Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Hoge, William  1801 - 1884
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Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com March 25, 2006, 4:44 pm

Author: Bio/Gen Record LaSalle/Grundy 1900

William Hoge

In the days when Scotland was sending many of its brave men to America to aid 
in the settlement of the New World, there came to this country an ancestor of 
our subject.  The first of the name to arrive in the United States was William 
Hoge, who left the land of hills and heather and crossed the Atlantic in the 
seventeenth century.  He married Barbara Hume, and their descendants are now 
widely scattered over the country.  The great-grandfather of our subject also 
bore the name of William Hoge, and was born in Pennsylvania, the first 
representative of the family to become identified with the Society of Friends, 
having joined that quiet Christian people and lived an honorable, upright 
life, commanding the respect of all with whom he came in contact.  In 1754 he 
removed to Virginia, where he reared his family of seven children, namely:  
Solomon, James, William, Joseph, George, Zebulon and Nancy.  Of these, Solomon 
Hoge was united in marriage to Mary Nichols, and among their children was 
Joshua Hoge, the father of our subject.  He wedded Miss Mary Poole, and unto 
them, on the 5th of July, 1801, in Loudoun county, Virginia, was born the son 
to whom they gave the name of William, a name that has frequently occurred in 
different generations of the family.

William Hoge spent his youth on his father's farm in the Old Dominion, and 
pursued his education in a little log school-house such as was common at that 
day, where the "three R's" constituted the curriculum, namely, 
readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic.  In November, 1826, when about twenty-six 
years of age, he married Rachel Bowles, and in 1829 came to the west, in 
company with his father, on a prospecting trip.  The journey was made on 
horseback, by way of Indianapolis and Covington, Indiana, to the site of the 
present city of Joliet, Illinois.  Mr. Hoge, of this review, brought with him 
two thousand dollars, which belonged to his father and which he invested in 
canal lands that were then surveyed and upon the market.  He selected a 
section and a half of choice prairie land bordering on Nettle creek, in what 
is now Grundy county.  This purchase gave him timber, water and prairie, and 
provided him with cheap transportation by way of the canal and Illinois river 
to both Chicago and St. Louis.  As a commission for making the purchase, his 
father gave him his choice of any quarter section of the land, and after he 
had made his selection he returned to Virginia.  A year later he removed the 
family to his new possessions, reaching his destination in the latter part of 
October, 1831.  A great Pennsylvania wagon, drawn by four horses, carried his 
household effects, while his wife and their children, accompanied by a young 
lady, who was a cousin of his wife, rode in a covered buggy drawn by two 
horses.  His brother Solomon also accompanied him in order to aid him in 
establishing a home in the western wilds, and thus they made the long, tedious 
journey which consumed seven weeks.  Hurriedly a log cabin was constructed, 
and in that primitive home the family resided for several years. It was the 
second cabin built within the present limits of Grundy county, a fact which 
indicates the wild and unsettled condition of this region.

In May, 1832, the Sac war occurred, and Mr. Hoge, together with the other 
white settlers in the locality, fled with his family to Ottawa, but his home 
was unmolested by the red men, who thus showed their gratitude for the 
kindness which he had recently done one of their number.  Not knowing his 
place would be safe, however, he took his wife and children to Ottawa and 
assisted in building a rude log fort for protection against the Indians.  The 
whole family afterward went to Pekin, Illinois, and remained there until the 
latter part of August, 1832, when he deemed it safe to return.

They once more took up their abode in their pioneer home, and the work of 
developing the land then began in earnest, and though there were many 
hardships and trials to be borne, the labor was steadily prosecuted and in 
time the fields yielded bounteous harvests.  As his financial resources 
increased, Mr. Hoge was enabled to extend the boundaries of his farm by the 
purchase of other lands, and he also carried on cattle-raising.  Corn was his 
principle crop, and the sale of cattle added greatly to his income, so that, 
as a result of his energy and ability in the two branches of his business, he 
became a prosperous man.  He had great assistance from his nine children, five 
sons and four daughters, who grew up around him, and ably aided him in the 
work of the field and of the household.

In 1843 Mr. Hoge was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, whose death 
occurred in that year, and during the rebellion his son Hendley was killed in 
the battle of Franklin, Tennessee.  This was a great blow to him, but did not 
deter him from the faithful performance of his duty.  He realized the 
disadvantage under which he labored, owing to the limited opportunities of 
education which he had received in youth, and was always a firm friend of the 
public schools.  In 1834 he erected at his own expense the first schoolhouse 
in Grundy county.  It was a log cabin, twelve by fourteen feet, with clap-
board roof, and situated a few rods from his home, and still standing.  There 
Marie Southworth, afterward Mrs. Whitney, taught the first school in the 
county, and thus Mr. Hoge provided educational privileges for his children and 
for the other young people of the neighborhood.  He was always a stanch 
Republican in politics from the organization of the party, but aside from 
casting his ballot in support of the men and measures of his choice, he took 
no active part in political affairs, save in the discharge of the duties of 
several local offices.  His interest was centered in his family and his 
business, and he had therefore no political ambition.  He was devoted to his 
wife and children, and considered no labor too great that would enhance their 
welfare or promote their happiness.  In religious belief he was a Deist, 
believing that one could best serve God by serving his fellow men.  He was 
universally respected, for his life was useful and honorable.  He passed away 
June 22, 1884, leaving to his family not only a large estate but that good 
name which is rather to be chosen than great riches.  His sterling character, 
his fidelity to duty, his devotion to friends and family made his example one 
well worthy of emulation.  As an honored pioneer he well deserves mention in 
this volume, and no history of Grundy county would be complete without the 
record of his life.

Additional Comments:
Source:  Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle and Grundy Counties 
Illinois, Volume 11, Chicago, 1900, pages 407-410

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