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 23
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 23
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ENRY D. HIGINBOTHAM. The Higin- botham family originated in England, whence some of the name removed to the Barbadoes during an early period of American settlement. Later generations were actively identified with the progress of New England, where they prospered in the pursuit of such occupations as were then in vogue. Charles Higinbotham, who was the son of a captain of a whaling vessel, was born in Rhode Island November 14, 1779, and in youth accompanied his parents to Otsego, N. Y., where he mar- ried Miss Gertrude Dumont, of Westford, the daughter of a Revolutionary soldier. Some time after his marriage he removed to Allegan County, Mich. He died August 18, 1844. His wife sur- vived him for fourteen years, dying July 17, 1858, when seventy-eight years of age.
The second of the four sons of Charles Higin- botham, Henry D., was born in Worcester, Ot-
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sego County, N. Y., January 10, 1806. He was reared to manhood upon a farm and early acquired a thorough knowledge of agriculture, at the same time learned the trade of a blacksmith. In 1831 he married Miss Rebecca Wheeler, of Westford, N. Y., but a native of Canaan, Co- lumbia County, that state. Soon after their marriage they settled in Oneida, N. Y., where Mr. Higinbotham opened a blacksmith's shop and worked energetically at his trade. How- ever, he did not feel satisfied to remain in the east, where opportunities were few in comparison with those offered by the rich but unpopulated west. Long before Horace Greeley had uttered his immortal words: "Go west, young man," he had determined to follow that "star of empire" which "westward takes it way."
While Will County was still a part of Cook, Mr. Higinbotham settled on Hickory Creek, east of what is now Joliet. It was in June, 1834, that he arrived in the region with whose upward growth he was to be so intimately identified. His first step was to secure land. He entered one hundred and sixty acres two and one-half iniles east of Joliet. With his wife he estab- lished a little home in the midst of frontier sur- roundings. There, working with stout hearts and steady industry, they made their home for many years. It was his task to clear the land, cultivate the fields, build necessary buildings and make desired improvements. With the flight of the changing years he added to his property and its value constantly increased. Soon he came to be recognized as one of the foremost farmers in the county. His knowledge of agriculture was thorough and broad, covering every branch of the occupation. He thoroughly demonstrated the superiority of diversified farming, and through liis varied interests gained what was in those days a large fortune. The three hundred and twenty acres of land he owned were mostly un- der cultivation. Besides the management of his landed interests lie owned a grist-mill, which for years he conducted successfully. While he did not live to be an old man, yet, after sharing in the toils and privations of pioneer existence, hie was spared to witness and enjoy the comforts
rendered possible by the energy of the early set- tlers. His earnest labor brought its own reward. Nor was his success only in a financial sense; for, in a larger degree, he was successful in winning and retaining the respect of his acquaintances, the esteem of his associates. He was regarded, not only as a modern farmer, whose example could be emulated with profit, but also as an upright man and a good citizen, whose character was "sans peur et sans reproache." Those who knew him say that he was a man of quiet, unos- tentatious disposition, and one whose words were few, but every word was weighed before uttered; 110 statement was ever made thought- lessly or carelessly. In physique he was strong and stalwart, possessing the muscles of an ath- lete, with a soldier's powers of endurance. He was a Knight Templar Mason, who lived up to the lofty teachings of that illustrious order. In religion he was of the Universalist faith.
I11 1854 he sold his farm and mill and moved to Joliet, establishing his home at No. 1009 Cass street, which is still known in the city as the Higinbotham homestead. On moving here he became a director in the Will County Bank, and was afterward interested in that institution as long as he lived. The last eleven years of his life were not the least active or fruitful of his busy career. He aided in advancing the interests of the city, where he exerted a wholesome and sal- utary influence upon the people. He witnessed the growth of the county from a poor and sparsely settled community to one of the foremost in the state. He was known for his sound and careful judgment as a business man; for his enterprise that made him willing to identify himself with any movement for the good of the people. After eleven years in Joliet he passed away at liis home in this city, March 13, 1865.
