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 37
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It. may be seen from the perusal of this sketch that all that our subject has and is he owes to him- self. that he is in fact a self-made man. He is well eudowed with decision of character, tenacity of purporc, and an active mind, and these with his in- herent capacity and traits of thrift and sagacity have pushed him on to success in his calling and the acquirement of a desirable property. He is alive to the value of a good education and gives his children advantages in that direction. A man of his standing is a good citizen and is a help to any community.
The pleasant home and fertile fields belonging to our subject are well represented in the accompany- ing lithographie view.
RANKLIN E. BARBER was born in this county in pioneer times, coming of a good old pioneer family, and, reared to a stal- wart. enterprising manhood, under the peculiar in- fluences that obtained here in the days of his
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youth, he stepped to the front to take his part in the great work of redeeming this section of the country from its primitive wildness, and has ever since borne an honorable part in sustaining and pushing forward its extensive agricultural interests as an active farmer and stock-raiser in Dul'age Township.
The subject of this notice was born in this county, August 25, 1835. He was a son of John and Emma ( Perry) Barber, natives respectively of Vermont and Massachusetts. In 1832 they emi- grated from New England with their family to this part of Illinois, and Mr. Barber bought land in this township, on section 2, when the Govern- ment sale took place, purchasing both Government and canal land. paying $1.25 for the former and a higher price for the latter. llis land consisted of prairie and timber, and he turned the first furrow and erected a log house and log barn, making a dwelling of the former for a number of years. lle resided here till his death. December 19, 1876. which removed from our midst a representative pioneer and a highly honorable useful citizen. The mother of our subject had preceded him in Jeath, dying on May 2, 1871. They were the par- ents of a large family of children, of whom four are known to survive, namely: Royal E., of Joliet; Caroline, wife of L. B. Anderson, of Michigan; Jane, wife of Milton Elsworth, of Wheaton; and Franklin E. The father was a man of consider- able prominence in the county, and served for a time as Deputy Sheriff. lle was in early life a Whig, but he afterward cast in his fortune with the Republican party. Ile was successful in life, finan- cially. and left a comfortable estate. Like all pio- neers, his early life here was one of saeritice and often of privation.
The subject of this biographical review was reared in this township, and received the prelimi- naries of his education in the local schools, and subsequently attended the High School at Joliet for a short time. Since then he has advanced his education by observation and by reading, as he is a great lover of good books. lle was trained to the life of a farmer, and obtained a sound, prac- tical knowledge of his calling, which he still pur- sues very profitably. lle owns over two hundred
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acres of excellent farming land, which is well cul- tivated and yields large harvests, and is amply provided with substantial buildings for every pur- pose.
To the one to whom he owes so much of the comfort and coziness of a good home, he was united in marriage September 2, 1867, the maiden name of his bride being Adelaide Valentine. They have five children, namely: Emma, wife of C. Il. Tot- son ; Etta F .. Edward, Jessie and Frankie.
Mr. Barber bears a tine reputation in his okl home as being a practical man, of stanch principles and stability of purpose, whose word is never doubted; one in whom his neighbors place im- plicit trust, who, in short, is a eredit to his native county and is bearing worthily the mantle of his pioneer sire. He has been Township Clerk, and has held the office of Constable. Politically, he is classed with the most earnest supporters of the Re- publican party. Religiously, he and his wife are Presbyterians, strong in the faith, and are among the most zealous members of the church of that denomination in this place.
OIN CAVANAUGH. The estate which this gentleman has secured is a monument to his ability as an agriculturist, and a con- clusive proof that persistent effort will be rewarded. It comprises three hundred and eighty-eight acres on section 35. Jackson Town- ship, and it needs but a glance to assure the passer-by that here comfort abounds, while thrift is seen in every detail of the work which is car- ried on. The estate is thoroughly improved, the buildings being especially noticeable for their size, number and convenience.
In County Sligo, Ireland, about 1829, Jomm Cavanaugh opened his eyes to the light, and in the Emerald Isle he remained until he was almost twenty years old. He then went to England, where he remained until the fall of 1851, when he determined to seek a wider field for his energies in the land across the sea. Taking passage for America he landed in New York, whence he went
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to Albany, sojourning in that city three or four months. He then took up his residence in the western part of the Empire State, making Herki- mer County his home for some two years. His next removal was to Will County, IH., where he has since been a resident, and where he has de- voted his attention to agriculture.
One of the most important events in the hte of Mr. Cavanaugh was his choice of a companion, and he has no reason to regret his selection. His wife bore the maiden name of Kate Maher, and was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, November 15. 1838. She was about twenty-three years old when she left her native isle for America, and at the time of her marriage she was living in Wil- mington, this county. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh includes ten living children and two deceased. The latter are James E. and Mathew; the survivors are William, Michael, Thomas P., George. Edward, Mary, Lizzie, Mag- gie J., Julia and Katie A.
The active intellect and quick wit which are proverbial to natives of the Emerald Isle are not lacking in our subject and Ins estimable wife, and the religious element of their characters is satisfied with the worship of the Catholic Church, in the faith of which they are devout believers. Mr. Cavanaugh has been Commissioner of Highways, taking the interest which all dwellers in the coun- try should in the improvement of the road ..
C HARLES HOLZ. This gentleman is num- bered among the leading citizens of Beecher, and indeed of Washington Township, of which he has been Clerk for sixteen years. He has held other local offices and has a high reputa- tion as an efficient public servant, and he is like- wise regarded as one of the most successful far- mers of this part of the county. He owns a fine estate of one hundred and twenty acres near the village and an excellent residence which he occu- pies within the limits.
Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, claims Mr. Holz as one of her sons and that duchy was the
ancestral home for generations. Henry Holz, the father of our subject, was a shoemaker who fol- lowed his trade in the Fatherland until 1858, when with his wife and family he emigrated to America. They sailed from Hamburg to New York on the "North America" which made the passage in thirty- live days. The family journeyed direct to Chi- cago, Ill., and thence to Du Page County, from which the parents subsequently returned to Cook County, locating in Proviso Township. There the father died, JJuly 21. 1878, in the sixty-seventh year of his age. He was a Republican, a member of the Lutheran Church, and a good man who was respected by all who knew him. His wife, Mary ( Miller) Holz, came to Will County after his death and died at the home of our subject in the winter of 1886. She was then seventy-three years old. She was a life-long member of the Lutheran Church and was a devoted mother, lov- ing companion, and excellent neighbor.
The parental family consisted of two sons and four daughters, the subject of this sketch being the second in order of birth. He was born No vember 29. 1827, and was nearly of age when his . parents came to this country. He reached his majority in Du Page County where he continued to make his home until 1865, being occupied as a farmer and an improver of lands. Upon leaving that county he took up his abode near Beecher and here he has gained a competence and secured an excellent reputation. In his early life be learned the trade of a shoemaker, but he has not followed it since he came to America.
The estimable wife of Mr. Holz was known in her maidenhood as Minnie Oelerking. Their mar- riage rites were celebrated in Cook County and neither has had cause to regret the union. Mrs. Holz was born in Hanover, Germany, January 9, 1812, received a good education in the land of her birth, and was so instructed by her good parents as to grow to womanhood possessed of a fine char- acter and much useful domestic knowledge. She was nineteen years old when her parents came to this country and she lived in Du Page County until her marriage. Her union with our subject ; has been a childless one but they have become the foster parents of three children: Henry died when
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seven years old; Louisa and Rosa are still with their foster parents, under whose care and training they have been well reared and educated in both English and German schools. Mr. and Mrs. Holz and the daughters belong to the Lutheran Church and have many friends among their associate mem- bers, as well as in all circles in which they move.
The parents of Mrs. Holz were Henry and Sophia (Hartman) Oelerking, who were born reared and married in the Kingdom of Hanover. The father followed the business of buying up butter, eggs, chickens, etc., and selling them in the larger cities, doing in this way a fine commission trade. One son and five daughters were born to the good couple before they emigrated to Amer- iva. They sailed from Bremerhaven in 1860, landing in New York seven weeks later, and com- ing at once to the Prairie State, took up their abode on a farm, in Du Page County. There the parents lived for some years, but subsequently became residents of Beecher. Here Mr. Oelerking died in October, 1872, at the age of sixty three wears. dle was an honest, hardworking man, a , good Republican in polities, and a sound member of the Lutheran Church. His widow survived him several years, breathing her last May 21, 1876. She was a good mother, and a kind-hearted neigh- bor. ever ready to assist those in need. With one exception the members of the parental household are still living.
the time of his election, thus being the youngest of those who have been called to that office in the circuit mentioned.
