Will County IL Archives Biographies.....STATES, FRANK ************************************************ 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: Paula Winke-Martisek wranglerjack@comcast.net September 18, 2007, 11:54 pm Author: GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD FRANK STATES, one of the enterprising and prosperous German-American farmers of Channahon Township, was born in Baden, Germany, March 13, 1835, the only child of George and Josephine (Wachter) States, also natives of Baden. His mother died in 1847 and the following year his father was called out to take part in the revolution of 1848, where he served until he was severely wounded and forced to resign. In the fall of the same year he came to America and settled near Flushing, L. I., where he died from the effects of his army wounds some six months afterward. By trade he was a miller. His death left his son an orphan, alone in a strange country, and but thirteen years of age. The boy started up the Hudson River and went as far as Peekskill, near which place he secured work with John Croker, a brother of Richard Croker, of Tammany Hall fame. After remaining there for some five years, in 1853 he came west and settled in Aurora, Ill., where he was employed in burning lime and as a stone and brick mason. In 1857 Mr. States married Miss Jane Benedict, a native of Milan, Cayuga County, N. Y., and a daughter of Elijah and Sarah (Branch) Benedict. Her father, a native of Essex County, N. Y., born in 1799, grew to manhood in his native county and married Miss Branch, who was born in East Genoa, N. Y., in 1802. Afterward he settled in Cayuga County, where he preached in the Baptist Church until failing health obliged him to give up ministerial work. Later he was employed as a bookkeeper. In 1848 he settled in Oswego, Ill. Two years later he removed to Aurora, where he soon died. His wife passed away in 1885. She was a daughter of Samuel and Ruth Branch; the former, a soldier in the Revolutionary war, died about 1841; the latter survived him many years, living to be about ninety. By the marriage of Mr. States to Miss Benedict two children were born, but Frank, Jr., is the only one now living. Mrs. States died in 1863 and two years later our subject married her sister, Mrs. Sarah Lowe, by whom he had six children. Four are now living, John, a farmer in this county; Edwin, William and Walter, at home. In 1859 our subject went to Kansas and settled in Marysville, Marshall County. Those were troubled days in the history of Kansas, and his object in going there was to cast his influence in with the free-state party. In 1861 he returned to Illinois and settled in this county. After a time he bought eighty acres of land in Channahon Township, where he now lives. Through his farming and stock-raising interests he has prospered, and he also gave considerable attention to work as a mason. As the years passed he acquired additional property and now owns three hundred and sixty-eight acres, which represents his constant labor and good management. It has been his aim to help his sons in every way possible, and each of them, when fifteen or sixteen years of age, was given a tract of ground to cultivate and allowed to keep the profits accruing from the same. In politics Mr. States is a Republican. He is a patriotic citizen of his adopted country and supports all measures in the interest of good government. For thirty-six years he has served as a school director and for six years he held the office of school trustee. Fraternally he is connected with Channahon Lodge No. 262, A. F. & A. M. A man of religious convictions and a believer in the doctrines of Christianity, he has contributed both to Methodist and Presbyterian churches in his home neighborhood and has aided both in their work. 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/states1732nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ilfiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb