USA > Illinois > Will County > Past and present of Will County, Illinois, V. 2 > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51
again call upon him for service, which he capably renders.
George Hayes, the progenitor of the family in America, was of Scotch birth and ancestry and came to the new world in 1680, settling in Wind- sor, Connectient. Of the same branch of the family to which the general belongs was President R. B. Hayes, the relationship of third cousins existing between them. Both are direct descend- ants of Ezekiel Hayes, the third son of Daniel Hayes, who was the eldest son of the founder of the family in America. Two of the most salient characteristics as manifest in the family are loy- alty and patriotism and this has been manifest in the wars of the country, the great-grandfather of General Hayes having been one of the Revolution- ary heroes, while Gaylord Hayes, father of our subject. and his brother, Ezekiel, were soldiers of the American army in the war of 1812.
Gaylord Hayes, a native of New England. wedded Mary Goodrich Humphrey and for some time they were residents of Granby, Connecticut, where the birth of General Hayes occurred on the 3d of February, 1833. In the fall of the same year, however, the parents bronght their family to the west, settling near Ottawa, La Salle county, Illinois, where the father engaged in farming.
The early childhood of General Hayes was spent in that locality. At the early age of twelve years he was thrown upon his own resources by the death of his parents and his lack of financial resources rendered immediate employment a ne- cessity. When fifteen years of age he was working as a farm hand at eight dollars per month and in the winter season he worked for his board and the privilege of attending the country schools of the neighborhood. Ambitions to secure a good edneation, he eagerly applied himself to the mas- tery of the branches of learning taught in such institutions and when nineteen years of age had qualified himself for the profession of teaching. For several years he was eonneeted as instructor with the district schools and during that period devoted his leisure hours to private study, thus preparing to enter college. He afterward at- tended Farm Ridge Seminary, in La Salle county, and on the 1st of September, 1855, matriculated as a student in the preparatory school at Oberlin, Ohio. A year later he became a regular student
. 1. 1
Ple Hayes-
491
PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY.
in the college at that place and was graduated in September, 1860. He had determined to devote his life to the work of the ministry and when his literary education was completed he took up the study of theology, which he was diligently pur- suing at the time of the opening of the Civil war. But the events which were so rapidly mak- ing history changed the course of his life.
General Hayes was a student of the signs of the times, felt deep sympathy with the abolition movement, and, noting the unrest in the south and the threats of secession, he waited almost breathlessly the outcome of those conditions. At the first call of President Lincoln for seventy- five thousand troops following the attack on Fort Sumter General Hayes enlisted as a private and when the company was formed was elected its captain, but the state had already furnished more troops than its regular quota and his company was therefore not accepted. A contemporary biographer, in speaking of the military service of General Hayes, said: In 1862 he made another attempt to enlist. He raised a company and was mustered into the United States service on the 16th of July at Columbus, Ohio. He was made captain of his company, which was assigned to the One Hundred and Third Ohio Infantry as Company F. The regiment was armed at Cin- cinnati, then crossed the river to Covington, where it was uniformed and furnished with other necessary supplies. Thus equipped, it marched to Fort Mitchell on the 6th of September. The peo- ple of Cincinnati and vicinity were at that time greatly excited over the threatened invasion of the enemy under the command of Kirby Smith. The One Hundred and Third took an active part in checking the advance of the foe, and in fact greatly assisted in forcing the rebel troops to beat a retreat. After pursuing the enemy for some distance, the command returned and went into camp at Snow Pond, where nearly half of the regiment were prostrated with sickness. Subse- quently the One Hundred and Third was detached from the brigade and moved to Frankfort, where it went into camp on the bank of the Kentucky river.
