"LI B R.AR.Y 
 
 OF THE 
 UN IVER.SITY 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 
 92O.O773 
 Ail 
 1897
 
 Return this book on or before the 
 Latest Date stamped below. 
 
 University of Illinois Library 
 
 Jin 
 
 OCT -' 
 
 i 
 
 
 AUG14 
 
 JUL08 
 
 J 2000 
 
 L161 H41
 
 ALBUM OF GENEALOGY 
 
 AND 
 
 BIOGRAPHY 
 
 COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS 
 
 WITH PORTRAITS 
 
 EIGHTH EDITION, REVISED AND EXTENDED 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 CALUMET BOOK & ENGRAVING CO. 
 1897
 
 THE CALUMET PRESS 
 
 PRINTED BY 
 
 CALL-MET BOOK & ENGRAVING COMPANY 
 170-174 SOUTH CLINTON STREET 
 
 CHICAGO
 
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 (A 
 
 E BELIEVE the time has arrived 
 when it becomes the duty of the 
 people of this county to perpetuate 
 the names of their pioneers, to fur- 
 nish a record of their early settle- 
 ment, and relate the story of their progress. 
 The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of 
 the age, and the duty that men of the present 
 time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to 
 their posterity, demand that a record of their lives 
 and deeds should be made. In biographical history 
 is found a power to instruct man by precedent, to 
 enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down 
 the river of time a safe vessel, in which the names 
 and actions of the people who contributed to 
 raise this country from its primitive state may be 
 preserved. Surely and rapidly the great and 
 aged men, who in their prime entered the wilder- 
 ness and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, 
 are passing to their graves. The number remain- 
 ing who can relate the incidents of the first days 
 of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that 
 actual necessity exists for the collection and pres- 
 ervation of events without delay, before all the 
 early settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time. 
 To be forgotten has been the great dread of 
 mankind from remotest ages. All will be forgot- 
 ten soon enough, in spite of their best works and 
 the most earnest efforts of their friends to preserve 
 the memory of their lives. The means employed 
 to prevent oblivion and to perpetuate their mem- 
 ory have been in proportion to the amount of intel- 
 ligence they possessed. The pyramids of Egypt 
 were built to perpetuate the names and deeds of 
 its great rulers. The exhumations made by 
 the archaeologists of Egypt from buried Memphis 
 indicate a desire of those people to perpetuate the 
 memory of their achievements. The erection of 
 the great obelisks was for the same purpose. 
 Coming down to a later period, we find the Greeks 
 and Romans erecting mausoleums and rnonu- 
 
 ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their 
 great achievements and carry them down the 
 ages. It is also evident that the Mound-builders, 
 in piling up their great mounds of earth, had but 
 this idea to leave something to show that they 
 had lived. All these works, though many of 
 them costly in the extreme, give but a faint idea 
 of the lives and characters of those whose memory 
 they were intended to perpetuate, and scarcely 
 anything of the masses of the people that then 
 lived. The great pyramids and some of the 
 obelisks remain objects only of curiosity; the 
 mausoleums, monuments and statues are crumb- 
 ling into dust. 
 
 It. was left to modern ages to establish an intel- 
 ligent, undecaying, immutable method of perpet- 
 uating a full history immutable, in that it is al- 
 most unlimited in extent and perpetual in its ac- 
 tion ; and this is through the art of printing. 
 
 To the present generation, however, we are in- 
 debted for the introduction of the admirable sys- 
 tem of local biography. By this system every 
 man, though he has not achieved what the world 
 calls greatness, has the means to perpetuate his 
 life, his history, through the coming ages, for the 
 benefit of his posterity. 
 
 The scythe of Time cuts down all; nothing of 
 the physical man is left. The monument which 
 his children or friends may erect to his memory 
 in the cemetery will crumble into dust and pass 
 away; but his life, his achievements, the work he 
 has accomplished, which otherwise would be for- 
 gotten, is perpetuated by a record of this kind. 
 
 To preserve the lineaments of our companions 
 we engrave their portraits; for the same reason 
 we collect the attainable facts of their history. 
 Nor do we think it necessary, as we speak only 
 truth of them, to wait until they are dead, or un- 
 til those who knew them are gone; and we need be 
 ashamed only of publishing the history of those 
 whose lives are unworthy of public record. 
 
 '075231
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The greatest of English historians, MACAU- 
 LAY, and one of the most brilliant writers of the 
 present century, has said: "The history of a 
 country is best told in a record of the lives of 
 its people." In conformity with this idea, the 
 GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL ALBUM of 
 this county has been prepared. Instead of going 
 to musty records, and taking therefrom dry sta- 
 tistical matter that can be appreciated by but few, 
 our corps of writers have gone to the people, the 
 men and women who have, by their enterprise 
 and industry, brought the county to a rank sec- 
 ond to none among those comprising this great 
 and noble State, and from their lips have ob- 
 tained the story of their life struggles. No more 
 interesting or instructive matter could be pre- 
 sented to an intelligent public. In this volume 
 will be found a record of many whose lives are 
 worthy the imitation of coming generations. It 
 tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by 
 industry and economy have accumulated wealth. 
 It tells how others, with limited advantages for 
 securing an education, have become learned 
 men and women, with an influence extending 
 throughout the length and breadth of the 
 land. It tells of men who have risen from the 
 lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and 
 whose names have become famous. It tells of 
 those in every walk in life who have striven to suc- 
 ceed, and records how success has usually crowned 
 their efforts. It tells also of many, very many, 
 who, not seeking the applause of the world, have 
 pursued "the even tenor of their way," content 
 to have it said of them, as Christ said of the 
 woman performing a deed of mercy "They have 
 done what they could." It tells how that many 
 
 in the pride and strength of young manhood left 
 the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and 
 the counting-room, left ever}- trade and pro- 
 fession, and at their country's call went forth 
 valiantly "to do or die," and how through their 
 efforts the Union was restored and peace once 
 more reigned in the land. In the life of every 
 man and of every woman is a lesson that should 
 not be lost to those who follow after. 
 
 Coming generations will appreciate this vol- 
 ume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from 
 the fact that it contains so much that would never 
 find its way into public records, and which would 
 otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been 
 taken in the compilation of the work, and every 
 opportunity possible given to those represented to 
 insure correctness in what has been written; and 
 the publishers flatter themselves that they give 
 to their readers a work with few errors of conse- 
 quence. In addition to the biographical sketches, 
 portraits of a number of representative citizens 
 are given. 
 
 The faces of some, and biographical sketches 
 of many, will be missed in this volume. For this 
 the publishers are not to blame. Not having a 
 proper conception of the work, some refused to 
 give the information necessary to compile a sketch, 
 while others were indifferent. Occasionally some 
 member of the family would oppose the enter- 
 prise, and on account of such opposition the 
 support of the interested one would be withheld. 
 In a few instances men could never be found, 
 though repeated calls were made at their resi- 
 dences or places of business. 
 
 CALUMET BOOK & ENGRAVING CO.
 
 ADDENDA. 
 
 The preparation of this volume has involved the labor of several years. Since the pages 
 were stereotyped, several of the subjects of biographies have passed away. 
 
 Among these are : 
 
 A. G. HURLEY .......... page 227 
 
 I. N. CAMP, 546 
 
 E. H. CASTLE, 544 
 
 J. D. CATON, 115 
 
 REV. OTTO GROENEBAUM, ........ 622 
 
 C. M. HENDERSON, 391 
 
 EDSON KEITH, 53 
 
 M. N. KlMBELL, 528 
 
 T. E. LEWIS, 297 
 
 ORRINGTON LUNT, ......... 503 
 
 JAMES MCMAHON, ......... 181 
 
 GEORGE M. PULLMAN, ... . 231
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 Ills CenturyBjllisMnj 4 Zi - ica
 
 J. R. HOXIE. 
 
 JOHN R, HOXIE. 
 
 (JOHN RANDOLPH HOXIE. Chicago, the 
 I Queen of our Great West, is indebted for its 
 G) marvelous growth and rapid development, 
 which have caused the whole world to acknowl- 
 edge its commercial greatness, to a few men, 
 who, to lay the foundations of metropolitan su- 
 premacy, gave the best of their heart's blood, 
 their brain power, and nerve forces. The ma- 
 jority have as their reward wealth or honor, but 
 few have both. Among the active business men 
 who have acquired both was the subject of this 
 sketch, who obtained it through close attention 
 to business, and unswerving integrity and up- 
 rightness of character. 
 
 John R. Hoxie was born December 13, 1831, 
 in Macedon, near Rochester, New York, and his 
 parents were Cornelius and Anna (Brawnell) 
 Hoxie. He received a partial education in the 
 Macedon Academy, but as his tastes impelled 
 him to use every opportunity for learning busi- 
 ness ways, his schooldays were thus cut short. 
 Many stories of his youthful trading propensities 
 illustrate his ability in doing well for himself, and 
 in him could plainly be seen the future financier 
 and business man. On one occasion he wished 
 to buy a fish-hook, but as his finances were low, 
 he applied to the banker of the town, who lent 
 him three cents. After catching and disposing of 
 the fish he very promptly paid his debt, thus 
 winning the esteem of his creditor. At the age 
 of fourteen years he bought all the turkeys in the 
 neighborhood and realized a handsome profit on 
 them. At seventeen years of age he was able to 
 buy his "time" or independence from his father, 
 for one thousand dollars. He was always pru- 
 
 dent with his earnings, and many times walked 
 from Albany to Rochester to save the fare by 
 stage. 
 
 Mr. Hoxie became a sub-contractor on the 
 Niagara Falls Railroad at an early age, and later 
 was in the same position on the Staten Island 
 Railroad. While in the latter position the yellow 
 fever began raging and he was quarantined, but 
 finally escaped to the mainland. After spending 
 nearly two years in Virginia he returned to 
 Rochester, New York, where he became a dealer 
 in live stock, which he shipped over the Michigan 
 Southern and other Railroads. His fame as a 
 man of great business tact and ability spread 
 over many States, and in 1857 he received an 
 offer to assist in the management of the shipping 
 business of the Michigan Southern Railroad, with 
 headquarters in Chicago. This offer was re- 
 ceived by telegram, and hastily packing his 
 satchel, he told his mother he would return in a 
 few days; but the days lengthened into weeks, 
 months, and years, and he did not return home 
 until 1862. The officers of the company recog- 
 nized his ability, and the position of stock agent 
 was offered him, which he accepted and retained 
 during his connection with the road. 
 
 At this time the company was almost bankrupt, 
 but Mr. Hoxie infused new life into the business 
 by building up the freight traffic, thus saving it 
 from financial ruin. For this service the com- 
 pany was ever truly grateful, and he was retained 
 in office long after his active interest ceased. 
 Largely through his influence the Railroad was 
 able to retain its controlling interest in the Union 
 Stock Yards, and the profits from the tremendous
 
 8 
 
 J. R. HOXIE. 
 
 traffic in live stock thus brought to it. When a 
 combined effort was made by the other roads to 
 induce Mr. Hoxie to retire from the service of the 
 Michigan Southern, he declined every consider- 
 ation offered him, and remained faithful through 
 all temptation. 
 
 From early morning until late eve did he labor 
 in the interest of this road, and this was practi- 
 cally his life work. He foresaw great possibilities 
 in its future, and steadily strove to carry it for- 
 ward to its destiny. His nature rejoiced in 
 victory over opposition, and the sharp competition 
 he often met was refreshing to his restless spirit, 
 and a stimulus to greater exertions. He loved 
 work for its own sake, not for praise and reward. 
 In the end, however, he paid the usual penalty 
 for living under such high pressure, by the in- 
 vasion of sickness and premature death. His 
 nature could not rest, and though his life was 
 shorter, he accomplished much more than the 
 majority of business men. 
 
 Though an extremely busy man, he was al- 
 ways cheerful, and liked the society of his fel- 
 lows. He was, however, a stranger to the 
 fashionable clubs, and made his home the scene 
 of his rest and recreation. His wife was a 
 worthy life companion, and her delight was to 
 make the home pleasant, having a serene manner, 
 a contented disposition, and being a great help to 
 her husband in curbing his great ambition and 
 teaching him the lessons of patience. 
 
 As soon as he was able Mr. Hoxie began to 
 invest money in securities, and so good was his 
 foresight that he became wealthy. In 1878 he 
 bought a large grant of laud from the heirs of 
 Dr. Hoxie, a veteran of the Texan and the Mexi- 
 can Wars, and an army surgeon under General 
 Houston. This grant embraced ten thousand 
 acres of land in Williamson County, Texas, to 
 which he added another purchase of seven thou- 
 sand acres. It is situated thirty-five miles from 
 Austin, and six thousand acres of it have been 
 cultivated, and fifty families reside on it. 
 
 Mr. Hoxie also bought fifty-two thousand 
 acres of land at Midland, Texas, in the Counties 
 of Martin and Andrews, this land being used for 
 grazing. Beside his mansion on Michigan Ave- 
 
 nue, he had a country home twenty- one miles 
 south of Chicago, which included seven hundred 
 fifty-seven acres of land. Here he spent many 
 hours away from the cares of business life, and 
 lived close to the heart of Nature. On all his 
 farms he has kept the buildings in excellent 
 repair, having built many new ones. Unlike 
 most business men, he early instructed his wife 
 in the details of his affairs, being animated by the 
 principle that what was his also belonged to her. 
 To this wise precaution his widow now largely 
 owes her ability to manage the property with 
 such success. 
 
 Mr. Hoxie made annual trips to his possessions 
 in the South, and to every one of these Texas 
 owed some improvement, and he many times 
 used his influence in opening some avenue of 
 commerce. In 1887 he decided to retire from 
 business, but never fully carried out his intention. 
 When he was in Texas he made his headquarters 
 at Fort Worth and there he was held in high es- 
 teem by all the inhabitants, and especially the 
 business men. Prior to his coming to this town 
 the business was very dull, but he inspired confi- 
 dence by organizing the Farmers and Mechanics' 
 National Bank, with a capital of one million 
 dollars. He was the president of this bank and 
 also of the First National Bank at Taylor, Texas. 
 He was connected with twenty other banks in this 
 State, his influence and standing giving them 
 power to exist. 
 
 In 1891, at the urgent request of the citizens 
 of Fort Worth, he organized Stock Yards and 
 Packing Houses, and the next year passed through 
 a strike which made his presence at the yards 
 necessary. This was such a severe strain on his 
 finely organized nervous constitution that he 
 never recovered his former health. A small bene- 
 fit was gained at Carlsbad Springs, Germany ,but 
 nothing could entirely stay the ravages of the 
 disease, diabetes, from which his death resulted. 
 He passed away November 21, 1896. 
 
 Mr. Hoxie was a talented man, and had many 
 charming traits of character. His influence was 
 ever for good and his advice in municipal affairs 
 was often sought and freely given. He was presi- 
 dent of the Board of Trustees of Hyde Park and a
 
 LEONARD SWETT. 
 
 school trustee in the town of Lake. During the 
 centennial year he was a candidate for Congress 
 on the Democratic ticket, but was defeated. 
 Though he never afterward held any office his in- 
 fluence was such that he controlled many positions 
 of trust and responsibility. His rare wit and 
 skillful repartee may be said to be gifts inherited 
 from his mother, well-known for her good sense 
 and quick perception. 
 
 Mr. Hoxie became interested in the Chicago 
 City Railway Company and was instrumental in 
 extending the cable lines, being for many years 
 one of the largest individual stockholders. He 
 was many times the youngest member of various 
 boards of management, where he was neverthe- 
 less recognized as a born leader. His associates 
 often called him "Boy", among these being such 
 men as Silas B. Cobb, Daniel Jones, Solomon 
 Sturges, Lyman Blair, John DeKoven, Samuel 
 Nickerson, Lyman J. Gage, John B. Sherman, 
 P. D. Armour, Samuel Allerton, and others 
 equally well-known . He was called the ' ' Mogul ' ' 
 of the Stock Yards Railroad along Fortieth street, 
 which was secured by his indefatigable energy. 
 
 In his business methods Mr. Hoxie was unlike 
 the average man. Though possessed of sufficient 
 ability to carry on numerous vast business enter- 
 prises at the same time, he never used books to 
 record his transactions, but so carefully was 
 everything systematized that he suffered no loss 
 from this fact. His was an eccentric character, 
 but he was no recluse, and enjoyed rare friend- 
 ships. He was well-known in Masonic circles, 
 having attained the thirty-second degree. His 
 wealth was accumulated in a legitimate way, and 
 his only extravagance was indulged in providing 
 for the comfort of his family. In religious 
 belief he was a Quaker, and helped build and 
 maintain the church at Twenty-sixth Street and 
 Indiana Avenue. The principles of his forefathers 
 seemed to be the guide and rule of his life. 
 
 Mr. Hoxie was married October 22, 1872, to 
 Mary J., daughter of P. D. Hamilton. Among 
 the Quakers she was known as "John's wife. "but 
 her husband always spoke of her with deference 
 as Mrs. Mary J. Hoxie. Their union was blessed 
 by three children, namely: John R., Junior, 
 Gilbert H. and Anna C. 
 
 LEONARD SWETT. 
 
 I EONARD SWETT was born August n, 
 1C 1825, near the village of Turner, Oxford 
 \ J County, Maine, on what was known as 
 Swett's Hill. This hill slopes in all directions, 
 and constitutes one of the most beautiful spots in 
 New England, and has ever since been owned 
 by the family. His father, John Swett, was born 
 in Gorham, Maine, February 4, 1789, and mar- 
 ried Remember Berry, on August 29, 1816. The 
 latter was born at Buckfield, Maine, December 
 22, 1794. They settled after their marriage on 
 the above-named hill, and lived and died there. 
 The father was seventy years old, and the mother 
 in her eighty-ninth year at the date of their 
 respective deaths. 
 
 Leonard Swett's grandfather was John Adams 
 Swett, named for his mother, who was Sarah 
 Adams, a descendant of John Quincy Adams, 
 President. John Adams Swett was born June 23, 
 1763, and died July 14, 1844. He married Betsey 
 Warren, who was born June 28, 1763, and died 
 June 3, 1846. 
 
 Leonard Swett's great-grandfather was Dr. 
 Stephen Swett, born at Durham, New Hampshire, 
 and died in Otisfield, in 1808. He married Sarah 
 Adams, who was born in Durham, New Hamp- 
 shire, and died in 1807. They were married at 
 Durham in 1757. 
 
 Mr. Swett, the subject of this sketch, died 
 June 8. 1889. He married Laura R. Quigg, of
 
 10 
 
 LEONARD SWETT. 
 
 Bradford, Massachusetts, July 20, 1854, and they 
 had one son, Leonard H. Swett. March 5, 1886, 
 his wife died, and July 14, 1887, he married 
 Marie A. H. Decker, who survives him. 
 
 Leonard Swett was the second son and fourth 
 child of his parents, and they conceived the idea, 
 at an early date, of giving him a better education 
 than the town afforded, consequently he was sent 
 to select schools in the vicinity, and completed 
 his education at North Yarmouth Academy and 
 Waterville College, now Colby University. He 
 then read law for two years with Messrs. How- 
 ard & Shepley, at Portland, Maine, and started 
 in the world to seek his fortune. At first he 
 traveled in the South for nearly a year, then, with 
 the spirit of adventure, he volunteered as a sol- 
 dier in the Mexican War, and was under General 
 Scott from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico. 
 The war closed in May, 1848, when Mr. Swett 
 returned and settled at Bloomington, Illinois. He 
 commenced the practice of his profession in the 
 fall of 1849, and gave to that profession the labor 
 of a life. He was in indifferent health, on ac- 
 count of a disease contracted in Mexico, which 
 rendered it impracticable for him to sit in an office 
 and do office work, and, therefore, at first he 
 commenced to travel the circuit. The bar of that 
 circuit, the eighth at that time, embraced many 
 men of marked ability, some of whom have since 
 acquired a national reputation. David Davis, 
 since distinguished as a judge of the supreme 
 court and a senator of the United States, was the 
 judge from 1849 to 1862. Abraham Lincoln, for 
 two years a member of congress, and afterwards 
 known to the world as the martyred President 
 and the emancipator of a race, was one of its 
 lawyers. Edward D. Baker, a member of con- 
 gress from the Sangamon District, also afterward 
 from the Galena District, later a distinguished 
 citizen of California, and a senator of the United 
 States from Oregon, who died leading his men at 
 the battle of Ball's Bluff, in the Civil War, was 
 also one of its lawyers. There were also Edward 
 Hannagan and Daniel W. Voorhees, since sena- 
 tors from Indiana, who attended the eastern part 
 of the circuit, and Stephen T. Logan, John T. 
 Stuart, U. F. Linder and Oliver L. Davis. The 
 
 sessions commenced the ist of September, and 
 ended about the ist of January. The spring 
 circuit commenced about February and ended in 
 June. In a life with' these men and upon this 
 circuit, Mr. Swett spent his time from 1849 to 
 1862. The lawyers would arrive at a county seat 
 of from five hundred to two thousand inhabitants, 
 and the clients and public came in from the coun- 
 try adjoining at about the same time. The law- 
 yers were employed in such suits as were then 
 pending in court, and the trials were immediately 
 begun. After from three days to a week spent 
 in this manner, the court would adjourn and the 
 cavalcade start for the adjoining county seat, when 
 the same processes would be repeated. Twice 
 a year fourteen counties were traversed in this 
 way, and in this manner Mr. Swett received his 
 earlier legal education. David Davis, in a speech 
 at Springfield, said in substance that this time 
 constituted the bright spot of his life. In this 
 expression he would doubtless be joined by every 
 man named, most of whom now live beyond the 
 river. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Swett moved to Chicago, where 
 he soon acquired a prominent and leading position 
 as a lawyer. During his life in the country, in 
 Illinois, he took an active part in politics, taking 
 part in the agitation of the slavery question, and 
 canvassed nearly the whole state in the years 
 1852, 1854, 1856, 1858 and 1860. He, however, 
 held but one office, which was that of member of 
 the legislature, in 1858 and 1859, and this was at 
 the special request of Lincoln himself, to save to 
 the latter the vote of McLean County. That 
 county at the previous election had been carried 
 by four votes. Lincoln thought Swett could be 
 elected, and asked him to run. He did so, car- 
 rying the county by nearly five hundred majority. 
 He then engaged earnestly in the work of secur- 
 ing the nomination of Abraham Lincoln for Pres- 
 ident, writing to public men and organizing other 
 workers. The three men who did more than all 
 others to make Mr. Lincoln the nominee in 1860 
 were Leonard Swett, David Davis and Norman 
 B. Judd; and the two men who were closest of all 
 to Mr. Lincoln until his death were Swett and 
 Davis. Norman B. Judd was given a foreign
 
 LEONARD SWETT. 
 
 ii 
 
 mission, David Davis was made supreme judge, 
 but Leonard Swett declined to take office under 
 the administration. He was closer to Lincoln's 
 innermost thoughts and sympathies than any man 
 in the world. He was much like Lincoln in per- 
 son, complexion and manner, so much so that he 
 was often mistaken for the President in Washing- 
 ton, and he was much of the Lincoln mould, in- 
 tellectually. 
 
 It has often been remarked that intimate as 
 Lincoln was with Leonard Swett, he never gave 
 him any office, and Swett was often asked the 
 reason why. He always evaded the question, 
 but, in a letter to W. H. Herndon, the author of 
 the " Life of Lincoln," written a short time before 
 Mr. Swett died, the latter explained this fact: 
 When David Davis was a candidate for the su- 
 preme bench, soon after Lincoln's election to the 
 presidency, he was opposed by a senator of great 
 influence, named Browning, whom Lincoln was 
 almost ready to appoint. Leonard Swett was a 
 warm friend of David Davis, and, going to the 
 president, he said: " If you will give that place 
 to Davis I will take it as one-half for him and 
 one-half for myself, and never again will ask you 
 for anything." David Davis got the appoint- 
 ment, and Leonard Swett was true to his word. 
 He said, not long before his death, that he was 
 always glad he kept out of office. 
 
 After his removal to Chicago, he devoted him- 
 self exclusively to his profession, and absolutely 
 ignored politics. Mr. Swett was distinguished as 
 successful in the trial of causes, in fact, he did 
 little else during his professional life. In Chicago 
 the most important cases were intrusted to him, 
 and it was a rare thing that he lost one of them. 
 The reason of this was, that he attended to the 
 details of the preparation personally, himself see- 
 ing and talking with his witnesses, so that when 
 the cause was heard in court it fitted together 
 ' ' without noise of axe or hammer. ' ' 
 
 His business, in the main, was in civil cases; 
 for instance, Thomas A. Scott, during the war, 
 employed him for the Quicksilver Mining Com- 
 pany to go to California to get possession of 
 the great quicksilver mine near San Jose, after 
 an adverse decision in reference to the Almaden 
 
 claim. This country acquired by the treaty of 
 Guadeloupe Hidalgo, at the close of the Mexican 
 War, a large tract of land, now embracing many 
 States and Territories, described by boundaries, 
 and our Government agreed, wherever individu- 
 als owned lands within these boundaries, it would 
 issue to such parties a patent. Under the Mexi- 
 ican law there were two kinds of titles, a mineral 
 title, or a right to what the land contained under 
 the surface, and a surface title. One man might 
 own one title and another man the other. We 
 have but one, the surface, and one owning that 
 owns all above and below. The Barons had a 
 mineral title to what they called the Almaden 
 mine, and had made, prior to the decision, im- 
 mense improvements. Justos Larios owned the 
 surface title, and this was bought, and the Quick- 
 silver Mining Company was organized upon this 
 title. In 1863 the Supreme Court of the United 
 States decided that the Baron title was a forgery. 
 The quicksilver claim of Justos Larios had not 
 been heard, and this left this property of immense 
 value belonging either to the Government or to 
 the quicksilver company. A contract was made 
 between the Government and the quicksilver 
 compan}', by which a possession might be taken, 
 which should be joint as between the Government 
 and said mining companj-, and Mr. Swett was 
 appointed by President Lincoln to go to California 
 and acquire this joint possession, it being under- 
 stood that he would offer the Barons one million 
 dollars for their improvements. It was also a con- 
 dition of this agreement that the proceeds of the 
 mine should be deposited in the mint at San Fran- 
 cisco until the termination of the litigation between 
 the Government and the Quicksilver Mining Com- 
 pany. He went to" California, arriving there 
 May 19, 1863, and leaving September 14, having, 
 by aid of the courts and negotiations, secured the 
 possession of the mine. Although Mr. Swett 
 maintained a large office at Chicago, he, occasion- 
 ally, at home and abroad, defended persons from 
 criminal accusations, when the defense presented 
 something attractive. In the vindication of honor, 
 or if, upon the common frailty of the race, an act 
 was done, he was a most accomplished and effect- 
 ive advocate for the accused. He dealt, like a
 
 12 
 
 LEONARD SWETT. 
 
 mental philosopher, with the purposes of the 
 mind of the accused, and revealed to the compre- 
 hension of the court and jury the mysterious in- 
 fluences which produced the act of the party. 
 He tried the will, purpose and intent, and not the 
 mere physical act upon which the charge was 
 founded. His mind delighted in the beautiful 
 philosophy of the law; he dealt with its spirit, not 
 with its letter. In this manner, in thirty-six 
 years, he defended twenty men for murder, en- 
 tirely clearing eighteen and two escaping with 
 light punishment in the penitentiary. 
 
 He was called out of the city in criminal cases 
 from Hartford, Connecticut, to defend the officers 
 of the Charter Oak Life Insurance Company for 
 conspiracy; to Denver, where, with Hon. Thomas 
 Patterson, he defended Stickney, who shot a man 
 in a fit of jealousy, killing also a young and at- 
 tractive woman; and to Yankton, where he de- 
 fended Wintermute for the killing of McCook. 
 
 His style in a trial was simply the abnegation 
 of every consideration except winning that case. 
 To this he sacrificed everything. His style of 
 speaking was earnest and convincing. He was 
 the Chicago counsel for the Union Mutual Life 
 Insurance Company, of Maine, and distinguished 
 himself by gaining a suit for that company against 
 the Chicago University, which had become fa- 
 mous in the legal reports for its knotty problems 
 of law and equity. 
 
 On the 2ist of June, 1888, he made the nom- 
 inating speech for Walter Q. Gresham for Presi- 
 dent of the United States. Mr. Swett's address 
 was an independent utterance, touching in an 
 extremely effective manner the salient qualities 
 of the individual eulogized, and also those points 
 in his public career which "had brought him so 
 prominently before the people as a possible presi- 
 dential candidate. 
 
 In private life Mr. Swett was a man of social 
 disposition and strong attachments. He was a 
 pleasant companion and a warm and steadfast 
 friend, and was generous almost to a fault. His 
 nature was kind, genial and sympathetic, and his 
 social intercourse was enlivened by so many gen- 
 erous and endearing qualities, that it won for him 
 the affectionate regard of those who knew him 
 
 intimately to an extraordinary degree. In person 
 he was imposing; six feet two inches in height, 
 and weighing, when in health, two hundred and 
 twenty-five pounds or more. He possessed a 
 strong face, with heavy, bushy, black eyebrows, 
 over-hanging deep-set brown eyes, sparkling and 
 brilliant, but kindly withal. An expansive, in- 
 tellectual forehead betokened his strength of 
 character. His voice was extremely rich and 
 musical, and always pleasant to listen to. 
 
 The Chicago Bar, by Frank B. Wilkie, said of 
 him the following: 
 
 " As a speaker he had few or no superiors at 
 the bar. He required scarcely any preparation to 
 make a speech on any subject. He saw a case 
 clearly, and had the faculty of presenting it with 
 equal clearness. He had that tendency toward 
 amplification found in all true orators, and by 
 whose aid he presented a single point in so many 
 salient aspects, that it became as apparent as sun- 
 light to his auditory. This ability to not only 
 clearly present a point, but to restate it and reit- 
 erate it under a slightly changed form up to a 
 boundary where it becomes thoroughly under- 
 stood, and yet, which is not carried beyond into 
 the region of verbosity and tiresome and useless 
 reiteration, is one of a high order, and it is one 
 which Mr. Swett seemed to possess to perfection. 
 Its due and judicious exercise requires an accur- 
 ate knowledge of the men whom it is employed 
 upon, and the precise ideas and illustrations which 
 are demanded by their comprehension. Mr. Swett 
 had all these qualities, and the additional one of 
 being an excellent logician and an admirable 
 manager, who thus not only knew what should 
 be presented, but the very best form in which the 
 presentation should be made. 
 
 "Possibly the not least remarkable feature of 
 his oratorical power was his ability to employ 
 pathos. Herein, when occasion required, he rose 
 to a most effective level. He was both rhetorical 
 and natural in this direction, the former being to 
 some extent a sequence to the latter, in that he 
 felt what he said, and therein, as usually happens, 
 was eloquent. He was exceedingly happy in the 
 use of this powerful element. When in this mood 
 he smote the rock of men's hidden emotions, and
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 F. FRANK F. HENNING
 
 F. F. HENNING. 
 
 obediently as in the case of Moses, the waters 
 gushed forth in response to the summons. From 
 the possession of this subtle power to touch ef- 
 fectively men's emotional natures, Mr. Swett had 
 what the world would suspect from seeing him, 
 and that was a powerful element of poetry in his 
 character. This was true; and its existence was 
 not only the source of his power to touch the 
 hearts of others, but it refined his nature and 
 gave him a chivalry that exhibited itself in a lofty 
 regard for women, an integrity in business mat- 
 
 ters that could not be disturbed, and a kindly con- 
 sideration that leavened all his intercourse with 
 others. In fine, the poetical quality, while it in- 
 troduced no element of effeminacy in his char- 
 acter, while it did not detract from his masculine 
 vigor or interfere with his comprehensive ability, 
 softened his naturally rugged make-up, and gave 
 him an efficient refinement. ' ' Leonard Swett was 
 one of nature's noblemen, and worthy to be re- 
 membered as Abraham Lincoln's most trusted 
 friend. 
 
 FRANK F. HENNING. 
 
 f~RANK F. HENNING, President of the 
 rft German-American Hospital, of Chicago, 
 I has been connected with business interests 
 and philanthropic institutions in that city for a 
 third of a century. He was born May 3, 1840, 
 in the city of Gransee, Germany, and is the 
 eldest son of Frederick and Henriette (Kanow) 
 Henning. The family is of Swiss descent, the an- 
 cestors having left Switzerland about 1780, on 
 account of religious persecutions. 
 
 Frederick Henning and his wife were natives 
 of the same part of Germany as their son, Frank 
 F. He was by trade a harness-maker, but later 
 cultivated a farm and, about 1848, decided to 
 emigrate to America, but as his father objected, 
 he went into the country and bought a farm, 
 which he conducted until he came to the United 
 States. In 1855, the parents, with six children, 
 sailed from Bremen on the sailing ship ' 'Othien, ' ' 
 and five weeks later landed at New York. They 
 came to Chicago, and after remaining a week, re- 
 moved to Port Washington, Wisconsin. 
 
 They finally settled about six miles from Mani- 
 towoc, Wisconsin, where Frederick Henning 
 bought one hundred sixty acres of timber land, 
 which he cleared, and cultivated several years. 
 He is now living retired in Manitowoc. Of his 
 ten children six were born in the Fatherland and 
 four in Wisconsin. Only five of these are now 
 
 living, namely: Frank F. , the eldest; Paulina, 
 now Mrs. Schroeder; Henrietta, wife of George 
 Bodmer, of Chicago; Emma and Matilda. The 
 mother died in 1893, aged eighty-four years, and 
 the father has reached the age of eighty-six 
 years. 
 
 Frank F. Henning was reared on his father's 
 farm and educated in the common schools of his 
 native city. In 1859 he left home, with only one 
 dollar in his pocket to make his own way in the 
 world. He worked at loading a cargo on a 
 vessel at Monitowoc and unloading it at Chicago, 
 to pay his passage to the latter city. From there 
 he walked to Morris, Illinois, a distance of sixty 
 miles, where he found employment on a farm at 
 eight dollars a month. Here he attended school 
 during the winter of 1859-1860. July 28, 1861, 
 he enlisted at Aurora, for three years, in the 
 Union Army, and was mustered September i2th 
 of that year, in the Thirty-sixth Illinois Volun- 
 teer Infantry, Company D. His regiment was 
 assigned to the Western Division, and saw hard 
 service in Missouri and Arkansas, and he par- 
 ticipated in all the engagements where his regi- 
 ment acted. Mr. Henning's first engagement 
 was at Pea Ridge, and he was wounded at the 
 battle of Stone River in the foot, head and right 
 hip. He was taken, more dead than alive, to 
 the field hospital, and after the wounds were
 
 F. F. HENNING. 
 
 dressed, he was sent to the hospital at Nashville. 
 From here he was sent to' Cincinnati, and was 
 discharged in July, 1863, for disability. 
 
 Upon his discharge he returned to his home in 
 Wisconsin, where he remained until the early 
 spring of 1864, and since that time has been a 
 resident of the city of Chicago. He found em- 
 ployment with Lohn & Koenig, for a time, in 
 gluing chairs; then as salesman and bookkeeper, 
 and in 1867 he bought a quarter interest in the 
 business, the firm then becoming Koenig, Hen- 
 ning & Gamer. Their business was located at 
 Nos. 48 and 50 Fifth Avenue, where the fire of 
 1871 wiped them out, and left them with a debt 
 of twenty-five thousand dollars, which was the 
 amount of insurance they carried, but they were 
 able to obtain only six thousand dollars therefrom. 
 
 Immediately after the fire the firm built a 
 furniture factory, and in a year and a-halfpaid- 
 their liabilities. Mr. Henning remained a mem- 
 ber of this firm until the spring of 1881 . About 
 1878 a German Young Men's Christian Associa- 
 tion was organized, of which Mr. Henning be- 
 came president; its members visited hospitals, 
 jails and poorhouses. Being of a sympathetic 
 nature, Mr. Henning became interested in the 
 sufferings of humanity and their alleviation, and 
 decided to devote the remainder of his life to philan- 
 thropic work. He had acquired a comfortable 
 competence, and when he retired from manu- 
 facturing, in December, 1883, he secured the in- 
 corporation of the German Hospital, and in 1884 
 it was opened in a building owned by Mr. Hen- 
 ning. Most of the funds for the foundation of 
 this institution were raised by Mr. Henning, who 
 was its president. It was located at No. 242 
 Lincoln Avenue, where he donated two years' 
 rent. The present site of this hospital was pur- 
 chased in 1886, Mr. Henning advancing three 
 thousand dollars for the first payment, and a year 
 later nine thousand dollars for building purposes. 
 Its generous benefactor was president until 1896, 
 when he resigned and withdrew, on account of 
 differences of opinion among some of the directors 
 and physicians. 
 
 The hospital had accumulated property worth 
 sixty thousand dollars, with an endowment fund 
 
 of twenty-one thousand dollars, and for thirteen 
 years Mr. Henning had devoted his time and 
 energy to it, with no compensation in money. 
 In 1886 he organized a deaconess' society for the 
 purpose of procuring trained nurses, and failing 
 to get enough in this way, they branched out and 
 erected a large building for a nurses' training 
 school, which is now used as the German-Ameri- 
 can Hospital. Nurses have received two years' 
 training when they graduate from this institution, 
 and about fifty nurses have been graduated. 
 Thus this institution is not only a hospital, but a 
 training school for nurses. The noble founder 
 cared not for honor or glory to himself in this 
 good work, but found his compensation in the 
 lives made happier and better, and the benefit of 
 his fellow-creatures from the results of his time 
 and study. 
 
 In 1893 Mr. Henning was one of the prime 
 movers in organizing the Bethesda Industrial 
 Home, at Morton Grove, Cook County, Illinois, 
 for the aged, infirm and helpless. In 1894, a 
 printing office was established at the home to 
 assist in defraying the expenses. This has 
 proved a success, and there are now two monthly 
 papers issued from it. Mr. Henning has ever 
 since been connected with its management. 
 Though he is a firm supporter of Republican 
 principles, he could never be induced to accept 
 office for himself. 
 
 He has been twice married. June 28, 1866, he 
 wedded Miss Dorothy Gamus, a native of Han- 
 over, Germany, and they had six children, of 
 whom three are living, namely: Frank, Arthur, 
 and Oswald. The mother died in 1881. Febru- 
 ary 28, 1883, he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Emily Buerstatte, daughter of Henry and 
 Maria (Meister) Buerstatte. She was born in 
 Manitowoc, Wisconsin. They have three chil- 
 dren, Meta, Laura, and Walter. Mr. Henning 
 has a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, 
 and is known for his good works in all parts of 
 the great metropolis. His example is worthy of 
 study and emulation, and he is honored and 
 admired by all. He has been connected with the 
 Chicago Avenue Church (Moody's) a number of 
 years.
 
 HERMANN RENDTORFF. 
 
 HERMANN RENDTORFF. 
 
 HERMANN RENDTORFF, an enterprising 
 German-American citizen, has been identi- 
 fied with Chicago for over thirty years. He 
 was born August 6, 1843, in Sauk City, Sauk 
 County, Wisconsin, being a son of Edmund and 
 Henrietta (Graepel) Rendtorff, both of whom 
 were natives of Hamburg, Germany. 
 
 Edmund Rendtorff came to the United States 
 in 1838. He was highly educated in his native 
 tongue, as well as in three other languages, and 
 was employed as correspondent and general office 
 man. On coming to this country he worked on a 
 farm in Illinois for a short time, and then went 
 to Wisconsin. He was among the first settlers 
 of Sauk City, and for some time was employed 
 as clerk on a steamboat on the Rock River. He 
 made a pre-emption claim to government land in 
 Sauk County, and was able to buy eighty acres of 
 it when it came into market. His education and 
 ability fitted him for activity in the management 
 of public affairs, and he soon became prominent 
 in the county, being its first treasurer. 
 
 He had been engaged to Miss Graepel before 
 leaving Germany. In 1842. she came to America, 
 and upon her arrival in New York they were 
 married and settled upon his land, where he con- 
 tinued farming for seven years. In 1847 he went 
 to St. Louis as bookkeeper for Childs & Com- 
 . pany, wholesale grocery dealers in that city. At 
 the end of six years he returned to Sauk City and 
 conducted a grocery store there for a period of 
 twenty-five years. Mrs. Rendtorff died in 1889, 
 at the age of seventy years, and her husband sur- 
 vived until 1892, reaching the good age of sev- 
 enty-six years. All of their six children grew to 
 maturity, the eldest being him whose name heads 
 this article. The second, J. Christian Rendtorff, 
 resides on North Avenue, in Chicago. Susanna 
 is the wife of F. A. Oswald, of the same city. 
 
 Johanna is the next in order of birth. Emma, 
 Mrs. Theodore Krueger, is also a resident of 
 Chicago; and Richard O. is deceased. 
 
 Hermann Rendtorff had but limited opportuni- 
 ties for education. He was reared on the farm 
 and attended school only during the winter 
 months. He remained with his parents until he 
 reached the age of eighteen years, and might have 
 continued longer but for the outbreak of hos- 
 tilities between the North and the South in 1861. 
 He was filled with patriotic love for the land of 
 his birth, and on the I4th of September, 1861, 
 having just completed the eighteenth year of his 
 age, he enlisted as a soldier in Company D, Ninth 
 Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He bore an active 
 part in all the engagements in which his regi- 
 ment participated, and was wounded in the right 
 thigh by a bullet at the battle of Newtonia, Mis- 
 souri, in September, 1863. He spent three months 
 in hospitals at Fort Scott and Fort Leaven worth, 
 Kansas, and still carries in his flesh the bullet 
 which caused his injury. On his recovery he 
 rejoined his regiment, with which he continued 
 until honorably discharged at the close of his 
 period of enlistment, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
 December 4, 1864. 
 
 He returned to his native place and remained 
 until February 20, 1865, on which date he became 
 a resident of Chicago. He entered the employ of 
 Ressing, Inderrieden & Company, wholesale and 
 retail grocers, with whom he remained two years. 
 At the end of this time he entered into partner- 
 ship with G. E. Roscher, in a retail grocery 
 store at No. 206 North Clark Street, and two 
 years later sold out to his partner. 
 
 He now entered the hardware establishment 
 of his brother : in-law, Mr. Oswald, at Nos. 
 139 and 141 Milwaukee Avenue, and rapidly 
 mastered the business. At the end of one year he
 
 i6 
 
 PETER JACKSON. 
 
 formed a partnership with Mr. Oswald, and they 
 opened a store on the corner of Lake and Halsted 
 Streets, under the firm name of Rendtorff & 
 Oswald. This connection lasted only a few 
 years, and Mr. Rendtorff removed to the North 
 Side and established an independent business on 
 North Avenue. Two years later he purchased 
 property on the corner of North Avenue and 
 Mohawk Street, consisting of four lots and build- 
 ings, whither he removed his stock and contin- 
 ued business. In 1 880 he added the manufacture 
 of stove- boards, which he carried on in connec- 
 tion with his hardware store. In the year 1883 
 he formed a partnership with his brother, J. 
 Christian Rendtorff, and they opened two stores, 
 one being at No. 154 North Avenue, and the 
 other at No. 700 Lincoln Avenue. Their brother, 
 Richard Otto, had charge of the former, and 
 after his death they sold the Lincoln Avenue 
 store. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Rendtorff felt that he had earned 
 a vacation, and sailed for Europe in that year, 
 spending thirteen months in visiting England, 
 Ireland, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, 
 Holland, Italy and Germany. On his return he 
 opened a jobbing house in stoves, at No. 16 Lake 
 Street, which he conducted until 1896, and then 
 sold out. In 1894, when Mr. Rendtorff began 
 building the present block at the corner of North 
 Avenue and Mohawk Street, the stock was 
 removed to No. 1 54 North Avenue, now conducted 
 
 by his brother, J. Christian, who owns it, the 
 partnership having been dissolved by mutual con- 
 sent in 1896. 
 
 Mr. Rendtorff has continued the manufacture 
 of stove-boards since he first established it, and 
 is now extensively engaged in the manufacture of 
 a patent milk -pail with a detachable strainer, and 
 a patent split-lock stove-pipe elbow. At present 
 he is giving all his attention to his manufacturing 
 interests, which are rapidly growing under his 
 prudent and energetic management. Thirty-five 
 men are employed in this business, and the 
 products are shipped to nearly every state in the 
 Union. His long business career in Chicago has 
 made him a wide acquaintance, and firmly estab- 
 lished his reputation as an upright and fair deal- 
 ing business man. 
 
 September 8, 1875, Mr. Rendtorff was married 
 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Miss Ida Stuetze, a 
 native of that city. Though not connected with 
 any religious organization, Mr. Rendtorff is a 
 supporter of all good works, and feels a keen in- 
 terest in the moral, social and material welfare of 
 the community in which he resides. His first pres- 
 idential vote was cast in Little Rock, Arkansas, 
 in 1864, for Abraham Lincoln, and he has since 
 supported the candidates of the Republican party. 
 He is a member of Hancock Post, No. 560, 
 Grand Army of the Republic, and is highly 
 esteemed by all classes of citizens because of his 
 genial manner and manly worth. 
 
 PETER JACKSON. 
 
 POSTER JACKSON, who is an old settler iii 
 LX Chicago, having lived here since 1870, was 
 |*3* born in September, 1852, in County Carlow, 
 Ireland, and is a son of William and Mary 
 (Wynne) Jackson, natives of that country. He 
 received his early education in his native land, 
 
 and improved his opportunities for advancement 
 in that country, but he was an ambitious youth 
 and not satisfied with his prospects there, so de- 
 cided to come to the new world. 
 
 Previous to the age of eighteen years he emi- 
 grated to the United States, coming direct to
 
 T. L. KRAMER. 
 
 the "City by the Lake," which has since been 
 his residence. His brother James came to Chi- 
 cago and remained a short time, and another 
 brother, William J. , emigrated later, and located 
 in New York City, where he still resides. He 
 was formerly employed as a buyer by A. T. 
 Stewart. 
 
 Peter Jackson realized the advantage of contin- 
 uing at one trade through life, and accordingly 
 satisfied himself of his abilities for his life work 
 before beginning it. He decided to enter the 
 employ of a railroad corporation, and he was 
 compelled to begin with a small salary and a place 
 at the bottom round of the ladder. By his care- 
 ful study and attention to details, and his perse- 
 verance, he was able to advance to the responsi- 
 
 ble position of conductor, which position he held 
 for about eight years. He is now a stationary 
 engineer, and has the confidence and esteem of 
 his associates and fellow-citizens. 
 
 December 31, 1874, Mr. Jackson married Mary 
 Josephine Kilcran, a daughter of Frank Kilcran, 
 whose biography may be found on another page 
 of this book. They had eight children, six of 
 whom are living, namely: William, Mary, Sarah, 
 Jane, Frank and Ellen. Mr. Jackson, as well as 
 his parents and relatives in Ireland, are members 
 of the Episcopal Church. He is a true and loyal 
 citizen of the United States, and takes an interest 
 in the affairs of the country. In national politi- 
 cal matters he is a Republican, but is independ- 
 ent in local politics. 
 
 THEODORE L, KRAMER. 
 
 'HEODORE LALUCK KRAMER, a veter- 
 an of the Civil War, was born December 9, 
 1846, in Towanda, Bradford County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is of German descent. His grand- 
 father, Abram Kramer, left Germany on account 
 of political trouble and his property was confis- 
 cated by the German Government. 
 
 Albert M. Kramer, father of Theodore, was 
 born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, about 
 1822, and was a machinist for many years in 
 Towanda. He died at the age of sixty years, in 
 Ulster, in the same State. His wife, Carolina 
 Long, was a native of Fairmont, Luzerne County, 
 in that State, and was a daughter of Abram Long, 
 a farmer. She died about the year 1850, in To- 
 wanda. 
 
 Their son, Theodore L. Kramer, attended the 
 public schools of Towanda until he reached the 
 age of fourteen years, when he began work as an 
 iron moulder. Before the completion of his six- 
 teenth year he enlisted, September i, 1862, in a 
 
 militia regiment called to oppose the invasion of 
 Maryland by General Lee in that month. He 
 served thirty days at this time, and again for a 
 like period in the following year, when Pennsyl- 
 vania was invaded. 
 
 In December, 1863, he joined the One Hundred 
 Fifty-second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, which 
 was stationed at [Fortress Monroe. On the 
 ist of February following, the One Hundred 
 Eighty-eighth Pennsylvania Infantry was formed 
 from volunteers from the One Hundred Fifty- 
 second Artillery, and Mr. Kramer was among 
 these, and was assigned to Company G. The 
 regiment became a part of the Eighteenth Corps, 
 under Gen. "Baldy" Smith, in the Army of 
 the James. The Tenth and Eighteenth Corps 
 were subsequently consolidated and made the 
 Twenty-fourth Corps. Mr. Kramer was dis- 
 charged, with his company and regiment, Decem- 
 ber 14, 1865, at City Point, Virginia. 
 
 During his service he participated in the follow-
 
 i8 
 
 T. L. KRAMER. 
 
 ing battles and skirmishes: Gettysburg, in Penn- 
 sylvania; Swift Creek and Proctor's Creek, Dru- 
 ry's Bluff, Petersburg, Deep Bottom, Cold Har- 
 bor, Assault of Petersburg, June 18, 1864, Mine 
 Explosion, July 30, 1864, Chapin's Farm and 
 Assault of Fort Harrison, Sailor's Creek and 
 Appomattox Court House, where Lee surren- 
 dered, in Virginia. 
 
 In the assault on Fort Harrison at Chapin's 
 Farm, September 28, 1864, Mr. Kramer distin- 
 guished himself in a manner which won the ap- 
 plause of all who witnessed his action, including 
 several field officers, and gained the thanks of 
 Congress, whose approval was made apparent by 
 conferring upon him a beautiful bronze medal. 
 The assaulting column, commanded by Gen. E. 
 O. C. Ord, was obliged to march one and one- 
 fourth miles in the face of a heavy artillery fire, 
 and the colors of the One Hundred Eighty-eighth 
 went down five times. On the fifth fall, young 
 Kramer ran forward, seized the flag and carried it 
 to the fort, where he turned it over to one of the 
 regular color guard. When the fort was reached 
 Kramer was the first to mount the wall, and 
 seized the standard of a Texas infantry regiment, 
 which formed a part of the garrison . He was at 
 once made the target of every rifle within the fort 
 which could be brought to bear upon him, and 
 four bullets pierced his blouse. On looking 
 around he discovered that not a single comrade 
 had followed his lead, and he at once threw him- 
 self down and, taking the captured flag along, 
 rolled back into the moat surrounding the fort, 
 which was at the time dry and afforded shelter to 
 the Union troops, as the guns could not be trained 
 low enough to molest them. 
 
 In a few moments they made a united attack 
 upon the fort, during which Private Kramer cap- 
 tured a lieutenant-colonel. The latter fired one 
 cartridge point blank at his captor, but missed, 
 and before he could again raise the hammer of 
 his pistol Kramer's musket was pressed against 
 his breast and he surrendered. For these brave 
 acts, which were witnessed by General Ord, Kra- 
 mer was recommended for gallantry to the War 
 Department, and received the "Medal of Honor" 
 with a letter of transmittal, as follows ; 
 
 WAR DEPARTMENT, 
 ADJUTANT GENERAI/S OFFICE, 
 
 Washington, March 29, 1865. 
 
 Sir. 
 
 Herewith I enclose the Medal of Honor, which 
 has been awarded you by the Secretary of War, 
 under the Resolutions of Congress, approved July 
 12, 1862, "to provide for the presentation of 
 Medals of Honor to the enlisted men of the army 
 and volunteer forces who have distinguished or 
 may distinguish themselves in battle during the 
 present rebellion." 
 
 Please acknowledge the receipt of it. 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 E. D. TOWNSEND, 
 Assistant Adjutant General. 
 Private Theo. Kramer, 
 
 Company G, i88th Penna. Vols. 
 
 On the reverse of this medal is inscribed: 
 
 THE CONGRESS 
 to 
 
 PRIVATE THEODORE KRAMER, 
 
 Co. G, 
 1 88th PENNA. VOLS. 
 
 On the evening of September 28, 1864, follow- 
 ing the capture of Fort Harrison, Kramer was 
 one of the party of one hundred men sent by 
 General Ord to occupy a redoubt on the James 
 River. They were attacked by infantry in front, 
 while the enemy's gunboats kept up a fire in the 
 rear, from the river, and were all captured except 
 Kramer and one other, who escaped at great risk. 
 Thus was completed a day of most exciting and 
 important events in the career of Mr. Kramer. 
 
 After the close of the war, Mr. Kramer came to 
 Chicago and was employed as an iron moulder 
 until 1 880, when he was appointed a letter carrier, 
 through the influence of Gen. John A. Logan, 
 and has continued in that occupation ever since. 
 He is a member of George H. Thomas Post, No. 
 5, Grand Army of the Republic, and in politics 
 has always been a Republican. In 1875 he was
 
 C. T. WHEELER. 
 
 made a Mason in Kilwinnig Lodge, No. 311, of 
 Chicago, and in 1878 was exalted to the supreme 
 degree of Royal Arch Masonry, in Sandwich 
 Chapter, No. 107, of Sandwich, Illinois. 
 
 In January, 1875, Mr. Kramer was married to 
 Miss Ida E. Vosburgh, of Chicago, a daughter of 
 Hiram A. Vosburgh, a painter of Janesville, Wis- 
 
 consin, where she was born. Her mother was 
 Sabra Doty, a member of a family prominent in 
 that place. Four sons and three daughters have 
 blessed the union, namely: Roy M., Carlisle L., 
 Albert J., Jessie J., John A., Clara V. and Hazel 
 L. Mr. Kramer lives at No. 930 North Hoyne 
 Avenue in a pleasant home of his own. 
 
 CALVIN T. WHEELER. 
 
 QALVIN THATCHER WHEELER. Among 
 I C the old-time merchants and bankers of Chi- 
 \J cago who, by their firmness of character and 
 honesty of purpose, left the impress of integrity 
 in the volumes of unwritten history of our great 
 metropolis and reflected the beacon" light of our 
 commercial stability over the whole world, we 
 must count him whose name heads this article. 
 
 Mr. Wheeler was born in West Galway, New 
 York, and is a son of Luther and Mary (Belts) 
 Wheeler. His grandfather, Silas Wheeler, and 
 two brothers went from Massachusetts to Fulton 
 County, New York, and eventually removed to 
 Steuben County, in the same State, where a town 
 was named after them. They were known by the 
 people in the neighboring section for their thrift, 
 honor and fidelity. 
 
 Luther Wheeler was by trade a builder. He 
 was a good citizen, who was honored and respect- 
 ed by all classes. In his old age, he and his wife 
 removed to Amsterdam, New York, and here 
 they died nearly at the same time, both at about 
 the age of eighty years. Mrs. Wheeler was a 
 devout Presbyterian, being an active member of 
 the Church, and was the mother of five sons and 
 three daughters. Her father, Isaiah Belts, was 
 a lieutenant in the Revolutionary army. 
 
 Calvin T. Wheeler received his primary educa- 
 lion in Ihe common schools of New York and Il- 
 
 linois. He left New York al Ihe age of len years, 
 in Ihe company of his uncle, Dr. J. T. Belts, who 
 practiced his profession in Kaskaskia, Illinois, 
 where he sellled in 1818, being one of Ihe pioneer 
 physicians of the Slate. He hoped to make a 
 physician of Calvin T. Wheeler, but even al that 
 early age his nephew had a tasle for active busi- 
 ness life, and refused his uncle's offer to give him 
 a college education. Instead, he entered his un- 
 cle's store as a clerk. While al Kaskaskia he 
 altended school, and profited by the instruction of 
 Professor Loomis, a famous scholar and an honored 
 man. Kaskaskia was at that time the social cen- 
 ter of Ihe State, and many of the most prominent 
 men in Illinois were located there. His associa- 
 tions among Ihe people of Ihis town exerted a 
 life-long influence on Ihe career of Mr. Wheeler, 
 and his memory to-day is replete with pleasant 
 recollections of his early life in Ihe capital of 
 Illinois. 
 
 In the flood of 1844 the waters of the Kaskas- 
 kia and Mississippi Rivers rose lo such a height 
 thai Ihe nuns, teachers and pupils of the Convent 
 of the Sacred Heart, built by Pierre Menard, had 
 lo be rescued in boats and removed to Saint Louis, 
 where the convent now flourishes. Six months 
 previous to the flood Mr. Wheeler had removed 
 to Pekin, below Peoria, Illinois, where he was 
 engaged in business. From there he removed to
 
 2O 
 
 J. A. ERICKSON. 
 
 Saint Louis, where he secured a position as 
 clerk in the banking house of Clark & Milton- 
 berger. 
 
 In 1850 he took a trip to California, going to 
 New Orleans, and continuing the journey on a 
 large steamboat called the ' 'Georgia, ' ' which was, 
 according to custom in those days, commanded 
 by a naval officer, to Chagres, Central America. 
 The passengers were taken up the Chagres 
 River in canoes to the head of navigation. From 
 there they made their way over the mountains to 
 the Pacific coast, where they took a sailing vessel 
 at Panama, bound for San Francisco. The 
 journey lasted sixty days, and when Mr. Wheeler 
 arrived at the Golden Gate he at once set out for 
 the gold mines, by way of Sacramento. He en- 
 gaged in mining, and for a time was successful. 
 Then he sold out his interest and returned to Saint 
 Louis, where T. J. S. Flint made him a proposi- 
 tion to come to Chicago and open a commission 
 office under the name of Flint & Wheeler. He 
 did so, and the office was located near the Wells 
 
 Street bridge, their grain elevators being situated 
 on the South Branch of the Chicago River, where 
 the Rock Island elevators now stand. 
 
 Mr. Wheeler continued in the commission bus- 
 iness until he engaged in banking, in connection 
 with the firm of Chapin, Wheeler & Company, 
 which was located on the corner of Lake and 
 LaSalle Streets. After two years they transferred 
 their interests to W. F. Coolbaugh & Company. 
 This was just previous to the war, when the so- 
 called stump-tailed money was in circulation. 
 
 During the war Mr. Wheeler re-entered the 
 grain commission trade. When the Union Na- 
 tional Bank was organized, he was chosen First 
 Vice-President, and after the death of Mr. Will- 
 aim F. Coolbaugh he was elected president of 
 the bank. He continued in that capacity nearly 
 four years, at the end of which time he resigned 
 and organized the Continental National Bank. 
 He was president of this five years, and then re- 
 tired from business cares, at the close of a useful 
 and influential career. 
 
 JOHN A. ERICKSON. 
 
 (JOHN ALFRED ERICKSON, a contractor 
 I and builder, who resides in South Chicago, 
 C/ was born December 8, 1844, near Gutten- 
 burg, Sweden, and is a son of Eric Peterson and 
 Ella (Johnson) Peterson. He received his edu- 
 cation in his native country, and when he was 
 old enough, found employment at farm labor in 
 the region near his home. He was thus engaged 
 until 1870, when he married and settled in Lind- 
 holmen, near Guttenburg, where he became a 
 carpenter in a ship-yard. He remained here 
 from that time until 1881, and learned all the de- 
 tails of ship building, being able to construct an 
 entire vessel. He then emigrated to America 
 and settled in South Chicago. 
 
 On his arrival in this city he found employ- 
 ment as a carpenter, and because of his ability 
 and training he has followed this trade most suc- 
 cessfully. He soon engaged in contracting, and 
 has erected many buildings in South Chicago, the 
 first one being a residence for John Danielson, a 
 clothier, at Hoegswis, Illinois. 
 
 He was married October 30, 1870, to Miss 
 Louisa Larson, who is now visiting her relatives 
 and friends in Sweden. They have one child, 
 Charles Erickson. While Mr. Erickson has 
 learned to love the country of his adoption, he 
 still remembers the friends and associations of his 
 native country, and in 1894 he visited the scenes 
 of his boyhood, where his father, aged eighty-
 
 THOMAS CARBINE. 
 
 21 
 
 five years, yet resides. He is a member of the 
 Swedish Lutheran Church. 
 
 On coming to South Chicago, Mr. Erickson 
 bought a lot at No. 8944 Houston Avenue, and 
 built a small house, where he resided until 1894, 
 and then erected a three-story brick building, at 
 a cost of seven thousand dollars. He has kept 
 his place in good repair, and has the finest prop- 
 erty in the neighborhood. 
 
 Mr. Erickson has reached his present prosper- 
 ity through his tireless energy and careful study 
 of all work going on in his sight. When in the 
 ship-yard at Guttenburg, he formed the habit of 
 learning the details of all that came under his 
 observation, and has always improved his other 
 opportunities in the same way. He has thus won 
 the respect and confidence of his patrons and as- 
 sociates. 
 
 THOMAS CARBINE. 
 
 "HOMAS CARBINE, an inventor, who re- 
 sides in Chicago, was born October 22, 1819, 
 in Manchester, England. The family were 
 well and favorably known in that country for 
 many generations, some being in the army, and 
 some being merchants. The grandfather of 
 Thomas Carbine, James Carbine, was a native of 
 England, and went to Jamaica on commercial 
 business, and there made his home thereafter. He 
 married there, and reared a large family of chil- 
 dren, one son being lost on the "Royal George." 
 
 His son James became a soldier, and for forty- 
 one years was an officer in the British Army. He 
 was an aide of the Duke of Wellington at Water- 
 loo and other battles. He was near the Duke 
 when he gave the famous order, "Advance the 
 guards," in a calm voice, and later when he 
 uttered the world-famed words, "Would to God 
 that night or Bluecher would come," He often 
 told the history of battles in which he had par- 
 ticipated to his children, and Thomas Carbine, 
 whose name heads this article, can relate them in 
 a most interesting manner. Captain Carbine was 
 retired on full pay, whereupon he bought a fine 
 black charger which he rode for twenty-one 
 years, and the noble animal died at the age of 
 thirty years. 
 
 Captain Carbine was married in Manchester, 
 
 England, where he died at the age of nearly 
 eighty years. His wife had been a teacher in a 
 private seminary. She was the mother of ten 
 sons and died in Manchester, aged seventy- 
 six years. Thomas Carbine was the only one of 
 the children to come to America. 
 
 Thomas Carbine was educated in Manchester, 
 and learned the trade of carpenter, and being 
 skillful as a mechanic he became an expert mill- 
 wright in America, where he constructed some im- 
 portant work in this line. He came to the 
 United States in 1840, being six weeks on the 
 journey. He located in Utica, Oneida County, 
 New York, which was then only a country 
 village, and remained there twelve years. He 
 came to Chicago in 1853, and in 1856 sold his 
 home in Utica and removed his family to Chicago. 
 Here he followed the bent of his inventive genius, 
 and took care of his real-estate interests, having 
 interested himself in property in the city. 
 
 While in Utica Mr. Carbine was able to render 
 some valuable assistance to the New York Central 
 Railroad Company, which paid him generously, 
 and has since given him free transportation. He 
 used the money received to purchase a lot and 
 build his residence. Mr. Carbine invented a 
 machine for winding balls of yarn without a 
 bobbin, for which he received a royalty of five
 
 22 
 
 A. H. PERKINS. 
 
 thousand dollars, which he judiciously invested 
 in real estate in 1855. This formed the nucleus 
 of the prosperity which enabled him to retire 
 from the cares of business life, and spend the 
 latter part of his life in peace and comfort. He 
 also invented a process by which kerosene oil is 
 converted into a gas which may be used for heat- 
 ing purposes. The latter invention he never 
 patented, and humanity will receive the free gift 
 of his labors in this way. 
 
 Mr. Carbine was married in Manchester, 
 England, August 5, 1838, to Miss Sarah Brad- 
 bury, daughter of John and Frances Bradbury, 
 natives of England. She was born January 3, 
 1819, in the city where the marriage took place. 
 The two children now living are: Mary F. C. 
 and Charlotte E. P. Mary is the wife of 
 
 Frederich Bluhm, and Charlotte of James New- 
 brun. The latter has three children, namely: 
 Sadie, wife of Edward E. Reading; Arthur C. 
 and James C. Mr. and Mrs. Carbine are mem- 
 bers of the Episcopal Church. 
 
 For thirty-six years the former has been a mem- 
 ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
 and he is also connected with the Independent 
 Order of Recceabites, an order of total abstinence. 
 In his political views he is independent, and is a 
 good example of Chicago's substantial citizens. 
 In 1888 he and his wife celebrated their golden 
 wedding, and received a gold medal from the 
 German Old Settlers' Society for being the oldest 
 non-German couple on the picnic ground, their 
 combined ages amounting to one hundred fifty- 
 seven years. 
 
 AMOS H. PERKINS. 
 
 Gl MOS HENRY PERKINS was born in Nor- 
 J I wich, Connecticut, July 26, 1836, and was 
 / I one of five children, three boys and two 
 girls. He was the son of Isaac and Nancy N. 
 (Allen) Perkins, and a direct descendant of 
 Miles Standish on his mother's side. Isaac 
 Perkins was a carpenter and builder, but died 
 when Amos was but ten years old. 
 
 The subject of this biography learned his 
 father's trade, but followed it for only a short 
 time. He was educated in his native place, and 
 at the age of twenty came to Chicago, and soon 
 afterward began taking contracts for paving, lay- 
 ing sidewalks and roofing. Mr. Perkins was a 
 man of more than average intelligence, and 
 became a shrewd, careful and successful business 
 man. He was one of the contractors who con- 
 structed La Salle Street tunnel. He continued 
 to be a large contractor in cedar blocks, asphalt 
 pavements and Portland cement walks, having 
 
 had contracts for this in most of the large cities 
 in the country. During the war he was a heavy 
 dealer in tar, and at one time controlled nearly 
 all of that product manufactured in the United 
 States. 
 
 Mr. Perkins was married July 20, 1874, to 
 Miss May, daughter of John and .Mary (De For- 
 est) Tristram, of Norwalk, Connecticut. They 
 had four children, Emery B., Lorenzo B., Mrs. 
 Nellie M. Harris and Mrs. Jennie C. Brown, the 
 latter being deceased. 
 
 Mr. Perkins attended Dr. Hillis' church at 
 Central Music Hall, and he was an exemplary 
 citizen and a good man. In his sphere he con- 
 tributed in no small degree toward making Chi- 
 cago the western metropolis of the United States. 
 He was widely known in the West, East and 
 South, and was beloved by all who came within 
 reach of his magnetic and benevolent influence. 
 He was the originator of the Western Paving
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 DR. JOHN O. HUGHES 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 J. O. HUGHES. 
 
 Supply Company, and although V. W. Foster 
 was its president, he was its practical head and 
 manager. - 
 
 He was a member of Covenant Lodge, No. 526, 
 Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of 
 Corinthian Chapter, No. 69, Royal Arch Masons. 
 In politics he was a Republican. He died sud- 
 denly, of apoplexy, at the age of sixty-one 
 years, and at the time of his death was vice- 
 president of the Western Paving Supply Com- 
 pany. He had the universal respect of all 
 representative elements of the city. Mrs. Perkins 
 is an intellectual and accomplished woman and 
 
 made for her husband the home which he prized 
 so dearly, and which by her management always 
 remained to him a haven of rest and comfort, 
 where he ever found recreation from the cares of 
 his ever-increasing business, and where he loved 
 to entertain the friends who knew him best and 
 loved him most. His was a most active and 
 useful life, and although called away seemingly 
 before his time, he accomplished much more than 
 others do in a longer space of time, and, best of 
 all, leaves to his posterity and friends an untar- 
 nished name that will be remembered by future 
 generations. 
 
 JOHN O. HUGHES. 
 
 HOHN OWEN HUGHES, M. D., who has an 
 I extensive practice in Norwood Park and 
 G/ vicinity, was born November 12, 1838, in 
 New Brunswick, New Jersey, and is the second 
 child of Owen and Catherine Hughes. Owen 
 Hughes was for many years superintendent of a 
 coal yard in that place, where he and his wife 
 died. They were the parents of five children, 
 only two of whom, John O. and Catherine, came 
 to the West. The others are: Kirkpatrick, who 
 died in Elizabeth, New Jersey; Catherine, a 
 resident of Chicago; James, who has charge of the 
 packing room of a rubber factory in New Bruns- 
 wick, New Jersey; and Frank, superintendent of 
 construction of boats in the Government^employ. 
 John Owen Hughes became an orphan at an 
 early age, and in his youth had very little educa- 
 tion, being obliged to begin the battle of life when 
 only a boy. His ambition was not satisfied by 
 the employment he was able to find, and he 
 wished for greater attainments than his limited 
 opportunities for improvement had given him. 
 He spent his leisure hours in study, and was thus 
 able to obtain a teacher's certificate. He came 
 
 to Chicago at the age of twenty, and taught in 
 several parts of Illinois, occupying his spare mo- 
 ments with the study of medicine. Thus his 
 youth was spent in a struggle for advancement, 
 and he formed habits of thought and application 
 that have been retained in his after life. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. Hughes enlisted in the One Hun- 
 dred Third Illinois Volunteers, Company D, join- 
 ing the Fifteenth Army Corps. This was the 
 corps commanded by General Sherman, and with 
 him Mr. Hughes continued until the close of the 
 struggle. He was present in many important 
 engagements, among them the Atlanta Campaign 
 and the March to the Sea and through the Caro- 
 linas. After Mr. Hughes had been with the 
 army six months, he was placed in the medical 
 department, where he remained, doing surgical 
 work on the battlefield, such as dressing wounds 
 temporarily, and preparing men for the operating 
 board. 
 
 At the close of the war Mr. Hughes entered 
 Rush Medical College, and graduated in 1868, 
 since which time he has practiced his profession. 
 In 1873 he located in Norwood Park, which has
 
 F. W. PARKER. 
 
 since been his place of residence. He acquired a 
 large practice there and in neighboring villages, 
 which has been principally attended to at his 
 office for several years, and built a handsome 
 residence in 1882. 
 
 May 12, 1868, he married Mary V. Hartough, 
 a native of Fairview, Fulton County, Illinois, 
 and a daughter of Henry and Catherine (Vander- 
 veer) Hartough, both of whom are natives of 
 New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes had four 
 
 children, namely: Frank, who was drowned at the 
 age of fifteen years; Kate Hazeltine, who resides 
 with her parents; Martha Lilian, who died when 
 six years old; and Edwin, who lives at home. 
 Mr. Hughes is a man of progressive ideas, of 
 broad intellect, and feels a warm interest in the 
 public welfare. He is a member of the American 
 Reformed Church of Norwood Park, and a valiant 
 supporter of the principles of the Republican 
 party. 
 
 FRANCIS W. PARKER. 
 
 r~RANCIS WAYLAND PARKER, who car- 
 fri ried the Cook County Normal School to a 
 | ' high degree of usefulness and is known 
 among educators all over the United States and 
 in many parts of Europe, is still a student and is 
 active in promoting the cause of primary educa- 
 tion. Colonel Parker disclaims utterly all pre- 
 tensions to having found any new methods or 
 principles of education. His only claim has 
 been and is that he is trying himself to study 
 the great subject of education in its applica- 
 tion in the common schools, and to lead other 
 teachers to study this great subject. He has a 
 firm and unalterable faith in the common school 
 system; he believes that the common schools will 
 be brought to a point of efficiency equal to the 
 demands of this great Republic; that the salva- 
 tion and perpetuity of the Republic depend upon 
 the proper education of the children. 
 
 Francis W. Parker was born October 9, 1837, 
 in the village of Piscataquog, Town of Bedford, 
 New Hampshire, which has since been swallowed 
 up in the neighboring city of Manchester. 
 Col. John Goff, one of the ancestors of the 
 subject of this notice, was the first settler on the 
 present site of Manchester, and several local 
 names still preserve his memory. His son, 
 
 Maj. John Goff, was an officer of the Revolution- 
 ary army, and was the great-great-grandfather of 
 Colonel Parker. Colonel John Goff was a famous 
 hunter, was an officer at the siege of Louisburg, 
 and active in the French and Indian war. Being 
 too old to participate actively in the Revolution- 
 ary struggle, he yet acted an important part in 
 training Generals Sullivan and John Stark in 
 military tactics and preparing them for the duties 
 which they so well performed. The family of 
 Goff is supposed to be closely allied to that of 
 Goff the regicide, made famous by the pen of 
 Sir Walter Scott. 
 
 William Parker, grandfather of the subject of 
 this sketch, was a drummer under Gen. John Stark 
 at Bunker Hill, and served through the Revolu- 
 tion as a soldier. He was founder of the village 
 at the mouth of the river Piscataquog, called 
 Squog by the people, where excellent rafting and 
 harbor privileges were found for the navigators of 
 the river Merrimac. 
 
 Three ancestors of Colonel Parker, a Rand, a 
 Goff and a Parker, were buried on Copp's Hill, 
 the graveyard of the Old North Church in Bos- 
 ton. All were members of Cotton Mather's 
 church. His maternal grandfather, Jonathan 
 Rand, was the first recorded teacher at Old Der-
 
 F. W. PARKER. 
 
 ry field, now known as the city of Manchester. 
 Ministers and teachers were numerous among the 
 ancestors of Colonel Parker. His mother, Milly 
 Rand, was a teacher, said to practice original 
 methods with great success. Her grandfather 
 was a graduate of Harvard College, a classmate 
 of John Hancock, and many years librarian at 
 Harvard. John, brother of Milly Rand, was a 
 famous portrait painter and inventor of the me- 
 tallic tube, now in general use, for holding paints 
 and oils. 
 
 Robert Parker, son of William, was a cabinet- 
 maker, noted in the section where he lived for 
 his excellent work. He was an ardent adherent 
 of the Baptist faith, and named his son in honor 
 of the famous Dr. Francis Wayland, president of 
 Brown University. He died when this son was 
 but six years of age. 
 
 The latter attended the school of his native vil- 
 lagfe when he was three years old, having pre- 
 viously learned to read, and entered the local 
 academy at the age of seven. When eight years 
 old he read in Porter's Rhetorical Reader, had 
 been through Colburn's Arithmetic, and was 
 taken from school and bound out to William 
 Moore of Goffstown. He spent five years upon a 
 farm, being privileged to attend school only eight 
 or nine weeks in the winter, but considers this 
 one of the most fortunate periods in his primary 
 training. At the age of thirteen years he left 
 the farm and entered the academy at Mount 
 Vernon, New Hampshire. Here he worked his 
 way along by sawing wood and performing 
 various sorts of manual labor. With the addi- 
 tional money earned on farms in summer he was 
 enabled to pay his expenses at school in winter, 
 and this hard experience served to develop the 
 most sturdy habits of self-reliance and industry. 
 
 When he was sixteen years old he attended 
 Hopkinton Academy, and in the winter of 1854-55 
 he taught school at Corser Hill, now called Web- 
 ster, New Hampshire. At a salary of fifteen dol- 
 lars per month, he presided over a school includ- 
 ing seventy-five pupils, many of them older than 
 himself. The following winter he taught school 
 in Auburn, New Hampshire, and such was his 
 success that he was employed several successive 
 
 winters in that town. His first winter's salary 
 was eighteen dollars a month, and this included 
 board on the old-fashioned system of "boarding 
 'round." 
 
 By continuing his plan of farm labor in sum- 
 mer, teaching and attending school, he came, at 
 the attainment of his majority, to the charge of 
 the village school in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, 
 and was subsequently at the head of the grammar 
 school of his native village. 
 
 In 1858 he went to Carrollton, Green County, 
 Illinois, where, with one assistant, in one room, 
 he superintended the instruction of one hundred 
 and twenty-five pupils, ranging in age from 
 twelve to twenty-five years. Without striking a 
 blow he continued to manage this school two 
 years, where two of his predecessors had been 
 driven out by the insubordination of the pupils. 
 
 True to his inherited martial instincts, young 
 Parker sought to enter the service of his country 
 immediately upon the outbreak of hostilities in 
 the Civil War, which occurred while he was at 
 Carrollton. Being unable to secure admission 
 to an Illinois regiment, he returned to his native 
 state and at once entered the Fourth New Hamp- 
 shire Regiment as a private. Before the regiment 
 was mustered he was elected first lieutenant of 
 Company E, and in the following winter was 
 made captain. The first three years of the war 
 were spent by this command at various points 
 along the Atlantic Coast, in Florida, Georgia and 
 South Carolina, participating in the long siege of 
 Charleston. 
 
 Early in 1864 the regiment was placed in the 
 command of General Butler at Bermuda Hun- 
 dred, and Colonel Parker was in several great 
 battles during the long campaign of 1864. At 
 Drury's Bluff he lost twenty-eight of his forty- 
 two men. The regiment was under General 
 Grant at Cold Harbor, and took part in the siege 
 of Petersburg. In the Crater fight the Fourth 
 New Hampshire lost fifty men, and immediately 
 thereafter Captain Parker was placed in com- 
 mand. August 16, 1864, at Deep Bottom, he 
 was suddenly called to the command of a brigade, 
 and was severely wounded in the chin and neck 
 while engaged in repelling a second charge of the
 
 26 
 
 F. W. PARKER. 
 
 enemy. For many weeks he lay in the hospital, 
 suffering from a crushed windpipe. In the spring 
 of this year his regiment numbered a full one 
 thousand men, and only forty could be mustered 
 at the last charge in the fall. 
 
 In October, 1864, he was able to leave the 
 hospital and go home to recuperate. He was 
 active in the presidential campaign of that year, 
 and in December was married to Miss Phene E. 
 Hall, of Bennington, New Hampshire. Having 
 been promoted to lieutenant-colonel, he joined his 
 regiment after the battle of Fort Fisher, succeed- 
 ing Colonel Bell, who fell in the first attack upon 
 the fort. He marched with General Scofield 
 across North Carolina to meet Sherman. Soon 
 after the junction of forces was made at Cox's 
 Bridge, Colonel Parker was made a prisoner and 
 taken to Greensburg, North Carolina, where he 
 first learned of the failure of armed rebellion, 
 through the surrender of General Lee. For his 
 bravery at Deep Bottom he was made a brevet- 
 colonel. 
 
 Colonel Parker was mustered out with his 
 command in August, 1865, and immediately took 
 the position of principal of the grammar school at 
 Manchester, New Hampshire, which he held 
 three years, at a salary of eleven hundred dollars 
 per year. Despite his aversion he was drawn 
 into politics, and determined to move in order to 
 avoid his mistaken friends, for he felt sure he 
 could not succeed in politics and teaching at the 
 same time. He felt that teaching was his mission, 
 aud proceeded to Dayton, Ohio, where he was 
 engaged as a teacher. Here he began to put in 
 practice some of his ideas of reform in education, 
 and, in spite of opposition from parents and 
 teachers, was sustained by the Board of Educa- 
 tion. In 1871 he took the position of assistant 
 superintendent of the schools of Minneapolis, 
 Minnesota. During this year his wife died, and 
 he resigned his position and went to Europe to 
 study the science of education. 
 
 He spent two and one-half y ears in the Univer- 
 sity of Berlin, Germany, and also took a course 
 of two years in philosophy under a private tutor. 
 During his vacations he visited the schools and 
 art galleries of the continent and made a study of 
 
 European geography and history, and returned 
 to America in 1875. His trip abroad was under- 
 taken largely to satisfy himself whether his ideas 
 were in conformity with those of the great 
 thinkers of the world, and he came back fully 
 confirmed in his theories. 
 
 In April, 1875, he was made superintendent of 
 the city schools of Quincy, Massachusetts, which 
 were then in charge of a board, including John 
 Quincy Adams, Charles Francis Adams and 
 James H. Slade. The board gave him full 
 authority and co-operated with him in his labors 
 of re-organization. Much opposition was en- 
 countered on the part of teachers, and the con- 
 troversy attracted thirty thousand visitors to ob- 
 serve the workings of the schools of Quincy 
 during the three years Colonel Parker was in 
 charge. In 1880 he was made one of the super- 
 visors of schools in Boston, where he again met 
 opposition from teachers and principals, but he 
 was re-elected. He was offered the superintend- 
 ency of schools at Philadelphia, but refused this 
 to accept the position of principal of the Cook 
 County Normal School. 
 
 Here was opportunity to exercise his talent for 
 training teachers, and here he could get near to 
 the children, whom he wished to reach and bene- 
 fit. He entered upon his duties January i, 1883, 
 and met once more the antagonism of teachers 
 and conservative citizens. But results soon began 
 to demonstrate to these the wisdom of his scien- 
 tific theories, and he was heartily sustained by 
 the school board, and the institution was placed 
 in successful operation in spite of politicians and 
 other enemies to progress. 
 
 Colonel Parker is the author of "Talks on 
 Teaching, ' ' ' 'Practical Teacher, ' ' ' 'How to Study 
 Geography," "Outlines in Geography," tract 
 on "Spelling," and "Talks on Pedagogics. " He 
 has visited every state in the Union, and lectured 
 before institutes and conventions in most of them. 
 A few of his lectures may be here mentioned: 
 ' 'The Child and Nature, ' ' ' 'The Child and Man , ' ' 
 "Artist or Artisan Which?" "Home and 
 School," "The Ideal School," "Education and 
 Democracy." He is also the editor of a unique 
 publication called the "Cook County Normal
 
 COL. VICTOR GERARDIN. 
 
 27 
 
 School Envelope," which shows the development 
 of concentration in the Cook County Normal 
 School, month by month. 
 
 In December, 1882, he was married to Mrs. M. 
 Frank Stuart, the first assistant in the Boston 
 School of Oratory. Mrs. Parker is a leading ex- 
 ponent of the Delsarte system of expression, and 
 is a faithful coadjutor of her husband in his noble 
 plans for benefiting the human race. Their 
 
 home on Honore Street, Englewood, bears many 
 evidences of her artistic taste in architecture and 
 furnishings. Its library contains over four thous- 
 and volumes, including many in the Norwegian, 
 French, Dutch, German, Italian and Indian 
 languages, which the Colonel reads readily. 
 The lawns and extensive garden furnish him 
 with physical exercise, by way of rest from his 
 mental and literary labors. 
 
 COL. VICTOR GERARDIN. 
 
 EOL. VICTOR GERARDIN, known in Chi- 
 cago as the "Father of the French," was 
 born February 17, 1832, in Baccarat, France, 
 where his father, Joseph Gerardin, was a farmer. 
 The father of the latter, who bore the same name, 
 followed the same avocation in the same locality. 
 The mother of the subject of this sketch, Agatha 
 Math, was a native of the same place, and, like 
 her husband, was a scion of a family that has re- 
 sided there since the eleventh century. Joseph 
 Gerardin, junior, served under the great Napo- 
 leon during the last two years of his campaigning 
 in Europe. 
 
 Victor Gerardin was the thirteenth child of his 
 parents and was deprived of his mother by death 
 when he was but three years old. For six years, 
 until he was twelve years of age, he attended the 
 village school and then came to America with a 
 sister who was married. He arrived in New 
 York on the ist of April, 1844, and went to 
 work the next day in a glass factory, where he 
 continued one year. He then entered into an 
 apprenticeship at the hatter's trade, which he 
 continued until he attained his majority. During 
 his early apprenticeship his salary was not suffi- 
 cient for his maintenance, and he supported him- 
 self by selling papers and blacking boots in New 
 York City. He did not neglect at the same time to 
 improve his mind, and rapidly gained a mastery 
 of the English language. 
 
 In 1854 he came to Chicago and engaged in 
 business with a partner, the firm being known as 
 Grosset & Gerardin. The senior partner died in 
 1877, and Mr. Gerardin has continued the busi- 
 ness of hatter alone ever since. He was the first 
 in Chicago to engage in the manufacture of silk 
 hats, and is now the oldest artisan in that line in 
 the city. In the Great Fire of 1871 all his real 
 and personal property went up in smoke. He 
 continued business, however, opening first in the 
 house of a friend within ten days after the fire; 
 and eventually paid in full every dollar of claims 
 against him. His first place of business was on 
 South Water Street, where he continued three 
 years, and afterwards remained on La Salle Street 
 between Randolph and Lake Streets, until the 
 fire. For one year thereafter he was located on 
 Canal Street, and has continued ever since at his 
 present location on Clark Street, near Monroe. 
 He was an extensive manufacturer, and previous 
 to the panic of 1873 turned out enough hats to 
 supply the present trade of the Northwest. 
 
 Mr. Gerardin has ever been active in promoting 
 social and benevolent labors and has been a mem- 
 ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 
 he was old enough to be eligible, having been 
 initiated in Sincerite Lodge No. 233, of New York 
 City, on the day he became of age. In Chicago 
 he was for many years a member of Union Lodge 
 No. 9, and left that to become a charter member
 
 28 
 
 J. M. KENNEDY. 
 
 of Rochambeau Lodge No. 532, the only lodge in 
 Chicago working in the French language, of 
 which he was the principal organizer. This is 
 one of the six lodges in the United States work- 
 ing in that language, and was instituted Novem- 
 ber 12, 1873. 
 
 From the ist of March, 1859, Mr. Gerardin or- 
 ganized the French Mutual Society (Societe Fran- 
 caise de Secours Mutuels) and was its first presi- 
 dent, filling that position for twelve consecutive 
 terms. In 1861 he organized the Societe de 
 Bienifaisance, of which he was president at 
 the time of the fire in 1871. After that calam- 
 ity this society distributed fifteen thousand francs 
 to the sufferers. In 1886 Mr. Gerardin or- 
 ganzed the Cercle Francais, of Chicago. All 
 these societies are still in existence except 
 the benevolent society, which was merged in 
 the others when it had accomplished its pur- 
 pose, after the fire. One of Mr. Gerardin's 
 most highly prized treasures is an autograph let- 
 ter from the wife of Marshal McMahon, who was 
 president of the French relief society, acknowl- 
 edging the receipt of funds sent from Chicago for 
 the relief of the French flood sufferers, while 
 McMahon was president of the French Republic. 
 
 While a resident of New York City Mr. Ger- 
 ardin served from 1852 until 1854 as a volunteer 
 fireman with Engine Company No. 1 1 . He has 
 been a member of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, since 1877. 
 
 In religious faith he adheres to the Roman Cath- 
 olic Church. He was a Republican up to the 
 Cleveland-Elaine campaign of 1884, since which 
 time he has adhered to the Democratic party. 
 October 18, 1876, he was commissioned colonel of 
 the "Hayes & Wheeler Minute Men of '76," on 
 the staff of Gen. John McArthur. During the 
 Civil War he was an ardent supporter of the ad- 
 ministration, and an intense patriot. During the 
 World's Fair he had charge of the Parisian Hat- 
 ters' Exhibit, and had previously served as a 
 member of the committee of one hundred, ap- 
 pointed by Mayor Cregier. to secure the location 
 of that exhibit in Chicago. 
 
 He re-visited France in 1864, and again during 
 the Franco-Prussian War, and on the last trip 
 made a tour of England and Ireland. In Janu- 
 ary, 1859, he was married to Marion, eldest 
 daughter of John Magee, of Belfast, Ireland (for 
 genealogy, see biography of Charles D. Magee, 
 in this volume). Five of the nine children of 
 Mr. Gerardin are now deceased. The names of 
 all in order of birth, are: Minnie, Rea, Agatha, 
 Eliza, Victor, Joseph, Walter, Emile and Esther. 
 The third, sixth and seventh died within a period 
 of two weeks, in the year 1875, of diphtheria, and 
 are buried in Graceland Cemetery. Eliza died in 
 1867, and Emile in 1884. Mr. Gerardin has 
 lived for the last fourteen years in his present 
 residence, which is located at No. 1128 North 
 Halsted Street. 
 
 JOHN M. KENNEDY. 
 
 QOHN MCMILLAN KENNEDY, for many 
 
 I years a business man of Chicago, now living 
 O in retirement at Oak Park, was born in the 
 Parish of Colmonell, Ayrshire, Scotland, Feb- 
 ruary 26, 1815. His parents were Alexander 
 Kennedy and Elizabeth McMillan. The former 
 
 was a farmer, a tenant on the family estate which 
 was inherited by his eldest brother. He was 
 born April 7, 1772, and died December 14, 1871, 
 thus lacking only four months of being one hun- 
 dred years old. He was the father of twelve 
 children, of whom the following is the record:
 
 J. M. KENNEDY. 
 
 29 
 
 Margaret is the widow of Rev. Andrew Mc- 
 Dowell and resides at Stirling, Scotland; David 
 inherited the family estate, which consists of one 
 thousand five hundred acres, and also the title of 
 Laird of Craig; John M. is the subject of this 
 sketch; Anthony M. was a merchant and planter 
 in Camden, South Carolina, where he died De- 
 cember 17, 1892; Sarah is the widow of George 
 McAdam and resides in Rickton, Scotland; Robert 
 was a merchant in Camden, South Carolina, 
 where he died in 1896; Mary became the wife of 
 David Denholm, and died in Chicago in 1854; 
 Alexander died in 1852, in England; Elizabeth 
 died in Scotland in 1861; Agnes, wife of David 
 Thorburn, resides at Newton Stewart, Scotland; 
 Jane died at the age of twelve years; and James 
 died at his native place, aged twenty-one years. 
 John M. Kennedy received a common-school 
 education in Scotland, and at the age of fifteen 
 years, in company with his younger brother, 
 Anthony, sailed from Greenock, Scotland, Oc- 
 tober 10, 1830, in the good ship "Rogers Stewart" 
 for America. After a voyage of fifty days they 
 arrived at Savannah, Georgia, and proceeded by 
 steamer to Augusta, in the same State, and 
 thence by stage to Camden, South Carolina. 
 There they joined a cousin, a merchant, who 
 gave them employment as clerks. The elder 
 brother remained until March 24, 1834, when, 
 in company with Frederick Witherspoon, he 
 made the journey to Fox River, Illinois, on 
 horseback, a distance of one thousand two hun- 
 dred and forty-four miles. On Big and Little 
 Rock Creeks, in what is now Kendall County, 
 they located farms, and there Mr. Kennedy car- 
 ried on farming until November, 1848. At that 
 date he removed to Chicago, and from 1849 to 
 1852 was engaged in the lumber business. From 
 1852 to 1857 he did a commission business, which 
 proved very successful, but his accumulations 
 were swept away in the panic of 1857. During 
 the terms of John Wentworth and John C. 
 Haines as mayors of Chicago, from 1857 to 1860, 
 he served as chief of police with much credit, 
 and was urged to serve longer, but refused. For 
 the next five years he was employed by Howe & 
 Robbins, grain dealers, and from 1865 to 1878 
 
 dealt in lime as city salesman. In the last-named 
 year he accepted the position of weigh-master on 
 the Chicago & Alton Railroad, which he held 
 until 1887, when advancing years compelled him 
 to resign. Since that time he has been living in 
 the enjoyment of the period of rest and recreation 
 to which his long years of usefulness so eminently 
 entitle him. In 1890 he built the pleasant cot- 
 tage he now occupies at Oak Park, which has 
 since been his home. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy is one of the few men living who 
 have witnessed the entire growth of Chicago as a 
 city. On his first visit to that place he con- 
 sidered it a very undesirable place to live, but later 
 made it his home, wishing to secure skilled 
 medical care for his wife, who was then an invalid. 
 He was afterwards induced to remain in order to 
 gain educational advantages for his children. His 
 reminiscences of early Chicago are very interest- 
 ing. Though he has passed his eighty-second 
 birthday anniversary, his memory is excellent, 
 and he recalls the events of his youth and early 
 manhood quite as clearly as those of more recent 
 occurrence. In earlier years he was opposed to 
 the extension of slavery, and was successively a 
 Whig and a Republican. He cast his first 
 vote for President in 1836, and has therefore 
 voted in sixteen presidential elections. In re- 
 ligious views he has been a lifelong Baptist, and 
 united with the Tabernacle Church of Chicago in 
 1851. He was a member of this church forty 
 years, though it was afterwards named the 
 Second Baptist Church. For ten years he served 
 as deacon in this organization. Since 1891 he 
 has been connected with the First Baptist Church 
 of Oak Park, 
 
 March 30, 1837, Mr. Kennedy was married to 
 Eliza Ann Rogers, a native of Camden, South 
 Carolina, and a daughter of Alexander and Mary 
 (Kelso) Rogers. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers were both 
 natives of Pennsylvania, the former of Irish and 
 the latter of Scotch descent. Seven children 
 were born of this union, as follows: Mary, now 
 the widow of Samuel Ludington, resides with her 
 father; Elizabeth, who was for thirty-eight years 
 a teacher in Chicago, but now retired, also re- 
 sides with her father; Alexander is in the insur-
 
 HENRY WINKELMAN. 
 
 ance business in Chicago; Anthony is chief grain 
 inspector of Boston, Massachusetts; John, James 
 and Walter died in childhood. Mrs. Kennedy 
 died in 1851. The subject of this notice was 
 married a second time October 20, 1852, to Rosetta 
 E. Hamilton, a daughter of David and Jerusha 
 (Hulet) Hamilton. Mrs. Kennedy was born 
 near Aurora, Erie County, New York. Her 
 parents removed to Illinois in 1838. Seven chil- 
 dren were born of this marriage, as follows: 
 David, who is a member of the real-estate firm of 
 Kennedy & Ballard of Chicago, and resides at 
 
 Oak Park; William E., a railroad man on the 
 Union Pacific Railroad; Hulbert, Ellen Eliza, 
 Albert and Charles died in infancy; Robert B. is 
 employed with his brother in Oak Park, where 
 he resides. The mother departed this life Jan- 
 uary 23, 1892. Mr. Kennedy is blessed by 
 twenty-seven grandchildren and eight great- 
 grandchildren. He has also cared for two orphan 
 nieces, Mary L- Goff, now the widow of John J. 
 Kott, and Agnes D. Kennedy, now Mrs. Frank 
 M. Crittenden, both of whom reside in the city 
 of Chicago. 
 
 HENRY WINKELMAN. 
 
 HENRY WINKELMAN was born January 
 3, 1847, in Tedinghausen, Braunschweig, 
 Germany, and is a son of Henry and Eliza- 
 beth (Klueber) Winkelman, neither of whom 
 ever came to America. John Winkelman, brother 
 of the subject of this sketch, came to America 
 in 1861 and settled in Baltimore, Maryland. His 
 sympathies were on the side of the South in the 
 great civil strife, and he enlisted in the Confed- 
 erate army, and was killed during the war. Mary 
 Winkelman, his sister, came to America in 1863, 
 and afterwards married Henry Kassens. She and 
 her husband reside at Colehour. Henry Win- 
 kelman served in the cavalry service of Germany. 
 He came to America in 1875, and in 1878 went 
 to South Chicago, where he now resides. 
 
 Henry Winkelman received all his education 
 in his native country, where he remained until 
 he was nearly twenty years old. The example 
 of his older brother and his sister gave him the 
 desire to come to this country, and when he was 
 able to do so, he emigrated. He reached New 
 York in July, 1866, and located in Brooklyn, 
 where he remained until 1 88 1, being employed 
 
 by a grocer until 1872, when he engaged in busi- 
 ness for himself, conducting a meat market. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. Wiukelnian came to South Chi- 
 cago and opened a meat market at No. 10026 
 Ewing Avenue. Later he bought some property 
 a few doors away and moved his business, and in 
 1884 he bought property at No. 9801 Ewing 
 Avenue. He moved his business to this place, 
 where he has conducted it since that time, and in 
 1895 he built the comfortable brick flat which he 
 occupies. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Winkelman married his first wife, 
 Margaret Kolenberg, of Germany, but she died 
 when they had been married less than two years. 
 They had one child, who died when an infant. 
 In 1876 he married his second wife, Miss Annie 
 Kleemeyer. 
 
 Mr. Winkelman has become well acquainted 
 with the customs of his adopted country, whose 
 interest he has at heart. In politics he does not 
 follow party lines and prejudices, but votes for 
 the man rather than for the party. He is a suc- 
 cessful business man and enjoys the respect of his 
 friends and neighbors.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 HENRY C. FRICKK 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 H. C. FRICKE. 
 
 HENRY C FRICKE. 
 
 HENRY CHRISTIAN FRICKE, a vener- 
 able pioneer of Chicago, was born August i, 
 1815, in Springe, Hanover, Germany. His 
 parents were Gottlieb and Mary (Ohm) Fricke, 
 also natives of Springe, which is an ideal town, 
 surrounded by mountains and having its own 
 municipal government. The ancestry of Mr. 
 Fricke dates back many centuries, its members 
 having lived in the quaint little town of Springe, 
 where they held positions of responsibility and 
 led upright and useful lives, and were educated 
 according to the opportunities of their times. 
 
 Mr. Fricke's grandfather was a man of affairs, 
 and occupied and tilled an estate of two thousand 
 acres, for which he paid a yearly rental of two 
 thousand German thalers to the King of Hano- 
 ver. He was well educated, was a brainy man, 
 of good executive ability, and reared a large fam- 
 ily in the good customs of the country. His son, 
 Gottlieb, succeeded to the homestead, and gradu- 
 ally paid off the other heirs. He was industrious 
 and frugal, and reared a family of ten children, 
 two of whom, Henry C. Fricke and the youngest 
 daughter. Louise Tamcke, now reside in Chicago. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received the educa- 
 tion afforded by his native town, and, being fond 
 of study, made the best of his opportunities. He 
 was gifted with excellent musical faculties, and 
 was wont to associate with the best elements of 
 society there, in the study of his favorite art. He 
 became an expert performer on the spinnet, an 
 instrument which was superseded by the piano, 
 and he was among the musical leaders of the place. 
 
 When it became necessary for him to select 
 a vocation in life, he decided to become an ac- 
 
 countant. He was elected to the office of city 
 treasurer for life, and was subsequently elected 
 burgomaster of Springe, but the Government re- 
 fused to confirm this, because of his free expres- 
 sion of liberal views during the stormy days of 
 1848. He was too democratic for happy life un- 
 der a monarchy, and by this oppressive act Han- 
 over lost a good citizen, while the United States 
 was thereby a gainer. Although the ties which 
 bound him to his native land were strong, he de- 
 termined to seek his fortune in the new world. 
 
 May 8, 1853, he left Springe and arrived in 
 Chicago July 24 of the same year. In the fol- 
 lowing November his wife, Fredericka (born Ho- 
 bein), followed with their five children. He soon 
 found employment as bookkeeper in a small shop 
 on La Salle Street, near the present south entrance 
 to the tunnel. The cholera attacked his employ- 
 ers, Braunhold & Sonne, and the care of the en- 
 tire business fell upon Mr. Fricke for a time. 
 Soon after, through the friendship of George 
 Schneider, the well-known ex-banker, he received 
 the appointment of delivery clerk in the foreign 
 mail department of the postoffice, a position for 
 which his education and previous business expe- 
 rience especially fitted him. George B. Arm- 
 strong, who has left the impression of his genius 
 on the mail service of the United States and the 
 world, never to be effaced, was then assistant 
 postmaster, and became a warm friend of Mr. 
 Fricke. 
 
 The latter served faithfully in the postoffice 
 seven years, and then entered into a partnership 
 with Dr. Julius Lubarsch, taking a one-third in- 
 terest in the business of Dr. Lubarsch. Mr.
 
 3 2 
 
 G. W. WIEDHOF. 
 
 Fricke became business manager and conducted 
 matters satisfactorily to all concerned from Feb- 
 ruary, 1861, to January 2, 1872, when he bought 
 out the interest of Dr. Lubarsch, and subsequently 
 acquired the one-third interest of Dr. Louis Coni- 
 itti, who had superintended the medical depart- 
 ment of the business. The latter interest was 
 conferred upon Mr. Fricke's son, Dr. Gustav H. 
 Fricke, who had just completed his medical edu- 
 cation at Rush Medical College. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Fricke was seized with writer's 
 paralysis, and turned over the entire management 
 of business to his son. In July of that year he 
 set out for a trip to Europe, accompanied by his 
 daughter, Augusta, who much enjoyed the visit 
 to her father's native home. It was a memorable 
 trip for both. 
 
 In 1870 Mr. Fricke moved on fifty acres of 
 land in Maine Township, one mile west of Park 
 Ridge. He gradually improved it until it became 
 a park farm, and was a happy gathering place for 
 his children and grandchildren. In course of 
 time he invested in city real estate, including a 
 valuable property on Clark Street, near Goethe, 
 
 and three houses on Superior Street. Since No- 
 vember 5, 1896, he has lived in one of these, and 
 has made a charming miniature garden in the 
 rear, where he enjoys a well-earned rest from the 
 toils of a long and busy life. He is well known 
 to a large number of Chicagoans as an industri- 
 ous, kind-hearted man, who loves to entertain 
 his friends and relatives, and is a most excellent 
 type of the thrifty German-American citizen. 
 
 Mr. Fricke was married February 17, 1839, in 
 Springe, to Miss Fredericka Hobein, who was a 
 woman of fine qualities, and proved a worthy 
 helpmeet to her husband. She died November 3, 
 1895, and was buried in Graceland Cemetery. 
 After her death Mr. Fricke's youngest sister cared 
 for his household until his return from the farm 
 to the city. His children are named in order of 
 birth: Mary, Mrs. Oscar Margraff"; Emma, wife 
 of George Wittbold, whose biography will be 
 found in this volume; Sophia, Mrs. Adolph Gar- 
 the; Dr. Gustav H. Fricke; and Augusta, wife 
 of George Garland. Besides these five children, 
 Mr. Fricke is proud of twenty -four grandchildren 
 and seven great-grandchildren. 
 
 GEORGE W. WIEDHOF. 
 
 JO)EORGE WHITTINGTON WIEDHOF 
 
 I was born December 25, 1874, at No. 1402 
 vj Dunning Street, Chicago, and is the son of 
 Alfred H. and Bertha A. Wiedhof. His great- 
 grandfather was a general under Napoleon Bona- 
 parte, and was of Polish birth. He had previous- 
 ly served in the Russian army, but at the begin- 
 ning of trouble between Russia and Poland he 
 took sides with his native country, and later 
 went to France and served until the downfall and 
 exile of the Emperor. He shared the troubles 
 of Napoleon, and when he was sent to St. Helena, 
 
 Mr. Wiedhof and his wife, who was a Spanish lady, 
 were on board the ship, called "Bellerophon." 
 It was on this journey that their son, grandfather 
 of George W. Wiedhof, was born. Mr. Wied- 
 hof returned to Europe later, settling in Eng- 
 land, which country the family adopted until 
 A. H. Wiedhof emigrated to America in 1854. 
 He is a contractor and builder, and still resides 
 in Chicago, being now sixty years old, and a hale 
 and stalwart man. 
 
 George W. Wiedhof received his early educa- 
 tion in the common schools of the North Side in
 
 G. H. BALL. 
 
 33 
 
 Chicago, and later graduated from the Lake View 
 High School. His education was completed by 
 a course in dentistry at the Northwestern Univer- 
 sity, and previous to his graduation he assisted 
 some of the most prominent dentists in the city. 
 When only twenty-one 3~ears of age, he estab- 
 lished himself in the profession, and has a rapid- 
 ly growing practice. His best efforts are in crown 
 and bridge work and in gold filling, in which 
 line he has made a good reputation. Dr. Wiedhof 
 was formerly a member of various military com- 
 
 panies, but of late years has been too busily en- 
 gaged in his business to retain his interest in them. 
 In political affairs Dr. Wiedhof has very liberal 
 views, and he always takes great interest in ben- 
 efiting his fellow-men. He is connected with 
 several social societies, in all of which he is a 
 genial and influential member. He is one of the 
 rising business men of the city, but has many 
 outside interests, and keeps informed on all sub- 
 jects, which enables him to be a brilliant conver- 
 sationalist and a genial companion. 
 
 GODFREY H. BALL, 
 
 Y HO WITT BALL, a prominent 
 business man of Chicago, identified in many 
 ways with its commercial and social inter- 
 ests, is descended from an old family prominent 
 in the military affairs of Great Britain. He was 
 born February 15, 1853, in the city of Melbourne, 
 Australia, being the son of Capt. George Pal- 
 mer Ball of the British army. 
 
 The latter was in the East India service, and 
 for meritorious conduct was made a captain at 
 the early age of twenty-three years, and served 
 all through the terrible Indian mutiny. His 
 wife, Isabella Ball, was a daughter of Col. 
 Robert Hazelwood, who served in India under Sir 
 Arthur Wellesley, afterwards Du'ke of Welling- 
 ton. While in India, Colonel Hazelwood was 
 stationed most of the time at Madras (where Mrs. 
 Ball was born), but saw some very hard fighting 
 during the mutiny. When Captain Ball retired 
 from the service, he went with his family to live 
 in Australia. One of his sons, Albert T. Ball, 
 who settled in that country, was killed with his 
 wife, in a terrible railroad accident, which oc- 
 curred at MacKay, June 14, 1897. 
 
 When the subject of this sketch was four years 
 of age his parents went to England, and after 
 
 residing one year in Liverpool, came to America. 
 In 1858 they settled on a farm in Smithtown, 
 Long Island, forty-three miles from Brooklyn. 
 The father was a highly educated man, a graduate 
 of Dublin University, and from him the son re- 
 ceived his primary education. During his youth 
 he worked on his father's farm and spent con- 
 siderable time in hunting and fishing. In the 
 year 1863 the family moved to Brooklyn and he 
 completed his education in the public schools of 
 that city. 
 
 At the age of fifteen years he entered the em- 
 ploy of Jabez A. Bostwick, of New York, after- 
 ward well known as one of the leading spirits of 
 the Standard Oil Trust, and continued in his 
 service two or three years. He next spent one 
 year in the service of a man named Warner, in 
 the custom-house business, at New York. His 
 next engagement was in the capacity of private 
 secretary to Walter Brown, of the firm of Walter 
 Brown & Son, at that time one of the largest 
 wool merchants in the country. 
 
 Mr. Ball was now convinced that his business 
 experience qualified him for advancement, and 
 seeing little opportunity in, a house where so 
 many preceded him, he replied to an advertise-
 
 34 
 
 S. V. R. BRUNDAGE. 
 
 merit, through which, upon the strong recom- 
 mendation of Mr. Brown, he secured a position 
 with Gardner G. Yvelin, founder of the establish- 
 ment of which Mr. Ball is now the managing 
 partner in Chicago. The firm was known for 
 some time as Yvelin & Smith, and after the 
 death of the founder it became Smith & Vander- 
 beck, which was in turn succeeded by the present 
 firm of James P. Smith & Company; the parent 
 house, situated at Nos. 90 to 94 Hudson Street, 
 New York, has been established since 1831. Mr. 
 Ball has been twenty-five years connected with 
 this house, and since December, 1880, when he 
 located in Chicago, he has been manager of its 
 business here. He has traveled extensively, and 
 during a period of eleven years visited every large 
 city in America many times. 
 
 In June, 1886, Mr. Ball was married to Mary 
 Clement Harriot, a native of Covington, Ken- 
 
 tucky, and scion of a very old and loyal family of 
 that State. Mr. Ball's family includes a son and 
 daughter, namely: James Percival, and Louise 
 Harriot, aged, respectively, ten and five and one- 
 half years. 
 
 The family is very comfortably settled at No. 
 4028 Lake Avenue. Mr. Ball was brought up 
 in the Episcopal Church, to which he still ad- 
 heres. He is entirely independent of political 
 parties, having no faith in any organization, but 
 is a good citizen, and casts his vote and influence 
 where he believes they will result in the greatest 
 good to the community. He is a true sportsman, 
 with happy recollections of his youthful days, and 
 enjoys an outing in fishing or the chase as much 
 as ever. His genial and affable manners continue 
 to make and retain friendships, and the success 
 of the firm of which he is manager proves him an 
 intelligent, clear-headed business man. 
 
 STEPHEN V. R. BRUNDAGE. 
 
 TEPHEN VAN RANSALAR BRUND- 
 AGE, a prominent citizen of the West Side 
 in Chicago, now deceased, was a scion of the 
 sturdy Scotch blood which has been widely influ- 
 ential in developing the best material and 
 moral interests of the United States. Mr. 
 Brundage was born December 25, 1839, in 
 Barry County, Michigan, being the eldest child 
 of Alonzo and Diadama (Dean) Brundage, both 
 of whom were natives of the State of New York. 
 
 George Brundage, father of Alonzo Brundage, 
 was born in Scotland, and passed most of his life 
 on a farm near Oswego, New York. He was 
 well known in that section of the State, and 
 was regarded as one of the representative citizens. 
 He adhered to the principles of government ad- 
 vocated by the Whigs, and was repeatedly chosen 
 by his fellow-citizens to represent them in posi- 
 
 tions of responsibility. Beside the subject of this 
 sketch, he reared the following children: Alon- 
 zo, George, Genoa, Frederick and Emma. 
 
 Stephen V. Brundage was educated in his 
 native State, and acquired the trade of blacksmith. 
 Although he never served a regular apprentice- 
 ship, he had a natural aptitude for mechanics, 
 and became a highly skilled artisan in iron. 
 After coming to Chicago, in 1867, he was sixteen 
 years foreman of the blacksmith shops of the Chi- 
 cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. He re- 
 linquished this position to engage in business on 
 his own account. 
 
 In 1876 he established himself in a blacksmith 
 shop on West Twenty-second Street, where he 
 was assisted only by his eldest son. From this 
 small beginning was built up a very successful 
 business in the production of high-grade wagons
 
 OCTAVE CHAPLEAU. 
 
 35 
 
 and carriages, and the factory now employs twenty 
 men, continuing to turn out only first-class 
 goods, such as are sought by people preferring 
 quality to cheapness. This growth was not sud- 
 den, and was the result of the industry, prudence 
 and upright character of the founder. Two of his 
 sons, the first and third, became interested in the 
 establishment, and are continuing on the lines 
 laid down by their father. 
 
 Mr. Brundage was married January 15, 1862, 
 at Newark, Illinois, to Miss Maratta Hollenback, 
 daughter of Wesley and Catherine (Rarich) 
 Hollenback, who were among the pioneer set- 
 tlers of northern Illinois. They resided in Ken- 
 dall County during the Blackhawk War, and 
 were among those warned by Chief Shabbona in 
 time to escape the fury of the Indian warriors. 
 They passed away at their home in Newark, Illi- 
 nois. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Brundage 
 are: Nelson Alonzo, Charlotte Louise (wife of G. 
 G. Shauer), Edwin Wesley, Frederick Leroy and 
 
 Stephen Walter, the last-named being a member 
 of the dental profession in Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Brundage passed from earth May 23, 1895, 
 as the result of paralysis. He was widely known 
 as a splendid mechanic, and a true friend and 
 good companion. He was for many years a regu- 
 lar attendant of worship at Saint Paul's Methodist 
 Church, and was a most just and upright man. 
 He was identified with the Masonic order, hold- 
 ing membership in Pleiades Lodge, No. 478, 
 Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and most of 
 the members of his family are connected with 
 the order, either in the Blue or Eastern Star 
 Lodges. Mr. Brundage was very successful as a 
 business man, being far-sighted and conservative 
 in management. He had a horror of debt, and 
 had clear title to all property which he acquired. 
 Among his possessions were a farm in Dakota, 
 the shops where he conducted business and a 
 substantial, four-story flat building, in which he 
 made his home. 
 
 OCTAVE CHAPLEAU. 
 
 0CTAVE CHAPLEAU was born February 
 27, 1834, in Saint Rose, Canada, and was 
 the son of a farmer at that place. His early 
 education was obtained in his native town, and 
 when he was old enough he began the study of 
 the stone-cutter's trade. Hoping to better his 
 condition, he removed to Chicago, in 1866, and 
 found ready employment at his trade. 
 
 In 1880 he removed to South Chicago, and en- 
 tered the service of the Illinois Steel Company in 
 building a mill, where he was employed four 
 years. He resolved to enter business in his own 
 name, and accordingly bought ground and run 
 a stone yard on Harbor Avenue. He was very 
 successful and remained there until his death. 
 
 August 5, 1866, he married Celina Hebert, 
 
 daughter of Frank and Elizabeth (Seymore) 
 Hebert. She was born February 16, 1841 , in Saint 
 John, Canada. Mr. Chapleau was a member of 
 the Roman Catholic Church. In politics he took 
 an active part, and was a Republican in senti- 
 ment. He bought a lot at No. 8902 Superior 
 Avenue, and in 1882 built the house which is 
 now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Anton Gleitsman. 
 He died May 26, 1893, and was mourned by a 
 large circle of friends and acquaintances. 
 
