USA > Illinois > Kane County > The Biographical record of Kane County, Illinois > Part 41
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No educational advantages were given our subject, and it is doubtful if in his entire life he spent six months in a school roon1. But he was possessed of a large amount of common sense and Yankee shrewdness, and his remarkably success is but another illus- tration of what may be accomplished, even through the environments may not be the best. Too much stress is laid by many for their failures by ascribing it to the influences with which they were surrounded. But William Leet, the poor boy, exiled from home, and the tender and loving care of parents, while
yet in his boyhood, rose above his surround- ings and set a worthy example to coming generations.
As soon as his accumulations were suffi- cient Mr. Leet made his first purchase of land, consisting of eighty acres of wild prairie in Milo township. This land he at once commenced to improve, but later sold to Andrew Britton, and purchased three hundred and twenty acres on section 33, which became the old home place. Early in the spring of 1854, Mr. Wilcox came to Milo township and rented a portion of the Leet farm. In his family was a young lady, Miss Helen Spear, a native of England, who was brought by her parents in infancy to this country. Her mother having died a few months after her arrival, she was kept in the families of different persons until she was about four and a half years old, when she was taken and reared by Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox. Mr. Leet was at once attracted by this young lady, and after an acquaint- ' ance of but a few months, they were united in marriage, August 29, 1854. By this union eight children were born, three of whom died in infancy. The living are: (1) Mary J., wife of Rev. J. C. Stoughton, of Aurora, a noted minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, of whom a sketch will be found on another page of this work. (2) Frank M., who married Lyda Lenton, of Audubon, Iowa, and has two children, Helen and William. (3) Rosa, now the wife of Robert Thompson, of Bradford, Stark county. They are the parents of two children, Claude R. and William L. (4) Anna L., wife of Asmus Boysen, of Man- ning, Iowa, by whoin she has three chil- dren, Allan, Helena, and Anna. Mr. Boy- sen is a land agent and dealer, owning con- siderable land in Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa,
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and Minnesota, with his main office in Chi- cago. (5) George Kellar, who is unmarried and resides with his mother in Aurora.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Leet had accumulated about twenty thousand dollars, and was considered a wealthy man. But this 'was but the beginning. His aim was still higher. Industrious as the day was long. he gave himself little rest. While yet residing on the farm it was his custom to be up long before day, and seldom did he retire until late in the night. Some years before the war, he erected a warehouse in Henry, Marshall county, and commenced the purchase of grain, shipping to Chicago and other markets. Although his farmi was twenty miles away, when the roads were at all passable, he drove to and from each day. His success here was remarkable.
Soon after the war Mr. Leet commenced buying and shipping grain from Bradford, and until his removal to the village in 1873, he rode in daily froin his farm, returning in the evening. For some years he not only controlled the grain market of Bradford, but at Castleton, Duncan and Lombard- ville, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. When business was rushing he would not stop to write checks for grain purchases, but would tear off the corner of any envelope, letter head, or take even a piece of brown paper, jot down the weight and price, and tell the seller to take it to the bank and get his money. When the cashier would remonstrate with him and tell him to write regular checks, he would re- ply: "You know my figures and you know my signature; that is enough." They were paid.
William Leet was a man of remarkable brain power and great business sagacity. His memory of business transactions, and
even the smallest detail of each transaction was wonderful. It mattered not how many loads of grain- he may have weighed any day, he would remember every circumstance attending the purchase of each. He could not be deceived. While his accommoda -. tions at the bank were all that could be ex- pected, he felt it to his interest to have con- trol of one, and in 1875 purchased the Bradford Exchange bank, then operated by A. B. Miner & Co. This bank he continued to operate until his death, and with the suc- cess attending every enterprise in which he engaged. Although he had no experience in that line of business, and knew nothing of the system of bookkeeping in such in- stitutions, he intuitively grasped every de- tail. Quick of action, with clear foresight, he made few mistakes. Business was rap- idly carried on; 110 time was lost. With him a minute lost was so much money. Persons having business with him were ex- pected to make it known with as few words as possible, and with just as few words he rendered a decision, it mattered not if thousands of dollars were involved.
