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| The Women in John Deere's Life |
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Emma Deere Velie |
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1840-1911 |
Emma Charlotte Deere, the sixth child of John and Demarius Deere, was born in 1840 in Grand Detour, Ill. In her youth, Emma attended Miss Sill's academy for young ladies in Rockford, Ill. The academy was one of the famous girls' schools of the day, and was attended by daughters of prominent families throughout the country.
In 1848, Emma moved with her parents and siblings to Moline, Ill. Twelve years later, in 1860, Emma married Stephen Henry Velie, who had moved to Moline from Hyde Park, N.Y.
Marriage to Emma apparently enhanced Stephen's career. Three years after their marriage, he was president of both the Moline Central Railroad and the Peoples Power Company, and was made a partner in his father-in-law's business. He joined the business as secretary-treasurer five years later and retained that position until his death.
Emma and Stephen had four sons and a daughter. While two sons became Deere branch managers, it was their third son, Willard, who inherited the family entrepreneurial spirit. Upon the death of his father, Willard was appointed secretary-treasurer at Deere, but later left to establish Velie Wrought Iron Vehicle Company, which soon became the largest carriage manufacturer in the West.
Emma was never prominent in public life or activities of women's organizations. In her later years, she did serve on the board of directors for Bethany Home, which at the time was a residential center for disadvantaged children. She was a gracious hostess and often entertained in her home on a hilltop overlooking downtown Moline.
When the winter winds blew, Emma escaped to milder climes in California. She also built a summer home in York Beach, Maine, two years before her death. Emma died in 1911 at the age of 70. Her obituary paints a picture of a devoted and loving woman. "She was a woman of high principles," it reads, "broad-minded and full of charity toward the faults of others, and was unspoiled by money and the power which it gives."
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