Some Illinois History

1673 French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet paddled up the Mississippi, Illinois, and DesPlaines Rivers, passing within two miles of what would become the Biggins Farm. Around what is today 55th Street and Harlem Avenue, they portaged a couple miles to the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. They claimed the upper Midwest for King Louis XIV as part of New France 1717 Illinois became part of the French colony of Louisiana 1763 Illinois became part of the British Empire as a result of the Treaty of Paris ending the Seven Years' War (known as the French and Indian War in the United States) 1783 Britain ceded Illinois to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War. (Connecticut claimed the northern portion of Illinois, corresponding to Connecticut's latitude, until 1786) 1786 Connecticut ceded its claim to the northern portion of Illinois, corresponding to Connecticut's latitude (41st and 42nd parallels north), which includes Chicago and Lockport 1787 The Northwest Ordinance placed Illinois in the Northwest Territory 1789 Constitution became effective and George Washington took the oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City 1799 George Washington died at home in Mount Vernon, Virginia 1800 Illinois became a part of the Indiana Territory. Capital was Vincennes 1807 Patrick Beggan was born, most likely in Drumgill, County Cavan, Ireland 1809 Illinois became a Territory (included Wisconsin and northern Minnesota) 1816 The U.S. Congress decided to construct a 97-mile canal to facilitate greater non-Indian settlement in Illinois. The canal would connect the Chicago River at what is now called Bridgeport in Chicago with the Illinois River at LaSalle, allowing travel from New York City through the Hudson River, the Erie Canal, and the Great Lakes to the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and New Orleans 1818 Illinois became the 21st U.S. state 1827 U.S. Congress gave the Illinois & Michigan Canal odd-numbered sections of land five miles on either side of proposed Canal 1833 Patrick and Bridget Biggins' second child Anna was born in Upper Canada (Ontario) 1833 Chicago became a town 1834 The eastern third of Illinois was taken from the Diocese of Quebec and made part of the new Diocese of Vincennes, Indiana, by Pope Gregory XVI 1835-38 Patrick and Bridget Biggins immigrated from Upper Canada (Ontario), to the United States. They settled in what became Lockport, DuPage Township, Will County, Illinois 1836 Commissioners of the Illinois & Michigan Canal selected Lockport as headquarters for the canal and site of Lock No. 1 1836 Will County created 1836 Construction began on the Illinois & Michigan Canal 1837 Chicago became a city 1838 St. Patrick's Church established in Joliet. Father John Francis Plunkett was made pastor by Bishop Simon Bruté of the Diocese of Vincennes. Father Plunkett was born in Dublin in 1798 1838-46 Patrick and Bridget Biggins' last five children were born 1843 Northeastern Illinois was taken from the Diocese of Vincennes and made part of the new Diocese of Chicago by Pope Gregory XVI 1846 St. Dennis Church established in Lockport 1848 Opening of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Canal boats pulled by horses and mules on a towpath 1848 Patrick Biggins purchased 160 acres in Section 33 of DuPage Township, on the south side of Normantown Road, from the Illinois & Michigan Canal Commission for $640 1849 DuPage Township created 1857 Chicago & Alton Railroad built alongside the Illinois & Michigan Canal 1860 Patrick Biggins became a naturalized citizen of the United States, renouncing allegiance to Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland since 1837. 1861 Abraham Lincoln became president of the United States. The Civil War started 1865 The Civil War ended. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The funeral train traveled 1,654 miles through seven states. At 11 pm on Tuesday, May 2, the train passed two and a half miles east of the Biggins Farm on the Chicago & Alton Railroad. 1866 Patrick Biggins purchased 160 acres on the north side of Normantown Road, kitty-corner from the original 160 acres, for $6,500 1874 Patrick sold the western half of the 1866 purchase to his son James and the eastern half to his daughter Catherine 1880 The 1880 census shows James and Catherin living in separate households--James with his wife and two children and Catherine with her father Patrick 1882 Patrick Biggins died at age 75. The Will County Commercial Advertiser reported the day after that “consumption, that relentless destroyer of man, was the disease that sought and finally carried him to his long home.” Funeral rites at St. Dennis Church included a Solemn High Mass 1895 Romeoville became a village

Commemorative plaque at the place where the Treaty of Paris was signed at 56 rue Jacob, Paris 6. Britain ceded Illinois to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War. (Connecticut claimed the northern portion of Illinois, corresponding to Connecticut's latitude, until 1786). Source: Treaty of Paris (1783). St. Patrick's Church, Joliet, Broadway Street, 1838-1917. Where Patrick and Bridget's last five children were baptized..

