Woodstock Opera House

Mrs. S. T. Bryan is a native of Norway, born Sept. 5, 1820. She was married in Chicago, 111., to S. T. Bryan, being his third wife. They had no children. In 1843 Mr. Bryan came to Illinois and settled on the farm now occupied by his widow. He was one of the first Norwegian settlers of the county, and was one of its most respected citizens. He was influential in promoting many of the improvements of the township. The church opposite his farm was commenced and nearly finished by him. He was born Jan. 1, 1808, and died March 10, 1884, and was buried in the Scandinavian Cemetery. Mrs. Bryan's property is very valuable, being situated near Woodstock, and in the best farming portion of the county.

Passage source: History of McHenry County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns : Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History : Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, Also a Condensed History of Illinois .., published 1885.

Henry Eckert. - Jacob Eckert and wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Smith, sailed from France in March, 1838, with one son, Henry, who at that time was but eleven years of age. In the fall of the same year he located in what is now called Greenwood Township, McHenry County, 111. His first purchase consisted of 160 acres of land which he at once set about to improve and resided there till his death in L872, at the age of eighty-six years and six months. His wife died in 1860. To them had been born three sons, two of whom came to America, Jacob and Henry, and one, Michael, died in France. Henry now owns and occupies the old Eckert homestead, half of the property coming by heirship, and the balance he purchased of his brother Jacob at $6 per acre, which at present is all under cultivation with line improvements comparing well with the best in Greenwood Township. Mr. Eckert has been constantly adding to the pioneer home until his possessions now number 466£ acres, comprising three separate farms, two of which are carried on by his sons William H. and Frank. The home place is conducted by George W . Our subject, until attaining his majority, was under the kind care and guidance of fond parents, which he in turn reciprocated when old age bade them retire from active life. Mr. Eckert was. married in 1847 to Miss Catharine Senger, daughter of Jacob and Magdaline (Neuhardt) Senger. To them were born seven children, four sons and three daughters - William H., George W., Frank, Charles F., Catharina (deceased), Catherine (deceased), and Linda, the wife of George Burger, of Hebron, who has two children, a son and daughter. George W. married Miss Bertha Sigwald and has two children, a son and daughter. Charles graduated from Northern Indiana Business Institute, Valparaiso, in 1884. Our subject is of pioneer stock and is one of the most prosperous and influential citizens of his town and county. Shortly after his marriage he was elected the second Tax Collector of his town, iu which capacity he acted two years. At the expiration of this service he was chosen by the people as Commissioner of Highways, which position (although not lucrative) he enjoyed for a period of fifteen years to the full satisfaction of all fair-minded citizens; was afterward elected Assessor, but declined to act, owing to the fact that he had previously decided to conduct the foundry and machine works in Woodstock, which he continued three years when he again returned to his farm, and the year following was elected as Supervisor of his town, thus bespeaking for him'the full confidence

Passage source: History of McHenry County, Illinois : Together with Sketches of Its Cities, Villages and Towns : Educational, Religious, Civil, Military, and Political History : Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Representative Citizens, Also a Condensed History of Illinois .., published 1885.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Greenwood Township - 14,976 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.