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 27
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 27
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
245
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
The mother of our subject was a faithful mem- ber of the Lutheran Church and will long be re- membered for her excellent qualities of head and heart. She died in 1864. Some time afterward Frederick Rathje was again married, his second wife being Miss Margaretha Fink, who survives him. By their union were born two children, now living, Lydia and Clara. Lydia is the wife of Charles E. Jurz and resides in Frank- fort, Ill.
When our subject was fifteen years of age his father moved to Peotone and here lie acquired a thorough knowledge of the mercantile business. In 1874 he married Miss Wilhelmina Luhmann, a native of Hanover. After his marriage lie en1- gaged in the milling business, acquiring the grist mill at Peotone, an old wind mill, which he oper- ated for twelve years. However, the substitution of modern methods in other mills rendered the mill unprofitable to its owner and it was aban- doned; but it still stands, a picturesque reminder of other days. For fifteen years Mr. Rathje has also engaged in farming. In 1895, with a part- ner, he built an elevator at Frankfort Station, but two years later sold his interest in the busi- ness. He now owns about four hundred acres il and surrounding the village and the supervision of this property takes much of his time. He is a stockholder and director in the Peotone Electric Light Company. For twelve years or more he has served as school director and for two terins has been town trustee. In any enterprise for the benefit of the town he has always been interested, and his aid could be relied upon. He is particu- larly interested in the work of the Lutheran Church, to which he belongs and in which he has been treasurer and a trustee for several years. The Sunday-school has enlisted his sympathies and he has aided actively in its man- agement. Though not active in politics, he holds firm opinions and supports the Republican party.
By the first marriage of Mr. Rathje five chil- dren were born, four of whom are living: Ed- ward, Anna, Walter and Herman. After the death of his first wife he was again married, April 6, 1885, his wife being Miss Catherine
Koehnecke, who was born in Hanover, Germany. and came to America in 1884, settling in Peo- tone. This union has resulted in the birth of four children, Emma, Otto, Huldah and Paul. Mrs. Rathje is an estimable lady and a member of the same church as that to which her husband belongs.
ARD P. ELWOOD. After some years of practical experience as an employe of others, Mr. Elwood embarked in the plumbing, heating, steam and gas-fitting business in Joliet, where he has his shop at No. 638 Jef- ferson street. Since he began in business, No- vember 15, 1897, he has been given a number of important contracts, among them being the resi- dence of R. B. Clark, the Ahlvin & Johnson building, Anderson Brothers' block, five resi- dences for Edward S. White, and S. L. Mottin- ger's residence in Plainfield. In addition to his jobs in Joliet he has had considerable work in other towns, principally in Plainfield, Lockport and Morris, and wherever he has gone the qual- ity of his work has been most satisfactory.
Born in Chicago in 1869, Mr. Elwood is a son of Capt. James G. Elwood, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. He was reared in Joliet and received his education in the city schools. When sixteen years of age he became a lineman for the Joliet telephone exchange, con- tinuing in that capacity for eighteen montlis. Afterward he was employed on outside work in connection with the Joliet waterworks, of whichi his father was then engineer. For two years he was in the employ of the Illinois Steel Company. In 1889 he accepted the position as superintend- ent of the Joliet gas works, and this position he held until January, 1896, the plant being mean- time reconstructed for the manufacture of water- gas. On resigning as superintendent he became engineer and pipe-fitter for the Fox Pressed- Steel Company, with whom he remained until lie commenced business for himself. In the various positions that he held he was recognized as an
246
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
intelligent and efficient employe, whose original- ity of ideas and quickness of comprehension made his services valuable. These same qualities have been of assistance to him in his present business, and have aided him in establishing a reputation in his chosen occupation.
For three years Mr. Elwood was a member of the Fourth Illinois National Guard. He is con- nected with the Columbia Knights and the Uni- form Rank, K. of P. Without any desire for political prominence, he nevertheless believes it to be the duty of every citizen to keep posted con- cerning public affairs and maintain an interest in questions affecting the welfare of the people. In his political views he favors the Republican party. He was married in Joliet to Sylvia, daughter of George Merrill, an early settler of this city. They have one child, a son, James Merrill.
