Johann Hans George Eichelberger immigrated to America from Heidelberg, Germany, in 1733. His great grandson, John Eichelberger came to Illinois from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1848. The Eichelbergers were hard working farmers. In 1878 John Eichelberger farmed 276 acres in Will County. By 1904, he and his family expanded their acreage to more than 630 acres in DuPage and Will Counties.
John and his second wife, Susanna Hambright had 12 children, six of whom chose land over cash when the estate was settled; John and Fannie (Bomberger) received 149 acres, Albert and Helen (Kemmerer) received 100 acres, Pharos and Delia Belle (Stoner) received 160 acres, Sarah and Martin Hughes received 80 acres, Ed and Carrie (Fraley) received 90 acres, and Clinton and Bessie (Naper) received 100 acres.
John’s daughters, Ida and Emma (Mrs. William Enck) also would own farms bringing the total Eichelberger family acreage to more than 800 acres. Most of the land is now part of the Springbrook Forest Preserve. Sub-divisions carved from the Eichelberger land include all of Aero Estates and the Paddocks, and portions of Fry’s Wheatland View, Willow Ridge, and Ashbury.
For more than 100 years the John Eichelberger family farmed dairy and stock farms. Neighbors, friends and family gathered to help with planting, cultivating and harvest. Large threshing dinners and family reunions were held at the Ed Eichelberger farm on the south west corner of Book Road and 87th Street even after the advent of self-propelled combines.
John and Susanna Eichelberger may have settled and lived in Will County but they identified with Naperville. The family worshipped, shopped, and were entertained in Naperville. Second and third generation Eichelbergers lived and worked in Naperville, some owning their own businesses. More than a 100 Eichelberger descendants are buried in the Naperville Cemetery.
There may not be a street or building named Eichelberger, but this family is certainly part of the fabric of Naperville.
