USA > Illinois > Kane County > History of Kane County, Ill. Volume II > Part 68
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At the usual age T. Cass Ellithorpe entered the district schools, acquir- ing his education in the Union school, which he attended during the winter seasons, while in the summer months he assisted in the operation of the home farm. At the age of twenty years he completed his education and then took charge of the homestead property, managing the same for two years.
At the end of that time he was married to Miss Bell Mitchel, a resident of Plato township, where her father was engaged in farming. After his marriage Mr. Ellithorpe continued on the home farm until twenty years ago. He is now the owner of a farm of fifty acres in Virgil township. He has set out a large orchard, erected a good residence and cutbuildings, and has placed many improvements thereon, these amounting to about four thousand dollars, so that he now has a model property, within three miles of Virgil station, on the Sycamore and St. Charles road. His land has all been placed under a high state of cultivation and he annually harvests good crops as a reward for the care and labor he bestows upon the fields. In addition to raising grain, including corn, oats and barley, Mr. Ellithorpe also gives much time and attention to dairying, keeping a number of cows for this purpose.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Ellithorpe has been blessed with a son and daughter: Walter C., a motorman on a street car in Saginaw, Michigan; and Flora, the wife of D. C. Croft, a farmer of Plato township.
Following in the political footsteps of his father, Mr. Ellithorpe has always voted for the men and measures of the republican party. In every- thing he is eminently practical and this has been manifest. not only in his business undertakings, but also in social and private life, and he and his estimable wife enjoy the respect and esteem of a large circle of friends.
WILLIAM PATTERSON.
The life of an honest, industrious and capable farmer working his own land is in many ways one of the most independent and agreeable on earth, and especially is this the case in this land of boundless opportunity, wise laws and healthy public sentiment. William Patterson, living near Elburn in this county, is engaged in that agreeable occupation on a farm of his own, embracing two hundred and twenty-seven acres of as good agricultural land as can be found in the county.
Ile is a native of this state, born at Bristol, May 18, 1844, and a son of Matthew and Jane (Connell) Patterson, both natives of Scotland, the former born in Dumfriesshire and the latter near Glasgow. The father was a farmer and an active member of the Baptist church. He emigrated to Amer- ica and located near Bristol, Illinois, arriving in that section of the state the same year the Indians were removed from it. He entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land, and on this he resided until his death, which occurred in 1900. He and his wife were the parents of seven chil- dren : Janetta, who married Simon Dixon, a farmer, and lives near Bristol, Illinois : Alexander. a farmer, who also lives near Bristol; Mary, who married
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Charles Cashman and resides in Brown county, Nebraska; Jane, who is the wife of George Eccles; John, who is city marshal of Plain City, Illinois; Margaret, who married J. J. Miller, and has her home at Bristol; and William, the subject of this sketch.
The last named attended the public schools until he reached the age of sixteen years. He then worked on the farm with his father until he was twenty-two, when he began working for himself, obtaining employment as a farm hand. He continued this until he reached the age of twenty-eight, and then he was united in marriage to Mary Jane Casselman and settled on a farm of his own. Unto them were born five children: Clifford and Charles, who live in Kane county and are engaged in farming ; Jennie, who resides with Warren, living on a farm in Blackberry township; and Madison, who has his home at Aurora, Illinois, and is an enterprising and successful manufacturer of shirt waists.
The father is a prominent member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and in politics is a stanch republican, giving earnest and efficient aid to his party in all its struggles, but seeking none of its honors or emolu- ments for himself. In all the relations of life he has proven himself a man worthy of the highest confidence and esteem, taking an active and serv- iceable interest in every commendable undertaking for the progress and improvement of his county and the comfort and convenience of its people, and bearing cheerfully his share of the burdens incident to elevated and representative citizenship in the county, state and nation.
BERT C. VAN DUSEN.
