, where the remains were deposited in a vault. 848 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: LINES ON THE DEATH OF MRS. C. C. P. HOLDEN. 0, weary, suffering one, How sweet must be the blessed hour of rest ! Life's labors ended, duties nobly done, The tired hands folded on the peaceful breast, Ko more life's road by weary feet is trod ; She rests in peace — the perfect peace of God, That passeth understanding — -all the strife. The conflict, ended, and the crown of life And victory is won. We will not call her dead — Only passed on a little while before us ; Though very bitter are the tears we shed, And dark the clouds of sorrow brooding o' er us, A light comes through the open gates of heaven, Glimpses of Glory to our souls are given ; The still, small voice, calming the troubled deep. Whispers, " He giveth His beloved sleep;" And we are comforted. Passed from our longing sight, Like stars at dawn of day — not dead, but risen, Ascended to the morning-land of light ; Like a glad bird escaping from its prison. The soul has found its wings, and soars on high. Throwing the worn-out mortal garments by — Borne by the Angels to the realms of day. Where God Himself shall wipe all tears away. And there is no more night. The tears of sorrow shed Are not for her, our beautiful departed ; But for ourselves we mourn uncomforted. Left desolated, alone, and broken-hearted, And longing with unutterable pain To hear the sweet and loving voice again. The dear companionship of love to share That once made life so beautiful and fair ; Vljhat bitter grief to know the holy light Of loving eyes no more will bless our sight ! Alone life's path to tread. Alone and desolate. But not forsaken. Love can never perish ; The faithful dove cannot forget her mate, Nor cease Love's holy memories to cherish. The faithful friend, the gentle, loving wife, The brightest jewel in the crown of life — Love ! most precious gift to mortals given. Gone, but not lost, — to be restored in Heaven — For this we pray and wait ! LouESA Sanqee. Fkankfort, Will Co., July, 1874. SIMON HOHENSTEIN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Mokena ; was born in Germany Sept. 17, 1837 ; came to the United States in 1853, and to this State, and settled in this county in the same year. His farm consists of eighty- five acres, valued at $6,000. He was married to Charlotte Knapp, who was born in Ger- many ; they have had seven children, six of whom are living, viz., Simon, Charley. Daniel, Conrad, Charlotte and Peter ; de- ceased, Charlotte J. Mr. H. is at present holding the office of Assessor ; he has held office of Collector in Greengarden one year, and one year in Frankfort Tp WESLE Y D. JONES, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Mokena ; one of our first settlers ; was born in Vermont Sept. 29, 18i4 ; came to this State with his father's family in 1844. His farm, which is located on Sees. 5 and 16 in Frankfort Tp., and on Sec. 32 in Orland, Copk Co., consists of 220 acres, and is valued at $11,000. He was married to Miss Helen Granger Dec. 11, 1854; they have had seven chil- dren, six of whom are living, viz., Wright, Albert L., Mary, Nellie, AUanson G. and Lottie ; deceased, Lloid. PHILIPP KLEPPBK, manufacturer of carriages and wagons, Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany Sept. 3, 1842 ; came to the United States with his father's family in 1847, and settled in Frankfort Tp. Mr. K. was married to Miss Mary DroeslerJ; they have had six children, three of whom are living — Henry, Mary and Nannie •, deceased, Etta, John and Philip. KARL KNAPP, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Mokena ; was born in Ger- many Jan. 6, 1818; came to the United States in 1850, and settled in Ohio, where he remained one year ; he then removed to Illinois and settled in Will Co. ; he has been a resident of Frankfort for the past eighteen years. His farm consists of eighty acres, valued at $5,000. He was married to Miss Katherina Knapp; they have had eleven children, eight. of whom, are living, viz., Charlotte, Karl, Daniel, Christian, Carolina, Johannas, Katherina and August ; deceased, Daniel, Carolina and Nicholas. MARTIN KRAPP, of the firm of Krapp & Cappel, butchers and dealers in live-stock ; P.O. Mokena; was born in Germany Oct. 2, 1831 ; United States in 1854, and to this State in the same year, when he settled in Blue Island ; he removed from there to Mokena. in 1857. He was married to . Miss Katrina Stefi'an April 25, 1857; have had four children, three of whom are living, viz., Sophia, Louisa and Emil. Mr. Krapp has held office of Township Trustee in Frankfort Tp. nine years. CHARLES KARCH, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; was born. FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. 849' in Herkimer Co., N. Y., July 9, 1844; came to this State with his father's family in 1848, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., 111., ; he is the son of H. J. Karch, who is one of our first settlers and pioneers ; his farm consists of 160 acres, valued at $10,000. He was married May 17, 1876, to Miss Mary Kampe, who was born in Cook Co., 111., Feb. 27, 1855. Mr. Karch has, in connection with his farming pursuits, the agency for the sale of all kinds of farming implements and the Wilson Sewing Machine ; also has been general insurance agent for five years. FEED KEMPE, farmer and stock-' raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany, April 14, 1826 ; came to the United States in 1854, and to Illinois in the same year; he has been a resident of Frankfort for the past fifteen years; his farm consists of 325 acres valued at $15,000. He was married to Miss Lottie Haemyn who was born in Germany ; they have had nine children, four of whom are living — Mary, Johnnie, Fred and Katie ; deceased. Christian, Doretta, Willie, Lottie and Henry. PETER KALMER, farmer and stock- raiser; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany Nov. 15, 1828 ; came to the United States with his father's family in 1852, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm consists of 125 acres, val- ued at $4,500. He was married to Miss Catherine Kalmer, was born in Germany ; they have had ten children, seven of whom are living, viz., Carolina, PhUlipena, Mary, Charley, Ranta, Lizzie and Albert ; de- ceased, Daniel, Katie and Jacob. J. R. LETTS, grain dealer and com- mission merchant, Frankfort Siation ; was born in Woodstock, Ont., Oct. 10, 1830 ; came to this State in 1845, and settled in Frankfort in 1855 ; he is a son of the late Jeremiah Letts, deceased. Was married July 26, 1854, to Miss Hulda Doty, who was born in Ohio, June 8, 1830; they have had nine children, all of whom are living, viz.; J. W., G. D., F. C, J. B., F. L., D., B., F. and L. Mrs. Letts died June 29, 1875. Mr. L. married again to Miss E. Williamson, who was born in Ohio April 16, 1831. He hag held the office of Constable one term, and during the war held the office of War Fund Commissioner nearly one year. WILLIAM H. LOGAN, carriage and house painter, grainer, and proprietor of Sorghum Works, Frankfort Station ; was born in Frankfort, Will Co., Jan. 20,. 1849 ; is the son of James Logan, who is one of our early settlers. Mr. L. was married to Miss Adele S. Quackenbush,. who was horn in New York May 25, 1850 ;• they have two children, viz.: Clara, Belle and Frank W. JOHN McDonald, dealer in grain, salt, coal, flour and hay, Frankfort Station ; one of our early and prominent settlers ; was born in Queens Co., Ireland, Dec. 11, 1823; came to the United States in 1841, and to this State in 1849; his first permanent residence in this State was in Frankfort, where he has since re- sided. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Doty, who was born in New Lenox, Will Co.,. 111.; they have three children, all of whom are living, viz., Herbert J., Edward E. and Charles H. He has been a success- ful dealer in grain for the past nineteen years ; he is also serving his third term of office as Supervisor of Frankfort Tp. JACOB MUELLER, general mer- chant, Frankfort Station; was born in Germany June 19, 1821; came to the United States in 1855, and to this State in 1856, and settled in Will Co.; he has been, a resident of Frankfort for the past nine years ; since his residence in this township he has held the office of School Director three years. He was married to Miss Catharina Sheer ; they have had seven children, four of whom arc now living, viz.: Minnie, John, Ella and George; deceased. Louisa, Daniel and Julia. MARTIN MUFF, proprietor of sample rooms and meat market, Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany May 8, 1834 ; came to the United States in 1852, and settled in the township of Frankfort ; followed farming here until 1863. In 1873, was elected President of the Frankfort Ger- mania Saengerbund, which received its certificate, duly signed and acknowledged, having been filed in the office of the Secre- tary of State June 22, 1875, for the legal organization of said society ; the property vested in this society, and of which Mr. Muff in President, consists of a hall located in the village of Frankfort, and three acres of land, situated in the same township. 850 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Mr. Muff was married to Miss Maria Haen ; they have had eleven children, eight of whom are living, viz., Jacob, Caroline, Theresa, Henry, Emma, Fred, August and Albert ; deceased — George and Charlotte, twins, and Henrietta. He has held office ■ of Constable six years ; his term for the same expires in April. 1880. OZIAS McGOViSlEY, general mer- chant ; P. 0. Mokena ; one of our first set- tlers and pioneers ; was born in Adams Co., Ohio, Dec. 4, 1824 ; came to this State with his father's family, and settled in the township of Frankfort, Will Co., in 1831. He received a liberal education in boyhood, and at the age of 25, was admitted as at- torney and solicitor in the courts of this State. Since his residence in the township, he has acted as Justice of the Peace twenty- one years, and post office official three years. He was married Jan. 20, 1846, to Miss Matilda J. Ellsworth, who was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., Feb. 23, 1829 ; they have had eight children, six of whom are living, viz., Nancy, 0. E., Emily M., Hattie, Arthur W. and Jessie ; deceased, Mary E. William W. NICHOLAS MARTI, farmer and stock -raiser ; P. 0. Mokena ; was born in Switzerland Sept. 26, 1824 ; came to the United States in 1851, and to this State, and settled in this county in the same year. His farm consists of 155 acres, valued at $10,000. He was married to Miss Mary Baumgartner, who was born in Switzerland ; they have nine children, viz., Nicholas, Caroline, Charlotte, Albert, Frederick, Frank, Mary, John and Emma. The farm of Mr. Marti is situated on Sees. 9 and 16. He is at present Commissioner of Highways. ALEXANDER McGLASHAN, farm- er and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Sta- tion ; one of our first settlers and pioneers ; was born in Scotland May 10, 1822 ; came to the United States in 1836, and to this State in the same year, when he settled in Chicago ; he removed from there to Prank- fort in 1843. His farm consists of 320 acres, valued at $16,000. He was married to Miss Leah Stone, who was born in England; they have seven children, viz., Annie, William, Charlotte, Sue, Laura, Jes- sie and Edith. HUGH McKEOWN, blacksmith, Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in the city of Belfast, Ireland.. Feb. 2,1834. He is the son of thelateHugh McKeown (deceased), who did an ex- tensive business in the city of Belfast as millwright. Mr. M. came to the United States in 1856, and to this State, and set- tled in Will Co. in the same year. He was one of our early settlers ; was born in the city of Belfast, Ireland, Feb. 2, 1834 ; came to the United States in 1856, and to Illinois, and settled in Will Co. in the same year. He was married to Miss Margaret Magee, who was born in Whitehouse, Ire- land, March 21, 1836 ; they have had six children, four of whom are living, viz., , William C, Albert W., Laura A. and Edith E. ; deceased, Edward C. and Hugh Thomas. Mr. McKeown is the oldest blacksmith in the village of Frankfort. Hia residence and shop are situated on Block 10, and are valued at $3,500. HENRY NETTELS, grain buyer, Frankfort Station ; born in Germany Feb. 2, 1826; came to the United States in 1853, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., 111. He is one of the first German settlers in Frankfort. He was married to Miss Sophia Ilgen ; they have had one child — Clara. Mr. N. was married again, to Miss Caroline Ilgen ; they have had seven chil- dren, four of whom are living, viz., Hugo, Frank, Isabella and Charley ; deceased, Caroline, Anna and an infant. Mr. N. has held office of Constable in Frankfort Tp., nine years, Collector one year and Assessor seven years. W. B. OWEN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our first settlers and pioneers ; was born in Clark Co., Ky., Jan. 24, 1826; came to this State, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., in 1834, at which time, there was not to exceed twelve families located in this town- ship. He is the son of the late Francis Owen, deceased, who preached the first sermon, and was the first local minister in the township. Mr. 0. was married Jan. 22, 1861, to Miss C. A. Cleveland, who was" born in Delaware Co., N. Y., Nov. 15, J 841 ; they have had ,seven children, viz., Mary Antoinette, Cora L., Francis Belle, Gracie E., James W., William C. and Edward F. The farm of Mr. 0. is located on Sees. 30 and 18 ; it contains 110 acres and is valued at $6,500. JAMES L. OWEN, farmer and breed- er of Norman or Percheron horses from ■4 ^^?Z(Jj^ CHAN N A HON IP. FRANKFORT TOWNSHIP. 853 imported stock ; P. 0. Mokena ; one of our first settlers and pioneers ;. was born in Clarke Co., Ky., Sept 19, 1824; came to this State with his father's family and set- tled in Frankfort Tp., Will Co., in 1834, although the township at that time was mot organized and did not have a name ; he is the son of the late Francis Owen, who purchased the first land pre-empted from the Government that is now in the township of Frankfort ; his pursuits have teen those of a farmer and stock raiser JTom boyhood ; he has been a breeder of the Norman or Percheron horse sioce 1865, and a breeder of and dealer in the the English draft horse since 1853 ; he is now one of our largest live-stock dealers in the county ; his farm consists of 400 acres, valued at $25,000. He was married Dec. 23, 1853, to Miss Catherine Madden, who was born in the city of Dublin, Ireland, Dec. 25, 1822; Mrs. Owen, during her recent travels through Europe (A. D. 1874) visited Glassneven Churchyard, Ire- land, wherefrom she plucked tufts of grass from the graves of Daniel 0' Cornell and William P. Allen and also from the graves of Michael Larkin and Michael O'Brien, who were hanged by order of the British Govern- ment A. D. 1867, and whose last words were, " God save Ireland ;" the monuments had been newly decorated ; she had also the honor to visit St. Michael's Churchyard wherein is the grave of Robert Emmett, who was the leader of the Irish insurrection of 1803 ; the place of burial, over which she waved the American flag, is marked ac- cording to his request, with but a single slab which bears no epitaph. Most tombs are engraved with the names of the dead, But yon dark slab declares not whose spirit has fled D. W. PADDOCK, retired ; P. 0. Mo- kena ; one of our first settlers and pio- neers ; was born in Washington Co., N. T., June 7, 1810 ; came to Illinois in 1834, and settled in Cook Co. i he re- moved to Will Co. in 1849, and settled in New Lenox ; he has been a resident of Mokena for the past twenty-five years. He has held the office of Postmaster eleven years and three months. He was married to Miss Julia N. Campbell May 1, 1853; they have had six children, one of whom is living, viz., Harriet ; deceased, four infants unnamed and Ira, aged 4 years and 6 months. CHARLES RAHM, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Ger- many Jan. 21, 1835; came to the United States in 1847, and to Frankfort, Will Co., 111., in the same year; his farm consists of 240 acres, is situated on Sec. 36, and is valued at $12,000. ALEXANDER REID, farmer and stock-raiser; P. 0. Frankfort Station .; one of our first settlers and pioneers ; born in Scotland March 22, 1816 ; came to the United States in 1838, and to this State, and settled on the Yankee Settlement in the same year ; he removed from there to Frankfort in 1846. His farm consists of 475 acres, valued at $28,000 ; it is situated on Sees. 12 and 13. JAMES SUTHERLAND, manufact- urer of carriages, wagons and farming im- plements, Frankfort Station ; wag born in Scotland Sept. 16, 1842 ; came to the United States in 1864, and settled in Frankfort in 1869. His business, since his residence in the township, has been that of a manufacturer and dealer in carriages and farm implements. He was married to Miss Mary Dunnett. who was born in Scotland; they have seven children, viz., Mary, Maggie, Matilda, Kenneth, Edith, Evan and Harold. D. S. STEPHEN, of the firm of Stephen Bros., manufacturers of agricultural imple- ments, wagons, buggies, etc., Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Scotland March 14, 1836 ; came to the United States in 1843, and to Illinois in 1844, when he settled in Homer, Will Co., excepting three years absence in Michigan, his residence has been in Will Co. He was married to Miss Addie C. Bathrick ; they have had two children, viz., Marian F. and Edwin L. JOSEPH S. STEPHEN, Notary Pub- lic, collector and conveyancer, Frankfort Station ; one of our early and active set^ tiers ; was born in Scotland June 10, 1841 ; came to the United States in 1843. He has been a resident of Will Co. for the past thirty-four years. Since his residence in Fran]ctbrt, which commenced in 1847, his business has been, at first, that of a farmer boy, receiving a liberal education. He, at the age of 31, entered into the grain 13 854 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: business, also, at about the same time, be was elected Justice of the Peace ; he re- tained the position four years. As a par- ticipant in the late war, he served in the 20th and 134th 111. V. I. three years and six months. He was married to Miss Helen Mitchell July 3, 1866. JOHN SCHUBERTH, general hard- ware merchant, Mokena ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany May 9, 1838 ; came to the United States with his father's family in 1847 ; he is the son of Andrew Schuberth. Mr. John Sohuberth was married to Miss Catherine Cappel Jan. 27, 1863; she was born in Germany June 17, 1844; they have had ten children, five of whom are living, viz., John, Heny, Andrew, Georgie and Fran- cie ; deceased, 'Johnnie, Elizabeth, Caro- line, an infant and Mary. Mr. S. has held the offices of Collector and Super- visor in Frankfort Township three years and six months. PETER SCHEER, farmer and stock raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany Sept. 18, 1836 ; came to the United States in 1847, and to this State and settled in Frankfort, "Will Co., in the same year; his farm consists of 180 acres, valued at $12,000. He was married to Miss Louisa Dralla, who was born in Germany; they have had two children, viz.; Valentin and Emma. His farm is situated on Sees. 15 and 22. MATHIAS STELLWAGEN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Ger- many May 12, 1832 ; came to the United States in 1842, and to this State in 1844, when he settled in Frankfort, Will Co. ; his farm consists of 240 acres, valued at S14,000 ; it is situated on Sees. 14 and 15 in Frankfort Tp., and Sec. 32 in Orland Tp., Cook Co. Mr. S. was married to Miss Margaret Stellwagen ; they have had six childrn, viz., William, John, Marga- ret C, Henry, Jacob and George A. JOSEPH SUTTON, farmer and stock raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in England June 12, 1833 ; came to the United States in 1844, and to Illinois in the same year ; he has been a resident of Frankfort for the past thirty-four years ; his farm consists of 117 acres, valued at $6,000 ; it is sit- uated on Sec. 29. He was married Marcb 18, ] 869, to Miss Sophia Unruh ; they have one child, viz., Ella. FRED SCHEER, farmer and stock- raiser; P. 0. Frankfort Station; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany, Sept. 7, 1839 ; came to the United States, with his father's family, in 1848, and set- tled in this State ; his farm consists of 180 acres, valued at $10,000. He was mar- ried to Miss Elizabeth Rheingley, who was born in Germany ; they have had two children, viz., Louisa and Herman. Mr. S.is now holding office of Street Commis- sioner. MATHEW VAN HORNE, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station : was born in New Lenox, Will Co., Aug. 1 8, 1839 ; he is the son of the late Mathew Van Home, deceased, who was one of our first settlers and pioneers ; the farm of Mr. V. consists of 120 acres, valued at $8,000. He was married Dec. 25, 1860, to Miss Viola J. White, who was born in La Porte Co., Ind. ; they have had two children, viz., Carrie A. and Hattie C. G. A. WEINMANN, manufacturer of and dealer in furniture, coffins, caskets,, etc,, Frankfort Station; was born in Du Page Co., 111., Deo. 3, 1846 ; came to Frankfort, Will Co., in 1876 ; is the son of J. M. Weinmann, of Richton, Cook Co., 111. He was married to Miss Sophia Rathje; they have one child — Frederick. MORRIS WEISS, druggist ; P. 0. Mo- kena ; was born in Germany Jan. 10, 1830 ; came to the United States in 1854, and settled in Mukena, Will Co., 111. ; he is the first proprietor, and builder of the first drug store in the village. He was married to Miss Julia Schick, who was born in Germany Oct. 18, 1834. Mr. W., since his residence in the township, has held the office of Township Clerk nine years in suc- cession, Justice of the Peace six years and is at present Township Treasurer. C. B. WILLIAMS, proprietor of Frankfort Hotel, livery and sale stable, Frankfort Station ; was born in Maryland March 27, 1827; came to Illinois, and settled in Grundy Co., Norman Tp. ; his present farm, which is there situated, con- sists of eighty acres, and is located on Sec. 36 ; valued at $4,000. He was married Nov. 17, 1853, to Miss Sophronia D. Mis- ner ; they have had two children, one of PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP. 855 whom is living, viz., Cynthia F. ; deceased, Lucinda. Mr. W. has held the offices in Norman Tp. of Road Commissioner and School Director five years. GOTTLIEB WERNER, farmer and stock-raiser, P. 0. New Bremen ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany, March 1, 1821 ; came to the United States in 1846, and to this State, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., in the same year ; his farm consists of 240 acres, valued at $12,000 ; it is situated on Sec. 12, in Frankfort Tp., and on Sec. 7 in Rich Tp., Cook Co. Mr. W. was married to Miss Mary Cunz, who was born in Germany ; they have eight children, viz., .August, John, George, Elizabeth, Martin, Philipp, Henry and Reitz. Mr. W., since his resi- dence in the township, has held the offices of School Director and Road Commissioner several years. PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP. GEORGE BENNETT, mason and building-mover, Plainfield ; was born in Detroit, Mich., Sept. 1, 1818. He mar- ried Miss Ann Smith ; she was born in New York, and died Feb. 14, 1860 ; his second wife wa^ Miss Nancy H. Langley ; she was born in Kentucky, and died April 10, 1865; his present wife was Mrs. Per- nelia E. Taylor Woodruff; she was born in Clear Point, N. Y., Sept. 25, 1827. and married Nov. 22, 1866 ; she had three children by former marriage, viz., Alonzo E., Melissa L. and Clara A. He lived in Michigan three years, when he went to Ohio with his parents ; remained there six years ; they then went to Monroe Co., N. Y. ; then to Michigan; in 1855, he came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Plainfield, and has lived here since, engaged at his trade. He has been Constable four years, and is at present Police Constable. LORIN BURDICK, deceased, farmer ; was born in Westford, Chittenden Co., Vt., April 30, 1797; was the second white child born in that town ; he resised there until his 33d year, and then went to New York State, where he remained three years. Married Esther, a daughter of the Rev. Samuel Bixby, now deceased ; she was born in Essex, Vt., Aug. 12, 1796. Mr. B. came to this county in 1836 ; re- mained about nine months, and returned for his family ; he immediately engaged in farming; he raised his first crop on the farm of the late Reuben Flagg, Esq. ; he then farmed on some land belonging to 'Squire Matthews, after which he pre- empted 160 acres of land (what is now known as the McNeff Farm); he resided on that until about the year 1858; he then settled at the place of his late resi- dence, and continued to reside there until the day of his death, which occurred Aug. 3, 1878 ; his death was caused by taking Paris green, by mistake, for sulphur. Mr. Burdick was a volunteer in the war of 1812, and was in the battle of Plattsburg. He had one son in the Mexican war ; he died in Mexico ; he also had three sons in the late war. The names of his children are — Maria (deceased), Betsy, Samuel (served in an Iowa regiment during the late war). Charity (deceased), Mary, Joalma, Amarilla, Timothy, Lorin (deceased), Har- rison, Seraph, Lewis and Josiah (served in the 100th I. V. I. during the late war), and Susan. Mr. Burdick hauled the first timber for the Court House in Joliet; he hauled it from Chicago, his team consisting of six yokes of oxen ; he hewed the first timber for the first bridge, first mill, first hotel, first church (Methodist), in Plain- field; he burned the first coal-pit in Plain- field ; he, with Mr. Bump and Brunson, laid out the first grave-yard (now the Plain- field Cemetery); Mr. Brunson was the first person buried there. Mr. Burdick's descendants number over one hundred ; his widow is still living, and resides • on the homestead. Mr. Burdick united with the Church in 1834; he died with Christian hope. HARRISON BURDICK, farmer. Sec. 20 ; P. 0. Plainfield. Methodist ; Repub- lican. Owns seventy-nine acres of land, valued at $65 per acre ; is a son of Lorin Burdick (deceased) ; Mr. Burdick was born in Westford, Vt., March 31, 1833; 856 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: he came to this State with his parents in 1836, and resided with his parents until he was 21 years of age, during which time he assisted his father on the farm. Married Harriet Paul ; she was born in England in 1834, and died Sept. 21, 1870, leaving eight children — three boys and five girls — Henry, Alson, Seraph, lantha, Mary, Char- lotte, Alma and James Riley. Mr. Bur- dick settled where he now resides in 1865. Has not married since the death of his wife. DANIEL W. CROPSEY, retired farmer ; P. 0. Plainfield. Universalist ; Republican. Owns^homestead in the vil- lage ; was born in Peterboro, Madison Co., N. Y., Feb. 15, 1797 ; resided with his parents in that county until 20 years old ; he then went to Ontario Co., and remained five years ; then to Niagara Co., where he remained twenty-five years ; his business during that time was farming; in 1846, he came to this county, and continued the business of farming ; he bought at that time 480 acres of Chester Ingersoll, and settled on the northwest quarter of Sec. 36. The eighty acres in the northwest corner was the farm that took the first premium as the best cultivated farm in the county in 1859. The following is a correct copy of the diploma received, viz.: The Will County Agricultaral Society award j this diploma to D. W. Cropsey for having on exhibition at the annual fair of said Society, A. D. 1859, the best cultivated farm of eighty acres or more. Ira Austin, Pros. [Signed.] W. B. Hawlet, Sec. With the above diploma, he also received a set of silver forks, valued at |16. Mr. C. received other premiums at different times, once as high as $30 in silver ; at one time, he took five animals to the fair, and took premiums on every one on grades. Mr. C. was twice married ; first to Eliza- beth Straight Feb. 14, 1819 ; she was born in Argyle, N. Y., in April, 1797, and died in August, 1871 ; had nine children, six now living — George, Jacob, Andrew J. (formerly Lieutenant Colonel of the 129th 111. v. I., now in Lawrence, Texas), John, Mary Ann, Mahala (wife of D. Wyland, Esq.); the names of the deceased are Nancy, Laura and Harriet. Mr. C. was the first Supervisor from the town of Wheatland, and occupied the position of Chairman of the Board ; was Poormaster (the first) one year ; no tax was needed that year, there being no paupers. Mr. C. is now 81 years of age ; he never was sick but three days in his life, to be con- fined to the house ; he remembers well see- ing the first steamboat as it came up the Hudson in 1808. A. E. CONANT, farming. Sec. 25; P.O. Plainfield; the subject of this sketch was born in York Co., Me., Dec. 9, 1818. He married Miss Elizabeth Philbrook June 8, 1853 ; she was born in Kennebec Co., Me., July 22, 1827 ; they have had five children, four living, viz., Addie E., Joe E., Lewis P. and Otis K. He lived in Maine until 1854; was engaged in farming and manufacturing woolen cloths in Dexter; in 1854, he came West and settled on his present place ; he owns 285 acres in this township, which he has earned principally by his own labor and manage- ment. '■ SERENO CULVER, farming. Sec. 14; P. 0. Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Montpelier, Washington Co., Vt., June 22, 1818. He married Miss Polly Miller Oct. 30, 1842 ; she was born in same place June 16, 1826 ; they have had six children, five living, viz., Harvey, EmiUne B., Erwin, Ella and Frank ; Lucy B. died Jan. 18, 1864. He lived in Ver- mont until 1834, when he moved to Chi- cago, 111., with his parents, where they re- mained a few months ; then came to Plainfield in Cook (now Will) Co., where they engaged in farming, where he re- mained until 1840, when he came to his present place. He has been a member of of the M. E. Church for the past twenty- eight years. His parents, Daniel and Mrs. Betsey Lyman Culver, were natives of Connecticut; they died Aug. 15, 1834, and May 9, 1854, respectively; his wife's parents were Horace and Mrs. Lucy Bryant Miller ; they were natives of Mas- sachusetts and Canada; they settled in Plainfield in 1834, and died Sept. 14, 1872, and Oct. 15, 1876, respectively. G. N. CHITTENDEN, general mer- chandise, Plainfield. The subject of this sketch was born in Middlebury, Portage (now Summit) Co., Ohio, April 15, 1818. He married Miss Elizabeth Caufi'man July 23, 1845 ; she was born in the same place Sept. 14, 1824; they had six children, four hving, viz., William H., Henry K., PLAINHELD TOWNSHIP. 857 Mary and Granville I. He lived in Ohio until the spring of 1847 ; his early days were spent in clerking in the general mer- chandise business ; in 1838, he began read- ing medicine with Dr. Wm. Bowen, and be- gan the practice in 1843 ; in 1847, he went to Michigan and engaged in farming, remain- ing two years ; he then went to South Bend, Ind., and engaged as superintend- ent of a woolen-mill ; in 1851, he moved to Lockport, Will Co., and engaged in gen- eral merchandising ; remaining one year ; he then came to Plainfield and engaged in his present business, which, excepting one year, he has followed since. Though be- ing at the head of the firm, he has placed the principal management of the business in the hands of his son, William H., and Alfred T. Corbin, who are the junior mem- bers of the firm. He takes but a passing interest in politics, and has held the offices of Justice of the Peace, Township Treas- urer and Collector ; he has been a Dele- gate to County Conventions, to two State Conventions and to the National Conven- tion of 1876, at Cincinnati ; he has been identified with the M. E. Church for the past twenty years, and actively assisted in the building of the present elegant edifice of that denomination in this village. He has been more or less interested in real estate, both here and in Joliet, having laid out extensive additions to both places. ELIHU CORBIN, Justice of the Peace, Plainfield, The subject of this sketch was born in Rutland Co., Vt., May 28, 1813. He married Miss Eliza A. Fish AprillB, 1 837 ; she was born in Connecticut ; they have six children, viz., Alfred T., Edward W., Lewis D., Hannah J., Emily M. and Mary E. He lived in Vermont twenty- two years, when he moved to Chicago, and, the following winter, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, and engaged in tanning and shoe- making, remaining until 1852, when he came to his present place. He has held the office of Commissioner for the schools and roads, and has been Justice for the past twenty years ; he has been largely interested in real estate in this village, having divided about one hundred acres into village lots. His parents are not liv- ing ; his wife's parents were among the first settlers of Cleveland, Ohio. JOHN DRAUDEN, farming; P. 0. Plainfield. The above gentleman was born in Prussia in March, 1831 ; he married Miss Elizabeth Roush Oct. 3, 1868; she was born in Prussia Sept. 28, 1834; they had seven children, six living, viz., Maggie, Mary, John, Michael, Edward and Matilda. He lived in Germany twenty-three years, when he came to the United State and set- tled in New York ; engaged in farming, and remained four years ; he then came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Plainfield Tp.; in 1867, he came to his present place. He has held no office except connected with school and road ; he came to this county without any capital, and now owns 240 acres which he has earned by his own labor. M. H. EVANS, farmer. Sec. 17 ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Clark Co., 111., Oct. 8, 1831. He married Miss Hannah C. Tenny Nov. 14. 1850 ; she was born in Grafton Co., N.H., Aug. 29, 1826; they had eight children, six living, viz., Sarah A., Eunice A., Walter A., Milton H., Ira E. and Carrie H. ; Mary E. and William H. died; he lived four years in Clark Co., and then came to Will Co., with his parents, who settled in this township and engaged in farming ; he lived here until 1852, when he moved to Kendall Co., 111., and en- gaged in farming ; remained until 1865 ; he then came to his present place ; he owns 189 acres in this township, which he has earned by his own labor. He has been connected with the M. E., Church for the past twenty-eight years ; he is now the Steward, and has been Trustee, Class Leader and Sabbath School Superintend- ent. WILLIAM H. PLAGG, farmer. Sec. 10; P. 0. Plainfield; the subject of this sketch is the youngest son of Reuben and Mrs. Betsey (Kendall) Flagg ; he was born in this township May 8, 1841, on the old homestead, settled by his father about 1834. He married Miss Margarett Van Horn Dec. 10, 1867 ; she was born in Paterson, N. J., Aug. 1, 1841 ; they had five children — four living, viz., Kate 0., Bessie L., Warren Lee and Henry C. He has always lived in this township, and has followed his occupation of farmer ; he started in very limited circumstances, and now owns eighty-four acres adjoining the village of Plainfield, which he has earned by his own labor and management. 858 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: H. E. PRASER, hardware and grocer- ies, Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Sullivan Co., N. Y., Nov. 30, 1834. He married Miss Roxanna Wright Feb. t), 1866 ; she was born in Plainfield, III., Dec. 19, 1845 ; they have one child, viz., Manford S. He lived in New York twelve years, when he moved to Plain- field ; his mother, Mrs. Elizabeth (Brown) Eraser, died in Chicago while on their way here ; his father and family came to this township and engaged in farming near this village, continuing in same until his death, July, 1857 ; Mr. H. R. moved to a farm about four miles southeast of this village. He remained there until 1861, when he enlisted in the 13th I. V. C, serving three years and two months, tak ing part in the battles of Arkansas Post, capture of Little Rock, Red River expe- dition, etc.. etc. In the spring of 1865, he engaged in his present business, style of firm being Smiley & Eraser, and continued seven years ; the firm then became H. R. Eraser & Co., and has so continued. LYMAN FOSTER, retired farmer ; P. 0. Plainfield. Non-sectarian ; Democratic. Owns house and lot in village ; was born March 30, 1793, in the town of Meriden, New Haven Co., Conn. ; at the age of 11, his parents removed to Lewis Co., N. Y. ; remained with them until 13 years of age, and was then apprenticed to paper-making ; served until he was 21 ; then went to Chenango Co., N. Y., and took charge of a paper-mill for two and one-half years ; he then went to Cooperstown, and, in company with others, built a paper-mill at that place, which he conducted three years and then sold out ; he then went to Little Falls, N. Y., and for two years took charge of the largest paper-mill in the State, after which he went to Esperance, N. Y. ; stopped one year ; then went to New Ber- lin ; stopped one year ; he then went to Lewis Co., N. Y., and farmed about five years; then to this township in 1844, where he engaged in farming until his retirement, about nine years ago ; during the time he engaged in farming, he sold Mr. Norton 30,000 bushels of corn. Mr. F. has been twice married ; his first union was with Esther Blood, when he was 27 years of age ; she was born in Vermont, aod died about fifteen years ago ; had eight children by that marriage, six of whom are now living, viz., Giles D., Payette, Mercy A., Mary A., Helen and Cornelia; the names of those that .died are Louisa J. and Isaac J. ; .^Ir. E.'s second marriage was with Mrs. Emily Pearsons, April 18, 1869. Mr. F. remembers when the death of Washinsrton occurred, and a funeral ser- mon that was preached on that occasion, in 1799 ; he also remembers seeing the British fleet as it passed up New York Harbor, in 1813 or 1814, to attack New York City. At the age of 24, he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Otsego Co., N. Y., by Daniel D. Tompkins, then Governor of that State, which office he held continuously for fourteen years. Mr. E., during two years of his stay in Otsego Co., N. Y , supplied the Albany Argus with paper, that then being the leading newspaper in the State. JASON FLANDERS, deceased ; was born in Hebron, Vt., Aug. 18, 1810; re- sided there about twenty yaars, then re- moved to Boston, Mass., where he re- mained seven years ; from there he went to Lowell, where he remained five years, during which time he was engaged as clerk in a store. He was married to Lucy Ann Clark March 29, 1833 ; she was born in Amherst, N. H., Nov. 4, 1810 ; she is still living, and resides in Plainfield ; Mr. F. started for this State in company with his wife May 19, 1833, and arrived in this county June 20, of the same year; he came by canal and lake to Detroit, and from there here with a wagon ; he first bought Government land near Troy, in this county, and farmed eight years ; he then purchased the place (thirty acres in the village of Plainfield) where Mrs. F. now resides, and continued there until his death, which occurred Feb. 26, 1874; Mr. F. was the first Constable elected in Plainfield and held that office a great many years ; at the time of his death, he owned between three and four hundred acres of land. Mrs. F. says that during their early life in this county, she has known three months to elapse without seeing any other human being but her husband ; Mr. P. was highly respected by all who knew him. Mr. F. had six children, three of whom are now living — -James (now Prosecuting Attorney in Joliet), Martha (now Mrs. McElhose), Sarah (deceased), Emma (now Mrs. Bra- gow) and George (deceased), formerly a PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP. 859 member of the 100th I. V. I.; he died at Bowling Green, Ky., Nov. 25, 1862 ; his remains were brought home and interred in the Plainfield Cemetery. N. S. HAMLIN, retired farmer ; P. 0. Plainfield; born in Madison Co., N. Y., May 27, 1824; resided with his parents until the age of 27 ; then emigrated to this town. Married Parnel Keeler April 25, 1849. Engaged in farming soon after his arrival here, which he continued with success until about eight years ago ; is at present living a retired life in Plainfield Tillage ; has held the office of Road Com- missioner five years ; also office of School Director five years, which office he now holds. The Hamlins of America are all descendants of one David Hamlin, one of the party who came over in the Mayflower in 1620. J. D. HAHN, farmer. Sec. 1 ; P. 0. Plainfield. The subject of this sketch was born in Columbiana, now Mahoning, Co., Ohio, July 3, 1826. He married Miss Rebecca Shreffler June 7, 1849 ; she was bom in Pennsylvania April 4, 1829 ; they have six children — William T., Helen R., Kate J., Alice M., John D. S. and Nettie M. He lived in Ohio twenty-one years, -when he came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Plainfield Tp.; he engaged in farming, and, in 1857, he came to his present place and has lived here ever since ; he is no office-seeker, his only offices being connected with the school and road. He owns 207 acres of land in this county, which has been principally earned by his own labor and management. ALONZO HEMSTREBT, retired butcher, Plainfield. Non-sectarian ; Demo- crat. Owns house and twelve acres in the Tillage; was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Oct. 6, 1815; his parents removed to Lewis Co., N. Y., when he was 2 years of age; he remained there with his parents until he was 22 years of age ; he then went to Buffalo, N. Y., where he re- mained nine months, during which time he was employed variously in a lumber yard and grocery; he then came to this place, arriving July 3, 1837 ; he soon after hired out to Daniel Ashley, and worked nine months on a farm, after which, he worked five months for Daniel W. Lamb ; he then went to Fox River, and worked another year on a farm, after which, in company with Daniel Ashley, he built a shanty, and broke 100 acres of prairie, and sowed it to wheat ; the rust destroyed it, and this enterprise was a failure ; this was the first time wheat ever blasted in this county (1840) ; in 1841, he drove an ox-team to Prairie du Chien for Ralph Smith and Alonzo Waldo, where he remained two years ; he then came to Plainfield and rented a saw-mill of Jonathan Hagar, and run it two years ; in 1846, he commenced butchering, and fol- lowed it for twenty years. Mr. Hemstreet married Augusta M. Foster, daughter of Lyman Foster, Esq., Oct. 26, 1848; she was born in Esperance, Otsego Co., N. Y., Dec. 20, 1826 ; have had seven children, only two of whom are living — Albert B. and Andrew J.; the names of the deceased are Harriet E., Esther A., Charles D., Alonzo Monroe and Frank P. Has held the office of Constable twelve years : Pres- ident of Village Board of School Directors, which office he holds at present. Mr. H. has always been a strong Democrat. JONATHAN HAGAR, retired mer- chant, Plainfield. Congregational ; Re- publican. Owns 400 acres in Will Co., valued at $60 per acre ; also 280 acres in Kendall, valued at $60 per acre ; was born in Quebec, Canada, Feb. 19, 1807 ; when 2 years old, his parents removed to Montreal, where they remained eight years; then to Middlebury, Vt., where they remained eight years ; then to Way- bridge, Vt., where he remained two years, working on a farm which bis mother owned ; his father was a sea-captain, and owner of a vessel ; he died of yellow fever, in South America, Jan. 29, 1821, during a voyage to that country ; his mother's family, at that time, consisted of four brothers, besides himself and one sister. In 1830, Mr. Hagar started West; he stopped in Cleveland two years, during which time he was employed in a crockery store; he then went to Michigan, re- mained there two years, and taught school; then to this place, in company with Samuel Sargeant, with a stock of goods for a country store ; they opened the first store in Plainfield ; it was kept in a wagon-shop, owned by a man named Bill ; about a year after their arrival, they built a store of their own and removed their stock into it ; Mr. H. continued to 860 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : do business in this town until the com- mencement of the late war, with the ex- ception of four years that he was engaged in milling, in company with Messrs. Goodhue & Burrell ; the storehouse that he put up still stands, and is now occu- pied as a parsonage for the Congregational Church. Mr. H. was married twice, first to Catherine Goodhue, Sept. 14, 1843 ; she was born in New Hampshire, and died March 19, 1858, leaving two children — Edwin C. (now of Joliet), and Ellen E. (now Mrs. Charles E. Fraser). Mr. H. held the office of Justice of the Peace for eighteen years. WM. M. JOHNSON, farming ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Caselton, Rutland Co., Vt., Aug. 5, 1827. He married Miss Louisa M. Eaton Dec. 6, 1854 ; she was born in the same place Jan. 13, 1834; they have two children — Hattie C. and Ida P. He lived in Vermont seventeen years, when, with his parents, he came to Will Co. and set- tled in Wheatland, where he lived ten years ; he then moved to Du Page Tp. and engaged in farming, remaining until 1871, when he came to Plainfield, and has lived here since; his parents, Hiram and Mrs. Sarah Ann Gault Johnson, are natives of Vermont ; his father died April 13, 1875 ; his mother is living here with her son. ALLEN JORDAN, retired; P. 0. Plainfield ; the above gentleman was born in Columbia Co., N. Y., Feb. 3, 1798. He married Miss Jane P. Cook Dec. 6, 1837 ; she was born in New York March (i, 1813 ; they had eight children, seven living — William A., Harriet, Richard C, Edward, Allen, Jr., John and Ambrose L. He remained a resident of New York until 1847, during which time he read law, and practiced as an attorney for twenty-five years in the city of Hudson, N. Y., of which city he was Mayor for the year 1839 ; in 1847, he came to Plainfield, 111., and remained for two years, when he went to Kendall Co. and engaged in farm- ing, and, in 1866, he again came to this place, and has lived here since. D. W. JUMP, physician and surgeon, Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Huron Co., Ohio, Aug. 24, 1847. He married Miss Alice E. Watkins Nov. 13, 1873; she was born in Plainfield, 111.; they have one child — Clyde W. He lived in Ohio until September, 1871 ; his early days were passed on the farm ; at the age of 18, he began reading medicine during the summers and teaching school winters,' continuing until 1869, when he attended the University of Michigan, graduating March 27, 1872; he then came to Plain- field and engaged in his profession. His parents, William H. and Mrs. Margaret Richards Jump, were natives of Maryland and New York, respectively; his mother lives in Ohio, where his father died Aug. 31, 1869. WM. S. KEEN, blacksmith, Plainfield; owns residence and blacksmith-shop in the village, valued at $3,000 ; was born in, Cayuga Co., N. Y., Dec. 31, 1821 ; resided there with his parents until he was 14 years of age ; he then went to Ithaca, N. Y., and learned the blacksmith trade,, remaining seven years ; he soon after started westward, and arrived in this vil- lage July 8, 1841, an entire stranger; he very soon set up business where he is now located, and has continued there ever since, with the exception of three years that he was in California, from 1849 to 1852. Mr. K. was married in the fall of 1846 to Roxana E. Norton ; she was born June 11, 1825, in Ithaca, N. Y., and came here with her parents in 1840 ; have three children, all living in this village — Anson C., Sarah L. and Florence. Anson was a soldier during the late war ; he enlisted in the winter of 1863 and 1864 in the 8th I. V. C., and served until the end of the war, and took a part in all the engage- ments the regiment was in during his term of service. Mr. K. held the office of Trustee of the village one term. S.-W. METCALF, farming and stock,. Sec. 34 ; P. 0. Plainfield ; this gentleman was born in the village of Plainfield Sept. 16, 1835. He married Miss Sarah Bill- ing July 4, 1869 ; she was born in England April 1, 1845. He lived but a short time in the village, when, with his parents, he moved out on the farm, and, in 1865, he came to his present place and has lived here since. His parents. Hardy and Mrs. Judith B. Russell Metoalf, were natives of New Hampshire and New York ; they were married in New York Nov. 24, 1826 ; they came to Will Co. in 1835, and settled in Plainfield, engaging in farming ; he died June 29, 1860; Mrs. Metcalf is living PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP. 861 here on the old homestead with her daughter. PRANK H. METCALF, farming and teaching ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the above gentleman is a native of Ohio ; he was born in Lake Co. Nov. 23, 1840. He married Miss Augusta Metcalf Nov. 20, 1864 ; she was born in Troy Tp., Will Co., III., June 21, 1837 ; they have two adopted children, viz., Frank W. and Flora Nill- son. He lived in Ohio twenty-three years, and then came to his present place, engag- ing in farming and teaching; his early days were spent in the district school ; at 18, he attended the Western Reserve Acad- emy and Willoughby Collegiate Institute, and later he attended the Oberlin College. While at the latter place, he enlisted in the 100-day service, but was not in active service. He has eighty acres here which he has principally earned by his own labor. He has been principal of the Channahon and Oswego schools ; for the past five years he has taught the district school near by. L. W. McCREERY, farming and stock, Sees. 33 and 34 ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born on the present place May 10, 1857. He married Miss Annie Bristol Feb. 18, 1877 ; she was born in Ohio Nov. 7, 1855 ; they have one child, namely, Lena. He has always lived on the present place. In 1875, he began farming on his own ac- count on the present farm, belonging to his father. JOSEPH McCREERY, retired ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Benton, Ontario Co., N. Y., July 1, 1810. He married Miss Abigail Ann Van Riper in November, 1830 ; she was born in New Jersey ; they had twelve chil- dren, eight living, viz., John, Joseph, Charles, Alfred, Lewis, Mary, Lucy and Isabell. He Hved in New York until 1833, when he went to Canada and engaged in the lumber business continuing four years ; he then returned to New York and engaged in the lumber business at Rochester, where he remained until 1845; he then came to Will Co., and settled in Plainfield, where he engaged in farming ; continued until 1875, when he came to his present place. He is no office-seeker, his only offices being con- nected with the school and road. He started in very poor circumstances, and now owns 250 acres in this township. He has been connected with the Universalist Church for the past twenty-five years. JOHN MOTTINGER, retired ; P. O. Plainfield ; the above gentleman was born in Pennsylvania, May 8, 1799. He married Miss Barbara Long ; she was born in Pennsylvania; they have ten children, viz., Suanna, Elizabeth, Mary Ann, Joseph, Leah, Anna C, Sarah, Lena, Rebec ;a, Samuel and Daniel. He lived in Penn- sylvania until he was 13, when he went to Ohio with his parents, where his father died ; he then went to Illinois and settled in Will Co., engaging in farming ; all his children are married ; his parents, George and Mrs. Elizabeth Lashbaugh Mottinger, both died in Ohio ; they were natives of Pennsylvania. H. S. NORTON, farming, Sec. 3 ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the above gentleman was born on his present place Dec. 1, 1845. He married Miss Matilda F. Bender March 23, 1870; she was born in Lan- caster Co., Penn., Nov. 16, 1852; they had five children, three living, viz., Alice, Frank and Hattie. He has always made this his residence ; soon after becoming of age, he began to farm on his own account ; he own.s fifty acres, which he has principally earned by his own labor ; he is operating a pit of building-sand on his place, which is of very superior quality ; it was first discovered by his father in 1 845 ; his par- ents, Benjamin K. and- Mrs. Harriett Yaple Norton, were natives of Tomp- kins Co., N. Y. ; Mr. Norton came to this county in 1839, and Mrs. Norton came in 1842 ; they settled on the present place in 1843 ; Mr. Norton died Oct. 17, 1874 ; Mrs. Norton lives on an adjoining farm. ■ S. S. PRATT, furniture, etc., Plain- field ; is a native of Vermont ; he was born at Bennington, Feb. 28, 1814. He mar- ried Miss Esther A. Beckwith Nov. 27, 1839 ; she was born in Norfolk, N. Y., Aug. 12, 1822 ; they had four children, three living, viz., Laura, Clara and Nor- man. He lived in Vermont about nine- teen years, when he moved to New York ; remaining until spring of 1834, when he came to Chicago and engaged in the furni- ture business, remaining eighteen months; in the fall of 1835, h^ came to Plainfield and engaged in same business, and has been identified with the business since, except ten years he engaged in farming ; 862 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: he was also interested in the furniture business in Joliet during the building of the canal ; he has been a member of the Congregational Church for the past thirty years, and has taken an active part in its aifairs. All his children are married and living in this village. A. J. PERKINS, physician and surgeon, Plainfield; is a native of New York ; he was born in Mt. Upton March ZO, 1834. He married Miss Ehza Bangs May 10, 1860 ; she was born in Benning- ton, Vt.; they had two children, one liv- ing, viz., Harry A. He resided in New York until 1855 ; his early days were passed on the farm in summers and in the district schools during winters ; he then applied himself regularly to school and later engaged in teaching, also in reading medicine ; in 1864, he graduated in the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, Ohio ; he then came to Plainfield and engaged in his profession. Though not a member he has been actively identified with the churches of the village, and is persistent in his labors for the benefit of the schools of the place. ALEXANDER ROBERTS, farmer. Sec. 2 ; P. 0. Plainfield ; was born in Can- ada June 9, 1809. He marrieJ Miss Sallie Sawyer Feb. 7, 1831 ; she was born in Canada, and died Aug. 11, 1844; they had six children, three living — James, Alexander and Sarah ; his present wife was Miss Harriet C. Hoag ; they were married Feb. 18, 1844; she was born in Weare, N. H., April 14, 1825 ; they had four children, three living — Isabell S., Frank Gr. and Alice E. He lived in Can- ada until he was 24 ; he then moved to Vermont and engaged in farming ; re- mained four years ; then returned to Can- ada and engaged in general merchandise ; remained seven years, when he went to Michigan and engaged in a farming and stock-raising four years ; he then went to Chicago and engaged in packing pork and beef; he next engaged in the lumber busi- ness at Palos, Cook Co., 111.; he furnished the first ties on the C. & G. R. R.; he manufactured the first lard-oil in Chicago. He was Supervisor of Palos Tp., and one of the Commissioners that built the first Court House in Chicago. He assisted in furnish- in;; material to build the lock at Bridge- j)ort, and then came to Plainfield and set- tled on his present place. In 1837, he was living in Canada, and took part in the rebellion of that date, he forming a com- pany to fight for the liberty of Canada ; the uprising having been put down, he had to flee for safety, there being £1,000 reward offered for his capture ; he took to the woods for one week ; then changing his attire, he had to cross a bridge guarded by twelve soldiers ; he boldly walked up and inquired of the guard if they had caught the man Roberts, stating that he must have lately passed there ; the guard, un- suspecting, answered in the contrary, and asked if he was looking for him ; he was told "Yes," and that he was prepared to take him dead or alive ; after some talk they took a drink of the strong, and Rob- erts went on, escaping to the United States. MILES ROYCE, farmer ; P. 0. Plain- field. Episcopal ; Republican. Owns about ninety acres, valued at $50 per acre ; was born in Bristol, Hartford Co., Conn., Aug. 20, 1806 ; his father died when he was 3 years old ; Mr. R. resided with his mother until 15 years of age ; then, in company with a brother, he went to Onon- daga Co., N. Y., where he remained until 1834, during which time he was variously engaged in farming and manufacturing fanning-mills ; he then came to this place and engaged in the manufacture of fan- ning-mills, which he continued for ten years ; the first year he made fifty, the second seventy-five, the third one hun- dred and fiifty ; these were the first manufactured in the northern part of the State ; he then engaged in farming, and has continued up to the present time. He married Sarah G. Oilman Jan. 10, 1837 ; she was born in Salem, Mass., May 12, 1809 ; have three children living — Philander C, Orland W. and Sarah Eliz- abeth ; lost one son — Stephen (deceased) ; Orland served three months in the late war ; was discharged on account of disa- bility. JOHN SENNITT, Postmaster, Plain- field; born in Stretham, England, Jan. 15, 1830 ; remained with parents on a farm until he was 24 years of age ; in the fall of 1854, he emigrated to this country; he stopped near Cleveland, Ohio ; stopping there nearly two years, during which time he worked on a farm ; then, in the spring PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP. 863 •of 1857, came to this village ; at the time was an entire stranger ; worked on a farm for Mr. J. W. Pennington two years, and S. S. Pratt one year; in the spriog of 1860, he was engaged in the post office by K. J. Hammonds ; in 1861, W. Wright was ap- pointed, and Mr. S. continued ; he was suc- ceeded by W. R. Fraser ; he continued until Grant's first election ; then Mr. S. was appointed ; he still holds the office. Married in April, 1871, to Emma H. Drew ; she was born in the New England States in the year 1839 ; she came with her parents to this State when she was 5 years old ; have two children — L. May and Carrie. HORACE SPENCER, M. D., physi- cian, Plainfield; was born in Shaftsbury, Vt., Feb. 11, 1846; resided with his par- ents until of age ; came to this State in 1858 ; studied medicine with Dr. Perkins three years ; spent eight months in the St. Louis Medical College, after which he at- tended one course of lectures in the Ben- nett Medical College of Chicago ; gradua- ted there in 1871. Married Hattie Cor- bin Sept. 29, 1869 ; she was born May 20, 1848; have two children — May and Flora. Mrs. S. is a daughter of Dr. 0. J. Corbin (deceased) a former resident and practitioner here; he was born in New Hamp- shire May 2, 1807 ; graduated at Dart- mouth College, N. H. ; came to Plainfield in 1836, and commenced the practice of medi- cine until his death, which occurred April 3, 1869 ; his wife was Mary L. Goss ; she was born in Montpelier, Vt. ; came to this town with her parents in 1833 ; she died in 1864, aged about 48 years. Dr. C- was well known as a good physician and had a Tery extensive practice. GEORGE y. SMITH, farmer. Sec. 1 ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the above gentleman is a native of Pennsylvania ; he was born in Centre Co., Aug. 8, 1813. He married Miss Magdalena Ream Oct. 6, 1836 ; she was born in Stark (now Summit) Co., Ohio Jan. 2, 1818 ; they had eleven children, nine living, viz., Sarah, John R., William B., Mary M., Andrew A., Conrad B., George B., Adam K. and Amos M. He lived in Pennsylvania about eleven years, when he moved to Stark (now Summit) Co., Ohio, with his parents ; engaged in farm- ing, and remained until 1851 , during which time he learned the wagon-making trade ; he then came to his present place. He has been a member of the Evangelical Church since 1835, and has acted as Superintend- ent of Sabbath schools. Trustee, Class Lea- der and Exhorter. He owns 176 acres in this county, which he has earned principally by his own labor. His parents, John and Mary Yeariok Smith, are not living ; they died in 1849 and 1850 respectively. NOAH SUNDERLAND, farmer; P. O. Plainfield; this gentleman was born in Bridport, Vt., Dec. 18,1814. He mar- ried Miss Caroline Randall April 29, 1841 ; she was born in Hoosick Falls, N. Y., May 7, 1812 ; he lived in Vermont twenty-four years, he then moved to Westfield, N. Y., and engaged in the milling business, re- maining ten years ; he then came to Illi- nois and settled in Joliet, remaining two years ; he then came to his present place, and engaged in farming ; in 1866, he bought and conducted the flouring-mill of this place, and continued the same until 1876, when he rented it to its present oc- cupant. He has been a member of the Baptist Church for last twenty years. His parents were natives of Vermont; his wife's parents were natives of Connecticut. HARRY A. TOUNSHENDEAU, barber, Plainfield ; was born on the French frigate Pathfinder, on the Atlantic ocean, January 14, 1845, of French par- ents ; was left an orphan in New York City before he was one year old ; his mother died the 13th of February follow- ing, in New York City, and his father the 26th of August following ; he was then taken in charge by a man named Clouney, who resided in Newburg, N. Y., with whom he remained six years ; he then went to live with Mr. Shannon (the famous hat- ter of New York City, and remained with him five years. I. T. Ashmead was then appointed his guardian soon after he came to Kalamazoo, Mich., where he remained two years ; then to Minooka, and then to Plainfield in 1868, where he has remained ever since. Married a daughter of John Newsome, of Wheatland, Sept. 6, 1869. He opened a barber-shop soon after his ar- rival here, which business he has continued to follow ever since ; in connection with this, he has edited and published a news- paper one year (^The Plainfield Echo). Mr. T. has always been an earnest advocate of temperance, and during the publication 864 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: of his paper wrote a series of- articles on that subject which attracted a great deal of attention, and which made him both friends and enemies. S. B. TYLER, retired farmer, P. 0. Plainfield. Baptjst ; Republican. Owns 184 acres of land, valued at$75 per acre; was born at Bethel, Sullivan Oouatj,N. Y., February 23, 1811 ; his parents died be- fore he was 10 years old. Mr. T. lived on a farm until he was 17 years old ; he then learned the carpenter's trade, and followed that occupation until his 50th year. Came to this State in 1835. Married twice ; first to Ruth W. Flanders, sister of the late Jason Flanders; she was born in Hebron, N. H., January 10, 1815, and died April 5, 1873 ; had nine children, all living but two — Harriet M., Sarah M. (deceased), Alfred H. (deceased), Albert H., Simeon S., A. Lansing H., Ralph W., Esther R. and Florian B.'; Alfred and Albert served in the 100th I. V. I. ; Alfred died two months after he enlisted (in 1862) ; Albert served full term, and participated in many battles. Mr. T. married second time to Mrs. Adela A. Goddard (daughter of the late Dr. Wight, and widow of the late Capt. Goddard), Octobers, 1875; she had, at the time of her marriage with Mr. T., four children, three hoys and one girl ; her late husband Capt. G., formerly commanded Company G, in the 100th I. V I. JOHN VAN HORN, farming and stock, Sec. 27 ; P. 0. Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Berrien Co., N. J., May 17, 1834. He married Miss Franc H. Elwell June 4, 1872 ; she was born in South Shaftsbury, Vt., Oct. 16, 1839; they have one child, viz., Merton Gates. He lived in New Jersey nine years, when, with his parents he came to Plainfield, 111,, and settled adjoining the present place, engaging in farming and remaining twelve years ; they then moved to the present place, and he has lived here since ; he owns 250 acres, which he has principally earned by his own labor; his parents, Cornel- ius G. and Mrs. Ann (Van Houten) Van Horn, were natives of New Jersey ; he died April 15, 1877 ;■ she died May 8, 1872. IRA VANOLINDA, Police Magistrate, Plainfield ; the subject of this sketch was born in Saratoga Co., N. Y., Sept. 1, 1823. He married Miss Louisa Craw; she was born in New York, and died Dec. 10, 1870 ; they had five children, viz^ Mary E., Elinor D., Susan D., Clara E. and Charles W. His present wife was Mrs. Wilder, formerly Miss Catheron Burdick ; they were married April 23, 1874; she was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., Feb. 12, 1835; they have one child, viz., Lotta Ruth ; Mrs. Vanolinda had five children by a former marriage, four living, viz., Lilly, Lizzie, Joseph and Carrie. He lived in New York twenty-five years ; he then moved to Kendall Co., 111., and en- gaged in farming, remaining until 1853 ; he also served as Deputy Sheriff and Constable twelve years; he then went to California and engaged in stock and hotel business ; remained three years ; he then came to Will Co., 111., and engaged in general merchandise at Frankfort, re- maining one year, when he came to Plain- field and engaged in farming, continued three years ; he then engaged in general merchandise in this village ; continued un- til 1873 ; he has held the office of Justice of the Peace since 1864. R. D. WEBB, wagon-maker, Plainfield. Methodist. Owns the wagon-shop where the old foundry once stood ; was born in Yorkshire, England, Aug. 2, 1829 ; served seven years in that place, learning wagon- making ; came to this country and first stopped in Milwaukee in November, 1850 ; remained there during the following win- ter and worked at joiner work ; in the spring of 1851, came to this place, and worked as a carpenter and joiner until 1862; he then, in company with Jacob Hoffer, bought the old foundry known as the Dillman property, and engaged in the manufacture of wagons and doing repair work generally ; Mr. W. and Mr. H. con- tinued together about six months ; at the end of that time Mr. Hoffer sold out to Mr. Webb's father ; the new firm contin- ued together until 1867 ; Mr. W. then bought his father out, and since that time has carried on the business alone ; dur- ing the late war twelve workmen were constantly employed ; the demand at that time was enormous ; o"e year alone, dur- ing the war, Mr. W. manufactured 150 wagons ; in 1854, Mr. W. returned to England on a visit, and while there, the following year in January, he married Mary Ward ; she was born in Yorkshire, England; they have no children. The- GREENGARDEN TOWNSHIP. 865 ■building that Mr. W. formerly conducted business in was destroyed by fire Jan. 28, 1877 ; the loss was about $3,000 ; no in- surance ; Mr. W.'s townsmen and neigh- bors immediately raised him $300 to pur- chase timber to rebuild, and in a very short space of time the lumber was bought and hauled to the ground free of charge, and the present shop was raised ; no in- terruption of his business occurred ; Mr. W. still continues at the old stand ; man- ufactures wagons and does repairing on all kinds of farm machinery. E. J. WOOD, farming; P. 0. Plain- field; the subject of this sketch was born in Cheshire, Mass., Dee. 21, 1809. He married Miss Hester Ann Hills July 7, 1831 ; she was born in Lewis Co., N. Y., Aug. 1, 1814; they had seven children, five of whom are living, viz., James D., Amelia E., Milton K., Ervin E. and Elwyn A. He lived in Massachusetts until he was 7 years old ; he then went to Lewis Co., N. Y., with an uncle, where he lived until 18-15, except two years in Seneca Co.; he was engaged at his trade of car- penter and builder ; he served nine years as Justice of the Peace, and also engaged in general merchandise; in 1845, became to this township, and engaged in farming ; in 1849, he engaged in general merchan- dise in Plainfield ; he was Postmaster from 1849 to 1858 ; he has also served as Road Commissioner and Assessor ; he has been a member of the M. E. Church for just fifty years, and has been Superintendent of Sunday school for twenty-five years ; all of his children are married and living out of this county ; all are pleasantly situated, and take an active part in the business of their respective communities. R. B. WIGHT, M. D., renovator, Plainfield; was bora in Kinderhook, N.Y., March 27, 1825 ; removed with his parents to Chicago, 111., in 1831; in 1832, his parents removed to what is now Naper- ville in Du Page Co.; his father, Dr. E. G. Wight, being one of the pioneers and founders of that place ; Mr. W. resided with his parents until he was 30 years of age ; during that time he studied medicine, and was one of nine who composed the first class in Rush Medical College ; soon after graduating, he commenced the prac- tice of medicine, during which time he also opened a drug store (in 1838, the first in Plainfield). Was married to Miss Eliz- abeth T. Bradley Jan. 23, 1853 ; she was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Feb; 22, 1834; have hadsevenchildren.sixpf whom are now living — Lillie Agnes, Adelaide Harriet, Lucia, Nettie, Burtie, Willie and Mary (deceased). Dr. W. was the or- ganizer of the Plainfield Light Artillery in 1855, which organization continued to exist until after the war, during which time they achieved memorable distinction in many hard-fought battles. Dr. W. was born in Richmond, Mass., Oct. 2, 1793 ; died in Plainfield Oct. 13, 1865; he graduated in New York ; came to Chicago in 1831 ; to Naperville in 1832, and to Plainfield in 1837 ; he practiced medicine until the time of his death ; twenty years prior to his death, he lost his sight ; was obliged to have his horse led when going to visit his patients ; this ride extended over a space of 120 miles, from Chicago to Mineral Point ; he was the first physician that ever practiced in Northern Illinois west of Chicago. GREENGARDEN TOWNSHIP. WILLIAM ANDREW, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Greengarden ; one of our early settlers ; was born in England ; came to the United States with his father's family in 1854, and to this State and set- tled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm consists of 200 acres, valued at 110,000. He was married March 26, 1854, to Miss Eliza Foster, who was born in England ; they have two children — • Charles and Emma A. Mr. Andrew, since his residence in the township, has held the office of School Director several years. JOHN ALBRECHT, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Monee ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany ;' came to the United States in 1858, and to this 866 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : State in the same year ; his farm contains 140 acres, valued at $7,000. He was married to Miss Frederica Beutin, who was born in Germany ; they have had eight children, six of whom are living — Mena, Augusta, William, Henry, Amelia and Bertha; deceased — Carl and an in- ! fant. Mr. Albrecht is now holding the : office of School Director. JOHN F. BOBZIBN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Monee ; was born in Germany, A. D., 1844 ; came to the United States in 1855, and to this State in the same year ; he has been a resident of \ Will Co. for the past four years ; his farm consists of eighty-five acres, valued at | $3,000. He was married to Miss Sophia Wishhoer, who was born in Germany, A. D. 1849 ; they have two children — John and Frederick. MRS. SOPHIA BROCKMAN, farm- er ; P. 0. Monee ; one of our early set- tlers ; was born in Germany, A. D. 1828 ; came to the United States in 1851, and to this State, and settled in Greengarden, Will Co., in the same year. She is the widow of the late Henry Brockman, de- ceased ; they have had six children — Karl, Lena, Henry, Mena, Lizzie and Etta. The farm of Mrs. Brockman contains 200 acres, valued at $10,000. B. B. BOEKBN, farmer and stock- raiser; P. 0. Monee; one of our early settlers; was born in Germany April 16, 1811 ; came to the United States in 1852, and to this State, and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his pursuit from his set- tlement in the county until 1854 was that of a boot and shoemaker ; his farm con- sists of 122 acres, valued at $6,000. He was married to Miss Caroline Lehman, who was born in Germany Feb. 24, 1824; they have three children, viz., Charles, Theodore and Carolina. Since Mr. Boek- en's residence in the township he has held the office of School Director twenty years. FREDERICK BUCHHOLZ, farmer and stock raiser; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Ger- many Jan. 24, 1820 ; came to the United States in 1850, and to this State in the same year, and settled in Du Page Co., where he remained three years, when he removed to Will ; his farm consists of 240 acres, valued at $10,000. He was married to Miss Henrietta Hakk, who was born in Germany, and was previously married to Miss Caroline Sonnimaker, now deceased. They have had seven children, viz., Henry, Sophia, Mary, Tina, Charley, Minne and Lena. Sincu Mr. B.'s residence in the township he has held the offices of Road Commissioner and School Director fifteen years. MRS. B. CARPENTER, farmer and stock-raiser; P. 0. Monee; one of our early settlers ; was born in Maryland Jan. 6, 1815; came to Illinois and settled in Will Co. in 1854 ; she is the widow of the late Daniel F. Carpenter, deceased; they were married Sept. 13, 1835 ; they have had fifteen children, seven of whom are living, viz., Catharine J., John, Kezia C, Henry, Daniel B., Sarah N. and Jemima I. ; deceased, Samuel, Daniel, William, Benjamin, Lydia B., Barbara V., Samuel and Kerenhapuch. The farm of Mrs. Car- penter consists of eighty acres, valued at $4,000. HEJN RY EISBNBRANDT, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Ger- many May 26, 1829 ; came to the United States in 1846, and to this State in the same year ; he has been a resident of Will Co. for the past twenty-nine years ; his farm consists of 320 acres, valued at $16,- 000. He was married to Miss Dorothea Koepke,who was born in Germany Nov. 18, 1839 ; they have one child, viz.. Christian. Since Mr. Eisenbrandt's residence in the township he has held the office of Super- visor two terms and Collector one year ; he is now President of the society known as the Greengarden Insurance Company, which is fully described in the general his- tory of the township. JOHN FELTEN, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Statioo ; one of our first German settlers; was born in Germany July 14, 1827 ; came to -the United States in 1848, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm consists of 240 acres, valued at $12,000. 'He was married March 5, 1852, to Miss Mary Fell, who was born in Germany Nov. 14, 1 830 ; they have had thirteen children, ten of whom are living, viz., John, Caroline, Minnie, Amellia, Christian, Margaret, Mary, Char- lotte, Lizzie and Charles ; deceased, Dory and two infants. Since Mr. Felten's resi- GREENGARDEN TOWNSHIP. 867 dence in the township, he has held the office of School Director several years, Street Commissioner, two years, and was the first German official in the town- ship. JOHN P. FELTON, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany, Jan. 11, 1819 ; came to the United States in 1854, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm con- sists of 320 acres, valued at $16,000. He was married to Miss Barbara Chrisman, who was born in Germany Dec. 25, 1820 ; they have seven children, viz., Minnie, Peter, Jacob, Mary, Adam, Carrie and Lena. Since his residence in the town- ship, he has held office of School Director six years, and Road Commissioner six years. ULRACH FOLKERS, farmer ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; one of our early set- tlers ; was born in Germany Aug. 1, 1814; came to the United States in 1857, and to this State, and settled in Will Co. in the same year; his farm contains 120 acres, valued at $6,000. He was married to Miss Catherine Cruse, who was born in Germany October 16, 1821 ; they have had six children, viz., Anna Catherina. Henry, Eliza, Amelia, Deitrick and Fred- erica. JACOB FROEHNER,farmerand stock- raiser; P. 0. Monee ; one of our early set- tlers ; was born in Germany ; came to the United States in 1852, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm consists of eighty acres, valued at $4,000. ■ ~1-*L 71 ^ BRAIOWOOD GREENGA.RDEN TOWNSHIP. 871 our early settlers ; was born in St. John, N. B., Aug. 4, 1823 ; came to the United States in 1841, and to this State, and set- tled in Grre^garden, Will Co., in 1855 ; his farm consists of eighty acres, valued at $4,000. He was married Nov. 25, 1846, to Miss Susan W. Avery, who was born in Plainfield Plain, N. H., Feb. 15, 1825 ; they have had five children , four of whom are living, viz., Samuel A., Mary J., John W. and Emma L. ; deceased, Emily M. JACOB ROSS, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. O. Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany July 4, 1838 ; came to the United States in 1860, and to this State the same year and settled in Cook Co. ; he has been a resident of Green Garden for the past ten years ; his farm ■consists of eighty acres, valued at $4,000. He was married to Miss Mary Sangmeis- ter, who was born in Germany ; they have one child, viz., Eliza. Since Mr. R.'s residence in the township, he has filled the offices of Road Commissioner and School Director three years. He was also a par- ticipant in the late war, having en- listed in the 57th I. V. I. ; served three years and eight months, and was dis- charged with honor at the close of the war, A. D. 1865. HENRY RUST, farmer and stock -rais- er ; P. O. Monee ; was born in Germany Jan. 14,1814; cametotheUnitedStatesin 1848, and to Illinois in 1852 ; he has been a resident of Greergarden for the past fourteen years; his farm consists of 160 acres, valued at $7,000. He was married to Miss Mary Matust, who was born in Germany ; they have had seven children, five of whom are living, viz., Hannah, Henry, Mary, Carl and William ; de- ceased, two infants. Since Mr. Rust's residence in the township, he has held the office of School Director one year. He was also a participant in the war in Germany in 1834. M. F. SANDERS, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Frankfort Station ; our first settler in the township, was born in Rut- land Co., Vt., Aug. 17, 1819; came to this State and settled in Greengarden, Will Co., in 1847 ; although the township did not, at that time, have a name. Since his residence in the township, he has held offices of Supervisor several years. Town- ship Clerk, and was the first Justice of the Peace in the township after its organ- ization, and performed the first marriage ceremony ; his farm consists of 550 acres, valued at $27,000. He was married to Mrs. Sarah Sanders Nov. 13, 1844, who was born in Windsor Co., Vt., March 31, 1823. They have had seven children, four of whom are living, viz., Daphna E., Will- iam H., Charles R. and Josephine V.; deceased, George W., George A. and Frank. CARL SCHON, farmer and stock -raiser; P. 0. Greengarden; was born in Ger- many Jan. 14, 1833 ; came to the United States in 1864, and to this State and set- tled in Will Co. in the same year. He was married to Miss Mary Kregar, who was born in Germany Sept. 22, 1830 ; they have had two children, viz., Charley and Frank. The farm of Mr. Sohon con- sists of eightv acres, valued at $4,000. HERMAN HENRY STASSEN, farm- er and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Monee ; one of our early settlers in the county ; was born in Germany ; came to the United States in 1854, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm con- sists of 160 acres, valued at $7,000 ; he has held the office of Supervisor six years ; he has also been a member of the Legisla- ture one term. He was married to Miss G. Maria Dudden ; they have two children, viz., Charles and Menno. He is also Chairman of the Board of Supervisors ; was elected this present year ; he is Treas- urer of the Greengarden Insurance Com- pany, which is fully described in the gen- eral history of the township. CARL SMIT, farmer ; P. 0. Monee ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Ger- many ; came to the United States in 1862, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year; his farm consists of 100 acres, valued at $5,000. He was married to Mrs. Smit March 28, 1876 ; they have one child, viz., Joanna. Mrs. Smit was previously married to Mr. John Smit, now deceased; they have had seven children, six of whom are living, viz., Augusta, August, Amale, Anohan, Willie and Ernest ; deceased, Frederick. JOHN STASSEN, nurseryman, and ao-ent for Greengarden Ins. Co., Monee; one of our first settlers ; was born in Germany ; came to the United States in 1856, and to this State, and settled in Will Co. in the 14 872 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: same year ; his farm and Qursery grounds consists of eighty acres, valued at $5,000. He was married to Miss Anna Tolkers, who was born in Germany ; they have seven children — Maggie C., Dora K.; Annie J., Gerry F., Henrietta, Dietrieck and Riecka. AUGUST VOTGT, farmer and stock- raiser; P. 0. Monee; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany ; came to the United States in 1858, and to this State, and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm consists of 120 acres, val- ued at 16,000. He was married to Miss Mena Sievert, who was born in Germany ; they have four children — Anna, Lena, Adolph and Freda. Mr. Voigt is now holding the office of Secretary of the Greengarden Insurance Co., which is fully described in the general history of the township. JOHN WERNEK, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. 0. Monee ; was born in Ger- many Nov. 25, 1825 ; came to the United States in 1854, and to this State, and set- tled in Greengarden, Will Co., in 1865 ; his farm consists of 160 acr^, valued at $8,000. He was married to Miss Mary Schde, who was born in Germany March 15, 1823 ; they have had six children, five of whom are living— Dietrick, Elizabeth, William, Antoine and Mary ; deceased, John. WILLIAM WATSON, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Greengarden ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Scotland Aug. 2, 1828 ; came to the United States- in 1850, and to this State, and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his farm con- sists of 83J acres, valued at $4,000. He was married to Miss Ann Phillipps, whO' was born in England ; they have had ten children, eight of whom are living — Ann J., Sarah C, Mary E., William J., Robert A,, John H., Emma C. and George ; de- ceased, Louisa and Agnes E. CUSTER TOWNSHIP. EDGAR L. BROWN, farmer; P. 0. Braidwood ; was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Aug. 20, 1837, and is the son of Miner M. and Mary M. Brown ; his father was a farmer ; was born in New York about 1811; he remained in New York until 1855; this year, with his family, they em- igrated to Illinois and settled in Reed Tp., what is now known as Custer Tp. ; here he purchased 320 acres of land at $4 per acre ; was among the first settlers of Reed Tp. ; made the improvements on his land and engaged in farming ; then to Wil- mington, where he was engaged in keeping a hotel ; he died in 1864, with the con- sumption, leaving a wife and four children ; his wife, Mary M. Brown, died in 1866. Mr. Edgar L. Brown emigrated West to Illinois with his parents ; here he has been engaged in farming ever since. He mar- ried in 1864 to Miss Abbie C. Marshall, of Pennsylvania, by whom he has had six children, three living. JAMES BOYD, farmer; P. 0. Wil- mington ; was born in the Isle of Man Feb. 3, 1813, and is the son of James and Ann (Neen) Boyd ; his father was a tailor by trade, but was engaged in farmin g Mr. Boyd was engaged in working on a farm owned by a Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and in May, 1851, with his wife, Ann Kennaugh, born in the Isle of Man. in May, 1813, emigrated to America and landed in New York City ; thence to Fair- port, PainesvUle and Cleveland, Ohio ; in May, 1855, came to Illinois and settled in Lake Co. ; here engaged in farming until 1859 ; then to Will Co., and settled on a farm owned by William Trainor ; lived there one year ; he then purchased forty acres of the present farm he now owns at $25 per acre ; Mr. Boyd has made all the improvements on his farm, it being very wild when he first settled here ; when he fijst came to America he was worth about $7 ; with hard labor, he is to-day one of the successfiil farmers of Custer Tp. Five children. JAMES CURRAN, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; this gentleman ranks as one of the successful farmers of Will Co. ; was born in Ireland in 1814, and is the son of Owen and Catherine (Carney) Curran, of Ireland ; his father was a farmer ; here CUSTER TOWNSHIP. 873 Mr. Curran commenced life, engaged in farming from the time he was able to hold the plow ; in 1849, with his parents, he emigrated to America ; thence West to Illinois, and settled in Will Co. ; in 1852, Mr. Curran settled on the place he now lives on, the country being very wild at that time. Married Miss Nellie Coregon, ot Ireland, by whom he has seven chil- dren. Mr. Curran owus 240 acres of fine land in Will Co. STEPHEN CALHOON, farmer; P. 0. Custer; was born in Wood Co., Ohio, Jan. 23, 1824, and is the son of Abner and Mary (Hoyt) Calhoon ; father, from New York ; engaged in farming ; came to Ohio about 1812 ; served as teamster in the war of 1812. When Mr. Calhoon was about 3 years old, with his parents, moved to Kalamazoo Co., Mich. ; here he remained until he was about 24 years old ; in 1848, came to Illinois and settled in Will Co., on the farm he now lives on ; he first pur- chased 120 acres of Government land ; when he first came here the country was very wild ; plenty of game ; he states that he has stood in his door and counted as high as seventy-five deer in sight of his house ; Mr. Calhoon, with his family, moved to Benton Co., Ind., in 1875, and remained there three years engaged in farming and schooling his children ; re- turned on the old homestead in 1877. Married in 1848 to Miss Weltha Weller, of New York ; four children. Mr. C. has held several offices of public trust. Is a Hepublican in politics, and United Brethren in religion. His parents both are dead ; father died in 1855 ; mother in 1878. JAMES DWYEK, farmer; P. 0. Braidwood ; the subject of this sketch is one among the oldest settlers of Custer Tp. ; was born in Ireland about 1825, and is the son of James and Catherine (Cary) Dwyer, of Ireland ; his father was a car- penter and wagon-maker by trade ; lived on a farm ; here Mr. Dwyer commenced farming, and, in 1840, he immigrated to America and landed in New York City ; thence to Susquehanna Co., Penn., and commenced farming ; he was a foreman on the New York & Erie Railroad for six years ; in 1849, he came West to Illi- nois, and settled in Will Co. ; in 1850, he came and settled on the place he now lives on, which was a very wild country at that time ; plenty of wild game — deer, wolves and prairie chickens ; he has made all the improvements on his farm. Mr. Dwyer has held several offices of public trust. Is a Democrat in politics, and a member of of the Catholic Church. Married in 1852 to Miss Winnifred Noonan, of Ireland; eight children. Mr. Dwyer came to Amer- ica a poor boy; by his railroading East he saved a little money, came West and invested it in 200 acres, at $2.50 and $5.00 per acre ; he worked hard and by good management is one of the successful farmers of Will Co.; owns 310 acres of land. JOHN B. PEELY, farmer, P. -O. Braidwood ; was born in the county of Roscommon, Ireland, Jan. 3, 1829, and is the son of Andrew and Mary (Bannon) Feely, of Ireland ; his father was a farmer ; Mr. Peely was raised on his father's farm, and, in November, 1849, immigrated to America and landed in Boston, Mass. ; thence to Dorchester, Mass., one year on a farm ; then West to Illinois and settled in Joliet, Will Co., April 5, 1851 ; here he remained until 1854 ; he then went to Cal- ifornia and engaged in mining in the gold- fields of California for four years and nine months ; success very good ; he then re- turned to Illinois, and. May 29, 1859, he settled on the farm he now lives on. Mar- ried in 1859 to Miss Wineford Lannon, of Ireland, by whom he has had twelve children, seven living. Mr. Peely is a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Catholic Church. Owns 280 acres of land. When he first came here the country was very wild. Made all improvements on his farm. HENRY HUDSON, farmer, P. O. Wilmington ; was born in Huntingdon Co., Penn., and is the son of Mathew nnd Sarah (Cook) Hudson ; Mr. Hudson, when he was but 3 years old, with his par- ents, moved to Trumbull Co., Ohio ; his father was a farmer ; here he set out in farming, and, when 17 years of age, he com- menced to learn the carpenter and joiner trade ; this he followed while in Ohio ; in 1846, he came to Illinois, and settled in Wilmington, Will Co. ; here, in this vicin- ity, he has remained ever since ; Mr. Hud- son, before there was a railroad in the vicinity, was engaged in carrying the U. S. mail from Wilmington, Will Co., to 874 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Pontiac, Livingston Co., for nine years. Married twice ; first wife, Lydia A. Fen- ner, of New York ; second wife, Mariah Bell, of Ohio; six children. Mr. Hudson had three sons in the late war, who partic- ipated in some of the hard-fought battles, and were honorably discharged. ROBERT HAWLEY, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in Buckingham- shire, England, in 1822, and is the son of John and Fannie Hawley ; who died when he was very young ; was raised among strangers ; at 14 years of age, he worked his passage on a lumber vessel to Quebec, Canada, and remained in Canada about two years ; thence to America ; here he spent his time in traveling in diiferent parts of the United States ; came to Illi- nois in 1844, and engaged in working on a farm in Kendall Co. about eighteen months; in 1847, he settled on the farm he now lives on, in Custer Tp., Will Co. ; states that there was no house between. him and Wilmington ; country very wild. In October, 1861, he enlisted as private in Co. F, 9th 111. Cav. ; this regiment was principally on scouting duty, and did good service ; was mustered out at the close of the war, at Selma, Ala., in 1865 ; returned to his farm and remained here ever since. Married Miss Sarah Ann Burd, of New Jersey. Mr. H. is about the oldest settler of Custer Tp. JAMES KE AY, farmer; P. O.Custer; was born in county of Forfarshire, Scot- land, Feb. 24, 1812, and is the son of John and Isabella (Barry) Keay, of Scot- land ; his father was a Sergeant Major in the British army ; the latter part of his life he was a toll-keeper ; when Mr. Keay was 20 years old, he entered the manufact- uring business, and followed this for three years ; he then was engaged in the mer- [ cantile business in Forfar, the county seat t of Forfarshire, and remained in business j about twenty years ; in 1855, he emigrated to America with wife and four children ; j landed in Quebec, Canada, then, by lake, to Chicago, 111.; here he attended a Gov- ! ernmentland sale and purchased 120 acres, ' the present homestead ; in 1855, he came ' to Will Co. and settled where he now lives. | Mr. Keay married in 1834 to Miss Jane Johnston, of Forfarshire, Scotland, by whom he has had seven children. Mr. Keay states that when he first came here the country was very wild and only five houses between his place and Wilmington, Will Co. ITHAMER T. PALMER, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; this gentleman was born in New York, March 20, 1846; his father, Jacob J. Palmer, was born in Ver- mont ; emigrated West with his family, and first settled in Kalamazoo Co., Mich., here they remained but a short time, and, in 1849, came to Illinois and settled in Will Co.; he was engaged in farming one year on what is now known as the Ira Smith farm ; then, with his family, to the present homestead, where Mr. Palmer now lives ; here he purchased 116 acres, then wild land ; he made all improvements ; here he spent the remaining part of his life engaged in farming ; died universally respected, leaving a wife and four children. Mr. Ithamer T. Palmer was married in 1877 to Miss Laura Williamson, born in London, England, in 1850, and is the daughter of Thomas and S. (Bruce) Will- iamson. Mr. Palmer is a Republican in politics. Has held the office of Assessor of Township; owns 122 acres of fine, im- proved land. GEO. W. PETRO, farmer; P. 0. Wilmington ; was born in La Porte Co., Ind., and is the son of George and Cather- ine (Concannon) Petro ; his father was engaged in farming and a soldier of the war of 1812, and was a native of Ohio; having settled in La Porte Co., Ind., at an early day, being among the first settlers of that county ; Mr. Petro was raised on his father's farm, and remained there until he was 21 years of age; he then entered the mercantile business in Kankakee, 111.; in 1872, he came to Will Co. and settled on the present farm; when Custer Tp. was first organized as a township, Mr. Petro was elected as Supervisor ; this office he now holds, having been elected to same office three times. He is a Republican in politics. Owns 116 acres of improved land. Married Miss Mary Kelley, of Buchanan, Mich.; have five children. MICHAEL SHENK, farmer; P. 0. Braidwood ; the subject of this sketch was born in Lancaster Co., Penn., Aug. 20, 1818, and is the son of Christian and Magdalene (Wolf) Shenk, of Pennsyl- vania ; his father was a miller by trade, and died when Mr. Shenk was very young ; CUSTER TOWNSHIP. 876 from Lancaster Co., with his mother and children, moved to Erie Co., Penn., and remained there until 1 858 ; he then emigrated West to Illinois and settled on the place he now lives on ; he first pur- chased 160 acres at $20 per acre ; when he arrived here the country was wild ; he made all the improvements on his farm ; Mr. Shenk, with hard labor, industry and good management, to-day owns 240 acres of fine, improved land, and ranks as one of the successful farmers of Will Co. Mar- ried in 1841 to Miss Sarah Ann Carter ; have eight children. His mother, Mag- dalene Shenk, died in Erie Co., Penn. JOHN J. SMILLIE, farmer and mer chant; P. 0. Wilmington. This gentle- man is one of the oldest settlers of Will Co.; was born in Madison Co., N. Y., Oct. 24, 1828, and is the son of John and Catharine (Kern J Smillie ; his father was a native of Scotland and engaged in farm- ing, having died when Mr. Smillie was very young ; his mother (of New York), married to Jeremiah Gray. Mr. Smillie was raised on a farm, and with his parents emigrated West to Illinois in 1835, and settled in Will Co., east of Joliet, then on the forks of the Du Page River; thence to McHenry Co ; here he remained until 1850 ; he then went to the gold fields of California, engaged in mining, remained in California about four years, was very suc- cessful ; he then returned to Illinois and settled on the farm he now lives on ; he first purchased 160 acres of land at $3.75 per acre, which land was purchased with money he had made in California. Mr. Smillie has been very successful in life ; he commenced a poor boy, and to-day ranks as one of the successful farmers of Will Co.; owns 674 acres of fine, improved land. He moved to Wilmington in order to school his children ; returned to the farm, and has lived here ever since. When he first came to Will Co., the country was very wild ; plenty of Indians, and very troublesome at times ; game in abundance, deer and wolves ; Mr. Smillie has killed many deer, being considerable of a hunter iu his younger days ; has held various oifi- ces of public trust in his township. Dem- ocrat in politics. Married in 1855 to Miss Olive Reed, of Will Co., whose par- ents settled in Will Co. at an early day ; eleven children, nine living. IRA W. SMITH, farmer; P. 0. Wil- mington ; was born in Huron Co., Ohio, Nov. 27, 1834, and is the son of Ira W. and Louis (Beckwith) Smith, of Vermont ; his father was engaged in farming and stock-raising, and died universally respect- ed, Feb. 18, 1870, at 64 years of age; his mother died June 7, 1847, 37 years of age. Mr. Smith came West to Illinois in Novem- ber, 1844, and settled in Rockville, Kan- kakee Co., and, in 1857, he came to the place he now lives on ; here he remained until the breaking-out of the late war. At the first call forvolunteers (Aug. 27, 1861), he enlisted aa private in Co. D, 4th I. V. C, under Col. T. Lyle Dickey, who was a soldierin the Mexican war; the 4th I. V. C. was changed to the 12th I. V. C, and par- ticipated in some of the hard-fought bat- tles during the war — Ft. Henry, Ft. Don- elson (where the first substantial success of the war was achieved), at Pittsburg Landing (where a victory was snatched from the jaws of death), in the campaigns, the battles and the siege of Vicksburg and other prominent battles under Gen. Grant, Gen. McPherson and Gen. Dodge; Co.Dwas with these generals as an escort ; in a skir- mish in Mississippi, Mr. Smith was wounded, which caused him to be off duty six weeks, and four months' sickness ; excepting this he served full time and was honorably dis- charged ; mustered out as Captain of Co. D, in December, 1865. At the close of the war he returned home here; he has remaiued here ever since. Married June, 1866, to Miss Ella Hanson, of Illinois, by whom he has two children ; has 755 acres of fine, improved land. ELI N. SMALL, Postmaster, Custer; the subject of this sketch was born in Her- kimer County, N. Y., June 20, 1828, and is the son of William and Evelina (Canfield) Small ; his mother, a native of Connecticut, his father of New York, and was engaged in the wholesale grocery busi- ness in the city of New York. Mr. Small came West to Will County in 1853, and settled in Wilmington ; then to Custer ; here he has remained ever since ; through his influence, the township of Custer was named, and in honor of Gen. Custer ; is the Postmaster (the first) of Custer Tp. Married in 1 857 to Miss Alice L. Easton, of New York, daughter of William Easton ; they have three children. 876 BIOGRAPHICiL SKETCHES: WILLIAM B. SMALL, lumber mer- chant, Wilmington ; was born in Hancock County, Ohio, February 24, 1851, and is the son of Daniel and Sophronia (Hall) Small ; came West in 1851 ; commenced the lumber business with his brother E. D. Small, known as E. D. Small & Co., in Wilmington, June 17, 1872 ; here they met with good success ; they then started a lumber-yard in Jersey City, Custer Tp., 1876 ; then a lumber-yard at Smith's Landing ; these gentlemen are the largest lumber merchants on the Kankakee River ; buy their lumber by the cargo at Chicago ; own one of the best steamers on the Kan- kakee River used in transferring lumber from Chicago to their lumber-yards at Wilmington, Jersey City, and Smith's Landing ; their prices in lumber are the cheapest in any part of the State. Mr. Small married Sept. 17, 1873, to Miss Addie Warner, of Illinois ; they have two children. MARTIN F. TILDEN, farmer ; P. 0. Wilmington ; this gentleman is one of the oldest settlers of what is now known as Custer Tp. ; was born in Orange County, Vt., February 6, 1811, and is the son of Diah and Irenah (Flint) Tilden ; his father was a farmer ; here Mr. Tilden was brought up on his father's farm ; from Orange Co., he went to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. ; here he remained about nine years engaged in farming ; then West to Illinois and settled on the farm he now lives on, May, 1849; here with his brother Turner, and brother- in-law Jacob J. Palmer, settled on a half- section of land ; when Mr. Tilden first came here with his family, they moved into a log cabin and remained until he made improvements on his farm; the country was very wild at that time, plenty of wild game ; with hard labor and good manage- ment Mr. Tilden owns to-day one of the finest improved farms of Custer Tp. , known as the " Evergreen Home," of 170 acres of land. Married Miss Sarah A. Kimball, of Vermont, by whom he has had seven children, two living ; Mr. Tilden's parents both are dead, his father Diah, died when he was near 84 years of age ; his mother, at 83 years of age ; both buried in the family gxave-yard in Custer Tp. ROBERT TRAINER, farmer; P.O. Wilmington ; thesubjectof this sketch was born in the Isle of Man, February, 1844, and is the son of William Trainer, who was born in the Isle of Man, 1798 ; was en- gaged in farming, and, in 1853, emi- grated to America, starting with his wife and five children, but on the way, at sea, his wife died, leaving him with his five children ; they landed in New York city ; then went direct to Illinois, and settled on the farm they now live on; when Mr. William Trainer first came here, he was worth about $1,000, invested in land; and, with the help of his four sons, they labored hard, and at his death he was one of the respected farmers of Will Co, leav- ing 301 acres of land. The sons are, James, William, Thomas and Robert, all born in the Isle of Man. A. G. TAYLOR, farmer ; P. 0. Wil- mington ; was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and is the son of Hiram and Eliza (Weller) Taylor; his father was born in Rutland, Vt., June 30, 1806, and, at an early day, moved to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. ; here he remained until 1849, engaged in farming ; he then, with his wife and family, emigrated to Illinois, via railroad and lake to Chicago ; then canal to Joliet ; from Joliet they came by wagon to Reed Tp., Will Co., 111., and rented a farm on the east side of Horse Creek, and, in 1853, Mr. Taylor purchased the farm now owned by Mr. A. G. Taylor ; here he remained until his death, which occurred Feb. 21, 1877; he died respected and honored by his fellow-men, leaving a wifu whom he was married to Dec. 28, 1826, living together for over fifty years. Mr. A. G. Taylor holds office as Treasurer of Road Commissioners ; owns 160 acres of land. Married in 1868 to Miss Eliza Hicks, of New York ; four children. WILLIAM TRAINER, deceased ; the subject of this sketch was one of the first settlers of Reed Tp. (now Custer Tp.); was born in Scotland May 21, 1798; his father was a farmer; Mr. Trainer was a farmer, and followed this business principally throughout life ; when he was young, with his parents, emigrated to the Isle of Man ; here he remained en- gaged in farming ; he returned to Scot- land, remained there but a few years, then back to the Isle of Man. He married in 1833, Margaret Moore, of the Isle of Man, born July 31 , 1807 ; in 1853, with his wife and five children, he started for America; PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. 877 ■during the voyage, Mrs. Trainer was taken sick, and died at sea Oct. 15, 1853, on board the Wm. Tapscott ; Mr. Trainer and his five children landed in New York Nov. 12, 1853 ; left his family in Cleveland, and came West to find a location ;. re- turned to Cleveland, brought his family and settled in Reed Tp. (now (duster Tp.); he purchased 120 acres of land, paying about $1,000; here he re- mained, except two years in Dwight, Livingston Co.; he died at the old homestead, June 25, 1878, respected and honored by his fellow-men, leaving four sons, all. born at the Isle of Man. William, Dec. 30, 1834, married Miss Margaret Monty, of Canada— four chil- dren; James T., born Nov. 23, 1836, married Miss Catherine McDonald ; Thomas T., born July 18, 1841, married Elizabeth McDonald; Robert T., born Feb. 27, 1844. PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. WILLIAM ANGUS, merchant, Peo- tone ; general merchant, firm of Angus & Fell ; burn in Durham Co., England, March 18, 1830, where he lived and engaged in farming until 23 years of age, when he emigrated to America, landing in New York April 21, 1853, coming directly West and to Chicago ; he was employed upon the Galena Division of the C. & N. W. R. R. for a period of five years, first as fireman, then as engineer ; after leaving the C. & N. W. R. R., he located in Lombard, Du Page Co., and engaged in farming for a period of eleven years, when he came to Peotone, and, Aug. 4, 1870, engaged in general merchandise, which business he has since followed. He married Jan. 1,1857, Saloma Wolf; she was born in France. DAVID J. BOARD, druggist and farmer, Peotone ; bom in Passaic Co., N. J., April 28, 1820, living there until 11 years of age, when he attended the Crane Boarding School, at Caldwell, N. -J. , for four years ; then to New York City ; employed ia jobbing dry goods until the panic of 1837, when he retired to his studies at Bellville ; then to Morristown, where he finished his studies, preparatory to the study of law, which he commenced in 1840, with J. J. Scofield, at the above place, where he remained four years, being admitted to the bar in 1844, when he re- moved to Paterson, N. J., and commenced practice, which he followed until 1852, when, on account of ill health, he aban- doned his profession and made an overland trip to California, where he engaged as Treasurer of a mining company ; also run iotel, ferry, dairy and ranch ; selling out his interest, he returned to New Jersey in 1 854 ; remaining there a short time, he came to Jackson Co., 111., and contracted to supply the I. C. R. R. with supplies for building the road, which business he followed until the completion of the road in that section ; coming to Will Co. in 1857, he located in Will Tp., farming, and in 1858, he again contracted with the I. C. R. R. to supply ties and fuel at difier- ent points on the line of the road, which he continued until 1861, in connection with running stores at difierent points upon the line of the road; he then en- gaged for about two years in the manufact- ure of staves, at Ashley, 111., which he fol- lowed until the taz being placed upon whisky, he sold his interest to the Ashley Woolen-Mill ; removing his family to Monee, Will Co., he went to Huntsville, Ala., where he engaged in running the Huntsville House and speculating in Gov- ernment vouchers, cotton, etc., remaining until the following season, when, selling out his interest, he came North and at- tended his stock of upward of 700 head of cattle, which he had carried over the previous winter ; in 1865, he located upon his farm and gave his attention to farming and raising blooded stock, until 1877, a period of twelve years, when he purchased an interest in the drug business, which business he now follows, under the firm name of Board & Shumway. He was married in November, 1844, to Miss Susan P. Lewis ; she was born in New Jersey ; they have five children by this union, viz., James L., Mary E., Ellsworth M., Will- iam and Nathaniel. 878 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: JAMBS BARNHART, Postmaster, dealer in stationery and notions and mu- sical instruments, Peotone ; proprietor of Peotone Eagle ; born in Perry Co.,Penn., June 15, 1839 ; his parents dying when he was an infant, he went to live with an uncle, in Franklin Co., where he lived until 1855, when he came West and set- tled in Pike Co., 111., living here and work- ing on a farm four years ; then to Wood- hull, Henry Co., where he lived until 1861, when he enlisted in the 45th UH- nois Regiment and served three years ; he was engaged in the battles of Fort Donel- son, Shiioh, siege of Corinth and other se- vere engagements ; was with Grant during the entire siege and capture of Vicksburg, the regiment being actively engaged from the 19th of May until the surrender of Vicksburg, July 4, meeting with heavy los.-, Mr. Barnhart being severely wounded by the blowing-up of Fort Hill, June 26, in the rear of Vicksburg. After being mustered out of service, he removed to Peotone, in 1866, where he engaged in farming for three years ; then, after sell- ing goods one year, was appointed Post- master of Peotone, which office he has since held. J. H. BRAYTON, merchant, Peotone; dealer in clothing, boots and shoes, hats and caps and gents' furnishing goods ; born in New York State, where he lived ■ until 7 years of age, when he removed with his parents to Manteno, Kankakee Co., 111., living there until 21 years of age, when he removed to Joliet, Will Co., where he lived one year, when he came to Peotone and engaged in the above business, with Robert Wells, for six months, when he purchased the interest of his partner, en- larged the stock, and now keeps the only exclusive stock of the kind in Peotone. He married, Deo. 10, 1873, Ella Christian ; she was born Feb. 27, 1854, in Du Page Co., N. S. BEEDY, hardware merchant, of the firm of Harsh & Beedy, Peotone ; born in Essex Co., N. Y., Feb. 9, 1835 ; lived there until 10 years of age, then he went to Canada, where he remained five years, when, in 1850, he emigrated to Illi nois and located at Lookport, Will Co., living there one year ; he removed to Rock- ville, Kankakee Co., and, with his father, was amongst the pioneers and organizers of the town of Manteno in 1864; he lived' here until 1865, engaged in farming, when he removed to Peotone Tp., and followed farming until 1874, when he sold his farm and went to Indiana, where he remained two and a half years, engaged in running the railroad eating-house in Michigan City ; selling out the above business, he returned to Peotone and purchased the interest of C. M. Lewis in the above business, which he has since followed. He married Sept. 22, 1858, Phebe Goodspeed, oldest daugh- ter of Samuel Goodspeed ; she was born in Will Co., 111.; they are the parents of five children by this union — Orrel M., Hettie A., Abbie E., Daniel N. and Carl. FELIX W. CALKINS, farmer and stock-raiser. See. 6 ; P. 0. Peotone ; born in Burlington, Louisa Co., Iowa, May 4, 1844, and removed with his parents when quite young, to Chicago, living there until 1854 ; then to Naperville, Du Page Co.", until 1860 ; then to Lockport, Will Co., until July 29, 1862, when he enlisted, at the age of 17, in the 100th 111. Vol. In. for three years, and in less than one month was with his regiment doing active service at the front ; he was in many hard-fought battles, and at Stone River was captured, but escaped during the night, and reaching the Union lines again joined his regiment and was made prisoner at the battle of Chickamauga Sept. 20,. 1863, and taken to Atlanta, Ga.; from there to Libby Prison, where he, with others was formed in line, then robbed of all money and valuables ; from there he was taken to Pemberton and Belle Island for several months ; then to Danville, Ga., where they were placed in large tobacco warehouses and remained during the win- ter of 1863 and 1864; the winter was one of unusual severity and the prisoners were without clothing and were allowed no fire during the entire winter ; during the winter the small-pox raged with fearful fa- tality, nearly every prisoner being down and receiving no care except such as re- ceived from their fellow-prisoners ; the fatal cases exceeded upward of 50 per cent of the entire sick-list; in May, 1864, he was removed to Andersonville, where he remained until November following; the cruelty inflicted here was in keeping with its well-known acts of barbarism ; from Andersonville he, with 15,000 others,. PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. 87» was taken to Charleston, S. C, and placed under the most exposed part of the fire of the Union gunboats during the bombard- ment of the city ; from there they were taken to Florence Prison, S. C; remaining here until the 21st of February, 1865, when they were placed in box cars with upward of eighty in each car, and such as survived the journey were paroled in Rich- mond Feb. 28, 1865 ; Mr. Calkins was in rebel prisons nearly two years, and has his health much impaired and for a period of two years it was feared he would entirely lose his eyesight ; he received his discharge for disability in St. Louis June 16, 1865, when he placed himself under medical treatment for one year for physical disabil- ity caused by cruel treatment while in rebel prisons. , He located upon his pres- ent place in 1866 ; he owns 200 acres of well-improved land, valued at $10,000, which he has accumulated by strict integ- rity, hard labor and industry. He married Aug. 23, 1865, Rosaline Calkins ; she was born in Orleans Co., Vt., April 12, 1842 ; they have three children by this union — George W., ^olia M. and Ettie L. PETER CONRAD, manufacturer and shipper of butter and cheese, Peotone; born in Odenbach Rheinphalz, Bavaria,Grermany, May 29, 1825, where he lived until 32 years of age, when he learned and worked at the trade of shoemaking until he emigrated to America, where he arrived May 29, 1857, landing in New York ; coming di- rectly West, he located in Elmhurst, Du Page Co., living there two years and worked at his trade ; from there he went to Pro- viso, Cook Co., where he lived seven years and followed shoemaking ; he then came to Greengarden Tp., Will Co., and settled upon a farm for one year, when he removed to his present place in 1866, and again fol- lowed shoemaking for a period of five years, since which time he has been engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was married in Germany June 11, 1849, to Katharina Gross, who (vas born in the Earldom of Hesse-Homburg ; they are the parents of seven children now living — Peter H., Kat- arina, i)ora, Maggie, Elizabeth, Bertha and Clara. Mr. Conrad has held the office of Police Constable, and is now serving his third term as School Treasurer of Peotone Township. MICHAEL COLLINS, merchant and grain dealer, Peotone ; born in County Clare, Ireland, Oct. 15, 1845 ; he emi- grated to America when 3 years of age,, living two years in Vermont; then six years in Canada, when he removed with his parents to Fajette Co., 111., where he lived until 18 years of age, when, learning telegraphy, he worked as operator at Gil- man awhile, then at Makanda as agent and operator for the I. C. R. R. one year, when, on account of ill health, he was transferred to Peotone, where he filled the diiFerent po- sitions of agent and operator of the I. C. R. R., and agent for the American Express Co. for a period of ten years when he resigned and engaged in the grain and hay trade; and now, in connection with F. Schroeder, is largely engaged in buying and shipping grain to Chicago and Eastern markets ; he is also engaged in general merchandise of thefirm of Schroeder, Smith & Collins. He married Dec. 2, 1869, Carrie Folke, daughter of Dr. Henry Folke ; she was born in Will Co., 111., May 22, 1852 ; they have, by this union, three children — Kittie, Grace and Paul. Mr. Collins has held the offices of School Di- rector and Justice of the Peace ; is now serving his third term as Supervisor. JOHN CONRAD, hardware dealer and Police Magistrate, Peotone ; born in Oden- bach Rheinfels, Bavaria, Germany, April 15, 1830, where he worked at shoemaking until he emigrated to America ; he landed in Philadelphia July 19, 1850, going to New York, where he lived until 1854, when he came to Illinois and located at Elmhurst, Du Page Co., where he worked at his trade until April 15, 1865, when he run a saloon for nine months ; then opened a general country store, following this busi- ness until 1869, when he removed to Peo- tone and opened the New York House, which he run for eighteen months, then selUng out, he opened a general store, which business he followed for two years, when, being elected Police Magistrate, he sold his store and devoted his whole time to the du- ties of his office and collections for a period of six years ; Mr. Conrad engaged in 1875 in partnership with his son-in-law, August Schugman, in the general hardware and stove business, which business has run quite successfully under the firm name of Conrad & Schugman, Mr. Conrad still re- 880 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: taming the office of Police Magistrate and collection agent. He married July 19, 1855, to Caroline Schaubel ; she was born in Baden, G-ermany, Jan. 23, 1837i ; they have by this union nine children living — Charlotte M., Caroline K. (now Mrs. A. Sohugman), John P., Frank H., Harry F., Freddie P., Hattie, Jennie and Charlie. JACOB DBWITZ, wagonmaker and dealer in pumps, Peotone ; born in Rendel, Dukedom of Hessen, Germany, Oct. 17, 1831, where he lived and followed the trade of wagonmaker until 1855, when he emi- grated to America, landing in New York -June 27 of the same year, coming directly to Danby, Du Page Co., where he remained six months ; then to Grundy Co., where he engaged in farming until 1857. when he returned toBloomingdale, DuPage Co., for one year ; he then went to Kansas for a short time, returning to Bloomingdale, where he lived four years, farming ; in October, 1863, he removed to Monee and engaged at his trade until March 15, 1865, when he removed to Peotone and engaged in the manufacture of wagons, which he has since followed. He married May 21, 1866, Mary M. Oifner ; she was born in Crainthal, Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Dec. 10, 1841 ; they have by this union five children — Theodore H., Mary, August C, Otto and Ludwig C. Mr. Dewitz has held the office of Town Trustee, and is now •serving the fifth year as School Director. JOHN ELLIOT, farmer. Sec. 13 ; P. O. Peotone ; born in Dumfriesshire, Scot- land, in August, 1822 ; lived there until 20 years of age ; he emigrated to America in 1842, landing in Kingston, C. W., where he engaged at his trade of stone- mason for six years, until 1848, when he located in county of Huron, C. W., and -engaged in farming and also working at his trade until 1875, when he sold out all his interest in lands and emigrated to Peotone, Will Co., Ill, and located upon his present place, where he has since lived ; he owns 120 acres of well-improved lands, valued at $40 per acre, which he has earned by his own hard labor. He married in Octo- ber, 1851, to Isabella Habkirk, a native of Canada ; they have two children by this marriage — Janette and William. Mrs. Elliot died in 1858. He married for his second wife Margaret Cowan ; she was born in Scotland ; they have four children by this union — Agnes, Isabella, John and Elizabeth. HENRY FBDDE, furniture, Peotone ; born in Holstein, Germany, Sept. 9, 1827, where he lived and worked at the trade of brickmason until he emigrated to Ameri- ca, landing in New York May 27, 1854, coming directly to Joliet, Will Co., 111.; he worked at his trade foV one year, then worked at the furniture business four years ; he moved to Momence, Kankakee, Co., where he started in the furniture business, which he followed for a period of eight years, when, in 1867, he settled in the fur- niture business at Peotone, Will Co., 111., which he has since followed ; he carries the only stock of furniture in Peotone. He married June 30, 1857, Miss Anna Hecht ; she was born in Holstein, Ger- many ; they are the parents of three chil- dren — John F., born Aug. 13, 1858; Henry, born May 5, 1860, died Aug. 15, 1861 ; Edward H., born Feb. 13, 1867. SAMUEL GOODSPEED, farmer, See. 30 ; P. 0. Peotone ; born in Troy, N. T., Feb. 21, 1812 ; he removed with his par- ents to Tioga Co., Penn., when 4 years of age ; here he lived until 22 years of age, working upon a farm in summer and attend- ing school in winter ; he emigrated West in 1835, and located upon Fox River near Oswego for one year ; then to Plainfield, Will Co., where he lived eighteen years ; he located upon his present place in 1855 ; he owns 320 acres of well-improved land, with good buildings, valued at $16,000, which he has accumulated by his own hard labor and industry. He married May 24, 1835, to Caroline B. Clark ; she was born in New York April 5, 1817. They had by this union six children, viz., John, Phoebe, Eunice. Emily, George and Henry. Mrs. G. died Feb. 23, 1847; Mr. G.'s second wife was Sarah M. Messenger, mar- ried January, 1848 ; she was born in Ohio Aug. 8, 1825. They had six children by this union, viz., Francis, Caroline, Edward, William, Harriet and Samuel. Mrs. G. died July 25, 1869. He married for his third wife Mrs. Harriet Bryan Nov. 20, 1869 ; she was born in New York Aug. 13, 1820. Mr. Goodspeed has held the office of School Trustee for upward of fourteen years and Supervisor for four years. HENRY GATES, general merchandise, Peotone ; born in Essex Co., N. Y., July PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. 881 12, 1833 ; living there eight years, he re- moved to Orleans Co., Vt., where he lived and engaged in farming for a period of thirteen years ; he emigrated to Illinois in 1854, and settled in Huykes' Grove, and engaged in farming in the summer and teaching school and carpentering in the winter for six years, when, in 1860, he went to Joliet and engaged in traveling, selling goods and collecting for six years ; he then removed to Peotone, and engaged in buying and shipping stock to Chicago, and butchering for the home market for one year ; then engaged in the painting business for two years, when he again re- sumed traveling, selling goods for two years : in 1871, he engaged in the general merchandise trade, which business he still ■continues. He married Oct. 31, 1860, Miss Eunice Goodspeed, daughter of Sam- uel Goodspeed ; she was born in Will Co., Ill, May 5, 1840. They are the parents of three children, now living, viz., Flor- ence L., Fred A. and Richard. Mr. Gates has been Justice of the Peace for four years and Town Clerk for six years. C. H. GILKERSON, dealer in grain, lumber, lime, coal, cement, stone and drain tile, of the firm of Warden & Gilkerson, Peotone ; born in Caledonia Co., Vt., Sept. 20, 1848 ; emigrating West with his par- ents in 1854, they settled in Cass Co., 111., then to Huykes' Grove, Will Co., where they lived and followed farming for a peri- od of eleven years; in 1865, he removed to Peotone, and then, after attending the Monmouth Academy two years, he attend- ed Bryant & Stratton's Commercial Col- lege in Chicago ; then returning to Peo- tone, in 1871, he purchased his father's interest in the above business, which he has since followed. The firm of Warden & Gilkerson, of which he is a member, do a large business, buying and shipping grain to Chicago and Eastern markets ; they also supply all the lumber for Peotone and the surrounding country. He married June 1 8, 1872, Julia Sultzbaugh, oldest daugh- ter of Phillip Sultzbaugh ; she was born in Pennsylvania Dec. 3, 1854, They are the parents of three children, viz., Eda A., Susan M. and Phillip H. DAVID MORRISON, farmer. Sec. 18; P. 0. Peotone; born in County Mon- aghan, Ireland, April 15, 1831, where he Jived until 20 years of age, attending school until 18 years of age, then engaged in farming two years, when he came to America, landing in New York May 12, 1851, where he lived four years, engaged in mercantile pursuits ; then to New Jer- sey, as attendant in the New Jersev State Lunatic Asylum for two years ; he emi- grated to Illinois in April, 1857, and lo- cated in Carroll Co., where he farmed in summer and taught school in winter for a period of six years ; he removed to Peo- tone Tp., Will Co., May, 1863 ; he owns 283 acres of well-improved land, valued at $40 per acre, which he has secured by his own hard labor and industry. He married March 30, 1857, Matilda Duncan; she was born in Antrim Co., Ireland, Feb. 6, 1835, and emigrated to this country in 1847. They have four children by this union, viz., William A., George A., David H. and Mary E. Mr. Morrison held the office of Assessor for three years in Carroll Co.; has held the following offices in Will Co., viz.: Justice of the Peace, which he now holds and has held for nine years ; School Director for nine years, and other offices at diiferent times. He has taught school three terms while living in this township. ANDREW MELVILLE, physician and surgeon, Peotone ; born in Glasgow, Scotland, Jan. 2, 1840; when 5 years of age, he emigrated with his parents to Canada, where he lived until 17 years of age, engaged in his studies, when, in 1854, he commenced the study of medicine, which he pursued lor three years in Canada; in 1857, he went to New York and finished his studies; in March, 1862, he engaged with the Allan line of steamers as Emigrant Surgeon, running between Glasgow, Scotland, and New York, after which he went as Assistant Surgeon in the 79th Regt. of Highlanders from New York, remaining with the regiment eighteen months ; on account of ill health he then resigned, returning to Canada ; he graduated in June, 1864 ; then purchased in Prescott, Can., the drug 'jobbing busi- ness of his old preceptor, which he run for three years ; then practiced medicine for three years in Traverse City, Mich., when he came to Peotone in 1870, where he has since followed his profession. He married June 13, 1866, Catherine Melville; they are the parents of three children — Fred- 882 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: erick W. W., Andrew H. and Anna Bella. DANIEL ROSS, farmer, Sec. 5 ; P. 0. Peotone ; born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, June 27, 1823, living there until 20 years of age, when he emigrated to England in 1843, and followed railroading and quarry- ing for nearly eight years in London, Liv- erpool and the Channel Islands. He emigrated to America in 1852, landing in New York Sept. 20, going to Quincy, Mass., where he remained a short time, then to Illinois, where he engaged in quar- rying and railroading at Joliet and other points until 1854, when he located upon his present place, where he has since lived. He owns 120 acres of well-improved land, valued at $40 per acre. He married April 6, 1858, to Annie Anderson; she was born in West Point, Orange Co., N. Y., May 24, 1840; her father was one of the pioneers of Will Co., securing his farm of 240 acres directly from the United States Government ; they are the parents of six children, now living — Emma J., Charles A., David D., William G., Alex- ander and Luella J, Mr. Ross is now School Director in the district which he lives. JOHN I. RICE, hay dealer, Peotone; .born in Rutland Co., Vt., Feb. 16, 1837, where he lived until 1844, when he re- moved with his parents to Wheatland, Will Co., 111., and worked upon a farm until 1862, when he was engaged with the army as Government Agent in the Quar- termaster's Department stationed at Pilot Knob, Mo., for one year, when he came North and contracted for the supply of hay to the Government, which business he followed for one year, shipping from Lock- port and three other points in Illinois to St. Louis ; in 1864, he again went South, and was Government Agent in the Quar- termaster's Department until the close of the war, when he came North, and again located at Lockport in the lumber business for two years, when he went to Chicago and in the provision business, which be fol- lowed for two years, when, being burned out, he came to Joliet, and was for several months Steward of the IlHnois State Peni- tentiary ; in 1871, he came to Will Tp. and engaged in the raising, pressing, baling and shipping of hay to the Chicago and Eastern markets, which business he now follows at Peotone and Monee. He mar- ried in Lockport Dec. 17, 1868, to Fanny Goodwin ; she died October following. Married again June 11, 1873, Bella Milne, of Lockport ; they have by this union one child — Robert M., born Oct. 14, 1875. Mr. Rice was Supervisor of Will Tp. for 1877. ROBERT RAINS, hay dealer, Peo- tone ; born in Duckinfield, Eng., June 21, 1831, living there until 1848, when he emigrated to America, landing in New York Jan. 14, 1848, going at once to New Jersey, where he engaged in boiler making until 1861, when he came West and settled in Peotone, Will Co., 111., and engaged in farming until 1869, when he engaged in the hay business, being in the employ of 0. Lippincott two years, then with J. C. Willey two years ; he then entered into partnership with Michael Collins and purchased the above business, doing business under the firm name of Rains & Collins four years, when Mr. Sultzbaugh purchased the interest of Mr. Collins, and the firm changed to Rains & Sultzbaugh, under which style they still continue ; they do an extensive business, buying, pressing, baling and shipping hay to Chicago and the Eastern markets. He married in New Jersey Sarah A. Foulston; she was born in England in 1829 ; they have three children by chis union — Martha F., Ellen and Elizabeth. Mr. R. has held the office of Town Trustee for two years. LUIS SCHMID, proprietor Peotone Hotel, Peotone ; born in Sigmaringen, Hohenzollern, Prussia, Aug. 12, 1842,. where he lived until 22 years of age en gaged at milling ; he emigrated to America in 1864, landing in New York May 3, being forty-seven days on the voyage ; here he remained one year, being employed in a hotel and restaurant ; coming to Chicago, he worked in a tannery one year, then locating in Peotone in 1866, where he worked at the carpenter trade for seven years, then, for two years, was engaged in mercantile pursuits ; at the expiration of which time, he exchanged his residence for the Peotone Hotel, located just east of the depot, which he has since successfully run as a hotel for a period of three years. He married Nov. 20, 1869, to Miss Katharina Conrad, oldest daughter of Peter Conrad ; she was born in Odenbach Rheinpfels^ PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. 