Champaign County IL Archives Biographies.....Chester, E E 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Celia Snyder cgsnyder@uiuc.edu September 1999

Biography of E E CHESTER, Champaign County, Illinois

From:  "History of Champaign County, Illinois with Illustrations," 1878

E. E. CHESTER

Was born in Franklin county, Ohio, seven miles from Columbus, on the 30th
of April, 1837. His great-grandfather lived in Nova Scotia at the time of
the Revolutionary war, and his property was confiscated by the British
authorities for his adherence to the cause of the American colonists. In
compensation for this and seven years' military service, after the
independence of the colonies was achieved, he was granted a quantity of
land in Franklin county, Ohio. Mr. Chester's grandfather, Elias CHESTER,
emigrated at an early period to Ohio, from the State of New York, and
settled on this land, seven miles from the present city of Columbus. His
father, whose name was also Elias CHESTER, was a small boy when he came to
Ohio, was raised in Franklin county, and there married Anna SMITH, whose
father was a native of New York and an early settler of Franklin county,
Ohio. The fourth of seven children by this marriage was E. E. CHESTER, the
subject of this sketch.

He was raised near Columbus on the old homestead which his grandfather
settled in the early days of the history of the state. He attended the
common schools, and at one time prepared to enter a college in Indiana, but
the death of his father made necessary the abandonment of this plan. In the
spring of 1859, he bought a quarter section of land in Champaign county,
Illinois, which comprises part of his present farm, and in 1860 began
improving it. At Columbus, Ohio, on the 25th of February, 1864, he married
Margaret POWELL, who was born in Franklin county, Ohio, ten miles from
Columbus, the daughter of Jacob POWELL, who was born in the state of
Pennsylvania, and when a small child came to Ohio with his father, who was
one of the first settlers of Franklin county. Mrs Chester's father is now a
resident of Jackson county, Missouri.

A view of Mr. Chester's farm, five miles south-west of the city of
Champaign, is shown elsewhere in this work. He is the owner of 440 acres of
land, finely situated and well improved. He is a man of energy. His early
life was spent in hard labor on his father's farm in Ohio, and since coming
to this state his career has been one of industry and activity---qualities
upon which his success has depended.


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