WILLIAM HARRISON BANNISTER FAMILY

William Harrison Bannister was born October 15, 1813, in Ontario County, New York After completion of his education, he worked at farming as well as clerking in his father’s dry goods store. He moved to Illinois about 1840. His future wife, Catherine Leich, born in Ireland, came to Illinois with her family from Pennsylvania about the same period of time. They were married in 1849 and had five children, Ashel, Willard, Eva, Catherine and William Harrison, Jr. The couple homesteaded land on Chicago Avenue where Steeple Run is now located, and also owned at one time about 200 acres where Four Lakes and St Procopius Abbey are now situated.

The oldest son, Ashel Bannister; born 1850, died 1925, married Mary Arua Lyman, and lived and farmed his entire life on the Chicago Ave. farm. Ashel and Arua had two sons, Claude E., born 1880, died 1954, married to Emily Rowe; and Dwight L., born 1889, died 1964. Claude lived his entire life on the family farm. Dwight worked on the farm until married in 1920 to Coletta Riedy, his neighbor, at which time he moved to Naperville and worked at Kroehler’s. The Dwight Bannisters moved back to the Riedy farm (now Century Hills) on Chicago Avenue in 1925 and farmed there until 1936, when they purchased a farm on 75th Street (now West Glens). They had four children: Ruth (Mrs. Edgar) Jackson, a resident of Naperville her entire life, who has two children, Patricia Quinn and Frank Jackson; James D. (Christine), who lived on the family farm until subdivided, and still farms in the Naperville community, Elaine (Mrs. Elmer) Ferry has lived in the Naperville area her entire life; George F. lived and farmed in the Naperville area until late fall of 1982, when he moved to Wisconsin. He has one son, Gerald George.