 Anton Gleitsman was born July 12, 1852, near 
 Milwaukee. His parents were natives of Ger- 
 many, but are old settlers in Wisconsin, having 
 emigrated several years before Anton Gleitsman 
 was born. He received his education in the com- 
 mon schools of Wisconsin, and at an early age
 
 GEORGE DUNLAP. 
 
 began to learn a trade. He became an engineer 
 in a blast furnace. He came to Chicago in 1882, 
 and since that time has been employed in a mill. 
 May 22, 1895, he was united in marriage with 
 Mrs. Chapleau, the widow of Octave Chapleau. 
 
 Roman Catholic Church. They are highly es- 
 teemed socially and have many friends. The 
 former is a member of the Knights of Pythias, 
 and in his political views is convinced of the jus- 
 tice of the principles advanced by the Republican 
 
 Mr. Gleitsman and wife are communicants of the party, and is one of its firmest supporters. 
 
 GEORGE DUNLAP. 
 
 /2JEORGE DUNLAP was born November 2, 
 |_ 1825, in Lorraine, Jefferson County, New 
 V.J York. He is a son of William I. and Mar- 
 garet P. (Lane) Dunlap, both born in Cherry 
 Valley, New York. John Dunlap, father of Will- 
 iam I. Dunlap, was a captain of volunteers in 
 the Revolutionary War from Cherry Valley, and 
 his wife escaped the great massacre at that place 
 by taking refuge in the fort. He was seven years 
 in the service. His father was from the north of 
 Ireland, and the family is of Scotch descent. He 
 came to Cherry Valley, New York, where, with 
 two brothers, he had a right of a township of 
 land. The two brothers were lost at sea, with 
 the papers showing the claim to the land, and the 
 lawyer employed to settle the affair took all the 
 land excepting two hundred acres. John was 
 born on this farm and spent his life there. His 
 wife was a Miss Campbell, and they have five 
 children, namely: William I.; Livingston, a doc- 
 tor, who practiced in Indianapolis until his death; 
 Robert, who died in Milwaukee; Hannah, Mrs. 
 Walrad, of Cherry Valley, deceased; and Eliza- 
 beth, who died in young womanhood. 
 
 William I. Dunlap served as a volunteer in the 
 War of 1812. He removed to Jefferson County, 
 New York, in 1822, and in 1836 he came to Ill- 
 inois, settling first in Mendota, and later, in 1840, 
 in Leyden, which latter place was his residence 
 many years. He died in 1856, at the age of sixty- 
 nine years. His wife died in 1865, at the age of 
 
 seventy-seven years. She was born in Elizabeth- 
 town, New Jersey, and removed to Cherry Val- 
 ley with her parents when she was a child. Her 
 father was of Dutch descent, and her mother of 
 English origin. William I. and Margaret Dun- 
 lap had ten children, of whom the following is 
 the account: John, who was a tanner and cur- 
 rier of Green Bay, Wisconsin, died when forty 
 years old. Ann Eliza, deceased, married Oren 
 Hotchkiss and lived at Champaign. Matthias L. , 
 who died in 1875, was a horticulturist and a writ- 
 er on kindred subjects in the Chicago Tribune, his 
 column being "The Farm and Garden;" he lived 
 in Leyden, where he started an extensive fruit 
 farm, and subsequently removed to Champaign, 
 Illinois; his son, Henry, is a member of the 
 present state senate. Menzo is a farmer, whose 
 home is in Sevoy, Illinois; Sally, deceased, mar- 
 ried James H. Kinyon, of Champaign; William 
 is a retired wheelwright, and resides at Irving, 
 Lane County, Oregon; Robert, a dealer in agri- 
 cultural implements, lives in Iowa City, Iowa; 
 George is the subject of this sketch; Charlotte, 
 deceased, married Erastus Bailey, of Wheeling, 
 Illinois; and James Hamill died when twenty- 
 two years old. 
 
 George Dnnlap removed with his parents to 
 Lewis County, New York, when seven years old, 
 and there he attended the common schools. He 
 came to Chicago in 1836, arriving on his eleventh 
 birthday, and subsequently attended school in
 
 Z. M. HALL. 
 
 37 
 
 Troy Grove, La Salle County, Illinois. Later he 
 attended a select school in Ottawa a few months. 
 In 1840 he came to Leyden, then called Dunlap's 
 Prairie, in honor of M. L. Dunlap, his brother, 
 who surveyed much of the land in that vicinity, 
 and was a prominent man, being a member of 
 the state legislature one term. George Dunlap 
 pre-empted one hundred and twenty acres of Gov- 
 ernment land, and when it was put upon the mar- 
 ket bought it. He lived on this farm, carrying 
 on general farming until 1864, when he sold it. 
 He was deputy sheriff six months, and then be- 
 came assistant United States assessor, which posi- 
 tion he held eleven years, resigning to take his 
 seat in the twenty-ninth general assembly. He 
 then engaged in the real-estate business, uniting 
 with L. J. Swift in the firm of Dunlap & Swift. 
 In 1884 he was compelled to leave the cares of 
 the business, which had become one of the most 
 successful on the West Side, on account of failing 
 health. He subsequently removed to Santa Cruz, 
 California, where he has ever since spent the 
 winter months. 
 
 In i8"69 he bought the first lots and built the 
 
 first house in the village of Norwood, where he 
 had his residence until 1884. In 1896 he built 
 the pleasant home he now occupies. January 27, 
 1851, he married Almeda Pierce, of Sandy Creek, 
 Oswego County, New York. She is a daughter 
 of John and Hannah (Ballou) Pierce, the latter 
 of French ancestry, and both natives of Rhode 
 Island. Mr. and Mrs. Dunlap became the par- 
 ents of six children: De Clermont is a civil en- 
 gineer, and resides in Chicago; Hetty S., who is 
 a school teacher, lives with her parents; Clifton 
 F. is a printer of Chicago; Alice S. resides at 
 home; Jessie D. married Percy V. Castle, a law- 
 yer, who resides in Austin; and Mira died in 
 1894. 
 
 Mr. Dunlap has held many local offices. He 
 served four years as supervisor of Leyden, five 
 years as justice of the peace, and was school di- 
 rector twenty-three years. He is a member of 
 the Masonic order, having at present a demit 
 from Santa Cruz Lodge, Santa Cruz, California. 
 He is a well-read man, an intelligent citizen, and 
 one who takes an interest in the affairs and im- 
 provements of the generation in which he lives. 
 
 ZEBULON M. HALL. 
 
 7KBULON MONTGOMERY HALL is a 
 I. descendant of an old colonial family who 
 /~) emigrated from Coventry, England, in 1630, 
 and settled in Boston, Massachusetts. The pro- 
 genitor of the family in America was John Hall, 
 the father of nine children. Of these Gersham 
 Hall was the ancestor of the subject of this biog- 
 raphy. He received the best collegiate education 
 that could be obtained in New England at that 
 time, and later took a part in the Revolutionary 
 War, proving himself a brave officer. He was a 
 man of great firmness of religious conviction, and 
 his Bible is yet in possession of the family as one 
 of its dearest treasures. 
 
 His son, Gersham, also received a liberal edu- 
 cation and resided in Boston. He died near Ball- 
 ston Springs, New York. His wife's father, was 
 also a soldier in the Revolution. His grandson, 
 Loammi, married Miss Sarah Duell, a daughter 
 of Benjamin and Sybil (Putney) Duell, who were 
 of the Quaker faith. Loammi Hall and his wife 
 resided in Perry, Genesee County, New York, 
 where they were highly respected and wealthy 
 farmers. For a time they kept a hotel, which 
 was a landmark in the county. The family were 
 blessed with long lives, and most of them lived 
 to be more than seventy years of age. Loammi 
 Hall and his wife died when they were compar-
 
 Z. M. HALL. 
 
 atively young, in Genesee County. Their chil- 
 dren were: Minerva, Jabesh, Loammi and Zebu- 
 Ion M. Minerva married Walter Purdy, and is 
 the only one living. Jabesh removed to Wiscon- 
 sin, where he accumulated considerable property, 
 and where he died. To secure this property for 
 its rightful owners, Zebulon, though only a boy 
 of sixteen years, undertook the long journey to 
 Wisconsin, and was successful. 
 
 Soon after this, in 1836, the subject of this 
 notice came to Chicago, and eventually became 
 one of the city's most influential citizens. He 
 became employed in the grain elevator business 
 by Charles Walker, and was for years a confiden- 
 tial employe. When he had learned the details of 
 the business, he engaged in it on his own respon- 
 sibility and became very successful. His brother, 
 Loammi, became his partner and they engaged 
 in the wholesale grocery trade, under the firm 
 name of Hall Brothers, but the city life and close 
 confinement did not suit Loammi, who withdrew 
 and engaged in agricultural pursuits, in which he 
 prospered. Mr. Hall next took for a partner 
 Charles Harding, and the well-known firm of 
 Harding & Hall was formed, which conducted a 
 lucrative wholesale ship chandlery business for 
 many years. Mr. Hall at all times assumed the 
 more active part in the conduct of business, and 
 his management was characterized by such tact and 
 ability that Mr. Harding was enabled to withdraw 
 from the firm, which was continued by Z. M. Hall 
 & Company until 1875, when Mr. Hall withdrew, 
 in order to recuperate his health. For this pur- 
 pose he went to Jackson County, Oregon. His 
 active mind could not rest, however, and he was 
 not entirely idle, but while there became interested 
 in the stock business. After spending three years 
 in Oregon, he returned to Chicago, where he 
 resided until his death, which took place in Sep- 
 tember, 1894, at the age of seventy-four years. 
 
 Mr. ' Hall was married in Chicago, to Miss 
 Kezzie Frost, a foster-daughter of Capt. A. W. 
 Rosman, commander of the steamer "Atlanta," of 
 the Goodrich line. He is one of the most noted 
 captains on the lakes, having begun life on the 
 water at the early age of seven years. At the 
 age of seventeen years he became a captain, and 
 
 for fifty years sailed the lakes, without having 
 any serious accident. He was a grandson of 
 Coonrod Rosman, who settled in Canada about 
 the middle of the seventeenth century, and whose 
 descendants removed from Canada to Pennsyl- 
 vania. Captain Rosman was a son of Abraham 
 and Rachel (Jones) Rosman, the former a soldier 
 of the War of 1812, and the latter a descendant 
 of the world- renowned Paul Jones. Captain Ros- 
 man had two children, Charles A. and Eva, the 
 latter the wife of Frank Hamilton. The former 
 received a gold medal from the government for 
 saving life on Lake Michigan. The exposure 
 incident to this brave deed brought on con- 
 sumption, from which his death resulted. 
 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. Z. M. Hall were: 
 Francis Montgomery, Edgar Albert, Harry Vic- 
 tor, Sadie Beatrice and Bessie Eugenia. The 
 oldest son was drowned from the steamer "Ver- 
 non," and left a wife and three children. Edgar 
 A. is connected with the Hanchette Paper Com- 
 pany; Harry V. is living in Arizona; Sadie B. is 
 the wife of Lloyd James Smith; and Bessie E. is 
 Mrs. A. G. Morely. 
 
 Mr. Hall was a Mason, and was one of the 
 liberal supporters of the New England Congre- 
 gational Church, being one of its first members. 
 In politics he was a strong Republican. To all 
 enterprises which would assist in bettering the 
 lives and condition of the human family, he gave 
 his sympathy and aid. Though he was liberal to 
 a fault, he accumulated a property, and had he 
 been more selfish, the history of Chicago would 
 have recorded another millionaire. He lived a 
 life of noble impulse, and all that could be said 
 of his inner life would reflect to his credit and in- 
 tegrity. 
 
 During the Great Fire he telegraphed to Indian- 
 apolis for a fire engine, which was placed on a 
 raft in the river, near his building, adjacent to the 
 Randolph Street bridge, and thus it was saved, 
 being the only one rescued in the center of the 
 city. It was a five-story grocery store. After 
 the fire he helped feed the public, and was pro- 
 tected by a company of soldiers, sent to him by 
 Gen. Philip A. Sheridan. They formed a 
 double line, and he was thus able to distribute
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 JOSEPH H. ERNST 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 J. H. ERNST. 
 
 39 
 
 alike to rich and poor, which he did without any 
 compensation. He did not take advantage of 
 the helplessness of his fellow-creatures, and try 
 to raise the value of his goods, but by his gener- 
 
 osity suffered a loss that weakened his business, 
 and this, with the panic of 1873, caused him 
 much embarrassment, but he continued it until 
 the year 1875. 
 
 JOSEPH H. ERNST. 
 
 (JOSEPH HENRY ERNST. Germany has 
 I contributed to Chicago and Cook County a 
 Q) large percentage of their inhabitants. Many 
 of these have achieved success in various business 
 pursuits, while some have won distinction in the 
 different professions, and others have risen to 
 prominence in public affairs, and their names 
 have become as familiar as household words. 
 Among this vast number probably no one is 
 more widely known or more highly respected 
 than the gentleman whose name stands at the 
 head of this article. For more than forty years 
 he has been a resident of the city, much of the 
 time occupying official positions, and in public 
 and private life every duty has been honestly dis- 
 charged and every trust held sacred. 
 
 Mr. Ernst was born February 24, 1838, on the 
 River Rhine, in Germany, near Bingen, made 
 famous by an English authoress in the beautiful 
 poem, "Bingen on the Rhine." He is a son of 
 John and Barbara (Meyer) Ernst, natives of that 
 place. John and Barbara Ernst became the par- 
 ents of four children, namely: Joseph H., of 
 whom this sketch is written; Adam, deceased; 
 Catherine, widow of Mr. Hausman, of Chicago; 
 and John, also deceased. The father died in 
 1877, and the mother preceded him eight years, 
 passing away June 4, 1869. 
 
 Joseph Ernst received his early education in 
 the common schools of his native country, and 
 spent one year at the mason's trade. In 1854 ne 
 sailed in the sailing-vessel "St. Nicholas" from 
 Havre, France, to New York, the voyage lasting 
 
 forty-eight days. On landing he came to Chicago, 
 going to Buffalo by way of the Hudson River and 
 Erie Canal, and the remainder of the way by rail. 
 Two years later, the family, consisting of his 
 parents and two brothers and a sister, emigrated 
 to the United States, and located in Chicago. 
 Joseph H. Ernst lived with his aunt, whose 
 brother, Joseph Meyer, came to Chicago in 1845, 
 and was widely known as the sexton and super- 
 intendent of the old Chicago City Cemetery from 
 1847 until the time of his death, which occurred 
 December 1 6, 1864. Joseph became his assistant, 
 and helped to keep the records of that time. 
 While thus engaged he attended the old Franklin 
 School two years, and graduated in 1856. The 
 next two years he attended Sloan's Commercial 
 and Law College, from which he graduated in 
 1858. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Ernst opened a grocery store on 
 North Wells Street, at No. 581, which he con- 
 ducted two years. He was then appointed j?y 
 the mayor as superintendent of the vacation of 
 that part of the old city cemetery known as the 
 Milliman tract. This work occupied two years 
 and the city council then passed an ordinance to 
 vacate the remainder of the cemetery, which is 
 now included in Lincoln Park, appointing Mr. 
 Ernst to superintend the work. He was fre- 
 quently consulted by the Lincoln Park Commis- 
 sioners during the early part of their work and fur- 
 nished them with much valuable information, be- 
 ing of great assistance to them. At the time of the 
 Great Fire the city cemetery records were des-
 
 HENRY LAWRENCE. 
 
 troyed. Mr. Ernst was clerk in the comptroller's 
 office, in charge of exchange of city cemetery lots, 
 also city taxes and city real estate, and remained 
 in this office until May, 1882. 
 
 In 1874 he engaged in the real-estate and loan 
 business in partnership with Mathias Schmitz, 
 under the firm name of Ernst & Schmitz, at No. 
 271 East North Avenue, and in this venture he 
 has ever since been successfully engaged. Since 
 1874 Mr. Ernst has been secretary of the German 
 Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of North Chi- 
 cago, being elected annually by a general meet- 
 ing of all the members. 
 
 Mr. Ernst was elected alderman of the Fif- 
 teenth Ward in 1886, on the Democratic ticket, 
 and was re-elected in 1888 in the present Twenty- 
 first Ward. At the next election he declined a 
 re-nomination. In 1892 his friends prevailed 
 upon him to accept a nomination as an independ- 
 ent candidate, and he was elected, receiving near- 
 ly as many votes as both the other candidates. 
 He has always discharged his public and private 
 
 duties most faithfully, and was urged to accept a 
 nomination for city treasurer, but declined. He 
 is one of the directors of the German Catholic 
 Orphans' Asylum of High Ridge. 
 
 September 20, 1860, Mr. Ernst married Miss 
 Katharine Schutz, a native of Germany, who 
 came to the United States in 1853, an d reached 
 Chicago in 1854. They have had eight children, of 
 whom the six following are living: Anna, wife of 
 William H. Weckler, residing on the corner of 
 Wolfram and May Streets, Chicago; Adolph 
 Charles, who is employed in his father's office; 
 Andrew Joseph, also with his father; William 
 Gregor, an attorney; Katharine Isabella; and 
 Mary Angelica. Mr. Ernst and his family are 
 members of Saint Michael's Roman Catholic 
 Church. Mr. Ernst has resided on the North Side 
 ever since he came to the city, in the vicinity of 
 what is now Lincoln Park, and since 1873 his 
 home has been at the corner of Eugenie Street 
 and Cleveland Avenue, where he had a beautiful 
 residence erected in 1892. 
 
 HENRY LAWRENCE. 
 
 HENRY LAWRENCE, D. D. S., for many 
 years connected with the business interests 
 of Chicago, and one of the most valuable 
 citizens of that city, was born November 1 1 , 1823, 
 in the city of London, England. He was a son 
 of John Lawrence, for many years a resident of 
 New York City. He received his primary edu- 
 cation in the public schools of London, where he 
 proved himself an apt and willing student. After 
 coining to America, in 1859, he took up the study 
 of dentistry with a prominent dentist of Philadel- 
 phia, where he graduated, winning the esteem 
 and admiration of his teacher. He then removed 
 to Louisiana, and practiced his profession for a 
 short time, and then went to Yazoo, Mississippi, 
 
 where he remained until 1863, and then removed 
 to New Orleans. He remained in the latter city 
 until July, 1877, obtaining a profitable and lucra- 
 tive practice. Most of his patrons were among the 
 Creoles or old white settlers of that historic town, 
 and thus he was enabled to save a comfortable 
 fortune. His winters were spent in the North 
 during this time, and he was especially attracted 
 by Chicago, it then being a rapidly growing city, 
 whose energetic citizens especially appealed to his 
 regard. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence always enjoyed the comforts of 
 life, though he was industrious and frugal. He 
 never ceased studying, and was a student of rare ap- 
 plication, being the inventor of several dental in-
 
 JOSEPH JUNK. 
 
 strunients, and often making his own tools. He 
 was an ingenius craftsman, and frequently assisted 
 his fellow.-dentists in some difficult operation or 
 in the invention of some useful instrument. One 
 of his inventions which has won fame for him is 
 a water motor, thus doing away with foot power. 
 He was a member of Chicago and New Orleans 
 dental societies, being an honored guest at the 
 meetings of these societies held in the homes of 
 the members, as was then the custom. 
 
 Mr. Lawrence was reared in the faith of the 
 Church of England, and always adhered to that 
 denomination, attending its services, although he 
 liked other preachers very much, especially Dr. 
 Thomas, whom he always delighted to hear. He 
 was not connected with any secrect society, pre- 
 
 ferring rather a quiet home life. He was very 
 companionable and had great sympathy with 
 all his fellow-men and women, being the happy 
 possessor of a large number of friends and ac- 
 quaintances. He exercised charity to all de- 
 serving poor, not being ostentatious in all this, 
 but believed in following the dictates of his heart 
 only,- and not seeking the approval of his friends. 
 He neyer, in any way, catered to the good-will of 
 the masses. His every action was prompted by 
 duty as he saw it, and thus in him is seen an ex- 
 ample of an upright and honest man, true to his 
 friends and principles. He died, in Chicago 
 on the 6th of March, 1891, lamented by hosts of 
 those who had learned to know him and call him 
 friend. 
 
 JOSEPH JUNK. 
 
 (1OSEPH JUNK was born January 15, 1841, 
 I at Salmrohr, near Trier, Germany. He was 
 G/ the son of Joseph and Margaret Junk, natives 
 of the same place. The former was a teacher 
 there, and a scholarly man, who was esteemed 
 and honored by all in the community. He lived 
 to be over eighty years of age, and died in his 
 native town. They had one son and five daugh- 
 ters. Two of the latter were Sisters of St. Charles 
 and well known as nurses during the wars. One 
 of them, Margaret, was known as Sister Eu- 
 phrasia, and was Mother Superior of the convent 
 at Mettlach, the town where the famous German 
 pottery is made. The owner of the manufactory 
 built the convent. Her sister, Anna, was also in 
 the convent, known as Sister Anastasia. Both 
 of them are now deceased. The other three 
 daughters are married, and live in Germany. 
 The father of Joseph Junk, senior, was burgo- 
 
 master of Salmrohr, and was killed by robbers, 
 who mistook him for another man, for whom they 
 were lying in wait. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was educated in Ger- 
 man}', and came to America at the age of twenty- 
 seven years. After landing at New York, he 
 came directly to Chicago, where he learned his 
 trade with his old neighbor and countryman, 
 Peter Schoenhoff, one of the early brewers of this 
 city. He was afterward associated for several 
 years with Huck's Malt House. 
 
 May 18, 1871, he married Miss Magdalena, 
 daughter of Hubert and Elizabeth (Thormann) 
 Hagemann, well-known residents of Chicago, who 
 came here in 1853. They formerly had a grocery 
 on the West Side. In 1895 they celebrated their 
 golden wedding. Of their nine children, only 
 Magdalena now survives. 
 
 Mr. Junk embarked in the brewing business in
 
 J. H. RAAP. 
 
 1884, on the corner of Thirty-seventh and Hal- 
 sted Streets. In this he had a valuable assistant 
 in his wife, who became familiar with the details 
 of the business. They were but fairly started 
 when he died, February 23, 1887. At that time 
 they manufactured about nine thousand barrels 
 of beer annually. The estate was involved in 
 debt for half its value, but with commendable 
 zeal Mrs, Junk continued the business, and so 
 well did she manage it that from time to time she 
 was able to increase it, until at the present time 
 the brewery yields eighty thousand barrels of 
 beer annually, all of which finds a market in 
 Chicago. Mrs. Junk deserves great credit for 
 her work, especially when we remember that she 
 was then the mother of six small children. The 
 names of the children are as follows: Joseph P., 
 Edward H., Mary E., Rose Anna, Aloysius and 
 Mary Magdalena. Religiously the family are 
 members of the Saint Augustine Roman Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 The two eldest sons are associated in business 
 with their mother, and the eldest, though but 
 
 thirteen years old at the death of his father, was 
 of great assistance to his mother, devoting his 
 whole time and energy to the business. The 
 eldest daughter, Miss Mary E. Junk, is fast be- 
 coming well known as a musician, excelling es- 
 pecially on the harp, to which instrument she has 
 devoted many years of hard study. 
 
 The successful life of Mrs. Junk is well calcu- 
 lated to interest her descendants as well as the 
 citizens of Chicago, who are ever ready to honor 
 and give due credit to those who assist in build- 
 ing up the city's manufacturing interests, thus 
 adding wealth and comforts to many homes. 
 
 In 1890 Mrs. Junk built a handsome home, in 
 spacious grounds, on Garfield Boulevard, which 
 her aged parents share with her and which very 
 nearly represents the ideal home, where rest and 
 comfort await those wearied with the business of 
 the day. Not only does Mrs. Junk possess energy 
 and business capacity, which all must admire, 
 but in addition to these she possesses those quali- 
 ties of mind and heart which make her a good 
 mother and a true woman . 
 
 JOHN H. RAAP. 
 
 (JOHN HENRY RAAP was born August i, 
 1840, in L,udingworth, Hanover, Germany, 
 (*) and was a son of Ernst and Catharina M. 
 (Cords) Raap, both natives of that place. In 
 1854 the family removed to America, settling in 
 Chicago, where Mr. Raap bought a house of three 
 rooms on Cornell Street, near Ashland Avenue. 
 They had two children, namely: John Henry 
 Raap, whose name stands at the head of this arti- 
 cle; and Mrs. Minnie Dilcherd, who resides at 
 No. 67 Cornelia Street, in Chicago. The parents 
 were thrifty and economical, and they won the 
 respect of the community. They died at their 
 home on Cornell Street. 
 
 John Henry Raap received most of his educa- 
 tion in his native country, which he supplement- 
 ed by subsequent reading and observation. He 
 was confirmed in the German Lutheran Church, 
 and of this faith he remained an adherent. He 
 was a bright, intelligent boy when he came to 
 America and soon learned to speak the English 
 language fluently. He possessed those qualities 
 that insure success in the business world. On his 
 arrival in Chicago he became employed in a brick 
 yard, and, realizing the advantages of a better edu- 
 cation than he then possessed, he attended a night 
 school, and there he studied diligently to prepare 
 himself for the business career that was after-
 
 C. D. MAGEE. 
 
 43 
 
 wards his. He had indomitable courage and per- 
 severance and he saw the hopeful side of life. 
 
 Mr. Raap's first business venture was a grocery 
 store, on the corner of Pratt and Milwaukee Av- 
 enues, which he conducted only a short time. 
 He then removed to Dunkel's Grove, where he 
 had a general store two years and then sold out 
 to return to the city, engaging in the flour 
 and feed trade at Nos. 572-74 Milwaukee Avenue 
 in a small building which was gradually merged 
 into a wholesale liquor house. In 1870 he built 
 the large building occupied by the business at the 
 present time. He gradually extended his trade 
 until he ranked among the foremost and most 
 successful German business men in the city. 
 
 As would be expected, Mr. Raap was connect- 
 ed with many social orders and societies, among 
 which are the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
 the Sons of Hermann, the Central Turner Society, 
 the Teutonia Maennerchor and the Chicago Re- 
 bekah Society. In political opinions he was a 
 
 Republican, and he had much influence in polit- 
 ical affairs, but he never held any office. He 
 passed away April 23, 1897. 
 
 Mr. Raap was twice married. His first wife 
 was Sophia Sohle, a native of Germany, now de- 
 ceased. May i, 1873, he married Miss Helena 
 Hannah Gilow, a daughter of Fritz and Mary 
 (Wagner) Gilow, natives of Grim, Prussia. She 
 proved to be in every way a worthy helpmate, 
 and was of invaluable assistance to her husband, 
 being as ambitious and enterprising as he. She 
 was ever willing to lead, and she conducted the 
 home and helped in the business of her husband. 
 She is a true type of the German- American house- 
 wife, always alert and willing to further her hus- 
 band's interests. She survives her husband, and 
 is the mother of five children, now living, namely: 
 John Henry, junior, Tillie L,., Robert R., Ernst 
 E. and Pearl Frances. The two older sons con- 
 tinue to carry on the business which was left by 
 their father. 
 
 CHARLES D. MAGEE. 
 
 HARLES DAVIDSON MAGEE, who has 
 
 1 ( been connected with the iron industry of 
 \J Chicago for many years, was born October 
 3, 1846, in the beautiful city of Belfast, Ireland. 
 His parents were John and Elizabeth (Croft) 
 Magee, both natives of that country. The fam- 
 ily emigrated to America in 1855 and settled in 
 the growing city of Chicago, which was then 
 just beginning to give evidence of future great- 
 ness. There the elder Magee engaged in the 
 iron, steam and gasfitting business, which he 
 had learned and conducted before leaving Ire- 
 land, and continued it successfully until his death, 
 at the age of sixty-five years, October 27, 1878. 
 
 Charles D. Magee spent his early boyhood in 
 his native city and there attended school. He 
 was but nine years of age when the family set- 
 tled in Chicago, and in the public schools of that 
 city he completed his education. He then en- 
 gaged in business with his father and spent 
 twenty years in steam and gasfitting, thus se- 
 curing a thorough and practical knowledge of all 
 the details of that trade and gaining a wide and 
 varied experience, which has been of great use to 
 him in his later business connections. Having 
 shown an aptitude for trade and having gained a 
 large acquaintance among business men, he 
 readil} 7 secured a position as traveling represen-
 
 44 
 
 AUGUST DRESEL. 
 
 tative of the Corundum Wheel Company, and 
 since that time he has served the interests of 
 many of the most prominent iron firms in the 
 United States, to the advantage and satisfaction 
 of all parties. At present he is interested in the 
 Automatic Acetylene Gas Company and is de- 
 voting his energies to the promotion of that en- 
 terprise. 
 
 Mr. Magee was married in 1865 to Miss Mary 
 D. Williams, who was bom June 29, 1845, in 
 Terre Haute, Indiana, and is a daughter of R. G. 
 and Sophronia D. Williams, both natives of New 
 York. Mrs. Williams died December 19, 1896. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Magee are the parents of three 
 children, John E., Albert M. and Charles D., 
 aged thirty, twenty-six and nineteen years, re- 
 spectively. 
 
 The subject of this notice is a valued and in- 
 fluential member of the Wesleyan Methodist 
 Church, worshiping at the church on Halsted 
 Street, near Fullerton Avenue. He is prominent 
 
 in the Masonic order, and in 1894 organized the 
 Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem, for which 
 he wrote the ritual This order bears the same 
 relation to the adopted rites of Masonry that the 
 Order of Knights Templar does to the main body 
 of Masonry. The order was incorporated by Mr. 
 Magee in the State of Illinois, October 3, 1895, 
 and the Supreme Shrine was then organized with 
 headquarters at Chicago, Mr. Magee being 
 elected Supreme Chancellor for a term of three 
 years. Later the headquarters were removed to 
 Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they are still 
 located. Membership in the order is limited to 
 Master Masons and their wives, mothers, sisters, 
 daughters and widows. It is rapidly growing in 
 numbers, having extended itself into three States, 
 Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois. Mr. Magee 
 is a conservative in politics. He is a most genial 
 and affable gentleman, ever ready to give help 
 and advice to those who ask it, and is considered 
 one of Chicago's most energetic business men. 
 
 AUGUST DRESEL 
 
 GJ1 UGUST DRESEL, for many years identi- 
 J I fied with the business life of Chicago, has 
 / I been engaged in his present occupation of 
 florist since 1866. He began business at No. 
 656 Clybourn Avenue, and continued there until 
 about 1888, when he sold out to Samuel J. 
 Pearce. He then established himself at his pres- 
 ent place of business, near the corner of Western 
 and Belmont Avenues, where he has about one 
 and one-half acres of ground under glass. His 
 principal products are roses and plants for spring 
 
 planting. He also raises palms and several 
 varieties of flowers for cutting, selling the bulk of 
 his product to dealers. 
 
 Mr. Dresel was born October 9, 1838, in Hoi- 
 stein, Germany, and is a son of Henry and Anna 
 Dresel, both natives of the same province. The 
 son was educated in his native land, where he 
 went through a long and thorough course of 
 training in landscape gardening, and the cultiva- 
 tion of all kinds of pi ants produced for market. 
 He continued in this occupation until his removal
 
 L. J. SMITH. 
 
 45 
 
 to the United States. In June, 1865, he left the 
 Fatherland, taking passage on a steamship which 
 sailed from Hamburg bound for New York. He 
 landed in the last-named city in the latter part of 
 July, and proceeded thence to LaFayette, Indiana, 
 where he remained but a short time, removing to 
 Jasper County, in the same State. 
 
 In March, 1866, he had saved enough from his 
 earnings as a farm laborer in Indiana to pur- 
 chase a horse, and he rode the animal to Chi- 
 cago. After his arrival he soon found employ- 
 ment in the old Sheffield Avenue nursery of Mar- 
 tin Lewis. During that season he worked at 
 various occupations, and in the following spring 
 he purchased from Mr. Lewis the floral depart- 
 ment of his nursery, and began business for him- 
 self. The beginning was small, but he was in- 
 dustrious and attentive to the wants of his cus- 
 tomers, working early and late to build up his 
 fortunes. In a short time he was enabled to 
 purchase the greenhouses which he occupied, and 
 
 he has ever since continued to conduct the busi- 
 ness with gratifying success. For six years he 
 was also interested in the manufacture of brick, 
 being a stockholder of the Northwestern Brick 
 Company while it existed. 
 
 He has usually supported the Democratic party 
 in matters of political principle, but is not a 
 strong partisan, and is wholly independent in 
 considering local affairs. The candidate who 
 seems to him best qualified and most willing to 
 carry out the wishes of his constituents is certain 
 to receive his support, regardless of party dicta- 
 tions. 
 
 December 20, 1866, Mr. Dresel was married to 
 Miss Mary Kj-ersgaard, a native of Denmark. 
 Two of their children died in childhood, and 
 there are five living, namely: Claussin, Sophia, 
 August, Henry and Louis. The family is identi- 
 fied with the Lutheran Church and bears its 
 share in the social life of the community, where 
 it is held in the highest respect. 
 
 LLOYD J. SMITH. 
 
 I LOYD JAMES SMITH, one of the most 
 It active and earnest of our business men, is 
 l_^ a descendant of old Russian and English 
 families, and is a native of Wheeler, Indiana. 
 His grandfather, Peter Smith, was born in Eng- 
 land, and was a brother of Sir Harry Smith, 
 a noted officer of the British army, who fought in 
 the American Revolution. 
 
 Peter Smith's son, James P. Smith, who was 
 born and educated in London, came to the United 
 States at the age of fourteen years, and was for 
 thirty years the manager of the Central Elevators 
 of Chicago. He married Helen Christopher, 
 daughter of a high official in the Russian govern- 
 ment, who left his native country because of the 
 jealousy of other officials, and left his property 
 in Russia. 
 
 Lloyd James Smith is one of their children. 
 He was educated in a Chicago high school and 
 the Metropolitan Business College. His first em- 
 ployment was with the Northwestern National 
 Bank, as messenger, at the age of seventeen 
 years. After thus spending two years, he re- 
 moved to Idaho, and in that state and in Oregon, 
 spent two years in charge of a cattle ranch. 
 After this he was a broker for the Central Elevator 
 Company, and the Munger-Wheeler Company. 
 
 In 1889 he became general manager of the 
 Santa Fe Elevator and Dock Company, and the 
 Chicago Elevator Company, and is now the sec- 
 retary and treasurer of the Santa Fe Company. 
 Since 1890 Mr. Smith has been a director of the 
 Board of Trade, and his office continues until 
 1900. He is chairman of the executive commit-
 
 4 6 
 
 A. H. BUSSE. 
 
 tee, and has served on all important commitees of 
 the directory. He has always represented the 
 elevator interests in any controversies. 
 
 Mr. Smith has been chairman of the Cook 
 County Republican Central Committee, and served 
 two years as its vice-president. For five years 
 he was the vice-president of the Marquette Club, 
 and is a member of the Chicago Athletic Club. 
 In political principle he is a Republican, and 
 
 takes great interest in national and local af- 
 fairs. He has attained high rank in the Masonic 
 fraternity, and affiliates with Medinah Temple of 
 the Mystic Shrine. 
 
 October 15, 1890, he married Miss Sadie B. 
 Hall, and they are the parents of one child, 
 Lloyda Kezzie Smith, born October 4, 1891. 
 Mrs. Smith is a daughter of Z. M. Hall, whose 
 biography appears in this work. 
 
 AUGUST H. BUSSE. 
 
 GlUGUST HUBERT BUSSE was born No- 
 I I vember 10, 1867, in a house which stood on 
 / I an alley between Commercial and Houston 
 Avenues and Ninety-second and Ninety-third 
 Streets. This house was subsequently moved to 
 No. 9205 Commercial Avenue, where it still 
 stands. August H. Busse is a son of August 
 and Caroline (Albert) Busse. He received his 
 education in the common schools of Chicago, part 
 of the time attending the Bowen School. At the 
 age of fourteen years he was obliged to leave his 
 studies to attend to the more serious duties of life. 
 He was first employed in the planing mill of 
 Crandall, Fisher & Company, now belonging to 
 Kratzer & Fisher. After spending a year with this 
 firm, he was employed a year in the drug store 
 of Arnold & Merrill, and then became engaged 
 in carpenter work for Otto Schoening, with whom 
 he remained about one year. 
 
 May 9, 1885, Mr. Busse entered the service of 
 the City Fire Department, as a driver at first, 
 and truckman afterwards. In a fire which oc- 
 curred in December, 1888, his left hand was in- 
 jured, the small bones in his left knee were 
 broken, and he received an injury in his side, so 
 that he was compelled to remain at home six 
 
 months. The fire which caused him so much 
 suffering was on Mackinaw Avenue, between 
 Eighty-fifth and Eighty-sixth Streets. 
 
 Upon his recovery from injuries received while 
 in the fire department, Mr. Busse resolved to find 
 other employment, and accordingly, on May 23, 
 1889, he joined the police force as patrolman, 
 and for the past two years has been employed as 
 messenger in the South Chicago Station. In his 
 business life he has attended strictly to the duties 
 of his position, and has always shown a disposi- 
 tion to rise in station. While serving at a large 
 fire May 8, 1897, Mr. Busse took a severe cold, 
 which brought on hemorrhage of the left lung, 
 and incapacitated him from active duty for many 
 months. 
 
 Mr. Busse was married April 2, 1890, to Miss 
 Catherine, daughter of Joseph and Catherine 
 Leiendecker. They are the parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Joseph, Frederick William and 
 George Augustus. Mr. Busse and his family are 
 communicants of the Roman Catholic Church, 
 and he is connected with the Policemen's Be- 
 nevolent Association. He is a man of genial and 
 pleasant manner, and has many firm friends, by 
 whom his merits and character are appreciated.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 riMIVERSITY OP ILLINOIS

 
 JOEL ELLIS. 
 
 47 
 
 JOEL ELLIS. 
 
 ELLIS, for nearly fifty years an active 
 
 I citizen and useful business man of ChicagO ) 
 G/ was descended from the old Puritan stock 
 which has done so much in developing the men- 
 tal, moral and material interests of the United 
 States. The energy, fortitude and stern moral 
 character which characterized the founders of the 
 New England colonies is still observed in many 
 of their descendants, and these attributes were 
 possessed by Joel Ellis in a marked degree. 
 
 His first ancestor of whom any record is now 
 to be found was Barzillai Ellis, born June 9, 1747, 
 presumably in Massachusetts, and of English 
 blood. March 6, 1773, he married Sarah Tobey, 
 who was born June 5, 1755, no doubt in the 
 same State and of similar ancestry. They resid- 
 ed in Conway, Franklin County, Massachusetts, 
 whence they moved, about the close of the last 
 century, to Chautauqua County, New York. 
 Here Barzillai Ellis died in 1827. His youngest 
 son, Samuel Ellis, died in Chicago in 1856. The 
 other children were Barzillai, Asa, Freeman, Ben- 
 jamin, Joel and Elnathan. 
 
 The children of Benjamin Ellis were Parmtlia, 
 Eleanor, Jane, Stephen, Mason, Datus, Joel (the 
 subject of this sketch) and Ensign. His wife 
 was Sophia Birch, a native of Connecticut. Ben- 
 jamin Ellis died in Fredonia, New York, in 1855. 
 He was a farmer, and cleared up land in the prim- 
 eval forest, which consumed the best years of his 
 life and required the assistance of his children, 
 who had little opportunity to attend school. 
 
 Joel Ellis was born in Fredonia, Chautauqua 
 County, New York, May 25, 1818. As above 
 indicated, his early years were devoted to the toil 
 
 which usually befell farmers' sons in those days, 
 and he attended school but very little. Schools 
 were far apart and held sessions of only three 
 months per year, in winter, when attendance on 
 the part of many children was almost impossible. 
 However, Joel Ellis was blessed by nature with a 
 sound mind and body, and his clear judgment 
 and active industry made him a successful busi- 
 ness man and good citizen. 
 
 When, in 1838, he set out for the West, 
 whither an uncle (Samuel Ellis, before mentioned) 
 had preceded him, he was an energetic and self- 
 reliant young man of twenty years, full of cour- 
 age and hopefulness and the ardor and ambition of 
 a strong nature. Arriving in the autumn, he found 
 the young city of Chicago suffering from the com- 
 mercial and industrial stagnation which followed 
 the financial panic of 1837, and his search for 
 employment was a vain one. The only offer which 
 he received was from his uncle, who was engaged 
 in farming some miles from the then city, but on 
 ground now built up with thousands of the finest 
 homes in Chicago, along Ellis, Greenwood and 
 other avenues of the South Side. He continued 
 in farm labor with his uncle for two years, much 
 of which time was occupied in chopping wood 
 from the timber which then covered this region, 
 and which must be cleared away to make room 
 for a tillable farm. 
 
 From 1840 to 1858 he was associated with 
 Archibald Clybourn, an active business man of 
 Chicago (see biography elsewhere in this work), 
 and became thorough!}- conversant with the meat 
 business, which was one of Mr. Clybourn's chief 
 enterprises. It was at the house of Mr. Cly-
 
 4 8 
 
 JOEL ELLIS. 
 
 bourn that he met the lady who became his wife 
 in 1844. This was Miss Susan Galloway, a sis- 
 ter of Mrs. Clybourn and daughter of James 
 and Sally (McClenthan) Galloway, of Pennsyl- 
 vania birth and Scotch ancestry. Her grand- 
 father, Samuel Galloway, was a native of Scot- 
 land, whose wife was of Pennsylvania-German 
 descent. They were among the earliest settlers 
 on the Susquehanna River, and Samuel Galloway 
 was a soldier in the Revolutionary Army. Mrs. 
 Ellis was taken by her parents, when a small 
 child, to Sandusky, Ohio, and thence the fam- 
 ily came to Chicago, arriving on the gth of 
 November, 1826. They left Sandusky on the 
 ist of October, in a sailing-vessel, and were 
 wrecked south of Mackinaw, but were rescued by 
 another vessel, which brought them to Chicago. 
 
 James Galloway had visited Illinois in the fall 
 of 1824, and was very much charmed with the 
 country' about the Grand Rapids of the Illinois 
 River (now known as Marseilles), where he bought 
 a claim. He spent the winter of 1826-27 in 
 Chicago with his family, and settled on this claim 
 in the following spring, and continued to reside 
 there the balance of his life. His wife died in 
 1830, and he subsequently married Matilda Stipes, 
 of Virginia. In character Mr. Galloway was a 
 fit representative of his sturdy Scotch ancestry, 
 and was well fitted for pioneering in those early 
 days, when means of travel and communication 
 were difficult, and the dwellers in the wilderness 
 were compelled to forego many comforts and 
 social advantages, besides braving the enmity of 
 their savage neighbors. 
 
 Of the five children of James and Sally Gallo- 
 way, Mrs. Clybourn is the eldest. The second, 
 Jane, wife of Washington Holloway, died in 1894. 
 John died in Missouri. Susan is Mrs. Ellis. 
 George, born April 12, 1828, at Marseilles, is now 
 deceased. Of the second marriage, Archibald 
 and Marshall are the only surviving offspring. 
 The former now shares a part of the original farm 
 at Marseilles with George's widow. The latter 
 resides in Chicago. 
 
 On leaving the employ of Mr. Clybourn, Mr. 
 Ellis engaged in the retail meat business on his 
 own account, and furnished supplies to many of 
 
 the leading hotels and to vessels entering Chicago 
 Harbor. In 1865 he formed a partnership with 
 Thomas Armour and began an extensive whole- 
 sale business in meats and provisions, which 
 grew beyond his fondest dreams of success. In 
 fifteen years he amassed a comfortable fortune, 
 which was largely invested in improved real es- 
 tate in the city. As the care of his property ab- 
 sorbed much of his time, he decided to retire from 
 active business, and, in the spring of 1871, he pur- 
 chased twenty acres in the town of Jefferson (now 
 a part of the city of Chicago), on which he built 
 a handsome suburban home, in which he hoped 
 to pass the balance of his days in well-earned rest 
 from the arduous labors which had occupied his 
 earlier years. Scarcely was he settled in his new 
 home when the great fire of October, 1871, rob- 
 bed him of all his buildings save the home at Jef- 
 ferson, just completed. Without any repining, 
 he set to work at once to repair the losses. It 
 was his custom to rise at two o'clock in the morn- 
 ing and drive into the city to begin business. 
 There were no rapid-transit systems then to move 
 suburban residents quickly from and to their 
 homes, and he took means which would appall any 
 but such stout natures as his to rebuild his fort- 
 unes. In this he was moderately successful, and 
 when a cancer caused his death at his home in 
 Jefferson, October 29, 1886, he left his family 
 comfortably provided for. 
 
 A quiet, unassuming man, he gave little atten- 
 tion to public affairs, though he took the interest 
 in local and national progress which every true 
 American must feel, and discharged his duty as 
 it appeared to him by supporting the Republican 
 party after it came into existence, having former- 
 ly affiliated with the Whigs. He was a member 
 of the Masonic fraternity, and was an active sup- 
 porter of the Universalist Church, being among 
 the organizers of St. Paul's congregation, whose 
 pastor, Rev. W. E. Manly, performed the cere- 
 mony which made him the head of a family. Be- 
 sides his widow, he left three children, namely: 
 Lucretia, now the widow of George W. Pinney, 
 residing in Chicago; Winfield, of Highland Park, 
 Illinois; and Mary Josephine, Mrs. Algernon S. 
 Osgood, of Chicago.
 
 WILLIAM LEE. 
 
 49 
 
 WILLIAM LEE. 
 
 {DQILLIAM LEE, a leading citizen of Pull- 
 \ A I man, was born at Rochester, New York, 
 YY June 14, 1851. He is a son of Rev. Henry 
 Washington Lee and Lydia Mason Morton. 
 Rev. H. W. Lee was a native of Hamden, Con- 
 necticut. He entered the Episcopal ministry at 
 an early age, and filled pastorates of several 
 years each at Springfield, Massachusetts, and 
 Rochester, New York. In 1854 he was made 
 the first regular Bishop of Iowa, and filled that 
 position during the balance of his life, his resi- 
 dence being at Davenport, where his death oc- 
 curred in 1874, at the age of fifty-nine years. 
 He was one of the most active and distinguished 
 men of that faith in the United States during his 
 time, and greatly advanced the prosperity of the 
 Episcopal Church in the West. 
 
 The Lee family is of English lineage. Col. 
 Roswell Lee, the father of Rev. H. W. Lee, 
 served in the regular army of the United States 
 for many years. He participated in the War of 
 1812, and subsequently had charge of the United 
 States Armory at Springfield, Massachusetts, for 
 a considerable period of time. He was very 
 prominent in the Masonic order, and a lodge of 
 that fraternity at Springfield was named in his 
 honor. 
 
 Mrs. Lydia M. Lee, who is now living at Salt 
 Lake City, Utah, at the venerable age of eighty- 
 four years, was born at Taunton, Massachusetts. 
 She is a daughter of ex-Governor Marcus Mor- 
 ton, of that State. The latter was of English de- 
 scent, and served for many years as Chief Justice 
 of the State of Massachusetts previous to his 
 election as Governor. 
 
 William Lee, whose name heads this article, 
 spent most of his boyhood in Davenport. In 
 
 1864 he entered Hamden Military Academy, at 
 Hamden, Connecticut, taking a two-years course 
 at that institution. He subsequently became a 
 student at Racine College, Racine, Wisconsin, 
 but upon completing the junior year, in 1870, he 
 went to Griswold College at Davenport, Iowa, an 
 institution of which his father had been the 
 founder. The following year he graduated, re- 
 ceiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then 
 became connected with the engineer corps of the 
 Burlington & Missouri River Railroad, and spent 
 about one year about Kearney, Nebraska, where 
 he was engaged in laying off the line of that 
 road, then in course of construction. Being de- 
 termined to perfect himself in this profession, he 
 took a special course in engineering at Lawrence 
 Scientific School, Harvard University. 
 
 In 1873 he located at Chicago and engaged in 
 general surveying, but the next year went to 
 Salt Lake City, and occupied the next two sea- 
 sons in surveying and mining. Four years more 
 were spent in general engineering work at San 
 Francisco. Returning to Illinois in 1880, he was 
 employed as assistant engineer in platting the 
 town of Pullman. Three years later he entered 
 the service of the United States Government, on 
 a survey of the Hennepin Canal, and also as- 
 sisted in surveying the Illinois and Calumet 
 Rivers. He was subsequently connected with 
 the Public Works department of the village of 
 Hyde Park, and upon the annexation of that ter- 
 ritory to the city of Chicago, in 1889, he con- 
 tinued for one year in the engineering depart- 
 ment of the city. In the summer of 1890 he took 
 charge of platting the town of Harvey. Two years 
 were occupied in laying off this village, together 
 with its drainage and water- works systems. Since
 
 Z. A. NEFF. 
 
 that time he has done most of the surveying and 
 engineering work for the villages of North Har- 
 vey, Dolton, Riverdale, Homewood, Matteson 
 and other places. During this time he has also 
 done most of the work in this line for the Pull- 
 man Land Association and Pullman's Palace Car 
 Company. His reputation for accurate and reli- 
 able workmanship causes his services to be re- 
 peatedly sought wherever he is known. 
 
 In October, 1873, Mr. Lee was united in matri- 
 mony to Miss Anna Cleo Everett, daughter of 
 William H. Everett, of Davenport, Iowa. Mrs. 
 Lee was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 
 her death occurred at Chicago June 25, 1884, at 
 
 the age of thirty-five years. She left a son and a 
 daughter, named, 'respectively, Henry W. and 
 Mabel. Mr. Lee was again married, November 
 15, 1888, to Florence Isabel Ferguson, daughter 
 of William and Anna W. Ferguson, of Cincin- 
 nati. Two children have been born of this union, 
 namely, Alice Ferguson and Lydia Morton. The 
 family moves in the best social circles and enjoys 
 the good- will of all its acquaintances. Mr. Lee 
 is a member of the Western Society of Civil En- 
 gineers. A Republican in political sentiment, 
 he takes a patriotic interest in all important pub- 
 lic affairs, but never seeks the political patronage 
 of his fellow-citizens. 
 
 ZACHARIAH A. NEFF. 
 
 G7ACHARIAH ADDISON NEFF, a resident 
 I. of Cook County for the past thirty years, 
 I^J and a public official during the greater part 
 of that time, is a native of Pennsylvania, born 
 April 21, 1834, at Blairsville, Indiana County, 
 in that State. His father, Amos Neff, was born 
 in Virginia, probably at West Point, and was a 
 son of John Neff. It is supposed that members 
 of the Neff family came to America from Alsace- 
 Lorraine, and settled simultaneously in Virginia, 
 Pennsylvania and New York, in each of which 
 States their posterity have been numerous for 
 many generations. Amos Neff died when the 
 subject of this sketch was about seven years old. 
 Elizabeth Brewer, who became the wife of 
 Amos Neff and mother of Z. A. Neff, was born 
 in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Her fa- 
 ther, whose Christian name is supposed to have 
 been Andrew or John Andrew, served in the 
 Revolutionary army, and received a grant of six 
 hundred acres of land in Wisconsin from the Gov- 
 ernment in recognition of his services. While a 
 young man he was captured by Indians and held 
 a prisoner seven years. At the time of his death 
 
 he lacked less than five months of completing his 
 one-hundredth year. His daughter, Mrs. Neff, 
 was born before the beginning of the present 
 century, and was a strong and industrious wo- 
 man. She died at the early age of fifty-seven, in 
 1856. Beside the son whose name heads this 
 article, she had a daughter, Martha A., who is 
 now the widow of James Amesbaugh, residing at 
 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Z. A. Neff grew to manhood at Blairsville, 
 Pennsylvania, and received the full benefit of the 
 public schools. He learned the tinner's trade, and 
 during the Civil War had charge of the tin, cop- 
 per and sheet-iron department of the Government 
 railroad shops at Alexandria, Virginia, serving 
 in that capacity throughout the war. The mili- 
 tary railroad system was organized by the noted 
 Andrew Carnegie, who brought to the scene of 
 action a number of workmen, including Mr. 
 Neff. These works grew to immense propor- 
 tions before the close of the war. 
 
 After peace came, Mr. Neff came to Chicago 
 and opened a tin shop, to which was soon added 
 a stock of general hardware, and he did much
 
 W. J. KEMPER. 
 
 jobbing and railroad work. In the spring of 
 1872 he sold out and removed to Dolton, where 
 he opened a hardware business and continued it 
 about twenty years. He was appointed Post- 
 master at Dolton by President Garfield, and re- 
 appointed by President Harrison, serving in all 
 about ten years. He is at present Clerk of the 
 Village of Dolton, and since 1891 has been a 
 County Constable, the duties of that office oc- 
 cupying most of his time. During the time when 
 not otherwise occupied, he does considerable col- 
 lecting for Chicago houses, and on all occasions 
 has shown himself to be a reliable, industrious and 
 capable business man. 
 
 He was married April n, 1872, to Miss Sarah 
 S. Harter, who was born in Delaware, Ohio, and 
 came to Illinois with her parents in 1843, theirs 
 being the second family to locate on the site of 
 the present village of Dolton. Mrs. Neffis the 
 only child of John Harter and his second wife, 
 
 Elizabeth, whose maiden name was Rheem. Her 
 father had six other children, all of whom are or 
 have been well-known citizens of Dolton. Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Harter sprang from a distinguished fam- 
 ily in Pennsylvania. She was a native of Rox- 
 bury, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and 
 died at Dolton in August, 1843. She was first 
 married to William Grearson. The only son of 
 this union, George W. Grearson, was killed by 
 the explosion of a tug in the Chicago harbor in 
 1863. 
 
 Mr. Neff aided in the organization of a lodge of 
 the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Dolton, 
 which has since surrendered its charter. He has 
 always been a Republican in his political allegi- 
 ance, and has voted for every presidential candi- 
 date of that party since attaining his majority, 
 including John C. Fremont in 1856. He has 
 always been a public-spirited and useful citizen, 
 and enjoys the respect of all his associates. 
 
 WILLIAM J. KEMPER. 
 
 fDGjlLLIAM JOHN KEMPER, one of theold- 
 \A/ es * res idents f Chicago, who gained a 
 V Y competence here by his characteristic Ger- 
 man industry, frugality and integrity, was born 
 on the 2d of February, 1816, in the Province of 
 Osnabrueck, Hanover, Germany. His parents 
 were Juergen Bernhardt and Katharine (Schuster) 
 Kemper. The latter died at the age of fifty-two 
 years in Germany. The father came to America 
 in 1840, and settled in Chicago, where he died 
 twelve years later. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received his primary 
 education in the public schools of Germany. 
 From fourteen to eighteen years of age he worked 
 as a farm laborer for one employer. On reach- 
 ing his majority he put into execution his pre- 
 viously conceived determination to seek his fort- 
 
 une in the new and free world beyond the seas. 
 He landed in New York in 1836, and found em- 
 ployment, in company with his brother, John 
 Kemper, in a tannery in Sullivan County, New 
 York. 
 
 May 14, 1837, he settled in Chicago. His first 
 employment here was in the capacity of cook, 
 serving the people engaged in developing a Gov- 
 ernment harbor in the Chicago River. For sev- 
 eral years subsequently he was employed by the 
 lale John Wentworth and others. His next em- 
 ployment was in the milk business with Lill & 
 Diversey, who were established at the foot of 
 Chicago Avenue. In 1843 he engaged in the 
 milk and vegetable business on his own account, 
 and continued this for twenty-one years, or until 
 he retired in 1864. By his honesty and strict
 
 W. J. McELDOWNEY. 
 
 attention to business he gained favor in the eyes 
 of the public, and was known and respected 
 throughout the northern part of the city. 
 
 In 1848 Mr. Kemper bought the block of 
 ground bounded by Orchard and Larrabee Streets 
 and Fullerton and Belden Avenues. This ground 
 has appreciated immensely in value since then, 
 and it has been gradually sold off, except a plot 
 at the corner of Orchard Street and Fullerton 
 Avenue, one hundred and thirty by one hundred 
 and seventy-five feet in dimensions, where Mr. 
 Kemper has his home, in the midst of one of 
 the most beautiful residence districts in the city. 
 The great fire of 1871 destroyed two large houses 
 which he owned at the corner of Wells and Hill 
 Streets. 
 
 On the i gth of July, 1843, in Chicago, Mr. Kem- 
 per was married to Miss Katharine Toenigen, 
 a native of the Province of Otersberg, Hanover, 
 Germany. She is a daughter of Nicholas and 
 Mary (Gerken) Toenigen. Mrs. Kemper is the 
 second of two daughters born to her parents; she 
 was robbed of her mother by death at the age of 
 eleven years. She came to America with her 
 
 sister, Mrs. Henry Knopp, in 1842. Nine chil- 
 dren have been given to Mr. and Mrs. Kemper, 
 namely: Anna Marie, Katharine, John, Louise, 
 Christina, Margaret, William Henry, Edward 
 Hermann and Richard George. The eldest and 
 second sons are now deceased. The second 
 daughter is the wife of F. Kruse; the next mar- 
 ried Frank Pfunder; the fourth is Mrs. William 
 Ermeling; and the fifth is the wife of Charles 
 Baltz. The surviving sons married respectively 
 Stella and Anna Sourwine. All are happily set- 
 tled in business and social life in Chicago. Anna 
 Marie has devoted her life to her parents, and is 
 the stay and comfort of their old age. One of 
 the most joyful events in the history of the fam- 
 ily was the celebration, in 1893, of the golden 
 wedding anniversary of the parents, who are still 
 in the enjoyment of good health, and have dwelt 
 for forty-five years in the same place. They are 
 associated with the Evangelical Association, be- 
 ing identified with the Wisconsin Street Church. 
 Mr. Kemper voted for the elder Harrison, and 
 has supported the Whig or Republican ticket 
 ever since. 
 
 WILLIAM J. McELDOWNEY. 
 
 JOHN McELDOWNEY, Pres- 
 identofthe Bank of Chicago Heights, a 
 son of John McEldowney , whose biography 
 appears in these pages, have inherited many of 
 the qualities which made his father a leading and 
 influential citizen. He is honest, straightfor- 
 ward and friendly, and keeps in view the welfare 
 of his fellows and of the community. He was 
 born June 30, 1843, in Bloom, and spent his boy- 
 hood on his father's farm in his native town. In 
 childhood, and in the intervals of farm labor in 
 
 later years, he attended the common school of the 
 neighborhood, and finished his studies at Lake 
 Forest Academy. 
 
 Soon after the completion of his nineteenth year, 
 in October, 1862, he enlisted in his country's serv- 
 ice in the suppression of rebellion. He became 
 a member of Company M, Fourteenth Regiment 
 of Illinois Cavalry, under Colonel Capron. He 
 served nine months in Kentucky, and was dis- 
 charged at the end of that time, with the rank of 
 sergeant.
 
 C. D. HEWS, A. M., M. D. 
 
 53 
 
 On his return to Bloom in 1863, Mr. McEl- 
 dowuey entered the store of James Hunter in the 
 village, and continued in his service until the 
 spring of 1868. He then purchased a farm of one 
 hundred and twenty acres, which he subsequent- 
 ly increased to two hundred and sixty acres in 
 Bloom Township; this he retained and tilled until 
 1892, when he sold a quarter-section to the Chi- 
 cago Heights Land Association. The remaining 
 one hundred acres, adjoining the village, he still 
 retains. 
 
 Upon the organization of the Bank of Chicago 
 Heights, January i, 1893, in which he was in- 
 strumental, Mr. McEldowney was elected its pres- 
 ident and has filled that position since. He is a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church of Chicago 
 Heights, of which he is treasurer and a member 
 of the board of trustees. He has always taken 
 an intelligent interest in the conduct of local 
 
 affairs, and has often been selected to act in their 
 administration. He has been Supervisor several 
 years, and has also been Town Treasurer. He 
 is a steadfast Republican in general political prin- 
 ciple. 
 
 He was married October 22,1866, to Miss Mary 
 H. McQueen, a native of Elgin, Illinois, daugh- 
 ter of George and Margaret (McCormick) Mc- 
 Queen, both natives of Scotland. Five children 
 complete the family of Mr. and Mrs. McEldown- 
 ey, namely: John Howard, commercial editor 
 of the Chicago Tribune; George I., book-keeper 
 of the Chicago Heights Bank; Annie, William 
 Frank and Ralph. As the result of his industry, 
 prudence and sagacity, Mr. McEldowney is now 
 at the head of one of the soundest and most suc- 
 cessful business institutions of the community, 
 and enjoys the respect and friendship of his 
 fellow-citizens. 
 
 CHARLES D. HEWS, A. M., M. D. 
 
 (TJHARLES DEANEHEWS, A. M., M. D., 
 I ( the first medical practitioner at Roseland, 
 \J was born at La Porte, Indiana, April 5, 
 1846. His parents, Dr. Richard B. Hews and 
 Jane Elizabeth Spaulding, were natives of Penn- 
 sylvania, and became early settlers in northern 
 Indiana. His paternal grandfather, Bursten Hews, 
 was an Englishman, who crossed the ocean and 
 located in the Keystone State about the beginning 
 of the present century. He kept an inn at Can- 
 ton Corners, in Bradford County. His wife was 
 an offspring of the famous Clendenning family 
 of Scotland. She was a lady of extraordinary 
 physical vigor, and a devout adherent of the 
 Baptist faith. She was accustomed to walk twen- 
 ty miles and back regularly each Sabbath (proba- 
 
 bly to Towanda) to reach the nearest point at 
 which she could enjoy the close communion of 
 that sect. Even in old age she persistently de- 
 clined the services of a carriage in going to church. 
 She died at La Porte, Indiana, at the venerable 
 age of ninety-six years. 
 
 Dr. R. B. Hews studied medicine at Phila- 
 delphia, and became a practitioner of the "Thom- 
 sonian" school. About 1830 he removed to La 
 Porte, making the journey with a horse and 
 sleigh, accompanied by his wife. He practiced 
 there several years and also engaged in mer- 
 cantile business, opening the first store in the 
 place, and bringing his goods from Detroit by 
 team. In addition to these pursuits, he oper- 
 ated extensively in real estate upon the present
 
 54 
 
 C. D. HEWS, A. M., M. D. 
 
 site of Joliet, Illinois, and other Western cities. 
 The ground now occupied by the Union Depot 
 at Kansas City was purchased by him before any 
 one had dreamed of a railroad at that point. His 
 death occurred at L,a Porte in 1892, at the age of 
 eighty-six years. Mrs. Jane E. Hews is still liv- 
 ing at the last-named place, at the age of seventy- 
 six years. Her father, Charles Spaulding, was 
 also of English lineage. Dr. and Mrs. R. B. 
 Hews were the parents of nine children, two of 
 whom died in infancy. Robert is a resident of 
 Oakland, California, where he is Commissioner 
 of Public Works. William, a prominent business 
 man of Kansas City, is a veteran of the Forty- 
 eighth Indiana Volunteers. James died in 1895, 
 in Chicago, while Assistant Auditor of the Wis- 
 consin Central Railroad. Charles D. is the next 
 in order of birth. Mary J. is the wife of George 
 H. Serviss, a banker of New Carlisle, Indiana. 
 Elizabeth died in 1884, at L,a Porte, Indiana, 
 where Kittie, the youngest, now resides. 
 
 Dr. C. D. Hews evidently inherits the vigor- 
 ous constitution and tendency to longevity which 
 distinguished his progenitors. He received a 
 liberal education, first taking a course at Hills- 
 dale College, Hillsdale, Michigan, from which he 
 received the degree of Master of Arts. In 1864 
 he became a student at the Chicago University, 
 and later attended the University of Michigan at 
 Ann Arbor, graduating from that famous in- 
 stitution in 1869, with the title of Doctor of Medi- 
 cine. He had previously practiced about one 
 year at Marengo, Illinois, with Dr. Green, one of 
 the oldest surgeons in the State. 
 
 Soon after leaving Ann Arbor he located at 
 Roseland, where he has ever since been engaged 
 in the active practice of medicine and surgery. 
 When he came to this place the nearest physicians 
 were at Blue Island and Hyde Park, and his 
 practice extended for miles through the surround- 
 ing country. Though his field of usefulness has 
 been curtailed geographically, if measured by the 
 number of patients treated it has been constantly 
 increasing, and his popularity has been well 
 merited. He is a member of the Chicago and 
 Illinois Medical Societies. 
 
 During Sherman's Atlanta campaign, in 1864, 
 
 Dr. Hews enlisted under the call for three hundred 
 thousand troops for one hundred days' service, and 
 was enrolled in Company B, One Hundred and 
 Thirty-eighth Indiana Infantry. He served un- 
 der General Milroy, and accompanied the expedi- 
 tion as far as Atlanta. He took part in a num- 
 ber of skirmishes with Texas rangers, and other 
 guerrilla bands. While encamped at Tantallon , 
 Tennessee, his company, while on a foraging ex- 
 pedition a few miles from camp, was surprised 
 and captured by a Confederate force under Gen- 
 eral Forrest, who was on the way to destroy Elk 
 River Bridge, on the Nashville & Chattanooga 
 Railroad. Not wishing to be encumbered by 
 prisoners, the enemy were content with confiscat- 
 ing all the clothing, money and other valuables 
 of the Union men, who were obliged to work 
 their way back to camp as best they could, and 
 were afterward jeered by their comrades on ac- 
 count of their scanty toilet. In common with the 
 other volunteers who responded to that call, the 
 Doctor received a certificate of thanks, which was 
 signed by President Lincoln and Secretary Stan- 
 ton ; this he still cherishes among his most valued 
 relics. 
 
 The Doctor was married in 1876, and has one 
 daughter, Carrie Hews, now a student at Loretto 
 Academy, Loretto, Kentucky. He is a member 
 of the Masonic order, and has always been a 
 Democrat in political sentiments. He served two 
 terms as a member of the Board of Trustees of 
 the village of Hyde Park (now the Thirty-fourth 
 Ward of the city of Chicago) . He has always 
 been interested in promoting public works, and 
 was instrumental in securing the first appropria- 
 tion for the improvement of Michigan Avenue 
 through the village of Roseland, and in straight- 
 ening that thoroughfare from Roseland to the 
 Calumet River. Though his professional services 
 are in almost constant demand, he finds time to 
 keep well informed on the leading public ques- 
 tions of the day, and displays independent judg- 
 ment in forming and expressing his opinion. He 
 keeps thoroughly abreast of the times on all pro- 
 fessional and scientific subjects, and his library 
 and instrumental appliances embrace all the latest 
 and best productions in those fields.
 
 G. H. PETERMAN. 
 
 55 
 
 GEORGE H. PETERMAN. 
 
 HENRY PETERMAN is one of 
 l_ the oldest and most faithful employes of 
 vU Pullman's Palace Car Company. His youth 
 was spent upon the banks of the Potomac River, 
 and his lineage has been traced from some of the 
 early pioneers of the valley of that historic stream, 
 a region famous for the production of men of 
 sterling character and self-sacrificing devotion to 
 principle. His parents were John Foster Peter- 
 man and Pamelia Rosina Grosh. 
 
 John F. Peterman was a son of G. W. Peter- 
 man, a veteran of the War of 1 8 1 2 . He probably 
 enlisted from Virginia, but was later found in 
 Mercersburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a native 
 of Martinsburgh, Virginia, and his mother's 
 maiden name was Lingefelder. Her family at 
 one time owned a tract of land in the city of 
 Washington, including the site of some of the 
 United States Government buildings. G. W. 
 Peterman died January 21, 1845, aged fifty-seven 
 years. His wife, Mary Catherine Tabler, died 
 February 20, 1859, a ' the age of sixty-three. 
 She was a native of Virginia, of German descent. 
 
 John F. Peterman was born at Mercersburgh, 
 Pennsylvania, and died at the age of fifty-four 
 years, December 16, 1872, in Cumberland, Mary- 
 land. He was a carpenter contractor by oc- 
 cupation. Mrs. P. R. Peterman was a daugh- 
 ter of Henry Grosh and Prudence M. L,eggett. 
 Henry Grosh 's grandparents came from Bavaria 
 before the Revolutionary War, and located at 
 Graceham, Maryland. Frederick, the father of 
 Henry Grosh, was born there about 1775. 
 Frederick Grosh' s mother-in-law, Mrs. Smith, 
 was captured by Indians during the Revolu- 
 tionary War, was held a captive seven years, 
 
 and died soon after her release. Henry Grosh 
 was a baker and confectioner at Williamsport, 
 Maryland, and also practiced the Thomsonian 
 system of medicine. He died there at the age of 
 eighty-seven years. Mrs. Peterman is the eld- 
 est of his twelve children, and is now living at 
 Pullman, aged seventy-four years. Her mother's 
 people were of English lineage, and conspicuous 
 for their longevity. The family was founded in 
 the United States by two brothers, one of whom 
 reached the great age of one hundred and twelve 
 years. 
 
 George H. Peterman was born at Cumberland, 
 Maryland, November 10, 1846. He was there- 
 fore less than sixteen years of age when the ani- 
 mosities which had long agitated the people of 
 the two great sections of the country culminated 
 in civil war. Cumberland was destined to see 
 much of the ravages of the strife. The majority 
 of its people sympathized with the Confederate 
 cause, and those inclined to be loyal to the Gov- 
 ernment hesitated about taking any decisive 
 action. 
 
 Young Peterman was enthusiastic in the Union 
 cause, and taking up a collection among those of 
 his schoolmates who were patriotically inclined, 
 purchased a few yards of bunting, which his 
 mother sewed into a flag. This was raised on 
 the public square and carefully guarded by the 
 boys to prevent its destruction, which had been 
 threatened. This was the first United States 
 flag raised in the town after the beginning of 
 hostilities. Young Peterman watched the progress 
 of the war with impatience for two years, then 
 enlisted, April n, 1863, in Company H, Third 
 Maryland Potomac Home Brigade. He was
 
 JOSEPH CALDWELL. 
 
 mustered out May 29, 1865, having served in 
 the Middle Department, under Gen. Lew Wal- 
 lace. Just previous to the battle of Monocacy, 
 he received a bayonet wound in the groin, but 
 continued on duty regularly. He took part in 
 the battle of Monocacy, in Sheridan's entire 
 campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, and in 
 other minor engagements, and was with the regi- 
 ment constantly except when on detached duty. 
 After the war Mr. Peterman became a house car- 
 penter at Cumberland, and thence removed to 
 Newark, Ohio. 
 
 In June, 1881, he came to Pullman, where he 
 at once began work for the Pullman Company. 
 He worked at house-building for a year or two, 
 and then entered the car-shops. For the past 
 twelve years he has been continuously employed 
 in the trimming department, a fact which testifies 
 to his skill and reliability. 
 
 He was married September 27, 1892, to Miss 
 Delilah V. Clem, of Baltimore, Maryland, daugh- 
 
 ter of William S. and Julia Ann (Favorite) Clem. 
 William S. Clem was a miller by trade, and when 
 the war began he was employed at Culpeper 
 Courthouse, Virginia. Though he sympathized 
 with the Confederate cause, he took no part in 
 the struggle, but during the disorder which pre- 
 vailed there he was murdered. His wife died in 
 1852, soon after which event Mrs. Peterman went 
 to live with her grandfather, George Favorite, 
 at Mechanicstown (now Thurmont), Maryland, 
 where most of her childhood was passed. She was 
 reared in the Baptist faith, and her husband in 
 that of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Peterman is 
 a member of J. B. Wyman Post No. 521, Grand 
 Army of the Republic, at Pullman, and of Cum- 
 berland Lodge No. 60, Knights of Pythias, at 
 Cumberland, Maryland. A stanch Republican 
 from boyhood, in the fall of 1893 he helped to 
 organize the Pullman McKinley Club, the first in 
 the United States. It now has over seven hun- 
 dred members. 
 
 JOSEPH CALDWELL. 
 
 (JOSEPH CALDWELL, a prosperous mer- 
 I chant of Chicago Heights, represents one of 
 G/ the oldest families of the southern part of 
 Cook County. He was born October 22, 1847, 
 in the township where he resides, and is a son of 
 John and Mary Jane (Caldwell) Caldwell. John 
 Caldwell was a native of Glasgow, Scotland. His 
 father, Hugh Caldwell, died during his child- 
 hood, and he lived with his grandfather, a farmer 
 and milk dealer, in Kilbarton. Peter, a brother 
 of John Caldwell, became an extensive mason 
 contractor at Glasgow, Larges and Paisley. He 
 fitted the system of gas lights for the streets of 
 Larges and built a wall around the cemetery 
 there. He died on the first night that the streets 
 were lighted by gas, and his body was the first 
 interred in the cemetery. 
 
 John Caldwell came to America at the age of 
 eighteen years and landed at Montreal, Canada, 
 June i, 1833. About a year later he went to 
 Detroit, Michigan, and for the next ten years he 
 was employed most of the time in driving the 
 stage on the Tuttle Brothers' line from Detroit to 
 Chicago. Four and six horses were driven to 
 each coach, and besides carrying the mail a thriv- 
 ing business was done in the transportation of 
 passengers. The only competitor of this line was 
 that of Frink & Walker, and frequent races were 
 indulged in by the drivers of rival stages, who 
 were always ambitious to be the first to arrive at 
 each point with their loads of human freight. 
 Though there was an occasional breakdown or 
 capsizal, and more zeal than prudence was some- 
 time displayed by the drivers, everyone enjoyed
 
 JOSEPH CALDWELL. 
 
 57 
 
 the sport. Mr. Caldwell was always fond of re- 
 lating reminiscences of those pioneer days. 
 
 Mr. Caldwell was subsequently employed in a 
 grain elevator at Michigan City, Indiana, and 
 drove a team about one year between Chicago 
 and Joliet, hauling supplies for contractors on the 
 Illinois and Michigan Canal. At one time his 
 buffalo robe was stolen by some of the workmen 
 on the canal, many of whom were desperate char- 
 acters. He searched about until he found it, con- 
 cealed under the bunk where they slept. Find- 
 ing themselves detected, they threatened to take 
 his life, but were restored to good humor by a 
 treat of liquor, and Mr. Caldwell was ever after 
 one of the most popular men on the road. 
 
 In 1844 he pre-empted a farm in Bloom Town- 
 ship, and the following year added to this by the 
 purchase of eighty acres from the Government at 
 one and one-fourth dollars per acre. He then 
 built a cabin and began cultivating his farm, to 
 which additions were made from time to time, 
 his present homestead being purchased in 1856. 
 He became the owner of more than half a section 
 in all, and lived thereon continuously until his 
 death, which occurred August 26, 1886, his age 
 at that time being more than seventy-two years. 
 He was a thrifty farmer and an earnest Christian. 
 Soon after locating in Bloom, he became one of 
 the prime movers in organizing a Presbyterian 
 Church at the present location of Chicago 
 Heights, and he served as an Elder of this so- 
 ciety for many years. Later he united with the 
 Presbyterian Church at Homewood, in which he 
 was an Elder the balance of his life. 
 
 On Christmas Day of the year 1844, Mr. Cald- 
 well was married to Miss Mary Jane, daughter of 
 Joseph Caldwell, one of the earliest settlers of 
 Bloom Township, who located there in 1838 and 
 purchased four hundred acres of land from the 
 United States Government. Mrs. Caldwell sur- 
 vives, at the age of seventy-four years, residing 
 on the homestead farm, a part of which has never 
 changed hands since pre-empted by her husband. 
 She was born at Belmalone, County Tyrone, Ire- 
 land, and came to America with her parents in 
 1826. The family lived at Lennoxville, Canada, 
 and continued to reside there until their removal to 
 
 Cook County, in 1838. While en route by way 
 of the Erie Canal, Mrs. Caldwell saw a train of 
 cars for the first time in her life. Her father 
 died in Bloom, April 29, 1860, aged seventy- 
 seven years. His wife, Dorothy (Jack), survived 
 until February 22, 1872, reaching the advanced 
 age of eighty-three years. The following is a 
 record of their offspring: James died November i, 
 1864. Rosanna, Mrs. John Little, born October 
 i, 1817, died March 2, 1883. Archibald, born 
 June 13, 1820, died November 18, 1892. Mary 
 J., Mrs. John Caldwell, was born Augusts, 1822. 
 Thomas, born September i, 1826, died June 16, 
 1881. Eliza, wife of William Caskey, born De- 
 cember 7, 1828, died February 21, 1854. Martha, 
 born October 15, 1829, is the widow of James Orr, 
 residing at Harvey, Illinois. Dorothy, born 
 June to, 1831, is the wife of James Brisbane, of 
 New Lenox, Illinois. 
 
 Mrs. Caldwell is quite active in mind and body, 
 and exhibits her remarkable memory of events 
 and dates. She often recalls the time when the 
 prairie surrounding her home was almost unin- 
 habited, and the groves which now dot the land- 
 scape consisted of mere shrubs. None of the 
 streams had been bridged when she came to this 
 county, and travelers were obliged to make long 
 detours to avoid those which were too deep to be 
 forded. She had been the mother of eleven chil- 
 dren, five of whom died in infancy. A record of 
 the others is as follows: Julia was born October 1 1 , 
 1845; Joseph was born October 22, 1847; Maria, 
 Mrs. H. M. Goodell, residing at Titusville, 
 Florida, was born October 23, 1855; James was 
 born June 21, 1857; John, born October 10, 1859, 
 died June 28, 1878; Edward, born June 26, 1861, 
 is now in business in New York City. 
 
 Joseph Caldwell, whose name heads this article, 
 grew to manhood on his father's farm, which he 
 helped to cultivate and improve, attending the 
 public schools of the district in the intervals of 
 this labor. He spent two years at Lake Forest 
 University , and then returned to the farm. He was 
 married March 26, 1874, to Catherine R., daugh- 
 ter of Robert Wallace, of whom further mention 
 is made in this volume in the biography of E. A. 
 Wallace. Mrs. Caldwell was born in the town-
 
 DR. j. MCLEAN. 
 
 ship in which she resides, and has presented her 
 husband with six children, namely: Clara Jane, 
 Anna Maria, Martha Janett, Mertie Lorena, 
 John and Jesse. 
 
 Soon after his marriage Mr. Caldwell took 
 charge of the farm of his father-in-law, which he 
 continued to operate until 1890, maintaining an 
 extensive dairy. In the last-named year two hun- 
 dred and forty-one acres of this land were sold to 
 the Chicago Heights Land Association, constitut- 
 ing the first ground subdivided by that corpora- 
 tion. Mr. Caldwell then purchased a general 
 merchandise store in the village, where he has 
 
 since been continuously engaged in trade. He is 
 a progressive, public- spirited and reliable citizen, 
 and has often been called upon to fill positions of 
 trust by his fellow-townsmen. He has been a 
 School Director for the past twelve years, and 
 School Treasurer of the township eight years. 
 He is Clerk of the Board of Education at the 
 present time, and was thirteen years Treasurer of 
 the Union Detective Association. He has been a 
 steadfast Republican, and from early life a mem- 
 ber of the Presbyterian Church, and was sixteen 
 years Secretary and Treasurer of the Union Sun- 
 day-school Association. 
 
 DR. J. McLEAN. 
 
 0R. JOHN McLEAN is the able surgeon em- 
 ployed by the Pullman Palace Car Com- 
 pany to attend any of its employes who may 
 be accidentally hurt while in pursuit of its duties. 
 He is also engaged in a general practice of medi- 
 cine and surgery at Pullman, and during his 
 residence of fifteen years in that beautiful suburb 
 has come to be regarded as one of the most ex- 
 emplary and useful citizens in the town. He is 
 remotely descended from the celebrated clan Mc- 
 Lean of Scotland, which includes among its poster- 
 ity many noted citizens of the United States. 
 
 John McLean, great-grandfather of the Doctor, 
 was born near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where 
 he grew to manhood and married. About 1750 
 he removed to Greensboro, North Carolina, and 
 built a house of cedar logs there, which is still 
 occupied by some of his descendants. One of his 
 sons, Joseph McLean, served in the Continental 
 army. 
 
 Robert McLean, another son of John McLean, 
 was born at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, 
 in 1763. He was a pioneer of Illinois, going to 
 Franklin County in 1818. He erected a log 
 house there, and returned to his native State, 
 
 whence he brought his family the next spring. 
 His wife was Jean Akin, a native of North Caro- 
 lina, of Scotch descent. Two of her brothers 
 were volunteers in the American army at the bat- 
 tle of Guilford Courthouse. 
 
 James Akin McLean, son of Robert and Jean 
 McLean, was born March 25, 1809, in Guilford 
 County, North Carolina. He became an ex- 
 tensive farmer and stockman of Franklin County, 
 Illinois. During the Black Hawk War he served 
 under Captain Ewing, in Colonel De Ment's regi- 
 ment, and took part in the engagement at Kel- 
 logg' s Grove. While on this expedition he visited 
 Fort Dearborn, where he met General Scott. J. 
 A. McLean's wife, Lydia Smith, was born near 
 Macon, Georgia, and was the daughter of James 
 Smith, a native of the same State, who became a 
 resident of Illinois in 1820. The Smith family 
 was of English ancestry. 
 
 Dr. John McLean, son of James Akin and 
 Lydia McLean, was born in Franklin County, 
 Illinois, October 7, 1837. His early life was 
 spent on a farm, working during the summer and 
 autumn, and attending school about three months 
 each winter. At the age of twenty he began the
 
 F. B. MOORE, M. D., B. S. 
 
 59 
 
 study of medicine in the office of Dr. Francis 
 Ronalds, then residing in Benton, Illinois. Dur- 
 ing the winter of 1 860-61 he attended the St. 
 Louis Medical College. 
 
 In the following July he enlisted, and on the 
 loth of August he was mustered in the Fortieth 
 Regiment, Illinois Infantry. On the I4th of the 
 following November he was commissioned Second 
 Lieutenant of Company A of this regiment. He 
 was present at the capture of Paducah and took 
 part in the battle of Shiloh, where he received 
 a serious wound, April 6, 1862, necessitating 
 the amputation of his left foot. The regiment 
 was highly complimented by the commander, 
 General Sherman, for holding its ground under 
 the enemy's fire after its supply of cartridges was 
 exhausted. 
 
 September 23, 1862, he resigned his commis- 
 sion, but afterwards volunteered his services as a 
 surgeon to accompany an expedition sent by the 
 Sanitary Commission from Chicago. They pro- 
 ceeded by steamboat to Vicksburg and picked up 
 a load of sick and wounded soldiers, which they 
 brought up the river. He then entered Rush 
 Medical College at Chicago, from which he grad- 
 
 uated in 1863. In June of that year he located 
 at Duquoin, Illinois, where he practiced medi- 
 cine and surgery until October, 1881. At this 
 date he accepted the position of surgeon of the 
 Pullman Palace Car Company and removed to 
 his present residence. 
 
 Dr. McLean was married in 1870 to Eugenie 
 Paris, daughter of David and Elizabeth Paris, of 
 Bloomington, Illinois. They have one son, Guy 
 Marshall McLean, a practicing physician of La 
 Porte, Indiana. 
 
 The Doctor is associated with numerous fra- 
 ternal and benevolent organizations, as well as 
 professional societies, including the American 
 Medical Association, the Academy of Railroad 
 Surgeons, the Royal Arcanum, Independent Or- 
 der of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias; J. B. 
 Wyman Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and 
 Illinois Commandery of the Loyal Legion. A 
 life-long Republican, he takes little interest in 
 local political strife, but entertains well-defined 
 views of the leading political questions of the day. 
 A man of self-reliance and much force of char- 
 acter, he exerts a powerful and beneficent influ- 
 ence in the community. 
 
 FLOYD B. MOORE, M. D., B. S. 
 
 f~LOYD BROWN MOORE, M. D., B. S., fills 
 r3 a prominent position in the professional and 
 I f social circles of Pullman, Roseland and 
 other southern suburbs of Chicago. He was 
 born December 13, 1866, at Brockville, Canada, 
 and his parents, Abner Daniel and Betsey Jane 
 (Brown) Moore, were natives of the same locality. 
 Abner D. Moore is a son of Frederick Moore, 
 whose parents came from Ireland and settled in 
 Canada about the beginning of the present cent- 
 ury. Frederick Moore is still living on a farm 
 at Brockville, at the venerable age of eighty-four 
 years. Abner D. Moore has been a speculator in 
 
 grain and live stock nearly all his life. In 1867 
 he went to Portage, Wisconsin, and removed 
 thence, two years later, to Fort Dodge, Iowa. He 
 subsequently moved to Manson, in the same 
 State, and is now living, at the age of fifty-five 
 years, in Brockville, Canada. His wife, Betsey 
 J. Moore, died in Manson, Iowa, in 1889. Her 
 parents were natives of Canada, of English lineage. 
 Dr. F. B. Moore graduated from the High 
 School of Manson, Iowa, after which he entered 
 the Northern Indiana Normal School at Val- 
 paraiso, Indiana. After spending two years upon 
 the scientific course of that institution, he grad-
 
 6o 
 
 LOUIS OSWALD. 
 
 uated, in 1886, with the degree of Bachelor of 
 Science. He then entered the Chicago Medical 
 College (now Northwestern University Medical 
 School), and in April, 1889, received the degree 
 of Doctor of Medicine from that college. 
 
 He immediately entered upon the practice of 
 medicine at Pullman, where he has since re- 
 mained, with gratifying and pecuniary success. 
 In the spring of 1896 he built a modern brick 
 residence at Roseland, in which he maintains an 
 office, as well as at Pullman. He follows the 
 general practice of both medicine and surgery, 
 and has been enabled by his success to invest to 
 some extent in suburban real estate, which he 
 improves from time to time, and thus adds to the 
 general prosperity of the community. 
 
 Dr. Moore was married in November, 1891, to 
 Miss Mattie Alice Rolston, of Kensington, daugh- 
 ter of John M. Rolston, a well-known undertaker of 
 Chicago, now deceased. Dr. Moore is identified 
 
 with numerous social, fraternal and beneficial 
 orders, in most of which he fills the position of 
 examinimg surgeon. These include Prosperity 
 Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; 
 Palace Lodge, Pullman Chapter and Calumet 
 Commandery, of the Masonic order; Calumet 
 Lodge, Knights of Pythias; Pullman Council, 
 National Union; Royal Council, Royal League; 
 Pullman Tribe of Ben Hur, and the South Side 
 Physicians' Club. He has been health officer 
 of the South Side district for several months, and 
 is now public vaccinator. 
 
 He is local examining physician for a number 
 of the leading life insurance companies of the 
 United States, and is a useful and influential citi- 
 zen, of whom any community might well be 
 proud. He amply merits the prosperity and 
 popularity which he enjoys. Politically he is 
 independent, putting the man above party, and 
 patriotism above politics. 
 
 LOUIS OSWALD 
 
 I GUIS OSWALD, one of the leading mer- 
 I C chants of the southern portion of the county, 
 \ J is a finely educated representative of a good 
 German family. He was born in one of the 
 beautiful villages which border the Rhine River, 
 namely, Saint Guarshausen, Province of Hesse- 
 Darmstadt, Nassau, March 7, 1836. His grand- 
 father, Henry Oswald, was a farmer, who owned 
 an estate in Westerfeld, Germany, and his father, 
 also named Henry, was for nearly fifty years 
 demanenrath of the Duke of Nassau, having 
 charge of the extensive estates of that nobleman. 
 He was but three years younger than the present 
 century, and died in June, 1879, at the age of 
 seventy-six years. His wife, Carolina Zink, died 
 in April, 1847, at the age of forty- six years. She 
 was the daughter of Rev. William Zink, a min- 
 
 ister of the Evangelical Church, for many years 
 pastor at Homburg for der Hoche. 
 
 Louis Oswald attended the gymnasium at 
 Wiesbaden, studying pharmacy and chemistry, 
 and graduating in these branches at the early age 
 of seventeen years. Immediately after this he 
 came to America, and remained several months in 
 New York City, where he found employment in 
 a drug store. In April, 1854, he came to Chicago, 
 and entered the drug store of Dr. Philip Mathie, 
 on State Street, between Adams and Monroe. 
 This store was then on the outskirts of the city, 
 and Mr. Oswald boarded in a house on the pres- 
 ent site of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific 
 station. The cholera raged through the first 
 season of his residence here, and the young emi- 
 grant had ample opportunity to observe its effects.
 
 G. VAN DER SYDE. 
 
 61 
 
 The drug store in which he was employed was in 
 a hotel building, in which more than forty people 
 died of this terrible scourge during the season. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. Oswald went to Homewood, and 
 accepted a position in a general store kept by 
 Herbert & Zimmer, with whom he remained 
 eighteen months. He then entered a branch store 
 there, operated by Charles Robinson, of Blue Is- 
 land, which was later conducted by Robinson, 
 Hastings & Company. In 1859 he removed to 
 Bloom (now Chicago Heights), which village 
 then contained two stores, a blacksmith shop, 
 wagon shop and paint shop. 
 
 After working as a clerk one year in the gen- 
 eral merchandise store of James Hunter, he be- 
 came a partner in the firm of S. B. Eakin & Com- 
 pany, which conducted a similar establishment. 
 In 1865 he bought out the interest of Mr. Eakin, 
 and has ever since conducted the business alone. 
 He was Postmaster from 1865 to 1893, a period 
 of twenty-eight years, and in 1876 his original 
 store building was greatly enlarged. For many 
 years he bought and shipped grain from this 
 station, which was originally established by the 
 Michigan Central Railroad Company, on account 
 of his business. 
 
 Mr. Oswald was married May 2, 1861, to Miss 
 Mary, daughter of Jacob and Barbara (Sauter) 
 Claus. Jacob Claus, who was an engineer, lost 
 his life by drowning in the Chicago Harbor. Bar- 
 bara Sauter came in 1832 (then a young girl) to 
 Chicago, in company with the family of John H. 
 Kinzie, on the first steamer which landed here. 
 Mrs. Oswald was born in Michigan City, Indiana, 
 and died December 6, 1888, aged forty years. 
 Five of her seven children are living, the others 
 having died in childhood. Dr. Julius W. Oswald, 
 the eldest, is a surgeon in the Alexian Brothers' 
 Hospital in Chicago. Otto A. is a clerk in his 
 father's store. Frederick C. is a student in the 
 Chicago Art Institute, and Cora B. and Florence 
 B. remain with their father. Mr. Oswald has 
 just reason to be proud of his children (all of 
 whom are finely educated) and of his business 
 record. He was a member of the Evangelical 
 Church in youth, but is not now connected with 
 any society. He cast his first Presidential vote 
 for Gen. John C. Fremont, and has voted for 
 every Presidential candidate since. He was Col- 
 lector of Bloom Township in 1863, and takes a 
 warm interest in public schools, serving for many 
 years as School Trustee and Director of his district. 
 
 GORIS VAN DER SYDE. 
 
 SORIS VAN DER SYDE is one of the earliest 
 settlers at Roseland, and has been largely 
 instrumental in promoting the growth and 
 development of that thriving suburb. His par- 
 ents were Leonard and Line (Steanberg) Van 
 derSyde, who, with their family, joined the party 
 which originally settled at this place in 1849. 
 The father, who had been a butcher in the Fa- 
 therland, became the owner of ten acres of land 
 on the west side of what is now Michigan Ave- 
 
 nue. He carried on the business of a market- 
 gardener until the growth of the town necessitated 
 the subdivision of his land for building purposes. 
 Some of the principal residences and business 
 blocks of the village now stand upon this site. 
 His death occurred October 8, 1875, at the age of 
 seventy-two years. His wife, who was born in 
 the same year as her husband, survived until 
 February 24, 1877. Their children are Goris, 
 subject proper of this notice; Line, widow of
 
 62 
 
 G. VAN DER SYDE. 
 
 Peter Dalenberg, of Roseland; Agnes, Mrs. John 
 Ton, of the same place; and Nellie, Mrs. John 
 Prince, now deceased. 
 
 Goris Van der Syde was born at Numansdorp, 
 Province of South Holland, December 13, 1827. 
 He was educated in his native town, and after 
 coming to this country attended an English 
 school one winter. He has always been an ex- 
 tensive reader, and speaks and writes the English 
 language accurately. When the family located 
 here, deer, wolves and other wild game roamed 
 over the. prairie about their home. Having been 
 reared in a thickly populated country, the young- 
 er members of the family were at first afraid to 
 wander far from the house, but soon became ac- 
 customed to their new surroundings. He engaged 
 in the meat business at first, but a few years later, 
 in 1852, opened the first store in the town, and 
 continued in mercantile business until 1880, when 
 he retired from active pursuits, being succeeded 
 by his son, who now conducts one of the leading 
 stores in Roseland. For several years after Mr. 
 Van der Syde came here there were but two 
 houses on Halsted Street between his place and 
 Twelfth Street, that being the road which he 
 usually traveled with his ox-team to bring his 
 goods from the city. At first their postoffice 
 was at Chicago, but after the Illinois Central 
 Railroad was built to Kensington an office was 
 established at that place, known as Calumet 
 Junction. In 1861 this office was removed to 
 Roseland, and named Hope, that name being aft- 
 erwards changed to Roseland. Mr. Van der Syde 
 was appointed the first Postmaster at this place, 
 and held the office continuously for twenty-five 
 years, through successive changes in the national 
 administration. 
 
 Realizing that there was a great future for in- 
 vestors in real estate, about 1860 Mr. Van derSyde 
 bought eighty acres, in company with his brother- 
 in-law, Mr. Dalenberg, the price of the tract be- 
 ing eleven hundred dollars. This they afterwards 
 divided, each taking forty acres. Soon after pur- 
 chasing land here, Mr. Van der Syde planted a 
 great many shade trees, finding recreation from 
 his indoor pursuits in this manner. These shade 
 trees are now the pride and ornament of the town, 
 
 and have greatly enhanced the value of his prop- 
 erty. Mr. Van der Syde subsequently sold thirty- 
 three acres of his property for $66,000, and the 
 whole has been subdivided and mostly built up 
 with residences and business blocks, all being 
 now included in the city of Chicago. He has in- 
 vested quite extensively in farming lands in New- 
 ton County, Indiana, where he devotes consider- 
 able attention to planting vineyards and the culti- 
 vation of various kinds of fruits. He helped to 
 organize the Pullman Loan and Savings Bank, 
 and was one of the first Directors of this flourish- 
 ing and solid institution, an office which he still 
 holds. 
 
 In December, 1856, Mr. Van der Syde was mar- 
 ried to Engeltje De Young, daughter of Henry 
 and Geertje (DeVreis) De Young, of South Hol- 
 land, Cook County, Illinois. Her father died in 
 1893, aged nearly ninety years, and her mother 
 in 1878, at the age of nearly eighty years. Mrs. 
 Van der Syde was born in Puersen, South Hol- 
 land, and came to America with her parents in 
 1848. Of the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Van 
 der Syde who reached mature years, three are now 
 living: Leonard, a prominent merchant of Rose- 
 land; Henry, who is a farmer of Newton County, 
 Indiana, and George, who is still at home with his 
 parents. Those deceased are Mary, Harry and 
 Nellie, the last named being the wife of George 
 McCutcheon. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Van der Syde are connected with 
 the Dutch Reformed Church at Roseland. A 
 Republican in politics, the former served as Col- 
 lector of Calumet Township for two terms, and 
 was for one term Town Clerk. When he occupied 
 the former position the whole tax-roll of the 
 township, which then included South Chicago, 
 was contained in a small volume which he car- 
 ried in a hand satchel. His duties as one of the 
 township officials during the great Civil War re- 
 quired him to assist in the expenditure of the 
 bounty raised by the township to induce volun- 
 teers to enter the service and fill its quota of 
 troops. His public duties have always been dis- 
 charged in a faithful and capable manner, and he 
 enjoys the friendship and good-will of all his fel- 
 low-citizens.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 
 ALBERT J. LAMMORIS
 
 A. J. LAMMORIS. 
 
 ALBERT J. LAMMORIS. 
 
 G| LBERT JACOB LAMMORIS, whose career 
 LJ strikingly illustrates the truth of the modem 
 / I saying that "Nothing succeeds like suc- 
 cess," was one of the self-made men of our times. 
 He belonged to a class of young men who, 
 though poor, find in metropolitan life the in- 
 centives which superinduce the highest and best 
 efforts of which men are capable; to master the 
 disadvantages that are supposed to hinder their 
 progress when opposed by rich and powerful 
 rivals. The indomitable energy which char- 
 acterized Mr. Lammoris was of a sort not to be 
 balked by the inconveniences of poverty, and 
 his career was a model one, in every way worthy 
 of emulation. 
 
 Although of foreign birth, he became, when 
 yet a boy, thoroughly imbued with American 
 ideas, and throughout his life he was actuated 
 by that spirit of "push" which is distinctively 
 characteristic of Americans. He was born in 
 Gripskerk, one of the seven provinces of Gron- 
 ingen, Holland, April 25, 1858, a son of Jacob and 
 Johanna (De Vries) Lammoris, who came to 
 America in 1864 and settled in Grand Haven, 
 Michigan. Two years later they came to Chi- 
 cago, young Albert being then eight years old. 
 His parents were too poor to furnish him the 
 essentials necessary to attendance on the public 
 schools. As a boy he was naturally bright and 
 active, having the faculty of adaptation, and 
 could apply himself vigorously to the accomplish- 
 ment of a purpose. But he lacked opportunities, 
 
 and it was his misfortune to be deprived of the 
 wholesome influence of home training. 
 
 At the age of fourteen years he was admitted 
 to the Industrial Home for Boys at Lansing, 
 Michigan, where he remained one year. The 
 influence of this institution was of the greatest 
 benefit to him, and there he laid the foundation 
 for a career which, though brief, has been 
 paralleled in but few instances. In 1872 he re- 
 turned to Chicago, being then less than fifteen 
 years of age, practically without a home and des- 
 titute of means. However, he was not dis- 
 couraged by these disadvantages, but resolutely 
 set about overcoming them, and for several years 
 was variously employed. He had a natural 
 aptitude for mechanics, and, acquiring a few 
 tools, he established himself in the chair-repair- 
 ing business. This he followed a few years, 
 achieving sufficient success to enable him, with 
 his scanty savings, to open a small furniture store, 
 on the West Side, in 1881. In this venture he 
 prospered, each year adding to the success 
 which had begun to brighten his life. 
 
 His circumstances warranting so important 
 and necessary a step, April 13, 1882, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Mary L. Sherman, 
 a young lady of talent and pleasing culture. 
 Subsequently he opened another store in the same 
 line of business, and successfully conducted both 
 establishments until 1893, when he disposed of 
 them. He had ample means now, and what, 
 perhaps, is still better, an invaluable practical ex-
 
 6 4 
 
 A. J. LAMMORIS. 
 
 perience, which enabled him to execute a long 
 cherished plan that of establishing cheap lodg- 
 ing houses for the unfortunate poor of Chicago. 
 His own early privations and battles with poverty 
 had given him an insight into the needs of the 
 poor, and to the betterment of their condition 
 he now proposed to devote his time, talents and 
 means. 
 
 His plan was to furnish lodgings at the lowest 
 price consistent with cleanliness, the minimum 
 rates to be fifteen to twenty-five cents per day. 
 The "Liberty House" was the first of the kind he 
 erected, and it proved so successful that he im- 
 mediately secured a large building on Clinton 
 Street, now known as the "Friendship House," 
 which he fitted up according to plans of his own. 
 It is a mammoth house, having seven hundred 
 twenty-five rooms, with baths, laundry, fire 
 escapes, in short, modernly equipped throughout. 
 From its opening the "Friendship" had a large 
 patronage, and it continued to be deservedly 
 popular. Subsequently Mr. Lammoris became 
 connected with the "Arcade" and "Norwood," 
 both houses similar in character but smaller. To 
 the conduct of these hostelries he gave his per- 
 sonal attention, it being to him as much a labor 
 of love as of profit. It was his custom to give a 
 dinner to the poor every Thanksgiving Day, 
 feeding on some occasions eighteen hundred 
 homeless men, at a cost of more than one thou- 
 sand dollars. To the general relief fund of the 
 charitable societies he was a regular and gener- 
 ous contributor, and his donations to the boys of 
 the Industrial Home were made semi-annually 
 on July, fourth and at Christmas. To this in- 
 stitution he was affectionately attached, always 
 speaking of it as "my home," and yearly he 
 visited it. 
 
 In all his charitable works he was unostenta- 
 tious, always giving freely of his means and in a 
 way to attract as little attention as possible. Be- 
 cause of his philanthropical works he was often 
 spoken of in the public prints as "The best friend 
 the homeless poor of Chicago ever had . " In all 
 his habits Mr. Lammoris was decidedly tem- 
 perate. Excesses of any kind were abhorrent to 
 him, yet neither was he a purist of the extreme 
 
 type. He knew the weaknesses of human nature, 
 was always humanely human and his great, 
 sympathetic heart went out in brotherly feel- 
 ing to those unfortunates who had become 
 slaves to the vices of appetite and passion. 
 
 He was fond of travel, and in company with 
 his wife, made five trips abroad, visiting the 
 Paris and Vienna expositions, as well as nearly 
 all the historic places of continental Europe and 
 Great Britain . But it was in the public institutions 
 for the poor and unfortunate of foreign lands that 
 his greatest interest centered. As many of these 
 as he could reach received his carefel scrutiny, 
 that he might thereby be profited by this obser- 
 vation when he came to develop certain plans 
 which he had under deliberation pertaining to 
 philanthropic work which he hoped to carry out 
 in the future. 
 
 Mr. Lammoris was a domestic man in the 
 broadest sense of the term. To his family he 
 was devoted. The noble impulses of the man 
 are illustrated by the following incident: On 
 his way home one night, he observed a little girl, 
 about seven years old, on the street, alone and 
 crying. She could give no intelligent account of 
 herself. Pressing the waif to his bosom, he car- 
 ried her to his home, and subsequently legally 
 adopted her, giving her the name of Mabel S. 
 
 He was an active participant in political affairs, 
 in principle a Republican, but in no sense was he 
 an office-seeker, the preferment of official place 
 having no allurements for him. His death was 
 both untimely and unexpected. From his youth 
 he had been blessed with good health. For some 
 months previous to his demise he had labored be- 
 yond the point of human endurance, and being 
 subjected to exposure as well, he took cold, 
 which terminated in pneumonia, and after five 
 days of suffering he passed to his reward April 
 2, 1895. 
 
 John Sherman, father of Mrs. Lammoris, was 
 born in England, where the years of his boy- 
 hood were passed. His opportunities for ob- 
 taining an education were of the best. His par- 
 ents desired that he should enter the ministry, 
 and to that end he was prepared in that old and 
 famously historic seat of learning, Trinity Col-
 
 CAPT. BARTHOLOMEW QUIRK. 
 
 lege, Dublin. But the life of a clergyman was 
 not to his liking, and in consequence thereof he 
 ran away from home and came to America, land- 
 ing in New York a short time previous to the 
 outbreak of the Mexican War. At the first call 
 for troops he enlisted and was assigned to duty 
 in the marine service and actively participated 
 in the movements of that department during the 
 war. He received several wounds in action, 
 none of which was of a disabling character. 
 
 In New York City, in 1853, he was married to 
 Miss Louisa Philips. In 1865 he came to Chi- 
 
 cago, where he lived permanently until his death, 
 which occurred March 7, 1890, at the age of 
 seventy-one years. Many years of his life were 
 devoted to travel, and he visited most parts of 
 the inhabited, civilized globe. He possessed a 
 genial, sunny nature, which made him a great 
 socral favorite, and he was deservedly popular 
 with those who justly appreciate refinement and 
 courtly grace. Mrs. Sherman is a descendant of 
 an old New York family, a lady of many pleas- 
 ing qualities. She resides with Mrs. Lammoris, 
 her only surviving child. 
 
 CAPT. BARTHOLOMEW QUIRK. 
 
 EAPT. BARTHOLOMEW QUIRK was 
 born in March, 1836, in Castle Gregory, 
 County Kerry, Ireland. His ancestors were 
 tillers of the soil. His parents, Francis and Ellen 
 (Lynch) Quirk, were natives of the same town 
 where he was born a beautiful site overlooking 
 the Bay of Tralee and the Atlantic Ocean. Fur- 
 ther mention of his ancestors will be found in the 
 biography of James Quirk, in this work. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received his educa- 
 tion in Chicago, pursuing the primary course in 
 the first public school of the city the old Dear- 
 born School. He served an apprenticeship at the 
 trade of carpenter, which occupied his time and 
 attention for many years. With all of his broth- 
 ers he served in the Volunteer Fire Department 
 of early Chicago, and was a member of Red 
 Jacket Company No. 4. He was one of the 
 organizers of the Shields Guards, named after 
 General and United States Senator Shields, 
 of Mexican War fame. About ninety-five per 
 cent, of this organization, of which Captain Quirk 
 was one of the most active promoters, entered the 
 Union army and did valiant service in preserving 
 the country as a whole, being a part of the Twen- 
 
 ty-third Regiment Illinois Volunteers, under the 
 famous Col. J. A. Mulligan. Although the 
 quota of the State had been filled, by the personal 
 solicitation of Colonel Mulligan, President Lincoln 
 was induced to accept the services of the regiment, 
 whose memory has been perpetuated in the one 
 famous song, ' ' The Mulligan Guards. ' ' 
 
 In the mean time it had proceeded to Missouri 
 and participated as an independent organization 
 in the Battle of Lexington, where most of the 
 regiment was captured by General Price. They 
 were exchanged in the winter of 1861-62, and the 
 regiment was reorganized and proceeded to Har- 
 per's Ferry, in May, 1862, and joined the cavalry 
 forces of General Sheridan, with whom they par- 
 ticipated in many active engagements. Colonel 
 Mulligan was killed near Winchester, Virginia. 
 The regiment subsequently campaigned through- 
 out the war under different commanders and 
 became very much reduced in numbers, so that 
 several of the companies were consolidated. 
 
 Captain Quirk entered the service as a second 
 lieutenant, and resigned in February, 1865, hav- 
 ing served over three years. After the war he 
 returned to Chicago and continued building
 
 66 
 
 CHRISTOPHER REICH. 
 
 operations, in connection with which he invested 
 in real estate and improved property, and was 
 quite successful. His first presidential vote was 
 cast for Abraham Lincoln, and he has ever since 
 been a warm adherent of the Republican party. 
 He took a great interest in the struggles of Ire- 
 land against British oppression, and was one of 
 the warmest supporters of the Fenian movement. 
 
 Captain Quirk served as a member of the City 
 Council two terms, and was several years a dep- 
 uty sheriff of Cook County. With his wife and 
 family he adheres to the Roman Catholic Church. 
 In 1857 he was married to Miss Jane McCarthy, 
 and they have three children: Mary E., Helena 
 J. and Francis I. The second daughter is the 
 wife of Lawrence J. Reed, of Chicago. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER REICH. 
 
 CHRISTOPHER REICH, now living a re- 
 1 1 tired life in Ravenswood, is a native of 
 \J Chicago, where his parents, Michael and 
 Mary Ann (Tillman) Reich, were early settlers. 
 Michael Reich was born in 1813, in Lorraine, 
 France, and received his education in his native 
 place, remaining with his parents until he was 
 of age, and assisting his father, who was a dealer 
 in tobacco. He served the term then required in 
 the French army, which was seven years. About 
 1840 he emigrated to the United States, sailing 
 from Havre and landing at New York. He 
 came directly to Chicago, but soon removed to 
 Saginaw, Michigan, where he found employment 
 in a saw-mill, and received his remuneration in 
 the product of the same. He remained two 
 years, then sent for his wife and two children, 
 and located in Chicago, living for a short time on 
 Harrison Street, and then on State Street. He 
 bought twenty-seven acres of land on the South 
 Side, and ten acres on the North Side, and en- 
 gaged in gardening. He cultivated this land for 
 several years, and was very successful in this 
 venture. He was married in his native country, 
 and his two eldest sons were born there, four 
 others being born in Chicago. 
 
 His children were: Michael, who was drowned 
 in Lake Michigan, while on the pleasure boat 
 "Lady Elgin;" Mary and Jacob, deceased; Chris- 
 
 topher, the subject of this notice; Caroline, wife 
 of Peter Franzen, of Englewood; and Peter, of 
 Lake Station, Indiana. In 1857 the family re- 
 turned to France, with the exception of the two 
 eldest sons. Mr. Reich had sold part of his prop- 
 erty in Chicago, but in 1860 he returned to that 
 city and resumed gardening. He again visited 
 France in 1865, to look after some property he 
 had purchased during his former visit, and he 
 remained two years, after which he again re- 
 turned to Chicago, and engaged in gardening. 
 He was always thrifty in the management of his 
 affairs, and accumulated a competence. He took 
 an interest in public concerns, but never held an 
 office, and supported the Democratic party. He 
 and his wife were members of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. Mrs. Reich died October 28, 1889, and 
 Mr. Reich passed away January i, 1893. 
 
 Christopher Reich was born March 13, 1844, 
 receiving his primary education in the public 
 schools of Chicago, and later attending school two 
 years in France. He remained with his parents 
 until he grew to manhood, assisting his father in 
 the care of his garden until he was twenty-two 
 years of age. When his parents went to France 
 the second time, he and his brother Peter re- 
 moved to Calumet, where they bought twenty- 
 five acres of land, which they cultivated. The 
 health of Christopher failed, and he sold his
 
 HENRY KARNATZ. 
 
 67 
 
 share of land to his brother, and traveled in 
 Europe, learning the art of photography while 
 there. 
 
 January 3, 1867, he married Miss Mary A. 
 Kerber, a native of Chicago, and a daughter of 
 John and Floradiue Kerber. Her parents were 
 natives of Baden-Baden, Germany, and were 
 early settlers of Chicago. In 1868 Mr. Reich 
 opened a dry-goods store on the corner of Larra- 
 bee and Center Streets, which he conducted 
 successfully until he lost his stock and building 
 in the Great Fire of 1871. He rebuilt, and again 
 engaged in business, which he continued until 
 1875, when he removed to Dyer, Lake County, 
 Indiana, and kept a general store two years. 
 He then removed to Crown Point, where he en- 
 gaged in the same business, and five years later 
 he returned to Chicago, and opened a store on 
 Larrabee Street, opposite Wisconsin Street, which 
 he conducted two years. He removed to Engle- 
 wood, where he was proprietor of a store two 
 years, and then retired from business on account 
 of the death of his wife, which occurred April 12, 
 1891. 
 
 Mr. Reich spent a year in Milwaukee, to rest 
 and regain his health, which was then poor. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Reich were the parents of ten 
 children, only five of whom are now living. Their 
 
 names are: John C., Margaret, Christopher, Jo- 
 sephine and Edward. In August, 1895, Mr. 
 Reich married Miss Catherine Leis, a native of 
 Chicago, and daughter of Jacob Leis. In politics, 
 Mr. Reich favors the Democratic party. He and 
 his wife are communicants of the Roman Catho- 
 lic Church, being identified with the parish of 
 Our Lady of Lourdes. Mr. Reich is an honored 
 and respected citizen of Ravenswood, and takes 
 an active interest in the welfare of that suburb, 
 and also of his native city. 
 
 Michael Reich, the eldest son of Michael 
 Reich, was born in 1834, in Lorraine, France, 
 and came to Chicago with the family in 1842. 
 He followed gardening all his life. In 1860 he 
 married, and about three months later he was 
 prevailed upon by friends to go on an excursion 
 to Milwaukee. This was on the fatal eighth day 
 of September, 1860, when the pleasure steamer, 
 "Lady Elgin," collided with another boat, off 
 Gross Point, and nearly all the passengers were 
 lost. Mr. Reich was among those who perished. 
 He was a man who took quite an interest .in 
 public affairs, and was for some years a member 
 of the Volunteer Fire Department of the city, 
 being a member of Company No. 7 when first 
 organized, and later of No. 10. He was well 
 known and highly respected. 
 
 HENRY KARNATZ. 
 
 HENRY KARNATZ was born December 13, 
 1 86 1, in Mecklenburg-Schvverin, and is a 
 son of Joachim and Mary (Deitlow) Karnatz, 
 both of whom were born in the same locality. 
 His father was a laborer, and in 1867 he moved 
 to America with his family, starting from Ham- 
 burg, and coining to Chicago by way of New 
 
 York. In April, 1868, he came to Jefferson and 
 rented forty-one and one-half acres, where he 
 carried on gardening. The land is near what is 
 now Forest Glen, and in 1877 he was able to buy 
 it for six thousand dollars. It then contained 
 but a few buildings, and he subsequently added 
 good ones. Later, he bought thirteen and three-
 
 68 
 
 E. S. OSGOOD. 
 
 fourths acres. He had six children, three of 
 whom died in Germany. The remaining three 
 are: John, who resides on the home farm and 
 owns a blacksmith shop near Bowmanville; 
 Charles, who resides on a part of his father's 
 farm; and Henry, the subject of this sketch. 
 Joachim Karnatz died June 8, 1897, after an ill- 
 ness of only two days, at the age of seventy-seven 
 years, nine months and thirteen days. His wife 
 survives him, having reached the age of seventy- 
 fonr years. Both were members of the Evangel- 
 ical Lutheran Church, being connected with Saint 
 John's Church of Mayfair. 
 
