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 56
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 56
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
August 18, 1861, occurred the marriage of Henry Sumner Smith to Clara Record, who was born near Bath, Me., and died in San Francisco, Cal., December 4, 1875. They were the parents
461
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
of six children. Henry Benjamin, the oldest of the family, was born in San Francisco October 6, 1862. His education was acquired principally in the California Military Academy at Oakland. Upon leaving school he came to Joliet to make his home with his uncle, Horace S. Smith, who, at that time, was general superintendent of the Joliet Steel Company. For a time he studied in the Bloomington (Il1.) high school. He entered the machine shop of the Joliet Steel Company as an apprentice to the trade, serving for four years, and afterward continuing the trade. In 1889 he was made assistant superintendent of the rod mill under William Garrett, the inventor and builder of the same. When the works werc shut down, in 1893, he was appointed safety inspector and claim adjuster for the company, a position that lie has since held. He was secretary of the Sun Printing Company, job printers and publishers of the Joliet Daily Sun, which later was sold to the Joliet Republican Printing Company. At the organization of the Royal Oil Company he was appointed president and continued as such until the works were sold to the American Oil Com- pany.
In Bloomington, Ill., February 1, 1894, Mr. Smith married Miss Lucy Delia Luce, daughter of Dr. Albert Hull and Lucinda ( Dawson) Luce. Her great-grandfather Luce brought his family to America and settled in Wayne County, N. Y., where her grandfather, Joseph Luce, was born and reared. Her father, a pioneer physician of McLean County, Ill., first practiced in Leroy, but soon removed to Bloomington, where he re- mained a popular physician and esteemed citizen until his deatlı in 1885. He was the first presi- dent of the McLean County Medical Association. His wife, who was born in Bloomington Town- ship, McLean County, in 1826, is now making her home with Mrs. Smith. She is a descendant of Revolutionary forefathers. Her fatlier, John Henry Dawson, and a Mr. Hendricks, were the two first white settlers in McLean County, and he became the owner of large tracts of land, but his last days were spent in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he died a very aged man. He served under thic famous leader William Henry Harrison during
the war of 1812, and it was while in the army that he had his first glimpse of western life, and he was so pleased with the prospects that he deter- mined to locate in Illinois. Mrs. Smith was given excellent advantages when a girl and is a graduate of the Chicago Female College. In re- ligion she is of the Episcopalian belief and at- tends Christ Church. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Smith is named Horace Benjamin, and was born November 18, 1895. He represents the tenth generation-in direct descent, and is the seventh to bear the name "Benjamin."
The connection of Mr. Smith with military matters dates from1 1883. He then enlisted as a private in Company B, Fourth Illinois Infantry. The next year he was appointed regimental quartermaster-sergeant. In July, 1886, Governor Oglesby commissioned him first lieutenant in the Fourth Regiment, and later he wasappointed quar- termaster in the Third Regiment. By a special act of the legislature the quartermaster was given the rank and title of captain, which he has since held. May 7, 1898, lie enlisted in the Third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which he accompanied to Chickamauga National Park, Ga., thence to Newport News and from there to Porto Rico, where he participated in the island campaign in the war with Spain. He was mustered out at Jolict with the regiment, after an honorable and offi- cial service, January 24, 1899.
G EORGE BURGESS, master mechanic of the Joliet plant of the Illinois Steel Company, became a machinist at J. P. Withrow's, in Newcastle, Pa. He next worked under Robin- son & Ray, in Pittsburg, Pa., for two years and then in the Union Works of the old Illinois Steel Company in Chicago. After one year he was made foreman of thic machine shop, and con- tinued as such for two years. His next position was that of night master mechanic. After a year he became assistant master mechanic of the works. When the mill shut down he went to South Chi-
462
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
cago as chief engineer of the rail mill of the Illi- nois Steel Company. On the reopening of the Union mill he returned as assistant master me- chanic and in 1895 was promoted to be master mechanic. In 1896 the mill closed down again and he was sent to Joliet to take charge of the plant in this city, where he has remained ever since.
