Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Gougar, William ************************************************ 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 September 3, 2007, 4:32 pm Author: Genealogical/Biographical Publishing Co WILLIAM GOUGAR, one of the old settlers of New Lenox Township, was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, a son of William and Catherine (Abel) Gougar. His paternal grandfather was born in Germany and emigrated from there to Pennsylvania, settling in Berks County, where he developed a farm and remained until his death. His two brothers came with him; one settled in Virginia and the other in Kentucky. From Berks County William Gougar, Sr., and his wife removed to Pickaway County, Ohio, in 1818, the year of their son's birth. They bought a farm which the father began to develop, but after four years he sold out, removing to Vermilion County, Ind. In 1831 he brought his family to Will County, Ill., (accompanied by his father), and purchased a tract of raw prairie on Hickory Creek. At once he began the task of improving the property, and from time to time he added to his holdings until, when he died, he was the owner of three hundred and twenty acres, where he engaged in farming and stock- raising. For years his home was in a log cabin destitute of the improvements and furnishings of our modern residences, but in later days he erected a more commodious house. For many years Nicholas Gougar was postmaster at the old Gougar homestead, which office has since been transferred to Joliet. On the Democratic ticket William Gougar, Sr., was elected to various township offices, including that of commissioner, which he held for several years. He was also a member of the school board of his district. In the division of Will from Cook County he took an active part, as well as in other important movements of early days. He had been reared in the faith of the German Lutheran Church, and often those of similar belief met at his home for religious worship, there being no organized church of the denomination in the vicinity. He was spared to attain eighty years of age, and passed away in 1861. His wife, who was born in Pennsylvania, died at the Will County homestead in 1854, at the age of fifty-six years. They were the parents of eleven children, seven of whom are living, namely: John, the eldest, who lives in New Lenox Township and is now almost ninety years of age; Jacob, of Kankakee County; Daniel, whose home is in Joliet; William; Lewis and Joseph E. (twins), the former of Denver, Colo., the latter of this county; and Eliza, wife of William Wilson. When it is remembered that the boyhood days of our subject, William Gougar, were passed in new and unsettled sections of the country, where schools had not yet been introduced, it can be readily understood that he had no advantages for obtaining an education. When he was fourteen years of age he accompanied numerous Will County men into the Black Hawk war, spending several months on the field of warfare, enduring many hardships and privations. His brothers, Daniel and Nicholas, were members of the militia in the Black Hawk war. On his return home he assisted his father on the farm. In 1850 he made a trip with four mule teams to the gold fields of California, where he remained for three years, meeting with fair success as a miner. In 1853 he came back to Will County. The following year he purchased a farm one mile west of New Lenox and there he resided until 1891, engaging in stock-raising and general farming. In 1891 he bought a home in New Lenox and retired from active labors, having met with an accident that disabled him for hard work. Though he began with nothing he now owns five hundred and thirty acres of good land. No citizen is more interested in the progress of the township than is Mr. Gougar. He remembers the days when settlers were few, and even the most sanguine never hoped for a condition of prosperity such as the present decade has witnessed. When Indians were numerous and hostile, on one occasion they drove the family from home, and they remained in the Wabash country until the fall of 1832, when they came back to Will County. He was a charter member of the Grange and aided in its organization. In politics a Democrat, he served as supervisor for one term and as school director for several terms, and has aided in the erection of schoolhouses and other public buildings. By his marriage, in 1859, to Clarissa, daughter of Baldwin Hawkins, of Kankakee County, Ill., he has three children: William Joel, who has successfully engaged in farming, Helen and Frank. Additional Comments: Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County Illinois Containing Biographies of Well Known Citizens of the Past and Present Biographical Publishing Company; Chicago 1900 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/will/bios/gougar1642nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb