USA > Illinois > DeKalb County > Past and present of DeKalb County, Illinois, Volume I > Part 55
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PAST AND PRESENT OF DE KALB COUNTY.
from elsewhere, and the Loyal Legion of Chicago.
Perhaps no better estimate of the life and char- acter of General Dutton can be given than by quoting from the article by George F. Cram. and which includes the resolutions of the bank of which the General was president. Mr. Cram said : "General Dutton was a man of energy, foree and rare judgment. He had a strong personality. His opinions. always logical, carried conviction to all who listened to them. Always noted for his individ- nality, he drew around him an ever increasing eir- cle of friends. At a meeting of the directors of the Sycamore National Bank. before taking up any business. the board unanimously passed the follow- ing resolution : 'Ever loval, ever just, ever gener- ous, his memory will be loved and his loss mourned by every one who knew him.' 'This resolution is passed for the purpose of spreading upon the rec- ords of this bank where it may be preserved so long as this bank has an existence. an expression of sorrow for the loss, and a tribute of respect to the memory of General Everell F. Dutton. He was a director of the bank from July 2, 1883. and president from August 11. 1883. filling both posi- tions from those dates till his death, which oc- curred at two o'clock p. m., JJune 8. 1900. He was the second president, succeeding James S. Water- man. upon the death of the latter. As president for almost seventeen years he gave to the manage- ment of the bank much of his time and much careful attention, and under his wise and prudent manage- ment the business of the bank has expanded and prospered. He was an able financier. prudent and conservative. but not to the extent of timidity. He had courage to act when his judgment approved. In his intercourse with his co-directors. the officers of the bank, its customers and the public generally, he has always been kind and courteous. His asso- ciates in the bank mourn his departure and feel that by his death they have lost not only a wise counsellor, an efficient and trusted leader, but also a dear friend. General Dutton was a brilliant conversationalist and a man who had developed excellent social qualities. His mind, active and alert. was broadened by study, business associations and travel, so that this self-made man became one of broad culture. The journeys of General and Mrs. Dutton covered nearly all of this country. Europe and the Mediterranean countries of Africa and Asia. including the Holy Land. The Dutton
home was one of true hearted hospitality. and the courtly bearing of the General. together with his cordiality. made every one feel happy and at ease while they were guests there. The social. busi- ness and home life of this patriot will ever be a sweet memory to those who knew him best. We mourn the loss of our General, but feel that our sorrow is softened by the memory of the days when his humanity as well as his noble, manly, soldierly qualities won our love and respect."
GEORGE EVERELL DUTTON.
George Everell Dutton, capitalist. lumber mer- chant and banker, residing at Sycamore. is the representative in the present generation of a fam- ily whose name has ever been an honored one here and his record also reflects credit upon the family history. He is the elder of the two sons of Gen- eral E. F. and Rosma Dutton. His brother. Wil- liam Paine, now associated with him in business interests, was graduated from Harvard University, where he completed the law course in 1898. For a time he engaged in the practice of law in Chicago. but is now in Winnipeg. Canada. where he is en- gaged in the manufacturing and wholesaling of lumber, owning a large mill near Winnipeg. to- gether with valuable timber concessions in Mani- toba. He owns seventy-five million feet of raw timber and the mill turns out one hundred thou- sand feet per day.
George Everell Dutton was born in Sycamore, De Kalb county, Illinois, pursued his early edu- cation in the public schools and his more specific- ally literary course in Lombard University. at Galesburg, from which institution he was gradu- ated with the class of 1889. His life record stands in contradistinction to the generally accepted fact that the sons of wealthy men are never successful in business. Mr. Dutton, on the contrary, is well known as a man of marked energy, displaying ex- cellent capability and management and keen dis- eernment in investments. Upon his father's death he succeeded to the presidency of the Sveamore National Bank, filling the office until 1901. His investments also have reached over the line in Can- ada. where he operates with his brother, William P. Dutton. a line of retail lumber yards along the
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HARMON PAINE.
RESIDENCE OF MRS. E. F. DUTTON.
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Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern Rail- roads. The headquarters of the retail yards are also at Winnipeg.
