USA > Illinois > Will County > Past and present of Will County, Illinois, V. 2 > Part 31
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Mr. Vander Bogart was an exemplary member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Wilming- ton lodge, No. 208. A. F. & A. M., and to Wil- mington chapter, No. 142, R. A. M., while he was buried with the honors of the order. He likewise maintained pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership with Bowen
W. H. VANDER BOGART.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY.
post, G. A. R. He was a man whom to know was to respect and honor. He was very success- ful in business owing to his excellent executive ability and careful management of his affairs, and at his death he left his family in comfortable circumstances. His widow resides in a nice home, surrounded by the comforts of life as well as by a host of warm friends. She is prominent in social cireles and is a lady of cordial and kindly dis- position.
ARTHUR STRUVE.
Arthur Struve, whose name is an honored one on commercial paper throughout Will county, and who is now a worthy representative of financial interests, being president of the First National Bank at Beecher, is a native of the county, hav- ing been born in Monee, June 11, 1870. His father, William Struve, was a native of Bruns- wick, Germany, born December 15, 1832. He acquired a good education in his native country and early displayed business qualities which later made him a successful man. His father was en- gaged in the manufacture of linseed oil and it is said that after the workmen were gone for the day that William Struve would gather up the scatterings, manufacture oil therefrom and make a little money for himself. His mother was in poor health, so that in 1848 the family decided to emigrate to the United States, hoping that the change would prove beneficial to her. It was their plan to go west to the Mississippi river, where the father might get work as an architect and builder, for he had carried on business as an architect in his native country as well as a linseed oil manufacturer. On the ocean, however, the father died and the mother was thus left with six children. They proceeded on their way to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where they had friends. The mother then invested the money which she had in one hundred and sixty acres of land for each of her four boys and put a similar amount in the bank for her two daughters. In less than a year her death occurred. The six children and two hired men, who came with them from Ger- many, lived together for one year. An older brother died a year after the mother's death and
another brother still older was married and was drowned while trying to save the life of a com- rade. Thus in course of time the family became broken up.
When eighteen years of age William Struve went west to the Mississippi river and for two or three years engaged in buying wood and selling it to steamboats. He found this to be quite profitable and when twenty-one years of age he returned to Sheboygan and sold his land, after which he bought lumber which he shipped by vessel to Chicago and thence over the Illinois Central, which had just been completed, to Monee. In that place he established the first lumberyard and engaged in business there for fourteen years. He likewise bought lots in the village and also bought and sold farms. and in his real estate manipula- tions as well as in his commercial interests met with success. In July. 1862, he answered the call for volunteers to aid in suppressing the re- bellion, enlisting in Company D, Eighty-second Illinois Volunteer infantry, known as Hecker's regiment. He participated in the memorable march to the sea and was a faithful and valorous soldier. He was mustered out and honorably discharged at the close of the war in June, 1865. About 1869 or 1870 he removed to Beecher, which had just been established following the building of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad. Here he established a lumberyard and conducted it for twenty-five years, when he turned the business over to his son. While not a member of any church, he attended the services of the Congrega- tional church and contributed liberally to its sup- port. In politics he was a republican and he took an active interest in advancing the welfare and growth of the party, but never sought or desired office for himself. He was a good business man and one well educated. While in Wisconsin he worked for his board and the privilege of at- tending school. He was anxious to learn the Eng- lish language and he not only mastered the text books, but read much beside. He also taught school in that state after returning from the west. In his business life he eagerly improved his opportunities, making steady advancement along well directed lines of labor, and as the years passed he became a prosperous citizen. He died December 1, 1894, and is still survived by his widow.
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MIrs. Struve bore the maiden name of Rosa- mond Van Jordens and was born near Desseldorf, Germany, January 25, 1837. When twelve years of age she accompanied her parents on their emi- gration to America, the family settling at Manito- woc. Wisconsin. Her father, Peter Van Jordens, became a farmer and lived at Manitowoc until his death. On the 4th of June, 1857, the daughter gave her hand in marriage to William Struve and went to Monee with her husband, who had been in business there for some time. She is still liv- ing in a comfortable cottage in Beecher and is a member of the Roman Catholic church, in the faith of which she was reared. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Struve were born five children. Rose, a sis- ter older than our subject, died at the age of twen- ty-four years, while three younger children died in infancy.
Arthur Struve was only a year old when he came to Beecher and here he was reared, attending the public schools. At the age of eighteen years he took charge of his father's business and on at- taining his majority became the owner of the lumberyard which he conducted with suc- cess until 1895, when he disposed of that enter- prise and turned his attention to banking. estab- lishing a private bank, which he conducted from 1896 until the 11th of May, 1905. At that time the First National Bank of Beecher was organized and Mr. Struve became its president. It is capi- talized at fifty thousand dollars, with IIon. Fred Wilke as vice president and Carl Ehrhardt as cashier. Mr. Struve is half owner of the brick block where the bank is located and which was built by him in 1906 in association with Thomas Clark. He is also treasurer of the Eastern Illi- nois Brick Company of Beecher and his business enterprise and activity have contributed in sub- stantial measure to the upbuilding of the village.
In 1895 Mr. Struve was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Keepmeyer, a native of Will county and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Keep- meyer, her father now living retired in Beecher. Mr. and Mrs. Struve have a daughter, Rosa. Theirs is one of the finest homes in Beecher, built in at- tractive style of architecture and tastefully and richly furnished, and its hospitality, too, is one of its most attractive features. Mr. Struve is a valued member of the Masonic fraternity at Crete, the Elks lodge at Kankakee and the Modern
Woodmen camp at Beecher. In his business life he has made steady progress. Keen and clear headed. moving slowly and surely in every trans- action, he possesses that determination and perse- verance which ultimately reaches the objective point.
WILLIAM M. WARD.
William M. Ward, engaged in the grocery busi- ness in Lockport, his native city, was born Decem- ber 2, 1866. His father, John Ward, came to Lockport in 1849 from Syracuse, New York, with his parents, William and Julia Ward. who came to America in 1848 from Queens county. Ireland. William Ward died soon afterward in Lockport. The son, John Ward, pursued his education in the public schools here and began providing for his own support by work as a farm hand. Later he was employed as a driver on the canal, and when his savings justified his embarkation in business on his own account he established a saloon in 1864 and afterward added a grocery, continuing in the same lines of business to the present time. Hle has been township collector for one term and is a member of St. Dennis Catholic church at Lock- port. Mr. Ward was married in 1865, to Miss Catherine Keough, of Lockport, who is a native of Canada, and unto them were born nine chil- dren, of whom three died in infancy. Those still living are: William M .; John, Jr .; Marguerite; Catherine, the wife of William Gosseln, of Lock- port ; Stephen J. and Joseph F., both of this city.
At the usual age William M. Ward became a student in the public schools of Lockport and subsequently attended Niagara University at Nia- gara, New York, and a business college in Chicago. He then joined his father in business and added the grocery department, which he has conducted to the present time, having a good trade by reason of the fact that he carries a well selected line of staple and fancy groceries and charges reason- able prices for his goods.
On the 27th of February, 1892, occurred the marriage of William M. Ward and Miss Emma Jacklin, of Chicago, a daughter of Theodore Jack- lin, a merchant. Four children grace this marri- age, William J., Mildred, Kathryn and Rosamond,
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and they also lost one child, Grace, at the age of eight years. Mr. Ward is a democrat and very active in politics. He has served as delegate to county and state conventions a number of times, has filled the office of city clerk for two terms and was elected supervisor in 1903 and again in 1905, so that he is the present incumbert in the latter office. He belongs to St. Dennis Catholic church, to the Catholic Order of Foresters and the Im- proved Order of Heptasophs and is a charter mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias lodge. Ile has al- ways lived in Lockport and his success has come to him as the result of his earnest endeavor, his diligence and unfaltering application to his busi- ness.
THOMAS LACEY.
