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 48
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 48
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father in 1834 she accompanied her mother and the other children from West Virginia to this county, settling at Forked Creek, Wesley Town- ship, where her mother died in 1845. Mrs. Grant was a woman of noble Christian character, a de- voted wife and mother, and a kind neighbor. She died December 5, 1880. Four children were born of Mr. Grant's second marriage. Of these Mary A. died of the cholera in 1854, when nine years old. John A. and James M. reside in Joliet. Margaret R., the only surviving daugh- ter, was born in the house where she still re- sides. She is a lady of marked strength of char- acter, a faithful member of the Methodist Church, and a member of the Woman's Christian Tem- perance Union, being in thorough sympathy with the efforts of this organization to put down the liquor traffic. Other worthy movements re- ceive her sympathy and active aid. In all her husband's labors she has been his counselor, and not a little of his success is due to her assistance. They are the parents of six children now living: Ella M., who is her father's deputy in the post- office; Eva M., who is teaching school; Harry E., a farmer; Lulu L., Florence and Arthur. Two children, Albert and Lois, died when small.
UGUSTUS R.MARTIN. Farmingandstock- raising have formed the chief occupations of Mr. Martin. For many years he has been recognized as an intelligent agriculturist of Plain- field Township, whose industry and perseverance have brought him prosperity. In the raising of stock his specialty has been Norman and Clyde horses, and he has also kept on his place a num- ber of cattle. In 1894 he erected a commodious farm house, supplied with all of the modern con- veniences, and this his family have fitted up in a neat and tasteful manner so that it affords them a comfortable home. At this writing he rents the land, having given up the active management of the place with a desire to spend his remaining years in retirement.
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
During colonial days three brothers came to America and two of these took part in the Revo- lutionary war, one being the ancestor of our sub- ject and a pioneer of Manchester, N. H. Jesse Martin, our subject's father, was born in New Hampshire in 1798. At the opening of the war of 1812 he practiced with his rifle in order to gain skill in its use, hoping he might see active service at the front, but he was so young that the family refused to permit him to go. When a young man he worked in the dressing of cloth that was woven by the people of his vicinity. Afterward he en- gaged in lumbering, then cleared a tract of land, finally resuming the dressing of cloth. For seven years prior to coming west he carried on a mer- cantile business in Dexter, Me. In 1852 he came to Illinois and purchased the farm where our sub- ject now lives. Of the eighty acres forty-five had been broken. Later he bought another eighty- acre tract, of which he sold twenty acres. For a time he made his home in a small house that stood on the land at the time of its purchase, but in 1858 he erected a more commodious and sub- stantial residence, and in it he died in 1893. In religion he was of the Universalist faith. In 1856 he left the Democratic party and joined the ranks of the Republican organization, voting for Colonel Fremont. He afterward remained a Re- publican. It was while he engaged in business in Maine that he married Mary Sprague, daughter of Elijah Sprague, who was an early settler of his county and served as sheriff and in other offices. By this marriage three children were born, one of whom died in childhood and another, Joseph P., who was one of the earliest commercial travelers from Plainfield, died in 1899.
The birth of our subject occurred in Dexter, Penobscot County, Me., October 3, 1832. He was educated in public schools and assisted his father in the store. Since coming to this county he has resided on his present farm, assisting his father until the latter's death, since whichi time he has owned the place. He is well posted concerning topics of current interest, and is a Republican in his political views. His religious faith is that of the Universalist Church. In 1859 he married Sa- rah Sloper, of Waterville, Me., whose grandfather
came to this country from England. They became the parents of three children, but only one is now living, Annie, who is a talented musician and has received excellent advantages in that art.
F ILES D. FOSTER, of Plainfield, was born in Otsego County, N. Y., March 29, 1820. His father, Lyman, a native of Meriden, Com., at twelve years of age accompanied his parents to Lewis County, N. Y., and there con- tinued to reside until 1844. For a number of years he owned a paper mill in Otsego County. In October, 1844, he came to Plainfield and bought a farm one mile north of the village, which he operated for a number of years. His last days were spent, retired from active labors, in the village of Plainfield, and here he died at ninety years of age. He had been a prominent man in pioneer politics, and was recognized as one of the leading Democrats of his locality. For many years he held the office of justice of the peace in Lewis and Otsego Counties, N. Y., and for some time served as highway commissioner in Plainfield. In 1848 he was elected one of the county judges, but the law providing for the of- fice proved to be unconstitutional, so he never took his seat. In religion he was connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Our subject's grandfather, Giles Foster, a na- tive of Connecticut and a large farmer and miller, was very prominent in his section of tlie state, and as a business man was unusually active and efficient. When quite young he served as a private in the Revolutionary war. Politically he was a Democrat. In religion he was a life- long member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His death occurred when he was eighty-seven. One of his sons, Isaac, was sent west as a home missionary for the Presbyterian Church in 1837, and established his home in Plainfield, where he remained until 1852 and then went to California. The great-grandfather, Timothy Foster, proba- bly a native of England, was commissioned by
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the king of England as high constable in New England. He was a man of large frame and great powers of endurance.
The mother of our subject, Esther Blood, was born near Bennington, Vt., and at fifteen years of age moved to New York with her parents. She died in Will County in 1865. In religious views she was a Methodist. Her father, Jared Blood, a native of Vermont, served in the Revo- lutionary war. While he was a farmer by occu- pation, his attention was largely given to the public service. While living in Vermont he served as a member of the legislature, and after going to New York he was judge of the court of Chenango County for several years. The family of which our subject was the oldest consisted of seven children, the others being Louisa J., de- ceased, who was the wife of Albert Beckwith; Lafayette, deceased; Augusta M., who married Alonzo Hemstreet and lives in Plainfield; Mary A., deceased; Helen M., Mrs. Allen Bliss, de- ceased; and Cornelia E., wife of John Platt, a farmer of Plainfield Township.
The education of our subject was obtained in local schools and Louisville Academy at Louis- ville, N. Y. In 1844 he accompanied his parents to this county, after which he remained with his father for eight years. In 1852 he went to Cali- fornia via Panama, being one of the first passen- gers who crossed the Isthmus of Panama on the railroad. Arriving in the far west, he engaged in mining near Columbia, Tuolumne County, Cal. He also farmed for a year. In 1859 he sold his interests in California and returned to Plainfield. With the exception of a few years on a farm, he has since made this village his home, and for twenty years he served as justice of the peace here, also for two years was a mem- ber of the board of trustees. In political matters he believes firmly in Republican principles. He has never identified himself with fraternal or- ganizations, although his father was a prominent Mason and one of the organizers of a blue lodge in Joliet.
native of New York state, went to Canada in youth and there settled on a farm. While he was still a young man he removed to Beloit, Wis., and bought and improved a farm. Later he came to this county, and after a few months in Joliet he embarked in the grocery business, which he conducted in that city and in Lockport for several years. While in Canada he married Miss Cleghorn, who died in Joliet. Both were members of the Presbyterian Church. His death occurred in September, 1895, when he was seven- ty-nine years old. Of his three children, Emma was born in Beloit, Wis .; Edward M. is publisher and manager of a mining paper in Denver, Colo .; and Carrie is a clerk in the county recorder's of- fice at Joliet. Mrs. Foster was educated in Jo- liet and Lockport, and possesses the traits of character that win the regard of associates. In religion she is a Congregationalist. To her marriage four children were born, viz .: Helen A .; Edward D., who is a student in the law de- partment of Michigan State University; Esther A. and Alice E.
C AMES B. HERBERT, who has made his home in Joliet since he was a boy, claims Illinois as his native state, and was born near Champaign, July 15, 1865. The family of which he is a member descends from Scotch ancestors. His grandfather, James Herbert, and great- grandfather, both of whom were born in Scot- land, crossed the ocean to Canada, settling upon a farm in Ontario. The father, Abraham, was a native of Canada, and grew to manhood upon the Ontario homestead. In 1864 he settled in Cham- paign, Ill., where he was employed as a clerk for others and also engaged in business for himself. In 1876 he came to Will County and for a time carried on gardening in New Lenox, but soon settled in Joliet. His last years were spent in retirement from business cares, and he died in this city in January, 1889. During his residence
December 18, 1878, Mr. Foster married Miss Emma Hawkins, daughter of Ephraim and in Ontario he married Jane Bothwell, who was Artemisia (Cleghorn) Hawkins. Her father, a born in Montreal, of English descent, and was
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
left an orphan in childhood. She is still living and makes her home on Washington strect, Joliet. Of the four children comprising the family three are living, viz .: James Bothwell, William and Newton, the two latter being carpenters in Joliet. Our subject assisted his father during his boy- hood, first in gardening and afterward in team- ing. In 1885 he began teaming for himself, in which he continued until 1897. During the latter year he took the contract for the sprinkling of the city streets, and has since devoted his en- tire time to this work. He owns and uses four sprinklers that were built in South Bend, Ind., each having a capacity of from six to seven hun- dred gallons. For the water used in these sprinklers he pays the city over $600 per annum.
Always a friend of the Republican party, Mr. Herbert has served in both the city and county conventions. He is a member of the Joliet Teamsters' Union, and fraternally is connected with the Knights of Pythias, the Order of Macca- bees and the Patriotic Order Sons of America. In religious connections he is identified with the Richards Street Methodist Episcopal Church. He built and now occupies a residence at No. 210 Baker avenue. His marriage, in Joliet, April 1, 1886, united him with Miss Clara Shiffer, who was born in Plainfield Township, this county, a daughter of John Shiffer. Four children were born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert, of whom Roy and Florence are living. Two sons, Arlington and Earl, died at the ages respectively of two and one-half years and eigliteen months.
AJ. MAX GOLDBERG, who has bech engaged in business in Joliet since 1888, is one of the prominent members of the Uniform Rank, K. of P., and at this writing holds the office of major of the Third Illinois Regiment, commanding the first battalion. Dur- ing the long period of his connection with this fraternity he has been promoted by successive steps from one position of prominence to another,
and has taken an active part in lodge and en- campment work. He is also identified with other fraternal organizations, chicfly the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the blue lodge and chapter of Masonry.
In Koenigsburg, Germany, Mr. Goldberg was born April 15, 1857, being next to the youngest of four children, of whom two sisters are in Chi- cago and a brother, Herman, is a soldier in the German army, stationed at Koenigsburg. His father, Herman, who was the son of Samuel Goldberg, a member of an old family of Koenigs- burg, learned the business of a horse dealer un- der his father, who bought horses for the govern- ment, and he remained in his native burg until he died. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Leyen, was a daughter of Louis Leyen, was born in Koenigsburg and spent her entire life there.
Leaving home in 1873, Mr. Goldberg went to Liverpool, where he took passage for New York. Arriving in this country he proceeded to Chicago, where he at once engaged in business. In 1883 he began to buy car load lots of iron, shipping the same to various rolling mills, and in this way he continued until the time of his location in Joliet. His first location in this city was at No. 113 Bluff street, and here he has since had his headquarters. Securing his material from the Fox Solid Presscd Steel Company, and many other concerns in the United States, he ships the same to eastern mills, doing a large business in this line. His plant is equipped with every improvement, including large shears, four to six inches in diameter, and twenty-six inches in length, operated by clec- tricity. Besides this business in scrapiron, since 1894 he has carried on a coal and coke business, and in 1899 took his son-in-law into partnership, under the firm name of Goldberg & Reubens, their office and yards being on Clinton street, opposite the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad.
The handsome residence of Mr. Goldberg is at No. 152 Comstock street. He was married in Chicago to Miss Jennie Weinberg, who was born in Detroit, Mich. They are the parents of three children, of whom the daughter is the wife of L. M. Reubens. The older son, Lonis, who
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
is a graduate of the Joliet high school, is now a student in St. John's Military College at Delafield, Wis. The younger son, Mortimer, is with his father.
LBERT G. BECKWITH, a retired farmer residing in Plainfield, was born in St. Lawrence County, N. Y., October 8, 1816. His father, Dudley, a native of New Hampshire, learned the blacksmith's trade there, and, after his marriage to Wealthy Brockway, he removed to New York. For many years he followed his trade in St. Lawrence County. In October, 1835, he came west to Illinois, settling in Plainfield, where he built the first blacksmith's shop in the town. For years he carried on his trade in this village, having in his old age the assistance of his son, our subject, in his work. In politics he was a Republican. During the war of 1812 he served in the American army, being assigned to duty along the St. Lawrence River. His death occurred April 30, 1871, when he was eighty-two years of age. Though reared in the Baptist faith (his father being a minister in that denomina- tion) he became a member of the Congregational Church and an active workerin that cause. His wife, who died at seventy-five years, was like himself a faithful Christian and an active Con- gregationalist. Of their two children the younger, Adaline, married Samuel Pratt and died when fifty-four years of age.
