Rock Island County Probate Case Files

John Deere played a pivotal role in making the American Midwest one of the richest agricultural areas in the world. In 1837, Deere, a 33-year-old blacksmith whose small shop was in Grand Detour, Illinois, created the first "self-polishing" steel plow which could efficiently slice through the thick and sticky soil of Midwestern prairies without bogging down. Within ten years, Deere was producing 1,000 plows per year. In 1848, Deere moved his thriving business from Grand Detour to Moline and in 1868, the company incorporated as Deere & Company.

John Deere filed his last will and testament on November 23, 1877 in Rock Island County. Three codicils were added to the will prior to his death on May 17, 1886. The original will was composed entirely in green ink, John Deere's trademark color.
 

Click on an image to view a sample of selected pages from John Deere's Last Will and Testament.
First Page (110KB)	Executor's Named (123KB)	Witnesses to Codicil (143KB)

Back to Rock Island County Probate Case Files Index page