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 3
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 3
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In 1848 a circuit clerk was elected who was a farmer and unfamiliar with legal business. At his request Mr. Barber took up the duties of dep-
uty, having practically the entire charge of the office for three years. In 1852 he was elected circuit clerk, filling the position for four years, during which time he originated and compiled a set of abstract books, giving the title to real es- tate in the county. Upon his retirement from the clerk's office he resumed practice and during the time of his clerkship had charge of the coun- ty records. More than ten years ago he became interested in a case relating to the distribution of property where one child remains at home during the long life of the parents and the others leave in early life to make their way independently in the world. It had been the practice that no dis- tinction was made in the settlement of the prop- erty, all heirs receiving the same; but an instance of this kind came to practice, where a daughter remained with her parents, the other children leaving. When the father died at an advanced age the other children wanted an equal share of the property. All that saved the property to the daughter was the fact that the father stated, in the presence of neighbors, that he had given the homestead to this daughter. Mr. Barber brought a bill in equity, claiming the title to the home- stead in return for the daughter's services; but, although he proved all the details in the bill, the judge followed established precedents and dis- missed the bill. Mr. Barber then appealed to the supreme court, by whom the decision of the lower court was reversed, and the title given to the daughter. In this way a precedent was estab- lished that has since been followed.
Mr. Barber laid out several subdivisions of Joliet, and in 1887-88 erected the Barber build- ing, which is still one of the finest office buildings in the city. It was the first structure that devi- ated from the ordinary old-fashioned style of architecture, with square buildings and plain walls, and it has since been a pattern for other private and public buildings. On the Citizens' ticket he was elected mayor of Joliet in 1876. For nine years he was a member of the school board, of which he served as clerk. He is con- nected with the State Bar Association. In Cen- tral Presbyterian Church he is a ruling elder, has served as a trustee and for many years was Sun-
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day-school superintendent. In 1849 he and his wife began housekeeping in an old frame house, but later he erected a commodious stone residence that has since afforded the family a comfortable home. While he has been engrossed by profes- sional work and his duties of citizenship, he has found leisure for recreation and travel. In 1896, accompanied by his wife and daughter Emma, he made a tour of Europe, Egypt, the Holy Land and Asia Minor, spending considerable time in Turkey, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, France and Great Britain, and after a trip of eight months re- turned home on the "Paris."
In Joliet, in 1849, Mr. Barber married Ellen Elizabeth Crowley, who died of cholera the next year. In 1854, in Rome, N. Y., he married Miss Frances Cornelia House, who was born in that city. They are the parents of four children now living. The eldest, Alice Stillman Barber, a graduate of Houghton Seminary, New York, was appointed a missionary of the Presbyterian board at Beirut, Syria, in 1885, and has since been suc- cessfully engaged in her chosen work in that place. Edward M., the older son, graduated from Hamilton College, in Clinton, N. Y., and is now in Utica, that state William C., also a grad- uate of Hamilton College, has charge of the ab- stract of titles and other lines of business in Joliet. Emma F., a graduate of Houghton Seminary, is the wife of Dr. Beckwith, of Joliet.
ILLIAM C. BARBER, A. B. By reason of his ability as a financier, Mr. Barber has been brought into prominence among the business men of Joliet. He is one of the na- tive born citizens of Joliet, a son of Royal E. Barber, who for so many years lias been identi- fied with the history of the city. Here he was born February 25, 1863, and in the public schools he laid the foundation of his education. After graduating from the high school in 1880, he ma- triculated in Hamilton College at Clinton, N. Y.,
and completed the course of study in that insti- tution, from which he graduated in 1884, with the degree of A. B.
Returning to Joliet, Mr. Barber became inter- ested in the abstract business, in which he has since engaged. On the Ist of January, 1889, he succeeded to the business which had been estab- lished by his father in June, 1857, and which antedates any similar enterprise by fourteen years, being the oldest office in the county. In the building erected by his father he has since had his office. At the same time he acts as agent for the Barber building. He superintended the construction and has charge of the electric light plant which furnishes light and power for this building, as well as some adjoining.
