USA > Illinois > Will County > History of Will County, Illinois, Volume Two > Part 44
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get terms and with the determination that no work was too much for him he was able to buy a small truck. The route that he purchased was 15 cans of milk to be delivered at Chicago Heights in the morning. In the afternoon he would go to the country for eggs, veal and chickens. The milk business grew so that the farm products were later dropped and Mr. Pralle went into the wholesale milk business exclusively. He was a promoter of better milk conditions for farmers, his motto being "A Square Deal and Good Service." At the time of his tragic death in 1925 the business had grown to such an extent that Mr. Pralle had 14 trucks carrying milk to Chicago and vicinity. Two years before his death he had appointed his son Harold as foreman, and was assisted by his daughter, Mildred. The business has remained in the hands of his widow, Mrs. Mathilda Pralle. Harold was appointed manager and Mildred secretary and bookkeeper. During the last five years the need for a receiving plant to take care of the milk was felt necessary and in 1927 the owners of the business built a modern receiving plant.
Harold Pralle was born at Riverdale, Cook County, Ill., March 29, 1903. He obtained his education in St. Paul's Lutheran School at Dalton, and completed his education in the German Lutheran School at Crete. He ranks among the enterprising young business men of Will County.
The family residence at Crete, planned by Mr. Pralle before his death, was built in 1926, and is among the attractive residences of the city.
Lewis L. McLaren, mechanical engineer, and secretary of the Illinois Rail Joint Company, Joliet, is a native of this city. He was born April 29, 1889, and is a son of John and Mary (Barber) McLaren.
John McLaren, deceased, was a native of Glasgow, Scotland. He came to America when a young man and first located in Na-Aw-Say Township, Kendall County, Ill., where he engaged in the contracting and building business. He came to Joliet in 1880 and was associated with F. P. Frey in the coal business. He died in April, 1909, and is buried in Wheatland United Presbyterian Cemetery, Joliet. He was a Republican and a member of the Central Presbyterian Church. His wife, a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, lives at 600 Herkimer Street, Joliet. To Mr. and Mrs. McLaren eight children were born, seven of whom died in infancy.
Lewis L. McLaren received his early eduucation in the public schools of Joliet, graduating from the Joliet High School in 1906. He was
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graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1914 with the degree of Mechanical Engineer. Since graduation he has been employed in the steel mills of Joliet, Indiana Harbor, Ind., and Gary, Ind., until 1925, when he resigned to devote his time to private work in his pro- fession. In May, 1928, he assisted in organizing the Illinois Rail Joint Company of which he is secretary and chief engineer.
In May, 1918, Mr. McLaren enlisted as a private soldier and was sent to Camp Bradley, Peoria, Ill. He was later transferred to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and assigned to the Signal Corps. He received his discharge from the service at Camp Grant, Rockford, Ill., in January, 1919.
Mr. McLaren is a member of the Society of American Mechanical Engineers. He belongs to American Legion, Harwood Post No. 5; the Chamber of Commerce; and the Masonic bodies. He is a member of the Central Presbyterian Church, and politically is a Republican. Mr. McLaren has a wide acquaintance and has always been regarded both socially and in his business relations as a valuable citizen of Joliet.
Henry F. Bode is among the most prominent and successful farmers of Monee Township, where he is the owner of 320 acres of land. He was born on the farm where he lives, Oct. 25, 1869, the son of Frederic and Mariah (Helberg) Bode.
Frederic Bode was born in Germany in 1839. He emigrated to the United States when 16 years of age and settled in Monee Township, Will County, where he later became the owner of the present Bode farm. He was a progressive stockman and one of the best known farmers of the county. Mr. Bode died in 1907 and his wife died in 1920. She was also born in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Bode are buried in the Lutheran Cemetery at Richton. They were the parents of the following children: Louise, married Philip Werner, lives in Monee Township; George, lives at Matteson, Ill .; Henry F., the subject of this sketch; Louis, lives in Oklahoma; August, died in 1902 at the age of 22 years; and Alvania, married Edward Bartels, lives in Monee Town- ship.
Henry F. Bode obtained his education in the district schools of Monee Township and has always lived on the same farm. He has made extensive improvements on the place and it is now numbered among the attractive farms of the township. Mr. Bode carries on general farming and is widely known as a grain and dairy farmer.
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On June 5, 1898, Mr. Bode married Miss Bertha Illgen, of Monee Township. She died May 4, 1928, and is buried in the Lutheran Ceme- tery at Richton. To Mr. and Mrs. Bode were born three children: Elsie, married William Stuenkel, lives in Rich Township, and they have a son, Amos; Fred, born April 5, 1901, lives at home; and Theodore, born May 4, 1902, lives at home.
Mr. Bode is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. He is serving as school trustee and is active in the affairs of the Will County Farm Bureau. Politically, he is a Republican.
William O. Bates stands among the leading business men of Joliet, where he is vice president of the Bates Manufacturing Company. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the son of Joshua and Mary (Oswald) Bates.
Both Joshua Bates and his wife were natives of Canada, where they spent their early lives. They were pioneer settlers of Joliet, where Mr. Bates was well known as a building contractor. He died in this city, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery. His wife died at Carthage, Mo.
William O. Bates learned the machinist's trade early in life and was the founder of the Bates Manufacturing Company, at Joliet in 1884. The business was incorporated in 1888. The present officers are as follows: C. C. Mitchell, president; William O. Bates, vice president ; William O. Bates, Jr., treasurer, and H. H. Bates, secretary. E. E. Bates is purchasing agent.
The Bates Manufacturing Company, one of the leading manufac- turing enterprises of Joliet, are builders of Corliss Engines, Feed Water Heaters, Barb Wire Machines, Staple machinery, Wire Mill machinery, Farm Tractors, large road building tractors, and general machinery. They employ approximately 250 men in their plant, which is located at Jackson and Henderson streets. The products of this well known company are distributed throughout the United States, Canada, and foreign countries.
On Sept. 6, 1882, Mr. Bates married Miss Mary J. Cleary, a native of Canada. They have three sons: Harry, lives at Joliet, is a grad- uate of Cornell University, married Miss Georgia Reed of Joliet, and they have three children: Robert, Fredrick and Betty. 2. Elbert E., lives at Joliet, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, married Miss Alice Bennitt, of Joliet, and they had two children, Bennie and
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Ann. Mrs. Bates is deceased. 3. William O., Jr., lives at Joliet, is a graduate of Cornell University, married Miss Dorothy Mathias, of Joliet, and they have two children, David and Suzanne.
Mr. Bates has always been a Republican. He is an active member of the Chamber of Commerce. The family residence is located at 211 Sherman Street, Joliet.
George F. Powers, who is identified with the Powers-Thompson Con- struction Company, is an enterprising and progressive business man of Joliet and a member of one of the oldest and best known families of Will County. He was born at Earl Park, Ind., Dec. 31, 1869, the son of C. E. and Lydia Ray (Austin) Powers.
C. E. Powers was born in Oneida County, N. Y., Jan. 7, 1846, and was seven years old when his family removed to Illinois and settled in Will County. He became a prosperous farmer and stockman of Wesley Township. Both he and his wife are deceased and are buried at Wil- mington, Ill. They had four children: W. A., retired, lives at Wilming- ton; George F., the subject of this sketch; Susan, lives at Akron, Ohio; and Edward G., lives at Wilmington.
George F. Powers spent his boyhood in Wilmington. After finish- ing Wilmington High School he entered the employ of the Amer- ican Strawboard Association as a shipping clerk. In 1890 he went with the Chicago & Alton Railroad and four years later was employed by the Calumet & Blue Island Railroad. When that railroad was absorbed by the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad Mr. Powers was made superintendent of bridge construction work. He resigned in 1908 to organize what is now the Powers-Thompson Construction Company of Joliet, with which he has since been connected. The company's offices are located at 221 South Chicago Street. Mr. Powers has extensive real estate holdings in Joliet and also owns well improved land in New Lenox and Joliet townships.
On March 31, 1892, Mr. Powers was united in marriage with Miss Alice M. McCall, who was born in Scotland in 1870, the daughter of James and Mary (English) McCall, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Scotland. The McCall family settled in Illinois in 1880. Mr. and Mrs. McCall, deceased, were the parents of eight children. To George F. and Alice M. (McCall) Powers were born three children: Vera G., married Roy W. Eaton, lives at Joliet; Ray Austin, lives at Joliet, is a veteran of the World War, having served with the rank of
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second lieutenant; and Agnes M., married Thomas MacGrath, who is identified with the Powers-Thompson Construction Company, Joliet.
Mr. Powers is a member of the Universalist Church and is affiliated with all the Masonic bodies, Knights of Pythias, M. W. A., a life mem- ber in the Chamber of Commerce, Joliet, and the Medinah Athletic Club, Chicago.
James A. Bell, who has been in the employ of the Illinois Steel Com- pany for a period of 40 years, is among the highly respected and well known citizens of Joliet. He was born at Truro, Cornwall, England, Nov. 28, 1861, the son of Robert and Lucy (Jenkins) Bell.
Robert Bell was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1824, and died in England in 1886. He was interested in the brokerage business and also engaged in the dry goods business. His wife was a native of Cornwall, England, and died there in 1895. There were nine children in the Bell family, of whom James A., the subject of this sketch, was the second in order of birth.
James A. Bell spent his boyhood in his native land and was educated at East Devon School and King's College. He entered the English Navy as a naval engineer cadet, and after several years was attached to the merchant marine service. He served a term of apprenticeship in marine construction and naval architecture, and afterward was an engineer with the fleet at the bombardment of Alexandria in the first Egyptian cam- paign and later in the Soudan at Suakim. He then went to China as a guarantee engineer for Sir William Armstrong and remained in the Chinese service during the war with France. From there he went to England and later cruised with the fleet of the Duke of Edinboro in the Baltic Sea and also to the White Sea. He then was connected with the merchant marine service as engineer between America and England during the extensive cattle trade, and finally went to Japan from New York. On this voyage his ship was wrecked off the Japan coast. He remained a year and a half in Chinese waters and went as far up the big rivers as navigation permitted in the Chinese revenue service, and in April, 1888, made a world cruise, after which he returned to the United States and settled at Bloomington, Ill. In November, 1888, he located at Joliet, where he has since been connected with the Illinois Steel Company. Since December, 1910, he has been master mechanic.
On Oct. 25, 1891, Mr. Bell was united in marriage with Miss Emma Cox, of Joliet, the daughter of Daniel and Harriet (Freear) Cox, natives
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of England. To Mr. and Mrs. Bell were born ten children, five of whom survive: Lillian, married Dr. B. G. Wilcox, four children, three boys and one girl, lives at Joliet; Robert D., lives at Joliet, married Miss Almira Dirst, and they have a son, Robert; James C., lives at Joliet, married Miss Gwendoline Farrell, daughter of C. S. Farrell, and they have a son, James C., Jr .; Sheldon F., attends the University of Illinois; and Dorothy R., attends Joliet Township High School.
Mr. Bell has always taken an active interest in the Boy Scout move- ment and was the organizer of a sea scout battery at Joliet. He is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge in its various branches, and belongs to the Knights of Pythias, Sons of St. George, Isaac Walton League, Caladonian and Adventurers Club, of Chicago. He and his family hold membership in the Episcopal Church. The family residence is at 323 Hunter Avenue, Joliet.
Mr. Bell travels extensively and has made several trips to Europe, and has visited almost every country in Asia and northern Africa.
Herbert N. Gilkerson, of Joliet Township, is among the leading dairy farmers of Will County. He was born in Wilton Township, Dec. 7, 1861, the son of Luther and Mary (Batchelder) Gilkerson.
Luther Gilkerson was born in Vermont and his wife was a native of New Hampshire. Mr. Gilkerson went to California in 1849 and pros- pected for gold. He remained there about a year and in 1852 he came to Heights Grove, Will County and purchased a farm in Wilton Town- ship. He died in 1869, and is buried in the West Peotone Cemetery. His widow later married J. W. Loose, a Civil War veteran, and a pioneer settler of Will County. She died in 1917 and her husband died soon after. By her first marriage Mrs. Loose had five children, two of whom survive: Herbert N., the subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Dan Blatt, who lives at Elwood, Ill. To Mr. and Mrs. Loose a daughter, Ethel, was born. She died in infancy.
Herbert N. Gilkerson attended the public schools of Monmouth, Ill., and at an early age became interested in farming. He owns 280 acres of land in Peotone Township and is also proprietor of the Gilkerson Dairy Farm in Joliet Township. This dairy farm contains 320 acres of land and has one of the fine herds of cattle in Will County, which numbers 150. Mr. Gilkerson purchased his dairy farm from Frank Baumgartner. It has been improved extensively and is modern through-
HERBERT N. GILKERSON AND FAMILY
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out. More than 2500 bottles of milk are handled daily, and Mr. Gilkerson employs six men in its distribution throughout Joliet. From 10 to 12 men are employed on this farm. The dairy business is known as Gil- kerson and Sons. Eugene, Merle, Wilbur and Harold are the four sons who are engaged in the business with their father.
Mr. Gilkerson was married Oct. 16, 1889, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Riddle, born in Aurora, Ill., Aug. 2, 1863, the daughter of Robert and Mary Ellen (Frazier) Riddle, both deceased. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gilkerson as follows: 1. Marjorie, born July 6, 1890, married Otto Rathje, lives at Peotone. 2. Eugene, born Feb. 14, 1893, married Miss Olive Thurston, and they have a daughter, Norma Jean. 3. Merle, born June 13, 1898, lives at home. 4. Wilbur, born March 22, 1895, lives at Joliet, married Miss Edith Etheredge, and they have a daughter, Phyllis Ann. 5. Harold, born Dec. 4, 1901, lives at Joliet, married Miss Myrtle Muncey, and they have two children, Irene Eliza- beth and Robert Edward. 6. Stanley L., born May 22, 1906, died July 7, 1921.
Mr. Gilkerson is a member of the Central Presbyterian Church and belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America and Chamber of Commerce, Joliet. He has always been a Republican.
Fred Warning, a prominent citizen and vice president of the Frank- fort State Bank, was born in Warnow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, March 17, 1871, the son of Christ and Marie (Lang) Warning.
In the fall of 1881 the Warning family came to the United States from Germany and settled in Mokena, Ill., where Mr. Warning secured employment with the Rock Island Railroad. He later engaged in farm- ing, stock raising and dairying in New Lenox Township, Will County, and met with success. Mr. Warning died in 1911 and his wife died in 1895, and both are buried in St. John's Cemetery, Mokena. They were members of the Evangelical Church. Mr. and Mrs. Christ Warning were the parents of five children: Sophia, married Fred Klott, of Mokena; Christ, a farmer of Frankfort Township, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this history; Fred, the subject of this sketch; John, a garage owner, of New Lenox; and George, a farmer, of Mokena.
Fred Warning was employed on various farms in his locality. After his marriage he engaged in farming and dairying on his own account for 16 years. In 1911 he removed to Frankfort where he built and
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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY
operated a garage. During 1917-1920 he owned and operated a feed store at Mokena, which he conducted in connection with the garage. business. In 1926 Mr. Warning turned his garage interests over to his son, Raymond. In 1913 Mr. Warning was one of the organizers of the Frankfort State Bank, and was elected vice president, in which capacity he is still serving. He is also a director of the bank.
In 1895 Mr. Warning was married to Miss Katherine Kinary. Mrs. Katherine Kinary Warning, wife of Fred Warning, was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Eliza Miller Kinary, was born May 17, 1874, at Pueblo, Colo. The fall of 1874 her parents returned to Mokena, Ill., where she resided until her marriage in 1895. Her father, Thomas Kinary, was born in New York City where Central Park now stands in 1838, coming to Illinois in 1858 with the Arch Allertons and located on Allerton farm until 1862, when he enlisted in the Civil War and served three years for his country. After the war he came back to Mokena and became manager of the 2,200 acre farm of Arch Allerton until 1880, when he moved to the village of Mokena and lived until the death of his wife, March 5, 1909, going to live with his daughters, Mrs. Fred Warning and Ida Kinary Hansen. He died May 31, 1921.
Mrs. Mary Eliza Miller Kinary was born at Ulster County, New York, Jan. 8, 1853, being the daughter of Henry Jackson and Ann Hare Miller. Mrs. Warning's parents and grandparents are full fledged Americans where she has the historical records of her parents for five generations. Her grandchildren can recall the seventh generation.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Warning have two children, a son, Raymond Frederick, who conducts a garage at Frankfort, Ill., and a daughter, Fern Marie, now Mrs. Fred Hunter of Warsaw, Ind. Four grandsons, Bobby Hunter of Warsaw, Ind., and Stanley Virgil; Glenn and Raymond Wendell Oliver Warning, of Frankfort, Ill., and one granddaughter, Joyce Eileen Hunter, of Warsaw, Ind.
Raymond Frederick Warning's fraternal affiliations are with Mount Joliet Lodge, A. F. and A. M. No. 42; Joliet Chapter, R. A. M. No. 27; Joliet Council, R. & S. M. No. 82; and Joliet Commandery, K. T. No. 4.
Mr. Warning is a Republican and has extensive and prominent fra- ternal affiliations. He is a member of the Mount Joliet Lodge, A. F. and A. M. No. 42; Joliet Chapter, R. A. M. No. 42; Joliet Council, R. & S. M. No. 82; Joliet Commandery, K. T. No. 4; Medinah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. of Chicago, Ill .; and is a charter member of the Modern Woodmen of America. Mrs. Warning is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and also a member of several fraternal orders.
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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY
Ben. D. Jones, president of the Manhattan State Bank, Manhattan, Ill., who was born on Oct. 7, 1865, is the youngest of the eight children of Robert Jones and Eleanor (Cooper) Jones, former old residents of Wilton Township, Will County, Ill., whose biographical sketch is found elsewhere in this publication.
