Grundy County IL Archives Biographies.....Seegar, Lewis ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com March 25, 2006, 5:29 pm Author: Bio/Gen Record LaSalle/Grundy 1900 Lewis Seegar Lewis Seegar, one of the prominent farmers of Good Farm township, Grundy county, Illinois, enjoys the distinction of having been one of those patriotic German-born citizens of the United States who at the time of our civil war risked his life in defense of the flag of his adopted country. The same warm, stirring German blood that made him a successful pioneer in a foreign land made him a good soldier, and it has animated him for a life struggle which has resulted in honor and good fortune. Born in the village of Schimmershausen Hesse-Cassel, August 27, 1838, he is a son of Henry Seegar, a native of Hesse-Cassel, who owned a farm of one hundred acres in Germany and was otherwise a well-to-do man. Henry Seegar was married twice, first to a Miss Plighing, who was the mother of five children: August, Annie, Lewis, Charles and Lizzie. Charles and Lizzie died young. Mrs. Seegar died in Germany, in 1841, when Lewis was but three years old. For his second wife Mr. Seegar married Elizabeth Hildebrand, who bore him children named Lizzie, Minnie, Philip and William. Mr. Seegar, who was a lifelong member of the Reformed church was a son of Ludwig Seegar, a farmer who owned the Seegar home farm in Germany which he bought with his own earnings, having been left with but one dollar as an inheritance. Henry Seegar, the father of Lewis, was pretty well educated, and in recognition of his excellent judgment he was made a magistrate. He came to America in 1856, bringing his family with him. They sailed from Bremen Haven about the middle of May, and landed in New York, July 4. They came by rail to Joliet and Mr. Seegar made the journey on foot to Kankakee county, Illinois, to see Mr. Shafer, an old friend who lived there. Mr. Seegar bought one hundred and sixty acres of wild prairie land near Norton, but lived on it only a few years, settling later in Franklin county, Iowa, on one hundred and sixty acres of land which he improved, and lived upon until his death, which occurred ten years later, about 1880, when he was aged about seventy-five years. He was a hard-working, enterprising, straightforward man, a Republican in politics, and in every sense of the term a good citizen. He had two sons in the federal army in our great war of the states—Lewis and August, both in Company I, Seventy-sixth Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry. August served three years and was in all the battles of his regiment. Lewis Seegar was brought up on a farm, in Germany and was nineteen years of age when he came to America with his father, and has many interesting reminiscences of the journey. He found employment at farm work at Norton, Kankakee county, Illinois, for William Unz, with whom he remained five years. He enlisted for service in the United States Army at Kankakee, Illinois, and was enrolled January 29, 1864, as private of Company I, Seventy-sixth Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, for three years or during the war, and was honorably discharged August 18, 1865, at St. Louis, Missouri. He saw service in Virginia, Louisiana, Florida and Alabama, and took part in the fighting at Vicksburg, previous to its surrender, July 4, 1863, Champion Hills, Jackson’s Cross Roads, Mississippi, Blakely, Alabama, and Port Hudson, Louisiana, July 8, 1863. He was twice grazed by bullets,—by one across the face, and another tore the clothing over his stomach, at the battle of Jackson’s Cross Roads. Mr. Seegar was always an active soldier and was in all the campaigns, marches, battles and skirmishes of his regiment while in the service. He was sick with fever in the hospital at St. Louis for three weeks. After the war he returned to Kankakee county and farmed for himself for one year. Mr. Seegar married, December 28, 1867, in Good Farm township, Margaret Haag, the widow of George Haag, nee Margaret Mier, born May 25, 1836 at Walkersdorf, Bion, Germany. Mrs. Seegar came to America in 1852 with her mother, Mrs. Barbara Mier, and her sister Lena, who later married Henry Numan, a substantial farmer of Grundy county. They sailed from Havre, France, in the good ship Barbara Morris, and were six weeks on the voyage to New York, from which city they came directly to Grundy county, Illinois. When Barbara was nineteen years old, in 1855, she married George Haag and they had children named Mary, Lena, Amelia, Fritz and John. Mr. Haag, who was a well-to-do farmer, owning one hundred and twenty acres of land, died August 14, 1866. He was a member of the Evangelical church. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Seegar lived on the Haag farm until 1876, when they moved to their present farm, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres, to which they have added by hard work, industry and good judgment until they now have an excellent farm of two hundred acres. Their children are Lizzie, Annie, Minnie, George and Frank. Mr. and Mrs. Seegar are both devout members of the Christian Catholic church. In 1893 Mr. Seegar had two paralytic strokes and as a result he was helpless two years and had many dangerous spasms. The regular physicians did him no good, and he states that his condition grew so serious that he almost gave up in despair, when about three years ago he was entirely cured by his faith in Jesus Christ, through the teachings and prayers of John Alexander Dowie, of Chicago. This is one of the most remarkable cures on record and Mr. Seegar believes it to be of the same nature of those wrought by Jesus when he was on earth. Mr. Seegar was believed to be in a dying condition when, by faith alone, as he verily believes, he was entirely cured, and he is to-day a well, strong man for his age. He is a substantial farmer, a good citizen and a man of unquestionable veracity. His faithful wife and his family are truthful witnesses of his restoration to health, as are many of his neighbors, and all who know him rejoice at his deliverance, whether inclined to question its means or not. His life has been a busy and a useful one, and its successes have been won by honest effort. Such a man could hardly be spared by the community, for he has long occupied a place in it which it would be hard to fill. Mrs. Seegar has been a true helpmeet to him in every sense of the term, and they and their children are held in the highest esteem by all who know them. Additional Comments: Source: Biographical and Genealogical Record of La Salle and Grundy County, Illinois, Volume 11, Chicago, 1900, p549-551 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/grundy/bios/seegar637nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 7.1 Kb