George E. Dutton is also interested in a mm- the Citizens State Bank at Tracy, Minnesota, vice president of the Lidgerwood National Bank at Lidgerwood, North Dakota, and a large stockholder in several other banking institutions in the United States and Can- ada. He also owns, together with his mother and brother, some ten thousand acres of finely improved land, principally in southwestern Minnesota and in the eastern part of North and South Dakota. Mr. Dutton takes great pride in these farms, personally spending much time during the year with his overseers going over the places and endeavoring to have the work carried on along lines consistent with the best farming. thus keep- ing the land always in the highest state of culti- vation and productiveness.
Mr. Dution was married to Miss Jennie M. Wellings, of Potsdam. New York, and they have two daughters, Marion L. and Rose I. Theirs is a beautiful home, attractive by reason of its warm hearted hospitality as well as its rich and tasteful furnishings and its architectural beauty. Polit- ically Mr. Dutton is a republican. He is recog- nized as one of Sycamore's most prominent busi- ness men and is well liked by all with whom he comes in contact, his warmest friends being num. bered among those who have known him from his boyhood to the present time.
DAVID DEPUE BROWN.
David Depue Brown, whose active business life made him one of the valued citizens of De Kalb. where he is now living retired, was born in Bel- videre. New Jersey, Angust 24, 1845, being the second in order of birth of the three children of Caleb M. and Catherine (Depue) Brown, and now the only survivor. The others were Benjamin and Catherine. The father was born in Chester. New Jersey. in 1818, being descended from ancestry who came to this country from England at an early period in the colonization of the new world and located in New Jersey. In the county of his na- tivity the father was reared, acquiring his educa-
tion in the public schools, and early in life he de- termined upon a mercantile career. For some years he engaged in business in Belvidere. New Jersey. after which he removed to Newark. that state, and became a dominant factor in mercantile circles in that city, the extent and importance of his operations giving him a position of promi- nence. While residing there he served as captain of a fire company, while Ex-Governor Ward was captain of a rival company in the same city.
In 1842 Mr. Brown removed to the middle west, locating in Syeamore. De Kalb county, Illinois, among its pioneer residents. Again he engaged in merchandising, in which he continued until 1865, when he disposed of his store and turned his at- tention to the stave and heading business. being connected therewith in Indiana and Kentucky un- til 1871, when he returned to Sycamore, where he lived retired until his death, which occurred March 24, 1873. He served for one term as county re- corder of De Kalb county in the early '60s. being elected upon the republican ticket. His early po- litical allegiance was given to the whig party. He "reame a stanch abolitionist and was one of the active movers in the underground railroad. his home being a station on that famous line. Nat- urally when the republican party was formed to prevent the further extension of slavery he joined its ranks and became one of its stalwart adherents. Ile was, moreover, an active and faithful member and worker in the Congregational church and built the house of worship in Sycamore, giving the congregation their own time to repay him. For many years he served as an officer in the church and put forth earnest and effective effort for its npbuilding and the extension of its influ- ence. He was one of the best known men of De Kalb county, honored and respected by all.
His wife, who was born in Belvidere, New Jer- sey, was a daughter of Benjamin Depue, who came of Huguenot ancestry. the line being traced back to Nicholas Dupui, who married Katharina Renard. Nicholas Dupni came to this country from Artois, France, in 1662, and settled in New York city. His son Mose, born in 1654. married Marie Wynkoop, and had a son, Benjamin Dupui. who was born in 1695. He married Elizabeth Schoonmaker, September 3, 1719, and died in 1765. Their son, Benjamin Dupni, was born in Esopus. now Kingston, New York, in June, 1729,
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and removed to Lower Mount Bethel, Northamp- ton county, Pennsylvania, in 1765, his death there occurring September 26, 1811. He was a member of the first Batallion of Associaters of Northamn- ton county and was a member of Captain John Arudt's company, which was engaged in the bat- tles of Long Island and of Fort Washington, and was one of the thirty-three members who rallied next day at Elizabethtown. IIe served thereafter in the war as commissary. He was elected a dele- gate from his county to attend a convention at Philadelphia to apportion the delegates to be elected throughout the province of Pennsylvania, meeting in the convention at Philadelphia to frame a constitution for the commonwealth of Pennsyl- vania and to draft certain rules governing the same. He was elected from his township to the committee of safety and served for some years as justice of the peace in his township. He was after- ward commissioned a justice of the court of com- mon pleas of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, serving for seven years. Ile married Caterina Van Campen, a daughter of Colonel Abraham Van Campen, a granddaughter of Jan Van Campeu.