 Henry Karnatz attended the public school, and 
 also the Lutheran School of Niles, then called 
 Dutchman's Point. He left school at the age of 
 thirteen years. He has since worked with his 
 
 father on the farm, and at present he manages 
 the part of it connected with the old home. He 
 learned the painter's trade, and has a shop, where 
 he does work for his brother, and sometimes for 
 others. 
 
 March 19, 1888, Henry Karnatz married 
 Amelia Sell, who was born in Pomerania, and is 
 a daughter of Charles and Minnie (Schroeder) 
 Sell. Charles Sell died in 1897, in Leyden 
 Township, where his widow still lives. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Karnatz have four children, namely: Min- 
 nie, Henry, John and Annie. Mr. Karnatz is a 
 member of the same church as his parents, name- 
 ly the Evangelical Lutheran. He is of the same 
 political principle as his father, and supports the 
 Republican party. He is a public-spirited and 
 intelligent citizen, and enjoys the respect of all. 
 
 EDWIN S. OSGOOD. 
 
 |"~ DWIN SEW ALL OSGOOD, a well-known 
 JO citizen of Austin, was boni November 21, 
 I 1842, in Moulmein, in the British East 
 Indies. He is the son of Rev. Sewall Mason and 
 Sarah Maria (Willsey) Osgood. The Osgoods 
 are an old English family, three of whom came to 
 America in 1635, and settled in Massachusetts. 
 They were William, Christopher and John, and 
 from Christopher is descended the subject of this 
 sketch. Emery Osgood, the father of Rev. Sewall 
 M. Osgood, was a Baptist clergyman, whose field 
 of labor was in western New York. Sewall M. 
 Osgood was born in New York and there learned 
 the printer's trade. He conducted a local news- 
 paper at Jefferson, New York, a number of years. 
 In 1836 he went to the East Indies, in connec- 
 tion with the American Baptist Missionary Union, 
 and he printed the first bible ever printed in the 
 Burmese language. While he was there he was 
 ordained a minister, and he continued in the 
 
 missionary work until his death, in Chicago, in 
 1875, at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife, 
 Sarah M. Osgood, was born in Tioga County, 
 New York, and was of Dutch descent. She died 
 in 1849, at about forty years of age. 
 
 Edwin S. Osgood was four years old when his 
 parents returned to the United States from India. 
 He was educated in the common schools and in a 
 high school in Philadelphia. In 1860 he came 
 to Chicago, and soon after August 29, 1862 
 he enlisted in the Chicago Mercantile Battery, and 
 served to the close of the war. He took part 
 in the Vicksburg campaign, and was later in 
 Louisiana, Texas, and Mobile, Alabama. He 
 participated in Banks' Red River expedition, after 
 which he was detailed in the paymaster's depart- 
 ment, and he served in that capacity until the 
 close of the war. 
 
 After the war he returned to Chicago and en- 
 gaged in business with a building contractor, and
 
 JOHN VAN NATTA. 
 
 69 
 
 later he was employed as solicitor and bookkeeper 
 for the Terra Cotta Company. After this he 
 was with H. C. & C. Durand, wholesale grocers. 
 In 1880 he engaged' in the manufacturing busi- 
 ness for himself, and since 1893 has been in the 
 business of engraving and electrotj ping. He is 
 now a member of the firm of Osgood & Company, 
 engravers, the firm comprising Mr. Osgood and 
 his son, Frederick S. Osgood. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Osgood was united in marriage 
 with Elizabeth A., daughter of Timothy M. and 
 Elizabeth (Covington) Bryan, of Philadelphia. 
 Timothy Matlack Bryan was a grandson of 
 Timothy Matlack, a soldier Quaker, whose picture 
 hangs in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, in 
 memory of his services to the country during the 
 Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Osgood have 
 five children living, namely: Helen, Mrs. Henry 
 Husted, of Austin; William P., a student in the 
 Chicago University ; Frederick S., of the firm of 
 
 Osgood & Company; Edwin H. and Elizabeth 
 M. All the members of the family are con- 
 nected with the Baptist Church of Austin, which 
 village has been their home since 1871. The 
 family furnished four of the thirteen constituent 
 members of the First Baptist Society, and Mr. 
 Osgood has since been an officer of the church, 
 being at present superintendent of its Sunday- 
 school. 
 
 Mr. Osgood is a member of Kilpatrick Post, 
 Grand Army of the Republic, at Austin. He 
 has always been a Republican in his political 
 views. He was two years a member of the Board 
 of Trustees of the town of Cicero, and three 
 years one of the school trustees. He is con- 
 nected with all reforms in Austin, and interested 
 in improvements, and though his business is in 
 the city, his interest is chiefly in his home, and 
 he is a valuable member of society in his com- 
 munity. 
 
 JOHN VAN NATTA. 
 
 (lOHN VAN NATTA was one of the worthy 
 I pioneers of Cook County, and numbered 
 Q) among his friends most of the early settlers 
 of northeastern Illinois. He was born in Dutch- 
 ess County, New York, February 25, 1796, and 
 was the son of James Van Natta, both of the lat- 
 ter 's parents being natives of Holland. John 
 Van Natta lived at several different points in 
 New York, part of the time in Geneseoand Steu- 
 ben Counties, and part of the time in Chautauqua 
 County, where he was married. In 1832 he re- 
 moved to Cass County, Michigan, and settled at 
 Adamsville. As everyone in that region, includ- 
 ing his own family, was suffering from fever and 
 ague, he determined to seek a more salubrious 
 climate, and accordingly, soon after the Black- 
 hawk War, he took a trip to Illinois, and was so 
 
 well suited with the country that, in 1834, he re- 
 moved his family to this State, coming with a 
 team and wagon. He landed in Chicago June 
 15, and stopped a few days at the Sauganash 
 hotel, but decided to make his home on higher 
 ground further west, so he continued his journey 
 to Naperville. He made his home for a few years 
 at Big Woods, in DuPage Count}'. As he pos- 
 sessed one of the few horse teams in the county, 
 he found it profitable to spend considerable of his 
 time in freighting goods from Chicago and De- 
 troit. He was employed by many of the emi- 
 grants who arrived in Chicago during the next 
 few years, to transport their families and effects 
 to points in the interior of the State, and many of 
 the acquaintances formed in this manner were 
 continued through life.
 
 P. J. MAGINNIS. 
 
 Later he moved to Kane County, and in 1841 
 he located on the western bank of the Des Plaines 
 River, where he lived many years, and owned two 
 hundred acres of timber and prairie land, situated 
 on both sides of the river. 
 
 His later years were spent in Chicago, where 
 he lived some time in retirement from business 
 cares. He was always distinguished for his gen- 
 erosity to those of his neighbors who might be in 
 want or trouble, and many a settler who arrived 
 upon the prairies of Illinois a few years later than 
 he did was supplied with seed and provisions, 
 free of charge, by Mr. Van Natta. 
 
 In 1821 he was married to Miss Polly Farns- 
 worth, in Chautauqua County, New York. She 
 was a native of Vermont, born in 1803. They 
 had six sons and two daughters, namely: Ira, de- 
 ceased; Harvey, of Trenton, Missouri; William, 
 of McHenry County, Illinois; Mary, now Mrs. 
 
 Lovett; Henry, of Littleton, Colorado; Maria L., 
 who married George Hatchings, and died in 
 Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Charles, of this city; and 
 James, a resident of Cragiri, Cook County. Mrs. 
 Polly Van Natta died in Leyden Township, Cook 
 County, Illinois, September 12, 1851. She wasa 
 devout member of the Baptist Church. Later Mr. 
 Van Natta was married to Mrs. Sarah (Davidson) 
 Fish, whose death occurred in Chicago a few 
 years previous to that of Mr. Van Natta. 
 
 In early life the latter was identified with the 
 Baptist Church, but after his second marriage he 
 united with the Methodist Church. He was al- 
 ways distinguished for his uniform uprightness of 
 character and his social, kindly disposition, which 
 will cause him to belong remembered by all who 
 knew him. He died near Berryville, McHenry 
 County, Illinois, in June, 1885, in the ninetieth 
 year of his age. 
 
 PATRICK J. MAGINNIS. 
 
 f"\ATRICK JOHN MAGINNIS, a self-made 
 LX business man of Chicago and a valiant soldier 
 [$ of the Civil War, was a native of Ireland, 
 born March 6, 1842, in the town of Newry. 
 His father, John Maginnis, who was a stone 
 mason, came to America when the son was an 
 infant. He found employment at first on Staten 
 Island, New York, whence he proceeded to Chi- 
 cago and finally engaged in the grocery business 
 here. When Patrick was about eight years old 
 he was brought to Chicago by his mother, who 
 soon after died of cholera. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was early left largely 
 to his own resources, and rapidly developed in- 
 dependence of character. He was largely self- 
 educated, and worked his own way to success in 
 life by the exercise of industry, guided by his 
 natural talents and prudence. He acted as clerk 
 
 in his father's store until the beginning of the 
 Civil War, when he immediately offered his serv- 
 ices in behalf of his adopted country. He was 
 then only nineteen years old, and was twice re- 
 jected on account of his youth, but was finally 
 accepted, June 15, 1861, as a member of the sub- 
 sequently famed Mulligan Guards. This com- 
 pany was mustered into the service as Company 
 I, Twenty- third. Regiment Illinois Volunteers. 
 It was a fighting company and saw hard service, 
 in which Mr. Maginnis bore his full share. He 
 was discharged because of sickness at Lexington, 
 Missouri, having risen to the rank of sergeant. 
 
 After the war he went to Ireland to aid in the 
 Fenian movement in the cause of Irish freedom. 
 He was almost immediately seized by the British 
 authorities, and spent eight months in an Irish 
 jail. He was released near the close of the year
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 DR. A. R. SOMMERVILLE
 
 A. R. SOMMERVILLE, M. D. 
 
 1865, and returned to Chicago, bringing with 
 him his only sister, Mary Maginnis, who became 
 the wife of Thomas Boyle, Mr. Maginnis' sub- 
 sequent partner in business. She died in Chi- 
 cago March 17, 1891. For a time Mr. Maginnis 
 was employed in a cooperage establishment, and 
 then engaged in the grocery business. He met 
 with success, and finally established himself in 
 the ice business after the Great Fire of 1871. At 
 first he was a member of the firm of Maginnis & 
 Boyle; subsequently the enterprise passed into the 
 hands of an incorporated company, known as the 
 Lincoln Ice Company, which still continues, in 
 which Mr. Maginnis held a controlling interest, 
 and of which he was president at the time of his 
 death, September 6, 1893. 
 
 October 20, 1874, Mr. Maginnis married Miss 
 
 Nellie, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Welsh) 
 Whitty, natives of Ireland. The parents died 
 in that country, and Mrs. Maginnis came to 
 America in 1865. She was thirteen years old 
 when, in company with her brother, Nicholas, 
 aged twenty years, she came to America. She 
 is a lady of much business acumen, and has taken 
 her husband's place in the management of af- 
 fairs with great success. The establishment is 
 conducted on a large scale, and now employs 
 eighty teams and nearly two hundred men. The 
 children of Mr. and Mrs. Maginnis, who are re- 
 ceiving the advantages of the best educational 
 and social connections, are named in order of 
 birth: Mary A., John F., Thomas B., Edward 
 A., Charles P., Helen, Robert E. and George 
 Washington. 
 
 AGNES R. SOMMERVILLE, M. D. 
 
 Gl GNES ROBENA SOMMERVILLE, M. D., 
 L_l a prominent physician of Chicago, was born 
 | I July 12, 1842, in Troy, New York, and is a 
 daughter of John and Jessie (Armstrong) Som-- 
 merville. Her father died in 1896, at the age of 
 eighty-five years, and her mother is also deceased. 
 They were the parents of twelve children, six 
 daughters and the same number of sons. 
 
 Agnes R. Som merville received her early edu- 
 cation in her native town, and graduated from 
 the Willard Seminary, one of the best schools of 
 Eastern New York. In 1869 she was afflicted by 
 a very severe attack of muscular rheumatism, 
 and after having tried a great variety of medi- 
 cines and treatments, finally decided to try the 
 electrical cure. The science was then in its 
 infancy, but has since advanced to a well-recog- 
 nized place in the healing of diseases. She re- 
 
 ceived the electric bath treatment, which com- 
 pletely cured her. She was so grateful to the 
 science for its benefits to her that she began the 
 study of it at once, and has won great success 
 with the "new dry bath" cure. Dr. Sommerville 
 stands at the head of her profession, and is the 
 only lady in Chicago who is a graduate of elec- 
 tric therapeutics. 
 
 In 1859 Miss Sommerville came to the city of 
 Chicago to visit some friends, and while here, 
 she met John Sommerville, whom she married in 
 1860, and has ever since resided in the great 
 metropolis. She is the mother of two daughters, 
 both of whom are married. They are: Effie, Mrs. 
 John Clark Aubrey, and Jessie, Mrs. William 
 Donely. 
 
 Dr. A. R. Sommerville has not only followed 
 the teachings of others, but has also made inde-
 
 T. G. SPRINGER. 
 
 pendent research iu her profession. She is the 
 patentee of several electrical instruments, which 
 have proved a boon to the students of electricity 
 as applied to the cure of disease. She enjoys a 
 
 of offices located in McVicker's Theater Building, 
 on Madison Street. Combined with her great 
 business ability, and her love for her profession, 
 she has a truly womanly character, and is honored 
 
 large and lucrative practice, and occupies a suite and esteemed by all who know her. 
 
 THEODORE G. SPRINGER. 
 
 'HEODORE GREEN SPRINGER. Among 
 
 the truly representative men in the great 
 metropolis of the Great West are many 
 whose reputations have passed beyond the con- 
 fines of the American continent, and whose names 
 are also enrolled in the scientific annals of the 
 European continent for giving the world new 
 ideas in science, which have given to humanity 
 greater comfort, thus benefiting the human race 
 at large. Among those names should be men- 
 tioned the subject of this sketch, whose unselfish 
 life and devotion to science entitle him to a place 
 in this volume. 
 
 He was born February i, 1832, in Bellevernon, 
 Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and is a de- 
 scendant of a family distinguished in Europe. 
 His great-grandfather, Michael Springer, born in 
 Stockholm, in 1727, when a young man entered the 
 service of King George of England and fought 
 under the banner of his royal master. As a re- 
 ward for services rendered, he received a grant of 
 land in the American colonies, consisting of a 
 tract of land two days' journey north and east of 
 Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburg. The land com- 
 prised five hundred fifty-seven acres, and was situ- 
 ated in what is now Westmoreland Count}'. A 
 part of the original homestead is still in the pos- 
 session of the descendants of the family. Benjamin 
 Franklin's name appears on the parchment which 
 conveyed the land to Michael Springer. He im- 
 proved the land and reared a large family. His 
 son James was born in Westmoreland, and be- 
 
 r 
 
 / 
 
 ,eame a thrifty manager of the patrimonial estate. 
 He was a pioneer in developing the coal mines of 
 southwestern Pennsylvania, and shipped its prod- 
 uct by flatboats down the Monongahela River to 
 Pittsburg. He was a sturdy Democrat in political 
 matters and affiliated with the Baptist Church, 
 but later his descendants became members of the 
 Christian Church. He died at the age of seventy- 
 six years. His wife, Sally Smith, was a native of 
 Westmoreland County, and a daughter of Bar- 
 tholomew Smith, a brave soldier of the Revolu- 
 tion, whose death occurred while General La 
 Fayette was making his second visit to America, 
 and the military funeral services at the old Reho- 
 both Cemetery were made more impressive by the 
 General's attendance. Mrs. Sally Springer was 
 fifty-five years old when she died. She was the 
 mother of the following children: Martina, Theo- 
 dore, Sophia, Anselmo, Caroline and Everill. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, Theodore G. 
 Springer, received the benefits of the schools of 
 his county, but the ambitious boy was not satis- 
 fied with the meager information they were then 
 able to give. He qualified himself for a collegiate 
 course, and in time entered Hiram College, which 
 at that time was a shining light among educa- 
 tional centers in Ohio. Here he improved his 
 time, and laid the foundations for future years of 
 study and research. He was a classmate of the 
 lamented president, James A. Garfield, and from 
 their acquaintance here sprang a friendship which 
 lasted through life. After graduating, life on the
 
 S. B. HAGGARD. 
 
 73 
 
 old homestead became monotonous to the enter- 
 prising young man and he resolved to go West. 
 He did not come empty-handed, but was able to 
 buy up large tracts of land and land warrants in 
 Boone and Jasper Counties, and managed his es- 
 tate with varying success. 
 
 His mind was ever active amid his rural sur- 
 roundings, and he invented several things of great 
 utility to farmers, among them being a wagon 
 brake, which is yet used quite extensively. He 
 also invented a process for distilling water, and at 
 about the same time a process for manufacturing 
 an illuminating gas in hotels and farmhouses, 
 which was the most successful of all his inven- 
 tions, and which subsequently engaged all his 
 attention. He took out forty or more patents, 
 covering many useful inventions. The most 
 noted is his invention ofsetteline gas. Mr. Pres- 
 ton, the director of the United States mint in 
 Washington, was one of his two partners, and 
 they succeeded in getting out a first-class patent. 
 Later this was sold to the old Setteline Gas Syn- 
 dicate, which made a fortune from the manu- 
 facture. 
 
 In the interest of his inventions, and especially 
 gas, Mr. Springer traveled extensively in Europe, 
 where he was treated with great respect by the 
 great scientists of the Old World, who recognized 
 in him a genius. His water-gas invention, and 
 
 its introduction, took him to France, Spain, Ger- 
 many, Belgium and England. In the latter 
 country he spent two and one-half years, mostly in 
 London, and was compelled to return to America 
 on account of the state of his health, as he was 
 suffering from Bright's Disease, from which he 
 finally died. 
 
 Mr. Springer was a man of great determination 
 and force of character. His perceptive and in- 
 ventive faculties were developed to a remarkable 
 degree, which enabled him to remember the prac- 
 tical part of life while studying his inventions, 
 and he left to his family a competency which will 
 always surround them with the comforts of this 
 world. He was always mindful of the welfare of 
 his loved ones, which he showed in numerous 
 ways. 
 
 Mr. Springer was connected with the Masonic 
 order, but was not a club or lodge man, as his 
 home was his place of rest and recreation. His 
 wife was a worthy companion of such a man. His 
 portrait shows all that distinguishes the inventor 
 and builder. Among his companions and 
 fellow-men Mr. Springer stood for all that is rep- 
 resented by honor, true manhood and integrity. 
 His good name and his life-work are a rich legacy 
 to coming generations, who will revere his mem- 
 ory. He is survived by his wife and daughter, 
 Mrs. C. W. Doton, both of Chicago. 
 
 SAMUEL B. HAGGARD. 
 
 (7JAMUEL BALDWIN HAGGARD, one of 
 ^\ the surviving pioneers of Cook County, is 
 )/ now living in retirement at Austin, and re- 
 lates many interesting historical reminiscences of 
 Chicago and other places. He was born near 
 Winchester, Kentucky, Novembers, 1814, and 
 is a son of Dawson Haggard and Charity Bald- 
 win. The great-grandfather of Dawson Hag- 
 
 gard was a Welshman by birth, but came from 
 England to Virginia. His grandson, David, the 
 father of Dawson, was born near Charlottesville, 
 in that State. He was a carpenter by trade and 
 assisted in the construction of Thomas Jefferson's 
 magnificent mansion at Monticello, which was, no 
 doubt, the finest residence in America at that time. 
 David Haggard and his twin brother, Bartlett,
 
 74 
 
 S. B. HAGGARD. 
 
 who could scarcely be distinguished from each 
 other, served alter tiately" in the Continental army 
 under one enlistment for several years, and the for- 
 mer was present at the surrender of Lord Corn- 
 wallis. David Haggard afterwards removed with 
 his family to Kentucky. They were accompanied 
 by several other Virginia families, including the 
 Breckenridges and Marshalls, and the journey 
 was made by floating down the Kanawha and 
 Ohio Rivers as far as Maysville, Kentucky, 
 whence they went overland to Clark County. 
 Owing to the hostility of the Indians, they were 
 obliged at times to take refuge in a fort at Boones- 
 boro. David Haggard lived in Clark County 
 until 1823, when he removed to Christian County, 
 and in 1836 he located in Bloomington, Illinois, 
 where his death occurred seven years later, at the 
 age of eighty years. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Nancy Dawson, survived until ninety 
 years of age, passing away at Cerulean Springs, 
 in Trigg County, Kentucky. 
 
 Dawson Haggard became a farmer and also a 
 carpenter. He lived in Clark County until about 
 1817, when he removed to Christian County, 
 whence a few years later he removed to Trigg 
 County, in the same State. His death occurred 
 there in 1829, at the age of thirty-five years. He 
 was a licensed preacher of the Baptist Church, 
 and occasionally held services. After the death 
 of her husband, Mrs. Charity Haggard removed 
 to Indiana, and from there in 1841 removed to 
 Bloomington, Illinois, where she died about eight 
 years later. Her seven children are all living in 
 Illinois, the youngest nearly seventy years of 
 age. Their names and residences are as follows: 
 Samuel B., Austin; Nancy, widow of Hiram 
 Morris, Bloomington; David Dawson, of the same 
 place; Mary Jane, widow of John Shrock, Chi- 
 cago; Sarah Elizabeth, of the same city; John 
 William, Bloomington; and Julia Ann, widow of 
 John L. Matthews, Chicago. The two last-named 
 are twins. 
 
 Samuel .B. Haggard attended the frontier 
 schools of Kentucky, in which State he also learned 
 the trade of carpenter. In 1835 he became a 
 resident of Bloomington, Illinois, where he fol- 
 lowed his trade until the fall of 1843, when he 
 
 removed to Chicago. He brought his family 
 with a horse and buggy and paid one dollar per 
 day for a man and team to bring his effects to 
 this city, being several days on the road and 
 camping out one night at Wolf Grove, five miles 
 from the nearest house. He secured employ- 
 ment in the iron foundry of Scoville & Gates, 
 where he had charge of the woodwork for sev- 
 eral years. In the fall of 1847 ne entered the 
 employ of McCormick & Gray, who had just 
 completed a factory building on the north side of 
 the Chicago River east of Rush Street bridge. 
 He superintended the erection of the machinery 
 in this establishment and was superintendent ot 
 the works until 1850. Five hundred reapers 
 were built the first season, after which Mr. Gray 
 retired and the firm became McCormick, Ogden 
 & Company. Upon severing his connection with 
 this concern, Mr. Haggard began the manufact- 
 ure of chain pumps at No. 224 Randolph Street. 
 He continued in that location until 1866, when he 
 removed to the West Side and added a stock of 
 hardware. He carried on this enterprise for ten 
 years longer, when he permanently retired from 
 active business. Since 1873 he has made his 
 home in Austin, and is now one of the oldest 
 residents of that suburb. For many years he en- 
 joyed the acquaintance of the leading business 
 men of Chicago, most of whom he has survived. 
 In May, 1837, Mr. Haggard was married to Miss 
 Mary Mason, daughter of George and Elizabeth 
 (Howser) Mason, of Bloomington, Illinois. Mrs. 
 Haggard was born at Nicholasville, Jessamine 
 County, Kentucky, and was a member of the 
 Baptist Church from childhood. She departed 
 this life in 1889, at the age of seventy -three years. 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. Haggard was blessed 
 with seven children, of whom the following is the 
 record: Belle, widow of William Rucker, resides 
 at Austin; Winfield Scott is a citizen of Chicago; 
 Martha Jane is the wife of Albert Wicker, of 
 Franklin Grove, Illinois; John David is a well- 
 known citizen of Austin; Mary Frances, Mrs. S. 
 S. Gould, lives in Oak Park, Illinois; Edith is 
 the wife of E. W. Marble, of Austin, at which 
 place Charity Elizabeth died at the age of thirty- 
 four years. In 1887 Mr. and Mrs. Haggard cele-
 
 FRANK KUHN. 
 
 75 
 
 brated their golden wedding, which was attended 
 by all their children and grandchildren, as well as 
 by all of Mr. Haggard's brothers and sisters. 
 
 For thirty years past Mr. Haggard has been 
 connected with the Baptist Church, and his 
 career has been in all respects well worth)' the 
 emulation of posterity. Though in the eighty- 
 third year of his age, he is still quite vigorous 
 and his mind is clear and active. He distinctly 
 remembers events which occurred when he was 
 but three and one-half years old, and is likewise 
 well posted on current events. He has always 
 
 kept well informed on public affairs and remem- 
 bers the presidential election of 1824, at which 
 J. Q. Adams was elected by the House of Repre- 
 sentatives, the opposing candidates being Henry 
 Clay, Andrew Jackson and William H. Crawford. 
 He cast his first presidential ballot in 1836 for 
 William Henry Harrison and has voted for every 
 Whig and Republican candidate for that office 
 since that time. He has affiliated with few social 
 organizations, but is a member of the old Tippe- 
 canoe Club of Chicago, and is held in the highest 
 regard by his contemporaries. 
 
 FRANK KUHN. 
 
 |~~RANK KUHN. Among the German citi- 
 r^ zens of Chicago, who, by their world-re- 
 I nowned thrift and economy accumulated 
 wealth, was the subject of this sketch. He was 
 born February 27, 1827, in Elsass, then in France, 
 but now a part of Germany. He came to Amer- 
 ica when quite a young man, in a sailing-vessel 
 which anchored at the port of- New Orleans, be- 
 ing thirteen weeks on the voyage. He soon af- 
 ter left New Orleans on account of the yellow 
 fever and went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he re- 
 mained one year. 
 
 In 1853 he came to Chicago, where he worked 
 two years at the cabinet-maker's trade, which he 
 had learned from his father, who was a skilled 
 mechanic. He then, in company with Peter 
 Schmidt, established a retail store for the dispens- 
 ing of beverages, on Kinzie Street, which was a 
 resort for the early inhabitants of the West Side. 
 After two years he moved to the corner of Mil- 
 waukee Avenue and Des Plaines Street, where 
 he was, until 1859, a landmark. At this time 
 he removed to the corner of Milwaukee Avenue 
 and Erie Street, and here conducted business for 
 
 almost eight years, when he removed to Kuhn's 
 Park, which pleasure resort he built up and im- 
 proved and conducted for five or six years. 
 
 He was married August 10, 1859, to Miss 
 Katharine Otzel, a native of Kur-Hessen, Ger- 
 many. They had eight children, four of whom 
 are now living, namely: Frank C. ; Emma, wife 
 of John Spenger; Adolph A., and Annie, wife of 
 Herman Bartells, a bookkeeper for thirteen years 
 in the Hide and Leather National Bank in Chi- 
 cago, where he enjoys the confidence and respect 
 of all its officers and employes. Another son 
 lived to the age of thirty years and was married 
 to Miss Ida Koch, whose father was an old and 
 respected citizen of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Kuhn died May 31, 1890, in Chicago, of 
 poison, administered in some unknown way to 
 his entire family, though he was the only one who 
 died from its effects. His large property is still 
 in possession of his widow, who, as a good Ger- 
 man wife often does, assisted greatly in its ac- 
 cumulation. Mr. Kuhn also left a good name, 
 and is remembered as an upright citizen, honest 
 and true to every obligation.
 
 7 6 
 
 CAPT. DANIEL QUIRK. 
 
 CAPT. DANIEL QUIRK. 
 
 OAPT. DANIEL QUIRK, whose life came 
 I ( to an end as the result of his exposure to 
 \J the hardships of war, was a native of County 
 Kerry, Ireland, born about 1826. His parents, 
 Francis and Eleanor (Lynch) Quirk, came to 
 Chicago when Daniel was ten years old, and 
 lived for several years on the North Side. Later 
 they removed to Woodstock, McHenry County, 
 Illinois, where they passed the balance of their 
 days. 
 
 Daniel Quirk attended the first free school in 
 Chicago, located near the present site of Mc- 
 Vicker's theatre. While yet a boy he was em- 
 ployed in a book and news store kept by John 
 McNally, where John R. Walsh, now president 
 of the Chicago National Bank, was a fellow- 
 clerk. The outbreak of the Civil War found him 
 here. He had joined a militia company known 
 as the Shields Guards. April 15, 1861, this 
 company enlisted in the Twenty-third Regular 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and in July of the 
 same year the regiment was sent to the front in 
 Missouri. Daniel Quirk was elected captain of 
 Company K, and served in that capacity; but 
 the period of enlistment of the men was short, 
 and he re-enlisted and went to Virginia, where 
 he was in the Army of the Potomac. Within a 
 few days after entering field service, in July, 
 1861, he was taken prisoner by General Early's 
 command. He was quickly exchanged, and im- 
 mediately re-entered the service, as before re- 
 lated. In all his campaigns he was accompanied 
 by his faithful wife, who shared the hardships 
 and chances of war. She was also taken prisoner 
 by the rebels, who treated her with great courtesy. 
 After one week's detention she was released by 
 the chivalrous rebel, General Early. Among their 
 
 fellow-prisoners were Mrs. Dr. John Taylor, of 
 Chicago, and Nathan Goff, afterward a member 
 of President Garfield's cabinet. 
 
 On Sunday, July 4, 1854, Mr. Quirk was mar- 
 ried to Miss Margaret, daughter of Thomas and 
 Margaret (O'Connor) Moore, the latter a native 
 of Sligo, Ireland. The former was a native of 
 Dublin, and a relative of Thomas Moore, the 
 poet. The Moore family came to America in 
 1837, and for some years the father kept a grocery 
 store in Albany, New York. In 1847 they came 
 to Chicago. 
 
 Mrs. Quirk was born March 15, 1834, in 
 Dublin. She showed the most heroic devotion 
 through hard campaigns, and many sick and 
 wounded bear testimony to her skill as a nurse, 
 and kindness of heart. For some time before 
 leaving the service, Captain Quirk was ill, and 
 the faithful nursing of his wife saved his life for 
 many years, though he was forced to resign on 
 account of his inability to perform military duty. 
 After having served over three years, in July, 
 1864, he reluctantly abandoned military scenes 
 and returned to Chicago. He never entirely 
 recovered from the effects of his military priva- 
 tions, although his partially disabled limb did 
 not prevent him from volunteering for active 
 duty in Ireland, when James Stephens proposed 
 to fight there in 1865. Like many another pa- 
 triotic Irish- American, Captain Quirk discovered 
 that Mr. Stephens had miscalculated his military 
 resources, and when the Irish people's office was 
 seized, and most of the leaders arrested, he was 
 compelled to escape by way of England; in this 
 expedition he was also accompanied by his faith- 
 ful wife. But Captain Quirk remained as enthu- 
 siastic as ever Ireland was never absent from
 
 C. M. LEONARD. 
 
 77 
 
 his thoughts, and it is doubtful whether, during 
 his periods of comparative health, he was ever 
 absent from any gathering having for its object 
 the advancement of the Irish cause. 
 
 The Great Fire of 1871 burned Captain Quirk 
 out of house and home. He set to work again 
 with energy to regain a competency, and in this 
 he was moderately successful. Although an 
 invalid he responded promptly to his country's 
 call when the Haymarket riot called out the 
 Second Regiment. He commanded Company E 
 in person till quiet was restored. The Govern- 
 ment, mindful to some extent, at least, of his 
 services to the Union, gave him a post office 
 clerkship, which he retained till two years before 
 his death. In 1880, accompanied by his wife, 
 he went to Europe in the hope of recovering his 
 lost vigor, but in vain, and the end came at his 
 home on Superior Street, July 29, 1882. At the 
 present writing Mrs. Quirk has resided a period 
 of forty-four years in this house, where, sur- 
 rounded by many of life's blessings, she is still 
 devoted to the memory of her brave husband. 
 
 Captain Quirk was a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic and of Holy Name Church. 
 He and his good wife adopted and reared a 
 
 daughter, Leonora M. Quirk, who is now the wife 
 of Nicholas Neary, of Chicago. From early 
 youth Mrs. Neary has been devoted to art, of 
 which she is a critical judge, and her home is 
 adorned with some of the choicest gems of paint- 
 ing and kindred arts. She is a painter of no 
 mean ability, and excels especially in portrait 
 work. 
 
 The appended document is self-explanatory: 
 HEADQUARTERS SECOND REGIMENT. 
 
 May 13, 1877. 
 
 Capt. Daniel Quirk, 
 
 Commanding Co. E. 
 
 Sir: The Board of Officers unanimously press 
 you to withdraw the letter of resignation lately 
 addressed to the Colonel commanding. 
 
 They are of one mind that your withdrawal at 
 this juncture would be a disastrous blow to Com- 
 pany E, and a calamity to the entire regiment. 
 Your conspicuous zeal in the organization and 
 maintenance of the regiment, and the fidelity 
 with which you have promoted its best interests 
 and welfare, are appreciated by every member of 
 the command and all would deplore your with- 
 drawal. 
 
 We therefore earnestly urge you to still stand 
 by the colors of the Second and maintain the in- 
 tegrity of Company E. 
 Signed JOSEPH T..TORRENCE, COL. 
 
 CHESTER M, LEONARD. 
 
 CHESTER MARSHALL LEONARD, an 
 1 1 honored veteran of the late Civil War, was 
 U born in 1845, in Granville, Washington 
 County, New York, and is a son of Elijah D. 
 and Matilda (Harrington) Leonard, natives of 
 that State. Mrs. Matilda Leonard died in 1865, 
 and her husband survived her until 1896, when 
 he passed away, at the age of eighty-four years. 
 
 When Chester M. Leonard was seven years of 
 age his parents moved to the West, locating in 
 Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where they were 
 among the earliest settlers. They shared the 
 hard life of the pioneer, and were deprived of 
 many advantages. The schools of that section 
 were then very poor, but Chester M. Leonard 
 received a fair education, and he has supple-
 
 JOHN BUCHANAN. 
 
 merited it with observation and experience 
 throughout his life, having always striven for 
 improvement and advancement. His early life 
 was spent with his parents on the farm, and 
 when he was a young man he found employ- 
 ment in the Kenosha Carriage Works, where he 
 remained until the outbreak of the Civil War. 
 
 In 1 86 1 he enlisted at Ripon, Wisconsin, in 
 the First Wisconsin Cavalry, and served under 
 General Sherman at the battles of Stone River, 
 Chickamauga, Altoona, Atlanta and many others. 
 
 He married Miss Lydia A. Burdock, a native 
 of Trenton, New York, in Racine, Wis., in 1866, 
 and they became the parents of five boys, namely: 
 Arthur Lee, William H., Adelbert Ellsworth, 
 Herbert and Clarence. 
 
 Since the war Mr. Leonard has been engaged 
 
 in engineering, which trade he now follows, with 
 especial attention to mechanical engineering, in 
 which he takes great interest. From a boy his 
 tastes have been in the direction of mechanical 
 labor, and he has always improved every oppor- 
 tunity for enlarging his knowledge and skill in 
 that branch of work. He is genial and friendly 
 of manner, and has the warm friendship of a 
 large circle of acquaintances and associates. He 
 has the confidence of his employers, and despite 
 the fact that he has lived through many trying 
 experiences during the war, he is as capable of 
 doing his work well as many younger men, and 
 is always found at the post of duty in civil life, 
 as he was in military service. He is ever ready 
 to favor any movement calculated to promote 
 human progress and improvement. 
 
 JOHN BUCHANAN. 
 
 3OHN BUCHANAN, a citizen of South Chi- 
 cago, was born May 10, 1859, in Ireland, and 
 is a son of John and Mary (Welsh) Buchan- 
 an, both natives of the Emerald Isle. His par- 
 ents lived all their lives in their native country, 
 but John was such an ambitious youth that he 
 became possessed of a desire to try his fortunes in 
 the New World, by himself. He cherished this 
 ambition until he was eighteen years old, and 
 then he was able to emigrate. 
 
 John Buchanan arrived in New York in 1877, 
 and after spending a short time in that city, 
 removed to Philadelphia, where he found employ- 
 ment at various occupations, being some of the 
 time with the firm of French & Richards. Not 
 
 being very well satisfied with his life in Phila- 
 delphia, he removed to Chicago in 1881, and after 
 a few years' residence there, found employ- 
 ment with the Illinois Steel Company, where he 
 is at present engaged. 
 
 November 12, 1884, Mr. Buchanan married 
 Miss Annie Egan, and they became the parents 
 of the following children: Denis Patrick (de- 
 ceased), Mamie, John, Robert Emmett, Frank and 
 Joseph Stephen. 
 
 Mr. Buchanan is a thoroughly reliable citizen, 
 and has an interest and pride in the progress of 
 his adopted country. He and his family are com- 
 municants of Saint Patrick's Roman Catholic 
 Church.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HNIVERSITY OP ILLINOIS
 
 ELISHA GRAY
 
 EUSHA GRAY. 
 
 79 
 
 ELISHA GRAY. 
 
 QROF. ELISHA GRAY, whose inventive 
 LX genius and persevering industry have played 
 ]3 no inconspicuous part in revolutionizing the 
 business methods of the modern world, bears in 
 his veins the sturdy and vigorous blood of some 
 of America's founders. His grandfather, John 
 Gray, was of Scotch-Irish descent, and was a 
 farmer in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he died. Mary Moore, wife of John Gray, was a 
 native of Delaware, presumably of English blood. 
 She survived her husband and moved, with her 
 younger children, to the vicinity of Georgetown, 
 Ohio, and afterward to Monroe County, in the 
 same State, where she died. She was the mother 
 of Thomas, Elijah, Elisha, David, John and 
 Samuel Gray. 
 
 David Gray was an Orthodox Quaker; a quiet 
 man, of noble character, and beloved by all who 
 came within his benign influence. He was a 
 farmer, and lived near Barnesville, Ohio, whence 
 he moved to Monroe County, in that State, where 
 he died, in 1849, in the prime of life, at the age 
 of about forty years. His wife, Christiana Edg- 
 erton, was a native of Belmont County, Ohio, 
 where her parents, Richard and Mary (Hall) 
 Edgerton, were early settlers. Richard Edgerton 
 was born in North Carolina, of English descent, 
 and was a prominent member of the Society of 
 Friends. The family was noted for the large size 
 of its members, all being six feet or more in 
 height. They were also brainy people. John 
 Edgerton was a noted leader of the "Hicksite" 
 Quakers, and a powerful anti-slavery agitator in 
 Ohio and Indiana. His brother, Joseph Edger- 
 ton, was the leading Orthodox Quaker of his day, 
 and a great preacher. He was vigorous to the 
 
 end of his life, which came after he had attained 
 the age of eighty years. The Halls were also a 
 vigorous and intelligent people, and prominent 
 among the Quakers. 
 
 David Gray and wife were well-read and intell- 
 igent, and engaged in teaching in early life. 
 Mrs. Gray was liberally educated for that day in 
 Ohio, and her influence went far in preparing her 
 son for the prominent part he was destined to 
 take in the development of modern practical 
 science. She survived her husband many years, 
 reaching the venerable age of seventy-eight, and 
 died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Sarah 
 Cope, in New Sharon, Iowa. 
 
 Elisha Gray was born near Barnesville, Bel- 
 mont County, Ohio, August 2, 1835. From a 
 recent work, entitled "Prominent Men of the 
 Great West," the following elegant and carefully 
 prepared account of Professor Gray's life is taken : 
 "When young Gray was but twelve years of 
 age, he had received three or four months of dis- 
 trict schooling and the usual industrial training 
 given to farmers' lads of his age and condition of 
 life. Over forty years ago his father died, leav- 
 ing Elisha in a large measure dependent upon his 
 own resources for a living. When fourteen years 
 of age he apprenticed himself to a blacksmith, 
 and partly mastered that trade, but, his strength 
 being greatly overtaxed, he was forced to give it 
 up and joined his mother, who had removed to 
 Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Here he entered the 
 employ of a boat-builder, serving three and a- 
 half years' apprenticeship, learning the trade of 
 ship-joiner. 
 
 "At the end of this time he was a first-class 
 mechanic and began to give evidence of his
 
 8o 
 
 ELISHA GRAY. 
 
 inventive genius. He was handicapped, how. 
 ever, by the meagreness of his education, and 
 was little more than able to experiment with the 
 simplest contrivances. The testimony of one 
 who knew him intimately at this time indicates 
 that he had a consciousness of his own resources 
 and was of the belief that Nature had destined 
 him to accomplish some important work in life. 
 He had a great desire to acquire that funda- 
 mental knowledge which would open for him the 
 way to intelligent research, investigation and 
 ultimate achievements. 
 
 "While working as an apprentice, he formed 
 the acquaintance of Prof. H. S. Bennett, now 
 of Fisk University, then a student at Oberlin 
 College, Ohio, from whom he learned that at 
 that institution exceptional opportunities were 
 afforded to students for self-education; and 
 immediately after he had completed his term of 
 service he set out for the college, with barely 
 enough money in his possession to carry him to 
 his destination. He arrived in Oberlin in the 
 summer of 1857, at once going to work as a 
 carpenter, and supported himself by this means 
 during a five-years course of study in the college. 
 As a student he gave especial attention to the 
 physical sciences, in which he was exceptionally 
 proficient, his ingenuity being strikingly mani- 
 fested from time to time in the construction ot 
 the apparatus used in the classroom experiments. 
 His cleverness in constructing these various 
 appliances made him a conspicuous character 
 among the students. While pursuing his college 
 course he was not fully decided as to what pro- 
 fession he would take up, and, at one time, he is 
 said to have contemplated entering the ministry, 
 finally deciding, however, not to do so. Perhaps 
 the course of his life was decided by a remark of 
 the mother of the young lady who afterwards 
 became his wife. This was in a joking spirit, 
 to the effect that ' it would be a pity to spoil a 
 good mechanic to make a poor minister.' In 
 fact, to this casual remark the now famous in- 
 ventor has declared himself to be, in great meas- 
 ure, indebted for what he has since accomplished. 
 Truly, the worthy lady must have been of a 
 sound and discriminating judgment, to discover 
 
 the hidden worth of the young man, and she, 
 doubtless, more than any one else, in his earlier 
 days, fanned the latent sparks of genius into the 
 flame which, in later days, revealed to his brain 
 the contrivances which have made his name 
 famous, and which have proved of inestimable 
 value to civilization. 
 
 "From 1857 to 1861 the Professor devoted 
 himself to unremitting toil and study, and the 
 result was that his naturally delicate constitution 
 was impaired by the great strain upon his mental 
 powers. In 1861, just when the future was 
 brightening with the promise of success, and 
 when he thought his days of struggling were 
 past, he was stricken with an illness from which 
 he did not recover for five years. After his mar- 
 riage, in 1862, to Miss Delia M. Sheppard, of 
 Oberlin, and, with a view to the betterment of 
 his health, Mr. Gray devoted himself for a time 
 to farming as an occupation. This experience 
 was disappointing, both in its financial results 
 and in its effects upon his health, and he returned 
 to his trade, working in Trumbull County, Ohio, 
 until he was again prostrated by a serious illness. 
 Following this, came two or three years of strug- 
 gle and privation; of alternate hope and disap- 
 pointment, during which he experimented with 
 various mechanical and electrical devices, but 
 was prevented by his straitened circumstances 
 from making any headway in profitable invention. 
 Pressed by his necessities, he was once or twice 
 on the point of giving up his researches and 
 investigations entirely and devoting himself to 
 some ordinary bread-winning industry; but he 
 was stimulated by his faithful and devoted wife 
 and her mother, both of whom had an abiding 
 faith in his genius, and who aided him in his 
 work with all the means at their command, and 
 to whose influence was largely due the fact that 
 he continued his efforts in the field of invention. 
 
 "In 1867 a more prosperous era dawned upon 
 him, with the invention of a self-adjusting tele- 
 graph relay, which, although it proved of no 
 practical value, furnished the opportunity of in- 
 troducing him to the late Gen. Anson Stager, of 
 Cleveland, then General Superintendent of the 
 Western Union Telegraph Company, who at once
 
 ELISHA GRAY. 
 
 Si 
 
 became interested in him and furnished him facil- 
 ities for experimenting on the company's lines. 
 Professor Gray then formed a co-partnership with 
 E. M. Barton, of Cleveland, for the manufacture 
 of electrical appliances, during which time he 
 invented the dial telegraph. 
 
 " In 1869 he removed to Chicago, where he 
 continued the manufacture of electrical supplies, 
 General Stager becoming associated with him. 
 Here he perfected the type-printing telegraph, the 
 telegraphic repeater, the telegraphic switch, the 
 annunciator and many other inventions which 
 have become famous within the short space of a 
 few years. About 1872 he organized the West- 
 ern Electrical Manufacturing Company, which is 
 still in existence and is said to be the largest 
 establishment of its kind in the world. In 1874 
 he retired from the superintendency of the elec- 
 tric company and began his researches in teleph- 
 ony, and within two years thereafter gave to 
 the world that marvelous production of human 
 genius, the speaking telephone. Noting one day, 
 when a secondary coil was connected with the 
 zinc lining of the bath tub, dry at the time, that 
 when he held the other end of the coil in his left 
 hand and rubbed the lining of the tub with his 
 right, it gave rise to a sound that had the same 
 pitch and quality as that of the vibrating contact- 
 breaker, he began a series of experiments, which 
 led first to the discovery that musical tones could 
 be transmitted over an electrical wire. Fitting 
 up the necessary devices, he exhibited this inven- 
 tion to some of his friends, and the same year 
 went abroad, where he made a special study of 
 acoustics and gave further exhibitions of the 
 invention, which he developed into the harmonic, 
 or multiplex, telegraph. While perfecting this 
 device, in 1875, the idea of the speaking tele- 
 phone suggested itself, and in 1876 he perfected 
 this invention and filed his caveat in the Patent 
 Office at Washington. That another inventor 
 succeeded in incorporating into his own applica- 
 tion for a telegraph patent an important feature 
 of Professor Gray's invention, and that the latter 
 was thereby deprived of the benefits which he 
 should have derived therefrom, is the practically 
 unanimous decision of many well informed as to 
 
 the merits of the controversy to which conflict- 
 ing claims gave rise; and the leading scientists 
 and scientific organizations of the world, accord- 
 ing to a certain periodical, have accredited to him 
 the honor of inventing the telephone. In recog- 
 nition of his distinguished achievements, he was 
 made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor at the 
 close of the Paris Exposition of 1878, and Amer- 
 ican colleges have conferred upon him the degrees 
 of Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Science. 
 
 "For several years after his invention of the 
 telephone he was connected with the Postal Tel- 
 egraph Company, and brought the lines of this" 
 system into Chicago, laying them underground. 
 He also devised a general underground telegraph 
 system for the city, and then turned his attention 
 to the invention of the 'telautograph,' a device 
 with which the general public is just now becom- 
 ing familiar through the public accounts of its 
 operation. On March 21, 1893, the first exhibi- 
 tions of the practical and successful operation of 
 this wonderful instrument were given simultane- 
 ously in New York and Chicago, and on the 
 same day the first telautograph messages were 
 passed over the wires from Highland Park to 
 Waukegan, Illinois. The exhibitions were wit- 
 nessed by a large number of electrical experts, 
 scientists and representatives of the press, who 
 were unanimous in their opinion that Professor 
 Gray's invention is destined to bring about a 
 revolution in telegraphy. 
 
 ' 'One of the beauties of electrical science is the 
 expressiveness of its nomenclature, and among 
 the many significant names given to electrical 
 inventions none expresses more clearly the use 
 and purpose of the instrument to which it is 
 applied than the term, 'telautograph.' As its 
 name signifies, it enables a person sitting at one 
 end of the wire to write a message or a letter 
 which is reproduced simultaneously in fac simile 
 at the other end of the wire. It is an agent 
 which takes the place of the skilled operator and 
 the telegraphic alphabet. Any one who can 
 write can transmit a message by this means, and 
 the receiving instrument does its work perfectly, 
 without the aid of an operator. The sender of 
 the message may be identified by fhe/ac simile of
 
 82 
 
 EUSHA GRAY. 
 
 his handwriting which reaches the recipient, and 
 pen-and-ink portraits of persons may be as 
 readily transmitted from one point to another as 
 the written messages. In many respects the 
 telautograph promises to be more satisfactory in 
 its practical operations than the telephone. Com- 
 munications can be carried on between persons at 
 a distance from each other with absolute secrecy, 
 and a message sent to a person in his absence 
 from his place of business will be tound awaiting 
 him upon his return. These and many other 
 advantages which the telautograph seems to 
 possess warrant the prediction that in the not 
 very distant future telautography will supplant 
 in a measure both telephony and telegraphy. 
 The transmitter and the receiver of the telauto- 
 graph system are delicately constructed pieces of 
 mechanism, each contained in a box somewhat 
 smaller than an ordinary typewriter machine. 
 The two machines are necessary at each end of a 
 wire, and stand side by side. In transmitting a 
 message an ordinary feed lead pencil is used. At 
 the point of this is a small collar, with two eyes 
 in its rim. To each of these eyes a fine silk -cord 
 is attached, running off at right angles in two 
 directions. Each of the two ends of this cord is 
 carried round a small drum supported on a ver- 
 tical shaft. Under the drum, and attached to 
 the same shaft, is a toothed wheel of steel, the 
 teeth of which are so arranged that when either 
 section of the cord winds upon or off its drum, a 
 number of teeth will pass a given point, corres- 
 ponding to the length of cord so wound or un- 
 wound. For instance, if the point of the pencil 
 moves in the direction of one of the cords a dis- 
 tance of one inch, forty of the teeth will pass any 
 certain point. Each one of these teeth and each 
 space represents one impulse sent upon the line, 
 so that when the pencil describes a motion one 
 inch in length, eighty electrical impulses are sent 
 upon the line. The receiving instrument is prac- 
 tically a duplicate of the transmitter, the motions 
 of which, however, are controlled by electrical 
 mechanism. The perfected device exhibited by 
 Professor Gray, and now in operation, is the 
 result of six years of arduous labor, an evolution 
 to which the crude contrivance used in his earliest 
 
 experiments bears little resemblance. The man- 
 ufacture of the instruments will be carried on by 
 the Gray Electric Company, a corporation having 
 offices in New York and Chicago and a large 
 manufacturing establishment just outside the 
 limits of the suburban village of Highland Park, 
 Illinois, of which place Professor Gray has been 
 for many years a resident. Here, in addition to 
 his workshop and laboratory, the renowned 
 inventor has a beautiful home, and his domestic 
 relations are of the ideal kind. 
 
 ' ' The title by which Professor Gray has been 
 known for so many years came to him through 
 his connection with Oberlin and Ripon (Wis- 
 consin) Colleges as non-resident lecturer in 
 physics, and his general appearance is that of the 
 college professor or the profound student. He 
 has none of the eccentricities which are the con- 
 spicuous characteristics of some of the great 
 inventors of the age, and, when not absorbed in 
 his professional work, he is delightfully genial 
 and companionable. 
 
 "When the World's Congress of Electricians 
 assembled in the new Art Institute in Chicago, 
 on the 2ist of August, 1893, there were gathered 
 the most noted electricians of all the world. The 
 congress was divided into two sections, one of 
 which termed the official section was com- 
 posed of representatives designated by the vari- 
 ous Governments of Europe and the Americas, 
 and was authorized to consider and pass upon 
 questions relating to electrical measurement, 
 nomenclature and various other matters of import 
 to the electrical world. To the other section ot 
 the congress were admitted all professional elec- 
 tricians who came properly accredited, and they 
 were permitted to attend the sessions and partici- 
 pate in the deliberations of the congress, although 
 they were not allowed to vote on the technical 
 questions coming before it. 
 
 ' 'When it was determined that the convening 
 of international congresses of various kinds 
 should be made one of the leading features ot 
 the Columbian Exposition, a body, which became 
 known as the World's Congress Auxiliary of the 
 World's Columbian Exposition, was organized 
 for the purpose of promoting and making all
 
 B. C. MILLER. 
 
 necessary preparations for these gatherings. To 
 Prof. Elisha Gray, of Chicago, this body as- 
 signed the task of organizing the congress of 
 electricians, and placed upon him the responsi- 
 bility of formulating the plans and making all 
 initiatory preparations for what was, unquestion- 
 ably, the most important and interesting conven- 
 tion of electricians ever held in this or any other 
 country. While the Professor called to his assist- 
 ance many distinguished members of his profes- 
 sion, by virtue of his official position, he was the 
 central and most attractive figure in this great 
 movement. 
 
 "Professor Gray is a member of the Union 
 League Club of Chicago. Politically, he is a 
 Republican. He has traveled extensively, not 
 only in this country but throughout Europe. 
 He is now in his sixty-first year, and he stands 
 as an illustrious example of the general rule, for, 
 although not yet an old man, he is one of the 
 few prominent in the early days of electrical 
 development who maintained their prominence 
 and added to their reputation in the rapid strides 
 which have been made during the last decade. 
 
 But few of the early workers in the electrical 
 sciences have maintained their prominence in the 
 later development. This is undoubtedly due to 
 the lack of plasticity which is usually attributed 
 to maturer years, the possession of which in 
 younger men often gives them the advantage in 
 the rush for supremacy in new adaptation and 
 under ever-changing conditions. Where, how- 
 ever, this plasticity has been preserved during 
 maturer years, as has been the case with the 
 subject of this sketch, the maturer judgment and 
 riper experience which those years have enabled 
 him to bring to bear upon the newer problems 
 have in many cases resulted in inventions and 
 improvements of the utmost importance to man- 
 kind and the cause of civilization. Professor 
 Gray is a man of fine personal appearance, pleas- 
 ing address, commanding bearing, and a man 
 who will attract attention in any assembly, and 
 who, on account of his great electrical skill and 
 general scientific attainments, and because of his 
 pleasing and affable manner, has won for him- 
 self many friends and admirers. ' ' 
 
 DR. BENJAMIN C. MILLER. 
 
 0R. BENJAMIN COKE MILLER, one of 
 the most successful physicians and most 
 highly respected citizens of Chicago, passed 
 away at his home on Everett Avenue, in that 
 city, June 25, 1891. He was descended from a 
 long line of American ancestors, who were dis- 
 tinguished as physicians and gentlemen. 
 
 The founder of the family in this country was 
 Adam Miller, who was born near Metz, France 
 (now included in the German Empire), and from 
 
 whom the subject of this biography was a de- 
 scendant in the eighth generation. He settled 
 with his family in Frederick, Maryland, and be- 
 came a large planter. He was noted as a man 
 of wealth, culture and refinement, and held many 
 slaves. These were liberated by his bequest on 
 his death, and their loss at that time almost beg- 
 gared his heirs; but they honored his behest. 
 The family continued to reside in Maryland for 
 several generations. The great-grandfather of
 
 8 4 
 
 B. C. MILLER. 
 
 Dr. Benjamin C. Miller moved to Shelby ville, 
 Kentucky, where his son, Dr. Henry Miller, be- 
 came an extensive planter. The latter was a 
 tall and fine-appearing man, a noted physician 
 and a man of affairs. He died at Shelbyville, of 
 old age. 
 
 Dr. Jefferson Miller, son of the last-named, 
 was bsrn in Gallatin County, Kentucky, No- 
 vember 29, 1807, and was educated in Virginia. 
 Through over-confidence in his friends, he lost 
 much of his property, and then took up the study 
 of medicine with Dr. Clarke, a noted physician 
 of his native State. While still a young man, he 
 settled in the practice of his profession at Rush- 
 ville, Indiana, and became widely known for his 
 skill in the healing art. He united with the 
 Methodist Church there in 1839. As a Chris- 
 tian, he was liberal to all churches. As a citizen, 
 he was public-spirited, and was much loved and 
 respected by all. As a physician, he was un- 
 usually successful, and was a man of extraordin- 
 ary worth and usefulness in all relations of life. 
 November 20, 1832, he married Eliza A. Stand- 
 ford, of Greencastle, Indiana, and two of their 
 children grew to maturity, namely: Dr. Benja- 
 min C. and Henry Miller, the latter now a resi- 
 dent of Ladoga, Indiana. The father died at 
 that place, November 5, 1885, and his wife sur- 
 vived him about five and one-half years, passing 
 away in May, 1891. 
 
 Benjamin C. Miller was born April 30, 1846, 
 in Rushville, Indiana, and went with his parents 
 early in life to Montgomery County, in the same 
 State, receiving his primary education at Ladoga. 
 In the spring of 1862, when he was barely six- 
 teen years of age, he ran away from school at 
 Battle Ground, Indiana, and enlisted as a private 
 in the Eleventh Indiana Cavalry, then in camp 
 at Indianapolis, preparatory to service in the 
 Civil War. As this enlistment was made with- 
 out the consent of his father, the latter was en- 
 abled to claim him, which he did, and conducted 
 the ambitious boy back to school. Before the 
 father had reached home on the return from this 
 duty, the son was again in camp, and he was 
 this time permitted to have his way. He joined 
 Company K, of the Eleventh Cavalry, of which 
 
 he was made Sergeant, and participated in the 
 service of that organization until December 19, 
 1863, before the completion of his eighteenth 
 year, when he was mustered out as a First Lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 One day soon after this, a handsome young man, 
 some six feet, six and one-half inches in height, 
 bronzed by exposure in the line of military duty, 
 and dressed in the handsome uniform of a Lieu- 
 tenant, called at the home of his parents in La- 
 doga. On learning the number of his regiment, 
 they plied him with questions about Company K, 
 and inquired if he knew young Benjamin Miller. 
 He replied in the affirmative. At this moment 
 his favorite dog came into the room, and, upon 
 being spoken to by his young master, gave the 
 most extravagant expressions of joy, bringing 
 tears to the eyes of Mrs. Miller, who could scarcely 
 forgive herself for failing to recognize her son 
 until after this faithful animal had shown her his 
 identity. 
 
 Entering Rush Medical College of Chicago, 
 young Miller was graduated with honor on the 
 gth of February, 1869. He passed the competi- 
 tive examination, and was appointed House Phy- 
 sician and Surgeon of Cook County Hospital, 
 serving a year and a-half. He was then made 
 County Physician, in which capacity he served two 
 years. He was immediately made Superintendent 
 of Public Charities, having charge of the County 
 Hospital, Insane Asylum and Alms House. 
 After filling this position about eighteen months, 
 he was appointed Sanitary Superintendent of 
 Chicago by Mayor Medill, and was continued in 
 that office by Mayor Colvin. During this period 
 he was very useful in the community by his skill- 
 ful management of the cholera epidemic of 1873. 
 In 1875 he was made Surgeon, with the rank of 
 Major, on the staff of Gen. A. C. Ducat, Com- 
 mander of the Illinois National Guard. In 1876 
 Dr. Miller resigned the position of Sanitary Su- 
 perintendent and went abroad. He spent about 
 a year in studying in hospitals at Aberdeen and 
 Edinburgh, Scotland, and London, England. 
 Returning to Chicago, with added knowledge 
 from these observations, he was enabled to com- 
 mand a large share of the most difficult and re-
 
 J. M. HANNAHS. 
 
 munerative medical and surgical practice of the 
 then metropolitan city. In 1889 he was ap- 
 pointed by the United States Government a Pen- 
 sion Examiner, and continued to fulfill the duties 
 of this position until his death. 
 
 December 24, 1872, Dr. Miller was married to 
 Miss Etta Barnet, of Chicago. She, with one 
 daughter, survives him. The latter, Miss Mary 
 Etta Miller, is a bright Chicago girl. She is 
 possessed of marked literary and artistic tastes, 
 and her work as a pen-and-ink artist has attracted 
 considerable attention. Mrs. Miller is a daugh- 
 ter of the late George Barnet, a sketch of whose 
 
 career will be found on another page of this 
 work. 
 
 Dr. Miller's character was summed up in a 
 few heartfelt and well-chosen words by his con- 
 temporary, Dr. Pagne, as follows: "A man of 
 extraordinary talent and attainments was Dr. 
 Miller. While City Physician, he inaugurated 
 the system of newsboys' picnics and outings. His 
 friends were many, by reason of his greatness of 
 heart. Chicago loses a good citizen, and the pro- 
 fession an able member." 
 
 The last sad rites over his remains were con- 
 ducted by South Park Masonic Lodge, and his 
 body was interred in Oakwoods Cemetery. 
 
 JAMES M. HANNAHS. 
 
 flAMES MONROE HANNAHS, one of the 
 I oldest residents of Chicago, having come 
 Q) here as early as 1836, is a descendant of an 
 old and influential New England family, which 
 originated in Ireland, the family name having 
 been spelled in that country Hannah. The 
 great-grandfather of James M. Hannahs was the 
 first member of the family to leave his native 
 land for the New World. He settled in Litch- 
 field, Connecticut, where he was an active and 
 influential citizen, and later became a zealous 
 patriot. On the breaking out of the War of the 
 Revolution, that contest with the Mother Coun- 
 try which tried the mettle of her sons so sorely, 
 he made his adopted country's cause his own, 
 and was made a member of the Committee of 
 Safety formed at that time. 
 
 Daniel Hannahs, son of the foregoing, and the 
 grandfather of the subject of this notice, was a 
 soldier in the War of 1812. He was wounded at 
 
 the battle of Queenstown, and for his services 
 enjoyed a pension from the Government until his 
 death, which occurred in 1842. Leaving Con- 
 necticut, he moved with his family to central 
 New York, settling in the wilderness near the 
 Mohawk River. Undaunted in courage, and of 
 a fine, soldierly physique, he was well fitted by 
 nature for the Herculean task of founding a home 
 in the primeval forests, and in his wife he found 
 a willing helpmate. The latter was Elizabeth 
 Gordon, a cousin of Lord George Gordon, the 
 hero of the "Gordon Riots" of 1798, for his 
 leadership in which he was imprisoned in Lon- 
 don and tried for treason, but finally acquitted. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Hannahs became the 
 parents of four children, all sons: Chauncey, 
 Marvin, William and Daniel. Of these, Marvin 
 removed to Albion, Calhoun County, Michigan, 
 in 1835, and became one of the leading men in 
 that locality, and in later years his son George
 
 86 
 
 J. M. HANNAHS. 
 
 was elected State Senator from Michigan. Will- 
 iam, another son of Daniel Hannahs, became a 
 prosperous woolen merchant of New York City. 
 His son, a law student, immediately after his 
 graduation from Yale College, raised a company 
 of cavalry in New York City, in the first month 
 after the Civil War opened, and took the field. 
 He was made Captain of this company, but, sad 
 to relate, was killed in Virginia, in May, 1861. 
 
 Chauncey Hannahs, the father of James Mon- 
 roe, was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, in the 
 year 1791, and removed with his parents to New 
 York State, assisting his father in clearing 
 up his farm. In later years, in this same lo- 
 cality, he engaged in the foundry business. In 
 1835 he removed to Wisconsin, then considered 
 in the very far West, and located on Government 
 land in Kenosha County, where the rest of his 
 days were spent, his demise occurring in 1873, 
 from old age. While living in New York State 
 he had been Captain of an artillery company, 
 and the title then gained he ever afterwards bore. 
 In person large and strong, he delighted in out- 
 door pursuits, and the pioneer life which he 
 chose on leaving his old home in the East was 
 one well suited to him in every respect. In his 
 early life he had been an ardent Whig, but on 
 the formation of the two great parties of Repub- 
 licans and Democrats, he allied himself with the 
 latter, and proved an equally earnest champion 
 of its principles. In his religious leanings he 
 was a Presbyterian, his wife being of the same 
 faith. The latter was born in the year 1793, in 
 Oneida County, New York, a daughter of Enos 
 Nichols, a pioneer of that county, where he lived 
 in a covered wagon until he could erect for him- 
 self a house in the wilderness. He later became 
 a pioneer of Lake County, Illinois, near the Wis- 
 consin State line, and his family thus became 
 neighbors of the Hannahs family. 
 
 Mrs. Chauncey Hannahs died on the old home- 
 stead in Keuosha County in 1882, also from old 
 age. She had been the mother of seven children, 
 as follows: Mrs. Ann Doolittle, William H., 
 James M., Thomas J., Francis G., Frederick, and 
 Adeline, who died at the age of fourteen years. 
 A strange and shocking fatality occurred in this 
 
 family, no less than six deaths taking place with- 
 in twenty-two months, three children dying with- 
 in three days of each other. All who now sur- 
 vive are James M. and his brother, Francis G. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was born June 26, 
 1821, in Herkimer County, New York, and re- 
 ceived a common-school education in a little 
 schoolfeouse on the banks of the historic Mohawk 
 River. On leaving school he entered his father's 
 foundry to learn the business, and after coming 
 to Chicago he followed the trade of a foundry- 
 man in connection with a partner, the firm name 
 being Hannahs & James. He continued thus en- 
 gaged until he entered the employ of Wahl 
 Brothers, manufacturers of glue, with whom he 
 remained for twenty-five years, during part of 
 that time representing the firm in New York 
 City. After leaving Wahl Brothers he was act- 
 ively engaged in promoting elevated railroads in 
 Chicago, on a new principle. 
 
 July 3, 1851, in Cook County, Illinois, Mr. 
 Hannahs married Miss Matilda Irish, a daugh- 
 ter of Perry Irish, and a native of Holley, New 
 York. Several children were born of this mar- 
 riage, but all died in infancy. Mrs. Hannahs 
 died September 19, 1885, in Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Hannahs has been for over forty years a 
 consistent member of the Baptist Church. In re- 
 gard to politics he is a Republican, having been 
 a stanch Abolitionist previous to the war. He 
 is a strong believer in the efficacy of free silver, 
 and champions his cause with great ardor. While 
 in the employ of Wahl Brothers, his business led 
 him to travel extensively throughout the United 
 States, and he has hosts of friends up and down 
 the country, as well as in Chicago. Like many 
 other Chicago business men, he was at one time 
 a farmer in Cook County, but he yielded to the 
 superior attractions of city life and sold his farm of 
 one hundred and sixty acres, which he had bought 
 for $3 per acre. He has many reminiscences of 
 early days in Illinois, and has contributed many 
 interesting articles to Chicago newspapers, de- 
 scribing the scenes and incidents of early days 
 in this locality, and noting the stupendous 
 changes wrought in the face of the country since 
 he came here, a pioneer of 1836.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 

 
 JACOB FORSYTH. 
 
 JACOB FORSYTH. 
 
 (TACOB FORSYTH. In every community, 
 I no matter how small, the intelligent observer 
 G/ will find men who have risen above their 
 fellows, both in fame and fortune, by sheer force 
 of character and the ability to seize fortune at the 
 tide. Though to the casual onlooker there often 
 has seemed an element of "luck" in the chances 
 of prosperity which have come to them, a closer 
 observer will see that it has more often been the 
 fortunate meeting of the man and the opportunity ; 
 the opportunity may, perhaps, have occurred 
 a hundred times before, but the man who should 
 seize it, and by his ability and energy force results 
 from it, has never before appeared. 
 
 Jacob Forsyth, an old resident of Chicago, and 
 one of its leading citizens, exemplifies the truth 
 of the foregoing in a marked degree. Born in the 
 North of Ireland, of Scotch descent, he possesses 
 those fortunate characteristics which have placed 
 so many of his countrymen on the highroad to 
 success honesty, ambition, energy and resistless 
 tenacity of purpose. Overlooking the daily dis- 
 couragements, disappointments and hardships of 
 their life, they keep ever before them the high 
 object of their ambition; and if failure instead of 
 success is their portion, it is through no weaken- 
 ing of their powers by self-indulgence or idle re- 
 pining. 
 
 In the days of King James I. of England there 
 sprang up a class of men known as "under- 
 takers," who, in consideration of certain grants 
 of land, undertook to locate a specified number of 
 settlers upon the vast tracts of vacant ground in 
 northern Ireland. It was at this time that a great 
 emigration was made from Scotland to this region, 
 and gave to the world that sturdy, industrious 
 
 and highly moral class of people called Scotch- 
 Irish. Prior to the siege of Londonderry, an 
 epoch in the history of northern Ireland, the an- 
 cestors of Jacob Forsyth settled in what is now 
 the county of Londonderry. They were a rural 
 people, and, as near as can be learned at the 
 present time, were engaged in agriculture. 
 
 To John Forsyth and his wife, Margaret Cox, 
 was born a son, whom they christened Jacob. The 
 latter married Elizabeth Haslette, and their son 
 John was the father of the subject of this sketch. 
 John Forsyth married Mary Ann Kerr, a native 
 of County Londonderry, who was the daughter 
 of Alexander Kerr and Anne Osborne, the latter 
 of English descent. The Kerrs were of Scotch 
 lineage, and very early in Ireland. The parents 
 of Alexander Kerr were Oliver and Elizabeth 
 (Wilson) Kerr. 
 
 The father of Mr. Forsyth was an intelligent 
 farmer, and the possessor of a small landed 
 property. Anxious that his son should have the 
 ' 'schooling' ' which is the ambition of most of his 
 countrymen, he sent him to a celebrated private 
 academy, the principal of which was a famous 
 Greek and Latin scholar and a renowned 
 mathematician, in his vicinity. Possessing the 
 studious inclination and the quick perceptions of 
 an apt scholar, the youth profited greatly by his 
 attendance here, and the proficiency he ac- 
 quired in penmanship gained for him his first 
 position in America. 
 
 Jacob Forsyth was born January 12, 1821, at 
 the old town of Limavady, near the present rail- 
 road station and thriving village in County Lon- 
 donderry, Ireland, known as Newtown, Limavady. 
 Filled with the ambitious spirit which builds
 
 88 
 
 JACOB FORSYTH. 
 
 cities and develops the commercial possibilities of 
 the world, he set out for the United States at the 
 age of fifteen years. Settling in Pittsburg, Penn- 
 sylvania, he there first found employment as 
 copying clerk and errand boy for the great com- 
 mission and forwarding house of Forsyth & Com- 
 pany, a member of which firm was a near relative. 
 The firm was the oldest commission house in the 
 city, and owned a large fleet of steamers, running 
 on various western rivers. In those days the 
 copying book had not been invented, and all let- 
 ters had to be copied by hand, and this work fell 
 to young Forsyth. By the interest he took in 
 his work, and the care with which everything 
 entrusted to him to do was performed, he soon 
 won his way into the confidence of his employers, 
 and was promoted from one responsible position 
 to another, until he had attained that of head 
 bookkeeper. 
 
 Mr. Forsyth remained with Forsyth & Com- 
 pany for fifteen years altogether, and at the end 
 of that time his abilities had become so well 
 known outside of the concern that he was offered 
 several other advantageous positions. Accepting 
 one of these, he became the Through Freight 
 Agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad, with head- 
 quarters in Chicago, and by this means became a 
 permanent resident of this city in 1857. After a 
 few years' service in this capacity, he accepted 
 the position of General Western Agent for the old 
 "Erie" Road. 
 
 About this time, his business giving him op- 
 portunities for observing the prevailing real-es- 
 tate conditions, he became impressed with the 
 excellent opportunities to buy land cheaply ; and 
 with a premonition of the growth of the city, and 
 the consequent rise in land values, he resigned 
 his position and began to invest largely in real 
 estate. His wife had inherited a large amount 
 of land in Lake County, Indiana, from her brother, 
 George W. Clarke, who died in 1866, and to this 
 Mr. Forsyth added by purchasing the holdings 
 of small owners in the vicinity, until he had ac- 
 quired ten thousand acres, a large estate for this 
 land of comparatively small holdings. He had 
 the shrewdness to buy this so as to form one im- 
 mense tract, arguing that one large tract would 
 
 possess more value than the same amount in scat- 
 tered portions. During subsequent years he ex- 
 perienced much annoyance and was caused many 
 years' litigation in his efforts to expel squatters 
 from the tract. They were very numerous 
 around Lakes George and Wolf at the time, and 
 their dislodgment was a matter of much difficulty. 
 Mr. Forsyth was in litigation for five years before 
 he finally obtained redress, and during this time 
 read book after book on land decisions and the 
 question of riparian rights, on which he is now 
 one of the best-posted men in the country, and 
 able to give information to many an intelligent 
 attorney in that line of practice. 
 
 When, finally, a decree was pronounced in his 
 favor, he sold eight thousand acres of his land to 
 the East Chicago Improvement Company for one 
 million dollars, one-third of which sum was paid 
 down. The company, however, failed to meet 
 subsequent payments, and as a compromise the 
 present Canal and Improvement Company was 
 formed in 1887. From this Mr. Forsyth ac- 
 cepted as reimbursement part cash, a large 
 amount of bonds, and some stock in the company. 
 In 1881 he bought another large tract on the 
 lake shore, lying directly north of the present 
 site of East Chicago, and in 1889 he sold a por- 
 tion of this to the Standard Oil Company, and 
 on it has since been built its large plant, known 
 as Whiting. The limits of the city of Chicago 
 having been extended to the Indiana line, across 
 which lies Mr. Forsyth's land, the latter has been 
 consequently enhanced in value, and has been 
 greatly benefited thereby. 
 
 AtUniontown, Pennsylvania, Mr. Forsyth mar- 
 ried Miss Caroline M. Clarke, daughter of Robert 
 Clarke, of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, who 
 has borne her husband nine children, five sons 
 and four daughters, all of whom are living. 
 The family occupies a handsome, comfortable 
 house on Michigan Avenue, and the home is per- 
 vaded by an air of taste and refinement which 
 is not always an element in the homes of the rich. 
 
 In politics Mr. Forsyth is a Republican, a 
 stanch advocate of his party's men and principles, 
 though, owing to the stress of his extensive busi- 
 ness interests, he has never found it convenient
 
 T. T. PROSSER. 
 
 89 
 
 to take an active part in political affairs. Had 
 he done so, and brought the same energy and 
 discernment to bear that he has displayed in the 
 management of his private interests, it is safe to say 
 that he would have made his mark in the political 
 world, as he has made it in the business affairs of 
 his adopted city. 
 
 In appearance Mr. Forsyth is a large, well- 
 
 proportioned man, with a kindly, shrewd face, 
 the true index of a man who has lived an honest, 
 helpful and kindly life. Though bearing the 
 weight of seventy-five years and the responsi- 
 bilities which the possession of great wealth al- 
 ways brings, he is elastic in mind and body, and 
 bids fair to live to an extreme old age. 
 
 TREAT T. PROSSER. 
 
 'REAT T. PROSSER. There are few tasks 
 more difficult than to sketch the life of an 
 inventor. The world is so jealous of inno- 
 vation and improvement upon established meth- 
 ods, so wedded to the past, and withal so disin- 
 clined to recognize the brilliancy of more prac- 
 tical genius, that the man who discovers de- 
 ficiencies in practical mechanics and supplies them 
 often goes to his grave unrewarded, even by the 
 gratitude of the world he has benefited. He 
 hears the name of the warrior, of the statesman, 
 of the poet, even of the politician, in every 
 household or business mart, but often his own, if 
 mentioned at all, as of one who is building cas- 
 tles in the air. 
 
 But gifted innovators, while deeply feeling the 
 lack of appreciation, have often adopted the sen- 
 timent of Keplar, who said: "My work is done; 
 it can well wait a century for its readers, since 
 God waited full six thousand years before there 
 came a man capable of comprehending and admir- 
 ing His work." Now and then, however, genius 
 is so practical, and its fruits contrast so brilliantly 
 with what has preceded, that it compels almost 
 instantaneous recognition and homage, and 
 among the fortunate possessors of the latter class 
 was the subject of this article, the late Treat T. 
 Prosser. 
 
 The Prossers are of Welsh descent, but the 
 Treats, from whom Mr. Prosser was descended 
 on the maternal side, were English. The first 
 ancestors of the former family to come to America 
 were two brothers, who came from Wales some 
 time prior to the Revolutionary War, in which 
 supreme contest two of their descendants partici- 
 pated, and one met his death. The family lived 
 on Prosser Hill, just outside of Boston, and it 
 was in the Prosser barn that the members of the 
 historic Boston "tea party" disguised themselves 
 as Indians, previous to throwing the tea over- 
 board into Boston Harbor. Grandfather John 
 Prosser was one of the two members of the family 
 mentioned previously as having served in the 
 struggle with the Mother Country. He married 
 Bethia Truesdale, daughter of a Connecticut phy- 
 sician, and had eight sons and one daughter. 
 
 Of these children, Potter A. Prosser, the father 
 of Treat T., married Eliza, a daughter of Timo- 
 thy Treat, whose son, a physician, became famous 
 through the services he rendered during the 
 great cholera epidemic. The Treat family came 
 from Pitminster, Somerset, England. Richard 
 Treat was baptized in 1584. Among the prom- 
 inent descendants are Gov. Robert Treat, and 
 Rev. Samuel Treat, of Pitminster. The father's 
 birth occurred August n, 1793, and the mother
 
 go 
 
 T. T. PROSSER. 
 
 was born March 29, 1798. Their marriage was 
 solemnized on the 5th of November, 1818, and 
 of their union were born five children. The 
 mother, a woman of many domestic virtues and 
 lovable traits of character, died at the compara- 
 tively early age of fifty-five years, but the father 
 lived to the great age of ninety-six. 
 
 Treat T. Prosser was born in the little town of 
 Avon, New York, January 22, 1827. His youth 
 and early manhood were passed in his native 
 State, and his early education was received in its 
 common schools. After reaching his majority he 
 attended the academy at West Avon, feeling the 
 need of a more thorough school training before 
 starting out to earn his own way in life. Always 
 handy in the use of tools, at the early age of 
 fourteen he had been engaged at the trade of a 
 millwright, in which he soon became a proficient 
 workman. But while his hands were busily 
 engaged at this work, his thoughts were wander- 
 ing out upon the whole broad domain of mechan- 
 ical science, and his studies at the academy were 
 for the purpose of fitting himself for the career to 
 which all his talents and his inclinations urged 
 him. 
 
 From the young millwright developed an 
 inventor of agricultural implements of great 
 value; of a superior system of machinery for the 
 manufacture of bolts; of universally recognized 
 improvements upon steam engines; of a practical 
 and widely used machine for pegging boots; of 
 coal machinery; of the Prosser Cylinder Car, and 
 of many other mechanical devices, which either 
 are now, or will become in the future, of great 
 benefit to mankind. He drew the plans for the 
 Chicago Hydraulic Company, which built the 
 first water-works system in Chicago. 
 
 In 1851 Mr. Prosser came to Chicago, and the 
 wisdom of his choice of a location was demon- 
 strated long ago. No other city has ever opened 
 such welcoming arms to men of genius as has 
 she, nor out of her own prosperity rewarded them 
 so bountifully. The great fireof 1871 found him 
 among its victims, and he lost the greater part of 
 the accumulations of years; but financial loss is 
 one of the minor evils to a man who has within 
 himself the. power to mould, in a great measure, 
 
 his own destiny, and is no mere inert mass, lying 
 helpless under the buffetings of the winds of ill- 
 fortune. The energy which was one of the 
 marked points in his character asserted itself, and 
 his days were ended in the prosperity he deserved. 
 
 From 1851 until the date of his death, Decem- 
 ber n, 1895, Mr. Prosser made Chicago his home, 
 with the exception of two years spent in the 
 Rocky Mountains, six years in Boston, and a 
 short vacation spent in Europe. He was the first 
 man to introduce the steam engine and the 
 quartz-mill into the Rockies, the engine being 
 constructed of material shipped from the East, the 
 boiler being literally built in that wild region. 
 While in Europe he was elected a member of the 
 Society of Mechanics of England and Scotland, 
 an honor which speaks of his high merits as a 
 mechanical engineer. 
 
 In West Bloomfield, New York, September 26, 
 1849, Mr. Prosser married Miss Lucy J. Phillips, 
 and of their union two children were born: 
 Henry Blinn Prosser, of Chicago; and Mary 
 Augusta, wife of Oscar E. Poole, of Lakeside, 
 Illinois. Mrs. Prosser was the daughter of Isaac 
 Webster Phillips, a relative of the famous Web- 
 ster family, his mother being a sister of Noah 
 Webster's father. Isaac Phillips was a native of 
 Hartford, Connecticut, but removed to West 
 Bloomfield, where he served as Justice of the 
 Peace, and was commonly known as Judge Phil- 
 lips. He came to Chicago late in life, and died 
 at the home of Mrs. Prosser, at the age of sev- 
 enty-two years. His wife, whose maiden name 
 was Laura Miller, reached the advanced age of 
 ninety-two years. 
 
 Closely wedded to his profession , Mr. Prosser 
 generally refused the responsibilities of official 
 positions, but made an exception to this rule after 
 the Great Fire, when he acted as superintendent 
 of the distribution of food to the destitute in 
 Districts Four and Five. These duties he filled 
 in an energetic and impartial manner, which 
 accorded well with the other actions of his well- 
 spent life. In his politics he voted with the 
 Republican party. 
 
 Oscar E. Poole, who married Mr. Prosser 's only 
 daughter, was born January 18, 1857, * n Will
 
 J. W. LARIMORE. 
 
 County, Illinois, and is a son of Ezra and Eliza 
 Treat Poole, pioneers in Will County, where they 
 settled in 1850. He received his principal educa- 
 tion in Joliet, where his guardian lived. His 
 father died when he was but one and a-half years 
 old, and his mother died when he was ten 
 years old. His boyhood was spent in Joliet. 
 At the age of eighteen years he became a clerk in 
 his uncle's store, and three years later became a 
 partner. At the age of twenty-two he entered the 
 employ of the State, in the capacity of storekeeper 
 
 at the State Penitentiary, remaining a number of 
 years in that position. From there he went to 
 Chicago, where he first started a milk business 
 and then became a traveling salesman for Kinney 
 & Company, and, later, their manager. He finally 
 bought out the business, and it is now conducted 
 under the name of Poole & Company. Mr. Poole 
 was married, February 27, 1885, to Miss Mary 
 Augusta Prosser, who is the mother of four 
 children now living: Edward Prosser, Helen 
 Irene, Lucy Eliza and Malcolm Alan Poole. 
 
 PROF. JAMES W. LARIMORE. 
 
 (TAMES WILSON LARIMORE, who died 
 I suddenly of heart failure at his home in Chi- 
 G) cago, May 30, 1894, was for many years 
 prominent in the literary, social and religious 
 work of the city. He was born in Steubenville, 
 Ohio, May 6, 1834, and was a son of Joseph and 
 Mary Jane (Wilson) Larimore, both also natives 
 of that place. The earliest progenitors of the 
 family known were French Huguenots, who fled 
 from their native land after the cruel revocation 
 of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., locating 
 in Scotland. There the name was difficult of 
 pronunciation on the Scotch tongue, and from 
 "Laird o' the Moor," the name gradually came 
 to its present form. 
 
 The first settlement of the family in Amer- 
 ica was made in Chester County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, where David Larimore, grandfather of 
 the subject of this sketch, was born March 31, 
 1782. For many generations the Larimores had 
 been distinguished for literary tastes and attain- 
 ments, and David Larimore was no exception to 
 the rule. He was a man of affairs, and conserved 
 
 the family estates, which were considerable. He 
 died at Norristown, Pennsylvania, March 16, 
 1857, having almost completed his seventy-fifth 
 year. 
 
 James Wilson, father of Mrs. Mary J. Lari- 
 more, came of a Scotch-Irish family, which has 
 borne a prominent part in the literary and social 
 life of the United States, furnishing many not- 
 able statesmen, attorneys and generals to the 
 Nation. This family is also a strong factor in 
 the literary life of America, and Professor Lari- 
 more inherited talents from both lines of ances- 
 tors. 
 
 The youth of the latter was spent at Niles, 
 Michigan, whither his parents removed when he 
 was two years old. He early manifested a fond- 
 ness for books, and most of his life up to the age 
 of twenty-six years was spent in school. He 
 was sent, in 1852, to Olivet Institute, in Eaton 
 County, Michigan. Having an uncle in the 
 faculty of the Hampton and Sidney College in 
 southern Virginia, he was induced to go there. 
 He remained some time, but the climate did not
 
 J. W. LARIMORE. 
 
 agree with him. Consequently, he decided to 
 finish his education at the North. He took a 
 course at the University of New York City, which 
 graduated him in the Class of 1860. He had a 
 thorough theological education, having spent a 
 year at Union Theological Seminary, later taking a 
 full course at Princeton Theological Seminary, 
 Princeton, New Jersey, preparatory to entering 
 the Presbyterian ministry. He preached most of 
 the time, supplying different churches during the 
 latter part of his theological studies, his first 
 regular ' 'call' ' being to one of the largest and 
 most important churches at that time in Albany, 
 New York, the Third Dutch Reformed. He had, 
 however, a decided preference for life in the grow- 
 ing West, and became pastor of the First Presbyte- 
 rian Church of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Under his 
 able ministry, this soon became the largest so- 
 ciety of that denomination west of the Mississippi 
 River. In 1863 he accepted the Chaplaincy of 
 the Ninth Iowa Cavalry, at the earnest solicita- 
 tion of his particular friend, Adjutant-General 
 Baker, of Iowa, and at once went into the field 
 with the regiment, spending most of the time in 
 the Department of Little Rock, Arkansas, being 
 Post Chaplain at De Vails Bluff. Just before the 
 death of President Lincoln, in 1865, he was by 
 him brevetted Major, and also assigned to the 
 position of Hospital Chaplain in the regular 
 United States army. He resigned his position 
 at De Vails Bluff, as he had been ordered to re- 
 port for duty at Webster Hospital in Memphis, 
 Tennessee, in April, 1865. Owing to the uncer- 
 tainty of the mails, he did not receive his papers 
 until several days after the President's assassina- 
 tion. 
 
 At the close of the war Professor Larimore 
 came to Chicago, and in the fall of 1865 was 
 installed as pastor of the Seventh (now West- 
 minister) Presbyterian Church of this city, which 
 position he filled for something over two years. 
 In the mean time he did much literary work, and 
 for a period gave his exclusive attention to this 
 congenial labor. He developed a great aptitude for 
 journalism, and was offered the position of city 
 editor of the Chicago Evening Journal in the 
 spring of 1 87 1 , and accepted. He discharged the 
 
 duties of this responsible charge with marked 
 ability and success for three years. 
 
 On the fatal ninth of October, 1871, when 
 \h& Journal office was a ruin through the historic 
 "great fire," Mr. Larimore gave a characteristic 
 exhibition of energy and perseverance. With 
 the aid of the editor-in-chief, Hon. Andrew Shu- 
 man, an edition of the Journal was produced 
 on a hand press, which they secured in a job-of- 
 fice on the West Side; and with the flames 
 threatening to consume the building over their 
 heads, the paper was issued at the usual hour of 
 publication being the only representative of the 
 Chicago daily press put forth on that day. 
 
 The numerous writings and publications of 
 Professor Larimore had attracted the notice of 
 the University of Chicago, and in March, 1874, 
 he was elected to the professorship of physics in 
 that institution. In consequence of this, he re- 
 signed his connection with the Journal May 2 
 of that year. He did not, however, enter upon 
 the duties assigned him at the university, but 
 later on accepted a similar position at the Cook 
 County Normal School at Englewood. In Sep- 
 tember, 1878, he was elected teacher of physics 
 and chemistry at the North Division High 
 School of Chicago. He entered at once upon 
 his duties, and continued to fill the chair for 
 eleven consecutive years, with great credit to 
 himself and the school, making many devoted 
 friends among his pupils. 
 
 Before coming West Professor Larimore was 
 married, at Hudson, New York, to Miss Katie 
 Hoysradt, a beautiful and talented young lady, 
 who died in Chicago in 1865. Her remains, with 
 those of their two little boys, rest in the cemetery 
 at Niles, Michigan. 
 
 In 1867 he was again married, by Reverend 
 Doctors Humphrey and Harsha, to Miss Hattie 
 Stevens, of Chicago, the soprano singer of his 
 church choir. . She was born in Strykersville, 
 Wyoming County, New York, being the young- 
 est of the three daughters of the late Ira Stevens 
 of that town. In the year 1854, while she was a 
 small child, the family went to St. Charles, Kane 
 County, Illinois. Her father, a talented singer, 
 died very suddenly of cholera the day following
 
 CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON. 
 
 93 
 
 their arrival, which was during the great epidemic 
 of that year. Her mother, Percy Talmage 
 Hotchkiss, a refined Christian lady, was born 
 near New Haven, Connecticut. She died in 
 April, 1888, leaving her six children, and many 
 friends, to mourn her loss. 
 
 Mrs. Larimore received her education in the 
 high school at St. Charles, finishing it in Chi- 
 cago, where the greater part of her life has been 
 spent. Possessing marked musical talent, she 
 devoted most of her time to its development, 
 which brought her some distinction. At one 
 time, while a young lady, she was urgently 
 solicited to enter upon an operatic career. She 
 was turned from that course by conscientious 
 scruples. Aside from her musical talent, she is 
 a lady of much culture and pleasing personality, 
 and was ever a true helpmeet and companion 
 to her talented husband in all his labors. Three 
 bright children were given to Mr. and Mrs. Lari- 
 more, all of whom are now deceased. Hattie 
 Gertrude, the eldest, passed away at the age ot 
 two years. Paul, a promising lad, reached the 
 
 age of ten years, and was the subject of a most 
 touching and beautiful obituary from the pen of 
 Dr. Nixon, of the Inter Ocean. Blanche died in 
 infancy. The remains of the husband and father 
 and their three children lie buried at Rose Hill. 
 During his ministry in Chicago, Professor 
 Larimore preached many quite noted sermons, 
 one of the most marked being what was called by 
 the daily papers his "Crosby Opera House ser- 
 mon." He also preached the sermon at the in- 
 stallation of the late Professor David Sw^ng, who 
 was loved by so large a number of the leading 
 citizens of Chicago. At the time of his death 
 these two ministers were the only surviving mem- 
 bers of the original Presbytery of the city. Pro- 
 fessor Larimore was ever active in good works, 
 always having the welfare of his kind at heart, 
 but ' 'God's finger touched him and he slept. ' ' The 
 following lines express but feebly the high opinion 
 in which he was held by his friends: 
 
 "To know him was to love him, 
 None named him but to praise." 
 
 CAPT. CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON. 
 
 EAPT. CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON, one of 
 the old landmarks of Chicago, who arrived 
 in this city as long ago as 1838, was a native 
 of the little kingdom of Denmark, and was born 
 near Copenhagen, October 3, 1819, his parents 
 being natives of the same locality. His father was 
 killed by an accident before Christopher was a year 
 old, and the latter was bound out to a farmer on the 
 island of Als. Imbued with the strong love of 
 the sea which has filled so many of his country- 
 men and made them famous as sailors the world 
 over, at the early age of fourteen years he shipped 
 at Sonderburg, Denmark, on board an ocean 
 
 vessel, and within the next two or three years 
 had sailed around the globe. In the winter of 
 1837 he found himself in the city of New Orleans, 
 and, having long desired to verify the statements 
 he had heard of the advantages America offered 
 to industrious, enterprising youth of all nations, 
 he left his ship, and started for the heart of the 
 country. Aftei reaching St. Louis, he went to 
 Peoria, in this State, whence, by means of a hired 
 team, he reached this city. 
 
 Mr. Johnson's employment after reaching what 
 was then the muddy little village at the mouth 
 of the Chicago River was as a member of a survey-
 
 94 
 
 CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON. 
 
 ing party; but he served thus only a short time, 
 and soon after sought the more familiar and con- 
 genial life of a sailor on the Great Lakes. On 
 one occasion, while on a trip on one of the Lower 
 Lakes, on a vessel called the "Maria Hilliard," 
 he was shipwrecked and met with other mishaps. 
 But on the whole fortune favored him; and after 
 a few years' service as a common sailor, he was 
 able to buy a small schooner, the "Helena," and 
 took charge of her as captain. In 1849, while 
 coming with a cargo of bricks from Little Fort, 
 near Kenosha, the "Helena" was sunk near the 
 Rush Street Bridge. On her voyage to Chicago, 
 she had sprung a leak, but by the efforts of the 
 captain and crew, she had been kept afloat until 
 the city was reached. After raising his vessel, 
 Captain Johnson sailed her for some time longer, 
 but in 1853 concluded to give up sailing for good. 
 His life on the lakes had given him a pretty fair 
 insight into the lumber business, and in this he 
 embarked, remaining thus engaged until the 
 Great Fire, when, in common with innumerable 
 others, he lost almost his entire savings. Fort- 
 unately, however, he did not lose his residence, 
 which was then on the West Side. He was the 
 owner of a farm at Lemont, and he moved his 
 family there for a time. His handsome new 
 farmhouse was destroyed by fire two years later, 
 and he built another. 
 
 Captain Johnson had married in 1849, and for 
 the next twelve years he reared his children on 
 the farm. He retained the real estate he had 
 owned in Chicago previous to the fire, and had 
 added to it, and at the end of the twelve years he 
 removed his wife and family to the city, finding 
 here greater scope for himself and promise of 
 future occupation for his sons. His property 
 interests increased to such an extent that his time 
 was fully taken up in managing his private 
 affairs, and he never entered any other business. 
 During all his life in Chicago he lived on the 
 North Side, where he was universally known 
 and popular with all. He built his first home on 
 the corner of Ohio and Market Streets, a spot 
 which he then considered the most prepossessing 
 in the city. His objection to the South Side was 
 due to its mud, that portion of the city being 
 
 almost impassable in the early days on account of 
 its level. At one time he intended to buy the 
 land on which the Briggs House now stands, but 
 after considerable deliberation concluded the site 
 was too muddy, a succession of mud holes having 
 to be crossed to reach it. 
 
 Captain Johnson's widow, who yet survives, 
 was previous to her marriage Miss Emily Ray- 
 mond, a daughter of John and Louise Raymond. 
 She is a native of Copenhagen, and was born 
 September i, 1833. At the age of ten years she 
 came to America with her father, who was a ship- 
 carpenter. He followed the lakes until his death, 
 which resulted from an accident he met with while 
 in the pursuit of his calling, being caught and 
 crushed between two ships. His death occurred 
 some months later, at the age of forty-five years, 
 August ii, 1853. Mrs. Johnson's marriage 
 occurred in Du Page County, this State, near 
 Naperville, December 9, 1849, and resulted in 
 the birth of thirteen children, of whom the fol- 
 lowing are living: Maria Louise, Mrs. A. Nelson, 
 of Chicago; Lena Amelia, Mrs. John S. Lee, of 
 Lemont; Evelyn, Mrs. D. T. Elston, of Chicago; 
 Henry W., living in Socorro, New Mexico; Benja- 
 min Franklin, of Pomeroy, Washington; Charles 
 Christopher and George W. Johnson, of this city. 
 
 In politics Captain Johnson was an ardent sup- 
 porter of the Republican party, and his party's 
 candidates were never defeated by his failure to 
 do his duty at the polls. During the early years 
 of the Civil War he served as Collector of the 
 North Town, but a naturally retiring and modest 
 disposition kept him from ever being conspic- 
 uous in politics. In religious faith he accorded 
 with the Lutheran Church. The respect in 
 which he was held was shown at the time of his 
 death, which occurred September 28, 1895, within 
 a week of his seventy-sixth birthday anniversary. 
 He had been an enthusiastic member of Cleveland 
 Lodge of the Chicago Freemasons, in which he 
 was initiated June n, passed July 7, and raised 
 October 13, 1859, and his fellow Masons attended 
 his funeral in a body. His early life had been 
 full of incident and adventure, but his later years 
 found him quietly fulfilling the duties of a self- 
 respecting, honorable life.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 H. L. STEWART. 
 
 95 
 
 HART L. STEWART. 
 
 EN. HART LE LAC STEWART, who was 
 very prominent in the development of Mich- 
 igan and Illinois, a participator in the Black 
 Hawk War, and a leading citizen of Chicago for a 
 generation, came of the sturdy stock which paved 
 the way for and was active in the civilization of 
 many of the eastern States of this country. He 
 was born in Bridgewater, Oneida County, New 
 York, August 29, 1803, and died in Chicago May 
 23, 1882. 
 
 The name indicates the Scotch origin of his 
 ancestry, but the date of their transplanting to 
 America is not known. From the recollections 
 of General Stewart, published by him at the re- 
 quest of his family, it is learned that his grand- 
 parents, Samuel Stewart and Patience Hunger- 
 ford, lived in Tolland County, Connecticut. The 
 latter was, undoubtedly, of English lineage. 
 She died many years before her husband, who 
 passed away in 1816, at the age of eighty-two 
 years. They had nine children, and the second, 
 William, was the father of the subject of this 
 biography. 
 
 William Stewart was born in 1772, in Con- 
 necticut, and was an early settler in the Territory 
 of Michigan. He was a soldier in the War of 
 1812, and also served in the militia regiment, com- 
 manded by his son, which went from Michigan 
 to aid in suppressing the Indians under Black 
 Hawk in 1832. He was married at Mansfield, 
 Windham County, Connecticut, in 1795, to Miss 
 Validia Turner, eighth of the ten children of 
 Timothy and Rachel (Carpenter) Turner, of 
 Mansfield. Timothy Turner was born August 
 18, 1757, in Willington, Connecticut, which was 
 also the native place of his wife. The latter died 
 in Mansfield Center, Windham County, Con- 
 
 necticut, June 22, 1799. They were married 
 August 20, 1776. Timothy Turner was a soldier 
 of the Revolution, serving in the "Lexington 
 Alarm Party" from Mansfield, Connecticut. He 
 was the son of Stephen, third and youngest son 
 of Isaac Turner, born in Bedford, Massachusetts, 
 whose father came from England. Rachel Car- 
 penter's parents were James and Irene (Ladd) 
 Carpenter. The former was a son of Ebenezer 
 Carpenter and Eunice Thompson. Ebenezer, 
 born in Coventry, Connecticut, as was his son, 
 was the son of Benjamin Carpenter and Hannah, 
 daughter of Jedediah Strong. Benjamin was the 
 tenth child of William Carpenter and Priscilla 
 Bonette. The former was one of the four chil- 
 dren of William Carpenter, who came from South- 
 ampton, England, in the ship "Bevis" in 1638, 
 and settled in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. (See 
 biography of Benjamin Carpenter in this 
 volume. ) 
 
 When Hart L. Stewart was twelve years old, 
 his father moved to Batavia, Genesee County, 
 New York, where he purchased land of the Hol- 
 land Land Company, and the son helped to clear 
 this ground of timber. When seventeen years old 
 the latter went into the office of David D. Brown, 
 at Batavia, to study law. At the end of a year 
 he was forced, by lack of means, to take some 
 remunerative employment, and after vainly seek- 
 ing a situation as school teacher, in which he 
 hoped to be able to continue his legal studies, he 
 engaged as clerk in a store in Oneida County 
 with an uncle. Through the recommendation of 
 the latter, at the end of a year he was employed 
 by a merchant named Blair in Rochester, New 
 York. After four months' service at Rochester, 
 he was sent by Mr. Blair to open a branch store
 
 9 6 
 
 H. I,. STEWART. 
 
 at Lyons, New York, where he continued in 
 charge until the fall of 1822. 
 
 He now determined to engage in business on 
 his own account, and, securing the assistance of 
 his brother, George Stewart, opened a store at 
 Lockport, New York, where a successful trade 
 was carried on, they having the benefit of credit 
 with Mr. Blair and other Rochester merchants. 
 In 1823 Hart L,. Stewart took a sub-contract to 
 finish the work of Judge Bates on the Erie Canal, 
 which he completed, with a fair profit, the next 
 year. These facts indicate that the young man 
 had developed good business qualifications, which 
 attracted the favorable notice and assistance of 
 influential men. 
 
 Having now gained a practical experience in 
 canal construction, he sent his brother, Alanson 
 C. Stewart, who had become associated with him 
 in the mean time, to Cleveland, Ohio, in October, 
 1824, to secure a contract on the Ohio Canal. 
 Hart L,. had become engaged in the lumber busi- 
 ness at Niagara, New York, and continued it un- 
 til November, 1825, being at the same time in- 
 terested in the Ohio contract which his brother 
 secured. They next contracted to execute sec- 
 tions on the western end of the Pennsylvania 
 Canal, and in November, 1826, took the con- 
 tract to bore a tunnel for the canal on the Coue- 
 maugh River. This was finished in 1829, and 
 was the first tunnel of its kind in the United 
 States. Among those connected with the canal ' 
 enterprise, they were known as the "boy con- 
 tractors," the elder brother but twenty-four years 
 old; but they were credited, and justly, with 
 superior practical knowledge. They were the 
 first to introduce the method of securing light by 
 means of reflecting mirrors placed at the mouths 
 of the tunnel. Work was prosecuted from both 
 ends, night and day, and its completion was re- 
 garded as one of the greatest achievements of the 
 age, and the subject of this notice was furnished 
 with some very flattering letters when he left 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Having made a considerable profit from his 
 contracts, he now resolved to invest some of it in 
 lands, before engaging in further ventures, and 
 with that end in view, took a trip of exploration 
 
 through Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, which oc- 
 cupied three months. He purchased about one 
 thousand acres on White Pigeon and Sturgis 
 Prairies, in St. Joseph County, Michigan. 
 
 Another plan which had for some time been 
 considered was now consummated, and on the 
 fifth of February, 1829, he was married to Miss 
 Hannah Blair McKibbin, of Franklin County, 
 Pennsylvania. In September of the same year 
 they set out for their new home in Michigan. 
 At the end of a six-weeks journey from Pitts- 
 burgh, they arrived at White Pigeon, November 
 7, 1829, and here a log cabin was erected. After 
 making further provisions for a home, young 
 Stewart went to Detroit and presented to Gov- 
 ernor Lewis Cass his letters of introduction. 
 These were from Governor Porter, Senators 
 Blair and Lacock, Judge William Wilkins and 
 James S. Stevenson, President of the Canal Board, 
 of Pennsylvania, all of whom Governor Cass 
 characterized as his personal friends. 
 
 In the spring of 1830 the Governor sent to Mr. 
 Stewart a commission as Colonel of Militia, and 
 a year later appointed him one of the commis- 
 sioners to locate the county seats of St. Joseph 
 and Cass Counties. At this time, the entire 
 population of Michigan, including Detroit, the 
 chief city of the West, numbered but a few thou- 
 sand whites. Through the influence of Colonel 
 Stewart, a post route was established by the 
 Government to supply the few scattered settle- 
 ments extending from Detroit toward Chicago. 
 The two Stewart brothers before named were the 
 contractors for carrying the mails once in two 
 weeks, which was accomplished on horseback, 
 over a region where one hundred tons are now 
 carried daily. Hart L. Stewart was made Post- 
 master at Mottville, with the franking privilege, 
 and his own letters and papers constituted the bulk 
 of the mail at his office. In 1832 he was appointed 
 Judge of the County Court by Governor Porter, 
 and the next year he was commissioned Circuit 
 Judge, in which capacity he officiated the next 
 three years. 
 
 In 1836 Judge Stewart was elected a member 
 of the Second Constitutional Convention, which 
 was called to fix the southern boundary of the
 
 H. L. STEWART. 
 
 97 
 
 State of Michigan to correspond with the line as 
 established when Indiana and Ohio were ad- 
 mitted to the Union. By this convention he was 
 sent to Washington to secure, if possible, the ad- 
 mission of the State with boundary as established 
 by the ordinance ceding the Northwest Territory 
 to the United States, and including Michigan 
 City and Maumee City. That he did not suc- 
 ceed is a matter of history, but the State secured, 
 in offset, all of what is now known as the North- 
 ern Peninsula of Michigan. On this mission 
 Judge Stewart formed the acquaintance of many 
 of the leading men of the Nation at that time. 
 
 On his return home, Judge Stewart found that 
 the Legislature had chosen him Commissioner of 
 Internal Improvements, and in this capacity he 
 took charge of the survey of the St. Joseph River 
 for slack- water navigation, and also of the Central 
 Railroad. The latter was partially built by the 
 State, and then turned over to the Michigan Cen- 
 tral Railroad Company. In 1838 he received the 
 commission of Brigadier-General, commanding 
 the Fourteenth Brigade, Michigan Militia. When 
 the Indians, under Black Hawk, threatened to kill 
 or drive out the settlers in northern Illinois and 
 southern Wisconsin, the Government requested 
 the Governor of Michigan to send volunteers to 
 the rescue. General Stewart was ordered by 
 Governor Porter to raise a regiment as soon as 
 possible, and this was found an easy tas,k, as 
 volunteers, from the age of sixteen to sixty, were 
 numerous. The service lasted about six months, 
 and Colonel Stewart's regiment included his 
 brothers, A. C. Stewart, as Commander of a com- 
 pany; Samuel M. Stewart, as Lieutenant of an- 
 other; besides two other brothers and his father 
 as volunteers. The latter was especially valuable 
 as a drill master, on account of his previous serv- 
 ice in the War of 1812. He was now sixty years 
 of age. 
 
 In June, 1836, General Stewart attended the 
 letting of the construction contracts on the Illinois 
 & Michigan Canal, and contracted for a large 
 amount of deep-rock work near Lockport. He 
 had as partners A. S. Stewart, Lorenzo P. Sanger, 
 James Y. Sanger, and others, who took personal 
 charge of the work, while he continued in charge 
 
 of his personal and official interests in Michigan. 
 In 1840 the inability of the State to meet its 
 financial obligations compelled the contractors to 
 abandon the work, at great loss, and ruin in 
 many cases. About this time General Stewart 
 took up his residence in Chicago, and in 1842 
 he was elected a member of the Legislature, and 
 was active in securing the acceptance of the for- 
 eign bondholders' proposition to complete the 
 canal. None of the contractors had ever received 
 anything for their losses previous to that time. 
 While on a trip to Canada to secure workmen for 
 the canal in 1839, General Stewart was placed 
 in arrest, under the impression that he was a spy 
 in the interest of the "Patriot War. " Through 
 the influence of friends, his mission was made 
 known to the Canadian authorities, and he was 
 discharged and furnished every facility for carry- 
 ing out his business. From 1845 to 1849, under 
 the administration of President Polk, General 
 Stewart served as Postmaster at Chicago, being 
 the first presidential appointee in that office. 
 
 He now turned his attention to railroad con- 
 struction, and became interested in some of the 
 largest contracts ever given in the West to a 
 single firm. The history of these undertakings 
 is fully related in this volume in the biography 
 of James Y. Sanger, who was associated with 
 General Stewart in this work, and need not be 
 repeated here. During the progress of their 
 work, in partnership with several others, they 
 became proprietors of the Rhode Island Central 
 Bank, and this, in common with many others, 
 was wrecked by the financial upheaval of 1857, 
 though its proprietors were enabled to close up its 
 affairs honorabl)- and with little loss to them- 
 selves. 
 
 General Stewart became a member of the 
 Masonic fraternity in 1824, and subsequently 
 took all the chapter and encampment degrees 
 and several others. In political sentiment, he was 
 a Democrat. He was one of the few brave spirits 
 who stood with Stephen A. Douglas at North 
 Market Hall, on the evening of September i, 
 1854, when a mob of political opponents refused 
 to let the "Little Giant" be heard, and even 
 threatened him with bodily harm. In religious
 
 9 8 
 
 J. H. RICE. 
 
 faith, General Stewart was a true "neighbor," a 
 Presbyterian, and for forty years rarely failed to 
 listen to Rev. Dr. Patterson's sermons in the 
 Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago. He 
 was an able leader, quiet and gentle in his man- 
 ners, sociable and genial, making his home a 
 happy place for the frequent reunions of a large 
 and interesting circle of friends. 
 
 On the i2th of February, 1849, authority was 
 granted by the State to five individuals, one of 
 whom was Hart L. Stewart, to incorporate the 
 Chicago Gas Light and Coke Company, which 
 was granted the exclusive right to supply gas to 
 the city of Chicago for ten years. Before the 
 close of the next year, the streets of the city and 
 many private buildings were for the first time 
 illuminated by gaslight. In 1857 General Stew- 
 art was Vice-President of the Great Western In- 
 surance Company, with a capital of half a million 
 dollars, and office at No. 160 South Water Street. 
 The Stewart Building, at the northwest corner of 
 State and Washington Streets (which was torn 
 down in 1896, to make way for one of Chicago's 
 famous high office buildings), was the fourth 
 structure erected by General Stewart on that 
 spot the first one having been for many years 
 his family home. 
 
 Hannah Blair McKibbin, wife of General 
 Stewart, was descended from old and honorable 
 families. Her maternal grandfather, William 
 Nelson, was a brother of the famous Admiral 
 Horatio Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar. His wife 
 
 was Mary Harvey, and their children were Will- 
 iam, James and Mary Esther. William Nelson, 
 senior, died in 1803, at which time his daughter 
 was about fifteen years old. She married Col. 
 James McKibbin, of Franklin "County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and their eldest daughter, Hannah B., 
 became the wife of General Stewart, as before re- 
 lated, and the mother of the following children: 
 Mary Esther, Frances Validia, Amelia Mott, 
 Catherine E. , Jane, Anna Waldo, Hannah McKib- 
 bin and Helen Wolcott. The first married Henry 
 A. Clark in 1850, and both are now deceased, 
 being survived by a son, Stewart Clark, of Chi- 
 cago. The second died at St. Louis, Missouri, 
 while the wife of Watson Matthews, leaving one 
 child, Fannie V. Matthews. Amelia and Cath- 
 erine died in childhood. Jane Stewart married 
 John C. Patterson, and died in 1875, leaving a 
 son, Stewart Patterson. Hannah McKibbin is 
 the wife of George Sydney Williams, of Chicago. 
 The youngest is the wife of Lorenzo M. Johnson, 
 manager of the Mexican International Railroad. 
 Mary C. McKibbin, sister of Mrs. Stewart, 
 married James Y. Sanger, whom she survives, 
 and is among the most interesting surviving 
 pioneers of Illinois. She is spoken of by General 
 Stewart as the "Daughter of the Regiment," 
 during the campaign against Black Hawk. She 
 was then a miss of fourteen years, and ready to 
 ride on any expedition, carrying dispatches and 
 otherwise aiding in conveying information. 
 
 JAMES H. RICE. 
 
 (TAMES HARLOW RICE, one of the oldest 
 I and most highly respected business men of 
 (*/ Chicago, passed away at his home on Michi- 
 gan Avenue, in that city, February 6, 1896. 
 He was born in Tompkins County, New York, 
 in 1830. His parents, Asa and Polly (Reed) 
 Rice, were natives of Massachusetts, and settled 
 
 in New York in 1811, shortly after their mar- 
 riage. Asa Rice was a prosperous farmer, well 
 known and esteemed for his great moral worth. 
 Both he and his wife were members of the Meth- 
 odist Church and active in good works. They 
 attained a venerable age, the former dying when 
 eighty years old, and the latter at seventy-five.
 
 E. W. EVANS. 
 
 Mr. Rice was an "old-line" Whig, and in later 
 life became a Republican. His nine children 
 reached mature years, and three came West, 
 namely, Henry, Columbus T. and James H. 
 Rice. The first two are now residents of Adair 
 County, Missouri. Columbus Titus Rice came 
 with his brother to Chicago in June, 1854, and 
 proceeded to Missouri four years later, and has 
 resided there ever since. In early life he was a 
 carpenter, and worked at that occupation while a 
 resident of Chicago. On going to Missouri he 
 engaged in farming, but is now retired from act- 
 ive life. He was married in New York in 1855 
 to Miss Catherine Wickoff, who is still his com- 
 panion on life's journey. They are the parents 
 of six children, namely: Edward, Flora, Mary, 
 Elizabeth, Charles, Augusta and James. 
 
 James H. Rice was also a carpenter, and very 
 early after arriving in Chicago began contract- 
 ing for the erection of buildings. Among the 
 structures erected by him were the old Tremont 
 House and the Commercial Hotel. He built the 
 first structure put up after the fire of 1871, which 
 was located on Quincy Place. From 1856 to 
 1878 he was associated in this business with Mr. 
 Ira Foote, with whom he was acquainted in early 
 life in New York. 
 
 In 1872 he engaged in the plate and window- 
 glass trade, and built up an extensive and pros- 
 perous business. This passed into the control of 
 an incorporated company, known as the James 
 H. Rice Company, of which he was President. 
 He also became President of the Stewart Estep 
 Glass Company, which engaged in the manu- 
 
 facture of glass at Marion, Indiana. Both these 
 institutions were flourishing at the time of his 
 death. In trade circles for years he had been a 
 leader, and his counsel had ever been sought and 
 his sterling qualities of mind and heart thor- 
 oughly appreciated. Among Mr. Rice's personal 
 friends was the late Cyrus H. McCormick, for 
 whom he did much work during his building ca- 
 reer. He was widely known during the early 
 days in Chicago, and was esteemed and respected 
 by all classes of citizens. 
 
 In 1876 he was married to Miss Margaret Su- 
 san Gilliland, a native of Ohio, at that time a 
 resident of Perry, Iowa. She died February 4, 
 1896. During the last eighteen years of her life 
 she had been an invalid. In life they were to- 
 gether and in death not divided. No children 
 blessed their union, but his wife was ever to him 
 his child and care, and his devotion in this rela- 
 tion was most beautiful. The double funeral 
 from their late home was conducted by Rev. J. L. 
 Withrow, a personal friend of Mr. Rice, with 
 whom he was for some time associated on the 
 Board of Directors of the Presbyterian Hospital. 
 He spoke feelingly of the man and woman and 
 their works, aims and ideas. The remains were 
 laid away in Oakwoods Cemetery, the active 
 pallbearers being workmen in the employ of the 
 James H. Rice Company. By Mr. Rice his em- 
 ployes were ever considered as his "boys." Some 
 of these "boys" are men, aged and gray, who 
 had been in his service for a quarter of a century, 
 and all of them will miss his kindly, genial 
 presence. 
 
 ENOCH W. EVANS. 
 
 ITNOCH WEBSTER EVANS, who for a 
 Ky score of years ranked as a leading member 
 L_ of the Chicago Bar, was born at Fryeburg, 
 Maine, in 1817, and died in Chicago, September 
 2, 1879. He was one of eleven children born to 
 
 Capt. William and Anna Evans, further notice 
 of whom will be found elsewhere in this volume, 
 in connection with the biography of Dr. Moses 
 Evans. 
 
 Enoch W. Evans received his early education
 
 IOO 
 
 JOHN DICKINSON. 
 
 at Fryeburg Academy and Waterville College, 
 in his native State. Later he went to Dartmouth 
 College, where he pursued a classical course, and 
 graduated with the Class of 1838. He then en- 
 gaged in teaching at Hopkinton, New Hamp- 
 shire, and simultaneously began to read law in 
 the office of Judge Chase, a noted jurist of that 
 State. 
 
 In 1840 Mr. Evans came to Chicago, where he 
 was admitted to the Bar during the same year, 
 soon after removing to Dixon's Ferry, Illinois, 
 remaining at that place two or three years. 
 Thence he went to Kenosha, Wisconsin, where 
 he practiced his profession until 1858. At that 
 date he again located in Chicago, and was en- 
 gaged in general practice in this city up to the 
 time of his death. During this time he tried 
 many important cases, which he managed with 
 marked ability, gaining a numerous and profit- 
 able clientage. 
 
 On the i6th of September, 1846, Mr. Evans 
 was married, Miss Caroline Hyde, of Darien, 
 New York, becoming his wife. Mrs. Evans, who 
 is a daughter of James Hyde, still survives, at 
 the venerable age of seventy-four years, making 
 her home in Chicago. She is the mother of four 
 living children: William W., a prosperous at- 
 torney at Chicago; Lewis H., a civil engineer, at 
 present connected with the track elevation of the 
 Chicago & Northwestern Railway in Chicago; 
 Carrie, Mrs. William L. Adams, and Mary W., 
 the two latter also residents of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Evans was a gentleman of quiet, un- 
 ostentatious habits, and gave but little heed to 
 public affairs. He confined his labors and at- 
 tention almost exclusively to professional sub- 
 jects, and achieved an enviable standing among 
 his contemporaries, which justly entitles this 
 brief record of his life to a place among the annals 
 of his adopted home. 
 
 JOHN DICKINSON. 
 
 (JOHN DICKINSON, a highly successful 
 I operator upon the Chicago Board of Trade, 
 Q) residing at Evanston, was born in the his- 
 toric old town of Deerfield, Massachusetts, No- 
 vember 21, 1855, and is a son of Philander P. 
 and Mary A. (Feeney) Dickinson. 
 
 The Dickinsons were among the earliest 
 Colonial families of Massachusetts. Philander 
 R. Dickinson, the grandfather of the subject of 
 this notice, was a wholesale and retail shoe 
 dealer in New York City for many years. He 
 attained the great age of ninety-eight years, dy- 
 ing at Springfield Massachusetts. 
 
 Philander P. Dickinson became an extensive 
 manufacturer of brooms at Springfield, and had 
 at one time the largest factory in that State. This 
 establishment was destroyed by fire, inflicting 
 upon Mr. Dickinson a financial loss which he 
 was never able wholly to retrieve. In 1860 
 he removed to Iowa, locating first at Claremont, 
 
 and settling later at McGregor. At the latter 
 point he again engaged in the manufacture of 
 brooms, and built up a fair business On account 
 of failing health, he retired from active business 
 about 1865, and returned to the East. The last 
 ten years of his life were passed at Norwalk, 
 Florida, where he died in 1884, at the age of 
 sixty-nine years. He was a member of the 
 Baptist Church, and a steadfast Republican. 
 
 Mrs. Mary A. Dickinson died at Evanston in 
 1878, aged forty-nine years. She was born in 
 New York City, her parents being of Irish de- 
 scent. Her father was a wholesale shoe mer- 
 chant in that city. She was a member of the 
 Baptist Church. Her children are named and 
 reside as follows: Millie D., Mrs. Julius Ball, 
 Montague, Massachusetts; Mary J., and Delia, 
 wife of F. H. Bennett, Chicago; John, Evanston; 
 Hattie M., Denver, Colorado. 
 
 John Dickinson was a small boy when the fam-
 
 BENJAMIN SHURTLEFF. 
 
 101 
 
 ily came West, and he received his education at 
 the Evanston High School. He began his busi- 
 ness career in a furniture store, and established 
 himself in business as a shoe dealer at Evanston, 
 with success. In 1879 he sold out and joined the 
 Chicago Board of Trade, with which he has ever 
 since been identified. He was among the younger 
 members of that body, but soon demonstrated 
 his capability and soundness, and has won the 
 confidence and esteem of the entire membership. 
 He handles all kinds of grain and provisions, as 
 well as stocks and bonds and other paper securi- 
 ties, on his own account, and has met with al- 
 most uniform success. His profits have been 
 largely invested in real estate at Hammond, 
 Indiana, and in Florida timber lands and orange 
 groves. 
 
 Mr. Dickinson was married, November 25, 
 1875, to Miss Mary Alice Johnson, daughter of 
 Anthony Johnson and Catherine (Ganer) John- 
 
 son. Mrs. Dickinson was born at Port Jervis, 
 New York, where her father was connected with 
 important railroad interests for some years. Mr. 
 Dickinson is identified with the First Methodist 
 Church of Evanston. He is a man of domestic 
 tastes, and devotes little time to social recreations. 
 He supports the Republican party, whose policy 
 he believes to be in the interest of good govern- 
 ment and the commercial prosperity of the 
 country. 
 
 In 1889 he built an elegant residence at the 
 northwest corner of Asbury Avenue and Church 
 Street, Evanston, which is surrounded by one of 
 the handsomest and best- kept lawns in Cook 
 County. In short, the home of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Dickinson, throughout its exterior and interior 
 appointments, bespeaks the refined tastes and 
 cultivated instincts by means of which, only, 
 such an establishment can be designed and main- 
 tained. 
 
 BENJAMIN SHURTLEFF. 
 
 gENJAMIN SHURTLEFF, one of the found- 
 ers of Lake View, whose identity is rapidly 
 becoming lost in the vast city of Chicago, is 
 still a resident of that former suburb, and affords 
 an excellent type of the pioneers of the metrop- 
 olis of the West. He was born in Ernesttown, 
 Lennox County, Ontario, July 19, 1812. His 
 ancestors were English, and were very loyal 
 subjects of the British crown. The first one in 
 the American colonies settled in Massachusetts, 
 whence Lemuel Shurtleff, grandfather of the 
 subject of this notice, removed to Canada at the 
 beginning of the American Revolution. He 
 settled in Ernesttown, Lennox County, Ontario, 
 where he engaged in farming, reared a large 
 family, and reached a good old age. He had 
 three sons, Seldon, Jacob and Gideon. 
 
 The last-named passed his life in Canada, 
 exceeding the age of eighty years, and was a 
 farmer. He was a quiet, faithful Christian, 
 
 devoted to the Methodist Church, and the welfare 
 of his fellow-men was dear to his heart. His 
 wife, Mary Ward, probably of Irish descent, was a 
 tender and true wife and mother, and, like himself, 
 a faithful member of the Methodist Church. She 
 died at the age of sixty-two years. Of their 
 twelve children, eleven grew to maturity, and 
 three of the sons became residents of the United 
 States. Their names were Samuel, Jacob, Gid- 
 eon, Lemuel, Benjamin, Miles, John, Polly, Amy, 
 Lydia and Amanda. Lemuel was an able me- 
 chanic, and built some of the large iron mills at 
 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at which place he died. 
 Miles was admitted to the Bar in New York, and 
 became interested in the manufacture of iron at 
 Rochester, New York, for many years. 
 
 Benjamin ShurtlefF passed the first eighteen 
 years of his life on the home farm, receiving such 
 intellectual training as was afforded by the dis- 
 trict schools and good home surroundings. At
 
 102 
 
 BENJAMIN SHURTLEFF. 
 
 the age of eighteen years he began learning the 
 joiner's trade, of which he became master. In 
 1837 he joined his brother in Pittsburgh, Penn- 
 sylvania, and was associated with him in erecting 
 large manufacturing plants there. Among these 
 may be mentioned the immense iron mills of 
 Spang, Chalfant & Company at J3tna, and 
 the rolling mills of Louis Dalzell & Company 
 at Sharpsburgh, another suburb of Pittsburgh. 
 Among his fellow-workmen was Mr. C. K. Gar- 
 rison, since one of the most successful business 
 men and capitalists of that city, who was regarded 
 by Mr. Shurtleff as one of the brightest business 
 men he ever met. Twelve years of industrious 
 application there gave Mr. Shurtleff a small cap- 
 ital, which he resolved to invest in a newer place, 
 and he set out for Chicago. 
 
 Arriving here in 1851, he immediately made 
 investments in real property, which his foresight 
 told him was sure to appreciate greatly in value. 
 He secured twenty acres in Lake View Town- 
 ship, beside three twenty-acre tracts in section 
 33, town 39 north, range 14, most of which has 
 been subdivided and sold off. Shurtleff s Addi- 
 tion was one of the most valuable and well-known 
 subdivisions on the old maps, and he now has 
 valuable property on the South Side of the city. 
 His present possessions include about ten acres 
 of the most valuable land in the city, including 
 many improved lots in the vicinity of his home, 
 on Oakdale Avenue. In 1870 he built six sub- 
 stantial houses on the corner of Fremont and Oak- 
 dale Avenues, which were beyond the ravages 
 of the great fire of the next year and became 
 immediately profitable. 
 
 May 5, 1853, at Sharpsburgh, Pennsylvania, 
 Mr. Shurtleff was married to Miss Lucinda J. 
 Sewell, daughter of James H. Sewell, an old 
 resident of Pittsburgh. Judge James Sewell, a 
 well-known character of that city, was a brother 
 of Mrs. Shurtleff. Mrs. Shurtleff was bom in 
 Baltimore, Maryland, and died January 10, 1856, 
 in the prime of young womanhood, being but 
 twenty-seven years old at the time of her death. 
 She left a daughter, Lucy J., who was reared by 
 her aunt, Mrs. J. B. Roberts, well known in Pitts- 
 burgh, Pennsylvania, society. She was educated 
 
 at Ferry Hall Seminary, at Lake Forest, Illinois, 
 and Hellmuth College, London, Canada, and is 
 now the wife of Bruce M. Myers, of Chicago. 
 Subsequently, at Chicago, Mr. Shurtleff married 
 Mrs. Margaret A. Buker, who was born Sep- 
 tember 2, 1837, at Greenwood, Maine. She was 
 a daughter of Capt. Isaac P. Furlong, who was 
 a native of Maine, and commanded a company 
 in the War of 1812. His father took up the 
 first claim in the town of Greenwood, Oxford 
 County, Maine. Mrs. Shurtleff was a genial 
 companion to Mr. Shurtleff in every sense of the 
 word, and also a good business manager. She 
 was a woman possessed of more than ordinary 
 native ability, and esteemed for many good qual- 
 ities of head and heart. She passed away July 
 7, 1894, leaving two sons by her first marriage. 
 Harry Leslie Buker, who was educated principally 
 at the Schattuck Military School, Faribault, 
 Minnesota, is well known in musical circles in 
 Chicago, and was associated twelve years with 
 the Slay ton Lyceum Bureau of that city. The 
 other son, .William F. Buker, is an actor by pro- 
 fession and a resident of New York City. 
 
 Mr. Shurtleff was among the early members of 
 the old Fullerton Avenue Presbyterian Church of 
 Chicago, and has been a stanch supporter of the 
 political principles of the Republican party all his 
 life. In 1844 he voted for Henry Clay for Presi- 
 dent of the United States, and he was among the 
 promoters and organizers of the Republican party, 
 voting for Fremont in 1856. His has been a 
 quiet life of industry and attention to his private 
 affairs, with no seeking after public honors. He 
 has ever given of his time, influence and means 
 toward the promotion of any movement calculated 
 to further the general welfare, and his example 
 is commended to the careful attention of every 
 youth who hopes to make something of himself 
 in the business, social or moral world. His suc- 
 cess has not been the result of accident, but has 
 been built up by shrewd calculation, and the 
 prudent use of means acquired by the practice of 
 habits of industry and right living. He refused 
 his share of his father's estate, preferring it 
 should go to his sisters.
 
 D. B. FONDA. 
 
 103 
 
 DAVID B. FONDA, M. D. 
 
 0AVID BARTHOLOMEW FONDA, M. D., 
 is a representative of an old and prominent 
 Empire State family which settled in and 
 named the county-seat of Montgomery County, 
 New York. His grandfather, John Fonda, was 
 a native of Holland, and settled at a place called 
 Bogt, in Albany County, New York, where he 
 owned an estate comprising several thousand 
 acres. His only son, Henry Fonda, was born 
 there and inherited this estate. Most of his life 
 was passed at Watervliet, New York, where he 
 died at the age of sixty-six years, in June, 1841. 
 His wife, Rebecca Hall, was born at Mayfield, 
 Fulton County, New York, and died in August, 
 1840, at the age of fifty-six years. Henry Fonda 
 was somewhat active in political affairs, though 
 he never sought or accepted office for himself. 
 
 David B. Fonda was born November 6, 1834, 
 in Watervliet, Albany County, New York, where 
 he remained until he reached the age of sixteen 
 years. In his native township, at a place called 
 Elisha's Kill, he received his primary education, 
 completing the course of the upper school before 
 he was sixteen years old. 
 
 He was then appointed principal of the Second 
 District School of the Third Ward of Schenectady, 
 New York, where he taught one year. His first 
 teacher's certificate was granted by Jonathan 
 Pearson, professor of languages in Union Col- 
 lege, at Schenectady, and superintendent of the 
 public schools of that city. The scene of his 
 labors for the next four years was a place called 
 
 Lowell's Corners, where he taught in the joint 
 district embracing portions of the towns of Cherry 
 Valley and Seward, in the Counties of Schoharie 
 and Otsego. While teaching here he pursued a 
 private course in moral and mental philosophy, 
 and the Greek and Latin languages, under the 
 tutelage of Franklin Pierce, a cousin of the Presi- 
 dent who bore the same name. At the end of 
 this time he was prepared for matriculation at 
 Hartwick College, a Lutheran Theological institu- 
 tion. 
 
 It is evident from the progress made up to this 
 time that Mr. Fonda was a close student. By the 
 time he attained his majority he had occupied a 
 responsible position as teacher for a period of five 
 years. The hard work involved in these labors, 
 coupled with the diligent pursuit of his studies 
 preparatory to further advancement, made deep 
 inroads upon his physical strength, and a connec- 
 tion which he formed at this time changed his 
 plans and the entire course of his life. March 22, 
 1855, he was married to Miss Clarinda Lowell, a 
 descendant of the famous New England family of 
 that name, who was born at Lowell's Corners. 
 She was a daughter of Nyram Lowell. 
 
 In 1855, with his bride, Mr. Fonda removed to 
 Chicago. Having a relative who was in the 
 service of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, 
 he sought and secured employment as a brake- 
 man on this line for the sake of the outdoor 
 labor, and at the end of fourteen months spent in 
 this capacity, he found his health fully restored.
 
 104 
 
 D. B. FONDA. 
 
 He then accepted a position as teacher at Rose- 
 hill, and began the pursuit of a medical course at 
 Rush Medical College. He attended lectures at 
 this institution during the two years beginning in 
 1859 an( i ending in 1861. 
 
 Early in 1862 he enlisted as a private soldier, 
 in Company C, Eighty-ninth Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry known as the Railroad Regiment, being 
 composed entirely of railroad men. By the time 
 the regiment was mustered he was promoted to 
 Orderly Sergeant, and continued in service 
 through Kentucky with the Army of the Cumber- 
 land until the battle of Perryville. After this 
 engagement he was sent with a detail to escort an 
 ambulance train to Bardstown, Kentucky. On 
 his arrival there he found that he had been. ap- 
 pointed chief steward of the hospitals at that point. 
 He continued there until the latter part of 1863, 
 and became secretary of the medical corps, which 
 embraced eight army surgeons. When he entered 
 the army his weight was one hundred forty- 
 five pounds, but during his service it was re- 
 duced to ninety-four pounds, and through the 
 recommendation of the surgeons he was honorably 
 discharged on account of disability, although he 
 had never as yet asked for a release from duty. 
 On his return to Chicago he was prostrated by 
 a severe illness, which continued for a period of 
 three months. 
 
 Recovering his health, he again entered Rush 
 Medical College in 1864, and two years later com- 
 pleted the coarse. He subsequently entered 
 Bennett Medical College, from which he received 
 a diploma in 1878. In 1866 he began the practice 
 of medicine at Jefferson Park, and has continued 
 to reside there ever since. In 1867, without any 
 solicitation on his part, he was elected by the 
 County Board to the post of County Physician and 
 superintendent of the insane paupers sustained by 
 the county. Through his vigorous protest 
 against the mixture of insane with the other 
 wards of the county, the board was induced to 
 appropriate money for a building to be devoted 
 exclusively to the care of the insane. This was 
 begun in 1868, and on the first day of the year 
 1871 Dr. Fonda installed the patients in his charge 
 in their new quarters. At the end of four years' 
 
 service he retired and resumed his private practice 
 at Jefferson, in which he has since continued with 
 the ever-increasing confidence and respect of the 
 community. 
 
 Dr. Fonda has been somewhat active in the 
 conduct of local affairs, and the promotion of the 
 common welfare. In 1874 he was elected a mem- 
 ber of the village board of Jefferson, of which 
 body he was immediately made president and 
 continued four consecutive years in this position. 
 He was for many years health officer of the vil- 
 lage, which was co-extensive with the town of 
 Jefferson, until it was merged in the city of Chi- 
 cago, and was again a member of the village 
 board from 1884 until 1886. During the first 
 year of this service he was president of the board, 
 but refused that office during the second year, in 
 order that he might be active on the floor in the 
 discussion of many important movements then 
 pending. For many years he was County Phy- 
 sician in charge of the medical relief of the poor 
 outside of public institutions. In 1889, when 
 Jefferson was annexed to the city of Chicago, Dr. 
 Fonda was elected one of the first aldermen from 
 the twenty-seventh ward, and in the following 
 April he was re-elected and served two years. 
 In political matters he has always acted with the 
 Republican party, having allied himself with it 
 in 1856, and although he has sometimes voted 
 for individuals not on his party ticket, he has 
 ever remained true to its principles. In recent 
 years he has made numerous addresses on political 
 and economic subjects, which have been received 
 with much applause. 
 
 Dr. Fonda is still a member in good standing of 
 the Lutheran Church at Gardnersville, New York. 
 On a visit to the scenes of his early life, made in 
 the fall of 1897, he attended worship at this place, 
 where he met but one person that he had previ- 
 ously known. After an absence of forty years 
 this visit to his childhood home, although a very 
 pleasant one on the whole, was much saddened 
 by the absence of familiar faces. In the midst of 
 family connections numbering thousands, he was 
 still among strangers. 
 
 Dr. Fonda was for many years connected with 
 Hesperia Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted
 
 L. J. HALSEY. 
 
 105 
 
 Masons, of Chicago, and was a charter member 
 of the first Masonic Lodge in Jefferson. He is 
 now connected with Wylie M. Egan Lodge, 
 Washington Chapter, Siloam Council, St. Ber- 
 nard Commandery, and Medinah Temple, of the 
 Mystic Shrine. He was for many years con- 
 nected with Home Lodge No. 416, Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows, of Chicago, and is a mem- 
 ber of George H. Thomas Post No. 5, Grand 
 
 Army of the Republic. He is Grand Medical 
 Examiner of the Independent Order of Mutual Aid 
 of the State of Illinois. 
 
 Mrs. Fonda passed away in 1890, at the age of 
 fifty-five years, leaving one child, Carrie Azubah, 
 who resides with her father. Dr. Fonda is yet in 
 possession of sound health, and a vigorous intel- 
 lect, and has many years of usefulness both as a 
 citizen and physician before him. 
 
 REV. LEROY J. HALSEY. 
 
 REV. LEROY JONES HALSEY, D. D., 
 LL. D. On the 28th day of January, A. 
 D. 1812, Leroy Jones Halsey was born in 
 Cartersville, Goochland County, Virginia, on the 
 banks of the James River, twelve miles from 
 Richmond, the first-born son of John and Lucy 
 (Tiller) Halsey. His paternal ancestry is traced 
 back through the Virginia and North Carolina 
 settlements to a New England stock of the date 
 of 1640. He was acquainted with the hardship 
 >f straitened circumstances in his early childhood. 
 When he was less than five years old his father 
 met with reverses by too generously becoming 
 liable for another man's debt. It deprived him 
 of his business and his home, and forced his emi- 
 gration to the far southwest to begin life anew. 
 He located at Huntsville, Alabama. 
 
 Leroy was always of a studious habit. He ac- 
 quired the rudiments of knowledge at home, and 
 from the few books and periodicals available he 
 had gained much information before he went to 
 school. At school learning was a pleasure to 
 him. Study was a delight, and this love of ap- 
 plication and research so early manifested was 
 characteristic of his entire collegiate and theo- 
 logical course, and remained with him through 
 life. The days spent in the classic shades of the 
 old Green Academy at Huntsville were among 
 the happiest of his youth. 
 
 At the age of nineteen he left his home in 
 Huntsville to enter the University of Nashville, 
 at Nashville, Tennessee, where he was matricu- 
 lated in the autumn of 1831, and entered the 
 junior class. His education had been begun and 
 was prosecuted from first to last with the ministry 
 of the Gospel definitely in view. 
 
 In the summer of 1834 he was graduated, and 
 after a visit to his home he returned to Nashville 
 and taught a select school for a year, from the 
 proceeds of which he repaid his college debt, and 
 then accepted the position of tutor in the college. 
 At the same time, in November, 1835, he placed 
 himself under the care of the Presbytery of Nash- 
 ville as a candidate for the Gospel ministry. 
 Having served as tutor for a year he accepted the 
 appointment of substitute professor of languages 
 in place of a professor who was to be absent 
 for a year. 
 
 These three years succeeding graduation, one 
 spent in private teaching, and two in college 
 work, were beneficial in fixing and testing scholar- 
 ship, and also from a financial point of view. 
 They enabled him to discharge his debt and to 
 accumulate a fund sufficient to defray the expense 
 of a theological course. 
 
 Retiring from these pleasing associations in the 
 summer of 1837, after a brief visit to his home 
 he journeyed eastward by stage coach and steam-
 
 io6 
 
 L. J. HALSEY. 
 
 boat until, at Frederick, Md. , he had his first 
 view of a railway train, and thence through Bal- 
 timore and Philadelphia, his first experience of 
 railway travel, as far as Trenton, N. J. On the 
 gth day of November he entered the Theological 
 Seminary of Princeton. 
 
 On the agth day of September, 1840, the semi- 
 nary life of Dr. Halsey ended with his gradua- 
 tion. He had been licensed by the Presbytery of 
 New Brunswick on the 5th day of August pre- 
 ceding. He immediately began his journey to 
 the West, stopping in Philadelphia to preach in 
 several of the churches there and to receive his 
 commission from the Board of Missions assign- 
 ing him to missionary labor in the bounds of the 
 Presbytery of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 
 
 This work continued for more than two years, 
 when its widely known success and the growing 
 reputation of Dr. Halsey brought such urgent 
 calls to wider fields that he was constrained to 
 give them heed. The one which proved the 
 most attractive was the one which showed the 
 greatest need. A recently organized congrega- 
 tion in the city of Jackson, the capital of Missis- 
 sippi, was seeking for consecrated leadership and 
 preaching power. They were without a house 
 of worship, with little numerical or financial 
 strength, but with united and zealous purpose 
 and with a growing and influential community 
 around, in crying need of Gospel privileges and 
 influence and work. He accepted their call, and 
 removing to Jackson, was ordained by the Pres- 
 bytery of Mississippi and installed pastor on the 
 sistday of March, 1843. 
 
 A commodious house of worship was soon 
 provided. The congregation grew and the work 
 enlarged. This prosperous work continued for 
 five years. 'During this pastorate, on the 24th 
 day of April, 1844, he was married to Caroline 
 Augusta Anderson, of Pendleton, South Carolina, 
 a granddaughter of Gen. Robert Anderson of 
 Revolutionary fame. 
 
 His well-known success in Jackson led to his 
 being called to undertake a similar work in Lou- 
 isville, Kentucky, where a small colony of Presby- 
 terians desired him to lead them in the work of 
 founding and establishing a church. Satisfied of 
 
 the importance of the enterprise, and undismayed 
 by its prospective difficulties, he accepted their 
 call and entered upon the work in the autumn 
 of 1848. 
 
 The church grew rapidly under his ministry. 
 A comfortable house of worship was speedily pro- 
 vided, and very soon the congregation, in point 
 of numbers and ability and efficiency, took rank 
 with the older churches of the city. 
 
 Here he conducted a happy, useful and success- 
 ful pastorate for ten years, in connection with the 
 Chestnut Street Presbyterian Church, the same 
 organization that, in a different locality, is still ac- 
 tive, strong and prosperous, under the name and 
 title of the Warren Memorial Church. 
 
 In 1859 he was appointed by the General As- 
 sembly to the Chair of Ecclesiology, Sacred 
 Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology in the Presby- 
 terian Theological Seminary of the Northwest, 
 which the same assembly located at Chicago, on 
 the basis of an endowment of one hundred thou- 
 sand dollars donated by the late Cyrus H. Mc- 
 Cormick, of this city. The institution is now 
 known as McCormick Theological Seminary. 
 
 He entered upon his work in Chicago in the 
 autumn of that year. The city then contained a 
 population of barely one hundred thousand. The 
 seminary was domiciled at first in a rented build- 
 ing at Clark and Harrison Streets. Two years 
 later it found temporary quarters in the base- 
 ment of the North Presbyterian Church at Cass 
 and Indiana Streets. The present location, at 
 North Halsted Street and Fullerton Avenue, was 
 first occupied for seminary purposes in the winter 
 of 1863 and 1864. 
 
 Dr. Halsey continued his active labors in the 
 seminary for thirty-three years, terminating 
 them only in 1892, when he was eighty years old. 
 In addition to the labors of the pastorate and 
 of the professor's chair he was a faithful and in- 
 fluential helper in the councils of the church; he 
 responded to invitations for addresses on public 
 occasions, and was a frequent contributor to the 
 columns of the press. In 1858 he published his 
 first book, "The Literary Attractions of the 
 Bible," a work of classic merit, which holds and 
 will continue to hold an assured place among the
 
 L. J. HALSEY. 
 
 107 
 
 preserved gems of English and American litera- 
 ture. 
 
 After Dr. Halsey came to Chicago his voice 
 and pen occupied a wider sphere than that of the 
 seminary alone. He preached often and in many 
 pulpits all over the land and always with great 
 acceptance. In 1860 he issued "Life Pictures 
 from the Bible, ' ' a work that has held, and will 
 always hold with those who possess it, an eminent 
 place among the delineations of Bible character. 
 In 1861 appeared "The Beauty of Immanuel," 
 an exposition of the life, character, person, work, 
 offices and glory of the Christ whom he loved 
 and adored, a work most stimulating to piety and 
 helpful to devotion. 
 
 In 1866 he published, in three large volumes, 
 through the L,ippiiicott press, the "Life and 
 Works of Philip Lindsley, D. D.," a labor of 
 love, preserving to posterity the literary produc- 
 tions of one of the most accomplished educators 
 of his day. In 1871 appeared from his pen ' 'The 
 Memoir of Lewis W. Green, D. D.," and in 1881 
 a volume entitled "Living Christianity," a brief, 
 clear and strong presentation of the fundamentals 
 of Christian faith and the essentials of Chris- 
 tian duty. 
 
 About this time he became Professor Emeritus 
 and continued to give regular instruction in 
 the matters of church government -and the sacra- 
 ments. His pen was by no means idle, for in 
 1884 he published a very instructive and edifying 
 book on "Scotland's Influence on Civilization," 
 and in 1893 there came from his pen the work 
 into which he had poured the affections of his 
 heart and the accumulated events and emotions 
 of thirty years, "The History of the McCormick 
 Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian 
 Church," an octavo volume of five hundred 
 pages. 
 
 Dr. Halsey lived to be eighty-four years old, 
 dying June 18, 1896. 
 
 One of the large privileges of human life is to 
 dwell in immediate touch with great and good 
 men. The very presence, the example, and the 
 teachings of such men, tend to form the character, 
 to guide the thinking, to elevate the taste and to 
 direct the activities of whole communities. Be- 
 
 neath their kindly but potent influence, society 
 is rounded out into fairer proportions, the pur- 
 pose to accomplish noble ends becomes more de- 
 cisive, sympathy expands and deepens, and life 
 is found, more and more, to be truly worth the 
 living. One of the noblest of this high class was 
 the subject of this sketch. 
 
 For thirty-seven years Dr. Halsey lived in 
 Chicago. He entered on his work in that city 
 in the zenith of his powers. Long and painstak- 
 ing education had fitted him to exercise with 
 commanding ability the sacred office to which he 
 had been chosen. He had reached first rank as 
 a preacher and pastor before he entered on the re- 
 sponsible task of training young men for the 
 ministry, and he came to this new work ripe in 
 learning, mature in piety, skilled in administra- 
 tion, familiar with the best methods of profes- 
 sional education, intimately acquainted with the 
 foremost churchmen of the period, ardent in the 
 cause of a world- wide evangelization, embalmed 
 in the confidence of the influential communion, 
 which he represented, and in every way well 
 fitted to advance the important enterprise to which 
 he stood committed. 
 
 At the time of his entrance to Chicago Dr. 
 Halsey was called to lay the foundations upon 
 which varied structures should be raised. Society 
 was hardly formed, and his influence was felt in 
 directing it along lines of Christian refinement. 
 There was but one Presbyterian Church on the 
 North Side, and that near the heart of the city. 
 He early helped plant another and then others 
 as the years went by. 
 
 McCormick Theological Seminary was but just 
 opened in Chicago. Its maintenance and develop- 
 ment and permanent establishment had yet to be 
 provided for. 
 
 Few men have ever been called to so large and 
 so varied a work in so important a center and at 
 such an epoch-making period. For this impos- 
 ing undertaking he had the equipment requisite, 
 whether we consider it on the side of a large and 
 unhesitating faith in the sublime truths which he 
 came to teach and defend, or in the stead y cour- 
 age for the day of small things to be fostered in a 
 period of unrest and conflict or of conspicuous
 
 io8 
 
 THOMAS GOODE. 
 
 talents fitted to meet the diversified calls arising 
 from the extensive task or of sublime patience 
 in the midst of the fluctuations and discourage- 
 ments incident to the sure establishment of a 
 young institution in the center of a comoaratively 
 new section of our great country. 
 
 In the prosecution of these wide ranging labors 
 Dr. Halsey laid his formative hand on a larger 
 number of men than any other theological teacher 
 of the Presbyterian Church in the West. His 
 early colleagues soon passed on one in less than 
 two years, to his heavenly home the others to 
 important fields elsewhere. 
 
 Dr. Halsey remained undaunted at his post in 
 sunshine and in storm, when rude war rolled un- 
 checked over the land, when peace once more 
 
 settled on a still united nation. Under all the 
 changes of an eventful period he stood fast, the 
 one commanding figure in the changing scene, 
 around whose person the destinies of the institu- 
 tion revolved, and in whose lone hand its inter- 
 ests often reposed. And ere yet unseen hands 
 with gentle touch closed his eyes to earthly sight, 
 to be re-opened so soon amid the splendors of 
 mediatorial glory he had witnessed the triumphs 
 of the cause to which he had devoted so many 
 years of his life, in the establishment of a semi- 
 nary of sacred learning, equal in its equipments to 
 any in the land, and full to overflowing with in- 
 genuous youth in preparation for the noble work 
 of preaching the Gospel in every tongue and to 
 every land under the sun. 
 
 THOMAS GOODE, 
 
 'HOMAS GOODE, one of Chicago's most 
 worthy pioneers, now living in rest and re- 
 tirement on Racine Avenue, was born 
 April 18, 1816, in the Parish of Enfield, in Mid- 
 dlesex, near London, England. He is a son of 
 Thomas and Maria (Head) Goode, the former a 
 native of Warwickshire, and the latter of Middle- 
 sex, England. 
 
 Thomas Goode, senior, was an orphan from the 
 time he was a small boy, and was sent to London, 
 where his eldest brother lived, and where he 
 learned the trade of baker, at which he worked 
 for many years. He had seven children that 
 grew to maturity, three of whom came to America 
 with their parents. John and Thomas came in 
 1845, sailing from London, and upon arriving in 
 New York, they went to Albany by boat, and 
 from there proceeded to Buffalo by the canal. 
 From Buffalo they came to Chicago by the old 
 steamer "Madison." 
 
 In 1859 Thomas Goode visited England, and 
 
 when he returned to America his parents accom- 
 panied him, spending their last years in Chicago. 
 The father died in 1870, his wife having preceded 
 him by three years. Edward, a younger brother, 
 came to the United States about 1864, and still 
 resides in this city, and John Goode makes his 
 home in Florida. 
 
 Thomas Goode received only an ordinary educa- 
 tion in the schools of his native land, which were 
 then much poorer than now, and was early em- 
 ployed in a greenhouse, in the cultivation of 
 flowers and plants. 
 
 In 1840 Mr. Goode married Miss Ellen Colpus, 
 and their first three children were born in Eng- 
 land. Soon after coming to Chicago he bought 
 property on the West Side, in Carpenter's Ad- 
 dition, and later, bought twelve acres in North 
 Chicago, afterwards Lake View. Here he raised 
 vegetables extensively for the city market, and 
 through his prudence and industry, and the great 
 growth of the city, became wealthy. He sold
 
 G. N. POWELL. 
 
 109 
 
 some of his land to a railroad company, and the 
 remainder mostly in lots. He retired from active 
 business about ten years ago. Mr. Goode is an 
 ardent Republican, but has never been willing to 
 accept any public office himself. He is an ad- 
 herent of the Protestant Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. Goode has been married twice. By his 
 first wife he had six children, two of whom died 
 in infancy. Those of his children living are: 
 Edwin Peto; Jane, wife of John M. Gibson; La- 
 
 vinia and Rowland T. The mother of this family 
 died about 1879. In 1891 Mr. Goode married 
 Miss Margaret M. Gubbins, a native of the city 
 of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Goode has lived many years in his present 
 location, and has many friends. He is one of the 
 oldest and most highly respected citizens of this 
 part of the city, where, during his long residence, 
 he has proven his sterling qualities of mind and 
 heart. 
 
 GEORGE N. POWELL. 
 
 fJfEORGE NELSON POWELL, one of Chi- 
 
 bcago's pioneers, came to the West in 1833. 
 He was descended from English and Welsh 
 ancestry, and his lineage has been traced back to 
 Thomas Powell, who was born in August, 1641 
 (probably in Wales), and died at Westbury, 
 Long Island, December 28, 1721. A descendant 
 of his in the fourth generation, Obadiah Powell, 
 was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. 
 Obadiah Powell died in Saratoga County, New 
 York, at the age of nearly one hundred years. 
 Some time previous to the Revolutionary War he 
 removed thither from Dutchess County, in the 
 same state, with his wife Betsy, taking all their 
 belongings on the back of a pony. Like his 
 Quaker ancestry, he was opposed to war, and 
 was much censured during the Revolutionary 
 struggle because of his non-combatant position, 
 and most of his personal property was confiscated. 
 He was steadfast in his convictions, however, and 
 lived to be one of the leading farmers in the com- 
 munity. At the age of ninety-eight years he 
 husked several baskets of corn, which he carried 
 on his shoulder to the loft of his carriage-house. 
 
 He was the father of three sons and eight daugh- 
 ters, all of whom lived to extreme old age, and 
 his house was the favorite gathering-place of his 
 descendants. His son, Frost Powell, lived until 
 1840 in Dutchess County, New York, where he 
 married Katharine Nelson, who was of Dutch 
 descent. In 1840 he removed to Waterford, Ra- 
 cine County, Wisconsin, where he died a few 
 years later. 
 
 His son, George N. Powell, whose name heads 
 this article, was born August 13, 1807, in Dutchess 
 County, New York. He received the best edu- 
 cation that the locality afforded at that time, and 
 early in life became a general contractor. Being 
 convinced that the West offered great business 
 opportunities, he removed in 1833 to Chicago. 
 Here he rented a tract of land from Archibald Cly- 
 bourn, and engaged in farming and gardening. In 
 1836 he located in what was afterwards known as 
 Jefferson Township, making claim to the north- 
 east quarter of section thirty-six, which he pur- 
 chased at the land sale of 1838. He at once com- 
 menced the improvement of a farm on this land, 
 which was then in a state of nature, and for sev-
 
 no 
 
 G. N. POWELL. 
 
 eral years kept a public house for the entertain- 
 ment of travelers. While still in the prime of 
 life, and apparently having many years of active 
 usefulness before him, he was stricken with 
 cholera and died August 18, 1850. Besides being 
 a careful and successful business man he was ever 
 active as a citizen and took a great interest in pub- 
 lic affairs, affiliating in politics with the Dem- 
 ocratic party. 
 
 March 22, 1835, Mr. Powell married Miss Ara- 
 mesia Harmon,' who was born in Montgomery 
 County, Virginia, February 27, 1820. Her par- 
 ents, Henry Harmon and Mary Ann Horn- 
 barger, were natives of that state, and the chil- 
 dren of Revolutionary soldiers. Henry Harmon 
 enlisted as a soldier in the War of 1812, but peace 
 was declared before his services were called for. 
 He died October 29, 1829, and his widow mar- 
 ried Jacob Miller. In 1832 this couple came to 
 Chicago, where Mr. Miller worked as a carpen- 
 ter. In 1849 he made the overland journey to 
 California, and died there in the fall of that year. 
 His widow died December 27, 1876, in Minne- 
 sota. The family arrived in Chicago at the time 
 of the Black Hawk War, and took refuge in Fort 
 Dearborn. The daughter, Aramesia, was but 
 twelve years of age at that time, and received her 
 education and grew to womanhood in the pioneer 
 settlement. She has been an observant witness 
 of the marvelous growth of Chicago from a mere 
 hamlet of log huts to the second city in the land. 
 George N. and Aramesia Powell were the par- 
 ents of six children, the first of whom, George 
 W., died in childhood. John Frost, the second, 
 is a prominent citizen of Waukegan, Illinois, 
 where for some years he was largely engaged in 
 manufacturing. He is especially active and in- 
 fluential in the municipal affairs of that city, where 
 he served many years as alderman, and was 
 Mayor three terms. He is largely interested in 
 Chicago property. William H., the third son, 
 was a dealer in real estate in Chicago from 1870 
 until his death, in August, 1896. He married 
 Elizabeth J. Ritchie, who bore him a son, George 
 H. Powell, now engaged in the real-estate bus- 
 iness in Chicago. Mrs. Elizabeth J. Powell died 
 in 1886. 
 
 Daniel N. and Mary C., the fourth and sixth, 
 are deceased. A sketch of the fifth, Perry P., 
 appears below. In 1862 Mrs. Powell married 
 Theodore Mismer, a native of Strasburg, which 
 was at the time of his birth, in France, but now 
 belongs to Germany. They have one daughter, 
 Clara, now the wife of Fred C. Irwin, of Chicago. 
 Perry Polk Powell, the youngest son of George 
 N. and Aramesia Powell, was born January n, 
 1845. He remained at home assisting in the 
 cultivation of the farm and attending the district 
 school until he reached the age of seventeen 
 years. At that time the Civil War was stirring 
 the martial spirit of every patriotic American, 
 and young Powell was no exception to the rule. 
 Though still very young, he enlisted, July 6, 
 1862, in Battery A, First Illinois Light Artillery. 
 In the fall of that year he took part in the Vicks- 
 burg Campaign under General Sherman, and 
 celebrated his eighteenth birthday by participat- 
 ing in the Battle of Arkansas Post. On account 
 of sickness he was discharged August 7, 1863, but 
 on his recovery re-enlisted in Battery G of the 
 First Illinois Light Artillery, and was discharged 
 at the close of the war at Memphis, Tennessee. 
 
 After farming for one year in Cook County, 
 Mr. Powell removed to Blairstown, Iowa, where 
 he carried on a general store for about two years. 
 He then returned to Cook County, and has since 
 followed farming and gardening. In 1870 he 
 also engaged in the real-estate business, in which 
 he has been very successful. He has given his 
 hearty support to the Republican party and was 
 a member of the first board of trustees of Jeffer- 
 son after its organization as a village. He was 
 initiated into Masonry in July, 1867, in Lincoln 
 Lodge No. 199, at Blairstown, Iowa. He is a 
 member of Winfield Chapter No. 42, Royal Arch 
 Masons, and is Past Commander of Winfield Com- 
 mandery No. 15, Knights Templar, both of Win- 
 field, Kansas. He is also a member of Siberd 
 Post No. 58, Grand Army of the Republic, De- 
 partment of Kansas. Mr. Powell was married 
 January 10, 1872, to Miss Mary E. , daughter of 
 Thomas and Christie McGregor. Three children 
 have blessed this union, named in order of birth, 
 Maud, Frank and Ethel.
 
 C. B. DUPEE. 
 
 in 
 
 CHARLES B. DUPEE. 
 
 /TJHARLES BILLINGS DUPEE. Among 
 1 1 the business men who helped to promote 
 \J the growth of Chicago, both materially and 
 morally, the subject of this sketch should receive 
 honorable mention. His ancestors were the de- 
 voted French Huguenots, whose love of liberty 
 and freedom of religious thought induced them to 
 leave old France and settle in the New World. 
 James, grandfather of Charles B. Dupee, was born 
 in Walpole, Massachusetts. He was among the 
 most progressive of the citizens of the old Bay 
 State. (See sketch of H. M. Dupee for com- 
 plete genealogy. ) 
 
 Their son, Cyrus Dupee, was also born in Wal- 
 pole, and learned the mercantile business in Bos- 
 ton. For a long period he was engaged in the 
 wholesale provision Iradein Brighton, Massachu- 
 setts. He was married at Brighton (now Alls- 
 ton), Massachusetts, to Miss Elizabeth English, 
 of that place. He died there in 1841, leaving 
 eight children. Three of his sons, Charles B., 
 Cyrus and Horace Dupee, became prominent bus- 
 iness men of Chicago, where the last two are still 
 engaged in active life. He was a man of sterling 
 character, devoted to his family and diligent in 
 business. The family has for many generations 
 been noted in mercantile business, and has al- 
 ways maintained a high reputation for integrity. 
 
 Charles B. Dupee was born in Brighton, Mass- 
 achusetts, May 12, 1823. His first business under- 
 taking was in the meat and ice trade at Fitchburg, 
 Massachusetts, in which he was moderately suc- 
 cessful. In 1 8 54 he became a resident of Chicago, 
 establishing himself here in June of that year 
 his family, which at that time consisted of a wife 
 
 and two children, following in September. He 
 continued in the meat business in Chicago, and 
 after a time began putting up hams by a process 
 of his own, which secured for him an excellent 
 reputation and trade, and he grew prosperous and 
 extended the business by adding the wholesale 
 provision trade. He exercised great care in the 
 preparation of his goods, which he insisted on 
 giving his personal inspection, and the result was 
 an ever-increasing trade and a high reputation 
 for his wares, which continued to be popular on 
 the market long after his demise. He was in- 
 dustrious and economical, and his painstaking 
 care provided him a handsome competence. For 
 many years he carried on a large trade in supplies 
 for the United States Government. 
 
 Among his brother merchants, Mr. Dupee was 
 known for his unswerving fidelity to those prin- 
 ciples of true manhood that lift a man high above 
 the rank of ordinary men and make for him a 
 name in commercial centers that will forever be 
 worthy of remembrance and emulation. He was 
 a shrewd, far-seeing businessman, and his advice, 
 often sought by friends, was safe and reliable. 
 For about twenty years he was a resident of 
 Hyde Park, and was highly esteemed by the res- 
 idents of that suburb for his many noble qualities. 
 He was identified with the Republican party, but 
 was never connected with any office or political 
 work, and was in everyway a model citizen, and, 
 above all, an honest man the noblest work of 
 God. 
 
 After retiring from business, Mr. Dupee made 
 good investment in real estate, and the rapid ap- 
 preciation in value of his holdings added mate-
 
 112 
 
 J. A. PEARSONS. 
 
 rially to his resources, so that his declining years 
 were passed in the enjoyment of the competence 
 which his long years of industry had earned. He 
 passed away at his home in Chicago August 12, 
 1887, and his last words were: "I have been an 
 honest man." He left the impress of his strong 
 character upon the business world of Chicago, and 
 a good name that will be ever cherished by his 
 family. 
 
 On the yth of April, 1847, at Boston, Massachu- 
 setts, Charles B. Dupee was married to Miss Em- 
 meline, daughter of Seth and Louise (Miles) 
 Wellington, old and respected residents of Bos- 
 ton. The Wellingtons were among the noted pio- 
 neers of the commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
 Mrs. Dupee's ancestor, Roger Wellington, mar- 
 ried Miss Foster, a daughter of Dr. Foster, who 
 was the first settled physician in Charlestown, 
 Massachusetts. The Wellington monument, 
 
 standing in the Watertown (Massachusetts) cem- 
 etery, was erected over two hundred years ago. 
 Three children came to bless the home of Charles 
 B. and Mrs. Dupee. Their names are, Charles 
 Frederick, Elizabeth A. and Emma M. The sec- 
 ond is now deceased, and the last is the wife of 
 Reuben D. Coy, of Chicago. Her only child is 
 a daughter, named Margaret Wellington Coy. 
 Charles F. Dupee came with his parents to Chi- 
 cago in 1854. His father admitted him to part- 
 nership in his growing business in order to have 
 his aid in its conduct. Since the business was 
 closed out he has given his attention to the care 
 of his large property interests. He has two 
 children, Elizabeth S. and Charles Edward Du- 
 pee. 
 
 In 1890 Mrs. Emmeline Dupee built one of the 
 handsomest residences in Glencoe, Illinois, where 
 her family now resides. 
 
 JOHN A. PEARSONS. 
 
 (JOHN ALONZO PEARSONS, an early set- 
 I tier of Evanston, was born in Bradford, Ver- 
 Q/ mont, September 8, 1818. He is a son of 
 John Pearsons and Hannah Putnam, natives, re- 
 spectively, of Lyndeborough and Francestown, 
 New Hampshire. John Pearsons was a promi- 
 nent farmer and lumberman of Bradford, where 
 he located at the age of twelve years. For some 
 years he also kept a hotel there, known as the 
 Mann House. He was a soldier of the War of 
 1812, serving throughout that struggle. His 
 death occurred in Bradford, October 7, 1857, at 
 
 the age of sixty-five years. His mother, whose 
 maiden name was Elizabeth Kimball, also died 
 there at an extreme old age. 
 
 Mrs. Hannah Pearsons died at Holyoke, Mass- 
 achusetts, in 1888, at the age of ninety-one 
 years. She was a daughter of John Putnam, a 
 Revolutionary soldier, and a relative of Gen. 
 Israel Putnam. John Putnam served seven years 
 in the Continental army, and was at one time a 
 member of General Washington's Life Guard. 
 He afterward became an Adjutant of Vermont 
 militia, and, with two of his sons, participated in
 
 J. A. PEARSONS. 
 
 the War of 1812. In later life he was a car- 
 penter and bridge-builder at Bradford. His wife, 
 Olive Barron, lived to the age of ninety-three 
 years. 
 
 John A. Pearsons spent his boyhood in Brad- 
 ford, where he attended the district school, and, 
 at the age of nineteen years, began teaching, a 
 calling which he continued for four winters at and 
 in the vicinity of Bradford. He helped to con- 
 duct his father's hotel, and subsequently carried 
 on the same business at White River Village and 
 Norwich, Vermont. The latter place was then 
 the seat of General Ransom's Military School. 
 
 In September, 1852, he arrived in Chicago, 
 where he was employed for a time by John P. 
 Chapin, a prominent pioneer of Chicago. In 
 March, 1854, he located at Evanston, being in- 
 duced to settle there through the influence of 
 Dr. Hinman. Mr. Pearsons was the first to build 
 a house on the university lands, the location be- 
 ing identical with his present residence on Chi- 
 cago Avenue. Others soon followed his example, 
 and when the Chicago & Milwaukee Railway 
 reached that point the next winter, there was a 
 rapid influx of people. Such was the demand for 
 building materials and other merchandise, that 
 Mr. Pearsons found it advantageous to engage in 
 the business of general teaming. For eighteen 
 years he operated Pearsons' Evanston Express, 
 employing a number of teams and wagons on the 
 road between Chicago and Evanston, and the 
 business which he started has ever since been 
 continued, and is still a prosperous enterprise. 
 For some time he also kept a livery stable at 
 Evanston. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Pearsons sold out his express line, 
 and spent the following winter in the woods of 
 northern Michigan in the interest of his brother, 
 D. K. Pearsons, the well-known lumberman and 
 philanthropist. Becoming interested in the lum- 
 bering industry, and finding the business agree- 
 able to his health, which had become considerably 
 impaired, he spent the ensuing twelve years in 
 the lumber woods, during a part of which time 
 he operated a lumber-yard in Evanston. In 1885 
 he disposed of his lumber interests, since which 
 time he has lived in practical retirement. He 
 
 has filled nearly every office in the township, vil- 
 lage, and city of Evanston, and his official as well 
 as business obligations have always been dis- 
 charged in a creditable and efficient manner. 
 
 On the twenty-fifth day of October, 1842, was 
 celebrated the marriage of Mr. Pearsons and Miss 
 Hannah Stevens Bay ley, of Newbury, Vermont, 
 a daughter of Amherst Bayley and Melissa Stev- 
 ens, both natives of Newbury. Mrs. Pearsons' 
 paternal grandfather was the distinguished Gen- 
 eral Jacob Bayley, of the Continental army. Her 
 maternal grandfather, Simeon Stevens, was an 
 extensive farmer and highly exemplary citizen of 
 Newbury, distinguished also for his musical tal- 
 ents, being the possessor of a strong and very 
 sweet voice, which he retained even in old age. 
 He survived until nearly ninety years of age. 
 
 Mrs. Pearsons is a lady of many graces of mind 
 and heart. In her youth she won considerable 
 celebrity as a participant in the State Musical 
 Conventions of Vermont. She was one of the 
 prime movers in organizing the Woman's Ed- 
 ucational Aid Association, which was formed 
 in 1871, and has been an officer of the association 
 from its inception, and for eighteen years has 
 served as its President. The object of this 
 society is to assist worthy young ladies of lim- 
 ited means in obtaining an education. The Col- 
 lege Cottage, which was built soon after the or- 
 ganization of the association, has been several 
 times enlarged and improved, and now accommo- 
 dates about fifty-five students, and is recognized 
 as a worthy adjunct of the Northwestern Univer- 
 sity at Evanston. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Pearsons are the parents of two 
 children, and have lost two by death, one passing 
 away in infancy. The eldest, Henry Alonzo, is 
 a business man of Chicago, residing in Evanston. 
 Isabella is the wife of Wilbur F. Mappin, of 
 Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Helen, who was the 
 wife of Rev. Harvey R. Calkins, died March 27, 
 1892, at the age of twenty-six years. Two 
 grandchildren, Harry Putnam Pearsons and Lil- 
 ian Mappin, make glad the hearts of this worthy 
 couple. 
 
 In October, 1892, the golden wedding of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Pearsons was celebrated, and they are
 
 R. C. HALLETT. 
 
 still in the enjoyment of excellent health and that 
 contentment of mind which is "a continual feast, ' ' 
 and few of their acquaintances, and none among 
 strangers, can readily believe the number of their 
 years of usefulness already spent. They are 
 members of the First Methodist Church of Evan- 
 ston, which they helped to organize in the sum- 
 mer of 1854, at which time the society comprised 
 but six members. Mr. Pearsons was the Chorister 
 of the church for many years, and is one of the 
 Trustees of the Des Plaines Camp- Meeting Asso- 
 ciation. Mr. Pearsons cast his first vote for Will- 
 iam Henry Harrison, and was a member of 
 a military band which furnished music for 
 
 many of the public gatherings of the famous po- 
 litical campaign of 1840. He played in this band 
 for ten years. Since the organization of the Re- 
 publican party, he has been an adherent of its 
 principles. When he first located inEvanston, a 
 large portion of the present site of the city con- 
 sisted of a marsh covered with water, and none 
 of the streets had been improved. He has wit- 
 nessed the material development of the town until 
 it has come to be recognized as the first sub- 
 urb of Chicago, and has simultaneously watched 
 its intellectual and moral growth, in the promo- 
 tion of which he has been an interested factor. 
 
 REUBEN C HALLETT. 
 
 REUBEN CROWELL HAlvLETT, grandson 
 of one of the hardy pioneers of the Missis- 
 sippi Valley, and son of James Hallett, of 
 whom extended mention is made elsewhere in 
 this volume, has the proud distinction of being 
 a native of Illinois. He was born at Mount Car- 
 roll, in Carroll County, on the isth day of Octo- 
 ber, 1857, an d grew up in his native village, 
 where he received his primary schooling. He 
 attended Beloit College, Wisconsin, and finished 
 his education at the Wesleyan University, Bloom- 
 ington, Illinois, where he received instruction in 
 the law department from Adlai E. Stevenson, 
 Gen. Ira J. Bloomfield, John M. Hamilton, and 
 other noted attorneys of the state. 
 
 He was admitted to the Bar in 1880, and be- 
 gan the practice of law at Mount Carroll, but 
 soon turned his attention to other and more con- 
 genial pursuits. He became the owner and pub- 
 lisher of the Herald at Mount Carroll, which he 
 retained about a year. He then went to Rock- 
 ford, Illinois, where he was connected with the 
 
 Rockford Watch Company seven years. He re- 
 sided in Cleveland, Ohio, for a year, being iden- 
 tified with the Arctic Ice Machine Manufacturing 
 Company. During the last three years he has 
 been the western representative of the Hildreth 
 Varnish Company of New York, with headquar- 
 ters in one of the Grand Pacific offices, on Jack- 
 son Street, Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Hallett possesses a keen business instinct, 
 and his kind and genial manners and knowledge 
 of human nature make him an exceptionally suc- 
 cessful salesman. His dealings are largely with 
 railroad companies, and cover many large con- 
 tracts. He takes an active interest in all that 
 pertains to the general welfare, and is thoroughly 
 posted on questions that engage the public mind. 
 He was the independent candidate for States At- 
 torney of Carroll County in 1 880, but usually acts 
 with the Republican party. He was made a 
 Master Mason at Mount Carroll, and is now en- 
 tering upon the work of the exalted degrees.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 J. D. CATON. 
 
 JOHN D. CATON. 
 
 (JOHN DEAN CATON was born in Monroe, 
 I Orange County, New York, March 19, 1812. 
 O He is the fifteenth of the sixteen children of 
 Robert Caton, and the third child of his mother, 
 Hannah (Dean) Caton, who was the third wife of 
 Robert Caton. The latter was born March 22, 
 1761, on a plantation owned by his father (Robert 
 Caton) in Maryland. He joined the Continental 
 Army at the age of fourteen. Though very young 
 at the outbreak of the Revolution, he gave good 
 service to his native land in that struggle, and 
 after the triumph of colonial arms, settled on the 
 Hudson River, in New York. He died in 1815. 
 Robert Caton, grandfather of the subject of this 
 biography, was born in England, of Irish de- 
 scent, and served in the English army before set- 
 tling in Maryland. He was a prominent citizen 
 of that colony long before the Revolution, and 
 the name is a conspicuous one in Maryland soci- 
 ety to-day. Robert Caton, during the life of his 
 second wife, joined the Society of Friends, and 
 became a preacher in that denomination, his third 
 wife being a member also. His four children by 
 his third wife, according to the rules of that de- 
 nomination, became birthright members, and so 
 has the subject of this sketch continued; he is 
 now a member of the society in good standing. 
 
 When John D. Caton was four years old, his 
 widowed mother took him to Oneida Count}-, 
 New York. His advantages were few, but he re- 
 ceived the primary training of a common school. 
 At the age of nine years, he was set to work with 
 a farmer, at two and one-half dollars per month, 
 and brought home a quarter of beef as the fruit of 
 his first earnings. Work was afforded only in the 
 summer, and his winters were spent in school un- 
 til he was fourteen. It had been his father's wish 
 
 that he should be equipped for life with a trade, 
 and he was apprenticed. A weakness of the eyes 
 interfered with the completion of his time, and at 
 sixteen, he joined his mother at Utica, New York, 
 where he was enabled to put in nine months at the 
 academy. He was so diligent and apt that he 
 was thus equipped for earning by surveying and 
 teaching school. While teaching, he pursued 
 the study of the classics, and also did a little work 
 in the law by practicing in justices' courts. He 
 entered the office of Beardsley & Matteson, at 
 Utica, as a student, at the age of nineteen years. 
 He later studied with James H. Collins, who af- 
 terward became a leader at the Chicago Bar and 
 was a partner in practice with Mr. Caton. 
 
 Having become well grounded in the theory of 
 law, and having attained man's estate, he resolved 
 to settle in the new West and establish himself in 
 practice. He had a special incentive in this de- 
 termination, in the fact that he was the accepted 
 lover of one of "York State's" fairest daughters, 
 and was anxious to secure a permanent home. 
 Having reached Buffalo by canal, he took pas- 
 sage on the steamer "Sheldon Thompson," which 
 brought him to Detroit, and thence he took stage 
 to Ann Arbor, still undetermined as to his loca- 
 tion. Still pushing westward, he rode in a wagon 
 to White Pigeon, and here, by pure accident, he 
 fell in with a cousin, whose husband, Irad Hill, 
 was a carpenter and was employed by Dr. John T. 
 Temple, of Chicago, to build a house for him 
 there. The doctor and Mr. Hill were then in 
 White Pigeon getting lumber for this purpose. 
 Young Caton joined the rafting party which 
 transported the lumber down the St. Joseph 
 River, and took passage on the schooner which 
 conveyed it to its destination. This was the
 
 J. D. CATON. 
 
 "Ariadne," whose cargo of lumber and immi- 
 grants was about all she could carry. 
 
 He soon determined to locate here, and in a 
 few days set off on horseback for Pekin, one hun- 
 dred and fifty miles away, to seek admission to 
 the Bar. Here he met Stephen T. Logan, after- 
 wards partner of Abraham Lincoln, and other 
 leading attorneys of the State. After court ad- 
 journed and supper had been taken, the young 
 applicant accompanied Judge Lockwood, of the 
 Supreme Court, in a stroll on the river bank, and 
 after being plied with questions on the theory and 
 practice of law, was addressed in these words: 
 "Well, my young friend, you've got a good deal 
 to learn if you ever' expect to make a success as a 
 lawyer, but if you study hard I guess you' 11 do it. 
 I shall give you your license." It took but nine 
 years for the new licensee to attain a place beside 
 his examiner on the supreme bench of the State. 
 
 Mr. Caton's first case was in the first lawsuit 
 in the village of Chicago, in which he appeared 
 as prosecutor of a culprit accused of stealing thir- 
 ty-six dollars from a fellow-lodger at the tavern. 
 When the defendant was brought before Squire 
 Heacock, Caton insisted that he be searched, and 
 he was stripped to his underclothing. Before he 
 could replace his apparel, as directed by the court, 
 the prosecuting attorney discovered a suspicious 
 lump in his stocking. Seizing hold of this lump, 
 he turned down the stocking and disclosed the 
 missing bills. The case was then adjourned till 
 next day, and a Constable watched the prisoner 
 all night, having confined him under a carpenter's 
 bench. Next morning when he was arraigned, 
 Spring and Hamilton appeared for the defence and 
 took a change of venue to Squire Harmon, who 
 held court in the old tannery, on the North Side 
 near the river forks. The whole town was now 
 agog with the novel spectacle of a public trial; 
 and Harmon, in order to give all a chance to en- 
 joy the show, adjourned to Wattle's Tavern, on 
 the West Side, where the case came off with much 
 eclat; all the young attorneys "spreading them- 
 selves' ' in their respective speeches. Judge Caton 
 remembers that he dwelt particularly on the enor- 
 mity of the act of this serpent who had brought 
 
 crime into this young community where it had 
 been unknown. The thief was held for trial, but 
 the device (then new) of "straw bail" gave him 
 temporary liberty, which he made permanent by 
 running away as soon as the money was recovered; 
 and as the public had had the fun and excitement 
 of a ' 'lawsuit' ' nobody cared much what became 
 of the author of this welcome break in the village 
 monotony. If he had been tried and convicted it 
 would have been only the beginning of trouble, 
 for there was no jail wherein to keep him. Young 
 Caton got ten dollars for his fee the first money 
 he had ever earned in Illinois by his profession 
 and it just paid the arrears of his board bill. 
 (History of Chicago, edited by Moses and Kirk- 
 land.) 
 
 Having now been launched in practice, Mr. 
 Caton rented an office in the "Temple Building," 
 having his lodging in the attic of the same struc- 
 ture. To "make ends meet," he rented desk 
 room in his office to his contemporary, Giles 
 Spring. 
 
 Justice Caton recalls July 12, 1834, an era in 
 his youthful experience. It was the beginning of 
 his judicial career; the date of his election to the 
 office of Justice of the Peace, the only public office 
 he ever held except those of Alderman of the city 
 (1837-8) and Justice of the Supreme Court of the 
 State (1843-64). He became its Chief Justice in 
 1857. The election of 1834 was a fierce contest, 
 "bringing out every last voter in the precinct, 
 from Clybourne to Hardscrabble and beyond, per- 
 haps even taking in the Calumet Crossing." The 
 Government piers had been built and the begin- 
 ning of a channel had been cut across the imme- 
 morial sandbar, but as yet it had never been used. 
 On this memorable day, the schooner "Illinois" 
 chanced to be lying at anchor, and the friends of 
 Caton (George W. Dole and others), to the num- 
 ber of a hundred or more, got ropes to the schooner 
 and dragged her by main force through the un- 
 finished dug-way. Then they decked her with 
 all the bunting in the village, and, hoisting sail, 
 sped triumphantly up the stream to the Forks 
 the first vessel that ever penetrated the Chicago 
 River. And when the votes were counted the
 
 J. D. CATON. 
 
 117 
 
 tally showed John DeanCaton, one hundred and 
 eighty-two; Josiah C. Goodhue, forty-seven. 
 (Story of Chicago, 130). 
 
 An incident in the life of the future chief jus- 
 tice, which saved him to the people of Illinois, is 
 elsewhere related in the biography of Col. Julius 
 \Varren, who was ever gratefully remembered by 
 Mr. Caton as his dearest friend. 
 
 In the spring of 1835 Squire Caton felt himself 
 able to assume the cares of a household, and he 
 returned to New York, where he was wedded to 
 Miss Laura Adelaide, daughter of Jacob Sherrill, 
 of New Hartford. Their wedding tour was an 
 ideal one, being a passage from Buffalo to Chicago 
 on the brig "Queen Charlotte." This was one 
 of the vessels captured in Put-in-Bay and sunk in 
 the harbor of Erie by Commodore Perry in 1812. 
 After twenty years, it had been raised and refitted, 
 and this was her first trip. 
 
 In 1836 Mr. Caton built the first dwelling on 
 the ' 'school section, ' ' west of the river. This was 
 at the southwest corner of Clinton and Harrison 
 Streets, and at that time it was so far from other 
 dwellings that it was called the ' 'prairie cottage. ' ' 
 It fell before the great holocaust of 1871. About 
 the same time that he built this house, he entered 
 into partnership with Norman B. Judd (who 
 drafted-the first charter of Chicago) . The finan- 
 cial difficulties of 1837 almost crippled the ambi- 
 tious young lawyer, and to increase his troubles, 
 his health became impaired and he was advised 
 by his physician to return to farming. He took up 
 a tract of land near Plainfield, which he still owns, 
 and removed his family thither in 1839. He con- 
 tinued the practice of law, and the records show 
 that he tried the first jury cases in Will and Kane 
 Counties, as well as Cook. 
 
 Mr. Caton was appointed an associate justice of 
 the Supreme Court in 1842, and his united terms 
 of service, by successive elections, amounted to 
 twenty-two years. During the latter portion of 
 this time he occupied the position of Chief Justice. 
 The duties of his high office were completed day 
 by day, no matter how much of the night they 
 might consume, and the court in his day was al- 
 ways up with its docket. In 1864 he left the 
 Bench, and has since given his time to travel, 
 
 literary labors and the conduct of his private af- 
 fairs. He has published several works, among 
 which are "The Antelope and Deer of America," 
 "A Summer in Norway," "Miscellanies" and 
 "Early Bench and Bar of Illinois." 
 
 Before 1850 Justice Caton became interested in 
 the electric telegraph. This was before the organ- 
 ization of the Western Union, and he set to work 
 to re-organize and set in order the dilapidated and 
 scattered lines. They had hitherto occupied the 
 wagon roads, and he secured the adoption of a 
 system by the railways, where it was soon found 
 to be an absolute necessity. When the Western 
 Union took hold of the business, Judge Caton and 
 his fellow-stockholders were enabled to make most 
 advantageous terms for the disposition of their 
 interests. 
 
 Death first invaded the home of Judge Caton in 
 1891, when a daughter, her mother's namesake, 
 was taken aw?y, and in 1892, Mrs. Caton went 
 before. For fifty-seven years, this happily-as- 
 sorted couple had traveled together the journey 
 o r life, and they were, no doubt, the oldest sur- 
 viving couple in Chicago at the time of Mrs. Ca- 
 ton's demise. During her last illness Judge Caton 
 remarked to his family physician that they had 
 lived together for more than fifty-seven years 
 without a cross or unkind word ever passing be- 
 tween them. Two children survived her, namely: 
 Arthur J. Caton, a Chicago business man, who 
 was admitted to the Bar, and Caroline, now the 
 wife of the distinguished attorney, Norman Wil- 
 liams. 
 
 In August, 1893, Judge Caton suffered a slight 
 stroke of paralysis. Before this affliction, advanc- 
 ing years had brought on the old trouble with his 
 eyes, which had, happily for his future career, 
 turned his attention from a trade, but up to the 
 beginning of 1893, he was able to read a little with 
 the aid of strong glasses. By the aid of a reading- 
 secretary, he keeps up an acquaintance with 
 literature and current events. Even the added 
 trial of decay in his powers of locomotion did 
 not make him despair or become morose. To 
 a close friend he said: "I do not repine. I do 
 not lament the advance of age and the loss of fac- 
 ulties; not one bit. I enjoy my life, and thank-
 
 n8 
 
 T. H. WEBSTER. 
 
 fully recognize the numberless compensations and 
 alleviations that are mercifully left me. No; I 
 am well content." 
 
 He still survives at the age of eighty-three, and 
 
 it is a little remarkable that the first lawyer in 
 Chicago to bring a case in a court of record is 
 still with us, with intellect unimpaired, when the 
 bar numbers more than three thousand. 
 
 THOMAS H. WEBSTER. 
 
 'HOMAS HOLMES WEBSTER. Among 
 the many fire-insurance agents with which 
 La Salle Street abounds, there is, perhaps, 
 no other man whose reputation for safe and con- 
 servative business methods has been more con- 
 sistently sustained than he whose name heads 
 this notice. His entire business training and 
 experience have been acquired in this city, and, 
 while the opportunities for speculation have been 
 abundant, and the chances for unusual profit have 
 seemed quite as alluring to him as to others, he 
 has conscientiously avoided all participation in 
 that hazardous and demoralizing field, confining 
 his attention to the regular channels of business, 
 and thereby maintaining his business credit and 
 securing the confidence and good- will of his asso- 
 ciates. 
 
 Mr. Webster was born in Leeds, England, on 
 the 2gth of October, 1846. His parents, John and 
 Mary (Holmes) Webster, were natives of York- 
 shire. John Webster was employed for some years 
 in the cloth-mills at Leeds, but being desirous of 
 procuring better opportunities for his growing 
 family, in 1853 he came to America. He located 
 in Chicago and secured employment with the Chi- 
 cago Gas Light and Coke Company, whose inter- 
 ests he continued to serve until his death, which 
 occurred in 1866, at the age of forty-two years. 
 He began as a laborer, but with such faithful- 
 ness and ability did he serve the interests of the 
 company that he was soon promoted to a more re- 
 munerative occupation, and at the time of his de- 
 mise was the assistant Secretary of the company. 
 
 His wife survived him but two years, passing 
 away at the age of forty-four. They were mem- 
 bers of the Second Baptist Church of Chicago, 
 and had formerly been connected with the Taber- 
 nacle Baptist Church. 
 
 Thomas H. Webster, with his mother and the 
 balance of the family, joined his father in Chica- 
 go in 1855. He is one of a family of thirteen 
 children, of whom but two others now survive. 
 Their names are Sarah H., Mrs. W. C. Corlies; 
 and Louisa L., Mrs. R. M. Johnson, all of Chi- 
 cago. Thomas was educated in the public schools 
 of this city, and upon the death of his father as- 
 sumed the care of the family, supplying' to its 
 members, as far as possible, the place of the de- 
 ceased parent. His first employment was in the 
 capacity of a clerk in a dry-goods store, where he 
 continued for about one year. Since the ist of 
 August, 1863, he has been consecutively connect- 
 ed with the business of fire underwriting. He be- 
 gan as office boy for the Chicago Firemen's In- 
 surance Company, but was soon appointed to a 
 clerkship, and about 1865 bcame the cashier of 
 the company. This position he filled until the 
 concern was annihilated by the great fire of 1871. 
 After that disaster, the affairs of the corporation 
 were placed in the hands of Hon. O. H. Horton, 
 as assignee, and this gentleman secured the serv- 
 ices of Mr. Webster as his assistant, his familiar- 
 ity with the affairs of the concern being of great 
 value in closing up its business. 
 
 Mr. Webster was afterwards successively con- 
 nected with the firms of Walker & Lowell, and
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILUN(
 
 W. C. GOUDY. 
 
 119 
 
 the Globe Insurance Company, continuing with 
 the latter concern until it went out of business in 
 1876. He then became a clerk for S. M. Moore, 
 with whom he soon after entered into partnership, 
 under the firm name of S. M. Moore & Com- 
 pany. Upon the retirement of the senior member 
 in 1886, this firm was succeeded by that of Web- 
 iter & Wiley, Mr. E. N. Wiley becoming the jun- 
 ior partner. In 1889 the latter firm was consol- 
 idated with that of H. de Roode & Company, 
 under the name of Webster, Wiley & de Roode. 
 On the first of November, 1 894, Mr. de Roode re- 
 tired from the firm, since which time the business 
 has been conducted under the name of Webster, 
 Wiley & Company, Mr. C. P. Jennings having 
 become a third partner on January i, 1895. 
 
 Mr. Webster was married, September 13, 1881, 
 to Miss Anna Martindale, a native of Ohio, and 
 a daughter of Rev. Theodore D. Martindale, a 
 
 Methodist clergyman of that state. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Webster are the parents of two sons, Frank M. 
 and Ralph N. Mr. Webster is identified with the 
 Union League, Sunset and Metropolitan Clubs, 
 and Lexington Council of the National Union. 
 He is not an active participant in political strife, 
 but has all his life been a supporter of Republican 
 principles. 
 
 Having been the head of a family from the age 
 of twenty years, he has had few opportunities for 
 recreation, and finds his greatest pleasure in the 
 midst of the home circle. His business opera- 
 tions have been confined to the realm of fire un- 
 derwriting, and while others have in some in- 
 stances accumulated more wealth than he, the 
 substantial friendship and esteem of his colleagues 
 are his, and his record is one which causes no re- 
 grets. 
 
 WILLIAM C GOUDY. 
 
 CHARLES GOUDY. To be a 
 leader in any profession in a city the size of 
 Chicago, means to be the possessor of large 
 intellect, of close application and happy fortune; 
 to be in the front rank of contemporary lawyers 
 in a metropolis whose courts decide as many 
 cases as the combined judiciary of all Great 
 Britain, is a mark of pre-eminence indeed. Such 
 pre-eminent distinction has been already noted 
 by the Muse of History in her vast temple of 
 fame, where, chiseled in conspicuous recent 
 strength, we read the sterling name of William 
 Charles Goudy. 
 
 Mr. Goudy was born near Cincinnati, Ohio 
 (but "across the line" in Indiana), on the isth 
 day of May, 1824, unto Robert and Jane (Ainslie) 
 Goudy. His father was a native of North Ire- 
 land and of Scotch-Irish ancestry, of that virile 
 
 blood which has already played so thrilling a 
 part in American history on sea and land. The 
 name is spelled Goudie in Scotland, where the 
 poet Burns immortalized it in song in that stanza 
 of a poem wherein occurs the line, ' 'Goudie, ter- 
 ror of the Whigs!" The family continues to hew 
 true to the block, for who ever heard of any 
 Goudy who was anything but a Democrat in 
 the United States ? His mother, who was of 
 English birth, was residing in Pennsylvania when 
 taken to wife by Mr. Goudy 's father. 
 
 Robert Goudy was a carpenter in early life, later 
 changing, as do so many of our citizens, his calling 
 to printing, in which craft he was busied for some 
 years at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But when 
 the future Judge Goudy was a boy of ten years, 
 his father moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, a most 
 fortunate field, as afterwards developed, for all the
 
 I2O 
 
 W. C. GOUDY. 
 
 family. Here, in 1833, he began the publication 
 of Gaudy's Farmers' Almanac, the first annual 
 of its kind to be printed in the Northwest, which, 
 filling a greatly felt need, grew speedily into the 
 deserved prominence it maintained for the many 
 years during which it was a household word. 
 Later, he embarked in a newspaper of fair pro- 
 portions for that era; in which connection let it 
 not be overlooked that it was the first press to 
 call pointed attention to that rising young star, 
 Stephen A. Douglas. The son also did his share 
 of battling for this candidate during that heated 
 campaign when Douglas defeated Lincoln in the 
 memorable congressional contest. 
 
 The subject of this sketch graduated at the 
 Illinois College of Jacksonville in 1845, an alma 
 mater made proud time and again by the grand 
 deeds of her hero pupil, whom she has twice hon- 
 ored with her post-graduate degrees, namely, 
 Master of Arts and Doctor of Laws. Suffice to 
 say, that none of her myriad graduates ever won 
 such special favor more fairly than he of whom 
 we are writing. 
 
 While reading law thereafter, Mr. Goudy 
 taught school in Decatur. Later he went for a 
 time into the office of Stephen A. Logan, partner 
 of Lincoln. In 1847 he was admitted to the Bar 
 at Lewistown, Illinois, entering directly into 
 partnership with Hon. Hezekiah M. Weed, of 
 that place, where he rapidly rose in public notice 
 and favor. Taking an active part in politics, he 
 was partially rewarded in 1852 by being elected 
 States Attorney of the Tenth Judicial Circuit, 
 which position of trust he resigned in 1856; and 
 from 1857 to 1861 was twice returned as State Sen- 
 ator for the Fulton-McDonough district. In 1859 
 fame and rapidly growing practice invited him 
 to Chicago, the great Western center, which, like 
 Athens of old, calls annually for its tribute of 
 talent and oratory from its outlying territory. 
 For about the next thirty-five years his reputa- 
 tion and his wealth grew with amazing rapidity, 
 until none throughout the entire Mississippi Val- 
 ley was better or more favorably known in his 
 profession than Judge Goudy. His learned skill 
 was demonstrated in the higher courts all over 
 this western county, from which, in frequent 
 
 triumphs, he went to more honorable laurels 
 achieved before that tribunal of dernier resort, the 
 Supreme Court of the United States. His specialty 
 was the law of real property, in which branch 
 of learning he was recognized as a leader all over 
 the vast domain his talents dominated; indeed, 
 there have been expressed on more than one oc- 
 casion sincere regrets that Judge Goudy left no 
 published work upon this broad field of judicature, 
 of especial application in the newer West, for 
 the guidance of future brothers. It would indeed 
 have been the labor of a legal giant, gigantically 
 performed. During all this later period, not a 
 volume of Illinois Reports, and they number into 
 the hundreds, but bears his name as attorney or 
 counsel in cases of gravest import and represent- 
 ing questions and corporations of greatest magni- 
 tude. 
 
 As illustrating the thoroughness with which 
 he worked and the minuteness of inquiry and 
 research to which he -would voluntarily go, rather 
 than admit he was beaten or acknowledge there 
 was no redress (in his opinion) for his client, 
 we must digress sufficiently to call attention to 
 that case (the Kingsbury-Buckner), perhaps 
 most famous of all his many noted cases, which 
 involved the question of the fee of that splendid 
 piece of central real estate upon which now stands 
 the Ashland Building, the great law office re- 
 sort, corner of Randolph and Clark Streets, in 
 our city. This case long looked hopeless for the 
 party in whose interests Judge Goudy had been 
 retained. Conviction of the fact that the grantee, 
 who seemed to own the fee, was really a holder 
 for cestuis qui trust was sincerely entertained, but 
 in support of such hypothesis not a scintilla of 
 evidence seemed possible to be introduced. Early 
 and late, far and near, in and out of season, our 
 lawyer toiled to find some slight link, so vital to 
 support such a much-sought chain of title. In 
 short, almost at a standstill, sufficient proof was 
 at last unearthed from a letter written as casual 
 correspondance to a relative of the writer in the 
 Down East. This became the turning-point of 
 the case. For his services the Judge is said to 
 have been paid the largest fee known in the 
 West. How many thousands is not known, but
 
 W. C. GOUDY. 
 
 121 
 
 surely it was earned in such a manner as to be 
 gladly paid by a client who would have lived and 
 died in ignorant non-assertion of rights, but for 
 the untiring researches of his lawyer. Let every 
 young attorney ponder well the significance of 
 the story; just such opportunities time and again 
 have made in an instant the name and fame 
 )f the energetic hero. The ability to win cases 
 is the crucial test of lawyers; and a still greater 
 test is the ability to effect a desirable compromise, 
 as the subject of this sketch often did; for exam- 
 ple, in the notable Wilbur F. Storey will case. 
 
 During the later years of his exceedingly active 
 career, the firm of which he was senior member 
 was styled Goudy, Green & Goudy, and for 
 a considerable period prior to his demise he was 
 chief counsel for the Chicago & Northwestern 
 Railway, in which position he had the excep- 
 tional fortune of holding his former private 
 clientage. It is worth recording that the reasons 
 for his being retained by that railway were 
 found in numerous suits brought against it by 
 Mr. Goudy for clients, who usually won. 
 
 Mr. Goudy married, August 22, 1849, a most 
 estimable and cultured lady, Miss Helen Judd, 
 of Canton, Illinois, a daughter of Solomon Judd, 
 quite a distinguished Abolitionist. His father was 
 Solomon Judd, Sr., of Westhampton, Massachu- 
 setts, coming of excellent ancestry, tracing back 
 to the pride of all Yankees, the "Mayflower" of 
 1620. Mrs. Goudy's mother was Eleanor Clark, 
 born of an old Northampton, Massachusetts, 
 family. 
 
 Two children cheered their most happy wedded 
 life. Clara Goudy (an adopted daughter), born 
 in October, 1857, married, in 1887, Ira J. Geer, 
 of this city, a practicing lawyer of superior 
 repute, by whom she has one child, William 
 Jewett Geer. Judge Goudy left an only son, 
 William Judd Goudy, who was born in 1864, 
 for an extended sketch of whom vide other pages 
 herein. 
 
 Mrs. Goudy was born on the 2ist of November, 
 1821, at Otisco, Onondaga County, New York, 
 was educated at the Aurora Academy of that 
 State, after which she taught school for about 
 nine years. She then removed to Canton, Illinois, 
 
 where she had been teaching her own private 
 school for young ladies about two years at the 
 time Judge Goudy won her undying affections. 
 She survives her deeply mourned husband, and, 
 while not in perfect health, yet for her mature 
 age well preserved; and it is the earnest wish 
 of all her myriad friends and recipients of generous 
 benefactions that she may long continue in a 
 sphere of wisely contented usefulness. She is 
 unostentatiously conspicuous for her many works 
 of charity, formal recognition of which was made 
 some years since in her elevation to the position 
 of President of the Board of Managers of the Half 
 Orphan Asylum. Truly may it be said in sim- 
 ple, modest truth, her life has been a model for 
 imitation. 
 
 The old Goudy homestead, one of the choicest, 
 most elegant of its time, was located in what has 
 since become a very public neighborhood, about 
 No. 1 140 North Clark Street. In the early days 
 it stood in a magnificient grove of trees some 
 acres in extent, whose retirement received a con- 
 tinual benediction from the murmurs of the lake 
 near at hand. Later operations have subdivided 
 and covered with many dwellings this lovely 
 property. "And the place thereof shall know it 
 no more." Anticipating growing encroachment 
 upon that privacy in which Mr. Goudy so much 
 delighted, he finally built a solid, ornate mansion 
 of gray granite at No. 240 Goethe Street, than 
 which none of our citizens can boast of a more 
 complete or elegant home. In full view of the lake 
 (but a block distant), contiguous to a beautiful 
 private park, within easy access of business 
 haunts, and yet enjoying the stillness of a veritable 
 country seat, Judge Goudy with his wife there 
 found the oasis of existence, his seat of recupera- 
 tive rest, his scene of domestic bliss, for he was 
 emphatically, notwithstanding the grandeur and 
 publicity which cast a halo about his character, 
 a domestic man. Though a valued member of 
 the Union and Iroquois Clubs, he was not an 
 habitue of their inviting halls, save on rare special 
 occasions. 
 
 In politics, like all his lineage, he was a sturdy 
 Democrat ; not particularly aggressive, but full of 
 wise counsels and dictator of winning courses to
 
 122 
 
 H. F. FRINK. 
 
 be pursued in accomplishing certain political 
 ends. His first vote was cast for L,ewis Cass in 
 1848; he had much to do with the nomination of 
 President Cleveland to his last term of office; and 
 might have passed away in occupation of the 
 most dignified seat of judicial honor within the 
 gift of our country, i. e., the Supreme Bench of 
 the United States, had not his ever honorable 
 principles decided him to withdraw in favor of 
 his old friend, the present Chief Justice, M. W. 
 Fuller. He was at one time President of the 
 Lincoln Park Board of Commissioners, as he had 
 been among those most actively valuable in lay- 
 ing out the bounds and bringing into being that 
 most beautiful of all our resorts. 
 
 Judge Goudy was a "gentleman of the old 
 school," always courteous and scrupulously hon- 
 orable; the possessor of a frankly-bright, prepos- 
 sessing face, brimful of character. A very broad 
 forehead surmounted features all finely chiseled; 
 his figure was but of medium height and physical 
 weight, but capable of expressing great dignity 
 upon occasion. Though rather sickly in youth, 
 by abstemious habits he had grown for many 
 years to be quite robust, in which condition he 
 was maintained by studious attention to all his 
 
 habits, save that of work. In this, he reminds 
 one strongly of the great Csesar, who, sickly in 
 youth, by careful regimen grew to endure in- 
 credible labors. Indeed, it was from over appli- 
 cation, following too speedily a season of malady, 
 that Judge Goudy met his end April 27, 1893; 
 which found him suddenly, like the lightning 
 flash, seated in his chair by the office desk, whither 
 he had injudiciously repaired upon important 
 business. His tough, perennial thread of life, 
 which had been vexed and tugged at time and 
 again by his response to urgent demands, was 
 strained beyond endurance; it snapped, and the 
 heroic melody of a noble life became forever in- 
 stantly silent. He was buried under the auspices 
 of the Fourth Presbyterian Church, in which he 
 had always had a vital interest, and now sleeps the 
 peaceful sleep of the just in the family lot at Grace- 
 land Cemetery, which spot will long continue to be 
 marked by the dignified memorial now rising 
 over his remains. 
 
 He left a supremely honorable name. Out of the 
 many illustrious heroes found herein, none need 
 doubt that the memory of the greatest will not 
 survive that of Hon. William Charles Goudy. 
 
 HENRY F. FRINK. 
 
 HENRY FARNSWORTH FRINK, whose 
 business and social relations cause him to be 
 well known in Cook County, enjoys the dis- 
 tinction of being a native of Chicago, and repre- 
 sents one of its most esteemed pioneer families. 
 The house in which he was born stood at the 
 corner of Wabasli Avenue and Randolph Street, 
 and the date of his advent was April 17, 1848. 
 His parents were John and Harriet Frink, an ap- 
 propriate notice of whom is given elsewhere in 
 this book. 
 
 Henry F. Frink was afforded excellent educa- 
 
 tional advantages, and at twenty years of age 
 graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts 
 from the Chicago University. It is needless to 
 add that his subsequent career has been such as 
 to reflect credit upon his Alma Mater. He began 
 the study of law in the office of Sleeper, Whiton 
 & Durham, and in 1872 was admitted to practice 
 by a committee composed of members of the Bar 
 appointed for the purpose of examining candi- 
 dates. Since that date he has been continuously 
 engaged in practice, making a specialty of real- 
 estate law and the examination of abstracts. His
 
 J. M. ADSIT. 
 
 123 
 
 ample experience and accurate knowledge of 
 these subjects are of great value to himself and 
 his clients, and cause his opinions to be received 
 with respectful attention by attorneys and officials 
 generally. He deals in city and suburban realty 
 to a considerable extent, and by the exercise of 
 foresight and discrimination in these operations 
 has accumulated a competence, which he endeav- 
 ors to invest in such a manner as to promote the 
 commercial interests of the community. In 1891 
 he organized the Austin State Bank, of which he 
 has ever since been the President, giving consid- 
 erable of his time and attention to its affairs. His 
 business of all kinds has been conducted in such 
 a manner as to secure the best results to his col- 
 leagues and at the same time to inspire the confi- 
 dence of the public in his judgment and integrity. 
 On the I4th of April, 1886, occurred the mar- 
 riage of Mr. Frink and Miss Louise Creote, a 
 most estimable lady and a daughter of Joseph 
 Creote, an early pioneer of Chicago. A daugh- 
 ter, Mildred, helps to brighten the home circle of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Frink. The former of this couple 
 
 adheres to the Episcopal faith, in the tenets of 
 which he was instructed in youth, while his wife 
 is a member of the Baptist Church at Austin, 
 where the family resides. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Frink is identified with the Royal 
 League and Athletic Clubs. While never an act- 
 ive politician, he is not unmindful of the duties 
 of citizenship, and usually casts his ballot in sup- 
 port of Republican principles. 
 
 Previous to the great Chicago fire he occupied 
 an office with W. D. Kerfoot at No. 95 Washing- 
 ton Street, and for a time subsequent to that dis- 
 aster he shared with that gentleman the historic 
 cabin in the street, which served them as a shel- 
 ter pending the rescue of their safe from the em- 
 bers and the erection of their new building. He 
 did duty as a member of the citizens' patrol guard 
 immediately after the great fire, a temporary ar- 
 rangement for the protection of homes and prop- 
 erty, which was instrumental in preventing a 
 great deal of the pillage and plundering to which 
 the city was exposed until the police force could 
 be re-organized. 
 
 JAMES M. ADSIT. 
 
 (TAMES M. ADSIT. To have been among 
 I the first in Chicago to engage in any honor- 
 Q) able calling is quite sufficient to make such 
 a one a local historical personage for all time to 
 come, and so the career of James M. Adsit is 
 filled with unusual interest, because of the con- 
 spicuous fact that, apart from his being an excep- 
 tional character, he was among the first bankers 
 to enter upon a career of finance within the pres- 
 ent limits of Cook County. 
 
 Mr. Adsit was born February 5, 1809, in 
 Spencertown, Columbia County, New York, unto 
 Leonard and Frances Adsit {nee Davenport). 
 His father dying when the son was but six years 
 of age, he went to live and remain with his 
 grandfather Adsit, and after finishing the com- 
 
 mon-school education customary for those early 
 days, went for a time into employment in his 
 uncle Ira Davenport's store. 
 
 On April 2, 1838, he arrived in Chicago, 
 then a city of but a single year's standing, con- 
 sisting of only a few streets stragglingly built up; 
 and, as one of the earliest pioneers, founded a 
 private bank at Number 37 Clark Street in 1850, 
 having up to that time, from the date of his arri- 
 val, been engaged in loans and investments on 
 Lake Street. In 1856 he removed one door to 
 Number 39 Clark Street, where he remained un- 
 til the "Chicago Fire," at which time he had the 
 great misfortune to lose all of his personal papers 
 and books connected intimately with much of 
 Chicago's early history, whereby vanished forever
 
 124 
 
 J. M. ADSIT. 
 
 valuable data covering the development of the 
 city for its first three decades. But fortune was 
 his on that occasion to save the bulk of moneys 
 and securities in the vaults of his office, thereby 
 being able to reassure his depositors, many of 
 whom on days following came with woeful visage, 
 in expectation of news of their hard-earned 
 means having gone up in flames. 
 
 Shortly after he had re-opened his banking busi- 
 ness at Number 422 Wabash Avenue for a few 
 months, he removed to a store on Wabash Avenue 
 a few doors from Congress, thence to the Ogden 
 Building, corner Lake and Clark Streets. He then 
 built at Number 41 Clark Street, where he contin- 
 ued in active life until 1881 . At that date, owing 
 somewhat to failing health, he decided to merge his 
 corporation into the Chicago National Bank, of 
 which he became the first Vice-President, resign- 
 ing, however, in 1885, a t which time he retired 
 from active life. 
 
 His shortsightedness, if indeed we are right to 
 so style the matter, was a lack of faith in the 
 future real-estate values of Chicago. Had a bold 
 course been adopted in this direction, it would 
 have resulted in the acquiring of an estate vast 
 indeed: but sufficient honor is his, in that he un- 
 swervingly carried out his financial life in strict 
 integrity. 
 
 While ever a stanch Republican in politics, 
 Mr. Adsit was never prominent in public life, fig- 
 uring rather in the background on movements 
 which were to be carried out for the public weal. 
 In that sense he was always a most active and 
 useful member in aid of advances. Among the 
 institutions with which he was conspicuously as- 
 sociated was the Mechanics' Institute, of which 
 he was the first Vice-President. Following the 
 panic of 1857, when threatened by adverse cir- 
 cumstances with destruction, he lent strong finan- 
 cial support, and was for years one of the chief 
 managers, until its future of honor and usefulness 
 was assured. In 1871 he was Chairman of the 
 Clearing House Association. Among the large 
 estates promoted under his management was that 
 of Allen C. Lewis, which was enhanced greatly 
 in value through his shrewd handling. 
 
 He was a member of the North Side Union 
 
 Club, but growing infirmity of health and life-long 
 devotion to home influences prevented much so- 
 cial dissipation. On Dearborn Avenue, at the 
 corner of Elm Street, in a luxurious mansion- 
 house, to which he removed in 1884, he spent 
 happy days following a most usefully busy career. 
 
 Up to the time of the great fire, he had at- 
 tended at the Wabash Avenue Methodist Church; 
 afterwards for some years at the Plymouth Con- 
 gregational Church, but finally became an habit- 
 ual attendant at David Swing's church, on the 
 North Side, following him to the Music Hall or- 
 ganization across the river, being thus long in 
 intimate relations with him who so feelingly offi- 
 ciated at the final obsequies, preceding interment 
 at Graceland. The time of going to the other 
 shore was September 4, 1894; subsequent to a 
 stroke of paralysis and some years of indisposi- 
 tion; and when his venerable form, which had 
 borne the trials of upwards of eighty-five years, 
 was laid to rest, there was not a dry eye over the 
 melancholy thought that the worthiest of the rem- 
 nant of the early pioneers had gone to his well- 
 merited reward. And thus the first generation 
 passed into that history which it is the province 
 of this publication to rescue from oblivion for the 
 edification and teaching of future times. 
 
 Said the well-known philanthropist, Dr. Pear- 
 son, in speaking of Mr. Adsit: "He was a thor- 
 oughly upright man, whom I never knew to fail 
 in an>- undertaking. He passed through the pan- 
 ics of 1857, l866 an( * l8 73. an d the great fire, 
 not without financial loss, but without a blemish 
 upon his reputation, meeting every obligation 
 faithfully." Mr. John J. Mitchell, President of 
 the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank, remarked 
 shortly after his demise: "Mr. Adsit was a man 
 of the very highest integrity, and none stood 
 higher than he among the business men and bank- 
 ers of Chicago. * * * In his death Chicago 
 loses not only one of her foremost citizens, but 
 one who helped to make the city's history, and 
 the success she now enjoys." 
 
 Mr. Adsit married, January 21, 1840, MissAr- 
 ville Chapin, of Chicago, who, herself in ad- 
 vanced age, survives him, waiting her message 
 to join on the other side him she so long, so deep-
 
 H. M. ROBINSON. 
 
 125 
 
 ly loved. Seven children blessed their union, 
 namely : 
 
 Leonard D. Adsit, who was born January 29, 
 1841, and who died in Chicago in 1879, having 
 been a banker, associated with his father; 
 
 Isabella F., who married Ezra I. Wheeler, of 
 Chicago, a commission merchant, now deceased, 
 leaving her without children; 
 
 James M. Adsit, Jr., born April 7, 1847, un- 
 married; a former banker with his father; now a 
 stock broker with office in the Stock Exchange; 
 
 Charles Chapin, who is associated with his 
 brother as a stock broker; born July 14, 1853; 
 married in October, 1890, to Mary Bowman Ash- 
 by, of Louisville, Kentucky, by whom one child, 
 Charles Chapin, Jr., was born July 3, 1892; 
 
 Caroline Jane, educated at Dearborn Seminary, 
 then at Miss Ogden Hoffman's private school in 
 New York City; unmarried; 
 
 Frank S., born September 7, 1855; died in 
 childhood ; 
 
 Jeanie M., educated at Dearborn Seminary; 
 unmarried. 
 
 Mrs. Adsit comes of an old and distinguished 
 New England family, of which she is a repre- 
 sentative of the seventh American generation. 
 Springfield, Massachusetts, is their leading home- 
 stead, where members have erected a magnificent 
 statue of their "Puritan divine" ancestor. 
 
 Deacon Samuel Chapin, who married a Miss 
 
 Cisily, was the progenitor from whom are de- 
 scended all in the United States. He came from 
 abroad to Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1641, at 
 which time he took the "freeman's oath" in Bos- 
 ton. The following year he went to Springfield, 
 then one of the frontier towns, where he was for 
 a long time a local magistrate and one of its first 
 deacons. 
 
 His son Henry married Bethia Cooley, and re- 
 sided in Springfield. Was a Representative in 
 the General Court, a merchant sea-captain be- 
 tween London and Boston; afterwards retired to 
 live in Boston ; then to Springfield. He had a son, 
 
 Deacon Benjamin, who married Hannah Col- 
 ton, and lived in Chicopee, a set-off portion of 
 northern Springfield, Massachusetts, where he 
 was one of its first deacons. He had a son 
 
 Captain Ephraim, who married Jemima Chapin, 
 his own cousin ; lived in Chicopee, where he was 
 an old-time inn-keeper. He also served in the 
 French and Indian Wars. He had a son 
 
 Bezaleel, who also married his own cousin, 
 Thankful Chapin; living at Ludlow Massachu- 
 setts. He had a son 
 
 Oramel, who married Suzan Rood; living in 
 Ludlow, Massachusetts, thence removing to Mil- 
 waukee, Wisconsin, later to Chicago, where he 
 died. 
 
 Their daughter Arville married the subject of 
 this sketch. 
 
 HAMILTON M. ROBINSON. 
 
 HAMILTON MOFFAT ROBINSON was 
 born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eng- 
 land, February 12, 1862, and is the eldest 
 son of James Hamilton Robinson and Frances 
 Jane Moffat. Both the parents represent ancient 
 Scottish families. 
 James H. Robinson, who was born in London 
 
 and educated at the Edinburgh High School, 
 engaged in business in Manchester, England, 
 soon after completing his education, and later in 
 London, in the East India trade. He continued 
 ip business about thirty years, dealing in jute 
 and export merchandise. During a portion of 
 this time he resided at Calcutta, in order to give
 
 126 
 
 H. M. ROBINSON. 
 
 personal supervision to his export trade. In 1885 
 he retired from business and came to America, 
 locating at Winnipeg, Manitoba, where his chil- 
 dren had preceded him and where he still resides. 
 His father, George Brown Robinson, had suc- 
 ceeded his (George's) father in the East India 
 trade, and also resided for some years in Calcutta. 
 He married Jane Campbell Hamilton, like him- 
 self a native of Scotland. She is still living in 
 London, at the age of seventy-five years. 
 
 Mrs. Frances J. Robinson was a daughter 
 of Col. Bowland Moffat, who commanded the 
 Fifty-fourth Regiment of the British army, was 
 a veteran of the Crimean War, and was stationed 
 for some years at Calcutta, at which place Mr. and 
 Mrs. James H. Robinson were married. A num- 
 ber of the ancestors of Colonel Moffat were well- 
 to-do merchants in the West India trade, and sev- 
 eral members of the family served in the British 
 army. 
 
 Hamilton M. Robinson was but six months 
 old when the family moved from London and 
 again took up its residence in Calcutta. Seven 
 years subsequently he returned to Europe, and at- 
 tended boarding-schools at various points in 
 the South of England. At the age of sixteen 
 years he finished the course at Chatham House 
 College, Ramsgate, Kent. It had been his in- 
 tention to enter the East Indian civil service, but 
 owing to his father's financial embarrassments 
 at that time, he abandoned this purpose and en- 
 tered the London office of Kelly & Company, 
 East India merchants. He began in the capacity 
 of office boy, but with such vigor and intelligence 
 did he apply himself to business, that in the brief 
 space of four years he became the office manager 
 of the firm. He continued in that connection un- 
 til September, 1883, when he determined to seek 
 a wider field for the development of his talents 
 and ability, and came to America, joining his 
 brother in the Northwest Territory of Canada. 
 He homesteaded a farm in Manitoba, but a short 
 time sufficed to convince him that the pursuit of 
 agriculture was neither as profitable nor congenial 
 as he had anticipated. In the following May he 
 joined a friend who was coming to Chicage, and 
 has ever since made this city his home and place 
 
 of business. In the spring of 1885 he again 
 visited the Northwest Territory, and as a mem- 
 ber of Colonel Boulton's scouts, assisted in sup- 
 pressing the Riel rebellion. 
 
 He arrived here with neither money, friends 
 nor influence, and wasted no time in seeking or 
 waiting for a genteel position, but immediately 
 began work at the first employment which he 
 could obtain. In the mean time he was constantly 
 on the alert for a more lucrative occupation, and 
 in a few weeks secured a position as bookkeeper 
 with the Anglo-American Packing and Provision 
 Company, with which he remained for about 
 three years. In May, 1887, he resigned this em- 
 ployment and obtained a position with the firm 
 of Crosby & Macdonald, marine underwriters. 
 He continued in this connection about five years, 
 winning the confidence and esteem of his em- 
 ployers, and demonstrating his integrity and 
 ability for the transaction of business. In what- 
 ever position he has been placed he has ever been 
 an indefatigable worker, striving to promote the 
 interests of those whom he served, even at the 
 expense of his own health and personal comfort. 
 On the first of June, 1892, Mr. Robinson formed 
 a partnership with James B. Kellogg, under the 
 firm name of Kellogg & Robinson, marine average 
 adjusters. This is one of the leading firms of 
 marine adjusters upon the shores of Lake Michi- 
 gan, and their success has been gratifying from 
 the start. 
 
 Mr. Robinson is a member of the Lake Board 
 of Average Adjusters, and of the Association of 
 Average Adjusters of the United States. He has 
 never identified himself with any political party, 
 but takes an intelligent interest in questions of 
 public policy, and has been an American citizen 
 since 1891. He is heartily in sympathy with the 
 spirit of American institutions, and may be classed 
 as one of the most desirable and useful among 
 the foreign-born citizens of Chicago. 
 
 He was married, in 1887, to Ida T. Cleverdon, 
 of Toronto, province of Ontario, Canada, daugh- 
 ter of William Thompson Cleverdon and Nanie 
 Geech, both formerly residents of Halifax, Nova 
 Scotia.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 M. W. FULLER 
 
 127 
 
 MELVILLE W. FULLER. 
 
 I ELVILLE WESTON FULLER. The fol- 
 lowing sketch of Chief Justice Fuller was 
 written by the late Major Joseph Kirkland 
 for the "History of Chicago," published by Mun- 
 sell & Company, by whose permission it is here 
 reprinted: 
 
 Chief Justice Fuller traces his descent direct 
 to the "Mayflower. ' ' His father was Frederick A. 
 Fuller, and his mother Catherine Martin Weston. 
 His grandfather on the mother's side was Nathan 
 Weston, Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme 
 Court; and his uncle, George Melville Weston, 
 was a prominent lawyer of Augusta. Melville 
 Weston Fuller was born February n, 1833, at 
 Augusta, Maine, and grew up with good educa- 
 tional advantages. He was prepared for college 
 at Augusta, and entered Bowdoin College in 1849, 
 where he was graduated in 1853. Thence he 
 went to Dane Law School (Harvard), where so 
 many of our western jurists have earned their 
 diplomas. He is described as having been a 
 rather aimless youth, but in college a model 
 student, with a special gift for public speaking. 
 He began his law practice in Augusta, but find- 
 ing business lacking, he employed his time and 
 eked out his income by newspaper work; a cir- 
 cumstance to which is doubtless due something of 
 the literary facility which has always formed a 
 strong feature in his career. 
 
 An interesting fact connected with this journal- 
 istic experience is this: At a certain session of the 
 Legislature which Melville W. Fuller reported for 
 the Augusta Age (which he and his uncle, B. A. 
 G. Fuller, published together), James G. Elaine 
 was engaged as correspondent of the Kennebec 
 
 Journal. Though opposed in politics, the two 
 men were always personal friends, and at last, by 
 a curious coincidence, found themselves in Wash- 
 ington together; the one Chief Justice of the Su- 
 preme Court, and the other Secretary of State. 
 
 Mr. Fuller's success in Augusta as a lawyer 
 was in proportion to the law business of the place, 
 and so not large or satisfying. His success in 
 politics was in proportion to his ability, and there- 
 fore excellent. At twenty-three he was City At- 
 torney and President of the Common Council of 
 Augusta. 
 
 Still, it must have been unconsciously borne in 
 upon him that Augusta and Maine, always loved 
 and honored by him, were, after all, a "pent-up 
 Utica" to such a soul as his. He must, at least, 
 see the great West. In 1 856 he came to Chicago, 
 meeting here his friend and fellow-townsman, 
 Mr. S. K. Dow, a practicing lawyer, who urged 
 him to emigrate, offering him a place in his office 
 and, at his choice, either a partnership in the 
 business or a salary of $50 per month. He chose 
 the latter, and worked on those terms five months, 
 living within his income. But scarcely a year 
 had passed before he began to do a fine and prof- 
 itable business, which went on increasing with 
 remarkable speed and steadiness up to the time 
 of his leaving the Bar for the Supreme Bench. 
 
 In politics he was a stanch Democrat, and by 
 friendship and sympathy a warm adherent ot 
 Stephen A. Douglas. At Mr. Douglas's death in 
 1861, he delivered the funeral oration, his speech 
 being a masterly production. In the same year 
 he was elected a member of the Constitutional 
 Convention, and two years later we find him in
 
 128 
 
 M. W. FULLER. 
 
 the Illinois Legislature. Here he gave the same 
 strenuous support to the war which was offered 
 by other Douglas men; he was a Unionist, but 
 not an anti-slavery man or Republican. The 
 war Democrats were in favor of the war as they 
 thought it should be conducted, giving their ad- 
 herence to the McClellan plan as being the most 
 certain to triumph and restore the integrity of the 
 country. 
 
 Here it seems well to quote from some fine 
 verses written by Mr. Fuller long afterward. 
 They are on the death of General Grant, and 
 show at once a loyal feeling for the great soldier's 
 services and a true poetic thought and diction; a 
 power of composition rare in the learned, prac- 
 ticed and successful lawyer: 
 
 Let drum to trumpet speak 
 The trumpet to the cannoneer without 
 The cannon to the heavens from each redoubt, 
 
 Each lowly valley and each lofty peak, 
 As to his rest the great commander goes 
 Into the pleasant land of earned repose. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Not in his battles won, 
 Though long the well-fought fields may keep their name, 
 
 But in the wide world's sense of duty done, 
 The gallant soldier finds the meed of fame; 
 His life no struggle for ambition's prize, 
 Simply the duty done that next him lies. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Earth to its kindred earth: 
 The spirit to the fellowship of souls! 
 As, slowly, Time the mighty scroll unrolls 
 
 Of waiting ages yet to have their birth, 
 Fame, faithful to the faithful, writes on high 
 His name as one that was not born to die. 
 
 Mr. Fuller was a hard worker in his profession ; 
 and it is said of him that in any case his stoutest 
 fighting is done when the day seems lost, when 
 he is very apt to turn defeat into victory. He is 
 reported to have had, during his thirty years' 
 practice, as many as twenty-five hundred cases at 
 the Chicago Bar; which, deducting his absence at 
 the Legislature, etc., would give him at least one 
 hundred cases a year; fewer, necessarily, in the 
 earlier part of his practice, and more afterward. 
 This shows a remarkable degree of activity and 
 grasp of business. He has never made a specialty 
 of any kind of law, though there are some where- 
 in his name scarcely appears; for instance, di- 
 vorce law and criminal law. Among his many 
 cases are Field against Leiter; the Lake Front 
 
 case; Storey against Storey's estate; Hyde Park 
 against Chicago; Carter against Carter, etc., and 
 the long ecclesiastical trial of Bishop Cheney on 
 the charge of heresy. 
 
 His partnership with Mr. Dow lasted until 
 1860. From 1862 to 1864 his firm was Fuller & 
 Ham, then for two years Fuller, Ham & Shep- 
 ard, and for two years more Fuller & Shepard. 
 From 1869 to 1877 he had as partner his cousin, 
 Joseph E. Smith, son of Governor Smith, of 
 Maine. Since that time he has had no partner. 
 His business was only such as he chose to ac- 
 cept; and his professional income has been esti- 
 mated at from $20,000 to $30,000 a year. His 
 property includes the Fuller Block on Dearborn 
 Street, and is popularly valued at $300,000. 
 
 He was a delegate to the Democratic National 
 Conventions of 1 864, 1872, 1876 and 1880, always 
 taking a prominent place. Just after Mr. Cleve- 
 land's first election to the Presidency, Mr. Fuller 
 called on him in Albany, and Mr. Cleveland at 
 once conceived for him a very high appreciation. 
 On the death of Chief Justice Waite it seemed de- 
 sirable that the new Justice should be taken from 
 the West; and Mr. Fuller's liberal education, the 
 catholicity of his law practice, his marked indus- 
 try, abilit}- and command of language all these, 
 joined with his devotion to the principles of his 
 party, made him a natural choice for nomination 
 to the position. High and unexpected as was the 
 honor, Mr. Fuller hesitated before accepting it. 
 If it satisfies his ambition in one direction, it 
 checks it in another. 
 
 The salary of the Chief Justice of the United 
 States is $10,500 a year; very far less than the 
 gains arising from general practice in the front 
 rank of lawyers, or from service as counsel of any 
 one of hundreds of great corporations. So there 
 comes a kind of dead-lock; if a man happens to be 
 born to riches, he is pretty sure never to go 
 through the hard work which alone gives leader- 
 ship in the law. If he starts poor, then, having 
 his fortune to make, he cannot take Federal judi- 
 cial office, that being a life-long position. The 
 only way in which the Federal Bench can be ap- 
 propriately filled, under the circumstances, is 
 when by chance a man prefers power and dignity
 
 JOHN PRINDIVILLE. 
 
 129 
 
 to mere riches; or where his success has been so 
 sudden that he, is able (and willing) to accept 
 a judgeship as a kind of honorable retirement 
 from the struggle and competition of practice. 
 
 Aside from these considerations, Mr. Fuller felt 
 a natural hesitancy in undertaking a responsibil- 
 ity so trying and hazardous. 
 
 As to the money obstacle, Mr. Fuller probably 
 felt himself, through his great and rapid success, 
 able to afford to accept the appointment. He ac- 
 cepted it, was hailed in his new dignity with 
 genial cordiality, and has filled the office with un- 
 impeachable credit and honor. 
 
 Mr. Fuller's first wife was Miss Calista O. 
 Reynolds. She died young, after bearing him 
 two children. He married a second time, taking 
 
 to wife Mary Ellen, daughter of the distinguished 
 banker, William F. Coolbaugh. His family now 
 consists of eight daughters and one son; and 
 his domestic and social relations are as happy as 
 it is possible to imagine, the young ladies being 
 full of gaiety and loveliness in all its styles and 
 types. He himself is never so well content as in 
 his own household, making merry with all. It is 
 even whispered that should his resignation not 
 throw his own party out of the tenancy of the 
 office to which it chose him, he might give up the 
 irksome and confining dignity and the forced 
 residence in a strange city, and return to the 
 West, to the city of his choice, to the home of 
 his heart. 
 
 CAPT. JOHN PRINDIVILLE. 
 
 ft} APT. JOHN PRINDIVILLE, whose name is 
 I ( a synonym for honesty, courage and gener- 
 \J osity among the early residents of Chicago, 
 was born in Ireland, September 7, 1826. The 
 names of his parents were Maurice Prindiville and 
 Catharine Morris. While a boy at school Maur- 
 ice Prindiville ran away from home and went to 
 sea, making a voyage to India, thereby gratifying 
 his thirst for adventure and forfeiting the oppor- 
 tnnity to enter Trinity College at Dublin. Re- 
 turning to his native land, he there married Miss 
 Morris, and in 1835 came with his family to Amer- 
 ica. After spending a year at Detroit, he came to 
 Chicago, where he was for several years in charge 
 of Newbury & Dole's grain warehouse. With his 
 family, he took up his residence in a log house on 
 Chicago Avenue, at the northern terminus of Wol- 
 cott (now North State) Street, which was subse- 
 quently extended. The locality was long known 
 as "the Prindiville Patch." The nearest house 
 was Judge Brown's residence, on the west side of 
 Wolcott Street, between Ontario and Ohio Streets, 
 
 the only one between Prindiville' s and River 
 Street, the intervening territory being covered 
 with thick woods. Indians and wild beasts were 
 numerous in the vicinity at that time, and John 
 Prindiville became quite familiar with the Indians 
 and learned to speak several of their dialects. 
 His father and he were firm friends of Chief Wau- 
 bansee and others, and always espoused their 
 cause in resisting the encroachments of the whites 
 upon their rights and domains. 
 
