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Peter Petit, president of the North Aurora CreameryCompany of North Aurora.
Illinois, was born August 14, 2862 in the city of Aurora, unto the marriage of
Michael and Catharine (De Villie) Petit, the former
a native of Luxemburg, Germany, and the latter of Belgium.
The paternal grandfather, Peter Petit, always wrote his name Pety, for it was
originally French and that spelling indicated the French pronunciation. He
married Catharine Molitor, and died in 1856, at the age of fifty-six years.
The family numbered seven children, including Michael Petit, who through his
entire life followed the occupation of farming. He came to America in the summer
of 1851, and established his home in what was known as "the big wood" in Aurora
township. He was at that time seventeen years of age and had made the voyage to
the United States in company with his parents who purchased sixty acres of land
and improved a farm there. Michael Petit remained at home until after his
father's death. He was married in 1860 and then took charge of his father's
farm. At that time he began buying land, adding to the original tract until it
comprised ninety-five acres. He lived upon the farm from 1851 until 1894, after
which he put aside the active and arduous work of the fields and took up his
abode in Aurora, where both he and his wife arc now living retired. They are
members of the Catholic church and Mr. Petit gives his political support to the
democratic party. Mrs. Petit was a daughter of Nicholas
DeVille, a native of Luxemburg, Belgium, who on coming to America in 1854
settled at or near Osceola, Wisconsin, and about fourteen miles from Fond du
Lac. Mrs. DeVille died very suddenly there in 1869, while Mr. DeVille
passed away a number of years later at an old age. Their family numbered seven
daughters.
Source : Joslyn, R. Waite : History of Kane County, Ill.; Chicago: Pioneer
Pub. Co., 1908, 1786 pgs.