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 54
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great metropolis of the country. He and his wife eame directly to this county, and he finally selected the farm now owned and occupied by his widow as the most desirable in every way for his purposes. It is in an excellent condition, is provided with neat buildings, its fields are under admirable cul- tivation, and it is every way a most desirable place.
February 15, 1860, Mr. Day and Miss Sarah Fisher were united in the holy bonds of matri- mony. Her birthplace was in the same English shire as his, and there she was born in the month of August, 1810. She is a daughter of John and Maria Fisher, both natives of England. The mar- riage of our subject and his wife was blessed by the birth of seven children, four of whom are now living : John W., Frank F., Lucy R. and Grace M., all residing in Wheatland Township, and the latter living with her mother.
Mr. Day was prospered in his calling, and from a poor man who was obliged to work out by the month, he became independent and the proprietor of a valuable farm, as we have seen. His death, December 11, 1881, was a loss, not only to his bereaved household. but to the community at large, where he had come to make his home so many years ago. llis neighbors always found him hon- orable and fair in his dealings with them, and in his domestic relations he was a kind and loving father, and a devoted husband, and always did the best that he could for his family. Ile was a loyal citizen to his adopted country, took an intelligent interest in its polities, and supported the Repub- lican party.
OHIN GEORGE GEUTHER. The home farm of this gentleman is one of the finest pieces of land in the Prairie State, and has been so improved that it forms a dwelling place of great attractiveness and comfort. It com- prises two hundred acres of tillable land on seetion 15. Frankfort Township, which is watered by Hickory Creek, and bears improvements which are unexcelled in the township. The residence is of
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pleasing architectural design, and it and the various outbuildings are sufficiently commodions for their purpose. There are several barns on the place, which are needed to house the stock and crops, in the raising of which Mr. Geuther is engaged. A windmill and tank, and the latest improvements in farm machinery make the labors performed more easy than was the case in the olden time, and or- chards and gardens furnish an abundance of the fruits of the earth, beside adding attractive features to the landscape.
Mr. Geuther is engaged in general farming, keep-
1 ing three teams constantly employed on the farm. and also raising good grades of cattle, hogs and draft-horses, having now some twenty head of the latter. He is the largest land-owner in the town- ship, and one of the largest in the county, owning in all about sixteen hundred acres. the different ! farms being well improved and occupied by tenants. Ilis landed estate is divided into the following tracts: One hundred and seventy-seven acres on see- tion 22; one hundred and fifty-seven on section 23, Frankfort Township; one hundred and sixty-three acres in Green Garden Township; one hundred and sixty acres on section 25. Manhattan Township; one hundred and twenty acres on the township line of New Lenox and Frankfort Townships; and five hundred and sixty aeres in Cherokee County, Iowa. On the different places in Frankfort Township he has over fifty acres of timber land.
The father of our subject was John George Gen- ther. Sr .. who was born in Weidhausen, Saxe- Coburg-Gotha. Germany, and the son of John Nicholas Genther, a baker. When a young man, he was quite poor, but being hard-working and having a capable helpmate, he ere long was able to purchase a small piece of land and add to it from time to time. He and his wife had begun by mak- ing baskets, and added to their real estate until they possessed forty neres, which was a good farm for that country, and in the securing and operating of which they were ranked as the most successful farmers in their neighborhood.
In 1848 Mr. Geuther emigrated to America with his family, except his oldest son, who had crossed the Atlantic two years before. and after living in New York City for a time, had gone South and
been lost track of. The father came to Illinois, and renting a farm in Frankfort, this county. operated the same for a year. Ile then purchased one hundred and sixty acres on section 3, the price being 8500, and there he lived for three years, put- ting the place under excellent improvement. He next purchased what is now the home farm of our subject, and locating here, continued his agricul- tural work for a time. He then let our subject take charge of it, and lived with him during the remainder of his life. He breathed his last April 26, 1889, at the advanced age of eighty-four years. In addition to the property mentioned, he had also bought one hundred and sixty aeres in Green Gar- den Township, and having three sons. he gave each of them a farm.
The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Kunigunda Fitzemeir. She was born in Weid- hausen, Germany, and died at her home in this county, in 1881. Her oldest child, John Nicholas, is now farming in Green Garden Township. Ile came to America in 1814, and having drifted to Charleston, S. C., remained there during the war, and was lost to the paternal household for twenty years, as he did not know they had come to Amer- ica; he came to Northern Illinois in 1866. John George, Jr., was a farmer in Frankfort Township, and was run over by the Rock Island Railroad train in the spring of 1890.
The gentleman of whom we write is the youngest member of the parental household. He was born in Weidhausen, Germany, May 16, 1838, and was reared until his tenth year in his native land. He then accompanied his parents to America, leaving Bremen in April, and spending forty-two days on the briny deep. After landing in New York City the family traveled by river, canal and lakes to Chicago, where they secured teams to carry them to Frankfort Township. The lad attended the common schools, and in the interims of study hunted and assisted his father on the farm. When the family removed to their present home, he and his father did all the work, and he broke soil. drove oxen, and bore a hand in other arduous labors. They operated a sawmill several years in connec- tion with their agricultural work.
Ere long the young man took charge of the
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place, renting of his father until he came into pos- session of it, and making the various improve- ments which now mark it as one of the finest farms in the township. lle gradually drifted into stock- raising, and his hard work and perseverance se- cured for him a high rank among agriculturists and stockmen, and gave him possession of his large amount of realty. Ile has ever been upright and straightforward in his dealings and active in his support of all worthy movements which prom- ise to increase the prosperity of those about them.
The first marriage of Mr. Geuther was celebrated in this township in 1861. his bride being Miss Mina Eisenbrandt. This worthy woman was born in Germany, and came to the I'nited States with her parents when two years old. She breathed her last in 1872. leaving four children, named respect- ively-John, George, Henry and Mary. All are still residing under the home roof.
The second matrimonial alliance of Mr. Genther was also celebrated in this township, the date of the happy event being March 1, 1875. The bride was Miss Dorethea Raedlein, who was born in Ger- many February 28. 1852, and was well educated in her native clime. In 1874 she sailed from Bremen on the steamer .. Mosell," which dropped her an- chor in New York harbor fourteen days later. The young lady came at once to Mokena, Ill., to the home of her aunt. Mrs. Miller, with whom she re- mained until her marriage. She is the mother of six chillren-Annie. Bertha, Nicholas, Eddie, C'lara and Otto.
The parents of Mrs. Dorothea Geuther are Rob- ert Raedlein, who is still living in his native prov- ince of Saxe-Coburg, and Kunigunda (Collis) Raedlein, deceased. The latter was born in Bava- ria, and bore her husband ten children, nine of whom are living, six in Germany and three in America. Mr. Raedlein is the son of a prominent and successful merchant. and became " squire" when twenty years old. He held the position until he became one of the leading officials of the province in an office similar to that of an American senator, which he has now held for twenty-five years. He is also a merchant with a large trade. He belongs to the Lutheran Church, as did his worthy wife, and their daughter was
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carefully reared in accordance with its principles.
Mr. Genther is much interested in the advance- ment of the cause of education, and has served as School Director, although he otherwise declines pnb- lic honors. In former years he was Trustee of Frank- fort Township, having been elected on the Demo- cratie ticket. He holds membership in the German Lutheran Church, in Frankfort Township, their place of worship being located on his farm. Ilis father gave an acre of land as the site, and was one of the organizers of the congregation, and his son has followed his example in being an active sup- porter of religion.
ACOB BUEHLER. A farm of moderate extent, but well improved and managed. and located near the city of Joliet, is the home of the subject of this notice. He is engaged in the dairy business, finding sale for all the products of his farm in this city. The estate is supplied with a full line of well-built edifices, which afford adequate shelter for stock and storage for the products which are yielded by the land or manufactured upon it.
'The owner of this comfortable home is of Swiss lineage and birth. His parents. Ulrich and Mar- garetta (Soch) Buehler, came to America a score of years ago. settling in the Empire State, where the fat er died. The mother is yet living and still pursuing a career of usefulness. She is the mother of twelve children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the first-born. llis natal day was Febru- ary 16, 1850, and in his native land he acquired a fair stock of information, and derived from his worthy parents principles of conduct which give him a good standing among his fellow-men. He was about nineteen years of age when the removal to America took place, and he took his place at once among the workers of the country.
