Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Cosgrove, George ************************************************ 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 2, 2008, 3:17 am Author: Past & Present Will County, 1907 George Cosgrove, a well known citizen and prominent contractor of Peotone, was born near Kingston, Canada, in 1855, and is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth (Barnes) Cosgrove, both natives of the north of Ireland. In 1837 the father came to the United States, but after spending a short time in Chicago located near Kingston, Canada, in 1838. His last years, however, were spent in Manitoba, where he died in 1900 when in his eighty-seventh year. He was a farmer by occupation, was an Orangeman and a faithful member of the Presbyterian church, to which his wife also belonged. She also died in 1900, at the age of eighty-two years, only ten days after her husband's death. George Cosgrove is the third son and seventh child in a family of ten children. His boyhood was passed upon a farm and his education was acquired in the country schools. At the age of fourteen years he was apprenticed to a blacksmith and spent five years in learning the trade, at which he then worked for one year in Toronto and other places. In 1879 he went to Chicago, where he spent a year working as a carriage blacksmith. During that time he contracted ague and was advised to go to the country. By the merest chance he stopped at Peotone in the fall of 1880 and after working a couple of months in the country took charge of the Peter Schlauder blacksmith shop, where he remained seven years, doing the carriage iron work by the piece. During the following year he worked in the shop of Snyder & Arnold and in 1889 opened a blacksmith shop of his own, conducting it until 1901, when he was forced to abandon that occupation on account of a broken leg. On retiring from that business he began contracting and building, his first contract being the Peotone public school building, which cost fourteen thousand dollars. He has since done considerable stone work throughout the country, building twenty-seven bridges, and in 1904 erected the Immanuel church at Peotone, costing twenty-two thousand dollars. He built the public school at Monee at a cost of ten thousand dollars and in 1906 received the contract for building bridges and culverts on the Chicago Southern Electric road between Monee and Peotone at eight thousand dollars and the same year laid two thousand dollars' worth of cement walks in Monee. In addition to his other business Mr. Cosgrove fattens and ships cattle and is the owner of a good farm of one hundred and twenty acres and a fine residence adjoining the corporation limits Peotone on the west. In 1882 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Cosgrove and Miss Allen Frances Armstrong, who was born near Hazeville, Canada, in 1866. Her father, who is now deceased, was a life- long resident of Canada, and her mother is still living there at the age of eighty-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Cosgrove have four children, namely: Elizabeth, Ella, William and Harold. Mr. Cosgrove is a charter member of Green Tree lodge, No. 14, M. W. A., of Peotone, and is independent in politics. He has been called upon to serve as trustee of the village and as one of the prominent and influential citizens of the community he takes an active interest in public affairs. At the early age of thirteen years he received a second class certificate which entitled him to teach school at the age of eighteen, but he never followed that profession. In business affairs he has prospered through his own capable management and untiring industry has become quite well-to-do. 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/cosgrove2457nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb