Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Skeel, John F ************************************************ 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 October 4, 2007, 10:25 pm Author: Genealogical and Biographical Record of Will County JOHN F. SKEEL, clerk of the board of school inspectors and clerk of the board of education of Joliet Township, is a descendant of a Welsh family, whose first representatives in this country were two brothers that settled in Connecticut. His grandfather, Nathan Skeel, a native of Connecticut, removed to Salt Point, near Syracuse, N. Y., and engaged in the manufacture of pumps. During the war of 1812 he served in the defense of Sackett's Harbor. At an early date he brought his family to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1830 settled in Hennepin, Ill., where he manufactured pumps. At the time of the Black Hawk war his son, Linus B., enlisted in the army, where he showed himself to be a man of courage and hardihood. The active life of Linus Skeel was passed in farm pursuits near Hennepin; and he was successful in his undertakings. On retiring from active labors and business cares he removed to Gibson City, Ford County, Ill., and there his death occurred in 1897, when he was eighty-six years of age. During the Civil war his farm was a station on the underground railroad and more than one runaway slave was helped by him on his way to freedom. He was a devout and leading member of the Congregational Church and one of the principal workers in the congregation in his locality. Twice married, Linus B. Skeel had five children by his first wife, and two of these are living. One, Oliver, was a soldier under Sherman during the Civil war. The second wife was Flora Morrison, who was born in Argyleshire, Scotland, near the mouth of the Clyde, and who is now seventy-four years of age. She was a daughter of Donald Morrison, a seafaring man, who served in the British navy during the naval war between England and Russia in 1799 and lost an arm in an action; afterward he was retired on a pension. Our subject was one of the seven children born to Linus B. and Flora Skeel, and, of these, four are now living, he being the youngest son. He was born near Hennepin, Putnam County, Ill., December 24, i860, and was educated in Granville high school and Wheaton College, graduating from the latter in 1883 with the degree of A. B. Afterward he engaged in the newspaper business at Highmore, S. Dak., being editor of the Dakota Capital for one year. Later he taught in the city schools at Tama, Iowa, for one year. While there he married, in 1885, Miss Flora Birdsell, daughter of William H. Birdsell, then of South Dakota, but now of Lockport, Ill. In 1885 Mr. Skeel returned to Granville as principal of the high school in which he had studied some years before. The next year the county board of supervisors appointed him to fill a vacancy in the office of superintendent of schools of Putnam County. After the expiration of the term he came to Joliet in 1887, where for a year he was cashier and bookkeeper for the Locey coal mines. For eighteen months he held a similar position with the Barrett Hardware Company. For a year he was bookkeeper with the Illinois Steel Company, after which he was bookkeeper and cashier with Bishop & Lambert for two years, continuing with them until January, 1893. After the consolidation he was employed in the Chicago office during the World's Fair. In the fall of 1893 he went west, intending to settle in Idaho or Washington, but, after an attack of mountain fever, he decided that Illinois was preferable for a place of residence. He was still quite ill when he came back to this state. On regaining his health, in 1894 he became principal of the Broadway school, Joliet, continuing there until he was appointed clerk of the board of school inspectors in July, 1896. In the spring of 1899 the establishment of the township high school was voted almost unanimously by the people and the school board appointed him their clerk. These two positions take his entire time, and their duties he discharges in a manner satisfactory to all concerned. He is identified with the First Presbyterian Church, in which he is a ruling elder. He and his wife reside in a house that he built at No. 120 Dewey avenue. 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/skeel987gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/ File size: 4.9 Kb