Biography of John WHITNEY, Kane County, Illinois Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives Copyright 1999 June McDowall JOHN WHITNEY of Campton Township, KANE COUNTY, IL - b 1847 JOHN WHITNEY, who resides on his valuable farm of one hundred and thirty-two acres in Campton township, where he is extensively engaged in stock dealing, was born in this township on the 23rd of February, 1847, his parents being JOHN and MARIAH (BLOOD) WHITNEY, both natives of Massachusetts. The father, who was a farmer by occupation, came to Campton in 1836, and passed away in 1854, his remains being interred in the Whitney cemetery at Campton. The mother of our subject, whose birth occurred about 1813, removed to Cattaraugus county, New York, and gave her hand in marriage to JOHN WHITNEY in 1838. In the early days they underwent many of the hardships and experiences incident to pioneer life and often received but a poor remuneration for the products of their farm. They sold butter at eleven and twelve cents per pound, oats at twenty cents per bushel, wheat at fifty or sixty cents per bushel and received twenty-five cents for seventy-two pounds of corn. The members of their family, in addition to JOHN WHITNEY of this review, are as follows: DANIEL, who was born in Campton, January 3, 1840, and engaged in farming four miles west of St. Charles; RACHEL, whose birth occurred in Campton in 1842 and who wedded CHARLES PROBERT, an agriculturist residing on a farm five miles west of St. Charles; MARY ANN, who was born in Campton and now resides at Tekonsha, Michigan, being the wife of GEORGE DOWNEY, a soldier in the late Civil war; MARIAH, whose birth occurred in Campton in 1850 and who became the wife of JAMES ELLIS, her demise occurring in 1868; MELVIN, who was born in Campton, February 20, 1852 is a farmer and cattle dealer of St. Charles; and LOTTIE, whose birth occurred in Campton in 1854 and who passed away in 1871. JOHN WHITNEY attended the district school during the winter months until about twenty-one years of age, and during the summer seasons assisted in the work of the home farm, thus early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. His father had purchased land from the government at a dollar and quarter per acre. JOHN WHITNEY now resides on a productive and well improved farm of one hundred and thirty-two acres located four and a half miles west of St. Charles, and in addition to the work of general farming is extensively engaged in stock dealing, his stable accommodating forty- five head. He likewise keeps a hundred or more head of fine poultry, and in the various branches of his business is meeting with a gratifying and well merited measure of prosperity. He has put five thousand dollars' worth of improvements on the farm, which is equipped with all the accessories and conveniences of a model property of the twentieth century. On the 31st of October 1903, his home was almost totally destroyed by fire, and he subsequently erected a larger and finer residence at a cost of over four thousand dollars. In his political views Mr. WHITNEY is a democrat, and is a public-spirited citizen whose cooperation can always be counted upon to further any movement or measure instituted for the general welfare and upbuilding. He has resided in this county throughout his entire life or for a period of sixty-one years, and has not only seen Kane county grow from a wild country, with thousands of good homes and acres of growing towns, inhabited by an industrious, prosperous, enlightened and progressive people, but he has also been an active participant in the slow, persistent work of development which was necessary to produce a change which is so complete that it has come to be popularly referred to as magical. History of Kane County, Illinois, Vol. II by R. Waite Joslyn, LLM, and Frank W. Joslyn (Ex State's Attorney of Kane County), published by The Pioneer Publishing Co. - Chicago, 1908 Pages 268 - 269 ------------------------------------------------------------------ USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organiza- tions or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contri- butor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ----------------------------------------------------------------- File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: June McDowall