Abraham Depue. son of Benjamin and Caterina (Van Campen) Depue, was born September 25. 1:65, and died October 25, 1851. Ile married Susanna Hoffman. January 5, 1792. Their son. Benjamin, born September 1, 1296, married Eliz- abeth Ayres and died June 18, 1884. They were the parents of Catherine Depue. who became the wife of Caleb M. Brown and the mother of our subject. After her death the father married Louise .1. Jackson, by whom he had two children-Fred- erick, deceased, and Marshall, who is engaged in the wholesale commission business in Chicago.
David Depue Brown was reared at the family home in Sycamore. Ilis birth had occurred dur- ing his mother's visit to the east. Through the period of his childhood and youth he was closely associated with De Kalb county. His education was largely acquired in the public schools, and he also spent one year in the Presbyterian Institute, at Valparaiso, Indiana, but because of trouble with his eyes was compelled to discontinue his studies at the age of fourteen years. Returning home, he began work in the dry-goods store of Rogers & Wild, of Syracuse. under whom he received his mercantile training. He was thus engaged until the 4th of May. 1864. when, in response to his
country's call for aid, he enlisted in Company F. One Hundred and Thirty-second Illinois Infantry, for one hundred days' service. He was at the front until the 11th of October of that year. when he received an honorable discharge.
Mr. Brown then returned home and for eleven years thereafter was employed in the mercantile establishment of George P. Wild. In 1875 he removed to De Kalb and entered into partnership with C. 1. Tyndall, in the conduct of a dry-goods and boot and shoe store under the firm style of l'yndall & Brown. A year later Mr. Brown pur- chased his partner's interest, carrying on the busi- ness alone until 1885. when he disposed of the store and turned his attention to the lumber and coal trade in partnership with Philip Young, do- ing business under the firm name of Brown & Young. This relation was maintained until 1892. when Mr. Brown sold out to his partner and with- drew from the business. He then accepted a po- sition with the Superior Barb Wire Company, sn- perintending the construction of the upper mill. and later was placed in charge of the shipping de- partment, remaining in that company until 1902. when he retired from business life on account of il! healthı.
On the 7th of February. 1812. Mr. Brown was married to Miss Alice E. Ellwood. a daughter of Hiram and Sarah ( Dygert) Ellwood. They now have two children-Zaida E .. a graduate of the De Kalb high school, and Louise, who was grad- uated from the De Kalb high school and later a student in La Salle Seminary. at Auburndale. Massachusetts. from which she graduated in June. 1902.
Mr. Brown has been a member of the Masonic fraternity since 1866. now affiliating with De Kalb lodge. No. 144. A. F. & A. M .; De Kalb chapter. No. 52. R. A. M .; Sycamore commandery, No. 15. K. T., in which he has a life membership : Orien- tal consistory. A. A. S. R., with which he has been connected since 1869, and with Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to Merritt Simonds post. No. 283, G. A. R., of which he was commander one term. and to De Kalb lodge, No. 765. B. P. O. E.
His political allegiance is given to the repub- lican party, and for one term he served as alder- man of De Kalb. In 1885 he was elected mayor of the city and filled the position for four consecr-
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tive years. ITis efforts in behalf of good streets and good sidewalks and his active work for the improvement of the city along other lines caused him to be brought forward again in 1896 as a can- didate for the office of chief executive, and he was once more elected, serving at this time for four consecutive terms of two years each. During his administration the streets were all paved or ma- cadamized, stone or cement sidewalks were laid and the work of substantial development and prog- ress was carried forward. He was the champion of many measures for progress in all those lines which are a matter of civic virtue and of civic pride. IIis administration was thoroughly prac- tical as well as progressive. He brought to the discharge of his duties the same keen insight, ex- ecutive force and discrimination which had char- acterized him in business, and it is a uniformly conceded fact that De Kalb has had no better mayor than David Depne Brown.