The marriage of Mr. Higinbotham united him with a daughter of Samuel B. Wheeler, a native of New England, and a sister of Mansfield Wheeler, who settled in Will County in 1832. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Higinbotham com- prised the following sons and daughters : Har- low Niles Higinbotham, member of the firm of Marshall Field & Co., of Chicago ; Albert, who
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served in Scott's Chicago regiment during the Needless to say, the people of the city and county entire Civil war and died in Joliet ; Ambrosia, wife of Merritt O. Cagwin, and the present occu- pant of the Higinbotham homestead ; Mrs. Ann Eliza Demmond, of Joliet ; Mrs. Gertrude Leddy, and Mrs. Ellen Darwin, both of whom died in this city ; and Charles, who is connected with the Elgin postoffice.
ARLOW N. HIGINBOTHAM. None of the native-born sons of Will County surpass Mr. Higinbotham in far-reaching influence. For years he has been connected with one of the largest mercantile establishments in the world, the success of which has been promoted by his able oversight. But his prominence is not lim- ited to mercantile circles. In public affairs he has been a leading figure. As president of the World's Fair he gained an international distinc- tion. It was his enthusiasm that did much to start the movement for the exposition that achieved greatness in its fulfillment, rendering possible, in the midst of our busy workaday world, the establishment of a "Dream City," more fair than artist's brush could reproduce, and more beautiful than the imagination of the beholder had ever conceived. Nor has he, in the remarkable success of his later years, forgot- ten the home of his boyhood. He still retains his interest in Will County, among whose people his name is often mentioned as a worthy candi- date for United States senator. Near the old home where he was born he has built a mansion that is perhaps the most elegant of any country home in Illinois. When possible for him to se- cure a day's respite from his business cares he may be found at the old homestead, superintend- ing its many important interests, and giving directions regarding the management of the estate. The creation of this beautiful place is itself the work of a master-hand; a " dream city" with park and palace, a vision of enchanting grace never to be forgotten by the passer-by.
are proud of this place, and prouder yet of the career of the owner, and who is still alluded to as "one of our boys." Harlow N. Higinbotham is a prince among men, and a marvelous produc- tion of our western civilization-a brain firm and fine as adamant, a heart pure as gold and tender as a woman, a knight of the twentieth century, who hardly without self-realization, is a true type of an humble follower of the " Naza- rine." The true story of the inner life of Har- low N. Higinbotham will never be written ; he must and will live in the hearts of those whom he has benefited.
The various benevolent institutions which he has helped to establish and put on a sound financial basis will assist to keep alive the memory of a man whose whole life can be an example to every young man, not only in Will County, but in the whole world. The result of his financial success we can see and estimate, but the good deeds done, the suffering relieved, the happiness and sunshine entering at his command thousands of hearts, we cannot see, except in occasional glimpses, they are written in the Book of Life, from whence the real reward will emanate. The evening of his life will be spent in the old home- stead, and as the shadows lengthen on the hill- side, proclaiming the dawn of the real life, his retrospections will be pleasant, his rest well earned, and the old Will County friends dearer than ever.
REDERICK R. STRYKER. The Joliet Mound Drain Tile Company, of which Mr.
Stryker is general manager and a director, is one of the leading organizations of the kind in Illinois. When he took a position with it as a workman in the mechanical department, just prior to the thirtieth anniversary of his birth, the plant was small and the output meager. In 1880 he was made manager of the works, on sec- tion 19, Joliet Township, and afterward com- pletely remodeled the plant, built new kilns and
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made important additions, so that the works were the most complete in the state. For years the company controlled the price of tile in the state. The capacity of the works is three million feet per annum. Formerly the products were sold almost exclusively in this locality, but now ship- ments are made throughout this state and into Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and In- diana. Employment is furnished to between twenty and forty men, the number varying with the amount of work to be turned out, and the product is drain tile exclusively. The other di- rectors and officers of the company being men who have business interests of their own, Mr. Stryker is responsible for the entire management, and its prosperous condition is the result of his able oversight. He is a stockholder in the works, as well as manager and a director.
In Cook County, Ill., our subject was born May 8, 1847, a son of John Adam and Elizabeth (Miller) Stryker. His father, who was born December 1, 1804, in Wurtemberg, Germany, came to America from Germany in 1828 and spent two years in New York, thence migrated to Illi- nois in 1830. He had previously worked as a cabinet-maker, but on coming to Cook County took up a claim and engaged in farming, which he followed until his death at sixty years. He was a man of great physical strength and powers of endurance. Up to the time of Fremont's can- didacy he was a Democrat, but afterward voted the Republican ticket. During the early days he served in all of the township offices; and in the deciding of disputes regarding claims he was called upon to act as judge. By his marriage to Elizabeth Miller he had eleven children. Of these ten reached maturity and nine are now liv- ing. Mrs. Elizabeth Stryker was a daughter of George Miller, a native of Berlin, Germany.
When sixteen years of age our subject sccured a clerkship in Chicago, receiving $3 a week at first. Afterward hc became an agent for the sale of farm machinery, in which he was employed from nineteen to twenty-nine years of age. He then came to his present location, and has since engaged in the manufacture of drain tile. Hc owns and occupies a farm of one hundred and proved of inestimable value to him. In the con-
fifty-four acres on section 24, Troy Township, but the place is cultivated by tenants, his time being given wholly to his business. Politically he was an enthusiastic Republican up to the time of Cleveland's second election, when he favored his candidacy and voted for him. Since then he has been independent, preferring to support the men whom he deems best qualified to represent the people rather than follow strict party lines. He is interested in the questions of the day, but his business takes his time to the exclusion of other things, and he is therefore not a politician in the ordinary usage of that word. In 1873 he was made a Mason and has since then joined the chapter at Evanston, Ill.
In April, 1875, Mr. Stryker married Carrie Eloise, daughter of Ira Millard, who was a pioneer of Cook County and a native of Con- necticut, but a resident of New York state prior to coming west. Her maternal grandfather was Gen. Lewis Peet, who fought in the war of 1812, and on the maternal side she was also connected with the Seymours, of New York. Her father's father and Millard Fillmore's mother were brother and sister. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stryker, six of whom are living. The old- est, Ira Millard Stryker, who is cashier in the works here, married Alice M. Sammons, daugh- ter of Duane Sammons, a pioneer farmer of this county. The other children are: Gertrude Frances; Elizabeth Bell; Clara Winifred; Mary Seymour, whose middle name comes from Dr. Seymour, of Troy, N. Y .; and Frederick Fill- more.
PHRAIM BAYARD, superintendent of the Bessemer department of the Illinois steel works, is familiar with every detail of the business, to which his attention is closely given. By his efficient management he has proved him- self "the right man in the right place." He un- derstands thoroughly the manufacture of steel, and his broad experience in cvery position, from the lowest to that of superintendent, has
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verting department, of which he has charge, four hundred and ten men are employed, of whom two hundred are skilled workmen. The capacity is over one thousand tons in twelve hours.
In the converting department there are twenty- eight boilers and three blowing engines, one of five thousand, another of twenty-four hundred and the third of eighteen hundred horse power; with eight pressure pumps, which furnish pres- sure throughout the mill of four hundred pounds per square inch. The pig iron is graded to one one-hundredth per cent. This iron, combined with steel scrap, is charged with coke and lime- stone. After melting it is tipped into a caldron and conveyed by electric crane into the mixer, which has a capacity of two hundred and eighty tons. The furnace metal is also brought in a molten state into this mixer by means of cranes, and by means of hydraulic pressure the mixer is tipped sufficiently to pour the metal from it into another ladle, which conveys the metal, after thorough mixing, into the converters. It is poured in by hydraulic pressure, after which the blast from the blowing engines is turned on, and the converter by hydraulic pressure is placed in a vertical position until such time as the metal has been converted into steel with the adding of dif- ferent properties to bring it to the required grade of steel. Afterward the converter is turned and the molten steel poured into a huge ladle, which is conveyed by the hydraulic crane over the moulds and then poured into the large moulds and allowed to remain until chilled sufficiently to permit the withdrawing of the moulds, leaving the steel ingots still at white heat; this is also done by hydraulic pressure. The ingots are then con- veyed on cars to the furnaces, to be charged for reheating, and in due time they are drawn and rolled, thus completing the process.
Mr. Bayard was born in Toronto, Canada, July 18, 1868, a son of Robert and Ellen (Johnston) ยท tractive home.
Bayard, natives respectively of England and Ireland. His grandfather, James Bayard, brought the family to America and settled near Toronto when Robert was a child of three years. The latter spent all of his active life in Toronto, where he was engaged as a contractor and builder. He died in that city in February; 1889, when fifty- nine years of age. His wife, who is still living in Toronto, was a daughter of Matthew Johnston, a native of County Sligo, Ireland, who settled near Toronto and engaged in farm pursuits there. Our subject was the fifth among eight children, all of whom are living. He was reared in Toronto, attending the grammar and high schools there. In the fall of 1884 he went to Cheboygan, Mich., where he engaged in the lumber business. For two winters he engaged in scaling and measuring, and during the summers was fireman on tug boats. In the third season he secured a position as an engineer. From that time until he came to Joliet he was engineer of the large tug "Duncan City," on the straits of Mackinaw. In 1887 he settled in Joliet, where he secured employment in the steel works, be- ginning as a laborer in the converting depart- ment. A year later he received promotion, and was given charge of the repairing and building of the bottoms of the converters. In 1891 he was given charge of the steel pouring, and in the fall of 1892 was made foreman of the converting mill. June 15, 1897, he was made superintendent of the converting department, which responsible position he has since filled, showing ability and intelligence in the discharge of his duties.
Politically Mr. Bayard is a Republican, stanch and loyal to the party, but not caring for political positions for himself. He owns a residence that he built at No. 407 Richards street, and here he and his wife, who was Cora Belle Newton, a native of New Jersey, have established a pleasant and at-
Chas Rock
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CHARLES ROST.
HARLES ROST, superintendent of the the ranks he rose to be sergeant, and after the county poor farm in Troy Township, was battle of the wilderness was commissioned lieu- D tenant. He was honorably discharged in Boston, July 14, 1865. born in the Kagenow, Pomerania, Prussia, December 1I, 1841, a son of Carl and Mary (Rosz) Rost. His father, who was a forester in Germany, came to the United States in 1862, and settled upon a farm near Macomb, McDon- ough County, Ill., remaining there until his death in 1881. His wife survived him for years, dying in 1898. In religious belief both were Lutherans. They were the parents of seven sons, six of whom are living, three being in Ma- comb, one in Des Moines, Iowa, and another in Kokomo, Ind.
Of these sons our subject was the eldest. When the family decided to come to America it was deemed best to have him come first, alone, in order that he might acquire a knowledge of the language and customs of the people before the others joined him. In 1859 lie crossed the ocean in an old sailing vessel, "Columbia," starting from Hamburg and arriving in the new world after a voyage of sixty-two days. He se- cured employment in a wire factory at Worcester, Mass. During the Civil war, when the first call was made for three-year men, he at once re- sponded to the call, and enlisted at Boston in Company B, Twentieth Massachusetts Infantry. While in the army he took part in thirty-one bat- tles, embracing all of the principal engagements. Twice he was wounded in the battle of Gettys- burg, after which he spent some time in the hios- pital at Portsmouth Grove, R. I. He was taken prisoner at Antietam, also in front of Pe- tersburg in 1864, and was held in Libby and Belle Isle prisons, and at Salisbury, N. C. From
The war ended, Mr. Rost went to Leaven- worth, Kans., and was appointed in the quarter- master's department, to take twenty-four six- mule teams across the plains, via the Arkansas River and Smoky Hill route, conveying supplies to forts. He continued in the government em- ploy until 1867, when he joined a battalion raised to suppress the Indians. He raised a company in Leavenworth, of which he was first lieutenant, under Oklahoma Payne as captain. The com- pany took part in a number of hard fights along the Arkansas and Smoky Hill rivers. In the fall of 1867 he was mustered out at Fort Ells- worth. Going south, he engaged in the con- struction of bridges and trestles on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad for six years. When work was begun upon the extension from Cairo to Jackson, Tenn., connecting with the Mississippi Central, he took a contract for constructing a portion of the line. While working in the swamps below Cairo he was taken ill with mala- rial fever and, acting upon the advice of his phy- sician, returned north to Macomb. When Major McClaughrey was appointed warden of the state penitentiary, Mr. Rost accompanied hint to Joliet as steward, which position he filled for fifteen years, until the election of John P. Altgeld as governor. He was then chosen superintendent of the county poor farm, to which position he has been re-elected for seven consecutive terms. The county buildings as they now stand were erected by him in 1892, the main building being a three-
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story stone structure with a capacity for two hun- dred inmates. There are now one hundred and thirteen inmates, fifty-two of whom are incurably insane. The farm is situated four miles west of Joliet and comprises one hundred and sixty acres, which are cultivated with so much judg- ment and energy that each year, over and above all that is raised for use by the patients, there is a profit of between $1,000 and $1,500.