Robert Jones in 1855 purchased 80 acres of raw prairie land in the northwest quarter of section 26, Wilton Township, which he improved for a homestead, where several of his children, including the subject of this sketch, were born. Several years later he purchased 160 acres in sections 22 and 23 in the same township, to which he moved his family in the spring of 1866, and where they resided until 1886, when he rented his farm and moved to the Village of Poetone.
Ben. D. Jones attended the country school at what was called the Lamphers School house and later he attended Jennings Seminary at Aurora, Ill., and also Northwestern University at Evanston, Ill. He taught school during the years of 1887, 1888 and 1889. In the summer of 1889 he was employed by William C. Barber, since mayor of Joliet, in his office abstracting titles to real estate; later he assisted in the compiling a set of indexes to all the lawsuits held in the county of Will affecting the titles to real estate, for the Will County Abstract Company, a new company being formed. Later he became its manager, and re- signed his position with this company in 1895 and formed a co-partner- ship with his brother, Frank R. Jones, and a brother-in-law, John C. Baker, under the name and style of Baker Jones & Company, doing busi- ness in grain and coal at Manhattan, Ill., and also organized the Man- hattan Bank, of which the subject became the vice-president, and later president upon the death of John C. Baker and the reorganization of the bank under state supervision.
He has always been a member of the Republican party, and for many years was a member of the County Central Committee, acting as vice- chairman for four years. In 1918 he was elected county treasurer of Will County on the Republican ticket, and acted as such until Decem- ber, 1922. While serving as such treasurer he formulated a system for collecting taxes by the county treasurer, which was later enacted into law by the Illinois Legislature for the collection of all taxes.
Ben. D. Jones was united in marriage at Joliet, Ill., on June 22, 1892, to Elletta L. Gannett, a daughter of Captain Isaac Gannett, aid to Gen. Mitchell, a Civil War general, and Mary A. (Hall) Gannett, residents of Chicago, Ill. To this union three children were born: Robert G., a loco- mative fireman of Decatur, Ill., born in Joliet, Ill., Feb. 27, 1895, and
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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY
married Ella Tyrrell, Nov. 17, 1915, and whose three children are named Elletta, Helen and Rachel; Marion Elletta Jones, born in Manhattan, Ill., Feb. 6, 1897, and married Henry Wesley Sippel, Sept. 15, 1923, and whose only child is named Richard; Ben. D. Jones, Jr., born at Manhattan, Ill., Dec. 25, 1902, is an electrical engineer. He is unmarried.
Mrs. Elletta Gannett Jones was born on Ann Street, Chicago, Ill., March 30, 1869, and died at Manhattan, Ill., Sept. 15, 1905, and is buried in Manhattan Cemetery. Ben. D. Jones was married again, at Man- hattan, Ill., on Oct. 23, 1907, to Eleanor M. Mackender, daughter of George Mackender and Carrie (Peterson) Mackender, old residents of Wilton Township, Will County, Ill., who was born at Clay Center, Kans., Sept. 13, 1885. To this union were born, at Manhattan, Ill., three sons: E. Stanley Jones, Sept. 11, 1908; Paul Edward Jones, Sept. 25, 1911, and Lloyd Wesley Jones, Oct. 22, 1913.
Ben. D. Jones and family are affiliated with the Methodist Church, and he is a member of the Masonic Lodge, Joliet Commandery No. 4, K. T., and the A. A. O. N. M. Shrine, Medinah Temple, Chicago, Ill.
He and family now reside on a 160 acre farm in section 16, Manhattan Township, which he purchased and upon which he moved the spring of 1918, which he operates together with 240 acres in Wilton Township, owned jointly with his brother Frank R. Jones.
William J. Themer is well known among the reliable and substantial citizens of Crete Township, where he is the owner of 290 acres of land. He was born at Dalton, Cook County, Ill., April 10, 1861, the son of Joachem and Dorothy (Harret) Themer.
Joachem Themer, deceased, was a native of Germany. He was born in 1828 and died in 1919. He and his wife were early settlers of Chicago and later lived at Dalton, Ill. They came to Will County about 1868 and settled on a farm of 120 acres in Crete Township. Both are buried in Beaver Grove Lutheran Cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Themer were born six children, of whom William J., the subject of this sketch, was the youngest.
William J. Themer was seven years old when his parents came to Crete Township. He obtained his education in the district schools and was associated with his father in general farming until about 30 years ago, at which time he purchased his fathers' farm. He has since added to his holdings and is now the owner of one of the finest farms in
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the township. Mr. Themer rents practically his entire farm, but retains a portion upon which is located his home.
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