Joseph F. Glidden: Joseph & Lucinda's History
Joseph & Lucinda's History            Timeline
Joseph Comes to DeKalb

joseph Joseph Farwell Glidden was born January 18, 1813, in New Hampshire. He and his brother, Josiah, arrived in DeKalb County, Illinois, during the farming season of 1841-1842. Through the custom threshing of grains and the profit it brought, Joseph purchased 600 acres of land about a mile west of the young village of DeKalb. He built a log cabin and began life as a Midwest farmer. Through the years, Joseph pursued various areas of agriculture and regarded the art of farming as a most congenial way of life. The 1873 application for a patent for barbed wire, his generous contribution of land for location of Northern Illinois State Normal School, and his civic responsibilities in the area, all substantiate why he was called "the Grand Old Man of DeKalb County."

Lucinda Warne Glidden was Joseph’s second wife and had been his partner for more than 20 years when the patent for "The Winner" was approved. Her marriage to the widower Glidden was an event of interest to all in the DeKalb community. A short time after their marriage, the red-brick home replaced the log cabin. It became a spot for friendly gatherings and challenging discussions. The problems of black earth farming were constant subjects.

Lucinda, in later recollections, told how during the winter of 1872-73, she found her large wire hairpins were disappearing from a milk-glass dish on her dresser. At first she thought Elva Frances, her 20-year-old daughter, was taking them. When asked, Elva replied, "No, Mother." The puzzle continued to bother Lucinda, until one evening after supper when she noticed her husband reach in his shirt pocket and take out two of her missing hairpins. "Joseph, what are you doing with my hairpins?" she asked. He replied that he was working on an idea for a fence.

And the rest is history . . .
homestead blacksmith barn