USA > Illinois > Kendall County > Genealogical and biographical record of Kendall and Will Counties, Illinois : containing biographies of well known citizens of the past and present > Part 13
USA > Illinois > Will County > Genealogical and biographical record of Kendall and Will Counties, Illinois : containing biographies of well known citizens of the past and present > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87
121
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD.
Jessup chose Martha Seely, by whom he had seven sons, and his third wife bore the maiden name of Fanny Pierson.
William A. Jessup was born in Goshen, Or- ange County, N. Y., November 23, 1826. When he was twenty-three years of age he left home and came to the west. He went on the railroad as far as it had been constructed and at Buffalo embarked on a boat bound for Detroit. At that point he purchased a ticket on the railroad, which had been built only as far as Michigan City. There he went on board a boat and went to Chi- cago, but the journey was made in a severe storm, and all of the passengers were seasick. The rest of the trip to Lockport was made on the canal, where Mr. Jessup remained for some three years, making his home with his relative, Edmund Seely, and working the homestead on shares. He then bought two hundred and forty acres of a Mr. Townsend, who had taken up the claim originally. Aside from this property, there was so little fenced in the neighborhood that a person miglit have ridden unobstructed across the prairie for many miles in any direction.
At the beginning of his career here, Mr. Jessup entered the dairying business and shipped butter to Chicago and back to Orange County, N. Y. He also raised grain extensively, Lockport and Joliet being his chief markets for that product. For years lie devoted a large share of his atten- tion to the raising of cattle and also fed live stock for the market. He bought and later sold a tract of sixty-seven acres, and invested a portion of his capital in another farm of eighty acres. He erected all of the substantial buildings upon his place and built his residence with special ref- erence to the fine springs which supply the house with unsurpassed water. The twelve miles of tiling which he has had laid on the farm has greatly improved the homestead and rendered it more productive and healthiful.
In the early part of 1853 Mr. Jessup returned to his native county, and on March 17 married Marie J. Van Duzer, daughter of John Van Duzer, who was a supervisor and justice of tlie peace. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Jes- sup are: John V. D .; Sarah Seely, deceased;
Theodore, who is in the employ of the Western Electric Company, of Chicago; Margaret Jen- nings, wife of Hugh H. Goudie, of this town- ship; and Clara Howell. John V. D. married Abigail E. Goodale, and their three children are: William A., Esther and John V. D., Jr.
Though yet hale and hearty, Mr. Jessup has turned a portion of his more arduous cares to his elder son, and in 1893 he had a pleasant modern house erected near his own home, for the son's family. In former years he served for several years as supervisor of this township and also as a highway commissioner and school trustee. He was a Whig in his early manhood and since the Republican party was organized has given it his allegiance. For many years he has been an elder in the Presbyterian Church and was influential in the building of the present house of worship in his home township.
HELDON HIRAM WHEELER. It is prob- able that no resident of Na-au-say Township is better known throughout Kendall County than Mr. Wheeler. Having come here in an early day and identified himself closely with agri- cultural interests, and having met with more than ordinary success, it is but natural that he should hold a high place in the regard of his ac- quaintances. His office as president of the Old Settlers Association has made him a conspicuous figure in this county, and he is not only widely known, but also everywhere honored. The life of a pioneer so prominent should be recorded in the annals of the county, so that its example may be emulated by future generations.
Mr. Wheeler was born in Castleton, Rutland County, Vt., September 10, 1826, a son of Alan- son K. Wheeler. His father, a native of Ver- mont, born in 1799, came to Illinois one year after his son, our subject. Here, as in the east, he devoted himself to farming. First as a Whig and later as a Republican he was active in public affairs. He aided in the formation of the Repub- lican party in this county and was an early rep- resentative from this county in the Illinois legis-
I22
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
lature, where he served faithfully and well. The Congregational Church here owed its start in large degree to his efforts. He lived to a good old age, dying in 1880. His wife, whom he mar- ried in Vermont, and who bore the maiden name of Sarah Whitlock, died in 1891. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters, of whom three sons and one daughter are living, the latter in Chicago, and the former, Sheldon H., Rollin M. and John A., in this county.
