Will County IL Archives Biographies.....PHELPS, EGBERT 
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Paula Winke-Martisek wranglerjack@comcast.net September 20, 2007, 12:32 am

Author: GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD

EGBERT PHELPS, who came to Joliet in 1870, was born in Middlebury, Vt., 

December 8, 1835, a son of Samuel S. and Electa (Satterlee) Phelps, natives 

respectively of Litchfield, Conn., and Vermont.  His father, who was in the 

war of 1812, and served as paymaster in the army, settled in Middlebury, Vt., 

where he engaged in the practice of law. While serving as judge of the supreme 

court of Vermont he was elected to the United States Senate in 1839, and 

served his country in that capacity until 1851. His oldest son, Edward J., an 

attorney in Burlington, Vt., was minister to England under the first 

administration of Grover Cleveland. The subject of this sketch was a classmate 

of Admiral Dewey in the Norwich military school.  In 1856 he graduated from 

Union College at Schenectady, N. Y., after which he had charge of a private 

school in Louisiana and also studied law, returning to Middlebury in 1859. The 

next year he went to Burlington, Iowa, where he studied law in his brother's 

office, and was admitted to the bar early in 1861. When the war began he was 

commissioned May 14, 1861, first lieutenant in the Nineteenth United States 

Infantry, in which he served with valor. He was detached at first as 

recruiting officer, and then was engaged in mustering duty at Columbus, Ohio. 

March 16, 1864, he was commissioned captain. During the last year of the war 

he took part in the Atlanta campaign. He had the command of the regiment on 

the march through Georgia. After the war Mr. Phelps engaged in the claim 

business at Columbus, Ohio, for a year, then ran a flouring mill at Maumee 

City, that state, for two years. In 1870 he came to Joliet, where he formed a 

law partnership with W. C. Goodhue, later was with Judge Benjamin Olin, but is 

now alone in the practice of law. For some years he was president of the 

school board. It was due to his efforts that the public library was 

established in Joliet. He was president of the old Joliet Historical Library 

Association, which presented to the city a library that has since been 

enlarged to thirteen thousand volumes. Since 1890 he has been president of the 

Library Association, which is now formulating plans for a new public library 

building that will be a credit to the city and a source of pride to every 

citizen. In Logansport, Ind., Mr. Phelps married Miss Belle Jerolaman, whose 

father, Dr. George M. Jerolamau, was appointed by President Jackson as 

physician to the Indians, and was placed in charge of their removal to the 

more remote west. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps have two daughters and one son. 

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


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