Perhaps Mr. Barber is best known through his connection with the liquidation of various loan and building associations. He was appointed liquidator of the Borrowers and Investors Build- ing Association, the Second (formerly Peoria) Building and Loan Association, and the Wauke- gan Borrowers and Investors Building Associa- tion, all of Joliet, with assets aggregating $300,- 000. This is the first instance on record where such affairs have been closed up in this way, and it is proving more economical for the sharehold- ers than the method heretofore followed. The quarterly statements issued by the liquidator are models of accuracy, conciseness and clearness, and the manner in which he is conducting affairs is proving most satisfactory to those concerned.
Since 1887 Mr. Barber has been a member of the board of directors of the Joliet public library. From that time until 1896 he held the office of clerk of the board, but resigned the clerical posi- tion in the latter year. In the work of Central Presbyterian Church he has taken an active in- terest, and has served as trustee of the church and treasurer of the Sunday-school. He is a charter member of the Stone City Union Club, in whose activities he has been a potent factor. While he has never sought prominence in politics nor positions of responsibility in the gift of tlie peo- ple, he has always had strong opinions concerning public questions, and has actively supported the men and measures of the Republican party. He
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
was married in this city in 1889, his wife being Margaret A. Spangler, daughter of Ezra L. and Agnes M. (Love) Spangler. She was educated in Joliet and is a graduate of the high school. The two children born of their union are Ruth and Ralph.
TEPHEN GLIDDEN was one of the best known men in Channahon Township. When he came here in 1848 he was a young man with all the eager determination and enthusiasm of youth. The privations of pioneer life did not discourage him nor its hardships daunt; he worked his way steadily forward, leading a busy, useful existence, and by industry and frugality accumulating a valuable property. At the same time he gained the esteem of all acquaintances. He saw many changes during the long period of his residence in the same locality. Almost all of the heads of families who were his neighbors fifty years ago (for in those days people were called neighbors even though they lived many miles apart) have now passed to that land whence no traveler returns. His farm.stands in the midst of a thriving and populous farming com- munity that sprang into existence during the years he made his home here, replacing surround- ings that had all the aspect of a wilderness just opening to civilization. On his farm of nine hundred acres is one of the imposing country dwellings of the township, a house built in 1878 and conveniently arranged and tastefully fur- nished. Here he spent the afternoon of his life in the enjoyment of the comforts his earlier labors made possible, and here he died January 4, 1900.
In Unity, Cheshire County, N. H., Mr. Glidden was born September 15, 1820, a son of Levi and Sarah (Glidden) Glidden. He and his sister, Margaret, the widow of Ransler Jenkins, of Ma- quoketa, Iowa, are the sole survivors of a family of eleven. His father, who was born and reared in Unity, removed from there to New York in 1821
and settled at Crown Point, Essex County, where he engaged in farming during the remainder of his life. His wife, who was a native of the same place as himself, had a brother, Thomas, who served in the war of 1812; shortly after the battle of Plattsburg, as the troops were returning home, he and some comrades stopped at an orchard to get some apples, for they had been on scant rations for weeks and were almost starved. The owner of the orchard, incensed at the act, shot him and wounded him severely. Levi Glidden's father was a Revolutionary soldier.
When fifteen years of age our subject went to Vermont to live with a brother-in-law, with the intention of remaining there until he attained his majority, but he soon became dissatisfied and made up his mind to settle in the west. It was, however, impossible for him to come to Illinois immediately. When he was nineteen he returned to Crown Point, where he continued until his father's death. September 3, 1848, he arrived in Joliet, bringing with him $600 that he had saved. His first work was with a brother-in-law, who had a contract to rebuild a mill at Treat's Island, in Channahon Township. While working here he purchased the mill on which he was working, and for five years he operated it. In 1849 he re- turned to Crown Point for his betrothed wife. There, on the 5th of July, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Barnett, who was born in 1826, a daughter of Asa W. and Hannah (Lamson) Barnett. Her father was born in Hoosick, N. Y., and in early manhood removed to Crown Point, where he became a farmer.
After his marriage Mr. Glidden returned to Illinois, where he continued milling until the in- troduction of steam mills and the advent of the railroad made the business unprofitable. In 1853 he turned his attention to farming, having one hundred and eleven acres, which he had bought with the mill. He was prospered as a farmer and stock-raiser. He added to his pos- sessions until he had fifteen hundred acres, but afterward he disposed of six hundred acres. From 1894 until his death he lived retired, the management of his place being in the hands of his son-in-law, Frank P. Bieth. In politics he
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
was a Republican, interested in party matters, but not caring for official positions himself. A man of earnest character, resolute in the support of what he believed to be right, he won the good will of his associates, and, as an honored pioneer, deserves not a little credit for the effective work he did in the advancement of the township. His wife died September 12, 1887, and of their eleven children only four are now living, one of. whom, Permelia S., has had charge of the home since her mother's death. Sarah J. is the widow of Henry Haviland, a farmer of Channahon Town- ship; Melissa is the wife of Frank P. Bieth; and Harvey O. lives in Kankakee, this state.
there. However, they finally left for Chicago, which was deemed a safer refuge, and their effects were mostly taken or destroyed before they could with safety return to Will County.
In September, 1831, Mr. Beggs married Eliz- abeth L. Heath, who was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, and died in Will County, April 7, 1866. His second marriage, December 30, 1868, united him with Mrs. Sarah R. (Dibble) Frost, a native of New York state. He had four children by his first marriage : Mary E., James W., George W. and Charles W.
1198548
R EV. STEPHEN R. BEGGS was born in Rockingham County, Va., in 1801. His father removed to Kentucky when the son was only four years of age, and two years later settled on the Ohio River in Clark County, Ind. His earliest recollections were therefore of fron- tier scenes. He was seven years old before he had a pair of shoes, and in after years he was wont to recall the delight experienced in the possession of his first shoes. In early manhood he entered the ministry of the Methodist Church, and afterward preached as an itinerant in Indi- ana, Illinois and Missouri. No salary was at- tached to his work. He was supported by the gratuitous contributions of his hearers, who, being poor in purse, could make but small con- tributions to his support. His entire receipts in cash one year amounted to only $23.
In the summer of 1831 Mr. Beggs came to Plainfield, and was afterward connected with the history of Will County. In 1836 he was ap- pointed to the Joliet circuit, and commenced the work of building the first Methodist church in Joliet, which was, in fact, the first edifice built by any denomination in the city. Upon the breaking out of the Sac war his house was con- sidered the best adapted for a fort. It was ac- cordingly fortified and all the settlers gathered
AMES W. BEGGS, of Plainfield, was born at Troy Grove, near Ottawa, Ill., March 5, 1835. When he was a boy he attended the district schools, but these being very poor, the knowledge that he acquired was largely gained" through observation and experience. When he became of age he embarked in the hotel business at Naperville, where he remained for seven years. He then returned to his father's farm one-half mile south of Plainfield, where he assumed the management of the place, devoting it to the raising of stock and of farm products. He spent three years on the farm but, preferring the hotel business, he came to Plainfield, and purchased the Central Hotel property, enlarging the build- ing and conducting it in a manner that drew considerable trade. A man of genial and ac- commodating disposition, as a landlord he was very popular, and the traveling public made his place their headquarters. He also ran a stage line to Joliet, carrying mail prior to the building of the railroad. He continued to conduct the hotel until 1894, when he sold out the business and retired from active cares. His interests are large, and include town property which he rents, and a fine farm of one hundred and fifteen acres one mile south of Plainfield.
In politics Mr. Beggs is a Democrat, and has borne his share in the work for the party here. Both to county and state conventions he has
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
served as a delegate. He has served as a mem- ber of the board of aldermen, and in the spring of 1899 was elected mayor, a position that he has filled with signal ability and tact. Under Presi- dent Cleveland he held the office of postmaster for two terms. His marriage united him with Emerette, daughter of Hilton Clary, and formerly of Palmyra, Wayne County, N. Y.
ELAH KNAPP, who is engaged in farming in Homer Township, was born in Albany, N. Y., in 1836, a son of Rev. Solomon and Maria (Lanfear) Knapp. His father, a native of New York, became a inember of the Baptist Church in early life and afterward fitted himself for its ministry. He was ordained a preacher in the denomination and during the subsequent years of his life worked earnestly in his chosen field of labor. When he came west in 1840 he settled in Will County and purchased the land that forms our subject's present property. In addition to the superintendence of this farm, he gave considerable time to ministerial work and served as pastor of the Baptist Church of Hadley. His last days were passed in Joliet, where his death occurred in 1890, after a busy life that cov- ered eighty-seven years. In his family were seven children, namely: Lanfear; Warren, who lives in Nebraska; Solomon; Selah; Lizzie, who married
John Cameron and lives in Omaha, Neb .; Josie, deceased; and Florence, wife of H. T. Stevens.
