USA > Illinois > Will County > Portrait and biographical album of Will County, Illinois : containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county > Part 25
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The Joliet Stone Company was incorporated in 1877 with a capital of 830,000, which later was in- creased to $100,000. The principal quarries are near the foot of Richards Street and from them are obtained the largest output of any quarry in this part of Ilinois, the district covering an area of about eighty acres from which is taken all the va-
rieties of stone known to this region. The main office is at Joliet and there are five branch offices in Chicago to which is run a fleet of boats owned by the company and operated by a force of two hundred and fifty men during the busy season. They have connection with all the railroads eenter- ing in Joliet. being the only quarry enjoying such ample transportation facilities.
On another page of this ALBUM appears a litho- graphie portrait of Mr. Campbell.
ALTER J. FIDDYMENT. After years of well-directed efforts as one of the farm- ers and business men of Lockport. this gentleman has retired in affluence to the enjoyment of an elegant home and the society of a charming family. lle is a son of John and Sophia (Blogg) Fiddyment, natives of Norfolk, England, where he was born, April 3, 1837. His father came to America the same year, and was joined by the mother and son in 1839. John Fiddyment was a distiller, and carried on his business in Lockport until 1865, when he removed to a farm in Lock- port Township.
Walter J. Fiddyment attended the public schools, proving an apt pupil and fitting himself for a prac- tical application of the theories which he learned with his father. When his father removed to his farm our subject engaged in farming with him, but resided in Lockport. In 1881 he embarked in the business of a quarryman. by opening a quarry at Lockport, in which the quality of the stone is unsurpassed. By strict attention to business and honorable methods, his product obtained a ready sale, and the business which began with but a few men, employed from one to two hundred when our subject disposed of his interest in 1889.
In 1886 Mr. Fiddyment organized a stock com- pany called the Lockport Stone Company, of which he became President; Olas Paulsen. Secretary and Treasurer; W. J. Fiddyment. Olas Paulsen and J. C. Fiddyment, son of our subject, Directors. The business was extended until it became one of
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the best equipped and most profitable plants in the West. Having disposed of bis plant to the West- ern Stone Company, Mr. Fiddy ment retired from the business. He has always been noted for his liberality and geniality. In politics he is a Demo- erat. The record of his business life is ereditable alike to his financial ability and manly spirit, while his personal character commands the respect of his friends.
The marriage of Mr. Fiddyment and Miss Ellen J. Clarkson took place in 1862, and has been blessed with the birth of fourteen children, eleven of whom are living in Will County near the parental home. Mrs. Fiddyment is a native of Joliet and belongs to one of the oldest and most honored families of the county. She is a member of St. Dennis Cath- olie Church. is a woman of devout Christian char- acter, and possesses the gracious manners which are so charming in a hostess,
G EORGE M. LYND. It affords the bio- graphneal writer pleasure to be able to re- cord in this volume the main incidents in the life of an honest and upright citizen, a good business man and a patriotic soldier, who has been well known in Lockport for a number of years. Mr. Lynd was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1836. and as the fortunate son of educated parents and the inheritor of the zeal and mental ability which have characterized his progenitors, he became pro- ficient in book lore and capable of performing well his part in life.
The father of him of whom we write was Samuel Lynd, a native of Germantown. Pa., who devoted himself to the ministry in the Baptist Church. Such was his devotion to the cause of the Master that he left a lucrative position in the East and came to Cincinnati, Ohio, when it was but a straggling vil- lage. There he remained eighteen years, building up a large congregation, afterward going to St. Louis, Mo .. as pastor of the First Baptist Church. Ile was chosen as President of the Western Baptist Theological Institute. located at Covington. Ky ..
and moved to Georgetown, Ky. Subsequently he came to Chicago, Ill., as pastor of the North Street Church. but was recalled to Cincinnati, where he closed an active ministry of forty-five years, to spend his last days with his son in Lockport.