Mr. Beckwith is certainly entitled to be called a pioneer of Illinois, as it has been sixty-six years since he came to this state. When he was eighteen, in 1834, he started west via wagon with two families, crossing through Canada to Detroit and thence to Chicago, where he arrived on the IIth of August. Going from there to Dunkley's Grove, twenty miles northwest of Chicago, he helped in the building of log houses and remained until November I. Winter came on and he was without money, so he walked back to Chicago, fording several streams en route. Though he started early in the morning dark had fallen be-
fore he reached his destination. The howling of the wolves could plainly be heard and the loneli- ness of the scene could be imagined better than described. When he reached the town he secured employment in putting up a small building. His next job was in the pinery among the Indians; he remained in the forest until April, meantime never seeing a white woman's face. The summer of 1835 he spent at Dunkley's Grove, meantime saving $25, which he sent home to his father with the suggestion that he come west.
October, 1835, found our subject for the first time in Plainfield, where he built a shop and worked until 1836. He then returned to New York for his mother and sister, who had not ac- companied his father west. On his return he rented a farm which he operated for several years, also working in a shop as a teamster and in other occupations. After he had been here for ten years he bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild land three miles northwest of Plainfield, to which he moved and which he improved. After three years he sold the place and bought one hundred and fifteen acres south of town, where he made valuable improvements and erected the necessary buildings. In 1892 he sold the farm, retired from active labors and settled in the village. Politically he has been active in local Republican affairs. He has been connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church for forty years, and his wife has been identified with the same denomination for sixty years.
In 1844 Mr. Beckwith married Louisa J. Fos- ter, a sister of Giles D. Foster, in whose sketch her family history appears. She died in 1862, leaving two daughters, namely: Jane, a widow, living in Oklahoma; and Ellen, widow of Frank Andrews, of Florida. The second marriage of our subject took place November 28, 1864, and united him with Mrs. Helen (Hoag) Barney, who was born in Nashua, N. H., April 18, 1828, a daughter of Asahel and Sabria C. (Chessmore) Hoag. Her father, who was born in Henniker, N. H., August 2, 1795, accompanied his parents to Vermont when a child, and there learned the shoemaker's trade. When he was twenty-eight years old he returned to New Hampshire, settling
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in Nashua, where he engaged in the mercantile judge at Georgetown, where he also had impor- business until 1830. His next removal was to tant mining interests. While he was crossing the range he was lost and it is supposed he was mur- dered for his money, as he had just sold a claim and had the money with him. His only son, Royal S. Barney, is engaged in merchandising in Denver, Colo. By her second marriage Mrs. Beckwith had a daughter, Florence R., wife of Thomas W. Walker, of Mazon, Grundy County, Ill. Mr. Walker was born in Mazon April 16, 1859, and is a leading man of that place, being constable, school commissioner and holding other important positions. Concord, N. H., where he bought land, built a shoe store and a printing house and printed thousands of Bibles. Failing health induced him in 1838 to seek a home in the west. Coming to Plainfield he bought a farm near the village and, improving the property, afterward made it his home. For years he served as road commis- sioner and school director and took an active part in local Republican politics. He was reared in the Quaker faith and always inclined toward the doctrines of that sect, though he did not keep his birthright in it. While in the east he became prominent in Masonry, and after settling in Illi- mois he assisted in organizing a blue lodge in Joliet. His life was fairly successful viewed from a financial standpoint. Viewed from a higher standpoint of usefulness and of good deeds done he was a citizen whose value was great and whose death might well be deplored. He died while he was visiting in California, August 10, 1870, overexertion in climbing a mountain in Mexico having led to his death. He was buried with Masonic honors.
