The History of Will County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory of its real estate owners; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics.history of Illinois history of the Northwest, Part 93

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Chicago : Wm. Le Baron, jr. & co.
Number of Pages: 980

USA > Illinois > Will County > The History of Will County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory of its real estate owners; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics.history of Illinois history of the Northwest > Part 93

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JOHN CAPPEL, of the firm of Krapp & Cappel, butchers and dealers in live stock, Mokena ; one of our natives of Illi- nois ; was born in Frankfort, Will Co., Ill., May 26. 1846, and is the son of the late Frederick Cappel, deceased, who was one of our first settlers and pioneers. Mr. J. Cappel was married to Miss Elizabeth Werner, who was born in Illinois; they have had five children, all of whom are living, viz., Julia, Emma, John, Willie and George. Mr. C. has held the office of Deputy Sheriff four years ; Collector, one year, and Township Clerk six years; his property, which contains eight-five acres, is situated on Sec. 10, and is valued at $4,000.

CHARLES CLAYES, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. Frankfort Station; one of our early settlers; was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., July 4, 1819; came to Illinois and settled in Will Co. in 1835; and in Frankfort Tp. in 1837; his present

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farm contains 295 acres, is situated on Secs. 21 and 16, and is valued at $18,000. He was married to Miss Eliza A. Williams; they have had seven children, six of whom are living, viz., Amelia L., Emma S., Mary J., Charles W., Mattie H. and Addie E .; deceased, an infant. Mr. C. was the first Township Clerk in the town- ship after its organization.

W. B. CLEVELAND, farmer and stock-raiser ; . P. O. Frankfort Station ; one of our carly settlers ; was born in New York Sept. 21, 1820; came to this State and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., in 1844 ; his farm consists of 125 acres, sit- uated on Secs. 19 and 20, and is valued at $7,000. He was married May 22, 1865, to Miss Stella M. Martin, who was born in Vermont Aug. 6, 1846 ; they have had six children, five of whom are living, viz .; Lillian E., Willie J., Clarence M., Mabel S. and Eva M .; deceased, Emily L. Mr. C. has held the office of Justice of the Peace eight years, Supervisor two years and School Trustee several years.

HENRY ENGELMANN, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany Oct. 30, 1824; came to the United States in 1853, and settled in Monee Tp., Will Co., Ill .; lie removed from there to Frankfort in 1863; his farm con- sists of 120 acres, valued at $6,000. He was married to Miss Mary Voigt ; they have had four children, viz., Mary, Henry, Sophia and Louisa.

JOHNSON FOLKERS, butcher and dealer in smoked and salt meats, Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany June 11, 1835 ; came to the United States in 1846, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., Ill., in 1850. He was married to Sophia Eber- hart, who was born in Germany; they have three children-Frank, Willie and Peter. Mr. F. was a participant in our late war; he enlisted in the 20th I. V. I. ; served two years and was discharged with honor on account of disabilities, in Octo- ber, 1864.

GEORGE - FINK, farmer and stock- raiser ; P. O. Frankfort Station ; was born in Germany Jan. 13, 1839; came to the United States in 1851, and settled in Frankfort, Will Co., Ill .; his farm con- sists of 109 acres, valucd at $7,000, and is situated on Sec. 27. He was married to Miss Christina Bricderdt; they have had

seven children, six of whom are living, viz., Mary, Emma, George, Henry, Gus- tave and John; deceased, Mattie. Mr. F. was elected Township Collector in April, 1877 ; his time for the same office expires April, 1879.

HENRY GRONOW, farmer and stock- raiser; P. O. Frankfort Station ; one of our natives of Illinois ; was born in Frank- fort, Will Co., April 16, 1850; he is the son of John Gronow, who is one of our early settlers. The farm of Mr. G. con- sists of 130 acres, valued at $6,500. He was married to Miss Sophia Pauling Feb. 11, 1877, who was born in Du Page Co., Ill., Sept. 23, 1851; they have one child-Aurelia.

