Will County ILGenWeb Biographies..... Braidwood, James
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File contributed for use by:
Dori Leekly & Margie Glenn

Author: History of Will County IL, 1878

James BRAIDWOOD, proprietor of the Braidwood coal mines, Braidwood. The subject of this 
sketch is the founder of the city of Braidwood, which was named by Mr. John H. DANIEL, 
Braidwood in honor of Mr. James BRAIDWOOD, who claims that he built the first house in 
Braidwood, had the first house to burn, sunk the first coal shaft in Braidwood, his wife 
had the first child born and the first child to die in Braidwood. Mr. BRAIDWOOD was born, 
in Scotland March 1, 1831, and is the son of James and Eilen (HERCULES) BRAIDWOOD, of 
Scotland; his father was engaged in the mining business, and when Mr. BRAIDWOOD was but 
9 years of age he commenced coal mining; he then, worked at machinery and boiler making; 
was four years engineer on a steamship, shipwrecked twice; two years with, the East 
India Company; in Oct., 1863, he landed in America, at New York City; went to Middlesex, 
Penn.; here but a short time; he then came West, to Illinois and settled in Belleville; 
then to Danville, and in Aug., 1865, came to Braidwood; here he set out in coal mining, 
in working for the Chicago & Wilminton Coal Co.; was in the company that sunk the Eagle 
Shaft, near the depot, in 1869; he went to Champaign Co., IL, and was engaged there in, 
sinking a shaft for coal; after working for six months, abandoned without finding any 
coal; he lost $6,000 cash; he returned to Braidwood and commenced the coal business on 
the present shaft he now runs, which be has been very successful in; when Mr. BRAIDWOOD 
came to America, he was financially very poor, but with hard labor and good management, 
today he ranks as one of the successful miners of Braidwood. Married in 1854, to Miss Ellen 
RALSTON, by whom he has had twelve children, eight living; his oldest son, James, at 17 
years of age, July 16, 1871, was struck by lightning and instantly killed. Mr. B. is a 
Republican in politics and a Presbyterian in religion.


Additional Comments:
HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS; Chicago: Wm LeBaron Jr & Co, 186 Dearborn Street, 1878.

File at: http://will.illinoisgenweb.org/bios/braidwoodj.txt