Thomas Lacey, who owns and operates four hun- dred and eighty-five acres of well improved land in Florence township, and who is also engaged in breeding high grades of cattle and hogs, represents one of the old and prominent pioneer families of Will county. He was born in Joliet, January 1, 1859, a son of Thomas and Rosa A. (Conlin) Lacey, the former born in County Tipperary, Ire- land, in 1812, and the latter in County Longford, in 1826, and came to America with a cousin in 1840. Mr. Lacey likewise emigrated to the new world in that year, reaching New York city on the 27th of May. He remained for about four years in Oneida county, New York, and was married in Utica, February 28, 1844, to Miss Catherine Mc- Carty, who was born in County Cork, Ireland, and came to the United States with an uncle, M. Crimmins, when she was a little maiden of four years. Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lacey made their way westward, locating in Ver- mont, Illinois, where they kept a boarding house. They then removed to Michigan. where they lived for two years, whence they went to Chicago, living there for a similar period. While making their home in that city the father had charge of the grading of the streets for a time, and later took up his abode at Aurora, Illinois, where he had charge of the grading of the first section of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. While making his home in the western metropolis, al-
though securing a wage of but seventy-five cents per day beside providing for himself and family, he saved from his earnings a sum sufficient to in- vest in land, and, going to Joliet, purchased eighty acres adjoining the city limits, paying for this property ten dollars per acre. He made a per- manent settlement in Will county in March, 1873, coming here from Grundy county, where he had made his home for two years. His wife died in La Salle in 1854, and her remains were laid to rest in the Joliet cemetery. At her death she left three children: Annie, who was born November 22, 1850, in New York; Nellie, who was born March 10, 1852; and John J., whose birth oc- curred March 12, 1854. Two years later, in 1856, Mr. Lacey wedded Miss Rosa A. Conlin, who be- came the mother of two sons, the brother of our subject being Jerry, who was born October 25, 185%, and now lives in Wilmington. Locating on his farm in Will county, the father was there en- gaged in general farming and stock-raising until 1885, when he sold his property to his sons Jerry and Thomas, after which he lived retired until his death, which occurred August 20, 1896, at the age of seventy-three years. He was a prominent pioneer farmer of this county, a man well liked by his neighbors and friends. He was a demo- crat in politics, while his religious faith was indi- cated by his membership with the Catholic church.
Thomas Lacey. the younger of the two sons born of his father's second marriage. was reared on the homestead farm, receiving practical training from his father in the best methods of carrying on a business of this character, while in the public schools he acquired his edneation. In 1885 his father retired from business, and upon so doing disposed of the old homestead farm to his sons Jerry and Thomas. They carried on business to- gether for ten years, when, in 1895, the brothers dissolved partnership, since which time Thomas Lacey has carried on business alone. He has added to his original holdings from time to time until he is now in possession of four hundred and eighty-five acres of as fine farming land as can be found in Will county. He is likewise a breeder of Percheron horses and shorthorn Durham cattle. At the Will County Fair in 1901 and 1902 he ex- hibited a bull, on which he secured the first pre- mium, while on his heifers he took the second pre- mium. At the present time he has a fine drove of
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full blooded Durham cattle, and his stock-raising and breeding interests characterize a very impor- tant branch of his business. He also raises pure blooded Poland China hogs.
Mr. Lacey was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Baskerville, the wedding ceremony being per- formed February 17, 1890. She is a native of Florence township, born April 8, 1861, a daughter of James and Jane (Fogarty) Baskerville, promi. nent pioneer residents of Will county, further mention of whom is made on another page of this volume. Unto our subject and his wife have been born six children: Charlotte C., who was born December 15, 1890: John J .. born May 1, 1892; Margaret H., April 15, 1894: George R., Septem- ber 15, 1896; Alice A., September 1, 1898; and Mary L., who was born January 3, 1903. The mother of these children was educated in the pub- lic and high schools of Will county, and prior to her marriage was engaged in teaching for about thirteen years, her first school being taught in Florence township when she was only seventeen years of age, while three years of that time was spent in the Grant and Hancock schools in Chi- cago. She is an accomplished and cultured lady, capably managing her household duties, and she is indeed proving a worthy companion and help- mate to her husband.
Mr. Lacey has always followed in the political footsteps of his father by giving his support to the principles of democracy, while he and family holds membership in the Catholic church. He is well known in the county as a reliable and straight- forward business man, fully meriting the confi- dence and good will which is extended to him by his fellow citizens.
