USA > Illinois > DuPage County > History of Du Page County, Illinois (Historical, Biographical) > Part 32
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The name of Lisle was suggested by A. B. Chatfield. It has nine schoolhouses and 576 persons between the ages of six and twenty- one.
The village of Lisle is a station on the C., B. & Q. R. R., in the midst of a region not sur- passed in fertility in the county. A combina- tion of circumstances as to land ownership and other causes have thus far stood in the way of its growth up to the present time. There is more milk shipped from this than any other station on the road, and the place is li- able at any time to rally and become a thriving village. Robert Dixon keeps a general store here, J. R. McMillen is Station Agent and Postmaster and Hart, Nagle & Long carry on the blacksmith and wagon-making business.
The elevation of the railroad track at the place is 115 feet above Lake Michigan.
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HISTORY OF DU PAGE COUNTY.
CHAPTER XII.
YORK TOWNSHIP - ORIGIN OF ITS NAME-ITS EARLY SETTLERS- THE DESPLAINES BRIDGED- SUNDAY SERVICE ON SLAB SEATS-THE PIONEER SCHOOL MISTRESS-THE WIDOWER'S CABIN-PRAYING MATCHES-SUICIDE-BURSTING FORTH OF A SPRING-
ELMHURST-GERMAN EVANGELICAL SEMINARY-LOMBARD.
TT took its name from the State of New
I York because its first settlers came from there and planted its institutions in the new prairie soil of the land of their adoption, there to live and grow, which expectation has been verified, perhaps, sooner than was ex- pected, for they have lived to see villages and railroads, schools and churches and farms with luxurious houses on them and all the machin- ery of old States in working order.
Elisha Fish was the first. He came in the spring of 1833, and settled in what is now See- tion 26.
In the spring of 1834, Winslow Churchill, Jr., settled where Lombard now is.
Jesse Atwater and John Talmadge came in 1834, and it is probable that some other set- tlers came in during the same year, among whom were German settlers, spoken of under the head of Addison. Of these the Graue family who settled around Graue's Grove, close to the line of Addison, might be mentioned. In 1835, Jacob W. Fuller came to this settle- ment from Broome County, N. Y., and settled on what is now Section 27. He had five sons -Benjamin, the oldest, Daniel, the third son, and Morell and Lewis; the two youngest came with him. The next year, 1836, George, the second son of Mr. Fuller, came and settled on Section 27, where he still lives. The youngest brothers, Morell and Lewis, also now live in York. Nicholas Torode, Sr., and Philander Torode came and settled in Section 24 in 1835, and John Bolander came about the same time,
and settled a few miles to the north of them. Henry Reider came the same year.
The next year, Nicholas Torode, Jr., Peter R., C. W. and David H. Torode, came to the place, all these from Mount Vernon, Ohio, and, Oriente Grant, from the Eastern States. Luther Morton, David Talmadge, Edward Eldredge and Sherman King, all came in 1836. The lat- ter built a saw-mill the next year in the south part of the present town, on Salt Creek. The same year (1837), a settlement was begun at what is now Elmhurst, by the arrival of John Glos, Sr., with two other German families, the fathers of whom had married his daughters. His son, John Gloss, Jr., who is now a resident of St. Charles, brought them to the place.
About this time, the farmers had begun to raise something to sell. Chicago was their only market, and, insignificant as it then ap- peared, there were wholesale dealers there in wheat, pork, hides and every substantial kind of produce, and how to make the roads toler- able to transport them thither was the problem In this direction, the first thing to be done was to build a bridge over the Desplaines River, which was promptly done by the united efforts of the settlers of York and Milton. It was situated about where the present bridge at Maywood now is ; and, let it not be forgotten that the early settlers of Du Page County had the honor of first bridging this turbulent stream.
The settlement thus begun, the next thing was to have preaching on Sundays. Without this consolation, their minds might wander, and
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their thoughts vanish into mystery, like their vision, as they looked over the lonesome re- moteness of the green below, and the blue above, losing themselves in each other's embrace in the dim distance of the prairies ! Besides, the Sunday exercises would help to keep the young hearts of the boys and girls from getting home- sick in thinking of youthful associations left behind ! The old folks had less need for diver- sion, for they had family cares ; but the young were looking forward to them with pleasing anticipations and felt the need of instruction.
The Methodists appear to have understood this principle, and were generally the first to supply the demand. To this end. Rev. David Colson, an itinerant of this circuit, visited the place, and was invited to preach at the house of John Talmadge. The date of his first advent has not been preserved ; but it must have been as late or later than 1837, as the seats provided for the occasion were made of slabs sawed at Mr. King's mill, just spoken of.