The first of the family to settle in Kendall County was Rollin M. Wheeler. In 1843, when twenty-two years old, he drove through from Vermont to Illinois and selected the land in Na- au-say Township, where he still lives, buying the two hundred and forty acres from the gov- ernment. He soon went back to Vermont, mar- ried, and brought his wife to Illinois with him. He also brought one hundred head of sheep, the first flock of any size ever in Chicago. With five and six yoke of oxen he broke a two-foot furrow in the land. He planted and raised corn and wheat, which he hauled to the Chicago market. As soon as he had wool to sell he also found a ready market in Chicago. He continued to be heavily interested in sheep until about 1885. He also raised large numbers of hogs and cattle, and carried on a dairy business. At the time of com- ing west he brought with him a copy of the creed of the Congregational Church. This was used in the organization of the first church here. However, later on, a number of people from Or- ange County, N. Y., settled here and they de- sired to establish a Presbyterian Church. Mr. Wheeler and his wife co-operated with them, became charter members of the church, and as- sisted in the building of a house of worship. As long as he was able to attend services he held the office of elder. Of late years he has been to a large extent retired from active labors.
Sheldon H. Wheeler is a few years younger than his brother Rollin, and was two years later in settling in Kendall County. It was in 1845 that he started west, coming with his father as far as Buffalo, and then proceeding alone to Chicago. He brought a flock of forty sheep with him, driving them from Chicago to his brother's farm,
and the descendants of that original herd are still in his flock to-day. In the spring of 1846 his father cante west. The first frame house they built is still standing and is used as a shop and storehouse. It was built in the spring of 1847. The shingles and flooring for the house were hauled from Chicago. For fifteen years the fam- ily lived in that pioneer abode. They then erected a commodious and substantial building that is the present home of our subject. Since the death of his parents Mr. Wheeler has contin- ued to live on the old homestead, which has never been deeded except from the government or state to the family. To some extent he has been interested in the dairy business and in rais- ing Holstein cattle, but he is not so heavily in- terested in stock as in former years. In the main his life has been a successful one, although he has had his share of reverses, not the least of these being his loss by lightning, in 1892, of a large and substantial barn, together with forty tons of hay, twelve horses and a quantity of grain. Immediately afterward he built another large barn, which he has since used.
January 4, 1866, Mr. Wheeler married, in Au- rora, Ill., Miss Mary Foulston, by whom he had nine children. The oldest child, Elizabeth, died in 1897, and two sons, Mason and Cyrus, died in infancy. The others are: Frank F., a farmer in Lisbon Township; Cyrus D. (the second of that name), who is a grain and stock dealer in Tri- umph, La Salle County; John A., a farmer in Plainfield Township, Will County; Seth R., Mary Jane and Oliver J., at home.
In local politics Mr. Wheeler is independent; in national, a Republican. While he is not a politician, he has been induced to serve in many local offices, and has held every township office excepting those of collector and constable. He was elected constable, but refused to serve. Fra- ternally he is connected with the blue lodge of Masons at Oswego and the chapter at Aurora. The different churches have received his assist- ance, he having helped in the erection of the edi- fices occupied by the Congregationalists, Methi- odists, Presbyterians, Universalists, Lutherans, Evangelical Association and Roman Catholics, a
123
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
record perhaps equaled by few men in Illinois. He attends the Presbyterian Church and contrib- utes to its support. As a citizen no man in his township stands higher. His life has been be- yond reproach, his record that of a progressive farmer and a public-spirited citizen.
DWIN WHITTLESEY HARVEY, an en- terprising and progressive agriculturist and a prominent citizen of Seward Township, Kendall County, was born November 13, 1838, in Clyde, Wayne County, N. Y., a son of Leonard Harvey, and a grandson of Medad and Anna (Buell) Harvey, life-long residents of the En- pire Statc.
