Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Buck, Conrad 
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Deb Haines http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00003.html#0000719 February 2, 2008, 2:51 am

Author: Past & Present Will County, 1907

CONRAD BUCK. A good farm of eighty acres on section 20, Washington township, 
improved with substantial appointments, is the property of Conrad Buck, one of 
the worthy German-American citizens of Will county. His birth occurred in 
Hanover, Germany, in 1840, his parents being Conrad and Marie Buck. The father 
was a laborer and died in Germany. The mother came to the United States after 
the death of her husband and lived with her son Conrad until she passed away 
in her sixtieth year. Conrad Buck remained in his native land until 1857 when, 
at the age of seventeen years, he bade adieu to friends and country and came 
to the United States, living for some time with an uncle, Conrad Wehmhoefer, 
in Crete township. He afterward went to another uncle in Lake county, Indiana. 
At the time of the outbreak of the Civil war he espoused the Union cause and 
on the 10tn of September, 1861, offered his services to the government for 
active duty at the front. He joined Company D, Ninth Illinois Cavalry, at 
Crete, and served until the 17th of February, 1863, when he became ill and was 
discharged on account of disability. He then returned to Crete and when his 
health was improved, re-enlisted in October, 1864, becoming a corporal in 
Company A, Twentieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He received his final 
discharge at Louisville, Kentucky, July 16, 1865, after the war had been 
brought, to a close. He was a good soldier, never faltering in the performance 
of any military task that devolved upon him. In 1867 he settled upon the 
eighty acres of land where he now lives. Upon the place he had a little board 
shanty and prairie stable. Today he has a nice frame dwelling and good barns, 
and utilizes the latest improved machinery to carry on the work of the fields. 
In 1867 Mr. Buck was married to Miss Mary Wille, a native of Will county, 
Illinois, who died in February, 1885, at the age of thirty-five years. They 
became the parents of five children, of whom three are living: Sophie, the 
wife of William Ackerman of Minnesota; Mary, the wife of John Barry of 
Indiana; and Lena, the wife of William Jessen, also of Minnesota. Those who 
have passed away were: Fred, who died at the age of twenty-one years; and 
Henry, who died at the age of nineteen years. In 1886 Mr. Buck was again 
married, his second union being with Charlotte Waterman, who was born in 
Germany in 1850, the daughter of Carl and Elizabeth Waterman, who came to the 
United States in 1862 and settled in Crete. The second wife of Mr. Buck is 
still living and by this marriage there are three children: Minnie, Clara and 
William, all at home. Mr. Buck has been a member of the Evangelical church 
since his boyhood days and has been a supporter of the republican party since 
he became a naturalized citizen. His allegiance to these two organizations 
indicates one of the strong traits of his character his unswerving loyalty to 
any cause which he espouses. He is numbered among the early settlers of this 
county, for during almost a half century he has lived within its borders. He 
has never had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in the new 
world for here he has found good business opportunities—which, by the way, are 
always open to young men—and by the improvement of the advantages which 
surrounded him. he has become one of the substantial residents of the 
community. He has not sought to obtain wealth but has believed in enjoying 
life as the years have gone by, gaining, however, a competence sufficient to 
supply him with the necessities and many of the comforts of life.

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

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