Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Brandt, William & Company ************************************************ 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 http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00003.html#0000719 February 6, 2008, 2:00 am Author: Past and Present of Will County, IL; 1907 The firm of William Brandt & Company is well known in Peotone and throughout the surrounding district as buyers and shippers of grain and live stock. The partners are William Brandt and his father, F. J. Brandt. The latter was born in Holstein, Germany, March 21, 1850, and his father, F. J. Brandt, Sr., was also a native of Germany, where he worked as a laborer. He came to America in 1880 and died at the home of a son in McLean county, Illinois, at the age of seventy-six years. His wife bore the maiden name of Anna Diers, and was also a native of Germany, where her death occurred when she was sixty-five years of age. In their family were ten children, all of whom came to America, and nine of the number are yet living, but F. J. Brandt is the only one residing in Will county. It was in the year 1870 that F. J. Brandt of this review came to the United States. He was then a young man of twenty years, and, thinking to have better advantages in the new world, he bade adieu to friends and fatherland and crossed the Atlantic to the United States. For four years he worked at farm labor and in 1874 he came to Will county, settling in Peotone township, where he rented land. There he followed farming until about two years ago, when he removed to the village of Peotone. He made his first purchase of land in 1898, becoming the owner of eighty acres, which constituted an improved farm in Peotone township. He now owns four hundred acres of valuable land, from which he derives a good income. He landed in America one hundred and twenty dollars in debt, for his passage to the new world, but he possessed a resolute will and determined spirit and as the years passed by he overcame the difficulties and obstacles in his path and achieved success by reason of stalwart and honorable purpose and unflagging industry. In 1872 F. J. Brandt was united in marriage to Anna Yuhl, a native of Germany, and they became the parents of nine children, of whom six are yet living: William; Peter, who resides on one of his fathers farms; Henry, who is also living on one of his father's farms; Mary, the wife of Fred Yunker; Emma, the wife of Christ Palow; and Minnie, at home. The eldest son, William Brandt, was born in this country, reared to farm life and educated in the public schools. Having arrived at years of maturity he married Miss Minnie Kennedy, and they have two children, Margaret and Lydia. Two years ago William Brandt purchased an interest in the elevator now owned by the firm of William Brandt & Company. At that time the business was conducted under the firm style of Yung & Brandt. About a year ago F. J. Brandt, the father, purchased Mr. Yung's interest and the firm of William Brandt & Company was then organized. They do a good business, controlling a large trade in grain and live stock, and make extensive shipments. The father is a member of the German Lutheran church and belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp, No. 1405, while in politics both he and his son William are republicans, who stanchly endorse the party and its principles. They are wide-awake, enterprising business men and have gained a goodly measure of success in their operations in the grain and live stock trade in Peotone. F. J. Brandt may well be termed a self-made man, for he was not only empty-handed when he came to the new world, but was hampered by an indebtedness which he found necessary to incur in order to pay his way to the new world. Recognizing that this is a land of limitless opportunities, he eagerly sought employment and as the years passed utilized the advantages in the best possible way and in the course of years became one of the substantial residents of his adopted county. Additional Comments: PAST AND PRESENT OF WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS By W. W. Stevens President of the Will County Pioneers Association; Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1907 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/will/bios/brandt2521nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 4.5 Kb