The scenes of his present activities were the scenes of the childhood and youth of Bert C. Van Dusen, except as those scenes have been changed by the flight of time and the progress and improvement that have been wrought. He was born in Burlington township, November 1, 1877, and now, at the age of thirty-one, with all his faculties in full vigor and all his hopes expanding, he is carrying on a flourishing farming and dairying enterprise, which is the acquisition of his own industry, frugality and business capacity, aided by the same qualities in his wife.
Mr. Van Dusen is the son of Orlando and Ellen (Angel) Van Dusen, the former of whom was born in Burlington township in 1852, and the latter on the stormy bosom of the Atlantic while her parents were crossing it in their quest of better opportunities and more comfortable fortunes in this country than they had found possible in their native England. The father attended the country schools in Burlington township until he reached his maturity, with such interruptions as were incident to his circumstances. He and his wife became the parents of five children: Benjamin, now a farmer in Burlington township; Frank, who is an employe on a street-car line in Green Bay, Wisconsin; William, another of the wide-awake farmers of Burlington township; Louis, a farmer now residing in Burlington ; and Bert.
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The last named grew to manhood and obtained his education in his native township, attending the public schools until he reached the age of twelve. but going only in the winter months as his help was needed on the farm at other times. After leaving school he remained with his parents eleven years, or until his marriage in Sycamore in February. 1900, when he was united with Miss Gertie Whitcome, who was born in Nebraska in 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Van Dusen have three children. Verne. Verva and Viola, all of whom are at home and attending school.
After his marriage Mr. Van Dusen worked by the month for three months, and at the end of that period rented a farm of which he is still the proprietor, but he returned to Sycamore to live and has continued to reside there ever since. On the farm he has a herd of seventeen cows. nearly all Holsteins, and with these he conducts a dairy business which engages most of his time and attention. His political alliance is with the republican party and in church membership he is a Catholic. Beginning with nothing he is now a man of substance with increasing prosperity. and he owes all his acquisitions to his own efforts and the assistance of his wife. The energy and thrift which have characterized him in his own affairs have also governed him in reference to public matters, in which he has taken an earnest and help- ful interest, giving his support to every undertaking tending to advance the welfare of the township and losing no chance to aid in promoting every worthy cause.
HENRY C. KRUMM.
Henry C. Krumm, a prominent resident of McQueen, Illinois, where for the last fifteen years he has been engaged in the manufacture of tile and brick, was born in Germany. August 3. 1844, the son of Joseph Krumm, who came with his family to America in 1856 and located in Wisconsin. Prior to his coming to the United States he engaged in farming in Germany.
Our subject attended the district schools of Germany until he was six- teen years of age, receiving a good, practical education. He then returned home and contributed his energies to the general advancement of the family interests until he was twenty-four years of age, at which time he came to America and located in Michigan. There he engaged in brickmaking for a time, until he became quite skillful at the work. He left Michigan and located at Dundee, Illinois, where he followed the occupation of brickmak- ing for nine years, and from there went to Gilbert where he continued in this work for nine years longer. At the expiration of this time he was in a pos- ition to go into business for himself, and as he had the courage of his convictions he opened a brick and tile factory at McQueen, which has done a prosperous business from the first. The factory is fitted up with modern machinery throughout, the water power being supplied by means of a steam pump. The output is ten thousand bricks daily and it is now running at full capacity, the services of ten men being required to operate it.
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In 1870 occurred the wedding of Mr. Krumm and Miss Lena Hager, who was born in Germany and came to America when twenty-two years of age. Six children have been born to this union, three sons and three daughters, namely : Matilda, the wife of Richard Ludwig, a brick merchant of Elgin; Emma, the wife of William Lorenge, also a resident of Elgin; Clara, the wife of Gus Peasler, a carpenter of Elgin; Adolph and Rupert, both of whom reside at home ; and Henry, who is employed in Elgin.
Mr. Krumm is a republican in politics. Religiously, he is a faithful and consistent member of the German Lutheran church. The qualities of good citizenship, of reliability in business and faithfulness in friendship have ever been manifested in his character and the success which has come to him has been well merited.
GEORGE M. HOLBROOK.