While giving much of his time to the grain trade, and later to his banking inter- ests, Mr. Leet was always more or less engaged in the real estate business, buying and selling lands, and loaning money upon real estate security. At one time he was the owner of nearly five thousand acres of land in Stark county alone, and his pur- chases elsewhere were enormous. Loans were made and morgages taken upon farms not only in Stark, but in adjoining counties as well. He was never known to foreclose a mortgage that could be avoided. He would renew loans already made time and time again, giving the mortgagors all the time necessary in which to meet their pay-
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ments. Many farmers throughout the sec- his money should be placed. He continued tion in which he operated, have reason to to reside in Aurora until his death which occurred September 5, 1896, and his re- mains were laid to rest in the beautiful Spring Lake cemetery. bless his memory for the forbearance shown them in distress. As long as he believed one would do what was right, he never showed a disposition to crowd. Many illus- trations of this fact could be given, and but few farmers within a radius of twenty miles from Bradford but will bear testimony to the statement. A wealthy farmer residing in Osceola township, Stark county, but lately remarked that all he had was due to Will- iam Leet. He said he came to this country a poor man, and Mr. Leet loaned him four hundred dollars with which to make his first purchase of land, and from time to time loaned him thousands of dollars, "And," said the farmer proudly, "he never re- quired from me a mortgage."
In the course of tine his business inter- ests extended into other states, especially into Iowa, and he established a bank at Audubon, in that state, which is now under the control of his son, Frank M. Leet, who has shown much of the characteristic energy that distinguished the father. The bank building was personally superintended by him in its erection, and the business was put upon a safe footing. To-day the estate has many large tracts of land in Iowa, and very large sums loaned upon farm lands.
At quite an early day Mr. Leet began to operate upon the Board of Trade in Chi- cago, and in 1888 removed to that city, where he remained two years, and then made his home in Aurora, going to Chicago and returning each day. The same success attending him in his enterprises elsewhere followed him upon the Board of Trade and his profits were very large. Whether upon the bull or bear side of the market, he seemed to know what was best and where
William Leet was a man strong in his likes and dislikes. For a friend he would do much; for an enemy nothing. With mind fully absorbed by business, he gave but little attention to his social nature. A good provider, his family never lacked for the comforts of life. Fraternally, he was for some years a Master Mason, but later in life was dimitted. Religiously, he was in sympathy with the Methodist Episcopal church, although he never united with any organization. He believed in the Bible lit- erally, and enjoyed a sound orthodox and practical sermon above everything else. With much of the modern style of preach- ing he had no sympathy. He believed in calling things by their right names, and not mincing matters by trying to smooth thein over. Politically he was a Republic- an, though he gave but little attention to politics in the common acceptation of the term. He would not accept local office un- der any consideration. For the same rea- son that he did not exercise his social nature more-his great business interests-he gave but little attention to local affairs, though on the construction of the railroad through Stark county he invested in its bonds and advocated the local aid of his township and county.
Few men with such limited opportuni- ties have accomplished so much. At his death he left a large estate, which, by his request, has remained intact, a co-partner- ship having been formed by his widow and heirs under the firin style of Leet & Com- pany, and under that name they now carry
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on the business which he established and so successfully conducted for many years. The family seems to have inherited much of the business sagacity of the father, and are all honored members of society and highly re- spected. The widow yet makes her home in Aurora, and enjoys the love and respect of a large circle of friends and acquaint- ances.