A schoolhouse was built in 1839, which was considered as essential a piece of machinery as the church, when everything has to be built new, and the timber taken from the stumps. Both go hand in hand, at least they did in the early day, for the schoolhouse then was always used on Sunday for a church, and this was, there- by affording relief to the then scanty private houses, where meetings were held. Miss C. Barnes taught school in this house, but she was not the first schoolma'am in the place. Miss Mary Fuller has that distinction. Her school was established in a private house, made vacant by the suicide of an cocentric man named Elias Brown. Yes, even in that primitive day there was one moody sentimentalist wrought up to the frenzy of self-destruction. He had come to the place alone, made a claim and built a comfortable cabin to receive his wife and chil- dren, who were to follow as soon as suitable preparation had been made to secure a home for them.
Mr. Brown was a good worker and a zealous man in prayer meetings. Often held them at his lonesome cabin, which, though it lacked the magic touch of the female hand to give it an air of comfort, was nevertheless visited by the neighbors in goodly numbers to hear Mr. Brown's unctious prayers, as well as those of others. Brown called these meetings praying matches. Finally his face of nonchalance was missed in the neighborhood, and on going to his cabin to see what was the matter, he was found dead with the cup of laudanum on the table, from which he had taken the fatal draught to relieve himself from some incubus that had laid across his path, intolerable to him- self, but unknown to the world. His sons soon came to settle his small estate and returned. The more common diseases that afflict new set- tlements are fevers and chills, and in justice to this country it is fair to assume that the disease or the cause of it which terminated fatally in Mr. Brown's case was contracted in the East, through some social grievance not common to pioneer settlements.
A small portion of Babcock's Grove lies in York, around which the Churchills and the Bab- cocks had settled in 1833 and 1834, but, from the most authentic accounts, their claims were almost, if not entirely, made within the present limits of Milton Township, and their history has been given under that head.
In the spring of 1861, a copious spring of water burst out of the ground, with a concus- sion that made the ground tremble. It was near the house of Robert Reed. The spring empties into Salt Creek, about three miles above Mr. Graues' grist-mill.
Walker's Grove, in the southwest part of York, occupies land enough to make a full section. John Walker settled here in 1835.
The large grove in the southeast part of York, with one on its cast line, a little to the north of it, would make at least four sections of land, which would, with the other groves,
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HISTORY OF DU PAGE COUNTY.
give one-sixth as the proportion of prairie to the timber in York.
Seetions 25, 35, 36 and the diagonal halves of Sections 24, 26 and 34 lie within the limits of the Indian boundary lines, and were sur- veyed at an early date and brought into market in June, 1835.
It is impossible to give the dates of the early roads of the country. Most of them had their origin in a trail that marked the prairie by travel between the most prominent points known at the time.
According to a map of Cook and Du Page Counties, drawn by James H. Rees, of Chicago, in 1850, a road passed through this township leading from Chicago to St. Charles ; another from a steam mill where Maywood, on the Des- plaines, now is, to Warrenville, on the West Fork of the Du Page ; another from the house of H. Fischer, on Section 35, in Addison, to the saw- mill on Salt Creek, in Section 36, thenee to Brush Hill ; and a short one leading from the intersection of the St. Charles road with Salt Creek down the stream to the Warrenville road, at the junction with which Eldridge Post Office is put down, Bingham's tavern on the St. Charles road, on Section 12, and Cottage Hill and Bates, on Section 2. These are all the roads and names on Mr. Rees' map of 1850.
The surface of the township is sufficiently rolling for good drainage, but not as uneven as some other townships in the county.
The dairy business is a prominent interest in the township, but the raising of vegetables, es- pecially potatoes, for the Chicago market, is an increasing interest.
York has nine school districts and 875 per- sons between the ages of six and twenty-one; $23 is reported as the value of her school li- braries.
The old saw-mill on Salt Creek was burnt down in 1848, and in 1852 a grist-mill was ! built in its place by Fred Graue, or Gray (to anglicize it), and W. Arche. It has recently
been remodeled by Mr. Gray by putting in a Jonathan mill, with a capacity of 125 barrels superfine flour per day. It runs by steam and water power both. Mr. Gray was one of the pioneer settlers of Addison, who came to the place in 1834. He has been, for the sake of convenience, compelled, though reluctantly, to change his name from its pure German (Graue) to Gray, on account of the faltering manner with which Americans write or attempt to spell it.
DRAIN TILE AND BRICK WORKS.
This establishment, owned by William Ham- merschmit, is situated a mile south of Lom- bard. It employs from ten to fifteen men, and turns out from 60,000 to 70,000 feet of from two to ten inches tile per month, with ma- chine capacity for turning out from 125,000 to 150,000 feet per month. Capital invested, $11,000. The steam power is furnished by a 25-horse-power engine.
ELMHURST.
This village or rather tavern stand, as it first was, went by the name of Hill Cottage, a mis- nomer one would say who came from a mount- ainous or even a hilly region, yet it was really a hill compared to any intervening lands be- tween it and Chicago, being 106 feet above the lake, the ground graduating upward all the way till the place is reached.
Mr. J. L. Hovey came from Painesville, Ohio, here and opened a taven in 1843. His place soon presented attractions to the lonesome inhabitants of the prairie around in those days, and a request was made that he should petition for a post office at his tavern stand, which soon became the nucleus of a village.
John Wentworth then represented the dis- trict in Congress, and to him the petition was sent. The Postmaster General objected to the name on the ground that already many names of post offices began with hill, and suggested a transposition of the name, making it Cottage 1
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YORK TOWNSHIP.
Hill instead of Hill Cottage. This satisfied the petitioners, and the village was " baptized " accordingly. Not long afterward, Dedrick Mong also opened a tavern, and soon afterward a general store, the first ever established at the place. It stood where the store now occu- pied by Henry A. Glos stands.
The Chicago & North-Western Railroad came through the place in 1849, and Mr. Mong was employed by the company to tend the station.
The place now began to increase in numbers, and another store was opened by Gerry Bates on the spot now occupied by the post office. Soon after this, wealthy men came from Chi- cago, and the building of those palatial resi- dences, for which the place is remarkable, was begun. These beautiful homes are now shadowed by au artificial forest of elm, maple, pine, cedar and other trees, surrounded by ramparts of arbor-vitæ hedges, trimmed with linear pre- cision, and during the sultry days of midsum- mer these tree-clad recesses are as inviting as they are ornate.
They are also glad retreats during the nip- ping blasts of winter, toning down its severity and taking off its keen edge. But their crown- ing glory is at flood-tide during the full moons of antumn, when the glitter of her rays mottles the ground with radiance beneath the foliage of the trees. These suburban delights cannot be purchased at any price in large cities, and the wonder is that more do not embrace the first opportunity to secure them.
The railroad company named their station at the place after the name of the post office- Cottage Hill, but this was changed to Elm- hurst, its present name, in 1869.
The place has a. good public school where both German and English are taught, but no pupil receives instruction in German till first taught to read and write English. Algebra and other high branches of scholastic education are also taught, besides the common routine of the institution.
The town was platted May 25, 1854, by Anson Bates, situated on the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 2, Town 39, Range 11. Its elevation above Lake Michigan is 106 feet.
COLLEGE AT ELMHURST.
This institution is called the Elmhurst Troseminar of the German Evangelical Synod of North America. It was established by the German Evangelical Synod of the Northwest in 1869, and two years later was transferred to the Synod of North America upon the union of the two Synods in 1871.
The Troseminar is a preparatory school for the Theological Seminary of Missouri, and, be- sides preparing theological students for said institute, it fits teachers for parochial schools of the denomination, and admits a limited number of pupils to a selected course.
When the school was founded in 1869. the instructors and twelve pupils occupied the resi- dence which was on the property at the time of purchase. Two years later, a brick building was erected, 75x40, and three stories high. The number of pupils was increased threefold, and the growth of the institution was so rapid that five years afterward it was found necessary to build again. A handsome structure, costing $25,000 was then built, which proved no more than sufficient to contain the increased number that sought admittance, and since then the growth of the school has increased steadily.
About 130 pupils can be accommodated, and all the modern conveniences known to the best architects have been adopted in the construe- tion of the recitation, study rooms and dormi- tories, and the methods of heating, lighting and ventilation were carefullly considered.
In addition to the theological studies, there are a classical course and complete courses in the German and English languages. Music is not neglected ; all are trained in vocal music, and the theological students, as well as those who are preparing to teach, are taught to play
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HISTORY OF DU PAGE COUNTY.
on the organ and piano ; the teacher pupils, in addition, are instructed in playing the violin.
The grounds cover about thirty acres, twenty acres of which are devoted to a garden, where the students find healthful and useful employ- ment. Except the cooking and laundry work, all the labor is performed by the pupils, who are thereby kept from idleness and mischief.
The School Board consists of a sub-commit- tee called Overseers, who report to the Direct- ors, a committee who are responsible to the Synod. The school has no endowment, depend- ing mainly on free-will offerings for mainte- nance.
The Inspector, or President, in addition to the usual duties of such an office, exercises a general supervision over all the interests of the institution, for which he is personally responsi- ble. The present Inspector, Rev. P. Goebel, succeeded the late Rev. Philipp Meusch in 1880. The remaining members of the Faculty are : J. Lueder, Professor of Latin, Greek and History ; W. J. A. Hlogan, Professor in charge of the English Department ; H. Brodt, Profes- sor of German and Pedagogy ; F. Berchtold, Professor of Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics ; G. Rosche, Professor of Music .- J. LUEDER.
ST. PETER'S CHURCH.
This belongs to the German Evangelical Synod of North America in Elmhurst, and was founded May 21, 1876. At this time the num- ber of pupils in the college had increased to an extent sufficient to warrant the building of a church, to enlarge the sphere of its useful- ness and turn its teachings in the minds of its pupils in a proper direction. The first mem- bers and founders of this church were those who were residents of Elmhurst but had previ- ously attended Immanuel Church at Addison. During the first year of its existence, the profes- sors in the college acted as pastors. Rev. Chris- tian Beck was the first ordained pastor, holding the position from April till October, 1877. Rev.
Frederick Boeber succeeded him till March, 1882, when Rev. Emil Keuchen, the present pastor took the charge. A parsonage and schoolhouse has been built adjoining the church, and a parochial school is taught under its pat- ronage. Fifty-four families constitute its mem- bership, the younger children of whom attend the school.
BUSINESS REGISTER OF ELMHURST.
Lumber, coal, grain, flour and feed, etc. Brownell & Strange.
Dry goods and groceries (general store), Henry L. Glos, Charles Most, August Grave.
Hardware and agricultural implements, Adam S. Glos.
Hardware, stoves and tin shop, William Most, Carl Bauer.
Blacksmiths and wagon-makers, Louis Bal- geman and Louis Rakow; William Geise, blacksmith; Henry Moeller, wagon-maker.
Elmhurst Manufacturing Company, manu- facturer of patent spoke driver and wagon fixtures.
Elmhurst Creamery, Arthur Robinson, les- see.
Harness-maker and saddler, l'eter A. Wolf.
Boots and shoes and shoe-maker, Nick Peter; D. Benjamin Miche, shoe-maker.
Butchers, Rudolph Kraemer, Edward Dul- berg.
Tailors, John Barge, Henry Gehrke, Albert T. Schultz.
Painters and paper hangers, Jacob Witten- burg, Frank Blau, Julius Ileegard.
Carpenters and joiners, Ernst Balgemann , Henry Battermann, William Hanabeth,
Baker, Arthur Silvers, Hermann Warnecke, Hermann Conrad, John Hahn.
Masons, Henry Boettcher, Henry Morwitzei, William Weigrafe.
Hotel and saloon, William Ohlericli.
Saloons. Christian Blievernicht, Franz Boed- | er, Christian Bell.
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YORK TOWNSHIP.
Methodist Episcopal, Rev. J. A. Potter. Evangelical Lutheran, Rev. E. Kenchen. Roman Catholic, Rev. C. J. Neiderberger. Physicians and surgeons, F. J. T. Fischer, George F. Heidemann.
Postmaster, Jacob Glos.
Chicago & Northwestern Railway and Ameri- can Express, Albert S. Brownell, Agent.
VILLAGE GOVERNMENT.
Trustees, Henry L. Glos, George Sawin, Chris- tian Blievernicht, Peter A Wolf, Ernst Balge- mann, Henry Hohman, Sr.
President, Henry L. Glos. Clerk, William H. Litchfield.
Treasurer, George F. Heidemann. Street Commissioner, Henry C. Holman.
EVANGELICAL SEMINARY AT ELMHURST, ILL.
President, Rev. Peter Goebel. Professor, Rev. John Lneder. Professor of English, W. J. H. Hogan. Professor of Music, George F. Rosche. Teachers, H. Brodt, Fred Berchtold.
CHURCHES.
Trinity Church .- This is located at York Center, and was organized in 1868, when the church was built. It was first a private school -- a branch of the Addison congregation.
Rev. Theodore Martens was the first pastor, who was succeeded. in 1871, by Rev. C. A. T. Selle, Professor in the Addison Seminary, till 1872, when Rev. G. T. H. Gotsch became pastor, who holds the position to the present time. Sixty families are connected with this church. It has a parish school, numbering about fifty scholars ; is connected with the church, in which German and English are taught.