883 Bavaria, Germany, Nov. 13, 1851 ; they are the parents of three children, viz., Julia C. D., Luida M. C. and Katharina A. D. HUGH SMITH, merchant, Peotone ; general merchant, of the firm of Schroeder, Smith & Collins ; born in Johnstone, Scot- land, Aug. 28, 1839, living there until 15 years of age ; he emigrated with his parents to America in 1855 ; removing to Vermont, he lived seven years and followed farming; then to Saxonville, Mass., a short time, where he enlisted in August, 1862, in the 33d Mass. V. I., remaining with his regi- ment until the close of the war ; he was in many severe battles, among them Chancel- lorsvilleand Gettysburg in the East; Look- out Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Resaca and Dallas with the Western army, under Hooker; at the battle of Dallas, being severely wounded, he was granted a fur- lough, and, when sufficiently recovered, he again joined his regiment, and was with Sherman's army on its march to the sea, and until the close of the war, when, being mustered out of service, he came West and located upon a farm in Will Co., 111., for six years ; then to Massachusetts one year ; then returning to Peotone, he engaged in the mercantile business, which he has since followed. He married June, 1866, Amelia ■Gilkerson ; she was born in Vermont; they are the parents of three children now living, viz., Elmer T., Jessie A. and Amelia B. EDGARB. SHUM WAY,physician and surgeon, Peotone ; born in Windham Co., Vt., June 27, 1851, removing with his parents to Londonderry, Vt., when quite young ; where he lived until 15 years of age, when he attended the Black River Academy at Ludlow, Vt., for five years ; from there to the Chamberlin Institute and Female College, at Randolph, N. Y.; from there he came to Will Co., 111., and taught school one term ; then going to Chicago, he attended at Rush Medical College for three years, when he was interne one year at Cook Co. Hospital. He graduated at Rush Medical College in January, 1874 ; soon after he located in Peotone, Will Co., fol- lowing his profession since that date with perfect success. He married May 25, 1875, Maggie A. Kearney ; she was born in Racine, Wis. ; they are the parents of one ^hild living, viz., Edith May. F. SCHROEDER, dealer in general merchandise, Peotone ; born in Holstein, Germany, Nov. 24, 1834, where he lived and followed blacksmithing until the age of 21, when he emigrated to America, landing in New York May 9, 1856 ; then coming directly West, he located in Elm- hurst, Du Page Co., 111., where he worked at his trade one year, when he removed to Monee, Will Co., and run a blacksmith- shop of his own for a period of eight years ; then selling out, he lived upon his farm five months, when he removed to Peotone, and purchased a blacksmith-shop, but sold out soon after on account of ill health ; he then engaged in general mer- chandise with F. Rathje, which business he still continues under the firm name of Schroeder, Smith & Collins ; he is also, with Mr. Collins, largely engaged in buying and shipping grain, owning what is known as the Collins & Schroeder Elevator. He mar- ried Aug. 30, 1857, Elizabeth Conrad ; she was born in Odenbach, Bavaria, Ger- many; they are the parents of seven chil- dren living, viz., Fredrick, Henry, Will- iam, August, Carrie, Ida and Elizabeth. Mr. Schroeder now holds the office of Town Trustee, and is serving his second term as School Director. PHILIP SULTZBAUGH, hay dealer, firm of Rains & Sultzbaugh, Peotone; born in York Co., Penn., June 9, 1831, where he lived until 18 years of ago, at- tending school in winter and farming in summer, when he went to Perry Co., Penn., and was engaged in driving a six- horse team for four years ; then burning lime for two years ; in 1857, he emigrated to Will Co., 111., and engaged in farming for a period of fifteen years, during which time he also was engaged in the hardware trade for three years; in 1872, he en- gaged in general merchandise, under the style of Schroeder, Conrad & Sultzbaugh, which business he followed four years; then selling out, he engaged in buying, baling and shipping hay and straw to Chicago, and all the Eastern markets. He married Nov. 15, 1853, to Susan Burrill ; she was born in Perry Co., Penn., March 5, 1831 ; they are the parents of three children now living, viz., Julia K., born in Pennsylvania Dec, 3, 1854; Sadie E., born March 26, 1860, in Will Co., 111.; Alice J., born May 1, 1864, and three de- 884 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: ceased. Mr. S. has held office of School Director for six years, Road Commissioner and School Trustee, three years each, and is now serving his fifth year as Trustee of the town corporation. WILLIAM YUNG, photographer, Peotone ; born in Wasungen, Saxe- Meiningen, Germany, Oct. 26, 1854, where he lived until 1871, when he emi- grated to America, landing in New York June 1, 1871, coming directly West; he located in Milwaukee, Wis., where he lived one year, working at his trade as mason ; then to Chicago two years, where- he worked ac his trade until 1874, when he came to Peotone, Will Co., and en- gaged at his trade, which he has since fol- lowed ; in 1876, he purchased his present residence, and, 1877, he purchased a pho- tograph gallery, which he has since run, and also continued the business of mason- ry. He married Dec. 1, 1876, Miss Mag- gie Conrad, daughter of Peter Conrad ;. she was born in Cook Co., 111., Sept. 10, 1857 ; they have one child by this union — August Louis, born Dec. 10, 1877. TROY TOWNSHIP. JOHN BALTZ, farmer. Sec. 19 ; P. 0. Minooka ; was born in Attandorff, Al- sace, France (now Germany), Dec. 28, 1820. He married Miss Thresa Doosz- mann Deo. 31, 1855 ; she was born in Morschwaeller, Alsace, France, Dec. 8, 1830 ; they had nine children, seven Hying — John, Joseph, Lena May, Louisa, Caro- line, Thresa and Lawrence. He lived in France thirty-five years ; was engaged in farm labor, and was seven years in the French army, serving in Africa ; he then came to the United States and settled in BuiFalo, where he lived about eighteen months ; he then came to Joliet; this was in 1855, and, in 1864, he came to his pres- ent place, and has lived here since ; he came here in poor circumstances ; he now owns 140 acres in this township, which he has earned by his own labor. PETER A. BROJNK, farming, Sec. 3 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Albany Co., N. Y., July 18, 1836. He married Miss Harriet Storrs Oct. 8, 1858 ; she was born in Clinton Co., N. Y., Sept. 21, 1839; they had eight children, six living — Eugene J., Ephron, Edward C, Rossie, Prentice S. and Emmit. He lived in New York about eighteen months ; he then moved to Illi- nois with his parents, who settled in Ken- dall Co., where he lived until 1865 ; he then moved to Manhattan Tp., Will Co., and engaged in farming, remaining there twelve years ; in the spring of 1878, he came to his present place ; he started in poor circumstances, and now owns 240 acres in this township, which he has earned by his own labor and management. His parents, Ephron Bronk and Mrs. Charlotte Van Dolfston-Bronk, were natives of New York ; they settled in Kendall Co. in 1838, and died Sept. 22, 1865 and Sept. 22, 1869, respectively. THOMAS CRAUGHWILL, farming; P. 0. Joliet ; born in Galway Co., Ireland, in 1828 ; he was raised on a farm until he was 20 years old ; in 1 848, he came to America and landed in Boston ; he then went to Watertown and worked on a farm ; in 1850, he went to Lockport, and re- mained there a short time ; the same fall, he went to Plainfield ; in 1853, he moved to Joliet and bought a farm, where he has resided up to the present time ; he was the son of John and Mary Craughwill, both natives of Ireland. Was married Oct. 3, 1850, to Mary Lane, by whom he has seven children. Democrat, and Catholic. He served as School Director a number of years, and, in 1874, was elected School Trustee. He came to America with only a few pennies, and went bravely to work, and by good management he has succeeded in accumulating a fortune, and to-day he owns a beautiful and well-improved farm of 600 acres. WILLIAM CAMPBELL, farming, Sec. 13; P. 0. Joliet; the above gentle- man was born in County Down, Ireland, June 5, 1825. He married Miss Cath- eron A. McMurray Jan. 28, 1862; she was born in the same place July 3, 1841 ;. they have six children — James, Williaov TROY TOWNSHIP. 885- K., Maggie K. F., Alfred, Martha and Louisa. He lived in Ireland until about 1852, when he went to Australia and en- gaged in mining gold, meeting with fair success ; he remained four years, and then returned to Ireland and followed farming until 1876, when he came to the United States, and, in April, 1877, he came to his present place. WILLIAM A. DIX, farmer, Sec. 18; P. 0. Minooka; the subject of this sketch was born in Windham Co., Vt., Jan. 17, 1828. He married Miss S. R. Richard- son Jan. 27, 1859 ; she was born in Con- cord, Vt., April 6, 1831 ; they have four children, viz.: Lucy E., born June 12, 1859; Hattie E., born Jan. 31, 1861; Emma M., born Nov. 25, 1862, and Will- iam C, born April 13, 1868. He lived nearly eleven years in Vermont, when, with his parents, he moved to Bureau Co., 111.; this was in 1838; they came the entire distance in a wagon ; they engaged in farming, and remained there until 1861, when he came to his present place ; he came here in fair circumstances ; he owns over 200 acres, mostly in this town- ship, which he has earned principally by his own labor ; his parents, Moses Dix and Mrs. Lucy (Stearns) Dix, are living in Mendota, 111. ; his wife's parents, Ste- phen Richardson and Mrs. Erepta (Wilder) Richardson, are living in Bureau Co., 111., where they settled in 1839. WILLIAM FOR AN, farmer, Sec. 19; P. 0. Minooka ; this gentleman was born in Kildare Co., Ireland, May 1, 1842. He married Miss Elizabeth C. Hayes Jan. 27, 1869 ; she was born in Will Co., 111., May 26, 1844; they have six children, viz., Mary J., James, Mar- garet, Annie L., AUice E. and Fannie C. He lived in Ireland six years, when he came to the United States with his parents, who lived one year in New York City, and then moved to Kendall Co., 111., and en- gaged in farming, where he lived until the spring of 1874, when he came to his present place ; he started in poor circum- stances ; he now owns eighty acres here, well improved, and seventy acres in Ken- dall Co., which he has earned by his own labor and management. JOAB GASKILL, farmer. Sec. 29 ; P. 0. Minooka ; is a native of New Jer- sey; he was born July 6, 1805, and mar- ried Miss Emily Green in August, 1829 ; she was born in Columbiana Co., Ohio, in the year 1810, and died in February, 1855; they had six children, viz., W. G., F. J., L. H., J. J., Anna M. and Miletus B. ; the latter enlisted in the 104th Ohio V. I. ; was in service about nine months, and died from sickness at Covington, Ky. Mr. Gaskill came, to this county in 1869. and settled on his present place. In 1871, Mr. L. H. Gaskill moved here and took charge of the farm ; he was born in Colum- biana Co., Ohio, March 4, 1834. He married Miss Cornelia Whittlesey Jan. 5, 1871 ; she was born in Clyde, Wayne Co., N. Y., Feb. 18, 1851 ; they have fhree children, viz., EmUy A., Clara W. and Anna A. He lived in Ohio until he was 21, when he came to Illinois, and settled in Kendall Co. and engaged in farming. In 1862, he enlisted in the 127th I. V. I. as Orderly Sergeant ; was in service until the close of the war, and took part in the battles of Vicksburg, Mission Ridge, ihe Atlanta campaign, etc. JAMES MURPHY, farmer. Sec. 8; P. O. Joliet; the above gentleman is a native of Roscommon Co., Ireland ; he was born July 25, 1834, and married Miss Mary Ann Rourke Aug. 13, 1859 ; she is a native of the same place, and was born Aug. 15, 1841 ; they had ten chil- dren, seven living, viz., Mary E., William J., Patrick A., Thomas F., Thresa A., John A. and Mary H. He lived in Ire- land until 1850, when he came to the United States with his parents, Patrick Murphy and Mrs. Catheron (Haley) Murphy, who settled in this township, where they engaged in farming ; his father died in Joliet Nov. 15, 1877, and his mother died in this township in August, 1867 ; he started in poor circumstances, and now owns 160 acres in this township. He has held the offices of Collector two, years and Assessor some seven or eight years ; also. School Treasurer. FRANCIS B. MURPHY, farming. Sec. 13 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Roscommon Co., Ire- land, April 10, 1833. He married Miss Mary E. Brock Nov 14, 1864 ; she was born in Chicago, 111., Feb. 13, 1845 ; they have six children, viz., Patrick, Catheron A., Mary, Francis B., Thomas W. and Margaret E. He lived in Ireland until. ■886 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHJIS ; 1850, when, with his parents, he came to the United States and settled in this town- ship, where he lived until 1855, when he went to California, remaining there three years, engaged in mining ; he then went to British Columbia, and returned the same year to California and remained there until December, 186Y, when he returned to Will Co., 111., spending a few months in Troy Tp.; he then went to Reed Tp. and engaged in farming ; remained three years, when he returned to Troy Tp., and has lived here since ; he settled on his present place in 1875 ; he has held the offices of School Director, Collector and Town Clerk, ; he started in poor circumstances and now owns eighty acres which he bas earned by his own labor. D. J. RAVER, mason and farmer ; P. 0. Minooka ; the subject of this sketch was born in Berks Co., Penn., Sept. 16, 1818. He married Miss Wilmina Wiles Nov. 15, 1842 ; she was born in Frederick Co., Md., in 1819 ; they have three chil- dren, viz., Lucetta L., Martha S. and James D. He lived in Pennsylvania about twenty years, when he moved to Ohio and remained there until 1864 ; he then came to his present place, and has lived here since ; he started in very poor circum- stances and now owns fifty-four acres of land in this township, well improved, which he has earned by his own labor. MICHAEL STEPHEN, farming. Sec. 19; E. 0. Joliet; was born in Alsace, France (now Germany), May 22, 1835, He married Miss Mary M. Blattner Jan. 15, 1857 ; she was born same place in 1836 ; they had seven children, six living, viz., Mary J., John A., Mary A,, Frank M., George S. and Annie M. He lived in Alsace about ten years when his parents came to the United States, and, in 1846, they came to Will Co. and settled in Joliet, and engaged in farming ; in 1857, he came to his present place ; he has been School Director and Road Commissioner; he started in poor circumstances and now owns 140 acres here and 240 in Kendall Co., which he has earned by his own labor. His parents, John Stephen and Mrs. Otillia (Hout) Stf>phen, are living in Joliet. D. C. SEARLES, farmer and stock. Sec. 16 ; P. 0. Joliet ; the subject of this sketch was born in Summit, Ohio, Jan. 30, 1830. He married Miss Hattie Walker Oct. 21, 1866 ; she was born in Plainficld Tp., Will Co., 111., July 8, 1836 ; they had four children, three living, viz., Maud L., born Oct. 8, 1867; Lynn W., born June 8, 1869, and Edna, Jan. 14, 1874. He lived in Ohio twenty-one years, when he came to Illinois and settled in Plainfield Tp., where he engaged in farming; re- maining until spring of 1856, when he came to his present place ; he has been Justice of the Peace eight years, and is now serving in his fourth term of Super- visor ; he started in poor circumstances and now owns 700 acres in this township, which he has earned by his own labor. His parents, Amos Searles and Mrs. Hannah (Hulbert) Searles, came to Will Co. in the fall of 1851 and settled near Plainfield ; they died April 5, 1871, and Feb. 9, 1866, respectively. His wife's parents, James Walker and Mrs. Jane G. (Walker) Walker, were natives of North Carolina and Tennessee ; Mrs. Walker came to Illinois in 1806, and passed through present Will Co. in 1820 and built a house where Plainfield now stands in 1 829 ; Mr. Walker died in Plainfield Aug. 27, 1850 ; Mrs. Walker died in Novem- ber, 1859, in Iowa, while on a visit. Her grandfather was a missionary among the Indians, and preached the first Protestant sermon in Chicago, also in St. Louis ; he was of the Methodist denomination. WILLIAM P. THOMSON,farmer,Sec. 11 ; P. 0. Joliet. The subject of this sketch was born in West Turin, Lewis Co., N. Y., April 22, 1843. He married Miss Helen A. Hadcock Dec. 25, 1867 ; she is a native of Watertown, N. Y., and was born Dec. 25, 1846 ; they have three children — Mary L., Earl W. and Sarah G. He lived in New York until 1872, except two years spent in California and Oregon, where he was engaged as civil engineer for the city of Portland; in 1872, became to Illinois, and, in 1873, he settled on his present place ; the only offices he has held have been connected with the school and road ; he owns 240 acres in this township ; in November, 1878, he was elected on the National ticket, Representative from the Fifteenth District. MARSHALL TRUBY, grain, lumber and stock; P. 0. Bird's Bridge ; is a native of Armstrong Co., Penn.; he was born Nov. CRETE TOWNSHIP. 889 18, 1819, and married Miss Mariah Mc- Crackia Jan. 12, 1845 ; she is a native of Somerset Co., Penn.; they had ten children, four living — Mary A., Henry T., Libbie A. and Lillie M. He lived in Pennsylva- nia until 1851, being engaged in boating ; he then came West to Illinois and settled in La Salle Co., where he remained one year ; he then moved to Joliet Tp. and en- gaged in farming, continuing ten years, when he moved into the city and engaged in the lumber business, remaining until 1870, when he came to his present place ; in 1871, he was appointed Postmaster at this office. CRETE TOWNSHIP. GEORGE W. AHRENS, cabinet-mak- er ; P. 0. Crete ; was born in Hessen, Ger- many, Feb. 22, 1836, and is the son of William Ahrens, of Germany, who was a shoemaker by trade. Mr. Ahrens com- menced to learn the cabinet-making trade when a young man, in Germany, and served an apprenticeship of four years; after learning his trade, he was engaged in working in different parts of Germany, and, in 1858, with his brother John, emi- grated to America ; landed in New York City ; came direct to Chicago ; here he started, in a small way, in making chairs ; this he followed about one year, then he commenced to have all the custom work he could do, and made a specialty of fine inlaid work, in which he ranks among the first in America, having had some of his work at the Centennial Exposition of 1876, and received a medal and a certificate of award for original- ity in design of an extension table hav- ing a compartment within it for storing the leaves (which was patented, March 9, 1875, by George W. Ahrens) ; also, for very superior quality of inlaid work. Mr. Ahrnes has now one of his fine tables at his store in Crete, which took the first pre- mium at the Centennial Exposition in 1876, and, without doubt, is pronounced as one of the finest pieces of work in America. Mr. Ahrens, in 1865, started in the wholesale business, as Ahrnes & Madden, 151 Randolph St., Chicago, do- ing a very extensive business, but on account of health he sold out, and, in 1867, moved to Crete, Will Co.; here he has been engaged in the furniture business ever since ; Mr. Ahrens is also engaged in the undertaking line ; has on of the finest hearses in Will Co., manufactured by him- self P. H. ADAMS, farmer ; P. 0. Crete ; is one of the old settlers of Will Co.; was born in Rutland, Mass., Dec. 17, 1804, and is the son of Rubin Adams, of Mas- sachusetts, a blacksmith by trade ; when he was very young, with his parents, moved to Massachusetts, thence to New Hampshire, from there to Vermont. Mr. Adams, when he was about 23 years of age, learned the carriage-making trade. While he was in Vermont, he married Mary Clark, of Massachusetts ; in 1845, with family, came to Illinois and settled on the present homestead ; here he has lived ever since ; he first settled on forty acres of Government land ; his wife died soon after he settled here ; he was married to Mary Canfield, of Massachusetts ; sixteen children, ten by first wife and six by sec- ond ; son Harrison was in the late war ; enlisted in the 8th 111. Cav ; participated in some of the prominent battles ; was honor- ably discharged at the close of the war. C. H. ERASE, Principal of the Ger- man School, Crete. The subject of this sketch is a self-made man ; was born in Hanover, Germany, Sept. 14, 1834, and is the son of H-enry Erase, a tailor by trade. Mr. Erase attended the schools of Germany, and received a high-school edu- cation ; he taught school in Germany in the winters of 1849 and 1850, this being his first experience in the teaching of school. In 1851, he emigrated to Amer- ica, and his first school was taught in Mor- gan Co., Mo.; here he remained until 1865, then to La Fayette Co., Mo., en- gaged in teaching until 1873 ; he then came to Crete ; here he has been engaged in teaching ever since ; the Crete school is very popular and well patronized, and re- flects great credit upon Mr. Erase in his excellent manner of teaching. 15 890 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : GUSTAVUS BRAUNS, merchant, Crete ; is one of the best-known and high- ly respected business men of Crete ; was born in Hanover, Germany, Sept. 24, 1832, and is the son of John A. F. and Henri- etta (Bartels) Brauns, of Germany ; father was a minister of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Brauns commenced his first experience in business life as a clerk in a dry goods store ; here he served as an apprentice for five years ; then in a wholesale notion house, specialty of silk ribbons ; here he remained until 1855 ; he then started for America, landed in New York City Aug. 1, 1855 ; here he first found employment as agent for artists' outfits ; then in a very large house-fitting establishment, and remained there until 1856 ; he then started West for Illinois ; arrived in Chicago ; here he re- mained about four months out of employ- ment ; he formed the acquaintancQ of a minister located in Crete, who advised him to go to Crete ; he arrived in Crete in 1856, and accepted a clerkship with Charles A. Miller in a general store at $10 per month and board ; here was his first start, and from then up to the present date he has been very successful in business ; he first entered business in Crete with his brother Leopold, known as L. & G. Brauns ; these gentlemen also owned a branch house in Chicago, and did a very large business, but the panic of 1857 drove them to an assignment in 1858, but they, with hard work and good management, paid every dollar of their indebtedness ; to-day Mr. Brauns owns one of the largest stores of dry goods, drugs and groceries to be found in Crete ; also is owner of a large hay-press ; has handled in two years 4,500 tons of hay ; Postmaster ; was appointed in 1860. A Republican in politics. Married Miss Sophia Deersen, of Germany; five children — four boys and one girl. MOSES H. COOK, retired farmer ; P. 0. Crete ; the subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this work, is one of the old settlers; Tras born in Lenox, Oneida Co., N. Y., Aug. 25, 1801, and is the son of Moses Harper and Polly (Pyson) Cook. Mr. Cook was the oldest child of nine children ; was raised on his father's farm ; in 1834, he started West and stopped in Ohio. Herehemarried Hannah C. Pixley, who was born in Stockbridge, Mass., March 30, 1817, and is the daughter of Phineas and Hannah (Curtis) Pixley, of Massachu- setts ; her father was a blacksmith by trade, and was a soldier of the war of 1812 ; he is now living in Lake Co., Ohio, at 89 years of age, being one of the oldest set- tlers of that county. Her mother died when Mrs. Cook was but a few days old. In 1838, with wife and one child, Mr. Cook moved to Illinois, and settled in Will Co.; here he first purchased forty acres of land at $1.25, and farmed until 1865; he then moved to Crete ; here he has retired from farming. Two sons in the late war, Myron H. and Joseph W., enlisted in the 8th 111. Cav. ; Myron H. was taken sick at Hope Landing, Va., and died March 20, 1863 ; Joseph W. participated in some of the prominent battles, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. SAMUEL CUSHING, Crete; was born in Salisbury, N. H., Jan. 23, 1799, and is the son of Theodore and Abigail ( Jackman) Cushing ; his mother was a native of New Hampshire ; father of Mas- sachusetts ; was a mechanic and farmer ; when Mr. Cushing was about 7 years old, he, with his parents, moved to Vermont ; here he was brought up on his father's farm ; at the age of 22, he commence to learn his trade with his father as chairmak- er ; he went to Monroe Co., N. Y.; here he was engaged at his trade, chair making Married twice ; his first wife was Miss Re- becca Lee, who died ; he then married Miss Elizabeth Stone ; she was bom in Massachusetts March 28, 1804, and is the daughter of Elias Stone, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war ; in 1838, with wife and two children, started West for Illinois in a two-horse wagon ; came via Bufi'alo, N. Y.; here they took steamer to Detroit, Mich.; thence by wagon and team to Illinois, taking them some five weeks to make the trip ; never traveled on Sundays, and always managed to stop over Sundays at points where there was a place of worship, that they might attend church and Sunday school ; they first settled in Du Page Co.; here but a short time, then to Will Co., and settled in Crete Tp.; here he has remained ever since, engaged in farming and chairmaking until about eleven years ago he retired. Mr. and Mrs. Cushing are members of the first Congre- gational Church of Crete ; this Church they took a very prominent part in help- CRETE TOWNSHIP. 891 ing to organize ; the two children who came West with them were Henry T., who died July 14, 1878, and Charles S.,now living at Hyde Park, 111. Married twice ; first wife, Sarah Foster, deceased ; second wife, Mrs. Marcia Bruce. CHARLES E. CARTER, editor and proprietor of the Crete Enterprise, Crete ; was born in Waukesha Co., Wis., April 9, 1856, and is the son of Hyram and Amanda (Annis) Carter ; father, from New York ; Mr. Carter commenced to learn type-setting in Omro, Wis., in the Omro Journal office ; here he remained about three years, then to Oshkosh, Wis., in the Independent office; then to Wausau, Wis., in the Wisconsin Central and Wisconsin River Pilot offices ; was also engaged on the State Journal, of Madison, Wis.; this will show that Mr. Carter has had a large experience in the newspaper world, and any one who has perused the columns of the Crete Enterprise can see that Mr. Carter is thoroughly master of the pen ; the first issue of the Crete Enterprise was Dec. 25, 1875, with a subscription-list of about one hundred and fifty ; to-day it has 300 sub- scribers, and ranks among the leading pa- pers of Will Co.; Independent in politics ; to all who may want anything in the job- printing line, call in at the Crete Enter- prise office. R. G. COSSAART, farmer; P. 0. Crete ; was born in New York, Sept. 29, 1824, and is the son of David and Ellenor (Griggs) Cossaart ; father a native of New York; soldier of the war of 1812; mother from New Jersey; in 1850, moved to Oneida Co., N. Y.; here he was engaged in the manufacture of scythes, pitchforks and farming implements ; in 1854, he came West to Illinois, and was engaged in working in different parts of Will Co. at the carpenter and joiner trade ; in 1864, he moved on the present homestead ; here he has remained ever since, engaged in farming. Married twice ; first wife, C. Talmage, of New Jersey ; second wife, Sarah McClain ; have two children. Mr. Cossaart owns a fine, improved farm of 228 acres. JOHN DODGE, farmer ; P. 0. Crete ; was born in Crete Tp., Will Co., 111., Aug. 11, 1840, and is the son of Enoch and Susan • (Adams) Dodge, who were among the early settlers of Crete Tp., Will Co., 111. ; Enoch Dodge, a farmer, was born in Beverly, N. H., Deo. 8, 1795 ; with his parents, moved to Vermont ; here he mar- ried in Eden, Vt., Nov. 26, 1818, Miss Susan Adams, born in Rutland, Mass., in 1803 ; in 1838, they emigrated West in a two-horse wagon ; started Oct. 4, and arrived in Will Co., 111., Nov. 26, 1838 ; they first lived in a log cabin on the Hewes farm; Mr. Dodge purchased 160 acres ot Government land (the old homestead); here he made ynprovements, and moved his family on tlie farm, and engaged in farming throughout life ; he died on the old home- stead March 4, 1873, respected and hon- ored b^ his fellow-men, leaving a wife and nine children to mourn his loss. Mr. John Dodge is engaged in farming on the old homestead. He married Martha Wilder, daughter of Almon Wilder, one of the old settlers of Will Co. Mr. Dodge enlisted in the late war, in the 9th Minn., Co. F, as Sergeant ; mustered out at close of the war. Enoch enlisted in the 100th I. V. I. ; participated in some of the prominent battles ; mustered out at close of the war ; now farming in Kansas. ABRAM DARLING, retired; P. 0. Goodenow ; this gentleman is one of the suc- cessful men of Crete Tp., who was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., Jan. 19, 1817, and is the son of Reuben and Sophia (Goodenow) Darling ; his father was a native of New York, engaged in farming ; Mr. Darling was brought up on his father's farm. He married Miss Elizabeth Irwin, of New York, and, in 1853. with wife and four children, emigrated West to Illinois, and settled in Crete Tp., Will Co., east ot Goodenow ; here he first purchased 1 20 acres of land and set out in farming, and farmed until about 1872 ; he then moved to Goodenow ; here he has remained fver since. Mr. Darling has held the office of Road Commissioner for the last fifteen years. One son, in the late war, Abram R., enlisted in the 100th I. V. I. ; was wounded at the battle ot Resaca, then transferred for duty at Indianapolis, Ind. ; here he served until the close of the war ; now living at Enterprise, Kan., engaged in the livery business. GEORGE W. GOODENOW, grocer; P. 0. Goodenow; the subject of this sketch is one of the best known men of Crete Tp. ; was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., 892 BIOaRAPHICAL SKETCHES: April 1, 1824, and is the son of Franklin and Betay (Smith) Goodenow, of New York; his father was a farmer; in 1835, with his parents, emigrated West to Indi- ana, and settled in La Grange Co. ; here they remained until 1838 ; they then moved to Illinois and settled in Thorn Grove on 160 acres of Government land, $1.25 per acre ; here they commenced farming in a small way, being very poor ; Mr. Goodenow has been very successful since he came to Illinois ; had accumulated at one time 1,840 acres of land ; laid out the present village of Goodenow ; in 1870, here, with his son Frank, started a store ; also ia the hay-press business, which busi- ness they have been engaged in ever since ; Mr. Goodenow's father died in 1870 at 70 years of age. Married twice ; first wife, Annie Batchelor, of Bennington Co., Vt., died in 1859 ; married second wife, Mary Wiggins, of Cortland Co., N. Y. ; eight children, six living. FRANK J. GOODENOW, station agent and Postmaster, Goodenow ; the sub- ject of this sketch was born in Crete Tp., Will Co., III., June 15, 1848, and is the son of George W. Goodenow, of New York, who is one of the old settlers of Illinois, having made his home here in 1 838. Mr. Frank J. was appointed Postmaster and Station Agent in 1870 ; these offices he still fills ; is in partnership with his father in the grocery business ; they also are engaged very largely in the hay-press business ; have handled as high as 1,000 tons of hay in one year. Married in 1875 Miss Alice Hunt, of Sheronville, Hamilton Co., Ohio, by whom he has one child. DANIEL E. HE WES, merchant, Crete ; the subject of this sketch was born in Chittenden Co., Vt., March 22', 1830, and is the son of Luman and Lucy (Elwell) Hewes ; his father was a farmer, and, in 1835, with wife and family, emigrated West via Detroit, Mich. ; from thence they came by wagon to Illinois and settled in Cook Co., west of what is now known as Blue Island ; here they re- mained until 1837, then came to Will Co., 111., and settled in Crete Tp. Mr. Luman Hewes first purchased eighty acres of land and set out in farming, and remained on the farm until his . death. Daniel E. Hewes was brought up on his father's farm, and engaged in farming from the i time he was able to handle the plow, and, in the winter months, attended the district schools of the period ; here he received a common school education ; he taught school one winter in Troy Tp.; in 1853, with his brother, B. F. Hewes, entered the mercantile business in the village of Crete; this business they have followed ever since; to-day they are the oldest as well as the most successful merchants of Crete. Mr. Hewes has held several offices of public trust in Crete Tp. — Justice of the Peace and Town Clerk. In 1874 and 1878, he received the nomination for Senator from the Democratic party, but Mr. Hewes being a Democrat and Will Co. strong Republican, he was defeated. Married Miss Fedelia L. Wood, daughter of Wil- lard Wood, one of the old settlers of Will Co.; have three children. Mr. Hewes' grandfather, William Hewes, participated in the Revolutionary war. B. F. HEWES, merchant, Crete; the above-named gentleman is one of the oldest settlers of Crete Tp. ; was born in Chitten- den Co., Vt., in 1828, and is the son of Luman and Lucy (Elwell) Hewes, who emigrated West to Illinois and settled in Cook Co. in 1835, and, in 1837, moved to Will Co. and settled in Crete Tp. Mr. B. P. Hewes was brought up on his father's farm, and farmed it until 1850 ; he then went to California; here he was engaged in mining for gold, and was very successful; returned home and purchased land ; in 1853, he with his brother Daniel E. entered the mercantile business in Crete, and has been engaged principally in this ever since; also engaged in the brick manufacturing business, and proprie- tors of the Hewes House, which is the only good hotel in Crete. The Hewes Bros, are the oldest merchants in Crete, and own one of the leading dry goods, notions and general stores of Crete. WALTER LOOCK, general manager of the Crete Manufacturing Co., Crete; was born in Berlin, Germany, Oct. 15, 1853; emigrated to America in 1871; he went to Port Wayne, Ind. ; here he was engaged in a large wholesale book and stationery house as book-keeper, thence to Chicago; from there he came to Crete, and, in 1878, was appointed General Man- ager of the Crete Manufacturing Co. This company is quite extensively engaged CRETE TOWNSHIP. 893 in the niamifacture of sash, doors, blinds, etc. It now gives employment to about fourteen hands. An immense business is done for so young a company; find sales for their goods in Joliet and surrounding country. G. W. MINAKD, M. D., physician, Crete ; his gentleman was born inPrattsville, Greene Co., N. Y., Aug. 16, 1825, and is the son of E. B. Minard, a farmer, who participated in the war of 1812. In 1841, Dr. Minard, with his parents, emigrated West to Illinois, and settled in Cook Co. ; he first commenced the study of medicine in Crete under Dr. H. Hitchcock, now of Chicago, 111. ; he then entered the Indiana Medical College at La Porte, Ind. ; here he received sufficient knowledge to com- mence the practice of medicine ; he first located in Lake Co., Ind. ; then, in 1849, he commenced the practice of medicine in Crete ; here he has remained ever since ; to-day is the oldest physician of Crete. He married Miss Melicent G. Brownell, of New York. W. H. NEVENS, Principal of the Crete school, Crete; was born in Lewiston, Me., March 9, 1845, and is the son of Charles H. and Mariah (Pettengill) Nevens. Father was a farmer ; here Mr. Nevens was brought up on his father's farm, and engaged in farming; in the winter' months attending school ; in 1862 and 1863, he taught his first school in Maine. In 1864, he enlisted in the 32d Maine V. I., and participated in the late war ; was wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor June 3, 1864 ; was honorably discharged at the close of the war ; returned to his home in Maine. Here he was engaged in going to school in 1866-67 ; then entered Bates College of Lewiston, Maine ; here he received a full classical education ; in August, 1869, came West to Illinois ; taught school in Will Tp., Will Co., fifteen months; May, 1871, he came to Crete, and commenced teaching here ; he has been ever since, excepting one y«ar. The Crete school is conducted in a superior manner, showing conclusively the great advantages to be attained in em- ploying a principal of the scholarly at- tainments and practical experience possessed by Mr. Nevens. JOHN O'MEIEK, farmer; P. 0. Crete; was born in Germany Jan. 17, 1824, and is the son of John Conrad and Sophia (Schweer) O'Meier, of Germany, who both died in Germany ; his father was engaged in the manufacture of oil ; here Mr. O'Meier was engaged in working in his father's factory; in 1844, he immigrated alone to America, and, August 24, landed in New York City, and came West ; landed in Chicago Sept. 3, 1844, a stranger ; he set out to find work, and commenced work on a farm at $6 per month and board ; here he remained until the spring of 1845 ; he then came to Will Co., and commenced ^to work for John Miller, in Du Page Tp. ; he remained there and saved sufficient money to pur- chase eighty acres, in Crete Tp., of the present homestead; in 1848, moved to Crete Tp., and was engaged in renting a farm two years; then he had made suffi- cient improvements on his farm ; he then moved on here ; he has remained ever since ; to-day owns one of the best im- proved farms of Will Co. ; owns 380 acres in Will Co. and a half-section in Iroquois Co. Mr. O'Meier has held several offices of public trust ; that of Supervisor since 1869, excepting three years; in these offices he has given entire satisfaction. A strong Republican in politics and a hard worker in the ranks. Married twice ; first wife Annie Rinne ; second wife, Ellen Scheiwe ; thirteen children, ten living. J. 0. PIEPENBRINK, farmer; P. 0. Crete ; was born in Rodenburg, Ger- many, April 24, 1826 ; son of Henry H. and Lotto (Myer) Piepenbrink, of Ger- many ; his father was a farmer ; Mr. Piep- enbrink was raised on his father's farm. He married Sophia Wille and, in 1849, with his wife and one child, immigrated to America, and landed in New York City ; in May, 1849, came to Illinois ; first pur- chased 135 acres of land in Crete Tp., Will Co., near the present homestead; here he set out in farming ; to-day ranks as one of the most successful farmers of Will Co. ; came here with only $300 ; to-day owns over 700 acres of land, with fine im- provements ; Mr. Piepenbrink is engaged largely in the dairy and cheese manufact- ture, which factory is located on his fann. Eight children — Otto, Henry, Conrad, William, John, Philip, Ellen and Sophia. JOHN 0. PIEPENBRINK, Jr., farm.er ; P. 0. Crete ; was born in Germany Jan. 5, 1 847, and is the son of John 0. and 894 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Sophia (Willej Piepenbrink, of Germany ; Mr. Piepenbrink, with his parents, immigra- ted to America in 1849, and settled in Crete Tp., Will Co.; was brought up on his father's farm ; was engaged at work in Joliet a few years ; returned to the farm and has been farming ever since. Married Miss Dora Arkenburg, of Germany, daugh- ter of William Arkenburg, Sr. ; has one child— William Otto. ERNEST RINNE, farmer; P. 0. Crete ; was born in Hanover, Germany, Feb. 4, 1836, and is the son of William and Sophia (Harsty) Rinne, of Germany ; in 1844, with his parents, he came to America ; came direct to Illinois, and set- tled in Chicago ; here they remained about six years ; then to Will Co.; here, Mr. William Rinne died on the farm, in 1874; Mr.Rinnefarmedituntil 1869 ; he then moved to Crete ; has been engaged in the manufacture of brick, and in the bay-press Tjusiness ; the hay-press em- ploys from three to four men, and turns out about seven tons a day, when in full running order ; when Mr. Rinne first came to Crete, he was in the hotel busi- ness. Married Miss Mary Engelkenng, of Germany ; ten children ; seven living. CHRISTOPHER SCHEIWE, farmer; P. O. Crete ; was born in Rodenburg, Germany, Feb. 21, 1827, and is the son of Phillip and Sophia (Swining) Scheiwe, of Germany ; his father was in the huckster business. In 1847, Mr. Scheiwe, with his brother John, emigrated to America ; came direct to Chicago ; was engaged in working on a farm on the Des Plaines River, and received $8 per month, and board ; in the winter months, he only re- ceived $6 per month ; he then came to Will Co., and settled near Lockport; then to Michigan ; returned to Will Co.; his first purchase of land was in Crete Tp., 80 acres ; here he set out in farming; to-day, with hard work and good management, he ranks among the successful farmers of Crete Tp.; owns 435 i acres of improved land; held sev- eral offices of public trust in Crete Tp. — Constable, Township Collector, and Jus- tice of the Peace ; Mr. Scheiwe is Presi- dent of the Crete Farmer's Mutual Insurance Company, of Crete, 111. Mar- ried Sophia Lucke, of Germany; eight children. JOHN SCHEIWE, farmer; P. 0. Crete ; was born in Rodenburg, Germany, Feb. 7, 1822, and is the son of Philip and Sophia (Swining) Scheiwe, of Germany ; his father was engaged in the huckster trade. In 1847, with his brother Chris- topher, he emigrated to America; first landed in Quebec, Can.; jihen direct to Chicago, 111.; went to work on a farm; then on the canal, at $1 per day ; in 1851, he came to Will Co., and settled in Crete Tp., on the present farm ; he first pur- chased 80 acres for $70; Mr. Scheiwe, with good management, to-day owns a fine, improved farm, which ranks among the best improved farms of Will Co. Married in Cook Co., 111., to Miss Maiy Wamhafer, of Germany; she came to America at the same time Mr. Scheiwe did ; four children. Member of the Lu- theran Church. HENRY TATGE, farmer; P. 0. Crete ; was born in Germany June 8, 1821, and is the son of Henry and Chris- tina Tatge ; his father was a farmer, and, in 1851, with his wife and family, emi- grated to America, and landed in New York City ; came direct to Illinois, and settled in Cook Co.; here his father and mother both died. Mr. Tatge's father gave him $2,000 ; he then came to Will Co., and purchased 320 acres of land, for which he paid $1,120 ; here he set out in farming ; he first built a small frame house on the present farm ; here, with good management, he owns 560 acres of land, with fine improvements. Married Catherine Olendorf, daughter of Conrad Olendorf, of Germany, who settled in Indiana; have had eleven children; six living. Member of the Lutheran Church. ALMON WILDER, farmer; P. 0. Crete ; the subject of this sketch is one of the old settlers in this vicinity ; was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y., May 21, 1806. and is the son of Rubin Wilder, a farmer, who was an officer in the war of 1812 ; when Mr. Wilder was about 4 years of age, he went to live with his grand- father ; when he was 6 years old, with his grandfather, moved to Ohio ; here he re- mained until 1 837 ; while there, he learned the shoemaker's trade, and followed this business six or seven years. He was mar- ried in Ohio to Miss Annie Corey. In 1837, he came to Illinois and settled in DV PAGE TOWNSHIP. 895 Cook Co. ; here his wife died, about one year after they arrived ; he was married the second time to Mrs. Louisa Kaymond, of England. In 1841, he came to Will Co. and settled on his present homestead ; here he has remained ever since. While here, he has held several public offices of trust; was Supervisor of Crete Tp. in 1851, 1852, 1853 and part of the term in 1855 ; held office as Assessor for seven- teen years, and Collector ; these offices he held in a very creditable and efficient manner. Republican in politics. Two sons in the late war — Edwin A., enlisted in the 100th I. V. I., served full time and participated in some of the prominent bat- tles during the war ; George H., enlisted in the 8th I. V. C. ; these gentlemen did good service, and were honorably dis- charged at the close of the war. EMIL WALTER, agricultural imple- ments and saloon, Crete; this gentleman was born in Germany Feb. 12, 1842, and is the son of Charles and Augusta (Schmidt) Walter, of Germany ; father was a minister of the Lutheran Church. in 1866, Mr. Walter came to America and landed in New York City ; he came direct West to Illinois and settled in Chicago ; here he was engaged as a traveling agent for the wholesale liquor house of Schmidt & Cramer for two and one-half years. He then entered the U. S. Regular Army, and served as Sergeant Major for five years in the Western and Southern States. He returned to Chicago, and entered the wine and liquor business for himself about one year ; he then (in 1876) came to Crete; here he has been engaged in the saloon business ; is also agent for reapers, cultivators, rakes, plows, seeders and corn- planters. Mr. Walter was elected, in 1878, to the office of Town Clerk. He married Miss Eliza Werner. WILLIAM I. WOOD, livery stable, Crete; the subject of this sketch was born in Crete, Will Co., 111., March 4, 1846, and is the son of Willard and Diantha (Boardman) Wood, who were among the first settlers of Crete Tp. ; Mr. Wood is engaged in the livery stable business. Married in 1871, to Miss Alvira Hewes, of Crete Tp., Will Co., 111., by whom he has two children. WILLARD WOOD ; P. 0. Crete ; the subject of this sketch is one of the oldest settlers of Crete ; was born in Randolph, Vt., Aug. 28, 1808, and is the son of Thomas and Ruby (Newland) Wood ; father was a nativeof Massachusetts; was en- gaged in the iron foundry business, and was a soldier in the war of 1812 ; died at Col- chester, Vt. ; Mr. Wood was raised on a farm ; studying law at Hyde Park, Vt., was admitted to the bar to practice law. In May, 1836, with wife and one child, started West for Illinois, via Detroit, Mich. ; here he purchased a wagon and team, and arrived in Chicago in June, 1836 ; thence to Will Co. ; here he first settled in Crete Tp., on 160 acres of land, and commenced farming in Will Co., and followed this business until, some thirteen years ago, he retired from farming. Mr. Wood was the first Postmaster, kept the first hotel and taught the first school in the village of Crete ; has also held several offices of public trust — that of Justice of the Peace about twenty years. Supervisor for two terms, in 1854 and 1856, and County Commissioner ; in these offices, he has acquitted himself in a very creditable and efficient manner. Mr. Wood is a Democrat in politics. Married Miss Di- antha S. Boardman, of Vermont, daughter of Alfred Boardman, by whom they have had eleven children, seven living ; one son in the late war — Willard S.; enlisted in the 8th I. V. C, and participated in some of the prominent battles ; was honorably dis- charged. DU PACE TOWNSHIP. HORACE BOARDMAN, farmer ; P. O. Naperville; was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., July 25, 1819 ; in August, 1831, he came West with the family, his father settling on the farm where his son now lives ; of his father, who was one of the early pioneers of this section, much ap- pears in the body of this work ; he died 896 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : May 30, 1877, at the advanced age of 83 years, and his ashes rest peacefully in the beautiful little cemetery on the homestead ; Horace remained at home till 28 years of age, when he moved to Grand Traverse Bay, Mich., for the purpose of engaging in lumbering ; here he remained six years, and, in 1853, returned to Illinois ; in the spring of 1864, he moved to Wisconsin, and remained three years ; in March, 1867, he returned to Illinois, and has since re- sided at the old homestead. He was mar- ried May 25, 1843, to Laura A. Farr, a native of New York ; she died April 16, 1846 ; his second marriage, to Emily Cowles, a native of New York, occurred Sept. 3, 1849 ; she died May 2, 1862 ; his third marriage, to Mrs. Isabella Lewis (Emerson), widow of Chauncey Lewis, was celebrated April 28, 1863; from first marriage, two children were born — Ellen A., Maria A. ; from second, three — James C, Abby M., Walker B. ; from third, six — George E., Fannie E., Frank H., Harry G., Edith L., Charles Boy. Owns 248 acres in Du Page Tp. ; in addition to his farming, he also keeps a large number of cows for dairying purposes ; on his farm, in 1846, was operated the first McCormick reaper ever used in the limits of Will Co. FKANKLIN E. BARBER, farming and dairy ; P. 0. Lemont ; was born in Du Page Tp., Will Co., 111., Aug. 25, 1835 ; his father came West to Illinois in the spring of 1832, and laid a claim where his son now resides; here he lived till the date of his decease, which occurred Dec. 19, 1876. Franklin E. was married Sept. 2, 1867, to Mrs. Adelaide Volentioe, a native of New York State ; he has five children— Emma E., Etta F., Edward F., Jessie A., and an infant daughter ; Mrs. Barber has one child by her former husband — Mary J. His father was one of the early pioneers of Du Page Tp., and came to Chicago, or rather old Fort Dearborn, on the boat that brought Gen. Scott's army to do duty in the Sac war ; of him mention is made in the body of this work ; Mr. Barber owns the old homestead, 211 acres, valued at $14,000. Has held the offices of Constable, Town Clerk and School Director. He is a suc- cessful farmer, and supplies a large quan- tity of milk to the cheese-factory now in successful operation near his residence. GEORGE DIXON, farmer; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Lincolnshire, En- gland, Dec. 25, 1832 ; he emigrated to America in 1851, and engaged in farm la- bor for G. R. Dyer; he remained with him six years, and then labored for a Mr. Ray for the same length of time; in 1856, he purchased 320 acres of land in Michi- gan ; this he purchased chiefly for the tim- ber upon it, and, in the great fire which occurred throughout that region a few years ago, he suffered a loss of $3,000 to $4,000 ; subsequently, he sold out and went to England, and, after a sojourn of nine months, returned to America, and, in 1869, purchased where he now resides. He was married Sept. 14, 1869, to M. Jennie Burgess, a native of Lincolnshire, England. Owns 160 acres, worth $5,000. Mr. Dixon has led a somewhat romantic life since coming to America ; while a young man, he was accustomed to spend the winter season hunting and trappkig in Michigan, and always realized handsomely from his winter's sport ; much of the time was passed with the Indians, and often- times he was far from the habitations of white men, surrounded by the beasts of the forest, with only the savage for a com- panion. NORTON EATON, farmer; P. 0. Du Page ; was born in Rutland Co., Vt., Aug. 25, 1831 ; at the age of 14 years, he came West to Illinois, with the family, and settled in Kendall Co., near Au Sable Grove, and engaged in farming ; in 1854, he moved to Du Page Tp., Will Co.; in 1861, he moved to his present residence. He was married March 25, 1858, to Esther A. Rathbun, a native of Ohio ; she is the daughter of S. R. and Maria (Lander) Rathbun ; four children have been born to them — Mary A., Carrie E., Gracie G., living; one died, Edith E. Owns 91 acres in Du Page Tp., valued at $5,000. Mr. Eaton has held the offices of Assessor, Town Clerk, Constable, Commissioner of Highways, etc. AUSTIN GODFREY, farmer ; P. 0. Lemont; was born in Erie Co., N. Y., Aug. 31, 1822; he is the son of Henry and Kansas (Warren) Godfrey ; his father came West to Illinois in the fall of 1833, and stopped a short time in Chicago ; aft- er a sojourn of two months on' the Des Planes, west of Chicago, he came into DU PAGE TOWNSHIP. 897 what is now Du Page Co., and settled in the timber on the Des Planes, pre-empting one-half section of land, part of which lies in Du Page, and the remainder in Will Co.; here he lived until his decease, in 1850. Austin remained at home, at- tending, with his brother, to the business of the farm, after attaining to manhood. He was married Dec. 25, 1847, toLorenia Warren, a tative of New York State ; she died Nov. 2*7, 1853. His second mar- riage, to Lucy Denton, occurred Dec. 24, 1857 ; she is a native of Lower Canada. From first wedlock, two children — Emma A. (now wife of G. W. Potter), and Will- iam H., deceased ; from second marriage, seven — Herbert A., Howard D., Abbie C, Carrie M., Arthur M., Guy R. and Roy S. Owns 675 acres of finely im- proved land, valued at $40,000 ; has held the oflSces of Supervisor and Road Com- missioner for the past fifteen years ; he has k«pt from 60 to 70 milch cows, and for the most part ships his dairying to Chicago. Mr. Godfrey stands well to the front rank among the farmers of his section. ROBERT GOUDY, farmer; P. 0. DuPage; was born in Essex Co., N. Y., Jan. 2, 1822; in the fall of 1843, he came West to Illinois, and settled in Du Page Tp., Will Co., and engaged in farm labor ; in 1850, he moved to the I. & M. Canal, and attended lock, two and one- half miles north of Lockport, two years ; he next engaged in running a boat, two years, for Norton & Co., and again returned to the lock, remain- ing five years ; in 1859, he purchased one-quarter section of land in Du Page Tp.; this he improved and occupied in 1861 ; he purchased where he now lives, in the winter of 1867. He was married Oct. 15, 1848, to Ophelia Welch, a native of Ohio ; two sons, William H. and Charles R., and two daughters, Mary and Julia, have been born to them ; of these, only one, Julia, is living. Owns 100 acres of land, well improved, and worth $7,000. At an early age, he learned the blacksmith's trade, but not having a fancy for the business he abandoned it for farming ; has held the offices of School Director, School Trustee, and is at present Commissioner of High- ways, his tenure of office extending over a period six and one-half years. WILLIAM KING, retired farmer ; P. 0. Naperville ; was born in Hanover, Germany, Dec. 23, 1829; in 1848, he emigrated to America, and located in Bloomingdale, Du Page Co., 111.; here he engaged in farming, one year; he next came to Du Page Tp., Will Co., and en- tered the employ of Jonathan Royoe, Sr., for whom he labored two and one-half years; in March, 1852, he went to Cali- fornia, and engaged in mining and butch- ering ; in 1857, he returned to Illinois, and purchased one-half of the farm originally entered by Robert Strong, and sold by him to Samuel Goodrich ; direct from the hands of Ooodrich it passed to Mr. King, and is now owned by him. He was married Jan. 27, 1857, to Hypsia Royce, daughter of Jonathan Royce ; she is a native of New Hampshire; in 1870, he left his farm and moved to Naperville ; in 1871, he started a tile and brick yard, which, to-day, is one of the best paying institutions of the town ; in the spring of 1878, he sold out his interest in the fac- tory, owing to ill health, and has since de- voted himself to superintending his farm. Owns 360 acres in Will Co., valued at 125,000 ; he also owns a fine property in Naperville ; has held the office of Super- visor of Lisle Tp., Du Page Co., four years ; is at present a member of the City Council. ABNER ROYCE, farmer ; P. O. Na- perville ; was born in Essex Co., N. Y., June 13, 1826 ; he is a son of Jonathan and Polly (Emery) Royce ; his father was one of the early settlers of Du Page Tp., having settled in the summer of 1835 where his son now lives ; here he lived till the date of his decease, which occurred Dec. 14, 1863, at the age of 83 years ; his faithful companion followed him April 25, 1875, at the advanced age of 91 years ; his father was a very successful business man, and owned at one time between three and four thousand acres of land ; he di- vided his vast accumulations of wealth among his children, and they are following in his footsteps to a successful life ; Abner has always lived upon the old homestead,^ except a temporary absence of four years ; in 1850, he went to California, and en- gaged in mining; in 1854, He returned home. He was married October 18, 1855, to Charlotte Phelps, a native of Essex Co., 898 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : N. Y.; has six children — Elisha, Truman, Helen J., Irving, Lottie E. and Abner, Jr. Owns 985 acres in Will Co., valued at 165,000 ; Mr. Royce has met with good success in all his undertakings. JONATHAN ROYCE, farmer ; P.O. Naperville ; was born in Essex Co., N. Y., May 9, 1822 ; when 13 years of age, he came with the family to Illinois, his father settling on the East Branch of the Du Page in the summer of 1835; he remained at home until he had reached the age of 25 years; in 1847, he came upon his farm, and engaged in cultivating it some six years before his marriage. His union with Sarah A. Mather, a native of Essex Co., N. Y., was celebrated Oct. 18, 1853. His life has been largely and successfully devoted to agricultural pursuits; in the fall of 1873, he moved to Naperville, and entered the banking business in partnership with Wil- lard Scott; in the fall of 1876, he returned to his farm, and entered again upon a farmer's life. Has five children^ Jonathan P., George E., Asa M., Maria P. and Em- ma M. Owns about five hundred acres, valued at 140,000 ; has held the office of .Supervisor a number of terms ; he deals largely in stock, buying and fattening a large number of cattle annually ; his farm is the best improved and his buildings the most substantial of any of his entire neigh- borhood. S. R. RATHBUN, farmer; P. 0. Plainfield ; was born in Marcellus, Onon- daga Co., N. Y., Sept. 17, 1805 ; in the spring of 1832, he came to Ohio, and set- tled in Orange Tp., Cuyahoga Co., where he opened up and improved 140 acres ; in September, 1845, he came West to Illinois, and first settled in Du Page Tp., Will Co., near his present residence ; in July, 1846, he moved into Wheatland Tp., and re- mained about twenty years ; he then sold out and moved to Lake Co., where he re- sided two years; in February, 1868, he came to his present farm. He was mar- ried Sept. 27, 1827, to Maria Lander, a native of Florida, Montgomery Co., N.Y.; has nine children living — Volentine, Will- iam M., Permelia, Bela F., Sabrina L., Mary J., Esther A., Alvin 0. and Charles W.; has five dead — Hiram L., died Jan. 9, 1863, at Nashville, Tenn.; he was a member of Co. D, 100th I. V. I.; he was in the march from Louisville to Nashville, when Gen. Buell was in pursuit of Gen. Bragg ; the others died in infancy. He owns 480 acres, valued at 133,000 ; has held the office of Assessor in Wheatland Tp. two or three terms ; also those of Com- missioner of Highways, School Trustee, School Director ; while a citizen of Ohio, he was a Justice of the Peace in 1840, and held the office of Deputy SheriiF and that of Constable. THOMAS J. SPR.