Joseph Naper

Joseph Naper
Joseph Naper town founder of Naperville, Illinois, circa 1850s-1860s
Born	1798 Bennington, Vermont
Died	1862 (aged 54) Naperville, Illinois
Resting place	Naperville Cemetery, Naperville, Illinois
Nationality	American
Other names	Joe Naper, Captain Joseph Naper
Occupation	ship captain, shipbuilder, surveyer, businessman, state militia officer, soldier, politician, city planner
Known for	For being the promoter and co-founder, along with his brother, John, and other early settlers, in 1831, of Naper's Settlement, the oldest, frontier, Illinois town
Spouse(s)	Almeda Landon
Relatives	John Naper (brother), Benjamin Naper (brother), Amy Naper Murray (sister), John Murray (brother-in-law), Betsy Goff Naper (sister-in-law)

Joseph Naper, also known as "Joe Naper" and "Captain Joseph Naper" (1798–1862), was an early Illinois pioneer, ship captain, shipbuilder, businessman, surveyor, state militia officer, soldier, politician, and city planner. In 1831, Naper and his brother, John were credited with founding Naper's Settlement, the oldest Illinois community to be established west of, Fort Dearborn, now present-day Chicago. Naper's Settlement would be renamed Naperville, becoming the oldest town and first county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, later to be moved, in 1868, by county vote and displaced by Wheaton.

Joseph Naper was born in Bennington, Vermont, traveling west, with his parents, during his youth, to Ashtabula, Ohio, where he learned to be a ship builder, from his father. In 1809, Joseph Naper's sister, Amy Naper, married John Murray, of Ashtabula, Ohio, who would later become one of the original founding settlers of Naperville, Illinois. The Naper family ships traded goods on the Great Lakes, frequently stopping at Fort Dearborn, on Lake Michigan. On an early trip, Naper acquired lots near the fort, as did many of the first settlers to reach the Chicago River port.

On a later trip, in 1831, on the Telegraph, a ship built by Joseph Naper, he was joined by his brother, John Naper. The Naper families and five other families settled in the area, first known as Naper's Settlement, which later would become a part of DuPage County. Joseph Naper platted the town of Naperville, surveying the property and was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives for the first time in 1836. Here, Naper laid the groundwork and supervised passage of the bill, which separated DuPage County from Cook County, in 1839. Joseph Naper also, served on the same committee with Abraham Lincoln, then a newly elected legislator, from the Springfield area.