JOHN A. BROWN, a progressive business J man of St. Charles, who owns and suc- cessfully operates a fine farm in Kane coun- ty, is a native of New York, born in the town of Dryden, Tompkins county, near Ithaca, September 7, 1832. His grand- father, Daniel Brown, also a native of New York, was one of the early settlers of Tomp- kins county, and was a soldier of the war of 1812. Jacob Brown, our subject's father, was born in that county, and there married Anna Baldwin, born in New York, of Hol- land parentage. Throughout life he con- tinued to engage in agricultural pursuits in Tompkins county, where he died in 1836 when our subject was only four years old. The mother carefully reared her family of ten children, all of whom reached years of maturity, but only four are now living, namely: Mrs. Sally Grover, a widow, re- siding in New York; William W., a business man of Cortland county, New York; John A., of this sketch; and Jacob E., a resident of Tompkins county. . -
In the county of his nativity John A. Brown grew to manhood and obtained a fair common-school education. Until fifteen years of age he lived upon a farın and de- voted his attention to agricultural pursuits. He then learned the saddler's and harness- maker's trade in Ithaca, and later followed
that occupation at Deposit, New York, on the Delaware river. Coming west in 1854, he located at St. Charles, where he pur- chased a harness shop and business already established, successfully conducting the same until 1864. That year he bought a farm in Du Page county, Illinois, which he operated for three years, and then removed to Virginia owing to ill health. At Spott- sylvania Court House he bought a planta- tion, on which he also engaged in farming for three years, trading his property at the end of that time for a farm near Olean, McKean county, Pennsylvania. In con- nection with agricultural pursuits, he here engaged in the oil business, owning an in- terest in twenty-one oil wells, which were in successful operation. After residing in that county for six years, he sold his land, but still retained his interest in the oil wells. Returning to St. Charles in 1881, he bought two adjoining farms of two hun- dred and forty acres in Campton township, and has since given his attention to their cultivation and further improvement. For dairy purposes he keeps upon his place from thirty to sixty cows, but to a great extent he now leaves the more active part of the work to his son, Frank J. Brown.
In Du Page county, December 7, 1857, Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Miss Lucretia J. Wheeler, a native of Massa- chusetts, who, during childhood, was brought to Illinois by her father, Job Wheeler, a pioneer of Du Page county, where he secured a tract of governmentland. Three children bless this union: Frank J., who is married and carries on the home farm; Albert W., who is a resident of Houston, Texas, and is a railroad engineer running on the Southern Pacific; and Lucinda May, wife of Harry Hatch, of Chicago.
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Reared a Democrat, Mr. Brown has always been a stanch supporter of the prin- ciples of that party and cast his first presi- dential vote for James Buchanan. Although he has never cared for official honors, he has most creditably served his fellow citi- zens as a member of the school board. Socially he is a Master Mason, belonging to the blue lodge of St. Charles, and both he and his wife are members of the Eastern Star. Wonderful indeed are the changes that have taken place in Kane county since Mr. Brown first came here in 1854, and in this work of transformation he has borne an important part, and he is justly numbered among the valued and useful citizens of the community. The part he has taken in the development of the county has impressed his name indelibly upon its records and he well deserves mention among the honored pioneers.
W ILLIAM WALLACE McDONALD,
general merchant and postmaster of East Plato, Kane county, Illinois, is a na- tive of the county, whose parents were among its earliest settlers. John McDon- ald, his father, was born near Glasgow, Scotland, in 1814. When about fourteen years of age, he emigrated to Canada, sail- ing from his native city. The weather was quite stormy, with head winds, and the vessel was often blown back. The voyage was a long and tedious one; they ran out of provisions and the water was low. The last few days the passengers and crew sub- sisted on tallow candles, but they arrived at last, all being nearly starved. After re- maining in Canada for a time, he moved to the state of New York, and at the age of twenty-one came to Kane county, Illinois,
when the country was in its primitive state. He secured land in section 30, Elgin town- ship, and by his thrifty habits acquired a fine farm and goodly amount of property. He was a man of strong determination, in- flexible will, and spoke the Gaelic language. In the early days he was, politically, a Whig, and, later, a Republican.
John McDonald married Miss Rebecca Denmark, born in England, March 22, 1820. Her parents died when she was quite young, and she came to Elgin about 1835, with the Gifford family. They were' the parents of ten children, as follows: Elizabeth Ann, married John Linkenfelder, and is now de- ceased; Mary Eliza, wife of H. H. Allan- son, of Plato township; William Wallace, our subject; Miranda Jane married Clark Tucker, and is now deceased; James D., living in Plato township; George, a resident of Elgin; John Horace, who died at the age of six years; Sophia Jeanette married Dun- can Johnson and lives in Iowa; Nancy mar- ried Frank Butterfield, of Elgin; and John L., clerking in Elgin. The father of these children died August 26, 1870, and the mother in June, 1893.
William Wallace McDonald was born on the old homestead, section 30, Elgin township, October 14, 1846. His educa- tion was obtained in the district school, mostly in winter terms, which he attended until the age of nineteen. He remained with his father, assisting in the cultivation of the farm until he was twenty years of age, when, on the 4th of October, 1866, he married Miss Elizabeth M. Younges, a na- tive of Elgin township, born October 17, 1848, and a daughter of Charles and Made- line (Linkenfelder) Younges, and fourth in a family of six children. By this union three children have been born, the first dy-
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ing in infancy. The living are: Charles Adelbert, who married Elizabeth Hogereffe, by whom he has one child, Nona Emily; and John Freeman, who married Annie Phalen.
On 1879 our subject, in partnership with his brother James, purchased fifty acres in section 30, a part of his father's old farm, on which they built a creamery and operated the same until 1885, when they sold out. Our subject had previously purchased the old home farm, and engaged in farming until the spring of 1896. In 1888 he · erected a store building at East Plato and commenced merchandising, but sold out the following year. In February, 1896, he rented his farm to his son, repurchased the store and resumed merchandising. About the same time he received the appointment of postmaster, and is yet holding the office. In addition to his stock of general merchan -. dise he deals in farm machinery and imple- ments. His trade is a fairly satisfactory one.
Fraternally Mr. McDonald is a member of Greenwood tent, No. 117, K. O. T. M. In politics he is a Republican. For many years he served as school director of his district, since April, 1897, has been a jus- tice of the peace. He is a hustling busi- ness man, genial in manners and a general favorite. The family have been long and favorably known in the township, being among the earliest settlers, who struggled hard to make Kane county occupy its proud and enviable position.
H ENRY FICKENSHER, 271 Fox street, Aurora, Illinois, is one of that sturdy, persevering and honorable sons of Germany, that have played such an important part in
the progress of our American Union. He came to Aurora fifty years ago, when this place was a struggling village of less than eight hundred people. Born in Bavaria, Germany, July 4, 1828, he is the son of Frederick and Mary (Giegold) Fickensher, both natives of Bavaria, as were their fore- fathers.
Frederick Fickensher, with his wife and family of five children, emigrated to America in the spring of 1848, and came direct to Aurora, Illinois. They expected to here meet friends, but were much disappointed to learn on their arrival that their friends were located at Aurora, Indiana. However, they liked the appearance of the Fox river village so much, that they decided to re- main. The father purchased a small farm of forty acres on the Wauponsie, on which was a log cabin, and in this the entire fam- ily resided. His children were William P., Henry, George, Elizabeth, and Margaretta.
Henry Fickensher's opportunities for an education were very meager. His family were of limited means, and his ambition from youth up was to assist in their support. He therefore gained but little school education, but learned much through observation and association, with men through nearly forty-five years of active business life in his adopted city. He had learned the trade of a barber in his native land and soon perceived a good opening for the practice of his trade here. Therefore in 1850, he opened the first barber shop in East Aurora, and did a fair business from the beginning. In course of time he built a brick block, No. 9 South Broadway, which building he still owns, but in 1893 retired from active business.
On the 26th of December, 1851, he mar- ried Miss Dorothy Weise, whose parents
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were residents of Kane county, but were originally from Saxony. Our subject and wife have three children living, and three have gone to "the land beyond." Those living are Eno L., who is practicing his pro- fession of dentistry in Chicago, and is mar- ried and has one son, Harry. Bertha is the wife of Asher Breemer, a druggist of Amboy, Illinois, and they have three chil- dren, Clara. Eno and Walter. Clara, the third child of our subject, is the wife of F. W. Bloss, a hardware merchant of Aurora, doing business on South Broadway.
In politics Mr. Fickensher is a Repub- lican and in the early '6os held the office of city collector. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, while both himself and wife are inem- bers of the Lutheran church. They reside in a pleasant home at 271 Fox street, which he built in 1852. They are both highly re- spected in the community in which they have resided for fifty years.
EDWARD. L. HUNT, now living a re- tired life in the city of Batavia, has been a resident of Kane county since 1853, and for more than a third of a century was one of the enterprising business men of Batavia. He was born in Princeton, New Jersey, July 22, 1817. His father, William Hunt, born in 1785, was also a native of that town and state, as was likewise his grandfather, John Hunt. The family are of English origin, the first of the number settling in New Jersey prior to the Revolu- tionary war. William Hunt, was by trade a blacksmith and carried on business in Princeton for many years. He there mar- ried Eleanor Schenck, a native of Middlesex county, New Jersey, and a daughter of John
Schenck, whose father served in the Revolu- tionary war. They were the parents of three sons and one daughter. John, the eldest, was a soldier in the Mexican war and killed in the battle of Monterey. Edward L., was next in order of birth. Voorhes, the third son, grew to mature years, mar- ried and died in Trenton, New Jersey. The one daughter, Elizabeth Schenck, is a resi- dent of North Adams, Massachusetts. The mother of these children passed away in 1839, while the father lived until 1877, dy- ing at the advanced age of ninety-two years.
Edward L. Hunt grew to manhood in Princeton, New Jersey, andthere received a fair common-school education. When a lad of thirteen years, he went into a store as clerk, where he received a thorough and practical business training. In 1841 he was united in marriage, at Princeton, with Miss Catherine F. Ross, a daughter of Robert R. Ross, and a distant relative of Betsy Ross, who made the first American flag. Mrs. Hunt was reared and educated in Middle- sex county. Her father, Robert Ross, was a soldier in the war of 1812, while her grandfather, Robert Ross, Sr., was a Revolu- tionary soldier, and later was elected and served-as sheriff of Middlesex county. He was a very prominent man in his day.
In 1853 Mr. Hunt came west and located in Batavia. He first clerked one year, and then bought an interest in the store and continued in the business until 1857. Sell- ing out, he moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, and engaged in farming about five years. While there he formed the acquaint- ance of Abraham Lincoln, our first martyr president. In 1862 Mr. Hunt returned to Batavia, and in August, of that year, en- listed as a member of Company B, One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Regiment,
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Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mus- tered into service at Springfield, Illinois, in the later part of that month. He enlisted as a private and served till the final close of the war, being discharged and mustered out at Camp Douglass, in August, 1865. 'He was under fire of the Rebels eighty-two days and sixty nights in defense of the old flag and the union. Among the engagements in which he participated were Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills, siege of Vicksburg, siege of Spanish Fort, four- teen lesser fights and skirmishes and two other sieges. While in the service he traveled over four thousand miles.
After his discharge, Mr. Hunt returned to his home in Batavia, and engaged in clerk- ing for some years. In 1871, he bought out an established business and engaged in the mercantile trade with John Davis, under the firm name of Hunt & Davis. The part- nership was continued until 1891, a period of about twenty years, when Mr. Hunt sold his interest to his partner and has since lived a retired life. However, in Decem- ber, 1897, he was appointed receiver of a drug stock, and has also acted in dike capac- ity for several parties that have failed.
In his early life Mr. Hunt was a Whig, his first presidential vote being cast for William Henry Harrison in 1840, and his second for Henry Clay in 1844, On the organization of the Republican party in 1856, he voted for John C. Fremont, and from that time to the present has been a stanch advocate of Republican principles. He never sought a public office, but in 1893 was elected justice of the peace and was re-elected in 1896.
To Mr. and Mrs. Hunt four children were born, two of whom died in infancy. The living are Robert R., a machinist in the
watch factory at Elgin, and Mrs. Elizabeth Spooner, a widow lady, now residing with her parents. She has three children as fol- lows: Frank Ed, married and residing in New York City; Flora, wife of Ferdinand Wirtz, of Chicago; and Catherine, wife of Frank H. Hall, of Chicago. Mrs. Spooner is a member of the First Congregational church of Batavia, while her mother is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, Mr. Hunt is a member of the G. A. R. and is now past commander. He is held in the highest esteem, and is popular in the community where he has so long re- sided.
JOHN H. HODDER, editor and pro- prietor of the " Aurora Daily and Semi- weekly Beacon," has been a resident of Aurora for forty-four years, save a short . time spent at Woodstock, McHenry county. He is a .native of Dorsetshire, England, where he grew to manhood, and served an apprenticeship to the printing and bookbinding trade. Hearing much of the United States and believing his success in life the better assured by his removal there, in 1853, when about eighteen years of age, he came to America, landing in New York city, where he remained for a time working at his trade. In 1854 he came west to Chicago, and thence· to Aurora, where he obtained employment in the office of D. and J. W. Randall, who had just pur- chased the " Aurora Beacon." Two years later he established the first book bindery in Kane county, which he conducted for a time, when it was consolidated with the " Beacon" office, Mr. Hodder becoming as- sociated with O. B. Knickerbocker, in the firm of O. B. Knickerbocker & Co., in the
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