^GUE, farmer; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in Hamburg, Brie Co., N. Y., Nov. 23, 1810 ; he remained at home until his majority, experiencing the life of a farmer's son ; farming sum- mers and attending school a short time during the winter ; in 1837, he came West to prospect the country, and in March, 1838, he settled in Du Page Tp.; the first year, he tilled a farm owned by Joseph Bessey, and the following year labored on the I. & M. Canal on the section just be- low the Joliet Mound ; in 1840, he pur- chased 160 acres on See. 22, Du PageTp.; this he still owns, and here he resided about eighteen years ; in the fall of 1858, he re- moved to his present residence, on Sees. 34 and 27. He was married Jan. 8, 1844, to Mrs. Lydia Godfrey, daughter of Shubel Swift ; her father was one of the pioneers of Du Page Tp.; have had nine children — Charles, Elizabeth, Harriet, Thomas, Frank and CeUa living ; Lydia, Douglas and Thad- deus, deceased. Owns 590 acres, valued at $30,000 ; has held the office of Township Collector and that of Assessor three or four terms. Mr. Sprague was without means when he came West, and by industry and good management has accumulated what he has ; he is also extensively engaged in dairying in connection with his farming. ROBERT STRONG, farmer ; P. 0. Naperville ; Mr. Strong is the only surviv- ing pioneer of the few that settled in Du Page Tp., in the early period of 1831 ; was born in Greensboro, Vt., April 28, 1806 ; when he was 8 years of age, his father moved to Susquehanna Co., Penn., and engaged in clearing land and farming ; in 1819, the family moved to Chemung Co., Penn., and opened a farm where the town of Waverly now stands ; in 1825, his father moved to Ogden, in Monroe Co., N. Y.; in 1831, Robert came to seek a home in the Far West and settled where he now resides, having purchased a claim of a half- DU PAGE TOWNSHIP. 899 section of Selby & Walker ; here, in com- pany with his young and lovely bride, he commenced, amid the difficulties and priva- tions incident to pioneer life, to carve out his fortune. He was married April 21, 1831, to Caroline W. Willey, a native of Oneida Co., N. Y.; she was born May 10, 1811 ; eleven children have blessed their union, four — Alfred W., Kobert H., Mary A. (now widow of James N. George) and Albert M — are living ; seven are dead. Owns 230 acres of land, valued at $1'7,000. Has held the offices of Supervisor, Justice of the Peace eight years. School Treasurer sixteen years, with the enormous salary of $10 for the first ten years. And here upon a portion of his original purchase made almost one-half of a century ago, he still lives, the only remaining landmark of those who settled in Du Page in 1831 or 1832 ; all the others have either rested from their labors or changed their locations ; to him we are indebted for much of the early historv of Du Page Tp. THOMAS WILLIAMS, farmer; P. 0. Lockport ; was born in County Corn- wall, Eng., Jan. 18, 1807 ; he immigrated to America in March, 1825, and first set- tled in SchuylkUl Co., Penn., when he engaged in mining and shipping coal to Philadelphia about two years ; he next contracted and built a portion of the Port- age Kailroad across the Alleghany Moun- tains from HoUidaysburg to Johnstown ; in 1 834, he came to Illinois and settled in Chicago; in June, 1836, in conjunction with Chas. E. Boyer, he contracted four sections on the I. & M. Canal and com- menced work thereon; in 1848, he built twelve miles of the Chicago & Galena Railroad between Chicago and Elgin ; in 1850, they went to California and construct- ed the levee in front of Sacramento City ; afterward they constructed a tunnel 1,900 feet long, bringing the waters of Bear River down to the flats of Ophir; in 1854, they contracted on deepening the I. & M. Canal, and finished the work in 1857 ; he located on present place of residence in 1846. He was married in 1832, to Susan Horner, a native of Pennsylvania ; eight children have been born to them ; of these, four are living — Julia, Stephen J., Susan and Carrie. Owns 500 acres of land, valued at $40,000; he is at present Supervisor ; has held the office of School Trustee and School Direct- or. In all his public enterprises he has met with good success. JONAS WALKER, farmer; P. 0. Du Page ; was born in Worcester Co., Mass., April 5, 1817; he is the son of James and Sally (Brewer) Walker ; he left home at the age of 13 years and engaged at farm labor at $8 per month ; previous to his majority he worked two years in the city of Worcester in a wire-factory ; in 1838, he came West and located in Greene (now Jersey) Co., 111., where he engaged in farming for six years ; in the fall of 1844, he came to Lockport, Will Co., and entered the employ of Hiram Norton, hauling flour to Chicago and bring- ing back goods ; this he followed two years ; he then opened up and improved the farm now owned by S. Wilson, and remained three years ; he also opened up a farm on Sec. 16, Lockport Tp.; he lived in Lock- port Tp., at various points, till 1855, when he moved to Du Page Tp., and bought a quarter-section about one mile south of his present residence ; in March, 1859, he located on his present farm. May 6, 1840, he was married to Pualina H. Judd, a native of Indiana ; nine sons and three daughters have been born to them — Henry, James, Charles, Pemelia, George, Clara, Hiram and Harley (twins),William, Walter, May and Albert ; of these Henry, James and Albert are dead. Owns 250 acres in Will Co., and eighty acres in Iroquois Co. Has held the office of Road Commissioner five years, and also the office of Town SYLVESTER WARD, farmer ; P. 0. Lemont; was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., May 29, 1831 ; he is the son of Hannibal and Jane (Hicks) Ward; in September, 1833, his father came West, and settled on the farm where his son now lives. Han- nibal Ward died Deo. 23, 1874, and was buried on the homestead ; Sylvester re- mained at home until his majority, his early life being that common to a farmer's son ; in 1854, he went to St. Charles, Kane Co., and engaged in the manufacture of wagon-hubs. Mr. Ward improved the machine invented by his uncle. Justice Ward, for their manufacture, and brought it to such perfection that three hands could take the timber from the stump and make one hundred hubs per day ; in the spring of 1857, in company with two 900 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: others, he purchased eighty acres of timber in Porter Co., Ind., and placed upon it a machine constructed during the winter of 1856, and again commenced the manufact- ure of hubs. Havingsoldout his interest, in the fall of 1859, in company with A. D. Shepard, he purchased a grist-mill at Leland, La Salle Co., and operated it two and a half years ; in 1862, he returned to the old homestead, where he has since resided. He was married Feb. 22, 1860, to Lorina Johnson, a native of Michigan ; have had two children — Ida S., born Feb. 11, 1861 ; she died Feb. 25, 1863 ; Eddie E., born Oct. 30, 1863. Owns 355 acres, valued at $21,000. Has held the office of School Treasurer for the past ten years, Mr. Ward owns and operates a large cheese- factory erected at a cost of $3,000, located about four miles north of Lockport. J. S. WHITE, farmer and stock dealer; P. 0. Naperville ; was born in Watertown, Jeflferson Co., N. Y., Sept. 1, 1835; dur- ing the same fall, his father moved to Joliet, Will Co. ; here he died as early as 1845. His mother subsequently married Capt. Harry Boardman, one of the pio- neers of Du Page Tp. Young White came from the village to the farm and re- mained with his stepfather some seven years; at the age of 18, he left home for Chicago, where he engaged in clerking for Thompson & Wetmore in the dry goods business ; here he remained two years ; in 1854, he went to California, and engaged in mining and operating a train of pack- mules for carrying supplies; he remained in California four and a half years ; on his return, he again engaged in farming ; in 1874, he purchased where he now resides. His first marriage to Mary A. Farmer, a native of New York, was celebrated Dec. 10, 1860; she died in March, 1873. His second wife, Sabrina L. Smith, is a native of Ohio ; their marriage occurred Sept. 4, 1874 ; three children were born from the first wedlock — Cornelia M., Willie and Carrie. Of. these, only Carrie is living. Owns 313 acres, worth $20,000. In addi- tion to his farming, Mr. White deals largely in stock, buying and shipping to the Eastern market and to Chicago. MONEE TOWNSHIP. MRS. J. P. BOHLANDER, propri- etress of American Hotel, Monee ; one of our early settlers ; was born in New Jersey Dec. 20, 1829, and is the widow of the late J. P. Bohlander, deceased, who was born in Germany Sept. 9, 1829, and who died Sept. 16, 1877 ; he was one of our early settlers in Will Co. They were married April 23, 1853 ; they have had seven chil- dren, viz., Alice V., Alda A., J. Frank, Rhoda, George W., Kate L. and Carrie M. The farm of Mrs. B. consists of thirty-three acres ; farm and village prop- erty valued at $6,000. C. K. DANIELS, traveling agent of the American Bible Society, Monee ; one of the early and most prominent settlers of the village of Monee ; was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., Sept. 1, 1822; came to this State in 1862, and settled in Will Co. in the same year; his pursuits since 1867 have been, as aforementioned, in the inter- ests of the American Bible Society. He was married Sept. 19, 1858, to Miss Cor- nelia B. Sleeper, who was born in Hills- boro Co., N. H., June 21, 1830; they have had three children, two of whom are living, viz., Florence E. and Carrie B. ; deceased, George Clinton. LABAN EASTERBROOKS, convey- ancer, real estate and collecting agent and Police Magistrate, Monee ;' one of the early settlers ; was born in Bristol Co., Rhode Island, March 14, 1814; came to this State and settled in Monee, Will Co. in 1858. He was married to Miss Sabrina M. Wright, who was born in Washington Co., R. I., Jan. 2, 1830; they have had ten children, six of whom are living, viz., Mary L., Sabrina, L. Fill- more, William G., Isabella and Robert L. ; deceased, Ellen M., Sarah G., Ros- amond and Rebecca. Since Mr. East- erbrook's residence in the township, he has held offices of Township Clerk and School Director, and at the outbreak of the war was Assistant Enrolling Master. MONEE TOWNSHIP. 901 HENRY HOHMANN, farmer and stock-raiser; P. 0.. Monee ; one of the early settlers ; was born in G-ermany Oct. 15, 1810 ; came to the United States in 1848, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in 1853 ; his farm consists of 350 acres, valued at $14,000. He was married to Miss Mary Herveg, who was born in Germany May 28, 1826 ; they have had six children, four of whom are living, viz., Martin, Henry, Kate and Christina ; de- ceased, Mena and August. GUSTAVUS JORDANS, dealer in wines and liquors, Monee ; one of our early settlers; was born in Prussia Aug. 1, 1830 ; came to the United States in 1849, and to this State and settled in Monee, Will Co., in 1859. He was a participant in the late rebellion, having enlisted from and for Will Co. in the 82d I. V. I. as musician ; he served three years, and was discharged with honor at the close of the war, 1865. CHRISTIAN KOEPKE, proprietor of German House and sample rooms, Monee ; one of the early settlers ; was born in G-er- many Dec. 2, 1840 ; came to the United States in 1853, and to this State in the same year and settled in Greengarden, Will Co. ; he removed to Monee in 1869; since that time, his pursuits have been that of hotel and hvery keeper, and pro- prietor of the German House sample and billiard rooms. He was married to Miss Mina Buethe, who was born in Germany April 19, 1842 ; they have had five chil- dren, three of whom are living, viz., Doretta, Lena and Willie ; deceased, Henry and Mary. Since Mr. K.'s resi- dence in Will Co., he has held the office of Constable in Greengarden Tp. four years. SIMON MILLER, general merchant and grain dealer, Monee ; one of the early set- tlers ; was born in Germany Oct. 9, 1834 ; came to the United States in 1849, and to this State in the same year ; he has been a resident of Monee, Will Co., for the past thirteen years ; his pursuits since his resi- dence in the township have been that of a grain dealer and general merchant. He was married Jan. 19, 1856, to Miss Eliza- beth Bepperling, who was born in New York Feb. 19, 1840 ; they have had five children, three of whom are living, viz., Mary, George S. and August C. ; de- ceased, John and Charley. Mr. Miller is now holding the office of President of the Board of Trustees of the incorporated village of Monee. FREDERICK PAULING, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Monee ; one of the early settlers ; was born in Germany ; came to the United States in 1850, andto this State and settled in Will Co. in 1852 ; he is the father of Henry D. Pauling, of Monee Tp., whose farm consists of 133 acres, valued at $5,000. He was married to Miss Mary Kolstedt, who was born in Cook Co., 111. ; they have two children, viz., William and Amelia. CHARLES PRAGST, general hard- ware merchant, Monee ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany Jan. 19, 1834; came to the United States in 1853, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year ; his present business has been his pursuit for the past nine years. He is now Clerk of the incorporated village of Monee. A. ROHMEIER & BODBN, confec- tioners and tobacconists, Monee ; both born in Germany, and early settlers in the county ; their property in said establish- ment consists of one store, or place of bus- iness, and one Lot, No. J of 5, 6 and 7, in Block 1, and is valued at $3,000. CHRISTIAN SCHOENSTBDT, man- ufacturer of wagons, buggies, etc., and dealer in general farm machinery, Monee ; one of the early settlers ; was born in Germany Jan. 30, 1837 ; came to the United States in 1854, and to this State in the same year ; he has been a resident of Monee, Will Co., since 1859, and within that time his pursuits have been as above mentioned. He was married March 5, 1859, to Miss Louisa Guntz, who was born in Germany May 17, 1839. They have had seven children, six of whom are living — Fred, Anna, Leopold, August, Louisa and Otto ; deceased, Rudolph. PROF. FRANCIS STOFFLET, Prin- cipal in Monee Public School, Monee ; was born in Northampton Co., Penn., Feb. 22, 1841 ; came to this State and settled in Will Co., in 1874 ; and since that date, with the exception of one year, he has been a resident of the village of Monee. He was married to Miss Mary A. Sprague, Aug. 13, 1873; they have two children — Elmer and Harvey. Mr. S. was a volun- 902 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES : teer in the late rebellion ; he enlisted in the 153d Penn. V. I., served ten months and was discharged as time for enlistment expired. His principalship in the public schools has, with the exception of four years, continued since A. D. 1856. H. H. STASSEN, Sr., retired farmer; P. 0. Monee ; one of the early settlers ; was born in Germany Sept. 15, 1805, under King Peter of Oldenburg ; came to the United States in 1854, and to this State and settled in Will Co. in the same year; he is the father of H. H. Stassen, Jr., of Greengarden Tp. The farm of Mr. S. consists of seventy-seven acres, valued at $4,000. He was married to Miss Meta Ulreachs, now deceased, who was born in Germany March 11, 1808, and who died Sept. 3, 1865; they havehad eight children, four of whom are living, viz., Mary, Henry, Matilda and Mena ; deceased, Anna, two infants and Diedrich. AUGUST SCHIFFER, general mer- chant and grain-buyer, Monee; one of our early settlers ; was born in Germany ; came to the United States in 1855, and to this State in 1857, and, in 1858, he settled in the township of Monee ; his pursuits, since his residence in the township, have been that of a general merchant and dealer in grain ; he is the builder and owner of the first elevator in this township. He has held the office of Postmaster from 1861 to 1866. He was married to Miss Anna Sohurz ; they have six children, viz., August, Antoinette, Chasles, Otto, Annie and Minnie. WILLIAM SIEPKER, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. 0. Monee ; one of our early settlers; was born in Germany March 15, 1825; came to the United States in 1848, and to this State in the same year ; his farm consists of 160 acres, valued at $8,000. He was married to Miss Mary Holder, who was born in Russia; they have three children, viz., Lewis, Mary and William. Since Mr. Siefker's residence in this township, he has held the office of School Director four years, and Roadmaster one year. PHILIPP TRIEM, merchant tailor, Monee ; one of our first settlers in Monee was born in Germany Jan. 6, 1832; came' to the United States in 1854, and to Illi- nois and settled in Chicago, where he re- mained two years, when he removed to Monee, where he has since resided ; his profession since his residence in this town- ship has been that of a merchant tailor. He was married to Miss Eliza Demmal, now deceased ; they have had six children, only one of whom is living, viz.; Rosa. ADAM VATTER, Jr., insurance and lightning-rod agent, and partner in the firm of Vatter & Merz, pop manufacturers, Monee ; one of the early settlers ; was born in Germany March 11, 1852 ; came to the United States in 1855, and to this State, and settled in Monee with his father's family in the same year. He was married to Miss Bertha Kettering, who was born in Chicago April 9, 1853 ; they have had two children, one of whom is living, viz., Julia; deceased, an infant. WILTON TOWNSHIP. CHANCEY CLINTON, farmer. Sec. 2 ; P. 0. WaUingford ; owns 230 acres. Born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Sept. 2, 1825 ; at an early age, his parents removed to Pennsylvania; resided there until 1865 ; he then erbigrated to this place, and has lived here ever since. Has been married twice ; first, to Mary W. Ostrom ; she died in January, 1854; left one child — Emily; she is married, and at present resides in Indiana. His second marriage was with Harriet A. Hullar Jan. 21, 1858, in Penn- sylvania ; have two childreij by this union — Ella May and Milo E. Has held the officet of Road Commissioner and Post- master, the former six and a half years, and the latter four years. REV. ORVILLE C. DICKINSON, minister. Sec. 15 ; P. O.Wilton Center. Bap- tist ; Republican. Owns sixty acres ; born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., Sept. 10, 1836; went with parents to Michigan when 8 years old ; resided there twelve years ; at- tended the High School at Battle Creek three years ; came here about the year 1856 ; was ordained in August, 1860 ; re- WILTON TOWNSHIP. 903 sided and preached in Wilton Tp. ever since, with the exception of three ;years that he was Pastor of a church at Bloomingdale, Mich.; he has preached continuously at this place since 1872. Married Susan Beedle, daughter of Rev. Emory Beedle, of Kala- mazoo, Mich. ; she was born Sept. 1, 1837 ; have no children of their own ; have an adopted child of the name of Lizzie. Mr. D. carries on farming in connection with his other duties ; had two brothers in the late war — Anson and Albert ; they served in the 12th I. V. I.; Anson received a mortal wound on the 22d of July, 1^64, near Atlanta, Ga., and died Aug. 3, follow- ing. JABEZ HARVEY, merchant, Sec. 9 ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Republican. Owns thirteen acres in village of Wilton Center. Was born Jan. 20, 1831, in Canada East; came with his parents to Tazewell Co., 111., in 1837, and to New Lenox in 1838, and then to where Wilton Center now is in 1841 ; was raised a farmer. Married Sarah Jane Weliver Dec. 6, 1853 ; she was born in Butler Co., Ohio, in 1832 ; Mr. H. went to California by land in 1850; remained there three years ; in March, 1858, engaged in the mercantile business in this place, and has continued it ever since; in 1864, Mr. H. made a trip to the headwaters of the Missouri River, where he spent the summer, returning home by the way of Salt Lake and the plains, the same year. Was elected a member of the State Legislature in 1872, and served two sessions. Mr. H. has four children — • Everett, Ettie, Judd and Jay C; Judd accompanied his father to Springfield, and acted in the capacity of page during the second session. Mr. H. was elected Justice of the Peace in Wilton Tp. in 1858, and has held that office continuously nearly ever since; held the office of Township Treasurer fourteen years, which office he still holds ; was appointed Postmaster in 1875, at the time the office was established, and has held that office ever since. JERRY KENISTON, farmer. Sec. 16; P. O. Wilton Center. Republican; Baptist. Owns 150 acres. Was born in Vermont March 2, 1829; came with his parents to this township in 1854, and has resided here ever since, with the exception of one year in New York. Was married twice — first to Martha Ann Tiffimy ; she died Jan. 24, 1862, about three years after marriage; left no children. Mr. K. en- listed in Co. H, 100th I. V. I,, in August, 1 862 ; served as a private uutil after the battle of Stone River ; he was then pro- moted to the office of Second Lieutenant for meritorious conduct; he participated in the battle of Chickamauga ; was taken prisoner there and sent to Libby Prison ; was there seven months ; then to Camp Oglethorpe two months ; then to Charles- ton two months (under fire) ; then^ to Columbia ; from there to Wilmington, N. C. ; was liberated March 2, 1865 ; after his return home, he settled down to farm- ing where he now resides. Married Mar- tha Lynde in Vermont Feb. 21, 1866 ; have five children — Henry, John Lynd, Laura A., Charles Herbert and Carroll. Served as Supervisor three years in suc- cession ; on the 5th of November, of the present year, was elected to the State Leg- islature on the Republican ticket. WILLIAM MASON,.farmer (deceased), Sec. 25 ; P. 0. Peotone ; born in Northamptonshire, England, Dec. 14, 1815 ; was raised a farmer ; at the age of 20, he entered the British army ; he joined the 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's own regiment) ; he served nearly five years. Was married twice — first, to Fanny Farrer in 1843; she was born in England Nov. 17, 1818, and died Sept. 4, 1862 ; by this union they had nine children — Denny, Sa- rah, Joseph, Mary (the two latter deceased), William, Joseph and Mary (twins, named after the two deceased), Esther and Fanny. Came to this State in 1849; stopped near Oswego one year ; in 1850 came here and settled where he resided at the time of his death, which sad event occurred Nov. 29, 1875 ; his second marriage was with Jane Temple April 25, 1864; she was born July 3, 1826, in Bennington, Vt. Denny was in the U. S. Navy, and served three years under Commodore Porter; during the greater portion of his time he was on the gunboat Black hawk ; was with her when she burned ; he was then sent to the Eastern Department and remained there until his muster-out at the end of the war. Mrs. Mason had three brothers in the Union army during the late war; one died in Andersonville ; his name was Ira. SAMUEL G. NELSON, farmer. Sec. 3 ; P. 0. Wallingford ; owns 105 acres ; born in 904 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: Winchester, Eandolph Co., Ind., May 8, 1827 ; resided in that State with his parents until 1846 ; then to this town the 25th of December, 1846. Married twice ; first to Abigail Meacham, who died Aug. 29, 1854, aged 24 ; left one child— Eliza- beth H., born in September, 1853 ; she now lives with her father ; is a school teacher ; his second marriage was with Sarah A. Thomas May 1, 1856 ; have had six children — Celia Jane, born July 1, 1857 ; William T., born May 21, 1859, died Aug. 24, 1873, from injuries re- ceived from the kick of a horse ; Sarah Ellen, Oct. 28, 1861 ; Mary M.; born Oct. 8, 1866 ; James M., Jan. 1, 1872 ; Laura B., Nov. 29, 1875. Eplisted in August, 1862, in the 100th I. V. I., as private ; elected First Lieutenant at the organization of the regiment, August, 1862 ; promoted to Captain Nov. 21, 1863, and to Major March 24, 1865 ; served full term ; in all the principal bat- tles in which his regiment was engaged, including Stone River, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta campaign and Franklin ; was badly wounded at Missionary Ridge, in the left hip ; carried the ball three days ; it was extracted, and he now has it in his possession. Held the ofiioe of Supervisor live years, which office he now holds ; has held the office of Justice of the Peace about seven years. JOHN POOLEY, veterinary surgeon and farmer, Sec. 13; P. 0. Peotone. Methodist; Republican. Owns 120 acres. Born in the county of Norfolk, England, June 6, 1808 ; served apprenticeship as a blacksmith, and studied veterinary sur- gery ; he practiced the latter in England, and also in this country, with success. Married Mary Miller Nov. 12, 1830, in Methwold, England; she was iDorn Feb. 4, 1810. Mr. P. came to this country in 1855 ; lived in Oswego, this State, six years ; then to the place where he now re- sides. They have had twenty children, fourteen of whom lived to grow up ; four of those fourteen are now dead, viz., Will- iam, Martha, John and Julia; the names of those living at present are Clara, Mary, Ellen, Sarah, Mariah, Susan, Bessie, Rob- ert, Sophia and Emma ; John was a sol- dier in the late war ; he was a member of Co. A, 127th T. V. I. ; he died in the hos- pital at Memphis, Tenn., March 18, 1863; William was also a member of the same company, and served in all the principal engagements which the regiment was en- gaged in up to the time of his death, which occurred July 28, 1864, on the right of Atlanta ; he was killed by a chain-shot striking him in the side ; William was a true soldier, and his loss was deeply felt by all of his comrades ; he was personally known by the writer of this sketch, who was also a member of the same regiment, and was near him when he fell ; William's remains, also the remains of a young man from Oswego, of the name of Murdoch (who was in the same company and fell in the same battle), were buried side by side in one grave, and covered by the bloody ground where they fell. FREDERICK ROBBINS, farmer. Sec. 8; P. 0. Wilton Center. Liberal Repub- lican. Owns 164 acres in Wilton Tp.; also 200 acres in Wayne Co., Iowa. Born in Pennsylvania May 15, 1812 ; when 4 years old, went with parents to Ohio ; resided there until he was 22 ; then to Indiana ; stopped there fourteen years ; then to Michigan four years ; then to this town in 1851 ; stopped at Twelve-Mile Grove the first winter, then to'the place where he now resides. Married Nancy M. Woodward March 9, 1843; she was born in Pennsylvania Sept. 18, 1818 ; have had seven children, four now living — Kate, Isaac, William and Fanny; the names of those that died were John, David and Ed- ward. Oliver Sanford, a boy raised in the family, was a soldier in the 2d Wis. V. I., and was killed at the battle of Antietam. Mr. R. has held the offices of Road Com- missioner and School Director. WILLIAM E. TEMPLE, farmer. Sec. 34 ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Owns 120 acres. Born in Madison Co., N. Y., May 6, 1833 ; came to this State in 1853 ; settled in this town in 1856 ; served as a soldier in the late war in Co. H, 100th I. V. I. Mar- ried Jane Robinson March 5, 1867 ; she was born March 19, 1839 ; have five chil- dren — Ervin I., Otis M., Farmer E., Cora A. and Frances A. Mr. T. was badly wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, from the eflfects of which he >?ill probably never recover ; his health has been very poor ever since. Mr. T. had a brother in the same company and regiment; he was taken prisoner the same day that the sub- WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 905 ject of this sketch was wounded, and sent to A.ndersonville ; after suifering nine months in that prison-pen he died, thus adding another name to the long list of martyrs of human liberty. James T. Douglas, a nephew of the above, was also in the same company and regiment ; he was wounded June 3, 1864, during the Atlanta campaign ; was sent to the hospital, and remained there until his muster-out ; he was drowned in 1867 while bathing in Samuel Groodspeed's pasture. JOHN WHITE, farmer, Sec. 11 ; P. 0. Wallingford ; owns forty-nine acres; was born in Sligo, Ireland ; came to this country, with his parents, at the age of 7 ; in September, 1861, he enlisted in the 42d I. V. I., and served continuously with the regiment until the battle of Resaoa ; at that battle he lost his right arm ; at that time he was First Sergeant. Mr. White's name is always mentioned with pride by his brother soldier ; up to the time of receiving his wound he was always prompt to the call of duty. Mr. W. was engaged in the memorable siege of Island No. 10, Corinth, Stone River and Chiokamauga. Mr. W., since the war, married Mary, a daughter of John Malone, Esq. ; they have seven children — Margaret, Lizzie, John, Annie, James, Mary and Luke. Mr. W. is engaged in farming, which bus- iness he has been engaged in since the war. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. JOHN HACK, merchant. Eagle Lake ; was born at Hohen Vicheln, State of Mecklenburg, Germany, Sept. 1, 1825 ; came to America in 1864, and located in Washington Tp., four miles south of Beecher. qn a farm of 160 acres, which he still owns. Was appointed Postmaster of Eagle Lake Postoffice in May, 1878. Married Miss Sophia Liit in March, 1852 ; the names of their children are as follows: Herman, Henry, Carl or Charles, Prank and Emma. SAMUEL LOEBSTEIN, merchant and stock dealer, Beecher ; was born in Jeben- hausen. State of Wurtemberg, Germany, Feb. 13, 1830 ; came to America in 1860 ; stopped in Dyer, Lake Co., Ind.,ten years, where he dealt in live-stock ; then he came to Washington Tp., where he has remained ever since, following his present business. In 1870, he married Miss Anna Hess, the oldest daughter of Mr. L. Hess, the former proprietor of the Hess House, Chicago ; Emma and Fannie are the names of their infant children. Mr. Loebstein owns a well-improved farm of eighty acres, two and one-half mUes southeast of Beecher. TIMOTHY L. MILLER, cattle- breeder ; P. 0. Beecher ; Mr. Timothy L. Miller, Hereford cattle-breeder, was born in Middletown, Conn., April 7, 1817 ; moved to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, in 1842, and engaged in the manufacture of paper ; moved to Chicago in 1856, and engaged in the insurance business till 1870, when he moved to Washington Tp., where he now resides upon his stock-farm of about eight hundred acres and pursues the breeding of fine stock. The town of Beecher was laid out by him in spring of 1870. He mar- ried Miss Abigail Starr Elliott March 2, 1842, in Middletown, Conn. ; she was born at Gilead, Conn., Sept. 29, 1819, and died in Chicago, Feb. 14, 1 858 ; they had five children, four living — Catharine B., born Oct. 6. 1843 (now Mrs. G. B. Woodward, of St. Paul, Minn.); Abby E. (now Mrs. Prank Gould, of Chicago), born April 12, 1846 ; Mary P., born Jan. 3, 1848 (now Mrs. A. C. Reed, of Evanston) ; Timothy E. born Sept. 23, 1850 ; one deceased — Henry Charles, born Feb. 7, 1858, died Jan. 3, 1861. Married second wife. Miss Anna E. Hodges, at Rockford, 111., June 6, 1861 ; she was born at Clarendon, Vt., July 22, 1828 ; one child by her— Abby Hodges, born here July 16, 1865, died Aug. 2, 1865. LOUIS METTERHAUSEJSr, teacher, Beecher; proprietor of the Metterhausen Hotel; was born in Gilten, State of Han- over, Germany, Jan. 21, 1840 ; taught school in the above State and in the city of Bremen ; came to the United States in 1865, landing at New York ; followed his profession in the States till at last he loca- 906 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES: ted in Washington Tp. in 1869, at what is now known as Beecher ; was its first Postmaster, conducting a general store at the same time, till 1875 ; since then he has followed his present vocation. Married Miss Mina Klusmeyer May 6, 1871 ; Carl, their oldest, was born April 6, 1872; Charlotte was born Feb. 9, 1876. CHARLES F. RUDEN, physician and surgeon, Beecher ; was born in Prussia, near Berlin, Jan. 26, 1832 ; received edu- cation at the University of Berlin, whicjj institution conferred the title of M. D. upon him in 1854; came to America in 1855, stopping at New York City one year ; located in Will Co. in 1857, where he has been practicing homeopathy ever since; he also keeps the largest stock of drugs in Beecher. Was married to Louisa Shilling in 1866 ; she only lived till 1869. Mar- ried again in 1870 to Miss Ida Wagener at Frankfort Station in Will Co., Ill; their children are Libby, Eddy, G-eorge and Louisa. WILL TOWNSHIP. GEORGE DENBY, f^mer; P. O. Monee ; born May 20, 1816, in Yorkshire, Eng., where he lived until 1852, when he came to the United States, and, after living a short time in Kankakee Co., he settled in Cook Co., 111., where he lived until the spring of 1869, when he moved to his present home on his farm ; he was en- gaged on the Illinois Central Railroad a large portion of the first twenty-two years after he came to this country. He was married Dec. 23, 1844, to Miss Anne Athern, of Yorkshire, England ; their children now living are Emma, Charles, Amy and Robert ; his wife, Anne, died in 1863, and, on May 28, 1864, he was mar- ried to Mrs. Jane Jackson, daughter of John Daft, of Stafibrdshire, England ; they have four children — Almira, Maggie, Ada A., and George. Mrs. Jackson had, when married to Mr. Denby, two children — Lucy R. and Annie Jackson. He has a good farm of 160 acres, valued at $8,000. JAMES DOOCY, farmer ; P. 0. Peo- tone ; born in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 30, 1853 ; when but 2 years old, his parents removed with him to Grundy Co., this State, and afterward brought him to this county, where he has lived since his child- hood. Was married July 27, 1874, to Johanna Hurley, who was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1857 ; they have two children — Willie and Julia. CHARLES J. O'NEIL, farmer and fine-stock breeder; P. 0. Peotone ; born in the township of Alban, Canada West, March 6, 1839 ; in early childhood he re- moved with his parents to Chicago, 111., where they remained about two years and thenmoved to Kane Co., 111. ; here spent some seventeen years of his life when he returned to Chicago, where he lived until the fall of 1873 ; he then removed to his present home, " Wide Range Farm," which he had purchased the spring before ; this is a splendid high rolling prairie farm of 640 acres (being Sec. 20), with fine build- ings, and beautifully, centrally located on a high knoll, overlooking the whole farm and giving a fine view of a wide surround- ing country. Was married April 26, 1872, to Miss Mary J. McDonough, of Ottawa, 111., who was born in St. Louis, Mo., March 17, 1848 ; they have three children — Mary C, Daniel C. and John. DIRECTORY OF REAL ESTATE OWNERS. ^^BB3RDB"V"lJ^TI01SrS. Adv Adveutist agt agent Bapt...^ r. Baptist bkpr. bookkeeper bwr brewer brklayr ,..., bricklayer carp carpenter Catb Catholic elk ; clerk Ch Church Co Company or County com. mer commission merchant Cong Congregational Dem Democrat dlr dealer dgst druggist E^^iscopal Episcopal Evang I^vangelist Ind Independent I, V. I :.. Illinois Volunteer Infantry I. V. C Illinois Volunteer Cavalry I. V. A Illinois Volunteer Artillery far farmer fdry foundry gro grocer lab ^. laborer Meth Methodist mfr manufacturer mach machinist mkr maker mecb mechanic mer merchant min minister phot photographer phys physician Presb Presbyterian pr printer ptr painter prop proprietor Kep Republican Rev Reverend sec section or secretary slsmn salesman Spir „.... Spiritualist supt superintendent treas treasurer JOLIET TOWNSHIP. (P. 0. JOLIET.) Abrams, Henry, engineer. Abrams, Henry, laborer. Achenbach, Henry, cigar manufacturer. Adler, P. P., butcher. Adler, Jasper, butcher. Adler, Jacob, butcher. Adams, Anna E. Adams, Mecagah L., grain. Adam, Wm., wire-fence manufacturer. Adams, Wm., lumber dealer. Adams, W. L., grain dealer. Adelman, Peter, merchant. Adderly, "William. Allison, A., printer. Alpaugh, J., laborer. Alpine, Fanny. Alfrick, P., blacksmith. Alexander, M., General Boadmaster. Albright, Christ P. Allen, B. P. Ammerson, Christian. Amos, Washington. Anderson, Thomas. Andrews, A., laborer. Anderson, C. A., laborer. Anderson, Peter, laborer. Anderson, S., tanner. Andrews, A. Apgar, M. Lewis. Arnstein, Prederick, mason. ' Arsenmacher, Henry. Arnold, G., grocer. Assenmacher, Henry, mason. Ashley, J. K. Atkins, A. W. Atkinson, Wm., hotel proprietor. Austin, Horace. Ayres, H. H. Bakewell, William. Barker, Peter, laborer. Bassam, Thomas. Bartlow, Wm., carpenter. Bacon, K. J. Bangman, John. Barney, Amanda. Barney, Edward, iSun ofiSce. Barton, J. T., barber. Barton, Janette E. Baer, D. C, grocer. Bassett, William, farmer. Baehm, Conrad, stone-cutter. Barber, O. Barber, Francis C. Barber. B. E., attorney. Bauer, Wm., laborer. Bauer, N. N., laborer. Bartlett, Boxanna. Baker, John, laborer. Baker, F. L., laborer. Baker, L. S., insurance agent. Baldwin, Jesse, farmer. Baldwin, H. B. 16 910 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Bursal), Thomas. Bartholme, Joseph, farmer. Bavtholme, Martin, laborer. Barthelome, Joseph, laborer. Bannon, M. W., stone dealer. Bannon, P. K., merchant. Bannon, P. W., grocer. Barnes, Henry, laborer. Barnes, Nathaniel, farmer. Barnes, Henry, laborer. Barnes, James, laborer. Bailey, Leon R., tailor. Bailey, P. K. Bailey, Fredrick, laborer. Barrett, Thomas. Barrett, Wm. P., hardware. Barrett, Ann. Barrett, Jesse, laborer. Barrett, Miles S., blacksmith. Becker, John. Bernard, Burns. Belz, John. Bevitch, George W. Beuttenmuller, Carlina. Berow, Lewis, farmer. Bergel, Michael, farmer. Berger, Thomas L., farmer. Bez, Margaret, Mrs. Itelles, Charles. Besmins, Nicholas. Bedford, J., engineer. Bierscheidt, Bernard, saloon-keeper. Beamer, Gasher, laborer. BeVgan, Martha. Benzen, Catharine. Bean, John. Bettylyon, A. J., plasterer. Bennett, Henry B., liveryman. Bennett, Matthew, laborer. Bennett, George, weaver. Belden, Samuel O., laborer. Bear, Dawson C. Bears, Charles, carpenter. Berry, Wm., laborer. Berry, Catharine. Beach, G. R., laborer. Beach A. E. Bickford, J. W., carpenter. Billings, Herman, laborer. Bierscheidt, Bart, laborer. Birgel, Michael, farmer. Birgel, Prancis, laborer. Bigin, Ann. Bissell, M. C, capitalist. Bissell, A. A., machinist. Bickerton, John R. Bishop, Wm. W., lumber dealer. Bishop, J. M., lumber dealer. Blatchford, E. W. Blackburn, John, carpenter. Bleimeich, H. Black, James, keeper in I. S. P. Blaesser, Louis, carpenter. Blumel, Jos., saloon-keeper. Blaas, Xavier, saddler. Boyd, Mary E., farmer. Bond, Samuel, farmer. Boerser, Adam, laborer. Bowers, Jacob L. Bowers, Uriah. Bowers, Wm., carpenter. Boos, Jeremiah, mason. Botch, Jacob, laborer. Botch, Jacob, Bowlan, James, baker. Bowl an, James, laborer. Bowlan, Patrick, laborer. Boyle, Thomas, laborer. Bover, Norman, laborer. Boy Ian, R. G., laborer. Boran, Philip. Boyne, Delia. Bowman, John A., blacksmith. Boehme, Hugo, engineer. Boas, E. A., prison guard. Brinkerhoff, M. Bradbury, W. H., laborer. Brockman, Christ, laborer. Brevitz, A. J., laborer. Brahm, Adam, stone-cutter. Braden, Jane. Brooks, W. S., hardware merchant. Brooks, W. A. S., hardware. Brayton, H. M. Brandzer, John, laborer. Brownson, David. Braun, Joseph, saloon-keeper. Braun, C. C, marble-cutter. Brophy, Mary. Brison, Hiram, laborer. Bressingham, John, laborer. Breidert, Jacob, mason. Bridert, Catharine. Breidert, Philip, mason. Brannon, Dominick. Brannon, Thomas, laborer. Bruce, James, farmer. Bruce, Mary. Brackan, Daniel. Bray, Mary. Bray, Ellen. Bray, Edward M., druggist. Brazil, Philip, farmer. Brockway, Henry S., carpenter. Bradford, Chauncey. Briggs, Samuel. Brightman, James P., laborer. Brown, Oliver, laborer. Brown, Harriet. Brown, J. D., druggist. Brown, Lewis, cigar-maker. Brown, Nancy Ann. Brown, R. S., carpenter. Brcrwn, Warren. Brown, S. J., carpenter. Brown, Joseph, saloon-keeper. Brown, John, tanner. Brown, Max, saloon-keeper. Brown, Cornelia. Brown, Margaret. Brown, >S., farmer. Brown, Erastus, teamster. Brown, P. C., druggist. Bust, Jannette. Burson, T. C. Burchard, John. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 911 Butterman, John. Busk, C. H., butcher. Busk, John E. Burden, Alex, tailor. Button, Henry J., railroad conductor. Burton, Byron B., carpenter. Buhill, Martin, laborer. Burns, Robert, blacksmith. Burns, Thomas, blacksmith. Buckley, Michael, laborer. Bunzy, Leroy. Butler, John, shoemaker. Butler, Catherine. Bush, Frank, butcher. Bush, Charles H., butcher. Bush, Harriet. Bush, Harriet, Mrs. Bush, C. H. Buck, Henry, saddler. Buck, Michael, saddler. Buck, John E. Burke, Thomas. Burke, James, laborer. Burke, Bernard, liveryman. Burke, Bridget. Byron, Patrick, laborer. Campbell, George, stone dealer. Campbelle, J. H., carpenter. Campbell, B., farmer. Campbelle, George M., clerk. Campbell, Hugh, laborer. Cavanaugh, Pat, laborer. Cammerman, Ann. Caton, Wm. P. Carlin, Mary. Carlin, Wm. H. Calbert, Joseph, laborer. Carty, Timothy. Cassan, George L., laborer. Carrens, Michael. Caren, James, laborer. Carey, H. Carter, John. Carpenter, Henrietta. Carpenter, E. D., Mrs. Carpenter, Philo, capitalist. Carson, James, grocer. Calmer, Elizabeth. Callais, James, laborer. Cameron, Wm., farmer. Canella, Wm., laborer. Calvin, P., laborer. Calhoun, A. M. Carrington, Henry, laborer. Carrington, Henry. Carson, Eliza. Callahan, Michael, laborer. Callahan, Math. Casey, Ada. Casey, Ada J. Casey, August, laborer. Casey, John R., Dr. Casseday, H. C. Casseday, G. W. Casseday, Francis, stone dealer. Cagwin, H. A. Cagwin, F. L., banker. Cagwin, F. L., grain dealer. Cagwin, Abijah, grain dealer. Cantrill, L. M., clerk. Carroll, Jane A. Carroll, Richard. Cimmerman, Wm., farmer. Chandler, D. F. Chapman, Henry W. Chapman, Permelia. Chidsey, John. Chidsey, Isaac, laborer. Chittenden, G. JST., merchant. Check, Margareth. Charlston, Mary. Chesbro, L., laborer. Chase, E. T. Childs, R. M., agent. Chamberlin, George, undertaker. Clark, H., conductor. Clark, Warren F. Clark, William, laborer. Clark, John W. Clark, Warren. Clark, B. B., merchant. Clark, R. D., wagon-maker. Clyde, John, farmer. Clifford, Catb. Clifford, John, farmer. Cleveland, M. C. Cleverdon, Thomas, farmer. Clemens, M. M. Clear, John, laborer. Clarkson, John, carpenter. Clayes, Levi M., capitalist. Cleghorn, Ed, tanner. Collin, Scott. Collins, Frank, laborer. Collins, Isaac, laborer. Collins, Peter, blacksmith. Collins, Edward, clerk. Collins, Jos., laborer. Collins, Thomas, laborer. Collins, Anna. Cowley, Nicholas, laborer. Cochrane, Michael, laborer. Coonan, Ed, laborer. Conlan, Ann. Condroy, William, laborer. Cornwall, A. B., farmer. Colburn, S. A. Colburn, T. P., hardware merchant. Coon, Ezras. Coughlin, Michael, laborer. Conway, Jane. Cobb, W. H., watchmaker. Conroy, John, laborer. Conroy, Thomas. Cornstalk, Adam, surveyor. Cornstalk, Esther. Corcoran, Wm., laborer. Corcoran, James, laborer. Corcoran, Patrick, laborer. Coppel, John. Coplanz, J. P., laborer. Connors, Thomas, teamster. Connors, James, laborer. Conklin, R., Mrs. Cornell, James L., rag-buyer. Cornea, Jeremiah. 912 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Cotton, J. E. Coke, Henry W., collar-maker. Cooper, A. .1 . Cooper, John. Cook, Nathan, stone-mason. Cook, M. L., liveryman. Cox, Michael, laborer. Cox, Daniel, brewer. Crandall, Jane. Creed, Patrick, laborer. Creder, Joseph, laborer. Cronin, John, laborer. Cross, Ellen C. Crogwell, John, laborer. Crogwell, John, Sr., farmer. Crogwell, John, Jr., farmer. Crow, James, laborer. Crow, Henry. Crow, James, laborer. Crowley, Emmii E. Cuff, Sarah. Cullen, James, laborer. Cummings, Eliza. Cummings, S. W., farmer. Culver, J. J., butcher. Curry, John, farmer. Culbertson, Thomas, laborer. Culbertson, Thomas, farmer. Cunningham, George, laborer. Cunningham, Michael, laborer. Cunningham, Ed., laborer. Cunningham, Henry, laborer. Custer, J. H. Gushing, James, drayman. Curran, P. Curran, Eobert, laborer. Cutter, Nehemiah H. Curtiss, Rozanna. Cutting, Jos. E., painter. Cutting, Abigail, painter. Dames, John, furniture. D'Arcey, John, farmer. D'Arcy.John E., farmer. Daley, Patrick. Daley, John, clerk. Daggan, Mary. Dalton, John, laborer. Dalton, Dennis, laborer. Daniels, A., laborer. Dalphias, Motins, laborer. Darwin, John, farmer. Dawson, Patrick, laborer. Dawson, Michael, laborer. Dawson, Ann. Daggett, A., doctor. Dailey, Eugene, undertaker. Davidson, Wm., stone dealer. Darey, Patrick, laborer. Davis, Margaret E. Davis, Morgan, laborer. Davis, Elizabeth. Davis, Samuel. Davis, Wm., laborer. Davis, John, laborer. Davidson, George, laborer. Davidson, Wm., stone dealer. Davidson, Ann. Davidson, Joseph, stone dealer. De Long, Prancis, teamster. Dewes, Joseph, farmer. Demoney, Eliza. Deitz, Valentine, saloon-keeper. Deitch, Lorenzo. Demmond, Sophia. Delaney, John, laborer. Delaney, Patrick, laborer. Delaney, A., laborer. Deline, J . M., laborer. Dover, Anna. Derby, John. Deutch, F., tobacconist. Devine, Margaret. Devine, Patrick. Devine, Barney, laborer. Degman, Bernard, engineer. Dean, Wm. H. Dennis, James C., mason. Dishmun, Eebecca. Dingley, Wm., shoemaker. Dillman, L. E., manufacturer. Dillman, W. S., clerk. Dickenson, Ellen. Dickson, James, laborer. Dibell, Dorrance, attorney. Divine, Prank, laborer. Dillon, John, farmer. Dillon, Barney, laborer. Dillon, Patrick, laborer. Downey, J. B., blacksmith. Downey, Thomas, blacksmith. Downey, Peter, blacksmith. Downy, Martha. Dobson, Michael, carpenter. Doyle, J., laborer. Doyle, Michael, laborer. Doyle, Ann. Doyle, John, blacksmith. Donally, Simon, farmer. Donnelly, Janles, labor. Donnelly, Timothy, farmer. Donnelly, Bridget. Doney, Sophia. Doolittle, E., Justice of the Peace. Doag, Thomas, farmer. Doll, Jonathan, laborer. Dougherty,. Charles. Dougherty, Bernard, laborer. Dolan, Martin. Donahue, Timothy, laborer. Doney, Napoleon, peddler. Dor an, Mrs. Dorman, Henry, laborer. Donaldson, Mrs. Doud, James, laborer. Doud, Patrick, laborer. Drant, Albert, shoemaker. Drant, Ellen. Dressier, Valentine. Dressier, Hellen. Drew, Caroline. Drew, Edward M. Drinkhon, John. Draidsden, George, laborer. Dromgham, August, laborer. Dunbar, A. P. Ducker, James, merchant. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 913 DufEy, Michael, laborer. Dullard, Patrick, laborer. Dummermoth, J. H., Street Com. Dummermoth, Hannah. Duncan, John. Duncan, E., Mrs. Duncan, David, laborer. Dunning, A. S., merchant. Dunning, Margaret. Dunham, John. Dunn, Michael. Du Puy, Caroline. Du Puy, M. Durath, E. Durham, John, laborer. Durham, John. Dwyre, Michael, laborer. Dygert, Abram, gardener. Dyer, George R. Eagen, Ann. Eames, E. H. Eastman, E. L. Ebner, Joseph, farmer. Edwards, James L., laborer. Edmunds, J. W., blacksmith. Edgworth, Ab. B-, agent. Eder, Henry, brewer. Eieb, Peter, farmer. Eicholzer, Emil, carpenter. Eick, Peter, farmer. EichofC, Aug., saloon-keeper. Elwood, J. G., Mayor. Ellis, A. N., doctor. Elderkin, Joseph. Elderkin, Jeptha. Engler, Paul. Engler, Philip, farmer. Engiman, John, farmer. Enright, M. English, John. Erhard, John, farmer. Erhard, James, laborer. Erhardt, George C., agricul. implements. Erb, Wm., groceries. Erb, Pantalone, saloon-keeper. Erickson, E., carpenter. Etheridge, Edmond, laborer. Evans, Wm., laborer. Evans, Josiah. Eyle, John. Earrell, P., laborer. Fahrman, M., butcher. Panning, Henry, saloon-keeper. Farrington, Mrs. Farget, P. Frasee, Bernard, stone-mason. Fay, Barney, laborer. Fay, Matthew, laborer. Fay, John, laborer. Fahrner, J., doctor. Fant, Patrick, grocer. Fagoberg, P. A., laborer. Fahay, Patrick, saloon-keeper. Faroow, John, laborer. Parley, Elizabeth. Farley, Philip, laborer. Faust, Fred., butcher. Fellows, Lucy A. Fellrath, Joseph, laborer. Fender, Joseph, Jr., laborer. Fender, Joseph, laborer. Ferris, James, printer. Fettelhohn, T. Fetz, Michael, mason. Ferguson, John, laborer. Fell, Jesse W., laborer. Fiddler, James, laborer. Finney, James. Fish, Henry, banker. Fiske, O. W. Fitzgerald, Thomas, laborer. Fishburn, Dan., capitalist. Fishburn, John. Finerty, Mary. Finnerty, James W., laborer. Fisher, Eberhardt. Fisher, Prosper, laborer. Fitzpatrick, Alice. Fitzpatrick, Patrick, farmer. Fitzpatrick, James. Flack, Mortimer A. Flask, J. J. Flackscham, J.ouis, boatman. Flager, Catharine. Flaught, Geo. W., carpenter. Flannagan, Terrance, laborer. Flanders, J. R., State's Attorney. Flood, Honora. Fodack, Joseph, laborer. Fogle, Jacob, laborer. Foley, T. H., laborer. Foley, John H., laborer. Folke, J. W., physician. Folker, R., Mrs. ' Follansbee, Daniel, laborer. Fonda, Abram, laborer. Foot, Sam., book-keeper. Ford, Hugh, laborer. Ford, T. P. agent. Ford, D., laborer. Foster, Geo. B. Fox, 0., merchant. Frauenhoff, Julius, molder. Frederick, Joseph, farmer. Frederick, Hilanus, laborer. Frederick, Joseph, laborer. Frederick, Peter, farmer. Freeman, Dennis, laborer. Freeman, Edmund, laborer. Frey, Margaret. Fromhalz, F., stone-cutter. Fuller, Buel A., attorney. Fuller, G. W., printer. Furlong, Rich., saloon-keeper. Furlong, Michael, laborer. Futrell, Samuel, laborer. Gable, Mary. Gaffney, John, carpenter. Gaines, Thomas, laborer. Gainor, John, laborer. Gallizien, Philip, merchant. Galagher, Patrick, laborer. Gans, Peter, laborer. Garrett, Milton, farmer. Garrett, Wm., laborer. Garrettson, Martha. 914 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY; Garber, Michael, tanner. G-arrity, Christie. Gardner, Henry A. Gardner, Anna, Mrs. Garnsey, Charles B., attorney. Gatchell, Antone. Gaulden, James. Gavican, John, laborer. Gerolman, G. N. Ghegan, Ann. Ghalager, Michael. Ginther, John George. Giblin, Michael, laborer. Gibbons, Miles, laborer. Gibbon, Michael. Gibson, James, laborer. Gilbert, D. C, farmer. Giles, Joseph, laborer. Gilmore, K. Gilleger, P. Gill, Mary. Gillespie, P., laborer. Gleason, John, laborer. Gleason, John, Sr., laborer. Gleason, Wm., grocer. Glass, Lydia. Glepman, August. Glenforick, A., laborer. Godfrey, Austin, carpenter. Goebel, Anthony, tanner. Goldf uss, John, laborer. Golden, James, laborer. Golyer, Mrs. Gougar, Wm., farmer. Gooding, James, Mrs. Goodman, H. Goodenough, W. H. Goodspeed, Charles, banker. Goodspeed, James, editor and proprietor Joliet Republican. Gorges, Mat., carpenter. Gorges, John, shoemaker. Gorman, L. Gorman, James O., merchant. Gordon, Wm. Gottschalz, August, farmer. Gotschell, Casper, stone-cutter. Gowan, John, laborer. Grace, Wm., laborer. Grady, Jane. Graeber, Michael, tanner. Grant, Wm., laborer. Gras, Charles, laborer. Gratz, Joseph, laborer. Gray, John, tanner. Gray, Nicholas, laborer. Gray, James, laborer. Gray, Mitchell, laborer. ' Gray, George, laborer. Gray, C Gregg, Wm., laborer. Green, Lucy L. Green, George L. Green, Hart D. Green, George M., laborer. Green, John. Green, Edward. Greenwood,John, farmer. Grey, John, tanner. Grey, Lawrence, laborer. Griflln, Peter, laborer. Griffin, James, laborer. Griffin, William, laborer. Grill, Charles, laborer. Grinton, Sarah A. Grinton, Anna. Grinton, William, real estate agent. Gross, John, stone-cutter. Gross, Alexander, stone-cutter. Gross, Arnold, mason. Gross, Henry, laborer. Gunlock, John. Gurrison, Joseph. Haughton, Patrick, laborer. Hammony, L. J. Hanly, J. Hanley, Patrick, laborer. Hanley, Catherine. Hausser, George. Hausser, Simon, stone dealer. Hausser, Vincent, saloon-keeper. Hartshorne, H., clerk. Hatchman, "tSTorman, molder. Haven, Philo. Haven, J. M.- Haven, James, laborer. ' Hauck, Gabriel, tanner. Hauck, Ann C. Hogan, John, laborer. Hagen, Henry, blacksmith. Hart, Mary Ann. Hawkins, Ed., laborer. Hay ward, Lewis J. Hartman, John, mason. Hatch, R. D., woodworker. Hartung, Joseph, undertaker. Hartong, Patrick, laborer. Hartong, Joseph, laborer. Halsey, N. H. Haley, Jane. Haley, Patrick C., attorney. Havanaugh, T., laborer. Hand, Mathew, dentist. Haughton, P., laborer. Hartigaa, John, policeman. Hartigan, Dennis, laborer. Hamill, Margaret. Harney, Mary. Halway, Charles. Hagar, E. C., attorney. Harless, B. A. Harless, Mrs. Hahnlein, William, laborer. Hahnlean, Charles, laborer. Hasey, Charles O., operator. Hasey, Eliza A. Hay, Mathew. Hardy, Henry, laborer. Hardy, E. E. Hardy, Otis, capitalist. Hanson, John H., attorney. Hanson, J. W., laborer. Harris, Mark. Hayes, William, watchman. Hack, Christian, machinist. Hadsell, M. J., farmer. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 915 Harrigan, Mary. Hallem, J. W., laborer. Harms, John. Harvey, Francis, laborer. Hassen, Michael. Hayden, Patrick, laborer. Hawley, W. B. Hamilton, Margaret. Hamilton, Amos, laborer. Hanna, James A. Hanna, John, laborer. Harrington, Michael, laborer. Harrington, Benjamin . Harrington, P., laborer. Harrington, Harriet. Harrington, Henry, laborer. Hamrakan, William, laborer. Hagan, Thomas, laborer. Havaland, Margaret. Haviland, Francis, livery stable. Herholzer, Martin, plasterer. Helmel, S., laborer. Hennett, Edward. Heise, A. W., physician. Heber, Albert, laborer. Heatherwick. Heatherwick, John, farmer. Henry, J. Henry, J. A., capitalist. Henderson, H., Mrs. Henderson, J. E., printer. Henchen, August, stone-cutter. Hewer, Peter, laborer. Hettigan, C, laborer. Hearbaeh, George, carpenter. Hebert, Mary Ann. Hebert, Joseph, teamster. Herbert, Francis. Healey, Ann. Mrs- Hester, Joseph, laborer. Heintzelman, David, engineer. Hefferman, Ellen. Heath, William J., Justice of the Peace. Herschberger, Daniel, wagon-maker. Hendricks, D. P., attorney. Henpessy, David, laborer. Henhessy, Joseph, laborer. Hibner, John, Jr., farmer. Hibner, James C., farmer. Hibner, F. A., farmer. Hibner, John, farmer. Hibner, T. A., farmer. Hirater, H., farmer. Hiner, Owen, laborer. Higinbotham, H. N. Higby, Henry. Higbee, Henry. Hill, Francis M., clerk. Hill, W. J. Hill, Hellen. Hill, Charles A., attorney. Hill, John W., laborer. Hill, William S. Hills, Fanny, Mrs. Hills, John W., boiler-maker. Higgins, Amanda D. Higgins, Burr, engineer. Hixson, John, merchant. Hicks, Obadiah, laborer. Hicks, Kate. Horner, Jacob, carpenter. Holland, Wm., laborer. Holland, Ellen. Hosmer, G. H., doctor. Hoperick, Peter, farmer. Hollister, Mary. Houghton, G. W. Hoefner, A., saloon-keeper. Hoeffner, H., laborer. Hoffner, Sophia. Honerhaw, Wm., laborer. Holden, Frank, farmer. Horan, Patrick, Constable. Horan, James, laborer. Horn, P., laborer. Hoag, T. C, laborer. Hobbs, Thomas, laborer. Hobbs, Perry J., insurance agent. Howk, Henderson. Horks, Anthony, tailor. Horton, F., laborer. Holsworth, John, blacksmith. Hogan, Ed., laborer. Holt, Frank, laborer. Holderman, Catharine. Hollister, Mary. Hoffman, Frank, insurance agent,. Hoffer, Benedict. Hoffer, D. H. House, K., wagon-maker. Humphry, Horace, founder. Hugh, L. D., laborer. Hughes, Pat., laborer. Hull, Nicholas, Hull, Wm., laborer. Hull, Cornelia A. Hulbert, E., merchant. Hulbert, E., Mrs. Hurley, C, clerk. Hubbard, Joseph S. Hubbard, Wm. H., carpenter. Hyde, George W., miller. Hyde, Mary J. Hyde, Jonas. Hyland, James, farmer. Hyland, N. H., farmer. Hunter, Thomas N. Hunt, John, brakeman. Hunt, John J., laborer. Hutchins, T. H., attorney. Hutchins, Thomas, attorney. Hutchins, W. H., farmer. Hunter, Elijah. Hurd, Edward. Hummel, J. D. Humble, Francis. Hurmel, ZSTicholas, brewer. Ibald, Casper, mason. Ingersoll, Benjamin, laborer. Ingersoll, T. H., farmer. Ingalls, L. E., real estate. Ingersoll, Hanna E. Jahn, Joseph, laborer. Jahn, George, stone-cutter. Jacquer, Michael, laborer. James, Wm., laborer. 916 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Jacobs, L. C, painter. Jackson, Julia A. Jackson, Fred. A., clerk. Jackson, Thomas, farmer. •Jennings, Ellen. Jenkins, H. L. Jenkins, James, laborer. Jenks, David C. Jtssen, C. P., laborer. John, Susanna, farmer. Jones, George, cashier. Jones, Willard F. Jones, George. Johnson, J. P. Johnson, Heinrich. Johnson, A., laborer. Johnson, John, laborer. Johnson, John, carpenter. Johnson, August. Johnson, Orin, carpenter. Johnson, E. S. Jugrich, J., laborer. Juks, L. C. Jungler, Peter, laborer. Kaniger, John, farmer. Kaefler, Nic, laborer. Kaiser, Herman, laborer. Karen, J. M. Karen, P. A., laborer. Kueflner, Adam, laborer. Kachelhoffer, Michael, tailor. KachelhofCer, X., tailor. Kanne, James, laborer. KafEer, Francis, teamster. Kastner, C, laborer. Kastner, Wm., baker. Kavenaugh, Joseph, laborer. Kane, Ann E. Kane, Betsey. Keyer. Ed., laljorer. Keeler, Tobias. Keen, James C. Kenney, James, laborer. Kennedy, Michael, laborer. Keller, Joseph, carpenter. Keisnerr, John. Keyes, Edward, druggist. Keegan, Mary. Keegan, Thomas, laborer. Kerchival, James C, farmer. Kelp, Philip, saloon-keeper. Keir, James. Kqgsling, George, laborer. Kerrigan, Owen, laborer. Kerwin, Patrick, farmer. Kerwin, John, farmer. Kelly, Eobert T., Town Clerk. Kelly, Mary W. Kelly, Thomas J., laborer. Kelly, J. B., laborer. Kelly, M., laborer. Kelly, "Wm., laborer. Kelly, Ann. Kelly, Boss. Kelly, Patrick, laborer. Kelly, James, laborer. Kelly, Timothy, laborer. Kelley, Edward, laborer. Kelley, Margaret. Kelley, F., laborer. Kivings, M., farmer. Kipp, Philip, saloon-keeper. Kipp, A. P. Kinney, A. Kilburn, Patrick, laborer. Kinsella, S. A., farmer. Kier, James, farmer. Kinnie, Mary A., jewelry, etc. Kirkham, Henry, farmer. Killmer, George, farmer. Killmer, Harriet. Killien, John, laborer. Kirk, Mary A. Kirk, Philip, merchant. Killeen, James, laborer. Killeen, Wm., laborer. Kimball, Dan., laborer. Kimball, Charles P. King, Jeremiah, laborer. King, John P., coal dealer. King, Maurice J. King, Anna M. King, Jeremiah, farmer. Kleneman, Anton, farmer. Klemme, John, blacksmith. Kline, M., laborer. Knowltcm, D. W., banker. Knowlton, Calvin, banker. Knifall, P., laborer. Knoerzer, Erasmus, saloon-keeper. Knox, Augustus F., attorney. Korse, Nicholas, farmer. Korst, ISTickolas, farmer. Konig, Frank, laborer. Korcillius, Adeline. Kramer, Ignatz, saloon-keeper. Krause, Michael, laborer. Kraus, Julius, jewelry, etc. Kraker, Joseph, shoemaker. Krings, Michael, farmer. Krings, Nickolas, farmer. Kronmeyer, Wm., stone dealer. Krichall, H., plasterer. Krusella, F. B., farmer. Krusella, F. A., farmer. Krusella, F. D., farmer. Kuntzell, John, laborer. Kuntz, John, farmer. Kurtz, Elizabeth. Kurtz, Charles, farmer. Kunzman, Adam, laborer. Kunzman, Joseph, laborer. Kunzman, John, laborer. I^arker, Joseph, laborer. Jjatz, Joseph, mason. Lambert, Charles. Lambert, John, keeper I. S. P. Langdon, Mary. Lacey, Patrick, laborer. Laraway, Charles, farmer. Laib, Christ. Lapham, David. Lawrence, Eichard. Lawrence, Ed., laborer. Lawrence, Charles, farmer. Lawlor, Wm., laborer. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 917 Lawlor, Michael, laborer. Lawlor, M., farmer. Lagger, Sebastian, banker. Lagger, John, laborer. Lang, M. G. Lang, John C, editor. Layheld, Francis, carpenter. Layfleld, C. W., carpenter. Laderbach, Adam, laborer. Lamping, George, Sr. Lamping, Robert, farmer. Laverne. E. ¥., laborer. Larkin, James, laborer. Larkin, Thomas, farmer. Lean, A. M. Leisser, John, laborer. Leisen, John, farmer. Leissen, John. Leonard, James, fanner. Lehman, L., musician. Lehman, Marcus, carpenter. Lehman, Paul, farmer. Lehman, Paul, laborer. Leffler, Caroline, farmer. Ley, John, farmer. Lesser, Michael, gardener. Lellman, P. L., saloon-keeper. Leach, Michael, laborer. Leach, L., manufacturer. Lendor, P., laborer. Leichten waiter, Wm., laborer. Lennon, John, marble cutter. Lewis, John, painter. Lewis, C. A. Leizer, John, laborer. Leahy, Ann. Leavey, John, druggist. Lennon, John, grocer. Lefontaine, P. X., ice dealer. Leyman, Charles L., mason. Leyman, H. Lincoln, M. A., laborer. Lindell, J. B., Pastor. Line, Patrick. Little, Mary J. Limperieh, Joseph, laborer. Limpert, John, carpenter. Logan, George, grocer. Lowrey, Wm., laborer. Loga, August, laborer. Lowe, Samuel, laborer. Lott, Jacob. Louks, Thomas, carpenter. Lots, Henry, laborer. Long, Thomas, farmer. Lufkins, Stephen. LutTsin, Stephen. Lyford, H. M., merchant. Lyford, S. G. Lyman, George. Lyman, John, farmer. Lyon, L. M., laborer. Lynch, Patrick, farmer. Man, Charles, laborer. Mahn, George. Massey, Hiat. Massey, George, carpenter. Marti, Jacob, laborer. Malcomb, Jesse. Maloney, D., peddler. Macomber, M. J., Mrs. Maxwell, Jane. Malcone, Mrs. Maney, David. Mahan, H., laborer. Madden, John, laborer. Mahan, Prancis. Maher, Martin, laborer. Maher, Thomas, laborer. Matteson, Joel A. Matteson, Fred. W. Mahoney, John, grocer. Mahoney, Jeremiah, grocer. Malroney, John, laborer. Mager, Christian, blacksmith. Martin, Michael, laborer. Martin, John, laborer. Martin, George B. Martins, Frederick, laborer. Marcan, Ann. Marion, John. Manley, Thomas, farmer. Manley, Ann. Malone, Wesly, farmer. Marshall, Martin, laborer. Marshall, S. T. Marshall, Ealph W. Marshall, A. O., attorney. Marsh, F. E., grain dealer. Marsh, H. N., station agent. Mason, Elizabeth M. Mason, T. A., lumber dealer. Mason, D. C., laborer. Mason, Patrick, laborer. Mason, George A., farmer. Mason, Daniel C. Mack, John, carpenter. Mack, Timothy. Mack, U., merchant. Mack, J. L. Mack, Adelaide. Mack, John, shoemaker. Mack, Adelia. McAnna, P. McAndrews, Patrick, laborer. McBride, Mary. McCormick, John, laborer. McCanna, Charles, laborer. McCanna, John, laborer. McCanna, Daniel. McCana, Edward, laborer. McCann, Martha J. McCawliff, Mary. McClintock, Alex, farmer. McCabe, Hugh, laborer. McCarney, M., laborer. McClaskv, Michael, laborer. McCarthy, Elizabeth. McCarty, P., laborer. McCarty, Charles, laborer. McCoy, Owen, laborer. McCoy, T., laborer. McCoy, Oben. McConchin, John. McConchie, John, engineer. McConchie, Ann. ■918 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: McOreery, J., laborer. McCunn, H., farmer. McCuUoch, Alex, engineer. McDanlel, George, farmer. McDaniels, George. McDowell, Walker. McDowell, Walter, laborer. McDougall, D., Dr. McDonald, Walker, farmer. McDonald, George. McDonald, Wm., teamster. McDonald, John, gardener. McDonald, E. McDadp, Dennis, laborer. McDade, Chauncey, nurseryman. McElgrew, Peter. McElgrew, William. McElhern, Daniel, farmer. McElhaney, Patrick, laborer. McEvoy, M., tinner. McFargo, Elizabeth. McFadden, James, drayman. McFadden, John, laborer. McGee, John, laborer. McGee, Edward, laborer. McGuire, H. H., laborer. McGuire, H. H., carpenter. McGrath, James, laborer. McGraw, Michael, laborer. McGann, Dan, laborer. McGinnis, John, blacksmith. McGinnis, John, laborer. McGovern, Peter, laborer. McGovern, John, laborer. McGowen, John. McGovney, Thomas G. McHerron, George, laborer. McHugh, Felix, farmer. McHugh, Thomas, laborer. McHugh, James, laborer. McHugh, Patrick, laborer. McHugh, B., Mrs. Mcintosh, Sarah, teacher. McKinzey, Geo., coal dealer. McNinney, Henry, laborer. McNamee, Owen^ farmer. McNiff, John, laborer. McPartlin, Hugh, laborer. McPartlin, James, laborer. McPherson, James, engineer. McPhilips, Barney. McQuirk, John, laborer. McQuade, Owen, laborer. McQuire, John. McEoberts, Josiah, Judge of Cir. Court. McVey, James, laborer. Meil, August, farmer. Meilley, A. E., laborer. Meachem, Benjamin. Messer, Louise. Meredith, J., laborer. Melter, John. Mehr, John. Melchoir, August, carpenter. Meeker, A. B., Supt. Rolling-Mills. Meir, Michael, mason. Meyer, Michael, mason. Meyer, Michael, farmer. Meyers, W. H., farmer. Merrill, G. H., clerk. Mead, A. B., Dr. Meacheur, Harriet E. Meers, Dennis, hardware merchant. Metzger, Conrad, mason. Metzger, Gabriel, laborer. Miller, John, insurance agent. Miller, W. F. Miller, John, clerk. Miller, H. Miller, James. Michael, John, farmer. Millspaugh, Isaac, Justice of the Peac Milley, John, mason. Milk, William. Miner, W. S., house-mover. Middlebrook, A. L. Mitchell, Catharine. Mitchell, L. C. Miles, Ellen. Mick, John. Mills, William, farmer. Moes, Mary A. Moran, John, laborer. Moran, James, laborer. Moran, Thomas, laborer. Moran, Michael, laborer. Moore, 0. K., carpenter. Moore, Clement J., carpenter. Moore, Thomas, farmer. Mock, John, carpenter. Mock, Joseph, farmer. Monakan, P., laborer. Monakan, J., saloon-keeper. Morgan, Michael, laborer. Morgan, W. H., pattern-maker. Morgan, M. L., laborer. Morgan, T. W., laborer. Morris, Jacob, laborer. Morrissey, Ann. Morrissey, Andrew, laborer. Morrissey, John, laborer. Morrissey, James, express messenger. Mooney, Emmeft saloon-keeper. Moriety, John, laborer. Molenpa,h, Fred, tailor. Moffat, James. Moreland, John C., merchant. Monahan, John, laborer. Morarty, Miles, laborer. Mollitore, Joseph, carpenter. Montieth, Charles. Morrison, Ann^L. Moses, Abbie. Mork, C, machinist. Mossman, F., carpenter. Munday, Wm., laborer. Mulligan, Margaret. MuUer, William. Mulrooney, Wm., laborer. Munson, G. S., laborer. Munn, S. W., attorney. Muschel, Xavier, laborer. Munsey, Jonathan, laborer. Muncy, Jonathan, farmer. Murray, Patrick, laborer. Murray, Mary T. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 919 Mupps, Wm., Jr., farmer. Mupps, Eobert. Mupps, Wm., auctioneer. Munch, F., coal dealer. Munch, H., farmer. Murphy, H. Murphy, Patrick, engineer. Murphy, Lawrence, laborer. Murphy, Thomas, laborer. Murphy, H., laborer. Murphy, D. Y., laborer. Murphy, Martin, laborer. Murphy, F. D., laborer. Murphy, Michael, tailor. Murphy, J. P , Justice of the Peace. Murphy, P. W. Murphy, J. D. Murphy, "Wm., mason. Munroe, Geo., grocer. Munroe, G., merchant. Mullen, Dennis, mason. Mullen, Wm., laborer. Mullen, Bridget. Myers, Claud. Nalte, P., farmer. Naur, Nicholas. Newkirk, Charles, farmer. Newkirk, Charlotte. Neydeggar, Samuel, painter. Nelson, jLewis H., laborer. Nelson, C, laborer. Nelson, Charles, engineer. Nelson, George. Neubold, T., machinist. Niver, H., carpenter. Niver, H., painter. Nicholson, Francis, tailor. Nickel, Henry, farmer. Niles, S., laborer. Nobles, Elisha, farmer. Noonan, Catharine. Nowlan, John, laborer. Norton, James, plasterer. Norton, D. Norton, Pat, laborer. Nolan, Mary A. Nolan, James, laborer. Nuisehitz, John, laborer. O'Berman, Herman, farmer. Oberman, Herman, stone-cutter. Oberman, John F., stone-cutter. Oberlin, Edward, Guard. O'Bryen, Thomas, Marshal. O'Brien, John. O'Brien, Matthew, laborer. O'Brien, Wm., laborer. O'Brien, Jane. O'Brien, Kate. O'Connor, Catherine. O'Conner, S., laborer. O'Connell, Charles, painter. O'Connell, Mary. O'Connell, Patrick, laborer. O'Connell, Hanna. O'Connell, Charles. O'Daniel, Peter, laborer, O'Donnell, Thomas, laborer. O'Donnell, J'ohn. OfEerman, Frank, farmer. Ogilve, J., laborer. Ogden, M. D., physician. Ogden, M. B., Dr. OTiarra, James, laborer. O'Leary, Timothy, farmer. O'Leary, Anthony J., laborer. Olney, C. C, marble-cutter. Olin, Benjamin, County Judge. O'Malley, C, laborer. O'Mahoney, John. Onderdonk, John. O'Neil, Thomas, laborer. O'Neil, Edward, farmer. O'Neil, Michael, laborer. Oonovan, Jerry, laborer. Opeld, John, farmer. O Riley, James. O'Eunible, Thomas, well-borer. O'Eumble, Thomas, Jr., laborer. Ostrander, Wm., farmer. Osborne, P. Q., farmer. Oswald, Erhard. O'Toole, Dennis, laborer. Otter, Adam, carpenter. Paris, Mrs. Paul, James, Sr., farmer. Patchel, John, clerk. Pasold, Catharine. Pasold, John, stone-cutter. Paesold, J. F., shoemaker. Pasol, Ferdinand, shoe merchant. Palmer, Jacob, laborer. Palmer, Ella. Palmer, Martha. Parent, Albert, engineer. Paige, Charles, laborer. Patrick, J. F., farmer. Patrick, J. E., farmer. - Farther, Christ, farmer. Page, Seneca. Parker, Wm., laborer. Parker, Johanna. Park, Mary. Park, D. S., carpenter. Parke, Joseph, laborer. Parks, G. D. A., attorney. Patterson, J. G., merchant. Patterson, Harriet, Mrs. Patterson, Thomas H., lime dealer. Pelkey, Wm., Constable. Pederson, O., tailor. Peter, F., laborer. Peter, Smith, laborer. Peters, Henry, saloon-keeper. Perkins, Lydia. Perkins. Joseph. Pease, Sidney fi., carpenter. Pettigrew, John, laborer. Peterson, Ole, stone-cutter. Phine, Alexander, laborer. Phelps, Egbert, attorney. Pickerell, Wm., laborer. Pickle, Mrs. Pickards, Eichard, farmer. Pierce, E., Surveyor. Pierce, Eobert M., engineer. Pierce, Sanford, student. 920 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Pinneo, J. D. Pinney, D. H., attorney. Picket, Cicily. Pond, G. W. Pond, D. W., grocer. Powers, John, laborer. Powers, Winef red, laborer. Pohl, Henry, Sr., trimmer. Pohl, H. R., clerk. Posta, Ignatz, laborer. Powles, IDaniel B., laborer. Potter, George W. Potter, Elvia. Potter, Harriet A. Porter, Edward, laborer. Porter, Edwin, brewer. Porter, J., painter. Porter, C, painter. Prior, Mich. Preston, Thomas, tanner. Preston, Maria L. Pratt, Lydian 0. Pratt, Hiram. Prattj Mary A. Purvis, William, laborer. Py, Joseph, laborer. Py, Mary. Quirk, Bridget. Quilty, Maurice, laborer. Quiggle, J. W., well-driller. Quiggles, George W. Quin, Mortimer, laborer. Quinn, Michael, laborer. Quinn, Patrick, laborer. Raub, Maria A. Raub, N. J., laborer. Baub, John, laborer. Rancher, Maria. Rawley, A. G. Bay, Edward, horse-doctor. Raynor, George C, physician. Rademaker, Thomas, farmer. Rath, E., laborer. Rafferty, Catherine. Raka, Henry. Randall, A. S., attorney. Randall, S, W., attorney. Eapple, Fred., butcher. Rapple, Michael, farmer. Redmond, Thomas. Reuneck, John. Beuben, John H., railroad conductor. Beid, John, farmer. Beed, S. B., civil engineer. Beed, Lucius J., carpenter. Beed, Charles, farmer. Beed, Samuel B., farmer. Beilley, Patrick. Beithger, S., laborer. Beevs, Marshall. Bees, D. A., marble-cutter. Beichmann, Mary. Beichman, Joseph, butcher. Beinhart, John, store. Beitz, Wm. Reamer, Gustus, carpenter, Reiger, John, laborer. Regan, Honora. Rhine, Jacob, laborer. Rhodes, Margaret. Eidgway, Caleb J. Biley, T. H., laborer. Biley, Thomas, laborer. Bitzel, Henry. Eindelman, Mr? . Rigdon, Thomas, farmer. Rickey, A., saloon-keeper. Richart, Fritz, carpenter. Eichart, John, grocer. Bisley, Minerva P. Bichmond, I. T., Mrs. Bichard, David, farmer. Bichards, Charles, physician. Bichaijis, John, farmer. Bichards, C., farmer. Bichards, George, laborer. Robinson, Frank, saloon-keeper. Robinson, Ifancy A. Robinson, A. J., merchant. Robinson, John H., farmer. Eobinson, Margaret. Bobinson, James. Bobinson, Mary A. Bobinson, Frank, grocer. Bobinson, John. Boberts, Pratt. Boberts, John. Bobertson, Bobert. Rove, Samuel, farmer. Ross, L. E., farmer. Boss, J. P., farmer. Boss, Joseph. Boss, William H., laborer. Roundtree, Daniel, laundryman. Rose, Robert. Bodgers, Alexander, farmer. Bodgers, Michael, laborer. Bodgers, Oscar F. Roper, Jane. Roff, Daniel. Rowley, H. H., Mrs. Rockey, George E., planing- mill. Roke, Henry, laborer. Rohaker, H., mason. Rooney, .John, laborer. Rogan, John clerk. Rowland, F. M. Rowell, Hopkins, capitalist. Rudcliff, Y. M., farmer. Rupert, Anthony, machinist. Bubb, Henry, wagon-maker. Budy, J. Budge, Henry. Budge, Samuel. Eussell, Phebe. Russell, Elizabeth J. Russell, Christina. Russell, Amos C Rubenstein, Lorenz, farmer. Rubenstein, Lawrence, farmer. Rudd, David, farmer. Rudd, Eossiter, farmer. Rudd, Rossiter, laborer. Rudd, Sandford, machinist. Rudd, Barak, farmer. Ryan, Mrs. JULIET TOWNSHIP. 921 Ryan, John, merchant. Ryan, John, shoemaker. Ryan, James, laborer. Ryan, Patrick, laborer. Ryan, J. H., laborer. Ryan, David, laborer. Ryan, Charles L. Ryne, George W., laborer. Savage, S. F., Mrs., bookstore. Sans, Christian, Pastor. Sanders, M., laborer. Sanders, L. J., laborer. Sartoris, Mary. Sawer, Susan. Sawyer, Henry J.. Supt. I. S. P. Sampson, Mrs. Salter, George B., dentist. Sane, R. R., laborer. Semahan, M. Sandiford, Thomas. Sandiford, R., manufacturer. Schall, Austen J., laborer. Schall, Miles, laborer. Schall, Phillip, merchant. Scott, Rosetta. Soheulke, Michael, laborer. Schmeir, John. Scammond, J. Young. Schroam, Pred. Scheick, Henry, saloon-keeper. Scutt, H. B., wire fence. Schanan, W., Miss. . Schorie, John, laborer. Scollay, Bridget. Sehreffler, Henry, tinner. Schwertle, Peter, laborer. Schup, John, carpenter. Schroder, F. W., druggist. Schu berth, John, marble-cutter. Schott, Jacob, painter. Schoedler, Frank, trimmer. Scheidler, Maria. Schurtz, M. W., laborer. Scheldt, John, candy-factoi-y. Schosser, Godfred, stone-cutter. Schaller, Philip, mason. Schick, John, laborer. Schwartz, Xavier, laborer. Schmeiser, John, shoemaker. Schriver, John, laborer. Schott, Rose T. Schoop, D. R. Schreimer, Nicholas, wagon-maker. Schweiver, Michael. Schutter, Anthony, laborer. Sehwars, Julius, laborer. Schmears, August, laborer. Schutts, John, farmer. Schwitzer, Conrad, carpenter. Schultz, Henry, stone dealer. Schwab, Maria. Schoff, John. Schmitz, Ignatz, molder. Schneider, Michael. Schneider, John B., laborer. Seitz, Matilda. Seitz, Stephen, laborer. Seitz, Anthony, plasterer. Searles, F., clerk. Searles, M. E., clerk in P. 0. Sehring, Fred, brewer. Seibenthil, William, laborer. Seeley, J., keeper in I. S. P. Seeley, George, laborer. Seeley, James, laborer. Seeley, Jonas, laborer. Sexton, Dennis, laborer. Sees, George, stone-cutter. Semmerer, A., laborer. Sennett, Edward. Seneca, H. Selser, Frederick, laborer. Heivert, Vinsen, farmer. Seivert, Vincent, mason. Seigel, George, farmer. Seward, Calvin, farmer. Seivart, John, merchant. Shaffer, Paul. Shaffer, Henry, Baker. Shaw, Fayette B. Shaw, Clark J. Shaw, Alex. Shaw, J. B. Shaw, James, laborer. Sheridan, Dennis, laborer. Sheridan, Patrick, laborer. Shayer, Leroy, Sharp, A. B., axle grease. Shirk, Henry, saloon-keeper. Shields, John, laborer. Shreffler, A. H., book-keeper. Shoop, Louisa. Shepley, Wm., laborer. Shuttler, J. F., laborer. Shubert, Conrad, stone-cutter. Shiffer, Fred. Shelley, J. L. ShafEner, Benjamin, coal-dealer. Shanahan, P., Justice of the Peace. Shanan, W., Miss. Sh ussier, Joseph, carpenter. Shutts, Henrv. , Short, Mary J. Short, Terrance, laborer. Short, Barney, laborer. Short, T., laborer. Short, Patrick, laborer. Sime, John, mason. Silks, R., laborer. Simons, S. O., grocer. Simons, Anna. Sing, Adam, farmer. Simpson, B., farmer. Simpson, Luke, shoemaker. Simpson, B., laborer. Simongton, Wm., farmer. Sido, Stephen, blacksmith. , Sindsey, Adaline. Simonds, Philip. Sloan, John, laborer. Sloan, Bridget. Sloan, Catharine. Slimm, Wm., mason. Slim, Wm., laborer. Sleeper, D. C. Smith, Andrew, farmer. 922 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Smith, Eose, Mrs. Smith, Henry, laborer. Smith, I. D., laborer. Smith, Wm., farmer. Smith, Emely N". Smith, Wm., Mrs. Smith, Catharine. Smith, Nicholas. Smith, Michael, laborer. Smith, Floretta. Smith, Dwite, carpenter. Smith, E. N. Smith, Christopher, laborer. Smith, Orange R., carpenter. Smith, John, laborer. Smith, Paul, Jr. Smith, P., laborer. Smith, Andrew, stone-cutter. Smith, Patrick, farmer. Smith, D. Y., carpenter. Smeeker, Margaret. Smalley, Henry, laborer. Smalley, John, laborer. Snapp, Henry, attorney. Snapp, A. Sohn, Andrew. Souman, Adam, laborer. Spears, Wm. E., carpenter. Spear,_ James B., grain dealer. Spretzer, Frank, merchant. Spangler, John. Spangler, Agnes S. Spangler, Henry. Spangler, W. A., plasterer. Spencer, R. Spaulding, David E., laborer. Springer, F., clerk. Spoor, Harlow H., plasterer. Squires, Isaac. Steffen, Christian, laborer. StefCen, Henry. Star, A. E., nurseryman. Starbuck, Irene, flour and feed store. Steinburg, Mary E. Stege, William, laborer. Stanton, Johanna. Stanton, David. Stanton, Nicholas, blacksmith. Staff en, Paul. Stapleton William, shoemaker. Staehle, C. W., bookbinder. Stemman, Eegina. Stoddard, Betsey. Stock, John, saloon-keeper. Stockmeier, John, mason. Stoos, Joseph, carpenter. Stalder, Nicholas, laborer. Stowe, Loilise P. Stanl#y, F. G., laborer. Steel, William A., stone dealer. Steel, Susan M. Strickland, Maria. Strickland, Leon, laborer. Staley, Ignatz, laborer. Strong, William A., Jr., capitalist. Strunz, John. Stewart, William. Stewart, Ezra H., dentist. Stevens, W. D., carpenter. Stevens, H. D. Stevens, W. W., attorney. Stevens, Nancy. Stevens, Albert, horse dealer. Stevens, H. K., capitalist. Stevens, Benjamine, farmer. Stephens, Sebastian, shoemaker. Stephens, J., Sr. Stephens, Orrin. Stephens, Joe, saddler. Stephen, John, Jr., farmer. Stender, John, laborer. Stearns, Harmon, carpenter. St. Julian, Joseph, saddler. St. Julien, J. I., saddler. St. Ange, Lpuis, laborer. Sullivan, Dennis. Sullivan, John, laborer. Sullivan, Owen, laborer. Sullivan, Paul, laborer. Sullivan, Ed., laborer. Sullivan, James, laborer. Sunderland, Patrick, laborer. Sulland, John, laborer. Sutton, James, butcher. Swan, Joseph E. Swan, C. B.. well-borer. Swartout, Con. Tait, Michael, laborer. Tait, Michael, farmer. Talbot, Edward, butcher. Talbot, Eich. Tatge, Conrad, manufacturer. Tarbell, J. F., heater. Taylor, J. W., carpenter. Taylor, John W. Taylor, Henry, quarryman. Taylor, Tiberias. Telfer, F. W., laborer. Terrence, J. L. Teeling, James, laborer. Terry, F. E., manufacturer. Tea, Mark B. Themes, Nicholas, marble-cutter. Theiler, John, grocer. Thompson, Ann. Thompson, S. F. Thompson, E., Mrs. Thornton, Carey, laborer. Thornton, S. J., laborer. Thayer, H. L. Thayer, Leroy, capitalist. Tipper, William, laborer. Tonner, William, City Clerk. Tonner, Mrs. Townsend, Thomas. Toorney, Ed., farmer. Tracy, Michael, laborer. Tracy, Nicholas. Treat, Francis. Tramor, Thomas, laborer. Troy, Patrick, drayman. Troy, James, laborer. Tighe,N. D., saloon-keeper. Trickanan, John. Trutchler, Charles, teacher. Tripp, James M., laborer. JOLIET TOWNSHIP. 92a Traver, John, farmer. Tuck, Lucy A. Turnstein, Lewis. Twohey, Mathew, saloon-keeper. Tyler, E. M. Tyrell, Thomas, shoemaker. Tyrell, Ann. Unmack, William, farmer. IJlm, Lawrence, barber. Ulrich, Michael, shoemaker. Ulrich, Henry A. Vanderburs;, William S. Vanderlip, P. A. Vance, G. L., merchant. Valker, John, laborer. Valker, Mary. Van Allen, Charles F., railroader. Van Allen, Myron, laborer. Van Auken, Jacob C. Van Horn, Garrett. Van Kuel, C., farmer. Van Vlake, Frank L., mill-wright. Verly, Fanny. VenhofE, Andrew, laborer. Vessel, Conrad, stone-cutter. Vincent, Joseph, butcher. Vinson, Mary C. Vougt, Francis, laborer. Voght, Jacob, laborer. Voight, Charles, laborer. Voelker, Mary, Mrs. Volker, Mary Ann, f aimer. Volker, John, farmer. Walker, Henry. Watson, J. S., Mrs. Watson, Isaac, blacksmith. Waldfogle, Felix, wiper. Waldfogle, A., farmer. Waldfogle, Benedict, farmer. Wall, B. W., laborer. Walls, James, foreman I. S. P. Wade, Desire, merchant. Waterman, D. M. Walch, Kobert, grocer. Walch, Robert, merchant. Walch, Martin, baker. Warren, Caleb, railroad conductor. Warren, Wm. Warren, J. M., stone-mason. Wagner, Martin, laborer. Wagner, Christian, teamster. Wagner, Ignatz, laborer. Wagner, Anthony, stone-cutter. Wagner, Alois. Wagner, Ferdinand, farmer. Wagner, Michael, laborer. Wagner, F., laborer. Wagner, M. W., stone-cutter. Warner, L. L. Warner, Joseph, mason. Wallen, Helen, A. Wallace, F., laborer. Wallace, B. W. Walworth, Henry. , Walworth, Henry E.' Waterson, John, agent. Watkins, Jonathan, farmer. Ward, George H. Ward, Charlotte B. Ward, Hugh, laborer. Ward, Louisa. Ward, Hugh, farmer. Weibel, Nicholas, stone-cutter. Weyerman, John, saloon-keeper. Westherbee, M., farmer. Webb, Mary. Weidinger, George. Webster, Olivar, carpenter. Wendle, John, stone-cutter. Weidlands, Benedict, laborer. Westphall. Martin, banker. Westphall, Luella J. Weaver, James R. Wernman, Hubert. WertmuUer, Charles, laborer. Werlin, Anthony, farmer. Werlen, Peter, laborer. Weber, Peter W., Justice of the Peace. Weber, Sussana. Weed, Nelson, druggist. Welsh, John E., engineer. Welsh, Patrick. Weeks, C. H., farmer. Weeks, Jane. Weeks, Horace, master in chancery. Weishaar, J., clerk. Werner, Charles, Jr., stone dealer. Werner, J. V., saloon-keeper. * Werner, Charles, stone dealer. Werner, Adam, stone dealer. Werner, Jacob F., mason. Werner, C. A., stone dealer. Wergler, John. Whalen. Pat., laborer. White, S. S., farmer. White, Wm., laborer. White, L. K., clerk. White, Ann. White, B. K. White, Jesse O. White, Jeremiah. White, Samuel H., painter. White, James S., carpenter. Whitson, Benj., laborer. Whittier, George, limekiln. Whittier, Nancy. Wheeler, Lorinda C. Wheeler, Jennie. Wierman, John, saloon-keeper^ Wilt, Anthony. Wiggins, A. J., laborer. Williamson, L. M., laborer. Wise, James. Winberry, John, laborer. Winkler, Wm., painter. Wicharr, J., clerk. Wiser, Elizabeth. Wilds, Mich., laborer. Wixome, Mrs. Wigle, George, laborer. Wilcox, J. F., clerk. Wilcox, G. W., laborer. Winters, D., carpenter. Winters, Eben M., farmer. Winter, C. A., carpenter. Winkle, Frank, stone-cutter. 924 EEAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: "Winke, Christopher, laborer. Wilson, M. J. Wilson, Charles L.. horse-trainer. Wilson, Ed., laborer. Wilson, John F. Wilson, Janette. Williams, Solomon, engineer. Williams, W. T. Williams, James, laborer. Williams, A., painter. Williams, Roberc. Williams, Jane. Williams, J. C, agent. Williams, Alson. Williams, Charles A., doctor. Williams, S. L., farmer. Williams, Nicholas, farmer. Williams, J. A., farmer. Williams, Michael, farmer. Williams, H. H., laborer. Williams, Sarah L. Wood, Wm. C, insurance agent. Wood, J., laborer. Woodruff, Luther, farmer. Woodworth, Thomas, molder. Woodrufe, F. W., Cash. First Nat. Bank. Woodruff, George, banker. Worthing, W. A. Worthing,ton, S. A., Mrs. Worthington, M., Mrs. Worrell, Lorinda. Worrell, Charles, merchant. Wright, E. A. Wunderlick, Ann M. Wunderlich, Arnst, stone-cutter. Wyne, Thomas B. Wytt, .John, laborer. Wyneman, P., saloon-keeper. Wyatt, Wm. S. Yack, S., barber. Young, Henry, confectioner. Young, James, painter. Young, Edward, painter. Young, Mansfield, merchant. Zarley, Calneh, printer. Zarley, William H., County Clerk. Zirkel, Ferdinand, marble-cutter. Zipf, Andrew, farmer. Zipf, Frank, farmer. Zipf, Theobald. WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. (P. O. WILMINGTON.) Anderson, J. H., farmer. Althouse, Albert G., farmer. Althouse, Sarah. Althouse, Naomi. Althouse, William, teamster. Aldrich, D. H., carpenter. Alexander, George, farmer. Allen, E. J., farmer. Allen, Edw., lumber dealer. Alden, Hiram O., Jr., mine boss. Brophy, James, liveryman. Banyard, B., merchant. Baker, Minor, farmer. Baker, Leroy A., Constable. Burns, C, farmer. Butler, Henry, farmer. Bogart, William, merchant. Bardwell, Fred, farmer. Babcock, J. R., farmer. Boyle, Patrick, farmer. Butcher, John, laborer. Bennett, Jemima. Beesley, E. J., farmer. Bowen, E. W., physician. Banyard, V., merchant. Buck, Geo. A. Burton, Joseph, trader. Baskerville, R., merchant. Bovee, Charles, agent "County History." Burke, Philip, mason. Blood, H. N., soda manufacturer. Bowen, Francis T., Mrs. Brouschette, Joseph, mason. Burton, Thomas, trader. Brodie, Peter, teamster. Burke, Hugh. Brown, Edw., laborer. Brown, Edwin, laborer. Brown, O. W. Brown, Hansen. Baxter, Ellen. Barnes, Thomas, laborer. Butler, Thomas. Cattell, Charles W., farmer. Crate, John R., farmer. Corbin, Peter, farmer. Camp, S. C, Postmaster. Curhen, Michael. Case, N. H., merchant. Clarkin, Andrew, laborer. Cooper, James, farmer. Cotton, Geo., carpenter. Crist, R. H., carpenter. Campbell, John, farmer. Clayes, Levi M. Carroll, M., merchant. Carroll, Torrence, sexton. Carter, W. J., Assessor. Conley, Thomas, bricklayer. CoNLEY, E. D., Editor Advocate. Cobb, D. U ., banker. Copps, Charles, farmer. Clark, Thomas, saloon. Camp, Samuel C., Postmaster. Coggswell, B. B., merchant. Conroal, D., cooper. Conley, Thomas, mason. Custer, E. D. Cullon, Anna. Church, Charlotte. Corbett, Thomas, laborer. Chambers, George, laborer. Missing Page Missing Page WILMINGTON TOWNSHIP. 927 Dowse, Stephen. Dunn, James, farmer. Dewitt, George, farmer. Dunham, J. H., Chicago. Dugan, John, laborer. Darley, Michael, laborer. Dorsey, Thomas, saloon. Dunlap, Clarissa. Daniels, John H., Chicago. Dowling, John, laborer. Dowling, Edw., laborer. Davis, Wm. T., laborer. Dwyre, Mary. Deloat, Albert, gardener. Donohue, Edw., merchant. Demorest, J. P., carpenter. Dickerson, J. A., carpenter. Dugan, John, laborer. Evans, Henry, farmer. Ford, Daniel, farmer. Ereas, John. Eord, James, laborer. Eogarty, Anna. Fuller, Delivan, saloon. Ferguson, Jeremiah, blacksmith. Fuller, M. W., Mrs. Fisher, Bryan, miller. Fisher, John C., miller. Gavigan, James, farmer. Geelan, Henry, farmer. Goodenough, John, farmer. Gaffney, Bartley, farmer. Gavican, James, farmer. Gurney, Henry, prop, livery stable. Gall, Jonathan, miller. Goodwin, William. Gurney, K. H., livery stable. Gardner, Jane. Gray, George W. Glenney, John, farmer. Gooding, James M. Gooding, Alonzo, farmer. Hill, John. Heneberry, John, farmer. Hays, Dennis, farmer. Hart, "William, drayman. Harbottle, W. M., merchant. Hooper, Edw., farmer. Hazard, Catharine, miUiner. Hudson, Henry, farmer. Holister, Henry, laborer. Haley, Martin, mason. Hunter, David, miner. Henneberry, T. M., poultryman. Hine, Patrick. Henderson, J. D., merchant. Hurley, J., laborer. Hall, Oscar M., laborer. Herriot, John, teamster. Holmes, C. B., carpenter. Hutchinson, A. Hill. Andrew, retired. Heck, Philip, saloon. Hadsell, William. Hilburn, Milton, molder. Irish, George, laborer. Jacquenlt, Alice. Johnson, Mary. Johnson, Howard, iceman. Jackson, Joseph, plasterer. Jackson, 11. J. Jackson, J. A., painter. James, Willis, laborer. Jones, H. K. Jones, George, engineer. Jones, D., miner. Jessup, John S., merchant. Knapp, Orrin, teamster. King, Bernard, farmer. Kahler, John, tailor. Kirk, Patrick, farmer. Kelley, Felix, City Marshal. Krause, August, merchant. Klemefelter, A. N., carpenter. Kinslar, Edw., laborer. Keeley, Michael, plasterer. Knight, John. Kavanaugh, Thomas, farmer. Larson, Peter, laborer. Lang, Philip, farmer. LeCaron, Henry, physician. Lamping, W. M., farmer. Lacy, C. B., Mrs., farmer. Luther, Charles, farmer. Lutlier, J. J., farmer. Lines, S. D. B., Constable. LeDoyt, Roswell, carpenter. Lee, W. M., laborer. Lyon, A. I., restaurant. Lord, Mary. Mallon, Charlotte. Maloney, J., farmer. McGee, Mary. McArthur, A. L., farmer. McRea, W. M., farmer. McCabe, Michael, shoemaker. McLaughlin, Mary, Chicago. Mcintosh, A., farmer. McManus, John E., saloon. McCormick, Hugh, engineer. McGinnis, W., farmer. McGoveren, B., blacksmith. Mcintosh, T. S., painter. McKeon, Philip, merchant. McGovern, Mary. McCormick, Nancy C. McGovern, Barney, laborer Maloney, James R., farmer. Morgan, Moses, farmer. Mowray, James B., farmer. Mallon, John, Jr., farmer. Morrison, Mary A., farmer. Mitchell, Anna. Monell, S. L., merchant. Mallon, Charlotte, farmer. Morrill, Moses, farmer. Mitchell, Frank, farmer. Merriman, D. J., physician. Martin, Joseph, farmer. Monteith, David E., butcher. Monteith, Catharine. Merrill, John, attorney. Moran, John, laborer. Mailee, John, shoemaker. Moore, Wm., blacksmith. Moulton, F., C & A. R. R. conductor. 17 928 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Miller, Peter F., laborer. Miller, J. F., Mrs. Nelson, John, laborer. Newhall, H., farmer. Noble, W. H., painter. Neal, Isaac. Norton, Michael, laborer. Nausbaum, J. G., wagon-maker. Osborn, N. N., farmer. O'Brien, John, farmer. O'Mara, Wm., farmer. Patter, Huldah. Perry, James A., farmer. Pauling, Francis, broom-maker. Patterson, John, miller. Purcell, Thomas, laborer. Quinn, Jeremiah, Jr., farmer. Reynolds, Michael, farmer. Ryan, Mary. Roderick, Eli, farmer. Roat, Andrew, carpenter. Roteng, E. Ritchie, Alex, farmer. Roberts, H. N., cashier bank. Robinson, Thomas, carpenter. Roderick, Joseph, farmer. Rockwell, Stephen, farmer. Rote, Andrew, carpenter. Robson, W., farmer. Robson, Eliza. Russell, J. B. F., farmer. Rosenberger, John, laborer. Reeves, Thomas, merchant. Rilly, James. Ray, Wesley P., coal dealer. Scanlan, Dennis, farmer. Scott, Ellen. Scarlett, A. A., Mrs. Scanlan, James, farmer. Scully, William, Chicago. Schyler, Philip, painter, Scanlan, Dennis, farmer. Schneider, R. Schneider, Edward, tinker. Schermerhorn, P. P., farmer. Shields, Luke, retired. Shields, Frank, farmer. Shields, Frank, merchant. Shelby, Patrick, farmer. Sibert, Z., tailor. Slusser, William D., farmer. Smith, Dennis, drayman. Small David, Jr., merchant. Small, Daniel, lumber dealer. Small, Dell, lumber merchant. Smith, Lewis H. Smith, Thomas, farmer. Smith, N., Police Magistrate. Smith, E. P., farmer. Snyder, Reynhart, farmer. Stork, Edward, baker. Steadman, R., Mrs. Stagg, James, carpenter. Stetlan, Henry, saloon. Stagg, Benj., carpenter. Stephenson, L. L., clerk. Stillwell, George, cigar stand. Steffen, Henry, butcher. Stewart, M. N. M., banker. Stewart, John, merchant. Starkweather, James, farmer. Sullivan, J., laborer. Taylor, M. L., harness-maker. Terrill, Michael, farmer. Teerney, Michael, fairmer. Thomas, Mary. Thompson, Maria, Thompson, Robert, coal dealer. Thompson, Jane. Thompson, J. C, Mrs. Thompson. John, prop, boarding-house. Thompson, David C, wagon-maker. Thornton, Thomas, laborer. Thornton, John laborer. Titus, Leander, carpenter. Tinney, Francis, teamster. Tinslar, G. I., attorney. Tinslar, Lawrence. Tollington, Robert, merchant. Trett, S. E., physician. Tyroll, M., farmer. Tuttle, M., retired. Turner, A. Underwood, M. J., laborer. Vander Bogert, W. H., butcher. Vetter, F., farmer. Vogle, Geo., farmer. Wagner, Thomas, farmer. Watkins, Wm., clerk. Walsh, Mamie. Watson, L. H. Wade, John, farmer. Watson, Charlotte S., restaurant. Watson, Morrill, farmer. Waters, John, painter. Warner, Sarah. Warner, Isabella. Warner, Helen. Washburn, Elizabeth. Walsh, Wm., saloon. Webber, Jeremiah, farmer. Whealon, Michael, farmer. Whealen, James, merchant. Wheeler, Ephinelas, teamster. White, John D., poultryman. White, C, Mrs. Whitten, James, banker. Wikey, T. J., clerk. Wilard, E. R.', physician. Wilson, D. F., lumber merchant. Wilkins, Abram, liveryman. Williard,E. W., druggist. Wise, Hiram A., merchant. Wood, John, farmer. Woodstock, Ellen. Wright, Abner, plasterer. Wurtz, Daniel, marble-cutter. Young, James L., Justice. REED TOWNSHIP. 929 REED TOWNSHIP. (P. O. BBAIDWOOD.) Allen, W. Allen, T., miner. Allen, Peter, miner. Allen, E. Argyle, Joseph, miner. Armstrong, Isabella. Armand, John, mine boss Alter, James M. Atkinson, Wm„ miner. Applenwliite, George, miner Applenwhite, John, miner. Alsahan, August, miner. Alcoo, Peter, miner. Allison, Kobert, miner. Bailey, A. Ball, James, miner. Barr, Peter, saloon. Barr, Andrew, clerk. Backus, John B., physician. Barsdale, Robert, teamster. Barber, Frank, saloon. BaiTOwman, James, miner. Barrowman, Alex, miner. Barrowman, Margaret. Bairey, D., saloon Bain, Robert, .street Commissioner. Bain, James, miner. Batler, John, miner. Bamrick, John, saloon. Bamrick, James, miner. Bates, Samuel, miner. Baskell, John, miner. Basher, Alphar, miner. Ballantine, Kelso, saloon. BeU, "William, miner. Bell, W. R., miner. Bel), Joseph, miner. Bell, Robert, miner. Beba, P., miner. Betz, George, Bertrand, Julius, miner. Bertrand, Gustav, laborer. Beland, John, teamster. Besk, John, miner. Beck, John, miner. Bessler, John, Jr. Bennett, James O., farmer. Bennett, J. D. Besanda, Thomas, miner. Berine, William, miner. Beadle, A. E., painter. Bertrand, Gustav, miner. Bluet, Josiah, miner. Blood, H. W., soda manufacturer. Boyle, M., saloon. Boyle, Hugh, miner. Boyles, Francis, miner. Booth, Martha C, milliner. Boylston, C. D., farmer. Braidwood Dairy Association. Braidwood, James, coal operator. Braidwood Coal Co. Bradbury, Agnes. Braeley, John, farmer. Braden, William, min£r. Broadbent, John, clerk. Brenan, Ann. Britton, Simon, miner. Brogan, M., miner. Brown, Hugh, miner. Brown, W. B. Brown, R. B., miner. Brown, James. Button, William. Burt, Robert, saloon. Burt, James, miner. Butler, George, miner. Burke, Richard, laborer. Burke, Hannah, farmer. Burzeh, B., miner. Burges, Frank, miner. Burrill, James, miner. Burr, Ferris, carpenter. Carlisle, William, baker. Carney, Edward, miner. Carney, Lewis, miner. Carney, Patrick, saloon. Canton, John. Calwell, Thomas, teamster. Cairns, Catherine. Campbell, William, clerk. Castello, Antrina, saloon. Casey, James, miner. Campbell, William, plasterer. Canvey, M., miner. Callahan, Michael, miner. Cardwell, Henry, miner. Carroll, Bridget, farmer. Cheney, W., miner. Cheeney, Vinzel, miner. Cheeney, Peter. Christy, Patrick, Mrs. Charles, William, saloon. Chaney, James, miner. Charlton, C. K., druggist. Cherry, James, miner. Chigworth, William, miner. Cheerlier, Althouse, miner. Clark, Philip, mine boss. Cleveland, F. G., farmer. ' Connors, T., butcher. Coal Co., C, W. &. V. Costello, Anthony, saloon. Cook, Thomas, miner. Cook, Thomas, farmer. Cook, Sampson, miner. Coley, Nicholas, laborer. Connors Thomas, farmer. Connea, James. Conners, William, butcher. Conner, Thomas, butcher. Connolly, Edward. Connolly, Thomas. Conroy, Joseph, miner. Cox, Henry, miner. Cox, Frank, miner. 930 REAL ESTATE OWNEBB OF WILL COUNTY: Cox, John., Sr., retired. Cox., John, Jr., weigh boss. Cox, William, miner. Crossin, James, miner. Crane, Edwin A., clerk. Creely, John, Sr., miner. Craig, John, miner. Craig, James, clerk. Craig, Bartly, miner. Criense, Andrew, miner. Cruise, Mary. Crinse, Henry, miner. Criss, John; Sr., miner. Crombie, John, miner. Cunningham, William, miner. Cuckley, Joseph, miner. Currey, Peter, miner. Dawney, J. B. Daublin, J., miner. Davidson, Adam, teamster. Davidson, Edward, miner. Dawning, J. D., farmer, Daugherty, Dennis, miner. Dando, Mishak, Police Justice. Darley, Edward. Davis, Evan, miner. Davis, W. D., saloon. Davis, John O., shoemaker. Davis, W. S., saloon. Davis, William T. Dennison, David, miner. Dennison, Thomas, miner. Dennison, Williamson, miner. Dennison, William, miner. Dennison, John L., miner. Devine, James, laborer. Dergan, Patrick, miner. Demblon, Joseph, miner. Delmarl, Ann. Derlislorus, John, miner. Demmar, John. Delmarle, Lewis, merchant. De Cleres, Lucian, saloon. Derickson, George, miner. Dinsmore, William, miner. Dixon, Robert, miner. Dimblyn, Joseph, miner. Dillon, Charles, miner. Donahue, Edward. Donahue, John, County Treasurer. Dobbs, James, machinist. Donlen, John, laborer. Donan, Thomas. Donnell, Edward O., miner. Dougherty, Charles, miner. Donelly, J., clerk. Doty, Eli H., farmer. Doyle, John, farmer. Douglas, William, miner. Dugan, Gr., miner. Dugan, Michael, miner Durham, Thomas, weigh boss. Duffey, William, miner. Durkin, Frank, miner. Dunn, James, miner. Dunn, Thomas, laborer. Dunmore, Wm., miner. Duffey, Miles, miner. Dunlap, A., farmer. Dunlap, Robert, miner. Drurey, Wm. P., miner. Draton, Wm. Dwyre, James, farmer. Dwyre, Patrick, farmer. Dyer, Wm., farmer. Dyer, Geo., laborer. Earl, David, miner. Ebbitt, R., merchant. Edna, John, miner. Elliott, Adam, miner. English, Luke, miner. English, John, miner. Erison, Peter, miner. Evans, James, laborer. Evans, Jenkins, miner. Eureka Coal Co. -Earmer, Geo., miner. Falling, Patrick, miner. Farley, J., miner. Fay, Peter, miner. Ferguson, Wm., miner. Ferguson, James, miner. Feeney, John, miner. Felyn, A., miner. Felton, E. W., merchant. Eel ton, C. W., merchant. Fishback, Freeman, farmer. Flengler, A., miner. Floynn, Michael, laborer. Fursythe, John, farmer. Fort, John, miner. Fox, Samuel, miner. Frew, Henry, miner. Freer, John, mechanic. Francis, David, miner. Franck, Joseph, miner. Frost, John, mechanic. French, J. L., farmer. Fundy, John, miner. Gatley, Barney, engineer. Gardner J. B., teamster. Garrity, Patrick, merchant. Gardner, J. B., teamster. Geddis, John, Constable. Gisera, Frank, miner. Ghelain, Frank, miner. Glupp, James, miner. Glenny, Dennis, farmer. Gornley, Pat., miner. Goodrich, L. H., merchant. Goodrich, H. C., clerk. Golflnger, Nathan, merchant. Goldfinger, Catherine, Graham, David- Granger, R. Granger, Wm., miner. Grace, Michael, miner. Gray, John, miner. Greene, Wm., miner. Greene, Theo., engineer. Greggs, James, miner. Hanley, Pat,, laborer. Hamilton, R. J., farmer. Hall, Geo., laborer. Hafford, James, miner. Hafford, Wm., miner. REED TOWNSHIP. 931 Harrison, John, far. Haxelick, Joseph, miner. Harvy, Wm., tar. Hanchet, John L., farmer. Havlick, A., miner. Harris, Kuben H. Hamell, Thomas, laborer. Harwood, Peter, miner. Hanna, Isaac, miner. Harup, Kobert, miner. Haley, Catherine. Harvey, Francis, farmer. Haskinson, Ann. Harbottle, P. Hackett, Margaret. Hall, Thomas, miner. Halier, Peter. Hale, Frank. Hay, James, miner. Handlin, John, dairyman. Heep, John, miner. Henler, Jacob, miner. Henneberry, Thomas, saloon. Hecherbottom, Elijah, miner. Heilman, Herman, Justice. Hill, Wm., miner. Hillard. John, engineer. Higgins, John, laborer. Higgins, Barney, farmer. Hlavin, Frank," saloon. Howe, Siston, laborer. Howe, W. H., carpenter. Holderworth, Richard, miner. Howard, Thomas. Howat, Alex., miner. Howell, G; farmer. Hoar, Wm. H. Huston, Robert, merchant. Huttley, Desire, milliner. Husband, David, merchant. Hunt, Jonathan, carpenter. Hubbard, James. Hynd, John, miner. Hynes, Mary. Hick, George, miner. Jack, William, merchant. Jack, William, Jr., merchant. Jones, Ann E. Jones, David D., miner. Jones, John, miner. Jones, Wm. R., miner. Jones, Axna, miner. Jones, George, engineer. Jones, Mrs. James, John, clerk. Jones, Phil, miner. Jones, J., miner. James, John, clerk. Jeffrey, Joseph, miner. Johnson, George, saloon. Kane, Timothy, farmer. Kane, Mcholas, miner. Kane, J., saloon. Katel, Michael, miner. Kasperick, Albert, miner. Kaiser, Alvis, miner. Kelley, M., merchant. Kelley, Neeley, miner. Kelley, Thomas, miner. Kerr, David, miner. Kerns, Charles, teamster. Keffe, Dennis, carpenter. Keenan, James, miner. Keenan, Daniel, miner. Keenan, Abner, farmer. Keevers, William, miner. Kennard, Thomas, teamster. Kicheely, John, miner. Kirzel, Frank, miner. Kidmore, James, miner. Kilpatrick, James, miner. Kirkpatrick. John, miner. Kirkpatrick, Alex, miner. Kline, Adam, miner. Knempash, Antoine, miner. Kottas, Michael, miner. Kottas, James, miner. Krist, John, Jr., miner. Kreemock, Anton, miner. Krumpash, Gabriel, miner. Kucia, John, miner. Kucera, Frank, miner. Kuckler, Alber, miner. Laska, V., miner. Dalles, Daniel, miner. Lacaust, F., miner. Darzlot, John, miner. Lackie, George M. Lexhararaux, Desire, miner. Lexhararaux, Peter, miner. Lewis, H. H., miner. Levis, Joseph, miner. Leviska, Frank, miner. LeClergal, L., saloon. Lindsay, Thomas, miner. Littlejohn, Finley, saloon. Lowe, Henry, farmer. Lovejoy, A., laborer. Long, John, baker. Love, Andrew, miner. Lofka, Joseph, saloon-keeper. Loyd, D., miner. McArthur, James, saloon. McClenan, Frank, miner. McClarky, William, miner. McCooey, R., miner. McDonald, Peter, miner. McDonald, Pat, laborer, McDermott, Peter. McElroy, John, saloon. McEvery, John, miner. McFeeley, Smith, laborer. McFardin, Mrs. McGinby, James, farmer. McGarvev, William, miner. McGrath," John, Sr., miner. McGrath, John, Jr., miner. McGrath, Perry, miner. McGurk, John, miner. Mclntyre, Thomas, miner. Mclntyre. John, miner. McKeon, Phil. McKinney, Samuel. McKinley, Robert, miner. McLane, Robert, miner. McLindon, H., miner. 932 EEAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY; McMurty, Samuel, teamster. McManus, Owen, laborer. MoNeeley, William, miner. McJSTutty, William, miner. McVarie, Michael, miner. McVicker, John, engineer. Matone, Antoine, miner. Mason, Agnes. Mannon, Thomas H., miner. Malcom, Mrs. Masier, Ira, farmer. Maltby, Wm., Superintendent of mine. Mack, James, miner. Macram, Frank, miner. Matine , Austin, miner. Marceles, Lewis, laborer. Marsh, I. E., merchant. Mearsler, Louis, miner. Meyer, Frank, barber, Merideth, William, miner. Medder, B., Mrs., farmer. Miles, John, miner. i\[itchell, Rebecca. Mills, Eli, miner. Mills, Alice B. Micklijohn, Robert, miner. Mickliiohn,John, teamster. Milachek, Matz, miner. Moran, Thos., merchant. Morris, David D., merchant. Morris, James H., miner. Morris, Joseph, miner. Morgan, M., farmer. Mooney, Wm., City Attorney. Mulrooney, E., miner. Muldowney, Patrick, City Marshal. Mulligan, James, miner. Nelson, Simpson, carpenter. Nehane, Albert, miner. Nell, J., butcher. Neack, Joseph, miner. Nicholas, Nicholas, miner. Nicholas, Thomas, miner. Nichol, John, miner. Noel, F., miner. Noonan, John, farmer. O'Brien, Patrick, miner. O'Connell, Charles, butcher. O'Donnell. Con., saloon. O'Dell, Wm. H, Oliver, Oscar, miner. O'Neil, Edward, miner. O'Neil, Thomas, blacksmith. O'Neil, Mary. Ovenocker, H., miner. Pascol, Alf., miner. Patterson, Agnes. Patterson, Alex., merchant. Pappleton, Henry, miner. Paden, David, miner. Pavino, Spinter, miner. Palmer, Thomas. Palmer, A. F. Parson, Wm., miner. Parson, Henry, miner. Pale, Joseph, laborer. Parkinson, H. H., editor Braidwood Re- publican. Pettigrew, Thomas, miner. Pettitt, T. T., clerk. Peart, Joseph, mine boss. Peart, John, miner. Perousie, J. H., miner. Pfingston, Henry, farmer. Phelps, E., laborer. Phillips, David, miner. Phillips, Eichard, miner. Pinkera, John, miner. Pickering, Geo., miner. Pinkway, John, miner. Posta, Ign^z, merchant. Powell, Margaret. Powell, Daniel, miner. Powell, Stephen, miner. Powers, James, miner. Prebil, J., miner. Proven, John, miner. Prior, A- Price, Benjamin, miner. Prifle, Matthew, miner. Prould, Agustine, miner. Quiring, John, farmer. Ramsey, Eichard, mine boss. Eaise, Wm., miner. Eapelge, A. W., miner. Eankin, Wm., retired merchant. Eankin, Dunkin, merchant. Eanvill, S., carpenter. Ranville, S., carpenter. Eay, Thomas, mine boss. Eaudek, Joseph, saloon. Euddy, Wm., laborer. Eawhi, J ., miner. Ray, Thomas, mine boss. Reckson, Wm., miner. Reakin, D., miner. Eeese, John, vainer. Richardson, Thomas, miner. Richards. F. G., farmer. Eiley, Joseph, miner. Riley, Thomas, farmer. Rodt, Joseph, miner. Roe, Thomas, farmer. Roe, Charles, plasterer. Roe, James, miner. Roe, Thomas, farmer. Rodgers, Saphonia, farmer. Rosser, Richard, miner. Rodtt, Anton, miner. Routt, John, miner. Rooney, Timothy, miner. Rouse, Antrim, Mrs. Rock, John, miner. Rock, Michael, miner. Runcie, John, miner. Russell, Jane. Ryder, Charles, farmer. Sandal, James, miner. Savage, E. P. Saulsby, Wm., saloon. Schwarz, James, miner. Schubert, Anton, miner. Schomann, Joseph, miner. Scullins, Patrick, butcher. Scullan, Nicholas, miner. Scahan, Johan, farmer. REED TOWNSHIP. Sebick, John, miner. Sessmilick, L., miner. Sevans, Levi, miner. Sebarta, M., miner. Secola, Antoine, miner. Sherman, W. B., merchant. Shumach, Joseph, miner. Shipton, Wm., plasterer. Shannon, John, laborer. Shiback, John, miner. Shannahon, Dennis, miner. Sherman, Katharine. Short, L. Shank, John, butcher. Sherwood, Frank, carpenter. Shields, Frank, Shields, Nathaniel. Sharp, Alex., miner. Sharp, Charles, miner. Sismik, T., miner. Sismilik, John, miner. Sinkiah, James, miner. Sickalr, T., Mrs. Simms, George. Sicklar, Thomas, Mrs. Skinner, John, miner. Skelton, George, miner. Slack, Frank, miner. Smith, T., carpenter. Small, David. Small, Daniel. Spinning, A., carpenter. Sranck, Frank, miner. Stassen, F., miner. Strathurs, James, miner. Strathurs, John, miner. Stoddard, John, miner. Stean, James, miner. Stean, William, miner. Stewart, John, brakeman. Stewart, Eol^ert, miner. Stewart. William J., Constable. Stewart, William, miner. Stewart, David, miner. Stewart, James, farmer. Stewart, Peter, farmer. Stewart, J., miner. Sterritt, William, miner. Stackett, Leonard, miner. Strong, Robert. Stevenson, John, miner. Stevens, Henry K., farmer. Stevens, John B., miner. Stanton, Alex, miner. Stark, John, miner. Sutliff, Thomas. Sutterly, M. H., express agent. Sweet, JB., clerk. Tagpe, William, miner. Taylor, Thomas, miner. Terry, H. C., laborer. Thomas, Sarah. Thomas, William S., miner. Thatcher, William, miner. Thompson, Evan W., miner. Tillburn, M. R., miner. Tisdell, B., laborer. Tilley, Joseph, miner. Talka, S. Frank, miner. Toval, William, farmer. Tomasie, Anton, miner.' Toy, Nettie. Touhey, James? merchant. Trotter, Robert, engineer. Trainor, Joseph, miner. Trosser, Frank, miner. Treman, Joseph, miner. Tracy, John, saloon. Treslett, Lawrence, farmer. Tuttle, L. G., farmer. Tuttle, W., farmer. Tyler, Burt. Utley, H., farmer. Ulm'an, Virgil. Underwood, M. J., Mrs. Varley, Joseph, weigh boss. Vangapapiller, Hannah. Vandermerde, Enos, miner. Vacha, E., miner. Vaeha, L., miner. Vandavoor, C, miner. Vandavoor, E., miner. Venango, Reuben, miner. Vignery, Gusalabice, miner. Vickars, William, miner. Virgnesy, G., miner. Vincent, Julian, carpenter. Way, Price. Waid, Leonard D. Walkyard, Ann. Waijat, John, miner. Wandles, R., miner. Watson, James T., miner. Watson, James, miner. Walker, John, saloon. Walker, John, miner. Walsh, Robert, miner. Walsh, Thomas, teacher. Warrick, Martin, miner. Ward, John H., plasterer. Welsasehal, Joseph, miner. Welschall, Frank, miner. Wernigher, Eli, laborer. Wear, James, miner. Westmoreland, Thomas, laborer. Wheeler, Benjamin, miner. White, William, blacksmith. Whitfield, Charles, farmer. Wilson, David, miner. Wiper, James, miner. Winters, C. S., merchant. Willey, George, miner. Wilmott, William, miner. Williams, John B., miner. Williams, David, weigh boss. Williams, Owen, miner. Williamson, John, miner. Young, George, laborer. Young, Thomas. Young, John, Supervisor. Zimmerman, Henry, miner. Zima, Frank, miner. 934 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP. (P. 0. LOOEPOBT.) Alexander, James H., farmer. Adams, Henry, farmer. Adelman, Christopher, mason. Adelman, Peter, Mrs., farmer. Allen, Chester, farmer. Anderson, A. S., grain dealer. Anderson, Oliver, laborer. Anderson, A. S., grain dealer. Arnold, Mary. Arnold, Sidney V. ; P. 0. Joliet. Arnold, J. H., Mrs. Arnold, John W., merchant. Ashley, Morgan, farmer. Ayers, Nancy. Ayers, Mahlone, farmer. Aur, Anton. Bolan, Maurice, laborer. Bohle, Joseph, shoemaker. Burns, Lucinda. Burke, James, laborer. Bedford, John, engineer. Baldwin, D. C, carpenter. Baldwin, John, farmer. Boyer, Julius, quarryman. Bentley, Robert, clerk. Brown, Robert, carpenter. Baldwin, D. C, merchant. Baumgartner, Charles, mason. Brass, R. J., Byrne, Mary A. Bond, James, painter. Booven, Louis, shoemaker. Bradley, Wm., druggist. Bork, Henry, miller. Butler, A. C, clerk. Bacon, C. H., physician. Baker, James S., carpenter. Barnes, E. V., blacksmith. Brown, Abraham, clerk. Burdick, A. S., painter.- Baldwin, John, farmer. Bailey, Wm. M., farmer. Bruce, James, farmer. Begley, John, farmer. Boger, J. A., Mrs. Brown, W. H., carpenter. Burke, M., laborer. Bremborn, Mary. Bressel, Joseph, laborer. Bergan, Martin, laborer. Brown, Wm. H., carpenter. Boyle, James, cooper. Brown, Dolly. Brennan, Mary. Bannon, Elizabeth. Brainard, John, laborer. Brown, Morris. Burt, Emeline. Blessing, Prank, laborer. Backus, John, carpenter. Bowen, B., carpenter. Brown, Samuel, laborer. Berkey, Eidel, laborer. Blumel, Joseph. Burt, C. A., Mrs., nurse. Bayne, James. Baumgartner, Louis, farmer. Boilling, Anthony, farmer. McGinn, Patrick, mason. Benton, J. W. Baker, James S., carpenter. Baker, James E., farmer. Beck, John, farmer. Burt, Wm. S., farmer. Begley, John, farmer. Bronson, Cyrus, farmer. Cammeron, Wm., blacksmith. Clark, Homer, trader. Clark, Barrett B., merchant. Conf rey, Ellen. Craggs, John. Cstlstrune, Charles, shoemaker. Cowell, Walter, farmer. Collins, Homer, farmer. Clay, Charles, carpenter. Carey, James E., laborer. CuiTen, John, printer. Curtis, I. B., agr. dealer; P. O. Joliet. Cox, Wm., carpenter. Cook, Mary. Chaxell, Charles, musician. Conners, Andrew, laborer. Colwell, Geo., laborer. Crigne, Prank, blacksmith. Cronau, Joshua, carpenter. Confrey, Matthew, laborer. Cowan, Margaret. Chamberlain, S. S., furniture dealer. Casey, James E., mercliant. Chattes, Mathias. Cheney, Wm., teamster. Coyne, James, farmer. Corcoran, W. W., farmer. Colvin, Charles. Culver, Amos, Jr., farmer. Campbell, H. C, carpenter. Confrey, Mat., laborer. Cook, Mary. Corcoran, W. W., laborer. Conner, Andrew, laborer. Corcorrin, James, laborer. Dunnigan, H. P., foreman. Daley, John, farmer. Daley, Daniel, farmer. Day, John W., farmer. Donahue, Patrick, farmer. Daggett, John P., physician. Dieter, Philip, farmer. Dixon, Geo., painter. Donahue, Patrick, laborer. Dirmedy, Patrick, laborer. Dougherty, James, laborer. Donaldson, Felix, carpenter ; P. 0. Peru. Drymiller, Peter J., miller. Denton, James L., farmer. Donahue, James, laborer. LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP. 935 Dougherty, Daniel, laborer. Deal, Peter, teamster. Deeming, John, carpenter. Dallinger, Henry, farmer. Disburg, Emily. Day, Jelierson, teamster. Davis, Samuel Z., teamster. Dowse, Stephen, lawyer. Darling, D. H., teacher. Devitt, Mary L. Deeming, Arthur, clerk. Denton, J. L. farmer. Dodd, Louisa M. Denton, W. J., farmer. Dayton, Susan. Dow, A. Z., carpenter. Doyle, John, teamster. Dow, Charles, carpenter. Epper, M., farmer. Efting, Frank, farmer. Fiddyment, AVm., farmer. Esther, Geo. Ewen, A. J., merchant. Emery, Hiram, lumber dealer. Evans, Wm., manufacturer. Fitzpatrick, John, farmer. Flagg, Geo., farmer. Frazer, James, farmer. Eraser, M., weaver. Fitzpatrick, Patrick, farmer. Freehoff, G., Jr., farmer. Fouser, J. J., farmer. FrehofC, G., farmer. Felt, Clark, farmer. Foley, Thomas, farmer. Foley, John, farmer. Fox, Osmond, farmer ; P. 0. Plainfleld. Fraser, John A., farmer. Frazer, Mary. Flavier, iNancy. Farley, Thomas, blacksmith. Flarin, Catharine. Frankfort, John, farmer. Flavin, Edw., saloon-keeper. Fisher, Leo, saloon-keeper. Eraser, J. D., farmer. Ford, Timothy. Farley, E. P., retired. Fay, Ann W- Fellows, Frank, capitalist. Freeman, J., agent. Fisher, Mrs. Fellows, E. C, Mrs. Fisher, Wm. C., machinist. Finch, James S., groeeryman. Finch, Elizabeth. Fleming, John, laborer. Fitzgerald, Catherine. Fleming, Michael, laborer. . Frazer, Mary L. Fiddyment, W. J., farmer. Feunn, Wm. E., watchman. Fisher, Leo, saloon-keeper. Fredrickson, Charles, laborer. Foley, James, farmer. Freebury, Harman, laborer. Fry, Bryan S., plasterer. Frazer, John A., farmer ; P. O. Plainfield. Gardner, Martin, farmer. Goodale, Clinton, farmer. Giffon, John, farmer. Gaylord, S. D., merchant. Giflon, Elliott, farmer. Greenan, Andrew. Geddis, John, butcher. Griswold, John, farmer. Geist, Samuel. Gorrey, Christian. Geddes, Geo., retired. Gooding, Lorenzo F., farmer. Glass, Catherine, Mrs., farmer. Gooding, Jane M., Grover, John L., nurseryman. Godfrey, Mat. Gliner, Isaac. Gavin, Penelope. Gleason, Mary. Gleason, Patrick, laborer. Galligan, Mrs. Griffln, John B., farmer. Geddis, Maria A. Gregory, Frank, saloon-keeper. Goodenough, John W., farmer. Gleason, Hugh, laborer. Hoffman, Elias, farmer. Hills, Ledger, farmer. Hills, Lavier, farmer. Harting, Levi, farmer; P. O. Plainfield Harton, Mary. Hasel, .John, farmer. Hanton, John, laborer. Hahn, W. F., farmer. Hopkins, Henry, farmer. Heck, John, retired. Harder, Frank, farmer. Hoy, Charles, farmer. Hardin, Theo., farmer. Hawley, Warren, farmer. Haywood, James, farmer; P. 0. Joliet. Haywood, Samuel, farmer. Hills, John, farmer. Hickey, Wm., laborer. Hawley, Debora. Hickey, Wm., laborer. Hickey, Daniel, laborer. Hawley, Warren, farmer. Hills, August, farmer. Herron, Albert, engineer. Haywood, Orpha A. Heck, John, retired. Hartwell, Elmira J. Hewitt, Newton, painter. Hopkins, Frank, merchant. Haywood, T. C, merchant. Hutton, John D., wagon-maker. Hern, Helen. Holden, Dexter, teacher. Harris, F. G., Postmaster. Hartong, Frank, far.; P. O. Plamfaeld. Ireson, W- T., groeeryman. Jacobs, Anton, farmer. Johnson, E. S., butcher. Johnson, Ann. Johnson, Jacob, laborer. Johnson, Charles R., teamster. Johnson, Elizabeth. 936 EEAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Johnson, Peter G., laborer. Johnson, John, laborer. Krowmeyer, Wm.,. farmer. Kirkham, John, farmer. Kendall, J. W., farmer. Kopp, Ferdinand, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Knapp, Solomon, Rev., clergyman; P. 0. Joliet. Klinker, Michael, farmer. Kopft, Henry, farmer. Kanagy, Casper, farmer. Kinney, K., farmer. Keeley, Dennis, laborer. Kennelley, Daniel. King, Lawrence, laborer. Kerevin, John, farmer. Kelley, Eugene, laborer. Klenlier, Michael, farmer. Karch, Michael, farmer. Keough, Wm., boatman. Klees, Wm. H., farmer. Kronberg, John, laborer. Kronberg, Charles, laborer. Korrall, C., liveryman. Koenig, Adam, shoemaker. Kornmeyer, B. C, tailor. Karch, Josephine. Karch, Michael, boat-carpenter. Kabliska, Frank, farmer. Kenney, Michael, laborer. Kennedy, John. Koskuska, Albert, laborer. Killner, Augustus, farmer. Larkin, Martin, teamster. Lizer, Joseph, mason. Lalley, Patrick, farmer. Lawrence, Hiram, farmer. Lowe, H. Lintner, Lena, Mrs., farmer. Lezer, Bartholomew, farmer. Lynn, Geo., shoemaker.. Lowrey, Henry, baker. Lindsey, Ann. Lotz, Jacob, miller. Larson, John, tailor. Lees, Theo., Mrs. Larned, E. A. H., physician. Langfear, Phebe. Lull, S. W., merchant. Lyons, Wm. R., blacksmith. Lonergan, Simon, Mrs. Lyons, W. E., blacksmith. Lowery, Hervey. Lally, John, farmer. Levisee, Sidney A. Lundalle, Fred K., laborer. Lundstrum, T., laborer. Lagraw, John. Lundstrum, Olaf, laborer. Laacy, Garrett, laborer. McDonald, James, laborer. McLeery, Edw., farmer. McGilvery, John, farmer. McCause, Francis. McWeerey, John. McGuire, Bernard, farmer. McGuire, John, Jr., farmer. McGorry, James, farmer. McDonald, Christopher, laborer. . McFadden, Patrick, farmer. McDonald, John E., contractor. McKifE, J. McClintock, Joseph, farmer. McShane, John, farmer. McShane, Patrick, farmer. McDonald, Patrick, Jr., laborer. McNally, James, laborer. McWeeney, Eosa, Mrs., farmer. McCann, Mrs. McDonald, Terrence, teamster. McWeerey, John, farmer. Matthews, Samuel, gardener. Manley, James, laborer. Mason, H. S., farmer. Murray, James, farmer. Morrison, Michael, Mrs. Milne, Robert, farmer. Marvin, Legrand, farmer. Murphy, Daniel, farmer. Meeder, Louis, farmer. Mallon, Daniel, farmer. Mackin, John, laborer. Mageral, Charles, tailor. Miles, Mary. Maurer, William, farmer. Murray, C. H., laborer. Mallon, Daniel, farmer. Moran, John, farmer. Mason, H. S., farmer. Mason, F. E., Mrs., farmer. Miller, Charles, mason. Miner, E. W. Messer, Joseph, mason. Miles, Patrick, teamster. Meehan, James, laborer. Miller, Sophia M. Miller, Philip, gardener. Miller, Peter, carpenter. Manning, Wm. K., Mrs. Murray, James H., boatman. Mooney, William, farmer. Murphy, Thomas, shoemaker. Myers, W. S., attorney. Marx, John, tanner. McDonald, J. S., Editor Phcenix. Mershel, John, mason. Meacham, H. H. Mullen, James, gardener. Miller, Fred, miller. Morrison, John, boat-calker. Marks, John, tanner. Murray, Patrick, laborer. Milne. Robert, farmer. Martin, Patrick. Milne, James, retired. Miles, William, laborer. Mitchell, Patrick, boat-builder. Neeland, Samuel, farmer. Norton, George B., merchant. Neithold, Amelia. Nobes, Isaac, farmer. Norton, Maria L. Nolan, Thomas, mason. Nichols, Richard. Norton, Catharine. Norton, George B., merchant. LOCKPORT TOWNSHIP. 937 Norton, John L., prop. Norton's Mills. Needholt, Charles, cooper. O'Conner, Thomas, teamster. O'Brien, Timothy, boat-builder. Ostram, Mary. Ostler, Thomas, laborer. Oleson, Daniel, laborer. Omart, "William. Payne, James, farmer. Prior, Thomas, farmer. Paxson, A. C., farmer. Payne, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Powers, Lydia L. Payne, James. Povenney, Owen. Pettigrew, Malvina. Peterson, Solomon, laborer. Preston, Isaac, insurance agent. Pemberton, Eliza. Prindle, Wm. M., wagon-maker. Parker, L. S., attorney. Piatt, Thomas, farmer. Pitts, Catherine. Peck, John, farmer. Piatt, James, farmer. Preston, J. B., P. O. Chicago. Quinn, Martin, laborer. Quinchell, Patrick. Rowe, William, carpenter. Randall, J. W., farmer. Robbins, William, farmer. Reynolds, Michael, farmer. Ryan, Thomas S., farmer. Ryan, Johanna, Mrs., farmer. Ryan, Lot, farmer. Ryan, Dennis, farmer. Riley, Cornelius, farmer. Ripson, H., cooper. Ragan, Daniel, farmer. Ryan, John, farmer. Reed, John, farmer. Ryan, John, tailor. Reed, William, farmer. Robinson, Lyda, Mrs. Raber, Anderson, farmer. Riley, Patrick. RafEerty, I[okena; Schere, Fred, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Scheer, Peter, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Staller, Christian. I Shoemaker, Henry. i Schmackpeper, H., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Schenk, John, far.; P. 0. Bremen. Schliblich, Chris., blacksmith, Frankfort. Sanders, M. F., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Schacht, Henry, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Shiek, Henry, far. ; P. O. Mokena. .Stuffenburg, Peter, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Suutherland, J., wagon-maker, Frankfort. Stiffin, D. F., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Schlothman, Chris. Staufenberg, H., tar. ; P. O. Frankfort. Sutton, Thomas, far. ; Mokena. Schrader, Diedrich. ! Scher, William, tar. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Stige, Caston, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Schultz, Henry, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Scheer, S., Jr., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort.- I Stiber, Henry. ' Smith, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. ' Stasson, J. H., far. ; P. O. Monee. Stege, E., far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Shiek, John, far.; P. 0. Mokena. Sheridan, William. Sheer, William, far. ; P. O. Mokena. ! Schrodt, Henry, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Schillick, Christian, blacksmith, Mokena. Stoll, C, merchant, Mokena. 950 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Seine, Martin, retired, Mokena. Schulerth, Nicholas, saloon, Mokena. Stoll, Henry, far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Suther, John, merchant, Mokena. Stell wagon, Phil, saloon, Mokena. Sheir, F., harness-maker, Mokena. Steiking, Carl. iSchrader, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Stevens, G-. W., manufacturer, Frankfort. Sutton, Joseph, far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Schrader, D., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Schoenherr, Fred. Stoner, W. JE., retired, Orland. Suttor, John, merchant, Mokena. Schubert, John, merchant, Mokena. SteflSns, Emanuel, Mrs. ; Mokena. Schsibuer, Fred., cooper, Mokena. Stones, W. E. Sehring, John, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Stenhager, Joachies, lab., Mokena. Schlofer, Wm., lab., Mokena. Teels, Henry, lab., Mokena. Turner, Abigail, Mokena. Thompson, J. H., far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Thomas, J. H. Tivining, Hiram. Theil, Rudolph, blacksmith, Frankfort. Talmer, Bernard ; carpenter, Mokena. Thompson, N. W., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Tonner, Robert, blacksmith, Mokena. Ulrich, John, shoemaker, Mokena. Van Horn, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Van Horn, M., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Van Horn, Andrew T., -far. ; P. 0. Frank- fort. Valk, Paulus, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Valk, Henry, far.; P. O. Mokena. Valk, Nicholas, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Waunemacher, John, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Wendle, John G., far. ; P. O. Mokena. Waunemacher, C., far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Weiss, Morris, druggist, Mokena. Welschlier, Fred., far. ; P. O. Mokena. Warner, John, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Warner, Phillip, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Werner, Gottlieb, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Wood, H. W., far.; P. O. New Lenox. Wilson, Wm., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Weicherpflemming, Franz, farmer ; P. 0. Mokena. Wagner, L., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Welchlin, A., shoemaker, Mokena. Wood, F. W., far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Weinman, G. A., furniture, Frankfort. Wishover, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Wilson, Wm., far.; P. O. Frankfort. Wiggart, Fredrich, gardener, Mokena. Wagner, Elizabeth, milliner, Frankfort. Westmiller, Chas., harness-maker. Williams, Clara, teacher, Mokena. Werner, Geo., saloon, Mokena. Weber, M., mason, Mokena. Wishover, Henry, far. ; P. O. Monee. Wood, H. K. Wheeler, David, far.; P.O.Frankfort. Welchlin, M., shoemaker, Mokena. Werner, C. F., retired, Mokena. Warner, A., wagon-maker. Frankfort. Wenzel, August, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Younger, N., watchmaker, Mokena. Zephill, Martin. Zaumstein, Louis, laborer, Mokena. Zohn, John, saloon, Mokena. DU PACE TOWNSHIP. Ayers, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Ayers, M. B., far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Anglemire, Emanuel, far. ; P. 0. Du Page. Alderman, A., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Alexander, J. L., far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Andrew, F. H., far. ; P. O. Plainfield. Ashley, Morgan, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Brossman, J., Jr., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Brown, G. W., far. ; P. O. E. Wheatland. Barten, E. A., far.; P. 0. Du Page. Barber, John, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Bishel, Wm., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Boardman, Horace, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Brown, M. J., far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Bosserman, Martin, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Bronson, M., far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Blinn, John, far. ; P. 0. Du Page. Biggins, C, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Biggins, R., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Biggins, James A., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Biggins, Owen, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Biggins, C, far.; P. O. Lockport. Biggins, Peter, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Burckhardt, Henry, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Curance, Matthias, far.; P. O. Lemont. Chapman, M. ; P. O. Lemont. Chapman, C. C., Jr., far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Chapman, Charles C. ; P. 0. Lemont. Cheeseman, F. G., far.; P. 0. Lemont. Cheeseman, T. Y., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Cheese, Elizabeth, Lemont. Clark, B. B., merchant, Lockport. Cilow, Robert, Clerk Circuit Court, Joliet. Derby, Charles, far.; P. O. Lemont. Chapman, Wm., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Colegrove, L. G., far.; P. O. Plainfield. Day, John, far. ; P. O. Plainfield. Davis, Henry, far.; P. O. E. Wheatland. Dunlap, Wilson, far. ; P. 0. Plainfield. Dixon, Geo., far. ; P. 0. Plainfield. Emrey, Lewis A., far. ; P. 0. Du Page. Edelsburgh, John. Eaton, Norton, far. ; P. 0. Du Page. Excelsior Stone Co., Lemont. Ephire, Matthew, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Farrell, Michael, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Fox, Augustus, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Freeman, Robert, far. ; P. O. Naperville. DU PAGE TOWNSHIP. 951 Frost, D., merchant, Naperville. Flakey, John, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Fenster, Jacob, far. ; P. O. iNTaperville. Feirstein, Charles, far.; P. O. Du Page. Findlay, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Du Page. Finlan, Michael, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Flukey, John, fai-. ; P. O. ISTaperville. Found, Wm., far. ; P. O. Du Page. Fitzgerald, Maurice, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Flagg, G. W., far ; P. O. Plainfleld. Graves, A. B., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Godfrey, Austin, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Gordon, David, far. ; P. O. Du Page. Glover, John, far ; P. O. Naperville. Gall, John, far. ; P. O. Lemont. George, Mary ; P. O. Naperville. Goudy, Robert, far. ; P. O. Du Page. Hartranf t, Levi, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Herman, Matthias, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Hegg, Frank, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Hulett, Frank, tax. ; P. O. Lemont. Holmes, C, far. ; P. O. Du Page. Higgins, Chauncey, far. ; P. O. Du Page. Hassert, Geo. M., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Havens, Orson, far.; P. O- Du Page. Hawes, Wm., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Hossinger, Andrew, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Jones, Owen T., far. ; P. 0. Plainfleld. Johnson, Wm., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. King, Wm., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Ketcham, Levi, Jr., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Kopp, John, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Kilmer, James, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Killmer, Thadeus, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Kickler, John, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Kirkham, John, far. ; P.,0. Lockport. Kelley, Michael, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Leppart, John, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Laughlin, Wm., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Low, James, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Lambert, Frank, far. ; P. 0. Du Page. Laing, Stephen, tar. ; P. O. Lemont. Lange, S. H., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Lord, Phillip F., far.; P. O. Lockport. Lambert, Geo., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. McCain, Joseph M., tar. ; P. 0. Du Page. McCain, Myron, far. ; P. O. Du Page. McCain, B., far., P. O. Du Page. Martin, H., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Meyer, Lewis, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Martin, John, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Murphy, Jeremiah, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Mather, J. E., far. ; P. O. Du Page. Morse, E. H., Mrs. ; P. 0. Naperville. Morse, Albert, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Morse, Edward, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Morse, Herman, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Musselman, Jacob, far.; P. O. Plainfleld. Martin, G. B. ; P. O. Lockport. Mottinger, Noah, far. ; P. O. Du Page. Pitts, Michael, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Royce, Abner, Du Page. Rathburn, S. R., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Rayer, Abner, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Eoyer, Abner, far.; P. O. Naperville. Royer, Jonathan, far. ; P. O. Naperville Royer, Abner, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Rathburn, Valentine, ship'r; P. O. Johet Ray, Michael, far. ; Lemont. Reid, Matthew, far. ; P. 0. Du Page. Reardon, Richard, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Reardon, Thomas, Sr.. tar. ; P. O. Lemont. Reardon, Tliomas, Jr., far. ; P. O. Lemont Raunche, S., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Rathburn, S. R., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Robinson, C. C, far.; P. O. Lemont. Sheldon, Robert, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Steward, Philip ; P. O. Naperville. Shuster, Martin, far.; P. O. Lemont. Schrohe, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Schultz, John, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Strause, Simon, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Swartz, Elias, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Schall. Mary A. ; P. O. Naperville. Strong, Robert, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Susanhire, Charles, tar. ; P. O. Naperville. Studenroth, E., hotel prop. ; P. O. Naper- ville. Shuler, W. M., far. ; P O. Naperville. Sprague, John P., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Scholtz, H., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Saul, John, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Studenroth, 0., hotel prop. ; P. 0. Naper- ville. Steinhouser, A., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Sheldon, Robert, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Stanners, Thomas, J. P. ; P. 0. Du Page. Schrader, Joseph, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Sampson, Jones, far. ; Du Page. Sprague, T. J., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Stafford, Enoch, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Sprague, C. A., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Simmons, Solomon, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Schonberger, John, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Schmidt, John, far.; P. 0. Lemont. Shay, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Smith, John, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Tripp, Matthew, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Tripp, S., far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Taylor, Henry, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Wringer, Joseph, far.; P. 0. Lemont. Ward, S., far. ; P. O. Lemont. Wise, John, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Wightman, J. B., far. ; P. O. Du Page. Weaver, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Wescott, S'th, tar. ; P. O. Naperville. White, S. L. ; P. 0. Naperville. White, John S., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Webster, David. Warren, Hiram, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Walker, Wna., far. ; P. O. Du Page. Warner, A. B. F., far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Willis, Winright, far. ; P. O. Du Page. Warren, Hiram, far. ; ]?. O. Naperville. Walker, Jonas, far.; P. O. Du Page. Wenihold, Richard, far. ; P. 0. Du Page. Ward, John, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Ward, Peter, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Ward, Daniel, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Williams, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Lockport. 