The wife of this able minister and the mother of our subject was born in New Jersey. and was a daughter of the Rev. James Staughton, at one time Chaplain of the House of Representatives at Wash- ington, D.C. The Rev. Mr. Stanghton was the divine whose eloquence made Chatham Street Church, of Philadelphia, famous, drawing thither such crowds that the capacity of the building was never sutlic- ient to accommodate them, although the edifice was so spacious that no successor was able to fill it, and it was eventually torn down.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the school presided over by his father, and began his personal career as a teacher, his particular field being that of a private tutor. "The shot heard round the world" aroused him from his peaceful calling, and answering the first call for troops to suppress the Rebellion, he enlisted in Company C. One Hundredth Illinois Infantry. His command- ing officers were Capt. Bacon and Col. Bartleson, under whose leadership he saw service in the West, participated in the battle of Chickamauga and in Sherman's march to the sea. Ile was subsequently sent back to Nashville, where he assisted Gen. Thomas to defeat and destroy Hood's army. Ile was never touched by a bullet. but passed through the many dangerous scenes of war unscathed, ex- hibiting the qualities which led to his successive promotions from the rank of Sergeant to that of ('aptain, which he held when mustered out.
Upon returning to the North at the close of the war Mr. Lynd entered the grocery business with his brother-in-law, Mr. Lull. in Lockport, III., and to- gether they carried on a growing trade for a num- ber of years. About a decade ago Mr. Lull retired, his former partner continuing the business at the old stand, where he has an excellent trade and en- deavors to meet every want of his patrons. Mr. Lynd is fortunate in his home life, having won as his companion Miss Mary M. Blount, whose family is one of the oldest and most prominent in the county. Her father, Samuel Blount, was the first
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Supervisor of Homer Township. Mr. and Mrs. Lynd are the parents of two daughters-Carrie and Louise. Mr. Lynd is a member of Gooding Post, G. A. R., at Lockport.
ARTIN WESTPIIAL was born at Bram- stadt, Holstein, October 27. 1837, when that section of the country was under Danish rule. In 1856 he came to America, and in the fall of the same year located in Crete. this county ; here he remained until 1863, when coming to Joliet, he was employed as Deputy Re- eorder until the autumn of 1869. Having been admitted to the bar, he now began the practice of law, and in 1875. opened the German Loan & Sav- ings Bank, which he continues at present with the assistance of his two sons as clerks.
B ERGAN BROS. The Messrs. Michael. John and Daniel Bergan own and operate three hundred and twenty acres of land on sec- tion 4, Manhattan Township, their specialty being the importing, breeding and sale of horse- flesh. They have become known far and near for their herd of Shetland ponies which generally numbers from fifty to sixty head; and for the fine Kentucky saddle horses in which they deal. They also raise draft horses, full-blooded Short horn cattle, thorough-bred Cottswold sheep and full- blooded Poland-China swine. The zeal which they have manifested in their business is bringing them the success which they merit, and they have the pleasure of knowing that in their former line of labor they were also successful, not only gaining worldly goods, but relieving their parents of a great burden and securing their choicest blessing.
Martin Bergan, the father of our subject, was born in County Kilkenney, Ireland, in 1803, and tilled the soil in his native land until the fall of 1847. In November he bade adieu to the Emer- ald Isle, crossed the Atlantic to New Orleans and
started northward with his family. The river froze so that he was not able to reach Joliet, Ill., until April. 1848. He then bought eighty aeres of raw land which now forms a part of the Bergan Bros. estate. At that time the township of Tren- ton, comprising what are now Green Garden and Manhattan Townships, contained but seven voters, and Mr. Bergan is the oldest settler therein now living. Ile improved and operated his farm, for some years being very successful, and adding to his landed estate until his possessions here amounted to three hundred and twenty acres and he held land elsewhere in the county. Misfortune, however, overtook him about a decade since, and he retired, his sons assuming control of affairs with the determination to recover all that he had seem- ingly lost.
Mr. Bergan has at different times been the in- cumbent of the various township offices, and he has also been useful in his day and generation by rea- son of the assistance which he has given to the cause of education and religion. He put up the first schoolhouse in his district and has helped to build churches. lle has always voted the Demo- cratie tieket. He is now eighty-seven years of age, while his wife, formerly Miss Esther Welshi, of County Kilkenny, Ireland, has reached her three- score years and ten. Both belong to the Catholic Church and as devout believers have reared their children in the tenets of the faith. Their family includes Michael, Mary, John and Nicholas, who were born in Ireland, and two of whom are mem- bers of the firm of which we write. Mary is the wife of John Peterson and lives in Harris, Ander- son County, Kan., and Nicholas resides in Nuekolls County, the same State. The children born in America are William, who died at the age of twenty-eight years; Mrs. Bridget Hayden, of Flor- ence; Ann, widow of Thomas C. Kelly, who lives with her parents; Daniel, of the firm of Bergan Bros .; and Martin, who keeps a livery stable in Manhattan.
The three brothers, of whom we write, were reared upon the farm which they now operate and the work of which they learned the rudiments of when quite young. They enjoyed the privileges of the district school in which they acquired a
1
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practical education. John was the hunter of the family and made several trips to Green Bay, Wis., and the hunting grounds of Minnesota, where he spent some time in hunting and trapping, doing well in this occupation. In 1880, after their father's misfortune. they put their shoulder to the wheel and together bought the home farm and engaged in the cultivation of grain. They worked hard, managed carefully and won success. soon being re- warded by seeing the mortgage lifted and having the deed of a well-improved farm in their posses- sion.
The brothers gradually worked into the stock business and in 1887 began importing Shetland ponies. John Bergan went to the Shetland Islands bringing back a herd and is now making his fourth trip thither. They not only import but they also breed the little animals, having the best herd of brood mares in the country. It includes Minnie Warren, the smallest brood mare in the I'nited States; her weight is bot one hundred and ninety pounds. She took the honors at the American Ihorse Show, in Chicago, where three other first premiums were secured by the Bergan Bros. Their ponies are all registered. Few prettier sights can be imagined than that afforded by the playful an- ties of the tiny equines.
The Bergan Bros., keep nothing but fine stock. and in all their labors use the latest farm machinery. likewise keeping up to the times in the construc- tion and arrangement of necessary buildings. An immense barn having a frontage of one hundred and sixty feet affords stabling and shelters the large amount of hay and grain needed to supply the wants of the stock. The land is watered by Jackson Creek and is further supplied with the cooling liquid by means of a windmill and tank, while a beautiful orchard and shade trees provide fruit and afford shelter from the scorching rays of .the sun.
In 1888 the Bergan Bros., assisted to organize the American Shetland Pony Association, of which John Bergan is Vice-President. All are members of the Grange at Manhattan, three miles distant from their home, and Daniel is Treasurer of the Lodge. Ile has also been Highway Commissioner for four years and is now serving as School Direc-
tor. He is likewise a member of the C'entral Com- mittee of the Democratic party, to the principles of which all the brothers stanchly adhere. They be- long to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Joliet, and have a high standing among its members.
LLEN G. HAWLEY, editor of the Will County Commercial Advertiser, was born in Centralia, III .. April 25, 1858. lle is the son of Henry S. and Deborah ( Bramen) lawley, natives of the Empire State, who settled in Lockport early in the '30s. Our subject was educated in the public schools of Lockport and at an early age entered the office of the Lockport Courier, which was then edited by N. S. Grim- wood, the balloonist. After two years spent in the employ of that gentleman he entered the office of the Joliet Sun, where he finished his apprentice- ship. He had become thoroughly conversant with the printer's trade, and had also acquired a good knowledge of journalistic work in editorial and other departments.
In 1877 Mr. Hawley opened a small job print- ing oflice in Lockport, and during the same year began the publication of the Lockport Standard. The enterprising spirit of the man and his ambition to reach a high standing in the fields of journalism was not satisfied with this enterprise, and he, there- fore, began the publication of the Advertiser, be- lieving that a sheet of this nature would reach a larger circulation and a more influential place. He began it by himself filling the various positions of editor, reporter, printer, devil and business man - ager. The plant consisted of one old press pro- pelled by hand.
Ere long the standing of the paper had become sufficiently assured to allow the use of horse-power to run the press, and eventually the business grew until all the modern appliances of a first-class es- tablishment were obtained and steam became the motive power. The Commercial Advertiser now has eight editions for as many places in Will County. Mr. Hawley is without a peer as a solici-
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tor for advertising and job work, and is what in Western parlance would be called a "hustler."
The enterprise of Mr. Hawley is not confined to the newspaper business, but in 1888 he built a brick building at No. 407 Chicago Street. Joliet, and in 1889 inaugurated the electric light system in Lockport. He introduced the Edison incandes- cent light. placed the business on a firm basis and then diposed of his interest to Norton & Co. He is now building for himself an elegant home, which, when completed, will be a credit to the city. As he is yet in his thirties and has not yet reached the highest point of man's vigor. it is but natural to suppose that this section of country will hear yet more of his work in years to come.