2004 Trip to Chicago

In June 2004, Marilyn and I took a trip to Chicago and went to Romeoville, in DuPage Township, where my great great grandparents, Patrick and Bridget Biggins, had lived on a farm in the 1800s. We saw an abandoned farm house on the property on Normantown Road. I took a photo, but had no idea whether whether my ancestors had ever lived there. We thought nothing more of it until, thirteen years later, I stumbled upon a 2001 historic preservation report that included a photo and short write-up on the Biggins farmstead. It took me a couple weeks to remember that we had seen a farm in 2004 and had taken a photo. I found my photo and compared it with one in the 2001 report. They were the same.

House on Normantown Road on farm purchased by Patrick Biggins in 1866. Source: 2001 Rural Historic Structural Survey.

House on Normantown Road on farm purchased by Patrick Biggins in 1866. Source: 2004 photo by Peter Biggins.

It was probably Patrick's son James A, Biggin who built this house on Normantown Road. In 1874, he bought from Patrick the western 80 acres of Patrick's portion of Section 28. James married Elizabeth Healy in 1875. In the 1880 census, James and his family were living in a separate household (page 3) from his sister Catherine and her father Patrick (page 4)--probably James in the western half and Catherine in the eastern half.

Patrick and Bridget Biggins were born in Ireland and married sometime between 1825 and 1829. They were married in County Monaghan or Cavan, Ireland, where Patrick was from, or Ontario, Canada, where their second child is known to have been born.

Patrick and Bridget's first child was a girl, born sometime between 1826 to 1830, based on the 1840 census, which included only the name the head of the household. This is all we know of their first child. She has not been found in future censuses. Sometime before 1835, Patrick and Bridget immigrated to Canada. They settled somewhere Ontario. Sometime between 1835 and 1838, they immigrated to the United States. They settled in Lockport, DuPage Township, Will County, Illinois.

In 1816, two years before Illinois became a state, Congress decided to construct a 97-mile canal to facilitate greater non-Indian settlement in Illinois. The canal would connect the Chicago River at what is now called Bridgeport in Chicago with the Illinois River at LaSalle, allowing travel from New York City through the Hudson River, the Erie Canal, and the Great Lakes to the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers and New Orleans. The Federal government negotiated with the Potawatomi and other Indian tribes to sell their land to the Federal government and leave for lands west of Illinois.

Illinois land was surveyed and divided up into square townships, six miles by six miles. The townships in turn were divided into 36 square sections, one mile by one mile, which amounts to 640 acres. The sections could be further divided into 160-acre quadrants or half quadrant (80 acres) or quarter quadrants (40 acres). In 1827, the U.S. Congress gave the Canal Commission alternating sections of land five miles on either side of the Illinois and Michigan Canal to finance construction.

Lockport got its name and its start in 1836, when the Commissioners of the Illinois & Michigan Canal selected it as headquarters for the canal and site of Lock No. 1.

According to the History of the Village of Lemont, almost all the early Spioneers came to work on the canal, either as contract holders or laborers. The contractors were mostly from New England or the Ohio border towns. The unskilled laborers were the newly immigrated Irish, German, Scandinavians, along with French and English Canadians who came looking for a new life, fleeing poverty and political persecution. The Canal Corridor Association, the Irish began arriving in northern Illinois in large numbers in 1836, to work on the I&M Canal. A history of St. Dennis Church in Lockport (150 Years of Faith by Georgene McCanna Bankroff, 1996) says newspaper ads in Ireland offered good wages for canal workers, $26 a month, food, and lodging. Thousands of men were attracted by this offer during a depression caused by the Panic of 1837. Most Irishmen were uneducated farm workers who were looking to better their station in life.

The Illinois and Michigan Canal was constructed from 1836 to 1848. In 1838, there were 2,000 men employed on the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Patrick could have been employed by the canal as a laborer. The Census shows that he and Bridget could not read or write. Or, he could have been a supervisor or a supplier.

Patrick and Bridget had five of their seven children in Illinois, from 1838 to 1846, prior to completion of the Canal.

Sometime between 1840 and 1845, Patrick and Bridget moved from Lockport to DuPage Township. An 1845 report from school district No. 4 to DuPage Township shows P. Biggins with three children under age 20. These would be the girl born in Ontario, 15+, Ann, 10, and Frank, 7. This is the first evidence that Patrick and Bridget had moved from Lockport to DuPage Township. It is possible that they were farming the land that they later purchased in 1848 prior to the purchase.

The Canal Commission report to the Illinois State Legislature for the year ended November 30, 1848 indicates that a P. Beggins sold oats to the Commission for $9.97 on January 18, 1848.

The first canal boats came down the canal on April 19, 1848. Barges were powered by horses and mules on a towpath. Traffic increased until the mid-1850s when the Chicago & Alton Railroad was completed far enough to make shipping and travel by rail more attractive than barge.

On September 11, 1848, Patrick Biggins purchased 160 acres of land from the Illinois & Michigan Canal Commission for $640. The land was on the south side of Normantown Road in Romeoville, Illinois. The western 80 acres is now a subdivision called Lakewood Estates. The eastern 80 acres is now the Beverly Skoff Elementary School and the John J. Lukancic Middle School.

On June 23, 1866, Patrick purchased 160 acres on the north side of Normantown Road, kitty-corner from the original 160 acres, for $6,500. The Thos. J. Sprague farm, on which the Sprague school stood, abutted the east side of this plot. The western 80 acres was developed as Misty Ridge, a community of 166 homes, built from 2009 to 2016 by Beechen & Dill Builders, Inc. The eastern 80 acres was developed in 1963 as a residential subdivision, part of Hampton Park 2 West.

2021 Google Map of area in 1873 Map shown below.

Six square-mile sections from the 1873 DuPage Township plat map. The Patrick Biggins land is outlined in red: the 1848 plot to the south, the 1866 plot to the north. The road running east-west between the two Patrick Biggins plots is Normantown Road. The road on the east side of the 1866 plot is now called Dalhart Road. The Sprague school is east of the 1866 plot on Joliet Road. The road running diagonally north of the 1866 Biggins plot is now Veterans Parkway. The James and Owen Biggins land is outlined in blue. The road running diagonally through the James Biggins land is now Interstate 55, which runs between Chicago and St. Louis. It is also called "Historic U.S. 66." Full Map.

1955 Aerial Photo

John W. Drury (1898-1973) published in 1955 This Is Will County. It was No. 26 in his American Aerial County History Series. The Biggins farm on page 95 is one of 176 in the DuPage Township section. The description under the photo is: "George Mather, Rte. 3, Lockport, 160 acres." George Mather owned the Biggins farm in 1955. Route 3 was Normantown Road. The book divides DuPage Township into five areas based on the nearest city or town: Joliet, Lemont, Lockport, Naperville, and Plainfield. The Lockport area of DuPage Township is the one nearest the city of Lockport and includes Normantown Road.

American Aerial County History Series, This Is Will County, No. 26, by John Drury, 1955. Aerial Survey of Biggins Farm on page 95: George Mather, Route 3, Lockport, 160 acres.

2001 Rural Historic Structural Survey

The Will County Historic Preservation Commission has undertaken a Rural Historic Structural Survey that includes DuPage Township (completed in 2001 by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc.). In Chapter II, pages 24-26, there is a section on Significant and Contributing Farmsteads in Du Page Township, starting with the photos and a buildings diagram of the "Amsden-Biggins-Mather farmstead" on Normantown Road.