952 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: HOMER TOWNSHIP. Allerton, A. M., far. ; P. O. Hadley. Allerton, N. M., far.; P. 0. Hadley. Brauer, John, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Blount, y., far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Battenhunsen, H., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Belz, Jolm, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Bronke, John, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Boyce, Simon, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Bullin, Alfred, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Brooks, A. B., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Brown, J., far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Bliss, Lyda, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Brook, fS. A., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Bessemer, J. W., far.; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Brockley, P., far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Bump, Lender, far. ; P. (_). Lockport. Bentley, Kobert, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Beaver, M., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Bowen, H. P., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Bump, J., far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Bo were, H. P., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Beals, Joseph, tailor, Lockport. Burland, Maria, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Brannkey, John, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Birch, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Bromick, John, Jr., far.; P. 0. Lockport. Butcher, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Bettendorf, Matthias, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Brinkerhoff, John, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Burch, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Clark, Kichard, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Clark, John, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Cowies, Lucinda, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Callahan, M., far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Cooper, T., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Cashlm, C., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Corwm, Nathan, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Collins, Frederick, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Gutter, J. Z., far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Cutler, A. C, far.; P. O. Hadley. Carroll, Amos, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Corwm, Nathan, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Corwine, H. T., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Cowies, Lucinda L. ; P. 0. Lockport. Collins, Fred, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Cole, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Collins, Addison, far. ; P. O. Hadley Collins, Franklin, far. ; P. O. Lockport Cowell, Samuel, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Collms, Horatio, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Collins, A., far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Clivens, Jane, far. ; P. O. Hadley Church, J. B., far. ; P. O. Hadley. Chamberlain, O. S., far. ; P. 0. Hadley Dodge, Anson, far.; P. O. Lockport. Dodge, Amos, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Dryfus, Mendel, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Donahue, Timothy, far. ; P. O. Lockport Davidson, Wm. G., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Daumm, G., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove Dryfus, Wendell, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Dick, Peter, far.; P. O. Lockport. Dunn, Patrick, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Dunn, Geo., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Dancer, Emil}', far.; P. 0. Hadley. Frank, J , far. ; P.O. Gooding's Grove. Fry, Theobold, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Frisenmick, N., farmer; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Frazer, James D., far. : P. 0. Lockport. Frazer, H. V., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Fralich, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Gotts, Samuel, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Gardner, Geo., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Gerlock, C, far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Goodale, Wright, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Gotts, Samuel, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Gaskill, Thomas, far. ; P O. Lockport. Gorham, E. D., far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Gorham, O. H., far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Glives, Jane, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Gillett, Isaac M., far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Gorham, K. T., far. ; P. 0- Hadley. Gorham, Edw., far. ; P. O. Hadley. Gorham, Elijah, far.; P. 0. Hadley. Granger, Francis, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Goodmg, L. F., far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Gilm'an, Lewis, far. ; P. O- Lockport. Homerding, Nich., far.; P. O. Lockport. Hanks, C, far.; P. O- Gooding's Grove. Hostert, B., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Hoyt, Romeo H., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Hellerman, Geo., farmer ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Hammerling, Matthias, far. ; P. 0. Good- ing's Grove. Hartwell, Levi, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Harms, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Hart, Peter, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Harman, James, f^r. ; P. O. Hadley. Hatch, H. D., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Hemkmiller, Hans, far.; P. 0. Lockport. Haley, John, Jr., far. ; P. O. Hadley. Homerding, Matthias, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Haley, John, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Homerding, Peter, far. ; P. 0. iSadley. Haley, Charles, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Hammond, Job, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Ingersoll, A. A., far.; P. O. Lockport. Jackson, L L., far.; P. O- Gooding's Grove. Jones, S. B., far.; P. O. Gooding s Grove. Johnson, Alex, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Jackson, D. G., far.; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Kittering, Susan, far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Kittering, A., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Kittering, W., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Kuney, Anthony, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Koonchek, Frank, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Kobliska, F., far.; P. O. Lockport. Koler, John, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Kumescheck, F., far.; P. O. Lockport. Kruger, Wm., far.; P. 0. Hadley. Kimball, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Lockport. HOMER TOWNSHIP. 953 Klott, John, far.; P. O. Hadley. Knudson, Charles, far.; P. O. Hadley. Knapp, Selah, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Ludwing, .J., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Lunday, Peter, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Lange, Charles, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Langfear, J. y., far.; P. C). Lockport. Lynk, Freeman, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Legg, Alfred, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Langfear, Wm. H., far.; P. O. Lockport. Langfear, Geo., far.; P. O. Hadley. Loomis, Austin, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Lynk, Zachariah, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Luomis, Austin, far., P. O. Hadley. McGregor, Henry, tar.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. McLaughlin, D., far.; P. O. Lockport. McLendding, Frank, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Mitchell, James, Jr., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Macauley, Joseph, far.; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Munday, L., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Mallory, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Myer, Lewis, far. ; P. O. Lemont, Meyers, Lewis, far. ; P. O. Lemont. Mason, H. S., fa,r. ; P. O. Lockport. Mitchell, James Jr., far., P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Morse, Curtis, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Milne, Robert, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Messenger, Horace, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Matthews, John, far. : P. O. Hadley. Morse, Wm., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Messenger, H., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Morse, Wm., far.; P. 0. Hadley. Nesius, Joseph, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Xichols, A., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Ott, Barney, fax. ; P. O. Lockport. Paddock, W. J., far.; P. 0. Lockport. Prior, Michael, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Pangburn, Louis, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Peck, C, far.; P. 0. irooding's Grove. Paddock, Geo. A., far.; P. O. Lockport, Planka, Joseph, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Paddock, TTalter, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Powers, Rogers, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Paddock, Jerome, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Peck, A. D., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Reed, G., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Rowley, J. B., far.; P. O. Lockport. Reynolds, M., far.; P. O. Lockport. Ruland, A., far.; P. O. Lockport. Reed, A. .S., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Reed, Kelson, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Rhine, Mary, tar. ; P. O. Lockport. Russ, John, far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Reiter, Peter, far.; P. O. Lockport. Reed, Henry, tar. ; P. 0. Lockport. Rowley, Phineas, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Renter, Peter, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Rowley, Fred, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Rimsella, John, far.; P. O. Lockport. Rowley, A. G., far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Smith, Herbert, far.; P. 0. Lockport. Syler, Antony, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Salderman, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Schuyler, Austin, far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Smith, John. far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Sullivan, J., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Schlayetske, Martin, farmer ; P. O. Lock- port. Sullivan, T., far.; P. O. Lockport. Smith, Wm. G., far.; P. 0. Lockport, Shopce, John, far. ; P. 0. Lemont. Sontag, Peter, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Salderman, Jacob, far.; P. O. Lockport. Stone, T., far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Strawley, P., far. ; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Sperry, Geo., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Simpson, Geo., far.; P. 0. Hadley. Sutton, Ruth, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Schliff, Rudolph, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Savage, Amos, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Sayers, John, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Stillwagon, Martin, far.; P. O. Hadley. Simpson, A., far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Storms, Robert, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Seifert, Lewis, far. ; F. O. Hadley. Smith, Herbert, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Searles, Frank, far. ; P. O. Xew Lenox. Storm, Alex., far. ; P. O. Hadley. Snyder, Stephen, tar. ; P. 0. Lockport. Seifert, Christian, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Seifert, John, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Sandwich, Martin, far. ; P. 0. Hadley. Stillman, A. M., far. ; P. O. JoUet. Sharp, C S., far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Storms, Robert, Sr., far., P. O. Hadley. Storms, Robert, Jr., far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Seaiis, Franklin, far. ; P. O. Hadley. Thomas, B. P., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Townsend, Robert, farmer; P. O. Lock- port. Tilsa, Wm., far. ; P. O. Hadley. Tower, Mary M., tar. ; P. O. Lockport. Ulrich, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Van Duser, Geo., far.; P. O. Hadley- Wagner, Alex, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Warren, Nicholas, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Willming, Bernhart, far. ; P. 0. Gooding's Grove. Wiltenkeller, A., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Walfel, J., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Wendling, Blaze, far.; P. O. Gooding's- Grove. AVendling, Louis, far. ; P. 0. Lockport. Witenkeller, J., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Ward, Geo. H., far.; P. O. Lemont. Wilson, Samuel, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Wilmere, Bernard, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Weiss, Peter, far. ; P. O. Goodings Grove. Walter. M., far. ; P. O. Lockport. Wetter, N., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Webster, Henry, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Wagner, A., far.; P. O. Gooding's Grove. Wills, Eliza, far. ; P. O. Lockport. White, Robert, far. ; P. O. Lockport. William, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Lockport. Wells, N. C, tar. ; P. 0. Lockport. Youngler, Bernard, far.; P. O. Goodmgs Grove. „ ^^ t i Youngler, Bernard, farmer ; P. U. LocK- port. , ^ Zimmers, M., far. ; P. 0. Goodmg's Grove. 954 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: WHEATLAND TOWNSHIP. Amiis, Matilda ; P. 0. Plainfleld. Brossman, Jacob, far.; P. O. Naperville. Boardman, P., far. ; P. 0. East Wheatland. Braton, Caroline ; P. O. Naperville. Baiseh, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Boughton, Mary L. ; P. O. E. Wheatland. Boughton, W. D., far. ; P. O. E. Wheatland. Baiseh, Christian, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Book, John, Mrs. ; P. O. Naperville. Burkett, Daniel, far. ; P. 0. Tamarack. Brown, Geo. W., far.; P. O.E.Wheatland. Bapp, Wm., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Baiseh, Godfrey, far. ; P. O. Tamarack, Boss, Geo., far.; P. O. Plainfleld. Book, Peter, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Brown, Alex. G., far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Burnett, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Barclay, J., far. ; P. O. East Wheatland. Barbour, John, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Burch, E. H., far.; P. 0. Plainfleld. Cramer, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Aurora. Chase, A. P., far. ; P. O. Aurora. Clow, James, far. ; P. O. East Wheatland Clow, J. H.. far.; P. O. East Wheatland. Clow, T., far.; P. O. East Wheatland. Cutton, A. E., far.; P. 0. Tamarack. Catchpole, Dairiel, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld, Catchpole, David, far.; P. 0. Plainfleld. Catton, Wm., far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Cotton, A. B., far.; P. O. Tamarack. Cropsy, J. H., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Chaplin, James, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Cropsey, J. H., far.; P. O. Plainfleld. Colgrove.L. G., far.; P. 0. Plainfleld. Doyle, Wm., far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Davis, G. W., far. ; P. 0. East Wheatland. Deliers, G., far. ; P. O. Aurora. Deliers, W., far.; P. O. Aurora. Dermeth, John, far. ; P. 0. Tamarack. Dow, John, far. ; P. O. East Wheatland. Dow, Colvin, far.; P. 0. East Wheatland. Day, Wm., far.; P. 0. Plainfleld. Dague, David, far. ; P. O. East Wheatland. Denan, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Davis, W. L., far. ; P. O. East Wheatland. Dunlap,G. W., far.; P. 0. Plainfleld. Eichelberger, John, far.; P.O. Naperville. Eichelberger, Emma ; P. O. Plainfleld. Eyer, Jacob, far.; P. 0. Plainfleld. Eldridge. George, far . ; P. O. Tamarack. Eisher, Jacob P., far.; P. O. Aurora. Pisher, John. H., far.; P. O. Aurora. Pisher, Michael, far.; P. O. Naperville. Preise, Christian, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Fmdley, Mary; P. O. Tamarack. Pnidley, Stephen, far.; P. O. Tamarack. Purgeson, Andrew, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Pry, David, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Fazee, Michael, far. ; P. O. E. Wheatland. Pry, Zachariah, far.; P. 0. Plainfleld. Preeland, A., far.; P. O. East Wheatland. Pmdley, Thomas, far.; P. 0. Tamarack. Prazer, S. B., far.; P. O. Plainfleld. Pmdley, Mary ; P. 0. Tamarack. ■George, Wm., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Grabe, John, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Glavy, P., far.; P. O. East Wlieatland. Grabe. John, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Gensert, Fred., far.; P. O. Plainfleld. Grill, Samuel, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Gilmore, J.,Sr., far.; P. O. Tamarack. Gray, Walter, far.; P. 0. Tamarack. Hossenrichter, G., far.; P. O. Naperville. Hobson, John. far. ; P. O. Naperville. Hene, John. Hossenrichter, J., far.; P. 0. Tamarack. Hay wood, Ansel, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Hoag, Leonard, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Harvey, Alex., far.; P. 0. Tamarack. Hoag, Leonard, far. ; P. O. Aurora. Holdman, Daniel, Mrs. ; P. O. Tamarack, Hartronft, E., far.; P. O. Naperville. Hertzog. Geo., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Hertzog, Geo., Jr., far.; P. O. Plainfleld Jones, Asa G., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Jameson, A. H., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. King, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. King, W., farmer; P. O. East Wheatland. Kinley, C, farmer; P. O. Tamarack. Keynon, John, far. ; P. O- Tamarack. Kanagg, John M., far. ; P. 0. Plainfleld. Kemmerer, Lewis, far. ; P. Naperville, Lombard, John, far. ; P. O. Aurora. Lippart, John, far. ; P. O. Aurora. Lantz, John P., far. ; P. O- Naperville. Lantz, Isaac Y., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Leppart, George, far. ; P. O- Aurora. Lippart, John, Jr., far. ; P. O- Aurora. Love, Jacob, farmer ; P. O. Tamarack. Meyer, Lewis, far. ; P. O. E. Wheatland. Matter, Abraham, far. ; P. 0- Naperville. Mussey, Henry, far. ; P. O. Aurora. Meyer, Elias, far. ; P. O. East Wheatland. Malcolm, John, farmer; P. O. Tamarack. Mather, J. E.,far.; P. O. East Wheatland. Mather, Jonathan, far. ; P. 0. E. Wheat- land. Mather, Ed., far. ; P. O. E. Wheatland. Malcolm, Andrew, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Mottinger, Lewis, far.; P. O. Plainfleld. McMicken, John, far. ; P. 0. Tamarack. Neiswinter, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Nisewender, Jos., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Otta, Catharine; P. O. Naperville. Oaks, Henry, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Patterson, Andrew, far.; P. O. E.Wheat- land. Pilcher, Fred K., far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Palmer, Matthew, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Peidlew,. Julius, far. ; P. O. Aurora. Patterson, D., far. ; P. O. E. Wheatland, Patterson, J., far. ; P. O. E. Wheatland. Patterson, Thomas, far.; P. O. E. Wheat- land. Patterson, M., far.; P. O. E. Wheatland. Roger, Jonathan, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Bobbins, John, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Bobbins, Fitz J., far. ; P. O. Plainfleld. Rank, Samuel, far. ; P. 0. Plainfleld. Robbins, Sarah; P. O. Tamarack. NEW LENOX TOWNSHIP. 955 Ray, Alonzo, far.; P. 0. Plainfield. ShafEer, Christian, far.; P. O. Plainfield. Simmons, S., far. ; P. O. Plainfield. Scott, W., far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Scheapp, L., far. ; P. O. E. Wlieatland. Stark, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Shoal, Christian, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Shoger, Michael, far. ; P. O. E. Wheat- land. Smith, Fred, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Smith, John, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Slick, Daniel, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Slick, Henry, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Stark, Israel C, far. ; P. O. Naperville. Spaulding, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Plainfield. Stewart, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Sillar, Thomas, far.; P. 0. Tamarack. Sillar, Ealph, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Stark, Wm., Jr., far. ; P. O. Naperville. Tyler, S. B., far.; P. O. Plainfield. Thomas, A. S., far. ; P. 0. E. Wheatland. Thompson, Wm., far.; P. O. Plainfield. Thompson, Alex. far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Thompson, Adam, far.; P. 0. E. Wheat- land. Varley, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Plainfield. Wolf, John, far. ; P. O. Tamarack. Weaver, Samuel, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Westphell, Henry, far. ; P. 0. E. Wheat- land. Wise, Adam, far. ; P. 0. Naperville. Webster, David, far. ; P. 0. E. Wheatland. Watson, Alex., far.; P. O. Tamarack. Wolf, Amos, far. ; P. O. Naperville, Wilson, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Tamarack. Wightman, C., farmer; P. O. Plainfield. Wheeler, Geo. W. A., far.; P. O. Tama- Wetzley, Uri M., far. ; P. 0. E. Wheatland. NEW LENOX TOWNSHIP. AUerton, Archibald, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Angall, A. A. ; P. O. Mokena. Artwein, John, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Ahlschlager Chris., far. ; P. O. Spencer. Ahlschlager, Chris., far. ; P. O. Spencer. Brundy, A., Mrs. ; P. O. Spencer. Bliss, Abel, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Bannon, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Bannon, Maria; P. O. Joliet. Bouck, Philip, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Bundy, A. S., Mrs. ; P. O. Spencer. Barney, Vincent, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Berger, Thos. L., far. ; New Lenox. Baldwin, J., far.; P. O. Joliet. Brown, Geo., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Bliss, Abel, far. ; New Lenox. Baker, William ; P. O. Mokena. Beuter, Chris., far.; P. O. Spencer. Bartie, Charles, Jr., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Bartie, Charles, Sr., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Beebe, Albert W., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Banch, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Chamberlin, O.S., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Cooper, Thos., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Cooper, N. P., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Culbertson, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Chittenden, H. R. Crager, John, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Cross, Peleg, far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Cleveland, Leroy, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Cunningham, James, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Campbell, M. B., mail carrier; P. O.New Lenox. Criddle, Sarah ; P. 0. New Lenox. Condon, John; P. O. Joliet. Doig, Thomas, farmer; P. O. Joliet. Dibbell, J. B., Rev., Baptist minister; P. O. Hadley. Doig, Alexander, farmer ; P. O. Joliet. Doxtader, J., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Dall, Jonathan, far.; P. O. Mokena. Delaney, Richard, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Delaney, P. ; P. O. Joliet. Delaney, Ellen, P. O. Joliet. Evarts, John, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Francis, A. Allen, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Francis, John, farmer; P. O.New Lenox. Francis, Geo. L., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Francis, Charles, far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Ferguson, Thos., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Fellows, W. E., blacksmith; P. O. New Lenox. Felter, J. J., farmer; P. O. Joliet. Gerigan, Catharine; P. 0. Joliet. Granger, Alonson, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Gorman, Ed. E., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Goughar, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Gouger, Daniel, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Gouger, Jos. E., far. ; P. 0- New Lenox. Gouger, Wm., Jr., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Gillett, I. M., far. ; P. O. Spencer. Grant, Albert, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Greenwood, George G., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Greenwood, Aaron; P. O. Mokena. Gordon, Moses, farmer. Hammond, Seneca, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Hooker, Helen M., far.; P. 0. Joliet. Harper, Joseph, farmer; P. 0. Mokena. Higinbotham, H. O. ; P. O. Chicago. Hunt, Mark, farmer; P. O. Mokena. Harper, James, Mrs., far. ; P. O. Mokena. Hine, Samuel H., farmer ; P. O. Mokena. Haven, Dwight, farmer; P. 0. Spencer. Haven, A. S., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Hilton, Geo. , merchant ; P. 0. New Lenox. Homer, Peter, farmer ; P. O. Joliet. Haley, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Haines, T. J., far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Holmes, J. S., merchant; P. 0. Spencer. Holmes, M. P., merchant ; P. O. Spencer. Holmes, James, far. ; P. O. Spencer. 956 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Hoffman, Mary ; P. O. New Lenox. Haven, Dwiglit, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Hogan, Dennis, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Hunt, George, farmer; P. 0. Spencer. Higinbotham, H. N. ; P. O. Chicago. Hunt,M. C., farmer; P. O.Spencer. Hilton, G. S., merchant; P. O. Spencer. Hill, S., carpenter; P. O. New Lenox. Jones, Robt., farmer; P. Q. Joliet. Jordan, E. L., farmer; P. O. Mokena. Jordan, Ellas L., farmer; P. (). Mokena. Jones, Tlios., farmer ; P. O. New Lenox. Koffer, James, farmer; P. O. Spencer. Kohler, John, farmer; Pw 0. Mokena. Kapper, Jos., far.; P. 0. Spencer. Kellogg, M. H., farmer ; P. O. New Lenox. Kester, Michael, farmer; P. 0. Joliet. Kestel, Geo., farmer ; P. O. Joliet. Kavanaugh, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Knickerbocker, Ward, merchant; P. O. New Lenox. Kinckerbocker, M., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Klass, John, farmer; P. O. Mokena. Kerchval, Chas., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Krult, Fred M. ; P. O. Spencer. Kerchval, James, Mrs., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Lewis, Cyrus A., farmer; P. O. Joliet. Lewis, Gordon, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Lewis, C. A , farmer ; P. O. Joliet. Lewis, Cyrus, farmer; P. O. New Lenox. Lynk, T., merchant; P. O. New Lenox. Lynk, Staton, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Lynk, Sylvanus, far. ; New Lejiox. lank, Stanton, farmer. Lawler, Michael, farmer ; P. O. Joliet. McCarty, Michael, farmer ; P. O. Spencer. McGrath, Mary, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. McGovney, Wm., far. ; P. O. Mokena. McGovney, W. W., far. ; P. O. Mokena. McGinnis, Felix, far.; P. 0. New Lenox. McLane, Edward, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. McLaughlin, John, far.; P. (). Joliet. McLaughlin, Dudley, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Messenkunck, Fred., far. ; P. (). Mokena. Mather, E. S., far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Marshall, C. H., far.; P. 0. Mokena. Mast, Joel, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Marshall, Rollins, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Mast, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Mather, S. E., far. ; P. O. Mokena. Marshall, Griffith, far.; P. O. Mokena. Montay, Charles, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Maw, Christ, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Murphy, James, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Morris, Henry, blacksmith. New Lenox. Nobles, Elisha, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Notes, Joseph, farmer. (Jsrems, Charles, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Pelkey, Edward, retired. New Lenox. Pitts, John, far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Paul, W. M., farmer. Phillips, James, far.; P.O. New Lenox. Phillips, John, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Pink, Wm., far.; P. O. Spencer. Pease, Orvil, far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Pester, John, far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Reynolds, John M., far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Reynolds, John, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Reynolds, Isaac, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Reynolds, J. S., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Reynolds, Joseph, far. ; New Lenox. Richards. Isaac, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Ryan, James, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Reipin, John, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Robinson, Frank, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Raney, E. C, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Rudd, Sarah, Joliet. Storms, Alex, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Storms, John, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Storms, W., far. ; P. O. Mokena. Storms, James, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Staley, H. M., far. ; P. O. Mokena. Sheik, Ferdinand, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Snoad, Charles, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Shaffner, Levi, Joliet. Short, Wm. A., Mrs., far. ; P.O.New Lenox. Smith, L. F., far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Smith, Andrew, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Sass, Henry, blacksmith, New Lenox. Searls, Franklin, far. ; P. 0. Halley. Schorp, Chris, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Spaulding, Leonard, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Stime, Henry, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Schorp, Chris, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Schorp, John, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Schmool, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Simmons, Harriet, New Lennox. Shafner, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Schrader, Henry, far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Seward, Calvin ; P. O. Joliet. Strattman, H.. far. ; P. O. New Nenox. Salisbery, J. B.,butter-mkr., New Lenox. Schnevol, Henry, far.; P. O. Spencer. Schwarz, Menzel, far. ; P. O. Mokena. Stevens, David, farmer. Thompson, John M., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Thieland, Frederick, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Tuck, Wm., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Udort, Francis, far. ; P. O. Joliet. TJrch, Henry, laborer. New Lenox. Vass, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Van Duser, Geo., far. ; P. 0. New Lenox. Warner, Chas. F., far.; P. 0. New Lenox. Weeks, C II., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Wamremacher, John, far. : P. O. Mokena. Wamremacher, C., far. ; P. O. Mokena. Werner, George, far. ; P. 0. Mokena. Welch, .James, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Wagner, Philip, far.; P. O. New Lenox. Wilson, W. C, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Welch, Michael, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Weston, A. D., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Wheeler, Margaret, Joliet. Waltz, J. J., far. ; P. O. Spencer. Watkins, David. Watkins, Morgan, far. ; P. O . New Lenox Watkins, John, far. ; P. O. New- Lenox. Willis, I. B., tar. ; P. O. New Lenox. Wood, F. W., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Warren, Harriet, New Lenox. GRENGARDEN TOWNSHIP. 957 GREENCARDEN TOWNSHIP. Ahrens, Charles, farmer ; P. 0. Monee. Andrews, Wm., far. : P. 0. Frankfort. Andrew, G., far.; P. O. Frankfort. Albrecht, John, far. ; P. O. Monee. Bettenhausen, C., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Bettenhausen, G., far. ; P. O- Frankfort. Block, Fred, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Buchmire, Maria, far. ; P. O. Jilonee. Brockman, Fred, far.; P. O. Monee. Bock, Louis, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Block, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Monee. Bobzien, John, Justice, Frankfort. Bock, Christian, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Boeken, B. B., far. ; P. O. Monee. Branden, Paul, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Brandstatter, G., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Brookmaii, Carl, far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Bucholtz, Fred, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Brockman, Henry, far.; P. 0. Monee. Bettenhauser, C, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Conrad, Kropf, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Diest, John. Diest, John, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Diegal, Henry, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Engelhard, F., far.; P. O. Monee. Eich, Mary, far.; P. O. Monee. Eggrcs, Henry, far.; P. O. Monee. Eisenbrandt, H., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Foster, Andrew, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Forkner, Jacob, far. ; P. 0. Monee. Fredricks, John, far.; P. O. Monee. Frentz, August, far. ; P. O. Monee. Finkmiller, Valentine, far. ; P. O. Monee. Felton, John, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Feldon, J. P., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Felten, John, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Filden, John P., far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Fiel, John, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Fisher, John, far. ; P. O. Monee. Falkens, F., far.; P. O. Frankfort. Gunter, Christ, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Gaitte, Ernst, far. ; P. O. Monee. Hasenjager, Fred, far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Hassenjager, Fred, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Honsbrach, Henry, far. ; P. O. Monee. Hanson, Peter, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Hanson, A., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Hylandt, Wm., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Herbert, Christ, far. ; P. 0. Greengarden. Henspeter, Fred, far. ; P. O. Monee. Harrison, Amos, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Harms, H. H., far. ; P. O. Monee. Harrison, J. W., far.; P. O. Frankfort. Harms, Herman, far. ; P. O. Monee. Haywood, F. S., far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Hardy, Russell, far. ; P. O. Greengarden". Haywood, F. J., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Heinrichs, Ulrich, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Jameson, Christopher, far. ; P. O. Monee. Jacobs, George B., far. ; P. O. Monee. Jacobs, C, far. ; P. 0. Monee. Johnson, H. M., far. ; P. O. Monee. Kiser, Joseph, far. ; P. 0. Monee. Konig, David, far. ; P. O. Monee. Kerner, Matthew, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Kreuth, Daniel, far.; P. O. Monee. Kasich, Henry, far.; P. 0. Monee. Knickriem, A., far. ; P. O. Monee. Kister, Christopher, far. ; P. 0. Monee. Koerner, How., far.; P. O. Monee. Keppa, Christian, far.; P. 0. Monee. Kuhan, R., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Kitzrow, G., far.; P. O. Frankfort. Karner, John, tar. ; P. O. Frankfort. Koppe, Henry, far. ; P. O. Monee. Kepper, John, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Knapper, Peter, far. ; P. O. Monee. Kneader, F., far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Koerner, Margretta, far,; P. 0. Monee. Lorenzen, Paul, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Luben, C. F., far.; P. 0. Frankfort. Luehrs, F. H., far.; P. O. Monee. Lange, John, far.; P. 0. Monee. Lambke, Louis, farmer; P. 0. Monee. Lanckemau, C., farmer; P. O. Monee. Lehmann, C., farmer; P. 0. Monee. Lankmau, Carsten, far.; P. O. Monee. Lehman, Const., farmer; P. O. Monee. Luches, John T., farmer; P. O. Monee. McDonald, John, farmer; P. 0. Frankfort. Manger, A., farmer; P. O. Frankfort. Miller, John, farmer; P. O. Frankfort. Murdie, Andrew, far. ; P. 0. Frankfort. Meisterberg, John, farmer; P. O. Monee. Nagel, Fred, farmer; P. O. Monee. Nagel, Charles, farmer; P. 0. Monee. Peters, Heinrich, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Peters, Fred, farmer; P. 0. Monee. Peters, Gottlieb, farmer ; P. U. Monee. Preis, Fred, farmer; P. O. Monee. Pries, Henry, farmer; P. 0. Monee. Fetters, A. S., farmer; P. O. Monee. Peters, John, farmer; P. 0. Monee. Paulsen, Wm., farmer; P. O. Monee. Quiatmeir, Henry, farmer; P. O. Monee. Ritzman, C, farmer; P. O. Monee. Rosen brock, Wm., farmer; P. O. Monee. Rudd, B.. farmer; P. O. Greengarden. Rab, Philip, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Russell, Hardin, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Rosey, Jacob, farmer ; P. 0. Frankfort. Ropp, Philip, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Rust, Henry, farmer; P. O. Monee. Rost, Henry, farmer; P. 0. Frankfort. Ridder, Louis, farmer; P. 0. Monee. Rahm, Henry, farmer; P. O. Frankfort. Rahnn, H., farmer; P. 0. Monee. Smith, F., farmer; P. 0. Monee. Stillwagon, Henry, far.; P. O. Frankfort. Smith, Edw., farmer; P. 0. Frankfort. Schlotman, Christian, far. ; P. 0. Frank- fort. Stassen, John, farmer; P. O. Monee. Stoffenberg, Peter, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Songmeiter, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. -Sclussen, Adolph. Sanders, Michael, far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Schubert, Christian, farmer; P.O. Monee. Sippel, John, farmer; P. 0. Frankfort. Sippel, Martin, farmer; P. 0. Monee. 958 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Stassen, J. H., farmer ; P. O. Monee. Schmidt, P., farmer ; P. O. Monee. Schroder, Wm., farmer; P. O. Monee. Staff enberg, Henry C, farmer; P. 0. Greengarden. Stassen, H. H., farmer ; P. O. Monee. Stillwagon, Wm., far. ; P. O. Frankfort. Schubbe, Fred, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Stolph, Geo. ■ Stoffenberg, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Frank- fort. Schroder, Carl, far. ; P. 0. Greengarden. Smit, Carl, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Stassen, Henry, Justice and Land Agent ; P. 0. Monee. Stassen, John, nurseryman ; P. O. Monee Thelen, F., farmer; P. 0. Monee. Tuhl, John, farmer; P. O. Frankfort. Twinning, JF.H., farmer; P. 0. Frankforfe Topper, L., farmer ; P. O. Monee. Tell, James, farmer ; P. 0. Frankfort. Ulrich, John, farmer; P. 0. Frankfort. Voigt, August ; P. O. Monee. Voight, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Weber, Geo., farmer ; P. O. Monee. Werner, John, farmer ; P. 0. Monee. Watson, Wm., farmer; P. 0. Frankfort. Werner, D., farmer ; P. O. Monee. Wood,Bronson, farmer; P. O. Frankfort. Witherel, Charles, far.; P. O.Frankfort. Welchy, Fred, farmer; P. O. Monee. Wilke, Fred, farmer ; P. 0. Monee. Woeltge, Fred, farmer; P. 0. Monee. Weist, Christian, farmer ; P. 0. Monee. Wilkins, Peter, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Wishover, Henry, farmer and insurance agent ; P. 0. Monee. Wilick, Geo., farmer ; P. 0. Frankfort. White, H. Jos. PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. (P. 0. PEOTONE.) Arnold, Lewis, merchant. Adams, E. H., farmer. Adams, John, farmer. Adams, A. Amos, Boss. Andrews, Wm. Anderson, John, farmer. Angus. Wm., merchant. AntclifE, John, farmer. Butymers, John. Barton, James, farmer. Barnhart, James, Postmaster. Beach, Lawrence. Bell, Robert, farmer. Bell, Wm., farmer. Bell, Daniel. Benton, Wm., farmer. Beard, J. G., farmer. Bisping, Wm., laborer. Bornes, Englehart, farmer. Borms, Henry, farmer. Borms, Fred, farmer. Bodine, D. C, farmer. Brayten, J. H., merchant. Bruce, Hugh, laborer. Brockway, C, farmer. Brockway, Chauncey, farmer. Brockway, D. A., farmer. Butterfleld, James. Burke, Patrick, farmer. Calkins, Chester H., farmer. Calkins, Rosaline, farmer. Carston, John, farmer. Calkins, Felix W., farmer. Collins, M., merchant. Collins, Thomas, agent R. R. Cowing, John C, farmer. Cowan, Walter, farmer. Corcoran, James, farmer. Cowing. E. B. clerk. Conrad, John, Magistrate. Conrad, Peter, dairyman. Coit, Harriet A. Cosade, J., farmer. Crawford, Ralph, farmer. Crawford, Wm., farmer. Cl^ristian, David L., farmer. Chappel, Wm., farmer. Croxen, Wm., farmer. Croxen, Benj., farmer. Cushman, Jonas, farmer. Dennis, Jonathan, farmer. Dornsbeeish, Wm., Mrs., farmer. Dewitz, Jacob, wagon-maker. Dopp, John, farmer. Dennis, Wm., farmer. Dewitz, J., wagon-maker. Douglass, Sarah, Mrs. Dressier, Ernst. Dunlap, Wm., farmer. Elliott. John, farmer. Engelhart, Fred., farmer. Erickson, Peter A., laborer. Evans, William C, farmer. Farley, Arnold. Folke, Henry, physician. Fell, George, merchant. Fahs, Tobias, farmer. Fill, August V. Fisch, Ferdinand, farmer. Fiel, Philip, hotel. Flood, George, farmer. Flannigan, Patrick. Fletcher, Allison, farmer. French, R. W. Rev., Pastor U. P. Church. Gates, Henry, merchant. Gentar, August, farmer. Genter, Ernst, farmer. Genter, Henry, farmer. Gilkerson, Thomas, farmer. Gilkerson, Curtis, grain merchant. Gilmore, David, farmer. PEOTONE TOWNSHIP. 959 Gleason, Daniel, farmer. Gilkinson, Thomas, farmer. Gilkerson, Kobert, farmer. GildensofE, John, farmer. Goodspeed, Samuel, farmer. Gross, Jacob, shoemaker. Gralphs, A., butcher. Gulickson, James, farmer. Hazemeyer, "William, laborer. Harsch, Joshua, farmer. Harley, Patrick. Harken, Aug., merchant. Hazelmeyer, D., laborer. Henson, Henry, farmer. Heinrich, C. D., blacksmith. Higgins, Pat., farmer. Homan, John, laborer. Hochman, John. Howard, John, farmer. Hunter, William, carpenter. Jarcho, Joachim, farmer. Jarvis, Fred., farmer. Joint, James, farmer. Johns, John, laborer. Kettingter, Charles, farmer. Kloarnen, Philip. Klass, Henry, farmer. Knoop, Christian, farmer. Ejiights, Darius. Knoop, John, farmer. Kropp, Christian. Kurtz, John, fanmer. Leseh, John, plasterer. Lewis, B. M. Lewis, Charles. Lemboch, C. H. Lindermeyer, Andrew, harness-maker. Lockie, Thomas, farmer. Loomis, A. P., farmer. Loy, John, farmer. Luchres, P. H. Lyon, William, farmer. McParland, Luke, farmer. McVail, Alex. Matthison, William, farmer. Maling, John, farmer. Madison, William, farmer. Mason, David F., farmer. Mutzer, John, carpenter. Markham, Benjamin, butcher. Mellville, A., physician. Miller, D. Y. A. B. Miller, William, farmer. Mink, Reuben, farmer. Morrison, David, farmer. Moilman, Charles, laborer. Monk, Henry, farmer. Myres, Henry, farmer. Myer, John H., farmer. Iifolan, John, farmer. Orwig, S. V-, laborer. Palmer, A. B., farmer. Patten, Andrew, farmer. Palmer, L., farmer. Perry, W. C, farmer. Piper, James, farmer. Piper, Joshua, farmer. Piersons, Henry, farmer. Pfiel, George, farmer. Eainer, Rooer, hay-press. Rathje, Henry, miller. Eathye, Fred., farmer. Rathge, Louis, merchant. Renkoff, H., hotel. Riddle, Charles B., trader. Riddle, A., engineer. Robertson, Alex. G., wagon-maker. Robinson, James, farmer. Rodgers, Charles, farmer. Rodger, August, farmer. Rukert, George. Sampson, Moses, farmer. Saltswedel, Frank, laborer. Starges, Thomas. Schneider, John, harness-maker. Schneider, William, blacksmith. Schmitt, Louis, hotel. Schruesen, Henry, farmer. Schlemme, Charles, farmer. Schrader, D., farmer. Schaumer, Chris. Schrader, Henry, farmer. Selling, Herman; farmer. Schroeder, Henry, farmer. Schrader, Fred., farmer. Sebel, Conrad, laborer. Sevisor, Henry. Shaw, Smith, farmer. Shockley, H. W., wagon-maker. Shoup, William, laborer. Sharp, James. Simson, Jacob, laborer. Simpson, Alex., farmer. Smith, Hugh, merchant. Smith, C. Smith, Fred., farmer. Smith, Henry, farmer. Small, George, farmer. Stewart, Frank. Stassen, Dederick, carpenter. Storch, John, barber. Schubert, Chajles F. Steinert, Frank, shoemaker. Sultzbaugh, Philip, hay-press. Tedde, H., mechanic. Thul, Joachim. Tschannen, Chris., farmer. Tucker, Stephen, farmer. Vail, A. W., farmer. • Warden, Henry, grain merchant. Warnick, Henry, laborer. Wamicke, William, laborer. Weir, Pat., farmer. Westgate, C. A., nurseryman. Wells, William P., farmer. Wilcox, Walter, farmer. Wilson, David, farmer. Whiff en, George, farmer. Touker, Jacob, farmer. Young, William, artist. Zander, John, farmer. 960 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: WILTON TOWNSHIP. Avery, Gilbert S., farmer; F. 0- Elwood. Avery, John, farmer; P. 0. Elwood. Armstrong, A., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Antcliff, John, farmer; P. 0. Peotone, Andrew, A, W., far. ; P. 0- Wallingford. Brerton, James, far. ; P. 0- Wallingford. Behrins, G., farmer; P. O. Wallingford. Batche, John. Brisbin, W., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Brunner, P., far. ; P. O- Wilton Center. Baker, C., farmer ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Bannon, A. Brown, James. Barr, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Barr, John, farmer; P. O. Wilton Center. Barr, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Benn, J. P., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Bennett, A., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Bell, Charles, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Benn, John P., far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Bathelder, William, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Beam, Charles, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Bickford, J. I., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Barton, Geo., far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Broderieh, D.,carp.; P, O. Wilton Center. Bock, Harvey, far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Bissett, William J. Beedle, H. W., butcher; P. O. Wilton Center. Boynton, G. W., wagon-maker; P. O. Wil- ton Center. Crawford, J., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Clinton, C, far.; P. O. Wallingford. Cowhan, J^ouisa; P. 0. Wilton Center. Clinton, C, far.; P. 0. Wallingford. Cunning-ham, M., far. ; P. 0. Wallingford. Callinan, T., far.; P. O. Wilton Center. Cavney, J., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Cruddy, J., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Callanan,T., far.; P. O. Wilton Center. Caveney, C, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Carey, E., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Clintou, T., far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Cagwin, S. R., lab.; P. 0. Wilton Center. Cotts, Samuel, far.; P. O. Peotone. Cunningham, M., far. ; P. O. Wilton Cen- ter. Culver, A. Deitzman, P., far.rP. O. Wilton Center. Dyer, John; P. 0. Chicago. Devereaux, M., far. ; P. 0. Wallingford. Deininger, John, far. ; P. 0. Wallingford. Dancer, David, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Dancer, G., farmer; P. 0. Wilton Center. Dickenson, C, far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Dunham, B. P., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Dickenson, O. C, Rev., Bapt. min.; P. 0. Wilton Center. Evans, G. W., farmer; P. O. Wallingford. Evans, W. C, farmer; P. O. Peotone. Edson, C, farmer; P. O. Wilton Center. Eyrieh, N., far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Pish, Henry. Pick, Fred, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. French, George, far. ; P. 0. Peotone, French, William, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. French, Aaron, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Feehan, M., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Foster, J., far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Gilkinson, Luther, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Geise, Hiram, far. ; P. 0. Elwood. Geise, David B., far. ; P. O. Elwood. Gerdes, H. M., far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Gilkersoii, Luther, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Graves, A., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Graves, AVm., lab.; P. O. Wilton Center. Graham, Ann; P. O. Wallingford. Harris, Isaac, far. • P. 0. Peotone. Holmes, R., far.; P. O. Wallingford. Harvey, B. W., far, ; P. O. Wilton Center. Harvey, H., far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center, Harley, M., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Houghton, Harry, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Houghton, A. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Harvey, J., merchant and Postmaster; P. O. Wilton Center. Jenks, I. S., far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Jones, David, far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Jones, John, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Jones, Robert, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Jansen, G., blacksmith; P. O. Wilton Center. Jordan, P. T., far.; P. O. Wilton Center. Kruger, August. Kinsella, N., far.; P. O Wilton Center. Kinnady, T., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Kahl, Balder, far. ; P. 0. Wallingford. Kennedy, Darby, far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Kavanaugh, J., far.; P. O. Wallingford. Kackel, Isaac, far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Kennedy, Hugh, far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Keniston, J., far. ; P. 0. Wilton Center. Kinnady, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Krinkle, August. Lichten waiter, Henry, far. ; P. O. Elwood. Longshore, J. G., far. ; P. O. Wilton Cen- Lardiier, W., far.; P. 0. Wilton Center. Lamphere, E., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Lins, J. L., physician ; P. O. Wallingford, Longshore, J. G., far.; P. O.Wilton Cen- ter. Lanigan, J., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Lamphere, Jane; P. O. Wilton Center. McLaughlin, J., far. ; P. 0- Wilton Center. McClosky, C, far.; P. O. Wilton Center. McGown, John, far. ; P. O. Wallingford. McGowan, J., Jr., far. ; P.;0. Wallingford. McGown, Philip, far.; P. 0. Wallingford. McCormick, T., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Maher, Margaret, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Machinder, Geo., farmer ; P. O. Wilton Center. Mills, A. J., M. D. ; Wilton Center. Muzzy, Thos. J., mechanic; P. O. Wilton Center. Malone, John, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Manen, Susan; P.O. Peotone. FLORENCE TOWNSHIP. Martin, Patrick, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Meacham, Charles, far.; P. O. El wood. Mason, Wm., farmer; P. O. Peotone. Nelson, D. M., far.; P. O. Wallingford. Nelson, S. G., far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Nugent, M., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Nugant, John, far.; P.O. Wilton Center. O'Beirn, Patrick, far.; P. O. Wallingford. O'Brien, Mary; P. O. Wilmington. O'Niel, Henry. Osborn, S., far.; P. O. Wilton Center. Porter, O. S., far.; P. O. Wilton Center. Porter, O'Brien, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Pooley, John, farmer; P. O. Peotone. Phelan. Philip, far.; P. O. Wilmington. Porter, O. S., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Quigley, Jas., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Quigby, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Quighy, A., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Quigby, E., farmer; P. O. Wilmington. Eenfrew, H. N., blksmith, Wilton Center. Reilly, Ellen; P. O. Elwood. Keitz, Simon, far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Kunkel, Jacob K. Robbins, Ered., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Robbins, E., far. ; P. O. Elwood. Robbins, D. S., far.; P. O. Wilton Center. Robbins, I. B., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Robbins, I. C, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Rose, Joseph, far.; P. O. Wallingford. Reitz, Philip, far. ;P. O. Wallingford. Eeirdon, M., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Raworth, John, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Reilly, Philip, far.; P. O. Wilmington. Robinson, W., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Russell, J., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Reitz, Lorenz, merchant. Robinson, C, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Robinson, R., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Reitz, Lawrence, mer. ; Wilton Center. Schroeder, John, wagon-maker; Wilton Center. Sampson, M., far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Shaerer, Prank, far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Schroder, C., far.; P. O. Wilton Center. Scott, P., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Scott, M., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Shields, J ., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Seaver, S. D., far.; P. 0. Peotone. Stewart, Alex., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Strowbridge, S. R., lab., Wilton Center. Schroder, J., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Seaver, S. D., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Sharp, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Smith, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Seible, Jacob P. Schroeder, A., wagon-maker; Walling- ford. Smith. D., Wallingford. Shult, Esther A., Wallingford. Thayer, Eugene, far.; P. O. Wallingford. Thayer, Chas., far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Troxel, John, far.; P. O. Wallingford. Tully, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Tompkins, N., Peotone. Temple, W. E., far. ; Wilton Center. Tully, E., farmer; P. 0. Wilmington. Tinme, H., mason; Wilton Center. Troxel, J., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Townsend, John, lab. ; Wilton Center. Winslow, C, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Winslow, C, far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. White, John, far. ; P. O. Wallingford. Wright, J. B., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Wright, A., far. ; P. O. Wilton Center. Wilcox, Chas., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Walthouser, A., carp. ; Wilton Center. Walker, William. Watson, Albert, carp. ; Wallingford. Wright, Jas. B., mer. ; Wilton Center. Webber, C. T., harness-maker.; Wilton Center. Young, I. F., mason; Wilton Center. FLORENCE TOWNSHIP. Barrett, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Buss, E. C. far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Brisbin, John C Bell, David, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Baxter, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Baskerville, T., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Baskerville, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Baskerville, J., far.; P. O. Wilmington. Burton, Joseph, trader. Boyiand, B., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Barrett, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Barrett, J., far. ; P. O: Wilmington. Carey, E., far.; P. 0. Wilmington. Corbin, R., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. CruUen, E., far.; P. O. Elwood. Cutshaw. W. G., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Cottel, H. E., far.; P. O. Wilmington. Cottel, C, far. : P. O. Wilmington. Cutshaw, W. G., far.; P. O. Wilmington, Corbett, Ruf us, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Campbell, John, far. ; P- O- Wilmington. Carroll, Patrick, far. ; P. O- Wilmington. Dutchman, A., far. ; P. O. Elwood. Donahue, P., far. ; P. 0- Wilmington. Dixon, Thos., far. ; P. O- Wilmington. Dixon, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Dixon, Thos., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Ellinwood, G. W., far. ; P. O. Elwood. Elwood, Sarah W., Elwood. Porsythe, David, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. -Porsythe, John, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Einslar, L., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Pridley, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Goodrich, Grant. Geise, Hiram, far. ; P. O. Elwood. Gibbons, P., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Gurney, E., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Griifen, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. 19 964 REAL ESTATE OWNEES OF WILL COUNTY: Gooding. A., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Griffen, Wm., far.; P. O. Wilmington. Gay, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Hayden, John, far. ; P. O. Elwood. Hart, C. H., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Hill, A., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Hampton, John, far.; P. O. El wood. Hoffman, J., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Hamilton, Jas., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Hayden, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Jessup, P., tar. ; P. O. Wilmington. Jackson, D., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Jackson, C, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Kennedy, John, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Kennedy, Jas., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Kellogg, Lewis, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Kahler, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Keer, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington, Kidney, Wm.,far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Lacy, Thos., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Lineberger, Louis, far. ; P. O. Elwood. Lineberger, John. Long, John, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Mclntyre, Alex, far.; P. O.Wilmington. Mclntyre, J ., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Mclntyre, D., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. McGinnis, W. M., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Murphy, John, far. ; P. O.. Wilmington. Morey, S. B., far. ; J?. O. Wilmington. Mosey, Selah, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Martin, J. W., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Murphy, C., far. : P. O. Wilmington. Maher, T., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Martin, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Mahoney, D., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Murphy John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Murphy, T., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Mahoney, D., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Norton, Wm. H., far. ; P. O. Elwood. Nugent, M., far. ; P. O. Elwood. Nelson, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Naughton, P., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Nutt, Jas., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Nelson, W. T., far.; P. C. Wilmington. Ohlhues, John, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Ohlhues, P. D., far.; P. 0. Wilmington. Phalon, P., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Quigley, Edw., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Relrdon, D-, far. ; P. O.Wilmington. Reirden, M., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Eeed, W. H. H., far. ; P. O. Elwood. Rockwell, S., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Eodgers, Sophrinia. Roach, M., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Riley, Philip, far. ; P. O. Elwood. Rothka, H., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Reils, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Shirk, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Spoor, H. H., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Smith. Allen, far.; P. O. Wilmington. Smith, Ezra, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Smith, Ellen, Elwood. Stewart, Peter, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Scammon, J. Y., Chicago. Seltzer, Fred, far. ; P. 0. Elwood. Strong, E. H., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Shehan, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Slater, Walter, far. ; P. O. Wilmington, Swival, Henry, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Thompson, M., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Wilson, P., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. White, Adam J. Whitten. Andrew, retired. White, J. M., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Warner, A., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. White, Jas., far.; P. 0. Wilmington. White, R., far. ; P. O. Wilmington.' Witcshe, N., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Ward, H., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Whiten, John, miller. Yonker, N., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Yates, A., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Zimmerman, C., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Zimmerman, J., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. WESLEY TOWNSHIP. (P. O. WILMINGTOS.) Axtell, Betsey, far. Axtell, Acsah, far. Allott, Henry, far. Ackerman, H. L , far. Ackerman, Schuyler, far. Anderson, Andrew, far. Ackerman, Hannah, far. Byron, Michael, Sr., far. Bunker, Jonas 13., far. Bover, Alex., far. Butterfield, B. E., far. Bovee, Alex., far. Blaul, Charles, far. Byron, Michael, Jr., far. Bunker, Elijah, far. Barrett, William, far. Bronside, Sarah, far. Burns, Mary, far. Boylan, R. J., far. Beckwith, Gay M., far. Byron, Michael, Jr., far. Binney, George, far. Cossett, Moses, far. Childs, Julia, far. Carlott, Robert, far. Clark, Luke, far. Corwin, John, far. Corlett, John, far. Carlott, Chris, far. Carroll, Terrence. Dahler, Sarah, far. Dayler, Sarah, far. Dickerson, Luke, far. Easton, David, far. CUSTER TOWNSHIP. 965 Ferris, Daniel, far. Finger, Charles, far. Franklin, Henry A., far. Franklin, Henry, far. Flood, E. F., far. Ferris, Daniel, far. Forsythe, John, far. Gay, James, far. Goodwin, William, far. Goodwin, Erwin, far. Goodwin, George, far. Goodwin, Hiram, far. Goss, Anna, far. Goodwin, John, far. Gould, Hiram, far. Gay, John, far. Gondy, Albert, far. Gipperm, Lewis, far. Gondy, William, far. Houghton, Almox, far. Hazlton, Charles, far. Hazlton, Norman, far. Hazlton, Alma R., far. Handford, C. A., far. Handford, Stephen F., far. Hanford, 33. E., far. Hiles, Thomas, far. Henebury, David, far. Hartzog, Chailes, far. Hazzard, Charles, far. Johnson, William, far. Johnson. James, far. Johnson, Frank, far. Jepson, Lewis, far. Jones, Thomas W., far. Jones, Gideon, far. Jones, Samuel, far. Jones, Samuel, far. Jones, Hazzard, far. Jones, E. W., far. Jones, Elizabeth, far. Jones, H. H., far. Kahler, Louisa, far. Kohler, Henry, far. Killey, John, far. Kendall, James L., far. Kelley, Thomas, far. Kelley, John, far. Livingston, A. A., far. Lovall, Oliver, far. Linton, Elizabeth, far. Leasure, W. D., far. Longshire, J. G., far. Louden, Helen, far. Louden, R. D., far. Lohner, Anton, far. MeCorkle, William, far. Morgan, B. P., far. Main, Chester, far. Marshall, Samuel, far. Maher, Thomas, far. Martin, Patrick, far. Muncy, Rachael, far. Muncy, William, far. Muncy, Charley, far. Moulton, C. H., far. Murphy, Timothy, far. Nicholas, B., far. Nielson, Frank, far. O'Conner, Michael, far. Parks, James, far. Pearson, Alpheus W., far. Powers, Charles C., far. Pichart, John, far. Paine, Almont, far. Pickardt, Crine, far. Quigley, Michael, far. Quigley, Andrew, tar. Ritehey, B. D., far. Richardson, AmUssa, far. Richardson, Levi A., far. Rainfard, Robert, far. Russell, Cerilda, far. Ritehey, John, far. Ryan, Edw., far. Redman, Eugene, far. Redman, David H., far. Redman, Thomas, far. Sternherger, Philip, far. Sprivey, Henry, far. Sernburg, Mary, far. Smith, E., far. Small, Daniel. Umstedt, Norrls, far. Underwood, Enoch, far. Van Garvin, D., far. Wartz, Andrew, far. Wooley, Elizur, far. Worden, H. G. S., far. Willard, David, far. White, John M., far. Whitten, Andrew, far. White, John, far. Waldren, C H., far. Williams, John, far. Warner, Alfred, far. Warner, A. H., far. Warner, Elisha, far. CUSTER TOWNSHIP. Baird, John, farmer; P. O. Wilmington. Brown, Edgar, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Burke Bros., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Boyd, J., farmer; P. O. Wilmington. Bernard, James, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Bergan, Martin. . Barber, R. E. far. ; P. O- Wilmmgton, Bird, Eliza. Buckley, Cornelius, far. ; P. O. Wilming- ton. Connores, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Churchill, S. Cooper, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Calhoun, Stephen, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. 966 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Cowley, John, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Colwell, George, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Canington, John W., P. 0. Wilmington. Calkins, Patrick, far,; P. 0. Wilmington. Calkins, Daniel, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Calhoun, Eansforrt, far. ; P. O. Wilming- ton. Duger, Patrick, far.; P. 0. Braidwood. Doty, E. M., far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Dubein, H. G., far.; P. 0. Braidwood. Eagan, Thomas. Evans, John, far. ; P. 0- Wilmington. Porsyth, John, far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Feely, John B., far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Preer, J. P. Eeely, John, far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Fitzgerald, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Gettings, Paul, far. ; P. 0, Wilmington. Gray, Jeremiah, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Goff, P. D. H. Hayes, Dennis, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Hudson, Henry, far; P. 0. Wilmington. Hoffman, Jos., far.; P. O. Wilmington. " Hanford, Thos., mer. ; P. O. Wilmington. Hines, Thos. J., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Hall, John, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Hanford, Frank, mer. ; P. O. Wilmington. Hanford Stephen, mer. ; P.O. Wilmington. Hawley, Robert, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Harrison, J. W.. far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Howatt. Alex., far.; P. O. Braidwood. Johnson, J. P., far.; P. O. Wilmington. Jordan, J. G., far.; P. O. Braidwood. .Tudge, Hugh, far.; P. O. Wilmington. Kennady, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Kilborn, Whitlock; P. 0. Wilmington. Kinney, John, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Kavanaugh, Mary ; P. O. Wilmington. Lowe, Henry ; P. O. Wilmington. Lovejoy, A. J.; P. O. Wilmington. Lutz, Andrew, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Lennon, Michael, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Murphy, S. C, far.; P. 0. Braidwood. Madden, John, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Morgan, M., far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Moore, Laughlin; P. O. Braidwood. Martin, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Miller, Henrv, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Marshall, S. T., far.; P. O. Wilmington. McGilvery, Hugh, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. O'Brien, James, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. O'Riley, James, far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Perry, James, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Powell, M. Pemperton, Thos., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Petero, G. W., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Palmer, I. T., far.; P. O. Wilmington. Quineby, H. Jj., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Quineby, J. A., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Querinning, Jno.,far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Reilly, Frank, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Rose, A., far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Riley, G. S., far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Russell, M. L., far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Riley, Philip, far.; P. 0. Braidwood. Reynolds, J. K., far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Robinson, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Stewart, Peter, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Stewart, Wm., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Smiley, J. J., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Stewart, M. N. M. Sweeney, Michael, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Smith, Ira W., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Small, E. N., far.; P. 0. Wilmington. Small, Wm. B., lumber dealer; P.O.Wil- mington. Smith, L. D., far.; P. O. Wilmington Stewart, W. D., far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. Swackhamer, Jas., far.; P. O. Braidwood. Slight, Theo., far.; P. O. Braidwood. Schenk, Michael, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Stewart, P. D., far.; P. O. Braidwood. Sibert, Fletcher, Mrs. ; P. O. Wilmington. Trainer, James, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Taylor, A. G., far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Trainer, Wm., far,; P. O. Wilmington. Trainer, Thos., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Trainer, Robt., far.; P. O. Wilmington. Tilden, W. P., far., P. 0. Wilmington. Tanner, M. D., far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Thewlis, Mary, far. ; P. 0. Wilmington. Tanner, Huldah; P. O. Wilmington. Tunney, Patrick, far, ; P. 0. Wilmington. Taylor, Samuel, far. ; P. O. Wilmington. Wright, E., Mrs., P. O. Wilmington. Williamson, T., far.; P. O. Wilmington. Wright, Abner, far. ; P. O. Braidwood. Ward, J. H. Yates, Sarah. Young, William, far. ; P. 0. Braidwood. TROY TOWNSHIP. Armstrong, P., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Armstrong, D., far.; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Arcy, John D., far. ; P. 0. Joliet." Battz, John, far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Bally, Casper, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Beatle, R., far.; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Beathe, H., far.; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Blair, William, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Brady, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Bowen, William. Buckway, A. B., far.; P. O. Joliet. Calais, R., far.; P. 0. Bird's Bridge. Cornell, James. Cavender, B. H., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Coolehan, Thos., far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Cloman, Daniel, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Callahan, Matthew. Culver, John J ., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Cronan, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Crogwell, Thos., far.; P. O. Joliet. Cops, John, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Cops, Joseph, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. TROY TOWNSHIP. 967 Crumby, Chas., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Crumby. I. C. Clifford, John, far. : P. O. Joliet. Cotter, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Coggswell, Thomas, far.; P. 0. Joliet. Conlin, E., far.; P. O. Joliet. Dix, ^\m. A., fai-. ; P. O. Miuooka. Debill, E. S., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Dempsey, Thos., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Dollinger, M.. far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Everton, T. J., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Everton, Jas., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Eagan, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Fant, Frank, Joliet. Farnsworth, G. ^\., far.; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Foran, Wm., far. ; P. O. Minooka. Fogarty, E., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Fogarty, E., Sr., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Fries, Andrew J., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Gifeord, Keynolds, far. ; P. O. Joliet. GifEord, Orlando, fai-. ; P. O. Joliet. Grinton, Wm., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Gaton, John, Jr., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Gaton, Samuel, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Gaskill, J., far. ; P. O. Minooka. Gaskill, Joel, far. ; P. O. Minooka. Green, Robert. Hadcock, Solomon. Herath, Conrad, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Hearn, Henry. Hiney, John H., far.; P. O. Joliet. Hoff, E. G., far. ; P. O. Minooka. Herod, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Hearse, William. Ingoldsby, Eugene, far. ; P. (). Joliet. Ingoldsby, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Ingoldsby, Felix, far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Johnson, Daniel, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Judge, Edwin, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Keeley, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Kearney, Michael, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Kinsella, Garrett, far. ; P. O. Joliet. ■ Kavanaugh, Joseph, far; P. O. Joliet. Kerman, Michael, far.; P. O. Joliet. Kinney, John, far. ; P. O Minooka. Kierman, Hugh, far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Kerman, Francis, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Kinsella, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Minooka. Kinsella, Garnett. far. : P. O. Joliet. Ketehun, Michael, far. ; P. O. Minooka. Lewis, L. Link, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Lehiier, Henry, far.; P. O. Joliet. Lamacher, Peter, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Langdon, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Langdon, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Lye, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McManus, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McCoy, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McCarty, M., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. McEvoy, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McEvoy, William, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McDonald, Dennis J., far. ; P. 0. Johet. McMillan, Almonda, far.; P. O. Joliet. McMillan, Aleda, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Martin, Edw. ; P. O. Joliet. Marshall, William H., tar.; P. O. Joliet. Mahoney, Jeremiah, far.; P. O. Joliet. Matis, Barney, far. ; P. o. Joliet. Matthews, B., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Meyer, Adam, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Miller, William, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Miller, James. Mooney, Matthew, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Moran, Bernard, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Murphy, James, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Murphy, Timothy, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Murphy, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Noble E. O'Brien, James, far.; P. 0. Minooka. O'Brien, W., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Ottar, C, far. ; P. O. Joliet. O'Conner, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Ogan, Mary. Otteway, Edw. Paul, James, far.; P. 0. Joliet. Parks, Silas, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Palmer, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Perry, Samuel, far.; P. O. Joliet. Raven, Daniel J., far. ; P. O. Minooka. Rademaker, T. Reed, R. G., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Reardon, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Reiff, August, far.; P. O. -loliet. Read, M. R., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Reese, Henry J., far.; P. 0. Joliet. Reiff, Augustus, farmer. Riley, James T., far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Roberts, B. G. Rogan, Edw., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Rowan, William, far. ; P. 0. Bird's Bridge Spencer, Myron, far. ; P. O. Minooka. Searls, D. C, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Searls, Austin D., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Sammons, D., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Stamper, Hannah ; P. 0. Minooka. Stearns, William, far. ; Bird's Bridge. Steel, John D., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Stevens, William, far. ; P. O. Minooka. Stephens, Michael, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Schaub, Nicholas, far.; Bird's Bridge. Sheridan, Joseph, far! ; P. 0. Joliet. Snyder, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Snyder, William, far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Snyder, Larkin L., far. ; P. O. Minooka. Snyder, George, far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Spencer, Simon, far.; P. 0. Minooka. Sammons, W. T., tar. ; P. 0. Joliet. Strong, W. P. Talbott, Richard, far. ; P. O. Minooka. Tyrnell, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Tyrell, Mary ; P. O. Joliet. Talbott, Edw., far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Truby, Marshal, merchant and Postmas- ter, Bird's Bridge. Tierney, Patrick, far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Toohey, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Van Alstine, B., far. ; P. 0. Bird's Bridge. Welch, William, far, ; P. O. Joliet. Whalen, Ann ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. 968 KEAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY : CRETE TOWNSHIP. Arkenburg, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Goodenow. Apking, Henrv, farmer ; P. 0. Goodenow. Arkenburg, Wm., farmer; P. 0. Crete. Adams, F. J., carp., Crete. Austin, Herman. Adams, E. V., farmer; P. O. Crete. Adams, G. W., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Adams, Henry B., retired, Peotone. Adams, Keuben, farmer; P. 0. Crete. Adams, P. J., carpenter, Crete. Adams, L., far. and butcher; P. 0- Crete. Adams, W. C, farmer; P. 0. Crete. Berg, Elizabeth. Batterman, C, farmer ; P. 0. Crete. Behrens, Henry, farmer; P. 0. Crete. Baterman, Fred. Bock, Conrad, farmer ; P. O. Beecher. Baurmeister, Wm., farmer. Batterman, H., farmer; P. 0. Endor. Boos, John. Buhre, Otto. Bouhess, Henry. Bregmeyer, Fred. Bunger, Henry. Baker, Ellen J., Galesburg. Bush,.Henry, farmer; P. O. Crete. Burkmier, George. Bauser, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Backus, Chris. Behrens, J. C, farmer; P. 0. Crete. Berhardt, Fred., far. ; P. O. Crete. Bierville, L., farmer; P. O. Crete. Biesterf eldt, Fred., farmer; P. 0. Crete. Brandt, H., farmer; P. O. Crete. Barker, C, farmer ; P. O. Endor. Baker, C., farmer. Bredmeyer, Wm. Brauns, Henry. Bergmeir, G., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Bernhard, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecber. Baumer, Matthias, far.; P. O. Crete. Bramer, Henrj', farmer. Braunner, Fred., far. ; P. 0. Endor. Bordwell, D. S., clerk, Crete. Bogens, D., mason, Crete. Brul, Joseph, carpenter, Crete. Brinker, Henry, wagon-maker, Crete. Bruns, Wm., far.; P. 0. Crete. Betterman, Christopher. Buffington, Wm., far.; P. 0. Endor. Burgest, Henry. Bahlman, PL, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Belke, Ernst, laborer, Goodenow. Berg, Nicholas, blacksmith, Goodenow. Bernhardt, Fred., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Buhs, Henry . Beekman, T. Bekoe, Fred. Brandt, Henry, far.; P. O. Crete. Buckmeir. Baker, C. A. Barthle, Fred. Bergan, Martin. Busse. Henry, far. ; P. O. Crete. Brisbane, Jas. W., far.; P. O.JCrete. Bowden, Jacob, far.; P. 0. Crete. Caldwell, A., farmer. Clausing. Fred., farmer. Calverlage, Henry K. Cragle, Henry, far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Cooper, S. W., Monee. Cook, Wm., far. ; P. O. Crete. Clauseng, Chas., far.; P. O. Peotone. Glaus, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Crete. Cook, Willis, laborer, Crete. Cheery, Chas., far. ; P. O. Crete. Cole, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Crete. Claude, John, far. ; P. 0. Bloom. Cole, J. W., far. ; P. O. Crete. Cinnamon, A., far.; P. 0. Crete. Cole, Henry, far. ; P. O. Crete. Dutcher, Wm., far.; P. O. Monee. Damaskay, P. Drunkmeister, Henry, far. ; P. O. Endor. Dose, Peter H. Dohmier, John, far.; P. O. Crete. Doeher, H. Doesher, Jacob, far. ; P. 0. Endor. Doescher, J. C, merchant, Endor. Dierson, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Demeke, Louis, retired, Crete. Doerscher, H. N., retired. Dodge, John, far. ; P. O. Crete. Dodge, Mary E., Crete. Dierson, John, Crete. Fishman, Peter. Eisham, Peter. Ergson, Fred, farmer ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Eldering, John, farmer ; P. O. Goodenow. Engelking, Lewis, farmer ; P. O. Bloom. Englebucht, Fred, laborer ; P. O. Crete. Engleking. Philip, farmer ; P. 0. Monee. Ergson, Fred, farmer ; P. O. Bloom. Engleking, Henry ; P. 0. Monee. Epens, Thomas, farmer. Frenker, Henry, lab. ; P. 0. Goodenow. Fleischer, Hannah farmer ; P. O. Crete. Fitshell. Homan, farmer ; P. 0. Crete. Fricke, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Falch, John. Frank, F. H., peddler.. P. O. Goodenow. Fassett, A. C, mason ; P. O. Crete. Graham, James, far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Glade. Chris., farmer. Gland, Fred. Graw, John, farmer ; P. O. Bloom. Graham, John, farmer; P. O. Goodenow. Grote, Herman, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Grape, Fred, farmer; P. O. Crete. Grupe, F., farmer ; P. 0. Crete. Grote, Herman, farmer ; P. 0. Crete. Gaines, H. N., farmer ; JP. O. Crete. Gridlay. J. W., farmer. Hanfeidt, Wm., farmer ; P. O. Monee. Harmin. Martin. Hase, Henry. Handfeld, Wm., farmer ; P. 0. Monee. Hunter, James, farmer ; P. 0. Bloom. CRETE TOWNSHIP. 969 Heine, Gottlieb, farmer ; P. O. Endor. Hopp, Peter. Hoffman, Jacob. Harderliopp. J. H., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Hewes, Samuel, minister. Hewes, John E. ; P. O. Crete. Hattendorf, Conrad, shoemaker; P. O. Crete. Hartman. John C, farmer; P. O. Crete. Hassman, Henry. Houseman. John. Hood, Samuel, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Horneger, Ernst. Hendricks. John, farmer ; P. O. Endor. Hardikopp. Chris., farmer; P. O. Good- enow. Hake, D. Helgman. Charles. Hatfield, Sophia. Heinn, Philip O., farmer ; P. O. Crete. Hoesterson, Carl. HofEman, G., butcher ; P. O. Crete. Hassman, Christ. Hattendorf, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Homire, Ernst ; P. O. Crete. Habenkost. Henry, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Huntton, Wm. Horn, Charles, retired ; P. O. Crete. Heinman, B., merchant ; P. O. Crete. Horan, Charles, laborer ; P. O. Crete. Hardikope, Henry, far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Hardikope, Christ. Harmoning, John, farmer. Helman, Henry ; P. O. Monee. Hammond, Henry. Halley, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Monee. Hewes, Geo., farmer; P. 0. Crete. Hewes, Henry, salesman ; P. O. Chicago. Hanfeldt, Henry ; P. O. Chicago. Harrett, .John, farmer ; P. 0. Crete. Hart, John. Jordening, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Jergens, John, farmer ; P. O. Goodenow. J'ordening, Conrad, farmer ; P. O. Crete. Knappmier, Fred, cigar-maker. Kahing, Wm. Kohle, Charles. Kilmea, C. Klaus, Michael, far. ; P. O. Bloom. Knoll, Michael. KoUing, Wm.. far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Kotze, H., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Klaus, August. KoUing, C, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Keidisk, Geo., blacksmith ; P. O. Crete. Kock, Fred, far. ; P. O. Crete. Knabe, C, merchant; P. O. Crete. Klemme, Henry, far. ; P. O. Endor. Keeling, Fred, far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Kechling, Fred. Kratze, Fred, Jr., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Kratze, Fred. Sr., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Kline, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Bloom. Kloss, M.. far. ; P. O. Bloom. Knappmire, Wilhelm, retired ; P. O. Crete. Klaus, A. J. Krept, F., saloon ; P. O. Crete. Katze, Henry C, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Kliner, Christian. Krusr, C. Kekoe, Fred, laborer ; P. O. Crete. Kueige, Henry. King, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Crete. Kirsch. Franz, farmer and mason ; P. O. Crete. Lange, Joachin, far. ; P. 0. Endor. Luke, Henry, far. ; P. O. Monee. Lewholtz, F., laborer ; P. 0. Crete. Luke, Fred, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Link, Geo. Legmore, Henry. Luchet, Carl, laborer ; P. O. Crete. Leising, J. T., grain dealer; P. O. Good- enow. Ladoux, .Joseph. Lepenhop, H. Lowden, .Joseph. Liekmann, Fred. Mendenhath, Charles. Mechlman, Francis. Mayne.Geo. Miller, T. L., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Maxwell, J., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Miller, H. H., far. ; P. O. Crete. Muller, Conrad, laborer ; P. 0. Crete. Muller, ,Tohn, laborer : P. 0. Crete. Myer, F., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Michael, Nicholas, far.; P. 0. Bloom. Myrick, U., far. ; P. O. Crete. Martin, Wm., laborer: P. 0. Crete. Myer, John D., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Merwin, Charles, farmer. Matthias, John C., tailor ; P. O. Crete. Mil brook, Henry. Mogg, Henry. Miller, E. B., school-teacher ; P. O. Crete. Martin, S., far. ; P. O. Crete. Mothing, Henry. Marker, Henry. Miers, Edward, far.; P. 0. Crete. Mueller, Henry, far. ; P. O. Ci'ete. Motlong, Henry G., far. ; P. O. Crete. Miller, Eobert, far. ; P. O. Crete. Morris, John. Morris, John R., far. ; P. O. Bloom. Miller, David, far. ; P. O. Bloom. Miller, William, far.; P. O. Bloom. j Naike, Fred, far. ; P. O.Crete. ' Narceive, William. i Olendorf, Christ, far. ; P. 0. Endor. Ohlendorf, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Ohlendorf, W., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Ohlendorf, August, far. ; P. O. Endor Ohlendorf, H., Jr., far.: P. O. Goodenow. Ostermier, Wm., far. ; P. O. Crete. Orr, John, far. ; P. O. Crete. Olendorf, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Orr, James, Jr., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Olendorf, John T. Peipho, C. Piephs, Chris. Pease, John, far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Peek, Charles, far. ; P. O. Crete. Palsen, Andrew, lab. ; P. O. Crete. Plagge, Fred, farmer. Pittlekon, Carl, lab. ; P. 0. Crete. 970 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Puloer, J. H., lab.; P. O. Crete. Porter, Samuel, ret. ; P. O. Crete. Patchen, Wm., carpenter ; P. O. Crete. Purner, William. Pampe, John. Paul, Henry P. Perry, Joseph, physician ; P. O. Crete. Paul, Christopher, far. ; P. 0. Crete. Phillips, J. E., far. ; P. O. Monee. Pipenbrink, John 0.,far. ; P. O. Crete. Quackenbush, Helen ; P. 0. Crete. Quackenbush, M., blacksmith ; P. O. Crete. Rust, Chris., far. ; P. O. Crete. Richards, W. Rittman, Henry. Rissman, Fred, far. ; P. O. Endor. Richards, Gottlieb, tar. ; P. O. Bloom. "Ross A Rinke, J. J., far. ; P. O. Crete. Ritze, H. Robinson, J. B., ret; P. 0. Crete. Ruhe, Ludwig, carpenter ; P. O. Crete. Richards, C. E., far. ; P. O. Bloom. Rump, Henry, farmer. Ranke, T. Rign, John I., laborer ; P. O. Crete. Ruhe, Wm., carpenter ; P. O. Crete. Rabinger, L., blacksmith ; P. O. Endor. RuUs, Joseph, lab. ; P. 0. Goodenow. Rathge, H. Rinne, William, far. ; P. O. Crete. Rohe, John, merchant; P. O. Crete. Rupert, C, wagon-maker ; P. O. Crete. Rekoe, A., lab. ; P. O. Crete. Rohe, Henry. Rohe, John C, merchant ; P. O. Crete. Rohe, Henry, coal dealer ; P. O. Crete. Read, C. J., far. ; P. 0. Bloom. Scrager, Philip, far. ; P. O. Crete. Stege, C, tailor ; P. 0. Crete. Stepheb, Frank. Sunmore, John, ret. ; P. O. Crete. Schmidt, C, merchant ; P. 0. Goodenow. Schever, Conrad. (Slade, Henry. Suhausen, Henry. Schever, Christopher. Segers, Conrad. Scheldt, B., farmer. Scheldt, James. Scheldt, Michael, farmer. Schaller, Joseph. Scheldt, M., Jr. Scheldt, Antony. Smith, Albert, tar. ; P. O. Crete. Scuter, Vincent, far. ; P. 0. Bloom. Schakucept, Fred. Smith, Fred, far. ; P. 0. Goodenow. Schmidt, W., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Strain, W. G., far. ; P. O. Bloom. SaUitt, John, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Stenburg, Stephen. Stock, Henry, tar. ; P. O. Crete. Smith, G. W. Smith, Edw., farmer. Samuel, Samuel. Seehausen, D., blacksmith; P. O. Crete. Severance. Luther, farmer. Selman, A., lab.; P. O. Crete. Stolding, Fred., far.; P. 0. Crete. Schroeder, Fred., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Schaefline, Wm., carpenter; P. 0. Crete> Schriver, .John, far. ; P. O. Crete. Schmidt, Henry, farmer. Spallender, Henry. Striber, Carl W., far. : P. O. Crete. Spolleder, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Smith, Wm., far.; P. O. Goodenow. Seyerbrook, G., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Scheiwe, Philip, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Smalley, A., far. ; P. O. Endor. Schmore, John E., farmer. Schrick, Henry, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Schrader, Fred. Stude, Fred. Sailer, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Crete. Safford, A. B., retired, Crete. Schiva, Carl. Schrage, Henry, far. ; P. O. Crete. Schweer, Chris, laborer, Crete. Schweer, Chris, Jr., carpenter, Crete. Smalley, Alonzo, far. ; P. 0. Endor. Stoge, Henry. Schmidt, Geo., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Seehausen, Henry, Jr. Schrader, Carl, laborer, Crete. Sab in, Elizabeth. Stoge, Chris. Spencer, Francis, far. ; P. O. Crete. Seyers, Conrad, far. Solsman, C. Tretty, Henry. Tucke, Fred. Therbold, Geo. Thissiens, Henry. Tagmier, Henry, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake, Turnean, Wm Tatge, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Tatge, Conrad, Joliet. Tonenberg, Isaac. Tillotson, Lorenzo, Constable, Crete. Tegtmire, John, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Texka, T. Tillotson, Frank, far. ; P. 0. Crete. Theemer, J., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Toll, Oscar, laborer, Crete. Ulrig, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Valunett, Wm., far., P. O. Eagle Lake. Williamson, John, retired, Crete. Wallace, Robt, retired, Crete. Winte, Mary. Walkerly, Martin, far.; P. 0. Endor. AVilm, L. Winzenburg, Henry. Wehman, F. Wasman, H., far. ; P. O. Crete. WehmhofEer, Wm., far. ; P. O. Crete. Waterman, Carl, mason, Crete. WehmhofEer, J. Wilkening, C, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake.. Wilkening, Chris, far.; P. O. Beecher. Wilkening, John, far. ; P. O. Crete. Wolf, James. Willie, Philip, far. ; P. 0. Crete. Wehenhoffer, Wm., far. ; P. O. Crete- Winter, Fred, far. ; P. O. Crete. CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP. 971 Wilder, A., far. ; P. O. Crete. Wehun, Peter, laborer, Crete. Westenfeldt. Werbrook. Henry, far. ; P. O. Crete. Windham, J.C, far. ; P. O. Chicago. Williamson, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Crete. Witt, Cai-1, laborer, Crete. Weishaar, M. Writthman. Williamson, John., far.; P. O. Crete. Wishaar, John, far. ; P. O. Bloom Wilder, G. H., far. ; P. O. Bloom. Wallaer, John, far. ; P. O. Bloom. Werderholt, C, blacksmith. Bloom. Young, Michael. Young, Mary E. Zibson, Fred. Zummells, Philip. CHANNAHON TOWNSHIP. Althouse, Walter, far.; P. O. Channahon. Althouse, Henry; P. O. Wilmington. Anthony, Chester, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Alexander, George, farmer; P. O. Chan- nahon. Abell, Edw., janitor ; P. O. Channahon. Andraugh, Pat, Jar; P. O. Channahon. Ardaugh, Patrick; P. O. Channahon. Bedford, .Stephen, mail-carrier; P. O. Channalion. Brackus. Lucien, farmer; P. O. Chan- nahon. Beattie, Robert, far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Bartdyte. Nicholas, farmer : P. 0. Chan- nahon. Brown, Peter. Bell, Wm., farmer; P. O. Minooka. Bailey, Daniel, farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Bailey, Caleb, farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Brumick, Alex., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Buell, Geo., mechanic ; P. O. Channahon. Bossenecker, G. P. Bedford, Nelson, far.; P. O. Channahon. Buel, N. farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Bates, E., blacksmith ; P. O. Channahon. Billsland, D., farmer; P. O. Channahon. Burden, Wm., laborer; P. O. Channahon. Cooley, M., laborer; P. 0. Channahon. Curtis, C, laborer ; P. O. Channahon. Claughlin, Michael, farmer ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Cavender, Wm. H., farmer ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Carpenter, Allen, far. : P. O. Channahon. Cornwell, James. Colleps, John. Conroy, Pat, farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Conroy, John, farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Cornelius, Charles, far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Conklin, Edw., laborer ; P. O. Channahon. Coyle, Peter, Mrs., far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Davis, Geo. B., farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Davis, R. P., farmer ; P. 0. Channahon. Deline, Moses, farmer ; P. O. Elwood. Drew, J. C. M.. far. ; P. O. Channahon. DeWitt, John M.. laborer; P. O. Chan- nahon. Drew, D., laborer; P. O. Channahon. Eflner, E. W., farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Effner, John, shoemaker; P. O. Chan- nahon. Ellington, John, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Farnsworth, G. W., farmer ; P. O. Bird's- Bridge. Fender, Geo. W., farmer ; P. O. Minooka. Finney, Barney, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Finney, Robert, tar. ; P. 0. Channahon. Finney, John, laborer ; P. O. Channahon. Fowler, Caleb, merchant; P. O. Chan- nahon. Finder, Geo., farmer ; P. O. Minooka. Fallen, John, farmer ; P. 0. Joliet. Fryer, J. N., farmer ; P. 0. Channahon. Fitch, Joseph, physician and merchant ;. P. O. Channahon. Gathaway, Wm., tar. ; P. O. Channahon. Glidden, Stephen, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Gaskell, D. K., farmer; P. O. Minooka. Geary, Joseph, farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Corl, Amos, Mrs., far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Grant, James, farmer; P. 0. Elwood. Grant, John A., farmer; P. 0. Elwood. Goodjohn, Thomas ; P. O. Elwood. Gulen, Henry, farmer ; P. O. Wilmington. Gatheny, Wm., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Gorman, Timothy, tailor; P. 0. Chan- nahon. Hess, Joseph, farmer; P. 0. Joliet. Hatfield, Hannah, farmer; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Haley, Richard, farmer ; P. 0. Elwood. Haley, C., Jr., farmer; P. O. Channahon. Haley, Michael, farmer ; P. O. Elwood. Hart, John, laborer; P. O. Channahon. Hart, James, farmer; P. 0. Channahon. Herbert, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Herbert, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Hemphill, D. C, farmer ; P. O. Elwood. Henderson, Delia ; P. O. Channahon. Hicks, Manley, harness-maker; P. 0. Channahon. Jesup, Edw., farmer ; P. 0. Channahon. Jessup, John ; P. 0. Wilmington. Johnson, Robert, farmer ; P. O. Elwood. Ketchum, Clespus, far. ; P. 0. Minooka. Knapp, Ira 0., farmer ; P. O. Channahon. Kite, Geo. ; P. O. Chicago. Knapp, Solon, laborer ; P. 0. Channahon. Lenicher, Peter. Lysle, Byron, farmer ; P. 0. Channahon. Long, Michael, far; P. 0. Bird's Bridge. Lepold, Wm., farmer; P. O. Joliet. Lepold, Ann ; P. 0. Joliet. Lewis, J., far. ; P. 0. Channahon. 972 EEAL ESTATE OWNEKiS OF WILL COUNTY: Lepold, H., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Lepold, Gustave, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Landrigan, J., far.; P. O. Channahon. Ledyard, J. C, retired, Channahon. Lowery, Wm., laborer, Channahon. McCowan, C, far.; P. 0. Channahon. McClintock, W., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. McDonald, M., far. ; P. O. Cannahon. McCune, George, far. ; P. 0. Elwood. Monahan, Jas., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Miller, A., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Meran, Owen, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Miller, E. H., wagon-maker, Channahon. Mills, Oscar, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Manning, Elisabeth, far. ; P. O. Channa- hon. Martin, Thos., far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Martin, J. W., engineer 111. Penit., Joliet. Mix, Jos., shoemaker, Channahon. Morehouse, Michael, Mrs., Channahon. Nicholas, Henry, far.; P. O. Joliet. Kewman, Ebenezer, far. ; P. O. Elwood. lifoonan, Dennis, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Noonan, Jas., far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Osgood, U., far.; P. 0. Joliet. O'Brien, John, far. ; P. O. Channahon. O'Brien, Wm., far. ; P. O. Bird's Bridge. Ogden, M. D.. Chicago. O'Boyle, Patrick, far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Price, Thos., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Padley, H., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Porter, Lamen, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Porter, Lenon, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Quigley, Andrew, far.; P. O. Joliet. JBandall, J. T.. far.; P. 0. Channahon. Ealeigh, Thos., far.; P. 0. Channahon. Rowley, Thos., far. ; P. 0- Channahon. Rilev, Thos., far.; P. 0. Channahon. Sage", E. W., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Sing, Adam, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Schieck, Thos., carpenter, Minooka. Sweet, Anson, far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Shall, John, far. ; P. O. Channahon. Stolder, L., far. ; P. 0. Elwood. Smith, C. C., far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Stickney, Benj., far. ; P. 0. Elwood. Staats, Frank, far. ; P. 0. Elwood. Smith, Jas. H., mechanic, Channahon. Street, J. E., stove-maker, Joliet. Sage, E. W., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Tryon, Geo., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Tait, Michael, far. ; P. 0. Channahon. Thornburg.Eobt, far. ; P. 0. Elwood. Thornburg, John, far. ; P. O. Elwood. Thornburg, Newton, far. ; P. O. Elwood. Van Alstine, Isaac, far. ; P.;0. Channahon. Venner, Jas., groceryman, Channahon. Van Alstine, Malinda, Channahon. West, Ephriam. far.; P. 0. Channahon. Worthy, Wm., Chicago. Wentworth, D. S., Chicago. Willard, E. G., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Whitmore, A., far.; P. O. Channahon. Wagner, Conrad, far. ; P. 0. Cliannahon. Watson, Jesse, butcher, Channahon. Woodruff, G. C., carpenter, Channahon. Willard, C S., far. ; P. O. Channahon. Yates, E. A., far. ; P. O. Channahon. MANHATTAN TOWNSHIP. Adams, Eli as H., far.; P. O. Speincer. Aaron, P. P., far.; P. O. Greengarden. Adler, Peter, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Amend, Andrew, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Barton, George, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Brenton, Joseph, far.; P. O. Joliet. Barton, Charles, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Ballard, Sarah; P. O. Joliet. Bragman, John. Bergan, Martin, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Baker, Clark, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Baker, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Bronk, Peter A., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Boyland, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Beard, Caroline, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Brime, K. E., far.; P. 0. Joliet. Brophy, Edw., far.; P. O. Joliet. Brady, John. Buck,. George A., far.; P. O. Joliet. Billing, Eichard, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Barton, C., far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Baily, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Bohrbach, Adam, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Baker, George, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Barr, George, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Bronson, Fred, far.; P. O. Joliet. Barr, Martha; P. 0. Joliet. Barr, Samuel, far.; P. O. Joliet. Barr, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Braner, Peter, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Broughman, J., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Pester, J., far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Ba?sett, Wm. J., far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Coon, Eobert, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Cockle, Sarah ; P. O. Joliet. Cale, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Cochle, John, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Cochle, William, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Cain, "Thomas, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Clussen, Barnett, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Cain, John, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Cole, Richard, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Campbell, J. M., far.; P. O. Spencer. Dennis, W. R., far.; P. O. Joliet. Delafleld, R. R., far.; P. O. Joliet. Donley, Matthew, far.; P. O. Joliet. Erbe, Leich, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Eggers, Henry, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Eberhart, Benedict, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Fahy, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Gillett, James M., far. ; P. O. Spencer. Greenwood, Aaron, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Green, Henry, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Goorivan, Stephen, far. ; P. O. Joliet. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 973 ■Gallagher, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Gallagher, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Garney, George, far.; P. 0. Joliet. Geiss, D. K, far.; P. O. Joliet. Glade, Augustus, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Geiss, John, far.; P. O. Joliet. Glade. August, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Gibbon, George, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Hartong, J. J., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Hyne, Christian, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Howard, W. S., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Howard, Tylle, fai-. : P. O. Joliet. Haley, Richard, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Hunt, John, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Harms, Henry, far.; P. O. Greengarden. Haley, Michael, far.; P. O. Joliet. Jones, James, far. ; P. 0. .Toliet. Jaques, E. E., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Keer, James. Kirk, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Keeler, Christian, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Xeer, William, far. ; P. O. Joliet. BJiigler, Elias, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Kail, Belzert, far.; P. O. Joliet. Kerstein, Jacob, far. ; P. O Joliet. Kitzen, Frank, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Kestal, Michael, far. ; P. O. New Lenox. Leekner, H., far. ; P. O. Spencer. Lawler, Michael, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Lutz, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Lutz, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Lynn, W. D. B., far. ; P. O. Joliet. McHugh. James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McParten, Peter, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McHugh, Pelix, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McNifE, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McParland, Hugh, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McHugh, Thos., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. McGrath, Byron, far. ; P. O. Joliet. McClure, C. I., far. ; P. O. Joliet. McClure, David, far. ; P. O. Joliet. MePartten, Charles ; P. 0. Spencer. McDonald, Andrew, far. ; P. O. Spencer. McGrath, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Murphy, M., far.; P. 0. Joliet. Murphy, Barney, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Martin, Edward, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Morse, O. E., Rev. ; P. O. Joliet. Morse, A., far.; P. O. Joliet. Miller, Wm., Sr., far. ; P. O. Spencer. Metzger, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Morse, Anna, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Murphy, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Olney, Hiram, far. ; P. O. Spencer. i Of undstein, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Ploegg, Chas., far.; P. O. Greengarden. Phelps, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Pepper, "Wm., far.; P. O. Joliet. Phillips, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Paul, Geo., far.; P. 0. Joliet. Paul, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Rudd, David, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Ring, John, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Reeves, Jerome, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Robinson, Stephenson, tar. ; P. O. Joliet. Ring, A. H., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Ruson, Jasper, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Randall, Stephen, far.; P. O. JS'ew Lenox. Rudd, Charles, far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Rudd, B., far. ; P. 0. Greengarden. Reynolds, Thomas, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Sprouls, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. StufEenburg, Peter; P. 0. Joliet. Smith, John W., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Seltzer, H. W., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Storrs, P. G., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Schaff, Henry, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Smith, J. W., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Schoonman, Fred., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Stebbins, H. B., far. ; P. O. Greengarden. Schneider, John B., far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Spoul, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Styles, Charles, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Smith, James, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Shoop, John, far.; P. 0. Spencer. Stolf, G. W., far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Smith, Nelson, far.; P. O. Spencer. Shoop, Henry, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Smith, W. J., far.;. P. O. Joliet. Tucker, O. W., far. ; P. O. Joliet. Thiel, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Thayer, Noah, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Tucker, 0. W., far.; P. O. Greengarden. Trask, Elihn, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Utterman, S. W., far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Woodcock, Gedden, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Weber, James, far. ; P. 0. Spencer. Walch, Richard, far. ; P. O. Spencer. Williams, O. J., far. and P. M. ; P. 0. Green- garden. Wallace, Thomas, far.; P. 0. Joliet. Watkins, Peter, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Watkins, Richard, far. ; P. 0. Joliet. Whitson, John, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Whitson, David, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Walen, James, far. ; P. O. Joliet. Young, Asa B., far. : P. O. Joliet. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. Ackerman, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Bahlman, H., Jr., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Baker, Geo., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Batterman, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Babcock, Fred, far.; P. O. Beecher. Bahlman, H., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Barnes, Bridget, Beecher. Beseke, C, grain dealer, Beecher. Besterfeld, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Behrens, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Billfleld, Simon, carpenter, Beecher. Billfleld, Henry, lumber dealer, Beecher. Block, H., grain dealer, Beecher. Bohl, Henry, far.; P. 0. Beecher. 974 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Bockelmau, Chris, far. ; P. 0. Beecber. Bock, Conrad, Beecher. Borgus, Henry, wagon-maker, Beecher. Boiler. Glaus, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Burns, John, laborer, Beecher. Bucknreier, Geo., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Buhr, Peter, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Bush, Carl, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Busse, Pred, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Bredemeier, W., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Brauns, Pred. Brain, T. Beronhard, H., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Brans, C, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Burns, Henry, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Glaus, A., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Closer, A., wagon-maker, Beecher. Daune, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Dierking, Fred, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Dohse, Henry, far.; P. O. Eagle Lake. Dyer, Fred, tailor, Beecher. Engelking, H. H., far.; P. O. Eagle Lake. Engelking, L., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Ehlers,.H. A., miller, Beecher. Erison,'Fred, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Faske, Fred, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Falke, John, far.; P.O. Beecher. Fegtmeier, ilenry. far. : P. O. Beecher. Peine, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Fegtmeyer, W., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Fick, John,, far.; P. O. Beecher. Frahm, Jacob, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Fiebelcorn, Fred, far. ; P. Beecher. Fisch, John, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Figbager, Henry. Frobose, Ilenry, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Gieser, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Goodenov^, G. W., far. ; P. O. Crete. Graham, J. H., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Geweke, Fred., blacksmith, Beecher. Grabe, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Grages, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Goetz, Geo., wagon-mkr., Beecher. Gurrtz, August, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Haste, Fred., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Hasanyayer, C, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Plasche, Engle. Hahn, Henry, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Hartman, J. G., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Haseman, H., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Hasseman, J., far.; P. O. Beecher. Hack, John, merchant, Eagle Lake. Hack, C., merchant, Beecher. Hangeman, L., saloon, Eagle Lake. Hasse, D., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Harnish, George, harness-mkr., Beecher. Hehling, Chas., tar. ; P. O. Beecher. Held, Ernst, far.; P. 0. Beecher. Hanses, Fred., far.; P. O. Beecher. Herman, Louis, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Hartjen, Herman. Haseman, John, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Hallman, Lena. far. ; P. O. Beecher. Heller. Albert, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Heineze, Chris., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Henze, H., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Heider, John, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Heiden, John, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Hippe, R., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Hintz, H. H., lumber dealer, Beecher. Holz, Chas., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Houck, Geo., shoemaker, Beecher. Hunter, Ludwig, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Hunter, Henry, far.; P. O. Beecher. Joers, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Jessen, Louis, blacksmith, Beecher. Kaka, Henry. Kahle, H., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Kapmeier, H., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Katz, Fred, Sr., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Katz, Fred, Beecher. Katze, Fred., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Klemme, Chas., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Klemme, August, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Knabe, Chas., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Rolling. Fred., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Kouka, F., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Koelling, Chris., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Kruth, John, blacksmith, Beecher. Kraske, Christ., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Krug, Bernard, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Kraft, Jacob, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Kruse, Wm., mason, Beecher. Kukermeister, Chas., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Kurtz, Philip, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Lagreder, Henry, tar.; P. O. Beecher. Lange, Chas., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Layes, Conrad, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Leenhausen, H., shoemaker, Beecher. Letts, Henry, Eagle Lake. Lobstein, Samuel, mer., Beecher. Long, Chas., laborer, Beecher. Lutterman, Caleb, tar. ; P. O. Beecher. Luterman, Chris., tar. ; P. 0. Beecher. Lucke, Fred., tar. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Lucke, F. P., shoemaker. Eagle Lake. Lyons, D. P., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Lyons, Henry tS., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Lyon, Caleb, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Matthias, Fred. tar. ; P. 0. Beecher. Mast, John O., lab., Beecher. Most, Conrad, lab., Beecher. Mann, Franz, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Mathias, Henry, merchant. Beecher. Matz, Henry, lab., Beecher. Meyer, Christian, far. ; Eagle Lake. Meyer, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Meire, John T., far. ; Eagle Lake. Mier, S., physician, Beecher. Miller, Carl. Miller, Henry, tar. ; P. O. Beecher. Miller, T. L., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Moller, H., lab., Beecher. Musman, H., mason, Beecher. Nolan, John, far.; P. O. Beecher. Neidert, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Oldenburg, H., far. ; P. O. Beecher. O'Neil, 0. A., lab. ; P. O. Beecher. Olenburg, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecher. O'Leary, John, lab.; P. O. Beecher. Ostermeier, Conrad, far,; P. 0. Beecher. Oklenkamp, D., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Ochlerking, T., tar. ; P. O. Beecher. Oberhaide, Fred, far.; P. O. Eagle Lake. Pauls, Peter, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Paulson, C., far. ; P. O. Beecher. WILL TOWNSHIP. 976 Peeht, Wm., merchant ; P. O. Beecher. Pecht, E., merchant ; P. O. Beecher. Peter, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Pegal, John, tinner; P. O. Beecher. Piepenbrink, H., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Plagge, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Pralle, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Eippe, Geo., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Ristenpart, H., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Reichus, Henry, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Blppe, Christian, far.; P. O. Beecher. Rose, Samuel, merchant ; P. O. Beecher. Rose, Alex., teacher; P. O. Beecher. Rode, Henry, lab. ; P. O. Beecher. Rode, John. Ruden, C, physician ; P. O. Beecher. Ruge, Carl, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Rust, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Russe, Ernst, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Rubrecht, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Sass, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. SoUitt, John, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Sastram, Charles, far.; P. O. Beecher. Schmith, Fred, saloon ; P. O. Beecher. Schmith, Christian. Schmidt, Conrad ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Schilling, John, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Schweppe, Fred, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Schwertfeger, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Schmedeke, Henry, farm.; P. O. Beecher. Scheiwe, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Schweer, Conrad, far. ; P. O, Eagle Lake. Scheiwe, Henry, far. ; P. O. EagleJLake. Schrenk, Henry, far.; P. O. Eagle Lake. Seitz, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Seahaltz, Fred, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Schamhorst, D., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Senholtz, Fred, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Sheiver, Philip, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Shulz, Wm., painter; P. O. Beecher. Shultz, W., painter ; P. O. Beecher. Silk, Carl, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Smith, Fred, saloon ; P. O. Beecher. Smith, Edw., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Sollin, J. C, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Spolder, Franz, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Struve, Wm., lumber merchant; P. O. Beecher. Stenhoff, Christian, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Steadt, Wm., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Stratman, Henry, far.; P. O. Beecher. Stensloff, Fred, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Strain, Wm., far.; P. O. Beecher. Tatge, John H., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Tatgmeier, C, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Thurman, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Thede, Fred, far.; P. 0. Beecher. Tetmeier, John, far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Tramm, John, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Thurman, H., shoemaker; P. O. Eagle Lake. Volandt, Wm., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Vorkawfer, Julius ; P. O. Beecher. Maxwell, Joseph, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Valmer, Henry, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Vashage, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Yon Alvern, Henry, carpenter; P. 0. Beecher. Wehmhoefer, Henry, blacksmith; P. O. Eagle Lake. Wendeling, Geo., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Weirzenburg, H., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Wherman, Fred, far.; P. O. Eagle Lake. Witt, Charles; P. 0. Beecher. Wilke, Fred, far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Wedeking, Chris., far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Wills, Chris., lab. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Wille, Christ, far.; P. 0. Beecher. Wilkenning, C far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Wilkenning, C., far. ; P. O. Eagle Lake. Wilis, Philip. Wille, John, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Willis, Christian, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Woennick, August, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Wetterhausen, L., saloon; P. O. Beecher. Wolter, Heinricb, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Wolter, Wilhelm, far.; P. O. Beecher. Wolters, Heinrich, far. ; P. 0. Beecher. Wood, railroad agent; P 0. Beecher. Zarn, Chris., far. ; P. 0. Eagle Lake. Zirzow, John, far. ; P. O. Beecher. WILL TOWNSHIP. Adams, Henry, far. ' Adams, Geo., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Albers, L., far. ; P. O. Monee. Backman, Henry, far.; P. O. Monee. Baxter, Benj., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Baird, W. Z. far. ; P. O. Peotone. Baird, H. H., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Bain, W., far.; P. O. Peotone. Bain, A., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Bain, Robert, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Barber, Jas., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Board, D. J., far., P. O. Peotone. Brunes, Henry, far. ; P. O. Monee. Brockman, Henry, far. ; P. O. Monee. Bockelmann, W., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Budda, Bernard, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Bunty, B., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Bradigom, Henry, Chicago. Buckmire, Christian, far. ; P. O Beecher. Carr, R. B., far. Caldenburg, Henerick. Centrill, 0. C. Centrill, A., far. Chamberlain, W., far., P. O. Peotone. Chamberlain, Elijah, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Clonswig, Carl C. far. ; P. 0- Monee. Constable, W., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Courthouner, John, Peotone. Cowan, A., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Colling, Gottlieb, far. ; P. 0. Goodenow. 