Will County IL Archives Biographies.....Stephen, Joseph 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Deb Haines ddhaines@gmail.com December 3, 2007, 5:58 am

Author: Past & Present, 1907

Joseph Stephen, whose labor has been the measure of his success, has for some 
years been numbered among the prosperous residents of Joliet. Years ago he 
established a harnessmaking business on a small scale; today it is a 
prosperous and thriving enterprise. He is, moreover, vice president and 
director of the Will County National Bank and its general manager, so that he 
figures prominently in financial as well as manufacturing circles. Mr. Stephen 
was born in Grassendorf, Alsace, France, February 17, 1837, and was nine years 
of age when he came to Joliet with his parents, John and Adelia (Huet) 
Stephen. His father was a farmer by occupation. In the common schools of the 
little village of Joliet, Joseph Stephen acquired his education and at the age 
of fourteen years began learning the trade of harnessmaker, at which he here 
worked until 1857 when he went to Texas. There he followed his trade for three 
years, returning to Joliet in the fall of 1860. In February, 1861, he opened a 
small shop on Jefferson street. Three years later this shop was destroyed by 
fire, together with all its contents, and he lost everything he had acquired. 
He possessed, however, resolute spirit and unfaltering perseverance, and after 
this disaster opened a small shop on South Joliet street, where he remained 
until he could rebuild on Jefferson street. When the new building was 
completed he returned to his old location which has since been his place of 
business and where he has met with marked success. His trade has developed 
with the growth of the city and has long since become an enterprise of 
importance. As the years have passed it has brought him prosperity that has 
enabled him to reach out to other fields of business and in financial circles 
he is well known as vice president, director and now manager of the Will 
County National Bank. On the 12th of November, 1861, Mr. Stephen was married 
to Miss Antoinette Helmel, daughter of Ignatz and Maria Helmel, natives of 
Alsace, France. They now have five living children: Charlotte, wife of Charles 
Kaffer, of Atchison, Kansas; Oscar J.; Edmond R.; Dr. Herman E.; and Bertram 
H., all of Joliet. Mr. Stephen, ever recognized as a valued citizen, has been 
called to many public offices. He has acted as trustee of schools for many 
years, has been city treasurer, assistant supervisor of his township and 
director of the public library. In politics he is a conservative republican 
and his worth in party councils is widely acknowledged, while his value in 
business circles and community affairs is a matter which none question. 

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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