 As a boy John was noted for his dare-devil 
 pranks, though always popular with his comrades, 
 whom he often led into difficulties, out of which he 
 usually succeeded in bringing them without seri- 
 ous results. He was one of the first students at 
 St. Mary's College, which was located at the cor- 
 ner of Wabash Avenue and Madison Street. Upon 
 one occasion, he led a number of students upon a 
 flqating cake of ice near the shore of the lake. 
 The wind suddenly changed, and, before they 
 were aware of their condition, floated their preca- 
 rious barge out into the lake. Upon discovering
 
 JOHN PRINDIVILLE. 
 
 the danger, John promptly led the way back to 
 shore by wading through water breast deep. This 
 prompt action, aided by his reputation for honesty 
 and truthfulness, saved him from punishment at 
 the hands of the college authorities. He always 
 had a great desire to live upon the water, and at 
 the age of eleven years he gratified this tendency 
 by shipping as a cook on a lake schooner. Two 
 of the first vessels upon which he sailed were the 
 "Hiram Pearson" and "Constitution." His 
 menial position made him the butt of the sailors, 
 but he took so readily to the life of a mariner and 
 performed his duties so thoroughly and capably, 
 that he rapidly won promotion to more respon- 
 sible posts, and when but nineteen years of age 
 became the master of the schooner "Liberty," 
 engaged in the lumber trade between Chicago and 
 other Lake Michigan ports. For about ten years 
 he was the skipper of sailing-vessels, abandoning 
 the last of these in 1855, after which he com- 
 manded several steamers, although that was never 
 so much to his taste as sailing. In 1860 he for- 
 sook marine life, though he has been ever since 
 interested in the operation of lake craft. From 
 1855 to 1865 he and his brother, Redmond Prin- 
 diville, operated a line of tugs upon the Chicago. 
 River. During this time, in August, 1862, he 
 had a narrow escape from instant death by the 
 explosion of the boiler of the tug "Union." 
 Though not regularly in command of the vessel, 
 he chanced to be on board at that time, and had 
 just left the wheel, going aft to hail another tug, 
 when the accident occurred. Captain Daly, who 
 took his place at the wheel, and several others 
 were instantly killed. 
 
 As a skipper, Capt. John Prindiville was noted 
 for quick trips, always managing to out-distance 
 any competing vessels, though he made wreck of 
 many spars and timbers by crowding on canvas. 
 One of his standing orders was that sail should 
 not be shortened without instructions, though it 
 was allowable to increase it at any time deemed 
 desirable. He was ever on the alert and always 
 took good care of the lives of his crew and pass- 
 engers. He was a strict disciplinarian, but was 
 always popular with his men, who considered it 
 a special honor to be able to sail with him, and 
 
 were ever ready to brave any danger to serve 
 him. These included a number of those who had 
 been accustomed to curse him when he first began 
 his marine career in the capacity of cook. 
 
 In 1850 Captain Prindiville commanded the 
 brigantine "Minnesota" (which was built in Chi- 
 cago, below Rush Street Bridge) , the first Amer- 
 ican vessel to traverse the St. Lawrence River. 
 Her cargo consisted of copper from the Bruce 
 Mines on Georgian Bay, and her destination was 
 Swansea, Wales. Owing to the stupidity and in- 
 capacity of the pilot, she ran upon the rocks in 
 Lachine Canal and was obliged to unload. This 
 was a disappointment to the youthful captain, who 
 was ambitious to be the first lake skipper to cross 
 the ocean. He and his brothers owned the 
 schooner "Pamlico," the first vessel loaded from 
 Chicago for Liverpool. This was in 1873, and 
 the cargo consisted of twenty-four thousand seven 
 hundred bushels of corn. 
 
 November 17, 1857, occurred one of the most 
 disastrous storms which ever visited Lake Michi- 
 gan, an event long to be remembered by the fami- 
 lies of those who were sailors at that time. A 
 number of vessels were wrecked off the shore of 
 Chicago, and many lives were sacrificed to the fury 
 of the elements. The number of fatalities would 
 have been far greater but for the bravery and har- 
 dihood of Captain Prindiville and his crew, who 
 manned the tug "McQueen" and brought maity 
 of the men to land in safety, though at the peril 
 of their own lives. For this act of bravery and 
 humanity, on the evening of that day, Hon. 
 Stephen A. Douglas, in behalf of the citizens, 
 who had assembled at the Tremont House, ten- 
 dered him a purse of $700 in gold. This valua- 
 ble testimonial he modestly declined, recommend- 
 ing that the money be distributed among the 
 families of the crew of the "Flying Cloud," all of 
 whom had been lost in the storm. This is only 
 one of the many instances of his courage and self- 
 sacrifice in behalf of others. It is an acknowl- 
 edged and well-known fact that he has saved more 
 human lives than any other navigator on Lake 
 Michigan. 
 
 Captain Prindiville is the father of eight living 
 children, the offspring of two marriages. On the
 
 J. W. GARY. 
 
 i8th of November, 1845, Miss Margaret Kalehr 
 became his bride. After her death he married 
 Margaret Prendergast, a native of Burlington, 
 Vermont, who came to Chicago with her parents 
 about 1840. Of his three sons, Redmond is now 
 an ex-captain of lake craft, and resides in Chi- 
 cago. James W. and Thomas J. are associated 
 with their father in the vessel and marine busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Captain Prindiville has been a steadfast Roman 
 Catholic from boyhood, and is now a communi- 
 cant of the Cathedral of the Holy Name. He is 
 
 broad-minded and tolerant toward all sincere 
 Christians. He is a member of the Royal Arca- 
 num, and in national politics has been a life-long 
 Democrat, but gives his support to any good citi- 
 zen for local office, irrespective of party fealty. 
 He has been a member of the Chicago Board of 
 Trade since 1856, and is now one of the oldest 
 citizens connected with that body. His noble, 
 self-sacrificing spirit and unquestioned integrity 
 of character have won a host of friends, by whom 
 his memory will be cherished long after the mere 
 man of millions has passed into obscurity. 
 
 JOHN W. GARY. 
 
 (JOHN W. CARY was the lineal descendant 
 I in the fifth generation of John Gary, who 
 (2) came from Somersetshire, near Bristol, Eng- 
 land, in 1634, and joined the Plymouth Colony, 
 and a son of Asa Gary, who was born in Mans- 
 field, Connecticut, in 1774. He was born Feb- 
 ruary ii, 1817, in Shoreham, Vermont. Four- 
 teen years later, his parents removed to western 
 New York, where he attended the common 
 school, assisting his father on the farm until, at 
 the age of twenty, he entered Union College. He 
 supported himself through college, and was grad- 
 uated with the Class of 1842. Two years later he 
 was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of 
 New York, and followed his profession in Wayne 
 and Cayuga Counties until 1850, when he re- 
 moved to Wisconsin, taking up his residence at 
 Racine. He took an active interest in educational 
 matters, and as a School Commissioner was in- 
 strumental in developing the public-school sys- 
 tem of Racine. He was elected State Senator in 
 1852, and Mayor in 1857. Two years later he 
 removed his home to Milwaukee, and was at 
 
 once engaged as solicitor and counsel to fore- 
 close the mortgages given by the La Crosse & 
 Milwaukee Railroad Company. At the resulting 
 sale, the property was purchased by the Milwau- 
 kee & St. Paul Railroad Company (now the Chi- 
 cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul), which he had in- 
 corporated, and of which he continued as the 
 legal adviser and one of the controlling spirits to 
 the day of his death, a period of thirty-six years. 
 Until 1887 he was the General Solicitor of that 
 company, at which time the Board of Directors 
 created the office of General Counsel, and he was 
 then chosen to that position, which he continued 
 to fill up to the time of his death. He was not 
 only the legal adviser of that company, counsel- 
 ing on all questions and conducting all its litiga- 
 tion, in which he was eminently successful, es- 
 pecially before the Supreme Court of the United 
 States, but during all that time he was the chief 
 counselor and adviser of the general policy of the 
 company. He stood high in the legal profession, 
 and was regarded by all as one of the best equip- 
 ped railway lawyers in the country. Some of the
 
 132 
 
 J. W. GARY. 
 
 cases in which he appeared as counsel before the 
 Supreme Court of the United States, and in which 
 he was successful, rank among the most notable 
 cases of that court. He argued before that court 
 what is known as the Milk Rate case, which was 
 the case of the State of Minnesota against the 
 Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Com- 
 pany, decided in April, 1890. The magnitude 
 of that case, both as regards the principle in- 
 volved and the moneyed interest affected, places 
 it by the side of such cases as the Dartmouth 
 College case, the case of McCulloch versus Mary- 
 land, and the Slaughter House cases. The Su- 
 preme Court in that case held, as Mr. Gary had 
 for many years contended, that the reasonableness 
 of a rate of charge for transportation of property 
 by a railroad company was a question of judicial 
 determination, rather than of arbitrary legislative 
 action, and that State Legislatures, in fixing the 
 rates of freight, must fix reasonable rates; that is, 
 rates which are compensatory , such as will per- 
 mit carriers to receive reasonable profits upon 
 their invested capital, the same as other persons 
 are permitted to receive. 
 
 The success of Mr. Gary in this case is all the 
 more notable from the fact that fifteen years pre- 
 viously he appeared as counsel for the St. Paul 
 Company in what are- known as the Granger 
 cases, in which that court declined to adopt the 
 rule which it afterwards established in the Milk 
 Rate case. 
 
 Of the members of that court at the time the 
 Granger cases were argued, but one remains, 
 Justice Field, and of the leading counsel who ap- 
 peared in those cases all have passed away ex- 
 cept William M. Evarts. It is a notable fact that 
 Mr. Cary survived every justice who was a mem- 
 ber of that court at the time of his first appearance 
 therein, as well as the leading lawyers who were 
 practicing in that court at that time. 
 
 It is told of Mr. Cary that he successfully 
 argued fourteen cases during one session of the 
 Supreme Court, against such men as Caleb Cush- 
 .ing, Matt H. Carpenter, Henry A. Cram, of New 
 York, and other eminent men. 
 
 In 1872, while a member of the Wisconsin 
 State Legislature, he was requested to draw a 
 
 general railroad law for the state, which he did, 
 and the statute which he prepared was adopted 
 and is still in force, and has passed into history 
 as one of the most important laws ever enacted in 
 Wisconsin, and is regarded by all as a law fair 
 both to the people and the railway companies. 
 
 No person in the State of Wisconsin was better 
 or more favorably known than Mr. Cary. His 
 reputation as a lawyer of marked abilities, and 
 his character for candor and integrity as a man, 
 were enviable. At all times and everywhere he 
 maintained the honor of his profession and the 
 majesty of the law. Those who knew him best 
 respected him the most. 
 
 He always took a great interest in political af- 
 fairs, and was unusually well versed in national 
 and political history. Throughout his entire man- 
 hood he was a devoted adherent of Democracy, 
 receiving in 1864 the nomination for Congress, 
 and upon several occasions the complimentary 
 vote of the Legislature for United States Senator. 
 During the long period in which the Democratic 
 party was in the minority, which covered nearly 
 the whole of his maturer years, Mr. Cary re- 
 mained steadfast in his loyalty to its principles. 
 But for this fact his name would undoubtedly 
 have found place on the pages of history among 
 the most eminent statesmen of his generation. A 
 man of vast mental endowment, clear of judg- 
 ment, and true as the needle to the pole was he 
 to the right as he saw the right. 
 
 He resided in Milwaukee until 1890, when the 
 general offices of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
 Paul Railway Company were removed to Chicago. 
 At this time he removed his home to Hinsdale, a 
 suburb of Chicago, where he resided until his 
 death, which occurred in Chicago on March 29, 
 1895. 
 
 In 1844 Mr. Cary was married to Eliza Vilas, 
 who died in 1845, leaving a daughter, Eliza. In 
 1 847 he was married to Isabel Brinkerhoff. He 
 has seven children living, namely: Eliza, who is 
 the wife of Sherburn Sanborn ; Frances, the widow 
 of Charles D. Kendrick; Melbert B., Fred A., 
 John W., Jr., George P. and Paul V. 
 
 In his intercourse with his fellow-men, and 
 with his associates in professional labor, he was
 
 E. W. BAILEY. 
 
 133 
 
 alway considerate and gentle. No unkind or 
 reproachful word ever passed his lips. He was 
 true and faithful in friendship, magnanimous in 
 his dealings with others, and every act was 
 prompted by the highest sense of honor. He was 
 modest and unassuming, simple and unaffected in 
 
 manner, and admired, trusted and loved by all 
 who knew him. 
 
 " In his family and home life 
 He was all sunshine; in his face 
 The very soul of sweetness shone." 
 
 EDWARD W. BAILEY. 
 
 |~DWARD WILLIAM BAILEY, a member 
 fJ of the Chicago Board of Trade, was born at 
 Elinore, La Moille County, Vermont, Au- 
 gust 31, 1843. His parents, George W. Bailey and 
 Rebecca Warren, were natives of Berlin, Vermont. 
 The Bailey family is remotely of Scotch lineage. 
 George W. Bailey was one of a family of thirteen 
 children, and was bereft of his father in childhood. 
 He participated in the War of 1812, entering the 
 sen-ice of the United States at the age of sixteen 
 years. But little is known of his service, except 
 that he was in the battle of Fort Erie. He be- 
 came a prominent farmer and practical business 
 man, officiating as President of the Vermont 
 Mutual Life Insurance Company, and for many 
 years filled the office of Judge of Probate in 
 Washington County, a circumstance which indi- 
 cates the regard and confidence reposed in him 
 by his fellow- citizens. His death occurred at 
 Montpelier in 1868, at the age of seventy years. 
 Mrs. Rebecca Bailey was a daughter of Abel War- 
 ren. She died upon the homestead farm at El- 
 more in 1885, having reached the mature age of 
 eighty-three years. 
 
 Edward W. Bailey is the youngest of ten chil- 
 dren. His education was obtained in the public 
 schools, and in Washington County Grammar 
 School at Montpelier. From the age of seventeen 
 years, he assisted his father in the management 
 of the homestead farm, thereby developing a 
 strong muscular frame and acquiring strength 
 and endurance for the subsequent battle of life. 
 
 He also inherited the upright character and con- 
 scientious principles for which his progenitors 
 had been conspicuous, and when, in 1869, he en- 
 tered upon his commercial career, he was fully 
 competent to meet and master the exigencies and 
 vicissitudes which ever beset the business man. 
 At that date he purchased a grocery store at 
 Montpelier, and the following year he and his 
 partner increased their business by the addition 
 of a gristmill. When the firm dissolved, a few 
 years later, Mr. Bailey retained the mill and 
 still continues to own and operate the same. 
 
 In 1879 he located in Chicago, and, in partner- 
 ship with V. W. Bullock, began dealing in grain 
 on commission, an occupation which still em- 
 ploys his time and attention. After the first two 
 or three years, Mr. Bailey became sole proprie- 
 tor of the business, and now occupies commo- 
 dious quarters in the Board of Trade Building. 
 In most instances, he has been successful, and he 
 has ever maintained a reputation for honorable 
 dealing and integrity of character, which has 
 earned him the confidence of all his business as- 
 sociates. There is, perhaps, no man upon the 
 Board of Trade to-day in whom the public has 
 better reason to trust or whose business credit is 
 freer from imputation. 
 
 In June, 1869, he was married to Miss Jennie 
 Carter, daughter of Charles H. Carter, of Mont- 
 pelier, Vermont. The lady was born in Wil- 
 mington, Massachusetts, and has become the 
 mother of two children: George C., who holds a
 
 134 
 
 J. B. BRADWELL. 
 
 responsible position with the great packing house 
 of Swift & Company, and Mary D., wife of Fred- 
 erick Meyer, of Chicago. Mr. Bailey holds 
 liberal views on religious subjects, and was for 
 many years a member of the congregation of the 
 late Prof. David Swing. He is not in fellowship 
 with any social or religious organization. Though 
 not an active politician, he never fails to exercise 
 
 the right as well as duty of casting a vote, 
 and supports Republican principles, believing the 
 Republican party to represent the best social and 
 economic ideas. He is a man of resolution and 
 prompt action, and his industrious habits have 
 made him an exemplary business man, whose life 
 and character are worthy of the emulation of the 
 rising generation. 
 
 HON. JAMES B. BRADWELL. 
 
 HON. JAMES B. BRADWELL. This dis- 
 tinguished gentleman, an excellent portrait 
 of whom is herewith presented, was born 
 April 1 6, 1828, at Loughborough, England. His 
 parents were Thomas and Elizabeth (Gutridge) 
 Bradwell. The family left England when James 
 was sixteen months old, and settled in Utica, 
 New York, where they resided until 1833, when 
 they removed to Jacksonville, Illinois. They 
 went from Jacksonville to what is now Wheeling, 
 Cook County, Illinois, in Ma}-, 1834. The fam- 
 ily made the trip in a covered wagon drawn by a 
 span of horses and a yoke of oxen, and, although 
 the distance was but two hundred and fifty miles, 
 it took twenty-one days to complete the journey. 
 Young Bradwell spent a number of years upon a 
 farm in Cook County, splitting rails, breaking 
 prairie, mowing and cradling in the old-fashioned 
 way, which aided to give him that strength of 
 body and mind which he possesses at the age of 
 sixty -seven. His early education was obtained 
 in a log schoolhouse; later in Wilson's Academy, 
 of Chicago, in which Judge Lorenzo Sawyer, of 
 California, was tutor; and was completed in Knox 
 College, Galesburg, Illinois. He supported him- 
 self in college by sawing wood and working in a 
 wagon and plow shop afternoons and Saturdays, 
 where he often had to take his pay in orders on 
 stores, which he discounted at twenty-five cents 
 
 on the dollar. This resulted in the young man 
 taking an oath that if ever he lived to employ 
 men he would never pa}- them in orders or truck. 
 Although he has paid hundreds of thousands 
 of dollars for wages, he has religiously kept his 
 oath. For a number of years before his admis- 
 sion to the Bar he worked as a journeyman at 
 several different trades in Chicago. He is a 
 natural mechanic, and, believing with Solomon 
 that "the rest of the laboring man is sweet," he 
 aimed, even when on the Bench and at the Bar, 
 to devote a portion of every day to some kind of 
 manual labor. It is said that he could earn his 
 living to-day as a journeyman at any one of sev- 
 enteen trades. As a process artist he has few su- 
 periors. He invented a process of his own for 
 doing half-tone work, and has the honor of hav- 
 ing made the first half-tone cut ever produced 
 in Chicago that of Chief Justice Fuller, of the 
 United States Supreme Court. Nearly forty years 
 ago he was admitted to the Illinois Bar, and, 
 being a good speaker, a bold, dashing young 
 man, and considerable of a "hustler, "he succeeded 
 in building up a large and paying practice. In 
 1 86 1 he was elected County Judge of Cook Coun- 
 ty by a larger majority than any judge had ever 
 received in the county up to that time; and in 
 1865 he was re-elected for four years. Judge 
 Bradwell was elected to the Legislature of Illi-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 MRS. MYRA BRADWELL
 
 MYRA BRADWELL. 
 
 135 
 
 nois in 1873, and re-elected in 1875. He has 
 held many offices in charitable and other institu- 
 tions; presided at Cleveland during the organiza- 
 tion of the American Woman Suffrage Associa- 
 tion; was President of the Chicago Press Club; 
 President of the Chicago Rifle Club, and for 
 many years was considered the best rifle shot in 
 Chicago; President of the Chicago Bar Associa- 
 tion; President of the Illinois State Bar Associa- 
 tion, and for many years its historian; President 
 of the Chicago Soldiers' Home; Chairman of the 
 Arms and Trophy Department of the Northwest- 
 ern Sanitary Commission and Soldiers' Home 
 Fair in 1865; one of the founders of the Union 
 League Club of Chicago, President of the Board 
 of Directors the first year, and the first man to 
 sign the roll of membership, "Long John" Went- 
 worth being the second; he has been President of 
 the Chicago Photographic Society, and was Chair- 
 man of the Photographic Congress Auxiliary of 
 the World's Columbian Exposition. 
 
 When on the Bench he ranked as a probate 
 jurist second only to the distinguished surrogate, 
 Alexander Bradford, 'of New York. 
 
 He was the first judge to hold, during the war, 
 that a marriage made during slavery was valid 
 upon emancipation, and that the issue of such a 
 marriage was legitimate upon emancipation and 
 would inherit from their emancipated parents; 
 
 or, in other words, that the civil rights of slaves, 
 being suspended during slavery, revived upon 
 emancipation. The opinion was delivered in the 
 case of Matt C. Jones, and was published ap- 
 provingly in the London Solicitors' Journal, and 
 fully endorsed by Mr. Joel Prentiss Bishop ten 
 years after it was rendered, in one of his works. 
 Judge Bradwell was the friend of the widow and 
 the orphan an able, impartial judge. 
 
 He was an influential member of the Legisla- 
 ture, and aided in securing the passage of a num- 
 ber of measures for the benefit of the State and 
 the city of his adoption. He holds advanced 
 views as to the rights of women, and introduced 
 a bill making women eligible to all school offices, 
 and, mainly by his influence and power, secured 
 its passage; also a bill making women eligible to 
 be appointed notaries public. 
 
 Judge Bradwell has taken the Thirty-third and 
 last degree in Masonry, and is an honorary mem- 
 ber of the Supreme Council with its Grand East 
 at Boston, and also an honorary member of the 
 Ancient Ebor Preceptory at York, England. He 
 has recently published a neat volume of Ancient 
 Masonic Rolls and other matter of interest to the 
 order, showing that there was originally no pro- 
 vision against the admission of women to the fra- 
 ternity. 
 
 MYRA BRADWELL 
 
 IV^YRA BRADWELL. In these latter days 
 I V I of the century, a century which has done 
 |(jj| more for women than any other in the his- 
 tory of the world, it is interesting to record the 
 life of a citizen of Chicago of national reputation, 
 who wrought earnestly, wisely and successfully 
 for woman's advancement. 
 
 To follow in a pathway which has been made 
 for one is easy. To be an original and practical 
 
 leader, clearing the way for others to come, is a 
 difficult undertaking. Such a leader was Myra 
 Bradwell, one of the pioneers in the movements 
 to give woman equal rights before the law and 
 equal opportunities to labor in all avocations. 
 
 Myra Bradwell was born in Manchester, Ver- 
 mont, February 12, 1831. In infancy she was 
 taken to Portage, New York, where she remained 
 until her twelfth year, when she came West with
 
 MYRA BRADWELL. 
 
 her father's family. In the warp of her nature 
 was woven the woof of that sterling New England 
 character which has made such an impress on 
 our national life. On her father's side she was 
 descended from a family which numbers many 
 noble men, philanthropists, eminent divines and 
 noted statesmen. Her father, Eben Colby, was 
 the son of John Colby, a Baptist minister of New 
 Hampshire. Her father's mother was a lineal 
 descendant of Aquilla Chase, whose family gave 
 to the world the noted divine, Bishop Philander 
 Chase, of the Episcopal Church, and Salmon P. 
 Chase, Chief Justice of the United States. 
 
 On her mother's side she was a descendant of 
 Isaac Willey, who settled in Boston in 1640. Two 
 members of the family, Allen and John Willey, 
 served in the Revolutionary War, and were in the 
 little army which suffered glorious defeat at Bun- 
 ker Hill. Her family were aggressive Abolition- 
 ists and stanch friends of the Lovejoys. The 
 story of the murdered martyr, Elijah Lovejoy, as 
 recounted by the friend of her youth, Owen Love- 
 joy, made a deep impression upon her mind. 
 Thus early was implanted a hatred of slavery 
 and injustice in the soul of one who was destined, 
 in after years, to bear a conspicuous part in free- 
 ing her sex from some of the conditions of vas- 
 salage in which it had stood a champion who 
 broke one of the strongest barriers to woman's 
 enfranchisement, the Bar, and paved the way for 
 women into the upper halls of justice, into the 
 greatest court of the world. As a student, pos- 
 sessed of a keen, logical mind, with the soul of a 
 poet, she early evinced a deep love for learning, 
 and made the most of the limited educational ad- 
 vantages which were then deemed more than suf- 
 ficient for girls. After studying at Kenosha and 
 the ladies' seminary in Elgin, Myra engaged in 
 teaching. 
 
 May 18, 1852, Myra Colby was united in mar- 
 riage with James B. Bradwell. Soon after her mar- 
 riage she removed with her husband to Memphis, 
 Tennessee. While there she proved herself a 
 veritable helpmate, conducting with her husband 
 the largest select school in the city. In two 
 years they returned to Chicago, where her hus- 
 band engaged in the practice of the law, and 
 
 where they have since resided. With the ardor 
 of a true patriot, she could not remain inactive 
 when danger threatened the Government which 
 her Revolutionary ancestors fought to establish. 
 During the war she helped care for the suffering, 
 the wounded and the dying. The Soldiers' Fair 
 of 1863, and the Fair of 1867 for the benefit of 
 the families of soldiers, had no more active or 
 efficient worker than Mrs. Bradwell. She was a 
 member and Secretary of the Committee on Arms, 
 Trophies and Curiosities of the great Northwest- 
 ern Sanitary Fair, and was the leading spirit in 
 producing that artistic and beautiful exhibition in 
 Bryan Hall in 1865. When the war was over, 
 she assisted in providing a liDme for the scarred 
 and maimed and dependent veterans who shoul- 
 dered the musket to preserve the Union. 
 
 Becoming deeply interested in her husband's 
 profession, she commenced the study of law un- 
 der his tutelage, at first with no thought of be- 
 coming a practicing lawyer, but subsequently she 
 decided to make the profession her life work, and 
 applied herself diligently to its study. In 1868 
 she established the "Chicago Legal News," the 
 first weeekly law periodical published in the West, 
 and the first paper of its kind edited by a woman 
 in the world, and which stands to-day the best 
 monument to her memory. Believing fully in 
 the power of the law, she adopted as the motto 
 of the "Legal News" the words Lex Vincil, which 
 have always been at the head of its columns. 
 Practical newspaper men and prominent lawyers 
 at once predicted its failure, but they under-esti- 
 mated the ability and power of its editor. She 
 obtained from the Legislature special acts mak- 
 ing all the laws of Illinois and the opinions of the 
 Supreme Court of the State printed in her paper 
 evidence in the courts. She made the paper a 
 success from the start, and it was soon recognized 
 by the Bench and Bar throughout the country as 
 one of the best legal periodicals in the United 
 States. With her sagacity, enterprise and mas- 
 terful business ability she built up one of the 
 most flourishing printing and publishing houses 
 in the West. Two instances may be cited to 
 show her business energy and enterprise. From 
 the year 1869, when she first began to publish
 
 MYRA BRADWELL. 
 
 137 
 
 the Illinois session laws, she always succeeded 
 in getting her edition out many weeks in advance 
 of any other edition. At the Chicago fire, in 
 common with thousands of others, she lost home 
 and business possessions, but, undismayed by 
 misfortune, she hastened to Milwaukee, had the 
 paper printed and published on the regular pub- 
 lication day, and thus not an issue of her paper 
 was lost during this trying time in our city's 
 history. 
 
 She finally decided to apply for admission to the 
 Bar and to practice law. She had been permitted 
 to work side by side with her husband as a most 
 successful teacher, why not as a lawyer ? 
 
 In 1869 she passed a most creditable examina- 
 tion for the Bar, but was denied admission by the 
 Supreme Court of Illinois, upon the ground that 
 she was a married woman, her married state be- 
 ing considered a disability. She knew that the 
 real reason had not been given. She filed an ad- 
 ditional brief which combated the position of the 
 court with great force, and compelled the court 
 to give the true reason. In due time the court, 
 by Mr. Chief Justice Lawrence, delivered an elab- 
 orate opinion, in which it was said, upon mature 
 deliberation, the court had concluded to refuse to 
 admit Mrs. Bradwell upon the sole ground that 
 she was a woman. She sued out a writ of error 
 against the State of Illinois in the Supreme Court 
 of the United States. Her case in that tribunal 
 was argued in 1871 by Senator Matt Carpenter. 
 In May, 1873, the judgment of the lower court 
 was affirmed by the United States Supreme 
 Court. Mr. Chief Justice Chase, who never failed 
 to give his powerful testimony to aid in lifting 
 woman from dependence and helplessness to 
 strength and freedom, true to his principles, dis- 
 sented. As has been well said, "the discussion 
 of the Myra Bradwell case had the inevitable ef- 
 fect of letting sunlight through many cobwebbed 
 windows. It is not so much by abstract reason- 
 ing as by visible examples that reformations 
 come, and Mrs. Bradwell offered herself as a living 
 example of the injustice of the law. A woman of 
 learning, genius, industry and high character, 
 editor of the first law journal in the West, forbid- 
 den by law to practice law, was too much for the 
 
 public conscience, tough as that conscience is. ' ' 
 Although Mrs. Bradwell, with Miss Hulett, 
 was instrumental in securing the passage of a 
 law in Illinois granting to all persons, irrespec- 
 tive of sex, freedom in the selection of an occu- 
 pation, profession or employment, she never re- 
 newed her application for admission to the Bar. 
 Twenty years after, the judges of the Supreme 
 Court of Illinois, on their own motion, performed 
 a noble act of justice and directed license to prac- 
 tice law to be issued to her, and March 28, 1892, 
 upon motion of Attorney-General Miller, Mrs. 
 Bradwell was admitted to practice before the Su- 
 preme Court of the United States. 
 
 A pioneer in opening the legal profession for 
 women, Myra Bradwell' s signal service to her 
 sex has been in the field of law reform. Finding 
 women and children without adequate protection 
 in the law, she devoted herself with the zeal of 
 an enthusiast to secure such protection. One of 
 the most wonderful phases of her character was 
 the power which she exerted in securing these 
 changes in the law. 
 
 It is interesting in this connection to note that 
 she was the only married woman who was ever 
 given her own earnings by special act of the 
 Legislature. She drafted the bill giving a mar- 
 ried woman a right to her own earnings. A case 
 in point, so monstrous in its injustice, gave an 
 added impetus to her zeal. A drunkard, who 
 owed a saloon-keeper for his whisky, had a wife 
 who earned her own living as a scrubwoman, 
 and the saloon-keeper garnisheed the people who 
 owed her and levied on her earnings to pay her 
 husband's liquor bill. It needed but an applica- 
 tion like this for her to succeed in her efforts to 
 pass the bill. She also secured the passage of 
 the law giving to a widow her award in all cases. 
 Believing thoroughly in the principle enunciated 
 by John Stuart Mill, "of perfect equality, admit- 
 ting no privilege on the one side nor disabil- 
 ity on the other," she was an enthusiastic sup- 
 porter of the bill granting to a husband the 
 same interest in a wife's estate that the wife had 
 in the husband's. While holding most advanced 
 views upon the woman question, she recognized 
 that the prejudice of years cannot be overcome in
 
 138 
 
 MYRA BRADWELL. 
 
 a day, and that the work must be done by de- 
 grees. 
 
 She therefore never missed an opportunity to 
 try to secure any change in the law which would 
 enlarge the sphere of woman. With this purpose 
 in view, she applied to the Governor to be ap- 
 pointed Notary Public. Finding her womanhood 
 a bar to even this humble office, she induced her 
 husband, who was in the Legislature, to intro- 
 duce a bill making women eligible to the office of 
 Notary Public, which bill became a law. The 
 bill drafted by her husband permitting women to 
 act as school officers, and which was passed while 
 he was in the Legislature, received her hearty sup- 
 port. In all the reforms which Mrs. Bradwell se- 
 cured, she was not acting as the representative of 
 any organization, but they were secured through 
 her personal influence. Twice Mrs. Bradwell 
 was honored by special appointment of the Gov- 
 ernor, being appointed a delegate to the Prison 
 Reform Congress at St. Louis; and it was mainly 
 by her efforts that women, after a severe contest, 
 were allowed a representation on the list of officers, 
 she declining to accept any office herself; subse- 
 quently she was appointed by the Governor as 
 one of the Illinois Centennial Association to repre- 
 sent Illinois in the Centennial Exhibition of 1876. 
 
 Mrs. Bradwell circulated the call for the first 
 Woman Suffrage Convention held in Chicago, 
 in 1869, and was one of its Vice-Presidents. She 
 was one of the active workers in the suffrage 
 convention held in Springfield in 1869, and for a 
 number of years one of the executive committee 
 of the Illinois Woman Suffrage Association. She 
 also took an active part in the convention at 
 Cleveland which formed the American Woman's 
 Suffrage Association. Once only was she per- 
 mitted to exercise the right of suffrage. Under 
 the recent school law in Illinois she cast her bal- 
 lot for the first and last time, her death occurring 
 on the fourteenth day of February, 1894. 
 
 A thorough Chicagoan, in the life, progress 
 and best interests of her city she had a citizen's 
 interest and a patriot's pride. She was untiring 
 in her efforts to secure the World's Fair for Chi- 
 cago, accompanied the commission to Washing- 
 
 ton, and rendered valuable services there in ob- 
 taining the location of the Exposition in Chicago. 
 She was appointed one of the Board of Lady 
 Managers, and was Chairman of the Committee 
 on Law Reform of its auxiliary congress. It is 
 interesting to note that the woman who labored 
 so courageously, persistently and effectively to 
 secure for women their rights was herself a rep- 
 resentative in the first national legislature of 
 women to be authorized by any Government. 
 
 Mrs. Bradwell was the first woman who be- 
 came a member of the Illinois State Bar Associa- 
 tion and the Illinois Press Association; was a 
 charter member of the Soldiers' Home Board, 
 the Illinois Industrial School for Girls, the Wash- 
 ingtonian Home, and the first Masonic chapter 
 organized for women in Illinois, over which she 
 presided; was a member of the Chicago Women's 
 Club, the daughters of the American Revolution, 
 the Grand Army Relief Corps, the National Press 
 League and the Woman's Press Association. 
 
 A gentle and noiseless woman, her tenderness 
 and refinement making the firmness of her char- 
 acter all the more effective, Mrs. Bradwell was 
 one of those who live their creed instead of preach- 
 ing it. Essentially a woman of deeds, not words, 
 she did not spend her days proclaiming on the 
 rostrum the rights of women, but quietly, none 
 the less effectively, set to work to clear away the 
 barriers. 
 
 A noble refutation of the oftimes expressed be- 
 lief that the entrance of women in public life 
 tends to lessen their distinctively womanly char- 
 acter, she was a most devoted wife and mother, 
 her home being ideal in its love and harmony. 
 She was the mother of four children', two of whom 
 survive her, Thomas and Bessie, both lawyers, 
 and the latter the wife of a lawyer, Frank A. 
 Helmer, of the Chicago Bar. 
 
 Of this gifted and honored lady it has been 
 truthfully said: "No more powerful and convinc- 
 ing argument in favor of the admission of women 
 to a participation in the administration of the 
 Government was ever made than may be found 
 in Myra Bradwell' s character, conduct and 
 achievements."
 
 JOHN FRINK. 
 
 139 
 
 JOHN FRINK. 
 
 (7OHN FRINK, who was probably as well 
 
 I known as any man in the United States, out- 
 G) side of National public life, was a leader in 
 the operation of transportation lines before the 
 days of railroads, as well as in railroad building 
 and operation. He was born at Ashford, Con- 
 necticut, October 17, 1797, and died in Chicago 
 May 21, 1858. He represented the seventh gen- 
 eration of his family in America, being descended 
 from John Frink, who settled at New London, 
 Connecticut, previous to 1650. The last-named 
 took part in King Philip's War, as a Colonial sol- 
 dier, and for his services in that conflict was 
 awarded by the General Court of Connecticut a 
 grant of two hundred acres of land and permis- 
 sion to retain his arms. 
 
 John Frink, the father of the subject of this 
 notice, removed about 1810 from Ashford, Con- 
 necticut, toStockbridge, Massachusetts, becoming 
 the proprietor of the Stockbridge Inn, a noted 
 hostelry, which is still kept there. He afterward 
 kept taverns at Northampton and Palmer, Mass- 
 achusetts. His death occurred at the latter place 
 in 1847, at the age of sixty years. 
 
 While a young man, John Frink, whose name 
 heads this article, started out in the operation of 
 a stage line. One of his first ventures was the 
 establishment of a stage line between Boston and 
 Albany, by way of Stockbridge. His partner in 
 this enterprise was Chester W. Chapin, ofSpring- 
 field, Massachusetts, afterward conspicuous in 
 railroad operations. A branch to New York City 
 was soon added, and the undertaking was entire- 
 ly successful, becoming a prosperous medium of 
 travel. Mr. Frink was subsequently instrument- 
 al in the establishment of a stage line between 
 Montreal and New York, an undertaking of con- 
 siderable magnitude in those days. 
 
 About 1830 he made a trip, by way of Pitts- 
 burgh, to New Orleans, and was so favorably im- 
 pressed with the development and progress of the 
 
 West that he determined to transfer the field of 
 his operations to a new territory. Accordingly, 
 in 1836, he came to Chicago, and soon after his 
 arrival purchased the stage line in operation be- 
 tween Chicago and Ottawa, Illinois. He soon 
 afterward established a connecting line of steam- 
 boats on the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, be- 
 tween the latter point and St. Louis, and the 
 route thus completed immediately became a pop- 
 ular thoroughfare. Another stage line was short- 
 ly afterwards put into operation between Galena 
 and Chicago, by way of Freeport. Galena was 
 then the metropolis of the Northwest, and this 
 line of stages became the most important over- 
 land route of travel in that region. Another ex- 
 tensive undertaking was the establishment' of 
 stages between Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin. 
 The business was conducted at the outset by the 
 firm of John Frink & Company, later known as 
 Frink & Walker. This became one of the most 
 powerful business concerns in the Northwest, and 
 its operations eventually extended to Des Moines, 
 Iowa, and Fort Snelling, Minnesota. All compe- 
 tition was driven out of the way, even though 
 business was sometimes conducted for a season at 
 a loss, in order to maintain their supremacy. An 
 immense number of men and horses was em- 
 ployed. The stage sheds were located at the 
 northwest corner of Wabash Avenue and Ran- 
 dolph Street, with extensive repair shops adja- 
 cent; and the principal stage office was on the 
 southwest corner of Dearborn and Lake Streets, 
 opposite the Tremont House, then the principal 
 hotel of Chicago. 
 
 One of the most important features of the busi- 
 ness was the carriage of the United States mails, 
 and the securing and care of the contracts for the 
 same kept Mr. Frink in Washington a large por- 
 tion of the time, and brought him in contact and 
 intimate acquaintance with the leading politicians 
 and public men of the nation. These contracts,
 
 140 
 
 O. B. PHELPS. 
 
 which involved large sums of money, were faith- 
 fully carried out, a fact which enabled him to 
 hold them in spite of aggressive competition. He 
 was a man of rare executive ability, excelling the 
 various partners with whom he was associated in 
 that respect to such a degree that he was kept 
 constantly on the move to regulate the adminis- 
 tration of business. He was a man of fine phys- 
 ical make-up and of most unusual colloquial and 
 conversational abilities, which made him popular 
 in any circle where he chanced to be. He was 
 extremely fastidious in dress and the care of his 
 personal appearance, and required the most scru- 
 pulous care and thrift in all his employes. No 
 man who failed to keep matters under his charge 
 in first-class order could remain a day in his em- 
 ploy. 
 
 When the steam locomotive became a practical 
 success, Mr. Frink at once saw that it would su- 
 persede the horse as a means of propelling pas- 
 senger vehicles. He accordingly began to close 
 out his interests in the stage business, transfer- 
 ring his capital and energy to railroad building 
 and operation. He was one of the prime movers 
 in the construction of the Chicago & Galena Un- 
 ion Railroad, and also the Peoria & Oquawka, 
 now a part of the great Burlington System, and 
 in the Peoria & Bureau Valley Railroad, at pres- 
 ent a branch of the Rock Island System. He 
 did not live to witness the ultimate completion 
 of these lines, but their success vindicated his 
 foresight and judgment. 
 
 Mr. Frink was first married to Martha R. 
 
 Marcy, who died in Chicago in 1839, leaving 
 three children: John, Harvey and Helen. The 
 last-named became the wife of Warren T. Hecox, 
 one of the original members of the Chicago Board 
 of Trade, and all are now deceased. For his 
 second wife he chose Miss Harriet Farnsworth, 
 who was born in Woodstock, Vermont, July 2, 
 1810, and died at Wheaton, Illinois, March 7, 
 1884. Her father, Stephen Farnsworth, was a 
 descendant of Matthias Farnsworth, an early set- 
 tler of Groton, Massachusetts. The descendants 
 of the last-named, in direct line, were Samuel, 
 who was born at Groton, October 8, 1669; Steph- 
 en, born in 1714, died at Charleston, New Hamp- 
 shire, and who took part in the French and Indian 
 War, in which two of his brothers were killed. 
 Stephen, Jr., father of Mrs. Frink, was born in 
 Charleston, New Hampshire, June 20, 1764. He 
 moved to South Woodstock, Vermont, where he 
 became a prominent fanner and miller. He 
 served as a member of the Vermont Legislature, 
 and was a Justice of the Peace for a great many 
 years. 
 
 Mrs. Harriet Frink was one of the earliest 
 members of St. James' Episcopal Church of Chi- 
 cago, and when Trinity Church was formed on 
 the South Side she joined that society. She aft- 
 erwards became a member of Christ Church, and 
 continued to be a communicant thereof until her 
 death, both she and her husband being buried 
 from that church. Their children are George, 
 Henry F., and Eva, Mrs John W. Bennett, all of 
 whom reside at Austin, Illinois. 
 
 OTHNIEL B. PHELPS. 
 
 ITHNIEL BREWSTER PHELPS. The 
 subject of this sketch was born at Cones- 
 ville, Schoharie County, New York, Febru- 
 ary 18, 1821, and was the elder of two children 
 
 springing from the marriage of George W. Phelps 
 with Zerviah Potter. His mother dying when 
 Othniel was only two years of age, his father 
 married Mary Chapman in the year 1824,
 
 O. B. PHELPS. 
 
 141 
 
 wherefrom it will be seen that his step-mother 
 was the only maternal parent of whom he ever 
 had a memory. From this second union eight 
 children came into being, the eldest of whom was 
 William Wallace Phelps, a sketch of whom will 
 be found upon other pages in this work; in con- 
 nection with which will also be found a succinct 
 account of the Phelps genealogy, which, for ob- 
 vious reasons, is not reprinted at this place. 
 
 His early life was spent upon a farm (it seems 
 as if the farms of that generation did the raising 
 of all the brains, as well as vegetables, etcetera, 
 of the country), and his erudition, save the self- 
 learned, was limited to the common school. At 
 a very youthful age, he went to Catskill, New 
 York, as clerk in the mercantile house of Joshua 
 Fiero, and, being one of unusual energy and self- 
 reliance, after a few years he started a mercantile 
 business for himself at Windham, Greene County, 
 New York, to which place he removed, and in 
 which occupation he was engaged for the next 
 succeeding six years. 
 
 Selling out at the end of that period at an ad- 
 vantage, he removed to Williamstown, New York, 
 where he engaged in the tanning business, be- 
 coming the possessor of one of the finest proper- 
 ties in that part of the country at that time ( es- 
 pecially notable in one of so few years) . He was 
 estimated to be worth an estate of $80,000, which, 
 however, was entirely swept away by the panic 
 of 1857. 
 
 Almost directly with the disappearance of his 
 household gods, he set his face towards the then 
 far West to retrieve, as fortune should favor him, 
 his lost accumulations. Chicago was the fortun- 
 ate end of his journey, which was not then, as 
 might be now, wooed into a longer continuance 
 than necessary by luxurious conveniences for 
 traveling. He bought a house on West Madison 
 Street; but within a few years found the spot 
 henceforth to be most dear to him on earth, pur- 
 chasing again, at Number 2427 Indiana Avenue. 
 The large brick mansion, standing to-day nearly as 
 he found it, was one of the finest places in the 
 city at that time, and a veritable landmark in this 
 generation; for in the early sixties and for 
 long after this was well out on the edge of the 
 
 town, viewing to the westward, as far as Michi- 
 gan Avenue, a thrifty cornfield in summer time. 
 
 His business relations from the start were with 
 our prince of citizens, Potter Palmer, for whom 
 he acted as confidential adviser and credit man, 
 with power of attorney (a position of great re- 
 sponsibilities) up to the time of the Big Fire in 
 1871. From this time, although in the very mer- 
 idian of life, hale and hearty, having re-made a 
 conspicuous estate, he lived the retired life of a 
 gentleman of leisure. 
 
 Politically he was a Republican, and for sever- 
 al years he acted as a prominent City Alderman, 
 closing his record thus in 1882, because of the 
 results of an outspoken nature, which would nev- 
 er quietly allow public wrongs to be attempted. 
 
 He was a keen lover of finely bred dogs and 
 horses, of which he owned many in his time, 
 finding in this about his only real extravagance. 
 Most pleasant days found him on the boulevards 
 behind as fine a pair of gentleman's drivers as 
 our city could boast; and when a better pair passed 
 him on the road, he quietly remarked to himself, 
 "That is the team I want." From this trait, it 
 has been said, those who knew this proud weak- 
 ness often realized exceptional prices for horses 
 from one who, they knew, would have them, if he 
 had set his mind that way, regardless of cost. In 
 this connection it should not be forgotten that he 
 was a charter member of the famous Washington 
 Park Club, now for long years one of the most 
 distinguished places for race meetings in the 
 country. 
 
 Not what would be called a pious man, he was 
 none the less a fair-minded, public-spirited citi- 
 zen, who was a great credit to our city (more so, 
 perhaps, than some who are prominent in mat- 
 ters ecclesiastical) , and a regular attendant at Dr. 
 Scudder's Congregational Church. Between Dr. 
 Scudder and Mr. Phelps there was a deep and 
 wholesome regard, and this pastor officiated with 
 much feeling at the final obsequies, after which 
 the remains were borne to Graceland Cemetery, 
 where they lie at the foot of a sightly monument. 
 Physically, he was a portly man; facially, he 
 had a physiognomy in which all could read a grim 
 determination that whatsoever was undertaken
 
 I 4 2 
 
 O. B. PHELPS. 
 
 would, the Heavens permitting, be put through; 
 yet, he was kind and generous; though blunt, 
 warm-hearted indeed. His health was uniformly 
 good, save for the vital lurkings of the insidious 
 heart disease, which suddenly took him hence on 
 the seventh day of February, 1891. 
 
 Mr. Phelps was twice married. First, to Miss 
 Emerette Steele of Windham, New York, about 
 the year 1846. She died, without issue, in the 
 year 1880, and was buried at Graceland. Second, 
 to Mrs. Sarah Van Buren, the widow of Aaron 
 R. Van Buren, of Catskill, New York, in Decem- 
 ber, 1882. Her first husband was of the family 
 of the so-called "Kinderhook" (New York) Van- 
 Burens, which has produced a number of illus- 
 trious men, chief among them being our eighth 
 National Chief Magistrate, Martin Van Buren. 
 
 Mrs. Sarah (Van Buren) Phelps survives her 
 husband, in good health, and without children. 
 Mrs. Phelps' parents were Franklin and Hannah 
 (Groom) Graham, of Catskill, New York, her fa- 
 ther being a son of Samuel and Martha (French) 
 Graham, of Windham, New York. Her grand- 
 mother French was of French parentage, and 
 from Montreal, Canada. It is needless to remark 
 that the Grahams are of Scotch antecedents. 
 From Beers' "History of Greene County, New 
 York" (p. 402), we learn that the said Samuel 
 Graham went from Conway, Massachusetts, about 
 the year 1800 to Windham, New York, where, in 
 the village, he bought of one Constant A. Andrews 
 a property (at present known as the Matthews 
 Place, and owned by N. D. Hill), whereon the 
 first tannery of the place, a large one for the 
 times, was constructed prior to 1805 by said 
 Samuel Graham. The latter passed into a son's 
 hands, and continued to be operated up to 1832. 
 Samuel died there in 1830, aged seventy years. 
 
 The Massachusetts Grahams are undoubtedly 
 descended from old Connecticut stock, which has 
 been very prolific in numbers and emigrating 
 members to other of the United States, not a few 
 of whom have made prominent names for them- 
 selves. From Cothren's "History of Ancient 
 Woodbury, Connecticut" (pp. 545 et seq.}, we 
 
 glean the following of both the trans-Atlantic and 
 native tree: 
 
 The family arms are: Or, on a chief sable three 
 escalops of the field; crest, an eagle, wings hover- 
 ing or, perched upon a heron lying upon its back, 
 proper beaked and membered gules; motto, Ne 
 Oubliez. 
 
 The family is of great antiquity, tracing its de- 
 scent from Sir David Graeme, who held a grant 
 from King William the Lion of Scotland from 
 1163 to 1214. His descendant, Patrick Graham, 
 was made a Lord in Parliament about 1445, and 
 his grandson, William, Lord Graham, was, in 
 1504, by James IV., created Earl of Montrose. 
 His son William was second earl, succeeded in 
 turn by John, John ( Junior) and James, fifth earl, 
 a very distinguished character in history. He was 
 born in 1612, and joined the Covenanters against 
 Charles I. , but later became loyal to his sovereign, 
 who created him Marquis of Montrose. He had 
 a varied career, which ended by his execution in 
 1645 by the axe on the scaffold, as did that of so 
 many contemporaries. He was succeeded by 
 James, James, and James, fourth Marquis, who 
 was made Lord High Admiral of Scotland in 
 1705, and in 1707 Duke of Montrose. Then 
 came David, Earl and Baron Graham, succeeded 
 by William (his brother), James, James, the 
 fourth Duke of Montrose, etc., who was a Com- 
 missioner of India Affairs, Knight of the Thistle, 
 Lord Justice-General of Scotland, Chancellor of 
 Scotland, etc. 
 
 The Rev. John Graham, A. M., a second son 
 of a Marqnis of Montrose, was born in Edinburgh 
 in 1691; he graduated at the University of Glas- 
 gow, and studied theology at his native Edin- 
 burgh; came to Boston in 1718, where he married 
 Abigail, a daughter of the very- celebrated Dr. 
 Chauncey, of Harvard College. Later Rev. Mr. 
 Graham removed to Exeter, New Hampshire, but 
 in 1722 to Stafford, Connecticut, and in 1732 to 
 Woodbury, Connecticut, where he lived until his 
 death, in December, 1774. He was an eminent man 
 and left a family of five sons and four daughters, 
 from whom are descended a numerous progeny.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 S. B. COEP. 
 
 43 
 
 SILAS B. COBB. 
 
 (7J ILAS BOWMAN COBB. In the entire his- 
 2\ tory of the world it has been vouchsafed to 
 Q) but few men to witness the growth of a mu- 
 nicipality from a few dozen in population to a 
 million and a quarter souls. No story of Chicago's 
 development can be written without cognizance of 
 Silas B. Cobb as one of its initial forces. It was 
 such sturdy, self-reliant and hopeful young men 
 as he that began the development of her great- 
 ness, and carried forward her growth in middle 
 and later life. Ever since the little band of Pil- 
 grims established a home on the rocky and frost- 
 locked shores of Massachusetts, New England has 
 been peopled by a race of enterprising and adven- 
 turous men, whose habits of industry and high 
 moral character have shaped the destinies of the 
 Nation. It is not strange, then, that the hamlet 
 planted by their descendants on the swampy shore 
 of Lake Michigan in the 303' should become the 
 commercial, industrial and philanthropical me- 
 tropolis of America. 
 
 Silas W. Cobb, father of the subject of this 
 sketch, gained a livelihood by various occupa- 
 tions, being in turn a farmer, a tanner and a tav- 
 ern-keeper, and the son was early engaged in 
 giving such assistance to his father as he was able. 
 When other boys were applying themselves to 
 their books, he was obliged to employ his strength 
 in support of the family. His mother, whose 
 maiden name was Hawkes, died when he was an 
 infant, and he knew little of maternal love or care, 
 growing up in the habit of self-reliance which 
 carried him through many difficult enterprises 
 and made him a successful man. He was born 
 in Montpelier, Vermont, January 2$, 1812, and 
 
 is now entering upon the eighty-fourth year of 
 his age. He is keenly active in mind and sound 
 in body, taking a participating interest in all the 
 affairs of life. 
 
 At the age of seventeen, young Cobb was regu- 
 larly "bound out," according to the custom of 
 those days, for a term of years, as apprentice to a 
 harness-maker, having previously made a begin- 
 ning as a shoemaker, which did not suit his taste. 
 Within a twelvemonth after he was "articled" to 
 the harness-maker, his employer sold out, and the 
 new proprietor endeavored to keep the lad as an 
 appurtenance to his purchase. Against this the 
 manly independence of the youth rebelled, and the 
 new proprietor was obliged to give him more ad- 
 vantageous terms than he had before enjoyed. 
 Having become a journeyman, he found employ- 
 ment in his native State, but he was not satisfied 
 with the conditions surrounding him. After nine 
 months of continuous toil and frugal living, he 
 was enabled to save only $60, and he resolved to 
 try his fortune in the new country to the then 
 far West. 
 
 Joining a company then being formed at Mont- 
 pelier to take up land previously located by 
 Oliver Goss, the young man having but just at- 
 tained his majority in spite of his father's re- 
 monstrance, set out. From Albany, the trip to 
 Buffalo was made by canal packet, and in the 
 journey from home to this point all his little sav- 
 ings, except $7, were exhausted. The schooner 
 "Atlanta" was about to leave Buffalo for Chicago, 
 and Mr. Cobb at once explained to the captain 
 his predicament. The fare to Chicago was just 
 $7, but this did not include board, and Mr. Cobb
 
 144 
 
 S. B. COBB. 
 
 was delighted, as well as surprised, when the 
 captain told him to secure provisions for the jour- 
 ney and he would carry him to Chicago for the 
 balance. After a boisterous voyage of five weeks, 
 anchor was dropped opposite the little settlement 
 called Chicago. Its hundred white and half-breed 
 inhabitants were sheltered by log huts, while the 
 seventy soldiers forming the garrison occupied 
 Fort Dearborn. And now a new hardship assailed 
 the young pioneer. Disregarding the bargain 
 made in Buffalo, the tricky commander of the 
 schooner refused to let him leave its deck until 
 his passage money had been paid in full. For 
 three days he was detained in sight of the promised 
 land, until he was delivered by a generous 
 stranger, who came on board to secure passage to 
 Buffalo. His first earnings on shore were applied 
 by Mr. Cobb in repaying the sum advanced by 
 his kind deliverer. Before the boat sailed he 
 found employment on a building which James 
 Kinzie was erecting for a hotel. He knew noth- 
 ing of the builder's trade, but had pluck and 
 shrewdness, and took hold with such will that he 
 was placed in charge of the work, at a salary of 
 $2.75 per day a very liberal remuneration in his 
 estimation. The building was constructed of logs 
 and unplaned boards, and did not require a very 
 high order of architectural skill, but within a 
 few days a man, seeking the position, called at- 
 tention to the lack of experience on the part of 
 the youthful superintendent, and clinched the 
 matter by offering to do the work for fifty cents 
 less per day. 
 
 Mr. Cobb now invested his earnings in a stock 
 of trinkets and began to trade with the Indians, 
 by which he secured a little capital, and resolved 
 to erect a building of his own and go into busi- 
 ness. The nearest sawmill was at Plainfield, forty 
 miles southwest of Chicago, across unbroken 
 prairies. Getting his directions from an Indian, 
 Mr. Cobb set out on foot to purchase the lumber 
 for his building. There being 110 trail, he was 
 guided solely by the groves which grew at long 
 intervals, and found only one human habitation 
 on the way. From one of the settlers at Plain- 
 field he secured the use of three yoke of oxen and 
 a wagon, with which to bring home his purchase 
 
 of lumber. He was but fairly started when a 
 three-days rain set in, and the surface of the 
 prairies became so soft that the wagon sank deep 
 in the mud, making progress almost impossible 
 and compelling an occasional lightening of the 
 load by throwing off a part. After sleeping three 
 nights on the wagon with such shelter as could 
 be made with boards from the load, with the rain 
 beating down pitilessly and the wolves' howling 
 the only accompaniment, he arrived at the Des 
 Plaines River, still twelve miles from his destina- 
 tion. The stream was so swollen by the rains 
 that it was impossible to cross with the wagon, 
 and the balance of the load was thrown off and 
 the oxen turned loose to find their way back to 
 their owner, which they did without accident. 
 After the rains were over and the ground became 
 settled, the trip was repeated, the lumber recov- 
 ered and brought safely to Chicago. These are 
 some of the experiences of the pioneer, and can 
 never be forgotten by those who pass through 
 them. 
 
 When Mr. Cobb had completed his building, 
 which was two stories in height, he rented the 
 upper story, and began business on the ground 
 floor. The capital consisted of $30, furnished by 
 Mr. Goss, who was a partner in the venture, and 
 was invested in stock for a harness shop. The 
 industry and business ability of the working part- 
 ner caused the enterprise to prosper and grow, 
 and at the end of a year he withdrew and set 
 up business on his individual account in larger 
 quarters. His business continued to grow, and 
 in 1848 he sold out at a good advance. He then 
 engaged in the general boot and shoe, hide and 
 leather trade, in partnership with William Os- 
 borne, and found success beyond his fondest an- 
 ticipations, and in 1852 he retired from mercan- 
 tile operations. About the same time, he was 
 appointed executor of the estate of Joel Matteson 
 and guardian of the latter' s five children. When 
 this trust closed in 1866, the estate was found to 
 have been vastly benefited by his shrewd man- 
 agement of the trust. 
 
 With characteristic foresight, Mr. Cobb early 
 began to invest in Chicago realty, and the wisdom 
 of his calculations has been abundantly demon-
 
 S. B. COBB. 
 
 strated. He has also been identified with semi- 
 public enterprises, or those which largely con- 
 cerned and benefited the city, while yielding a 
 return to the investors. In 1855 he was elected 
 a Director of the Chicago Gas Light and Coke 
 Company, and subsequently one of the Board of 
 Managers. This position he held until he sold 
 his interest and retired from the company in 1887. 
 It was his executive ability which was largely re- 
 sponsible for the establishment of cable roads in 
 the city, those on State Street and Wabash Ave- 
 nue being constructed under his advice and direc- 
 tion, while President of the Chicago City Railway. 
 He is still active in the councils of that company, 
 as well as of the West Division horse railway. 
 For many years he was among the controlling 
 members of the Chicago & Galena Union and 
 Beloit & Madison Railroads, now a part of the 
 Northwestern System (see biography of John B. 
 Turner). Mr. Cobb is a Director of the National 
 Bank of Illinois, and several blocks of fine build- 
 ings in the business district contribute to his in- 
 come, as the result of his faith in the city and 
 sagacity in selection. 
 
 While being prospered, he has not forgotten to 
 add to his own felicity by contributing to the happi- 
 ness of others. He has been one of the kindest 
 husbands and fathers, and not only his family but 
 the city of his home have often shared in his bene- 
 factions. When the effort to raise $1,000,000 for 
 the buildings of the new University of Chicago 
 was straining every resource of the Trustees, Mr. 
 Cobb came forward unsolicited and donated $i 50, - 
 ooo, assuring the success of the movement. The 
 "History of Chicago," by John Moses, says: "It 
 is believed that up to the time when this subscrip- 
 tion was made, few, if any, greater ones had ever 
 been made to education by a Chicago citizen at 
 one time. A noble building, the Cobb Lecture 
 Hall, now stands on the University campus, a 
 monument of the builder's liberality and public 
 spirit. As long as the great university endures, 
 this memorial of Silas B. Cobb's life will stand, 
 the corporation having pledged to rebuild the hall 
 if it should be destroyed." The Presbyterian 
 Hospital and Humane Society of Chicago are also 
 among the beneficiaries of his generosity, and Mr. 
 
 Cobb will be remembered as one of the city's 
 largest benefactors, as well as a successful busi- 
 ness man. 
 
 In 1840 Mr. Cobb married Miss Maria, daugh- 
 ter of Daniel Warren, whose biography appears 
 elsewhere in this work. He thus describes his 
 first meeting with his future bride: "I arrived 
 in Chicago in the spring of 1833. In October of 
 the same year I was occupying my new shop op- 
 posite the Kinzie Hotel in the building of which 
 my first dollar was earned in Chicago. Standing 
 at my shop one afternoon, talking with a neigh- 
 bor, my attention was attracted by the arrival at 
 the hotel of a settler's wagon from the East. With 
 my apron on and sleeves rolled up, I went with 
 my neighbor to greet the weary travelers and to 
 welcome them to the hospitalities of Fort Dear- 
 born, in accordance with the free and easy cus- 
 toms of 'high society' in those days. * * * * 
 There were several young women in the party, 
 two of them twin sisters, whom I thought partic- 
 ularly attractive, so much so that I remarked to 
 my friend, after they had departed, that when I 
 was prosperous enough so that my pantaloons and 
 brogans could be made to meet, I was going to 
 look up those twin sisters and marry one of them 
 or die in trying." The same pertinacity and 
 acumen which characterized his every undertak- 
 ing carried him through seven years of toil and 
 privation until he had won the prize, which in- 
 deed she proved to be. Their wedding took place 
 on the ayth of October. Her twin sister married 
 Jerome Beecher (for sketch of whom see another 
 page). 
 
 Mrs. Cobb passed away on the loth of May, 
 1888. Of her six children, only two survive. 
 Two daughters died in infancy, and Walter, the 
 first-born and only son, and Lenore, wife of Joseph 
 G. Coleman, are also deceased. The others are: 
 Maria Louisa, wife of William B. Walker, and 
 Bertha, widow of the late William Armour. 
 
 Being a man of firm principle, Mr. Cobb has 
 always adhered to a few simple rules of conduct, 
 in the adoption of which any youth may hope to 
 win moderate success, at least. He early discov- 
 ered the disadvantage of being in debt, and made 
 it a rule as soon as he got out to stay out. The
 
 146 
 
 W. E. ROLLO. 
 
 other words forming his motto are: Inaustry, 
 economy, temperate habits and unswerving in- 
 tegrity. A few more words from the pen of Mr. 
 Cobb will fittingly close this brief article. On 
 the guests' register in the Vermont State Build- 
 ing at the World's Columbian Exposition, ap- 
 peared this entry over his signature: "A native 
 
 of Vermont, I left Montpelier in April, 1833, and 
 arrived at Fort Dearborn, now the city of Chicago, 
 May 2gth of the same year. I have lived in Chi- 
 cago from that time to the present day. Every 
 building in Chicago has been erected during my 
 residence here. ' ' 
 
 WILLIAM E. ROLLO. 
 
 QGJILLIAM EGBERT ROLLO is a well- 
 \ A / known citizen of Chicago and a veteran 
 Y V underwriter, having been engaged in that 
 line of business since 1850. He was born in the 
 Parish of Gilead, Hebron Township, Tolland 
 County, Connecticut, January 3, 1851. His par- 
 ents, Ralph R. Rollo and Sibyl Post, were natives 
 of South Windsor, Connecticut. The former was 
 a farmer by occupation, and a son of William 
 Rollo, who, in addition to his agricultural inter- 
 ests, carried on the business of a tanner and cur- 
 rier. Their progenitors were among the earliest 
 colonists of Connecticut, and traced their lineage, 
 through a long line of English ancestry, from the 
 famous William Rollo, better known in history 
 as William the Conqueror. 
 
 Ralph R. Rollo died in 1869, at the extreme 
 old age of eighty-eight years. Mrs. Sibyl Rollo 
 passed away in 1833, in her fifty-first year. They 
 were strict adherents of the Congregational faith, 
 and observed most rigidly the rules of its creed. 
 The names of their children were: Lucy A., who 
 died in South Windsor, Connecticut, in 1858; 
 Evelyn S., who died in Chicago in 1882, while 
 the wife of Elizur W. Drake; Ralph R., who be- 
 came a resident of Chicago in 1870, and died in 
 1872; Henry, who died in childhood; Lucinda 
 F., Mrs. Solyman W. Grant, who departed this 
 life at Conneaut, Ohio, in 1845; Samuel A., 
 
 whose death occurred in New Jersey in 1864; and 
 William E. , whose name heads this notice. 
 
 The last-named became a student at East Wind- 
 sor Academy, and completed his education at a 
 similar institution at East Hartford, graduating 
 therefrom at the age of eighteen years. It had 
 been his intention to take up the study of law, 
 but his father sternly forbade that plan, declaring 
 that no man could simultaneously be a lawyer 
 and a Christian. Accordingly he abandoned his 
 cherished hopes, and in 1850 he went to Colum- 
 bus, Ohio, as a representative of the Hartford 
 Fire Insurance Company. While in that city he 
 was also the agent of the Springfield Fire and 
 Marine Insurance Company of Springfield, Mass- 
 achusetts, the State Mutual Fire of Pennsylvania, 
 and the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Com- 
 panies. His faithful and efficient management of 
 the business in his hands soon caused other cor- 
 porations to seek his services, and in 1858 he be- 
 came the General Agent of the Girard Fire and 
 Marine Insurance Company, and during the next 
 two years established agencies in Chicago and all 
 the principal cities of the West. 
 
 Since 1860 he has been permanently located in 
 Chicago. In 1863 he organized the Merchants' 
 Insurance Company of Chicago, which included 
 among its stockholders many of the most substan- 
 tial citizens and business men of the city. This
 
 J. G. ROGERS. 
 
 corporation had become well established, and was 
 doing a most flattering, lucrative business, when 
 it was overtaken by the great holocaust of 1871, 
 going down in company with many other or- 
 dinarily invincible companies before the un- 
 dreamed-of assault upon its assets. The year fol- 
 lowing that disaster, through Mr. Rollo's efforts, 
 the Traders' Insurance Company was re-estab- 
 lished and made a successful and solid institution. 
 After two years, owing to failing health and other 
 great demands upon his time, he turned over the 
 enterprise to other parties. Since that time he 
 has been carrying on the insurance agency of 
 William E. Rollo & Son. This firm manages the 
 
 Western Department of the Girard Insurance 
 Company, and represents a number of other lead- 
 ing underwriting concerns. 
 
 Mr. Rollo was married, in October, 1845, to 
 Miss Jane T. Fuller, daughter of Gen. Asa Ful- 
 ler, of Ellington, Connecticut. Mrs. Rollo is a 
 native of the same state, born at Somers. They 
 are the parents of two daughters and a son, Jen- 
 nie Sibyl, Evelyn Lavinia and William Fuller, 
 the last-named being a member of the firm of 
 William E. Rollo & Son. Mr. Rollo has adhered 
 strictly to the business of underwriting, meeting 
 with success where men of less energy and perse- 
 verance would have despaired. 
 
 HON. JOHN G. ROGERS. 
 
 HON. JOHN GORIN ROGERS, who was for 
 many years one of the ablest and most popu- 
 lar jurists in Chicago, has been thus de- 
 scribed by previous writers: 
 
 "Nature designed him for a Judge. His mind 
 was of the judicial order, and he would in almost 
 any community have been sought for to occupy a 
 place on the Bench. The high esteem in which 
 he was held as a jurist among the entire profession 
 was the result of a rare combination of fine legal 
 ability and culture and incorruptible integrity, 
 with the dignified presence, absolute courage, and 
 graceful urbanity which characterized all his offi- 
 cial acts. Like the poet, the Judge is born, not 
 made. To wear the ermine worthily, it is not 
 enough for one to possess legal acumen, be learned 
 in the principles of jurisprudence, familiar with 
 precedents and thoroughly honest. Most men 
 are unable wholly to divest themselves of preju- 
 dice, even when acting uprightly, and are uncon- 
 sciously warped in their judgment by their own 
 mental characteristics or the peculiarities of their 
 education. This unconscious influence is a dis- 
 
 turbing force, a variable factor, which more or less 
 enters into the final judgment of all men. In 
 this ideal jurist this factor was not discernible, 
 and practically did not exist." 
 
 Judge Rogers traced his ancestry from some of 
 the most honorable families of Virginia, being de- 
 scended from Giles Rogers, who emigrated from 
 Worcestershire, England, to Virginia in the sev- 
 enteenth century. He settled at the present vil- 
 lage of Dunkirk, on the Mattapony River, in King 
 and Queen County. The maiden name of his 
 wife, whom he is supposed to have married in 
 Virginia, was Eason, or Eastham. They were 
 the parents of three sons and three daughters. 
 One of the sons, John Rogers, married Mary 
 Byrd, daughter of Captain William Byrd, who 
 came from England to Virginia late in the seven- 
 teenth century. Captain Byrd was a native of 
 Cheshire, and received from the Crown a grant 
 of land embracing most of the site of the present 
 city of Richmond and of Manchester, on the op- 
 posite side of the James River. John Rogers was 
 a farmer and surveyor, and lived in King and
 
 148 
 
 J. G. ROGERS. 
 
 Queen County. He also took up land on the 
 border between Carolina and Spottsylvania Coun- 
 ties. His initials, with the date 1712, are carved 
 upon a rock there. Among the descendants 
 of John and Mary (Byrd) Rogers may be men- 
 tioned General George Rogers Clark, the noted 
 Kentucky frontiersman, and his brother, William 
 Clark, the explorer of the American Northwest, 
 beside a number of prominent military men, in- 
 cluding Colonel George Grogham, of Fort Meigs 
 and Sandusky memory, as well as several emi- 
 nent statesmen and jurists. Among the latter 
 was Hon. John Semple, who became a United 
 States Senator from Illinois. 
 
 In the first year of the present century, Byrd 
 Rogers, a son of John and Mary Rogers, moved 
 to Fayette County, Kentucky, where he soon aft- 
 erward died. He had four sons and two daugh- 
 ters. One of the sons, George Rogers, became 
 an eminent physician, and died at Glasgow, Ken- 
 tucky, in March, 1860. He married Sarah Hen- 
 sley Gorin, a daughter of General John Gorin, 
 who served in the Continental army, and rose to 
 the rank of Major during the War of 1812. Mrs. 
 Sarah H. Rogers was born December n, 1800, 
 and died in 1870. Dr. and Mrs. Rogers had four 
 sons and five daughters, and two oi the former 
 became Judges. These were John Gorin Rogers, 
 the subject of this notice, and George Clark Rog- 
 ers, who became a Circuit Judge at Bowling 
 Green, Kentucky, and died there about 1870. 
 
 John Gorin Rogers was born at Glasgow, Ken- 
 tucky, December 28, 1818, and died in Chicago, 
 January 10, 1887. His primary education was 
 obtained at the village school, and at the age of 
 sixteen years he entered Center College at Dan- 
 ville, Kentucky, an institution famous for its lect- 
 ures on law, in which he acquired the founda- 
 tion of his professional knowledge. Thence he 
 went to Transylvania University at Lexington, 
 from which he graduated in 1841, with the de- 
 gree of Bachelor of Arts. He began his practice 
 in his native town, being a part of the time asso- 
 ciated with his uncle, Hon. Franklin Gorin, one 
 of the oldest lawyers of the State. 
 
 In 1 857 he became a resident of Chicago, where 
 his talents and ability soon won him a prominent 
 
 position at the Bar. In 1870 he was chosen one 
 of the five Judges of the Circuit Court of Cook 
 County, a position to which he was repeatedly 
 re-elected and continued to hold during the bal- 
 ance of his life. He commanded the universal re- 
 spect of the people and the members of the Bar, 
 and, though he was always nominated as a Dem- 
 ocrat, he received the support of many leading 
 Republicans. 
 
 Judge Rogers always took an active interest 
 in public affairs, and previous to his elevation to 
 the Bench he was interested in many prominent 
 political movements, though he was never a vio- 
 lent partisan. In early life he was an old-line 
 Henry Clay Whig, and in 1848, and again in 
 1852, he was placed on the electoral ticket of that 
 party in Kentucky. In 1860 he became identi- 
 fied with the Democratic party, and was placed 
 on the Bell and Everett electoral ticket of Illinois. 
 In 1856 he was a member of the convention which 
 nominated Millard Fillmore for President of the 
 United States. Had he chosen to pursue a polit- 
 ical career, he could, no doubt, have held some 
 of the highest offices in the Nation; but after his 
 election to the Bench he refrained from taking 
 any active part in politics, contending that a 
 Judge should be in all things strictly non-partisan, 
 and should not lower the dignity of his office, or 
 subject himself to a charge of prejudice or favor- 
 itism, or place himself in any position where any 
 one might think that he had a claim on him for 
 special favors. 
 
 Though not a total abstainer, Judge Rogers 
 was always an advocate of the temperance cause, 
 and at one time was Grand Worthy Patriarch of 
 the Sons of Temperance of the State of Kentucky. 
 In 1849 he joined the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows, and from that time until his death was 
 the recipient of numerous honors from the order. 
 In 1863 he was elected Grand Master of Illinois, 
 and in 1869 was Grand Representative to the 
 Sovereign Grand Lodge of the United States. Aft- 
 er the great Chicago fire, he was selected as one 
 of the Chicago Odd Fellows' Relief Committee, 
 and as treasurer of that body received and dis- 
 bursed $ 1 2 5 ,000. He helped to organize the Char- 
 ity Organization Society, which was formed to
 
 EDSON KEITH. 
 
 149 
 
 promote the co-operation of all the charitable or- 
 ganizations of the city in 1883. In 1878 he was 
 elected the first President of the Illinois Club, and 
 was re-elected to that position in 1882. He was 
 also a prominent member of the Iroquois Club. 
 
 Judge Rogers was always popular in society, 
 where his genial love for humanity and sincerity 
 of purpose won him a host of friends, and his 
 name carne to be a household word among the 
 older residents of Chicago. He always manifest- 
 ed a deep interest in the poor and humble of his 
 fellow-citizens, and would often stop to grasp the 
 hand of a man of no social position, while he 
 might merely pass with a pleasant bow a million- 
 aire or social leader. 
 
 In 1844 Mr. Rogers was married to Miss Ara- 
 
 bella E. Crenshaw, daughter of Hon. B. Mills 
 Crenshaw, who afterward became Chief Justice 
 of the State of Kentucky. Mrs. Rogers, who 
 still survives her noble husband, is a lady of high 
 culture and many accomplishments, and to her 
 loving thoughtfulness and kindly assistance may 
 be attributed much of the success achieved by her 
 husband. They were the parents of four chil- 
 dren, all of whom reside in Chicago. Henry, the 
 eldest son, though finely endowed intellectually, 
 owing to ill-health has not been actively engaged 
 in business for many years; and George Mills 
 Rogers, the second son, is a well known attorney 
 and Master in Chancery; the eldest daughter is 
 the wife of Joseph M. Rogers; and Sarah is the 
 wife of ex -Judge Samuel P. McConnell. 
 
 EDSON KEITH. 
 
 HUDSON KEITH, one of Chicago's self-made 
 Kj men, is numbered among the most energet- 
 I ic, honorable, progressive and broad-minded 
 residents of the city. He was born at Barre, Ver- 
 mont, January 28, 1833, and is a son of Martin 
 Keith, a prominent farmer and builder of that 
 place, who afterward became a resident of Chicago. 
 The Keith family in America are all descend- 
 ants of Rev. James Keith, of Bridgewater, Mass- 
 achusetts, who emigrated from Scotland about 
 1660. Though but sixteen years of age at that 
 time, he was a graduate of Aberdeen College, and 
 became the pastor of the Presbyterian Church at 
 Bridgewater. It is said that his first sermon was 
 delivered from a rock in "Mill Pasture," so- 
 called, near the river. He married Susannah, 
 daughter of Deacon Samuel Edson, and they had 
 nine children: James, Joseph, Samuel, Timothy, 
 John, Jariah, Margaret, Mary and Susannah. 
 Unto James (second) were born eight children: 
 
 James, Mary, Gensham, Israel, Faithful, Esther, 
 Jane and Simeon. The children of James (third) 
 were: Noah, Comfort, James and Abigail. One 
 of the children of Comfort Keith was Abijah, born 
 June 20, 1770. He was born in Uxbridge, 
 Worcester County, Massachusetts, and was one 
 of the early settlers of Barre, Washington Coun- 
 ty, Vermont. 
 
 Martin Keith was the second son of Abijah, 
 and was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, Feb- 
 ruary 23, 1800, and came with his father's family 
 to Barre, Vermont, in 1804. He was married to 
 Miss Betsey French, and had seven children: 
 Damon, Judith, Osborn R., Edson, Byron and 
 Elbridge Gerry. 
 
 Betsey French was one of the fourteen children 
 of Bartholomew and Susannah French, who came 
 to Barre from Alstead, New Hampshire, in 1791. 
 Bartholomew French, who was one of the earliest 
 settlers of Barre, built the first mill in that place.
 
 150 
 
 EDSON KEITH. 
 
 He was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and 
 was born in Sutton, Massachusetts. A historian 
 of the town of Barre says: "To this energetic 
 man and his descendants much of the prosperity 
 of the town, from the time of his arrival until the 
 present day, is due." Twelve of his seventeen 
 children lived until the youngest was past sixty 
 years of age. At least two of his sons served in 
 the War of 1812, and one of them, named Bar- 
 tholomew, commanded a company of Vermont 
 troops, and served as a Captain of militia for many 
 years afterward. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Martin Keith removed to Chica- 
 go in 1859. The former died herein 1876, at the 
 age of nearly seventy-seven years, and the latter 
 in 1868, aged about seventy years. They were 
 worthy representatives of the pioneer families of 
 New England, and cherished the same love of hon- 
 or and truth for which their ancestors were con- 
 spicuous, while practicing that rigid adherence to 
 principle which has distinguished their posterity. 
 
 Edson Keith passed his childhood upon the 
 homestead farm and in attendance at the public 
 school. At the age of seventeen years he went 
 to Montpelier, where -the next four years were 
 spent. In 1854 he came to Chicago, beginning 
 his mercantile career in this city as clerk in a re- 
 tail dry-goods store. Two years later he became 
 a salesman and collector for a wholesale house, 
 dealing in hats, caps and furs. In 1860 he be- 
 came a member of the firm of Keith, Faxon & 
 Company, jobbers of hats, caps, furs and milli- 
 nery. Since that time he has been continuously 
 associated with that line of business, though the 
 style of the firm has undergone a number of 
 changes and transformations, and the volume of 
 its transactions has been repeatedly multiplied. 
 He is now senior member of the wholesale fancy 
 dry-goods and millinery establishment of Edson 
 Keith & Company, on Wabash Avenue, and 
 President of the firm of Keith Brothers & Com- 
 pany, wholesale dealers in hats, caps, etc., whose 
 place of business is on Adams Street. In addition 
 to these, he is proprietor of Keith & Company, 
 grain warehousemen, and is a stockholder and 
 Director of the Metropolitan National Bank. 
 
 He has ever taken a keen interest in the growth 
 and progress of Chicago, maintaining perfect con- 
 fidence in its future greatness, and has at differ- 
 ent times managed some extensive real-estate 
 transactions, which not only have contributed to 
 his personal gain, but have been important fac- 
 tors in the financial prosperity of the commun- 
 ity. 
 
 But a few years had elapsed after casting in his 
 lot with the growing metropolis before he had es- 
 tablished a reputation for integrity of character 
 and honorable dealing which has ever been con- 
 sistently maintained, and he enjoys the esteem 
 and confidence of his colleagues and coadjutors to 
 a degree attained by few men in the West. 
 
 In 1860 Mr. Keith was happily married to 
 Miss Woodruff, of Chicago. This union has been 
 blessed with two sons: Edson, Jr., a graduate of 
 Yale College and later of Columbia Law School, 
 New York City; and Walter W., a graduate of 
 Yale. 
 
 Though a sympathizer with Republican princi- 
 ples, Mr. Keith is not a strict partisan, but sup- 
 ports such men for public office as he deems most 
 worthy of his confidence. And, while he does 
 not hold membership with any religious organiz- 
 ation, he isa liberal supporter of institutions tend- 
 ing to upbuild the moral and intellectual senti- 
 ment of the people. He is a patron of art and 
 literature, and was for several terms a Vice-Presi- 
 dent of the Art Institute of Chicago. He served 
 for three years as President of the Citizens' Asso- 
 ciation, in the inception of which he was one of 
 the foremost movers, and which did a great work 
 in the reform of municipal and state affairs. He 
 was three years President of the Calumet Club, 
 and is identified with numerous other leading 
 clubs of Chicago and New York City. His hon- 
 orable and successful career stands out on the 
 horizon of Chicago's history, a fitting example 
 to its rising generations of the rewards which 
 await persistent and intelligent application, when 
 accompanied by straightforward dealing, but- 
 tressed with regular habits and unswerving integ 
 rity of character.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 J. F. EBERHART. 
 
 JOHN F. EBERHART. 
 
 (7OHN FREDERICK EBERHART, fifth 
 I child of Abraham and Esther Eberhart (nee 
 O Amend), was born January 21, 1829, at 
 Hickory, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, his early 
 years being busily spent upon his father's farm, 
 situated in the then new-settlement region. 
 
 In 1837 he moved with his parents to Big Bend 
 (on the Allegheny), in Venango County, Penn- 
 sylvania, still occupying himself with agricultural 
 pursuits, save in winter, which time was given 
 over to district schools. At sixteen he left school, 
 becoming himself a country pedagogue, his first 
 charge being located at the mouth of Oil Creek 
 (near Franklin), Pennsylvania, where, after the 
 manner so eloquently depicted by Eggleston 
 in "The Hoosier Schoolmaster," he "boarded 
 'round" and received his few dollars per month 
 for "teaching the young idea how to shoot." 
 
 The following year he took advanced tuition in 
 drawing, writing and flourishing, afterward teach- 
 ing these accomplishments to others. After some 
 further schoolteaching, and having himself com- 
 pleted the curriculum of the Cottage Hill Acad- 
 emy at Ellsworth, Ohio, he entered Allegheny 
 College, in 1849, whence he graduated July 2, 
 1853, having, like many another contemporary 
 who has since "made his mark," worked his way 
 through college by teaching and working upon 
 farms. He always took a leading part in his 
 classes, as well as in many field sports, outlifting, 
 outjumping and outrunning all his several hun- 
 dred classmates. Perhaps we may allow this to 
 speak as a prophecy of later superior achieve- 
 ments. In oratory he was proficient, as is suffi- 
 ciently attested by the plaudits of the several 
 thousand auditors who attended his Fourth of 
 July oration near his old home at Rockland, Pa., 
 two days after his graduation. 
 
 The succeeding fall he assumed the duties of 
 Principal of the Albright Seminary at Berlin, 
 Somerset County, Pennsylvania. This first in- 
 stitution of letters founded by the Evangelical As- 
 sociation developed and prospered under his fos- 
 tering care. And here a digression is briefly 
 made in order to call attention to the fact that the 
 Rev. H. W. Thomas, now pastor of the People's 
 Church, Chicago, was a pupil of his at this time. 
 
 The first serious disappointment in his life 
 work, as Mr. Eberhart had first planned it, oc- 
 curred after two years' confinement over school 
 duties, at which juncture several consulting doc- 
 tors of medicine prognosticated a growing con- 
 sumption, which he could not outlive beyond a 
 few months at the furthest. Packing up his pos- 
 sessions, he set his face toward the great West, 
 a country destined to give him that abundant 
 measure of renewed life which he has since spent 
 in the interest of others as well as himself. April 
 1 5< l8 55. was the date of his first coming to Chi- 
 cago, at which time in the then "Muddy City" 
 he remained only a short interval, on his way to 
 Dixon, Illinois, where for a time he edited and 
 published an early newspaper, called the Dixon 
 Transcript. About this time he also prepared and 
 delivered lectures upon chemistry, natural philos- 
 ophy, meteorology and astronomy, they being 
 among the first popular lectures to be illustrated 
 by practical apparatus. He also at this period 
 traveled for New York publishing houses, and was 
 largely instrumental in establishing district-school 
 libraries in the state. But, best of all, in this in- 
 vigorating climate, with its changes of diversified 
 labors, attended by abundance of outdoor sports 
 and healthy exercises, he regained and fortified 
 that healthful virility which through more than 
 three and a-half decades has amply sufficed to
 
 152 
 
 J. F. EBERHART. 
 
 keep him well engaged in honorable pursuits; 
 until at this writing, through untiring self-efforts, 
 he stands prominent and time-honored among the 
 early educators of Illinois and the West. 
 
 On locating in Chicago, he purchased and for 
 three years edited and published, "The North- 
 western Home and School Journal," interspers- 
 ing such labors by lecturing before and conduct- 
 ing teachers' institutes, not only in Illinois, but 
 also in other western states, coming thus into 
 personal contact with the leading educators of the 
 day, such as Elihu Burritt, Henry Barnard and 
 Horace Mann. 
 
 He was elected Superintendent of Schools of 
 Cook County in the fall of 1859. This office he 
 uninterruptedly held for ten years, during which 
 time he earnestly labored to arouse a unanimity 
 of interest and enthusiasm of which our local 
 school history affords no parallel. Our free 
 schools in the county up to this time had never 
 been under proper supervision, and were when 
 he assumed the duties in a neglected condition. 
 But he began a thorough systematic visitation of 
 schools, conferring with teachers and directors, 
 organizing institutes, etc. ; until, finding it im- 
 possible to secure otherwise the services of ade- 
 quately qualified teachers, he began his agitation 
 for a county normal school, and with such suc- 
 cess, that in 1867 a school was opened at Blue 
 Island, through provisions made by the Board of 
 Supervisors. This school, since removed to Nor- 
 mal, has grown to be a power in the land, being 
 sought by many pupils coming from long distan- 
 ces, and always having a large attendance roll. 
 Among other noteworthy acts we may call to 
 mind the following: Mr. Eberhart was among 
 the organizers of the Illinois State Teachers' As- 
 sociation, the first seventeen consecutive sessions 
 of which he attended; he assisted in establishing 
 the State Normal University, and in making many 
 valuable changes in the state school law, includ- 
 ing the original act authorizing counties to estab- 
 lish normal schools, and was the principal mover 
 in forming the State Association of County Super- 
 intendents, which chose him for its first President. 
 As President of the County Board of Education, 
 he was the means of introducing the ' 'kindergar- 
 
 ten" into the Cook County Normal School, and 
 also aided in establishing the system of free kin- 
 dergartens in the city. During all this time he 
 was a member of the American Institute of In- 
 struction, as well as one of the first life members 
 of the National Teachers' Association. Mr. Eb- 
 erhart received many overtures to accept profes- 
 sorships and presidents' chairs in some of our 
 leading institutions of learning, but he always 
 declined, principally because he did not again 
 wish to risk his health and life in such work. 
 
 Always imbued with a liking for travel and 
 outings, and with generous tastes for a liberal, 
 rational enjoyment and improvement of life and 
 its grand possibilities, after a quarter of a century 
 spent as before briefly indicated, he set about ac- 
 cumulating a fortune out of real estate. At the 
 time of the panic of 1873 he was esteemed one of 
 the millionaires of the city. However, through 
 joint interests with others, which he had to settle, 
 he lost his possessions, but is now again a wealthy 
 man, and is content in making a wise use of his 
 powers and gifts, being a liberal parent and hus- 
 band, and munificent in charity donations. 
 
 Personally Mr. Eberhart is rather slender, but 
 well proportioned, six feet in stature, of affable 
 manners, positive in opinion, Republican in poli- 
 tics and of deeply religious convictions. 
 
 Christmas Day, 1864, the subject of this sketch 
 was married to Miss Matilda Charity Miller, a 
 daughter of Joseph C. and Mercie H. Miller, of 
 this city. This most estimable lady was born in 
 Toronto, Canada, but in infancy was brought to 
 the United States, where, prior to her marriage, 
 she became a prized teacher. She has become 
 the tenderest of mothers, and full of thoughtful 
 kindnesses toward unfortunates in life. Six chil- 
 dren have blessed their union, namely: Maude 
 Winifred, born November i, 1866, and who died 
 February n, 1873; John Joseph, born September 
 8, 1870; Frank Nathaniel, December 17, 1872; 
 Mary Evangeline, April 3, 1875; Grace Josephine, 
 June 4, 1877; an d Wilfred, June 12, 1881, and 
 who died December 26, 1882. 
 
 A brief genealogy of the family is here added: 
 
 The name has been variously spelled, Everhart, 
 Everhard, Eberhardt, Eberhard and Eberhart
 
 J. F. EBERHART. 
 
 153 
 
 being the most common forms. Such changes of 
 patronymic spelling are by no means unusual in 
 German descendants living upon American soil; 
 but Eberhart is believed to be the most general, 
 as well as correct, English orthography, and is 
 used by the branch which is the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 This family, which from 1280 to 1723 (a period 
 of four hundred and forty -three years) gave birth 
 to counts and dukes reigning over the province of 
 Wurtemberg, is of Swabian (Bavarian) German 
 origin. Through the middle ages its numerous 
 descendants have figured very conspicuously in 
 the history of that country and the advancement 
 of civilization. As a generation they have lived 
 ahead of their respective years; have been a mar- 
 tial, well-educated, honorable and religious branch 
 of the human race. 
 
 One Eberhart rendered invaluable assistance to 
 Martin Luther, hero of the Reformation, since 
 which era most of the families have belonged to 
 the Lutheran Church. Of its many men of let- 
 ters, space permits a reference only to Johannes 
 August Eberhardt, friend of Frederick the Great, 
 Privy Councilor to the King of Prussia, mem- 
 ber of the Berlin Academy, one of the greatest 
 scholars of the eighteenth century, who composed 
 many able treatises, some of them authority to 
 this day. 
 
 Of the sovereigns of this family, whose deeds 
 and virtues are celebrated in prose and verse (the 
 lyric king of German song, the immortal Schil- 
 ler, pausing in Parnassian flights to do them 
 homage), we must chronicle how "Duke Eber- 
 hard the Noble," "Duke Eberhard the Groaner" 
 (or "Rushing Beard"), "Duke Eberhard the 
 Mild," "Duke Eberhard with the Beard," "Duke 
 Eberhard the Younger," "Prince Eberhard" and 
 "Duke Leopold Eberhard" were some of the 
 most noted rulers springing- from the loins of this 
 famous race. 
 
 The first above was the founder of the royal 
 line, being the most daring warrior Wurtemberg 
 has ever produced, of whom it is written: 
 
 "Then spoke Eberhard the Great, 
 
 Wurtemberg's beloved lord, 
 'No great cities boast my state, 
 
 Nay, nor hills with silver stored. 
 
 " 'But one treasure makes me blest, 
 Though the days are fierce and dread; 
 
 On each subject's loyal breast 
 I can safely lay my head.' 
 
 " 'Eberhard !' cried one and all, 
 
 And meekly before him bowed, 
 'Thou art richest of us all! ' 
 
 And their praise rang long and loud.' 
 
 The grandson of ' 'The Noble' ' was ' 'The Rush- 
 ing Beard," whose episode connected with the 
 fatal conduct of his son Ulrich is famed in art, 
 compositions thereupon being hung in the Cor- 
 coran Gallery at Washington (District of Colum- 
 bia), in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and two 
 canvases in the Museum of Rotterdam; while in 
 Wurtemberg's capital is a life-size statue in mar- 
 ble of "The Rushing Beard," which is among 
 the first objects of interest to attract the attention 
 of the visitor. 
 
 Intermarriages were made with such leading 
 families as the Ulrichs, Rudolphs, Henrys, Fred- 
 ericks, Hartmans and Ludwigs, whose names are 
 occasionally found in the line of rulers, when a 
 male heir was wanting to the Eberharts; or, per- 
 chance, a female sovereign for a time appears, as 
 in the case of the Duchess Henrietta, widow of 
 "Eberhard the Younger." 
 
 With the death of Charles VI, Emperor of Ger- 
 many, in 1740, passed away the glories of the 
 House of Hapsburg. At this era the Eberhardts 
 also ceased to reign in Wurtemberg, being de- 
 throned partly by their own injudicious counsels 
 and conduct, but more especially by the then 
 growing ascendancy of the Catholics. This was 
 the time of self-expatriation of many of their line 
 in quest of better fortunes, together with the civil 
 and religious freedom of the New World. 
 
 In 1727 three brothers, Michael, Peter and 
 Joseph, came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of 
 these, Michael Eberhart came from Germany in 
 the ship "Friendship, John Davis master, land- 
 ing in the City of Brotherly Love October 16, 
 1727. He had a son Paul, born during the voy- 
 age to America, who lived in Northampton Coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, until 1773, when he removed 
 to the "Manor Settlement" near Greensburg, 
 Pennsylvania. He had a third son, Christian, 
 who married Anna Maria Snyder, of his native
 
 154 
 
 D. H. PINNEY. 
 
 place, where he died in 1849, at the advanced age 
 of seventy -seven. He had a second son, Abra- 
 ham, who was born December 28, 1797, and who 
 married, August 22, 1820, Esther Arniend, of 
 New Salem, Pennsylvania. At twenty-five he 
 removed into the wilderness of Mercer County, 
 Pennsylvania, where he cleared a farm and erect- 
 ed a sawmill on the Little Neshannock. He 
 
 afterward lived in Illinois and Iowa, and was the 
 first to take up residence in the suburb of Chi- 
 cago Lawn, October 2, 1877. He died August 7, 
 1880, and was interred in Rose Hill Cemetery. 
 He was a man of great good sense and stanchest 
 probity. From him descended a fifth child, John 
 Frederick Eberhart, the subject of the foregoing 
 sketch. 
 
 HON. DANIEL H. PINNEY. 
 
 HON. DANIEL HYDE PINNEY, a worthy 
 member of the Chicago Bar, and formerly 
 Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of 
 Arizona, is descended from one of the early Colo- 
 nial families of Connecticut. His grandfather, 
 Peter Pinney , was a native of the ' 'Land of Steady 
 Habits," and his parents, Martin and Nancy 
 (Johnson) Pinney, were born in Vermont. Mar- 
 tin Pinney was reared in Franklin County, Ver- 
 mont, and settled in Western New York about 
 1830. He was a carpenter and builder, and 
 erected many of the early buildings of Orleans 
 County, New York, where he died in 1869, at 
 the age of seventy years. His widow is still liv- 
 ing there, in the ninety-second year of her age. 
 The subject of this notice is the seventh of their 
 nine children. 
 
 Daniel H. Pinney was born in Albion, the seat 
 of Orleans County, New York, June 2, 1837. He 
 received the benefit of the common schools of his 
 native town, and when still a young man joined 
 the engineering corps employed in the enlarge- 
 ment of the Erie Canal, continuing in that work 
 two years and gaining a practical knowledge 
 which ever after proved of advantage to him. 
 He was possessed of energy, and a worthy ambi- 
 tion to rise in the world, and resolved to try his 
 fortune in the new West. 
 
 The year 1856 found him in Chicago, looking 
 
 for any honorable employment. For about two 
 years he worked as a clerk and in various occu- 
 pations, and in the mean time set his mind on the 
 study of law. Going to Michigan City, Indiana, 
 he entered the office of J. A. Thornton, a leading 
 attorney of that place. When business called 
 him to Joliet, Illinois, he continued his studies in 
 the office of Snapp & Breckenridge, and applied 
 himself with such industry and aptitude that he 
 was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of 
 the United States in the fall of 1861. 
 
 His first experience as a practical lawyer was 
 obtained in the town of Wilmington, Will Coun- 
 ty, this State, where he practiced two years with 
 moderate success. At the end of this period he 
 returned to Joliet and continued his way into 
 the confidence and esteem of the public. This is 
 shown by the fact that he was five times elected 
 City Attorney of Joliet, and in 1876 he was the 
 successful candidate, as an Independent, for a seat 
 in the General Assembly. He espoused the cause 
 of Judge David Davis as candidate for the United 
 States Senate, and as an active and aggressive 
 worker, was largely instrumental in the success 
 of that candidacy. He continued his law prac- 
 tice in Joliet until 1882, when he was appointed 
 by President Arthur to a position on the Supreme 
 Bench of Arizona, which he filled with credit to 
 all concerned for four years.
 
 F. E. R. JONES. 
 
 155 
 
 After spending a year in California, Judge Pin- 
 ney returned to Illinois, settling in Chicago, where 
 he has continued in practice since. He is an 
 exceptionally able trial lawyer, and has handled 
 a wide range of cases, many of them taking him 
 to the Supreme Courts of adjoining and distant 
 States. He is, withal, a very modest man, and 
 gets no more credit than he is entitled to. He is 
 a member of the Chicago Bar Association and of 
 the Sons of New York. Being an independent 
 thinker, he has not allied himself with any organ- 
 izations other than social ones. In religious faith 
 he is a Universalist, and attended the Englewood 
 church of that denomination as long as he dwelt 
 near it. He was an original Lincoln Republican, 
 
 and was for many years an active campaigner, 
 but retains his independence of party lines, and 
 acts in elections according to his faith in respec- 
 tive candidates. 
 
 In 1865, at Albion, New York, Mr. Pinney 
 was married to Miss Mary, daughter of John B. 
 Lee, a prominent citizen of that town, which was 
 Mrs. Pinney 's birthplace. She died in 1872, leav- 
 ing a son, William Lee Pinney, now in business 
 at Phoenix, Arizona. In 1874 Mr. Pinney mar- 
 ried Miss Mary E. Bowman, of Shawneetown, 
 Illinois, a native of Kentucky, who has borne him 
 three children, Harry Bowman, Sidney Breese 
 and Nannie E. Pinney, aged, respectively, nine- 
 teen, seventeen and nine years. 
 
 FRED E. R. JONES. 
 
 f~ RED ELLSWORTH RANDOLPH JONES. 
 [3 To what extent the character of an individ- 
 | ual is molded by the circumstances and con- 
 ditions which surround him is a problem that ad- 
 mits of almost unlimited discussion. But no stu- 
 dent of human nature will attempt to deny that 
 the environments of childhood exert a powerful 
 influence upon the life of the future man or wo- 
 man. A thorough business training, begun at 
 an earty age, and vigorously adhered to in ma- 
 ture years, while it may dwarf some of the finer 
 sensibilities and smother many of the noblest at- 
 tributes of a man's nature, seldom fails to develop 
 a capable, systematic and successful business man. 
 Mr. Jones was born at Chelsea, Washtenaw 
 County, Michigan, January 18, 1860, and is a son 
 of Aaron C. Jones and Carrie R. Clarke. A. C. 
 Jones was born in New York, and came, during 
 his childhood, with his parents to Michigan. 
 They settled near Adrian, where his father, Ab- 
 ner Jones, became a prominent farmer. The lat- 
 ter was a native of New York. Aaron C. Jones 
 
 was a master marble-cutter, but being troubled 
 with weakness of the lungs, which was aggra- 
 vated by the pursuit of this calling, he abandoned 
 it. In 1868 he came to Chicago and engaged in 
 the fire-insurance business, which occupied his 
 attention until the great fire. The spring follow- 
 ing this disaster he contracted a severe cold, which 
 developed consumption and terminated his life. 
 His death occurred in 1874, at the age of forty- 
 five years. 
 
 Mrs. Carrie R. Jones, who still resides in Chi- 
 cago, was born in Goshen, Indiana, where her 
 father's death occurred about the time she was 
 eleven years of age. Her mother's maiden name 
 was Randolph, and she was a relative of the noted 
 Virginia family of that name the Randolphs of 
 Roanoke. Her grandfather, who was a man of 
 considerable means and influence, devoted much 
 time and money to the cause of the American col- 
 onies during the Revolutionary War. During 
 the progress of that struggle he made an expedi- 
 tion to the West Indies in the interests of the Na-
 
 156 
 
 B. M. WIEDINGER. 
 
 tional Government, leaving his motherless chil- 
 dren in charge of a neighbor and friend. His 
 absence was unexpectedly prolonged, and during 
 this time the neighbor moved across the Ohio 
 River to the western frontier, and the family was 
 never re-united. 
 
 The subject of this sketch attended the public 
 school until twelve years of age, at which time, 
 owing to his father's failing health, he was 
 obliged to abandon his studies and begin the bat- 
 tle of life. He obtained employment in the in- 
 surance office of the late George C. Clarke, his 
 first position being that of errand boy. Under 
 the instruction and training of his kind employer, 
 he rapidly developed an aptitude for business and 
 was promoted to more responsible positions. At 
 the age of twenty years he became the bookkeeper 
 and confidential man of the concern, with which 
 he continued to be identified until 1893. Few 
 boys of his age had to contend with the stern, 
 realistic problems of life to such a degree as he, 
 but, with the advice and counsel of his employer 
 and aided and sustained by his mother's counsel, 
 he made the most of his opportunities. He at- 
 tended night schools at intervals and subsequently 
 
 became a teacher of bookkeeping to night classes 
 at the Chicago Athenaeum. 
 
 In January, 1893, he was made City Manager 
 in Chicago of the Liverpool & London & Globe 
 Insurance Company, which position he has filled 
 up to this time with credit to himself and the mu- 
 tual advantage of the parties concerned. He now 
 occupies one of the finest suites of offices in the 
 city, being located in the new and modern Asso- 
 ciation Building. 
 
 Few people who know Mr. Jones as an able, 
 thorough-going business man are aware that be- 
 neath his calm, sedate and unemotional exterior, 
 there are veins of sentiment, philosophy and enthu- 
 siasm which are seldom allowed to assert them- 
 selves during business hours. His more intimate 
 associates, however, know him as a man of re- 
 fined and cultivated tastes, who has given consid- 
 erable attention to the study of vocal music and 
 other arts. He is a member of the Apollo and 
 Mendelssohn Clubs. He takes little interest in 
 political or other public movements, but feels a 
 deep concern in the development of the intellect- 
 ual and spiritual sentiments of mankind. 
 
 BERNHARD M. WIEDINGER. 
 
 BERNHARD MARIA WIEDINGER, an 
 educator of prominence and one of the old- 
 est members of Chicago's German colony, 
 believed in the brotherhood of man and the equal- 
 ity of all before the law, and this brief sketch of 
 his life will show a little of the much he did for 
 the emancipation of the down-trodden from op- 
 pression and slavery, as well as something of his 
 efforts in educating and preparing for the respon- 
 sibilities of after life many of the active and in- 
 fluential citizens of Chicago. 
 
 Professor Wiedinger was born at Engen, near 
 Constance, in Baden, Germany, on the isth of 
 August, 1826. His ancestors, though not titled, 
 were persons of property and influence, and were 
 
 among the leading citizens of the municipality in 
 which they dwelt. 
 
 Abraham de Santa Clara, a monk and author 
 of distinction some centuries past, was a near 
 relative of Professor Wiedinger's maternal ances- 
 tor of several generations ago. Among the host- 
 ages shot by General Moreau in the Napoleonic 
 wars, and whose bones were recently interred 
 with great honor, was an ancestor on the mater- 
 nal side. For a political offense another gave up 
 his life under the leaden prison roof of Venice. 
 
 His father, George, served as an officer in the 
 French army in the famous Peninsular campaign, 
 and with his brothers was in the Government em- 
 ploy, he being engaged in arboriculture and viti-
 
 B. M. WIEDINGER. 
 
 157 
 
 culture, and having charge of a large number of 
 men. George Wiedinger died some time in the 
 fifties, aged seventy-seven. His wife, Apollonia, 
 nee Fricker, died in 1848, at the age of fifty-six. 
 This couple were the parents of thirteen children, 
 only three of whom grew up to years of maturity, 
 all the others dying in early childhood. The eld- 
 est child was George, the second Julius Batiste, 
 and Bernhard was the youngest. 
 
 Bernhard Wiedinger obtained at Constance the 
 education afforded by the real school and gymna- 
 sium, and later attended the Heidelberg Univer- 
 sity. There he spent two years, and was noted 
 alike for his knowledge of languages and musi- 
 cal versatility. The noted rebellion of 1848 broke 
 out while he was a student at the university, he 
 being then twenty -two years old, and enrolled as a 
 soldier. Young Wiedinger had imbibed in his 
 studies a fierce and unquenchable love of liberty, 
 and hatred of all forms of oppression and tyranny, 
 and did not hesitate to cast his lot with the Revo- 
 lutionists and share in the dangers that the up- 
 rising brought to those who participated in it. 
 He saw bloody work, and was several times 
 wounded. A wound which he received in the 
 head was of a serious nature. The collapse of 
 the Revolution brought swift and summary pun- 
 ishment to many who had raised their hands for 
 liberty. Among those who were taken was young 
 Wiedinger. Until two days before his trial all 
 who were tried were sentenced to death and exe- 
 cuted. His punishment was severe, on account 
 of his having been enrolled in the army. He re- 
 ceived a sentence of ten years in prison, seven 
 months of which were spent in solitary confine- 
 ment. After spending something over a year in 
 prison, by the aid of friends he escaped to Switz- 
 erland, and later went to France. In the latter 
 country, on account of a speech he made at a 
 demonstration by Republicans, he was compelled 
 to leave the political asylum he had sought in 
 Europe, and come to America, where his efforts 
 in the cause of freedom were destined to be far- 
 ther-reaching and more successful than they had 
 been in countries where oppression had crystalized 
 in monarchy. 
 
 Arriving in the United States in 1851, he re- 
 
 mained for a time at Philadelphia, where he had 
 distant relatives. He at once began to learn the 
 language of the country, and in order to do so in 
 what he thought would be the most successful 
 way, he obtained employment on a farm where 
 he would hear only English spoken. He re- 
 mained on the farm one month, and in after life 
 he often jocosely said that in that time he learned 
 just five words, "breakfast, dinner and supper, 
 horse and harness." He was not long, however, 
 in acquiring a knowledge of English. Among 
 his earliest acts was filing a declaration of his in- 
 tention to become a citizen of the republic whose 
 political institutions were so dear to him. 
 
 His first permanent employment was as travel- 
 ing salesman for a Philadelphia book house, and 
 in that business he remained for some time and 
 traveled much. He early became an enthusiastic 
 worker in the cause of the abolition of slavery. 
 He was a delegate to the first Republican Na- 
 tional Convention held at Cincinnati in 1854, an( i 
 stumped the state of Indiana with Oliver P. Mor- 
 ton for that party, speaking in German. Later, 
 he went to Kansas, where he thought his efforts 
 in the abolition cause would be more helpful, and 
 there had charge of a station of the "underground 
 railroad," as it was called, for the aid of slaves 
 escaping from the South. He spent some time 
 in the law office of Sherman & Ewing, and was 
 assistant Secretary of the famous Topeka Con- 
 vention. John Brown numbered him among his 
 band, and when he planned his historic raid on 
 Harper's Ferry sent for him; but he arrived at 
 the place of rendezvous twelve hours too late. 
 In the early part of 1860 he started an abolition 
 paper at St. Joseph, Missouri, but one night a 
 mob visited his office, threw his type and presses 
 into the river, and he was compelled to seek a 
 more promising field of operations. Coming to 
 Illinois, he recruited a company of one hundred 
 men for the famous Hecker regiment, and was 
 elected Captain. On account of defective sight, 
 caused by injury to his eyes when a child, he was 
 prevented from going to the front. 
 
 Soon afterward he came to Chicago and bought 
 out a German school of small proportions and en- 
 gaged in the work of education. He was very
 
 B. M. WIEDINGER. 
 
 successful as a teacher, and soon had three hun- 
 dred pupils in attendance. Later he organized a 
 company which built a schoolhouse on the corner 
 of La Salle Avenue and Superior Street. His 
 health failing, he was compelled to give up teach- 
 ing in 1868 and seek outdoor employment. Sub- 
 sequently he gave private lessons, was a clerk in 
 the postomce for a year, and also held a position 
 in the City Clerk's office for two years. A por- 
 tion of the time between 1868 and 1878, when his 
 health permitted, he was engaged in teaching. 
 He spent a part of this time in the school, but 
 most of the time as a private tutor. In those 
 years, beside the misfortune of bad health, he 
 suffered the loss of his schoolhouse and household 
 goods in the great fire. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Wiedinger was married to Miss 
 Mary D. Moulton, a native of Maine, and a 
 daughter of Judge Jotham Tilden Moulton, of 
 Chicago. Mrs. Wiedinger is a descendant of an- 
 cestors who helped build up the New England 
 States. Her father, born October 8, 1808, was a 
 graduate of Bowdoin College, where the poet 
 Longfellow was one of his teachers. He gradu- 
 ated from Harvard Law School, where he was a 
 classmate of Wendell Phillips and Charles Sum- 
 ner, with the latter of whom he maintained a life- 
 long friendship. Coming to Chicago in 1852, he 
 bought a third-interest in the Chicago Tribune, 
 which he sold a year later. He held the office of 
 Deputy Clerk of the United States Court, and 
 United States Commissioner and Master in Chan- 
 cery, which last office he held until after the fire. 
 His death occurred in 1881. Mr. Moulton was 
 the son of Dr. Jotham Moulton, and grandson of 
 Colonel Moulton, who died in 1777, after serving 
 one year in the struggle for independence. Mrs. 
 Wiedinger has been a teacher for a large part of 
 her life, rendering valuable assistance to her hus- 
 band in his profession. She has also written for 
 the press, contributing translations, original stories 
 and poetry. 
 
 Mr. Wiedinger left three sons: George T., 
 Bernhard M. and Frank A. The first of these is 
 a lawyer, the second is engaged in real-estate work, 
 
 and the third has chosen the newspaper profession. 
 
 Mr. Wiedinger was one of those earnest and 
 tireless men whose energies keep them always em- 
 ployed. As a friend of freedom, he took an 
 active part in the great moral struggle that pre- 
 ceded the appeal to arms, in which he was unable 
 to engage on account of physical infirmity, but 
 to the aid of which his most effective assistance 
 in every other way was given. He aided in 
 the organization of the Republican party, in 
 order that a bulwark of freedom might be es- 
 tablished, and stood in the forefront of progress 
 of that party till 1888, when he considered the 
 party had gone from the position it formerly oc- 
 cupied, and he then joined the ranks of the Dem- 
 ocracy. As an educator, he took a place among 
 the leading Germans of Chicago, and his worth 
 as a teacher is often testified by the leading Ger- 
 man-American citizens of Chicago, who were his 
 pupils and life-long friends. He was liberal in 
 his ideas and progressive in his work, and said 
 that, if he had done nothing else, he had made it 
 impossible to have a successful German school in 
 Chicago without having an English teacher in it. 
 In the organization of societies of various kinds 
 he took a leading part. He was one of the or- 
 ganizers and President of the Turners' Associa- 
 tion of Chicago, also one of the organizers of the 
 Schiller Liedertafel, and. its musical director. In 
 recent years a bowling club, composed of his 
 former pupils, assumed the name of " Wieding- 
 er' s Boys." 
 
 In physique Mr. Wiedinger was a powerful 
 man, and a complete master of the art of self-de- 
 fense. Once, when attacked by three ruffians, he 
 knocked one down with his fist, kicked over an- 
 other, and the third, seeing the condition of his 
 companions, fled for safety. He was a prolific 
 writer in his early years, and the habit of con- 
 tributing to the newspapers he kept up through 
 life. As a friend, a husband and father, he showed 
 those rare characteristics that endeared him to his 
 familiars. His gentle, confiding nature, his do- 
 mesticity and devotion to his family were ap- 
 parent to all.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 SAMUEL J. JONES. 
 
 159 
 
 SAMUEL J. JONES, M. D., LL. D. 
 
 (3AMUEL J. JONES, M. D., LL. D., is a na- 
 /\ live of Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, born March 
 Q) 22, 1836. His father, Doctor Robert H. 
 Jones, was a practicing physician in the Keystone 
 State for a third of a century, and died in 1863. 
 The mother, whose maiden name was Sarah M. 
 Ekel, is a member of one of the pioneer families 
 of the old town of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, of 
 Swiss and Huguenot descent. At the age of sev- 
 enteen, their son Samuel, having finished his pre- 
 paratory studies, in the fall of 1853, entered Dick- 
 inson College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from 
 which he was graduated four years later with the 
 degree of A. B. In 1860 he received the degree 
 of A. M., and in 1884 was honored by his alma 
 mater with the degree of LL. D. His choice of 
 a vocation in life was no doubt influenced by his 
 father's successful practice of medicine, and at an 
 early age he determined to follow in his father's 
 professional footsteps. Accordingly, on leaving 
 college, he began the stud}' of medicine, which he 
 pursued for three years under his father's super- 
 vision. In the fall of 1858 he matriculated at the 
 University of Pennsylvania, and after pursuing 
 the studies prescribed in the curriculum of the 
 medical department of that institution, took the 
 degree of M. D. , in the spring of 1860, just thirty 
 years after the father had graduated from the 
 same university. 
 