MRS. C. W. HARPER, farmer and stock-raiser; P.O. Mokena ; one of our early settlers ; was born in Kentucky, Aug. 3, 1834; is the widow of the late Thomas Harper, deceased, who was born in England May 21, 1832 ; dicd July 28, 1870. He was one of our first settlers and pioneers. They were married March 5, 1857, and have had four children, all of whom are living, viz., Elizabeth F., Ann W., Susan E. and Thomas P. Mrs. H. continues the business in which her husband was engaged, namcly, that of a farmer and stock-raiser; her farm consists of 180 acres, valued at $10,000.

THOMAS HERSCHBACH, general hardware, Frankfort Station; was born in Joliet, Will Co., Aug. 31, 1844; is the son of Henry Herschbach, who was one of our first settlers and pioneers. Mr. H. was married to Miss Alvina Maue, who was born in Germany ; they have three children, all of whom are living, viz., Charles, Otto and Emma.

N. P. HOLDEN, M. D., retired, Frankfort Station ; one of our early and most prominent settlers; was born in New Hampshire June 20, 1820; received a liberal education in boyhood ; at the age of 23, he entered Rush Medical College, at Chicago; graduated and received a diploma in 1846; his practice continued until the time of his retirement'in Febru- ary, 1878; in 1854, he purchased the property he now owns, and which is located on Secs. 26 and 25, and which contains 400 acres, valued at $20,000. Dr. H. was married to Miss Caroline Parrish June 30, 1847 ; they have had six

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children, three of whom are now living, viz., Wright, Milton and Franklin ; de- eeased, Charley, James and Sarah.

PHINEAS HEMMENWAY HOL- DEN, was born in Hollis, N. H., May 6, 1792 ; was the son of David Holden and Bridget Atwell; his father was born July 31, 1769, and his mother was born in 1770 : they were married July 31, 1788, and had fourteen ehildren, to wit: David, born July 31, 1789 ; died Dee. 12, 1700; William Cummings, born Aug. 16, 1790; Phineas Hemmenway, born May 6, 1792, died Feb. 23, 1872; Bridget, born Jan. 19, 1795, died Aug. 9, 1796; Josiah Rhodes, born Feb. 22, 1797; Bridget, born Dec. 10, 1798, died Sept. 12, 1800; Mira, born Nov. 28, 1800; David, born Dee. 27, 1802, died Dee. 11, 1833; Mil- ton, born July 11, 1804; Adam Mont- gomery, born May 18, 1806, died Oet. 5, 1863; Sarah, born Mareh 10, 1808; Lueetta, born March 4, 1810; Charles Coisworth Pinckney, born Jan. 10, 1812, died Mareh 7, 1816; Mary Ann, born Sept. 17, 1814; died July 24, 1841; of these, Rhodes, Milton, Sarah and Lueetta, are still living; Mr. Holden's grandparents were David Holden, born Dee. 10, 1738, and Sarah Hemmenway, born Oet. 25, 1739 ; they were married July 13, 1761, and had nine ehildren. David Holden, died Aug. 8, 1803, and Sarah Hemmen- way Holden, died April 7, 1830 ; his great- grandparents were John Holden, born about 1695, and Sarah Davis, born in 1700; they were married Nov. 22, 1715, and had ten ehildren ; she died Dee. 21, 1753, and he died Dec. 27, 1753; John's grand- parents were Riehard Holden, born in 1609, and Martha Fosdiek; they were inarried between 1634 and 1639; they had nine ehildren ; he died Mareh 1, 1696, aged 87 years ; she died in 1681. John, the last named, and his brother Justian, were born in Suffolk Co., Eng .; they were arrested in the streets of London for their adherence to Puritanism, but through the influence of a member of Parliament, named Holden, they were released and fled to America; they embarked at Tip- wieh, in April, 1634, in the ship Francis, and settled in Watertown and Cambridge, · in Massachusetts. The father of Phineas Hemmenway was a eooper by trade, and, with his young wife, early removed to

Groton, N. H., where they settled on a small farm, where the subject of this sketeh received as good an education as the country at that time afforded. His father was for many years one of the Seleetmen of the town, quite a prominent position at that time, and died Oct. 13, 1823; his mother died Dee. 30, 1839; Mr. Holden was married April 17, 1817, to Betsey Parker, daughter of Levi Parker, who was born June 25, 1752, and Abigail Pool, of Hollis ; her father had by his first wife, who was Rebecca Fletcher, of Westford, Mass .: Levi, born Jan. 9, 1778; William, born in 1780; George, born Oet. 11, 1783; by his second wife, whom he married in 1785: James, born Jan. 6, 1787; Luther, born -; Calvin, born - -; Betsey, Jan. 14, 1792, and Samuel,

June 23, 1800. Her grandparents were William Parker, of Groton, and Susanna Kemp, who were married Mareh 30, 1736, and had: Susanna, born Feb. 10, 1737; William, Sept. 28, 1741; Tytil, born May 1, 1744; Samuel, March 7, 1746 ; Isaae, born Jan. 22, 1749 ; Levi, June 25, 1752; Susanna, Oet. 10, 1755, and Ruth, no date given. Mrs. Holden's mother died July 16, 1823, aged 64 years ; her father died Sept. 10, 1825, aged 72 years ; of the children, Samuel only is living ; he resides at Davenport, lowa ; is now 78 years old, but in good health. Mrs. Holden's father was an officer of the Revolution, and was attached to the command of Gen. Wash- ington, and stationed near West Point at the time of the treason of Gen. Arnold, and at which time Major Andre of the British army, was detected as a spy and arrested at Tarrytown, N. Y., and executed at Tappan, on the Hudson River; Lieut. Levi Parker saw him hung, and, so long as he lived, related the sad spectaele, and re- gretted that Arnold could not have been hung in his stead; Lieut. Parker was a meritorious and · gallant offieer, serving during the war. Mr. and Mrs. Holden were married at Dunstable, Mass., April 17, 1817, and immediately eommeneed life together on a small farm in Groton, N. H. ; here they lived until 1830, when they removed with their family of six children to West Hartford, Vt .; at this plaee, Mr. Holden purchased 80 aeres of land, mostly timber, and commenced his new farm with that energy only known to

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those who have seen the ups and downs of New England life; they remained here until the spring of 1836, when they sold their little homestead, and, on June 1, emigrated with their family of nine ehil- dren, for Illinois, arriving at Chicago June 30, 1836 ; Mr. Holden's younger brother, Josiah, had settled in Will County, near Joliet, in 1834, whither Mr. Holden and his family immediately procccded; they found him and his family finely located on the Du Page River, about seven miles below Plainfield, and were reccived with true Western hospitality ; shortly after this, Mr. Holden located a claim of 160 aercs at Skunk Grove, on the headwaters of Hickory Creek (now Frankfort), where they commenced life in earnest on the prairie ; they erected a snug log house, and here they struggled togethor for many years to raise their large family, working early and late, and economizing in . every possible manner; when they began their prairie home, the county was entirely new, the nearest neighbor on the south was thirty miles, at Bourbonnais Grove; the nearest post office, fourteen miles, at Joliet. Their elaim was on the Sac trail, a path worn deep in the ground by the Indians ; this trail had been traveled for centuries, by all appearances-it was the Indians' direct route from Detroit to the Far West -it ran nearly on a bee-line; the Indians had displayed such good judgment in lay- ing out this trail, that the settlers, as the country became settled, adopted it; in many places this trail was worn for morc than two feet in the earth, and no man of this day can tell or form any idea as to how long it had been traveled by the red man. Their family now consisted of Elizabeth W., born in Tyngsboro, Mass., April 27, 1818; Newton P., born at Groton, N. H., June 20, 1820; Mary Emeline, born in Groton, N. H., Sept. 13, 1822; David L., born in Groton, N. H., Nov. 13, 1824 ; Charles C. P., born in Groton, N. H., Aug. 9, 1827 ; Sarah Ann C., born in Groton, N. H., Sept. 3, 1829; George M., born in West Hartford, Vt., July 11, 1831 ; Mira Jane, born in West Hartford, Vt., June 30, 1833, and Levi Parker, was born in

West Hartford, Vt., July 14, 1835 ; Mary Emeline was married to J. W. Freer, then a farmer on the Kankakee River, above Wilmington, in this State, Feb. 22, 1844;

she died of consumption, Nov. 28, 1845, leaving one son, Henry C. Frcer ; Sarah Ann C., died of consumption, Feb. 13, 1847; she was a lovely girl, admired by all who knew her; she was the idol of her father's family ; the loss of these two loving daughters weighed heavily upon Mr. Holden, as also upon the whole family ; Elizabeth W. was married to Cromwell Wilson, of Fort Madison, Lowa, Jan. 9, 1848; Mr. Wilson is a retired capitalist ; they have never had any children ; they reside at Fort Madison. Newton P. was married to Caroline Parish, Junc 30, 1847, at Bristol, Ill .; they have had: Sarah, Wright P., Milton and Frank ; Sarah died Feb. 11, 1873, with consumption ; Wright is studying law; Frank is at school, and Milton is on his father's farm, at Frankfort ; David L. was married to Miss Esther Parish in 1871, and has four fine boys-Homer Phineas, Charles C. P., Howard and Morton; George M. was married in 1856, to Minerva Butler, and had several children, two of whom only are living-Charles and William ; Mira Jane was married to J. M. Brown, and has had several children, two of whom only are living-Malcolm and Willis; Levi Parker was married to Charlotte E. Rey- nolds in March, 1865; they have two lovely little girls - Birdie and Cora ; Charles C. P. was married, Sept. 17, 1855, to Sarah J. Reynolds, who died July 26, 1873, of purpura hemorrhagica, aged 37 ycars 3 months and 15 days; Mr. and Mrs. Holden lived to see the country, which was a wilderness when they came to it, settled up and dotted all over with first- class farms, with villages in every direction, railroads running through all parts of the State, with one through their own farm ; they had lived to see all these things ac- complished, and their children well settled in life. April 17, 1867, they had their golden wedding, all their ehildren being present, except Elizabeth; many came from Chicago to congratulate the aged couple on their fiftieth anniversary of their wedding ; it was a happy time for all-chil- dren and grandchildren. Mrs. Holden

was afflicted with a cancer in the face, which first måde its appearance in about 1864; it continued to grow and spread, until Sept. 24, 1869, when she yielded up other life this dreaded disease ; during the

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last years of her life, she had suffered the | parents had a small farm among the rugged most excruciating pain, but bore it all with a meekness and forbearance seldom to be met with in this world ; from her youth, she had been a consistent Baptist, not mercly in word but in deed ; the privations she had to endure during many years after her removal to Illinois, were met without a murmur, saying " it is all for the best"; she lived for her family, and those she left behind her are sad witnesses of this fact ; she always had a kind word for everybody and none knew her but to love her; Mr. Holden took her death very hard, but would fill up the time as best he could in visiting his children in Chicago, Joliet and elsewhere ; he had been in his neighbor- hood quite a prominent man, always taking an active part in politics, but never sccking office ; he had been an original Henry Clay Whig, but since that party had become extinct, he had joined the Republicans ; when Lincoln was nominated for the Presi- dency the first time, in 1860, he was an anxious looker-on in the lobby of the Convention ; Lincoln having been an old Whig, he claimed that he would make a safe and good President; of this he was sure; the truthfulness of this assertion has been verified to the letter. Mr. Holden was present at the laying of the corner- stone for the Bunker Hill Monument, which corner-stone was laid by Gen. La- fayette, June 17, 1825 ; he was a careful observer, and read much from the news- papers of the day, keeping well posted as regards current events ; early in February, 1872, he took a severe cold, caused by a trip which he had taken to visit his chil- dren in Chicago ; his condition was not thought to be dangerous, when, suddenly he was taken away, dying on February 23, 1872, at the good old age of 79 years 9 months and 18 days ; he died on his farm, that which he located in August, 1836; he was buried by the side of Mrs. Holden and his two daughters, Emcline and Sarah, in a beautiful lot in Oakwood Cemetery, ncar Joliet.

HON. CHARLES C. P. HOLDEN, Chicago; is a native of Groton, New Hampshire ; he was born on the 9th of August, 1827, and is the son of Phincas H. and Betsey P. Holden. His mother was the only daughter of Lieut. Levi darker, of the Continental army. His

hills of New Hampshire. In 1830, they removed to West Hartford, Vermont, set- tling on an eighty-acre farmn, where they re- mained until June 1, 1836, at which time they removed, with their family of nine children, to Illinois. Arriving in Chicago on the morning of June 30, 1836, the family at once obtained conveyances and started for the country, first seeking the. home of Josiah R. Holden, brother of the senior Holden, who lived a few miles below Plainfield, on the Du Page River, in Will County. After a brief visit, Mr. Holden located a claim at Skunk Grove on the headwaters of Hickory Creek, now Frank- fort. Mr. Holden received but a very limited education, having to go with his brothers and sisters a distance of three miles to a school kept in a rude log hut. Subsequently, the family had a school taught in their own house, and the teacher of the school was Mr. A. B. Safford, now a leading banker of Cairo, Ill. . In 1842, his father placed him in Charles Sweet's grocery store on North Water street, where the freight-house of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway now stands. In 1845, he went into W. W. Barlow's bookstore, where he remained on a 'salary of $12 per month until the spring of 1847, at which time, the Mexican war still raging, he enlisted in' Company F, 5th Regiment Illinois Volun- teers. Mr. Holden carried his musket for nineteen months, serving until the close of the war. After a short visit to his home he entered the employment of A. H. & C. Burley, booksellers, at that time at 122 Lake strect in this city. He remained in their service until March 19, 1850, at which time he left, in company with seven others, by the overland route, for California, where he arrived early in July of that ycar. Mr. Holden immediately commenced mining, and following it closely for fifteen months in the dry diggings of Logtown, and on the Middle Fork of the American River, when in October, 1851, he joined his old employer, W. W. Barlow, and went to Napa Valley, where he entered into farm- ing and stock-raising, remaining here until the fall of 1853, when he closed up his operations, and took passage on the stcam- ship Winfield Scott from San Francisco, December 1,'for home. The second night

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out, when off Santa Barbara, in a dense fog, the steamship was wreeked by running on the rocks of Anna Capa Island. The passengers, however, were safely landed, arriving in New York January 1, 1854. From New York he went to New England, returning to Chicago, March 18, 1854. February 20, 1855, he entered the service of the Illinois Central Railroad Company in its land department, with which eor- poration he continued until February 4, 1873. September 17, 1855, Mr. Holden was married to Miss Sarah J. Reynolds, daughter of Isaae N. and Rue Ann Rey- nolds, of New Lenox, Will Co., Ill. His wife was born on the farm where he inarried her ; her mother, Mrs. Reynolds, was a daughter of the late Abraham Holder- man, who was one of the first settlers in northern Illinois, having located a large traet of land at Holderman's Grove, La Salle and Kendall Counties, in 1830. Mr. Holderman was a native of Pennsylvania. In 1858, Mr. Holden was a delegate to the State Convention at Springfield, Ill., at which Convention Abraham Lincoln was first brought prominently before the American people. In April, 1861, Mr. Holden was elected to the Common Coun- cil of Chicago. When Mr. Holden first entered the Couneil, the war had just been deelared. The Council voted money and supplies liberally to its citizen volunteers, and through his own effort, in 1862, he raised a company (E) for the 88th Illinois Volunteers. This company was com- · manded by his brother, Levi P. Holden, who had enlisted in the service at the be- ginning of the war in the 20th Illinois Volunteers. Subsequently Capt. Holden was promoted to Major of the same regi- ment. He had one other brother in the service, David L. Holden, who was com -. missary Sergeant of the 53d Regiment. Mrs. Holden also had two brothers in the service, one of whom, John H. Reynolds, a Sergeant in Company E, 88th Illinois Volunteers, died January 23, 1863, in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., just after the battle of Stone River. Joseph S. Reynolds another brother, was a Captain in the Yates Sharpshooters; and, after going with Sher- man to the sea, he returned home a Brig- adier-General. Mr. Holden had a repre- sentative in the army in the person of Alonzo C. Ide; Mrs. Holden had hers in