CHARLES PECK.
Charles Peck, living in Peotone township, was born in Kendall county, Illinois, in 1844. His father, Alonzo Peck, a native of Denmark, came to the United States with his parents, who set- tled npon a farm in Illinois. The son Alonzo received but limited educational privileges and in his youth his time was largely occupied with farm labor. Throughout his entire life he carried on general agricultural pursuits and for many
years lived upon a farm in Kendall county, where he died in 1868. He held membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, and his political alle- giance was given to the republican party. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Bryant, was an earnest Christian woman, belong- ing to the Methodist Episcopal church, and in that faith passed away in 1869. In their family were ten children : Delilah, deceased; Charles, of this review : Mary and Albert, who have also passed away; Emily, a resident of Indiana; Henry, de- ceased ; William, who makes his home in Indiana; James, a resident of Crawford county, Illinois ; and Orson and Addie, of Indiana. Of this fam- ily Albert enlisted in Kendall county for service in the Civil war in 1862, and went to the front with a cavalry regiment.
Charles Peck was reared to farm life and at- tended the district schools. The occupation with which he became familiar in his youth he has always followed. He came to Will county about 1867, settling in Peotone and he now lives on section 21, where he owns and operates one hun- dred acres of land. Such a farm as this, free from all incumbrance, makes the owner a prosperous citizen because of the value of Illinois farming land, and in the cultivation of his fields Mr. Peck secures good harvests owing to the care and labor which he bestows upon the land.
In 1869 occurred the marriage of Charles Peck and Miss Mary Pearson, who was born in England in 1852 and came to the United States when six months old with her parents, Henry and Mary Pearson. They first located near Plainfield in 1861 and from there removed to Peotone town- ship, where Mr. Pearson lived up io the time of his death in the year 1896. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was one of the pioneer farmers of the county. His family numbered seven children : Henry, deceased; Mary, now deceased; Mrs. Peck: Samnel; Eliza ; Maria, who is living in Kansas; Sarah, also of Kansas: and George, deceased. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peck have been born ten children: Eliza, who is the wife of George Croxen, of Peotone town- ship: Emma J., the wife of John Baker, of Wilton township; Lizzie, who became the wife of Henry Munger but is now deceased; William, a bridge builder of Peotone; Alonzo, who also makes his home in Peotone; Albert, who lives on the old
MR. AND MRS. CHARLES PECK.
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PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY.
homestead farm; Rosa, the wife of William Crocker, of Wilton township; and Walter, Myrtle and Anna, all at home.
The only interruption to Mr. Peck's farm work was his service as a soldier of the Civil war. Aroused by a spirit of patriotism he offered his services in defense of the Union and in the fall of 1861 enlisted at Geneva as a member of Com- pany A, Fifty-second Illinois Infantry. He served for ten months and participated in the battle of Shiloh. Becoming ill with measles and typhoid fever he was rendered unfit for further field duty, his eyesight being almost ruined by the disease. He was then mustered out at Camp Douglas and returned to his home. He belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and thus keeps in touch with the boys in blue who defended the old flag upon southern battlefields. His political views are in accord with the principles and policy of the republican party and he and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal church.
HENRY KRACKE.
Henry Kracke, who since 1882 has resided upon his present farm on section 19, Crete township. was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1842. His father. Henry Kracke, Sr., also a native of Han- over, owned a small farm there and on disposing of his property in 1857 he came to the new world, settling in Monee township, Will county, Illinois, on forty acres of land, a part of which was covered with timber. There was a little house upon the place but otherwise it was destitute of improve- ments. In 1866 he bought another tract of land of eighty acres. He was a very industrious man and in the early days frequently worked at farm labor for others for thirty-five cents per day in order to get ready money to enable him to carry on his farm work. He lived upon the old home- stead until called to his final rest in September, 1879, when he was seventy-four years of age, and he left to his family not only a good property but also an untarnished name and an example of in- dustry and perseverance that is well worthy of emulation. His wife, Mrs. Mary Kracke, nee Mil- ler, was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1812, and died at the home of her son Henry in Crete town-
ship in 1903. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kracke were devoted members of the Lutheran church. in their family were five children, of whom two died in infancy in Germany. The others are: Fred, who is living with his brother Henry, who is the second of the surviving children; and Mary, the wife of Henry Elbers, a farmer of Cook county, Illinois.
Henry Kracke, of this review, was a youth of fourteen when he bade adieu to friends and na- tive land and with his parents came to America. He well remembers the voyage across the Atlantic and the trip from New York to Will county, also the experiences of pioneer life which confronted the family in their new home. He had attended school in Germany and he continued his education in the public schools of Will county. He remained upon the home farm, working with his father to whom he rendered valuable assistance.
When twenty-nine years of age Mr. Kracke was married to Miss Minnie Kregel, who was born in Hanover, Germany, May 15, 1848, a daughter of Fred and Louise Kregel, early settlers of Cook county, Illinois, but both now deceased. The mar- riage of the young couple was celebrated in 1872, at which time Mr. Kracke took charge of the home farm, which he has since purchased. In 1882 he came to Crete township and purchased the farm upon which he has since resided and which then contained one hundred and sixty acres of land upon which scarcely any improvements had been made. He has since built a good house and barns, has laid many rods of tiling, thus draining the fields and making them much more productive, and has secured the latest improved machinery to facilitate the farm work. By additional purchase of one hundred and twenty acres he extended the boundaries of this place until he now owns two hundred and eighty acres of rich land in Crete township. The old homestead of one hundred and twenty-four acres in Monee township is also his property and he likewise has a farm of one hun- dred and seventeen acres elsewhere in Monee town- ship. His landed possessions have therefore be- come extensive and he is now numbered among the substantial farmers of the county.
In 1902 Mr. Kracke was called upon to mourn the death of his wife, who passed away on the 1st of July of that year. Unto them had been born six children : Louise, who was born January 17,
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1873, and is now keeping house for her father; Ilenry, born May 2, 1825; Fred, who died at the age of twenty-one years; Ernest, born April 27, 1879; William, born February 25, 1881 ; and Gus- taf, born April 12, 1883.
Mr. Kracke is a member of the Lutheran church, in which he has served as deacon for ten years, the work of the church receiving his hearty endorsement and co-operation. In politics he is independent, voting for the men whom he regards as best qualified for office. He is now engaged in general farming and all that he possesses he has made through hard work. He early realized that there is no royal road to wealth and followed the precept of the old Greek philosopher who said "Earn thy reward." This he has done and there- fore well deserves his present condition of pros- perity.
ALLEN BENSON HODGE.
Allen Benson Hodge, deputy postmaster of Peo- tone, has been a resident of Will county since 1866, and during the forty years which have since come and gone has witnessed much of its develop- ment and progress. He was born in Sangamon county, Ilinois, September 20, 1843. {Iis pater- nal grandfather, David Hodge, was a member of a New Jersey regiment in the Revolutionary war and was one of Washington's bodyguards at the battle ot Trenton, in which engagement he had an arm broken by a sword when in a hand to hand en- counter with the enemy. John Hodge, an uncle of our subject, was a soldier of the war of 1812. His father, Levi Ilodge, was a native of New Jersey and came to Illinois in 1839, settling in Sangamon county, near Mechanicsburg. He was a farmer by occupation and also conducted a meat market in Springfield for a number of years, dur- ing which time he became a warm personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, meeting the great emancipa- tor almost daily. He finally removed to Piatt county, Illinois, where he passed away February 22, 1864, at the age of sixty-four years. He was a life long member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and for many years served as a class- leader, while in all the departments of church work he took an active and helpful part. He
joined the republican party on its inception and was always of that political faith. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Elizabeth Maxwell, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and died March 25, 1864, at the age of fifty-three years. She was a devoted Christian woman, also holding membership with the Methodist Episcopal church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Levi Hodge were born two sons, but the younger, Isaac Newton, was drowned in Kansas in 1871. By a previous marriage the father had four daughters: Susan and Elizabeth, both deceased; Christie Ann, the wife of S. G. W. Ely, a retired farmer living near Williams- ville, Illinois; and Mary, who lives in Detatur, Illinois.
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