Alonzo Golder is a native of the sturdy old county of Dutchess, New York State. In 1844 he emigrated to Hartland, McHenry county, in this State, and remained there until the spring of 1856, when he came to Whiteside county and settled upon his present farm in the town of Montmorency. During his residence in McHenry county he was for several years Postmaster at the village of Hartland. Mr. Golder early became convinced that to become a successful agriculturist, the science of agriculture should be understood. He believed there was theory as well as practice about farming, and he profited by his researches. He soon became known as a skilled agriculturist, and when the State Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry was organized in Illinois, in 1872, the different subordinate Granges unanimously agreed upon him as the proper person to be the Master, and he was elected accordingly. Previous to his election as Master of the State Grange, he had been Master of Rock River Grange, No. 7. He held the position as Master of the State Grange for two terms, and was afterwards Representative to the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry for four successive terms. He is now a member of the Executive Committee of the National Grange, his associates being Henley James, of Indiana; D. Wyatt Aiken, of South Caralina; Dudley T. Chase, of New Hampshire, and W. H. Chambers, of Alabama. Mr. Golder has retired in a great degree from the active pursuits of farming, but his interest in all that concerns its improvement is in no way abated.
Bent & Wilson 1877
The father was married a second time to Phebe
Hewett, a native of New York. She died in Ilinois.
One child, Jane H., was born of the second marriage.
The portion of New York where Mr. Golder was
born and grew to maturity was in an undeveloped
condition, and although he acquired such education
as was afforded by the schools of that time he gathered a more useful and mental training by observation and from the force of circumstances He attended school during the winter seasons until he was
14 years of age, after which he was a laborer on his
father's farm until he was 23 years old, with the
exception of a single year when he was engaged in
boating on the Hudson River. He passed another
year im the employ of an uncle, after which he established a country store at Pleasant Plains, Dutchess
County, in partnership with John Bard, the son of a
Hessian soldier. Their business connections were in
existence one year, and, after their dissolution, Mr. Golder prospected for a time in search of a favorable
location. He fixed upon Clinton Hollow, in his native county and again established his mercantile enterprise on connection with a flouring mill, associated
with Charles Slate. At the end of the first year Mr.
Golder became the sole proprietor by purchase, and
shortly after formed a partnership with Spencer Bennett, under the firm style of Bennet, Golder & Co. After three years the business was closed.
Mr. Golder bought a farm in Cayuga Co., N. Y., where he operated as farmer four years. He sold
his property at the end of that time for the purpose of moving West, but he yielded to the solicitations of friends in Dutchess County, and returned
there to engage in mercantile and lumber traffic, settling at Hyde Park. He did not meet the success he
anticipated, and after a fair trial of four years' duration he sold out.
In 1844 he came to Illinois and located at Hartland, McHenry County, where he engaged in farming, in which he was interested until 1855, when he
sold his farm, and in the fall of the same year he
came to Whiteside County. In the spring of 1855,
he purchased 400 acres in Montmorency Township,
in company with his son Joseph. Their joint ownership of real estate includes 680 acres, of which 500
acres are in tillage. They have an average herd of
about 70 cattle, 10 horses, and fatten for market
yearly about 60 hogs. They have erected suitable
and substantial buildings, where father and son reside together.
Mr. Golder was one of the most active and prominent promoters of the Grange movement and was made
first Master of the State organization. He represented Illinois four successive terms in the National
Grange. In his native State he was actively interested in the militia and belonged to the cavalry. He
was made Brigade Inspector under General I.I. Platt, and was a compeer of the late General Van
Rensselaer.
He is a Democrat in his political affiliations, and
cast his first Presidential vote for Andrew Jackson.
While in McHenry County he served as Supervisor
and has been Justice of the Peace in the township
where he now lives about 16 years.
The marriage of Mr. Golder to Caroline E. Lloyd
occurred in Blanford, Hampden Co., Mass., June 3,
1833. Mrs. Golder was born in that county, and is
the daughter of Isaac and Eunice (Gibbs) Lloyd, who
were natives of Massachusetts, of English and Welsh
descent. Her father died in his native State. The
mother joined the daughter in McHenry Co., Ill.,
where she died. Joseph M. is the only son of Mr.
and Mrs. Alonzo Golder, and both are represented
by sketches on other pages. Ellen M, is their only
daughter and is the wife of Alvin Roper of Washington Territory.
The portrait of Mr. Golden which appears in this work accompanying the above sketch is engraved from a photograph taken in 1875, and presents the facial features of a worthy citizen of Whiteside County.
1885 Portrait and Biographical of Whiteside Co Pg 485
Alonzo Golder, section 10, Montmorency
Township, has been a resident of Whiteside County since 1856, and he has reached
prominence as an agriculturist and promoter
of the general welfare of the locality where
he has lived nearly 30 years. He was born
April 24, 1807, in Dutchess Co., N. Y., and is the
oldest son of William and Mary (Chase) Golder, who
were born respectively in New York and Rhode Island. The native county of William Golder was the
same in which his son was born, and there he settled
with the bride of his early manhood, who died after
giving birth to six children -
Ellen, Alonzo, Elizabeth, Emmeline, Phebe and Joseph.