ARTHUR II. FRASER.
An excellent farm of two hundred and fifteen acres pays tribute to the care and labor of Arthur HI, Fraser, It is part of the old family home- stead and is situated on section 14, Sandwich township, about two and a half miles from the city of Sandwich. The land has long been in the possession of the Fraser family and its rich fer- tility is due to the labor and care of those who have borne the family name. It was upon this farm that Arthur H. Fraser was born on the 16th of September, 1865, being the thirteenth child in the family of William Fraser, Sr. He is a brother of William Fraser, Jr., whose sketch appears elsc- where in this volume. His eldest brother, Ira Fraser, grew to manhood, enlisted for service in the Civil war and died while doing military duty. Horace reached mature years, married and died, leaving a family. Two of the children died in in- fancy. Horton was married and died upon the old farm. William, mentioned elsewhere, was the next son of the family. The daughters were Caro- line, wife of J. Armstrong of Sandwich; Mary, who married, but is now deceased; Martha, wife of William Potter of Livingston, Montana ; Edith, wife of Pernett Potter, a farmer of La Salle
county ; Addie, deceased ; and Lola, who died when one year of age.
No event of special importance occurred to vary the routine of farm life for Arthur H. Fraser in his boyhood and youth. He worked on the home farm during the periods of vacation and acquired a good education in the common schools and as a student in the Sandwich high school. He remained with his father until the latter's death in 1892 and then took charge of the farm and business, in- heriting that part of the old homestead upon which stood the buildings. He has since erected a new barn and has otherwise greatly improved the prop- erty, having fenced the fields, planted fruit trees and made many valuable improvements. Annually he gathers good crops as a reward for the care and labor he bestows upon the place and also meets with a goodly measure of success through buying and feeding cattle. He is now feeding fifty hea:l of steers and also feeds a large number of hogs annually.
Mr. Fraser was married in Somonank, Illinois, in 1892, to Miss Elizabeth Devine, who was born and reared in the county and is a daughter of Ed- ward Devine, one of the old settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Fraser lost their first born, Isabella, who died when an infant of ten months. Their son, Oliver Fraser, is now a student in the home schools. The wife and mother is a member of the Somonauk Catholic church. Politically Mr. Fraser is independent, voting regardless of party ties. He is not deepty interested in politics save that he desires that hon- orable, trustworthy men should fill the publie of- fices, but throughout the community he is known for his genuine personal worth and his business reliability. Ile and his wife represent one of the old pioneer families and as such deserve mention in this volume.
CHASE ELIPHALET GLIDDEN.
Chase Eliphalet Glidden, now living retired in De Kalb, was born in Paw Paw, Michigan, May 12. 1854. His parents, James Bardwell and Juliet (Baird) Glidden, were natives of Claren- don, New York, and the former was born May 10, 1819, while the latter was born May 1, 1821. The father was a farmer by occupation and in 1850
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closed out his business interests in the east and re- moved to Paw Paw, Michigan. where he resided for ten years. In 1860 he made his way to De Kalb county, Illinois, and settled on a farm on section 21, De Kalb township. and afterward re- moved to section 10. Afton township, becoming one of the enterprising agriculturists of that locality. Ilis oldest son, Orson T .. was one of the home guards at Detroit, Michigan, during the war of the Rebellion.
C. E. Glidden was only six years old when he accompanied his parents on their removal to this county. He obtained his education in the common schools of De Kalb. graduated from the high school, and afterward turned his attention to farm- ing. with which he had become familiar in his boy- hood days. In 1888 he began the manufacture of felt goods and ten years later. in 1898, went to the Klondyke, where he remained for five years. He experienced many hardships such as are always met with in a new mining district. He made his headquarters at Dawson City and owned some valuable claims in that locality. He was in the mountains of Alaska where he could see the sun continuously for twenty-four hours. Some marvel- ous effects are thereby produced and he will long remember the beauty and grandeur of the scenery. as well as the privations and hardships with which he met in the far northwest. In the fall of 1903 he returned to De Kalb and entered into the real- estate business, since which time he has dealt more or less in property, but is really living retired, re- ceiving his income from his investments. He is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Afton township, which constitute an ex- cellent farming property, and also some real es- tate in Canada.