Leonard Harvey was born in Onondaga Coun- ty, N. Y., in 1809, and was there reared on a farm. In his earlier years he was engaged in agricultural and mercantile pursuits in his native state, of which he was a resident until 1855, when he removed with his family to Orange County, Va., and there remained two years. In the spring of 1857 he came to Kendall County, Ill., and in 1858 purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 25, Seward Town- ship, from which he improved the farm now owned and occupied by hisson Edwin W. Here he was successfully engaged in tilling the soil until his death, in December, 1884. In politics he was a Whig in his younger days, but was afterwards identified with the Free Soil and Re- publican parties. In his religious belief he was a Baptist, having never swerved from the faith in which his ancestors, for several generations, had been reared. His first wife, whose maiden name was Jane Rathbone, died in early womanhood, in Onondaga County, N. Y., leaving one child, Mary, now thic wife of William B. Angell, of Odell, Ill. He subsequently married Cornelia Whittlesey, who was born in Camden, Oneida County, N. Y., in June, 1814, and died on tlie homestead, in Seward Township, in May, 1892. Of their union the following named children were born: Edwin W .; Martha, widow of the late George Gaskell; Franklin B., living ncar Benja-
min, Knox County, Tex .; James H., who died in Lee County, Ill., leaving three sons, Roy, Harlon and James; Eugene K., of Dale, Okla .; Leonard, who died at the age of two years; Cor- nelia, wife of Charles Gaskell, of New Lisbon, Ohio; Clarinda (a twin of Cornelia), who died in Springfield, Mass., in 1875; Anna E., wife of H. W. Otis, of Peshastin, Wash .; and Harriet I., wife of . Melzar W. Starks, of Sioux City, Iowa.
Edwin W. Harvey spent the first seventeen years of his life on the home farm in Wayne County, N. Y., after which he lived with his parents in Virginia two years. Receiving but limited educational advantages lie made such good use of the opportunities afforded him, both in school and out, that when he came to Kendall County, at the age of nineteen years, he was qualified to take charge of a school, and the fol- lowing two years was employed as a teacher in Kendall, Will and Grundy Counties. In the fall of 1862 he accepted a clerkship in a general store at Jackson, Mich., where he remained a year, going from there to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., to complete the commercial course in Eastman's Business College, in which he was subsequently the teacher of bookkeeping until 1865. Going then to Springfield, Mass., he occupied a similar position in the business college of that city for a year or more. In 1875, having in the meantime been married and left a widower, he returned to the parental homestead in Kendall County and assumed the management of the farm, giving his attention in a general way to farming, stock-rais- ing and dairying. He made the latter branch of his industry a specialty from 1884 to 1891, intro- ducing the first silo in this vicinity, and further equipping his place for carrying on the business to the best advantage. He then established a trade in the Chicago market for his butter, charg- ing two cents per pound above Elgin prices, but on account of the difficulty in procuring efficient help, and the amount of care and responsibility involved, he gave up the business after seven years. Mr. Harvey is known as one of the repre- sentative men of the county, interested in all measures inaugurated for beneficial purposes.
124
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Politically he is a stanch Republican, and has served many years on the school board; has been school trustee six years, and is now serving his eighth year as town clerk. Fraternally he is a high degree Mason, having joined Roswell Lee Lodge, in Springfield, Mass., in 1866, and like- wise united with the chapter in that city.
On November 13, 1866, while living in Spring- field, Mass., Mr. Harvey married Emma A., daughter of Alden and Rhoda Hitchcock. She was born in Springfield and died May 30, 1875, in the city of her birth. Two children blessed their union, namely: Effie Mabel, who was born in 1870 and died in infancy; and Leonard A., who was born in June, 1874, and married Grace E. Works, of Springfield, Mass. July 20, 1878, Mr. Harvey married Lois Starks, who was born in Lee County, Ill., a daughter of Edwin W. and Alameda (Camp) Starks, and a granddaughter of Charles Starks, who migrated from Pennsyl- vania to Lee County at an early period of its set- tlement. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey became the parents of three children, all of whom died in early childhood.
PHRAIM DEGROFF. The family repre- sented by this well-known citizen of Ken- dall County has been represented in Amer- ica since the colonial period. Prior to the Revo- lutionary war one John DeGroff crossed the ocean from Holland to America and settled in Westchester County, N. Y. He it was who founded the family in this country. His son, Evart, a farmer of Westchester County, married Esther Bush, and they became the parents of five children, only two of whom attained mature years. One of these was John E., who was a soldier in the war of 1812, enlisting just after his marriage to Mary Stoutenburgh. Upon his re- turn from the war he settled at Hyde Park, Dutchess County, N. Y., and spent the remainder of his life upon a farm there. Of his eight chil- dren who attained maturity Ephraim was the third. The father died in 1846, when sixty-three years old, and the mother passed away in May, 1885, being then over ninety years of age.