976 REAL ESTATE OWNERS OF WILL COUNTY: Craig, A., far. ; P. 0. Goodenow. Craig, Eobt., far. ; P. O. Goodenow. Danby, Geo., far. ; P. 0. Goodenow. Darl, Fred, Goodenow. Dernby, W., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Dopp, John, far.; P. O. Beecher. Essons, W; far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Erichson, Paul, far. ; P. O. Monee. Esson, W., far. ; P. O. Monee. Essons, Thos., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Egan, Patrick, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Pells, Christian, Peotone. Genter, Carl, far.; P. O. Peotone. Gorman, John, far.; P. O. Monee. Godfrey, Henry A., Mrs., Monee. Gorman, A., far.; P. 0. Peotone. Gridley, J. M., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Grace, August, Peotone: (jrant, Eobt., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Grant, Thos., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Grant, Peter, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Greloff, Fred, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Hasseman, J.,far. ; P. O. Monee. Harm, E. E., Peotone. Hasselmayer, E., tar. ; P. O. Peotone. Henrich, F., far. ; Peotone. Hendricks, Henry, Peotone. Hood, C, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Holden, C. C. P., Chicago. Hudson, Wm., Chicago. Johnson, Peter, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Kesler, Ludwig, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Kenbigen, Carl. Killenbeck, John, far. Kopman, Henry, far. Kolling, Conrad, far. ; Beecher. Krohan, John, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Krohn, Chris, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Lawson, Jacob, Chicago. J.ankon, Cbas., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Lewis, B. M., Chicago. Lilley, Fred, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Lilley, A. P., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Lilley, F. P., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Loetz, John, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Ludwig, Thos., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Lutz, John, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Luke, Fred, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Maxwell, Jas., far. ; P. 0. Monee. Mainwood, Ezekiel, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Matthews, Conrad, far. ; P. O. Beecher. Master, Thos., Peotone. Mastholm, Jas. S., Peotone. McMahon, Pat, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Meyer, Geo., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Nahl, Fred, far. Neill, Henry, far. ; P. O. Monee. Norman, Robert, far. Ormstedt, O. T., tar. O'Neil. Carl J., far.; P. O. Peotone. Patterick, Thomas, far. ; P. O. Monee. Patterson, K., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Peterson, K., tar. ; P. 0. Peotone. Peterson, H., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Powis, John, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Powell, W., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Rolling, Arthur, far. ; P. O. Monee. Rulendort, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Roscoe, David, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Rice, J. I., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Sayre, Geo., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Salarious, Elias, far. ; P.,0. Monee. Schnuviss, H. far. ; P. O. Peotone. Schultz, Joachim, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Schroeder. Fred, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Schriyus, Abraham, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Schillsted. Ole, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Schaffner, Jacob, far.; P. O. Peotone. Schultz, Joseph, far. ; P. O. Monee. Smith, C., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Smith, Christ, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Smith, Geo. W., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Smith, Charles, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Smith, J. C. ; P. O. Peotone. Smith, John, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Smith, Fred, far. ; P. O. Monee. Sollitt, John B., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Sodoman, John, far.; P. O. Peotone. Steinberger, Fred H., far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Starbuck, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Stathast, Ernst, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Steinberger, F. H., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Stade, Louis, far, ; P. O. Beecher. Tait, Wm., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Thomas, Wm., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Thinsfleld, Deidrick, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Theinfeildt, D., far. ; P. O. Beecher. Tucker, Thomas, far.; P. O- Monee. Vinson, J. J., far. ; P. O, Peotone. Warnick, Reuben, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Warnake, Wm., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Westgate, C. A., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Welch. Richard, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Weiker, Henry, far. ; P. O. Peotone. Weif ert, W. N., far. ; P. O. Peotone. Westenfeldt, Henry, far. ; P. 0. Peotone. Williams, David ; P. O. Chicago. Williams, James ; P. O. Chicago. Woodard, Wm., far. : P. O. Monee. Zirzow, Fred, far. ; P. O. Monee. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. JOLIET. Andrews, Alex., Dealer in Staple and Fancy Groceries, Flour and Feed, Cigars and Tobacco, corner Cass street and Eastern avenue. Akin, E. H., Dealer in Keal Estate, Aiken's Block, 65 Jefferson street. Adler, P. P., Dealer in Live Stock, Wholesale and Retail Meat Market, No. 17 Chicago street. Abbott, George, Proprietor New England Kestaurant, corner Jefferson and Chicago streets. Arnold & Bowen, Dealers in Gro- ceries and Provisions, and Proprietors of the Joliet Steam Coffee and Spice Mills, and Wholesale Dealers in Coffees and Spices of every description. Cof- fees roasted for the trade. Office and mills, Nos. 27, 29 and 32 Bluff street. All Goods delivered from the wagon. Adler, Jacob, Dealer in Cattle, Horses, Hogs, Sheep and Stock of all kinds. Office at Adier's Market, Chi- cago street. Alfrick, P., General Blacksmith. All kinds of Blacksmithing done at short notice, and satisfaction guaranteed. Horse-shoeing a specialty. 71 North Bluff street. Adelman, Peter, Dealer in Dry Goods, Notions, Groceries, Glassware, etc. etc., 22 Jefferson street. Burden, A., Merchant Tailor, No. 19 Ottawa street, opposite Central Presby- terian Church. Braun, Jos., Proprietor of Apollo Hall, No. 103 Jefferson street. Bush, J. E., Dealer in Grain. Office and warehouse on Des Planes street. Barber, Randall & Puller, At- torneys at Law, Centennial Block, op- posite Court House. To facilitate trials of real estate oases, collections, and other business, this firm keeps a com- plete set of books of Abstracts of Title for this county, which also enables them to place loans of money on undoubted security. Burke, Thomas, Livery, Feed and Sale Stable. Best of livery teams sup- plied upon liberal terms, at short notice. Bluff street, south of Exchange street. Byrnes, Christy, Dealer in all kinds of Staple and Fancy Groceries, Flour and Feed, No. 104 South Chicago street. Goods delivered to any part of the city. Brown, J. H. & Co., comer Jefferson and Joliet streets, Dealers in Drugs, Medicines, Chemicals, Fine Toilet Soaps, Hair and Tooth Brushes, Perfumery and Fancy Articles, Trusses, Braces^ and Druggists' Sundries generally, Paints, Oils, Glass, Putty and Dye Stuffs ; Physicians' prescriptions care- fully compounded ; Pure Wines and 978 BUSINESS DIKECTOEY. Liquors for medicinal purposes ; Cigars, Blank-Books, Paper, Pens, Pencils, etc. Bruce, James, & Co., Dealers in all kinds of Stone. Quarries between Rolling-Mill and Penitentiary. Campbell, M. B., Dr. Homeopathic Physician and Surgeon. Office, 79 Jef- ferson street. Office hours 8 to 11 o'clock A. M., and 2 to 4 P. M. Carpenter & Marsh, Proprietors of Union Transfer Elevator. Dealers in Grain and Peed, opposite C. &. A. passenger depot. Culver, J.: J., Shipper of Live-Stock, and Wholesale and Retail Dealer in all kinds of Fresh and Salt Meats, Dried Beef, Hams, Tongues, Sausages, Lard, Fish, Poultry, Game, etc., BluiF Street Market. Chittenden, Northup & Co., Dealers in Dry Goods and Notions, cor- ner Jefferson and Chicago streets. Casey, John R., M. D., Physician and Surgeon. Office and residence cor- ner of Scott and Van Buren streets. Chamberlain, S. S., & Son, Fur- niture, 92 State street, Lockport, and 24 Chicago street, Joliet. CurtiSS, Romaine J.,M. D., Phy- sician and Surgeon. Office and resi- dence No. 18 Broadway. CagWin, A., & Co., Dealers in Grain. Office, Center street, near Ward's plan- ing-mill. Cope, H. W, , Manufacturer of and Deal- er in Horse-Collars of every description. No. 59 N. Bluff street. All collars made to order guaranteed to give satis- faction. Carson Bros., Dealers in all kinds of Staple and Fancy Groceries, No. 8 Ex- change street, West Side. Goods deliv- ered to any part of the city. Caswell, Wallace B., Proprietor St. Nicholas Hotel. First class accommo- dations ; charges moderate ; near the business part of the city, opposite C, A. & St. L. E. R. depot. Daly, Eugene, Undertaker and Deal- er in Furniture, No. 5 Exchange street. DOOlittle, R., Justice of the Peace, Conveyancer and agent for the payment of taxes, 69 Jefferson street. Dougall, Wm., M. D., Physician and Surgeon, 63 Jefferson street. Of- fice hours, 8 A. M. to 12 M., and 3 P. M. to 6 P. M. Devine, Prank, Contractor and Builder. Shop and office, corner South Ottawa and De Kalb streets, opposite 6th Ward Sohoolhouse. Carpenter work in all its branches performed in a satisfactory manner ; plans and specifi- cations furnished ; jobbing promptly at- tended to. ElWOOd, James G., Real Estate Dealer, etc. Office, over post office. Eder, H., Lager Beer Brewer, corner Summit and Bridge streets. First National Bank of Joliet, Geo. Woodruff, President; F. W. Woodruff, Cashier. Special attention given to collections ; loans negotiated. Fox, O., Dealer in fine Ready-Made Clothing, Hats, Caps, Ladies' Cloaks Furs, Furnishing Goods, Trunks, etc. A specialty in fine custom-made suits. Guarantee a perfect fit. Red front, next to First National Bank. Fithian & Avery, Attorneys and Counselors. Office, Centennial Block. Fahrner, D., Dr., No. 14 N. Centre street. Fay, W. D., Photograph Artist. New Gallery, 94 Jefferson street. Work promptly finished. Satisfaction guar- anteed. Missing Page Missing Page BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 981 Grinton, Wm., Jr., Beal Estate and Loans, No. — , Chicago street. Garnsey & Knox, Lawyers. Good- speed's Building, corner Jefferson and Chicago streets. Hagar & Flanders, Attorneys at Law. Office in the Court House. Haviland, Prank, Proprietor of Livery, Sale and Boarding Stable, cor- ner Joliet and Van Buren streets. Haley & O'Donnell, Attorneys at Law, and Solicitors in Chancery. Office in Walsh's Building, corner Joliet and Jefferson streets. Heise, A. W^., Physician and Surgeon. Office and residence, corner Ottawa and Webster streets. HoUCk & Brown, Tanners and Cur- riers, Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Sole Leather and Shoe Findings of all descriptions. Cash paid for Hides, Tal- low and Pelts. No. 5 Joliet street. House, George S., Attorney at Law. Hand, M. P., Dr., Dentist. Hosmer, G. H., M. D., Physician and Surgeon. Office, 18 Jefferson street. Hayen, Henry H., Blacksmith. All kinds of blacksmithing done at short notice ; also Manufacturer of Wagons and Buggies, Marble-workers and Stone- masons' Tools, 91 N. Bluff street. Ingalls, L. E., Real Estate Agent. Real Estate bought and sold ; Money loaned on real estate, No. 73 Jefferson street. Joliet Morning News, Published every morning, Sundays excepted. Nel- son, Ferriss & Co., Proprietors. Sub- scription price 1 cent per copy, or 25 cents per month, sent to any address, postage paid. ■hjoliet Sun, Sun Printing Company, 33 and 35 Chicago street. Daily Sun $5.00 a year, in advance ; Weekly Sun $1.50 a year in advance. All kinds of Book and Job Printing at very low prices. Joliet Collection Agency, Office in the Centennial Block, Jefferson street. Collections promptly attended to. E. Wilcox, Justice of the Peace. Refer by permission to First National Bank. Joliet Soap Works, Chas. W. Cleg- horn, Proprietor. Laundry Soap a specialty. Office and Factory north of Hyde's Mill. Joliet Stone Company, Quarry- men and Dealers in every variety of Joliet Stone, and General Stone Con- tractors. Quarries on South Richards street, also on Cass street ; office, Duck- er's Block. Special attention given to the exeorftion of plans, and all orders for Cut, Rubbed and sawed Stone. Joliet City Bank, of F. L. Cagwin & Sons. Joliet Record, The, Published every Friday, by D. C. Henderson. Office corner of Jefferson and Ottawa streets. Terms, $1.50 per year in advance. The Jobbing Department is supplied wit.i the most improved machinery, and mod- ern types and fixtures, for doing print- ing expeditiously and in the most satis- factory manner. Orders by mail prompts ly filled at lowest figures. The legal profession will find our facilities com- plete for printing Abstracts, Briefs, etc. Legal Blanks in common use kept on hand, and others furnished on short notice. Joliet Quarries. Wm. Davidson & Bro., Quarrymen and Dealers in Dimen- sion, Flagging and Rubble Stone. Or- ders for Cut Stone solicited and promptly filled by canal or railroad. Office at quarries, one mile south of Joliet. Kelly, Thomas J., Jefferson street. Dealer in Foreign and Domestic Dry 20 - 982 BUSINESS DIRECTORY. Goods, Notions and Fancy Goods. Ladies' Corsets a specialty ; Sole Agent for the Alista Perfumed Corset. Prices always the lowest ; call and examine. King & Bishop (Established in 1866), Dealers in all kinds of Lumber, Lath, Shingles, Cedar Posts, Building Paper and Carpet Pelt. Yards on Des Planes street, formerly occupied by Hardy & Blanohard. Knowlton, E. E,., Dealer in Grain, Hard and Soft Coal, and Wood. Coal- yard at Elevator, south end of Eastern avenue. Parties desiring to order coal or wood can call at Hobbs & Knowlton'S) at the Will Co. Bank, and talk through the telephone, thus saving the trouble of coming to the yard. Krause, Julius, Watchmaker and Jeweler, Dealer in Watches, Clocksi Musical Instruments, Silverware, Spec- tacles, etc.. No. 43 Jefferson Street. Kepairing done in the best manner. Keissling, Frederick, Butcher and Stock Dealer in all kinds of Fresh and Salt and Smoked Meats constantly on hand ; also Manufacturer of all kinds of Sausage in the market. Live-Stock bought and sold. Market and office. North Bluff street. Keyes, John, Proprietor Cut-Off Drug Store. Dealer in Pure Drugs, Medicines, Perfumery, Toliet and Fancy Articles, Choice Wines and Liquors for medicinal use, and all Druggists' Sun- dries, Fine Imported and Domestic Cigars. Physicians' Perscriptions care, fully prepared. Store on Washington street, opposite Bush's elevator. Lyford, H. M., Dealer in Clothing and Gents' Furnishing Goods, Hats, Caps and Furs, corner Jefferson and Ottawa streets. Lambert, John, Wholesale and Re- tail Dealer in Hard and Soft Coal ; Wilkesbarre, Lump Lehigh, Blossburg, Brier Hill, Indiana Block and Wilming- ton Coal, supplied to manufacturers and dealers to all points by rail or canal. Office jorner Jefferson street and Chi- cago & Alton R. R. Mason, E. B., Real Estate and Loans, 63 Jefferson street, up stairs. MillspaUgh, I. T., Police Magistrate and Justice of the Peace. Collections promptly attended to. Monroe, G., & Son, Wholesale Deal- ers and Shippers of Produce, and Gro- cers, Opera House Block. Mack, U., Manufacturer of and Whole- sale and Retail Dealer in Boots and Shoes, 33 Jefferson street. Munn & Munn, Attorneys at Law, 69 Jefferson street. Munroe, George J., Attorney at Law and Financial Agent, Akin Block, No. 65 Jefferson street. Collections made throughout the west. Money loaned on approved security. Notary Public. Mason & Plants, Lumber Dealers, and Manufacturers of Sash, Doors and Blinds, Frames, Moldings, Brackets, etc., etc.; Proprietors of Stone City Planing-Mill, office and yard, corner of Des Planes and Cass Streets. Mansion House, one block north of Court House. Strictly Temperance House ; prices to suit the times ; street cars pass its doors to and from the Fair Grounds, Penitentiary, etc. J. C. Dill- man, Proprietor. Munch, P., Dealer in Hard and Soft Coal, Wood and Coke. Office, corner Scott and Jefferson streets, near Chi- cago & Alton freight depot. Murphy Brothers, Livery and Feed Stable, No. 31 South Joliet street. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 983 MaCkin, P., Dealer in Groceries, Pro- visions, Flour and Produce, No. 33 S. Chicago street. Highest price paid for Country Produce. McParlin, James H., Butcher and Stock Dealer; all kinds of Stock bought and sold. Office and Market, South Chicago street, corner of Wallace street. Nobes, Isaac, Proprietor of Oak Hill Quarry. Dimension, Bridge, Rubble and Flagging Stone of the best quality, shipped by rail or canal to all parts of the Northwest. Quarry three-fourths of a mile north of the Illinois State Penitentiary. Osgood, A. A., Real Estate and Loans, 54 Jefferson street. Olil], Benjamin, Attorney at Law. Office in Masonic Block, northwest corner Jefferson and Ottawa streets. Ogden, C. J. & M. B., Drs., Physi- cians and Surgeons. Office and resi- dence, 35 South Ottawa street, Joliet, ■ and in Meyer's Block, Lockport. Patterson & Longley, Wholesale and Retail Dealers in Hard and Soft Coal. Office and yard, northwest cor- ner Scott and Washington streets. People's Loan and Homestead Association, The, 63 Jefferson street, up stairs. Capital Stock 5,000 shares of $100 each, issuing in Quar- terly Series. Officers — Chas. Pettigrew' President; E. H. Akin, Vice President; E. B. Mason, Secretary ; F. W. Plant, Treasurer. Paige, J. D., Proprietor Paige's Bot- tling House, and Manufacturer of all kinds of Mineral Waters, 61 North Bluff street. Patterson, James G., & Son, News Dealers and Dealers in Choice Family (groceries, Provisions, etc.. No. 23 Jefferson street. Porter, E., Proprietor Eagle Brewery, Manufacturer of Porter's Joliet Ale and Lager Beer. PaSOld, F., Manufacturer and Dealer in Boots and Shoes. A complete Stock of Ladies', Misses', Childrens' and In- fants' Fine Shoes. Parks, G. D. A., Attorney at Law. Rapple, P. J., Shipper of Live Stock, and Proprietor of Joliet Street Market. Rapple, J. H., Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Fresh and Salt Meats, Lard, Poultry, etc.. No. 3 N. Bluff street. Reichman, J. & J., Dealers in all kinds of Fresh and Salt Meats, No. 4, Chicago street. Richards, Charles, M. D., Physi- cian and Surgeon. Office, corner Jeff- erson and Chicago streets. Robertson House, Proprietor, cor- ner Washington and Chicago streets. First-class in every particular. RobeSSOn, Frank, Dealer in Gro- ceries, 36 Joliet street. Rosenheim, D., Wholesale and Re- tail Dealer in Gents' Clothing, Furnish- ing Goods, Hats, Caps, Trunks, Va- lises, etc.. No. 49 Jefferson street. Stsehle, Charles W., Bookbinder and Picture Framer, No. 45 North Bluff street. Steel, W. A,, Proprietor of the Joliet Stone Quarries. Dealer in the Best Quality of Dimension, Flagging, Rub- ble and every kind of Building and Monumental Stone. Sehring, Fred., Proprietor of Co- lumbia Brewery, corner Bridge and Summit streets. Schweizer, C, Dealer in California Wines and Brandies; also Kentucky Whiskies; No. 10 Chicago street. Stephen, Joseph, Manufacturer and Dealer in Harness, Saddles, Whips, 984 BUSINESS DIRECTORY. Bridles, Blankets, etc. Wholesale and Retail. 37 JeiFerson street. Scheldt & Smith, Contractors and Manufacturers of Q-alvanized Iron Cor- nices, Window and Door Trimmings, Brackets and Moldings, CMmney Caps and Finials, Urns and Sign Blocks, Pressed and Spun Ornaments, Tin Roofing. Gas and Steam Fitting promptly attended to. Dealers in Hardware, Stoves, House-Furnishing Goods, Sheet Metal Architectural Work, Dormer Windows, Guttering and Spout- ing, corner Bluff and Exchange streets. Stevens, W. W., Attorney at Law, Notary Public and Member U. S. Law Association. Collections a specialty. Suapp & Snapp, Attorneys at Law. Office over Will County National Bank. Salter, Geo. B., Dentist, 57 Jefferson street. Residence, 22 Eastern avenue. Smith, P. G., Manufacturer of all kinds of Top and Open Buggies, Car- riages, Platform Work, and the Cele- brated Concord Side-Spring ; also the New Empire Cross-Spring Buggy. All kinds of Repairing and Trimming neatly done. All work warranted equal to the best of Eastern manufacture. Van Buren street, opposite Episcopal Church. Stewart, E. H., Dentist. St. Julian, J. I., lO 'Jefferson street, Manufacturer of and Dealer in Harness, Saddles, Collars, Bridles, Whips, Hal- ters, Curry-Combs, etc. Repairing done neatly and cheaply. All work Warranted. Give me a call. Also Dealer in Uncle Sam's Harness Oil. Scheldt, J., & Co., Manufacturers of and Dealers in Pure Candies, and Deal- ers in Fruits, Nuts, etc. Palace Candy Factory, No. 9 Jefferson street. Oys- ters and Ice Cream in their season. Schoettes, Henry, Dealer in Cigars, Wines and Liquors, 159 South Chicago street. Solar Stove Works, Established in 1871 ; employ forty hands, turning out annually 3,000 Cook Stoves, 40,000 pieces of Hollow-ware, consuming 3,000 tons (ff the best pig-iron. Leading brands — Commonwealth, Interior, Co- lumbia, Fidelity and Geo. Washington. Schroeder, Ferdinand W., Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Grocer- ies, Flour and Feed, Stationery and General Merchandise, Paints, Oils and Window Glass ; also Proprietor of Schroeder's strictly Pure White Lead ; $250 will be paid in gold for every ounce of adulteration found. Cash paid for Country Produce. Corner of Eastern avenue and Washington street. Schick, Henry, Fine Imported and Domestic Cigars. Business rooms on Washington street, between Eastern avenue and Richards street. Stuffier, Fred. X., Dealer in Hard- ware, Stoves, Tinware, Cutlery, House Furnishing Goods, etc.; also Manufact- urer of Tin, Copper and Sheet Iron Ware, No. 158 Jefferson street, one- half block east of St. Nicholas Hotel. The Greenback News, Published every Friday. Devoted wholly to news, labor and currency reform. Nelson, Ferriss & Co., Proprietors. Sent to any address postpaid, at 50 cents per year. The Joliet Phoenix, Published every Thursday morning. Terms, 81 a year in advance. J. S. McDonald, Proprietor. Office, No. 35 Jefferson street. Job Printing neatly executed. The Joliet Republican, James Goodspeed, Proprietor ; John U. Lang, Editor; J. C. Porter, Local Editor. Every variety of Job Printing. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 985 The Adam Manufacturing Co., General Manufacturers ; Manu- facturers of the Best Steel-Barbed and Steel Cable Fence Wire, under patents controlled by us. Office and Works, corner of Water and Wallace streets. The Wochenblatt, for North Illi- nois, G. Schulte, Editor and Proprietor. Circulation 2,000. Established Nov. 15, 1877. Vance, G. L., Manufacturer and Dealer in Furniture, Children's Carriages, Brackets, Moldings, Picture Frames, Mottoes, etc. Large Stock, Low Prices. Opera House. Woerndle, Francis, Dr., German Apothecary and Drug Store, No. 8 N. Bluff street. A complete Stock of Drugs, Medicines, Chemicals, Pure Wines for medicinal uses. Perfumery and Fancy Goods ; a large assortment of Trusses, Supporters, etc., and every- thing pertaining to a first-class Drug Store. Whittier, J., & Co., Dealers in Stone and Lime. Office, 131 N. Bluff street. Flagging, Dimension, Rubble and best Blue Stone, Fresh Lime daily, from Paige's Patent Lime Kiln, estab- lished in 1856, put on car or boat in barrels or bulk, at very low figures and warranted. Woodruff, G. H., Druggist. Dealer in Drugs, Medicines, Chemicals, Toilet and Fancy Articles, Patent Medicines, Brushes, Soap», Perfumery, Books and Stationery. Prescriptions carefully compounded. Westmann, O.R., Portrait and Land- scape Photographer, Dealer in Frames, Albums, Views, etc., 49 Jefferson street. Artistic Photography in all Branches, and Copying Old Pictures a specialty. Will County Marble Works, C. C. Olney, Manufacturer and Dealer in Marble and Granite Monuments, Tombstones, etc., corner of Jefferson street and Eastern avenue. Will County National Bank. C. Knowlton, President ; H. C. Knowl- ton. Cashier. Capital, $100,000. Par- ticular attention given to collections. Werner, Charles, Dealer in the Best Quality of Blue Stone, of any size and dimension ; also Flagging, Rough or Cut, and Rubbles. Quarries, South Joliet, West Side, on C, R. I. & P. R. R. Also Proprietor of Wer- ner's Hall. Werner, Wm., Dealer in the Best Quality of White and Blue Stone, of any size and dimension, Flagging, Rough or Cut, and Rubble. Contractor of all kinds of Masonry. Quarry, West Side, near Upper Bridge. P. 0. Box 1324. Young, Henry, Dealer in Smoking and Chewing Tobacco, and Smokers' Articles generally. No. 91 Jefferson Street. Young, H. J., Dealer in Watches, Clocks and Jewelry. Watches, Clocks and Jewelry repaired and warranted, No. 91 Jefferson street. Zarley & Co., Proprietors of the Joliet Signal. Bstabhshed in 1842. Every variety of Book and Job Print- ing at lowest rates. LOCKPORT. Bradley, William, M. D., Phy- sician ; office at his store, 77 State st. Office hours, 8 to 12 A. M., and 1 to 5 and 7 to 9 P. M. Bacon, C. H., M. D., Physician and Surgeon ; office in Bacon & Co.'s Drug Store, 64 State St. ; residence one door north of St. John's Church. Boyer, J. A., Proprietor Lemont Stone Quarries. All kinds of Building, Di- 986 BUSINESS DIRECTORY. mension, Flagging and Rubble Stone on hand at all times. Office at Lemont. Bradley, W., Dr., Druggist, 77 State street. A full line of Drugs, Paints, Oils, Stationery and Fancy Goods, Glass, Putty, Fine Toilet Soaps, Perfumery, Dye Woods, Dye Stuffs, Sponges, Brushes, and all other articles kept by druggists generally. Phyiscians' prescriptions carefully compounded. Wines and Liquors for Medicinal Pur- BaCOn, C. H., & Co., Central Drug Store, 64 State street. Dealers in Pure Drugs, Medicines, Chemicals, Toilet and Fancy Articles, Trusses, Supporters, Shoulder-Braces, Fine Soaps, Brushes of all Kinds, Combs, Stationery, Pocket- books, Pocket Cutlery, Fine Razors, Glass, Putty, Paints, Oils, Varnish and Dye Stuffs, Lamps, Chimneys, Wall Paper, Window Curtains, Pure Wines for Medicinal Use. German and En- glish prescriptions carefully compounded. Clark, B. B., Dealer in Dry Goods, Men's and Boys' Ready-made Clothing, Boots and Shoes, Hats and Caps. Store on Ninth street, five doors east of State. Chamberlain, S. S., Dealer in all kinds of Furniture. Latest Styles of Parlor Suites, Chamber Sets. Dining Room and Kitchen Furniture always on hand. Undertaking a Specialty. Office in Store, 92 State street. Chamberlln, H. W., Blacksmith- ing and Wagon-Making. All work, re- pairing, etc., done on short notice. Shop on Ninth street. Daggett, J. F., Physician and Sur- geon ; forty years practice ; will here- after devote his entire attention to the practice of his profession. Office in Dr. Bradley's Drug Store, 77 State street. Emery, H. W., Dealer in Lumber, Sash, Doors, Lime, Plasterer's Hair, Nails, Building Paper, Lath and Shin- gles. Office west end Canal Bridge, Ninth street. GeddeS, John, Proprietor City Meat Market. The oldest established Butcher in Lookport. Fresh and Salt Meats always on hand. Personal attention given to the business. Shop on State street. Gaylord, Geo., & Co., Retail Dry Goods, 75 State street. Large assort- ment of Alpacas, Cashmeres, Plain and Figured Worsted Goods, Hamburg Edgings and Embroideries, Corsets, Sus- penders, Ruchings, Linen Collars and Cuffs, Ladies' Gents' and Children's Hosiery, Sun Umbrellas and Parasols, Lace Curtains, etc., etc. Hartwell, P. N., Architect and Builder. Plans and Specifications fur- nished on application ; estimates made and contracts taken. Shop on Tenth street, one door west of State. Johnson, M. P., & Co., City Mar- ket, State street. All kinds of Fresh and Salt Meats, Poultry, Fresh Fish, Oysters, Compressed Beef, Spiced Beef, etc. ; also all kinds of Fruits in Season, Cabbage, Bananas, Cauliflowers, Toma- toes, Melons, etc. Jacobus, F. H., Proprietor Lockport ' Meat Market. A full supply of Fresh and Salt Meats on hand at all times ; Vegetables of all kinds in their season. Children will be dealt with as fairly as grown persons. Shop on State street. Johnson, Otto, Dealer in and manu- facturer of Boots and Shoes. A fine assortment of Ladies' and Misses' shoes in all sizes on hand ; also Boots and Shoes of my own manufacture for Men and Boys, which I fully warrant the best of stock used. Shop on State street between Ninth and Tenth. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 987 Lynd, Geo. M., Dealer in Staple and Fancy Groceries. The best grades of Coffees, Teas, Sugars, Sirups; Canned Fruits always on hand; Queensware, Glassware, Cigars and Tobacco. On Ninth street, four doors east of State. Lynn, Geo., Manufacturer of Boots and Shoes. All work warranted and a neat fit guaranteed ; best of stock used ; charges moderate. Call and see me on State street, south of Tenth. Miller, John H., Tonsorial Artist; Shaving, Shampooing, Hair Trimming in the Latest Styles ; Hair and Whis- kers Dyed ; Children's Hair Trimming a Specialty. Parlors on State street. Myers, Wm. S., Attorney and Counselor at Law. All legal business intrusted to my care will receive prompt attention ; collections of every kind made at reasonable rates and remitted promptly; exchange on Chicago for sale at all times in sums to suit. Norton, Hiram, Proprietor of Lock- port Carriage Factory. Carriages and Buggies built and repaired ; none but experienced workmen employed and nothing but the best materials used ; all work warranted. Shops on State street, south of Tenth. Prindle, Wm. W., Wagon and Carriage Maker. Wagons and Car- riages built and repaired; all work promptly attended to. Shop on Ninth street east of State. Rafferty, N. S., City Grocer and Confectioner. All kinds of Family Gro- ceries on hand. Fruits and Confection- ery a Specialty. The only Ice Cream Parlors in town. Also Justice of the Peace ; does Collecting and Convey- ancing. Office in Store on State street. SchOOp, Frederick, M. D., Phy- sician and Surgeon (Deutscher Arzt). Office corner of State and Tenth streets, over G. B. Norton's store. Office hours, 8 to 10 A. M., 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P. M. Stowe, P. P., corner State and Ninth streets, Dealer in Groceries, Provisions, Crockery, Yankee Notions, etc. Finest brands of Cigars and Chewing Tobaccos. Also Justice of the Peace and Collect- ing Agent. Stowe, Fred W., Dealers in News- papers, Periodicals, School-Books, No- tions and Stationery. Orders for books, etc., filled at publishers' prices. Agent for Worst's sheet music. Scheibe, Julius, Dealer in Boots and Shoes. A good assortment of La- dies', Misses' and Children's Fine Shoes, all sizes and lasts, always on hand. Men's and Boys' Kip and Calf Boots and Shoes. Custom Work and Kepair- ing neatly and promptly .attended to. On Ninth street two doors east of State. Walter, M., Proprietor of the Boss Grocery, corner Ninth and State streets. Sells Staple and Fancy Groceries, Crock- ery, Pure Cider Vinegar, Minnesota Spring Wheat Flour, Vienna Bread, Compressed Yeast, etc., for cash only. Highest market price paid for country produce. Youker, AdolphuS, Dealer in Agricultural and Farming Implements of all kinds ; Wier Sulky Plow, Furst & Bradley's 16-inoh Biding Plow, Scotch Harrows, Keystone and Star Planters, McCormick Reapers and Mowers, Vibrator Threshers, Pumps of all descriptions. Barbed Fence Wire, Buggies and Schuttler Wagons. WILMINGTON. Allen, E., Proprietor of Wilmington Butter and Cheese Factory. This is one of the best factories in the North- 988 BUSINESS DIRECTOEr. west, having a capacity fpr 50,000 lbs. of milk per day ; the product for the past year has been about 75,000 lbs, of butter, and 365,000 lbs. of cheese, and at an average price of about 32 cents for butter and 9 cents for cheese. Allen & Sous, Dealers in Lumber, Lath, Shingles, Postp, Sash, Doorsi Blinds, Moldings, etc. Agent for Bar- rett & Arnold's Celebrated Sheeting Pelt. Office corner Water and Canal streets. Bovee & Wilson, Dealers in Hard and Soft Coal. Lackawanna, Lehigh, Braceville and Braidwood Coal — best in the market ; also Piedmont and Cum- berland Coal for blacksmiths, supplied to consumers at the lowest prices. Office at D. F. Wilson's Lumber- Yard, corner Water and Canal streets. Baker, L. A., General Fire and Life Insurance and Collection Agency. The oldest Insurance Agency in the city. Represents the following reliable Insur- ance Companies : Insurance Company of North America, Philadelphia ; Phoe- nix, Hartford ; Home, New York ; j^tna, Hartford ; Underwriters, New York; North British & Mercantile, Imperial and Northern, Connecticut Mutual Life, Hartford. Assets of the above companies over 8114,000,000. Also Agent for passage tickets Cunard Line. Banyard, V., Dealer in Family Gro- ceries, Confectioneries, Fancy Goods, Wooden and Willow Ware, Tobacco, Cigars, etc., 94 Water street. We guarantee satisfaction with all our goods at lowest prices. Bogart & Monteith, Center Meat Market, No. 71 Water street. Conley, Edward D., Editor and Publisher of the Wilmington Advocate. Official paper of the city, and devoted to local and general news. The Advocate is one of the solid institutions of the place, and has a good circulation in the Wilmington coal-fields. Its job depart- ment is well supplied with material for executing job-work of all kinds. Office, 85 Water street. Castle, H. C, Breeder and Shipper of Poland-China Hogs. Post office address, Wilmington, Will Co.. 111. These hogs are fine bone but large size, broad backs, deep sides, heavy jowl, hams and shoul- ders, combining more eminently than any other, the excellences of both large and small breeds. Stock sent to all parts by express or freight. Pure-bred stock always on hand. Orders for pigs promptly filled. Residence, Rockville, 111. Wilmington Phoenix, The Duck & Hall. Editors. The Largest, Cheap- est and Best Newspaper published in Will Co. Only $1.00 per year, in ad- vance. Call at No. 70 Water street, and get a specimen copy. Donahoe, E., Dealer in Groceries, Provisions, Crockery, Glassware, Wood- en and Willow Ware, &c. No. 90 Water street. Evans, James, Livery, Sale and Boarding Stables, Water street, foot of Jefierson. First-class equipments fur- nished at short notice. Weddings and funerals attended to promptly. First National Bank of Wil- mington, No. 177, organized in 1863. Capital $100,000. Surplus $67,000. John W. Stewart, President ■ John Whitten, Vice President ; James Whitten, Cashier. Fisher, J. C, & Co., Wilmington Mills, Manufacturers of and Dealers in Flour, Mill Feed, etc. Terms cash. Orders promptly filled. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 989 Gurney, B. H., Livery and Sale Stables ; corner Main and Baltimore streets. Henderson & Stewart, Dealers in Dry Goods, Boots, Shoes, Hats, Caps, Clothing, Crockery and Queensware. 92 Water street. Rowland, H. P., Dealer in Furni- ture, Carpets and a General Line of House Furnishing Goods. Undertak- ing promptly attended to. Holmes, John, Contractor and Builder. JolinSOn & Rowe, Contractors and Builders. Molding made a specialty, and a full assortment always on hand. Plana and specifications for buildings furnished at short notice. All work done promptly and at reasonable figures. Farm work receives our personal atten- tion, and those contemplating improve- ments of any kind are cordially invited to call at the planing-mill. Kabler, T. W., Grocery and Bakery. Dealer in Staple and Fancy Groceries Qneensware, Glassware, Provisions, etc. 69 Water street. Loner, S., Dealer in Clothing, Hats, Caps, Gents' Furnishing Goods, Cloths, Trunks, valises, etc. No. 88 Water street. Lyon, A. J., New Restaurant, on Jack- son street. Warm meals at all hours. Merrill, John W., Attorney at Law. Mclntyre & Co., White Cloud Mills, Dealers in Flour, Mill Feed, Bran, Shorts, etc. Orders promptly filled. Mcintosh, T. S., Dealer in Paints, Oils, Varnish, Glass, Brushes, Window Shades, Wall Paper, Pictures and Frames. House, Sign, Coach and Orna- mental Painter. Also Agent for Tas- cott's Celebrated Enamel Paint. Office on Jackson street. McQueen & Morris, Grocery and Bakery. Dealers in Staple and Fancy Groceries, Crockery, Queensware, Glass ware. Wood and Willow Ware, Cigars and Tobacco. 61 Water street. Mcintosh, William, Proprietor of Farm Wagon Works. Manufactures all kinds of Farm Wagons. All work warranted. Mr. Mcintosh has been engaged in the manufacturing business since 1856. Office and shop on Water street one door north of the Stewart House. O'Heron, D. E., & Co., Dealers in Staple and Fancy Groceries, Provisions, Confectionery, Cigars, Tobacco, etc. 59 Water street. Phoenix Poundry and Ma- chine-Shops, M. H. Hilburn, Pro- prietor. Repairing of all kinds. Cast- ings furnished to order. Ransom, John P., Justice of the Peace and Insurance Agent. Repre- sents the following reliable Insurance Companies : Phoenix, Brooklyn, N. Y. •, Fire Association, Philadelphia, Penn. ; Melville Fire and Marine, Melville, N. Y. ; Royal Canadian, Montreal, Can. ; British America, Toronto, Can. ; Agri- cultural, Watertown, N. Y. ; Rockford and Forest City, Rockford, 111., and American, Chicago. Ray & Thompson, Dealers in Grain, Coal, Live and Dressed Hogs. Highest Cash Price paid for Dressed Hogs, Corn, Oats, etc., etc. Near C. & A. Depot. Rauworth, Samuel, City Meat Market, Water street. Small, John D., Dealer in Dry Goods, Hats, Caps, Clothing, Staple and Fancy Groceries, Crockery, Queensware, Glass- ware, etc. Highest market price paid for Butter and Eggs. 990 BUSINESS DIRECTORY. Small, E. D., & Co., Dealers in Lumber, Lath, Sash, Shingles, Doors, Ce- ment, Salt, Moldings, Battings, etc. The best Coal offered in this market — -mined at the Hunter shaft — is sold at their Wilmington yard. Shields, Francis, Dealer in Staple and Fancy Groceries, Provisions and Queensware. No. 113 Water street. Silliinail, S., Dealer in Boots and Shoes, Hals, Caps, etc., etc. 83 Water street. Stewart House, A. Towle, Proprietor. Trott & Stinson, Homeopathic Phy- sicians and Surgeons. Office and resi- dence opposite City Hall, Main street. Thompson, D. C, Manufacturer of Carriages and Farm Wagons. All work warranted. Repairing promptly attend- ed to. Wright, A., Stone and Brick Mason. Wright, A. D., Dealer in Staple and Fancy Dry Goods. Corner Water and Jackson streets. Willard, E. R., M. D., Physician and Surgeon. Residence, second house east of the Methodist Church. Office at his Drug Store, No. 65 Water street, where our patrons wOl receive careful and prompt attention. Willard, E. W., Druggist. Books and Stationery. Willard, ChaS. M., Dealer in Canned Goods and Confections, Foreign and Domestic Fruits, etc., Tobacco, Cigars, Pipes and Pipe Repairs. BRAIDWOOD. Barr, Peter, Drug Store, Welsh Build- ing, Main street, where may be found Drugs, Medicines and Chemicals, Per- fumery, School-Books and Stationery, Wines and Liquors for medical purposes. Physicians' prescriptions carefully com- pounded, and all orders correctly filled, day or night. Burt, Robert, Saloon. Choice Wines and Liquors. Billiard Room ; two tables. Bamrick, John, Saloon. Choice Wines and Liquors. BraidwOOd, James, Proprietor of the Braidwood Coal-Mines. Barr, Peter, Saloon. Choice Wines and Liquors. Backus, John B., M. D. Barker, I., &C0., Foundry. Coal- Mine Supplies, Coal-Carts and Stove- Castings. BLOOD, H. W., Proprietor of Soda and Mineral Water Bottling House, and Manufacturer of all kinds of Soda and Mineral Waters. Bottled Lager Beer, Ale, Porter, Cider, Spruce Beer. Braidwood Hotel, John Broadbent, Proprietor. Accommodations first-class at reasonable prices. Conner Brothers, Meat Market. A complete assortment of choice Beef, Mut- ton, Pork, Veal, Fresh Fish, Tripe and Salt, Smoked and Dried Meat, etc., etc. Highest prices paid for good beef cattle. Carlisle, William, Proprietor of the Braidwood Bakery. Donnelly, Joseph, Groceries, Flour, and Feed Store. Staple and Fancy Groceries, consisting of Provisions, Crockery, Dried and Canned Fruits, Fish, Salt and Dried, together with everything kept in a first-class Grocery Store. Goodrich, L. H , Dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries and Boots and Shoes. A complete Stock of the above-named goods, consisting in part of Ladies' Dress Goods, Hosiery, Gloves, Staple and Fancy Groceries, Boots and Shoes. A full assortment of Men's, Women's and Children's Boots and Shoes. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 991 Hennebry, Thomas, Boots and Shoes. Men's, Women's and Chil- dren's Boots and Shoes in the latest styles constantly on hand. Custom Work and Repairing done to order. Hennebry, Thomas, Saloon. Choice Wines and Liquors. Hynd, J. & J,, Dealers in Confec- tienery, Cigars, School-Books, Stationery, Sheet jNIusio, Violins and Guitars, Strings, etc. Ice Cream and Oysters served in season. Huston, Robert, Dealer in Dry Goods and Notions. A complete Stock of the above-named goods constantly on hand, consisting of Ladies' Dress Goods, Hosiery, Gloves, Ginghams, Prints, Denims and Ticks, Fancy Notions, and everything usually found in a well- fitted-up Dry Goods Stock. Sail, E., Superintendent of the Chicago and Wilmington Coal-Mines. Holmes & Cady, Dealers in General Hardware, Iron, Steel, Tin, Sheet-Iron, Mining Tools and Agricultural Imple- ments. Agents for the American Pow- der Co., Braidwood, 111. Jam.es, Robert, General Agency. Does a General Insurance Business, Fire and Life. He represents the best Companies in the country and writes policies at the lowest rates. He is also Notary Public and negotiates money I loans on real estate security at low rates of interest. Parties having business in any of these lines, will find it to their interest to consult him. Kain Brothers, Furniture. Any- thing in the Furniture Line may be found in our Store. We have one of the most complete stocks of Furniture in Braidwood. We also keep a first- class Livery Stable, where good rigs may be had at low rates. We will officiate at funerals. Charges moderate. LeCaron, H., Dr., Drug Store, where may be found Drugs, Medicines and Chemicals, all the new Patent Medicines, Perfumery, Pure Wines and Liquors for Medical Purposes. Physicians' prescriptions carefully compounded and all orders correctly filled, day or night. Morris, David, Dry Goods and No- tions. A complete Stock of Dry Goods and Notions constantly on hand. La- dies' Dress Goods, Hosiery, Gloves Prints, Ginghams and Fancy Notions and everything found in a well-fitted-up Dry Goods Store. Maltby, William, Superintendent of the Eureka Coal-Mines. Marsh, I. R., Boots and Shoes. A full assortment of Men's, Women's and Children's Boots and Shoes. Call and examine my goods before purchasing. Mooney, "William, Attorney at Law. O'Donnell, Cornelius, Boots and Shoes. A full assortment of Men's, Women's and Children's Boots and Shoes. All goods marked down to the Lowest Prices. Call and examine. O'Donnell, Cornelius, Saloon. Choice Wines and Liquors. Peltier, M. P., Flour and Feed Store. Keeps feed of all kinds and will sell cheap. Has a stock of Boots and Shoes, Hats and Caps. Those who are in need of any of the above stock should not fail to give M. F. Peltier a call. Patterson, A. & J. W., Furniture and Livery Stable. Anything in the Furniture Line may be found in our Store. Those who need anything in the Furniture Line can be suited without leaving Braidwood. Our Motto, " Live and Let Live." In connection with our Furniture, we keep a first-class Livery Stable, where good rigs may be had at 992 BUSINESS DIRECTORY. low rates. Also officiate at funerals with a good tearse. Charges moderate. Parkinson, H. H., Publisher of the Daily Repuhlican circulation 500 ; $3.00 per annum, in advance. Have the latest styles of type made and are prepared to do all kinds of Job Printing at short notice. Rankin, Duncan, Groceries. Staple and Fancy Groceries, consisting of Pro- visions, Crockery, Wood and Willow Ware, Flour, Fish, Salt and Dried, and Canned Fruits, together with everything pertaining to a well-appointed store. Randeck, Joseph, Wine and Beer Saloon. Choice Wines and Liquors. Wakefield, Edwin, Maj., Jus- tice of the Peace. Ward, J. H., Fire Insurance Agency. The following reliable Companies are represented : German American, of New York ; Continental, of New York ; Home, Columbus, Ohio ; Trenton, New York, etc., etc. All honest losses paid on the spot. Rates as low as first-class indemnity will permit. Office at res- idence at Old Braidwood. Walker, John, Saloon and Boarding Stable. Headquarters for farmers. The best of accommodation at low prices. Young & Steen, Dealers in Confec- tionery, Cigars, School-Books and Sta- tionery. MONEE. Bohlander, J. P., Mrs., Proprietress of American House and Livery. Daniels, C. K., Traveling Agent for American Bible Society. Easterbrooks,Laban, Conveyancer and Real Estate Agent. Jordans, GustaV, Sample and Bill- iard Rooms. Koepke, Christian, Proprietor of German House. Sample Rooms and Livery. Miller, Simon, General Merchant and Grain Dealer. Store and elevator near R. R. depot. PragSt, ChaS., General Hardware Merchant. Rohmeier & Boden, Confectioners and Tobacconists. Schoenstedt, Christian,Manufact- urer of Carriages, Farm and Road Wagons, and General Dealer in all kinds of Farm Machinery. Factory near steam-mill. Schiffer, August, General Merchant and Grain Dealer. Elevators and store near R. R. depot. Triem, Philip, Merchant Tailor. Vatter, Adam, Jr., Lightning-Rod and Insurance Agent. FRANKFORT. Baumgartner, B., General Merchant. ClaUS Bros., Post Office, and Dry Goods and Grocery Merchants. PolkerS, Johnson, Butcher and Dealer in Dried and Salt Meats and Fish. Karch, Charles, Agent for the New Wilson Shuttle Sewing Machines. All kinds of Agricultural Implements. Klepper, Philip, Carriage and Wagon Manufacturer. Letts, J, R., Grain and Pork Buyer. McDonald, John, oldest Grain Buyer and Dealer in Coal, Hay, Salt, Flour, &c., in the village. Muff, Martin, Saloon Keeper, and Proprietor of R. R. House. Sutherland, James, Manufacturer of Wagons, Fine Phaetons, Carriages, etc., and Agent for Farm Implements. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 993 Stephens Bros,, General Machinists, Millwrights and Manufacturers. Stephens, Joseph, Notary Public. Williams, C. B., Proprietor of Frank- fort Hotel and Livery ; best Livery in the village. MOKENA. Cappel & Krapp, Butchers. McGovney, OziaS, General Mer- chant and Postmaster. Schuberth, John, General Hard- ware Merchant. Weiss, MoritZ, Druggist. NEW LENOX. CrOSSen, R. W., Manufacturer of Fine Carriages and Buggies. Knickerbocker, Ward, Druggist and General Merchant, and Postmaster. Kercheval, ChaS., Breeder of Fine Swine. Lynk, Tunis, General Merchant and Depot Agent. Snoad, ChaS., Breeder of Norman Horses from Imported Stock, and Gen- eral Western R. R. Land Agent. Res- idence, New Lenox ; P. 0. Joliet. PEOTONE. Angus & Pell, Dry Goods, Groceries, and an assortment of General Merchan- dise. Brayton, J. H., Dealer in Clothing, Hats and Caps, Boots and Shoes, and Gents' Furnishing Goods. Board & Shumway, Dealers in Pure Drugs, Medicines, Books, Station- ery, Toilet and Fancy Articles, Choice Wines, Liquors, etc., for medicinal use, and all Druggists' Sundries. Physi- cian's Prescriptions carefully compound- ed. Office of E. B. Shumway, M. D. j Barnhart, James, Job Printer, | Stationer and Fancy Notions, Papeteries [ and Sheet Music, and Musical Instru- ments ; also Editor and Proprietor of the Peotone Eagle. Collins & Schroeder, Dealers in Grain and Coal. Highest Market Price paid for Grain. Conrad & Schugmann, Hardware and Stoves. Conrad, John, Police Magistrate, Notary Public and General Collecting Agent. Collections solicited and prompt- ness guaranted. Conrad, Peter, & Son, Proprietors of the Peotone Cheese-Factory. Dewitz, Jacob, Manufacturer of Wagons and Buggies, and Dealer in Pumps, etc. All kinds of pumps re- paired. Pedde, Henry, Cabinet-Maker and Undertaker, and Manufacturer and Dealer in all kinds of Furniture and Burial Caskets. Hearses furnished up- on application. Gates, Henry, Notary Public, also Dealer in Groceries, Clothing, Hats, Caps and Gloves. Highest Price paid for Produce. Harsh & Beedy, Dealers in General Hardware and Farming Implements. Melville, Andrew, M. D,, Surgeon. Rains & Sultzbaugh, Dealers in Heavy Pressed Hay and Straw, by the car-load. Shumway, E. B., M. D., Physician and Surgeon. Schmid, Louis, Proprietor of Peo- tone Hotel. Best hotel in town. East of depot. Schroeder, Smith & Collins, Dealers in Dry Goods, Clothing, Boots, Shoes and Groceries. Warden & Gilkerson, Dealers in Grain, Lumber, Lime, Coal, Cement, Stone, Drain Tile, etc., etc. 994 BUSINESS DIRECTORY. Yung, William, Photographer, and Dealer in Albums and Frames. Faded Pictures copied and enlarged. CRETE. Ahrens, George W., Furniture and tTndertaker. Brauns, GustavUS, Dry Goods, Drugs and Medicines, and Groceries. Dealer in Hay. Owner of large Hay- Press. Carter, C. E., Editor and Proprietor of the Crete Enterprise. Job Printing. Crete Manufacturing Com- pany, Manufacturers of Doors, Sash and Blinds, etc., etc. Hewes Hotel, the only good Hotel in Crete; Accommodations first-class at a reasonable price. B. F. Hewes, Pro- prietor. Hewes Bros., the oldest Dry Goods and Grocery Store in Crete. Dealers in Live Hogs, Grain and Seed. Proprie- tors Brick-Yard. Minard, G. W., M. D. Rinne, Earnest, Dealer in Hay, and Owner of Hay Press. Proprietor of Brick- Yard. Walter, Emil, Agent for Keapers, Cultivators, Rakes, Plows, Seeders, Corn-Planters, etc., Crete, 111. Wood, W. I., Livery and Sale Stable. Wood, Willard, Attorney at Law. ELWOOD. Cowell, G. E., M. D., Homeopathic Physician. Calls attended at all hours. Gifford, E., & Son, Dealers in Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery, Glassware, Hats and Caps. Highest Market Price paid for Country Produce. LiCtltenwalter, J. J., Dealer in Grain, Coal, Lumber, Sash, Doors and Blinds. Contractors and Builders fur- nished. Linebarger, John, & Co., Dealers in Grain. Nicholson, William, Dealer in Hardware and Agricultural Implements, Paints, Oils, Glass, Pumps, Ammunition, Tin and Iron Ware, and Stoves. Spafford, Robert, Postmaster, Deal- er in Flour, Notions, etc. Snoad, H., & Co., Dealers in Dry Goods, Groceries, Boots and Shoes, etc. Wood, Wm. W., Farmer. Buyer and Shipper of Stock ; also Money to Loan on Good Real Estate Security. CHANNAHON. Bates, E. E., Blacksmith and Wagon Builder, and Dealer in Agricultural Implements. Repairing of all kinds promptly attended to. Pitch, Joseph, M. D., Physician. Office in Drug Store. Pitch, Joseph, Dealer in Pure Drugs and Medicines ; also a full line of Gen- eral Merchandise, Boots and Shoes, etc. Fowler, C. & C. E., Dealers in Dry Goods, Groceries, Boots, Shoes, H-ats, Caps, Notions, etc., etc. PLAINFIELD. Bennett, George, Mason and Build- ing-Mover. Corbin, ElihU, Justice of the Peace and Real Estate. Chittenden, G. N., & Co., Dealers in Dry Goods, Groceries, Clothing, Boots and Shoes, Hats and Caps, etc. Eraser, H. R., & Co., Dealers in Hardware and Groceries. Jump, D. W., M. D., Physician and Surgeon. Keen, William S., Blacksmith. Norton, H. S., Sec. 3, Plainfield Tp., Building Sand of the best quality, in any quantity, 50 cents per load, 2 cents per bushel. Ten per cent off on quantities. BUSINESS DIRECTORY. 995 Perkins, A. J., Physician and Sur- geon. Pratt, S. S., & Son., Undertakers and Dealers in all kinds of Furniture. Spencer, Horace, Physician. Townshendeau, H. A., Barber and Editor and Proprietor of the Plain- field Echo. Vanolinda, Ira, Justice of the Peace and Police Magistrate. Wight, R. B., Renovator. Webb, R. D., Wagon Manufacturer and Repairer of all kinds of Farm Ma- chinery. BEECHER. Loebstein, Samuel, Dealer in Stock and General Merchandise. Mettenhausen, Louis, Teacher. Miller, Timothy L., Cattle-Breeder and Dealer in Hereford and fine-bred stock. Ruden, Charles P., Physician and Surgeon. MISCELLANEOUS. Barber, Franklin E., Farmer and Dairyman, Du Page Tp. Goodenow, George W. & Son, Dealers in Hay and Proprietors of Large Hay-Press. Dealers in Dry Goods and Groceries, Goodenow, Crete Tp. Hack, John, Merchant and Post- master at Eagle Lake, Washington Tp. Harvey, Jabez, Dealer in Dry Goods, Groceries, Boots, Shoes, Medicines, Farm Machinery and Hardware. Conveyan- cing done and acknowledgments taken. All goods shipped to Joliet. Wilton Center, Will Co., 111. Owen, James L., Mokena, Will Co., 111., Breeder of Norman or Percheron Horses from imported stock. Half and three-quarter blood stallions and mares for sale at reasonable prices. Also pure- bred Poland-China Pigs, compactly built, for sale, boxed and delivered on the cars- Residence one and one-half miles south of depot. O'Neil, Charles J., Farmer and Breeder of Fine Stock, Will Tp. Pooley, John, Veterinary Surgeon. Treats diseases of horses and cattle. Residence on Sec. 13, on the town line, Wilton Tp., Will Co., 111. Raver, D. J., Mason and Parmer, Troy Tp. Reynolds, J. S., Attorney at Law, Room 2, northwest corner of Fifth ave- nue and South Water street, south end of Wells street Bridge, Chicago, 111. Sime, James, Farmer, Stone-Mason and Bricklayer, Florence Tp. Stassen, Henry, Nurseryman and Agent for Greengarden Insurance Co., Greengarden. Small, E. D,, & Co., Lumber mer- chants. Dealers in Lumber, Lath, Shin- gles, Fence-Posts, etc. Our stock is new and complete in every respect. Yard and office, Custer, mouth of Horse Creek and at Ira Smitli's Landing. Smiley, J. J., Groceries. Staple and Fancy Groceries, mouth of Horse Creek,. Custer Tp. Truby, M., & Son, Dealers in Grain Lumber and Stock, Bird's Bridge,, Troy Tp. POPULATION OF WILL COUNTY BY TOWNSHIPS. 18TO. I860. 1850. TOWNSHIPS. 1 a bo 1 S 1 i 1 i ■a i. 6 1719 214 617 730 615 1164 1468 1118 875 1924 1202 1279 1485 2940 7263 1979 966 828 1207 1361 922 3584 1772 922 926 856 810 644 1055 646 946 1189 2093 4959 1476 578 604 865 843 593 2368 1180 ,604 238 612 308 231 869 556 333 296 847 2304 503 388 224 342 518 329 1216 592 318 1162 1467 1117 875 1924 1202 1257 1483 2815 7228 1964 966 820 1204 1355 919 3566 1766 922 2 1 1 911 1189 918 691 1763 933 1208 983 1 Du Page 5 844 22 2 125 :^5 15 811 456 .Toliet 7066 36 2647 12 First Ward Third Ward 8 3 6 3 18 6 Fourth Ward Fifth Ward Sixth Ward 2805 19 1646 11 LockDort Manhattan 514 Momence 573 1600 598 1121 1213 1750 723 2771 879 332 808 761 1500 667 1184 721 266 313 452 250 56 1587 1591 591 1107 1213 1750 723 2771 9 7 14 872 Monee 907 301 1726 617 Plainfield 1093 Plainfield Reed 781 183 514 453 240 337 Sherburne Troy 918 1564 924 1133 911 2776 1828 1118 617 722 776 823 485 1971 1378 804 301 842 148 310 426 795 450 314 918 1563 923 1132 911 2757 1819 1117 866 578 544 1069 242 1652 1 1 1 1 1 Wesley 749 Will 1 Wilmington 9 9 1 1343 3 Wilmington Wilton 845 269 A TABULAR STATEMENT OF THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, ACREAGE, ETC., OP WLLL COUNTY, ACCORDING TO THE ASSESSOR'S REPORT OP 1878. TOWNS. Nu. of statements returned to Assessor Corn. j Winter Wheat. Spring Wheat. Oats. Kye. Barley. Acres Bush. ', Acres. Bush. Acres. Bush. Acres. Bush. Acres Bush. Acres Bush. Custer 80 103 131 139 111 loi 117 187 166 85 142 138 162 93 186 147 19 141 170 69 93 187 146 164 3004 4654 3963 5242 670-2 86791 155110 111395 171070 218816 2 30 110 34 5 61 377 939 3292 3624 2165 4822 3646 2281 2987 981 2236 3867 4927 2017 2916 3102 65 1903 4379 506 718 2611 2845 3611 14288 36629 112480 197804 97121 175170 138400 110162 141380 39703 112472 16510 148930 106394 155943 112280 1735 90855 227637 19130 30423 111470 73602 145396 606 72 10 36 151 2 2 176 43 7 168 2770 1485 89 700 2980 60 26 3410 1046 100 4571 Crete 338 42 7 24 77 63 38 36 5 4607 747 75 400 894 855 630 1085 7 Du Page 5721 188900 6351 4347 7911 100950 123812! 274300' 3 7 17 160 Homer 8 16 170 400 2808 89210' Lockport 6094 8371 6243 162906^ 210330: 133940' 2 58 202 16 2340 300 IS 160 413? 151933 73601 2653471 8IIS2 2S177U 481 105501 8044 303213, 7303 294200 3279| 90989, 472->| 164960] 8545, 379542 Plainfield 34J^ 704 83 6 1810 115 16H 390 2 24 6 247 18 91 201^ 35 413 145 4370 297 1212 232 394 4394 62 60 55 281 12 1134 1400 990 6560 336 Wheatland . , 13 180 32 644 2 15% 100 1.59 Washington 3919 149784 3 12 TOWNS. Buckwheat. Castor Beans. Beans. Pease. Irish Potatoes. Sweet. Potatoes. Apple Orchards. Acres. Bush. Acres. Bush. Acres. Bush. Acres. Bush. Acres. Bush. Acres, Bush. Acres. Bush. Custer 57 1 8 3 2 7 4 25 2 618 12 81 67 16 126 60 319 34 10 200 46 113 117 108 82 208 135 183 89 491^ 120 128 200 IO914 1441^ 117 20 120 a% 106^ I6O1/2 3693 6896 9600 8496 5731 1.5170 7665 11638 8887 9060 9446 6880 10966 3330 14226 7113 2030 9749 10096 5090 3650 9169 6267 8903 82 129 2131^ 266 248 262 126 601 219 19 2461^ 136 1281/j ^ii 139 10 189 210 ......... 60 6 410 36 1 20 1 1 1 20 10 10 ' 268 6 2 1 1 50 6 3 9 87 % 2 m 30 Lockport 3914 492 4 46 7 Monee 100 16 2 213 14 2',„ 30 286 Peotone Beed v '] 40 70 36 Troy Wheatland 10 7 m "is" 6y 120 42 112 ")'35 14H ""2" Ti 8 33 26 1 80 71 11 Wilmington 140 2341^ 121 781^ 60 Wesley Wilton Will Washington '.'.'....... 1.17 '""04 ■■".""'. >11 68 STATEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, kc— Continwd. TOWNS. Peach Orchard. Pear Orch- ard. Tobacco. Broom Corn. Hemp Flax. Timothy Meadow. Clover Meadow. Prairie Meadow. Acres. Bush. Aci 63. Acre^J Lbs. ' Acres. Lbs. Acres. Acres. Acres. 1 Tons. Acres. Tons. Acres. Tons. 4 1 4000 1129 jnss 186 325 110 394 1306 263 2218 811 1382 1749 2260 2691 2821 2369 4031 2561 3050 144 3683 3534 309 6 21' 73 30 10 40 3242 1 200U 24 l.-i67 2.195 1091660 1943 30 1866 1823 538 729 133 662 26 3264 24:18 2761 60 "io 273 69 12 40 343 760 700 ■■i lorou 1016 Joliet lS9zi4'21(l7 2293 3066 21163 2500 1507 ISiO 128 t 713 3M 7 j 2101 2643 1 529 3068 3191 1 3074 399 6087 718 K 'i5 1 .=.00 2084 3636 1478 !2068 160 ■ 207 253:i' 3212 3139 4H2.'^ 886 Il3:-lfi 850 2415 1106 3185 : '■"" 546 1080 676 32 20 52 1010 572H ™ 779 Wilmington Ill 1 1703 594 2145 Wesley 1488 1876^ 2868 2130 1838 2218 3150 22821/2 94| 149 706 Wilton Oe! 76 22fi<)U 22731^ 2092 Will 93 142 1877 lOOlH j 1339 TOWNS. Huugarian and Millet. Sorghum. Vineyard. Turnip and other Root Crops. Other Fruit, Berries, etc. Other Crops. Paature.not inoludinc Woodland. Woodland, not inolud- iogPiHture Acres. Tons. Acres. Gals. 1 Sirup. Acres. Gals. Wine. Acres. Value. Acres. Value. Acres. Value. Acres. Acres. 60 9 36 23 2?i 174j 3 40 S120 2207 6283 1639 6228 4386 4460 1664 6236 3458 2065.81 4551 5969 3265 4940 4343 3307 745 4647.31 4661 2660 3530 5240.60 Crete 1 .... Dn Page 19 60 8 10 29 92 12 Florence 1 11/2 60 2 225 239 Frankfort 18 , 294 9000 Jackson 3 4 ... .1 . ' . . 815 18 795 Joliet 45 IV, 140% 36 48 482 flionee 79 25 Vol 40 ^ 150 994 3 2 10 20 200 2000 Plainfleld 20 200U 126M Peotone Reed 92 Troy ......... 2457 10 Wheatland Wilmington 8 6 6'/2 133 10 8 2 54 86 ' Wesley 4 2|i 2^ 2J^ 381 135 220 1293 Wilton 8 ......... Will 'i 5^ 20 125 S3239 WaBhin.:ton 141 "4256.25 40 STATEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, ka.— Continued. Uncultivat'd Land, not Woodland or Pasture. Area Town oratyBeal Estate. Total Number of Acres. Shee by SHEEP. DAIRY. TOWNS. p Killed Dogs. Q 11 Fat Sh'p Sold No. Cows Kept Lbs. Butter Sold. Lbs. Che*se Sold. Gals. Cream Sold. Gals. |Av. Val. No. pr. Head No. Av. Wt pr Head. Milk Acres. Acres. Sold. 893 3681 10683?^ 17981 14064 ^ iuiis 171S9 228351^ 22884 21'i63 18760 8256. Oe'i 1652% - 226147 21155'/, 2I $6 00 1569 595 369 4275 230 1880 63b 3216 1630 son 2499 27 52 10 78 18 145 11 104 124 85 125 120 78 75 90 113 85 101 546 420 965 1171 798 835 782 ■ 899 701 15549 2.5075 3M45 78755 27871 25780 20 WO 52096 37386 209119 160 OretP _.. 6000 48760 70 112i 2 37 129724 Frankfort 345 360 33 2 60 3' 3 00 15! 3 10 4000 18515S 49260 425 1748 30 75.75 Joliet Lockport I 416 25 12 3 12 129 60 SO 896 V^CAii 657 833 648 754 903 178 651 149 572 667 742 35000 31175 53190 53328 24792 S600 25532 104230 13510 6880 3U220 225.57 692 9 3 00 5 14 00 438 27600 110746 810 110 150 165 Plainfield 1727 I 339 21904?^ 18649 ■ 2180 21931.31 12700 1 100 611 100 JO 8 Keed I 60 Troy 1 418 18880 4U 55 5 00 2970 30 123 1 Wilmington 470 Wesley 480 Wilton 13'*6 ^i 9894 16532>^ 99Q.^Q 9R 142495 1649 1220 129 30 65 90 131145 9Jifl 99 6 4 06 Washington 3710.75 660 ' 20293'^ 1663 988 27312 CATTLE. TOWNS '^°- '^'" Average TOWJXb. I (,^jj[^ Weight Sold. Per Head. Custer ! Channahon j Crete Du Page I Florence r Frankfort .... Greengarden. Homer Jackson Joliet Lockport Manhattan ... Monee New Lenox.. Plainfield .... Peotone Beed.. Troy Wheatland ... Wilmington Wesley Wilton Will Washington. 93 2742 110 310 5931 244, 38 64 724 106 240 107 37 380 400 252 38 627 337 414 284 046 132 34 980 1100 853 1221 1125 1000 753 1059 700 1019 960 1000 700 1113 994 1120 920 1274 1100 1076 1143 1156.46 922 1370 Fat Hogs Sold. Av. Val No. pr. Head 886 1434 1937 1933 1400 867 949 1791 1507 601 1047 1408 756 2763' 82 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 ..„.- 3 28831 2 2469 2 79 2463 1481 1060 3009 2264 1366 1168 44 60 37 72 54 60 21 00 82 75 68 60 40 00 95 62 17 28 50 34 76;.^ 71.81 47^ 05 Fat Hogs Died of Cholera. Timothy Seed. Av. Wt. pr. Heai 134 299 316 4 275 35 130 12 26 487 45 46 Bushels. IBushels 69 115 100 100 97 100 90 160 99 200 106 50 100 43 118.44 66 MISCBLLANEOUS CEOPS. •31 16 194 1907 . 161 241. 10:. 61! 587 47 133 ...3. 1387'. 276 966'. 22 , ll, 109 , 429 23 741 37 I252I 1480 Hung'u Millet. Bushels. 125 239 26 626 1481 Flax Seed. 1098 ""200 ' '910 231 5607 1681 1516 Pounds Grapes. 1220 100 1625 1600 600 600 4000 "l330 1000 40 GIlA.]SrD SUMMARY. Whole Number of Statements Returned. FARM CHOPS. Corn Winter Wheat... Spring Wlieat... Oats Bye Barley Buckwheat Castor Beans Beans Peas Irish Potatoes..., Sweet Potatoes . Apple Orchard . Peach Orchard. Pear Orchard..., Tobacco Broom Corn. Hemp Fiber., Flax Fiber.... Timothy Meadow Clover Meadow Prairie Meadow Hungarian and Millet.. Sorghum Vineyards Turnip and other Root crops Other Fruits and Berries not included above in Orchard. . Other crops not named above Pasture not included in Woodland Woodland not included in Pasture Uncultvated land, not included as Woodland and Pasture.. Area City and Town real estate, not included above Total number of acres in county 417977 Acres, IS77. 132332 112J 1684| 60796 1438 43i 226| H 2650/5-, 2 4025} 576 10. 5f 3 24 764 43615 4481. 3O180tJ/j 505| 12| 82J ^ 22 9148^=^ 88552 17530 J 17279 1807t2J Bull. ?roil.l877. 4324432 2330 23069 2415712 28732 ■826 2567J 22 427 106 189506 125 1639 Lis, pVodiesi. 6765 10500 Tons produced. 56965J 7474 36600* 428" Gals, produced. 1385 Sals. Wine made. 240 LIVE STOCK, 1877. SHEEP. auantity or Value. Number of Sheep killed by dogs 252 Average value per head, Sheep killed by Dogs $3 39 Number of pounds of Wool shorn 30582 Number of Fat Sheep sold 961 Average weight per head, Fat Sheep sold lbs. 108 DAIRY. Number of Cows kept 17366 Pounds of Butter sold 787012 Pounds of Cheese sold 57860 Gallons Cream sold 10060 Gallons Milk sold 1322646 CATTLE Number of Fat Cattle sold 9352 Average weight per head Fat Cattle sold lbs. 942 HOGS. Number Fat Hogs sold 37500 Average gross weight per head Fat Hogs sold lbs. 254 Number Hogs and Pigs died of Cholera 2064 Average gross weight per head of Swine died of Cholera lbs. 87 CROPS, ETC. Number bushels Timothy Seed produced 9513 Number bushels Clover Seed produced 1898 Number bushels Hungarian and Millet Seed produced 4744 Number bushels Flax Seed produced 13111 Number pounds Grapes produced 15815 Biography Received Too Late for Insertion in its Proper Place. PROF. ISAAC S. PALMER, Joliet ; was bom April 14, 1819, in Norwich, Norfolk Co., England ; at the age of 9, he went to Edinburgh, where he was associ- ated with the immortal George Combe, and, through his influence, gained admission to the famous Edinburgh Medical Institute, where he remained until he was 18, after which he entered public life as a lecturer OD phrenology ; in 1849, the Professor sailed for America, for the purpose of col- lecting specimens of the native Indians and learn from practical experience the types of their character, and then return to England and lecture upon the subject ; in 1852, he went to St. Paul, purchased a boat and traveled the entire length of the Mississippi River,and Collected over five hun- dred Indian skulls and many other relics, all of which were destroyed by fire ; the enter- prise was then given up, and he decided to make America his home. Since 1867, he has been a citizen of Joliet, having married, at that time, Mrs. Elisabeth F. Aylesworth, daughter of Charles W. Bran- don. He still follows his favorite profes- sion, lecturing on phrenology, physiology, anatomy and geology ; also the practice of medicine. ERRATUM. The Biography of Barber, Randall & Fuller, of Joliet, should have been among the B's ; was placed in the R's by mistake. TRA6ILE DOES NOT CIRCUUTE PtU>^SEO DEieRIORATlON pu^o.