Tracing the ancestry of the Burgess family, we find that John Burgess, Sr., was born in Spain, his father having gone to that country from Scot- land. When sixteen years of age he settled in New Jersey. For many years he was engaged in the canning of oysters along the Chesapeake. He now resides in Philadelphia. His wife, Eliz- abeth, is still living, and is ninety-two years of age. Their son, John, Jr., was born in Camden, N. J., and learned the saddler's trade in Pitts- burg, Pa. At the opening of the Civil war he en- listed twice, but each time the company was dis- banded before being called into service. On his third enlistment he was detailed in the garrison at Pittsburg, where he engaged in the manufac- ture of harness. When the war ended he started in the harness business in Newcastle, Pa. From there, in 1893, he removed to Youngstown, Ohio, where he now makes his home. In politics he favors he Republican party, in religion is an elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and frater- nally is connected with the Masons and Odd Fel- lows. He is a man of strong temperance princi- ples and upright life.
The wife of John Burgess, Jr., was Annie Tay- lor, who was born in Wellsville, W. Va., a daugh- ter of Thomas and Annie Taylor, natives of Eng- land. Her father, on coming to America, engaged in mining at Pottsville, Pa. Before railroads had been built he crossed the Alleghanies to West Virginia, where he followed coal mining until his death. His wife also died in West Virginia.
The family of John Burgess, Jr., consisted of two sons and two daughters, three of whom re- side in Youngstown, Ohio, and George, the old- est, in Joliet, Ill. He was born in Newcastle, Pa., August 14, 1864, and studied in the public schools of the native town. When sixteen years of age he began to study dentistry with Dr.
Green of Newcastle, with whom he remained for four years. Meantime, however, he had be- come interested in mechanical work, and his ' taste in that direction was so pronounced that he abandoned dentistry. He entered the machine shop of Withrow & Gordon, with whom he served an apprenticeship of three years. Afterward he was employed in the building of the water works at Pittsburg, Pa., for two years. In 1884 he started west, intending to go to California, but, instead, stopped in Chicago, and he has since made his home in this state. He was married in Chicago to Miss Marie Cklacy, a native of New York City. They have three sons, George, Jr., Lorain and Eugene.
In politics Mr. Burgess is a Republican. He was made a Mason in Lodge No. 310, A. F. & A. M., in Chicago, and later became connected with Lafayette Chapter, R. A. M., and Apollo Commandery, K. T., of Chicago. During his residence in Newcastle he was a member of the lodge and encampment of Odd Fellows, and he is now connected with the Modern Woodmen of America.
12 AVID D. BARRETT, a well-known busi- ness man of Joliet, was born in Jackson Township, this county, September 3, 1854, a son of Lansing and Margaret A. (Hampton) Barrett, natives respectively of Ontario, Canada, and the Isle of Man. His paternal grandfather about 1840 brought his family from Canada to Illinois, settling in Jackson Township, Will County, where he improved a farm from the wild prairie. He died in Joliet when almost one hundred years of age. "The maternal grandfa- ther, John Hampton, who was born on the Isle of Man, April 1, 1800, grew to manhood and married there. On coming to America he settled in Cleveland, Ohio, but after one year, in 1841, he came to Illinois, settling in Jackson Town- ship, this county, and improving a farm from a bare, unimproved tract of land. He aided in the building of the Chicago & Alton Railroad through
463
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
his township and a station was established on his farm that was called Hampton. Prominent in local affairs he wielded an influence for good among his fellow-citizens. He died in Joliet in 1884.
Reared on a farm, Lansing Barrett became a stock-dealer and brought from Canada the first merino sheep introduced into this county. Dur- ing the gold excitement of 1859 he went to Pike's Peak, intending to bring back to Illinois a bunch of mountain horses, but was taken sick on the way and compelled to return. He died shortly afterward, when only twenty-six years of age. His wife is still living and makes her home at No. 216 Cassaday avenue, Joliet. Our sub- ject, who was the only child born of the mar- riage, was taken into the home of his mother's father, but at the age of seven went to St. Louis to make his home with an uncle. He attended the schools of that city until he was fourteen. On his return to this county lie took charge of his grandfather's farm, but after four years he came to Joliet, and for two years attended school. The cooper's trade he learned under Joseph Winter -. bottom, for whom in time he became superin- tendent, remaining with the same employer for fourteen years.
June 12, 1887, Mr. Barrett started in the liv- ery business, buying Mr. Bennett's interest in the firm of Cook & Bennett, and continuing with L. M. Cook under the title of Cook & Barrett. After eighteen months he sold out and ten days later he bought out Merrill & Potter, on the corner of Scott and Van Buren streets, where he has since carried on a large business. The build- ing which he occupies is 60x160, with an L. 60x120, being the largest barn under one roof in the city. In the livery, boarding and transfer business he has built up a large trade, and he also lias horses on sale, owning a number that are unusually fine. His "David H." is a three- year old pacer, with a record of 2:20. He also raised "Minnie B.," that paced one- half mile at 1:09, when two years of age, but before the next season was accidentally injured.
In national politics Mr. Barrett is a Republi- can. He is connected with the Modern Wood-
men of America and the Uniform Rank, K. of P. He was united in marriage, in Bondfield, Ill., with Isabelle, daughter of Jolin Linebarger, a grain dealer in Elwood, this county. They are the parents of three children, Howard, Gladys and Mabel. :
ON. A. B. HALLOCK, postmaster of Peo- tone, and a former member of the Illinois legislature, was born at Lake Zurich, Lake County, Ill., May 20, 1854, a son of Rev. Joseph . Addison and Maria (Brockway ) Hallock. Of the original family of six, all but one are still living. Minerva is the widow of John W. Kreamer, who was a member of the noted law firm of Hurd, Booth & Kreamer, of Chicago; Roby is the wife of H. H. Kleinman, of South Chicago; Isadore married L. H. Fountain, an expert bookkeeper and accountant, of Brooklyn, N. Y .; and Eleanor is the wife of F. H. Hague, one of the proprietors of the Chicago Knife works.
Rev. Joseph Addison Hallock was a first cousin of Fitzgreen Hallock, the famous poet. He was born at Peru, Clinton County, N. Y., in 1811 and acquired his education in Burlington (Vt.) Col- lege. At twenty-one years of age he entered the Methodist ministry as a circuit rider in western Pennsylvania. He was of Quaker parentage and was the first of the family to leave the faith. He was among the first agitators of anti-slavery and had on his place a station of the underground railroad, by which means many black men and women were assisted across the border. That early anti-slavery agitator and martyr, Lovejoy, of Alton, Ill., frequently visited him, and Allen Pinkerton was also a familiar figure at his fireside. As early as 1842 he was one of three men in Elk County, Pa., to cast a vote for an anti-slavery candidate for president. Because of the attitude of the Methodist Church toward slavery, he sev- ered his connection with that denomination early in the beginning of the anti-slavery crusade, and united with the Congregational Church, filling various of its important pulpits. In 1883, when
464
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
he went to Florida as a missionary among the freedmen, he connected himself with the Presby- terians. Returning north in 1890, he settled at Peotone, Il1., where during the next five years he preached occasionally, but accepted no regular charge. In 1895 he went to Chicago and there the last years of his life were spent with his daughter, Mrs. Hague. His entire mature life was devoted to the cause of Christ, and during his more than sixty years of labor in the ministry he was instrumental in accomplishing much for the spiritual uplifting of his fellowmen. He had come west in 1842, settling in Lake County, Il1., where he homesteaded a tract of land, the deed to which was signed by James K. Polk. He was familiar with Chicago when the now magnificent city was a straggling village. One of his brothers, Hon. Isaac Hallock, had settled in Chicago in 1831, when the town had but fifty-two inhabitants outside the fort, and when it was a common sight to see wolves crossing the river at Randolphi street.
The Hallocks are descended from Peter Hal- lock, one of the thirteen Pilgrim Fathers (in- cluding Rev. John Youngs), who came from Eng- land in 1640 and landed in New Haven. There, on the 21st of October, of the same year, Mr. Youngs gathered his congregation together under the auspices of Rev. John Davenport and Hon. Theophilus Eaton, governor of the New Haven colony, which had been planted two years before, April 18, 1638, under a spreading oak tree; a virtual theocracy, taking the Bible as its code of laws, ecclesiastical and civil. With his congre- gation, Mr. Youngs crossed the sound to Long Island in the latter part of 1640, and took up his abode in Southold, landing at the harbor of what is now Southold village. These thirteen men and their families were the first white settlers in the northeastern part of Long Island. Peter Hallock was the first of the thirteen to step on the shore. Fearlessly he.left the boat and stepped out among the Indians who gazed wonderingly upon their strange visitors. That part of Southold is to this day known as Hallock's Neck. From the Indians he purchased the tract since called Oyster Ponds. Returning to England, he brought back his fam- ily, but found the Indians had resold his tract,
and he then purchased ten miles west of Southold a farm extending from Long Island Sound to Pe- conic bay, a distance of three miles. He settled in Aquebogue, two miles west of Mattituck vil- lage and creek, all of these places being then in Southold Township. William, the only son of Peter Hallock, had four sons, of whom John, our subject's ancestor, was the only one to leave the church of his forefathers and unite with the So- ciety of Friends. For this act he was disinherited. His son, Peter, was the father of Peter and the grandfather of Rev. Joseph Addison Hallock.
Our subject's maternal grandfather was John Smith, but when a child of six weeks he was adopted into the Brockway family and was always known as John Brockway. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and his father and father-in-law were Revolutionary soldiers.
When only four years of age our subject was given his first glimpse into text-book wisdom, his teacher being his father, who at that time taught at Lake Zurich, Lake County, Il1. Three years later his parents removed to Palatine, Il1., where he studied in the common schools. After six years there the family removed to Salem, Iowa, where his father preached for a year. Later, while his mother was visiting at Lake Zurich, she was taken ill and died. The father then took the family to Chicago and established what is now known as the Leavitt Street Congrega- tional Church, on Leavitt and Adams streets. Later our subject spent two years with relatives on a farm in Kankakee and Will Counties. At twenty years of age he returned to Chicago and began his business career. September 10, 1874, he was sworn into the clerical service of the Chi- cago postoffice, where he remained until April 14, 1875. He was then appointed letter carrier, and for eight years was employed in that capacity, resigning March 1, 1883, in order to accept an appointment as deputy sheriff under Seth Han- chett. After fourteen months of service he was relieved by the sheriff because he refused to be- tray General Logan when the latter was a candi- date for president in 1884, Mr. Hallock having been appointed through the personal request of General Logan and his friends. Later the sheriff
465
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
sent for him and wished to reinstate him, but Mr. Hallock refused to accept. He then left Chicago and came to Peotone, where he was engaged at various occupations.
I11 1889 Mr. Hallock was appointed postmaster at Peotone under President Harrison. On Cleve- land's second election, Mr. Hallock, on account of his activity as a Republican, was removed from the position. He then purchased a photographic business, which he continued up to 1897. He was elected in November, 1894, on the Republi- can ticket, to the state legislature by the largest majority ever recorded in the distriet up to that time. He served in the thirty-ninth general assembly with credit to himself and honor to his constituents. During his service he was chairman of the committee on fish and game laws and was active in Will County's interests on the drainage canal legislation, also worked for the school text book bill. In 1897 he was elected first assistant doorkeeper of the fortieth general assembly, re- ceiving sixty-five out of eighty-three votes. In May, 1897, he was again appointed postmaster at Peotone. Largely through his efforts the of- fice has since been made one of the third class.
·
The marriage of Mr. Halloek, July 3, 1877, united him with Miss Margaret Bruce, who was born in Lockport, this county, a daughter of Hugh and Ann (Arthur) Bruce, natives of Seot- land. Her parents immigrated to America after the birth of several children and settled in Canada about 1842. A few years were spent there, and they then came to Illinois, settling first in Lock- port and later in Peotone, where they were pion- eers. During the Civil war the family gave three sons to the Union service. One of these, William Bruce, gave his life for his country and is now in a soldier's grave at Mission Ridge. Another, Hugh, Jr., returned home from the front, but soon died of wounds received in the service. The third, James Bruce, resides at Lake City, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Halloek have two daugh- ters, Laura M. and Belle M. The former is a graduate of the Peotone schools and now holds the position of assistant postmaster. The latter is now attending a normal school and has a teacher's certificate.
Fraternally Mr. Hallock is connected with Peo- tone Lodge No. 636, A. F. & A. M .; and Green Tree Camp No. 1405, Modern Woodmen of Am- erica, in which he is Venerable Counsel and which he has represented in the head camp at all conventions . held since the organization of the camp at Peotone. In the First Presbyterian Church of Peotone he is a trustee and a Sunday- school worker. He is a member of the Woodman quartet, well-known campaign singers of this see- tion, whose voices have been heard and encored at some of the largest political gatherings in this part of the state, and whose four members are also connected with the Presbyterian choir.
