Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Madison, Louis S 
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Deb Haines http://www.rootsweb.com/~archreg/vols/00003.html#0000719 February 6, 2008, 3:22 am

Author: Past and Present of Will County, IL; 1907

LOUIS S. MADISON. A well improved farm of two hundred and twenty-seven acres, 
lying on section 4, Jackson township, Will county, is the home of Louis S. 
Madison, and that industry and perseverance are numbered among his most 
salient characteristics is indicated by the fact that this land has been 
acquired entirely through his own well directed efforts, for when he arrived 
in Illinois his cash capital consisted of but two dollars and a half. Mr. 
Madison was born in Denmark, January 4, 1847, and is the fourth member of a 
family of six children born unto John and Mary Madison, of whom five are still 
living, the others being: Mrs. John Hansen, Mrs. George Thomsen and Martin 
Madison, all of whom still reside in their native country; and Mrs. Henry 
Johnson, a resident of Chicago. Louis S. Madison pursued his education in the 
common schools of Denmark and was a young man of twenty-two years when, in 
December, 1869, he decided to try his fortune in the new world. Accordingly he 
set sail for America, although he had no plans as to his destination or his 
pursuits, nor had he friends or relatives in this country. While crossing the 
Atlantic he formed the acquaintance of a lady of his own nationality. Her 
husband had previously come to this country and had located in Elwood, 
Illinois, and it was to this place that she was coming to join him. She 
induced Mr. Madison to come to Elwood, which he did, and when he arrived here 
he had but two dollars and a half in money, this necessitating immediate 
employment. During the succeeding winter he worked for his board, and in the 
following spring he engaged in agricultural pursuits, operating a farm on the 
shares for four years. He then sold out and worked as a farm hand by the month 
for a time, after which he once more engaged in business on his own account, 
this time renting a tract of land, which he operated for five years, or until 
the property was sold, which necessitated his removal. He then operated 
another tract of leased land for one year, when, feeling that he was justified 
in purchasing a farm, he bought seventy-three acres, and during the years 
which have since come and gone-he has increased his holding from time to time 
as his financial resources have permitted, until he is today the owner of two 
hundred and twenty-seven acres of well improved land on section 4, Jackson 
township. He has placed his land under a high state of cultivation, has 
improved it with a good residence and substantial outbuildings for the shelter 
of grain and stock, and now has one of the best farms in Will county. He is 
practical and progressive in his system of farm labor and each year is 
rewarded with good crops, thus adding materially to his financial resources. 
On the 3d day of February, 1881, Mr. Madison chose as a companion and helpmate 
for life's journey Miss Christina Jorgensen, likewise a native of Denmark. She 
landed in America about six months before the arrival of Mr. Madison. Her 
natal day was March 11, 1859, and her parents, Peter and Annie (Miller) 
Jorgensen. She was the fourth in order of birth in a family of ten, of whom 
only three now survive, her two brothers being George Jorgensen, who resides 
in Spencer, Illinois, and Peter Jorgensen, who is also a resident of Jackson 
township. The father died in Denmark, after which the mother came to the new 
world, making her home with her daughter, Mrs. Madison, until her death, which 
occurred December 1, 1891. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Madison have been born three sons 
and one daughter, namely: Neil H., who was born November 18, 1881; Anna M., 
born May 6, 1883; Arthur, August 8, 1885; and Peter M., November 6, 1887. Mr. 
Madison has always supported the principles of the democratic party since age 
conferred upon him the right of franchise, although he has never been an 
aspirant for office, preferring to give his time and attention to his private 
business affairs, in which he has met with a very gratifying measure of 
success. He is highly respected in the community where he resides, being 
numbered among the valued and well-to-do citizens of foreign birth in Will 
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

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