In the early part of April, 1863. it was ordered out after independent squads of freebooters and marauding bands of mounted men. About the middle of August the national forces under Gen-
eral Burnside moved from Danville, Kentucky, across the mountains, to take part in the Tennes- see campaign, the One Hundred and Third Ohio being in the command, and going by way of Stan- ford, Crab Orchard, Cumberland, Burnside Point, Montgomery, Lenoir and Concord. At that time Knoxville was the stronghold of the enemy, but on learning of the approach of the Union army they abandoned their fortifications there, which were quickly in possession of the advanced forces of Burnside. That march over the mountains was a most arduous one and pen can not portray the sufferings of the Union troops while thus en- gaged. At Knoxville the One Hundred and Third, with other regiments, was placed on cars and moved on to Henderson Station, and subsequently to Greenville, where later it joined the general advance against the enemy, then assembling at Jonesboro. The rebels were routed, but made an- other stand at Blue Springs, where they were at- tacked by the Union forces. Other gray regiments came up to bear their part in the encounter and a hot battle ensued, which resulted in the defeat of the enemy. In the early part of November the brigade to which the One Hundred and Third Ohio belonged, returned by rail to Knoxville, and during the siege of that place by Longstreet suf- fered the greatest hardships and privations. There the regiment took part in the sanguinary battle of Armstrong's Hill, resulting in the repulse of the rebels. The loss of the One Hundred and Third amounted to thirty-five men killed and wounded.
On the approach of General Sherman the enemy withdrew and the regiment went to Strawberry Plains and afterward to Bean Station, whence it soon returned to Strawberry Plains. On the 12th of March, 1864, it was ordered to join the pur- suit of Longstreet and proceeded to Morrison, then to Mossy Creek, and later with the army ad- vanced to Bull's Gap. Longstreet having been driven from East Tennessee, the One Hundred and Third was ordered to Chattanooga to join the forces under Sherman for service in the Atlanta campaign. They arrived on the 13th of May in front of Resaca and after the two ranking captains were killed on the following day the general took command of his troops in the charge against the enemy's works. His regiment fought gallantly and effectively, but in the desperate encounter lost
492
PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY.
one-third of its available force. It joined in pur- snit of the defeated army, marching through Car- tersville and across the Chattahoochie river, and later continued on the steady and persistent ad- vance to Atlanta, taking part in all the engage- ments of the brigade leading up to fall of the rebel stronghold. The next move of General Hayes' regiment was to accompany the Twenty- third Army Corps to Decatur, where it went into camp. The regiment's loss in that campaign was as heavy as its service was effective. For one hun- dred days it was almost constantly under fire, losing large numbers of both officers and men.
After the fall of Atlanta, General Hayes was appointed provost marshal general on the staff of General J. M. Schofield, which position he held until he was mustered out of the service. With his command he moved back to Nashville, Ten- nessee, marched to Pulaski, took part in the bat- tles of Franklin and Nashville, and, after the de- feat of Hood's army, accompanied General Scho- field to Alexandria, Virginia, and thence to Fort Fisher, North Carolina. On the 24th of Febru- ary, 1865, the corps to which the general's regi- ment belonged arrived at Wilmington, and, after remaining there for a few days, proceeded through Kingston to Goldsboro, where it met Sherman's army, and a reunion of the soldiers was held. Thence the army resumed its march, and on the 13th of April reached Raleigh, where the One Hundred and Third remained until the 12th of June, when it was ordered to Cleveland, Ohio, and there mnstered out June 22, 1865. Gen- eral Hayes then at once returned to his home. His record as a soldier is a brilliant one. He was in the thickest of the fight in many of the most im- portant engagements of the service, but was for- tunate in that he escaped all injury. On the 5th of December, 1864, he was promoted from the rank of captain to that of lieutenant colonel. Mer- itorious service later won him the rank of colonel, and on the 13th of March, 1865, he was brevetted brigadier general. Fearless and true he led his men in many a gallant charge and won the love of those who served under him and the confidence and respect of his superior officers. Two of his brothers, Timothy E. and James H., were also in the army and the latter was severely wounded. The One Hundred and Third Ohio Regiment was at the front during the entire Atlanta campaign
and that its service was arduous is manifest by its heavy losses. It had five hundred men when it entered the campaign and at its close there re- mained only one hundred and ninety-sis who were able to enter upon field service.
The following letter was written by General Cameron, the brigade commander, and fully tes- tifies to the high standing of General Hayes in the army :
HEADQUARTERS SECOND BRIGADE,
THIRD DIVISION, TWENTY-THIRD CORPS, BEFORE ATLANTA, GEORGIA, July 30, 1864. Hon. John Brough, Governor of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio.
Governor :- 1 have much pleasure in recom- inending to the favorable consideration of your Excellency, Captain P. C. Hayes, One Hundred and Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Captain Hayes is, in my opinion, one of the best officers in this army. I have been familiar with the serv- ice rendered by him in the present campaign and in eastern Tennessee. I have always found him energetic, intelligent and faithful in the discharge of every duty. At two different times I have had occasion to commend him to the notice of my military superiors as most worthy of promotion for gallant service rendered on the field. I can consistently recommend Captain Hayes as worthy and well qualified to fill a higher position than his present one. His experience and efficiency as an officer would be of great value in any organiza- tion now forming, and as several new regiments are said to be raising in Ohio I ask for the cap- tain your Excellency's most favorable considera- tion. I have the lionor to be
Your Excellency's obedient servant, DANIEL CAMERON,
Colonel Commanding Brigade.
From General Grant he received the following letter :
"Brigadier General Philip C. Hayes :
You are hereby informed that the President of the United States has appointed you, for gallant and meritorious service during the war, a briga- dier general of volunteers by brevet.
U. S. GRANT, General. '
Although a military record may be brilliant and it is an acknowledged fact that the country owes to her soldiers of the Civil war a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, one can not judge any
493
PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY.
individual solely by a single epoch in his life his- They lost their first born, Carl J., and their tory and while General Hayes' service on the field fourth child, Georgie. won him distinguished and well merited honors there are other phases in his record which have been equally creditable and have made him a valued citizen in days of peace. Returning to Ohio at the close of the war, he took up again the pursuits of civic life as superintendent of the public schools at Mount Vernon, acceptably serv- ing in that capacity until the fall of 1866, when, as publisher of the Circleville Union at Circle- ville, Ohio, he entered the field of journalism. Publishing that paper until the spring of 1869, he then sold out and purchased the Bryan Press, which he edited until 1874. Removing to Illinois he then became owner of the Morris Herald, which he published continuously until 1892, when he also became owner of a controlling interest in the Republican of Joliet. The various papers with which he has been connected made steady and substantial progress under his guidance and had more than local weight in molding public thought and action.
General Hayes has likewise long been recog- nized as a leader in republican circles and his opinions have frequently been decisive factors in the councils of the republican party. In 1876 he received his party's nomination for congress as representative for the seventh district, embracing the counties of Grundy, LaSalle, Kendall and Will. He took his seat in the house on the 4th of March, 1877, and by re-election was continued there until the 4th of March, 1881. He proved an able working member of that body and was con- nected with much constructive legislation. His congressional record was as creditable as his mili- tary service had been and showed equal devotion to the country at large. While fearless and posi- tive in support of his honest convictions, he does not jump at conclusions, but on the contrary shows a mind of judicial tendency in his consideration of any question from every possible standpoint.
On the 25th of January, 1865, at Oberlin, Ohio, was celebrated the marriage of General Hayes and Miss Amelia Estelle Johnson, a daugh- ter of Dr. Homer and Ann Johnson, who were descended from New England ancestry of worth and prominence. General and Mrs. Hayes be- came the parents of six children, of whom Jessie, Ralph W., Milo C. and Mary are still living.
General Hayes holds membership in Bartleson post, No. 6, G. A. R., of Joliet, and is also con- nected with the Loyal Legion. While living in Morris, Illinois, he served for some years as com- mander of Darveau post, No. 329. His services are frequently called into requisition on Decoration day and other memorial occasions and he is a fluent speaker, whose oratorical power enables him to easily hold the attention of an audience. He has addressed many gatherings upon political questions as well, having been active in every po- litical campaign from 1868 to 1900 and doing much by his speaking to strengthen and build up his party. He is the author of two books, "The History of the Hundred and Third Ohio Regi- ment" and "Socialism and What It Means." Such, in brief, is the life history of General Hayes. In whatever relation we find him -in the government service, in political circles, in business or in so- cial relations-he is always the same honorable and honored gentleman, whose worth well merits the high regard which is uniformly given him.
JOHN R. PITTS.
John R. Pitts, well known in commercial cir- cles in Lockport as proprietor of a grocery store, and in political circles as a republican leader, was born in this city June 1, 1855, his parents being John and Catherine (Kirsch) Pitts. The father was a jeweler and watchmaker, who came to Amer- ica from Luxemburg, Germany, the place of his nativity. He had learned his trade, however, in France, and in 1853 he sailed for the new world, taking up his abode in Lockport, where he car- ried on business in the line of his trade until his death in 1883. His wife survived for several years, passing away in 1891.
Their son, John R. Pitts, pursued his education in the public school and afterward entered the dry goods business as a clerk in 1869. In 1872 he completed his apprenticeship at the trade of a watchmaker and jeweler and the following year he accepted a position as salesman in the dry goods store of M. Walter. In 1874 he began clerking in a grocery store owned by Mr. Walter,
494
PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY.
in whose service he remained for sixteen years, jority and is recognized as one of its local leaders, being a most trusted and faithful employe, as is indicated by his long continuance in the position. In May, 1889, desirons of engaging in business on his own account, he opened a grocery store, which he has since successfully conducted, meet- ing with a goodly measure of prosperity in this undertaking. He carries a large and carefully selected line of staple and fancy groceries, his store is tastefully arranged and attractive in its appointment. and his reasonable prices and hon- orable dealing constitute strong elements in his success.
Mr. Pitts was married on the 3d of November, 1880, to Miss Sarah O. Felter, of Lockport, a daughter of John and Maria K. (Hawley) Felter. Her father came to Lockport as one of its earliest settlers, arriving in 1835 from Henrietta, New York, where he was born. On removing to this state he took up farming as an occupation, but later established his home in Lockport and was connected for many years with the firm of Norton & Company in their milling business. At the time of the Civil war he enlisted in the Union army as a member of Company D, Fourth Illinois cav- alry, and was elected captain. Ile served with his company throughout the entire period of hos- tiltities and participated in many hotly contested engagements which led up to the final victories that crowned the Union arms. After the close of the war he returned home and in a short time went to the west, where he remained until his death. IIis wife passed away April 20, 1891. Their son, Walter H. Felter, who was in the army with the Chicago Mercantile Battery, was taken prisoner and died in Camp Ford, at Tyler, Texas.
Mr. Pitts has not only figured prominently in business circles, but has also been active and in- fluential in community interests. At one time he was president of the village and was town clerk for four years, being the first republican elected to fill that office, for the town has a large normal democratic majority. He was also supervisor of Lockport township for four years and alderman of the village for two years, and in all these positions he has discharged his duties with prompt- ness and fidelity, indicative of his publie spirited citizenship. He has given unfaltering allegiance to the republican party since attaining his ma-
having many times been chosen as a delegate to the county and state conventions. He is also prominent in fraternal circles and for twelve years has been clerk from this city of camp No. 115, M. W. A., and was one of the promoters at its organization. Since the organization of a lodge of the White Cross at Lockport, he has been its recorder, and he is a member of Lockport lodge, No. 538, A. F. & A. M., and past noble grand of Loekport lodge, No. 23, I. O. O. F .; a member of the Elks lodge at Joliet; of the North American Union; of the Maccabees tent, No. 1064; and he and his wife are both connected with the Eastern Star and the Rebekah lodge, the ladies' department of the Masonic and Odd Fel- lows fraternities, respectively. Mrs. Pitts is very prominent in these organizations, being deputy grand master of the district and vice grand of Fraternity lodge, No. 553, which was named by her husband. She is also connected with the Royal Neighbors and is a charter member of the White Cross, having served since its organization as treasurer with the exception of a period of two years. The family attend the Methodist Epis- copal church and are prominent socially in Lock- port, the hospitality of the best homes being freely accorded them, while the spirit of friendship, con- sideration and good will in their own home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Pitts have been born two sons and two daughters: Stella Louise, now the wife of George H. Bush, a machinist of Lock- port, by whom she has a daughter, Mildred Eliza- beth; Walter John, who assists his father in the grocery business; Erma Arretta, a stenographer employed by the Illinois and Michigan Canal Company ; and Clayton Arthur, attending school.
LOUIS M. RUBENS.
Lonis M. Rubens, who is conducting the largest coal and transfer business in Joliet, was born in Chicago June 6, 1877. His parents, Nathan James and Amelia (Goldman) Rubens, were na- lives of Kensington, England, and came to the United States in 1865, settling in Chicago, where they still reside. The father, who was a civil en-
L. M. RUBENS.
497
PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY.
gineer, did a great deal of work in the navy de- partment for the government, but is now retired. In the family were twelve children, all of whom are living: George B., an electrical engineer at Indianapolis, Indiana; Morris M., a lieutenant and the youngest officer in the United States navy at the present time; Louis M., of this review ; Julius J., who is attending school in Chicago; Harry, an electrical engineer of Chicago; Claude, a civil engineer ; and six daughters, five of whom are married.
Louis M. Rubens was educated in the city schools of Chicago and for eleven years after en- tering business life was connected with the mer- cantile house of Willoughby, Hill & Co., of that city. In 1899 he came to Joliet and has since engaged in his present line of business, having now the largest coal and transfer business in the city. He uses about fifteen wagons and was the first person in Joliet to introduce the covered moving van. He has wagons with a capacity of fifty thousand pounds-as much as any ordinary railroad car. His average annual output of coal amounts to about sixty thousand tons and he is interested in coal mines at Coal City, Illinois, and also at Braceville, this state.
Mr. Rubens was married on the 7th of June, 1899, to Miss Rebecca J. Goldberg of Joliet, and they have two children, Lillian M. and Charlotte G. Mr. Rubens is a member of the lodge and chapter of Masonry and is also identified with the Elks, the Knights of Pythias, the Eagles, the Modern Woodmen and the Red Men. He is rec- ognized as one of the active representatives of business life in Joliet and has been very success- ful, making steady advancement since he came to the city until he is accounted a leading mer- chant here and the consensus of public opinion regarding his business history is altogether favor- able.
HON. SYLVESTER W. RANDALL.
Hon. Sylvester W. Randall, who for years was a prominent lawyer of the Joliet bar and repre- sented his district in the state legislature, was born in Hoosick Falls, New York, March 23, 1808. His parents were Benjamin and Polly
(Lathrop) Randall, natives of New England, whence they removed to the Empire state in 1806, the father there following the occupation of farm- ing.
When nine years of age Sylvester W. Randall accompanied his parents on their removal to Fre- donia, New York, where he attended the acad- emy to the age of sixteen years. He then put aside his text books and began learning the les- sons that come in the school of experience. He was first apprenticed to the printer's trade, with which he was closely connected until twenty years of age. He then removed to Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and ambitious to enter professional life took up the study of law under George Gal- braith, while later he was a student in the office of Chief Justice Thompson. He taught school and followed the printer's trade at intervals in order to make money enough to defray his ex- penses while preparing for the bar, and in 1834 he was admitted and entered upon active prac- tice at Erie, Pennsylvania. He was also associate editor of the Erie Observer in 1873. Following his removal to Joliet, he was elected judge of the Circuit court and was also chosen to represent his district in the state legislature, where he served on the committee on banks and corporations, acting in that capacity when the charter of the Illinois Central Railroad, the Rock Island, and the Chicago & Alton Railroads were passed upon. He was recognized as one of the ablest chancery law- yers of the state and had broad and intimate knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence in all of its departments. In civil cases he presented his cause with clearness and force and in criminal cases was strong in argument and logical in his deductions. During his practice of thirty years no client of his was ever sent to the penitentiary or to the gallows. He was a fluent speaker, of marked oratorical power, and in addition to his ready gift of language he had keen perceptive power and accurately applied the principles of law to the points in litigation. He was chosen a state elector in 1860 on the Douglas ticket and was a stalwart champion of democratic principles.
Mr. Randall was married three times. In 1853 he wedded Miss Perry of Pennsylvania, who died in 1857. His second wife was Miss Stillman of Erie, Pennsylvania, who passed away in 1868. On the 5th of December, 1872, he married Miss Mar-
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.