ELIZABETH P. FURBECK
Pioneer of Chicago and River Forest Passes Away After Long and Useful Life
In the passing of Elizabeth Porter Furbeck, last Sunday afternoon, one of Chicago's pioneers and a member of one of River Forest's first families went to her final reward. This honored woman, with her great mental ability, honesty of purpose, kindliness of spirit and strong personality, left behind her as a memory to her family and friends a long life of usefulness and unselfish bestowal of time and strength to anyone in need.
Mrs. Furbeck was born in Cicero, Onondaga County, New York, in 1836 and came to Chicago with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Augustine Porter, and three other children when a babe of four months. The journey, which was long and tedious, was made by boat on the Erie Canal from Syracuse to Buffalo, where a sailing vessel was taken for the remainder of the distance. The voyage covered nearly three weeks.
The population of Chicago was then less than 4,000. There were no good traveled roads, no public conveyances, few, if any, bridges across the river and oxen instead of horses were the means of transportation. Mr. Porter decided to take his family to "Babcock's Grove" (now Lombard ) and was conveyed there by a man who was also going there with a team and a long log of soft wood timber to split and hollow out to make eaves troughs for his house.
As many passengers were taken as the log could accommodate, and the journey was made, riding and walking as best the party could. Fording the Aux Plaines (Desplaines), they reached their destination at midnight. The father paid $1,800 for a claim with a log house on it and later sold part of it for $500. The financial panic of 1837 made it impossible for Mr. Porter to pay the government for his claim and the home of seven years was lost. In November of 1843 they left East Dupage to move to Chicago, twenty miles away, with two loads of family and furniture. They were overtaken by a Dakota blizzard and nearly perished before reaching their destination.
At that time one could stand on Randolph street bridge and count every house on the west side of the river; lake water was carried in casks and sold by the pailful; streets were lighted with lamp oil and lanterns were in common use. All the churches were north of Madison street and schools were hardly worth mentioning, they were so crowded and the system of teaching so imperfect.
Cicero, at the proposal of Mr. Porter, was given its name because of the name of his home town in New York, and Proviso was called so because of the Wilmot Proviso, which was being agitated in Congress and made the word suggestive.
Mrs. Furbeck was married in 1852 to James Moore , an Englishman, and from this union three children were born, of whom one daughter, Mrs. Alice M. Titus of Maywood, still lives. In 1868 Mrs. Moore was married to John H. Furbeck and lived for fifty-three years in the red brick house at 42 Central avenue, River Forest, one of the oldest landmarks of the vicinity.
Mrs. Furbeck and her father were the first Baptists to come to Oak Park (then Harlem) and she was a member of the First Baptist Church of Oak Park for forty-seven years.
Homage was paid by a large company of friends, many of long years' acquaintance, and others, young friends, of later years who, too, had come to know and to love Mrs. Furbeck because of her estimable qualities, her keenness and humorous faculties, which made her presence sought in any company in which she might be.
The funeral services were held in Maywood Congregational Church on Tuesday afternoon and conducted by Mrs. Furbeck's pastor, Rev. Carl D. Case, and Rev. Jesse J. Kolmos of Maywood . By request Mrs. Charles Lane and Mrs. E. S. Wells sang "Rock of Ages " and "Saved by Grace, " Miss Esther Eveleth accompanying on the organ. Interment took place in the Forest Home family lot. J. M. W .
—Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), 16 Oct 1920, pg. 10
Pioneer of Chicago and River Forest Passes Away After Long and Useful Life
In the passing of Elizabeth Porter Furbeck, last Sunday afternoon, one of Chicago's pioneers and a member of one of River Forest's first families went to her final reward. This honored woman, with her great mental ability, honesty of purpose, kindliness of spirit and strong personality, left behind her as a memory to her family and friends a long life of usefulness and unselfish bestowal of time and strength to anyone in need.
Mrs. Furbeck was born in Cicero, Onondaga County, New York, in 1836 and came to Chicago with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Augustine Porter, and three other children when a babe of four months. The journey, which was long and tedious, was made by boat on the Erie Canal from Syracuse to Buffalo, where a sailing vessel was taken for the remainder of the distance. The voyage covered nearly three weeks.
The population of Chicago was then less than 4,000. There were no good traveled roads, no public conveyances, few, if any, bridges across the river and oxen instead of horses were the means of transportation. Mr. Porter decided to take his family to "Babcock's Grove" (now Lombard ) and was conveyed there by a man who was also going there with a team and a long log of soft wood timber to split and hollow out to make eaves troughs for his house.