We live in a land and an age of changes and mutations. The man who begins his career in this day and country with one occupation will very likely be found sometime later in life engaged in a very different one, for opportunity is many-sided here, and the demand for usefulness presents itself in almost countless phases. These conditions, together with our flexible systems of education, prepare our youth for almost any duty and emphasize the necessity for such general preparation. George M. Holbrook, of Elburn, Kane county, has tried his hand at several lines of serviceable labor and has made good in all.
He was born at Newport. Maine, September 30, 1860, the son of Will- iam and Caroline (Bowlen) Holbrook, both of whom are now deceased and have been laid to rest in the soil that was hallowed by their labors. The father was also a native of Newport, Maine, where he was born in 1816 and where he passed the whole of his life, dying there in 1881. He was a millwright and wrought long and industriously at his trade. In religious faith he was a Universalist, and in politics an unwavering republican. Seven children were born to William and Caroline Holbrook: Anna C., who mar- ried with W. N. Norwood and has her home in Bangor, Maine; Viola D., who became the wife of Charles Foster, an esteemed citizen of Summerville, Massachusetts; Eudora, who married Melvin Cooley and has since died ; William E., who is a resident of Helena, Montana, where he is engaged in the livery business : Carrie, wife of Charles F. Cooley, a prosperous carpenter of Fort Benton, Montana ; Fred P., an enterprising and successful boot and shoe merchant of Butte, Montana; and George M.
The last named attended the public schools until he was about sixteen years old and then worked for two years on the farm with his father. When he was eighteen he was apprenticed to a blacksmith and after completing his ap- prenticeship moved to Boston and later to Winthrop, Maine. But from his early youth the great west presented attractions to him, and the time came when he could no longer resist the temptation to cast his lot with that enerprising and
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progressive section of the country. He, accordingly, came to Illinois and located at DeKalb, where he worked at his trade sixteen months. At the end of that time he changed both his residence and his occupation, moving to Freeport, this state, and taking charge of a hotel, which he kept for seven years. From Freeport he moved to Elburn, where he has lived during the last ten years, operating what is now the best equipped and most com- plete blacksmith and wheelwright shop in Kane county. Parts of the equipment are a gasoline motor machine for sharpening lawn mowers and other tools. a pulverizer lathe and emory wheels, ripsaws. powerdrills and a machine for rubber tiring, and in the use of these and other weapons of indus- try he is a thorough master, as he is of all features and details of his craft.
As a good citizen should, Mr. Holbrook takes an active and helpful interest in public affairs and has borne his part in the government of the communities in which he has lived. He was for two years a member of the city council of Freeport and served one year on the police force there; and everywhere he has been particularly zealous in local and general politics, attending conventions as a delegate and working hard at primary and general elections. His party affiliation is with the republicans, and he believes in his party with all the force of earnest conviction. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias, and the National Protective Legion.
Mr. Holbrook has been married twice. His first union was with Miss Anna Rohkar, who departed this life after a few years of domestic happiness and usefulness. The second marriage was with Miss Ida Vansickle, a native of Virgil, this county, whose parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Holbrook have no children of their own, but they have an adopted son now six years old to whom they are tenderly attached and who rewards their devotion and care with obedience, appreciation and the promise of a serviceable and creditable career in life. In his course of continuous and productive industry Mr. Holbrook has well exemplified the best traits of self-reliant and resource- ful American citizenship, and has thereby contributed to the development and progress of the county, state and country of his home, both by his own work and by the forces he has set in motion through his influence and example. Such men as he have helped to make this country great and are still expanding its greatness.
GEORGE ROBERT WEISEL.
In spite of our colossal manufacturing industries, our almost bound- less local and our enormous foreign commerce, and our gigantic business enterprises of all kinds, our agricultural interests and their products are, after all, the great source and basis of the wealth and power of our country ; and the men managing those interests and fostering and augmenting them, are among the most useful and productive of our people. George R. Weisel of Kane county, is one of the number and may fitly be taken as a good representative of the class. He lives on a farm of his own, comprising
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one hundred and fifty-three acres of excellent land in Blackberry township, lying half-way between LaFox and Elburn, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation by his thrift, intelligence and industry, making of it a model country home.