When the family came to Illinois Mr. Knapp was less than three years of age; hence practically his entire life has been passed on the farm where he now lives. He was given such advantages as neighboring schools afforded, and to these he added by self-culture, thus acquiring a good practical education. He is the owner of the old homestead of one hundred and twenty acres, on which he engages in the dairy and stock business and in the raising of cereals. The Republican party has received his active support ever since he attained his majority, and he is a firm believer in its principles. For thirteen years he held of- fice as commissioner of highways, during which time he did much to promote the building and maintaining of good roads in his township. As 'a member of the county central committee of the Republican party and as a worker on its execu- tive committee he has done much to advance the party's interests here. The cause of education has a firm friend in him. For twenty-one years he was a member of the school board, and during part of the time he served as president, also as secretary of the board.
The marriage of Mr. Knapp took place in 1860 and united him with Miss Emeline Frazier, daughter of William Frazier, and a native of Homer Township. They have an only daughter, Hattie F., who was educated in the Joliet high school and is now teaching in the Joliet schools. The family are connected with the Congregational Church and aid in its support.
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
HON. CHARLES EDWARD BOYER.
ON. CHARLES EDWARD BOYER. In reflecting upon the advancement of the county of Will, men of thoughtful minds give due credit to the pioneers, among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Boyer, of Lockport. Though many years have passed since the death of Mr. Boyer, his widow still survives, in the enjoyment of the competence which his energy accumulated, and surrounded by the evidences of an advancing civilization. When, as a child of seven years, she first saw the county where she has since re- sided, its settlers were few and widely scattered, its towns were mere hanilets and its farms wholly unimproved. Looking back over the long vista of years, she can narrate. many an interesting story of those early times when hardships were many and the obstacles to success innumerable. In the prosperity of the present no one rejoices more than she. The finely improved farms of the county; the clanking of machinery; the hum- ming of the saw; the shrill whistle of the locomo- tive and the long trains of freight and passenger cars that pass in every direction; the well-built schools; neat houses; handsome churches and fine business blocks, all proclaim this region to be the abode of peace and prosperity, in the se- curing of which the early settlers were a potent factor, and which, indeed, would not have been possible without their self-sacrificing and constant labors.
Mr. Boyer was born and reared in Reading, Berks County, Pa., and, as a young man, clerked in a store in Philadelphia. Coming west in 1836, he was employed in the Chicago office of the company that had charge of the building of the
Illinois and Michigan canal. For a time he had the supervision of their office work, but later took a contract on the canal, and in this way, in 1838, lie was first induced to come to Will County. In the filling of his contracts lie displayed so much efficiency and intelligence that his standing as a contractor was assured from that time forth, and he was thus enabled to gain a constantly in- creasing success. When the canal was being deepened he had a number of large contracts in connection with the same, and at the time of the building of the Chicago & Alton Railroad through the county he was one of its heaviest contractors. While his extensive business interests took much of liis time, he did not allow them to prevent him from participating in public affairs. He was a stanch believer in Democratic principles and never lost an opportunity to promote the success of his party. His fellow citizens, recognizing his fitness for public office, offered him the high- est gifts within their power. In 1864 he repre- sented the district in the state legislature, and at the time of his death, which occurred September 21, 1868, he was his party's candidate for the state senate. Successful in business, he left his family a large property, consisting principally of city real estate and farm lands. At the time of his death he had so much work planned for the future that it required two years for his widow to complete all of the contracts, and she successfully managed the same until they were filled.