 The advantages and opportunities for observa- 
 
 tion and adventure presented by the United States 
 naval service proved too attractive for the young 
 practitioner to resist, and he became one of the 
 competitors in the examination of candidates for 
 the position of Assistant Surgeon. He success- 
 fully passed the examination, and received his ap- 
 pointment just before the outbreak of the War of 
 the Rebellion, and entered upon a life which, for 
 activity, change, excitement and opportunity for 
 acquiring experience, should have fully satisfied 
 his desires in those particulars. He first saw 
 service on board the United States steam frigate 
 "Minnesota," which sailed under sealed orders 
 from Boston, May 8, 1861, as flag-ship of the 
 Atlantic blockading squadron. Three months 
 later he was present at the battle of Hatteras In- 
 let, which resulted in the capture of the Confed- 
 erate forts with fifteen hundred prisoners, and 
 ended the blockade-running there. This was the 
 first naval battle ever fought in which steamships 
 were used and kept in motion while in action. 
 In January, 1862, Doctor Jones was detached 
 from the "Minnesota" and detailed as Surgeon of 
 Flag-OfEcer Goldsborough's staff, on the expedi- 
 tion of Burnside and Goldsborough, which re- 
 sulted in the capture of Roanoke Island. Later 
 he was assigned to duty as Staff Surgeon under 
 Commander Rowan, and was present at the cap- 
 ture of Newbern, Washington and other points on 
 the inner waters of North Carolina.
 
 i6o 
 
 SAMUEL J. JONES. 
 
 Soon afterward Doctor Jones accompanied an 
 expedition up the Nansemond River for the relief 
 of the Union forces engaged in repelling General 
 Longstreet's advance on Suffolk, Virginia. This 
 force was under the command of Lieutenant Gush- 
 ing, of Albemarle fame, and Lieutenant Lamson. 
 In the spring of 1863 Doctor Jones was assigned 
 to duty at Philadelphia, there passed a second 
 examination, was promoted to the rank of Sur- 
 geon, and assigned to duty at Chicago, where, 
 among other duties, he was engaged as Examin- 
 ing Surgeon of candidates for the medical corps 
 destined for naval service in the Mississippi River 
 Squadron. While occupying this position he was 
 ordered to visit various military prisons, and there 
 examined more than three thousand Confederate 
 prisoners who had requested permission to enlist 
 in the Federal service, and who were accepted 
 and assigned to men-of-war on foreign stations. 
 He was ordered to the sloop-of-war "Ports- 
 mouth, ' ' of Admiral Farragut' s West Gulf Block- 
 ading Squadron, in 1864, and was soon after as- 
 signed to duty as Surgeon of the New Orleans 
 Naval Hospital, where he was at the close of the 
 Rebellion. In the fall of 1865 he was sent to 
 Pensacola, Florida, as Surgeon of the navy yard 
 and naval hospital. In 1866 he was again as- 
 signed to duty at Chicago, where he remained 
 until the marine rendezvous there was closed, in 
 the same year. In 1867 he was ordered to the 
 frigate "Sabine," the practice ship for naval ap- 
 prentices, cruising along the Atlantic Coast, which 
 was his last active sendee in the navy. 
 
 In 1868, after eight years' continuous service, 
 Surgeon Jones resigned to devote his attention to 
 private practice. Not long after he was elected 
 delegate from the American Medical Association 
 to the meetings of the medical associations of 
 Europe, and was, at the same time, commissioned 
 by Governor Geary, of Pennsylvania, to report 
 on hospital and sanitary matters of England and 
 the continent. He attended the meetings ot the 
 societies at Oxford, Heidelberg and Dresden, and 
 in the month of September, at the last place, 
 participated in organizing the first Otological 
 Congress ever held. Combining travel with study, 
 he enjoyed the remainder of the year in visiting 
 
 various pans of Europe and investigating medi- 
 cal and sanitary affairs, giving special attention 
 to diseases of the eye and of the ear. On his re- 
 turn to the United States he resumed practice in 
 Chicago in 1868. Soon after he was elected 
 President of the Board of Examining Surgeons 
 for United States Pensions at Chicago, and was 
 also made a member of the medical staff of St. 
 Luke's Hospital, and there established the de- 
 partment for the treatment of diseases of the eye 
 and ear, with which he has since been connected. 
 
 In 1870 Doctor Jones was again elected a del- 
 egate from the American Medical Association to 
 the meetings of the European associations, and, 
 during his stay abroad, spent some months in re- 
 search and investigation. In the same year he 
 was elected to the newly-established chair of 
 Ophthalmology and Otology in Chicago Med- 
 ical College, now Northwestern University Medi- 
 cal School, a position he continues to hold. He 
 also established the eye and ear department in 
 Mercy Hospital and in the South Side Dispensary, 
 having charge of each of them for about ten 
 years. For a number of years he was one of the 
 attending staff of the Illinois Charitable Eye and 
 Ear Infirmary in Chicago. In 1876 he was a 
 delegate from the Illinois State Medical Society 
 to the Centennial International Medical Congress 
 at Philadelphia, and in 1881 represented the 
 American Medical Association and the American 
 Academy of Medicine at the Seventh International 
 Medical Congress at London. The Ninth Inter- 
 national Medical Congress was held in Washing- 
 ton, District of Columbia, in 1887, and of this Doc- 
 tor Jones was a member. He was President of 
 the section of otology, and was e x-officio a mem- 
 ber of the Executive Committee, whose duty it 
 was to arrange the preliminary organization of 
 the congress. 
 
 In 1889 Doctor Jones was elected President of 
 the American Academy ot Medicine, whose ob- 
 jects, as stated in its constitution, are: "First, to 
 bring those who are alumni of collegiate, scien- 
 tific and medical schools into closer relations with 
 each other. Second, to encourage young men to 
 pursue regular courses of study in classical and 
 scientific institutions before entering upon the
 
 WILLIAM O. KEELER. 
 
 161 
 
 study of medicine. Third, to extend the bounds 
 of social science, to elevate the profession, to re- 
 lieve human suffering and prevent disease." 
 
 Doctor Jones, as may be inferred from the read- 
 ing of the foregoing recital of his services in his 
 profession, is an enthusiastic worker and an able 
 physician, whose genial manner and success in 
 practice have made him widely known. His la- 
 bors in the many societies of which he has been a 
 member have been ably supplemented by the 
 product of his pen, which has been directed to- 
 ward raising the standard of the practice of medi- 
 cine. His writings have frequently appeared in 
 medical journals, and for several years he was 
 editor of the Chicago Medical Journal and Exam- 
 iner, one of the leading periodicals of the country. 
 He has successfully applied himself to acquiring 
 knowledge pertaining to his specialty, and for 
 twenty years has been recognized by both the 
 medical profession and the public as authority on 
 all matters pertaining to ophthalmology and otol- 
 ogy. He has always stood high in the esteem of 
 the profession, and has been active and influential 
 in its councils and deliberations. His fine personal 
 
 appearance, genial manners, fund of entertaining 
 conversation, and frank, manly deportment have 
 made him a favorite, both as an individual and a 
 practitioner, and drawn to him a large clientele. 
 
 He has never held any political office, but has 
 preferred the reward which has come to him, un- 
 sought, in his profession and in literature and 
 science. He has for a quarter of a century been a 
 member of the Chicago Academy of Science, and 
 he is one of its Board of Trustees. He is also 
 President of the Western Association of the 
 Alumni of the University of Pennsylvania, and of 
 the Illinois Alpha Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa, 
 the oldest Greek-letter society in the United States, 
 founded in 1776, whose membership has always 
 been restricted and conferred as a recognition of 
 scholarship. 
 
 When the Illinois Naval Militia was organized 
 as a part of the National Naval Reserve, he was 
 solicited to give that organization the benefit of 
 his large experience in the naval service in the 
 War of the Rebellion, and he is now Surgeon of 
 the First Battalion, and has taken an active in- 
 terest in its development. 
 
 WILLIAM O. KEELER. 
 
 O. KEELER, who after an active 
 career i s spending his declining years at the 
 home of his only surviving son, No. 6818 
 Wright Street, Englewood, was born in Danbury, 
 Conn., on January i, 1819. His paternal grand- 
 father, of Scotch descent, was extensively engaged 
 in farming, and gave to each of his children as 
 they married considerable tracts of land. His 
 death occurred at the advanced age of ninety-five 
 years. Abraham G. and Sarah (Dan) Keeler, 
 parents of William O., were natives of Connecti- 
 cut. The father followed farming in that locality 
 until his death, which occurred December 23, 
 
 1836, at the age of sixty-two years. He was 
 drafted for service in the War of 1812, but hired 
 a substitute. His wife lived until 1860, passing 
 away at the age of seventy-seven years. She was 
 a member of the Baptist Church, under the in- 
 fluence of which church her children were reared. 
 William O. Keeler is the sole survivor of a 
 family of eight sons and two daughters. He was 
 reared in his native town, and at the age of seven- 
 teen beganjearning the hatter's trade. For some 
 years he engaged in the manufacture of hats and 
 in merchandising, devoting his time and atten- 
 tion to those enterprises throughout his business
 
 162 
 
 ALBERT WILSON KELSO. 
 
 career. He established the first hat manufactory 
 in Yonkers, N. Y., employing eighty workmen, 
 which was considered a large force at that time. 
 On the 26th of April, 1843, Mr. Keeler was 
 united in marriage with Miss Abigail Stuart Clark, 
 daughter of Sallu P. and Hannah (Benedict) 
 Clark. Eight children were born of their union, 
 six sons and two daughters. Ella, now deceased, 
 was the wife of J. Deville Dennis. William P. 
 married Miss Temperance Hayward, daughter of 
 Ambrose D. and Martha (Wiley) Hayward, the 
 former a native of Maine, and the latter of Mass- 
 achusetts. They have two children, William P. 
 and Martha Abigail. William P. Keeler has 
 since April, 1872, held the responsible position of 
 City Cashier in the wholesale house of Marshall 
 Field & Co. He and his wife are members of the 
 Englewood Christian Church. On the nth of 
 May, 1864, while yet a boy, he enlisted in the 
 War of the Rebellion, joining the one hundred 
 day men and becoming a member of Company A, 
 One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Illinois Infan- 
 try, U. S. A., continuing in the service until the 
 25th of October. Frederick S. and Isaac Ward 
 were the next younger, but are now deceased, as 
 also Frank, twin brother of Fannie. The latter 
 is the wife of Walter Colby, of Chicago, and 
 they have two children, Otis Keeler and Abigail 
 
 Stuart. Susan C. and Charles L. have also passed 
 away, and the mother of this family, who was a 
 devoted member of the Christian Church, died 
 May 17, 1889, in her sixty-seventh year. 
 
 In 1852, William O. Keeler went to California 
 in search of gold, and after a two-years stay re- 
 turned to Danbury, Conn., remaining thereuntil 
 the fall of 1854. He then came to Chicago and 
 opened the first hat, cap and fur store on Randolph 
 Street, under the old Mattsson House, occupying 
 this stand for a number of years. He afterward 
 removed to a new block on the opposite side of 
 the street, conducting the business until 1861. 
 He then accepted a clerkship with a hat house 
 on Clark Street, near Lake, and later at No. 77 
 Lake Street, in the Tremont Block, remaining 
 there until 1866. In that year he went upon the 
 road as a traveling salesman, which calling he 
 pursued for a limited time only. His later years 
 have been mostly spent in the manufacture of 
 dress hats, but in the spring of 1894, after pass- 
 ing his seventy-fifth milestone, the infirmities of 
 age compelled him to give up work. Father and 
 son have never been separated in their lives ex- 
 cept for comparatively brief intervals, the home 
 of the one having always been the home of the 
 other. 
 
 ALBERT WILSON KELSO. 
 
 G| LBERT WILSON KELSO, of Chicago, oc- 
 
 I | cupies the responsible position of chief clerk 
 /I in the office of the Assistant General Manager 
 of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. 
 The record of his life is as follows: A native of 
 Shippensburgh, Pa., he was born on the 22d of 
 October, 1859, and is a son of James W. and 
 Anna B (Shade) Kelso. His father was also a 
 native of Shippensburgh, and died in that town 
 when the son was only six months old. By trade 
 
 he was a painter and decorator, and did a good 
 business along that line. After the death of her 
 first husband, Mrs. Kelso married Henry High, 
 and is now residing in Wilson, Kan. 
 
 Mr. Kelso whose name heads this record at- 
 tended the public schools until fourteen years of 
 age, thus becoming familiar with the common 
 English branches of learning. His knowledge 
 has since been greatly supplemented by reading, 
 experience and observation, and he has thus be-
 
 WALES TOBEY. 
 
 163 
 
 come a well-informed man. At the age of eigh- 
 teen he emigrated westward, removing with the 
 family to Wilson, Kan. From the age of eight 
 years he had been accustomed to work in a brick- 
 yard, and also engaged in other labor, thus con- 
 tributing to his own support. He is a self-made 
 man, and whatever success he has achieved in 
 life is due entirely to his own efforts. 
 
 While living in Wilson, Kan., Mr. Kelso sought 
 and obtained a position as night clerk in a hotel. 
 Later he removed to Russell, Kan., where he was 
 employed in the same capacity. In May, 1880, 
 he entered the service of the Union Pacific Rail- 
 road Company and removed to Wallace, Kan. 
 For seven years he continued his connection with 
 that road, becoming chief clerk in the Division 
 Superintendent's office at Wallace, his merit and 
 ability winning him a promotion to which he was 
 justly entitled. Later he was in the office of the 
 Superintendent of Bridges and Buildings of the 
 Union Pacific Railroad Company at Omaha, and 
 on the 27th of April, 1887, he engaged with the 
 Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad at To- 
 peka, Kan., occupying a position as clerk in the 
 office of the Superintendent of Roadways. In 
 August, 1890, he came to Chicago as chief clerk 
 
 in the office of the Assistant General Manager, 
 which position he now holds. He discharges his 
 duties with promptness and fidelity, and wins the 
 respect of all with whom he is brought in contact. 
 
 Turning from the public to the private life of 
 Mr. Kelso, it is noted that in June, 1883, was 
 celebrated his marriage with Miss Elizabeth Spahr, 
 daughter of John and Mary Spahr, who were 
 residents of Carlisle, Pa. The family circle now 
 includes four children, a son and three daughters: 
 Mary, Edith, Newton and Nora. 
 
 Socially, Mr. Kelso is a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity, and has taken high rank in the order, 
 belonging to Topeka Commandery and Medinah 
 Temple of the Mystic Shrine. From his boyhood 
 he has been an advocate of Republican principles, 
 and since attaining his majority he has cast his 
 vote for the men and measures of that party. 
 He is an accurate and reliable scribe, who has 
 won his way to his present responsible position 
 by his own unaided efforts. His integrity, indus- 
 trious habits and systematic business methods in- 
 spire the confidence of his superior officers, and 
 his many admirable social qualities have gained 
 him numerous personal friends. 
 
 WALES TOBEY 
 
 JALES TOBEY, a leading citizen of Worth 
 Township, claims New York as the State 
 of his nativity, his birth having occurred 
 near Plattsburg, on the 28th of September, 1831. 
 His parents were Jesse and Statira (DeKalb) To- 
 bey. The father, who was born in Champlain, 
 N. Y., was an attorney by profession and became a 
 large land-owner and iron-founder. He traveled 
 extensively through the West, and in the commu- 
 nity where he lived was recognized as one of its 
 most prominent business men. His death oc- 
 
 curred in Plattsburg, N. Y., in July, 1873, at the 
 age of seventy-three years. The Tobey family was 
 of English origin. Jesse Tobey, Sr., the grand- 
 father of Wales, was one of four brothers who in 
 an early day came to America. The others set- 
 tled in Connecticut, Vermont and Ohio, respec- 
 tively. Mrs. Statira Tobey was a native of the 
 Empire State, but her parents were born in Penn- 
 sylvania, and were of German descent. Her 
 death occurred in 1841. 
 
 Wales Tobey spent his boyhood days upon a
 
 1 64 
 
 HIRAM P. CRAWFORD. 
 
 farm in Jay Township, Essex County, N. Y., 
 and attended the public schools and an academy. 
 Thus he acquired a good English education, which 
 well fitted him for the practical duties of life. At 
 the age of nineteen he left home and entered upon 
 his business career as book-keeper and salesman 
 in a mercantile establishment in Newport, Mich., 
 where he was employed for three years. He be- 
 lieved it would be to his advantage to begin bus- 
 iness in the West, and his judgment was not at 
 fault, as the years have shown. He worked for 
 the firm of E. B. & S. Ward, relatives of his 
 grandmother. When the three years had passed, 
 he went to Grand Haven, Mich., where he began 
 business on his own account as a dealer in wood, 
 furnishing steamboats on the lake. In 1851 he 
 became a resident of Milwaukee, and thence went 
 to Strong's Landing, Wis. The following spring 
 he came to Cook County, 111., settling in Worth 
 Township. ' 
 
 In 1856, Mr. Tobey purchased his present farm 
 near Worth Station. It was then a tract of wild 
 land, but he at once began to clear and cultivate 
 it, and now has a finely improved farm, supplied 
 with all modern accessories and conveniences. 
 He has bought and sold considerable real estate, 
 and this branch of his business has also proved 
 to him a good source of income. For ten years 
 after locating on his farm, his nearest postofnce 
 was Blue Island, a distance of nine miles, but 
 through his efforts offices were established at 
 Worth, South Mount Forest and Grosskopf. 
 For a year after this result was attained the mail 
 
 was brought from Blue Island by private enter- 
 prise, for the Government had not then estab- 
 lished a mail route. Mr. Tobey, in connection 
 with two other men, supported the mail route by 
 subscription. 
 
 On the 8th "of January, 1858, Mr. Tobey was 
 united in marriage with Elizabeth Van Horn, 
 daughter of A. C. Van Horn, of Homer, 111. They 
 had three children: John Dillon, a dealer in hay, 
 grain and ice, in Chicago; Emma, wife of F. 
 Hepperley, of Norfolk, Neb.; and Marion, wife 
 of John Elliott, of Winside, Neb. The mother 
 of this family passed away February 14, 1870, at 
 the age of thirty years. She was a member of 
 the Methodist Church. 
 
 Mr. Tobey was married to his second wife, 
 Elizabeth M. Burt, daughter of Alvin Burt, of 
 Westport, N. Y., January 8, 1874. She was the 
 mother of one child, Charles Clifford Tobey. 
 She passed away June 14, 1892, at the age of 
 forty-seven years. 
 
 Mr. Tobey attends the services of the Meth- 
 odist Church at Worth, which was built upon 
 land contributed by him. In earlier years he 
 was a Republican, but since the formation of 
 the Prohibition party has been identified with that 
 movement. He has never sought, nor would he 
 accept, public office. He has witnessed the mar- 
 velous development of Chicago and Cook County 
 for more than forty years, and has borne no small 
 part therein, ever striving to promote the moral 
 and intellectual growth of the community as well 
 as its material prosperity. 
 
 HIRAM PRATT CRAWFORD 
 
 HIRAM PRATT CRAWFORD, a real-estate 
 dealer of Crawford's Station, Chicago, is a 
 native of the Empire State, his birth having 
 occurred in Buffalo on the 3d of January, 1831. 
 
 He is a son of Pe:er Crawford, whose biography 
 will be found elsewhere in this work. He at- 
 tended the public schools of Buffalo and Chicago. 
 At the age of nineteen, he was established by his
 
 FRANK H. NOVAK. 
 
 165 
 
 father in a lumber-yard in Marengo; and when the 
 railroad was extended to Belvidere, he removed to 
 that place, whence he afterward went to Rock- 
 ford, 111. In 1855, he became a resident of Gales- 
 burg, where he carried on business for two years. 
 Since 1857, ne nas resided at the old homestead, 
 where he is engaged in looking after his exten- 
 sive real-estate interests. The original farm pur- 
 chased by his father has constantly increased in 
 value, and now includes some of the most valuable 
 suburban property adjacent to the city. 
 
 In 1870, Mr. Crawford married Miss Sarah A. 
 Launt, daughter of Lewis L,aunt, of Hamden, 
 Delaware County, N. Y., the birthplace of Mrs. 
 
 Crawford. Three children graced this union, 
 namely: Sadie B., wife of M. D. Broadway, of 
 Chicago; Nettie S., and Jessie L., deceased. The 
 parents and their children hold membership with 
 the Baptist Church. In his political views, Mr. 
 Crawford is a Republican, andstanchly advocates 
 the principles of that party. He has filled vari- 
 ous positions of trust, having been Assessor, Tax 
 Collector and Superintendent of Public Works in 
 Cicero Township. Mr. Crawford is a gentleman 
 of rare physical strength for one of his years. He 
 is kindly in manner, hospitable, and deeply in- 
 terested in the growth and progress of Chicago. 
 
 FRANK H. NOVAK. 
 
 f~RANK H. NOVAK, a leading attorney of 
 r^ West Pullman, was born near Iowa City, 
 I Johnson County, Iowa, on the i6th of No- 
 vember, 1862, and is a son of Frank and Barbara 
 Novak, who are still living on a farm near Iowa 
 City. The former is a native of Vienna, Austria. 
 He crossed the Atlantic to America in 1858, and 
 became one of the pioneer settlers of Johnson 
 County, Iowa. He is now one of its most ex- 
 tensive farmers and representative citizens. His 
 wife, who was born near Praug, Austria, is a 
 daughter of Frank and Mary Hiek, early settlers 
 of Lynn County, Iowa, who emigrated to America 
 from Praug, Austria, in 1855. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of our sub- 
 ject, we present to our readers the life record of 
 one who is both widely and favorably known in 
 this section of Cook County. After attending 
 the common schools, he entered the Iowa City 
 Commercial College, from which he was graduated 
 in the Class of '85. He then engaged in teach- 
 
 ing for several terms, and met with good success 
 in that line of work. He afterward became a 
 student in the Iowa State University, of Iowa 
 City, and, on the completion of the collegiate 
 course, entered the law department, having de- 
 termined to become a member of the legal pro- 
 fession. H^e received his diploma in 1889, and 
 was thereby entitled to admission to the Bar and 
 to practice in the federal courts. 
 
 Immediately after completing his law studies, 
 Mr. Novak opened an office in Iowa City, and 
 was there engaged in business until August, 
 1893, when he crossed the Mississippi into Illi- 
 nois and located at West Pullman, where he has 
 since made his home, becoming the leading at- 
 torney of that growing suburb, and doing business 
 as a lawyer and loan and collection agent. He 
 is also interested in real-estate and in live-stock 
 investments near Iowa City, where the breeding 
 of English Shire horses and Red Polled cattle is 
 made a specialty.
 
 1 66 
 
 JOHN J. LEAHY. 
 
 On the 28th of March, 1890, Mr. Novak was 
 united in marriage with Miss Nellie M. Burke, 
 daughter of Thomas Burke, a resident of Oxford, 
 Iowa. The lady is a native of Ottawa, Illinois. 
 Their union has been blessed with one child, Marie 
 Barbara. 
 
 The parents both attend the Catholic Church. 
 Mr. Novak is a member of the Knights of Pythias 
 fraternity, the Knights of the Maccabees and the 
 Order of Red Men. In politics, he is a Democrat, 
 
 and warmly advocates the principles of that party. 
 He has held a number of public offices, was Town- 
 ship Clerk both in Lucas and Monroe Townships 
 of Johnson County, Iowa, was Assessor of Mon- 
 roe Township, and filled other positions of public 
 trust. Mr. Novak is a gentleman of pleasing 
 address, good business judgment and marked pro- 
 fessional ability, making friends of all with whom 
 he comes in contact in either business or social 
 relations. 
 
 JOHN J. LEAHY, M. D. 
 
 (lOHN j: LEAHY, M. D., who is successfully 
 I engaged in the practice of medicine in Le- 
 Q) mont, was born in April, 1863, and is a na- 
 tive of County Limerick, Ireland. His father, 
 Thomas Leahy, was a native of Tipperary, and 
 his mother, Margaret Leahy, of Kitteely. The 
 Doctor acquired his primary education in the na- 
 tional schools of the Emerald Isle, and then began 
 the study of medicine in the College of Surgeons 
 in Dublin, where he remained for three years. 
 In 1883, he emigrated from Ireland, and in Sep- 
 tember of that year reached Chicago, where he be- 
 came a student in Rush Medical College. He 
 there spent two years, and still another year in the 
 Cook County Hospital. 
 
 In April, 1885, Dr. Leahy acted upon the ad- 
 vice given to the young men of America by the 
 sage of Chappaqua and went West, settling at 
 Delmar Junction, Clinton County, Iowa. At- 
 tracted by the inducements offered at Lemont, 
 however, he, in the autumn of the year 1885 
 settled in this place, where he has enjoyed a large 
 and constantly increasing practice. Much of the 
 
 time Dr. Leahy has been employed by corpora- 
 tions working large forces of men. From 1886 to 
 1891, he was surgeon for the Santa Fe Railroad 
 Company, and during the year 1892 he was 
 physician and surgeon for the firm of Frazier & 
 Chalmers, manufacturers of mining machinery at 
 Chicago, where he was busily engaged, having in 
 charge a thousand men and their families. Since 
 the beginning of 1894, ne has been physician and 
 surgeon to the Illinois Stone Company, and also 
 to Section 5 of the Drainage Canal at Lemont, in 
 addition to his general practice. 
 
 In 1887, Dr. Leahy married Miss Margaret 
 Reardon, of Lemont, daughter of Thomas and 
 Helen Reardon, whose sketch appears elsewhere 
 in this volume. Three bright and beautiful chil- 
 dren, two girls and a boy, have blessed this un- 
 ion. They are Clara Louise, John J. and Mar- 
 ion. Dr. Leahy's cheerful disposition makes him 
 many friends, professionally and otherwise, and 
 he enjoys a large and lucrative practice. He has 
 one brother in this country, Rev. Patrick Leahy, 
 of Lyons, Iowa.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 c
 
 CYRUS H. McCORMICK. 
 
 CYRUS HALL McCORMICK. 
 
 EYRUS HALL McCORMICK, measured by 
 his achievements and their influence upon 
 mankind, must rank as one of the greatest 
 benefactors of modern times. This statement is, 
 perhaps, a comprehensive one, but it is not un- 
 warranted by facts, and indeed was given an au- 
 thoritative stamp when, in the latter years of Mr. 
 McCormick's life, he was chosen a corresponding 
 member of the French Academy of Sciences, on 
 the ground of his having done more for the cause 
 of agriculture than any other living man. Why 
 this broad and generous tribute ? Why is the 
 name of Cyrus Hall McCormick remembered and 
 honored, and why will his memory hold a sacred 
 niche in Fame's enduring temple throughout all 
 coming time ? To answer queries of this nature 
 we must give a brief sketch of the life, the influ- 
 ences, and the labors of him concerning whom 
 they are asked. 
 
 The McCormick family lived in Rockbridge 
 County, Virginia. They were descendants of an 
 early settler in that portion of the S.tate, who had 
 been invited thither by the fertile fields lying in 
 the broad valley between the Shenandoah and 
 Blue Ridge mountain ranges. It was here that 
 Cyrus Hall McCormick was born on the isth of 
 February, 1809. His parents were Robert and 
 Mary Ann (Hall) McCormick, and their circum- 
 stances, while perhaps not warranting luxurious 
 living, were, nevertheless, conducive to comfort 
 and the peaceful enjoyments common to that pe- 
 riod. It was an era when modern frivolities and 
 diversions were comparatively unknown, and 
 when the hearts of men and women found their 
 sweetest solace in the regularly recurring sen-ices 
 held in the little church. Light literature was there 
 unknown, and books of travel, history and biog- 
 
 raphy were almost equally scarce. As a conse- 
 quence, the Bible was much read in the homes of 
 the people, and its precepts were more carefully 
 instilled into the minds of its students than is com- 
 mon in this push-and-hurry age of ours. The 
 parents of young McCormick were recognized by 
 their neighbors as the possessors of marked abil- 
 ity and integrity of character, and their lives and 
 actions were shaped in conformity with the best 
 ideals of Christianity. 
 
 It was amid surroundings such as these that 
 the subject of this sketch acquired those traits 
 which mark the career of the successful man, 
 and to which men of all times and of all nations 
 have paid the tribute of their admiration and 
 their praise. This schooling of his character 
 at home was supplemented by young McCor- 
 mick's attendance upon the " Old Field " school, 
 where the rudiments of book knowledge were 
 acquired, and this was further enhanced by an 
 evident desire for knowledge not found in books, 
 a knowledge of the practical, of the common things 
 about him. Genius is rarely an accidental trait, 
 and it will be seen that the natural environments 
 in which young Cyrus lived were shaping his 
 destiny. His father was a man of more than or- 
 dinary ability, himself a student throughout all the 
 years of his life, with an inclination toward in- 
 vention, and indeed an inventor in fact, as sever- 
 al useful devices are accredited to his ingenuity 
 in this line. He was extensively engaged in 
 farming, and had^, upon his premises both black- 
 smith and wood-working shops for the prompt re- 
 pairing of the various farm implements, as occa- 
 sion demanded. He appears to have been fond 
 of the workshop, and it was but natural that he 
 should give considerable time and attention to the
 
 1 68 
 
 CYRUS H. McCORMICK. 
 
 construction of experimental devices as they sug- 
 gested themselves to him. Among some of the 
 improvements resulting from his experiments were 
 a hemp-breaking machine, a threshing-machine, 
 and a blacksmith's bellows. As early as 1809, 
 he conceived the idea of a grain-cutting mechan- 
 ism, and in the summer of 1810 his conception 
 had assumed a tangible form and was taken into 
 the field for practical test. The cutting device 
 consisted of a system of rotary saws, revolving past 
 the edges of stationary knives, so as to cut like 
 shears. A witness who saw its performance in 
 the grain field described it as " a somewhat fright- 
 ful looking piece of machinery when moving." 
 It failed to meet the expectations of its inventor 
 and was laid aside, though the idea of the reaper 
 kept possession of him for several years thereafter, 
 and he in fact made one or two subsequent at- 
 tempts to perfect the machine, but without success. 
 To his father's experiments and failures young 
 Cyrus paid much attention, and it is not un- 
 likely that at an early age he brought himself to 
 believe that he would some time bring order out 
 of the chaos which had marked the elder's reap- 
 er-inventing career. He had a natural liking for 
 mechanical inventions, and spent a goodly portion 
 of his time in his father's workshops, becoming 
 quite an adept in the use of the various tools. At 
 the age of fifteen he made a grain cradle, by the 
 use of which he was enabled to go into the har- 
 vest field and keep pace with the older laborers. 
 A little later he constructed a hill-side plow, a 
 practical and useful invention, which threw alter- 
 nate furrows either right or left. This was pat- 
 ented, but was in turn superseded by his horizon- 
 tal self-sharpening plow. It was at the age of 
 twenty-two that he determined to devote his en- 
 ergies to the reaper; and with his father's fail- 
 ures before him plainly showing what was im- 
 practicable, and perhaps offering vague suggest- 
 ions as to what the practicable machine must be, 
 he dreamed, he thought, and he worked. He first 
 convinced himself that the principle adopted by 
 his father was fundamenUil.'y wrcfg, he believing 
 that the cutting device should give way to a hori- 
 zontal reciprocating blade, which should operate 
 upon the grain in mass. Deciding upon the de- 
 
 tails of such a machine, he set to work with his 
 own hands to combine them in wood and iron. 
 He became so deeply absorbed in his work that his 
 father, remembering his own futile attempts in the 
 same line, sought to discourage the boy, telling 
 him that he was wasting both his time and talents. 
 Happily, however, Cyrus saw deeper, and with 
 that persistence which was an inborn trait of his 
 character, continued on in his work, and in the 
 summer of 1831 went into a field of grain with the 
 first successful reaper that was ever built. The 
 distinguishing features of that machine were the 
 reciprocating blade, operating in fixed fingers; the 
 platform for receiving the falling grain ; the reel 
 to draw the grain back to the knives; and the 
 divider, to separate the grain to be cut from that 
 left standing. These features and their combina- 
 tion must be credited to the genius and skill of 
 Cyrus Hall McCormick. They are found in all 
 grain-cutting machines now extant, of whatso- 
 ever name or nature, and to dispense with them 
 " would be to wipe every reaper out of existence." 
 The words quoted are from " Knight's New Me- 
 chanical Dictionary', ' ' compiled and edited by Ed- 
 ward H. Knight, A. M., 1,1,. D. , in charge of 
 the classifications and publications of the United 
 States Patent Office. 
 
 When the field experiment had demonstrated 
 the practical utility of his invention, it was tem- 
 porarily relegated to a secondary place in the 
 mind of its inventor. To enter at once upon the 
 work of building machines for general use would 
 involve an expenditure and obligation which, at 
 that time, it was felt, could not be assumed; and 
 therefor, more perhaps as a stepping-stone than 
 otherwise, Mr. McCormick entered into a partner- 
 ship for the smelting of iron ore, a business which 
 appears to have moved along smoothly and with 
 some degree of success until the panic of 1837, 
 when it went down in the general crash which 
 carried with it so many older and more preten- 
 tious enterprises. Looking out upon the wreck, 
 Cyrus McCormick saw all material interests reced- 
 ing from him; looking within, he saw a sturdy 
 young manhood, and felt the red blood of ambi- 
 tion coursing through his veins. Little time was 
 spent in repining. The first thing to be done
 
 CYRUS H. McCORMICK. 
 
 169 
 
 or at least to be provided for was the payment 
 of every obligation which the firm had assumed, 
 and to this end Mr. McCormick sacrificed all his 
 possessions, including the farm which his father 
 had given him. Then, with his face turned toward 
 the light, with faith in himself and the reaper, 
 he cast about him for ways and means for the 
 further improvement of his machine, its manu- 
 facture and sale. Like most stories of great suc- 
 cesses, this is the story of small beginnings, many 
 vicissitudes and perplexities, and some anxiety; 
 but over all the rainbow of hope. The shops of 
 the old Virginia farm were utilized as ' ' factories ' ' 
 during the first few years, and, as may be imag- 
 ined, the annual output of machines was insig- 
 nificant until the year 1845, when it was decided 
 to start a plant at Cincinnati, Ohio. Arrange- 
 ments were also made at this time with a firm at 
 Brockport, New York, for building the reaper on 
 a royalty. It was thought that from these two 
 points the East and West could be supplied, but 
 the popularity of the grain cutter outran the ex- 
 pectations of its inventor, and, to accelerate the de- 
 velopment of the regions farther west, a demand 
 for it sprang up and became so general that it 
 was decided to again enlarge the plant, increase 
 the facilities, and locate near the great and grow- 
 ing market of the West. Accordingly, in 1847, the 
 McCormick Reaper Works became one of the 
 great industries of the young city of Chicago. In 
 1848 seven hundred machines were built and sold, 
 and from that-time to this the business has shown 
 a steady growth, until its proportions are well 
 nigh amazing. The present capacity of the Mc- 
 Cormick Reaper Works exceeds 150,000 machines 
 every year; and, with the possible exception of 
 India, there is no grain and grass growing coun- 
 try beneath the sun where the McCormick ma- 
 chines are not employed in garnering the crop. 
 
 After the assured success of the reaper at home, 
 Mr. McCormick took measures to bring it to the 
 attention of the agriculturists of the Old World. 
 As an initial step in this direction, the machine 
 was placed on exhibition at the first World's Fair, 
 held in London in 1851. It was at a time when 
 English eyes were given to the casting of unfriend- 
 ly glances toward whatever emanated from Yan- 
 
 keedom, and the McCormick reaper was not al- 
 lowed to escape the ridicule of the press, the 
 London Times characterizing it as "a cross 
 between an Astley chariot and a wheelbarrow." 
 Before the Exposition season closed, however, 
 the reaper completely conquered prejudice and 
 the Times made the amende honorable by stating 
 editorially that it was ' ' alone worth the entire ex- 
 pense of the Exhibition," and the Great Council 
 Medal was awarded to Mr. McCormick 011 the 
 ground of the originality and value of his inven- 
 tion. From this moment fame and fortune were 
 assured, and there were no fields either at home 
 or abroad in which McCormick was not conquer- 
 or. At the UniversalExposition at Paris, in 1855, 
 he was awarded the Grand Prize. Again at Paris in 
 1867 he gained the Grand Prize and decoration by 
 the Emperor with the Cross of the Legion of Hon- 
 or. It was at this time that M. Eugene Tisseraud, 
 Director-General of the Imperial Domains, said: 
 ' ' The man who has labored most in the general 
 distribution, perfection and discovery of the first 
 practical reaper is assuredly Mr. McCormick, of 
 Illinois. Equally as a. benefactor of humanity 
 and as a skillful mechanician, Mr. McCormick 
 has been adjudged worthy of the highest distinc- 
 tion of the Exposition." A third triumph was 
 secured at Paris in 1878, when the Grand Prize 
 was once more bestowed upon Mr. McCormick, 
 and he was also honored by the French Academy 
 of Sciences, as was referred to in the opening 
 paragraph of this sketch. Many personal trib- 
 utes might be given illustrating the high regard 
 in which Mr. McCormick was held, and showing 
 the recognition of the value of his invention. 
 During his life-time honors came to him thick and 
 fast, and it is not untimely to add here that since 
 his death the business which he founded, and the 
 harvesting machines which still bear his name, 
 stand first and foremost in the business and agri- 
 cultural world. Honors have continued to come 
 to the McCormick, not the least of which were 
 those secured at the World's Columbian Exposi- 
 tion 01*1893. 
 
 Cyrus Hall McCormick encountered obstacles 
 which only a matchless energy and ability could 
 have overcome. At the beginning of his career,
 
 170 
 
 JOHN B. TURNER. 
 
 and ior a long time afterwards, he was inconveni- 
 enced by a lack of capital and by his isolation 
 from centres of communication and trade. He 
 was forced to overcome the opposition originally 
 brought to bear against all labor-saving machines. 
 Congress refused to give him just patent protec- 
 tion, for the reason that his invention was so val- 
 uable that all should be allowed to make it ! 
 But against all these odds he came out conqueror. 
 Steadily he overcame every obstacle and estab- 
 lished his claim to be A benefactor of the indus- 
 trial world. 
 
 Man's better nature, his human side, his kind- 
 lier, gentler self, cannot be always seen to advan- 
 tage in the hurly-burly of an active business ca- 
 reer, and it is pleasant to recall the memory of 
 Cyrus Hall McCormick as he appeared to those 
 who knew him in social life, in his home, in his 
 church relations, and in all those varied walks 
 that lead away from business and touch the strings 
 of human hearts. Mr. McCormick had this gen- 
 tler nature, and, while it is not our purpose here 
 to rehearse the many ways in which this charac- 
 teristic evinced itself, still a sketch of his life 
 should contain a brief mention of those more con- 
 spicuous acts wherein are shown the trend of his 
 benevolence and the munificence of his philanthro- 
 py. In 1859, at the General Assembly of the 
 Presbyterian Church held at Indianapolis, he 
 made a proposition to endow the professorships of 
 the Presbyterian Theological Seminary of the 
 Northwest, on condition that it be located at Chi- 
 
 cago. The conditions were accepted, and the 
 seminary, which, in addition to the original en- 
 dowment, received from Mr. McCormick numer- 
 ous other magnificent donations, is to-day a proud 
 monument to his liberality and nobility of heart. 
 On the educational and religious lines of his work 
 was also his purchase of the Interior, a news- 
 paper established in Chicago to represent the Pres- 
 byterian Church. In the hour of its financial 
 struggles he purchased it, placed it upon a sound 
 financial basis, and it is to-day one of the most 
 able and influential religious journals published. 
 He was also a liberal contributor to various schools 
 and colleges in different parts of the country, 
 those of his native Virginia coming in for gener- 
 ous recognition at his hands. 
 
 In 1858 Mr. McCormick married Miss Nettie 
 Fowler, daughter of Melzar Fowler, Esq. , of Jeff- 
 erson County, New York. Four sons and three 
 daughters were born to them, two cf whom, a son 
 and a daughter, died in infancy. The surviving 
 children are: Cyrus Hall McCormick, now Presi- 
 dent of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Com- 
 pany; Mary Virginia; Anita, widow of the late 
 Emmons Elaine; Harold and Stanley. 
 
 Mr. McCormick died on the 1 3th of May, 1884. 
 His life was rounded out by something more than 
 the three-score and ten years of scriptural allot- 
 ment; but we live in deeds, not years, and, meas- 
 ured by this standard, the life of Cyrus Hall Mc- 
 Cormick was long, and ever longer groweth. 
 
 JOHN BICE TURNER. 
 
 flOHN BICE TURNER, founder of the great 
 I railway system now known as the Chicago 
 (2) & Northwestern, will ever deserve the grat- 
 itude of Chicago for his public spirit and perse- 
 verance in carrying out his enterprises in the face 
 
 of great financial and other difficulties. The pio- 
 neers of Chicago, whose number is rapidly grow- 
 ing small, speak of him in the most kindly and ap- 
 proving terms. Probably but a very small percent- 
 age of the thousands who daily ride to and from
 
 JOHN B. TURNER. 
 
 171 
 
 the city on the "Northwestern" suburban trains 
 ever consider the hardships endured by those who 
 first undertook to construct a railway to the West 
 from the struggling young city by the lake. It 
 had no double track at first, and no "parlor" or 
 "palace sleeping" cars followed its strap rails. 
 The generation which found a modern-equipped 
 line ready for its accommodation can little under- 
 stand the conditions that obtained when John B. 
 Turner laid the first ' 'T' ' rails in Illinois. 
 
 The subject of this biography was born in Col- 
 chester, Delaware County, N. Y. , on the I4th of 
 January, 1799, less than a decade after the estab- 
 lishment of the present United States Government. 
 His father, Elisha Turner, died when he was but 
 two years old, and his mother when he was four- 
 teen. Her maiden name was Patience Coville, and 
 she was of Dutch origin. The Turners are of Eng- 
 lish lineage. Soon after his father's death, J. B. 
 Turner was adopted by David Powers, and passed 
 his youth on a farm and about a tanyard operated 
 by his foster-father, in the meantime receiving such 
 instruction as the country schools of the time af- 
 forded. In 1819, he married Miss Martha Volun- 
 tine, and settled down at farming. Five years 
 later, he sold out his interest in the farm and pur- 
 chased a mill and store, and built a distillery at 
 Maltaville, in Saratoga County, which he oper- 
 ated six years. Financial reverses caused him to 
 abandon these interests, and his attention was first 
 turned to railroad construction in 1835, when he 
 took a contract to build seven miles of the Ran- 
 som & Saratoga Railroad. After its completion, 
 Mr. Turner was placed in charge of this road, 
 most of whose trains were hauled by horses, of 
 which the company owned thirty head, and he 
 constructed bams every ten miles for the accom- 
 modation of the motive power. It was on this 
 line, under Mr. Turner's management, that the 
 "Champlain," an engine of five tons' weight, was 
 placed in commission, being the second of its kind 
 in use. 
 
 In November, 1835, Mr. Turner, with a part- 
 ner, broke ground on the Delaware Division of 
 the New York & Erie Railroad, but was forced to 
 suspend operations when the financial disasters of 
 April, 1837, crippled the owners, and the capital 
 
 of the contractors appeared to be swallowed up. 
 The subsequent resumption of the company re- 
 stored to Mr. Turner the $16,000 which he re- 
 garded as lost, and with a brother-in-law, John 
 Vernam, he engaged in building the Genesee Val- 
 ley Canal. The suspension of operations by the 
 State on the canal in 1840 again caused a heavy 
 loss to Mr. Turner, but on the resumption of con- 
 struction this was, in part, restored to him. By 
 the spring of 1843, he had completed a section of 
 the Troy &Schenectady Railroad with profit, and 
 he turned his attention toward the growing West 
 as the most desirable field for the investment of his 
 capital. With his wife, he made a trip as far 
 West as the Mississippi River, and decided to lo- 
 cate at Chicago, returning East at once for his 
 family. 
 
 The I5th of October, 1843, found him again in 
 Chicago, and he took up quarters at the old Tre- 
 niont House. His active mind readily grasped 
 the opportunities for investment, and one of his 
 first moves was the purchase of one thousand 
 acres of land near Blue Island, on which he placed 
 a herd of sheep, brought from Ohio in the spring. 
 An attempt at railroad building had been made 
 as early as 1837, and a few miles of strap rails 
 had been laid, terminating on the prairie not far 
 from the present western limits of the city of Chi- 
 cago. In 1847, Mr - Turner and William B. Og- 
 den, the first mayor of Chicago, organized a com- 
 pany to construct a road westward from Chicago, 
 and on the 5th of April in that year, Mr. Ogden 
 was elected President, and Mr. Turner Acting 
 Director of the Chicago & Galena Union Railroad, 
 the objective point being Galena a town little 
 less than Chicago in size and importance at that 
 time. Both the gentlemen above named were en- 
 thusiastic in the interest of the enterprise, and by 
 their untiring labor in soliciting subscriptions to 
 stock and securing right of way from the people 
 most benefited by its construction, said construc- 
 tion was made possible. At the election of officers 
 in December, 1850, when Mr. Turner was made 
 President, the track was completed beyond Elgin 
 and reached Freeport, where it connected with the 
 Illinois Central in September, 1852. 
 
 By this time, it had been demonstrated that the
 
 172 
 
 E. F. L. GAUSS. 
 
 western prairies were destined to support an im- 
 mense population, and attention was turned to the 
 construction of the "Dixon Air Line," from 
 Turner Junction west to the Mississippi River. 
 This was rapidly completed under Mr. Turner's 
 active and able management, and a portion of the 
 line across the State of Iowa was also completed 
 under his presidency, before he resigned in 1858. 
 He continued an active director of the road, and 
 in the Chicago & Northwestern, after the consol- 
 idation of the different lines, until his death. In 
 1853, he organized the Beloit & Madison Railroad 
 Company, which became a part of the same sys- 
 tem, being now a part of the Madison Division, 
 and on the consolidation, in June, 1864, of these 
 various lines, he was chairman of the committee 
 having the arrangements in charge, and was af- 
 terward a member of the Executive Committee of 
 the Chicago & Northwestern. Mr. Turner was 
 also a director of the North Side Street Railroad, 
 incorporated in February, 1859, and continued to 
 hold stock during his life. 
 
 In 1853, Mr. Turner was called upon to mourn 
 the death of the wife who had shared in his early 
 toils and successes, and in 1855 he married Miss 
 Adeline Williams, of Columbus, Ga. Three sons 
 and three daughters were given to him. He was 
 vigorous and active to the day of his death, which 
 was the 26th of February, 1871, more than sev- 
 enty-two years of life having been his allotted 
 time. The end came peacefully and quietly, and 
 on that day Chicago lost one of her most valued 
 and upright citizens, who did what he could to 
 benefit his fellows. On the day of his funeral, 
 the offices of the Chicago & Northwestern Rail- 
 way were closed out of respect for the "judicious 
 and faithful counselor, genial companion, consider- 
 ate friend and Christian gentleman. His devo- 
 tion to the material interests of the country was 
 exceeded only by the patriotism which never lost 
 sight of the highest duties of citizenship. His 
 great works live after him, and will keep his 
 memory green forever." 
 
 E. F. L. GAUSS. 
 
 fT F. L. GAUSS is First Assistant Librarian in 
 rp the Chicago Public Library, and the responsi- 
 I ble position which he occupies finds in him a 
 capable incumbent. He is also a patron of literature 
 and music, and indeed is a friend to all those arts 
 which are calculated to elevate and benefit man- 
 kind. He claims Germany as the land of his 
 birth, which occurred in Stuttgart in 1842. He 
 came of one of the old aristocratic families of that 
 country, and was reared accordingly. The father 
 died in 1848, and the mother was called to her 
 final rest in 1845. 
 
 Mr. Gauss whose name heads this record at- 
 tended school in his native land for a number of 
 years, and in 1859, at the age of seventeen, he 
 
 crossed the Atlantic to America, settling in New 
 York City. When the war for the Union broke 
 out, and President Lincoln called for volunteers 
 to aid in crushing the rebellion which threatened 
 to destroy the nation, he at once enlisted, joining 
 the boys in blue of Company K, First New York 
 Infantry. After two years of valiant service he 
 was honorably discharged, in 1863. 
 
 Mr. Gauss on leaving the army went to Mis- 
 souri, where he studied theology in the Missouri 
 Evangelical School, and later he pursued his 
 studies in an Episcopal academy in Ohio. In 
 1871, in St. Louis, he was ordained as a minister, 
 and was given charge of the church in Bunker 
 Hill, 111., where, as there were many German
 
 ROBERT S. HILL- 
 
 173 
 
 settlers in that locality, his services were con- 
 ducted in his native tongue. In 1874 he went to 
 Europe in order to complete his studies, and from 
 1875 until 1878 was a minister in the State 
 Church of the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. In 
 the latter year he again crossed the Atlantic to 
 America, and took up his residence in Galena, 
 111., being called to the pastorate of the church at 
 that place, of which he continued in charge for 
 two years. In 1880 he came to Chicago, and en- 
 gaged in literary work while in the employ of 
 the Government, in which employ he continued 
 until 1885. In 1887 he entered the Chicago Pub- 
 lic Library. He was' afterward made First As- 
 sistant Librarian, and still fills that position. He 
 also continues his ministerial work to a limited 
 extent, although he accepts no pastorates. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. Gauss was united in marriage 
 with Miss Henrietta Stehlin, and to them has 
 
 been born a family of five children. The parents 
 and their children are all members of the Con- 
 gregational Church, and take a most active in- 
 terest in church work, doing all in their power 
 for its promotion and success. 
 
 Mr. Gauss has won a high reputation as a pub- 
 lic speaker, and at one time delivered many ad- 
 dresses in support of the Republican party, the 
 principles of which he warmly advocates. He 
 has, however, never aspired to public office. He 
 has also won note as a metrical translater. He 
 is a man of most liberal education, and during 
 the famous Anarchists' trial served as official in- 
 terpreter. Socially, he is connected with the 
 Schiller Club, of which he is Secretary, and also 
 belongs to the Royal Arcanum, the National 
 Union and the German Press Club, which latter 
 he is now serving as Treasurer. He is also Pres- 
 ident of the Chicago Library Club. 
 
 ROBERT S. HILL. 
 
 ROBERT S. HILL, who is successfully en- 
 gaged in the practice of law in Chicago, was 
 born in Buxton, York County, Maine, on 
 the 3ist of August, 1851. His ancestors on his 
 father's side came from England. Three brothers 
 of the name of Hill crossed the Atlantic with the 
 early English colonists and settled in Massachu- 
 setts. One of them afterwards removed to the 
 district of Maine, and from this branch of the Hill 
 family the subject of this sketch is directly de- 
 scended. The members of the family were prom- 
 inent land-owners and business men, and often 
 bore an important part in the events which went 
 to make up the history of colonial days. Mr. 
 
 Hill's great-grandfather was the owner of the 
 property in Buxton, Maine, now occupied by his 
 father. The grandfather was a resident of Bux- 
 ton, and took part in the War of 1812, during 
 which he was commissioned as an officer by the 
 Governor of the Pine Tree State. Another of the 
 ancestors of the subject of this sketch was an offi- 
 cer in the Revolution, and was numbered among 
 the heroes of the battle of Bunker Hill. Another 
 was captured by the English and taken to Can- 
 ada, where he was forced to live among the Indi- 
 ans for an entire winter, during which time he was 
 subjected to great hardships and suffering. He 
 finally escaped and returned to his home in Maine,
 
 ROBERT S. HILL. 
 
 much to the surprise and pleasure of his wife and 
 family, who supposed him dead. 
 
 On his mother's side Mr. Hill traces his ances- 
 try back to the ' ' Mayflower, ' ' being descended 
 from Moses Fletcher, who crossed the Atlantic 
 in the vessel which brought the Pilgrim Fathers to 
 the shores of the New World. The latter was a 
 member of the Council of Plymouth, and now lies 
 buried at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, where 
 his name appears on the monument erected in 
 memory of those old heroes. 
 
 Mr. Hill's father, now retired from business 
 with a competency, was an active lumberman and 
 farmer in Buxton, Maine. He has always taken 
 a keen interest in the religious, educational and po- 
 litical matters pertaining to his town, state and 
 country. He was a great admirer and a warm 
 friend of the late Hon. James G. Elaine. 
 
 The boyhood days of R. S. Hill were pleasant- 
 ly passed in his native town, and he was given 
 good educational advantages by his father. After 
 leaving the common schools in Buxton, he at- 
 tended Limington and Gorham Academies, both 
 of Maine, and his first effort in life after leaving 
 the latter institution was to engage in school 
 teaching in his native state, being then twenty 
 years of age. After a brief and successful experi- 
 ence as a school teacher, he came to the West with 
 his uncle, and entered Michigan State University 
 at Ann Arbor, being graduated from the law de- 
 partment of that institution in the Class of ' 74. 
 He then returned to New England, and for one 
 year studied law in the oflice of an attorney in Bos- 
 ton. The year 1876 witnessed his return to the 
 West and saw him located in Chicago. He im- 
 mediately embarked in practice, which he has car- 
 ried on continuously since. He makes corpor- 
 ation law a specialty, and has been very success- 
 ful, winning many important cases. At the pres- 
 ent time he is employed as attorney for a number 
 of corporations. 
 
 On the 26th of January, 1877, Mr. Hill was 
 married in Buxton, Maine, to Miss Fannie S. 
 Owen. Her ancestors came from England and 
 aided the colonies in their struggle for iudepen- 
 
 ence, taking a leading part in the War of the Rev- 
 olution. One of the number was captured by the 
 British in 1807, taken on board a man-of-war, and 
 forced to serve as a part of the crew. After a few 
 weeks' service, while the ship was cruising off the 
 coast of Massachusetts, he took advantage of a 
 favorable opportunity, jumped overboard, swam 
 safely ashore and returned home. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Hill have been born five children, as fol- 
 lows: Harry Robert, who died of diphtheria in 
 1 882 ; Owen T. , now a student of the Fuller School, 
 Hyde Park; Helen M. and Alice, who attend the 
 same school; and Robert S., a little lad of three 
 and a-half years. 
 
 Mr. Hill is a great admirer and firm supporter 
 of the Hon. Thomas B. Reed, who is his 
 choice for the presidency. He has known Mr. 
 Reid all his life, and on account of a knowledge of 
 his character, ability and political proclivities, he 
 supports him as a presidential candidate. Mr. 
 Hill takes a very warm interest in political affairs, 
 and labors earnestly to promote the growth and 
 insure the success of his party. He is recognized 
 as a good parliamentarian and, because of his 
 knowledge of the rules of parliamentary usage, 
 has often been called upon to preside over politi- 
 cal meetings where trouble and turbulence were 
 anticipated, and as such presiding officer has been 
 able, even in very exciting meetings, to maintain 
 order and discipline where one less skilled would 
 have failed. 
 
 Mr. Hill is a member of the Sons of Maine. He 
 contributes liberally to benevolent institutions, 
 yet makes no display of his charity. In his tastes 
 he is domestic and enjoys the companionship of his 
 family much more than that of general society. 
 In his religious belief he is liberal, broad minded 
 and charitable, believes in his children attending 
 church and Sunday-school and having instilled 
 into their minds the principles of Christianity. In 
 both business and social circles he is well known 
 as an honorable, upright man, and is held in the 
 highest regard by his many acquaintances and 
 friends.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 ^^^
 
 JESSE SPALDING. 
 
 75 
 
 JESSE SPALDING 
 
 fl ESSE SPALDING is a descendant of one of 
 the oldest American families. The euviron- 
 ment of the New England fathers was calcu- 
 lated to bring out and develop all that was 
 sturdy and vigorous in both mind and body, and 
 their descendants continue to manifest the traits 
 of character which enabled them to survive the 
 hardships which they were compelled to endure, 
 and which rendered prosperity possible in the 
 face of the most forbidding conditions. 
 
 The town and family of Spalding are known 
 to have existed in Lincolnshire, England, in the 
 twelfth century. Between 1630 and 1633, Edward 
 Spalding left that town and settled in Braintree, 
 in the then infant colony of Massachusetts. From 
 him the line of descent is traced through Joseph, 
 Nathaniel, Joseph, Joseph and John to Jesse. 
 
 The Spalding family first settled in southern 
 Connecticut, early in the seventeenth century. 
 Its members shared in the work of subduing the 
 wilderness, as well as defending their homes from 
 the aboriginal savages. Some of them achieved 
 distinction in the heroic defense of Fort Groton, 
 Connecticut. Many served in "King Philip's 
 War," and fifty-two were active in the Revolu- 
 tion, of whom nine participated in the battle of 
 Bunker Hill, where one fell from his dying horse. 
 
 Joseph Spalding, grandfather of Jesse, was 
 born in Plainfield, Connecticut. He was an of- 
 ficer of the Revolutionary army, and removed to 
 Pennsylvania in 1780, settling on land near Ath- 
 ens, Bradford County, on the upper waters of the 
 Susquehanna River. This land was claimed by 
 both Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and Mr. 
 Spalding was obliged to pay tribute to both com- 
 monwealths before he could secure a clear title. 
 This was a great hardship, but he went to work 
 
 with characteristic energy, and shortly thereafter, 
 despite all discouragements, became a prosperous 
 farmer and leading citizen of the community. 
 
 John, father of Jesse Spalding, was active and 
 influential in Bradford County affairs, and at one 
 time occupied the office of Sheriff, winning uni- 
 versal approbation by the intrepid and vigorous 
 manner in which he discharged his official (and 
 often perilous) duties in a new and somewhat 
 lawless community. His wife, Elizabeth, was a 
 daughter of Dr. Amos Prentiss, a distinguished 
 physician of Groton, Connecticut, and a represen- 
 tative of a prominent Colonial family. 
 
 Jesse Spalding was born at Athens, Pennsylva- 
 nia, April 15, 1833. While assisting his father 
 in farm work, he found time to acquire such edu- 
 cation as the common schools and the academy 
 of his native town afforded. On attaining his 
 majority he engaged in lumbering on the north 
 branch of the Susquehanna, and became a woods- 
 man and raftsman. At the age of twenty-three 
 he began to deal in lumber on his own account, 
 and was successful. His product was rafted to 
 Middletown, Columbia and Port Deposit, and 
 marketed in Washington, Alexandria, Norfolk 
 and Richmond, Virginia, and other points. 
 
 Foreseeing the rapid growth of the young city 
 of Chicago, he removed hither in 1857, an( ^ 
 soon after bought a sawmill at Menekaunee, at 
 the mouth of the Menominee River, in Wiscon- 
 sin, where he commenced the manufacture of 
 lumber. This mill was burned in 1870, rebuilt 
 and burned in 1871, rebuilt in 1872, and is now 
 finely equipped with gang, band and circular 
 saws and modern machinery, being thoroughlj r 
 complete in all its appointments. For a time 
 business was conducted by the firm of Wells &
 
 I 7 6 
 
 JESSE SPALDING. 
 
 Spalding, the firm name later becoming Spalding 
 & Porter, and subsequently Spalding, Houghtel- 
 ing & Johnson. In 1871, the concern was incor- 
 porated as the Menominee River Lumber Com- 
 pany, and in 1892 Mr. Spalding purchased the 
 interest of his partners, and has since been the 
 sole owner. Shortly after he bought out the 
 New York Lumber Company at Menekaunee, he 
 secured a milling property at the mouth of Cedar 
 River, about thirty miles above the city of Me- 
 nominee, and in 1882 he organized the Spalding 
 Lumber Company, of which he became President, 
 being at the same time its active manager. His 
 purchases of timber-lands in Wisconsin and Michi- 
 gan to supply the mills of these companies with 
 logs have aggregated two hundred and sixty-five 
 thousand acres. Besides its value for timber, this 
 land has proven rich in iron ore, and three mines 
 are now successfully operated on the property. 
 The output of the mills at Cedar River is shipped 
 in boats owned by the Spalding Lumber Com- 
 pany direct to Chicago, whence it is distributed 
 from the Chicago yards to the western and south- 
 western markets in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, 
 Kansas and Missouri. Lumber has also been ship- 
 ped recently, in large quantities, direct from the 
 mills at Menekaunee to Detroit, Buffalo, Roch- 
 ester, Albany and Boston. The companies of 
 which Mr. Spalding is the head are among the 
 largest of their kind, and annually produce from 
 sixty to seventy-five millions of feet of lumber. 
 
 Although he cannot be said to have been a pio- 
 neer in the lumber business of Chicago, few men 
 have been more closely identified with its growth 
 than Mr. Spalding. In fact, his name is indissol- 
 ubly linked with the political, social and business 
 interests of the city and the Northwest. 
 
 Mr. Spalding is amply fitted by nature and 
 training for the manipulation of large interests, 
 and his success is in no small degree due to the 
 fact that he does not despise small things. All 
 the minutiae of his extensive interests are famil- 
 iar to him, and his practical experience enables 
 him to give attention to the smallest details. His 
 investments in banking and other financial con- 
 cerns are made with the same judicious care, and 
 are equally successful with his other undertak- 
 
 ings. He is a director in many large corporations 
 of the city, and his advice is frequently sought in 
 the conduct of many important enterprises. It is 
 not strange that his fellow-citizens should discover 
 in him a capable man of affairs; and when the city 
 was destroyed by fire in 1871, he was sought out 
 as one who would be useful in adjusting public 
 business to existing conditions, and in raising 
 Chicago from its ashes and reviving business ac- 
 tivity. He was three years in the City Council, 
 and while Chairman of the Finance Committee, 
 he, by judicious management, aided in the resto- 
 ration of the city's financial credit, materially 
 furthering the establishment of good municipal 
 government. In 1861, when the Nation was 
 threatened with destruction, Mr. Spalding was 
 among its most active defenders. He was re- 
 quested by the Adjutant-General of the State of 
 Illinois to build and equip barracks for the Gov- 
 ernment soldiers (afterward known as "Camp 
 Douglas"), besides which he built barracks the 
 following year on the North Side for returning 
 soldiers. He furnished all the material for these 
 structures, receiving in payment the State Audi- 
 tor's warrants, there being no funds in the Treas- 
 ury to be applied to this purpose. 
 
 Mr. Spalding has been an active worker in the 
 interests of the Republican party from its incep- 
 tion, because he believed the weal of the Nation 
 depended upon the success of the principles main- 
 tained by that party. He was a personal friend 
 of Grant, Arthur and Conkling, as well as other 
 now prominent National leaders, and gave coun- 
 sel in many grave exigencies. He presided at 
 the unveiling of the Grant monument in Lincoln 
 Park. In 1881 he was appointed by President 
 Arthur Collector of the Port of Chicago, and filled 
 that office in a manner most acceptable to the 
 Government and the people of the city. With 
 him a public office is a trust, to be executed with 
 the same faithful care which one bestows on his 
 own private affairs; and when he was appointed 
 Director of the Union Pacific Railroad on behalf 
 of the Government by President Harrison, he 
 made a personal investigation of the property in 
 his own painstaking way, submitting the report to 
 the Secretary of the Interior. This report, which
 
 S. P. McCONNELL. 
 
 177 
 
 gave a careful review of the resources of the 
 country traversed by the line, and its future pros- 
 pects, was ordered printed by Congress, and com- 
 manded careful attention from financiers and those 
 concerned in the relations of the Pacific roads to 
 the Government. It was also embraced in the 
 annual report of the Board of Directors of the 
 Union Pacific Railway Company. 
 
 Mr. Spalding was associated with William B. 
 Ogden and others in the project for cutting a 
 canal from Sturgeon Bay to Green Bay, by which 
 the danger of navigating "Death'sDoor" (as the 
 entrance to Green Bay is known) could be avoid- 
 ed, as well as saving a distance of about one hun- 
 
 dred and fifty miles on each round trip between 
 Chicago and Green Bay ports. This was com- 
 pleted in 1882 by the Sturgeon Bay & Lake 
 Michigan Ship Canal and Harbor Company, of 
 which Mr-. Ogden was the first President, suc- 
 ceeded on his death by Mr. Spalding. During 
 the first year of its operations, 745,128 tons of 
 freight passed through the canal, and in 1892 
 the business amounted to 875,533 tons. In 1891 
 4,500 vessels (trips) passed through, and the 
 next year the number was 5,312. Congress hav- 
 ing passed an act to purchase the canal and make 
 it free to all navigators, it was turned over to the 
 United States Government in 1893. 
 
 HON. SAMUEL P. McCONNELL. 
 
 HON. SAMUEL PARSONS McCONNELL 
 was born in Springfield, Illinois, July 5, 
 1849. His parents, John and Elizabeth 
 (Parsons) McConnell, still reside at Springfield. 
 James McConnell, grandfather of the subject of 
 this sketch, came from County Down, Ireland, 
 about 1810, and engaged in the manufacture of 
 gunpowder in New Jersey. He afterward re- 
 moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, where he 
 became an extensive farmer and wool-grower. 
 He was one of the first to cultivate the prairie 
 soil of Illinois, demonstrating its fertility and 
 general advantages to his neighbors. He amassed 
 considerable property, and died in 1867. 
 
 John McConnell was born in Madison County, 
 New York, but went with his parents to Illinois 
 in his youth. When the United States became 
 involved'in civil strife, he recruited a company of 
 soldiers, and entered the military service as a 
 Captain, rising by promotion to the rank of Gen- 
 eral. Since the close of the war he has been en- 
 gaged in the insurance business in Springfield. 
 Mrs. Elizabeth McConnell was born in Connecti- 
 
 cut, and is descended from English emigrants who 
 located there about the middle of the seventeenth 
 century. Her grandfather, John Parsons, was a 
 Captain in the Continental army. 
 
 Samuel P. McConnell was educated at the 
 Springfield High School and Lombard University 
 at Galesburg, Illinois, graduating from the latter 
 institution in 1871, with the degree of Bachelor 
 of Arts. He read law with the firm of Stewart, 
 Edwards & Brown, of Springfield, and was ad- 
 mitted to the Bar in 1873. In December of the 
 same year, he came to Chicago, where he has 
 since been a prominent member of the Bar, and 
 has occupied an honorable position upon the 
 Bench. 
 
 In 1889 he was elected a Judge of the Circuit 
 Court of Cook County, to fill the vacancy caused 
 by the death of Judge McAllister, and, upon the 
 expiration of the term in 1891, he was re-elected. 
 In 1894 he resigned this office, and resumed his 
 private practice. He was led to take this step by 
 the inadequacy of the salary paid a Circuit Judge. 
 It is much to be regretted that almost any man
 
 MINER RAYMOND. 
 
 fitted to grace and honor the Bench is able to earn 
 several times the salary of a Judge in private 
 practice. 
 
 Among the most prominent cases tried before 
 Judge McConnell may be mentioned the first 
 Cronin trial, the case of Ross versus White, the 
 Chicago City Railway Company versus Springer, 
 and the receivership of the J . H. Walker Com- 
 pany, in which property to the amount of five 
 millions of dollars was involved. His impartial 
 and equitable decisions earned him the respect of 
 attorneys, jurors and litigants, and his departure 
 from the Bench was widely regretted. 
 
 In 1876 he was married to Miss Sarah Rogers, 
 daughter of Judge John G. Rogers, of whom ex- 
 tended mention is made on other pages of this 
 volume. Judge and Mrs. McConnell are the par- 
 ents of three children, named, respectively, Julia, 
 James and Eleanor. 
 
 From youth Judge McConnell has been a Dem- 
 ocrat, departing from the precepts and example 
 of his father. He has never been a candidate for 
 
 any other office than that of Judge, though re- 
 peatedly importuned by party managers to be- 
 come a political leader. Among the social and 
 fraternal associations into which he has naturally 
 been drawn, may be mentioned the Iroquois, Lit- 
 erary and Waubansee Clubs. While President of 
 the first-named organization, he took a decided 
 position on the silver question, which was antag- 
 onistic to that of many members, and he felt it 
 incumbent upon him to resign, but this act 
 aroused such a strong protest in the club, that he 
 was induced to withdraw his resignation. 
 
 He presided over the city convention which se- 
 lected delegates to the State Democratic Confer- 
 ence, held at Springfield in June, 1895, to deter- 
 mine the attitude of the party on the silver issue. 
 He was made Permanent Chairman of this con- 
 ference, which wholly sustained his views upon 
 the question at issue. In this, as in all other 
 matters affecting public policy, he has been actu- 
 ated by a desire to promote the general welfare, 
 and without wish to occupy office. 
 
 REV. MINER RAYMOND, D. D., LL.D. 
 
 REV. MINER RAYMOND, D.D., LL.D., 
 the oldest college professor in the Methodist 
 denomination, both in respect to age and 
 length of service, and one of the oldest teachers 
 of theology now living, is a resident of Evanston, 
 and until a short time since was active in edu- 
 cational work, in which he had been engaged for 
 more than sixty years. He is a native of New 
 York City, and was born on the zgth of August, 
 1811. His father was Nobles Raymond, and the 
 genealogist of this family has traced its descent 
 from Raimonde, Count of Toulouse, France, and 
 demonstrated that, on account of its espousal 
 of the Huguenot faith, its members were expa- 
 triated, and some fled to Essex, England, whence 
 
 the emigration to America occurred. The Ray- 
 monds became settlers in New England, and now 
 a host of this name, many of them prominent in 
 commercial and educational affairs, trace their 
 descent to the two or three who came to the 
 colonies in very early times. 
 
 Nobles Raymond married Hannah Wood, and 
 they became the parents of nine children, of 
 whom Miner was the eldest. Soon after his birth 
 his father removed with his family to the village 
 of Rensselaerville, New York, and there the boy, 
 when of school age, began to receive the rudi- 
 ments of his education, remaining in school un- 
 til twelve years of age. At that time his services 
 were required in his father's shop, and he spent
 
 MINER RAYMOND. 
 
 179 
 
 the following six years in learning the art of 
 making shoes, in which he became so proficient 
 that his handiwork was second to that of no other 
 workman in style or finish. The same rule of 
 doing well whatever he did was as rigidly ad- 
 hered to when he was a mechanic as it has been 
 since he has held a position in the forefront of 
 educators. 
 
 The event in his youth most far-reaching in its 
 results on character and fortune was his conver- 
 sion and union, at the age of seventeen years, 
 with the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which 
 he was to be so conspicuous and honored. His 
 father and mother were faithful adherents of that 
 creed. For more than twenty years they were 
 the only permanent residents of Rensselaerville 
 who were connected with that church, and their 
 house was ever a home for Methodist ministers. 
 The account of the great revival at Wilbraham, 
 Massachusetts, kindled in Miner Raymond a de- 
 sire for knowledge; it was the turning-point in a 
 great life, starting him on a new course and 
 bringing him into intimate and helpful relations 
 with an educational institution. Through the 
 efforts of the Presiding Elder of the district in 
 which he resided, he began his advanced educa- 
 tion in the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbraham, 
 then the only Methodist institution of learning of 
 any magnitude on this continent, of which only 
 three or four were then in existence. Like many 
 another student, he added to his limited means 
 by the labor of his hands; and the proceeds of 
 his work on the bench, mending the boots and 
 shoes of his fellow-students, helped to meet the 
 expenses incident to his education. But this did 
 not continue long. It was soon discovered that 
 he was endowed with the gift of teaching, and he 
 was made assistant teacher, a position which he 
 held for three years, while still a student in the 
 academy. His especial faculty for elucidating 
 the principles of arithmetic, which were then 
 very imperfectly treated in the textbooks, led to 
 his selection as teacher of a class of teachers, and 
 this was the starting point of his long career as 
 an educator. 
 
 Graduating in 1831, he was immediately made 
 a member of the faculty, and taught in that in- 
 
 stitution with marked success for ten years. In 
 1833 his name appears in the catalogue as usher, 
 and it was then he began his remarkable peda- 
 gogic labors. In 1834 he was advanced to the 
 charge of the English department, where he 
 labored with great success and growing popu- 
 larity for four years. During this period he had 
 been a diligent student and had delved deep into 
 the mysteries of ancient languages, the natural, 
 mental and moral sciences, and the higher mathe- 
 matics, for which he discovered a taste and apti- 
 tude. When the degrees were conferred by the 
 Wesleyan University upon the students he had 
 taught at the academy, he received, in recogni- 
 tion of his high ability and efficient services, 
 the honorary degree of Master of Arts. In 1838 
 he was promoted to the chair of mathematics, 
 which he filled with distinction for the three 
 years he remained as a teacher in the institution. 
 
 While yet engaged in teaching, Professor Ray- 
 mond joined the New England Conference, in 
 1838, and three years later entered upon pastoral 
 work. He served two years at Worcester, Massa- 
 chusetts, four years at Church and Bennett Street 
 Churches, Boston, and in 1847 went to Westfield, 
 where he remained one year. 
 
 Upon the resignation of Robert Allyn as Prin- 
 cipal of the Wesleyan Academy, Professor Ray- 
 mond was requested by the trustees to take the 
 position at the head of that institution. The 
 pastorate was the ideal life work to which he was 
 attached and for which he had educated himself, 
 but, after mature consideration, he decided to put 
 aside preference, and accept what he considered 
 a call of duty, and entered upon the work with a 
 devotion and energy that left a very deep impres- 
 sion upon the school at the head of which he 
 stood. 
 
 The first two or three years of Dr. Raymond 
 at Wilbraham were tentative and preparatory. 
 New buildings were necessary to the success of 
 the school, and how to get them was a problem, 
 the solution of which demanded his full strength; 
 but he met the difficulties and conquered where 
 most men would have failed. In spite of debt 
 and other obstacles, he succeeded in erecting 
 Fisk Hall, in 1851. In the two years following
 
 i8o 
 
 MINER RAYMOND. 
 
 the number of pupils greatly increased, and in 
 the year 1853 rose to over six hundred, nearly 
 double the attendance of previous years. Through 
 the efforts of Dr. Raymond, Binney Hall was 
 built, in 1854. The principal building of the 
 institution, including its dormitory and board- 
 ing apartments, was destroyed by fire two 
 years later. Nothing daunted by this calamity, 
 he set about obtaining the means to rebuild it in 
 still nobler proportions, and that same year suc- 
 ceeded in completing a structure costing fifty 
 thousand dollars. By the act of an incendiary, 
 in 1857, this structure was also destroyed, but 
 Dr. Raymond and a few brave aids rose superior 
 to the discouragements that had beset them, ob- 
 tained money by popular subscription, aroused 
 the friends of education throughout the state, and, 
 by petition and strong personal influence, secured 
 legislative aid, by which means a third building, 
 more commodious, more beautiful and more cost- 
 ly than its predecessors, rose upon the site of 
 their ruins, and to-day is the chief ornament of 
 this seat of learning, a monument to the faith 
 and indomitable courage of Dr. Raymond. 
 
 In 1864 he was elected to the chair of system- 
 atic theology in Garrett Biblical Institute, Evans- 
 ton, Illinois, and resigned his position at the 
 head of the academy, which he left enjoying a 
 high degree of prosperity. Coming to Evanston, 
 he entered upon a work which his long experience 
 as a teacher, ripe scholarship, and" devotion to his 
 profession have made eminently successful and 
 gratifying in its results. For thirty-one years 
 he filled a position in which he was eminently 
 useful as a teacher, and during three years of 
 that time was also pastor of the First Methodist 
 Episcopal Church in Evanston. Soon after en- 
 tering the institute, he became convinced that he 
 was spending one-third of his time in telling the 
 students what the meaning of the theological 
 authors was. Then came the determination to 
 write out his lectures and make the expression 
 as plain as possible, so that theology might be 
 clearly taught and readily understood. In due 
 time appeared his "Systematic Theology," in 
 three volumes, intended for students preparing 
 for the Methodist ministry, which has proved to 
 
 be a very popular book. One distinguished 
 authority is quoted as saying: "It is the strong- 
 est defense of Arminianism we have seen." Be- 
 sides his pastoral work, Dr. Raymond has helped 
 to direct the work of the church in its national 
 councils. Six times he was elected as a delegate 
 to the General Conferences, as follows: Pitts- 
 burgh, in 1848; Boston, in 1852; Indianapolis, in 
 1856; Buffalo, in 1860; Philadelphia, in 1864; 
 and Brooklyn, in 1868. 
 
 Dr. Raymond was married, August 20, 1837, 
 to Elizabeth Henderson, of Webster, Massachu- 
 setts, who died September 19, 1877. Five chil- 
 dren were born of this union, all of whom are 
 now living. Mary is the widow of Philip B. 
 Shumway, the builder of the Elgin, Joliet & 
 Eastern Railroad, and now resides in Evanston. 
 William is in the employ of that railroad. Samuel 
 B. is a prominent citizen and prosperous sugar 
 broker in Chicago. James H. is a well-known 
 and successful patent lawyer in Chicago. Freder- 
 ick D. is Secretary and Treasurer of the Elgin, 
 Joliet & Eastern Railway Company. 
 
 On July 28, 1879, Dr. Raymond was united in 
 marriage with Isabella (nee Hill), widow of Rev. 
 Amos Binney. Dr. Raymond's domestic life has 
 been a pleasant one; his house has been the dwell- 
 ing-place of peace and happiness. His exemp- 
 tion from illness up to the past winter, and the 
 contentment of his mind, have conspired to pre- 
 serve his physical vigor, which is evidenced by 
 the full head of hair, now of flowing whiteness, 
 and the clear, bright eye which lends vivacity to 
 his countenance. 
 
 Rev. David Sherman, D. D., author of the 
 ' ' History of the Wejleyan Academy at Wilbra- 
 ham," has thus written of Dr. Raymond: 
 
 ' ' His first essays in teaching reveal the born 
 schoolmaster, destined to advance to the fore- 
 front. No one who attended his classes can ever 
 forget his clear and forcible instructions. The 
 principles involved in the study were seized upon 
 and traced onward through intricate problems as 
 in lines of light. No one could fail to see or to 
 be carried with the demonstration. But his 
 superiority as a teacher was not simply in the ex- 
 tent and accuracy of his knowledge, or even in
 
 JAMES McMAHON. 
 
 181 
 
 his ability to make truth visible; it was rather in 
 that higher ability to develop the student and to 
 create in him the capacity to investigate and 
 master truth. It was not simply the amount of 
 knowledge he communicated, it was the way he 
 impressed himself upon other minds coming un- 
 der his instruction. The man, even more than 
 the pedagogue, was behind his utterances." 
 
 The same writer, in speaking of him as a 
 preacher, says: 
 
 ' ' With him religion was the main considera- 
 tion, and his convictions on the subject were 
 deep and strongly expressed. He spoke with 
 the demonstration of the spirit and power. If 
 his prayers and exhortations were thoughtful and 
 intellectual,, they were, at the same time, intense 
 
 and fervid, enlisting the emotions of the heart as 
 well as the accurate formulations of the brain. 
 * * * * Though gifted with large capacity 
 for astute and accurate thought, he was gladly 
 heard by the people, because his logic usually 
 came to a white heat. To the religious people of 
 Wilbraham he was for a quarter of a century the 
 oracle. No other principal, certainly after Dr. 
 Fisk, obtained so firm and enduring a hold upon 
 the people as Miner Raymond." 
 
 What was said in those days may be repeated 
 with emphasis concerning his labors in later 
 years, when in the enjoyment of his full intel- 
 lectual strength and the knowledge and experi- 
 ence gained in more than half a century of con- 
 tinuous mental activity. 
 
 JAMES McMAHON. 
 
 (TAMES McMAHON. Few people in Evan- 
 I ston are as well known, or regarded with as 
 (*/ much sincere respect and admiration, as the 
 subject of this notice and his excellent wife. 
 During their residence of over thirty years in 
 Cook County, they have been almost constantly 
 identified with charitable and philanthropic en- 
 terprises, and have won the friendship of both 
 rich and poor to an unusual degree. 
 
 Mr. McMahon was born at Belfast, Ireland, 
 June 4, 1813. He is a son of Alexander Mc- 
 Mahon and Mar> 7 Ann Douglass, both of whom 
 were of the stanch Scotch- Irish blood which has 
 ever been active in promoting the best interests 
 of mankind. Alexander McMahoii was the de- 
 scendant of a family which had been for many 
 generations engaged in the linen trade. Two of 
 his brothers were extensive merchants at Belfast, 
 Ireland, and amassed a fortune there. Alexander 
 turned his attention to agriculture, and in 1819 
 came to America. After living for a time near 
 
 Watertown, New York, he removed to a farm near 
 Kingston, Canada, upon which he resided for fifty 
 years, departing this life in 1883, at the age of 
 ninety-three years. He was the father of fourteen 
 children, of whom James was the eldest. He was 
 an honorable and thrifty business man, and accu- 
 mulated a competence, in the enjoyment of which 
 his later years were spent. He and his wife were 
 devout Presbyterians. The latter died at King- 
 ston, several years later than her husband. 
 
 James McMahon enjoyed excellent educational 
 advantages, pursuing courses of study success- 
 ively at Andover Academy; Cheshire Academy, at 
 Cheshire, Connecticut; and Washington (now 
 Trinity) College, at Hartford, Connecticut. His 
 parents designed to fit him for the Presbyterian 
 ministry., but, while a student at Washington 
 College, he became converted to the Episcopal 
 faith, and abandoned his theological studies, to 
 their great disappointment. While a young man, 
 he spent considerable time in travel, visiting Eu-
 
 182 
 
 JAMES McMAHON. 
 
 rope three times, and becoming quite familiar 
 with the ways of the world and its business 
 methods. In 1849, in company with a party of 
 young men of his acquaintance, he went to Cali- 
 fornia, by way of the Isthmus. He remained 
 three years in that state, during which time he 
 mined successively at Hangtown, American Val- 
 ley and Big Bar, and also recovered his health, 
 which had become considerably impaired before 
 his departure from the East. At the last-named 
 mines he gained a rich reward for his labors, and 
 thence returned to the East, again making the 
 voyage by way of the Isthmus, a regular line of 
 steamers having been established since he first 
 made the journey. 
 
 He landed at New Orleans, thence went to Dal- 
 las County, Alabama, where he purchased an ex- 
 tensive cotton plantation with a retinue of slaves, 
 and had just established a profitable business 
 when the Civil War broke out. On account of his 
 political views, he found it impracticable to re- 
 main there, and in 1860 he was obliged to 
 abandon his property and remove to the North. 
 He located in Chicago, where he became asso- 
 ciated with the insurance agency of Thomas B. 
 Bryan, and continued to carry on that line of 
 business for a number of years, representing the 
 Mutual Life, the Mutual Benefit and the Equit- 
 able Life Insurance Companies. His business 
 ventures were fairly successful, and he had accu- 
 mulated -considerable property when the great fire 
 of 1871 visited the city. Most of what he saved 
 from that disaster was swept away by the panic 
 of 1873. At the latter date he moved to Evans- 
 ton, and for a few years conducted a restaurant 
 in Davis Street. Since 1882 he has filled the of- 
 fice of Township Supervisor, being re-elected 
 each season without opposition. In addition to 
 his official duties, he acts as a purchasing agent 
 for Evanston merchants, making regular trips to 
 Chicago in their interests. 
 
 He is a thirty-second-degree Mason, and is 
 held in the highest regard by his brethren of that 
 order, from whom he has received many testimo- 
 nials. He first joined Oriental Lodge, and is 
 now identified with Evans Lodge, Evanston 
 Chapter, Evanston Commandery and Oriental 
 
 Consistory, his duties as Tyler of these several 
 bodies taking up considerable of his time. 
 
 Mr. McMahon was married, in 1865, to Martha 
 Cornelia Converse, daughter of Samuel Augustus 
 and Anna (Easton) Converse, of Stafford, Con- 
 necticut. Mr. Converse, who was a descendant 
 of the French Huguenots who located in America 
 during the Colonial period, died in Connecticut, 
 at the extreme old age of ninety-three years. He 
 was an influential citizen of Stafford, and a pen- 
 sioner of the War of 1812. Mrs. McMahon came 
 to Chicago in 1860, and was associated with Mrs. 
 Mary A. Livermore in conducting the great San- 
 itary Fair. Mr. McMahon was also one of the 
 promoters of this undertaking, and sold thousands 
 of tickets in its support. Though not blessed 
 with children of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Mc- 
 Mahon have adopted and partially reared several 
 children, one daughter, Harriet Wilmina, having 
 been a member of the family from infancy. She 
 was first married to Professor W. W. Graves, an 
 instructor in the Northwestern University, and 
 since his death has become the wife of Edwin 
 O'Malley, of Chicago. Jennie, another adopted 
 daughter of Mr. and Mrs. McMahon, is now Mrs. 
 Cameron, of Winnipeg, Manitoba. 
 
 When he first located in Chicago Mr. McMahon 
 resided on the South Side, near the home of 
 Stephen A. Douglas, who became his intimate 
 friend. He helped to organize St. Mark's Church, 
 on Cottage Grove Avenue, and was for some 
 years one of its most active and influential mem- 
 bers. He served four years as Superintendent of 
 Trinity Mission, and he and his wife have been 
 communicants of St. Mark's Church of Evanston 
 since removing to that city. Previous to the 
 Great Rebellion, he was a Democrat, but since 
 coming to Chicago has been a consistent Repub- 
 lican. He is a life member of the Masonic Vet- 
 erans' Association of Chicago, and during the 
 war acted as agent for the numerous Masonic 
 charities of the city of Chicago, securing relief 
 and transportation for many indigent members of 
 the order belonging to the Union army. The 
 retrospection of his long and useful life may well 
 afford comfort and satisfaction in his declining 
 years.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT) 
 
 JONATHAN CLARK
 
 JONATHAN CLARK. 
 
 JONATHAN CLARK. 
 
 (JONATHAN CLARK, prominent among Chi- 
 I cago contractors and builders, was born at 
 O West Walton, in the county of Norfolk, Eng- 
 land, May 28, 1828. His parents were William 
 and Christina Clark, and his father died when 
 Jonathan, the eldest of four children, was only 
 seven years old. At the age of eight he was put 
 to work herding sheep on the Norfolk commons 
 and keeping the birds off the fields of grain, for 
 which he received two shillings (fifty cents) per 
 week. He went out to service on a farm at twelve 
 years of age. His earnings during the last year 
 of service he saved to pay his way to America. 
 Previous to that time he had contributed his 
 wages to the support of his widowed mother and 
 his younger brothers. 
 
 On the 2ist of September, 1848, Mr. Clark 
 sailed from England, and arrived in Chicago on 
 the 2jth of November, via New York, being nearly 
 ten weeks on the journey. He came by way of 
 the Lakes directly to Chicago, penniless and 
 friendless, but resolute and ready for whatever 
 came. His first employment was hauling wood 
 into Chicago. The winter was very severe, and 
 he froze his feet, and, through the dishonesty of 
 his employer, he lost his wages. In the spring 
 of 1849 he worked six weeks for Jefferson Mun- 
 son, of Downer's Grove, and then returned to 
 Chicago and became an apprentice to P. L. Up- 
 dyke and John Sollitt, with whom he spent three 
 years, learning the trade of carpenter and joiner, 
 and at the expiration of that time receiving'the 
 sum of $200 for his services. He spent six months 
 as a journeyman, and then began contracting on 
 his own account, and was successful, accumulat- 
 
 ing money from the start. By saving his earn- 
 ings, he was able to pay his brother's passage to 
 America in 1849, an< i i n l &5 the two brought 
 over the remainder of the family. 
 
 In 1860, in company with his brother, Mr. 
 Clark went overland to Denver, where they 
 fitted up the first express building and the post- 
 office. After spending the summer there, they 
 returned in the fall by team, as they had gone. 
 On the Platte River Mr. Clark's horse was stolen, 
 and while trying to recover it, he traveled on 
 foot in the night, and was surrounded by wolves, 
 barely escaping with his life. The thief was 
 captured, and Mr. Clark's companions wanted to 
 try him, but as that meant conviction and hang- 
 ing, he refused to allow it, and the offender was 
 permitted to accompany the outfit to Omaha, and 
 to go unpunished. In 1867 Mr. Clark was ap- 
 pointed by Gov. Oglesby to superintend the con- 
 struction of Illinois buildings at the Paris Expo- 
 sition. There the United States Government, 
 recognizing his worth, secured his services in the 
 Department of Works, and appointed him assist- 
 ant to the Superintendent of the American por- 
 tion of the exposition. Before returning to the 
 United States, he visited his old home and por- 
 tions of Switzerland and Germany. 
 
 During the years he was engaged in contract- 
 ing, Mr. Clark did an immense business, and 
 erected many residences, stores and business 
 houses. Among them were the Bowen Block, 
 McCormick Hall Block, Kingsburg Music Hall, 
 Kingsburg Block, the Chicago Water Works, 
 Bigelow Hotel, the Young Men's Christian Asso- 
 ciation building and Academy of Design, the
 
 184 
 
 GEORGE G. CUSTER. 
 
 Brother Jonathan building and the First National 
 Bank building. The reconstruction of the Chi- 
 cago Water Works was the first job he did after 
 the fire, and the embers were still hot when he 
 began work on it. The Bigelow Hotel occupied 
 the site of the present postoffice, and disappeared 
 in the great fire. Mr. Clark was both builder 
 and owner of the Academy of Design, which was 
 the first building ever erected in Chicago for a 
 fine-arts exhibit. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Clark married Miss Alice Sarde- 
 son, a native of Lincolnshire, England, but then a 
 resident of Chicago. Of the marriage, five chil- 
 dren were born and all are now living in Chicago. 
 They are: Euna, the wife of Shea Smith, of Shea 
 Smith & Co.; F. W.; George T.; Retta M., now 
 the wife of Dr. Kauffman, of Chicago; and J. Y. 
 The sous F. W. and G. T. are members of the firm 
 of Jonathan Clark & Sons Co., contractors, who 
 have erected many buildings, notable among 
 which are the Art Institute and the Government 
 buildings at Ft. Sheridan. The senior member of 
 
 this firm is not now actively connected with the 
 company, but is employed in erecting and manag- 
 ing buildings, of which he has about a score, built 
 on ground held on ninety-nine-year leases. 
 
 Mr. Clark is a Republican, a member of the 
 Union League and Sunset Clubs, and a Thirty- 
 second Degree Mason, in which order he has held 
 many high offices. He attends, but is not a mem- 
 ber of, Dr. Thomas' Church. In his later years 
 he has traveled largely through the United States, 
 including the Pacific Coast and Florida. He has 
 a fruit farm and an elegant residence at Fn..tland 
 Park, in the latter State. 
 
 Jonathan Clark is numbered among the men 
 who have made Chicago, and given it the char- 
 acter which it bears. Through trials, by perse- 
 verance and an honest course, he has risen to 
 prominent place in the city which he has made 
 his residence for almost half a century, and where 
 he is an honored citizen, who bears his years 
 with dignity, and grows old gracefully in the 
 midst of a large circle of devoted friends. 
 
 GEORGE GRANGER CUSTER. 
 
 f2fEORGE GRANGER CUSTER, who is now 
 
 b serving as Auditor of the City Board of Ed- 
 ucation, was born on the 6th of December, 
 1838, in Sanford, Edgar County, Illinois. His 
 father's ancestors bore the name of Granger, and 
 came from England to America, locating in Con- 
 necticut. His father was a physician, and in 
 Newark, Ohio, married Nancy Link. His death 
 occurred at the early age of twenty-eight years, 
 and soon after our subject, then a child of six 
 months, was taken for adoption by Isaac D. Cus- 
 ter, of Terre Haute, Indiana, whose name he 
 then assumed. He found in his foster-father a 
 kind-hearted and liberal man, who could not have 
 
 treated an own son with more kindness and con- 
 sideration. The maternal ancestors of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch were of French origin, and on 
 emigrating to the New World settled in Freder- 
 icksburg, Virginia, about the middle of the eigh- 
 teenth century. From there the maternal grand- 
 father with his family removed about the year 
 1825 to Newark, Ohio. 
 
 When George was a child of six years, the 
 Custer family removed to St. Louis, Missouri, 
 and for five years he attended Wyman's private 
 school. Soon after he accompanied his father on 
 a trip to California, where they remained for one 
 year. Mr. Custer went to the West to see the
 
 GEORGE G. CUSTER. 
 
 185 
 
 country, and took his adopted son on account of 
 his poor health. The result of the trip proved the 
 wisdom of the father, as the son became a strong, 
 hearty boy, and now enjoys a vigorous manhood. 
 He made the journey across the plains on horse- 
 back, leaving St. Louis on the 4th of April, 
 1850, on the steamboat "Princeton," and., arriv- 
 ing at old Ft. Kearney, Nebraska, fifteen days 
 later. There they remained until the early part 
 of May, when, the grass having grown sufficiently 
 to furnish feed for horses and mules, they re- 
 sumed their journey. They were eighty-six days 
 in making the trip from the Missouri River to 
 Hangtown, now Placerville, California. Their 
 next resting-place was Sacramento, from whence 
 they went to San Francisco. They suffered the 
 usual hardships and privations incident to the 
 trip across the plains in days of the gold excite- 
 ment, being sometimes for days with very small 
 rations of food, and only water sufficient to moisten 
 the lips; but, notwithstanding, no illness fell to the 
 lot of father or son during the trip to and from 
 California. Mr. Custer had no mining experi- 
 ences, for he was then too young to dig for gold. 
 After a sojourn of a few months in California, he 
 returned home, by way of the Isthmus, stopping 
 on the way at the island of Jamaica and in New 
 York City, from whence he came West, by way 
 of the Hudson River to Albany, thence to Buffalo 
 by rail, by lake toChicago, by canal to La Salle, 
 and on the steamer "Robert Fulton" to St. Louis. 
 Mr. Custer then attended Jones' College until 
 eighteen years of age, and resided in St. Louis 
 until 1854, when the family removed to a farm 
 near Davenport, Iowa. In the fall of 1855, he 
 returned to St. Louis and accepted a position as 
 assistant book-keeper in the retail grocery house 
 of Ellis & Hutton, at that time the largest estab- 
 lishment of the kind in the city. In the summer 
 following he returned to Davenport and entered 
 the employ of Thomas H. McGee, wholesale 
 grocer, as chief clerk and book-keeper, and in the 
 spring of 1857 took charge of the office of the 
 Burtis House, then the best-equipped hotel west 
 of Chicago. After a few months he was taken 
 sick and returned to the farm, where he remained 
 until coming to Chicago, in April, 1862. 
 
 In the mean time Mr. Custer was married. On 
 the 4th of October, 1860, he wec'ded Miss Sarah 
 Ann Kelly, of Davenport. The lady was born in 
 Mt. Carmel, near Cincinnati, Ohio, September 7, 
 1842. Her father, Daniel C. Kelly, a native of 
 Cincinnati, is now living in Davenport, Iowa, 
 where the foster-father of this subject also resides. 
 They are aged respectively eighty and eighty- 
 three years, and still active and in good health. 
 Four children have been born to Mr. Custer and 
 his wife: Tillie, who is now the wife of Robert J. 
 Clark, and has one child; Hattie Winchell, wife 
 of William G. R. Bell; Sadie Belle; and George G. 
 
 On leaving the farm in Iowa, Mr. Cutter came to 
 Chicago and accepted a position as assistant com- 
 mercial reporter on the Morning Post, edited by J. 
 W. Sheahan, with which he was connected for a 
 year. He then entered the employ of Hobbs, Oli- 
 phant & Co. , commission merchants, and at the end 
 of three years started in business for himself as a 
 member of the firm of Olcott, Lash & Co. , in the 
 same line of business. This venture proved un- 
 successful, on account of the credit given country 
 customers. Mr. Custer then engaged in the 
 brokerage business, but during the great fire again 
 met with losses, after which he spent three years 
 with Hall & Winch, sash and door manufacturers. 
 He then returned to the Board of Trade, and was 
 quite successful in business for several years, but 
 at length lost his fortune in a "big corner." 
 
 At that time Mr. Custer left the city, removing 
 to Nevada, Illinois, where he took charge of an 
 elevator owned by A. M. Wright & Co. On his 
 return in 1880, he accepted a position with 
 James H. Drake & Co., commission merchants, 
 with whom he remained for a year and a-half, 
 when failing health forced him to abandon that 
 work. Farm life had previously proved benefi- 
 cial, and he again resorted to that cure, carrying 
 on agricultural pursuits until his health was re- 
 stored. Once more he entered the employ of 
 Hall & "Winch, with whom he continued until 
 the death of the junior partner, when the business 
 was closed out. He \vr.s then with the firm of 
 Garvey & Jenkinson until they retired from busi- 
 ness. 
 
 In May, 1886, Mr. Custer became Auditor of
 
 i86 
 
 WILLIAM WEST. 
 
 the Board of Education, and has been unani- 
 mously re-elected since that time. He was the 
 candidate for the office of Assessor of West Chi- 
 cago, on the Democratic ticket, in 1871, but 
 never sought political preferment, although he 
 took an active part in politics in early life. He is 
 known as a conservative Democrat. Socially, he 
 is connected with the Royal Arcanum and the 
 Royal League, and is the First Vice-Presideut of 
 the California Pioneers. In early life he joined 
 the Baptist Church, but as its doctrines were not 
 in accordance with his broad and liberal views, he 
 
 joined the Third Unitarian Church, and was, until 
 his removal from the West to the South Side, one 
 of its active and respected members. He is so- 
 cially inclined, possessed of a genial nature and 
 pleasant disposition. He is popular among his 
 acquaintances, and is one who makes and retains 
 friends. He possesses a sanguine temperament, 
 is an energetic worker and not easily discouraged. 
 Fond of home and family, he is true to those who 
 rely upon him, and his faithfulness and sterling 
 worth have won him warm regard. 
 
 WILLIAM WEST. 
 
 |t> QlLLIAM WEST, one of the enterprising 
 \ A / citizens of Cook County, now successfully 
 V V engaged in farming on section 30, Niles 
 Township, is numbered among the early settlers 
 of the State, having come to Illinois with his 
 parents in 1836. He is a native of Yorkshire, 
 England, born on the 2ist of June, 1814. His 
 father, James West, was born in Shipton, Eng- 
 land, in 1768, and died in the fall of 1838, two 
 years after his emigration to America. His wife 
 bore the maiden name of Jane Hodgen, and was 
 a daughter of Thomas Hodgen, a shoe-maker of 
 Great Husband, England. As above stated, 
 James West, accompanied by his family, bade 
 adieu to friends and native land and sailed for 
 America in the good ship "Sylvenus Jenkins," 
 which brought him to New York after an un- 
 eventful voyage of thirty-one days. He was de- 
 tained in New York quite a while on account of 
 the sickness of a relative, John Dewes, but at 
 length resumed his journey and traveled toward 
 the setting sun until he reached Cook County. 
 He became the first settler of Jefferson Township, 
 and it was his intention to purchase a claim as 
 
 soon as the land came into market, but death 
 frustrated his plans. 
 
 William West pre-empted a quarter-section of 
 land in JeSerson Township, on which he resided 
 until 1856, when he came to Niles Township, his 
 present home. One of the most important events 
 of his life occurred in 1843, when was celebrated 
 his marriage with Mrs. Isabella Mosley, a daugh- 
 ter of John Kendel, who was a native of York- 
 shire, England, and a farmer by occupation. 
 Mrs. West was born in \orkshire, December 18, 
 1821, and died January 28, 1864. Their union 
 was blessed with four sons and five daughters, 
 and five of the number are still living, namely: 
 William, who was born June n, 1850, and now 
 resides in Chicago; Mary Jane, who was born 
 April 27, 1852, and is the wife of Robert Robin- 
 son, of Avondale; Isabella E., who was born 
 August 27, 1857, and is the wife of John Proctor, 
 a resident of Arlington Heights; Martha Ann, 
 who was born February 20, 1860, is the widow 
 of Emil Haag, and resides in Niles; and Edward, 
 who was born January 18, 1864, and is now en- 
 gaged in the flour and feed business in Chicago.
 
 J. D. TOBEY. 
 
 187 
 
 In 1866, Mr. West was again married, his second 
 union being with Mrs. Frances Ollinger, who is 
 now deceased. 
 
 Mr. West cast his first vote for William Henry 
 Harrison and has voted at each Presidential elec- 
 tion since that time. He now affiliates with the 
 Democracy, but from 1860 until 1892 supported 
 the Republican candidates. He received no spe- 
 cial advantages in life, his school privileges being 
 
 obtained previous to his tenth year, and his edu- 
 cation from that time was acquired through con- 
 tact with the world. He had no capital or influ- 
 ential friends to aid him in business, and the suc- 
 cess which has crowned his efforts is the just re- 
 ward of his own labors. As a citizen he is pub- 
 lic-spirited and progressive and devoted to the 
 best interests of the community, and by those who 
 know him he is highly respected. 
 
 JOHN D. TOBEY. 
 
 (TOHN DILLON TOBEY, who is doing an 
 extensive business as a dealer in hay and 
 grain in Chicago, was born at Worth Sta- 
 tion, Cook County, on the 3d of September, 
 1859, and is a son of Wales and Elizabeth Tobey, 
 who are represented on another page of this work. 
 He spent his early boyhood days upon his father's 
 farm, and acquired his education in the district 
 school of the neighborhood and in the High School 
 of Blue Island. At the age of seventeen he left 
 home with $2.85 in his pocket. From that time 
 he has made his own way in the world unaided, 
 and the success he has achieved is therefore due 
 entirely to his own efforts. He began work as a 
 farm hand, receiving $15 per month in compen- 
 sation for his services. With his first season's 
 wages he bought a half-interest in a threshing- 
 machine, and the following winter started a hay 
 press. 
 
 Fifteen months after leaving home, Mr. Tobey 
 had accumulated $3,300, besides a hay-press, 
 teams, etc. In connection with his other work 
 he also did road contracting in Worth Township. 
 For one year after coming to Chicago he was in 
 the employ of Nelson Morris & Co. , buying sup- 
 plies of feed for the stock. Since 1886 he has 
 engaged in his present business as a dealer in hay 
 and grain at No. 309 Twenty-sixth Street. He al- 
 
 so handles ice. His business has steadily in- 
 creased in volume, until it has now assumed ex- 
 tensive proportions, and on the ist of June, 1894, 
 the J. D. Tobey Hay and Grain Company was in- 
 corporated. Of this Mr. Tobey is president and 
 general manager. For some years he has been 
 the best known dealer in his line on the south side 
 and is now the largest retail dealer in the United 
 States. He also deals in city real estate and 
 farm property, and has invested to some extent in 
 western lands. 
 
 On the loth of September, 1885, Mr. Tobey 
 was united in marriage with Miss Clara M. Burt. 
 The lady is a native of Westport, Essex County, 
 N. Y., and is a daughter of Alvin Burt. Their 
 union has been blessed with one child, Gracie. 
 They also lost two sons who died in infancy 
 within two weeks of each other. 
 
 Mr. Tobey takes considerable interest in civic 
 societies, and is a member of Golden Rule Lodge 
 No. 726, A. F. & A. M. ; a life member of Chi- 
 cago Commandery No. 19, K. T. ; and also be- 
 longs to Medinah Temple and the Mystic Shrine; 
 to Acacia Club; to America Lodge No. 271, K. 
 P. ; Longfellow Lodge No. 708, R. A. ; George 
 B. McClellan Council of the National Union; 
 Chicago Heavy-Weight Base Ball Club, the Sud- 
 seite Turngemeiude, and several other social and
 
 188 
 
 ALEXANDER McDANIEL. 
 
 insurance orders. He votes with the Republican 
 party, but has never sought or desired political 
 preferment, in fact has several times refused pub- 
 lic office. Physically, Mr. Tobey is the picture 
 
 of health and strength. He is of a social, genial 
 nature, and is a gentleman of rare business abil- 
 ity, having attained success through good judg- 
 ment, ready decision and energetic determination. 
 
 ALEXANDER McDANIEL 
 
 Gl LEXANDER McDANIEL, of Wilmette, is 
 LJ now living a retired life, enjoying a rest which 
 / I he has truly earned and richly deserves. He 
 has for many years resided in Cook County, and 
 is so widely and favorably known that he needs 
 no special introduction to the readers of this vol- 
 ume. This work would be incomplete without 
 the record of his life, which is as follows: He 
 was born February 13, 1815, in Bath, Steuben 
 County, New York, and is a son of Daniel Mc- 
 Daniel, who was of Scotch descent, but was born 
 in the State of New York and made farming his 
 life work. He married Rachel Taner, a lady who 
 was born and reared in the Mohawk Valley, and 
 was a descendant of the Mohawk Dutch. They 
 became the parents of seven children, four sons 
 and three daughters. 
 
 Alexander McDaniel is the eldest son. The 
 days of his boyhood and youth were spent in his 
 parents' home and he became familiar with all the 
 duties of farm life. He aided in the cultivation 
 of the old homestead until he had attained his 
 majority, when he started out for himself, and, 
 leaving the East upon the tide of emigration which 
 was steadily moving westward, he came to Chica- 
 go, arriving in this city on the 2yth of May, 1836. 
 Here he worked until the I4th of August, when 
 he went to New Trier Township, spending sever- 
 al days looking up lands on the Ouilmette Indian 
 reservation. He then returned to Chicago, where 
 he continued until October, when he again came 
 to New Trier Township, and pre-empted one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of Government land where 
 
 the town of Winnetka now stands. The land in 
 the reservation had not then been surveyed. Mr. 
 McDaniel deposited the price of the property with 
 the Government agent until it should be surveyed 
 and placed upon the market, which was four 
 years later. He built a log cabin, one of the first 
 four houses which stood between Chicago and the 
 present site of Winnetka, and there he kept bach- 
 elor's hall for four years. The only neighbors he 
 had for the first year, except Erastus Patterson, 
 were Indians, and he was the only young man in 
 that locality. Speaking of the Indians, he said 
 the Ouilmettes were quite enlightened and good 
 neighbors, always being peaceable. Mr. McDan- 
 iel purchased three forty-acre tracts of land, pay- 
 ing the usual price of $1.25 per acre, and forty 
 at twenty shillings per acre. Upon this land a 
 part of the town of Evanston now stands. When 
 he first came to Cook County there were only 
 three small log cabins north of Chicago, and many 
 of the now thriving villages and cities had not 
 sprung into existence, while the work of progress 
 and civilization seemed hardly begun. 
 
 On the ayth of November, 1842, an important 
 event in the life of Mr. McDaniel occurred, his 
 marriage with Miss Emeline Huntoon. The la- 
 dy was born in Champlain, New York, March n, 
 1824, and is a daughter of George W. and Lucin- 
 da (Bowler) Huntoon, whose family numbered 
 ten children. The father was a ship carpenter, 
 and was born in Vermont, December 9, 1791. 
 The mother was born January 9, 1796. With 
 their family they came to Cook County in 1840,
 
 W. R. DERBY. 
 
 189 
 
 settling on the present site of South Evanston. 
 Mr. and Mrs. McDaniel became the parents of six 
 children. Jane, who was the wife of William 
 H. Kinney, Postmaster of Wilmette, is now de- 
 ceased; Ellen, widow of A. B. Balcam, resides 
 with her parents; Charles, who enlisted at the age 
 of sixteen and served three years in the Eighth 
 Illinois Cavalry, is now a carpenter and contractor 
 of Wilmette; George is interested in mining in 
 Colorado; Henry is a policeman of Wilmette; 
 and William Grant is a fireman on the North- 
 Western Railroad. 
 
 Mr. McDaniel exercises his right of franchise 
 in support of the Republican party. His first vote 
 was cast on the 4th of May, 1837, for William 
 B. Odgen, first mayor of Chicago, and his first 
 presidential vote supported William Henry Harri- 
 son. Soon after the village of Wilmette was start- 
 ed, he was appointed the first Postmaster, hold- 
 ing the office for nineteen successive years, when 
 he resigned in favor of Mr. Kinney, the present 
 incumbent. He has never sought or desired po- 
 
 litical preferment, his time and attention being 
 largely occupied by his business interests. His 
 wife, a most estimable lady, holds membership 
 with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and takes 
 an active part in its work and upbuilding. For 
 twenty-six years Mr. McDaniel has been a resi- 
 dent of Wilmette. His first home at this place, 
 located on Center Avenue, was the fourth house 
 built in the town, and in it he resided for twen- 
 ty-three years. In 1891, he erected a more sub- 
 stantial and modern dwelling on the same street, 
 and there spends his declining days. He has wit- 
 nessed almost the entire growth and development 
 of the county, the best interests of the communi- 
 ty ever find in him a friend, and his hearty sup- 
 port and co-operation are given to those enter- 
 prises which are calculated to advance the gener- 
 al welfare. His sterling worth and strict integri- 
 ty have made him a leading citizen of the com- 
 munity and one well worthy of representation in 
 this volume. 
 
 WILLIAM R. DERBY. 
 
 fDQlLUAM R. DERBY, who was for many 
 
 \ A I years prominently identified with the his- 
 Y V tory of this community, was numbered 
 among the honored pioneer settlers, having be- 
 come a resident of Cook County in 1834. He 
 was born in Dorset, Bennington County, Ver- 
 mont, on the 1 7th of March, 1805, and was a 
 son of Sylvester Derby, whose birth occurred in 
 the same locality in 1780. In 1816 the father 
 removed with his family to Genesee County, New 
 York, where he remained until his death, which 
 occurred at the ripe old age of ninety years. 
 
 William Derby spent the first sixteen years of his 
 life at his parents' home, and then began to learn 
 the trade of a wool carder and dresser, which he 
 
 followed for nine years. He later engaged in the 
 hotel business for nearly two years, and in 1834 
 he emigrated westward to try his fortunes on the 
 broad prairies of Illinois. He settled on section 
 34, township 37, range n, about three miles 
 southeast of the village of Lemont. At that 
 time there were only two houses between Joliet 
 and Chicago. The latter place was a small vil- 
 lage, and the most far-sighted could not have 
 dreamed of the prominence and importance which 
 were to make it the metropolis of the West and 
 one of the important cities of the world. Mr. 
 Derby had for neighbors a brother-in-law, Jere- 
 miah Luther, Orange Chauncy and Joshua Smith, 
 all natives of Vermont except Mr. 'Luther, who
 
 W, R. DERBY. 
 
 was born in New York. When Mr. Derby came 
 to Cook County he had a span of horses, harness 
 and wagon, some household effects and $40 in 
 money. He disposed of his team in order to pay 
 for his land when it came into market, and he 
 was thus enabled to purchase one hundred and 
 forty acres. It was wild land, but with charac- 
 teristic energy he began its development, and in 
 course of time transformed it into a fertile farm. 
 He built a log house, in which he lived for about 
 twenty-five years, and then erected a two-story 
 brick residence, which he made his home until 
 1879, when he sold his farm (then containing 
 two hundred acres) and removed to Lemont. 
 
 Mr. Derby was married on the 28th of June, 
 1830, in Castile, New York, to Miss Eliza N. 
 Luther. Together they traveled life's journey for 
 about half a century. On the 5th of April, 1880, 
 Mrs. Derby was called to the home beyond. She 
 was beloved by all who knew her and her friends 
 were many, By their marriage were born four 
 children, of whom two are now living. Sylvester 
 L-, the elder, was born in Castile, New York, 
 September 18, 1836, and at a very early age was 
 brought to Lemont, where he has since made his 
 home. He graduated from the high school of 
 Chicago, and during his early business career 
 followed farming, but in 1879 he disposed of his 
 land and removed to Lemont, where he embarked 
 in the lumber trade, and also in the manufacture 
 of lumber in Michigan. His standing as a busi- 
 ness man is above reproach. His systematic 
 methods, his enterprise and his fair and honor- 
 able dealing have gained him the confidence and 
 esteem of all with whom he has been brought 
 in contact. He enjoys a liberal patronage, and 
 has a well-equipped lumber-yard. On the 24th 
 of September, 1855, l je was married to Charlotte 
 D. Russell, of Dover, New Hampshire, and to 
 them were born five children, four yet living, 
 namely: Mrs. Ida E. Brown, Sylvester O.,O. R. 
 and J. A. L. The three sons are associated with 
 their father in the lumber trade. They are thor- 
 ough business men, of sterling integrity, and the 
 firm is one of prominence in the community. 
 
 Sylvester L. Derby has been honored with sev- 
 eral offices of trust, the duties of which have 
 ever been discharged with promptness and fidel- 
 ity. In politics he is a Republican. In 1892 he 
 was President of the Illinois Retail Lumber Deal- 
 ers' Association. Although he is now nearing 
 his sixtieth birthday, he is still hale and hearty 
 as a young man of twenty-five, and is recognized 
 as one of the leading citizens of Lemont. 
 