TEPHEN FRANCIS HOGAN. There are few plants in Joliet more interesting to the visitor than the Scott-street mill, owned by the American Steel and Wire Company. This is not only the largest manufacturing plant of the kind in the world, but is one of the most success- ful as well, and its products, barb-wire nails and woven-wire fence, are shipped to all parts of the world. The success of the work is in a large measure due to Mr. Hogan, who is in charge of the mill, and who exercises a keen and judicious supervision over the entire plant. He is a man who thoroughly understands the wire business in its every detail. Under his supervision the work progresses rapidly; yet due care is also taken with every product, in order that the high stand- ard established may be maintained. The hun- dreds of billets in the furnace in the morning are in wire nails, packed in kegs, and ready for ship- ment by evening.
In Richmond, Yorkshire, England, Mr. Hogan
was born December 6, 1858, a son of John and Catherine (McCourt) Hogan, natives respectively of County Tipperary, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. His father, who was the son of a farmer, went to England in young manhood and engaged in the furniture business at Richmond. In 1873 he came to America, settling in Cleveland, Ohio, and carrying on business as a furniture dealer for some years. He and his wife died on the same day in November, 1894, and their bodies were the first two buried in the new Catholic cemetery at Cleveland. Their four sons and two daughters are still living, three of the sons being mill men in Ohio. Our subject, who was next to the old- est of the children, was fourteen years of age at the time the family crossed the ocean to the United States. Previous to this he had attended a parochial school in Richmond. In April, 1873, he arrived in Cleveland, and immediately afterward entered the employ of the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company as a wire-drawer, continuing with the company until 1878. He then went to Pittsburg, Pa., and was wire-drawer with the Oliver & Rob- erts Wire Company until the time of its removal to Illinois, in November, 1888. His first position was as a wire-drawer with Lambert & Bishop, of Joliet, with whom he remained as such for two years, and then became night superintendent of the mill. Two years later he resigned and re- turned to Pittsburg, where he was day foreman of the mill owned by Oliver & Roberts for two years. He then again came to Joliet, where he was with Lambert & Bishop, then acted as super- intendent of the mill of the Consolidated Steel & Wire Company until the formation of the Amer- ican Steel and Wire Company, with whom he continued in the same capacity. The Scott-street mill has been under his charge since 1894, and he has superintended its management in a man- ner entirely satisfactory to the owners. He gives little attention to politics, but is a stanch gold Democrat. He was married in Pittsburg in 1882 to Miss Hattie Graham, who was born in that city, and by whom he has a son, Leo.
ES Ketchum
249
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ELNATHAN SATTERLEE KETCHUM.
LNATHAN SATTERLEE KETCHUM. Oswego Township, Kendall County; Zopher, of Throughout the length and breadth of Aurora; and Elnathan S. The last named was only six years of age when his father died. His education was received in public schools and an academy. On leaving the academy he began to engage in farming and later was salesman in a store for a few years. The latter occupation, however, proved too confining to be healthful, and he decided to seek a home in Illinois, where farm land was cheaper than in New York, and where he might find a more healthful environ- ment than that of a clerk. In 1856 he came to this state and for two years worked as a farm hand, then rented a place in the township of Kendall, where he remained one year. He then spent a year in Na-au-say Township as a renter, after which he bouglit his present property. He has always been a diligent, enterprising man and has worked early and late in order to place his farm under good cultivation. The result is in every respect gratifying, and he may well pride himself upon having one of the best im- proved places in this locality. Na-au-say Township Mr. Ketchum is recog- mized as one of Kendall County's foremost farmers and also as one of the township's most in- fluential residents. At the time he purchased a quarter-section of land comprising his present farm, the land was not in good condition, and there were no buildings except an old black- smith's shop and a stable twelve feet square. At once he began the task of placing the land under cultivation and erecting sucli buildings as were needed. By the systematic introduction of a thorough drainage system (about two thousand rods of tiling being laid), he reclaimed much of the land that was formerly too wet to utilize. At first he engaged principally in raising and feeding cattle for the market, but after a time he turned his attention largely to the dairy business, and in this he has since continued. His cattle are mostly of the Holstein breed. He is a stock- holder and director in the Na-au-say creamery, which has proved a very successful venture. The company owning this creamery also owns and carries on the creamery at Plattville.