Judge Dibell is the son of the Rev. J. B. Dibell, a native of Kingsville, Ashtabula County, Ohio, and Louisa (Ward) Dibell, whose birthplace was Ellington. Tolland County, Conn. His own birth- place was Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio. His parents lived in Homer and New Lenox Townships, Will County, Ill., from 1850. The father was a Baptist minister whose sacred calling was termin- ated by death September 10, 1885. His thirty-five years of ministration in this county are rich in tributes to his faithfulness in the service of his di- vine Master. After his death the mother. with her daughter. Julia Louisa, took up her abode with her son Dorrance, in Joliet, where she resided until her death Detober IT. 1885. The daughter Julia was killed by the ears in that city September 20, 1889.
Judge Dibell was a lad of but six years when his parents settled in the Prairie State and he grew to manhood on his father's farm, attending the public schools in boyhood and subsequently prosecuting his studies in the University of Chicago; beginning his personal career as a teacher he was afterward employed as a telegraph operator at Racine, Wis., and Wheatland and DeWitt. lowa. At the latter place he began the study of law with the Hon. John C. Polley, further pursuing his professional researches with Messrs. Goodspeed, Snapp & Knox and Parks & Hill, all of loliet.
On the 23d of August. 1870, the young student was admitted to the bar and formed a partnership with the lon. Charles A. Hill, now member of Con- gress from the Eighth District. The firm name was Hill & Dibell, and the connection begun September 3. 1870. was not dissolved until November 13, 1880, when the election of Mr. Dibell to the bench severed the oflest law partnership in the county. The firm enjoyed a large and important practice, both members holding high positions among the legal fraternity on account of their acumen and their skill in conducting cases.
ORRANCE DIBELL. One fundamental iden has been retained as a common basis for the principal forms of Government. In the theoeraey, the patriarchal system, aad the democracy. the principle that the judiciary stands first in importance, has ever been recognized, and, as a logical sequence. to be chosen to discharge that function earries with it a signal honor. Dor- rance Dibell was invested with this dignity by be- ing elected. on the 3d of November, 1885, Judge During the years of his active practice .ludge Dib- ell was a member of the City Council, and assisted in establishing a great number of the best improve- of the Ninth JJudicial Circuit. consisting of Will, Grundy, LaSalle and Bureau Counties. Born Feb- mary 16, 1811, he was forty-one years of age at | ments of the city. He was in the council when the
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change was made from the special charter to incor- poration under the general law. The first judicial term of the Judge is drawing to a close and it is well within bounds to say that his record willstand with the purest and ablest.
One who has known Judge Dibell long and inti- mately says of him: "Judge Dibell is a large- brained, broad-minded, generous-spirited man, who commands the affectionate esteem and confidence of all who know him. Like most students, he is not in any sense a society man. but his equable temper and amiable disposition have made him a prime favorite with his neighbors and friends. The exacting demands and large requirements of his profession have not dulled his taste for general literature. Ile has gathered a large and valuable miscellaneous library, not for ornament, but for his own use and enjoyment. The great poets and dramatists are represented there, and the specialists of science, philosophy and political economy, have not been neglected nor overlooked. Even theol- ogy is not excluded. as is too frequently the case among lawyers. In short, to legal learning he adds a cultivated taste and a large store of general in- formation."
The marriage of Judge Dibell and Miss Sarah M. Snapp was celebrated in 1872. The chosen com- panion of our subject is the eldest daughter of the Ilon. Heury Snapp, at the time of her marriage representing this district in Congress. The only living child of Mr. and Mrs. Dibell is Charles Dor- rance, who was born March 19, 1875. Not only is Mrs. Dibell devoted to the interests of her home but she has the culture and disposition that wins friends, and her place in society is an assured one.