Amsden–Biggins–Mather

"Albert Amsden is shown on the 1862 plat map as being the owner of the southeastern quarter section of Section 28 in Du Page Township. The plat map also shows the farmstead fronting on contemporary Naperville Road. The 1860 federal population census lists Albert Amsden, 36; his wife Sarah, 30; and three children: Oscar (born in Michigan), 11; Ella (born in Illinois), 8; and Alice, 9 months. The Agricultural Schedules of the 1860 federal census listed the A. Amsden farm as having 160 improved and 5 unimproved acres. The estimated values of the farm and the farming implements were $4,125 and $200, respectively. The farm had livestock valued at $600, which included 5 horses, 8 dairy cows, 5 cattle, and 12 swine. The output of the farms for the preceding year was 150 bushels of wheat, 700 bushels of corn, 450 bushels of oats, 10 bushels of peas and beans, 60 bushels of potatoes, 65 bushels of barley, 700 pounds of butter, and 40 tons of hay. (Albert Amsden was the census taker in Du Page Township in 1860.)

"The 1860 census also lists Patrick Biggins farm as being 160 acres. As shown on the 1862 plat map, Biggins farm was located in the northwest quadrant of Section 33 in Du Page Township, land he had owned since 1848.⁶⁰ The 1850 federal population census listed Patrick Biggins (spelled “Begins” on census forms), 40, born in Ireland; Bridget, 45, also born in Ireland; sons Francis, 12; Philip, 9; and James, 4; and daughters Ann, 15; Catherine, 10; and Rosanna, 7. Ten years later, the census does not include Bridget Biggins, indicating that she had died.

"Between 1860 and 1870, Biggins purchased the Amsden farm (this is shown on the 1873 plat map). The 1870 census indicates the Biggins farm contained 320 improved acres. The estimated values of the farm and the farming implements were $16,000 and $1,000 respectively. A total of $600 were paid in wages for hired help including the cost of board. The farm had livestock valued at $1,900, which included 11 horses, 6 dairy cows, 28 cattle, and 10 swine. The output of the farms for the preceding year was 300 bushels of spring wheat, 1200 bushels of corn, 2500 bushels of oats, 110 bushels of potatoes, $3 worth of orchard produce, 300 pounds of butter, and 60 tons of hay.

"Presumably after Patrick Biggin’s death the farm in Section 28 passed to his son James.⁶¹ This is the farmstead that is present on Normantown Road today. As shown on the 1893 plat map, the farmstead belonging to the James Biggins family occupied the west half of the southeastern quarter section in Section 28. The eastern half of this quarter section is identified as belonging to Margaret Reardon (her relationship to the Biggins family, if any, is not known).

"The 1909 plat maps show E. Biggins as the holder of the farmstead in Section 28 (Catherine Biggins, discussed below, is listed as owning the land in Section 29). The Will County Farmers’ Directory of 1918 lists E.W. Biggins as a chicken farmer married to Mamie O’Connor with five children: William, James, May, Catherine, and Margaret. His farm was 182 acres and he had lived in the county since 1870. H.R. Phelps is listed as owner of the farmstead on the plat map from circa 1940. By the 1960s, this farmstead had passed to members of the Mather family. George, Millie, and George L. Mather are listed in succession on the plat maps between 1966 and 1998."

Italianate Gable of Biggins Farm House. Source: Rural Historic Structural Survey.

On page 62 of Chapter I, the survey says the "area has numerous examples of Italianate or Italianate-influenced buildings." "Other houses have Italianate detailing, such as shown above at the gable of the Biggins-Phelps-Mather farmhouse on Normantown Road in Section 28 of Du Page Township."

U. S. Agricultural Census

The Agricultural Census for Patrick's farm for 1850, 1860, and 1870 shows livestock (horses, milch cows, working oxen, other cattle, and swine) and farm production (wheat, Indian corn, oats, Irish potatoes, butter, and hay).

History of the Biggins Farm, 1827 to 2007

The table below shows transactions and listings from plat maps and other sources from 1827 to 2007 for the plots of land purchased by Patrick Biggins.

DuPage Township Plat Maps

Plat maps have been collected for DuPage Township, Will County, Illinois, where Patrick and Bridget Biggins had a farm. Sources include Dupage Township Rural Historic Structural Survey (Appendix A), Fountaindale Historical Society, Joliet Public Library, Lewis University, and Lockport Public Library. Twenty-one maps have been collected to date:    1873   1893 (partial)   1909   1925   1930   1933   1963   1966   1972   1978   1980   1982   1988   1992   1994   1996   1998   2000   2002