Mr. Ketchum was born in Chester, Orange County, N. Y., October 30, 1836. His father, Zoplier W., who was also a native of New York, engaged in farming and dairying during the early part of his life, and afterward conducted a mercantile business. By his marriage to Nancy Satterlee he had five children, three of whom are in Illinois, namely: Edward, a resident of
Both by precept and example Mr. Ketchum gives his influence toward the Prohibition cause, and politically he supports the party that is pledged to work for the extermination of saloons and the liquor traffic. In 1864 he married Saralı E. Marvin, daughter of John D. and Lucy Marvin, of Naperville, and a most estimable lady, whose deatlı in 1896 was a lieavy bereave- ment to Mr. Ketchum. They were the parents of one daughter, Lucy. The latter is the wife of
12
250
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Hayes Wheeler, who has operated the home- stead farm since 1896. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler liave a daughter, who is her maternal grand- mother's namesake.
A MASA E. FIELD, M. D., physician and surgeon, Plattville, is a representative of the noted Field family whose ancestry has been traced to Alsace-Lorraine, now a part of Germany, the original spelling, in 823, being De La Field. Sir Hubertus went to England with William the Conqueror in 1066, and for his services at the battle of Hastings was granted lands in that country. The American ancestors settled in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Virginia, and the name has since become familiar to readers of the religious, political, legal, business and scientific history of the United States. We need only mention a few of its representatives to bear out so broad a state- ment: Cyrus W. Field, originator of the Atlantic cable; Stephen J. Field, late associate justice of the United States supreme court; and David Dudley Field, the eminent lawyer of New York City; Rev. Henry M. Field, author, and editor of the Evangelist, and the late Eugene Field, journalist and poet, of Chicago; George B. Field, eminent as an electrician and originator of the stock ticker; Gov. William Field, of Connecticut, and Marshall Field, the Chicago merchant.
Elijah Field, the great-grandfather of Dr. Field, came from Vermont to Jefferson County, N. Y., in 1811, and settled upon a tract of land which afterward became known as Field's settle- ment. Here he passed the balance of his life. He was the father of eleven children, his nine sons all locating in Jefferson County. The two oldest sons were Methodist ministers. The others were as follows: Elijah; Alpheus, a farmer; Samuel, a hotel keeper; Spafford; Thad- deus, a carpenter; Philip and Bennett, farmers. The last-named was born in the Green Mountain state in 1800 and attained his manhood in Jeffer- son County. He married Fannie Wait, and they
had six children. One of their sons, John, en- gaged in mercantile pursuits in Utica, N. Y .; later he removed to Minneapolis, Minn., where he became a wholesale dealer in boots and shoes. He is now retired. Another son, Widson, re- moved from De Kalb County, Ill., to Strawberry Point, Iowa, where he was a hardware merchant; he is now owner of a large ranch near Walla Walla, Wash. Chester is a wealthy farmer of Nebraska. Elizabeth, deceased, was the wife of Smith Hill, of De Kalb County, Ill. Elijah was the father of Dr. Field.
Elijah Field was born at Watertown, N. Y., April 13, 1833. When twelve years of age he came to Illinois with his parents and settled at Shabbona Grove, De Kalb County. There, upon his father's farm, he attained his majority and became not only a proficient farmer, but an ex- pert carpenter. He followed his trade until 1862, when he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Fifth Illinois Infantry, and was made mu- sician of the company, in which capacity he served until the close of the war. He then re- turned to De Kalb County and resumed his trade. In 1867 he settled in Plano and for three years was employed as a wood worker at the harvester works of Marsh, Steward & Co. He was then promoted to the foremanship of that department, and, through several changes of proprietorship, retained that position for ten years. In the meantime William Deering had become a part- ner, and, obtaining control of the business, re- moved the plant to Chicago in the fall of 1880. Mr. Field then severed his connection with the works, and for about a year was engaged in farming near Marysville, Nodaway County, Mo. After then spending a few months in Chariton County, Mo., he returned to Plano to accept the superintendency of a manufactory there which had recently been established. From 1881 to 1891 he retained this position, when he returned to his farm near Plano, which he managed to the time of his death, August 25, 1898. His wife still resides on the home farm. In view of the above record, it is perhaps unnecessary to add that Mr. Field was a faithful and efficient worker and an upright man in every sense of the word.
251
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
He was a firm Republican, a worker in the ranks, but never an official aspirant. In carly life he joined Little Rock Lodge No. 171, I. O. O. F., and for years he was closely affiliated with R. B. Hayes Post, G. A. R., of Plano.