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E BENEZER C. STEPHEN. The man who has a brain to conceive and a hand to per- form various kinds of handicraft. may well be gratefully proud of his ability to add to the means by which others can increase their conven- iences or opportunities. The gentleman with whose name we introduce this notice comes of a family in which the mechanical talent is conspicnons, several
members having shown high degrees of skill in va- rions lines of construction. His Grandfather Gar- den was a mill, eart and plow wright, and his Grandfather Stephen was also a first-class mechanic. So, too, was his father, Joseph Stephen, although the latter studied for the ministry and devoted himself to the cause of the Master during a great part of his life. A fuller account of the lives of Joseph Stephen and his wife, Jane (Garden) Ste- phen, will be found in the sketch of David S. Ste- phen on another page in this Ain w.
The subject of this notice was born in Aberdeen- shire, Scotland, July 25, 1838, and accompanied his parents to America in 1813. The voyage and journey to Northern Hinois are recorded in the sketch of his brother David, and it is unnecessary to repeat them here. The lad was reared upon the farm until 1863, having the advantages of the common schools, and when a very young man taught for one term in Green Garden Township. Ile inherited the mechanical skill of his ancestors, and without having to serve an apprenticeship was able to do almost anything in mechanics.
In 1863 Mr. Stephen opened a machine and re- pair shop in partnership with his brother, David s .. and has continued in the business for twenty seven years. The fraternal connection was finally dis- solved in 1889 and our subject has now the bulk of the old business. He is proprietor of a saw, plan- ing and feed mill in Frankfort and does all kinds of general woodwork. repairing and manufacturing. Tle also deals in farm implements and machinery and in hard-wood lumber and coal. He has a fine set of machinery and tools, and the reputation which he has earned as a first-class mechanic is well deserved. The buildings which be occupies were erected by himself and are situated upon a five- acre traet of land owned by him. He also owns a cozy residence.
When a young man, Mr. Stephen learned the rudiments of farming and was actively engaged in it. acquiring in this way a practical knowledge of all that pertains to agricultural life. Such was his taste and natural ability that while teaching he spent Saturdays working in the shop and was able to wood two plows per day, thus making $7. Such industry and zeal merited the smiles of Dame For-
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tune. and it is a pleasure to his friends to know that he has gained a comfortable financial standing. Mr. Stephen has no political aspirations, preferring the quiet of his home to the tumult of public life. but is ever ready to use his influence and deposit his vote in favor of Republicanism.
The marriage rites of Mr. Stephen and Miss Emma J. Houpt were celebrated in Frankfort, December 31. 1867. The charming bride was born in Eltingham County, Mich., and well educated by worthy parents. The latter were early settlers in Jackson, Mich., where they located in 1836. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen has been blessed by the birth of five children: George G. is a me- chanie and engaged with his father; Ida M. is a graduate of the Frankfort schools and now teaching at Hadley, Homer Township, having begun her professional labors when but sixteen years old ; Jo- seph A. is deceased; Robert E. and John O. are still at home and unoccupied, except in useful studies and pursuits.
G EORGE W. FLAGG. The family name of this gentleman will ever be held in rever- ence in Will County as that of one of its early pioneers, who was for many years promi- uently conceted with its interests, and of great assistance in developing its resources and laying the solid foundation of the prosperity that it en- joys to day. And it is with pleasure that we place before the readers of this volume a review of his life and of that of his honored representative of the present. The latter. a native of the county, is now one of its leading agriculturists, owning and successfully managing a large and valnable farm in Lockport and DuPage Townships, where he has a fine residence and enjoys all the comforts and luxuries of life. He was an officer in the late war and did gallant service with his regiment until ill health compelled him to resign his commission and retire to private life, taking with him the respect of his fellow officers and the men who served un- der him.
