John Ton (30 May 1826, Akersloot, North Holland

North Holland

North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...

 - 4 June 1896, Chicago, Illinois) was a Dutch-born American abolitionist active in the underground railroad

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...

 in Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

.

Early life

Ton was born in a village in the province of North Holland

North Holland

North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...

 north of Amsterdam. He emigrated to America in 1849 with a group of Hollanders seeking a better life in America. They settled in an area about 15 miles (24.1 km) south of Chicago which they named "High Prairie," now Roseland, Chicago

Roseland, Chicago

Roseland, located on the far south side of the city, is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It includes the neighborhoods of Fernwood, Princeton Park, Lilydale, West Chesterfield, Rosemoor, Sheldon Heights and West Roseland...

. John Ton settled on farm land further south on the north bank of the Calumet River

Calumet River

The Calumet River refers to a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the neighborhood of South Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana.-Background:...

 that was owned by the Dalton brothers, Charles and Henry. This land is now part of the Riverdale

Riverdale, Chicago

Riverdale, one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois, is locatedon the city's far south side.The town of Riverdale is at the far south end of Chicago extending beyond the Chicago boundary of 138th Street to 144th Street. The town hall is at 157 West 144th Street...

 community. In 1853, he married Aggie Vander Syde, another Dutch immigrant, and began raising a family. In 1859, they purchased the land from the Daltons. Eventually, John and Aggie had 14 children that lived to adulthood.

Underground Railroad

During this time, the country was on the brink of war over the slavery issue. Illinois was a hotbed having a southern border with slave states and leaders such as Abraham Lincoln advocating abolition of slavery. Having achieved a better life for himself in America, John joined with other abolitionists in the area including Cornelius Kuyper, Charles Dyer, the Dalton brothers and others to establish a "link" in the underground railroad

Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...

. Fugitive slaves could be hidden at his farm, away from the settlement of Roseland, until safe passage could be arranged to the next underground safehouse in Hohman Bridge (Hammond, Indiana

Hammond, Indiana

Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....

) or possibly with a sympathetic ship captain leaving the Port of Chicago for Canada. In 2000, a community group called the Chicago/Calumet Underground Railroad Effort (C/CURE) was established to research and possibly develop the John Ton Farm site.

Following the War in 1867, John sold the farm on the Calumet River and moved to the north side of Roseland to an area known as Fernwood

Fernwood, Chicago

Fernwood, is an area on the western edge of Roseland community of the City of Chicago, between 99th and 103rd streets. It was considered an "upscale" neighborhood of Roseland and extended west into the Washington Heights community up to Halsted street. Sometimes referred to as West Roseland, it...

. He owned 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of land (8 city blocks) north of 103rd street and west of Wentworth. He donated the western edge of this land to the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad to provide commuter rail service to the area from Chicago. In 1893, he built a unique "Dutch Victorian" style home at 316 West 103rd Street. He died April 6, 1896 and is buried in nearby Mt. Greenwood Cemetery.

Ton Family Reunions

Between 1849 and 1865 seven of John's siblings also emigrated to the Roseland area and flourished. Upon his death in 1896, his family including descendants, brothers, sisters and their families held a picnic in his honor. They agreed to make the picnic an annual reunion for the Ton family. In 1911, the Ton Family incorporated for the purpose of keeping the family in closer union and to assure the annual reunions are a permanent and pleasing feature of the Family. Descendants from the eight branches of the Ton Family grew to over 1,000 and the annual picnics became a community celebration that lasted for 60 years. According to Life Magazine, it was once the largest family reunion in American history.