On the 25th of October, 1882. at Dixon. Illi- nois, Mr. Glidden was united in marriage to Miss Anna Florence Webster, who was born in Polo, Illinois, February 23, 1854. She is the daughter of Virgil B. and Alzira (Cutts) Webster, both of whom are natives of the state of New York. Her father was a farmer by occupation. Mrs. Glidden was second in the family of five children, while Me. Glidden was the youngest of four. They became the parents of four children: Winifred A., born August 23, 1883: Josephine F., born April 25, 1886: Anna L., born September 16. 1888: Chase E., born August 16, 1891. The wife and mother
was called to her final rest October 17, 1895.
In politics Mr. Glidden is independent and has never been a politician in the sense of office seek- ing. He is not remiss in the duties of citizenship, but prefers that others should occupy publie posi- tions. He now resides at No. 129 College avenue and is well known in the county. He is a lover of society and his friends know that in his grasp and greeting there is always a welcome. He is genial, companionable and entertaining, and asso- ciation with him means pleasure and expansion. 1
LEWIS M. MCEWEN.
Lewis M. McEwen, deceased, was numbered among the prominent and influential citizens of De Kalb county, taking quite an active part in business and political affairs in early life. He was born in Crawford, Orange county, New York, on the 28th of September, 1827, and was a son of Henry and Ann Eliza (Terwilliger) MeEwen, also natives of New York and of Scotch and Holland descent, respectively.
At the age of thirteen years Mr. McEwen lost his father. IIe continued to live with his mother to the age of eighteen, when he started out to face life's battles unaided and unarmed save for his indomitable determination to succeed. He made his way to New York city, where he secured employment in a morocco manufactory. He there remained until after the discovery of gold in Cali- fornia, when he determined to cast in his lot with the thousands of others who were going to the mining distriets of the Pacific coast. Accordingly, in 1849. he started for the far west, sailing on the 30th of January on board the vessel Orpheus which rounded Cape Horn and after a voyage of five months reached San Francisco harbor in July.
Mr. MeEwen engaged in mining in California for about three years and in the spring of 1852 started on the return trip to New York city, going by way of the isthmus and arriving in New York in May. Later he spent several weeks in visiting friends and then came to Illinois, settling in Milan township. De Kalb county. where he entered three hundred and twenty acres of land. which was the first land claimed in the township. On this tract
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Mr. McEwen built a frame house, in which he kept bachelor's hall for some time while cultivating and improving his property. After a time he re- placed the original building by a comfortable frame structure, bringing his business materials from Aurora, twenty miles distant.
On the 14th of October, 1851. Mr. MeEwen was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Ward, who was born at Highgate, Franklin county, Vermont, October 25, 1833, and they became the parents of six children, five of whom are still living, namely : Frances E., at home : Flora II., the wife of Charles H. King, of De Kalb : Hon. Willard M. MeEwen. judge of the superior court of Chicago: Dr. Er- nest L. MeEwen, also of Chicago; and Harry W. MeEwen, an attorney of De Kalb. Anna, a popu- lar and successful teacher, died some years ago.
After his marriage Mr. MeEwen continued to engage in agricultural pursuits for some years and added eighty acres to his original purchase, becom- ing owner of a valuable property of four hundred acres. In 1869 he left the farm and removed to De Kalb, and in 1829 joined George Terwilliger in a coal and lumber business, with which he was identified for some time, when he withdrew, spend- his remaining days in retirement.
Politically Mr. McEwen was a supporter of the republican party and was a recognized leader in public affairs in his community. He was the first supervisor of Milan township and served in that office through the entire period of his residence in the township save for one year. He was also supervisor of De Kalb township for seven years, and in 1820 was elected to represent his district in the state legislature, serving his constituent- ably and well. For several years he was a member of the board of trustees of De Kalb and in later life served as city attorney. From an early period in the development of the county he was one of its most prominent and honored citizens, doing much for its growth and improvement, and in his death, which occurred January 9, 1905, the county lost one of its most valued and worthy representa- tives.
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