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NAPERVILLE AREA FARM FAMILIES HISTORY NAPERVILLE AREA FARM FAMILIES HISTORY This book was assembled by a committee, who gathered the information from the families, their relatives and friends. In most cases, the information was given by one individual family; member. It was printed as received, with few exceptions. Therefore, the committee takes no responsibility for its authenticity or accuracy. For Reference Not to be taken from this room NAPERVILLE AREA FARM FAMILIES HISTORY committee: Earl Meisinger Lenore McDonald Ruth Hageman Sis Wiesbrook ©Copyright 1983 by Naperville Farmers' Riverwalk Committee Printed by Bloom Printing Corporation •1- NICHOLS LIBRARY The cover is a sketch drawn by artist, Wendy Cummiskey, of the wood beam walking plow donated by the Earl Meisinger family to be mounted on top of the Farmers' monument at the Quarry Riverwalk. The plow was purchased about 1897 by Adam Meisinger from Louis A. Reiche, who had a store on south Main Street at Jackson Avenue in Naperville. It was restored in 1979 by Derryl Meisinger, son of Earl and Marge Meisinger and great-grandson of Adam Meisinger -2- 1. • • -^i Preface Naperville has a rich heritage pertaining to the farmers in the area, past and present. We commemorate those hardy men and women, who worked so hard to bring Naperville from a prairie wilderness to a thriving city. This collection of 150 Family Histories and 70 photographs are but a sampling of the farm families who made contributions to the "Farmers' monument" on the Quarry Riverwalk. These histories date from the early 1800's to the present, as some families are still actively engaged in tilling the soil. FARMERS' RIVERWALK PROJECT COMMITTEE MEMBERS James Bannister Cletus J. Kocher Homer Book Ray Kuhn Joan Case Harriet Kuhn Lois Case Clarence Landorf John Case Patricia Landorf Gene Darfler Earl Meisinger Connie Darfler Nick J. Modaff, Sr. G. Alan Diehl Lenora McDonald Arthur Drendel Albert Schwartz Edward Drendel Wilhelmina Ulrich Marshall M. Erb David Wiesbrook William Feldott Florence (Sis) Wiesbrook Lawrence Gregory Wilbert Hageman Honorary Member: Ruth Hageman Gordon Gregory Frank Keller Sr. -4- Arthur W. & Helen H. Abbott Arthur William Abbott was born and raised in the used to say he was married between corn planting City of Chicago. He was born on March 21, 1890 and hay making. and was the son of William Lament and Caroline A new three story colonial house was built at Entwhistle Abbott. All of the summers from 1898 to Broadlawn Farm and Arthur and Helen moved into 1905 were spent on the farms of the Abbott, it in the Spring of 1915. Five children were born in Entwhistle and Odlin relatives near Union Grove, this house—William Lamont Abbott, II on Decem- Whiteside County, Illinois, where he developed a ber 31, 1915; Margaret and John Hood Abbott on great love for farms and livestock-horses in particu- October 9, 1920; James Arthur Abbott on June 28, lar 1922 and Ruthanne Abbott on June 10, 1925. In June, 1906, he made the discovery he was After war was declared in 1917, Arthur reported very carefully being reared for the engineering pro- for duty at Camp Dodge, Iowa on December 17, fession-the electrical utility business in particular, in 1917. He was commissioned a 1st Lt. of Infantry, which his father was involved. However, he rear- O.R.C. and was assigned to the 42nd Infantry Regi- ranged the plans and graduated from the University ment of the Regular Army. He had rented his farm of Illinois with the class of 1912 in the College of to Daniel Stiefbold from Naperville. Arthur was Agriculture. discharged from the Army on April 5, 1919 and After graduation he set about the task of develop- returned to Broadlawn Farm. Daniel Stiefbold ing and operating the four sections (2560) acres of moved to a farm in Wheatland Township, southwest wild land which his father and uncle had bought in of Naperville. Clark County, Wisconsin (Fairchild) some years be- During his years of farming an outstanding herd fore. It was cut over white pine land and tamarack of registered Holstein cattle was developed. It was swamp. After a year of working this land he realized unique in that no outside female animals were there was no future in this work and life style. added to the herd. He shipped his milk all those As a result of a contact with his former roommate years to the Chicago Grade A market. After gradu- and fraternity brother, Arthur Greene, whose family ating from high school, his son John joined in the lived on a large dairy farm on Hobson Road, he farming operation and management of the dairy purchased a nearby farm from William Dailey. His herd. By 1950 the tax load on the farm and the farm was 210 acres bounded by 63rd Street on the inevitability of having to give in to the outward north, route #53 on the west and Hobson Road on march of the City of Chicago, convinced John and the south. Arthur that the time had come to move the farming At 3:30 a.m. on March 15, 1914 his Arms Palace operation "out of the city" and on March 1, 1950, Horse Car was set out on the switch at the Lisle John moved the dairy herd and the farm machinery stockyard. He had made the two day trip from to a rented farm near St. Charles in Kane County. Fairchild, Wisconsin in the company of 8 horses, 4 Following John's move to St. Charles and until cows, 3 pigs and a collie pup. This trip is described the farm was sold, he continued the farming oper- in detail in his autobiography. Upon arriving he ation at Broadlawn by means of hiring major work, telephoned Spencer Greene, who had made ar- such as plowing, planting and harvesting done on a rangements with Collins Goodrich and the two custom basis by local people, and by doing some of Dieters to give him a hand in getting the stock to the it himself. In some years he leased out the land, or farm. The next four weeks were very busy ones, sold crops such as hay, and even grain crops "in the getting shaken down, fixing up his house, buying field" to be harvested by the purchaser cows and seed, and getting machinery set up and After the dairy herd left Broadlawn, he became ready to go. involved in the beef cattle business. He maintained He was something of a curiosity because he did about 25 Aberdeen Angus heifers who kept the not have a wife. On June 24, 1914 he took care of grass mowed and at the same time produced a calf that situation by marrying Helen Amanda Hood at a crop that was sold off each Fall as feeders, and ceremony performed by her brother, Rev. William F. provided him with something to be concerned Hood, at Christ Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. about. All in all it was a profitable sideline, and at Helen Hood lived in Fairchild and had graduated the same time served one of his lifelong interests, from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She animal husbandry. had prepared to teach Latin and German. After Several major setbacks occurred during the 48 graduation, however, she had returned home to years he farmed at Broadlawn, but each time he care for her mother who was very ill and died six managed to recover Early on the morning of Febru- months before she married Arthur Abbott. Arthur ary 18, 1941 the big house at Broadlawn Farm was completely destroyed by fire. On April 15, 1941 he Wisconsin and rented the apartment in the duplex moved into the 80 year old completely remodeled owned by his son, William. He continued working and modernized tenant house. In the early morning on various projects and spent considerable time of July 10, 1957 the barn was struck by lightning traveling around the State of Wisconsin in the com- during a violent rain and thunderstorm and burned pany of Professor Larry Graber, who was retired to the ground along with the adjacent granary. Since from the University of Wisconsin and whom he had it was necessary to provide some winter shelter for known before as a student. the Angus cattle, a small pole barn was built to Arthur passed away on September 26, 1971 and replace the old barn. is buried in the family plot at the Naperville Ceme- Arthur and Helen lived at Broadlawn Farm until tery. By any standards, it can be safely said that his June of 1962, when they moved to 992 Sylvan was a full, eventful and productive life, and that he Circle, Naperville. On June 24, 1964 they celebrat- will long be remembered. ed their Golden Wedding Anniversary amid family In his autobiography he wrote that it had been his and friends at their home in Naperville. privilege to live during the days of the emergence of Helen was born at Fairchild, Wisconsin on Au- general usage of electricity, the telephone, the auto- gust 28, 1889 and passed away at Naperville on mobile, the airplane, the process of fixation of atmo- November 25, 1965 and was buried in the family spheric nitrogen for the use as fertilizer, radio, televi- plot in Naperville Cemetery along with John and sion; the development and use of nuclear fuels; and Margaret. Margaret was a 1st Lt. in the Army Nurse travel into outer space. It will remain to be seen how Corps until her untimely death from a brain tumor long it will be before there is again such a break- on September 14, 1950.

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