The lady who became the wife of Mr. Boyer, at Lockport, April 14, 1840, bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Runyon and was born in Preble County, Ohio, February 22, 1823. Her
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
father, Armstead Runyon, was a native of Lex- ington, Ky., and at fourteen years of age accom- panied his parents to Ohio, where he lived on a farm for a number of years. In 1827 he brought his family to Illinois and settled near Danville. From there, in the fall of 1830, he came to what was then Cook (now Will) County, and settled on a farm one and one-half miles from the present site of the city of Lockport, being one of the very earliest settlers in this vicinity. During the Black Hawk war he was obliged to take his family for protection to old Fort Dearborn, where they remained for several weeks; he and several others then returned to Will County and built a blockhouse on Mr. Sisson's farm, in which the families of the neighborhood lived for some time. While the men cultivated the land, the women remained in the blockhouse. From the building a good view could be had of the surrounding country, and when any Indians came in sight, the women would notify their husbands by rais- ing a flag on a pole. During the building of the canal Mr. Runyon left his farm and opened a hotel in Lockport. In the fall of 1849 he went to California and purchased a large ranch on the Sacramento River, twenty miles from Sacramento, where he remained for twenty years extensively engaged in raising fruit. In 1869 he removed to Santa Rosa, Cal., but still continued to manage . his farm. He died in that town when seventy- six years of age. Politically he was a Democrat, and in religion a Universalist. His father, Michael Runyon, a native of Kentucky, settled in Will County about 1834 and afterward made his home on Hickory Creek, where he died in 1857. His wife was a cousin of Robert Blackwell, one of the early and well-known Chicago attorneys.
Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Boyer, William and Charles died in boyhood. The older daugh- ter, Emma B., became the wife of David E Cor- neau, of Chicago, and they have one son, Perry B. Corneau. The younger daughter, Florence B., Mrs. Olaus Paulson, resides with Mrs. Boyer, and has four children: Elizabeth B., Louise, Norman B. and Emma C. Paulson. The only son who attained manhood was Julius A., who operated a quarry in this county and died in
Lockport, at thirty-six years of age. He married Helen Cook (daughter of Isaac Cook), now Mrs. Robert Aull, of St. Louis, Mo. They had three children: Julius A., Charles E. (deceased) and Douglas C. Boyer. Since the death of her hus- band Mrs. Boyer has superintended the property and, in spite of her seventy-six years, she is quite ·
active and business-like. In the beautiful resi- dence built by Mr. Boyer in 1856 she has con- tinued to reside, hospitably entertaining her friends and beloved by all who know her. As one of the oldest living settlers of the vicinity of Lockport she is entitled to the esteem in which she is held.
S. G. BLAKELY, editor and proprietor of the Plainfield Enterprise, was born in ,Morristown, Vt., May 9, 1868. He mar- ried Miss Linnwood Bartholomew, at Reading, Mich., September 25, 1887. In company with R. A. Marvin he established the Enterprise August 10, 1887, and in 1888 bought his part- ner's interest. He is a Republican in politics and is a member of the Masonic and Modern Woodmen fraternities.
EORGE B. MOSS, a farmer and stockman of Plainfield Township, has spent his entire life in the vicinity of his present home and has not only witnessed, but also contributed to, the advancement of local interests, especially to the development of the farming resources. He was born in this township on Christmas day of 1839. His father, William, a native of North- amptonshire, England, grew to manhood in that shire and learned the millwright's trade and the milling business. When about twenty-one years of age he came to the United States. After a short time in a mill in Buffalo, N. Y., he came west to Illinois, settling in Will County and se-
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
curing work in the building of the old Walker mill near Plainfield. On the completion of the mill he was placed in charge of it. Later he re- moved to Plainfield and helped to build a mill there, taking charge of it upon its completion. Failing health finally obliged him to seek an oc- cupation affording outdoor exercise. In 1845 he bought eighty acres of prairie land, upon which he settled and to the improvement of which his subsequent years were devoted. As he pros- pered he added to his property until he owned two hundred and eighty acres, all well improved and cultivated. In politics he allied himself with the Republican party on its organization and afterward voted for its principles. For sev- eral years lie held the office of school director. He was a very active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The doctrines of this denom- ination he upheld by his life, which was that of an honest, honorable man, and a good citizen, whose word was as good as his bond. Personally he was of a quiet disposition, with domestic tastes. He died on liis home farm when seventy- eight years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Baxter, was born in Nor- folk, England, and came to America in girlhood, settling in Rochester, N. Y., where she first met Mr. Moss. Like him, she was a faitliful member of the Methodist Church. Her death occurred on the homestead when she was fifty years old. Of her six children George B. was thc eldest; William is a farmer in this township; Mary A. is the wife of Emory D. Platts, of Plainfield; Mrs. Martha O' Leary lives in this township; Mrs. Phi- lenda Thompson, a widow, lives in Colorado; and Oliver is engaged in railroading in Wyoming.
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