As many passengers were taken as the log could accommodate, and the journey was made, riding and walking as best the party could. Fording the Aux Plaines (Desplaines), they reached their destination at midnight. The father paid $1,800 for a claim with a log house on it and later sold part of it for $500. The financial panic of 1837 made it impossible for Mr. Porter to pay the government for his claim and the home of seven years was lost. In November of 1843 they left East Dupage to move to Chicago, twenty miles away, with two loads of family and furniture. They were overtaken by a Dakota blizzard and nearly perished before reaching their destination.
At that time one could stand on Randolph street bridge and count every house on the west side of the river; lake water was carried in casks and sold by the pailful; streets were lighted with lamp oil and lanterns were in common use. All the churches were north of Madison street and schools were hardly worth mentioning, they were so crowded and the system of teaching so imperfect.
Cicero, at the proposal of Mr. Porter, was given its name because of the name of his home town in New York, and Proviso was called so because of the Wilmot Proviso, which was being agitated in Congress and made the word suggestive.
Mrs. Furbeck was married in 1852 to James Moore , an Englishman, and from this union three children were born, of whom one daughter, Mrs. Alice M. Titus of Maywood, still lives. In 1868 Mrs. Moore was married to John H. Furbeck and lived for fifty-three years in the red brick house at 42 Central avenue, River Forest, one of the oldest landmarks of the vicinity.
Mrs. Furbeck and her father were the first Baptists to come to Oak Park (then Harlem) and she was a member of the First Baptist Church of Oak Park for forty-seven years.
Homage was paid by a large company of friends, many of long years' acquaintance, and others, young friends, of later years who, too, had come to know and to love Mrs. Furbeck because of her estimable qualities, her keenness and humorous faculties, which made her presence sought in any company in which she might be.
The funeral services were held in Maywood Congregational Church on Tuesday afternoon and conducted by Mrs. Furbeck's pastor, Rev. Carl D. Case, and Rev. Jesse J. Kolmos of Maywood . By request Mrs. Charles Lane and Mrs. E. S. Wells sang "Rock of Ages " and "Saved by Grace, " Miss Esther Eveleth accompanying on the organ. Interment took place in the Forest Home family lot. J. M. W .
—Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), 16 Oct 1920, pg. 10
ELIZABETH P. FURBECK
Pioneer of Chicago and River Forest Passes Away After Long and Useful Life
In the passing of Elizabeth Porter Furbeck, last Sunday afternoon, one of Chicago's pioneers and a member of one of River Forest's first families went to her final reward. This honored woman, with her great mental ability, honesty of purpose, kindliness of spirit and strong personality, left behind her as a memory to her family and friends a long life of usefulness and unselfish bestowal of time and strength to anyone in need.
Mrs. Furbeck was born in Cicero, Onondaga County, New York, in 1836 and came to Chicago with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Augustine Porter, and three other children when a babe of four months. The journey, which was long and tedious, was made by boat on the Erie Canal from Syracuse to Buffalo, where a sailing vessel was taken for the remainder of the distance. The voyage covered nearly three weeks.
The population of Chicago was then less than 4,000. There were no good traveled roads, no public conveyances, few, if any, bridges across the river and oxen instead of horses were the means of transportation. Mr. Porter decided to take his family to "Babcock's Grove" (now Lombard ) and was conveyed there by a man who was also going there with a team and a long log of soft wood timber to split and hollow out to make eaves troughs for his house.
As many passengers were taken as the log could accommodate, and the journey was made, riding and walking as best the party could. Fording the Aux Plaines (Desplaines), they reached their destination at midnight. The father paid $1,800 for a claim with a log house on it and later sold part of it for $500. The financial panic of 1837 made it impossible for Mr. Porter to pay the government for his claim and the home of seven years was lost. In November of 1843 they left East Dupage to move to Chicago, twenty miles away, with two loads of family and furniture. They were overtaken by a Dakota blizzard and nearly perished before reaching their destination.
At that time one could stand on Randolph street bridge and count every house on the west side of the river; lake water was carried in casks and sold by the pailful; streets were lighted with lamp oil and lanterns were in common use. All the churches were north of Madison street and schools were hardly worth mentioning, they were so crowded and the system of teaching so imperfect.
Cicero, at the proposal of Mr. Porter, was given its name because of the name of his home town in New York, and Proviso was called so because of the Wilmot Proviso, which was being agitated in Congress and made the word suggestive.
Mrs. Furbeck was married in 1852 to James Moore , an Englishman, and from this union three children were born, of whom one daughter, Mrs. Alice M. Titus of Maywood, still lives. In 1868 Mrs. Moore was married to John H. Furbeck and lived for fifty-three years in the red brick house at 42 Central avenue, River Forest, one of the oldest landmarks of the vicinity.
Mrs. Furbeck and her father were the first Baptists to come to Oak Park (then Harlem) and she was a member of the First Baptist Church of Oak Park for forty-seven years.
Homage was paid by a large company of friends, many of long years' acquaintance, and others, young friends, of later years who, too, had come to know and to love Mrs. Furbeck because of her estimable qualities, her keenness and humorous faculties, which made her presence sought in any company in which she might be.
The funeral services were held in Maywood Congregational Church on Tuesday afternoon and conducted by Mrs. Furbeck's pastor, Rev. Carl D. Case, and Rev. Jesse J. Kolmos of Maywood . By request Mrs. Charles Lane and Mrs. E. S. Wells sang "Rock of Ages " and "Saved by Grace, " Miss Esther Eveleth accompanying on the organ. Interment took place in the Forest Home family lot. J. M. W .
—Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), 16 Oct 1920, pg. 10
Pioneer of Chicago and River Forest Passes Away After Long and Useful Life
In the passing of Elizabeth Porter Furbeck, last Sunday afternoon, one of Chicago's pioneers and a member of one of River Forest's first families went to her final reward. This honored woman, with her great mental ability, honesty of purpose, kindliness of spirit and strong personality, left behind her as a memory to her family and friends a long life of usefulness and unselfish bestowal of time and strength to anyone in need.
Mrs. Furbeck was born in Cicero, Onondaga County, New York, in 1836 and came to Chicago with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Augustine Porter, and three other children when a babe of four months. The journey, which was long and tedious, was made by boat on the Erie Canal from Syracuse to Buffalo, where a sailing vessel was taken for the remainder of the distance. The voyage covered nearly three weeks.
The population of Chicago was then less than 4,000. There were no good traveled roads, no public conveyances, few, if any, bridges across the river and oxen instead of horses were the means of transportation. Mr. Porter decided to take his family to "Babcock's Grove" (now Lombard ) and was conveyed there by a man who was also going there with a team and a long log of soft wood timber to split and hollow out to make eaves troughs for his house.
As many passengers were taken as the log could accommodate, and the journey was made, riding and walking as best the party could. Fording the Aux Plaines (Desplaines), they reached their destination at midnight. The father paid $1,800 for a claim with a log house on it and later sold part of it for $500. The financial panic of 1837 made it impossible for Mr. Porter to pay the government for his claim and the home of seven years was lost. In November of 1843 they left East Dupage to move to Chicago, twenty miles away, with two loads of family and furniture. They were overtaken by a Dakota blizzard and nearly perished before reaching their destination.
At that time one could stand on Randolph street bridge and count every house on the west side of the river; lake water was carried in casks and sold by the pailful; streets were lighted with lamp oil and lanterns were in common use. All the churches were north of Madison street and schools were hardly worth mentioning, they were so crowded and the system of teaching so imperfect.
Cicero, at the proposal of Mr. Porter, was given its name because of the name of his home town in New York, and Proviso was called so because of the Wilmot Proviso, which was being agitated in Congress and made the word suggestive.
Mrs. Furbeck was married in 1852 to James Moore , an Englishman, and from this union three children were born, of whom one daughter, Mrs. Alice M. Titus of Maywood, still lives. In 1868 Mrs. Moore was married to John H. Furbeck and lived for fifty-three years in the red brick house at 42 Central avenue, River Forest, one of the oldest landmarks of the vicinity.
Mrs. Furbeck and her father were the first Baptists to come to Oak Park (then Harlem) and she was a member of the First Baptist Church of Oak Park for forty-seven years.
Homage was paid by a large company of friends, many of long years' acquaintance, and others, young friends, of later years who, too, had come to know and to love Mrs. Furbeck because of her estimable qualities, her keenness and humorous faculties, which made her presence sought in any company in which she might be.
The funeral services were held in Maywood Congregational Church on Tuesday afternoon and conducted by Mrs. Furbeck's pastor, Rev. Carl D. Case, and Rev. Jesse J. Kolmos of Maywood . By request Mrs. Charles Lane and Mrs. E. S. Wells sang "Rock of Ages " and "Saved by Grace, " Miss Esther Eveleth accompanying on the organ. Interment took place in the Forest Home family lot. J. M. W .
—Oak Leaves (Oak Park, Illinois), 16 Oct 1920, pg. 10
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