UGUST G. LUTH, superintendent of the cooper shop of Norton & Co., at Lockport, was born in Prussia, Germany, September 30, 1857, a son of John and Mary Luth, also natives of Prussia. His father, who was the son of a hero of Waterloo, was for years connected with a large estate in Prussia, but in 1871 brought his family to America and settled in De- troit, Mich., where he has since made his home. Of his five children, the second forms the subject of this sketeh. , He was educated principally in his native land. In 1871 he came with the family from Hamburg to New York, thence to Detroit, where he was employed in a tobacco house for a time. For two years he worked at the painter's trade, but the business proved very unhealthful, and he was obliged to make a change. Next he served an apprenticeship of three years to the cooper's trade in a large cooper shop in Detroit, after which he worked with John Wagner, of the same city, for ten years. His next position was in the Anchor works, where he spent two years. He assisted in the organization of the Detroit Co- Operative Cooper Works, and was the first super- intendent of the shop, which he managed for two years. On resigning the position he traveled for B. M. Madloek in the cooper business, his route extending through New York, Maryland, Penn-
466
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
sylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Canada. After two years as traveling sales- man he resigned the position.
The year 1893 found Mr. Luth in Lockport as superintendent of the large cooper shop of Norton & Co., which position he has since filled with recognized efficiency. The shop turns out more than one thousand barrels per day, and other ar- ticles of a similar nature are also manufactured. Under his supervision the machinery was re- modeled and the plant enlarged, thus increasing the producing quality. He devotes himself very closely to his work and takes little time for recre- ation or participation in public affairs. While he is not active in politics, he keeps himself posted and votes with the Republican party in national elections. Fraternally he is connected with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a member of the Order of Rebekahs.
In Detroit, Mich., Mr. Luth married Miss Catherine Lockman, by whom he had six chil- dren. Edward is with his father in the cooper shop. William, the second son, was accidentally shot in the hand by a blank cartridge on the 4th of July, 1899. Blood poisoning set in and he died of lockjaw on the 9th of the same month. The other children are August, Ella, Emma and Harry.
AMES D. FRAZER, of Homer Township, was born in Pittsford, Monroe County, N. Y., October 5, 1821, a son of James G. and Mary (Hawkins) Frazer, natives respectively of Massa- chusetts and Connecticut. His maternal ances- tors came from Holland, and his paternal from Scotland. The first of the Frazer family in this country settled in Massachusetts during the col- onial period and served in the Revolutionary war. The father of our subject was born near Boston June 24, 1789, and during the war of 1812 served in the American army near Lake Champlain. When about twenty-five years of age he removed to New York and there engaged in farming,
abandoning the trade of hatter which he had pre- viously learned. In 1850 he came to Illinois and made his home with his son, James D., dying here in 1869, when eighty years of age. His wife also died in this county when seventy-two years old. They were the parents of nine children, but only three are now living, James D .; Martha, the widow of Mahlon Gregg; of Rochester, N. Y .; and Jane, who is the wife of William Hindman, of Co- runna, Mich.
From an early age our subject was familiar with the work of a farm and on leaving home he hired out to farmers by the month. In 1849 he and his brother Harmon V. came to Illinois and bought land in section 30, Homer Township, this county, where they embarked in farm pursuits. The brother continued to reside here until his death, May 5, 1892. In 1863 our subject settled on the farm where he now resides, and on this place he conducts general farming and stock- raising. Since coming west he has resided con- tinuously in this county with the exception of nineteen months (1852-53) spent in the mines of California, principally in the Mount Shasta re- gion, where he met with fair success as a miner. For several years he served as supervisor of Ho- mier Township, and he has aided in the building of schools and churches, and in other improve- ments for the benefit of the community. Politi- cally he is independent. He was the first treas- urer of Lockport Lodge No. 538, A. F. & A. M., of which he was the first treasurer. He assisted in organizing the Homer Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of which he was president for a num- ber of years.
In 1857 Mr. Frazer married Miss Mary F. Lane, who was born in Pittsburg, Monroe County, N. Y., September 4, 1830, and was brought to Illinois by her parents in 1833. Through her mother, she traces her lineage to James Olmstead, who landed in New England in 1632, and established his home in the wilds of Connecticut. The Olmstead fam- ily originated in Germany, but in the early part of the sixteenth century settled in Cambridge, England, and from there came to America. Mrs. Frazer is a daughter of John Lane, Sr., who was born in Maine on the Kennebec River and in 1833
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.