1912 Necrologist Report
(Transcribed and copyrighted June 11, 2001, by Lawrence B. Peet, Joliet, Illinois. Permission granted to copy for non-commercial use only. All in Italics and upper case surnames are added to or modified from the original by the transcriber.)
(The 1912 Old Settlers’ Association Necrology Report, as prepared by W. W. Stevens and his unnamed successor, printed in the Joliet Sunday Herald, October 6, 1912, transcribed and reformatted to conform to the style established by W. W. Stevens by Lawrence B. Peet.)
53 Pioneers Are Called by Death Since the Last Reunion of Old Residents —
William Wallace Stevens, Who Began Compilation of 1912 List of Association’s Mourned, is Stricken Before He Finishes Task.
—
According to the annual report of the necrologist of the Will County Pioneer’s association, there have been fifty-three deaths among the pioneers during the past year.
The one name in this long list which attracted the greatest attention was that of William Wallace STEVENS, because of his long connection with the association in the capacity of secretary and necrologist. Mr. Stevens was really the moving spirit in the association for many years. He planned all the meetings, looked after the details of the programme, kept the records, including the list of deaths among the pioneers, and in fact did the greater part of the business of the association. He was the historian and took great pride in carrying into his records all of the facts which would be of importance in future years, preserving all printed articles dealing with the life of the association and its members, and thus being ready at any time to tell the facts in regard to any such occurrence.
The following is the report of the successor of Mr. Stevens in the position of necrologist, taking up his work where he dropped it and completing the record of the year:
” ‘This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ – Luke 14 – 20.
“William Wallace Stevens was elected necrologist of the Will County Pioneer’s Association at the thirty-second annual reunion, Oct. 7, 1911, and began to build his report for the meeting in 1912, but, ‘was not able to finish,’ and his successor has the sad duty of placing the name of William Wallace Stevens with the others who have passed from the affairs of earth, to the life that is to be.
Mrs. Almedia ABRAMS,
Wife of Henry B. Abrams, born in New Lenox, Will county, October 14, 1843, died at Joliet, Feb. 21, 1912.
Henry B. ABRAMS,
Born in Joliet, April 12, 1839, died in Joliet, Jan. 26, 1912.
Louise Margaret AKIN,
Wife of Edward C. AKIN, daughter of Judge Josiah McROBERTS, born in Joliet, Jan. 10, 1852, died in Joliet, Dec. 26, 1911.
Amos CULVER,
Born in Montpelier, Vermont, August 22, 1840, died at Plainfield, November 10th, 1911. Fifty-eight years in Will county.
Alfred H. COOK,
Born in Vernon, New York, May 4th, 1828, died at Joliet, December 12th, 1911. Fifty years in Illinois.
Margaret DOYLE,
Born (illegible), Indiana, July 4, 1826, died at Joliet, Feb 25, 1912. Sixty-three years in Illinois.
Patrick McELHINNY
Born in Indiana, 1818, died at Joliet, Feb. 7, 1912. Resident of Illinois sixty years.
Mrs. Peter EICH,
Born in Germany, Jan. 11, 1837, died at Joliet, March 5, 1912. Fifty-six years in Illinois.
Miss Minerva D. EARL,
Born at Condeysport, Pennsylvania, Sept. 9, 1841, died at Joliet, April 15, 1912. Resident of Will county fifty-eight years.
John FORAN,
Born in Ireland, May 24, 1844, died in Plainfield, May 14, 1912. Sixty years in Illinois.
Mrs. Cynthia GRANT,
Wife of John GRANT, United States revenue collector, was born at Wilmington, Dec. 2, 1848, died at Elwood, Dec. 2, 1911, the anniversary of her birth. She was the daughter of John (FISHBURN) and Martha Cox FISHBURN and grandaughter of Thomas FOX, founder of Winchester, the original name of Wilmington.
Christopher GARRIT,
Born in Ireland, Dec. 24, 1843, died at Joliet, Feb. 14, 1912. Sixty years in Illinois.
Anthony GOEBEL,
Born in Germany, 1837, died at Joliet, Feb. 2, 1912.
Louisa A. HAMMOND,
Wife of Lewis J. HAMMOND, born in New York, Jan. 27, 1831, died at Joliet, Jan. 2, 1912.
Susan Angeline HARDIN,
Born in Vermont, Jan. 27, 1834, died in Lockport township, April 10, 1912. Seventy-four years in Illinois.
Eliza H. HILL,
Widow of John W. HILL, born in Lamington, New Jersey, May 24, 1840, died at Joliet, April 28, 1912.
Lydia W. HILL,
Widow of Captain Charles A. HILL, born in Crete, Will county, March 11, 1839, died at Joliet, Jan. 7, 1912.
James Clark KEENE
Was born March 19, 1824, in Orange county, N. Y., died at Plainfield, May 8, 1912. He came to Joliet about 1846. He was married at Scipio, Ohio, March 31, 1846, and he and his wife celebrated the sixty-sixth anniversary of their wedding March 31, 1911.
Julius KRAUSE,
Born in Germany, Dec. 2, 1843, resident of Will county forty-three years. Died at Joliet, Feb. 29, 1912.
William Henry LANFEAR,
Born in New York state, Dec. 25, 1830, died in Homer, March 6, 1912. Seventy-seven years in Illinois.
George Henry MUNROE,
Born at Watertown, New York, Sept. 24, 1844, died at Daytona, Florida, Feb. 1, 1912. Mr. Munroe came to Florence township in 1849 and to Joliet in 1862. May 6, 1869, he was married to Eva WEEKS, only daughter of Judge Charles H. WEEKS, a pioneer of 1833.
Ann Merrill,
Born in New York state, Feb. 26, 1820, died at Braidwood, April 11, 1912. Ninety-two years in Illinois.
Sidney PRICE,
A resident of Plainfield since 1857, died at the home of his son, William (PRICE), in Plainfield, Sept. 20, 1912, at the age of 92 years.
George RUB,
Born in Germany about 1828, died in Joliet, March 10, 1912. Fifty-four years in Illinois.
Miss Belle RUSSEL,
Born in Lockport, March 28, 1863, died at Joliet, april 23, 1912. Forty-nine years in Will county.
William Wallace STEVENS,
Born in Oxford county, Maine, July 14, 1832, died at Joliet, Feb., 1912. Came to Will county in 1855. Sept. 6, 1859, he was married to Althea H. HAWLEY, daughter of Judge Oscar L. HAWLEY, one of the earliest settlers of Will county.
Jane B. SANDIFORD,
Born in Woodhill, Landcashire, England, June 19, 1832, died in Joliet, Jan. 17, 1912.
Ruth Eliza SMITH,
Daughter of James WINTERS, wife of Daniel Y. SMITH, formerly Mrs. TULLOCK, born in Delaware, June 24, 1824, resided in Will county sixty-five years. Died in Joliet, Jan. 24, 1912.
Marie Agnes STAEHLE,
Born in Germany, March 13, 1828, died in Joliet, Dec. 6, 1911.
Sarah F. SAVAGE,
Widow of Rev. Edward SAVAGE, born in Connecticut, Sept. 12, 1815. Fifty-five years in Joliet.
Harriet B. SHUTTS,
Wife of Peter SHUTTS, born in Joliet, March 6, 1861. Died in Joliet, Nov. 6, 1911.
Catherine A. TAIT,
Born in New York state, Sept. 6, 1839, died in Joliet, May 22,1912. Fifty-six years in Will county.
Major James A. THOMPSON,
Born in Garmouth, Canada, Oct. 22, 1832, died in Joliet, Jan. 15, 1912.
John Michael ULRICH,
Born in Joliet, Nov. 10, 1864, died May 19, 1912, forty-seven years in Joliet.
John J. WILHELMI,
Born in Germany, Sept. 22, 1832, died in Joliet, May 5, 1912. Fifty-eight years in Illinois.