Born in Hyde Park, N. Y., April 23, 1821, our subject was reared on the home farm, and when he was twenty-one years old had charge of the work there. Six years later he married and began farming on his own account. In IS57 he came to Illinois and bought the farm in Kendall County where he still resides. This is situated on section 5, Little Rock Township, and has been his home since February 2, 1858. Since then he has made many improvements, has tiled that part of the land which needed draining, and has built the residence he now occupies. In earlier years he raised swine, which he butchered and then marketed in the city. For two years after he came the market was in Aurora, after which he shipped to Chicago. He gave some attention to raising Alderney cattle, and had some fine specimens of that breed on his place. The one hundred and twenty acres comprising the estate are under cultivation and bear every evidence of their owner's energy and progressive spirit. Owing to advancing years he is now re- tired from active cares, and has turned over the management of the property to his son-in law, Edwin Jay.
In politics Mr. DeGroff has never been active. However, he is stanch in his support of the Re- publican party. As pathmaster and as school director he has aided in bettering the condition of the schools and of the roads in his district. His marriage, September 12, 1848, united him with Anna H. Kipp, daughter of Reuben and Phoebe (Stringham) Kipp, and granddaughter of Abraham and Catherine (Quinby) Kipp. A son and daughter were born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. DeGroff. The daughter, Mary, is the wife of Edwin Jay, who operates the DeGroff home- stead. The son, Eli, was born June 20, 1849, and remained with his father until he attained his majority, when he started out for himself. After farming for a time he settled in the village of Little Rock, where he now makes his home. He has always been very handy with tools and has the reputation of being a good carpenter. De- cember 24, 1872, he married Cora Ryburn, of Little Rock Township, daughter of Matthew Neal and Charlotte (Mulke) Ryburn.
Emilaxon
Photo by Root, Chicago.
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
127
HON. EDGAR W. FAXON.
ON. EDGAR W. FAXON, a prominent member of the Plano bar, occupies an im- portant position in the councils of the Re- publican party. He has won distinction for the part he has taken in general public affairs, and his enthusiasm and energy put new spirit and life into every enterprise with which he is as- sociated.
The first member of the Faxon family who came to the United States was one Thomas Faxon, whose birth occurred in England in 1601. He crossed the Atlantic ocean in 1647, and was accompanied by his wife, Joan, and their three children. They located near Brain- tree, Mass., and of their dircct descendants, Richard, Josiah, Thomas, Thomas (second of the name) and Jacob A. are mentioned in the fam- ily records. The latter, Jacob A., was the great- grandfather of our subject. He chose for a wife Lydia Stiles, and their son, William S., was the grandfather of Edgar W. Faxon. The birth of William S. Faxon occurred in Deerfield, Mass., April 2, 1785, and his marriage took place April 1, 1806. Of his eleven children, ten lived to maturity.
. The third of this large family was Walter Stiles Faxon, born in Greenwich, N. Y., Scp- tember 9, 1812. Under his father's instruction he learned the trade of a brick and stone mason, and in 1843 he came to Illinois and purchased one hundred and seventy-eight acres of govern- ment land, situated in Little Rock Township, Kendall County. For many years subsequently he not only improved and managed his farm, but
also was employed considerably at his trade. He long took an active part in local affairs, holding various offices, and in accordance with his Abolitionistic views, he early became identified with the Republican party. Since he reached his twentieth year he has been a devoted inen- ber of the Baptist Church. Though eighty-eight years old he has not relinquished his great inter- est in the progress of his fellow-men and loved country, and still enjoys fair health and strengthi. His first marriage was solemnized April 3, 1856, the lady of his choice being Mrs. Zelia M. Val- entine, a daughter of Joseph Gilbert. Seven children were born to this sterling couple, name- ly: Edgar W .; Charles G., attorney; George S., present postmaster of Plano; Frank E .; Zelia M .; Hattie B .; and Leroy W. The wife and mother was summoned to the silent land April 18, 1874. Some years later Mr. Faxon married Marion Newell, whose death occurred November 21, 1882.