The York Center Methodist Church was orga- nized in 1857. A church was built in 1859, and dedicated June 5, the same year. It num- bered about twenty-five members, at first com- posed of Americans only. The German Lu-
therans bought a half interest in it in 1879, since which time the Germans have increased in numbers, while the Americans have diminished.
The Catholic Church at Elmhurst .- This was built in the year 1862, by Rev. P. Meinrad, a Benedictine Father, and about twelve Catholic families.
In 1864, the Redemptorist Fathers attended this mission every second Sunday from Chicago until 1876, when Right Rev. Bishop Foley ele- vated it to a parish, appointing Rev. Charles Becker as the first stationary pastor.
He was succeeded, in 1877, by Rev. M. Wolly, and, in 1880, by the present pastor, Rev. C. J. Niederberger, who has, by his clerical bearing in the execution of his duties as pastor, won the esteem not only of his own flock, but of the citizens of Elmhurst, who have verified this by their contributions to improve the grounds of the church and parsonage, with hedge rows and trees and flowers, nor did the friends of the church stop here. Two fine oil paintings, one on each side of the altar, have also been con- tributed by them. The subjects are the " Ma- dona and the Infant Jesus," which is on the left, and the other, "St. Joseph and the In- fant Jesus," which is on the right. They were painted by H. Kaiser, a pupil of the celebrated M. P. Von Deschwandore, of Switzerland. Pict- ures of the fourteen stations ornament the sides of the church, and the recess, in which is the altar, is tastefully adorned with sacred devices appropriate to the place, and well calculated to inspire the conscientious one who kneels be- fore it with good resolutions. The number of parishioners has now increased to sixty families, one-third of whom are Irish and the other Ger- man.
LOMBARD.
This is a pleasantly located village on the eastern boundary of Babcock's Grove, which name was first given to the place. Luther Morton and Winslow Churchill, Jr., made claims in 1834. where this village now stands,
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HISTORY OF DU PAGE COUNTY.
and built a log house. Mr. Morton bought his land of the Government when it came into market, and assigned his certificate to his brother, Nathaniel B., in 1843, who sold out to Reuben Mink in 1846, May 14, who in turn sold out to Josiah Lombard, in 1867, who changed the name to that which it now has.
John Rumble came to the placein 1843, and Hiram Whittemore and Levi Ballou in 1846. J. B. Hull came to the place and built a house and store in 1848. He was also first Postmas- ter, and when the railroad came through the next year he was the station agent. Chauncey Harmon was section boss on the road.
For many years previous to the completion of the railroad, Babcock's Grove enjoyed a wide reputation as a kind of center for a future vil- lage when the country should become sufficient- ly settled to require one. In 1851, there were five frame bonses and one store at the place, besides the building owned by the railroad company, which was a depot and hotel and kept by Mr. Parsons.
It was platted by J. S. Lombard and others April 28, 1868. Situated on parts of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, and 18, Township 39, Range 11. Its elevation above Lake Michigan is 127 feet.
Daniel Shehan came to the place in 1848, and succeeded Mr. Hull as station agent, re- taining the post till it was occupied by the present agent.
CHURCH HISTORY OF LOMBARD.
The first church organization which made the village of Babcock's Grove (now Lombard) its center, was inaugurated on November 28, 1851. Rev. E. E. Wells, agent of the "West- ern Home and Foreign Missionary Association," was present to give form to the enterprise. The following nine persons were the original mem- bers : Rev. Charles Boswell and wife, Mr. Will- iam Emerson and wife, Mr. Phineas Ames and wife (Mrs. Ames was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Emerson), Mrs. Pamela Filer, Mrs. Marga-
ret Dodge (wife of Mr. Pardon Dodge) and Mr. Ebenezer Landers.
The Congregational Church of Babcock's Grove, thus organized, stood firm and square, not only upon the ancient foundations, but also upon the live issues of the day. It opened its fellowship to "all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, who have witnessed a good profession before men and practically honor their Master ;" but in welcoming to the Lord's Supper all such believers, it said also : “ Per- sons engaged in the mannfacture, sale or use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage, slaveholders and apologists for slavery are not included in this invitation."
For several years, the Sabbath worship and the Sabbath school, which was a year older than the church, were held in the village schoolhouse, a building about half-a-mile east of the present Lombard Station, and now nsed as the dwelling of Mr. D. Klussmeyer.
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