Mr. Flagg was born in Plainfield Township,
July 25, 1837. Reuben Flagg, his father, was a native of New Hampshire, Groton, in Grafton County, being the place of his birth. Ile was there bred to the life of a farmer, and thence went to Vermont when a young man and there was engaged in the cooper's trade. Two years later he made his way to Baltimore, Md., where he ac- quired the trade of a stone-mason. After two years stay in that city he returned to Vermont and at one time worked as a stone-mason in Boston. In 1830, he came to Illinois, traveling by Lake Champlain. Champlain & Erie Canal to Buffalo, and from thence by the lakes to Chicago. That city was then composed of two log houses and Indian huts, and there was a trading post there. The captain of the boat wanted him to build a warehouse, thinking it might come in use, though no one else seemed to agree with him. Our sub- jeet's father did not like that section of the country. as he thought it too swampy for farming purposes, and he hired a team to take him to Walker's Grove, a little below the present site of Plainfield. At that time there were but three families living in the vicinity, and where Plainfield and Joliet now are there was not a house, and Will County then formed a part of Cook County. All the land was open for settlement and he had his choice in mil- lions of acres, and as he was told he could not live on the prairie he claimed a tract of timber in the northeastern quarter of section 20, of what is now Plainfield Township. At that time deer and all kinds of wild game were plenty, which was for- tunate for the carly settlers as bread stuffs were scarce, the nearest flour-mill being in Indiana. Mr. Flagg's settlement was made there before the Black Hawk War and there were frequent Indian scares, therefore, the handful of settlers built a stockade of logs and all gathered in it, and at one time lived there three months, the men taking their guns to the field to be ready for the enemy at a minute's warning. Onee it was thought the In-
dians were going to make a raid and all the set- tlers here went to Ft. Dearborn and stayed there a few days until it was thought safe to return to their homes. Mr. Flagg built a log cabin on his farm and commenced its clearance. Soon after coming here he took a contract to build the race
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for Walker's mills in which was sawed the lumber to build the first frame house ever erected in Chicago. and Mr. Flagg drew it there with an ox team. After residing on that claim a short time he sold it and took up a tract of prairie land on see- tion 10. and at once began the work of improve- ment. Ile first built a log cabin for the accom- modation of his family and afterward erected a more substantial residence, and at the time of his death had improved a valuable farm.
November 9, 1869. this worthy and highly re- spected pioneer. departed this life. The maiden name of the wife who shared his labors and en- abled him to attain success in life was Betsey Ken- dall. She was born in lebron, Grafton County. N. H .. April 6, 1805. Her father. John W. Ken- dall, was formerly a resident of Hollis. N. Il. and removed thence to lebron, where he bought a farm, and besides carrying on agriculture he worked at his trade of a cooper in that place un- til his death. The maiden name of his wife was Betsey Flanders and she was also of New Hampshire origin. and there spent her entire life.dying on the home farm in Hebron. Mrs. Flagg's death oe- Purred February 25. 1872. She was the mother of eleven children. as follows: John W. K., Sarah E .. Samantha, Prudence. Frank, George W .. Lorain. Henry. William II .. Mary and Lucy. Samantha was the first white chill born in this county, and she died here February 25, 1872, aged forty-one years and five months. In his early life Mr. Flagg was a follower of the Whig party, but later identified himself with the Republican at the time of its organization and remained true to the party until his death. He was distinguished as being the first Justice of the Peace ever elected here. JJudge Caton being his opponent.
Following is an item published in the Chicago Times after Mr. Flagg's death, which is of interest and importance. "In the winter of 1831, the Methodist circuit rider- of the great west held a conference in the settlement of Chicago, and among the other supplies contributed to their com- fort during their session was a dressed hog from the old town of Plainfield, in Will County, thirty- six miles south-west of the place of meeting. This animal was the property of Reuben Flagg, a good , united their lives and fortunes. She is a native of
farmer residing near Plainfield, who has recently passed away. He started with the dressed hog on a sled and succeeded in getting lost. somewhere just outside the present city limits. Not arriving in time a delegation of ministers was sent out from the conference to find him. This they were for- tunate enough to do. all being much rejoiced. it is -aid. at the sight of the wandering farmer and especially of the fat porker on the sled. Now the question is whether this dressed hog shipped from Plainfield to Chicago in 1831. is not the first ship- ment of the article to this market, on record, the initiatory arrival of a product which in 1871, ag- gregated two million, five hundred and twenty- eight thousand, one hundred eight head."
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