Hon. Edgar Wade Faxon was born January 22, 1857, in Little Rock Township, Kendall County, and in his boyhood he attended the com- mon schools of liis district. His education was completed in the normal schools of Naperville, Ill., and Valparaiso, Ind., his attention being specially directed to the literary and scientific lines of study. After teaching school for four terms he embarked in journalistic work, and for three years conducted the Amboy Journal at Amboy, Il1. Then, disposing of this paper, lie entered upon his new duties in thic office of the secretary of state, Henry D. Dement. In 1881
·
I28
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
he became a resident of Aurora, and then re- moving to Fox Station, Il1., he purchased a fine farm in section 1, Fox Township, and during the ensuing fourteen years he dwelt there, becom- ing known far and near as a practical agricult- urist.
A man of broad, comprehensive views, Mr. Faxon early gained the confidence of the people who knew him, and from time to time he was urged to accept public offices. He acted as a school director and as secretary of the board of education, and, moreover, lias long been a justice a trustee of the E. L. Henning estate. From of the peace. In 1886 he was honored by elec- tion to the state legislature, his majority being upwards of seven thousand votes. As a mem- ber of the thirty- fifth general assembly he served as chairman of the committees on agriculture and horticulture, on railroads and warehouses, on In 1879 the marriage of Mr. Faxon and Miss Ida Cherry, sister of the well-known Charles T. Cherry, was solemnized. This estimable couple have a son and a daughter, Lillian K., and Julian Kenneth, promising young people, and, like their parents, well educated and well pre- pared for the active duties of life. printing, and on the one relating to the state and municipal indebtedness. He introduced a number of important bills, one of these the one which permanently located the annual state fair at Springfield, Il1. Feeling the need of more than the general knowledge of the law than he as yet possessed, he took up the study, and later attended the Chicago College of Law, being adınitted to the bar at Mt. Vernon, Il1., Novem- ber 9, 1891. Since that date he has been act- ively engaged in the practice of his profession L RANCIS EDWARD WHITFIELD. One of the well-improved farms of Kendall Coun- ty is that owned and occupied by Mr. Whit- field. It contains every improvement of a model estate, and bears evidence of the painstaking care and keen oversight of its owner. It is a stock rath- er than a grain farm, and the grain that is raised is used entirely as feed for the stock, of which he has large numbers of the finest grades. One of his specialties is the raising of Poland-China swine, and the size of this business may be judged from the statement that in the winter of 1899-1900 he sold $1,400 worth, mostly to the Chicago mar- kets. He buys and feeds during the entire year, selling at such times as prices render advisable. in Plano, and has met with marked success. He has the reputation of being one of the foremost members of the bar in this county, and for six or more years he has held the position of city at- torney. He has retained his interest in journal- istic work, and in partnership with a brother, he owns the Kendall County News, which, with one exception, is the oldest paper published in this county. Nor have the agricultural interests of this locality become a dead letter in the mind of our subject, as is manifested by the active part which he takes in the same as secretary of the Kendall County Agricultural Society, and he it was who organized the first Farmers' Institute ever held in this county.
Fraternally Mr. Faxon is a Mason of high standing, and besides belonging to the blue lodge and chapter and commandery, he is con-
nected with Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Royal Neighbors, the Mystic Workers and Knights of the Globe. As president of the Plano library board, and as a stockholder in the Plano Electric Lighting Com- pany, and as a holder of stock in numerous local enterprises he contributes materially to the progress of this community. He is the at- torney of the Electric Lighting Company and of many other local concerns of importance, and is time to time Mr. Faxon has invested his surplus funds in business blocks and residences and un- improved property in Plano, thus materially evincing the genuine belief which he holds in the future of this flourishing city.
A native of Fox Township, where he still re- sides, Mr. Whitfield was born February 14, 1854. The record of his ancestry appears in the sketch of his father, William Whitfield.
129
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Reared on a farm, he was familiar with agri- culture from an early age. At twenty-one years of age he started out for himself, and for two years farmed in this township, after which, for a simi- lar period, he was with his brother William in Bristol Township. He then returned home and farmed with his father for a year, after which he rented a tract of ninety-three acres from him. Here he has since resided, erecting the various buildings as they were needed. By the pur- chase of one hundred and fourteen acres he in- creased his farm holdings, and he now has a well- improved farm of more than two hundred acres, of which one hundred and seventy acres are under the plow. Besides the grain that he raises, he usually buys from two to three thousand bushels every year, which he uses for his stock. He is well posted in the stock business and has found it a profitable industry. He has never taken part in politics, usually votes the Democratic ticket in local and national elections, and keeps posted con- cerning national issues.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.