The marriage of Elijah Field united him with Jane Fritts, a native of Erie County, Pa. Besides the subject of this sketeh they had another child, Elizabeth, the wife of William Gillespie, living with her husband on the homestead.
Dr. Amasa E. Field is a native of Illinois, born in De Kalb County April 13, 1863. He was edu- cated in the Plano public schools and Jennings Seminary, Aurora. At the age of twenty he took a position in the machine shops of the Plano Manufacturing Company. After a training of five years in that capacity he was made foreman of the mower department and spent five years in that position. During the decade in which he was learning and following his trade he was also planning for a professional career. He com- menced his medical studies with Dr. Lord, of Plano, and in 1893 entered Rush Medical Col- lege, of Chicago, for a systematic course of in- struction. Graduating May 23, on June 10, 1895, he established himself in practice at Platt- ville. Here his ability and genial manners, his practical and progressive disposition, have built up a good professional business. For the past year lic has also carried on a drug store. He erected the store and office he now occupies and lias bought and platted considerable property. He is a member of the North-Central Illinois Medical Association and is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, of which he is the medical examiner. He is also professionally connected with several of the old-line insurance companies, and is a charter member and medical examiner of the Royal Neighbors. Politically he is an uncompromising Republican and a mem- ber of the county central committee. For threc years he was director of the Plattville public schools and he lias evinced a constant and prac- tical interest in all educational matters. Novem- ber 6, 1900, lie was elected coroner of Kendall County.
September 29, 1885, Dr. Field was united in
marriage with Miss Lillian Ida Fritts, daughter of William H. and Josephine ( Washburn ) Fritts. She is a native of Newark, her father now living in Plano and her mother being dead. She was one of five children, the others being William E., foreman of Whitman & Barnes' paint shops at West Pullman, Ill .; Myrtle, wife of Frank Irvin, of Plano; Carrie, wife of Ivan L. Smith, Plano; and Blanche, manager and stenographer in the office of the Phoenix Shoe Company at West Pull- man. The children of Dr. and Mrs. Field are Vita Ruth, Robert Wait and Elijah William.
® HARLES H. RAYMOND. One of the honored old citizens of Bristol Township, Kendall County, both in years and in length of residence in this locality, Charles H. Raymond, is justly entitled to representation in the history of his county. His family long has been promi- nent in Massachusetts, and several generations of the Raymonds have been actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. The father of the subjeet of this article, Zenas, son of Edward Raymond, was born in the Bay State and was reared to the labors of farming. He married Clara Ryder, and three children blessed their union. Granville, brother of Charles H. Raymond, came to the west many years ago, but since that time lias been summoned to the home above.
The birth of the subject of this sketch occurred in Middleborough, Plymouth County, Mass., October 22, 1816. He obtained a fair education, for his time, and, as there was a flourishing nail factory near liis home, he then found employment within its walls, and was thus engaged chiefly until 1844. In that year lie determined to seek a home in the west, and as far as Albany lie was able to make the journey on the newly completed railroad. Thience hic proceeded by the old canal route to Buffalo and there embarked in a steamer bound for Chicago. Arriving in northeastern Illinois, lie spent some time in prospecting for a suitable place of location, and at last decided that no better land could be selected than that which since lias been his place of residence.