The mother of Mrs. Beckwith was born in Washington, Vt., May 3, 1799, and died in Plainfield January 22, 1861, at the age of sixty- one years. She was a Congregationalist in re- ligious connections. Ofher seven children Royal M. and Oscar S. are deceased; Franklin, who was a successful school teacher here but is now de- ceased, was the first to be buried with Masonic honors in Plainfield; George W. has also passed from earth; Charles B. was fifth in order of birth; Harriet is the widow of Alexander Roberts, of Tustin, Cal .; and Mrs. Beckwith completes the , family circle. She was ten years of age when her parents settled near Plainfield and conse- quently remembers the pioneer days of this locality. For five years she was a student in a young ladies' academy on Dearborn street, Chi- cago, and while there saw the first train of cars that ever came into Chicago. When twenty- three she became the wife of Milton Barney, a merchant of St. Paul, Minn. In the spring of 1860 he went to Colorado and for two years was
LIN AUGUSTUS SAGE, who is a member of a prominent pioneer family of Chan- nahon Township, was born in the village of Channahon January 5, 1871, a son of Elizur W. and Sabrina (Eaton) Sage. He was one of five children, of whom four are now living. His old- est sister, Hattie I., is the wife of W. B. Davis, a farmer of this township; Helen S. married S. H. Holbrook, who is with the Butler Paper Com- pany in Chicago; and Fannie E. is the wife of Allen V. Crisler, of Park Ridge, Ill. The father of this family was born in Rome, N. Y., in 1812, and was one of the seven children of Elisha and Prudence (Risley) Sage, the others of the family being Henry R., Elisha M., William C., Russell (the noted New York millionaire), Sallie and Fannie.
Elisha Sage was born in Cromwell, Conn., in 1779, a son of Elisha and Martha (Montague) Sage, and was one of a family of six sons and six daughters. His father, also a native of Crom- well, born in 1747, was a son of Ainos and Re- becca (Wilcox) Sage, and was one of a family of five sons and three daughters. Amos Sage, born in Cromwell in 1722, was a son of Timothy and Margaret (Holibert) Sage. Timothy, who was born in Middletown, Conn., in 1678, was a son of David Sage, who was born in Wales in 1639 and emigrated to America il1 1652, settling in
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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Middletown, of which he was one of the earliest pioneers. His first wife was Elizabeth Kirby and his second wife Mary Wilcox. From the second marriage descends this branch of the family.
When a youth our subject's father learned the carpenter's trade. By his first wife, who was Mary Willard, he had nine children, four now living, namely: Mary J., the widow of Charles Wignall, of Jenson, Ark .; Emily, wife of Henry Chadwick, of Batavia, Ill .; Elizur, of Channa- hon; and Leni, who married M. Schoonmaker, of Chicago Heights. In 1834 the father came to Illinois and settled in the village of Channahon, where he followed his trade for many years. In politics he was a Republican. For several years he served as a member of the school board. In his early years he was a very active worker in the Methodist Church.
In 1859, some years after the death of his first wife, Elizur W. Sage married Miss Eaton, a na- tive of Morristown, Vt., and a daughter of Lathrop and Sabrina (Wood) Eaton, also natives of that state. Her grandfather, Abial Eaton, was born in Woodstock, Conn., October 19, 1770, settled at Morristown, Vt., in early life, and died there February 28, 1835; he married Seely Cooper. Latlırop Eaton was born at Morris- town September 21, 1797, and engaged in farm pursuits throughout his active life. Among the offices he held were those of school director and justice of the peace. The Eaton family descends from John and Abigail Eaton, who came from England about 1635 in the ship "Elizabeth," and for two years lived at Watertown, near Bos- ton, but removed from there to Dedham, Mass., where he died November 17, 1658. His son, John, was born at Watertown in 1636 and died in 1694. Next in line of descent was Thomas, born July 23, 1675, a blacksmith, who lived for a short time in Roxbury and in 1703 moved to Woodstock. He died at Ashford, Conn., Au- gust 14, 1748. His son, David, born at Wood- stock, July 21, 1706, was a farmér and made his home at Ashford, where he died about 1777. He was three times married and had several children by each marriage. Josiah and David, sons by
his first wife, were soldiers in the Revolutionary war. Ephraim, also a son by the first marriage, was the next in line of descent. He was born October 2, 1739, and spent some time on a farmi near Woodstock. Ten years after his marriage to Eunice Sanger he removed to Hinsdale, N. H., and probably died there. His son, Abial, was born at Woodstock October 19, 1770, and settled at Morristown, Vt. The next generation was represented by Lathrop Eaton, who married Sabrina Wood, February 13, 1825, and died No- vember 8, 1854.
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