Will County ILGenWeb

These pages are a part of the ILGenWeb Project. They provide a resource for genealogists searching in Will County, Illinois. You can post queries about surnames you are researching, see who else might be researching the same names as yourself, ask volunteers to do reference look-ups, volunteer to do reference look-ups, and get information on searching in Will County. My name is Dennis Partridge, and I am currently the host of Will County, you can contact me here, if you have any questions. I do not live in Will County, nor Illinois, but I will attempt to answer your research questions or point you in the direction of somebody who can.

The History of Joliet

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The History of Joliet represents 37 articles written by an Herald News Reporter, John Woodside in 2001. In this series of weekly chapters, John progresses through the history of Joliet Illinois, from the time of the Native American occupation through the Civil War and First World War. In his articles he touches on Slavery, Lincoln, prohibition, business men, and crime… as any news reporter frequently covering the beat, John keeps coming back to crime stories… stories of the first execution, prison life, murder, and the first hit-and-run accident which also caused the city’s first auto fatality.

Hit-and-run Marked City’s First Auto Death

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The History of Joliet – Chapter 37 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “The red car crashed into the seven people who were crossing the street. But the driver just kept going.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News “It may seem unfortunate to this man that … Read more

Maximum Security is No Match

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The History of Joliet – Chapter 34 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Through the years, there were many escapes from Stateville. But not all of them were well planned.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In the summer of 1919, the toughest inmates in the … Read more

Dangerous Celebration at War’s End

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The History of Joliet – Chapter 33 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “When the guns started going off at 3 a.m., one man rushed outside because he thought a neighbor had finally caught that chicken thief. ‘The chicken thief turned out to be the Kaiser,’ the … Read more

Horseless Carriages Come and Go, With Model T Just Down the Road

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The History of Joliet – Chapter 29 By John Whiteside of The Herald News (used with permission) Submitted by Nancy Vargo “Horse shoes just couldn’t compete in the new century with those dreamers and their horseless carriages.” By John WHITESIDE of The Herald News In 1900, business was booming for the Phoenix Horse Shoe Company … Read more