Mr. Weisel acquired his land by purchase, paying for it out of his savings while working by the month as a machinist, and he is entitled to all the greater credit because he has built up his estate and present pros- perity entirely by his own efforts and business capacity, unaided by ad- ventitious circumstances or the favors of fortune. This excellent farmer has used his faculties to good purposes and made the most of his opportuni- ties, as his present condition of comfort and high standing in the community attests.
Mr. Weisel was born at St. Charles, Illinois, Septemebr 4, 1857, and is a son of John Andrew and Isabella (Berth) Weisel, the former a native of Weissenburg, Germany, and the latter of Scotland. The father came to the United States at the age of twenty and wrought at his trade as a stonemason until his death in 1907. The mother died in 1888, having lived in this country from the time when she was but twelve years old. The head of the house was a zealous member of the Congregational church, and was prominent in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Five children were born in the family, George's brothers and sisters being: Ella, now deceased; Maggie, the wife of Alexander Sill, a watchmaker and jeweler of Elgin, Illinois: Jennie, who lives with George R., and is his housekeeper; and Charles, also deceased.
George R. Weisel attended the public school at St. Charles until he was sixteen and was then apprenticed to the machinst's trade. After completing his apprenticeship he moved to South Dakota and there entered one hundred and sixty acres of government land. But the new country to which he had migrated did not suit him, and, yielding to his longing for the older state of his nativity, he returned to Illinois and rented land for farming pur- poses for a period of twenty years in Kane county. He then bought the farm he now owns, paying for it, as has been noted. from his savings while working by the month. To this farm he has since given his whole attention, and with excellent results, making it one of the best in his township and rais- ing it to a value beyond all promise by the diligent and skillful manner in which he has handled it. In all his undertakings and labors he has been zealously and effectively aided by his sister, Jennie, who has been all the while his housekeeper and homemaker, for he has never married.
Some years ago he started a dairy in connection with his farming operations, and this he has built up and expanded until now he has thirty- five cows which yield large returns for the care and intelligence he gives to them and add considerably to his revenues, while, at the same time, helping him to contribute essentially and substantially to the comfort, health and general welfare of the community around him.
Mr. Weisel is a Congregationalist in religious affiliation and ardently supports the church of his choice. He also takes an earnest and serviceable interest in public affairs, although not a strictly partisan in politics, and
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is ever ready to do all he can to promote every worthy project for public improvement and the good of the people. His life has been unostentatious but useful. The daily duties found ever at his hand are never neglected, and the louder calls to general service have his prompt and willing response. Everybody who knows him esteems him as an upright man and a first-class citizen, whose example has been potential for good in his community, and whose advice is always deemed worthy of earnest and careful consideration. There are millions like him in the land, and each one of them does his part faithfully toward every interest of his country and his race.
WILLIAM STURGES.
A well developed and highly improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, situated in Virgil township, is the home of William Sturges, who deserves great credit for what he has accomplished in the business world, for all that he today possesses has been gained through his own labors. He was born on a farm near Sycamore, Illinois, June 5. 1869, of English parentage. His father, Edmund Sturges, was born in 1826, in Lincolnshire, England, where his boyhood days were spent and where he also acquired his education. During his early youth he heard much of the opportunities to be enjoyed in the new world and after much deliberation and planning. at the age of twenty-five. bidding adieu to his native land, he joined a party of friends and sailed for the new world. After reaching America he traveled around in search of a location and finally settled in DeKalb county, Illinois, where he secured employment as a farm hand, being thus engaged for five years. During this time he managed to save a sum of money sufficient to enable him to engage in farming on his own account, and at the age of thirty years he rented a farm and established a home of his own by his mar- riage to Miss Margaret Sharkey. Their union was blessed with the following named children: Mary, the wife of Samuel Allen, a teamster, residing at Lily Lake; Annie, the wife of John Willett, a real-estate dealer of Hoopeston, Illinois; Sadie, who makes her home in Fulton, this state; Maggie, the wife of George Eaton, a resident farmer of Plato Center; Susie, the wife of Ernest Richmond, a farmer of Campton township: James, a farmer, making his home near Aurora: and Carrie, who is still at home as housekeeper for her brother.
The other member of the family. William Sturges, entered the district schools of Virgil township, wherein he completed his education. During the summer seasons he assisted his father in plowing, planting and harvesting. being thus engaged until the age of seventeen years, when he started out in life on his own account, working as a farm hand for several years. He was energetic and economical, and thus managed to save from his earnings a sum sufficient to enable him to purchase a small tract of land. situated east of Lily Lake. He took up his abode thereon and continued the opera- tion of the place for twelve years, when, believing that the northwest offered
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better advantages for the farmer, he disposed of his farming interests in this state and removed to South Dakota, where he purchased a farm of two hundred and forty acres. He was engaged in farming there during the suc- ceeding three years, but not being satisfied with that country, on the expiration of that period he returned once more to Kane county and has since made his home here. He now operates a well-improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, situated in Virgil township. He has divided the place into fields of convenient size by well kept fences, has erected good and substantial outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock and now has a valuable prop- erty. He has fifty acres planted to corn, twenty-five to oats, has a meadow of twenty-two acres, while the rest of his farm is used for pasturage, for he keeps a large herd of Durham cows for dairy purposes. He is a man of good business ability and is meeting with success in his undertakings.
Mr. Sturges is a stanch advocate of the republican party, but has never been active as an office seeker, preferring to give his undivided time and atten- tion to his private business affairs. He deserves great credit for what he has accomplished in the business world, for, starting out in life at an early age in the humble capacity of a farm hand, he has steadily worked his way upward until today he is numbered among the prosperous and substantial agriculturists of Kane county.
NELS JOHNSON.
Nels Jolinson, who is successfully engaged in farming in St. Charles township, was born in Helsingborg, Sweden, November 3, 1862, his parents being Jens and Anna (Thurson) Johnson, also natives of Sweden. The father, who was born in 1808, was a carpenter by trade and passed away in the land of his birth in 1893. His wife, whose birth occurred in 1818. still makes her home in Sweden. The brothers and sisters of our subject are as follows: Pete, a stonemason by trade, who died in Chicago in 1892; Christine, who was born in Sweden in 1845 and now resides in Pennsylvania, being the wife of Mr. Benson; Hannah, who was born in Sweden in 1847 and still resides in that country, being the wife of Andrea Mongerson, a coal miner ; Andrew, born in Sweden in 1852, who married Lonise Westberg. and is a carpenter residing in California ; and Matilda, born in 1857, who is the wife of Mr. Bergland and lives in Sweden, where her birth occurred.
The year 1882 witnessed the emigration of Nels Johnson to America, and for fifteen years he made his home in Chicago, being for a number of years employed by the McCormick Harvester Company of that city. For the past three years, however, he has carried on agricultural pursuits, his farm being located two miles west of St. Charles. In addition to the work of general farming he operates an extensive dairy, having twenty-five cows and taking milk to the St. Charles creamery. In the conduct of his business interests he has met with a gratifying and well-merited measure of prosperity,
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the success which has crowned his efforts being entirely the result of his own well-directed energy and unfaltering perseverance.
In this country Mr. Johnson was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Larson, a native of Sweden, where her birth occurred January 4. 1867. Their children are two in number, namely: Agnar Alton, whose birth occurred in Chicago, July 23. 1895; and Alice Louella, who was born in Chicago, September 7, 1897.
Mr. Johnson gives his political allegiance to the men and measures of the republican party, and he is a member of the North American Insurance Company. Through the utilization of the broader opportunities offered for advancement in the new world he has gained a creditable degree of prosperity and is now numbered among the progressive and enterprising citizens of his community.
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