252
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
This farm, situated on section 9, Bristol Town- `years he acted on the school board, and the first ship, comprises nearly seven hundred acres of schoolhouse is this district was built upon his land and upon the identical spot where his own resi- dence now stands. Religiously he has been a pillar of the Methodist Church for several dec- ades, and as long as his health permitted him to attend the services regularly he occupied some official position in the church board of officers. valuable land, and at the time Mr. Raymond purchased the place an old log cabin 16x20 feet in dimensions constituted the chief improvement, no fences then having been built here. Having paid for the property a portion of the $3,000 which he had carefully accumulated during his years spent in the eastern factory, he proceeded In 1841 Mr. Raymond married Lydia Burrell, and together they trod the highway of life for half a century, the wife being called to the better land in 1891. Her mortal remains were placed to rest in Oak Grove cemetery, north of the town of Bristol. The children born to this worthy couple are named as follows: Jacob L., a retired farmer, now of Aurora; Clara, widow of John Eccles; Charles H., Jr., who is on the home farm; Lizzie, wife of Arthur Barnes, of Eagle Grove, Iowa; Martin, a farmer of Missouri; John N., an attorney-at-law in Aurora; and George B., who is assisting in the management of the old home- stead. The latter married Catherine, daughter of John Eglington, and they have one child, Eva. to inaugurate a series of material improvements, and within a few years a complete transformation had taken place in the farm. At first he made the raising of wheat his chief business, but gradually gave more and more attention to the raising of live stock, and in this line met with marked success. For years he was obliged to carry his farm products to the Chicago markets. Like other pioneers, he was handicapped in every venture. His land was broken with oxen, and many of his crops of grain were harvested by means of the old hand-manipulated cradle, four acres being as much as one man could attend to in a day. The old style wooden mould-board plow, with a steel or iron shear, was utilized here for a long period, but how gladly the new in- ventions were taken instead may be imagined. He found the raising of horses a profitable busi- ness, and often kept from forty to sixty at a time on his farm. The people of thiscounty were his ) HARLES EMMET JETER. Among the enterprising young business men of Plano Charles E. Jeter ranks foremost, and in com- mercial circles of this thriving place, as well as in local political circles, heisvery popular and rapidly coming to the front. He possesses acknowledged ability as a financier and in public affairs has a broad, liberal view of the great issues of the day. chief customers and his horses commanded from $100 to $125 a head. Later he was more ex- tensively concerned in the raising of cattle, Here- fords being his favorites, and ofttimes there were as many as one hundred and seventy-five in his herds, three hundred acres of excellent pasture land being devoted to their use. He also raised and shipped annually one or two car-loads of swine, and thus in every department and branch of farming and stock-raising it may be seen that he took the lead of the majority of his neighbors in the amount of business transacted.
Politically Mr. Raymond has been actively in- terested in the success of the Democratic party, and his personal popularity is evident from the fact that he was elected and served twenty-one years as supervisor, though his township is avowedly a Republican district. For a score of
Luther J. Jeter, father of our subject, and a member of the same firm, Jeter & Boston, is a worthy representative of one of the fine old fami- lies of Virginia. His father, Gideon Jeter, a substantial farmer, was born in Bedford County, Va., December 3, 1814, and in the Old Dominion married Sarah J. Baldwin in 1836. Their only living child, James, resides in Woodford County, I11. The second wife of Gideon Jeter was Lucy A. Leonard, and their four children were, William H. and Luther J., of Kendall County; Mrs. Virginia Hatcher, of Peoria; and John C.,
253
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, RECORD.
of Kane County, Ill. In 1853 Gideon Jeter came to this state, locating in Woodford County, where he is yet living, and though eighty-five years old he is hale and enjoys life. His wife is also living. Their son Luther, who was born in Roanoke County, Va., March 22, 1851, has spent nearly his entire life in Illinois. For seven years he was engaged in the hardware business in Roanoke, Ill., but in 1885 sold out, and coming to Yorkville, entered into partnership with Mr. Boston, buying a lumber yard there. By virtue of the enterprise and sagacity which they exer- cised, they succeeded in building up a great trade and in 1887 they also purchased an elevator and grain business at Yorkville, and in July, 1898, they became owners of a lumber yard at Plano. In 1873 the marriage of Luthier Jeter and Emma R. Woods, a daughter of John Woods, of Wood- ford County, was soleninized. Their eldest child is Charles E., of this sketch, and the eldest daughter, Lorene, died when fifteen years old. The younger children are Roy W., Luther Ray and Frances L.
Charles E. Jeter, whose birth occurred in Ro- anoke, Woodford County, Il1., March 3, 1875, was in liis tenth year when the family removed to Yorkville. He received a good general educa- tion in the public schools of that place and later attended the Northwestern University at Evans- ton, Ill., for three years, pursuing a scientific course. Upon his return he entered his father's office, where he gained a comprehensive knowl- edge of the business, and in the spring of 1898 was admitted to a partnership with his senior. They purchased the elevator and grain business at Plano, in April, 1898, and in July following became owners of the lumber yards here, of which the son is in entire charge. About two hundred and fifty car-loads of grain are handled liere eaclı year, and the increase of business under our sub- ject's management is marked, and is extremely promising for the future.
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.