In 1879 Mr. Hawley led to the hymeneal altar Miss Aretta M. Riggs. of Pontiac, a lady well fitted to assist in building up his fortunes and making a happy home. She is a native of Pennsylvania, descends from an okl family, and inherits the pro- verbial industry of the ancestral race. She worked in the printing-office as long as her assistance was needed, and has by her clear understanding and good advice also assisted her husband in his labors. Mr. Hawley takes no special interest in politics, It is descended from Republican ancestors. He belongs to the lodges of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Masonie fraternity, and to the I'mversalist Church. The Hawley family have been pillars in that church for years and assisted in founding the university of that faith.
- ICHAEL WALTER. No better example of pluck amid discouragements can be found than in the life of this gentleman. who is a prominent groceryman of Loek- port. His industry is tireless, his integrity be- yond question, and his personal popularity almost unbounded. lle is liberal-hearted, generous to a fault. his good traits of head and heart win for him the respect and friendship of all who know him, while in citizenship he is progressive and energetie.
Mr. Walter was born in Kleinwelzheim, Ger- many, December 6, 1838, but became a resident of
America in 1851. 1Je learned the trade of a shoe- maker but after working at it for sometime, he became a clerk in the store of J. S. Finch, subse- quently finding employment with N. S. Rafferty, who was engaged in the clothing business. Tiring of indoor life young Walter left Lockport in 1859, and went to Pike's Peak where he endured all the hardships which were to be met with in the rough mining eamps. He returned to Lockport with but little to show for his peril and toil, except the ex- perience of human nature which he had gained.
The smoke of the shots upon Ft. Sumter had scarcely disappeared, when at the first call for vol- unteers young Walter answered by enrolling his name in a Lockport artillery company. The date of his enlistment was April 19, 1861, and the term three months. At the expiration of that time he re-enlisted as a member of Dresser's Battery, and was assigned to duty in Battery D, Second Ar- tillery. During the severe campaigns of that bat- tery he was never absent from his post of duty. The battery was organized at Cairo and mustered into service in December, 1861, beginning their active work at Ft. Donelson, where they partiei pated in the entire siege. They then went to Pittsburg Landing and on the Friday preceding the great battle took up their position, being in constant readiness until the opening of the fierce conflict Sunday, December 6. Battery D was one of those that formed on the advanced line within one hundred yards of Shiloh Church and was not surprised at the first onset of the enemy.
Battery D accompanied Gen. Grant to Corinth and subsequently went with Col. Ben tirierson on his famous raid, after which they did post duty until ordered to join the expedition against Vicks- burg. They accompanied Sherman on his march from Vicksburg to Meridian, Miss., and until mus- tered out of the service November 21, 1861, Mr. Walter took part in all the marches, raids and hat- tles in which the battery participated. His record for bravery and devotion to duty was second to none, and he received the commendation of his su- perior officers and the good will of his comrades.
At the close of the war Mr. Walter again re- turned to Lockport and engaged in business. first as a dealer in dry-goods. Disposing of this busi-
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ness he went to Lemont to superintend a store and finally on May 25, 1875, he began the business in which he is at present engaged. Ile was married October 16, 1865, to Miss Margaret Pitts. a native of this county, who bore him ten children. nine of whom are living. Mis. Walter died in 188t, and Mr. Walter was again married in June, 1887, to Miss Adline Ileron. Ile is interested in the social orders, being both a Mason and Odd Fellow and is Commander of Gooding Post. G. A. R., at Lock- port.
OUN II. BURKHART.Supervisor of Du Page Township, occupies a pleasant home on see- tion 36. He is a well-informed and enter- prising man. has been engaged in some form of agricultural work since boyhood and commands the respect of his fellow-men. Hle was born in Cook County. October 21. 1858, was educated in the public schools and finished the High School studies at Lemont. Subsequently he attended a business college in Chicago, thus fitting himself for a practical sphere of life.
In 1869. our subject removed with his parents to Will County, here growing to manhood and be- ginning his personal career which has not yet taken him from the paternal freside. He is a Re- publican and has been called upon by his associates to fill several official stations. For two terms he was Justice of the Peace, one year Assessor, and in the spring of 1890 was elected Township Super- visor.