the person of Harris Durkee; and her sister, Rowena P. Reynolds, had one in the person of Frederick A. Hausmann. Late in 1864, when President Lincoln ealled for 300,000 more, Chicago's quota was very large, and the various wards were called upon for their respective quota. Mr. Hol- den organized a draft association, of which he was President, for his ward (at that time the Tenth), to raise money to fill their quota, and succeeded in raising nearly $52,000 for this purpose. There was no draft in this ward.

In December, 1870, Mr. Holden was elected President of the Common Council, and at the time of the great fire, when all was confusion, the main part of the eity in ruins, after looking over the field on the morning of Oet. 9, he quickly eon- cluded that something had to be done to relieve the 100,000 people then in dire distress, and that, too, quickly. Calling to his aid Mr. O. E. Moore and Capt. Miller, he took possession of the ehureh on the corner of' Ann and Washington streets, and here was formed a nucleus which subsequently became world-renowned for the great good done. At 3 o'eloek in the afternoon of that ever memorable day, Mr. Holden had succeeded in getting together the Mayor and Police Commissioner Brown, when, at his request, the Hon. S. S. Hayes drew up the following proclamation :

WHEREAS, In the providence of God, to whose will we humbly submit, a terrible ca- lamity has befallen our city, which demands. of us our best efforts for the preservation of order and the relief of the suffering;

Be it known, That the faith and credit of the city of Chicago is hereby pledged for the nec- essary expenses for the re ief of the suffering. Public order will be preserved. The police- and special police, now being appointed, will be responsible for the maintenance of the peace and the protection of property. All officers and men of the fire department and health department will act as special police- men without further notice. The Mayor and Comptroller will give vouchers for all supplies furnished by the different relief committees. The headquarters of the city government will be at the Congregational Church, corner of West Washington and Ann strects. All per- sons are warned against any acts tending to endanger property. All persons caught in any depredations, will be immediately arrested.

With the help of God, order and peace and private property shall be preserved. The city government and committees of citizens pledge- themselves to the community to protect them

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and prepare the way for a restoration of pub- lic and private welfare. It is believed the fire has spent its force and all will soon be well.

R. B. MASON, Mayor. GEORGE TAYLOR, Comptroller. (By R. B. Mason.) CHARLES C. P. HOLDEN, President Common Council. T. B. BROWN, President Board of Police. CHICAGO, October 9, 1871.

After the great fire both political parties nominated him for the mayoralty. Hon. Joseph Medill was nominated upon what was termed the fire-proof ticket for the same position. The city press indorsed the fire-proof ticket. Mr. Holden, with his associates on the ticket, made a gallant fight, but were beaten at the polls, and the entire fire-proof ticket was elected. Mr. Hol- den continued to serve in the Council until the until the expiration of his term, Dec. 1, 1872. In February, 1873, Mayor Mcdill nominated Mr. Holden for the position of Police Com- missioner. Mr. Holden, being largely engag- ed in building at the time, declined the prof- fered position, as will beseen by the following: HON. JOSEPH MEDILL, MAYOR,

Dear Sir: From the proceedings of the Council last evening, I learn that my name was submitted by your honor as Police Com- missioner, to fill the vacancy caused by the removal of Mr. Reno. While I am not only willing but anxious to serve your honor and the best interest of the city in its present diffi- culties, my other positive engagements will not allow me to fill the proffered position. Thanking you most kindly for your preference, I have to ask that you will submit some other name and withdraw mine from the Common Council.

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The History of Will County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory of its real estate owners; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; general and local statistics.history of Illinois history of the Northwest, Part 93

Author: Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Chicago : Wm. Le Baron, jr. & co. Number of Pages: 980

Author:
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Chicago : Wm. Le Baron, jr. & co.
Number of Pages: 980