Mrs. Barbara Werlen WEBER,
Born in Switzerland, died in Joliet, March 27, 1912. Seventy-one years of age and sixty years in Illinois.
Christopher WAMPLER,
Born in Philadelphia and brought to Joliet when two years of age. Died at his home on Oneida street, Sept. 30, 1912. He lived in Joliet for sixty-four years; fifty years of which he worked in the Stephen Harness shop.
Robert Burt WIGHT,
Only son of Dr. E. G. (WIGHT) and Frances WIGHT, was born in Kinderhook, New York, March 27, 1825, and died at his home in Plainfield, March 2, 1912. His father was one of the founders of Naperville, coming there in 1832. The deceased had lived in the historical Wight homestead (the first house built between Chicago and Ottawa) since 1836.
Mrs. Joseph H. HANDWERK,
Died at her home in Joliet, Thursday, Oct. 3, 1912. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. WARD, pioneers of Joliet. She was born and lived in Joliet all her life time and married Joseph HANDWERK, thirty-one years ago.
Mrs. Mary BARTHELME,
Died 1912, at the age of 79 years. She came to Joliet in 1843, where she lived until the date of her death.
Mrs. Jachim BARTON,
Died at Peotone, 1912. She was born in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, April 17, 1841. She was married to Mr. Barton in 1862 and resided since that time in Will county.
Mrs. Dorothy BEHRENS,
Was born in Germany, Feb. 11, 1833, and lived in Will county forty-five years. She died in Manhattan, 1912.
Mrs. Grace CAMPBELL,
A resident of Will county since 1853, died in Manhattan, 1912, at the age of 77 years. She was born in Scotland and came directly to Joliet in 1853.
Henry EDER,
Died at Weisbaden, Germany, July 8, 1912. Mr. Eder was an old resident and prominent citizen of Joliet. The body was cremated and the ashes brought to Joliet, Aug. 1, 1912.
James C. GRADY,
A resident of Joliet for fifty years, died at Joliet, Saturday, Sept. 21, 1912.
Mrs. Mary A. HYDE,
Was born in Naperville, Illinois, Jan. 28, 1834, and came to Joliet in 1855. She was married to George W. HYDE at Joliet in 1857. Mrs. Hyde lived in Joliet from 1855 until her death in Chicago, March 22, 1912.
Alexander HARVEY,
Was born in Scotland and came to Illinois in 1850. He died at his home near Plainfield, in 1912.
Paul LEHNER,
A resident of Joliet, since 1852 (possibly 1858). Died May 3, 1912 at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He leaves twenty-five grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Mrs. George MILEN,
A pioneer who came to Will county in 1840, when she was eighteen years of age and resided in Lockport until her death in 1912. Mrs. Milen was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, July 27, 1828.
William F. MUHLIG,
Father of F. M. MUHLIG, died in Elwood, Aug. 27, 1912. He was born in Halifax, N. S., July 16, 1832. A resident of Will county since 1858.
Mrs. Maria RULAND,
Widow of Dr. A. Ruland, one of Will county’s first physicians. Was a daughter of Henry GLASSFORD and born March 24, 1818, in Pennsylvania. Married to Dr. Acker RULAND in 1836, when they came to Goodings Grove. Died in Homer, March 4, 1912.
Mrs. Freelove M. SMITH
Died in Chicago, Aug. 25, 1912. Mrs. Smith was the daughter of Oliver (PIERCE) and Mary (WRIGHT) PIERCE of Rutland county, Vermont. She was married to Horace S. SMITH, at Clarendon, Va., Sept. 9, 1852. She came with her husband to Joliet in 1876, at which time Mr. Smith undertook the Herculean task of placing the bankrupt Joliet Iron & Steel company on a sound financial footing. That he fulfilled his contract is a well-known matter in the history of the great iron industry of the Nnited States. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are buried in Oakwood (Cemetery, Joliet).