Henry Burkhart, father of our subject, was born in Saxony, Germany, January 26, 1819. to George and Susan C. Burkhart.also natives of that kingdom. Ile was reared to manhood, receiving a fair educa- tion in his native tongue, to which since coming to America he has by personal effort added a knowl- edge of English reading and writing. In 1815 he emigrated, sailing from Bremen to New York in forty-two days, and going at once to Erie County, N. Y., where he worked as a farm hand for several The subject of this notice is the scion of a sub- stantial old family, being the son of Henry Ohlen- dorf, one of the oldest settlers of Crete Township years. There he was married, October 31. 1818. to Miss Fredericka Dorre, a German lady of fine character and useful knowledge. She bore her part . and one of its most successful farmers. The latter
in the cares and shared in the joys that he en- countered until February 4, 1886, when she en- tered into rest. leaving a wealth of affectionate remembrances.
The family of Henry and Susan Burkhart con- sisted of seven children, five of whom survive their mother. Emma is the wife of Peter Williams, living in California , John II. is at home; Charles A. lives in Stockton, Cal .; Louisa .is the wife of George A. Hills. of Chicago; Amelia is at home. In 1819, the father removed from the Empire State to Cook County, Ill., where he remained un- 1869. He then took up his abode in DuPage Township. this county, on the farm that is the home of our subject. It comprises eighty acres, devoted principally to gardening, in which line of agriculture Mr. Burkhart is meeting with de- served success. He began life poor, and by economy and industry has gained all that he has of woldly goods. His political views are like those of his son, in whose public life he rejoices as a fond fa- ther will, as a field suited to his talents and indi- cating the reputation he bears.
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ENRY W. OHLENDORF. Among the younger members of the farming commu- nity of Crete Township the subject of this notice may be properly mentioned as hay- ing achieved success in more than an ordinary de- gree. Ile was born July 17, 1857, at his father's homestead on section 35, Crete Township, which is now his property, and where he owns nearly three hundred acres of some of the finest farming land in this part of the State. This is well improved and largely devoted to the breeding of fine stock. Mr. Ohlendorf making a specialty of Holstein cattle and Berkshire swine. He was bred to farm pur- suits from his youth, while his natural habits of in- dustry and enterprise ensure his continued success in his undertakings.
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is a native of Hesse Cassel, Germany, and was born September 16, 1829. Ile was reared in his native Province. becoming familiar with agricultural pur- shits and obtaining a good education in the Ger- man tongue. About the time of reaching his ma- jority his parents, John Henry and Sophia (Senne) Ohlendorf, accompanied by the balance of their family, emigrated to the United States, setting out on a sailing-vessel from Bremerhaven about 1850. After a nine weeks' voyage they landed in New York City, whence they proceeded directly to Chicago, Ill., and from there to Crete Township.
The grandfather of Mr. Ohlendorf, upon reach- ing his destination, purchased one hundred and sixty seres of partially improved land on section 35, where he built up a comfortable homestead and remained with his good wife until the marriage of their eldest son. They then removed to another farm in Crete Township, and when their third son was married removed the third time, buying a farm each time a son was married, until the live were all comfortably located. The parents finally settled on a farm on section 19, where Grandfather Ohlendorf died in 1882. lle had then arrived at the advanced age of nearly eighty years. Ilis widow, who is now nearly eighty years old, is still living. making her home with her son, August. Both were members for many years of the Lutheran Church.
Henry J. Ohlendorf, the father of our subject, was the cklest of five sons and two daughters born to his parents, all of whom were natives of Ger- many and five of whom are still living, four of them being in this county. Henry J. was mar- ried to Miss Minnie Arkenberg, who was born in the Kingdom of Hanover, and who was quite young when her parents emigrated to America. They likewise settled in Crete Township and died there. Mrs. Ohlendorf is still living and is now past fifty years of age. She has been from early youth a consistent member of the Lutheran Church. To her and her husband there was born a family of four children, one of whom, a son, John, died at the age of eleven years; Henry W., our subject, was the eldest born; Emily is the wife of Henry Trebold, a farmer of Crete Township; Regina lives with her mother in Crete.
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