Fraternally Mr. Rost is connected with the Knights of Pythias, Burlington Post No. 6, G. A. R., the Military Order of Loyal Legion, and Matteson Lodge No. 175, A. F. & A. M. He is a Presbyterian in religion and a Republican in politics. In Clarksville, Tenn., November 13, 1871, he married Margaret O'Connor. Four children were born of their union, three of whom are living, namely: Alpha, wife of Carl E. Haffner, of New York City; Lulu, wife of J. F. Frederick, M. D., of Joliet; and Carl, book- keeper for the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad Company.
ON. EVERETT J. MURPHY. The serv- ices which in the past Mr. Murphy has rendered the people of the twenty-first dis- trict of Illinois as their representative in the United States congress, and which he is now rendering the people of the state in the office of warden of the Illinois penitentiary, entitle him to rank among the eminent men of the state. In the councils of the nation he has won for himself an enviable reputation for statesmanship. As a member of congress he proved himself well able to occupy a high rank among the many gifted men of that body. By his keen judgment and large mental endowments he has aided not a little the progress of the Republican party in the nation. Reared in that faith and early familiar with its principles, he saw 110 reason, on arriving at mature years, for changing his political belief; in fact, the history of the nation during the past decade has made him a stronger advocate than before of Republican doctrines. Yet, though he has lived in a time of partisan strife, his attach-
ment for his party has been broad and deep-the attachment of a patriot, not that of a mere politi- cian, and he has in his career exemplified the old maxim that "He serves his party best who serves his country best." In the office of warden, to which he was chosen at a com- paratively recent date, as the successor of Major McClaughrey, he has already proved himself to be the right man in the place. His attention is very closely given to the duties of his office, which leave him little leisure for recreation or for society; yet, in the midst of many pressing re- sponsibilities, he keeps in touch with the progress of events in the country and in his party, and formulates clear, definite opinions upon the topics of the day. The enlargement of his sphere of activity by his appointment as warden was a just recognition of his service in public life. To the position he has carried the same degree of energy and the same progressive spirit that character- ized him in the halls of congress, and it may with safety be predicted that his record as warden will equal or surpass his record as a congressman and legislator.
His devotion to the Republican party is a trait which he inherits from his father, Hon. William P. Murphy, who came from Tennessee to Illinois in 1830, and settled at Sparta, opening an office for the practice of law and continuing in the pro- fession for years. Both at the bar and on the bench he won an honorable name. He filled the offices of county judge and judge of the court of common pleas, in both of which he showed im- partiality, broad knowledge of jurisprudence and logical reasoning faculties. He gave to religious work considerable time and effort, being active in the Methodist Church, and for a quarter of a century he was Sunday-school superintendent. He remained active in professional and public affairs until his death in 1884. Of the nine chil- dren born to his marriage with Miss Mary J. Fresh, Everett J. was third in order of birth. He was born July 24, 1852. His education was received in the grammar and high schools of Sparta. From the age of twelve to twenty-three he was employed in mercantile pursuits, mean- time studying at night with the intention of en-
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tering upon the practice of law. His first public office was that of deputy circuit clerk of Ran- dolph County and the first elective position he held was that of sheriff of the same county, to which he was chosen in 1882. Four years later he was elected to the Illinois legislature, where his service was creditable to himself and satis- factory to his constituents. In 1889 he was made warden of the southern penitentiary at Chester, and during the four years he remained there he gained a thorough knowledge of every detail con- nected with the work, thus becoming thoroughly qualified for the more responsible position he now holds. The twenty-first district elected hint to congress in 1894, and therc he was instru- mental in the passing of various important bills. His appointment as a member of the board of pardons came to him from Governor Tanner in 1897, and the same governor, in July, 1899, ap- pointed him warden at Joliet.
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