After having become a resident of Illinois, Mr. Buchler took a companion in life, the rites of wed- lock being celebrated between him and Miss Eliza Engemann. October 21. 1875. The bride is the oldest of the twelve children born to John and
AP Holden M. Le
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Elizabeth ( Lehmann) Engemann, and opened her eyes to the light in Switzerland, August 11, 1852. ller parents also were natives of the land so famed for the beauty of its scenery and the liberty-loving spirit of its people, and became citizens of America in 1872. They landed in New York. and went at once to Ohio, where they resided a year, after which they took up their abode in Joliet. Here the father died in August. 1884.
Mrs. Buehler possesses all the energy, persever- ance and zeal which characterize the race. together with the neatness and love of order which are also prominent traits in Swiss character, and having ob- tained much useful knowledge and skill in carlier years, she conducts the affairs which are entrusted to her oversight in a manner which proves her ability as housewife and helpmate. She has horne her husband three children-Albert, Mary and Freda. Mr. Buehler supports the Democratic party by his vote and personal influence.
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n EWTON P. HOLDEN, M.D. This well- bred and well-informed gentleman was a successful practitioner of the profession of medicine for many years, but is now living a re- tired life at Frankfort. Station. He has accumu- lated a fortune, and is enjoying merited repose after a life spent in activity and usefulness. Ilis portrait, presented on the opposite page, represents one of the oldest settlers in the township, the wealthiest man therein, and also one of the oldest practicing physicians of the county. Having always led an active life, he is not content to idle away his time. but occupies himself in looking after his financial interests. and in traveling. He loans money, and now has over twenty farm mortgages in different States, and he likewise has real estate which he rents.
Dr. Ilolden is of New England birth and an- cestry, and of English extraction. His father, Phineas 11. Holden, was born in Middlesex County, Mass., and was Captain of a canal boat on the Middlesex Canal. He shipped the brick which was :
used in the construction of the first factory built in
Lowell. Being the son of a New England farmer, he had a good knowledge of agricultural pursuits, to which he finally turned his attention. ITe owned eighty acres of land in New Hampshire, but in 1836 removed to Northern Illinois, settling in Will County, in what was then called New Lenox Precinet, but is now Frankfort Township. lle entered a tract of Government land, and although poor when he came here, ere long became the owner of a fine farm. In his political views, he was first a Whig and then a Republican, and his religious belief coincided with that of the Univer- salist Church. He breathed his last at his home in 1872.
The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Betsey Parker. She was born in Westfield, Mass., and was the daughter of Levi Parker, a blacksmith and a Revolutionary soklier. He was First Lieutenant in a Massachusetts regiment, par- tieipated in the battle of Bunker Hill, and was present at the hanging of Maj. Andre. His daugh- fer, Mrs. Holden, was reared in the Bay State under the care of parents who were devoted mem- bers of the Baptist Church. She, like her husband, died in the Prairie State at the home of their son, our subjeet.
The parental household comprised nine children, of whom our subject is the second in order of birth. The others are: Elizabeth, now Mrs. Wilson, of Ft. Madison, lowa; Emeline, wife of Dr. Freer, who died in Chicago; Sarah, deceased; Mrs. Jane Brown, of Chicago: David L .. of Matteson ; Charles (. P., in Chicago; George M., of Ft. Madison, lowa; and Levi P., of Hampton, lowa. The latter enlisted in the Twentieth Illinois Infantry. in April, 1861, and after serving three months was discharged only to re-enter the army as Major of the Eighty-eighth Infantry, known as the Second Board of Trade Regiment. Although he had horses shot under him on more than one occasion. he escaped any personal injury. David L. also served his country, being a member of the Fifty- third Illinois Infantry, from 1863 until the close of the war, and having the rank of Commissary Sergeant.
Dr. Ilolden, the subject of this notice. was born in Grafton County, N. H., June 20, 1820, and was
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reared upon a farm, in the work of which he par- ticipated from his tenth year. Ile received a good education under the privileges afforded by the subscription schools. In 1831 the family re moved to Hartford, Vt., where they remained some five years, and then, in the spring of 1836, accom plished their journey to what was then the Far West. Our subject was in his sixteenth year when the removal took place, and the seenes and inci- dents of the journey are well remembered by him. A canal boat was their first conveyance, and upon it they journeyed from Whitehall to Buffalo. There they embarked on a steamer for Ft. Dearborn, now Chicago, while ox-teams conveyed them from that trading post to their new home in Will County.
Young Holden assisted his father in the improve ment of the farm, and when seventeen years old became a mail carrier, his route being from Joliet to LaPorte, Ind., through Crete, Crown Point and Valparaiso. He made the trip once a week, travel- ing on horseback and being obliged to swim the rivers, often losing his way on account of the bad roads, which delayed him until nightfall, when he found it impossible to keep his route in the dark ness. In 1810 he was sent to Chicago to pay a debt which his father owed to a man in that place, and there he remained a year, working as clerk in an hotel. Chicago was then but a small town, which gave little promise of its present large popu lation, grandeur of improvements and great com- mercial importance. Dr. Hoklen says that he feels old when he recalls the Chicago which he first knew, and thinks of the great changes which have taken place.
Returning to his father's home in the fall, Dr. Ilolden began teaching before he had reached his majority, his first school being in New Lenox. He continued his pedagogical labors in Frankfort Township during the summer and winter terms. the scene of his labors being a log schoolhouse with slab benches and the other primitive appointments of which we have heard so much. Deer roamed over the prairies adjacent, and Indians were camped at Wilton not far distant.
In 1841 Dr. Holden spent one term in studying in the Chicago Academy and two terms at Joliet. During the summer he read Latin with Father
DuPondaris, and in the fall he again turned his attention to teaching. Ile taught in Plainfield in 1812-43, after which he gave up that profession to study one on which his heart had long been set. He went to Bristol, now Yorkville, Kendall County, and began the study of medicine under Dr. Whee- ler, with whom he read three years. When Rush Medical College in Chicago was opened he entered that institution, being one of the students who were present during the first course of study. After three years of application he was graduated, in February. 1846, immediately after which he entered into partnership with his former instructor, Dr. Wheeler, at Bristol.
The connection proved agreeable, and Dr. IIol- den was succeeding well in his labors, when his comfort was so interfered with by the ague- Bristol being situated on the Fox River and sub- ject to malarial influences-that in 1850 the part- nership was dissolved. The discovery of gold on the coast having aroused his desire to see some- thing of life in that far country, the young doctor started across the plains with five horses and two wagons. lle crossed the Missouri River at Ne- braska City, April 2, and followed the Platte River westward, reaching Placerville, Cal., July 2, bis outfit being a part of the first train over the plains. He engaged in mining and prospecting during the winter, and selling his outfit in Decem- ber, 1851, went to SanFrancisco, and returned to the Prairie State via the Isthmus of Panama, New Orleans and St. Louis. taking the stage from the latter point to Springfield, III., and locating again in Bristol.
The ague fastened its clutches upon the Doctor once more, and he made a second journey to Cali- fornia with a similar outfit as that of his first jour- ney, having a splendid time en route. The spring of 1852 was the date of his second overland jour- ney, and he remained in the West some time, prac- ticing his profession on the Yuba River, and the succeeding summer in the Napa Valley. He re- turned again to the States in the fall of 1853 by steamer, and then settled in Mokena. He was the first physician there, and prior to the opening of his office there had been none nearer than Joliet. lle soon had a fine practice, and although the
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next year he went to his father's farm to take care of his parents, he continued his professional labors, riding all over the country. The chief means of travel was on horseback, and with physicians this was especially common, as the roads were not the best, and they could get along much better in this way than with vehicles.
Not only did Dr. Holden have an extensive practice in several townships, but he also carried on the farm, and made it successful in a financial way. Ile kept about five hundred head of sheep, and from time to time purchased additional land until his possessions amounted to over five hun- dred acres. He applied himself thoroughly to whatever he undertook. and being always busy, accomplished a vast amount of professional and agricultural labor. In 1873 he removed to Chi- cago, where he spent the greater part of his time until January, 1878. In December, 1875. he was appointed County Physician of Cook County, and held the office two years, during which time he had plenty to do and had no assistant.
When he left Chicago he returned to the farm with the intention of retiring from his profession, but for some time he was not able to do so, as he was continually called upon for his services. Ile managed the farm until 1881, when he sold it, and removing to town, finally gave up his active pur- suits. He owns some three hundred acres of land between the Michigan Central Cut-off and the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroads, which forms a large pasture, well watered by Hickory Creek, and rented to advantage. Ile is also the possessor of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Hardin County, lowa, near Iowa Falls.
The wife of Dr. Holden is a finely educated and cultured lady, who in her maidenhood was engaged in teaching, doing honor to the profession to which she devoted herself. She bore the maiden name of Caroline Parrish, and was born in Honeoye Falls, N. Y., January 17, 1826. When ten years of age she accompanied her mother and stepfather to the Prairie State, coming all the way in a buggy. She distinctly remembers the incidents of the journey, and vividly recollects seeing parties with heavy loads get stuck in the mud. Upon reaching Chi- cago they stopped at the Tremont House, which
was at that time the best hotel in the city. Miss Parrish attended a young ladies' select school at Aurora, and after completing her studies taught until her marriage, which was celebrated in Bristol, Kendall County, June 30, 1817.
Doctor and Mrs. Holden are the parents of four children, only one of whom is yet spared to them. The only daughter, Sarah, possessed musical talent of a high order, and was sent to the Conservatory of Music at Boston, to perfect herself in the art to which she was inclined. She studied there two years, but died soon after her return home. The second child, Wright, was graduated at the High School in Englewood, and studied law with Judge Diekey. He was admitted to the bar at Ottawa, and became a practicing attorney in Chicago. While on his way to New Mexico he was taken alarmingly ill in Newton, Kan .. and there passed away. Milton, the second son, is a broker in Michigan, and deals in railroad stocks and grain. Franklin was graduated at Rush Medical College in Chicago, with the class of '86, he receiving the highest standing of any of the class. He was ap- pointed Honse Surgeon at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago, but the confinement which his many du- ties occasioned affeeted his health, and six months after he assumed the position he was stricken with fever which developed into consumption and caused his decease. He went to Pueblo, Colo., hoping to be restored to health, but it was too late, and his parents and friends were compelled to bow to the severe affliction occasioned by his loss.
Dr. Holden has served as Highway Commis- sioner one year, as Township Clerk an equal length of time. and as Schoo! Director ten years. Ilis political adherence is given to the principles and candidates of the Demoeratie party. As woukl be expected of a man of his mental attamments and earnestness of character, he has ever manifested a deep interest in all that tends to develop the material prosperity and add to the mental and moral growth of the community of which he is a member. Mrs. Holden has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church since she was sixteen years old.
The parents of Mrs. Holden were Loomis K. and Sarah ( Dodge) Parrish. Her paternal grandfather,
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Abraham Parrish. a native of Massachusetts, was a Captain in the War of 1812, and became an early settler of Monroe County, N. Y., where he bought a tract of the Holland Purchase near Lima. Ile reared thirteen children, most of whom settled in Michigan. Two of his brothers were taken pris- oners by the Indians, and kept in captivity some years, during which time they became familiar with the Indian language. They aeted as inter- preters at the time of the Purchase, receiving for their services a large tract of land. Loomis Par- rish was reared in the Empire State, learned the trade of a tanner and currier, and became partner in a large tannery at Honeoye Falls, where he died about 1836.
Asahel Dodge and his daughter Sarah, afterward Mrs. Parrish, were natives of Connecticut, whence they removed to Monroe County, N. Y., during the maidenhood of the daughter. After the death of her first husband she married S. B. Craw, who removed to Illinois in 1835, occupying a large farm on the Fox River, where he erected the first barn in the vicinity. In 1850 he went to Califor- nia, dying of cholera on his homeward way. The widow subsequently removed to Quincy, and mar- ried a Mr. Bradford. In that city she died in 1885, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mrs. Holden is the only child of the first union, and the second resulted in the birth of two children- Clare E., now Mrs. Wheeler of Quincy, and Wilbur F. Craw, who belonged to the Western Army Corps in the late war, and died from dropsy.
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