Person:Sylvester Ballou (1)

  • HSylvester Allen Ballou1828 - 1899
  • WJulia Barnard1844 - 1869
m. 17 May 1865
  1. Ray Ballou1867 - 1886
m. 12 Jan 1875
  1. Ralph Norton Ballou1877 - 1939
  2. Mary Eloise (May) Ballou1879 - 1959
  3. Edith Ballou1888 - 1967
  4. Alice Ballou1888 - 1960
Facts and Events
Name Sylvester Allen Ballou
Gender Male
Birth[2] 19 Oct 1828 Galway (town), Saratoga, New York, United States
Marriage 17 May 1865 DuPage, Illinois, United Statesto Julia Barnard
Marriage 12 Jan 1875 DuPage, Illinois, United Statesto Eliza A. Norton
Death? 8 Apr 1899 Naperville, DuPage, Illinois, United States

Sylvester was the son of Isaac A. and Hannah (Allen) Ballou, the former a native of Massachusetts, and the latter of Saratoga County, New York.[2] Sylvester is said to be a direct descendant of Maturin Ballou, one of the founders of Rhode Island.[1]

In the fall of 1849, Sylvester went to New Orleans and became a sailor on the "Oregon." In 1850, he began working in California as a miner and merchant, and he stayed there for ten years, after which he returned to DuPage County.[2] While in California, Sylvester was chosen to represent his district in the Legislature and Senate and made every effort to prevent California from becoming a slave colony.[2] He was a reporter for the Legislature and did some newspaper work.[2]

Sylvester was a member of the Union Army. In 1861, he was appointed by President Lincoln Captain of C.S.V., a position he held for the entire war.[2] He served in Missouri, Georgia and Tennessee.[1]

When he returned from the war, he settled in Lisle, on a farm of 225 acres, which he bought in 1863.[2] In 1865 he married Julia Barnard, and they had a son, Ray. Julia died of pneumonia in 1869.[1] In 1875, he married schoolteacher Eliza Norton. They had four children.[1]

He was an active Republican and often chosen by that party as a delegate to county and state conventions.[2] Sylvester was also a member of the Euclid Lodge no. 65 and held a number of officer positions.[3]


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References
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Naperville Area Farm Families History. (Naperville, Illinois: Naperville Farmers' Riverwalk Committee, 1983)
    p. 7.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Blanchard, Rufus. History of Du Page County, Illinois. (Chicago: O.L. Baskin & Co., 1882)
    p.130-131.
  3. Euclid Lodge ; compiled and printed by Oscar H. Givler, with The Clarion. Euclid Lodge, no. 65: A.F. & A.M., 1849-1904
    p. 7-9.