 John T. Derby, the younger son of William R. 
 Derby, was born in Lemont, October 29, 1840, 
 acquired his early education in a log schoolhouse 
 at Gooding's Grove and later was graduated from 
 Castile University. He began life as a school 
 teacher in the town of Palos, Cook County, and 
 for several years continued teaching in Cook and 
 Will Counties. He studied law with Judge J. P. 
 Atwood, of Chicago, where he was admitted to 
 the Bar, and in 1 873 was chosen Assistant County 
 Superintendent of Schools under George D. Plant, 
 which position he held until the close of Mr. Plant's 
 official term. He was the first City Attorney of 
 Lemont, and was a member of its first Board of 
 Education. On the 7th of May, 1862, was cele- 
 brated his marriage with' Clara H. Dakin, of 
 Millerton, Dutchess County, New York, and by 
 their union were born three children, of whom 
 Nettie E. and Edward D. are now living. Mrs. 
 Derby died February i, 1885, and in 1886 Mr. 
 Derby married Miss Abbie E. Jones, of Du Page, 
 Will County, Illinois. He is at present engaged 
 in the practice of law, and is a radical temper- 
 ance man, who supports by his ballot the Prohi- 
 bition party. 
 
 William R. Derby, whose name heads this 
 record, was an advocate of Democratic principles 
 and was often called to office by his fellow-towns- 
 men. He served as Supervisor, was also Justice 
 of the Peace for five years, was Township Treas- 
 urer sixteen years and Township Clerk for sev- 
 eral years. In these various offices he was ever 
 true and faithful. All who knew him respected 
 him for his upright life and straightforward deal- 
 ings and for a public and rjrivate career which 
 were alike above reproach.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 L. A. BUDLONG. 
 
 . 191 
 
 LYMAN A. BUDLONG. 
 
 j YMAN ARNOLD BUDLONG is a highly 
 It representative type of all that constitutes a 
 [_2r well-ordered life. He is descended from an 
 ancestry which dates back to the crucial period 
 of American history back to that period when 
 the principles of liberty, involving perfect freedom 
 of conscience first began to crystallize and take 
 form in the minds and hearts of a brave and reso- 
 lute people, from whom, as a nation, has been 
 inherited that priceless legacy of liberty which is 
 so distinctively American. 
 
 From the best evidence extant, Francis Bud- 
 long, the founder of his family, came to. this coun- 
 try some time during the seventh decade of the 
 seventeenth century, and effected a settlement in 
 the province of Rhode Island. Here, in 1669, 
 he married Mrs. Rebecca Howard (nee Lippit), 
 of Warwick, Rhode Island. It was in the year 
 1675 that Massasoit, the renowned chieftain of the 
 Wampanoags, died and was succeeded by his son 
 Philip. Urged by his young warriors, Philip 
 disregarded the treaty of his father, which had 
 been kept by him for fifty years, and inaugurated 
 a war for the purpose of destroying the whites 
 and recovering his hunting grounds. For a year 
 flame and the scalping-knife, in the hands of a 
 merciless foe, wrought the destruction of more 
 than six hundred houses, while nearly one thou- 
 sand men fell in battle, and scores of women and 
 children came tinder the tomahawk of the infuri- 
 ated savages. During this struggle, known in 
 history as King Philip's War, the family of 
 Francis Budlong, save one, was massacred an in- 
 fant boy having been spared. This little one was 
 
 given a home in the family of Mr. John Lippit, 
 its uncle, by whom it was reared, and from 
 this rescued waif descended the numerous 
 Budlongs widely scattered throughout the coun- 
 try. Tradition asserts that they are of French 
 origin, probably of Huguenot blood, as, a little 
 previous to that time, a great number of Hugue- 
 nots had fled from France to our shores to seek 
 a place where they could exercise, without hind- 
 rance, the privilege of free conscience. 
 
 Lyman A. Budlong is of the seventh generation 
 in direct descent from Francis, the founder of the 
 family in America. His paternal grandfather 
 and great-grandfather bore the name of Samuel, 
 and gallantly served in the Continental army 
 during the war for independence, the former as a 
 drummer boy and the latter as a private soldier. 
 The parents of Mr. Budlong were Joseph S. (born 
 March i, 1804) and Mary Ann (Arnold, born 
 April 20, 1804) Budlong, both of whom were born 
 in Rhode Island, where their lives were passed. 
 The father died March 14, 1887, and the mother 
 departed this life January 5, 1894. 
 
 Mary Ann (Arnold) Budlong was of the sev- 
 enth generation from William Arnold, a native of 
 Cheselbourne, England, who settled in Provi- 
 dence Plantations (now Rhode Island) in early 
 colonial days. Her parents were Ephraim and 
 Waity (Warner) Arnold, the former being a son 
 of Simon and Hannah (Chapman) Arnold. 
 
 Of Joseph S. Budlong's ten children, nine 
 grew to maturity and reared families. In order 
 of birth, they are as follows: James Arnold (now 
 deceased); Albert, who died in childhood; Will-
 
 192 
 
 L. A. BUDLONG. 
 
 iara Henry, a resident of Jersey City, New Jersey ; 
 Lyman Arnold, the subject of this sketch; Mary 
 Elizabeth, who became the wife of William 
 Johnston, of Washington, Vermont, and died in 
 1862; Abbie Stone and Catherine Rhodes (twins), 
 the former now the widow of Horace Bates, of Bel - 
 lingham, Massachusetts the latter the wife of 
 Daniel Burlingatne, of Cranston, Rhode Island; 
 Waity Warner, who married William Tyler, of 
 Brooklyn, New York; Joseph Arnold, a resident 
 of Cook County, Illinois (see sketch in this work); 
 and Simeon, who resides in Cumberland, Rhode 
 Island. 
 
 It was in the picturesquely rural town of 
 Cranston, Rhode Island, that Lyman A. Bud- 
 long was born, on the 22d of December, 1829. 
 In the public school of his native town he was 
 taught the rudimentary branches of learning, 
 and subsequently he attended a seminary where 
 a wider course of study was entered upon. When 
 he was eighteen years old he was competent to 
 teach, and for five years he was successfully en- 
 gaged in that work during the winter months, 
 devoting the rest of the year to farm labor. His 
 first school lasted for a term of four months, for 
 which he received twelve dollars per month, all of 
 which he gave to his father. Subsequent to at- 
 taining his majority he attended a few terms of 
 school, which rounded out his education, making 
 him highly proficient in the range of his studies 
 and it is to the thoroughness of his educational 
 training that is due in large measure his success 
 in life. 
 
 Equally painstaking had he been in acquiring 
 a thorough knowledge, in all its details, of gar- 
 dening. From his youth he was a connoisseur in 
 plant-culture. He learned plant life as he learned 
 books, by concentrated effort and intelligent ap- 
 plication. It is in the combination of this mental 
 and physical training, directed by a high aim, 
 that enabled him to overcome adverse conditions, 
 and, eventually, to reach the goal of successful 
 accomplishment. 
 
 His marriage with Miss Louise L. Newton, of 
 Norwich, Vermont, was celebrated October 6, 
 1856. Mrs. Budlong was born in Norwich, Ver- 
 mont, January i, 1833, and is a daughter of 
 
 George and Orella (Snow) Newton, natives of 
 Vermont, the former being a son of Dr. Israel 
 Newton, who served through the Revolutionary 
 war. To George and Orella (Snow) Newton 
 were born two sons and four daughters, as fol- 
 lows: Cyril C. (now deceased), who married Re- 
 becca McConachie, by whom he had three chil- 
 dren Emily, George and Mary; Louise L. (Mrs. 
 L. A. Budlong); Lucy Amelia, widow of Mr. 
 Lewis Wilson; Mary A., widow of Orlando Tal- 
 cott; Ellen E. , wife of W. N. Spring, of Le Mars, 
 Iowa; and George P., now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Budlong, the subject of this sketch, contin- 
 ued to reside in his native place until 1857, when, 
 realizing that a constant narrowing of environ- 
 ment was taking place in the East, he decided to 
 seek in the West a field of operations where no 
 restraint upon ambition from cramped surround- 
 ings existed. He selected Cook County as the 
 most promising field for contemplated operations. 
 His working capital was small, but that in nowise 
 checked the ardor of his ambitious spirit, although 
 it necessitated beginning in a small way and on 
 leased land. To increase his revenue, he taught 
 a country school near his home during the winter 
 of 1858-59, and in the two following winters he 
 taught in the neighboring county of Du Page. 
 The balance of the time was employed in garden- 
 ing for the Chicago market. His income, though 
 limited, was more than enough to meet his ex- 
 penses, and the surplus was employed in extend- 
 ing his operations. In 1861 he located on part 
 of the estate he now occupies that of the late Dr. 
 Foster and has made market-gardening his life's 
 work. 
 
 He is the pioneer of the West in the pickling 
 business. His original plant was established im- 
 mediately after his arrival in Cook County, the 
 first output being four hundred bushels. From 
 this modest beginning has grown his present 
 mammoth business, the annual product of his 
 present plant being one hundred thousand bush- 
 els of pickles, one hundred thousand bushels of 
 onions, and fifty thousand bushels of other kinds 
 of market vegetables. This vast amount is 
 grown on five hundred acres of land, which is 
 tilled on the highest scientific principles. When
 
 L. A. BUDLONG. 
 
 193 
 
 he located upon this land, less than forty acres of 
 a tract of six hundred was tillable. More than 
 one hundred acres was a labyrinth of bog and 
 quagmire, and the rest could be made arable only 
 by an extensive system of drainage. Every acre 
 has been reclaimed, subdued and brought to the 
 highest state of perfection. In addition to the 
 best drainage facilities, he has fitted up two 
 pumping stations, with the best of modern appli- 
 ances, to carry off the surplus water in wet sea- 
 sons, when ordinary drainage is insufficient. One 
 of these is located on a low tract of one hundred 
 and twenty acres, and the other drains a quarter- 
 section, their capacity being five thousand gallons 
 a minute, each. 
 
 During the harvesting season from July 15 to 
 September 15 he employs an average of eight 
 hundred people, and from one to two hundred 
 during the balance of the year. All his products 
 are justly celebrated for superior quality, his well- 
 known brands being sufficient guaranty of their 
 high excellence. A large part is sold direct to 
 the jobbing trade in most of the states east of the 
 Rocky Mountains, while no inconsiderable quan- 
 tity is sold from wagons in the city to the retail 
 trade. 
 
 Mr. Budlong's career furnishes an illustration 
 of the results to be obtained by a clear and well- 
 defined purpose. He is not a theorist, but a calm, 
 practical man, who reaches conclusions through a 
 process of reasoning peculiar to men of methods 
 and ripe experience. His well-defined power of 
 application is particularly noticeable, and he is 
 the possessor of marked administrative abilities. 
 For many years, until his sons became competent, 
 under his tutelage, to bear a part of the burden 
 of cares arising from a large business, he person- 
 ally superintended the operations of the various 
 departments, carrying in his mind the innumer- 
 able details. 
 
 Although his life has been one of ceaseless 
 activity, he has, withal, retained intact those 
 pleasing social qualities which have made him so 
 deservedly popular with all. His nature is thor- 
 oughly democratic, and he caters to none because 
 of wealth or social position. The laboring man 
 upon his estate is treated with the same kindly 
 
 consideration he would accord to a king. He is 
 one of the most companionable of men, and, hav- 
 ing been a close observer of passing events, and a 
 student as well, he is an interesting and instruct- 
 ive conversationalist. 
 
 In early life Mr. Budlong's political preferment 
 was for the Democratic party, but, being always 
 an adherent of the principles which gave birth to 
 the Republican party, he cast off his fealty to the 
 former in 1 860, since which he has zealously sup- 
 ported Republican men and measures. With local 
 public affairs he has been prominently identified, 
 having always taken an active and leading part in 
 whatever, in his judgment, best subserved the 
 public good. Upon the organization of the vill- 
 age of Jefferson he was elected a trustee, in which 
 capacity he has since served several times. He 
 was also the first to be elected to the position of 
 Mayor of the village. He held the office of 
 school director twenty-eight consecutive years, 
 until the village was merged in the city of Chi- 
 cago. He is a prominent member of the Masonic 
 order, being a charter member of Providence 
 Lodge No. 711, of Jefferson, in which he accept- 
 ably served many years as Worshipful Master. 
 He is also identified with Corinthian Chapter, 
 Apollo Commandery and Oriental Consistory, 
 of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Budlong became the parents of 
 five children, namely: Mary L., wife of A. L. 
 Jones, of Mokena, Illinois; Edward L.; Lyman 
 A. (deceased); Joseph J., and Laura W., wife of 
 H. H. Chester, of Evanston, Illinois. 
 
 All the children reside near their father, in 
 pleasant homes, all worthily reflecting much 
 credit upon their parents by the correctness of 
 their lives. Mr. Budlong is essentially domestic, 
 and derives much pleasure from the associations 
 of the home circle, which has been enlarged by 
 the arrival of thirteen grandchildren. His modern, 
 well-appointed home is replete with all that a 
 cultivated taste can suggest, and here he is spend- 
 ing the evening of his days in the quiet content- 
 ment of a successful and well-ordered life. His 
 three- score and seven years rest lightly on his com- 
 pact frame, time having made but slight impres- 
 sion upon his rugged constitution.
 
 I 9 4 
 
 REV. C. F. EBINGER. 
 
 REV. CHRISTIAN F. EBINGER. 
 
 REV. CHRISTIAN FREDERICK EBIN- 
 GER, the first minister of the Evangelical As- 
 sociation ordained in Illinois, was numbered 
 among the first permanent settlers of Cook Coun- 
 ty. He took up his home in what is now the 
 town of Niles in 1834. He was the youngest 
 son of John and Katharine Ebinger, and was 
 born February 8, 1812, near the city of Stuttgart, 
 Germany. He was well educated in his native 
 place, and reared to the occupation of florist and 
 gardener. For a number of years he had charge 
 of a flower garden of King William of Wurtem- 
 berg. 
 
 In 1831, John Ebinger, with his wife and three 
 sons and one daughter, came to the United 
 States and located at Detroit, Michigan. Early 
 in 1834 he set out for Chicago, and in May of 
 that year he pre-empted eighty acres of land on 
 the Indian trail leading to Milwaukee, which was 
 subsequently occupied by a plank road. He 
 built a one-story log cabin, twenty-four by four- 
 teen feet in ground dimension, and began life in 
 true pioneer style. His children were: Frederick, 
 John, Elizabeth (who became the wife of John 
 Plank), and Christian F., all of whom are now 
 deceased. 
 
 Christian F. Ebinger had just attained his 
 majority when he came with his parents to the 
 United States. February 12, 1834, at Ann Ar- 
 bor, Michigan, he was married to Miss Barbara 
 Ruehle, who was born August n, 1812, in 
 Indebach, near Stuttgart, Germany. Her par- 
 ents were Joseph and Barbara (Schwegler) 
 Ruehle. Her mother died when Mrs. Ebinger 
 
 was eight years of age, and after her death her 
 father married Eva Magdaline Allmeudinger. 
 Mrs. Ebinger came to America in 1832, with her 
 father and stepmother. They settled at Ann 
 Arbor, Michigan, where the father died only six 
 weeks after their arrival. She continued to re- 
 side with her stepmother until her marriage, and 
 then set out with her husband to accompany the 
 latter' s parents to Chicago. All their belongings 
 were placed in a light wagon, in which the old 
 people rode, while the young couple made their 
 honeymoon trip on foot, the journey consuming 
 three weeks. They camped at night, with the 
 blue canopy of heaven for a cover, and father and 
 son took turns in guarding their resting-place 
 against possible surprises by Indians or wild 
 beasts. 
 
 Christian F. Ebinger was reared in the Luth- 
 eran Church, but in 1840 he became identified 
 with the Evangelical Association, The follow- 
 ing year he was ordained as a preacher, and 
 acted in that capacity until his death. He oc- 
 casionally supplied the pulpit for other ministers, 
 but never became an itinerant. He followed 
 farming, and was industrious and careful in his 
 business methods, and was successful. He took 
 a lively interest in public affairs, and was a friend 
 to education. He served as school trustee for 
 many years, and held nearly all the offices of the 
 township, being its first assessor and overseer of 
 the poor, and was many years supervisor. He 
 died in 1879, after a useful career, and his funeral 
 was one of the most notable in the community 
 where he was the pioneer settler.
 
 ADOLPH ARNDT. 
 
 195 
 
 His family included thirteen children, of whom 
 ten reached maturity, namely: Christian, a resi- 
 dent of Niles; Mary, who became the wife of 
 Henry Giffert, and died in 1860. (Her husband 
 was a Union soldier, and died from injuries re- 
 ceived in the Civil War. He was the father 
 of William Giffert, now assessor of the West 
 Town of Chicago.) Henry, now deceased; Eliza- 
 beth, who was the wife of William Neff, and is 
 deceased; Margaret, wife of Louis Grafius, of 
 Chicago; Daniel, who died at the age of fifteen; 
 Sarah, widow of William Weathers, now resid- 
 ing with Mrs. Ebinger; Louise, wife of William 
 Grafius, of Chicago; Caroline, Mrs. M. J. Good, 
 of the same city; and William R., a resident of 
 Aurora, Illinois. 
 
 From the inception of the Republican party in 
 1856, Mr. Ebinger was one of its stanchest sup- 
 porters. In the early years of his residence in 
 Niles he dispensed a generous, open-handed 
 hospitality to all comers, although he did not 
 keep a hotel. The aboriginal inhabitants of the 
 country were his friends, because he treated them 
 with uniform kindness, and were often enter- 
 tained at his home. He was intimately ac- 
 
 quainted with Blackhawk, whom he often enter- 
 tained, and who is described by Mrs. Ebinger as 
 a man of fine appearance, who spoke English 
 readily, and dressed in civilized costume. 
 
 Mrs. Ebinger is one of the most interesting 
 talkers upon early history in Chicago, although 
 she has never mastered the English language, 
 and converses freely with visitors, relating many 
 interesting reminiscences. She has nearly com- 
 pleted the eighty-fifth year of her age, and still 
 assists with the labors of the household, and con- 
 trols the management of an extensive farm. Her 
 sister-in-law, the wife of Frederick Ebinger, 
 was a resident of Fort Dearborn, having come 
 from Ann Arbor as companion to Mrs. Wilcox, 
 wife of the general in command of the fort. At 
 the social functions which Mrs. Ebinger attended 
 at the fort, she danced to the music of the only 
 violin within a hundred miles. For some years 
 after her settlement with her husband in Niles, 
 there were no houses between their home and the 
 village of Chicago, and the nearest residence to- 
 ward Milwaukee was seven miles away. Her 
 vision of Chicago, bounded by Fort Dearborn and 
 the World's Fair, is one now enjoyed by very few. 
 
 ADOLPH ARNDT. 
 
 GlDOLPH ARNDT, a market-gardener of 
 LJ South Evanston, is a representative Ger- 
 / 1 man-American, who has resided in Cook 
 County for nearly half a century. He was born 
 in Schmolda, Prussia, June n, 1843, and is a son 
 of Frederick and Anna Marie Arndt, natives of 
 the same place. They, with their family of six 
 children, came to America in 1854, landing at 
 New York, whence they came direct to Chicago, 
 arriving July 4 of that year. They located at 
 Rosehill and engaged in farming on rented land. 
 About six weeks after their arrival Mrs. Arndt 
 
 died of cholera. Mr. Arndt continued farming 
 until his death, which occurred a number of 
 years ago. 
 
 Adolph attended school for some time in Rose- 
 hill and received a limited education. He was 
 reared tQ farming and gardening, which have been 
 his life work, and in which work he is -still en- 
 gaged, operating about twenty-five acres. His 
 father died before he was of age, therefore he 
 early learned to depend upon himself, and is 
 practically a self-made man, having acquired his 
 valuable property by his own industry. In 1868
 
 PETER BISDORFF. 
 
 he bought twenty acres of land in sections 19 and 
 24, Evanston Township. This was new and un- 
 improved land, which he cleared and improved 
 himself. 
 
 Mr. Arndt has always taken a lively interest 
 in political affairs. He supports the Democratic 
 party, and has held the offices of highway com- 
 missioner and village trustee of South Evanston. 
 May 12, 1869, he married Miss Mary, daughter 
 of Peter Muno, whose biography appears on an- 
 
 other page of this work. They have a family of 
 ten children, namely: Elizabeth, wife of Michael 
 Becker; Peter, who married Nettie Eiden, and 
 resides at Edgewater; Henry, Charles, Christian, 
 Mary, Joseph, William, Minnie and Theresa; 
 two children died in infancy. All in this family 
 are members of Saint Nicholas' Roman Catholic 
 Church of South Evanston. Mr. Arndt is a 
 good citizen, who encourages every worthy enter- 
 prise. 
 
 PETER BISDORFF, 
 
 ("\ETER BISDORFF, an eminently respectable 
 LX citizen and successful market-gardener, was 
 [$ born January 8, 1841, near the city of Lux- 
 emburg, Germany, and is a son of John and Kath- 
 arine Bisdorff, both of whom were natives of the 
 same locality. 
 
 The father was a man of superior intelligence, 
 and had the advantage of attending the best 
 schools and colleges of Germany. His superior 
 qualifications were recognized by his government, 
 and he was given the important position of For- 
 ester to the Crown, a place of honor and trust, 
 which he filled many years to the entire satisfac- 
 tion of his sovereign. 
 
 Peter Bisdorff, whose name heads this article, 
 passed the years of his minority in his native 
 land, where he enjoyed the advantages of the 
 splendid German school system and obtained a 
 good education. In 1861, just after turning to 
 his twentieth year, he went out from the parental 
 home to secure a home and fortune for himself in 
 America. After an uneventful voyage he disem- 
 barked at New York, and at once made his way 
 to Wisconsin, locating near Mineral Point. 
 
 In 1862 he came to Chicago, where he had 
 relatives, and at once began in earnest to lay the 
 foundations for a successful career. He faith- 
 
 fully served one employer four years and another 
 two. His savings had been carefully laid by, 
 and he was now enabled to open the business of 
 market-gardening on his own account, although 
 in a small way and on leased land. He had 
 patience and perseverance, and each year added 
 somewhat to his cash account, and in 1870 he 
 was able to buy two lots near Halsted Street. 
 This ground he cultivated most successfully 
 eighteen years, and then traded for land on 
 Argyle Street, where he now resides, and is 
 engaged in gardening. At present he is the 
 owner of six acres of land, five of which are 
 devoted to cultivation of all kinds of vegetables 
 for the city market. 
 
 His career illustrates very aptly what can be 
 accomplished in the long run, without capital at 
 the start. Constant effort, intelligently directed, 
 has won for Mr. Bisdorff that which he set out to 
 acquire, namely, a competency to maintain him in 
 comfort after his working days are over. Al- 
 though his life has been a busy one, he has all 
 this time kept himself thoroughly posted on cur- 
 rent topics of the day, and is in touch with the 
 spirit of the times. In politics he is independent, 
 catering to no party, and is dominated by none, 
 but votes as his best judgment directs him. His
 
 C. H. CEPERLY. 
 
 197 
 
 political interest stops at the exercise of suffrage, 
 and he is in no sense an office seeker. 
 
 He was married January 2, 1868, to Miss Anna 
 Leider, a native of Wisconsin, who has borne 
 him nine children: William, Nicholas, John, 
 Katharine, Peter, Mary, Barbara, George and 
 Joseph. Mr. and Mrs. Bisdorff and all of their 
 children are members of St. Mathias' Roman 
 Catholic Church, and are among its liberal sup- 
 porters. 
 
 Mrs. Bisdorff is the second daughter of William 
 and Katharine (Michael) Leider, natives of Lux- 
 
 emburg, who came to America in 1848, and 
 settled in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Mrs. 
 Bisdorff was born there July 14, 1849. The 
 family included the following children: Mathias, 
 Margaret (now deceased), Anna, Nicholas, John, 
 Katharine, Samuel, George, Theodore and Bar- 
 bara. Mathias and John live in Wisconsin, and 
 all the others are residents of Chicago. Katha- 
 rine is the wife of John Schiller, and Barbara, of 
 Peter Funk. The mother of this family died in 
 1875, and the father survived her twelve years, 
 dying in 1887. 
 
 CORNELIUS H. CEPERLY. 
 
 CORNELIUS HENRY CEPERLY, presi- 
 I ( dent of the Old Settlers' Society of Rogers 
 Vj Park, is a native of the State of New York, 
 born October 31, 1841, in the town of Root, 
 Schoharie County. He is the youngest child of 
 Barnard and Dolly (Russell) Ceperly, both of 
 whom were born in the same State, descendants 
 of the early Dutch settlers of that region. They 
 had a family of thirteen children, eleven of whom 
 grew to maturity, and of this number five are liv- 
 ing at this writing, namely: David, of Chicago; 
 Daniel, a farmer of Gilmore City, Floyd County, 
 Iowa; Hannah, widow of John A. Oliver, and a 
 resident of West Monroe Street, Chicago; Clara, 
 wife of William Russell, of Clarksville, Butler 
 County, Iowa, and the subject of this notice. 
 The father died in New York, and the mother came 
 .West to settle with her sons about 1846, and lo- 
 cated on a farm in Northfield Township, this county. 
 
 Here Cornelius H. Ceperly grew to manhood, 
 and received a fair education in the common 
 school, which he attended in the winter months 
 his time being occupied with the duties of the 
 farm in summer. 
 
 August 9, 1862, he enlisted as a soldier in 
 
 Company G, One Hundred and Thirteenth Illi- 
 nois Volunteer Infantry, and served until the in- 
 tegrity of the Union was assured, participating in 
 all the engagements in which his regiment fought. 
 He never shirked, was never wounded or sick, 
 but was always on duty at his post, until he was 
 discharged, June 20, 1865, at Memphis.Tennessee. 
 
 On his return from the field, he took up the 
 arts of peace where he had left them, engaging 
 for a short time in farming. He then resumed 
 his practice in carpenter work, in which he had 
 had some experience prior to going to the war, 
 and became master of the trade. About 1868 he 
 began contracting and building on his own ac- 
 count, in which he continued with gratifying 
 results to himself and patrons, until June, 1895. 
 Since that time he has acted as building inspector 
 in the service of the city of Chicago, and his pub- 
 lic duties are discharged with the same care and 
 fidelity which always characterized his work. 
 The East End School and many of the residences 
 at Rogers Park were erected by him, and his 
 work testifies to his integrity and skill. 
 
 In politics he is an ardent Republican, and his 
 first presidential vote was cast for Abraham Lin-
 
 198 
 
 MICHAEL WEBER. 
 
 coin in 1864. He served several terms as a mem- 
 ber of the school board of Rogers Park, and was 
 one term its president. He takes a lively interest 
 in the success of his part}-, which he believes to 
 be devoted to the protection and service of the 
 public interests, in which he aims to labor per- 
 sonally. He is a regular attendant of the Con- 
 gregational Church, of which his family are 
 communicants, and is a member of the Royal 
 Arcanum, Loyal League and Cumberland Post 
 No. 737, Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 April 10, 1866, Mr. Ceperly was married to 
 Miss Frances J. Kerr, a native of Roscoe, Winne- 
 bago County, Illinois, a daughter of Charles and 
 
 Ann (Larkin) Kerr, the former a native of Scot- 
 land, and the latter of England. Mr. Kerr died 
 February 14, 1874, his good wife having passed 
 away November 8, 1873. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ceperly are the parents of a son 
 and five daughters, namely: Clara, wife of 
 Calistus Ennis, of Chicago; Cornelia, wife of R. 
 M. Simon, the present recorder of Cook County; 
 Walter, who resides with his parents; Alice (Mrs. 
 John Jones) , of Rogers Park ; Lydia and Ruby , 
 at home. Mr. Ceperly is a frank and genial gen- 
 tleman, whom it is a 'pleasure to meet, and his 
 friends are numbered by those who meet him in 
 any of the relationships of life. 
 
 MICHAEL WEBER. 
 
 WEBER, a real-estate dealer 
 residing at No. 3766 North Hermitage 
 Avenue, Chicago, has been a resident of 
 Cook County for forty-five years. He was born 
 January 3, 1827, in Ebersheim, near Mainz, Rhein- 
 Hessen, Germany, and reared to farm life there, 
 receiving a good education. February 22, 1852, 
 he was united in marriage with Miss Anna Maria 
 Baer, who was born in Oberolm, near Mainz. 
 About two weeks after their marriage they bade 
 adieu to home and friends, and set out for far 
 America, to seek a new home and make their 
 fortune. 
 
 They came direct to Cook County and located 
 in the town of Ridgeville, where Mr. Weber 
 bought the land on which he now resides. Some 
 thirty years later his brother Mathiascame; three 
 years later his sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Thart; and 
 five years ago, his brother, John Weber, came to 
 this country and located in Chicago, but their par- 
 ents remained in Germany, where they died several 
 years ago. After his arrival in Cook County Mr. 
 
 Weber devoted his energies to farming and 
 gardening, and by industry he acquired a hand- 
 some property. At one time he owned one hun- 
 dred and thirty-six acres of valuable land, and 
 he also invested considerable in city property. In 
 the Great Fire of 1871 he lost about eighteen 
 thousand dollars' worth of property, but he was 
 not discouraged, and renewed his activity in bus- 
 iness. After this disaster he gave up farming, and 
 in company with his son, Bernard F. Weber, en- 
 gaged in real-estate transactions, which they con- 
 ducted successfully several years. 
 
 During the last eight years Mr. Weber has con- 
 fined his operations to the. disposal of his own 
 land. He occupies a beautiful residence, which 
 he built in 1891. It is supplied with all the mod- 
 ern improvements, and elegantly furnished, and 
 he and his good wife live in happy contentment, 
 surrounded by all the comforts of life and many 
 of its luxuries. They began life in a humble way, 
 amid the primitive surroundings of the pioneer 
 days, and have earned, by their own prudence
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 flNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 MATHIAS MANN 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 MATHIAS MANN. 
 
 199 
 
 and good management, the blessings which they 
 enjoy. Their family includes a son and two 
 daughters, all comfortably settled near them, 
 namely: Bernard F. (see biography elsewhere in 
 this work); Margaret, wife of Max Sorgatz; and 
 Gertrude, Mrs. Fred Kellner, of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Weber has fulfilled the public duties of a 
 good citizen, having served seven years as com- 
 missioner of highways. In political matters he 
 
 acts with the Democratic party. Both he and his 
 wife are among the faithful members of Saint 
 Henry's Roman Catholic Church, to whose sup- 
 port they are liberal contributors. In all the 
 years of his residence in Cook County, Mr. Weber 
 has borne an important part in the development of 
 city and country, and by his fair dealings and up- 
 right character has won the confidence and re- 
 spect of many friends. 
 
 MATHIAS MANN. 
 
 [ATHIAS MANN, an old settler and real- 
 estate dealer of Rogers Park, is a native 
 of Chicago, born February 16, 1844. His 
 parents were Tillman and Katherine (Earth) 
 Mann, both of whom were born and reared in 
 Prussia and married there before coming to the 
 United States. 
 
 The name Mann is of English origin. The fam- 
 ily was founded in Germany by the great-grand- 
 father of our subject, who was a veterinary sur- 
 geon by profession, and went to Germany during 
 the early Napoleonic wars. The grandfather of 
 Mathias was also a veterinary surgeon, and his 
 father, Tillman Mann, served in the German 
 Army as a horseshoer. Tillman Mann had two 
 children, Nicholas and Mary, when he came to 
 Chicago and settled on the North Side, in 1842. 
 They traveled by water over the whole distance 
 from the Fatherland. From New York they 
 went by the Hudson River to Albany, and thence 
 on the Erie Canal to Buffalo, where they took 
 ship for Chicago, arriving in this city on the Na- 
 tional holiday, July 4. 
 
 For four years Mr. Mann labored in a brick 
 yard in Chicago, and by saving his earnings lie 
 was then enabled to purchase land which soon 
 made him independent. He bought twenty-six 
 
 acres on section 31 of Ridgeville Township, and 
 engaged in farming and gardening. The subject 
 of this sketch was born while the family resided 
 in Chicago, and a daughter, Barbara, came at 
 the farm home. All are still living except Mary. 
 The father died January 26, 1872, and was sur- 
 vived more than ten years by his wife, who passed 
 away September 10, 1882. Mr. Mann was suc- 
 cessful in life, and found opportunity to give 
 some attention to the conduct of public affairs. 
 He was chosen by his fellow-citizens to fill vari- 
 ous official positions. 
 
 Mathias Mann succeeded to the possession of 
 the homestead, and continued farming and gar- 
 dening until 1895, when he platted Mann's Addi- 
 tion to Rogers Park, and is now engaged in dis- 
 posing of the same and in the transaction of a 
 general real-estate business. His sound and 
 practical judgment and general intelligence fit 
 him for the transaction of this kind of business. 
 
 In politics Mr. Mann is a stanch Democrat, 
 and takes an active part in the control of local 
 affairs. He has served as trustee of the village 
 of Rogers Park four years, was school director 
 six years, and acted as judge of election in 1896. 
 He is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, 
 and takes a lively interest in all matters pertain-
 
 200 
 
 J. A. BUDLONG. 
 
 ing to the public welfare. He has been a di- 
 rector in Saint Henry's Roman Catholic Church 
 many years. 
 
 April 23, 1868, Mr. Mann was married to Miss 
 Margaret Muno, a native of Prussia, who came 
 to this country in infancy with her parents, Peter 
 and Mary K. Muno, of whom mention is made at 
 length on another page of this volume. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Mann were born the following children: 
 Mary K., wife of Joseph Trausch, of Rogers 
 Park; Katharine M. , who became the wife of J. 
 
 P. Jaeger, and died in 1893, leaving one child; 
 Henry, Elizabeth, Birdie and Edward. Mrs. 
 Mann died April 13, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Mann has spent almost his entire life in 
 Rogers Park, and has not only witnessed the 
 growth and development of this beautiful suburb, 
 but has contributed his share to its advancement, 
 and is reckoned among its most worthy citizens. 
 In 1894 he visited Europe and spent about three 
 months in traveling among the interesting scenes of 
 the Old World. 
 
 JOSEPH A. BUDLONG. 
 
 (JOSEPH ALBERT BUDLONG, a prosper- 
 I ous florist of Chicago, is a native of Rhode 
 (*/ Island, born March 17, 1841, at Cranston. 
 He is a son of Joseph S. and Mary Ann (Arnold) 
 Budlong, extended mention of whom, and their 
 ancestry, is made in the sketch of L. A. Budlong, 
 on other pages of this volume. 
 
 Mr. Budlong's boyhood was passed under the 
 parental roof, the public schools affording him the 
 only means of an education, which, though mea- 
 ger in scope, had the merit of thoroughness. In 
 the great school of business experience, and 
 through reading and observation, he has acquired 
 a knowledge of men and things which makes him 
 an intelligent and useful citizen. His father's 
 occupation was market-gardening, and young 
 Joseph was, early in life, introduced to an expe- 
 rience between the rows of growing plants. He 
 was thus employed until after passing his major- 
 ity, when he decided upon a change of occupation 
 and location, and went to Providence, Rhode Is- 
 land, following the carpenter's trade two years. 
 
 In 1862 he came to Cook County and joined his 
 brother, Lyman A., who had settled here five 
 years before, in the gardening and pickling busi- 
 ness. From his brother he obtained employment 
 
 on a salary, remaining with him three years. The 
 country was low and almost continuously wet, 
 and this, with other causes, gave rise to condi- 
 tions which developed in him a serious rheumatic 
 ailment, causing intense suffering, and he was 
 eventually compelled to return to the East. In 
 Brooklyn, New York, he secured a clerkship with 
 another brother, who was a merchant, and while 
 thus engaged he became acquainted with Miss 
 Teresa Smith, to whom he was married February 
 i, 1866. She is a native of Brooklyn, daughter 
 of William and Priscilla (Timms) Smith, both of 
 whom were born in London, England. 
 
 Shortly after his marriage he returned, with 
 his wife, to Cook County. Leasing land from 
 his brother, he began gardening upon his own 
 responsibility, and continued successfully two 
 years. He then entered into a co-partnership 
 with his brother in the gardening industry, and 
 from a small beginning, they developed gradually 
 one of the largest enterprises of its kind in the 
 West. This business relation between the broth- 
 ers was happy in conduct and results and was 
 continued seventeen years, at the end of which 
 period it was dissolved by mutual consent. 
 
 The efforts of the subject of this sketch had
 
 CHARLES SMITH. 
 
 201 
 
 been so well directed that he was able to buy ten 
 acres of ground, which he leased to another, who 
 built greenhouses for the cultivation of vegeta- 
 bles. Upon the expiration of this lease, Mr. 
 Budlong assumed personal control and vigorously 
 set about the cultivation of his own land. He 
 extended the lines by erecting new greenhouses, 
 and entered quite extensively upon the produc- 
 tion of all kinds of garden vegetables, being thus 
 engaged for a number of years. For the past ten 
 years he has grown flowers exclusively, princi- 
 pally roses and carnations for the cut-flower trade. 
 This business, under his wise management, has 
 been lucrative and has grown to great propor- 
 tions. There are now upon his estate eighteen 
 greenhouses, each having an area eighteen by 
 two hundred feet, and one thirty by three hun- 
 dred feet in size. The product is something 
 enormous and is rapidly disposed of through the 
 commission houses of the city. His is, probably, 
 one of the largest individual businesses of the 
 kind in the country, and it stands as the strong- 
 
 est evidence that now, as ever success can be 
 won by intelligent direction, supplemented by 
 persistent and tireless effort. 
 
 To Mr. Budlong and his estimable wife have 
 been born three children. Albert Henry, the 
 eldest, is married and resides near his father, 
 having two children. The second died in early 
 childhood. The youngest, Florence M., is the 
 wife of John Spellman, of Kvanston, and the 
 mother of one child. 
 
 Mr. Budlong' s political affiliation is with the 
 Republican party. He is prominently identified 
 with the Masonic fraternity, being a charter mem- 
 ber of Providence Lodge No. 711, of Jefferson. 
 He maintains good standing in Corinthian Chap- 
 ter, Royal Arch Masons, Apollo Commandery, 
 Knights Templar, and Oriental Consistory, of 
 this city. As no one can reach these exalted de- 
 grees who is not of well-known probity and abil- 
 ity, his standing in this great order is sufficient 
 testimonial of his standing in the community 
 which has been so long his home. 
 
 CHARLES SMITH. 
 
 /TjHARLES SMITH, one of the progressive 
 I ( and successful German-American citizens of 
 \J Cook County, is deserving of honorable 
 mention among those who left home and native 
 land, with all the endearing associations sur- 
 rounding one's birthplace, to make a home and a 
 name in the midst of strangers, whose language 
 and customs were as strange as their faces. He 
 was born February 26, 1854, near Hamburg, 
 Schlesvvig-Holstein, Germany (then part of Den- 
 mark). His parents, Asmusand Maria Schmidt, 
 were born and lived at the same place until the 
 death of the mother. Some years after this sad 
 
 event, the father came to Chicago, and died at the 
 home of the son whose name heads this notice, 
 in 1891. 
 
 Charles Smith received a good education in his 
 native language and was early accustomed to the 
 labors of the farm. He is made of the superior 
 material which is not satisfied to sit down in idle 
 contentment or drift with the current of events 
 listlessly. He was not satisfied with his environ- 
 ment and opportunities, and early determined to 
 emigrate to that free country across the Atlantic 
 Ocean, of which he had read and heard. In 1871 
 he arrived here, a poor boy of seventeen years,
 
 202 
 
 J. G. FENN. 
 
 yet rich in a good, sound mind and healthy body, 
 with strong reliance upon himself and hopes of 
 the future. When he reached Chicago he had 
 about a dollar left, but he immediately went to 
 work as a gardener, and continued diligently at 
 work and saving his earnings until he had accu- 
 mulated enough to begin business for himself in 
 a small way. 
 
 For a few years he tilled leased land, and by 
 industry and careful management was able in 
 time to purchase ground. In 1886 he bought 
 seven acres of land on Touhy Avenue, Rogers 
 Park (Chicago), and is now very comfortably 
 situated, with a pleasant home and substantial 
 furnishings. Here dwells a united and happy 
 family. May 2, 1877, Mr. Smith was married 
 to Miss Sophia Sobey, who was born April 21, 
 1854, in Wemorby, Sweden. Her parents died 
 when she was but fourteen years old, and she 
 came to America at eighteen, and has never re- 
 gretted the fortune which brought her here. 
 
 Three children complete the family of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Smith, namely: Frederick, born July 25, 
 1878; Helen, October 3, 1882; and Lulu, March 
 3, 1888. Carl, born May 19, 1881, died at the 
 age of eleven months. Though they are faithful 
 believers in the faith of the Lutheran Church, on 
 account of the distance from any house of worship 
 of that denomination, they are accustomed to at- 
 tend the Methodist Church services. 
 
 Mr. Smith is held in high esteem by his fellow- 
 citizens, as is attested by the fact that he was 
 several times elected to the responsible position 
 of trustee in the village of West Ridge while 
 that corporation existed. He is not bound to 
 any political party, and is wont to use his best 
 efforts in securing honest and competent men to 
 administer public affairs, regardless of party dis- 
 tinctions. By upright practices and diligent at- 
 tention to business he has gained the respect of 
 all who know him and an independent position in 
 the world. 
 
 JOHN G. FENN. 
 
 (JOHN GEORGE FENN, a representative 
 \ German-American citizen who has now re- 
 Q) tired from active life, has been a resident of 
 Chicago since 1853, and now makes his home in 
 that portion of the city known as Rogers Park. 
 He was born October 22, 1825, in Kreis Unten 
 Franken, Bavaria, and is the son of Charles and 
 Margaret (Stratz) Fenn. The father was a cooper 
 in his native land, and in 1853, with his wife 
 and six children, came to the United States. 
 Disembarking in New York on July 10 of that 
 year, he proceeded by rail to Buffalo, New York, 
 by boat to Detroit, and thence by rail to Chicago. 
 
 He died in 1860, and his wife survived him nine- 
 teen years. Their children, in order of birth, 
 were: John George, whose name heads this 
 sketch; Charles; John and Christian, who are 
 now deceased; Margaret, wife of Charles Schmidt, 
 residing in Wisconsin, and Barbara, who is also 
 deceased. 
 
 John George Fenn was reared in Bavaria, where 
 he received the liberal education accorded to every 
 German child, and became master of the cooper's 
 trade, which he followed until he came to Chi- 
 cago. The capital of the entire family on its ar- 
 rival here consisted of about one hundred dol-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 REV. F. N. R. PKRRY
 
 REV. F. N. R. PERRY. 
 
 203 
 
 lars. The subject of this sketch soon found em- 
 ployment in a lumber yard, and was so industri- 
 ous and careful of his earnings that he was en- 
 abled to go into business on his own account after 
 three years. At that time he opened a restaurant 
 at No. 229 North Clark Street, and continued 
 there three years, when he bought a lot on the 
 opposite side of the same street, and built a 
 business block, which he immediately occupied. 
 In the Great Fire of 1871 he lost all his posses- 
 sions, including this building and two houses, 
 for which he recovered a very little insurance. 
 However, he had credit and friends, and im- 
 mediately proceeded to rebuild, and continued 
 
 the business about eight years on the same site. 
 At the end of this period, owing to failing health, 
 he was forced to give up business, and since 1879 
 he has been living a retired life at his present 
 home. He has never taken much interest in 
 political contests, and is content to leave to others 
 the struggles of practical politics. 
 
 August 31, 1863. he was married to Elizabeth 
 Gundermann, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, who 
 came to the United States in 1854. She remained 
 in New York City two years and then came to 
 Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Fenn are Lutherans in 
 religious faith. The former is a member of the 
 Ancient Order of Druids and the Sons of Hermann. 
 
 REV. FRANK N, R. PERRY. 
 
 REV. FRANK NOEL RANSOM PERRY, 
 pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes 
 at Ravenswood, is a representative of a prom- 
 inent pioneer family of the State of Illinois. His 
 maternal grandfather was Noel Le Vasseur, who 
 was in Chicago when it was but a hamlet. He 
 was the first settler at Bourbonnais Grove, in Kan- 
 kakee County. He donated the site of Saint Vi- 
 ator's College, and was long connected with the 
 growth and development of that section of the 
 State. Noel Le Vasseur came to Chicago with 
 Gurdon S. Hubbard, who was his warm personal 
 friend, and who. upon the death of Le Vasseur, 
 went to Bourbonnais Grove to attend his funeral. 
 Father Perry is the son of Albert S. Perry, who 
 came to Illinois from Bridgeport, Connecticut. 
 The subject of this sketch and his brother, Ed- 
 ward H. Perry, are the only surviving members 
 of the family of Albert S. Perry. 
 
 Rev. Frank N. Perry was born in Kankakee, 
 
 Illinois, February 9, 1862. He pursued a class- 
 ical course of study at the College of Saint Viator's 
 and his theological course in Saint Mary's Sem- 
 inar}', at Baltimore, Maryland. He was ordained 
 a priest June 16, 1887, and for about eight years 
 succeeding his ordination he was assistant priest 
 at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. 
 
 The first religious services in the parish of which 
 Father Perry now has charge were conducted by 
 Father Coughlin at Bennett Hall, on the first 
 Sunday in March, 1892. Services were held 
 there until October of the same year, when the 
 present church edifice was ready for occupancy. 
 In May, 1893, on account of ill-health, Father 
 Coughlin resigned pastoral charge of the parish, 
 and was succeeded by Father Perry. The church 
 was dedicated October 1 5th of the same year. In 
 May, 1895, the priest's residence was completed. 
 The parish, though comparatively young, is in a 
 prosperous condition.
 
 204 
 
 R. F. DILGER. 
 
 ROBERT F. DILGER. 
 
 ROBERT FRANK DILGER, a market-gar- 
 dener of Chicago, residing at No. 4183 North 
 Clark Street, is a native of Cook County, 
 born January 13, 1859. He is the second son of 
 Frank Paul and Charlotte (Wollner) Dilger. 
 
 Frank P. Dilger was born at 2 o'clock on 
 the morning of April 2, 1828, in Dorndorf, Koen- 
 igreich, Wurtemberg, Germany, and died at Rose- 
 hill, Cook County, Illinois, December 26, 1872, 
 at'n o'clock A. M. Charlotte Wollner, born 
 March 7, 1831, in Teszin, Mecklenburg-Schwer- 
 in, Germany, died at 2:30 o'clock, November 24, 
 1869, at Rosehill. Mr. Dilger came to America 
 in 1852, and located immediately at Chicago. 
 Mrs. Dilger came with her parents to Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, in 1851, and the next year removed 
 to Chicago. They were married in this city, No- 
 vember 29, 1856. All their children were born at 
 Rosehill, as follows: Frank P., August 26, 1857; 
 Robert F., January 13, 1859; Sophia, April 21, 
 1861; Mathias P., December 10, 1862; Anna Ma- 
 ria, December 12, 1864. The last-named is the 
 wife of William Volk, a grocer of Chicago. Ma- 
 thias is a florist at Waukegan, Illinois. 
 
 Frank P. Dilger enjoyed good educational ad- 
 vantages in his native land, and there learned the 
 carpenter's trade. On arriving in this country he 
 continued as a journeyman for a short time, and 
 then began the erection of buildings by contract. 
 Many of the farm buildings in the former town- 
 ship of Lake View, in Niles Township, and at 
 Gross Point, were erected by him. He built the 
 first Saint Henry's Church at what is now High 
 
 Ridge. In connection with his building opera- 
 tions, he carried on farming and gardening, where 
 the son whose name heads this article now re- 
 sides. At one time he owned a park at Rosehill 
 Cemetery, which he exchanged in 1860 for eight 
 acres of land, a part of which is now owned by 
 Robert F. Dilger. He took a commendable in- 
 terest in public affairs, but never sought an offi- 
 cial position. He died at the age of forty-five 
 years, in 1872, having survived his wife nearly 
 four years. She passed away November 24, 
 1869. She was identified with the German Lu- 
 theran Church, while he was a devoted member 
 of Saint Henry's Catholic Church. 
 
 Robert F. Dilger was educated in the public 
 schools and has ever been an intelligent reader 
 and observer. He is well informed on the ques- 
 tions that engage public minds, and is a public- 
 spirited and progressive citizen. He grew to 
 manhood in the neighborhood in which he lives, 
 and enjoys the respect and confidence of his con- 
 temporaries. Believing that the Republican party 
 is the exponent and advocate of the truest and 
 best principles of public policy, as compared with 
 other political organizations, he has ever been 
 found among its most faithful adherents. 
 
 While a boy Mr. Dilger worked eight years for 
 Mr. Nicholas Kransz, of whom extended mention 
 is made in this volume. After arriving at matu- 
 rity, he spent three years in the seed store of J. 
 C. Vaughan, a well-known seedsman and florist 
 of Chicago. He has been self-sustaining since 
 the age of thirteen years, and is essentially a self-
 
 H. E. ROUNDS. 
 
 205 
 
 made man. Being careful of his earnings, he was 
 able, on leaving the service of Mr. Vaughan, to 
 establish himself in business, and has continued 
 ever since with gratifying success. 
 
 November 24, 1887, he was married to Miss 
 Maggie Riedel, daughter of Charles and Kathar- 
 ine (Weber) Riedel, natives of Germany. Mrs. 
 Dilger's parents now reside at De Pere, Wiscon- 
 sin. She is the second of their six children. The 
 
 others were: Mary, who died at the age of seven 
 years; Charles, now a resident of Tacoma, Wash- 
 ington; Edward, now deceased; Carrie and Lou- 
 ise, the latter also deceased. Mrs. Dilger is the 
 mother of three children, namely: Alois, Elmer 
 and Robert Walter. The family is not connected 
 with any church organization, but is respected 
 and esteemed as among the best moral elements 
 of the community. 
 
 HORACE E. ROUNDS. 
 
 HORACE E. ROUNDS, editor and proprietor 
 of the Rogers Park News-Herald, is a native 
 of Enosburg, Vermont, born September 29, 
 1838. He is a son of Lester and Aurilla (Parker) 
 Rounds, the former being a native of Canada, and 
 the latter of Vermont. The Rounds family is 
 descended from English and Irish ancestry. 
 
 Lester Rounds was a gentleman of good edu- 
 cation, acquired in the schools and seminaries of 
 Vermont and New York. He moved to the 
 West in 1840, with his family, and settled in 
 South port (now Kenosha), Wisconsin, in which 
 locality he was among the first settlers. His fine 
 attainments made him a desirable acquisition to 
 the little frontier settlement, where he was one of 
 the pioneer school teachers. In 1844 he moved 
 to Ceresco (now Ripon), Wisconsin, founded by 
 the "Fourierites," a society of the community 
 order, originated by Francois Marie Charles 
 Fourier, a French Socialist, whose plans for so- 
 cial reform were never successfully realized. 
 While living in Ceresco, Mr. Rounds was ap- 
 pointed postmaster, which position he held until 
 the phalanx went to pieces in 1848. 
 
 In 1850, he, with three others (his brother, J. 
 M. Rounds, William Starr and W. C. Dickerson) 
 
 founded the village of Eureka, Wisconsin. Here 
 Mr. Rounds, or "Uncle Lester," as he was 
 familiarly called, established himself in a general 
 mercantile business, in which he achieved con- 
 siderable success. Being fitted by nature and ed- 
 ucation for leadership, he became a sort of public 
 functionary, holding many local offices, such as 
 postmaster, justice of the peace and administrator 
 of estates. In his early life he was an ardent Whig, 
 and later espoused the principles of the Repub- 
 lican party, being one of its most radical de- 
 fenders. He was a man of great goodness of 
 heart, and few men had a greater popularity at 
 home than "Uncle Lester." To him and his de- 
 voted wife were born five children, namely: Ster- 
 ing P. , at one time public printer of the United 
 States Government, and a gentleman of the high- 
 est attainments, who died in 1887, aged nearly 
 sixty years; Rhoda A. (Mrs. Alberts. Bolsten, 
 of Sugar Grove, Illinois) ; Horace E. ; Edward 
 Q. , who died at the age of three years; and 
 Florence, who died in infancy. Lester Rounds 
 died in 1888, at the age of eighty four years, and 
 Mrs. Rounds in 1882, at the age of seventy-five 
 years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was a year and a-
 
 206 
 
 H. E. ROUNDS. 
 
 half old when his parents settled at the present 
 site of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and received his ed- 
 ucation in Eureka, in such branches as were 
 taught in district schools. In 1854, when fif- 
 teen years of age, he came to Chicago, then a 
 city of only sixty-five thousand people, to learn 
 the printer's trade in the office of his brother 
 Sterling, who was then proprietor of the most 
 important job printing establishment in the city. 
 He remained here six years, and thoroughly 
 mastered the intricacies of the printer's art, also 
 acquiring some proficiency in writing for the 
 Chicago Sunday Leader and Rounds' Printers' 
 Cabinet. 
 
 The discovery of gold at Pike's Peak made him 
 ambitious of acquiring wealth by the ' 'short cut, ' ' 
 and in 1860 he started for that Eldorado in 
 charge of a train of six wagons drawn by oxen, 
 carrying mining machinery and supplies. Forty- 
 five days were consumed going from St. Joseph 
 to the Gregory mining camp. He remained a 
 year and a-half in Russell Gulch, meeting with 
 poor success, and finally sold the mill and ma- 
 chinery for about one-fifth of its cost. He was a 
 member of a law and order committee, which 
 had for its object the trial and punishment of the 
 many criminals who infested the mining camps, 
 and assisted in preserving order at the execution 
 of one criminal and in flogging another for 
 heinous crimes. 
 
 From there he went to Denver, Colorado, and 
 with his brother, Sterling P. , bought a quarter 
 interest in the Rocky Mountain News, remaining 
 there eighteen months. In 1863 he sold to Gov. 
 John Evans, returned to Chicago, and shortly 
 after went to Eureka, Wisconsin, where he joined 
 his father in the mercantile business, after being 
 rejected as a volunteer for the Union army on ac- 
 count of a temporary physical disability. 
 
 In June, 1864, he tried again with better suc- 
 cess and enlisted in Company C, Forty-first Wis- 
 consin Volunteer Infantry, a hundred-day regi- 
 ment, which went at once to Memphis, Tennes- 
 see, in the vicinity of which it became actively 
 engaged in desultory warfare with marauding 
 bands of the enemy, under General Forrest, and 
 other bushwhacking bands. He was at Memphis 
 
 when the rebel General Forrest raided that city, 
 and took part in the hot skirmish that followed. 
 He served a month longer than his enlisted term. 
 
 Returning to Eureka, he resumed business 
 vt ith his father for a time, then established the 
 Eureka Journal, the first and only paper the town 
 ever had, conducting the enterprise one year. 
 During this year, 1867, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Hattie N., daughter of LaFayette 
 and Lucy M. Parker, of Racine, Wisconsin. 
 Subsequent to this event, he went to Oshkcsh, 
 Wisconsin, and established the Oshkosh Journal, 
 having for a partner Hiram Morley. This vent- 
 ure proved fairly successful, and after five years 
 of unremitting toil in building up a circulation 
 and acquiring a good advertising patronage, the 
 business was sold to the Oshkosh Northwestern. 
 Returning to Chicago in 1873, he again took a 
 position with his brother, Sterling P., with whom 
 he was associated for ten years. In 1884 he ac- 
 cepted the assistant editorship of Peck' s Son, 
 published at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which po- 
 sition he ably filled for two years, doing a large 
 share of the literary work. Succeeding this, he 
 established a job printing office in Milwaukee, 
 which he conducted until 1891, which year dates 
 the establishment of his present paper at Rogers 
 Park, the News-Herald, which is considered to 
 be one cf the essential fixtures of the place. 
 
 Mr. Rounds is a member of Cumberland Post, 
 No. 737, Grand Army of the Republic, of which 
 he has been quartermaster ever since its forma- 
 tion, except one year, when he was commander. 
 He is a Republican in politics, and cast his first 
 vote for the lamented Lincoln when a candidate 
 for his second term. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Rounds have been born four 
 children, three of whom are living: Elinor, wife 
 of Howard D. McLeod, of Muskegon, Michigan; 
 La Fayette and Aurilla. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
 Rounds are members of the Congregational 
 Church, and take an active interest in religious 
 works. It can be truthfully said that much of 
 the progress made by the handsome and thriving 
 suburb of Rogers Park is due in considerable 
 part to the publicity given it by the News- 
 Herald.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 WILLIAM S. JOHNSTON 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT'
 
 W. S. JOHNSTON. 
 
 207 
 
 WILLIAM S. JOHNSTON. 
 
 p QlLLIAM SKEA JOHNSTON, the well- 
 \ A / known carriage manufacturer of Oak Park, 
 V V comes of that sturdy, God-fearing Scotch 
 lineage which has given so many substantial citi- 
 zens to all the newer parts of the world. He was 
 born January 12, 1841,111 the parish ofOrphir, 
 in the Orkney Islands. His parents were John 
 and Janet (Skea) Johnston. The former was 
 born in the Shetland Islands, where his ancestors 
 had lived for many generations. His father re- 
 moved with his family to the Orkney Islands, 
 where the son became a blacksmith. Mrs. Janet 
 Johnston died in 1847. She was the mother of 
 nine children, as follows: John, who died in Lon- 
 don in 1848; James, now residing in Oak Park, 
 Illinois; Janet (Mrs. Joseph Haloro), who still 
 lives in the Orkney Islands; Thomas, a blacksmith 
 in Stockton, California; Magnus, who died in 
 childhood; William S., the subject of this sketch; 
 Andrew, a blacksmith and carriage builder, re- 
 siding in Chicago; Archibald, who died in the 
 West Indies in 1867; and one who died in infancy. 
 John Johnston married, as his second wife, Miss 
 Katherine Wilson, who became the mother of 
 four children, of whom the following is the rec- 
 ord: Ann (Mrs. David Scott) died in Edin- 
 burgh, Scotland; John resides in Oak Park; David 
 died in the Orkney Islands, where Mary (Mrs. 
 Peter Turn's) still resides. 
 
 William S. Johnston learned the trade of a 
 blacksmith in his father's shop, where he worked 
 until he reached his majority. His educational 
 advantages were very limited, but he has largely 
 made up for the lack of early advantages by the 
 use of rare business judgment and strong common 
 
 sense. In the year 1862 he engaged with the 
 Hudson Bay Company to go to York Factory, 
 located about four miles from Hudson Bay, for 
 five years. There he did various kinds of black- 
 smith work for the Indians, in the interest of the 
 above company, such as making traps, spears 
 and axes, and repairing their guns and other im- 
 plements. For this work he received thirty-six 
 pounds a year and fifty acres of land at the end of 
 the five years. At the end of his term of service 
 he received a grant of a piece of land near Winni- 
 peg, though at that time it was still a wilderness. 
 This he sold and engaged for another year with 
 the same company at Fort Pelley, in what is now 
 Manitoba. He subsequently journeyed down the 
 river to York Factory, where he took passage to 
 London. Thence he went to his old home, and 
 after a short visit, removed to Edinburgh, where 
 he remained eighteen months, working at his trade. 
 In 1870 he resolved to seek his fortune in the 
 United States, and, having previously married, 
 he came to New York, whence he continued his 
 way to Wilmington, Will County, Illinois, where 
 he worked for about one and a-half years. He re- 
 moved in 1872 to Oak Park and opened a carriage 
 and horse-shoeing shop on Lake Street, in a 
 building which had previously been used as a 
 carpenter shop. Though he received much oppo- 
 sition and- even threats from others in the same 
 line of work, he remained at his post and soon 
 saw his business begin to prosper. After five 
 years he erected a fine building, near the same lo- 
 cation, and continued the business until 1886. 
 During that year he built a more commodious 
 structure on Harlem Avenue, and in 1887 opened
 
 208 
 
 W. H. REEDY. 
 
 a carriage shop, taking his two sons into partner- 
 ship. This shop is complete in every detail, and 
 is equipped for doing all work connected with car- 
 riage and wagon building. He has also built a 
 number of dwelling houses at Oak Park. 
 
 November 19, 1869, Mr. Johnston was married 
 in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Miss May Linklator 
 Scarth, daughter of John Stuart Scarth and May 
 Linklator. Mrs. Johnston, who is a lady of cult- 
 ure and refinement, was born at Kirkwall, in the 
 Orkney Islands, a town famous for its monument 
 to the Covenanters who suffered martyrdom near 
 there, as well as for St. Magnus' Cathedral, the 
 oldest institution of its character in Scotland. 
 
 John S. Scarth was the son of a British soldier, 
 and was born on board a man-of-war en route to 
 France from Malta, where his father had been 
 stationed. The latter served twenty-one years in 
 the army, participating in the Battle of Waterloo 
 and many other engagements, and finally retired 
 upon a pension. John S. Scarth learned the 
 tailor's trade, but spent most of his life as an in- 
 structor in vocal and instrumental music, for 
 
 which art he had a peculiar talent. For forty 
 years he was precentor at St. Magnus' Cathedral. 
 He died in Liverpool, England, in 1888, aged 
 seventy-nine years. His wife, who was descend- 
 ed from an old Orkney family, died at the same 
 place in 1875. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Johnston have been the parents 
 of six children, of whom two died in childhood. 
 The others are: Ellen (.Mrs. Peter L. Petersen), 
 of River Forest; Lillie, who is at home with her 
 parents; John and Archibald, associated in busi- 
 ness with their father. Two nieces, Adelaide and 
 Flora, have also been adopted into the family. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Johnston were members of the Free 
 Church of Scotland, and are now connected with 
 the First Presbyterian Church of Oak Park. In 
 1893 they made a visit to their old home in the 
 Orkney Islands, and also to many other points of 
 interest in England and Scotland. Fraternally 
 Mr. Johnston is connected with Harlem Lodge 
 No. 540, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, 
 and with General Grant Council No. 916, Royal 
 Arcanum, both of Oak Park. 
 
 WILLIAM H. REEDY. 
 
 HENRY REEDY, an enterpris- 
 ing young business man of Chicago, was 
 born in Rock Island, Illinois, September 10, 
 1861, and is a son of John and Mary (Graham) 
 Reedy. John Reedy was born at Manaugh, near 
 Silvermines, County Tipperary, Ireland, and his 
 wife was a native of the same country. He came 
 to America in 1851, stopping in Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 where he learned the trade of machinist. Three 
 years later he went farther West, and after living 
 temporarily at Muscatine, Iowa; St. Louis, Mis- 
 souri, and other places, finally settled at Rock 
 Island, Illinois, where he worked at his trade in 
 the Deere Plow Works until 1872. In that year 
 
 he removed to Chicago, which has since been his 
 home. From 1872 to 1889 he was engaged in the 
 Reedy Elevator Works, and since that time has 
 been retired. Mrs. Mary Reedy died in Chicago 
 April 20, 1897, at the age of sixty-six years. 
 She was a faithful member of the Church of the 
 Holy Name (Cathedral), in which the family has 
 worshipped for many years. 
 
 Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Reedy, of whom two died in childhood. The 
 others are: William H., of whom this article is 
 written; Mary, Mrs. C. O. Foltz, Antioch, Illi- 
 nois; John T., employed in the store of A. H. 
 Abbott, Chicago; James W., a machinist in the
 
 T. L. HUMPHREVILLE. 
 
 209 
 
 works of the Reedy Elevator Company; Henry 
 J., connected with the Board of Trade firm of 
 Swartz & Dupee; Kate, Mrs. O. J. Walsh, of 
 Chicago; and Graham D., bookkeeper in the of- 
 fice of the Reedy Elevator Company. 
 
 William H. Reedy, the subject of this sketch, 
 attended the public schools of Rock Island and 
 also of Chicago. In 1877 he left school and the 
 following year entered the employ of Gardner, 
 Stone & Company, a Board of Trade firm of Chi- 
 cago, with whom he remained one year. In 
 1879 he became bookkeeper in the office of his 
 uncle, J. W. Reedy, who was engaged in the 
 manufacture of passenger and freight elevators. 
 On the organization of The Reedy Elevator 
 Manufacturing Company in 1885, J. W. Reedy 
 became president and W. H. Reedy secretary and 
 treasurer of that concern. In 1889 the former 
 died and his sister succeeded to his office, but 
 the latter still retains the offices held by him. 
 The business was established in 1864 and has an 
 extensive trade in the West, Northwest and 
 South, and has a branch in New York City. 
 
 September 18, 1889, Mr. Reedy was married 
 
 to Miss Clara Downey, who was born in Liver- 
 pool, England, and is a daughter of John and 
 Mathilda Sophia (Fowler) Downey. This union 
 has been blessed by four children, named in order 
 of birth, Marie, Clara, Leo and Marguerite. The 
 family is connected with St. Luke's Roman 
 Catholic Church of River Forest. That beauti- 
 ful village has been its home since 1891, and since 
 1893 it has occupied the elegant residence which 
 was completed in that year. Mr. Reedy has 
 been a Democrat in all National questions, but 
 in local affairs he is independent of party prejudice. 
 He has always been much interested in athletics, 
 being himself well developed physically. In 
 former years he devoted considerable attention to 
 rowing, having been a member of two well-known 
 boat clubs, the Delaware and the Iroquois. He 
 was also at one time an enthusiastic hand-ball 
 player, and for several years was interested in 
 the game of base ball in a semi-professional way. 
 In 1878 he was one of the .first amateur pitchers 
 in Chicago to throw the curved ball, which had 
 been introduced by professionals the previous 
 season. 
 
 THOMAS L. HUMPHREVILLE. 
 
 'HOMAS LIBERTY HUMPHREVILLE 
 is one of the best known citizens of the 
 village of River Forest, whose long years 
 of professional labor have extended his acquaint- 
 ance throughout Cook County. His lineage is 
 traced from some of the oldest and most esteemed 
 New England families, his ancestors on the 
 paternal side, who were doubtless of English 
 origin, having first settled in this country in the 
 vicinity of West Haven, Connecticut. 
 
 His grandfather, Lemuel Humphreville, was 
 one of five brothers who resided in that locality. 
 He was a farmer by occupation and served some 
 
 time in the Continental army, contracting rheu- 
 matism from exposure on the battlefield, on ac- 
 count of which he was granted a furlough and 
 went home to recuperate. While he was there 
 his neighbors, who were nearly all tories, at- 
 tacked his house at night with stones and clubs, 
 breaking out the doors and windows, and mak- 
 ing it uninhabitable for the time being. His son, 
 Lemuel, then a lad of seven years, was knocked 
 senseless by a stone. Lemuel Humphreville, 
 senior, married a Miss Beecher, a member of the 
 family from which sprang the noted Brooklyn 
 divine of that name. Mr. and Mrs. Humphre-
 
 210 
 
 T. L. HUMPHREVILLE. 
 
 ville reared a family of seven daughters and two 
 sons, most of whom were noted for their great 
 longevity, two of the daughters reaching the age 
 of ninety-eight years, and another, Anna Peck, 
 surviving to the age of one hundred and three. 
 
 Liberty Humphreville, the second son of this 
 worthy couple, was born at Northfield, Litch- 
 field County, Connecticut, his birthday being 
 identical with that of the nation, July 4, 1776, on 
 account of which fact he was so named by his 
 patriotic father. While a young man he re- 
 moved to Chenango County, New York, and 
 thence to a farm in the town of Pompey, Onondaga 
 County, New York. His death, which was 
 caused by an accident in the hay-field, occurred 
 July 20, 1818. His wife, whose maiden name 
 was Milly Marsh, survived until 1857, passing 
 away in Delphi, New York, at the age of sixty- 
 seven years. She was also a native of Litchfield 
 County, Connecticut, and her parents, Thomas 
 Marsh and Polly Peck, became early settlers in 
 Pompey, New York. Besides Mrs. Humphre- 
 ville, their family included a daughter, Sally, and 
 three sons, Edward, Hiram and Thomas Horatio. 
 The last-named, who was an attorney by profes- 
 sion, was for some years a resident of Chicago. 
 Liberty and Milly Humphreville were the parents 
 of two sons and two daughters: Charles L., who 
 died at the age of twenty-two years; Lucena, 
 Mrs. Charles Jones, who died in River Forest, 
 Illinois, in 1895, at the age of eighty-three years; 
 Olive, wife of Dr. Eli Cook, who died in 
 Delphi, New York; and Thomas Liberty. 
 
 The last-named was born at Pompey, New 
 York, July 16, 1817. His early boyhood was 
 passed upon a farm, the time being varied with 
 attendance at the country school and one or two 
 terms at a select school. In the seventeenth 
 year of his age he turned his back upon his home 
 and early associations, determined to seek his 
 fortune in the western wilds of Michigan, a point 
 which seemed as remote at that time as China or 
 Japan are to the people of Chicago at the present 
 day. With all his possessions packed in a small 
 hand satchel, he made the journey from Syracuse 
 to Buffalo by way of the Erie Canal. At the 
 latter city he met a former school-mate, whose 
 
 hospitable reception served to alleviate the pangs 
 of homesickness which he had begun to feel, and 
 permitted him to continue the journey with a 
 cheerful heart. The steamer "Daniel Webster" 
 bore him from Buffalo to Detroit, whence he 
 traveled by stage to Saline, Michigan, a frontier 
 town, in which his uncle, Thomas H. Marsh, 
 was engaged in the practice of law. At the lat- 
 ter 's suggestion he determined to fit himself for 
 that profession, but in the mean time was obliged 
 to become a clerk in a general store in order to 
 earn a livelihood. He spent several years in that 
 way, pursuing his legal studies by night, and at 
 odd intervals, often burning his tallow candle or 
 dip until 3 o'clock in the morning. Once each 
 year during her lifetime, he made the journey to 
 New York to visit his mother. In 1843 he was 
 admitted to the bar at Ann Arbor, and for a num- 
 ber of years thereafter he was engaged in legal 
 practice in that city and the adjacent towns, re- 
 taining his residence at Saline. He was subse- 
 quently employed by mercantile houses in New 
 York City to attend to their legal business through 
 the West, his operations extending to several 
 States. 
 
 In 1863 he located in Chicago, where he has 
 ever since been engaged in general practice. His 
 first office was on Randolph Street, and at the 
 time of the city's destruction by fire, eight years 
 after his arrival, his place of business was at No. 
 87 Washington Street. At that time he had an 
 elegant residence on the lake shore, at Whitney 
 Street (now Walton Place), which, with its con- 
 tents, was also destroyed. He and his family 
 barely escaped with a horse and buggy, taking 
 such few articles as they could carry and fifteen 
 dollars in cash. Driving to the country on the 
 north-west side of the city, they encamped on the 
 prairie for the first night, amid thousands of other 
 homeless refugees. Many victims of that awful 
 holocaust who had less reason to feel discouraged 
 than Mr. Humphreville, gave up in despair, but 
 though then past fifty years of age, he set res- 
 olutely about the task of retrieving his fortunes 
 and providing a home for his family. In a few 
 days he secured the use of a building at the cor- 
 ner of Green and Van Buren Streets, which served
 
 DELOS HULL. 
 
 211 
 
 for a time the double purpose of office and resi- 
 dence, the office portion being shared with several 
 other attorneys. Old and new clients began to 
 seek his services, and a prosperous practice was 
 soon established. Since May 27, 1881, his home 
 has been at River Forest, 'and for twelve years 
 past he has served as police magistrate of that 
 village. The high regard in which he is held by 
 members of his profession and the uniform fair- 
 ness of his decisions cause many cases to be 
 brought to his court for adjudication from all 
 parts of the city and county. 
 
 Mr. Humphreville was married December 3 1 , 
 1843, at Saline, Michigan, to Miss Ann Eliza 
 Oliphant, a native of Barnegat, New Jersey. 
 She died in April, 1846, leaving one daughter, 
 Anna Eugenia, now the wife of R. M. Van Ars- 
 dale, of New York City. Mr. Humphreville was 
 again married, July 16, 1848, the bride being 
 Mary Ann Gurley, daughter of Dr. Royal 
 and Sally (Post) Gurley, of Saline, Michigan. 
 This lady was born in Ontario County, Michigan, 
 and died at River Forest, Illinois, June 20, 1885, 
 aged nearly fifty-two years. She bore her hus- 
 
 band five sous, named respectively, James Royal, 
 Torrence Liberty, Erasmus Darwin, Gurley Mc- 
 Clellan and Louie D. The second son is engaged 
 in business at Fondis, Elbert County, Colorado, 
 and all the others reside in Cook Count}-. 
 
 Mr. Humphreville has always been a consistent 
 Democrat. He cast his first Presidential vote for 
 Martin Van Buren in 1840, and recalls many in- 
 teresting reminiscences of that famous "hard 
 cider" campaign. He was postmaster at Saline, 
 Michigan, for eight years or more, receiving his 
 official commission from President Tyler. Mr. 
 Humphreville also served several terms as Cir- 
 cuit Court Commissioner in Washtenaw County, 
 Michigan. In 1885 he was appointed postmaster 
 at River Forest by President Cleveland, holding 
 that office until its consolidation, four years later, 
 with the Oak Park office. Though nearly eighty 
 years of age, he is still as sprightly and active as 
 most men of forty or fifty. The dignified and 
 honorable course which he has always pursued, 
 whether acting in an official capacity or in that 
 of a private citizen, causes him to be universally 
 esteemed. 
 
 DELOS HULL, 
 
 0ELOS HULL, one of the most patriotic and 
 public-spirited citizens of Oak Park, was 
 born at Lafayette, Onondaga County, New 
 York, April 12, 1842. Heisason of EdwardH. 
 Hull and Maria Van Valkenburgh, the former of 
 whom was born at Truxton, Cortland County, 
 New York, November i, 1806, and died at 
 Lombard, Illinois, May 22, 1878. He learned his 
 father's trade, that of miller, and afterwards en- 
 gaged in mercantile business at De Ruyter, New 
 York. Later he read law with A. Scott Sloan, 
 since a judge of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, 
 and also with H. C. Miner, at De Ruyter, New 
 
 York. In 1852 he headed a company of sixteen 
 emigrants who went to California by way of the 
 isthmus. There he engaged in mining for two 
 years, and afterwards operated a grist mill at San 
 Jose, an enterprise which proved quite remunera- 
 tive. In the spring of 1856 he returned to New 
 York, and the next fall came to Illinois, making 
 his home at Lombard, where he practiced law 
 during the remainder of his life. He filled a 
 number of public offices in Du Page County, in- 
 cluding those of district attorney, clerk of the 
 circuit court and county recorder. 
 
 The ancestry of this family has been traced to
 
 212 
 
 DELOS HULL. 
 
 Tristram Hull, who came from Hull, England, in 
 1632, and settled on Nantucket Island. He was 
 a sea-faring man and commanded a merchant ves- 
 sel. He and his people were Quakers and suf- 
 fered their share of the persecution which was 
 accorded to their sect in those days. One of his 
 female relatives was burned at the stake for "her- 
 esy" on the public square of Boston. John Hull, 
 one of the descendants of Tristram Hull, laid out 
 the city of Hudson, New York, at which place 
 his son, George, the father of Edward Hull, was 
 born in 1787. George Hull died at Oak Park in 
 1886, lacking only six months of being one hun- 
 dred years old. His mother, whose maiden name 
 was Anna Haight, reached the age of ninety-four 
 years. Sallie Barnard, who became the wife of 
 George Hull, was the daughter of a sea captain, 
 who was a relative of Benjamin Franklin. Her 
 mother's maiden name was Myrick. 
 
 Mrs. Maria Hull was born at Canaan, Colum- 
 bia County, New York, in August, 1812. The 
 names of her parents were Lambert Van Valken- 
 burgh and Freelove Aylesworth. Mr. Van Valk- 
 enburgh was a scion of one of the Knickerbocker 
 families, and became a prominent farmer near 
 Lockport, Niagara County, New York, where he 
 settled about 1820. Mrs. Hull is now living at 
 Oak Park, having reached the venerable age of 
 eighty-five years. She is the mother of five sons 
 and one daughter who survived the period of 
 childhood. Of these, George Henry and Frank- 
 lin are now deceased; Thomas M. is a well-known 
 citizen of Wheaton, Illinois; Dewitt C., who 
 served two years in Company D, Seventeenth 
 New York Cavalry, died in July, 1865, from 
 disease contracted in the service; Delos is a twin 
 brother of the last-named; and Sally J. is the 
 widow of Liberty Jones, and now resides at Oak 
 Park. 
 
 Delos Hull was six years old when the family 
 removed to De Ruyter, New York, where he at- 
 tended the public schools and the Seventh Day 
 Baptist Seminary. In June, 1858, he came to 
 Lombard, Illinois, and continued his studies for a 
 time. His first business experience was acquired 
 as clerk in a general store in Lombard, and in 
 1860 he began teaching in the country schools 
 
 near that village. The next spring he became a 
 bookkeeper in the first steam laundry opened in 
 Chicago, but abandoned that occupation to go to 
 the defense of his country, enlisting on the 2oth 
 of August, 1861, in Company H, Eighth Regi- 
 ment Illinois Cavalry, known as Farnsworth's 
 Black Abolition Regiment. He served in the Ar- 
 my of the Potomac during his entire service, being 
 in almost constant activity until July 21, 1865, 
 when he was honorably discharged. He partici- 
 pated in nearly all of the engagements of that 
 army, including many cavalry fights and a num- 
 ber of general battles, among which may be men- 
 tioned Williamsburgh, Fredericksburg, Antietam, 
 Gettysburg, South Mountain, and the Seven Days' 
 Campaign in the Wilderness. The next morning 
 after the battle of South Mountain his regiment 
 was sent out to Boonesboro to reconnoiter, and 
 unexpectedly encountered a force of four thousand 
 Confederates, which they defeated in a hand to 
 hand fight, by the use of seven-shooting carbines, 
 which had then just been introduced, and took the 
 enemy considerably by surprise. It was in this 
 conflict Mr. Hull was struck by a spent ball, which 
 was stopped by a diary in his pocket, but escaped 
 serious injury throughout, which seems almost 
 miraculous, considering the many dangers to which 
 he was exposed. 
 
 Upon the return of peace he was employed for 
 about one year by the American Express Compa- 
 ny in Chicago, and in the fall of 1866 he went to 
 Lockport, New York, where he was in the employ 
 of his uncle, D. A. Van Valkenburgh. Two years 
 later he returned to Lombard and engaged in 
 farming and dairying. But he was of too active 
 and enterprising a spirit to be long contented in 
 that occupation. In the fall of 1870 he became 
 assistant bookkeeper in the Chicago office of the 
 Weed Sewing Machine Company, and soon after 
 took charge of its city business. One year later 
 he became the state agent of that concern for Min- 
 nesota, making his headquarters at St. Paul. He 
 afterwards traveled for three years as special rep- 
 resentative of the company, and about 1876 start- 
 ed an independent city agency in Chicago in 
 company with J. VV. Kettlestrings. He subse- 
 quently became traveling representative of the
 
 A. H. PRESTON. 
 
 213 
 
 clothing house of Charles P. Kellogg & Company, 
 which connection was continued until his appoint- 
 ment, June i, 1889, to the office of postmaster 
 at Oak Park, a position which he held until April, 
 1 894. During the previous year he had purchased 
 the coal business of Johnston & Company, at that 
 village, to which he has since devoted most of his 
 time and attention. Under his management the 
 trade has grown to considerable proportions, and 
 besides doing an extensive retail business, which 
 employs a number of men and teams, a wholesale 
 office was established in Chicago, May i, 1897. 
 He is also president of the Oak Park Business 
 Men's Association. 
 
 December 31, 1868, Mr. Hull was married, at 
 Oak Park, Illinois, to Amelia E. Whaples, daugh- 
 ter of Reuben Whaples, one of the pioneers of 
 
 northern Illinois. Of three children born to this 
 union, two sons died in infancy, the only survivor 
 being a daughter, Mabel L., now the wife of 
 George Sinden, of Oak Park. Mr. Hull is 
 a member of the First Congregational Church 
 of Oak Park; and, being naturally of a social 
 and genial nature, has affiliated with a num- 
 ber of fraternal organizations, among which 
 may be mentioned the Masonic order, the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows, Grand Army of 
 the Republic, and the Royal League. He has al- 
 ways been a stanch Republican, but has never 
 filled any elective office. Embodying the phys- 
 ical vigor and unswerving devotion to principle 
 which distinguished many of his progenitors, he 
 commands the respect and admiration of all with 
 whom he comes in contact. 
 
 AUGUSTUS H. PRESTON. 
 
 GJUGUSTUS HITCHCOCK PRESTON en- 
 I \ joys the unique distinction of being the old- 
 / i est locomotive engineer (measured in years 
 of continuous service) whose headquarters is 
 Chicago. He has been in the railway train serv- 
 ice for about forty -five years, and since 1855 has 
 been employed as an engineer on the lines now in- 
 cluded in the Chicago & Northwestern system. 
 During all this time he has never lost a whole 
 month nor been suspended for any cause. He 
 has covered in all about 2,200,000 miles, and 
 though by the rules of the company he was 
 entitled to retire on a pension several years since, 
 he is still hale and hearty, and continues to cover 
 his daily route with the regularity of clock-work. 
 Mr. Preston was born at Atwater, Ohio, De- 
 cember i, 1831, the names of his parents being 
 Justus and Sina (Hall) Preston. The ancestorsof 
 Justus Preston were among the colonial emigrants 
 who came from England and settled in this coun- 
 
 try in 1635. He was born near Meriden, Con- 
 necticut, where his father died about ten years 
 subsequent to his birth. The boy learned the 
 trade of wheel-wright.and during the War of 1812 
 spent about three months in military service, 
 being employed in defense of the New England 
 coast. He subsequently removed to Atwater, 
 Ohio, and followed his trade there for a number 
 of years. Thence he removed his family and ef- 
 fects with ox-teams to Illinois in 1837. 
 
 He settled at Sycamore, DeKalb County, near 
 which place he bought a large tract of land from 
 the United States Government and engaged in 
 farming. He was a natural mechanic, and made 
 most of his agricultural implements, besides 
 erecting his farm buildings. His first house at 
 this place, which was built of logs and roofed with 
 split shingles, did not contain a single nail. He 
 died June 2, 1847, at the age of fifty-three years. 
 He was a man of simple tastes, who concerned
 
 2I 4 
 
 A. H. PRESTON. 
 
 himself but little with public affairs. He was 
 married at Meriden, Connecticut, to Lodema 
 Brockett, who died at Atwater, Ohio, about 1827, 
 leaving one son, Jared, a farmer now residing at 
 Genoa, Illinois. Mr. Preston's second wife was a 
 Miss Hall, of Wallingford, Connecticut, to whom 
 he was united January 18, 1829. She died Feb- 
 ruary 26, 1869, at the age of sixty-seven years. 
 She was the mother of six children, as follows: 
 Henry, who died at Genoa, Illinois, in February, 
 1868, in the thirty-eighth year of his age; Au- 
 gustus H.; Charles; George; Norman and Eliza- 
 beth, Mrs. De Witt Greene. The last-named 
 lives in Chicago, the two youngest sons live at 
 Sycamore, and Charles at Genoa, Illinois. 
 
 Augustus H. Preston spent most of his boy- 
 hood upon his father's farm. While driving 
 thence to Chicago in June, 1847, he saw a loco- 
 motive for the first time in his life, near the pres- 
 ent village of Oak Park. The following fall he 
 came to the city and began to learn the black- 
 smith trade, in the shop of Hollingsworth & 
 Pierce, which stood on the east side of Canal 
 Street, between Randolph and Lake Streets, west 
 of which was then along stretch of open prairie. 
 In July, 1852, he began work on the Michigan 
 Central Railroad, as a fireman, and on the 24th 
 of June of the following year, entered the employ 
 of the Chicago & Galena Union Railroad. Two 
 years later he was promoted to the position of 
 engineer, in which capacity he was first employed 
 on a gravel train at Sterling, Illinois. For two 
 years, beginning in 1857, he drew an accommo- 
 dation train between that place and Fulton, haul- 
 ing all the freight and passengers between those 
 points. After this he was placed in charge 
 of passenger trains between Chicago and Fulton, 
 and since the consolidation of the road with the 
 Chicago & Northwestern in 1864, has been al- 
 most constantly employed on passenger trains. 
 For several years he spent two weeks of each 
 month drawing the pay-car over the entire sys- 
 tem. From 1865 to 1890 he drew nearly all the 
 special fast trains sent out over the road. In 
 June, 1866, he hauled a special fast excursion 
 train to Omaha and return, for the officials of the 
 road, and two months later took a party of editors 
 
 to Omaha on another fast run. In June, 1876, 
 he took the Jurrett & Palmer Special Fast Con- 
 tinental Train from Chicago to Clinton, covering 
 the distance of 140 miles in two hours and thirty 
 minutes, stopping eight minutes for water. This 
 was the fastest time made by the train on any di- 
 vision between New York and San Francisco. 
 In the period covered by the World's Fair Mr. 
 Preston covered 96,000 miles and carried 100,000 
 passengers. During his connection with this 
 system he has drawn material for the construction 
 of about 1 50 miles of its lines, and for three months 
 drew a passenger train between Clinton and 
 Marshalltown, Iowa, when there was not a house 
 along the route. 
 
 Mr. Preston was married September 8, 1856, 
 to Eliza, daughter of Dorastus and Juliet (Saf- 
 ford) Wright, of Elgin, Illinois. Mrs. Preston 
 was born at Malone, New York, and came to 
 Illinois with her parents in 1849. Her father, 
 who was a carpenter by trade, was born at Fair- 
 field, Vermont, and died at Nelson, Illinois, in 
 1864, aged sixty-six years, his remains being in- 
 terred at Elgin. Both he and his wife were of 
 English lineage, and sprang from some of the 
 earliest Vermont families. Mrs. Juliet Wright 
 died at Elgin in 1863, at the age of fifty-three 
 years. She was born at Cambridge, Vermont, 
 and was a daughter of Eric Safford, whose father, 
 David Safford, served as an officer in the Con- 
 tinental Army. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Preston are the parents of five 
 children, of whom the following is the record: 
 Frank D. is an engineer on the Chicago & North- 
 western Railroad, living at Oak Park; Harry W., 
 who lives at Danville, Illinois, holds a similar 
 position on the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Rail- 
 road; Juliet is the wife of C. H. Haight, of New 
 York City; Percy C. is a fireman on the Chicago 
 & Northwestern Railroad, residing at Elgin, Illi- 
 nois; and Jessie M. is still with her parents. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Preston are communicants of Grace 
 Church (Episcopal) of Oak Park, and the for- 
 mer is a member of the Brotherhood of Loco- 
 motive Engineers and of the Masonic order, be- 
 ing identified with Harlem Lodge No. 540, and 
 Cicero Chapter No. 180.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 WILLIAM BEYE
 
 WILLIAM BEYE. 
 
 215 
 
 WILLIAM BEYE. 
 
 (3 QlLLIAM BEYE. In the death of William 
 \Al ^ e y e > which occurred at his home in Oak 
 V V Park, April 10, 1897, Cook County lost a 
 patriotic and exemplary citizen, and the city of 
 Chicago lost an energetic and useful business man. 
 Though an alien by birth, he was a thorough rep- 
 resentative of American principles and senti- 
 ments, and no citizen of the United States could 
 have been more loyal to the traditions of this 
 country. 
 
 He was born in Halle, Duchy of Brunswick, 
 Germany, May 12, 1841. He was the son of 
 Henry and Hannah (Bummer) Beye, his father's 
 name being probably of French origin. Henry 
 Beye was the proprietor of a stone quarry which 
 furnished material for buildings. He died in 
 Halle, in the fall of 1886, at the age of eighty-three 
 years. He was a prominent citizen, interested 
 in public affairs, of temperate habits, and a mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church. Mrs. Hannah 
 Beye died at the age of fifty-three years, in 1857, 
 leaving four children, namely: Hannah (Mrs. 
 Wiechert), former wife of C. Lember, who was 
 killed near Stover, Missouri, soon after the Civil 
 War commenced. (He was a Union soldier and 
 was killed by a guerrilla.) Henry, who died Sep- 
 tember 13, 1895. in Marshall Count)', Iowa, at 
 the age of sixty years; William; and Fred, who 
 still lives at the old homestead in Germany. Hen- 
 ry Beye, senior, married a second time, having 
 one daughter, now Mrs. Eiler, of Marshall Coun- 
 ty, Iowa. 
 
 William Beye lived in his native country until 
 he was fifteen years old, receiving a common- 
 school education. In 1856 he came to the United 
 States, locating in Elk Grove Township, Cook 
 County, with his cousin, Louis Albright. He 
 
 spent the next few years in farm work, attending 
 school in winter. In September, 1861, he en- 
 listed in Company D, Eighth Illinois Cavalry, 
 and was mustered out in the Army of the Poto- 
 mac. After serving two and one-half years, he 
 re-enlisted in the same company. He took part 
 in the battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks, 
 when Companies F and D acted as body guard of 
 General Keyes throughout the seven-days fight. 
 On the last day of this campaign, the troops on 
 the James River were overtaken by a terrific thun- 
 derstorm, and many of the men thought the last 
 day of the world had come. On reaching Alex- 
 andria, they were joined by Pope's returning 
 army. The next fight was at South Mountain, 
 where they met Allen Pinkerton, who brought 
 news of the surrender of Harper's Ferry. During 
 the week between South Mountain and Antietam, 
 there was almost constant fighting. His regi- 
 ment held a bridge leading towards Sharpsburg, 
 under fire of a Confederate battery. Mr. Beye 
 took part in the review of the army by President 
 Lincoln, soon after which General Burnside took 
 command. After the battle of Fredericksburg 
 they were sent further South, and guarded the ex- 
 treme left of the army during the following winter. 
 In June, 1863, Mr. Beye was at Chancellorsville 
 under General Hooker. During Lee's invasion 
 of Pennsylvania, they came almost every day into 
 active service. 
 
 On the second day of Gettysburg Mr. Beye was 
 left a target for many rebel bullets, in an open 
 field, having been separated from the rest of the 
 company. Before the battle closed, his regiment, 
 with others, was sent to Boonesboro, to intercept 
 the retreat of the enemy. They had constant 
 fighting for a week, when Leerecrossed the Poto-
 
 216 
 
 A. A. KNAPP. 
 
 mac. After the battle of Gettysburg they were 
 alternately driving and being driven, till the two 
 armies confronted each other on the Rappahan- 
 nock, in the second battle of Fredericksburg. In 
 the spring of 1864 his brigade was employed in 
 keeping the guerrillas in subjection in Lowdon 
 Valley. During General Early's advance upon 
 Washington, in the summer of 1864, they were 
 employed in the defense of that city. From this 
 time until Lee's surrender, their headquarters were 
 at Fairfax Court House. They received the news 
 of Lincoln's assassination about one o'clock on the 
 morning following its occurrence, with orders to 
 guard all roads and ferries. The regiment acted 
 as an escort at his funeral, soon after which they 
 were sent by way of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- 
 road to Parkersburg, Virginia, thence down the 
 Ohio River to Saint Louis, where they were mus- 
 tered out. 
 
 Returning to Illinois, Mr. Beye attended the 
 Elgin Academy one winter, then entered Bryant 
 & Stratton's Business College, and obtained a sit- 
 uation in the county treasurer's office, where he 
 remained sixteen years. For twelve years he was 
 left in complete charge, as assistant treasurer, un- 
 der eight different heads of that department. His 
 reliability in discharging the duties of that respon- 
 sible position was so generally recognized that the 
 bondsmen of each successive treasurer, during 
 this time, required his retention in that place. 
 
 In the spring of 1883 Mr. Be}^e entered into 
 partnership with James H. Heald, forming the 
 grain and commission firm of William Beye & 
 Company. In the following winter they were 
 joined by J. C. Howell, the firm becoming Howell, 
 Beye & Company, which firm continued to do 
 business until 1889, when Mr. Beye withdrew and 
 became a stockholder in the well-known McNeill 
 & Higgins Company, wholesale grocers, and he 
 was identified with it until his death. He was 
 also to some extent interested in banking in the 
 city. 
 
 In 1878 he was married to Miss Nellie C. Lom- 
 bard, of Boston, Massachusetts, and they had 
 eight children, who are still living, namely: Han- 
 nah C. ; Marian and William, junior, who are" 
 students at Oak Park High School; Cudworth, 
 Howard, Edward Lawrence, Elizabeth and Hel- 
 en J. 
 
 The family of William Beye has lived in Oak 
 Park since 1884, and attends the Unity Church in 
 that village. Mr. Beye was always a Republican 
 in politics. He was a member of the Oak Park 
 Club, which he served as president, and of Phil 
 Sheridan Post, Grand Army of the Republic. For 
 a number of years he was a member of the board 
 of education in Oak Park. 
 
 After a very short illness Mr. Beye died, as above 
 noted, at his home, No. 242 Maple Avenue, in 
 Oak Park. 
 
 ALBERT A KNAPP. 
 
 Gl LBERT ASA KNAPP, a well-known busi- 
 I_l ness man of Oak Park , was born in the town 
 / I of York, Du Page County, Illinois, January 
 20, 1852, and is a son of Asa Knapp, of whom an 
 extended notice appears elsewhere in this volume. 
 He spent his boyhood on his father's farm, and 
 attended the district school. Later he became a 
 
 student at Wheaton College, and after completing 
 his studies returned to the farm. From 1872 to 
 1882 he carried on a cotton plantation at Athens, 
 Alabama. In the latter year he again took up 
 farming in Du Page Count}-, which he continued 
 until 1891, when he removed to Oak Park and 
 opened a livery business. He is still engaged in
 
 ASA KNAPP. 
 
 217 
 
 that vocation, which has proved very lucrative 
 and successful, he having one of the most finely 
 equipped stands of the kind in Cook County. 
 
 July 20, 1876, Mr. Knapp was united in mar- 
 riage to Miss Ellen Sabin, who was born in 
 Schaumburg, Cook County, Illinois. Mrs. Knapp 
 is a daughter of John and Laura (Aldridge) 
 Sabin, who came from Susquehanna County, 
 Pennsylvania, to Schaumburg, Illinois, in 1845, 
 
 being among the early settlers of that locality. 
 John Sabin was a native of Connecticut. Five 
 children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Knapp, as follows: Asa Lee, Grace, Earl, Hattie 
 and Owen. All are at home, and all except the 
 eldest and the youngest are in school. Fra- 
 ternally, Mr. Knapp is a member of Court Oak 
 Park No. 3119, Independent Order of Foresters. 
 In politics he is an ardent Republican. 
 
 ASA KNAPP. 
 
 (S\ SA KNAPP, an early pioneer of DuPage 
 LJ County, Illinois, who was for over twenty 
 / I years a resident of Cook County, was born at 
 Pine Plains, Dutchess County, New York, March 
 ii, 1811, and died at Melrose Park, Illinois, 
 August 23, 1896. The Knapp family is of Ger- 
 man origin, but has been located in America for 
 several generations. The father and grandfather 
 of the subject of this notice, each of whom bore 
 the name of Asa, were natives of Connecticut, 
 and became farmers in Dutchess County, New 
 York. 
 
 Asa Knapp, of whom this sketch is written, 
 spent his boyhood on his father's farm and grew 
 to be a fine specimen of physical manhood. He 
 also acquired a practical knowledge of business 
 affairs and was well fitted to lead a pioneer life. 
 Having reached his thirtieth year he resolved to 
 invest his savings in a region where land was 
 cheap, and to aid in the development of the Great 
 West. Accordingly, in 1837 he removed to the 
 prairies of DuPage County, where he purchased a 
 claim to a half-section of land in the town of 
 York, for which he paid five hundred dollars. 
 Two years later, when the survey was made, he 
 was obliged to pay one dollar and a-quarter per 
 acre in addition, to the United States Government. 
 This land was soon brought under cultivation 
 
 and he rapidly acquired more. At one time he 
 had one thousand acres and was able to give a 
 finely improved farm to each of his three sons, be- 
 sides retaining the original homestead. He was 
 a persistent, hard-working man, and though a 
 part of his land was rented he always gave it care- 
 ful supervision. He took an active interest in 
 the affairs of the town and county and held sev- 
 eral offices of trust and honor, being supervisor of 
 the town of York in 1854, and serving as a mem- 
 ber of the DuPage County Board of Commission- 
 ers in 1846-47-48. 
 
 Wishing to give his children better educational 
 advantages, Mr. Knapp removed in 1861 to Oak 
 Park, where he resided about two years. He then 
 returned to his old home, but in 1876 retired from 
 active farm life, removing to Melrose Park. There 
 he spent his declining years, still giving personal 
 attention to his business affairs and retaining his 
 health and strength until a short time before his 
 death. 
 
 October 10, 1841, Mr. Knapp was married to 
 Philura Plummer, daughter of Caleb and Polly 
 (Webster) Plummer. Caleb Plummer was born 
 in Vermont, March 31, 1780, and removed to 
 Alden, Erie Count}', New York, where he mar- 
 ried and where his daughter Philura was born 
 August 6, 1818. He died there November 29,
 
 218 
 
 GEORGE NORDENHOLT. 
 
 1840. His wife was born March 3, 1783, and 
 died in DuPage County, Illinois, August 2, 1853. 
 Eight children blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Knapp, one of whom died in childhood. Of the 
 others the following is the record: Phoebe (Mrs. 
 John J. Dooley) resides in Baker City, Oregon; 
 Emma (widow of Henry Vernon) resides in 
 Wheaton, Illinois; Hattie and Evelyn reside at 
 Melrose Park; Albert A. and William P. are 
 
 citizens of Oak Park; and Charles Elmer is secre- 
 tary of Price Brothers Printing Company, of 
 Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Knapp 
 celebrated their golden wedding October 10, 1891, 
 surrounded by many friends and relatives. Both 
 were members of the First Congregational Church 
 of May wood, Mrs. Knapp having united with 
 that denomination while a resident of Oak Park. 
 The latter departed this life March 28, 1895. 
 
 GEORGE NORDENHOLT. 
 
 NORDENHOLT, a well-known 
 j_ business man of Oak Park, at present presi- 
 VU dent of the Cicero and Proviso Ice Company, 
 has been for many years prominently connected 
 with the business and real-estate interests of the 
 suburbs of western Cook County. He was born 
 near the seaport city of Bremen, Germany, No- 
 vember 30, 1855, and is the only son of Frederick 
 and Margherita (Wragge) Nordenholt. The fa- 
 ther, who was a mason by trade, died when his 
 son was three years old. Besides the son, the 
 family consisted of one daughter, Mary, now 
 Mrs. Louis Stahmer, of River Forest. Mrs. 
 Nordenholt, who afterwards married Diedrich 
 Barkemeyer, died in Germany in 1888, aged 
 sixty-two years. Mr. Barkemeyer is now living 
 in Oak Park, at the age of sixty-five years. 
 
 George Nordenholt received the common-school 
 education of his native land, and when about 
 fourteen years of age was apprenticed to learn the 
 baker's trade. This he accomplished in three 
 years, and for about two years traveled in various 
 parts of Germany. He then became baker on 
 one of the vessels of the North German Lloyd 
 line of ocean steamers, and continued in this 
 work, with the exception of one or two short in- 
 tervals, until 1878. His first trip to America 
 was in 1872, when he made a short stop in New 
 
 York City. In all he crossed the Atlantic eighty- 
 six times. 
 
 In 1878 he removed permanently to the United 
 States, locating in Chicago, where he worked at 
 his trade nearly two years. At about this time 
 he began to recognize the advantages of Oak 
 Park as a location for a bakery, and wishing to 
 establish himself where he could receive the full 
 benefit of his own efforts and business manage- 
 ment, he concluded to locate in that suburb. 
 With a small amount of money which he had ac- 
 cumulated, he opened a bakery, and for some 
 time he was able to do all the work with the help 
 of a boy. But as the patronage increased, more 
 help was required, so that when the business 
 passed into other hands it employed eighteen 
 men and three girls. Having acquired a com- 
 petency, and wishing to retire from active labors, 
 Mr. Nordenholt sold the bakery in 1895 to Mr. 
 Albert Burgess, by whom it is still operated. 
 After a few months of leisure, Mr. Nordenholt 
 found that idleness was not in accord with his 
 enterprising nature, and in looking for something 
 to employ his time, hit upon a bankrupt ice com- 
 pany, which he concluded might be put upon a 
 paying basis by judicious management. He there- 
 fore incorporated a new company, under the name 
 of the Cicero and Proviso Ice Company, of which
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 JOHN D. WALLER, M. D. 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 J. D. WALLER. 
 
 219 
 
 he became the president. Under his able super- 
 vision the enterprise has been very successful, 
 and its business is still growing. In the season 
 of 1896 four thousand tons of ice were sold. 
 New ice houses and barns have been erected , and 
 new wagons and machinery purchased, all of the 
 best to be obtained. Sixteen horses are used to 
 distribute the ice, and the industry gives employ- 
 ment to about twenty men during the season. 
 
 Aside from the pursuit of his regular business, 
 the subject of this notice has been equally suc- 
 cessful in handling and improving real estate. 
 His dealings in that line have covered a wide 
 area, including Melrose Park, May wood, River 
 Forest, Harlem and Oak Park. It has been his 
 custom to improve his holdings as far as possible, 
 and he has erected many houses and other build- 
 ings. In 1895 he built the elegant modern resi- 
 dence, at the corner of Chicago Avenue and 
 Marion Street, which is the family home. Be- 
 sides this he still owns a residence in Oak Park, 
 two in River Forest and a fine brick store build- 
 ing in Harlem. 
 
 April 28, 1883, Mr. Nordenholt was married 
 to Miss Mary E. Burkhardt, who was born in 
 Hesse-Cassel, Germany, and is a daughter of 
 August and Elizabeth (Middendorf) Burkhardt. 
 The family emigrated from the Fatherland to 
 England, whence in 1873 they came to Chicago. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Burkhardt now reside in Harlem. 
 Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Nordenholt, named in order of birth, George D., 
 Louis B., Arnold, Bertha B. and Walter Wash- 
 ington. The third died in childhood. The mem- 
 bers of the family are regular attendants of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Oak Park. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a hearty supporter 
 of the Republican party, but takes active part in 
 public affairs only when his services are necessary 
 to carry some important measure. He is devoted 
 to his home and family, and allows no outside 
 affairs to crowd out his domestic interests. His 
 chief recreation is a few weeks of hunting and 
 fishing each year. He usually spends his vaca- 
 tion in northern Wisconsin, and in his home are 
 many trophies proving his skill as a sportsman. 
 
 JOHN D. WALLER. 
 
 (JOHN DUKE WALLER, M. D., a leading 
 I member of the medical profession in Oak 
 Q) Park, was born in Maysville, Kentucky, April 
 6, 1852. He is the son of Hon. Henry Waller, 
 whose biography is given elsewhere in this work . 
 John D. Waller attended the public schools of 
 Chicago. His health failing, he engaged in busi- 
 ness and eventually, through his own efforts, 
 prepared himself for the study of medicine and 
 entered Rush Medical College, from which he 
 graduated in 1883. In 1882 he began to practice, 
 as assistant physician in the insane asylum at 
 Jacksonville, Illinois, where he remained for five 
 and one-half years. While there he was one time 
 
 president of the Morgan County Medical Society. 
 In May, 1888, he came to Oak Park, where he 
 has since remained, engaged in the practice of 
 medicine, to which he has given his exclusive at- 
 tention, and in which he has been eminently suc- 
 cessful, having frequent calls to all the neighbor- 
 ing suburbs. Dr. Waller was married in 1888 
 to Miss Katherine, daughter of Rev. William 
 Short, D. D., a Methodist preacher, who was presi- 
 dent of the Illinois Female College in Jacksonville 
 for a period of eighteen years. Mr. Short is now 
 superintendent of the Illinois Institute for the 
 Education of the Blind, at Jacksonville. 
 
 Dr. and Mrs. Waller are the parents of three
 
 22O 
 
 G. M. DAVIS. 
 
 children, namely: Judith Car}', Marie Short, 
 and Katherine. Dr. Waller and his wife are 
 members of the Presbyterian Church of Oak 
 Park. He is a member of Siloam Commandery 
 of Knights Templar, of Oriental Consistory, the 
 National Union, of the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows, a charter member of the Oak Park Club, 
 a prominent member of the Masonic order, and 
 
 of a number of other orders. Though reared 
 amidst the precepts and traditions of the Demo- 
 cratic party, he began at an early age to have in- 
 dependent and liberal ideas concerning the ques- 
 tions of public policy, and for the past twenty 
 years he has supported the Republican party, 
 though his political activity does not extend be- 
 yond the casting of his own ballot. 
 
 GEORGE M. DAVIS. 
 
 EEORGE MORTIMER DAVIS, an influen- 
 tial citizen of Austin, and a successful busi- 
 ness man of Chicago, was born at Eaton, 
 Madison County, New York, August 25, 1844. 
 His parents, Richard Mowry Davis and Rowena 
 Wells Davis, both sprang from families which 
 were conspicuous in the early history of the 
 United States. Richard M. Davis was born to 
 Nathaniel and Sophronia (Johnson) Davis, in 
 Erieville, New York, and was a millwright by 
 trade, also working at pattern- making. He died 
 at the age of nearly seventy-seven years, at Ham- 
 ilton, New York, December 31, 1889. In 1858, 
 while working at making patterns, in Utica, New 
 York, Mr. Davis wrote on a slip of paper, which 
 he nailed between two pieces of lumber, "When 
 you find this, I will be in kingdom come." It 
 was found by workmen a few months after his 
 death, but no one in the foundry at that time 
 knew who the writer was. Mrs. R. W. Davis 
 was born in Erieville, New York, and died at 
 Eaton, New York, November 4, 1872, at the age 
 of nearly fifty -eight years. She was a daughter of 
 Barker Wells and Fanny Stillman. The parents 
 of the last-named were John Stillman and Mary 
 Potter, the latter a lineal descendant of Ichabod 
 Potter, who was born in Portsmouth, Rhode 
 Island, in 1637. His descendants in direct line 
 to Mrs. Stillman were named respectively, 
 
 Thomas, Thomas and George. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Davis' children were: Frances C. (Mrs. James P. 
 Marsh, of Chicago), Helen Celeste (Mrs. Walter 
 Morse, of Eaton, New York) and George M. 
 
 George M. Davis lived at Eaton, New York, 
 until nearly grown to manhood. At fifteen years 
 . of age, he began to learn the machinist's trade. 
 After two years he went to Binghamton, New 
 York, where he worked in a gun factory which 
 was engaged in filling contracts for the United 
 States Government. Later he worked in a gun 
 factory in Watertown, and then in Ilion, New 
 York. In 1865 he went to Oil City, Pennsylva- 
 nia, and from there to Cincinnati, Ohio. After 
 spending six months in that city, he came to 
 Chicago, in 1866. 
 
 On his arrival he began the business of mak- 
 ing steam gauges, his first location being on 
 Washington Street near Fifth Avenue. He 
 has ever since been engaged in that line of busi- 
 ness, with which he now includes different special- 
 ties in steam fittings, many of which are his own 
 invention. He originated the idea of an auto- 
 matic air valve for steam radiators and first intro- 
 duced the use of the same in steam-heated 
 buildings. He afterwards devised an automatic 
 steam regulator for reducing the pressure of steam 
 used for heating purposes; also a patent steam 
 trap, and many other appliances now in general
 
 H. H. HUNT. 
 
 221 
 
 use; while in some cases he has anticipated a de- 
 mand for articles sure to be appreciated at some 
 future time. 
 
 This enterprise has always prospered, as have 
 others in which he is interested. Since 1870 he 
 has been located at Austin, and since 1894 he has 
 owned the electric light plant in that place. He 
 is a director of the Prairie State National Bank of 
 Chicago, is extensively interested in silver mines 
 in Mexico, and is a member of the March-Davis 
 Bicycle Company, Chicago. 
 
 December 31, 1867, he married Miss Henrietta, 
 daughter of Dr. Ira and Frances Dales, of Chica- 
 go. Dr. Ira Dales was born at Courtright, Dela- 
 ware County, New York. His parents were John 
 and Sarah (Cavin) Dales, the latter a cousin of 
 Alexander Hamilton, the eminent statesman and 
 financier. Three of the nine sons of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Dales became physicians. Dr. Ira Dales 
 was married at Monticello, New York, to Frances 
 Coit. He practiced a number of years at Port 
 Jervis, New York, and in 1854 came to Illinois, 
 locating at Aurora, where his death occurred two 
 years later. Mrs. Frances Dales, who is now 
 over eighty years of age, has lived at Austin since 
 1871. She is a daughter of Dr. Joseph Coit 
 and Mary Voris. Dr. Coit, whose family was 
 of English lineage, served as a surgeon in the 
 Texan army during the war between that State 
 
 and Mexico, and died in that service. Mary 
 Voris was born on Long Island. Her ancestors 
 were among the old Knickerbocker families which 
 came from Holland. 
 
 Mrs. Davis was born in Monticello, New York. 
 She is the mother of two sons, Walter Edgar, 
 manager of the March- Davis Bicycle Company, 
 Chicago; and George Coit, a student of mechan- 
 ical engineering at Michigan State University, 
 Ann Arbor, Michigan. The family is identified 
 with the Presbyterian Church of Austin, and its 
 members are recognized at leaders in the most 
 progressive public movements of that suburb. 
 Mr. Davis is an ex-president of "The Oaks," the 
 principal social club of that village, in which he 
 has taken a lively interest. He was a charter 
 member of the Park Lodge, Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows, and has passed through all the 
 chairs therein. Always a Republican, his only 
 official service has been in the capacity of a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Education at Austin, of which 
 he is now the oldest member. During his connec- 
 tion with that body the number of teachers em- 
 ployed has increased from four to more than fifty, 
 and it is largely due to the wise and far-seeing 
 policy adopted by himself and his colleagues that 
 the schools of that place are acknowledged to be 
 among the most efficient and progressive in the 
 State. 
 
 HARRISON H. HUNT. 
 
 HARRISON HOBART HUNT, a veteran of 
 the great Civil War, was identified with im- 
 portant business interests in Chicago for 
 nearly a score of years, and led an exemplary and 
 useful life in both civil and military affairs, which 
 amply entitles him to commemoration in this rec- 
 ord. He was born at Orange, Franklin County, 
 Massachusetts, July 8, 1845, and died at Oak 
 Park, Illinois, June 15, 1893. The names of his 
 
 parents were Rodney Hunt and Margaret Parker. 
 Rodney Hunt, who was a scion of an old New 
 England family, was born at Ashburnham, Mas- 
 sachusetts. For over thirty years he was engaged 
 in the manufacture of woolen mill machinery at 
 Orange, and both he and his wife passed away at 
 that place. 
 
 After leaving the public schools, Harrison H. 
 Hunt pursued a course at a business college at
 
 222 
 
 H. H. HUNT. 
 
 Poughkeepsie, New York. When only seventeen 
 years of age he enlisted in the Fifty-second Regi- 
 ment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and 
 served one year as an orderly under General 
 Grover, in the Department of the Gulf. He took 
 part in General Butler's expedition against Fort 
 Gibson, and in the subsequent Vicksburg cam- 
 paign. 
 
 After his term of enlistment expired he went 
 to Boston and became a bookkeeper in a whole- 
 sale paper house. In 1867 he went to Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, where he was employed for a time by 
 Josiah A. Noonan & Company, wholesale paper 
 dealers. He afterwards did a commission busi- 
 ness in hides and wool in that city, and from 
 there removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, whence he 
 traveled through Ohio, Illinois and other West- 
 ern States, in the interests of the wholesale paper 
 firm of Moore, Wilstach & Moore. Still later 
 he became a traveling representative of a firm of 
 safe manufacturers in that city. Returning to 
 Milwaukee in 1871, he spent the next year in the 
 United States Internal Revenue service. He then 
 returned to Orange, Massachusetts, where for 
 three following years he was connected in business 
 with his father. 
 
 In 1875 Mr. Hunt located in Chicago, believ- 
 ing that this rapidly growing city presented the 
 best field for putting to practical use the knowl- 
 edge gained by his previous varied experience. 
 Here he first became a salesman for F. P. Elliott 
 & Company, wholesale paper dealers. From the 
 time of his arrival in this city he gave his exclu- 
 sive attention to this branch of business and upon 
 severing his connection with the above-named 
 firm entered into an engagement with McCann, 
 Fitch & Converse, which lasted about three years. 
 Upon the death of Mr. McCann he purchased the 
 interest formerly held by that gentleman and the 
 firm became Fitch, Hunt & Company, under 
 which name the enterprise continued five or six 
 years. In 1887 Mr. Hunt sold his interest in 
 this concern, after which he became the head of 
 the house of H. H. Hunt & Company, which 
 continued to do a prosperous wholesale paper 
 business during the balance of his life. His com- 
 mercial transactions were always conducted with 
 
 the utmost integrity, and his relations with pat- 
 rons and contemporaries were such as reflected 
 great credit upon his character. 
 
 On the 3oth of August, 1870, at Milwau- 
 kee, Wisconsin, occurred the wedding of Mr. 
 Hunt and Miss Annie E. Mower, daughter of 
 Samuel F. and Anna C. (Litch) Mower. Samuel 
 F. Mower, who was a dealer in butter, eggs and 
 cheese in Boston, Massachusetts, was born at 
 Worcester, and died at Newton, in the same 
 State, January 16, 1856, having reached the age 
 of fifty-three years. His father, Ebenezer Mower, 
 who was a farmer at Worcester, reached the great 
 age of one hundred years. After the death of her 
 first husband, Mrs. Anna C. Mower married 
 Gen. Harrison C. Hobart, and they removed 
 to Wisconsin, living for a number of years at 
 Chilton, and later at Milwaukee, in that State. 
 General Hobart, who still resides in the last- 
 named city, has long been distinguished in the 
 military and political affairs of the State of Wis- 
 consin. Mrs. Hobart died at Milwaukee August 
 ii, 1896, at the age of seventy-nine years. She 
 was born at Bradford, Vermont. Her maternal 
 grandfather, John House, was one of the original 
 proprietors of the town of Hanover, New Hamp- 
 shire, and built the first two-story house in that 
 place. During the Revolutionary War he was 
 very active in the cause of American Independ- 
 ence and in the course of the conflict served as 
 captain of three different companies of New 
 Hampshire troops. He participated in engage- 
 ments at Saratoga, White Plains and Ticonderoga, 
 and shared the horrors and privations of the ter- 
 rible winter at Valley Forge. 
 
 Since 1876 Mr. Hunt had been a resident of 
 Oak Park, and that attractive suburb is still the 
 home of his family, which includes, besides his 
 widow, a son, Rodney, who is a student at Rush 
 Medical College, Chicago, and a daughter named 
 Helen A. The family has long been identified 
 with Grace Church (Episcopal), of Oak Park, 
 and Mr. Hunt was a member of Phil Sheridan 
 Post No. 615, Grand Army of the Republic. He 
 was a charter member of Garden City Council, 
 Royal Arcanum, but afterwards united with 
 General Grant Council at Oak Park.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 J. N. GAGE. 
 
 223 
 
 JOHN N. GAGE. 
 
 (JOHN NEWTON GAGE. The subject of 
 I this sketch was born in Pelham, New Ramp- 
 ed shire, May 30, 1825, unto Nathan and Me- 
 hitable (Woodbury) Gage. Being brought up 
 on a farm, a fact which holds true of most of our 
 leading pioneer citizens, his early educational ad- 
 vantages were limited to such common schools as 
 the ubiquitous energy so characteristic of New 
 England Puritans and their descendants had at 
 that early date made possible at the scene of his 
 nativity. At about twenty years of age, he put 
 forth his "best foot" in taking the first step upon 
 his pathway through life, and though he often 
 found the way beset with difficulties, yet he was 
 always found bravely and tirelessly at work, per- 
 forming his tasks as a man and Christian in the 
 best of the light given unto him. 
 
 His first independent work was in the Waltham 
 (Massachusetts) Cotton Company's Mills, where, 
 in he later became overseer in its weaving-room. 
 After a period of eight years of such service, mak- 
 ing it his determination to come West, he took 
 private evening lessons in bookkeeping, so as not 
 to interfere with the discharge of his paid duties, 
 which he finally resigned to others (and, we fain 
 believe, less competent) hands. He set out for 
 Chicago, the distant but much-sought El Dorado 
 of our country at that time, which he first saw, 
 spread out in a panorama almost as Nature's God 
 had made it, in the spring of 1857. 
 
 He soon met with co-operative energies in the 
 persons of Christopher C. and Daniel Webster, 
 with whom he directly entered into articles 
 of partnership, establishing one of the earliest 
 wholesale and retail millinery houses of our city, 
 known then by the firm style of Webster & Gage, 
 
 their first place of business being located on Lake 
 Street. Having the misfortune of being burned 
 out in 1857, they re-opened at No. 78 Lake Street, 
 where they continued until the withdrawal of the 
 Websters, about 1868. Mr. Gage took into a 
 new partnership formed at that time a brother, 
 Seth Gage, and a nephew, Albert S. Gage, under 
 the new name of Gage Brothers & Company, a 
 name retained to this day (after a brief interval of 
 change to A. S. Gage & Company), by which the 
 house has continued to grow and remain known 
 throughout the entire West and Northwest. 
 
 Being burned out by the Great Fire, they set up 
 temporarily in A. S. Gage's private house, until 
 they were enabled to re-open for a period of two 
 months in a temporary structure upon the Lake 
 Front. From this location they removed to Wa- 
 bash Avenue, near Jackson, thence to the corner 
 of Madison Street and Wabash Avenue, where 
 the trade still finds them profitably busy, one of 
 the noted houses of the city. 
 
 The subject of this sketch sold out to his part- 
 ner, A. S. Gage, about 1878. Thereafter, though 
 in excellent health, he lived a life of respected re- 
 tirement until the sad event of his demise from 
 blood poisoning, following upon what seemed to 
 be a trivial complaint, June 1 1, 1887, & t h' 3 man- 
 sion house, No. 1 308" Michigan Avenue, whence 
 his remains were borne to the family lot in Oak- 
 wood Cemetery. 
 
 The following is a copy of the resolutions 
 adopted by the Directors of the Wright & Law- 
 ther Oil and Lead Manufacturing Company on 
 this sad occasion: 
 
 "WHEREAS, Death having taken from us our 
 esteemed fellow-member and Vice-President, Mr.
 
 224 
 
 J. N. GAGE. 
 
 John N. Gage, one of the founders of this com- 
 pany, who died June n, 1887, it is hereby 
 
 "Resolved: That in the death of Mr. John N. 
 Gage the company has suffered an irreparable 
 loss. Appreciating, as we do, his worth as a 
 man, his careful, just and conservative business 
 methods, we can never fully fill his place in the 
 Company's affairs; 
 
 "Resolved: That the heartfelt sympathy of each 
 and every member of this Board is felt for his 
 family in their great loss and affliction; and that 
 a copy of these Resolutions be sent to them, and 
 also spread upon the records of this Company. ' ' 
 
 In politics he was an inflexible Republican, 
 always casting his ballot, but as carefully avoid- 
 ing any approach towards active politics. In re- 
 ligious faith he was liberal, having for many 
 years attended Dr. Ryder's church, St. Paul's 
 Universalist, whose pastor held and was held in 
 mutual esteem from as far back as the early '6os. 
 
 And so, with little variety or romance, lived 
 and died one of the sturdiest, most useful of our 
 citizens. Subsequent generations, with more lei- 
 sure and wealth, may develop more elegance and 
 refinement; but to men of Mr. Gage's virile stamp 
 the city of Chicago (as well as the entire West, 
 yes, in truth, all new countries) owes the founda- 
 tion stones of future greatness and prosperity. 
 Without the first courses of masonry there can 
 never be builded high superstructures, with or- 
 nate, elaborate and admirable dome and spire. 
 What Washington, Jefferson, the Adamses and 
 others were to the infant colonies, straggling for 
 very existence and recognition as an independent 
 nation, such were Mr. Gage and his associates to 
 Chicago. Most of them are now gathered to 
 their fathers, but their deeds are immortal. That 
 Chicago is now the wonder and envy of the world 
 is mainly owing to the persistent, honest efforts 
 early and late of such citizens as Mr. Gage fitly 
 typifies. 
 
 Mr. Gage married, December 15, 1849, at the 
 scene of his nativity, Miss Martha Webster, by 
 whom, fortunately, he left one child, a sou, to 
 bear his esteemed name, Frank Newton Gage, 
 who was born July 24, 1853. After receiving a 
 good education in Chicago, he entered his father's 
 store, but later withdrew, and is at present an 
 active member of the Stock Exchange. He mar- 
 
 ried, in 1889, Olive E. Lewis, of this city, who 
 has borne him a son, John Newton Gage, named 
 for his grandfather, the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Martha Webster is a daughter of Enoch and 
 Betsy Webster (relatives before marriage) born in 
 Haverhill, Massachusetts. Enoch was a son of 
 Caleb Webster, of Revolutionary fame. Betsy was 
 a daughter of Stephen Webster. Mrs. Gage is thus 
 related through both her parents to the greatest 
 of America's statesmen and orators, Daniel Web- 
 ster, of Marshfield, Massachusetts. She is also 
 related to the famous Mrs. Dustin, of Colonial 
 times. Captured by Indians, who dashed out 
 the brains of her sleeping babe, she was marched 
 miles into the wilderness. While her captors 
 were asleep, she loosened her fetters, and, having 
 slain every colored face of them, safely made her 
 return home, as set out in graphic early historical 
 authorities. Of all the heroines of "good old 
 colony times, ' ' and there were thousands of such, 
 it has always appeared that she was queen of 
 them all by this single episode. 
 
 The family of Gage (which is of Norman ex- 
 traction) derives its descent from one De Gaga 
 (Gauga or Gage), who accompanied William 
 the Conqueror into England in 1066. After the 
 "Conquest" he was rewarded by a large grant of 
 land in the forests of Dean, Gloucester County, 
 adjacent to which he fixed his abode and erected 
 a family seat at Clerenwell (otherwise Clarewell). 
 He also built a large, mansion house in the town 
 of Chichester, wherein he died, and was buried 
 in the neighboring abbey. His posterity re- 
 mained in the vicinity for many generations, in 
 credit and esteem, of whom there were Barons in 
 Parliament in the reign of Henry II. The line 
 from the beginning of the fifteenth century has 
 been traced as follows: John Gage had a son, 
 John Gage, born 1408; married Joan Sudgrove. 
 Their son was Sir John, knighted 1454; married 
 Eleanor St. Clere; died September, 1486. Will- 
 iam, Esquire, born 1456; married Agnes Bolney. 
 Their son, Sir John, born 1480, knighted May 
 22, 1541; married Phillippa Guilderford; died 
 April 28, 1557. Their eldest son, Sir Edward, 
 knighted by Queen Mary, married Elizabeth 
 Parker. Their son, John, Esquire (eldest of nine
 
 E. McK. 
 
 225 
 
 sons), thirty years old at his father's death; heir 
 to fifteen manors and other Sussex lands. John 
 (nephew) made Baronet March 26, 1622; married 
 Penelope, widow of Sir George Treuchard; died 
 October 3, 1633. 
 
 John (second son), of Stoneham, Suffolk Coun- 
 ty, England, came to America with John Win- 
 throp, Jr., landing at Salem June 12, 1630; in 
 1633 one of twelve proprietors of Ipswich; wife 
 Anna died in June, 1658; married (2d) Mary 
 Keyes, November, 1658; moved to Rowley 1664.; 
 held many responsible offices of trust and fidelity 
 in Ipswich and Rowley, in which latter place he 
 died in 1673. Daniel (second son) married 
 
 Sarah Kimball in 1675; died November 8, 1705. 
 Daniel, born March 12, 1676; married Martha 
 Burbank, March 9, 1697; settled on the batiks of 
 the Merrimac River, on the main road to Me- 
 thuen, where the old Gage House, the oldest in 
 town, still stands. Died March 14, 1747. Dan- 
 iel (third son), born April 22, 1708, removed to 
 Pelham, New Hampshire; died September 24, 
 1775. David (fourth son), born August 9, 1750. 
 Nathan (fifth), the father of the subject of this 
 sketch, whose son and grandson, enumerated 
 herein, bring the record up to the extraordinary 
 number of seventeen consecutive male generations. 
 
 EDWARD McK. TEALL. 
 
 [~~DWARD McKINSTRY TEALL. The de- 
 j^ velopment of the insurance business has kept 
 |_ pace with the growth of other commercial 
 enterprises and has assumed such magnitude and 
 variety, and become so complex and at the same 
 time so vital to life and property, that it must now 
 be regarded as one of the important industries of 
 the United State. The last few years have seen 
 reductions in the rates of insurance, and corres- 
 ponding advantages to property-holders, in Chi- 
 cago, in consequence of the rapid development of 
 the art of constructing fire-proof buildings and 
 the great improvement in the facilities for check- 
 ing and extinguishing fires. These important 
 changes, which are still in progress, require 
 prompt attention and action by the companies 
 doing business here, for competition is just as 
 fierce in this line of business as in any other. In 
 fact, the sharp, but honorable, rivalry among in- 
 surance men has developed a number of experts 
 in the business, men with sufficient mental pene- 
 tration to foresee the result of changed conditions, 
 and sufficient executive ability to carry out such 
 
 methods as are most likely to secure favorable 
 results. 
 
 Among the most successful and systematic 
 manipulators of this art is the gentleman whose 
 name heads this notice. His birth occurred at 
 Albany, New York, July 27, 1839, his parents 
 being Edward McKinstry Teall and Eliza Perry. 
 The founder of the family in America was Oliver 
 Teall, who came from England and settled at 
 New Haven, Connecticut, about 1723. His fa- 
 ther had been Apothecary General to the British 
 army, serving under the Duke of Marlborough 
 during the reigns of William I. and Queen Anne. 
 Prudence, the wife of Oliver Teall, who came 
 with him to America, died at Killingsworth, Con- 
 necticut, June 24, 1780. Oliver Teall, second 
 son of this Couple, married Ruth Hurd and set- 
 tled at Killingsworth. He served as a Surgeon 
 in the British Army during the French and In- 
 dian War, and also during the War of the Amer- 
 ican Revolution, maintaining his loyalty to the 
 crown throughout his life. Five of his sons, 
 Timothy, Titus, Oliver, Joseph and Nathan,
 
 226 
 
 E. McK. TEALL. 
 
 served in the Continental army. Father and 
 sons were mutually antagonized by their loyalty 
 to their respective causes, and never became rec- 
 onciled. Another son, named Benjamin, having 
 lost an eye during his childhood, was thus inca- 
 pacitated for military service and did not partici- 
 pate in the conflict. 
 
 Oliver Teall (third) was born in Middletown, 
 Connecticut, January i, 1759. When only six- 
 teen years old he enlisted under General Putnam, 
 Captain Gale's company, and afterward served 
 in Captain Hyde's company, which was success- 
 ively stationed at Fort Trumbull and at Provi- 
 dence, Rhode Island. He was subsequently as- 
 signed to Colonel Sommers' command at Ger- 
 mantown, Pennsylvania. He was one of the 
 devoted band which endured the historic hard- 
 ships of Valley Forge, where his brother Titus 
 died of smallpox. Later in the war he was sta- 
 tioned at West Point and on the Highlands. He 
 acted as guard to General Washington and his 
 family while they attended church. After peace 
 came he married Susan, daughter of Col. Brin- 
 ton Paine, of Dutchess County, New York. 
 They settled at Upper Hillsdale, Columbia Coun- 
 ty, New York, where he became a prosperous, 
 farmer. They were the parents of twelve chil- 
 dren. His death occurred at Albany on the i8th 
 of September, 1842, aged eighty-two years. 
 
 Col. Brinton Paine, who was an officer of the 
 Continental army, was a descendant of Stephen 
 Paine, who came to Massachusetts in 1638, and 
 became one of the leading citizens of the colony, 
 He was one of the chief contributors to the pros- 
 ecution of the Indian wars. His son Stephen 
 was present at the great swamp fight in which 
 King Philip's band was exterminated. 
 
 Edward M. Teall, Sr., was a son of Oliver 
 Teall, third. He became a prominent merchant 
 of Albany, and was also proprietor of one of the 
 first lines of boats on the Erie Canal. He did a 
 general forwarding business, and the Chicago 
 American of April 9, 1839, the first issue of a 
 daily paper in this city, contained his business 
 advertisement. He was for many years influen- 
 tial in New York politics. Eliza Perry was born 
 at I^enox, Massachusetts. Her father, Freder- 
 
 ick Perry, who was a son of a clergyman, was a 
 native of Connecticut. He was a graduate of 
 Williams College, and became a cotton manufac- 
 turer at Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 
 
 The subject of this biography received his 
 primary education in private schools, and after- 
 ward became a student in the academy of Albany. 
 In the spring of 1857 he came to Chicago and 
 soon after secured employment as a clerk in the 
 insurance office of Higginson & James. This line 
 of business was then in its infancy, and the most 
 sanguine enthusiasm could not have foreseen the 
 extent to which that industry would be developed. 
 He went to work' with a will, and his fidelity, 
 thoroughness and aptitude soon won the confi- 
 dence and good-will of his employers. In 1863 he 
 became one of the partners of the firm of Alfred 
 James ^& Company, which continued to transact 
 business for about three years. Their place of 
 business was at the southeast corner of South 
 Water and Clark Streets, which location was the 
 center of the insurance business at that time. 
 He afterward formed a partnership with Freder- 
 ick P. Fisher, a relation which continued for ten 
 years, during one of the most important eras of 
 the insurance business in the West. At the end 
 of that period the present firm of Edward M. 
 Teall & Company was formed, Cyrus A. Hardy, 
 a trusted clerk of the former firm, being the jun- 
 ior member. Mr. Teall is one of the Directors 
 of the Westchester Fire Insurance Company of 
 New York, and in addition to serving the local 
 interests of that corporation the firm represents 
 several leading insurance companies of other 
 cities. The business in its charge is conserva- 
 tively and honorably conducted, and the firm en- 
 joys the confidence of the public and of under- 
 writers to a remarkable degree. Mr. Teall is 
 President of the Chicago Fire Underwriters' As- 
 sociation, and has been for a number of years. 
 
 On the nth of June, 1862, Mr. Teall was mar- 
 ried to Miss Katherine Mead, of New York City, 
 daughter of Isaac H. Mead and Rachel Van Voor- 
 hees Demorest. Mrs. Teall's maternal grand- 
 father was also a native of New York City, being 
 a scion of a very old and well-known family of 
 that municipality. Mr. Teall has been for many
 
 A. G. BURLEY. 
 
 227 
 
 years a member of the Third Presbyterian Church 
 of Chicago, in which he officiates as Trustee and 
 Elder. He is a member of the Illinois Club, 
 and Deputy Governor of the Society of Colonial 
 Wars of the State of Illinois, which he helped 
 to organize. He is also a member of the Illinois 
 Society of Sons of the American Revolution, and 
 still preserves the Teall coat-of-arms granted to 
 the family by George I. in 1723. He has been 
 
 often urged to enter the arena of politics, has 
 been tendered important nominations by the Re- 
 publican party, of which he is an active and dis- 
 tinguished member, but prefers to devote himself 
 to his business, home and social duties. For rec- 
 reation, he and his wife have always spent the 
 summer at their beautiful farm and summer home 
 in the Berkshire Hills, Stockbridge, Massachu- 
 setts. 
 
 ARTHUR G. BURLEY. 
 
 GJRTHUR GILMAN BURLEY. The year 
 I I 1812 is a national epoch, for at that time 
 / | the United States, for a second time within 
 the easy memory of man, started in to chastise 
 the British Lion. What events of world-wide 
 significance have transpired during those more 
 than eighty intervening years ! To think of it is * 
 like a dream: to have predicted it, would have re- 
 sulted in that day in an inquirendo de lunico pro- 
 ceeding concerning the lack of brain matter in the 
 bold transgressor of common sense who should 
 prophesy. Two years later, Robert Fulton was 
 making his (the very first) steamboat trial upon 
 the Hudson River. Then came steam as applied 
 to locomotives, which has done more than any- 
 thing else in so rapidly opening up the great in- 
 terior and West of our immense country, where- 
 as, before, ox-carts and canal-boats were the 
 most approved forms of transportation of chattels, 
 prior to the advent of the "prairie schooner," 
 which shortly preceded the "Union Pacific." 
 The telegraph, reapers, thousandfold manufac- 
 tories, electric light and locomotion (not to men- 
 tion scores of other wonderful economic and utili- 
 tarian inventions of more recent date within the 
 present century), all cry out that, in point of 
 actual comfort and intelligent means of effecting 
 
 business ends, the world has since that year 1812 
 done almost more than had been done in the 
 hundreds and thousands of years which had pre- 
 ceded. And all this within the memory of liv- 
 ing men; yes, within the memory of one now liv- 
 ing in our midst, who, wonderful to relate, like 
 Gladstone, an octogenarian, is still in the harness 
 of active business life. We who live in Chicago 
 know what that means in this day. Honor to 
 whom honor is due ! 
 
 Arthur Gilman Burley, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in the aforesaid year of 1812, 
 upon the fourth day of October, at Exeter, New 
 Hampshire, unto James and Charlotte I. (Gilman) 
 Burley, his father being the Cashier of the Exeter 
 Bank. 
 
 The Burleys are regarded Down East as ' 'good 
 stock;" that seems to be the prevailing opinion 
 in our city, from all that is thus far known of 
 them in our-midst. The first by the name who 
 came to our shores was Giles Burley, who, with 
 his wife, Elizabeth, settled at Ipswich, Massachu- 
 setts, in the year 1648. Here, in 1664, he took 
 the proper oath and became a "commoner." He 
 was also a "planter," and lived eight years of 
 his useful life upon Brooke Street of that ancient 
 town, and owned "Division Lot No. 105, on
 
 228 
 
 A. G. BURLEY. 
 
 Great Hill, Hogg Island," in that vicinage. He 
 had a son, Andrew Btirley, who was born at 
 Ipswich, September 5, 1657. The latter married 
 Mary, a daughter of the rather celebrated Roger 
 Conant. Upon the death of his father, while in 
 childhood, he was bound out (as was the old cus- 
 tom) to one John Brown. He was called in 
 records "husbandman and yeoman," and bore the 
 rather dignified title of ' 'Cornet. ' ' He had a son , 
 Hon. Andrew Burley, who was born at Ipswich 
 in June, 1694. His career was replete with hon- 
 ors, including among others the positions of Jus- 
 tice of the Court of Sessions and Representative 
 to the State Legislature in the years 1741 and 
 1742. He acquired, and left intact, a large es- 
 tate. He was twice married; first, to Lydia 
 Pengry, by whom he had six children; secondly, 
 to Mrs. Hannah Burnham. He had a son, An- 
 drew Burley, Jr., who married a Mrs. Hannah 
 Cogswell (a daughter of his father's wife). He 
 graduated at Harvard College in 1742, and lived 
 on Brooke Street in Ipswich (near the location 
 of his first American progenitor) , upon land for- 
 merly granted to Governor Dudley's son Samuel. 
 
 He left a son, James Burley, who was by trade 
 a cabinet-maker, also an officer in the Revolu- 
 tionary War. The latter married Susannah ' 
 Swazey, and died in Exeter, New Hampshire, 
 leaving a son, James Burley, Jr., who has been 
 already noticed as the father of the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 Arthur Gilman Burley received for his educa- 
 tion the best that the common schools of his na- 
 tive Exeter had to offer, which information was 
 somewhat rounded out by a supplementary year at 
 the Exeter Academy. He resolutely turned his 
 young face toward the distant West at the age 
 of twenty-three, reaching his future home, Chi- 
 cago, on the seventeenth day of May, 1835. 
 (Sixty long years ago. Imagine the appearance 
 at that time of the country which is at present 
 covered by our fair city ! How many of the 
 comers of that day are yet in the flesh ?) 
 
 Mr. Burley first worked as clerk for John Hoi- 
 brook in a boot and shoe shop for about two 
 years. In 1837 he went to New York City, to 
 buy for his brother-in-law, Stephen F. Gale, a 
 
 stock of books and stationery (one of the very 
 first to be imported among us), and remained with 
 Mr. Gale for about two years following. 
 
 In 1838 the crockery business of the North- 
 west was founded by Mr. Burley, who bought 
 from the State Bank of Illinois a stock of such 
 goods, his place of trade being then located at 
 the corner of La Salle and Lake Streets. He 
 has been in that, business ever since, a period of 
 over fifty-seven years, and is now regularly on 
 duty at the old stand. 
 
 He was burned out in 1842, and then moved to 
 No. 105 Lake Street, later to No. 175 on the same 
 thoroughfare, where, in 1852, he was joined by a 
 brother-in-law, Mr. John Tyrrell, who came on 
 from New Hampshire to enter into a partnership. 
 This still continues in operation, being incor- 
 porated under the firm style and name, "Burley 
 & Tyrrell, Importers and Dealers of Crockery, 
 Chicago." 
 
 They had built their own quarters at No. 48 
 Lake Street about 1857, but, fortunately, had 
 disposed of the same before the time of the Great 
 Fire in 1871. They still had their store located 
 therein, which, of course, went up in smoke and 
 down to the ground in ashes. After this fire 
 they had a temporary office at the corner of State 
 and Sixteenth Streets; then occupied a store for 
 about three years at the corner of Van Buren and 
 Wabash; then removed to No. 83 State Street; and 
 finally to Nos. 42, 44 and 46 Lake Street, which 
 premises they continue to occupy at this time. 
 Having found it cheaper to rent, they have never 
 cared to build. 
 
 Mr. Burley also had the misfortune of having 
 his home burned up in 1874, when he was living 
 below Harrison Street. He is now, as for a long 
 time, cosily situated at No. 1620 Indiana Avenue. 
 
 Although an unostentatious man, Mr. Burley 
 has been a very prominent figure in social and 
 business matters for very many years. Few in- 
 deed, if any, can antedate him in this relation. 
 He aided in the formation of the First Unitarian 
 Church (since called the Messiah) in 1836, one 
 of the oldest and foremost in the entire North- 
 west, and of which he has always been a most in- 
 terested and conspicuous member.
 
 R. R. CLARK 
 
 229 
 
 In politics, he has always been, since the days 
 of the Whigs were no more, a consistent Re- 
 publican, but in no sense or wish a public charac- 
 ter. A true exemplifier of the best principles of 
 Free Masonry, with which he affiliated as early 
 as 1848, he has never cared to go to the height 
 of degrees his proficiency and long service would 
 have richly entitled him to, and undoubtedly have 
 brought choice flowers of honor in their train, 
 but he has been Treasurer of Oriental Lodge for 
 forty-two years. He was also for a time much 
 interested in the mysteries of Odd-Fellowship. 
 
 Not at heart a club man, he has nevertheless 
 been a member of the Calumet, as he is at present 
 upon the roll of the Chicago Club. Very do- 
 mestic in habits, he is not frequently found in the 
 
 circle of club habitues. In public affairs and 
 whatever promotes the business and social good 
 and welfare of the community, Mr. Burley always 
 is an interested, and usually a participating, citi- 
 zen. Young in enthusiasm, certainly he bears 
 his laurel of years gracefully, as we will sincerely 
 hope he may long live to do. 
 
 Upon the twenty -fourth day of September, 1849, 
 Mr. Burley was joined in marriage with Welthy- 
 an Loom is Harmon, who comes of a good old- 
 time Down-East family. It is regretted that no 
 children have been born to them to perpetuate 
 the name and further the noble traits the family 
 has conspicuously borne up to this time in the 
 history of our country. 
 
 ROBERT R. CLARK. 
 
 ROBERT RODMAND CLARK, an early resi- 
 dent of Lake View, now a part of Chicago, 
 is descended from English ancestors and was 
 born in Clarkson, Monroe County, New York, 
 May 24, 1831. His great-grandfather, William 
 Clark, came from England and located first on 
 the Hudson River, at Albany, New York, later re- 
 moving to the Mohawk Valley. He was pos- 
 sessed of some means, and dealt in realty during 
 his residence in America. His son William had 
 large holdings of lands and farms in central New 
 York, and was one of the first American import- 
 ers of Morocco leather, having his headquarters 
 at Utica, New York, his native place. He was 
 among the first settlers of Monroe County, and 
 the town of Clarkson was named for him and 
 another settler of the same name, though no rela- 
 
 tive, who located there in the same year. He 
 died there at the age of sixty-eight years. Five 
 of his seven children, four sons and a daughter, 
 grew to maturity. 
 
 The third of these, William L. Clark, born in 
 Utica, was about twenty years old when his par- 
 ents moved to Clarkson. He married Cornelia 
 Stewart, a native of Wyoming County, New 
 York. Her parents, Daniel and Sallie (Fish) 
 Stewart, were children of native Scotch parents, 
 and were born in Chemung County, New York. 
 She lived to the age of eighty-two years, passing 
 away at the home of her son in Lake View in 
 1886. William L. Clark was an extensive fann- 
 er, but lost heavily in speculation in later life. 
 He was an upright man, and reached the age of 
 seventy-two years, dying in Lake View in 1876.
 
 230 
 
 R. R. CLARK. 
 
 He was affiliated with the Universalist Church, 
 while his wife adhered to the Presbyterian teach- 
 ings of her fathers. They were the parents of 
 three children. The eldest, Sallie, is the widow 
 of George B. Marsh, now residing in Chicago; 
 and the youngest, Laura, is the wife of Charles 
 L. Bassett, ot LaPorte, Indiana. 
 
 Robert R. Clark is the second child of his par- 
 ents. He combines in a happy degree the sturdy 
 qualities of physical and mental make-up of his 
 ancestors. When a mere boy he determined to 
 recover his father's lost homestead as a home for 
 his parents, and before he had reached the age of 
 twenty years had accomplished his purpose. 
 Previous to the age of sixteen years he had the 
 educational advantages afforded by the common 
 schools, and he then went to Michigan, where he 
 found employment as a school teacher. Return- 
 ing for a short time to the home farm, he became, 
 in his eighteenth year, check clerk on board the 
 steamer "Empire State," plying between Buffalo 
 and Chicago, then the finest vessel on the Lakes. 
 He was subsequently on board the "Wisconsin" 
 one year, and returned, as chief clerk, to the 
 "Empire State," where he continued five years. 
 He also served on the "Southern Michigan" and 
 "Western Metropolis, " all these boats being the 
 property of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern 
 Railroad. The last two only ran from Buffalo to 
 Monroe or Toledo, where they connected with 
 that portion of the railroad completed from Chi- 
 cago to those points. Mr. Clark was on board 
 the steamer "Northern Indiana" when it burned 
 on Lake Erie, one beautiful morning, off Point 
 au Place, with a loss of between four and five 
 hundred passengers. Being a good swimmer, 
 he remained on board until the fire had swept to 
 the stern of the vessel (because of its propulsion 
 toward the shore), and after entering the water 
 saved several passengers by giving up to them 
 doors which he had wrenched from the staterooms 
 for his own use. He was finally picked up by a 
 boat bound for Buffalo, and made his regular 
 trip out of that port on another vessel the night 
 of the same day. When the "Golden Gate" was 
 
 wrecked on the bar at the mouth of Erie Harbor, 
 a short time later, Mr. Clark was on board, and 
 was saved with all the rest save one, who tried 
 to swim ashore in the midst of the wreckage. The 
 wreck was continually swept by the waves, but 
 it was safer than the choppy bay, full of the 
 floating cargo of the "Golden Gate." All who 
 remained on board were safely conveyed to shore 
 by a Government vessel in the morning. With 
 the exception of one year, which was spent as re- 
 ceiver in charge of the ticket office at Buffalo, 
 Mr. Clark continued in the marine service until 
 he settled in Chicago in 1857. 
 
 Having made some successful investments in 
 Chicago during his previous visits here, he de- 
 cided to settle here, a resolution which was, prob- 
 ably, strengthened by his marriage, in 1857, to 
 one of Chicago's fair daughters. This was Miss 
 Blanche, only daughter of the late Daniel Elston, 
 one of Cook County's most worthy and honored 
 pioneers. In 1859 Mr. Clark turned his atten- 
 tion to the fuel trade, and later dealt in lumber, 
 but his chief occupation has been the handling of 
 realty. For the last twenty years he has made a 
 specialty of leasing residence property to others 
 who would improve it, and has been largely in- 
 strumental in building up what was formerly a 
 . suburb known as Lake View, now a part of the 
 great metropolis in name as well as in fact. He 
 has naturally taken a keen interest in the moral 
 and material welfare of that section, and has act- 
 ively participated in the government of the town 
 and village of Lake View. In political affilia- 
 tion he is found with the Democratic party on 
 national issues. In religious belief he is ex- 
 ceedingly liberal, and very independent in all 
 thought and action. His early experience taught 
 him self-reliance, and his history should serve as 
 a worthy example to the ambitious young man. 
 He is still the owner of the old homestead in New 
 York. Mr. Clark is fond of hunting, and is a 
 member of the Poygan Shooting Club, whose 
 members spend much of the duck-hunting season 
 on Lake Poygan, in Wisconsin.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 G. M. PULL-MAN. 
 
 231 
 
 GEORGE MORTIMER PULLMAN. 
 
 (3 EORGE M. PULLMAN was born in Brocton, 
 
 bChautauqua County, New York, March 3, 
 1831, and is the third child of James Lewis 
 and Emily Caroline Pullman. The father was a 
 native of Rhode Island. Emily C. Pullman was 
 the daughter of James Minton, of Auburn, New 
 York. She was a good wife and mother, and 
 assisted her husband in implanting in the minds 
 of their children the best moral principles, while 
 inculcating habits of industry' and careful study. 
 The father was a builder and house-mover, and 
 George early began to observe his methods, while 
 assisting in his operations. Some very useful ap- 
 pliances of the business are the invention of the 
 elder Pullman. He died in 1853, and the respon- 
 sibility of head of the family fell upon George, 
 who was the eldest unmarried son. Through 
 almost forty years of her widowhood, he was the 
 stay and loving aid of his mother, who passed 
 away in May, 1892, after seeing all her seven chil- 
 dren occupying responsible and useful positions 
 in life. 
 
 Royal H., the first-born, is pastor of the First 
 Universalist Church of Baltimore. His interest 
 in public affairs is demonstrated by the fact that 
 he was the candidate of his party for Congress in 
 1890. Albert B., who died in 1893, occupied up 
 to 1882 responsible positions in the Pullman 
 Palace Car Company, which is the creation of his 
 younger brotli-.r, George. James M. Pullman, 
 D. D., is pastor of the Universalist Church at 
 Lynn, Massachusetts, the leading parish of that 
 sect in America. Charles L. was, until Septem- 
 ber, 1894, contracting agent for the Pullman Com- 
 pany, but is now engaged in other business in 
 Chicago; and Frank W. was Assistant United 
 States District Attorney of New York, where he 
 died in 1879. Helen A. is the wife of George 
 
 West, of New York; and Emma C. is the wife of 
 Doctor William F. Fluhrer, chief surgeon of Belle- 
 vue Hospital, New York. 
 
 George M. Pullman was always of a practical 
 turn of mind, and was a diligent student of 
 branches which were calculated to fit him for a 
 business life. He enjoyed the benefit of a com- 
 mon-school education, and is remembered as an 
 industrious and hard-working pupil. At the age 
 of fourteen, he undertook to sustain himself, his 
 first employment being that of a clerk at $40 per 
 year. Neither his remuneration nor his tastes or 
 habits were likely to lead him into dissipation, 
 and he seems to have done his work with credit 
 to himself and satisfaction to his employer. At 
 the end of the year he joined his eldest brother, 
 who had a cabinet-making shop at Albion, New 
 York. This pursuit was well calculated to pre- 
 pare him for the subsequent conduct of the larg- 
 est building and furnishing enterprise in the 
 world, though he was, probably, wholly uncon- 
 scious of his future at that time. He persevered 
 and was faithful, because it was part of his nature, 
 as well as the natural result of his teachings and 
 early surroundings. He continued in the cabinet 
 work until the death of his father, in 1853. The 
 long illness of the head of the family, who wasted 
 away in gradual decline, had exhausted the means 
 of the common purse, so that the widow was con- 
 fronted with the necessity of providing for her- 
 self and her minor children. In doing this, she 
 was not left to battle alone, for her son George at 
 once took up the responsibility of head of the 
 household and relieved her of financial burdens. 
 The Erie Canal was about to be enlarged, and 
 the commissioners had asked for bids for raising 
 or removing many buildings along its banks. 
 Young Pullman was the successful bidder on some
 
 232 
 
 G. M. PULLMAN. 
 
 of these contracts, and so well did he manage his 
 enterprise that he was enabled to maintain the 
 family in comfort, and arrived in Chicago in 1859 
 with a capital of $6,000 as the result of his sav- 
 ings. About this time the courts decided that 
 Chicago had the power to grade the streets, and 
 he quickly found ample employment in raising 
 the buildings to correspond with the grade. 
 Probably but few of the modern residents of the 
 city know that the streets of the South Side are 
 some ten feet above the original prairie level, and 
 that the buildings standing in 1856 had to be 
 raised that distance to meet the street level. In 
 1860 Mr. Pullman was occupying a lot of two 
 hundred feet front, at the corner of Washington 
 and Franklin Streets, with his machinery and ap- 
 pliances, and a small one-story building for an of- 
 fice. He was full of the spirit of push and prog- 
 ress which animated Chicago in those days, and 
 did not hesitate to enter upon undertakings of 
 great magnitude. Among these was the lifting 
 of the entire block of brick buildings facing the 
 north side of Lake Street, between Clark and La 
 Salle. This was successfully accomplished by 
 the aid of six thousand jackscrews, without in- 
 terruption to the business conducted in the struc- 
 tures, or the breaking of a single pane of glass 
 or a yard of plaster. 
 
 A recent writer says: " His true mission was 
 the creation of the sleeping-car system. * 
 Nowhere else has the matter of splendid, ingen- 
 ious, artistic appliances for indoor comfort been 
 carried to such a pitch as in the devising and 
 constructing of the palace car, of which thousands 
 have been built; and each year, if not each day 
 and each car, brings a studied advance on its pre- 
 decessor. * * Giving his days to labor 
 and his nights to restful travel, a man may spread 
 his field of usefulness over a continent, without 
 the sapping of his strength or the shortening of 
 his days." 
 
 The idea of the sleeping-car came to him one 
 night while observing his fellow train-passengers 
 buying head-rests from a vendor to mitigate the 
 discomfort of an all-night ride. Soon after, he 
 took passage on one of the ' ' night cars ' ' of the 
 time, and while seeking repose on the comfortless 
 
 shelf provided, evolved the idea of the modern 
 sleeper. His knowledge of cabinet-making here 
 came to his aid, and he met and overcame many 
 difficulties in the preparation of a model. The 
 general plan varied but little from the present 
 form, having comfortable berths that could be put 
 away during the day, leaving a coach suitable for 
 day travel. In 1859 he secured from the Chicago 
 & Alton Railway two old passenger coaches to 
 experiment with, and in an unused railway shed, 
 on the present site of the Union Passenger Station 
 at Chicago, he worked to realize his idea, wholly 
 at his own expense. The result was the first 
 pair of real "sleepers" in the country, which 
 were put in successful operation on the night 
 trains between Chicago and St. Louis. 
 
 This result did not deter him from an undei- 
 taking which he had for some time contemplated, 
 namely, a trip to the gold fields of Colorado. 
 After three years of mining, he returned to Chi- 
 cago very little richer in purse, but with addi- 
 tions to his stock of experience. He now set to 
 work to improve his original design of sleeping- 
 cars, which no one had had the shrewdness to 
 take advantage of during his absence. The cars 
 which he had remodeled were too small and not 
 of sufficient strength to carry out his ideas, and 
 he set to work to construct one especially for the 
 purpose. The car must be higher, the berths 
 wider, and more taste and elegance employed in 
 its furnishing. At an expenditure of one year's 
 time and $18,000 in money, he produced the first 
 real ' ' palace car. ' ' It was named the ' ' Pioneer, ' ' 
 and is now stored in honorable retirement at 
 Pullman; but it was found to be too high to go 
 under some of the viaducts spanning the rail- 
 roads, and the wide steps would not pass the 
 platforms of many stations. It began to look as 
 ii he must build a railroad to accommodate his 
 invention. Just at this time the body of the 
 martyred President, Lincoln, was to be brought 
 from Washington to his native state, and the 
 obstacles to the passage of the ' ' Pioneer ' ' were 
 removed, in order that it might be employed in 
 that sad funeral journey. It formed a part of 
 the train which took the body to its last resting- 
 place at Springfield. From that time the eastern
 
 G. M. PULLMAN. 
 
 233 
 
 roads were open to it and its counterparts. The 
 present wide use of the Pullman sleepers, in 
 Europe as well as in .America, is too well known 
 to need comment. The history of the Pullman 
 Palace Car Company is almost as well understood, 
 though many who enjoy the facilities for comfort- 
 able travel afforded by it know little of the labors 
 of its founder in establishing a happy and desira- 
 ble home for its employes at Pullman. 
 
 The history of the great strike at Pullman and 
 among railway employes in 1894 is also now a 
 matter of history. During its progress Mr. Pull- 
 man maintained a dignified and consistent atti- 
 tude, notwithstanding much harsh and unjust 
 criticism; and the course of the Pullman Com- 
 pany in that struggle has been generally vindi- 
 cated. 
 
 The Nation, in its issue of November 22, 1894, 
 refers to the general feeling that the existence of 
 the Government and of society itself was at stake 
 in this strike, and that to give in to the strikers 
 at that point, or at any point, would have been a 
 deadly blow to liberty and the rights of property ; 
 and says: " What account of the circumstances 
 accompanying this strike, which was not so much 
 a strike as a social convulsion, can be complete 
 if it leaves out the intense anxiety of the best 
 citizens lest a fatal surrender of principle should 
 be made?" * * * " There were hundreds of 
 thousands of the best American citizens who re- 
 joiced with great joy at that critical moment that 
 Mr. Pullman was unyielding;" and "Americans 
 abroad anxiously scanned the fragmentary des- 
 patches and prayed fervently that Mr. Pullman 
 would at any rate stand firm." 
 
 Mr. Pullman has been identified as an initial 
 force with other large enterprises than the Palace 
 Car Company, of which he is the head. Among 
 these may be mentioned the Metropolitan Ele- 
 vated Railway of New York, which was con- 
 structed in the face of determined and powerful 
 opposition. He has taken an active interest in 
 the project for the construction of a canal across 
 the isthmus of Nicaragua. Another work in 
 which he rendered great public sen-ice was in the 
 distribution of relief funds after the great fire of 
 1871. At the earnest appeal of Mayor Mason, 
 
 he accepted the charge of disbursements as trus- 
 tee, which was accomplished without the loss of 
 a dollar, though to the detriment of his private 
 interests through consumption of his time. 
 
 In private life Mr. Pullman is a patron of art 
 and literature, and a supporter of elegance and 
 refinement in society. In 1867 he married Miss 
 Hattie A., daughter of James Y. Sanger (whose 
 biography appears elsewhere in this work). Two 
 daughters, who are active in philanthropic and 
 religious work, and twin sons complete the fam- 
 ily. They are: Florence Sanger; Harriet S., 
 now the wife of Francis J. Carolan; George M., 
 Jr. , and Walter Sanger. 
 
 It has been Mr. Pullman's happy privilege to 
 erect for the Universalist Society at Albion, New 
 York, a memorial of his parents, in the form of 
 a handsome and substantial church edifice. It 
 is built of dark brown Medina stone, 125x80 feet 
 in ground dimensions, with perfect furnishings 
 and decorations. On the right and left, as one 
 enters the auditorium, are placed the bronze 
 medallion portraits of Mr. Pullman's father and 
 mother. They were designed by Sculptor Carl 
 Rohl Smith, of Chicago. They are oval, two 
 feet five inches by one foot nine inches, and 
 framed in a narrow moulding, ornamented with 
 pearls. The tablet inscription is as follows: 
 
 Erected by a Son 
 
 as a 
 Memorial to His Father, 
 
 JAMES LEWIS PULLMAN, 
 
 In Recognition of His Love and Work for the 
 Universalist Church and Its Faith, 
 
 and 
 In Memory of His Mother, 
 
 EMILY CAROLINE PULLMAN, 
 
 One with Her Husband in the Joys and Hopes of 
 
 Religion. 
 Dedicated January, 1895. 
 
 It is inclosed in a lx>rder composed of a wreath 
 of ivy, the symbol of affection. A beautiful me- 
 morial window is in the west transept. 
 
 The dedicatory services were held on the last 
 day of January, 1895, the sermon being delivered 
 by Rev. R. H. Pullman, of Baltimore. At the 
 installation of the pastor, on the same day, the
 
 234 
 
 C.'G. HUTCHINSON. 
 
 Rev. James M. Pullman, of Lynn, Massachusetts, 
 preached the installation sermon, when the Rev. 
 Charles Fluhrer, D. D., late of Grand Rapids, 
 Michigan , was made pastor. Others who officiated 
 
 in the services were the Rev. Dr. C. H. Eaton, 
 D. D., of New York; the Rev. Dr. J. K. Mason, 
 D. D., of Buffalo; and the Rev. Asa Saxe, D. D., 
 of Rochester. 
 
 CHARLES G. HUTCHINSON. 
 
 QHARLES GROVE HUTCHINSON, a pro- 
 
 1 1 gressive and energetic business man of Chi- 
 vj cago, was born in Williamsville, Erie Coun- 
 ty, New York, January 24, 1847, and is a son of 
 William H. Hutchinson and Jane Grove. The 
 Hutchinson family, which is, doubtless, of Eng- 
 lish origin, located in the Connecticut Colony as 
 early as the seventeenth century. Joseph, the 
 father of William H. Hutchinson, served through 
 the War of 1812, as lieutenant of a compan}' of 
 Connecticut troops. He took part in the campaign 
 about Fort Erie and Buffalo, and the close of the 
 war found him stationed at Detroit. Soon after the 
 cessation of hostilities he resigned his commission 
 and settled in western New York. His sojourn 
 in this locality during the war had revealed to 
 him its pre-eminent advantages as an agricult- 
 ural country. For many years he was landlord 
 of the Mansion House at Williamsville. His 
 death occurred in Chicago in 1877, at the a & e f 
 seventy-nine years. 
 
 William H. Hutchinson, who was born in Leb- 
 anon, Connecticut, removed with his family to 
 Chicago in the spring of 1849. Soon after com- 
 ing to this city he began the manufacture of soda 
 water, which he continued up to the time of his 
 death, which occurred in 1880, at the age of six- 
 ty-five years. His place of business was at the 
 corner of Randolph and Peoria Streets, where he 
 erected a large factory, which escaped destruction 
 in the Great Fire. The family residence, at the 
 
 corner of North State and Erie Streets, was swept 
 away in that conflagration. His prompt loan of 
 a quantity of soda-water boxes, which afforded 
 admirable pigeon-holes at the time, enabled the 
 postoffice to resume the distribution of the mails 
 with little delay after the fire. He was ever a 
 public-spirited citizen and an enthusiastic ad- 
 herent of the Democratic part}-, contributing 
 much of his time as an organizer and worker for 
 its success, though always refusing to be himself 
 a candidate for any office. 
 
 Mrs. Jane (Grove) Hutchinson was born in New 
 York. Her father, who was a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, was of Dutch descent. The name was 
 originally written Groff. While returning from 
 a visit to Mackinaw, in 1856, Mrs. Hutchinson 
 became a victim of one of the saddest disasters 
 which ever occurred upon Lake Michigan, being 
 one of the passengers of the ill-fated steamer 
 " Niagara," which burned off Port Washington, 
 Wisconsin. She was the mother of four sons: 
 Chester M., of Hawthorne, Cook County, Illi- 
 nois; William A., who is in the United States 
 revenue service at Port Townsend, Washington; 
 and George C. and Charles; G., both of whom are 
 residents of Chicago. William H. Hutchinson 
 was married a second time, to Miss Mary M. 
 Warner, of Williamsville, New York, and they 
 became the parents of two sons, Douglas and 
 Eugene, the latter of whom is now deceased, and 
 the former resides in Chicago.
 
 G. M. ROGERS. 
 
 235 
 
 Charles G. Hutchinson attended the Washing- 
 ton School of Chicago until he was fifteen years 
 old, after which he was a student for four years at 
 the Military Academy at Fulton, Illinois. After 
 the close of the Civil War there being no further 
 promise of demand for military service he re- 
 turned to Chicago, and became identified with 
 his father's business, which he continued to con- 
 duct for some time after the death of its founder. 
 In 1879, in company with his brother, George C. 
 Hutchinson, he established a factory for the pro- 
 duction of bottlers' supplies and extracts, under 
 the firm name of W. H. Hutchinson & Son, which 
 is still retained. Two years later the present 
 factory on Desplaines Street was built, and about 
 forty men are employed therein. The subject of- 
 this notice is also identified with several other im- 
 portant industries. He is a stockholder and 
 Treasurer of the Independent Brewing Associa- 
 tion, and President of the Chicago Fountain Soda 
 Water Company. He is one of the stockholders 
 
 of the Coit Paint Company (incorporated) , and is 
 the inventor and patentee of the Hutchinson 
 Spring Bottle Stopper, a unique and useful ap- 
 pliance, which has come into almost universal use. 
 Mr. Hutchinson is a prominent member of the 
 Masonic fraternity, being identified with D. C. 
 Cregier Lodge, Washington Chapter, Chicago 
 Commander}', Knights Templar, Oriental Con- 
 sistory and Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. 
 Like his father, he has been a life-long Democrat, 
 but never seeks public position. He is an en- 
 thusiastic and successful sportsman, and makes 
 frequent excursions to the woods of Northern 
 Wisconsin for the purpose of indulging his taste 
 for fishing and hunting. He is a member of the 
 Eagle River Fishing and Shooting Club, and of 
 the Cumberland Gun Club, two of the leading 
 sportsmen's organizations of Chicago. In all his 
 business and social relations he is deservedly pop- 
 ular, through his genial and social disposition 
 and his kind and courteous manners. 
 
 GEORGE M. ROGERS. 
 
 MILLS ROGERS is not only dis- 
 
 btinguished as one of the foremost attorneys 
 and jurists of Chicago, but has given much 
 study and careful attention to the leading public 
 questions of the day. He is well versed in prob- 
 lems relating to political economy and municipal 
 reform, and his views are never narrowed by con- 
 siderations of party policy, nor are his expressions 
 colored by mere personal or mercenary motives. 
 His professional integrity and his reputation as 
 a citizen have been equally well maintained, and 
 no modern record of Chicago's representative men 
 would be complete without some notice of his 
 achievements. 
 
 Mr. Rogers was born at Glasgow, Kentucky, 
 on the sixteenth day of April, 1854, and is a 
 son of the Hon. John Gorin Rogers and Arabella 
 E. Crenshaw, extended notice of whom, together 
 with the genealogy of their families, is given 
 elsewhere in this volume. The subject of this 
 sketch was but four years old when the family 
 came to Chicago. He was educated at the public 
 schools and the Chicago University, supplement- 
 ing the instruction so received by a course at Yale 
 College, from which famous institution he was 
 graduated in 1876. He began his legal studies 
 in the office of Crawford & McConnell, and con- 
 tinued the same in the Union College of Law
 
 236 
 
 G. M. ROGERS. 
 
 now the law department of the Northwestern 
 University. 
 
 In 1878 he was admitted to the Bar, and began 
 practice in partnership with Samuel P. McConnell, 
 a well-known barrister, since one of the Judges of 
 'the Circuit Court of Cook County. During the 
 continuance of this partnership he was chosen at- 
 torney for the Citizens' Association, and was a 
 member of the committee which prepared and 
 secured the passage of the original reform city 
 election law. He also personally prepared the 
 primary election law, which was adopted verbatim 
 by the committee of the association having that 
 subject in charge, and was presented to the Legis- 
 lature for adoption. Owing to the fact that this 
 bill was in charge of Senator Crawford during its 
 passage, it became known as the ' ' Crawford 
 Election Law." 
 
 His services in behalf of this association could 
 not fail to attract attention to his signal ability as 
 a lawyer and a statesman, and caused his ap- 
 pointment as Assistant City Attorney. This po- 
 sition he filled with such credit that, in 1886, he 
 was appointed City Prosecuting Attorney, but ow- 
 ing to the ill-health of his wife, which demanded 
 that he should travel with her, he resigned the 
 office in April of the following year. After return- 
 ing to the city he was appointed, in November, 
 1887, to the office of Assistant United States At- 
 torney, but resigned that position in the following 
 March, to re-engage in private law practice. 
 With this business he has combined that of real- 
 estate and loans, and his transactions have grown 
 to such volume as to require the assistance of 
 several clerks. 
 
 On the ist of February, 1889, he was ap- 
 pointed :i Master in Chancery of the Circuit Court 
 of Cook County, and has discharged the duties of 
 that judicial office with such candor and im- 
 partiality as to earn and receive the approbation 
 of courts, attorneys and litigants. 
 
 In 1893 it was deemed advisable by the leading 
 lawyers of Chicago to take some practical steps 
 toward the separation of judicial affairs from the 
 contamination of political interests. With this 
 end in view, they placed in nomination eight 
 candidates for judicial positions, who were equally 
 
 divided in political affiliations between the two 
 leading parties. Mr. Rogers received the highest 
 vote of any candidate before the Bar Association 
 the total number being 1346, out of which he 
 received 1222. This nomination came to him 
 without any solicitation on his part, and, although 
 the " party machine" which dominated the Dem- 
 ocratic convention prevented the endorsement 
 of his nomination, which he made no effort to 
 secure, his endorsement by the members of the 
 Bar, who were influenced by no political consid- 
 erations, but by a desire to elevate the judiciary 
 and purify the administration of justice, was re- 
 garded as a far greater compliment than an elec- 
 tion as a candidate of any political party could 
 have been. 
 
 On the 3d of June, 1884, Mr. Rogers was mar- 
 ried to Philippa Hone Anthon, a daughter of the 
 late Hone Anthon, of New York City, whose 
 family is conspicuous for the large number of 
 eminent professional men among its members. 
 
 Mr. Rogers is one of the founders of the Iro- 
 quois Club, and among the other clubs with 
 which he is prominently identified may be men- 
 tioned the Illinois, University and Law Clubs. 
 In the fall of 1888 he united with the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows, in which his father had 
 been one of the leading spirits, and he has repre- 
 sented his lodge in the Grand Lodge of Illinois. 
 In 1882 he made a foreign tour in company with 
 his brother, who was suffering from ill-health, 
 and visited the principal cities and other points 
 of interest in Europe. His active mind and keen 
 observation could not fail to make this trip of 
 value to him in broadening his experience and 
 extending his knowlege of men and the affairs of 
 the world. 
 
 For a number of years after beginning his pro- 
 fessional career, he was prominent in the political 
 counsels of the Democratic party. In 1880 he 
 was nominated as the candidate of his party for 
 State Senator. His personal popularity may be 
 judged from the fact that the usual Republican 
 majority of two thousand in his district was re- 
 duced to eight hundred. For some time he was 
 Vice- President of the Cook County Democratic 
 Committee, and labored diligently, though in
 
 ROBERT HERVEY. 
 
 23? 
 
 vain, to bring about some needed reforms in the 
 organization and methods of the party. Becom- 
 ing displeased with the methods of politicians, he 
 became one of the organizers of the Iroquois 
 Club, which was established for the purpose of 
 
 exerting an influence in National politics, leaving 
 local strife to those whose taste led in that direc- 
 tion, and he was elected one of its first Vice- 
 Presideuts. 
 
 ROBERT HERVEY, LL. D. 
 
 ROBERT HERVEY, LL. D., who was for 
 nearly forty years a familiar figure in Chi- 
 cago court rooms, was born in Glasgow, 
 Scotland, August 10, 1820. He is a son of Alex- 
 ander and Elizabeth (Gibson) Hervey. The fa- 
 ther was a son of Robert Hervey, who founded a 
 mercantile establishment at Glasgow, in which 
 Alexander succeeded him. The business career 
 of the latter was cut short by his death, when his 
 son Robert was but eleven years of age. Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Hervey afterward came to America, and 
 for a number of years resided with her son in 
 Chicago. She died at Brockville, Canada, in 
 1862. 
 
 Robert Hervey was educated in his native city, 
 first at a grammar school and later at the Uni- 
 versity of Glasgow. While at this institution he 
 began the study of medicine, and the knowledge 
 thus obtained was of great use to him in subse- 
 quent legal practice. With this information he 
 often surprised courts, as well as expert witnesses. 
 At the age of seventeen years he went to Canada, 
 intending to enter into mercantile business in 
 connection with uncles who were residing there. 
 By the advice of one of the latter, however, he de- 
 cided to study law, and became a student of Hen- 
 ry Sherwood, of Brockville, afterward the Attor- 
 ney-General of Ontario. When this gentleman 
 removed to Toronto, Mr. Hervey accompanied 
 him to that city, where he was admitted to prac- 
 tice in 1841. He then opened an office at Otta- 
 wa, then called By town, the eastern terminus of 
 the Rideau Canal, which had recently been com- 
 pleted. He continued his legal business at Otta- 
 
 wa until 1852, when he came to Chicago, and has 
 since been continuously in legal practice here. 
 
 He first opened an office in partnership with 
 Buckner S. Morris and Joseph P. Clarkson, at 
 the southeast corner of Lake and Clark Streets, 
 in the same building where Judge Thomas Drum- 
 mond then held United States Court. Mr. Her- 
 vey subsequently took James R, Hosmer into 
 partnership for a time, and in May, 1858, became 
 a partner of Elliott Anthony since a distin- 
 guished Judge of the Superior Court. Mr. A. T. 
 Gait was afterward admitted to this firm, and 
 for many years the firm of Hervey, Anthony & 
 Gait was one of the best known in Chicago. Mr. 
 Hervey 's early partner, Joseph Clarkson, was a 
 brother of Bishop Clarkson, who was then Rector 
 of St. James' Church on the North Side, and 
 afterward became Bishop of Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Hervey has practiced in all courts, from 
 Justices' up to the Supreme Court of the United 
 States, to which latter he was admitted in 1873, 
 and has been employed on some of the most im- 
 portant criminal cases in Cook County. The first 
 of these was in 1855, when he defended Patrick 
 Cunningham, accused of killing a policeman. 
 This case created a great sensation in Chicago, but 
 Mr. Hervey secured a change of venue to Wau- 
 kegan, where the minds of the jurors were less 
 prejudiced than in Chicago, and his client was 
 sentenced to the penitentiary for eight years for 
 manslaughter. The adroit and skillful manage- 
 ment of the defendant's attorney saved the latter 
 from a death sentence and established the law- 
 yer's reputation. Though he has defended some
 
 ROBERT HERVEY. 
 
 notorious criminals, none of his clients have ever 
 been executed. He was attorney for some of the 
 aldermen and Cook County Commissioners who 
 were accused of "boodling," and all his clients 
 were acquitted. 
 
 One of the most important cases taken up by 
 the firm of Hervey & Anthony was the dissolu- 
 tion of the consolidation of the Chicago & Galena 
 Union Railroad Company with the Chicago & 
 Northwestern Railroad Company, a deal which 
 was manipulated by the directors of the respect- 
 ive roads to the dissatisfaction and alleged dis- 
 advantage of the stockholders of the former road, 
 who had not been consulted in the matter. The 
 contest was finally settled by payment of dam- 
 ages to the plaintiff stockholders of the Chicago 
 & Galena Union. 
 
 For six years past Mr. Hervey has been afflict- 
 ed with ill-health, which has confined him to his 
 house and prevented his attendance at court or 
 social gatherings. While his health permitted 
 him to do so, he attended the Episcopal Church. 
 Since 1865 he has been a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity, having joined Blaney Lodge at that 
 date. While a young man he joined the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows at Ottawa, and be- 
 came the Noble Grand of Ottawa Lodge No. 1 1. 
 His connection with this order was abandoned, 
 however, on his coming to the United States, 
 though he has often regretted this action. While 
 a citizen of Canada he was quite an active politi- 
 cian, and spent considerable of his time, energy 
 and money in the effort to help shape local affairs. 
 His uncle, who realized the futility of this course, 
 exacted a promise from young Hervey on coming 
 to Chicago, that he would not mingle in the pol- 
 itics of the United States. This pledge has been 
 faithfully observed, and he did not become a voter 
 until 1887. 
 
 In 1852 he became a member of St. Andrew's 
 Society, an organization in which he has ever 
 taken an active interest, and has probably done 
 as much for its promotion as any single member. 
 He has served as President of the society for six 
 terms. The object of this association is to relieve 
 the distress of the unfortunate among the coun- 
 trymen and women of its members, and it has 
 
 come to be one of the leading charitable institu- 
 tions of the city. In the winter of 1865, during 
 which there was much suffering to be relieved 
 among the poor and unfortunate, the funds of the 
 society became exhausted, and, at the request of 
 his friends, Mr. Hervey prepared and delivered a 
 lecture on Robert Burns at the old Metropolitan 
 Hall. The receipts of this lecture netted the 
 society about $450. This address met such pop- 
 ular approval that it was afterward several times 
 repeated in other places. In 1883 the faculty of 
 Wesleyan University at Bloomington, Illinois, 
 invited him to deliver this lecture, together with 
 an address to the graduating class of that institu- 
 tion. This request was cheerfully complied with, 
 and as a token of their appreciation of this effort 
 the degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon 
 him by the university. Another lecture on 
 Walter Scott, which he delivered several years 
 later at the same hall, also netted the society a 
 handsome sum. In 1865 he helped organize the 
 Caledonian Club, and was chosen its first Chief, 
 a position which he filled several years. 
 
 Mr. Hervey was first married to Miss Maria 
 Jones, daughter of Dunham Jones, a farmer near 
 Brockville, Canada, who removed thither from 
 the United States during the Revolutionary War, 
 on account of his loyalty to the British Crown. 
 Mrs. Maria Hervey fell a victim to the cholera in 
 1854. In 1861 Mr. Hervey was again married, 
 to Frances W. Smith, a native of Rochester, New 
 York, and his present helpmate. Her mother, 
 who is now Mrs. T. B. Bishop, is a native of 
 England, and resides in Chicago, aged over eighty 
 years. Mr. Hervey has three children. Alexan- 
 der is a farmer near Charleston, Missouri. Rob- 
 ert is the manager of an extensive lumber com- 
 pany at Tonawanda, New York; and Sophia is 
 the wife of Sidney F. Jones, of Toronto, Ontario. 
 For twenty-four years past Mr. Hervey lias lived 
 near the lake shore, on Twenty -fifth Street, hav- 
 ing moved to that location a short time previous 
 to the great Chicago Fire, and thereby avoided 
 becoming one of its victims. In this pleasant lo- 
 cation his most recent years have been altogether 
 spent, and here his friends always receive a hearty 
 welcome.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 AUGUST BECK
 
 AUGUST BECK. 
 
 239 
 
 AUGUST BECK. 
 
 (3| UGUST BECK, for nearly forty years an 
 f I active business man of Chicago, and one of 
 / 1 the city's most popular German- American 
 residents, passed away at his home in that city, 
 on the morning of March 5, 1897. Mr. Beck had 
 not only a distinct and pleasing personality, but 
 he had as well, in happily blended combination, 
 a nicety and precision of mental adjustment that 
 made him at all times, and under all circumstan- 
 ces, the master of every business complication. 
 
 He was born August 8, 1830, at Steinbach, in 
 the Grand Duchy of Hessen, and was descended 
 from a family which has included among its mem- 
 bers, in the last century, a number of men 
 high in the political and official circles of Ger- 
 many. His father, Frederick Wilhelm Beck, was 
 born July 29, 1800, in Bersrad, Grand Duchy of 
 Hessen, and was a school teacher, being employed 
 previous to 1840 in Grosskarben, and thereafter, 
 until 1870, at Giessen, where he died in 1883. 
 Here was celebrated in 1875 the golden wedding 
 anniversary of himself and his estimable wife, in 
 the presence of all their children. February 13, 
 1825, Mr. Beck was married to Miss Elizabeth 
 Sang, who was born November 17, 1807, in 
 Sauerbach, Hessen. She died in 1877, in her 
 seventieth year. 
 
 August Beck was educated at the gymnasium 
 of Giessen, and when eighteen years old entered 
 the employ of a leaf tobacco house at Mannheim. 
 Later he was with G. W. Gail & Company, of 
 Giessen, manufacturers of tobacco, with whom he 
 continued several years. In 1854 he came to the 
 United States and entered the branch house of the 
 same company at Baltimore. 
 
 He came to Chicago in 1855, and July 17 of 
 that year he began business under the firm name 
 of August Beck & Company, handling tobacco at 
 wholesale and manufacturing cigars. The latter 
 
 part of the business, however, he soon abandoned. 
 In 1857 he entered into a partnership with Mr. 
 Carl Wirth, 1 under the style of Beck & Wirth. 
 After the death of Mr. Wirth the concern was in- 
 corporated in 1881, Mr. Beck becoming president. 
 In this capacity he labored with untiring zeal to 
 promote his business interests, in which he was 
 eminently successful. 
 
 The disastrous conflagration of 1 87 1 swept away 
 almost his entire fortune of about one hundred 
 thousand dollars. But he was not disheartened 
 by this catastrophe. To him this was but an in- 
 cident in his career, and the iron-like quality of 
 the man asserted itself. On the ashes of his for- 
 tune, he resolutely set about re-organizing his 
 affairs. His integrity and probity of character 
 had been thoroughly established in his fourteen 
 years of ceaseless business activity, and the great 
 confidence which he enjoyed in commercial circles 
 is attested by the fact that on the day after the 
 Great Fire he received from the well-known firm 
 of C. F. Tag & Son, of New York, a telegram 
 authorizing him to draw upon them for seventy- 
 five thousand dollars. 
 
 With everything gone but his good name, he 
 established himself squarely on the principles of 
 his high code of honor, scorning to take advan- 
 tage of his creditors by forcing a liquidation of his 
 indebtedness at a discount, as many did. He 
 steadfastly refused to make any proposition of 
 settlement on a compromise basis. For years he 
 toiled early and late, with an eye single to one 
 purpose that of recovering from his losses; and 
 in time he paid every creditor in full, with inter- 
 est, declining every other settlement. He trav- 
 eled extensively throughout the territory in 
 which he sold goods, and thereby laid the solid 
 foundation of the success of the present firm, 
 largely upon personal acquaintance with jobbers
 
 240 
 
 J. A. REIS. 
 
 and merchants of the retail trade. In 1892 he laid 
 aside the active cares of his large business his 
 son-in-law, Otto C. Schneider, purchasing his 
 interest. The latter insisted, however, upon Mr. 
 Beck retaining the title of president in the cor- 
 poration, which he did. 
 
 Mr. Beck traveled extensively abroad, and 
 crossed the ocean ten times, to visit his beloved 
 Fatherland. His love for the country of his na- 
 tivity in no sense detracted from his loyalty to the 
 land of his adoption. He was thoroughly Ameri- 
 can in his views, and loved the institutions of this 
 country, and he enjoyed thoroughly and to the 
 fullest extent the liberties and advantages all en- 
 joy in common in this favored land. His family 
 connections in Germany are of the highest order. 
 His eldest brother, William Beck, in Darmstadt, 
 enjoys the distinction of being a Privy Councillor 
 to the Grand Duke ofHessen. His brother-in- 
 law, at Mayence, has been a member of the Ger- 
 man Reichstag, and his youngest brother, Charles 
 Beck, whose place of residence is in Havana, 
 Cuba, has the honor of representing different 
 countries as Consul to "The Pearl of the 
 Antilles." 
 
 Mr. Beck was Consul of the Grand Duchy of 
 Hessen at Chicago, from 1866 to 1871, and when 
 he retired from that service was decorated by the 
 Grand Duke with the "Ritterkreuz of the Order 
 of Philip the Magnanimous. ' ' He was an hon- 
 ored member of the Germania Club of Chicago, 
 
 and was a supporter of the Republican party in 
 American politics, but was not a politician, al- 
 ways declining to become a candidate for political 
 preferment. 
 
 In 1857 he was married to Miss Louise Ger- 
 lach, of Frankfort-on-the-Main. She died in 
 
 1893, leaving three children, namely: William 
 C., Charles F., and Emily, the wife of Otto C. 
 Schneider. 
 
 Mr. Beck's last continental trip was made in 
 
 1894, upon which occasion he visited Egypt and 
 other remote lands. While on the African conti- 
 nent his health became impaired, but he was 
 greatly benefited by a sojourn of several weeks 
 in the pure air of the mountains of Switzerland. 
 Upon his return from this trip he lived a quiet 
 life, at his comfortable home on La Salle Avenue, 
 surrounded by his children and grandchildren, to 
 whom he was devotedly attached. He was one of 
 the most companionable of men, and his con- 
 genial, sunny nature always made all who came 
 into his presence feel at ease. He was well 
 informed and a pleasing conversationalist. His 
 leisure hours were whiled away at his favorite 
 pastime, the intricate game of skat, at which he 
 was considered an expert player. Said one who 
 knew him well: "His loyalty to friends, the per- 
 fect simplicity and frankness of his character, and 
 the total absence of affectation and outward dis- 
 play made him an exceptionally good friend to all 
 who enjoyed his confidence. ' ' 
 
 JOSEPH A. REIS. 
 
 (JOSEPH ADAM REIS, of Rogers Park, is a 
 I carpenter and builder, also a florist, and was 
 (/ born in Monroe County, Illinois. On the 
 maternal side he is descended from the oldest 
 German family in the State. The Reis family 
 was founded in this State by his father, Peter A. 
 
 Reis, who was born in Rhenish Bavaria about 
 1838, and came to this country when a small boy 
 with his parents, Peter and Margaret Reis, lo- 
 cating in Monroe County, where the parents died, 
 and where Peter A. Reis still resides. 
 
 On the maternal side, Joseph A. Reis is de-
 
 JOHN BERG. 
 
 241 
 
 scended from an old German family that was 
 founded in this country in the early part of this 
 century by his great-grandfather, Joseph Platz, 
 who came from Rhenish Bavaria, and settled near 
 New Orleans, Louisiana. Joseph Platz, the ma- 
 ternal grandfather of Mr. Reis, came to Illinois 
 when a boy, with his mother and two half-broth- 
 ers, the family settling at Columbia, Monroe 
 County. 
 
 On reaching manhood he became the owner of 
 the first stone quarry and lime kilns in the State. 
 He died in 1871, leaving a family of four daugh- 
 ters, Deborah, the mother of Mr. Reis, being the 
 second. 
 
 Peter A. and Barbara Reis have ten children, 
 all of whom are living. 'Joseph A. is the only 
 member of the family who lives in Cook County. 
 He was educated in the public schools of Colum- 
 bia, and learned the carpenter trade with his uncle, 
 
 spending his vacations working at the trade, and 
 one year after graduating from school. After 
 learning the trade he worked as a journeyman 
 several years. For some years he was foreman 
 for Mr. Kinney, of Evanston. In 1892 he en- 
 gaged in the production of vegetables in green- 
 houses, but two years ago turned the business 
 into the growing of flowers for the city market. 
 He is also engaged in contracting for building 
 greenhouses. 
 
 September 16, 1884, he married Margaret 
 Muno, a daughter of Henry and Margaret (Pink) 
 Muno. They have seven children, namely: Mar- 
 garet, Agnes, Clarence, Elizabeth, Arthur, Hen- 
 rietta and Joseph. All are members of Saint 
 Henry's Church. Mr. Reis is a Democrat in 
 politics, but has never sought office. He is an 
 intelligent, reading man, and a useful member of 
 society. 
 
 JOHN BERG. 
 
 3OHN BERG, of Bowmanville, is one of the 
 old residents of Chicago. He was born- in 
 Germany, January 18, 1825, and is a son of 
 Nicholas Berg. In 1840 he emigrated to the 
 United States, being the only member of his fath- 
 er's family who came to America. He spent a 
 short time in Indiana before locating permanently 
 in Chicago. Being without means or influential 
 friends, he was obliged to accept any kind of em- 
 ployment as a means of earning an honest living. 
 By carefully saving his earnings he was enabled 
 to buy a team and wagon, and for some years did 
 an express business. For a few years he kept a 
 buffet on Clark Street, in Lake View. 
 
 In 1871 he bought two acres of land in Bow- 
 manville, and started a small grocery store, where 
 his sons are now conducting the large business 
 that has grown from that small beginning. About 
 
 two years later he added a saloon to his grocery 
 business, and here continued to do a profitable 
 trade until 1894, when he turned the business 
 over to his sons, and has since been living in 
 retirement. 
 
 His business career was characterized by indus- 
 try, enterprise and fair dealing. In public affairs 
 he has taken a considerable interest. In National 
 and State elections he usually acts with the Re- 
 publican party, while in local concerns he is found 
 supporting the men best qualified for administra- 
 tive positions. He served several years on the 
 board of trustees of Jefferson Township, and a 
 number of years as justice of the peace, and is at 
 the present time a notary public. 
 
 Mr. Berg and his family are members of Saint 
 Mathias' Roman Catholic Church. He has been 
 twice married, h;s first wife dying without issue.
 
 242 
 
 RICHARD RUvSK. 
 
 April 21, 1854, lie married Miss Mary Nernberg, 
 a native of Germany. To this union nine chil- 
 dren have been born, namely: Mary, wife of 
 Peter Gort; Anna, now Mrs. August Goetz, of 
 Bowmanville; Theresa, wife of Edward Munz, of 
 West Pullman; Katharine, wife of John Sumnick, 
 of Chicago; William, a grocer of Bowmanville, 
 
 who married Elizabeth Penning, by whom he has 
 two children, Andrew and Peter (twins), both in 
 business at Bowmanville. John Adam married 
 Miss Alvina Singstock; and Susie, the youngest 
 of the family, is the wife of Elmer Clark. 
 Andrew Berg married Helen Miller, and Peter, 
 his twin brother, married Miss Jennie Brown. 
 
 RICHARD RUSK. 
 
 RICHARD RUSK has been a resident of Cook 
 County for over a quarter of a century. He 
 was born February 28, 1838, in County 
 Armagh, Ireland, and is a son of Alexander and 
 Elizabeth (Fair) Rusk, the former born in Scot- 
 land and the latter in County Armagh, Ireland. 
 Mrs. Rusk died in Ireland, June 20, 1859, the 
 very day that Richard Rusk landed in the United 
 States. After the death of his wife Alexander 
 Rusk went to Australia and remained three 
 years, returned to Ireland, and after spending 
 three years there, came to America, bringing 
 with him his three daughters. He located near 
 Washington, District of Columbia, and bought 
 twelve acres of land, part of General Lee's farm. 
 After the heavy oak timber was cleared off the 
 land, he planted it with peach trees, and spent 
 most of the remainder of his life there. Mr. 
 Rusk lived the last five years of his life in George- 
 town, where he died about 1873. The family 
 consisted of four sons and four daughters, namely: 
 George, who died in Ireland; Richard, the sub- 
 ject of this notice; William, now living in Wash- 
 ington, District of Columbia; Samuel, of Cali- 
 fornia; Margaret and Jane, twins, the former de- 
 ceased, and the latter living in Washington; Lucy 
 and Elizabeth. 
 
 Richard Rusk was educated in the national 
 schools of Ireland. At the age of nineteen years, 
 he began to learn the trades of carpenter and 
 
 wagon maker. He was apprenticed for the term 
 of seven years, but after working five years and 
 a-half with no pay, he became tired of it, and ran 
 away to work for another man, who paid him four- 
 pence a day, about fifty cents a week. He was an 
 ambitious youth, and with even these small earn- 
 ings he was able to save enough to buy himself 
 clothing for two years and his passage to America. 
 
 In May, 1859, he sailed from Belfast, arriving 
 two days later in Liverpool , and started the same 
 night for America, in the sailing ship "White 
 Star," having on board nine hundred and eighty 
 emigrants. After an uneventful voyage of five 
 weeks he landed in New York, and from there 
 he went by way of Albany to Rutland, Vermont, 
 to visit a cousin. He worked in Vermont at his 
 trade two years, and then, in 1862, went to New 
 York, and from there to Washington, where he 
 worked at his trade in a Government shop one 
 year. He was transferred to the field and em- 
 ployed in repairing ambulances and buggies, 
 which he continued until the close of the war, 
 with the exception of two months when he was 
 ill. He was in the employ of the Government 
 at the time of the assassination of President Lin- 
 coln, and attended his funeral. 
 
 After the war, Mr. Rusk opened a wagon shop 
 at No. 22 West Washington Street, Chicago, and 
 did a successful business. He next went to Rut- 
 land, La Salle County, Illinois, and built a new
 
 L. C. WEMPLE. 
 
 243 
 
 wagon shop and carried on a successful business 
 nearly three years. In 1869 he came to Cook 
 County and bought ten acres of land in sections 1 1 
 and 1 2 Jefferson Township, and engaged in garden- 
 ing. He leased three hundred acres of the Jack- 
 son farm and carried on farming also. He now 
 owns thirty acres of the same land, and, besides 
 the farm, owns a fine business block on Lincoln 
 and Graceland Avenues, Chicago. 
 
 On Christinas day of 1864, in Washington, Mr. 
 Rusk married Miss Margaret Wallace. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Rusk had eight children, seven of whom are 
 
 now living. They are: Charles, who lives on 
 Belmont Avenue; John; William; David; Anna, 
 wife of John Flood; Mary, now Mrs. James Shea, 
 of Rogers Park; and Margaret, wife of Arthur 
 Bairstow. 
 
 Mr. Rusk has always shown great interest in 
 the prosperity of his adopted country, and is a 
 progressive citizen. He usually acts with the 
 Republican party, but always supports the man 
 he considers most fit for an office, whether local 
 or national. The family is identified with the 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 LEONARD C WEMPLE. 
 
 I EONARD CARL WEMPLE, of Rogers 
 1C Park, was born in the town of Fonda, Mont- 
 l_y gomery County, New York, February 9, 
 1836. He is the son of Jacob Van Alstine and 
 Eleanor (Veeder) Wemple. His ancestors were 
 Holland Dutch, and both families were founded 
 in America before the Revolutionary War. Jacob 
 Van Alstine, the great-great-grandfather of Leon- 
 ard Wemple, served as a soldier in the War for 
 Independence and was present at the surrender 
 of Burgoyne. 
 
 In 1848, when the subject of this sketch was 
 twelve years of age, the family came to Chicago. 
 Jacob V. A. Wemple was a manufacturer of 
 threshing machines, and obtained the third patent 
 granted by the United States Government on a 
 machine for threshing and separating the grain 
 from the straw and chaff. He carried on the 
 manufacture of machines in Chicago until 1859, 
 when he failed in business. He then went to 
 Winnebago County, in this State, and engaged in 
 farming, on land previously purchased. Subse- 
 quently he removed to a farm in Branch County, 
 Michigan, where he died in 1873, and his good 
 wife died seven years later. They had a family 
 
 of fourteen children, three of whom died in 
 childhood. The following grew to maturity, and 
 four are living at this writing: Caroline, John; 
 Leonard C. , the subject of this article; Maria 
 Jane, deceased; Virginia Catherine, deceased; 
 Lavina, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased, and Eu- 
 gene. These are among the heirs of the cele- 
 brated Trinity Church property of New York. 
 
 Leonard C. Wemple was fairly educated in 
 private schools in Chicago. He was early 
 trained in his father's shop, and became an ex- 
 pert workman in both wood and iron, and has all 
 his life followed that form of mechanics. For 
 nearly half a century he has been a resident of 
 Chicago, with the exception of some months 
 which he spent in California, on two different oc- 
 casions. No better testimonial of his ability as a 
 workman, of his reliability and good habits can 
 be formed than the fact that for the past fourteen 
 years he has been in the employ of the William 
 Deering Harvester Company, of Chicago, as a 
 pattern-maker, a position which he still occupies. 
 
 March 23, 1864, Mr. Wemple married Miss 
 Ruth, daughter of Philip G. and Anna (Austin) 
 Whelden. She was born in Rensselaer County,
 
 244 
 
 H. C. HANSEN. 
 
 New York, and came to Illinois with her parents 
 when a child, and was reared on a farm in Boone 
 County. Her parents were natives of the Empire 
 State, and had five children, namely: Charles G., 
 Elizabeth, Ruth, Nathaniel G. and Isaiah. The 
 mother died when Mrs. Weniple was five years of 
 age. A few years later Mr. Whelden married 
 Miriam Harriet Austin, sister of his first wife, 
 and they became the parents of three children 
 Harriet Ann, Philip G. and Jabez. After coming 
 to this State Mr. Whelden engaged in farming in 
 
 Boone County, until he retired from active busi- 
 ness and became a resident of Rockford, where he 
 died in June, 1895, his wife having been dead five 
 years. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Wemple were born three chil- 
 dren, as follows: Willis Grant, an engineer on the 
 Chicago & Northwestern Railway; Clarence 
 Nelson, also in the employ of the same railroad 
 company; and Ada Louise. Mr. Wemple is a 
 Republican in political opinion, and is a regular 
 attendant of the Methodist Church. 
 
 HENRY C HANSEN. 
 
 HENRY CHRISTIAN HANSEN, a promi- 
 nent business man of Oak Park and Chi- 
 cago, was born at Waygaard, near Tondern, 
 Schleswig-Holstein, October 8, 1840. As far as 
 known, nearly all his progenitors have been noted 
 for longevity and physical vigor. His grandfa- 
 ther, Daniel Hansen, was born at Leek, in the 
 same State, March 19, 1766. He was engaged in 
 mercantile business at Waygaard during the 
 greater part of his life. In this enterprise he was 
 succeeded by his only son, Hans Johann Diedrich, 
 who became the father of Henry C. Hansen. 
 Hans J. D. Hansen was born at Waygaard, Oc- 
 tober 8, 1802, and died in the same place in 1851, 
 at the age of forty-nine years, one month and 
 three weeks. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Anna Sonnichsen, died there in 1893, having at- 
 tained the age of ninety-two years. She was born 
 at Nord Waygaard and was the eldest in a family 
 of eleven children. 
 
 Henry C. Hansen is the youngest .of six chil- 
 dren born to his parents, and the only represen- 
 tative of the family in the United States. He 
 was educated in the public schools of his native 
 place, and at the age of sixteen years entered a 
 
 mercantile establishment at Niebull, where he 
 spent five years in learning the details of that 
 business, serving four years of this time without 
 wages. He was afterward employed in other 
 cities, and spent one year in a large wholesale and 
 retail dry-goods house at Hamburg. 
 
 After the close of the War of 1866 he came to 
 America and spent the next year in a grocery 
 and market at Wheeling, West Virginia. He 
 then came to Chicago, where he was first employed 
 in a retail grocery store on Chicago Avenue. 
 He was afterwards connected with dry-goods 
 houses in that city, and in 1873 removed to Oak 
 Park, where he purchased a stock of general 
 merchandise and carried on that line of trade for 
 the next fourteen years. Since that time he has 
 devoted most of his attention to the real-estate 
 and loan business, maintaining an office for that 
 purpose in Chicago. Having acquired considerable 
 property in the city and suburbs, its care now oc- 
 cupies most of his time. He has always taken 
 an active interest in movements calculated to 
 promote the development of Oak Park and ad- 
 jacent suburbs. He was one of the first men in- 
 terested in the construction of the Cicero & Pro-
 
 SIVERT HOLLESEN. 
 
 245 
 
 viso Electric Railroad, and was for a time a mem- 
 ber of the board of directors of that corporation. 
 This organization built the first line of electric 
 road in Cook County, and has since constructed 
 a number of other lines, connecting the city with 
 most of the West Side suburbs. He was also one 
 of the prime movers in the organization of the 
 Ogden Street Railway Company, which was 
 formed for a similar purpose. In 1892 he became 
 one of the incorporators of the Oak Park State 
 Bank, and has ever since been vice-president of 
 that thriving institution. He has several times 
 served the town of Cicero in official capacities, 
 having filled the office of collector for one year, 
 and that of trustee four years. In political action 
 he has always been unbiased by party prejudice, 
 and supports such men and measures as he be- 
 lieves to be in the best interests of the country. 
 In 1872 he was a warm supporter of Horace 
 Greeley for the presidency, and for a number of 
 years thereafter sustained the national Democratic 
 ticket. In 1896 he was a delegate to the con- 
 vention at Indianapolis which nominated John M. 
 Palmer for the presidency, but, becoming con- 
 vinced that the business interests of the country 
 
 could be best served in that manner, he cast his 
 ballot for William McKinley. Though reared 
 in the Lutheran faith, he has never affiliated with 
 any religious or social organization since coming 
 to the United States. 
 
 He was married in March, 1874, to Catharine 
 Gaugler, daughter of Moritz Gaugler, of whom 
 further notice appears on another page of this 
 book. Mrs. Hansen was born in Chicago, and 
 has developed unusual skill in painting and wood- 
 carving. Among many other things, she has 
 designed and executed a fire screen of combined 
 carved and embroidery work which has attracted 
 considerable attention as a remarkable amateur 
 production. She is a member of the Gesellschaft 
 Erholung, a charitable organization in Chicago, 
 and pieces of carving contributed by her have 
 realized good prices for the benefit of that society. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hansen have two sons, Moris and 
 Edward, both of whom are graduates of the Oak 
 Park High School, and the latter of Bryant and 
 Stratton's Business College. The elder son is an 
 amateur painter of ability, and no guest of this 
 family can fail to be impressed by the skill dis- 
 played in the handiwork of its members. 
 
 SIVERT HOLLESEN. 
 
 DIVERT HOLLESEN, an industrious, pro- 
 7\ gressive and successful citizen of North 
 \~) Chicago, was born August 10, 1849, in 
 Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (then a part of 
 Denmark). His parents, John and Mary Chris- 
 tina Hollesen, were natives of that place, where 
 they passed their entire lives. The father died 
 in 1856, and the mother iri 1892. 
 
 Sivert Hollesen grew to manhood in his native 
 land and received a fair education, which is as- 
 sured to every citizen of that country. He was 
 early accustomed to the duties of farm life; but 
 
 has always spent his leisure time in reading and 
 studying, and is thoroughly well informed on the 
 topics which engage the attention of the people of 
 the present day. He writes and reads rapidly in 
 the Danish, Norwegian and English languages, 
 and speaks the German tongue fluently. 
 
 In 1871 he came to the United States, by way 
 of Leith and Glasgow, Scotland, and first touched 
 American soil at Quebec, proceeding thence to 
 Chicago, by way of the Grand Trunk Railroad. 
 On his arrival here he possessed twenty dollars in 
 gold, with which he began life. He was first em-
 
 246 
 
 CELESTIAL KELLER. 
 
 ployed as a laborer, and very soon found employ- 
 ment at gardening, at which he served twelve 
 years for one employer, Mr. R. J. Lewis, a 
 well-known gardener and florist. During most 
 of this time he occupied the position of foreman. 
 
 In 1886 he began business for himself, on rent- 
 ed ground, at the corner of Fullerton and Racine 
 Avenues, and has achieved remarkable business 
 success. In 1887 he purchased fifteen acres of 
 land, at the corner of Devon Avenue and Perry 
 Street, on which he has placed all of the improve- 
 ments, including a good residence and out- 
 buildings. 
 
 He is now doing a large and profitable business 
 in producing vegetables for the city markets. He 
 employs four men all the time, and this force is, 
 of course, largely increased during the summer 
 months. In 1892 he bought twenty-three acres 
 in North Evanston; the following year he pur- 
 chased ten acres in Niles Township. These are 
 considered by good judges to be shrewd invest- 
 ments. Mr. Hollesen has never been ambitious 
 
 to manage the affairs of his neighbors or of the 
 public generally, but is a steadfast Republican, 
 and does not fail to perform his duties as a private 
 citizen, as he understands them. 
 
 June 17, 1882, he was married to Miss Frances 
 Schoenbeck, who is a daughter of Peter and Anna 
 Schoenbeck, natives of West Prussia, in which 
 country Mrs. Hollesen was born May 13, 1859. 
 In 1880 she came to America, with her parents, 
 who are now residents of Rogers Park. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Holleseu have seven daughters Anna, 
 Mary, Fallie, Martha, Sophia, Clara and Frances. 
 They lost a son at the age of three months. All 
 are identified with Saint Henry's Roman Cath- 
 olic Church. 
 
 Mr. Hollesen is deserving of credit not only for 
 the material success which he has attained, but 
 for the cultivation of his mind and talents, in the 
 midst of a most laborious life, and he is now 
 respected as one of the most intelligent and pro- 
 gressive citizens of the community in which he 
 resides. 
 
 CELESTIAL KELLER. 
 
 CELESTIAL KELLER, who is engaged in 
 I ( farming on North Clark Street, Chicago, has 
 \J been a resident of Cook County since 1857. 
 He was born September 22, 1830, in Argon, 
 Switzerland, and is a son of Frank Lorenz and 
 Mary (Stagmeyer) Keller. He was educated in 
 the beneficent public schools of Switzerland, and 
 became master of the carpenter's trade, at which 
 he worked in connection with farming. 
 
 He came to the United States in the year before 
 named, disembarking at New York and proceed- 
 ing directly to Chicago, where he secured employ- 
 ment at his trade until the Great Fire of 1871. 
 
 After this he took up farming at his present loca- 
 tion, and has continued that occupation since. 
 
 Mr. Keller does not take an active part in the 
 management of public affairs, leaving these cares 
 to more ambitious souls. He is a faithful adhe- 
 rent of the Roman Catholic faith, while the re- 
 maining members of his family are connected with 
 the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 November 25, 1867, Mr. Keller was married to 
 Katharine Klein, daughter of Christopher and 
 Anna (Young) Klein. Mrs. Keller's family came 
 to America in 1866, and arrived February 2 of 
 that year in Chicago. A month later they bought
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 HENRY O. LOVETT
 
 H. O. LOVETT. 
 
 247 
 
 land on Clark Street, and continued farming there 
 for many years. The mother was killed by an 
 accident September 9, 1876, and the father died 
 April 14, 1886. They were adherents of the 
 Presbyterian religious faith. They were from the 
 Rhine Province of Prussia, Germany, where both 
 were born, as were their children, who came with 
 
 them, namely: Katharine (Mrs. Keller); Anna, 
 wife of Jacob Meelbeier; Michael, now deceased; 
 Christopher, a resident of Chicago; Barbara, wife 
 of Henry Rumstick; Sybla (Mrs. Frederick 
 Meyer); and Elizabeth, wife of Michael Boscheit. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Keller have lost three children, and 
 have two living, namely: Albert and Bertha. 
 
 HENRY O. LOVETT. 
 
 HENRY ORISON LOVETT was born in 
 Bath, Steuben County, New York, in 1826, 
 and was the son of Joseph and Lydia 
 (Crouch) Lovett, the latter being a native of 
 Connecticut, in which State she was married to 
 Mr. Lovett. About 1835 the family came to Cook 
 County, locating on Grand Avenue (then known 
 as the Elgin Road), in the present village of 
 Galewood. His father died here, and his mother 
 died in Palmyra, New York, at the home of her 
 son, Joseph Lovett. 
 
 When grown to manhood, Henry O. Lovett 
 settled in the town of Leyden, where the 
 remainder of his life was spent. He became 
 the owner of six hundred acres of prairie 
 and timber land, and was one of the most exten- 
 sive farmers of that township. Much of his prop- 
 erty has been sub divided, the present village of 
 Ellsworth having been laid out thereon. 
 
 Mr. Lovett was one of the leading members of 
 the Norwood Baptist Church at Norwood Park. 
 He took an active interest in establishing a good 
 system of public schools in the town of Leyden, 
 and aided in many other progressive movements. 
 He filled many local offices, and discharged every 
 public duty in a most acceptable and conscientious 
 manner. He was a Republican in principle, but 
 
 could hardly be called a politician, and never 
 sought to advance his private interests at public 
 expense. 
 
 He was married December 3, 1848, to Miss 
 Mary, daughter of John and Polly Van Natta, of 
 whom further notice is given elsewhere in this 
 volume. Mrs. Lovett was born in Mina, Chau- 
 tauqua County, New York. They were the par- 
 ents of seven children, namely: John J., of Mont- 
 clare; Mary H., who died September 23, 1860, at 
 the age of nine years; Ella A., the wife of Rev. 
 John L- Jackson, pastor of a Baptist Church in 
 Hyde Park; Charles Edwin, who died August 5, 
 1883, at the age of thirty years; Stanley Ernest, 
 who died at the age of eighteen months; Emery 
 Orison, a Baptist minister at Fort Scott, Kansas; 
 and lona Esther, wife of William C. Brown, who 
 resides at Oak Park. 
 
 Mr. Lovett died January 4, 1873, at Ellsworth, 
 Cook County, Illinois, at the age of forty-seven 
 years. Since 1891 Mrs. Lovett has made her 
 home at Oak Park. She relates many interesting 
 incidents and reminiscences of earl}' life in Chi- 
 cago and Cook County, and anyone who is inter- 
 ested in the history of this locality and its pioneers 
 will find it a treat to listen to her, as one can learn 
 much from her on this topic.
 
 248 
 
 MORITZ GAUGLER. 
 
 MORITZ GAUGLER. 
 
 lORITZ GAUGLER, one of the worthy 
 pioneers of Cook County, was born June 
 12, 1808, at Undercept, Elsass (at that 
 time a part of France) , and his death occurred at 
 Oak Park, October 3, 1879. His father, Nicholas 
 Gaugler, was a professional cook and was em- 
 ployed for many years in the family of a French 
 nobleman. His wife died when the son, Moritz, 
 was but three years old. The latter learned the 
 trade of cabinet-maker in his native land, and in 
 1830 emigrated to the United States. He located 
 at Watertown, New York, where he followed his 
 trade, though he found that much of the skill 
 which he had acquired was of but little use in 
 this country. He was married there, and in 
 1836 came to Chicago, spending six weeks in the 
 journey, which was made by the way of Erie 
 Canal and the Great Lakes. A short time after 
 his arrival he went to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 
 where a number of Chicago people were inter- 
 ested in the construction of a sawmill. He was 
 employed about two years at that place, then in 
 the midst of the wilderness. During this time 
 he made several trips to Chicago with an ox- 
 team, sometimes being several weeks upon the 
 way, owing to the almost impassable condition of 
 the roads. He subsequently took up his resi- 
 dence in Chicago, where he worked at the car- . 
 penter trade and such other employment as of- 
 fered opportunity to gain a livelihood. He some- 
 times eked out his income by picking strawberries 
 for market, as that fruit grew very abundantly 
 
 in the vicinity of Wright's Grove, on the North 
 Side. After a time he began taking building 
 contracts, but in this enterprise was not very 
 successful. 
 
 Soon after coming to Chicago he made the ac- 
 quaintance of William B. Ogden, and an intimate 
 friendship always existed between them. He 
 was often advised by Mr. Ogden to invest his 
 savings in real estate, but hesitated for several 
 years about accepting this advice. Among the 
 tracts which he had been urged to purchase was 
 one of about two acres, on the west side of Clark 
 Street, between Schiller Street and North Ave- 
 nue, which was offered to him for six hundred 
 dollars. A few years later, having become con- 
 vinced of the advantage of such investments, he 
 paid ten thousand dollars for the same piece. He 
 made his home there for several years, in the 
 mean time subdividing and selling portions of it, 
 which yielded him a handsome profit on the in- 
 vestment. 
 
 About 1865 he removed to Oak Park, which 
 was then a small straggling village. He bought 
 considerable property at that place, much of 
 which he subdivided and improved from time to 
 time. He built two houses on Chicago Avenue, 
 among the first erected on that thoroughfare in 
 Oak Park. He was always interested in public 
 affairs, and served several terms as a member of 
 the board of trustees of the town of Cicero, dur- 
 ing which time some noteworthy public improve- 
 ments were made. He was a natural musician,
 
 JULIUS RISTOW. 
 
 249 
 
 and all of his descendants have inherited more or 
 less of his talent in that direction. 
 
 Mr. Gaugler was married in 1835, to Catharine 
 Young, who survives him and is now living at 
 Oak Park, at the venerable age of eighty-six 
 years. She was born at Winterburg, France, and 
 came to the United States about 1830, in company 
 with her brother, who left his native land in 
 common with many^of his countrymen, to evade 
 the onerous military duty imposed there. Pre- 
 vious to her marriage, Mrs. Gaugler was em- 
 ployed as head cook in a hotel at Watertown, 
 New York. Her father, Nicholas Young, oper- 
 ated a line of teams engaged in transporting salt 
 
 from Germany into Elsass. About 1835 became 
 to the United States, and lived at Watertown, 
 New York, until his death, at the age of seventy- 
 five years. His wife reached the age of ninety- 
 eight years. Her brother, Nicholas Wehrung, 
 was an officer in the army of Napoleon I, as was 
 also a Mr. Marzloff, who married a sister of Mrs. 
 Gaugler. Of five daughters born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gaugler, three grew to womanhood, name- 
 ly: Josephine, Mrs. Frederick Cronemeyer, of 
 Omaha, Nebraska; Emaline, deceased wife of 
 George Timme, of the same place; and Catharine, 
 now the wife of Henry C. Hansen, of Oak 
 Park. 
 
 JULIUS RISTOW. 
 
 (1 ULIUS RISTOW is one of the industrious 
 I and progressive citizens which Germany has 
 G) furnished to Cook County. He is the eldest 
 son of the late Erdman and Katherine Ristow, of 
 whom further mention is made in the biography 
 of Otto Ristow, in this work. The subject of this 
 sketch was born October 13, 1845, in Germany, 
 where he grew to manhood, receiving a thorough 
 training in the profession of florist. At the same 
 time he received the liberal education which is 
 guaranteed to every German subject by the munif- 
 icent educational system of the Empire. 
 
 In 1858 lie married Miss Amelia Hager, and 
 ten days after this interesting event in his life he 
 set sail, accompanied by his loving bride, to 
 make a home and fortune in free America. It is 
 easy to imagine with what conflicting emotions 
 this young pair severed their connection with 
 home, friends and native land, while buoyed up 
 with youthful hopes and confidence in each other, 
 to begin life amid strange surroundings, in a 
 country whose language was strange and un- 
 musical to them. They had been bred to habits 
 
 of thrift and industry, and felt sure that they 
 would never want while health and strength were 
 spared them. 
 
 For a few years after his arrival in Cook Coun- 
 ty, Mr. Ristow worked in the service of others, 
 until he could save something from his wages. 
 He did not falter in his determination to make a 
 home, and in this he was cheered and aided by 
 his faithful wife. In 1872 he located in what was 
 then called Bowmanville, and with his brother, 
 Otto Ristow, began business as a florist, upon 
 leased land. This arrangement continued seven 
 years, and in 1884 he bought an acre of land on 
 Western Avenue, where he now lives. After- 
 ward he purchased an additional half acre, and 
 the greater portion of his ground is now covered 
 by greenhouses, devoted to the production of 
 roses for the cut-flower trade. As Mr. Ristow 
 thoroughly understood every detail of this im- 
 portant industry, he has made a success of the 
 business. Although he began a poor man, he is 
 now in comfortable circumstances, but he does 
 not relax his careful attention to business or his
 
 250 
 
 SIMON SIMON. 
 
 accustomed diligence in its prosecution , and every 
 youth anxious to succeed in life is advised to 
 study the plan of his operations. 
 
 While he has usually supported the Democratic 
 party in political contests, Mr. Ristow is not 
 strongly partisan, and does not believe that any 
 party or set of men embodies all the patriotism or 
 true philosophy of government, and is disposed 
 to ignore party lines, especially in local matters. 
 He has never desired or sought public honors, 
 preferring to devote his time to his own business 
 and the best interests of his family. He is a 
 
 member of the Lutheran Church, and has ever 
 borne his share in its maintenance. 
 
 The family of Mr. and Mrs. Ristow includes 
 nine children, all born in Chicago and all living 
 at this writing. Clara, the eldest, is the wife of 
 Herman A. Banske, and the mother of three 
 children, Otto August, Herman William Albert 
 and Elsie Amelia, besides one who died in in- 
 fancy. The second daughter, Anna, is the wife 
 of Albert Kuno, a gardener of Bowmanville. The 
 other children are: Mollie, Ida, Leo, George, 
 John, Richard and Edward. 
 
 SIMON SIMON. 
 
 ilMON SIMON, of Ravenswood, Chicago, is 
 a pioneer settler of that locality. He is a 
 native of Prussia, Germany, born May 19, 
 1840, and is a son of Jacob and Gertrude Simon, 
 natives of the same place, where the father 
 learned and followed the trade of shoe-nail smith. 
 In 1847, with his family of nine children, he set 
 out for America, and arrived in Chicago on the 
 7th of July in that year. Having exhausted his 
 means in the journey, he was obliged to accept 
 any employment that offered, and set bravely 
 about making a home and a name for himself 
 and children in the land which they has sacrificed 
 so much to reach. He took up his residence on 
 Dearborn Avenue, between Elm and Division 
 Streets, where Mrs. Simon died in the fall of 
 1865. After the Great Fire of 1871, the father 
 lived with his son, Michael Simon, where he 
 died in 1885. Both he and his good wife were 
 born in the year 1795. Their children were: 
 Mathias; Mary, widow of Peter Moulton; Jacob, 
 deceased; Anna, wife of Jacob Weber; Peter; 
 Johanna, widow of Mathias Cossman; John, Nich- 
 
 olas and Michael, deceased; William; and Simon, 
 the youngest. Besides these, one died in infancy 
 in the old country. When the parents celebrated 
 their golden wedding in 1865, seventy-three chil- 
 dren and grandchildren were present to con- 
 gratulate them. 
 
 Simon Simon, the subject of this notice, was 
 educated in the Franklin School, at the corner of 
 Sedgwick and Division Streets. At the age of 
 sixteen years he went to learn the trade of 
 moulder, in the study and practice of which his 
 time was occupied for several years, until failing 
 health compelled him to abandon it. For about 
 twelve years he was a member of the Chicago 
 police force, and for a period of eight years he 
 kept a restaurant. He is now in the service ot 
 the county, as an attache of Sheriff Pease's office, 
 and has acted as turnkey a number of years, un- 
 der two preceding sheriffs. 
 
 In 1860 Mr. Simon was married to Miss Anna 
 Elizabeth Myer, a native of Prussia, who came 
 to Chicago when a small child. She was a foster 
 daughter of Jacob Myer, who was the second
 
 CAPT. ANDREW TORKILSON. 
 
 251 
 
 husband of her mother. Mrs. Simon passed from 
 life September 3, 1892, leaving a family of three 
 sons the second of whom is recorder of Cook 
 County and two daughters, namely: George, 
 Louise, Robert M., Henry and Katharine. The 
 eldest son is an artist of well-known skill. 
 
 Mr. Simon became a resident of Lake View 
 (now part of Chicago) in 1875. Since becoming 
 
 a citizen of the United States he has given his 
 earnest support to the principles advocated by the 
 Republican party. To all of his children he is 
 devoted, and he has given to each the best educa- 
 tional opportunities. These have been appreciated, 
 and the family is known as a united and highly 
 cultivated one, enjoying the respect of the com- 
 munity in which it resides. 
 
 CAPT. ANDREW TORKILSON. 
 
 EAPT. ANDREW TORKILSON was an 
 early settler of Chicago, and one of the city's 
 representative Scandinavian citizens. He 
 was born on the western coast of Norway in 1825. 
 His advantages for obtaining 'an education in the 
 primary branches were good. His parents were 
 ambitious for him to have a bright future, and, 
 after completing an elementary course in the com- 
 mon schools, he had his choice of what his career 
 should be, though they themselves were inclined 
 to see him enter the ministry. This was not 
 young Andrew's choice, however, and as he had 
 a predisposition to military life, he chose that, 
 and at once entered the National Military School 
 of his country, at Christiania, where he was care- 
 fully taught in the manual of arms and the ab- 
 stract principles of war. He graduated after six 
 years of close application. Afterwards he entered 
 the Government service, having been commis- 
 sioned lieutenant, and served a year, when he re- 
 signed to come to America. He could not leave 
 without a permit from the Government officials, 
 which he had difficulty in securing. 
 
 In 1854 ne emigrated to America in a sailing- 
 vessel, which was seventy-two days en route, 
 landing at New York. From there he came to 
 Chicago by the water route, and upon settling 
 here he learned the cooper's trade, which he fol- 
 lowed for some years. He had a shop of his own, 
 
 and at times employed as many as thirty men. 
 In this business he was very successful, accumu- 
 lating considerable property. Previous to the 
 outbreak of the Civil War he was appointed to 
 the police force of the city, proving himself a brave 
 and efficient officer. In 1856 he made a Euro- 
 pean trip, visiting England, Ireland, many points 
 of the continent, and his own home in Norway, 
 being gone a year. 
 
 Early in 1861 came the opportunity to distin- 
 guish himself in the profession of arms, for which 
 he had been carefully fitted. He recruited one 
 hundred twelve men in the city, tendering them, 
 with himself, to Governor Yates, but the State 
 quota being then full, the Governor was compelled 
 to refuse acceptance. In this dilemma he com- 
 municated with the Executive of Wisconsin, ten- 
 dering himself and all the men he had recruited, 
 and was accepted. Out of his own pocket he 
 paid the fare of these men to Madison, Wisconsin. 
 Beside this he had clothed and lodged the men for 
 sixty days previous, in order to keep them to- 
 gether. They were a magnificent body of men, 
 not one of whom measured less than six feet in 
 height. 
 
 Upon arriving in Madison they were organized 
 as Company A, Fifteenth Wisconsin Infantry, and 
 Mr. Torkilson was appointed captain. The regi- 
 ment was at once sent to the seat of war, and was
 
 252 
 
 CAPT. ANDREW TORKILSON. 
 
 incorporated in General Grant's army at Cairo, 
 Illinois. Under this redoubtable chietain the 
 regiment took part in the decisive victories which 
 resulted from Grant's first campaign, fighting at 
 Perryville, Forts Donelson and Henry, and at 
 Island Number Ten. Then under General Buell, 
 but still in Grant's army, it fought in the last 
 day's fight at Shiloh; then came the bloody en- 
 gagements of Corinth, Murfreesboro, Chatta- 
 nooga, Missionary Ridge, and the subsequent 
 fighting of Sherman's army up to the final siege 
 of Atlanta. Captain Torkilson acquitted himself 
 as became a true and gallant soldier, which he 
 was. The deafening noise of the scores of con- 
 flicts so impaired his hearing that he was obliged 
 to surrender his commission, which he did with 
 reluctance. 
 
 Upon his return to civil life he settled in Chi- 
 cago, aud was for the second time appointed to 
 the police force, this time by his friend, Mayor 
 John Wentworth. He was active in the city's 
 politics, and wielded an influence that was con- 
 siderable. Mayor Wentworth said of him, "To 
 Captain Torkilson' s influence I am indebted for 
 my election." The mayor was his devoted friend, 
 and their mutual confidence was never disturbed 
 to the end of their lives. 
 
 Some years after the war Captain Torkilson 
 settled in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he followed 
 coopering and hotel-keeping, and held numerous 
 official positions of trust. In 1873 he returned to 
 Chicago and settled in Rogers Park, which could 
 then boast only a few scattering homes. For a 
 time following his settlement there he had charge 
 of the toll-gate, and was subsequently engaged in 
 the cooperage business. 
 
 He was an active and energetic man, and en- 
 joyed the confidence and esteem of all who knew 
 him. In height he stood six feet three inches, 
 and weighed about two hundred twenty pounds. 
 His scholarly attainments were of a high order 
 and he remained a Student all his life, keeping 
 himself informed upon the leading and important 
 questions of the day. He was an honored mem- 
 ber of the Masonic order, having attained to the 
 Master's degree. 
 
 He was twice married, his second wife, Miss 
 
 Christina Smith, a native of Nonvay, being wed- 
 ded to him in Chicago. Their union resulted in 
 seven children, six of whom are living, namely: 
 Benjamin, Andrew F., John A., Thomas F., 
 Clara F. and Anna C. ; Mary E. is deceased. 
 Mrs. Torkilson, who is still living, is a daughter 
 of Benedict and Elizabeth Smith, of Norway. The 
 former still survives, and is a gentleman of influ- 
 ence and worth, having followed the seas for a 
 great many years. He has visited America twice, 
 attending the Centennial Exhibition at Philadel- 
 phia, in 1876, and in 1893 the World's Fair in 
 this city, making the last journey both ways un- 
 attended, though over ninety years of age. 
 
 Captain Torkilson was an ardent Republican 
 in politics, and his party had no more stanch 
 supporter than he. Public service was uncon- 
 genial to him in many ways, but he sought to 
 fulfill his share of the duties of a good citizen. 
 His death occurred October 18, 1881, and his 
 remains repose in Rogers Park, where they were 
 interred with Masonic honors. 
 
 Benjamin Smith Torkilson, eldest son of Cap- 
 tain Torkilson, was born in Chicago November 
 15, 1859. He was reared in the city, and edu- 
 cated in its public schools. In youth he learned 
 the cooper's trade, and later learned stone-cutting. 
 Politically, he affiliates with the Republican par- 
 ty. He was married to Miss Emma Collins in 
 1883, and they have four children, namely: Ella, 
 Marion, Anna and Margaret. Mrs. Torkilson 
 was born at Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin. 
 
 The second son, Andrew F. Torkilson, was 
 born in Chicago in 1863. He was reared in 
 Rogers Park and educated in the elementary 
 branches in the public schools of that suburb. 
 This was supplemented by a course in a business 
 college, and he has, for a number of years, ac- 
 ceptably filled a responsible position with the 
 Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company, 
 being store-keeper of its dining-car service. He 
 is an esteemed member of the Masonic fraternity 
 and of the Royal League. His wife, Clara (Bart- 
 lin) Torkilson, has borne him a son, named 
 Fremont. Mr. Torkilson is a young man of 
 pleasing, affable manners, and of good business 
 and executive ability.
 
 HENRY WALLER. 
 
 253 
 
 HENRY WALLER. 
 
 HENRY WALLER, for many years a promi- 
 nent representative of the Chicago bar, was 
 born in Frankfort, Kentucky, November 9, 
 1810, and died at River Forest, Illinois, July 28, 
 1893. He sprang from a family which has pro- 
 duced many illustrious men, both in this country 
 and in Europe. Among the noted members of 
 the Waller family in England were Sir William 
 Waller, a distinguished general and member of 
 Parliament during Cornwall's time, and Edward 
 Waller, the poet. A member of this family came 
 to Virginia about the time of the Restoration , and 
 settled in Spottsylvania County. Among his de- 
 scendants were John and William Edmund Wal- 
 ler, eminent Baptist ministers, who suffered con- 
 siderable persecution from the Church of England. 
 Richard, the son of Rev. William E. Waller, 
 was the father of C. S. Waller, deceased, formerly 
 commissioner of public works in Chicago, and at 
 one time assistant state auditor of Kentucky. 
 William S., another son of Rev. William E. 
 Waller, was for about forty years cashier of the 
 Bank of Kentucky. He married Miss Brecken- 
 ridge, a lady whose deep religious convictions and 
 conscientious devotion to principle made her a 
 typical representative of one of the foremost fam- 
 ilies of the Bluegrass State. The four sons of this 
 couple, Henry, James B. , William and Edward, 
 became prominent citizens of Chicago, and all are 
 deceased. There were two daughters, Mrs. Cath- 
 arine Carson, deceased, and Mrs. Susanna P. 
 Lees, who is a resident of New York City. The 
 former was the mother of Mrs. Clifton Brecken- 
 ridge, wife of the present United States Minister 
 to Russia. 
 
 Henry Waller graduated from West Point in 
 
 1833, but soon resigned from the military service 
 and studied law at Maysville, Kentucky, where 
 he was a law partner of the Rev. John A. Mc- 
 Clung, attorney, and was one of the lawyers en- 
 gaged in the celebrated Dred Scott case. In 1855 
 he came to Chicago, where he practiced law twen- 
 ty years. In 1875 he was appointed a master in 
 chancery. He continued to discharge the duties 
 of that office until about 1891, when he declined 
 a reappointment on account of failing health. He 
 lived on Ashland Avenue about twenty years, but 
 in 1886 he moved to River Forest, where the. re- 
 mainder of his life was spent in retirement. 
 
 Mr. Waller was married to Miss Sarah Bell 
 Langhorne, daughter of John T. Langhorne, ot 
 Maysville, Kentucky, a well-known hotelkeeper 
 of that city, whose wife was Elizabeth B. Payne, 
 a daughter of Col. Duvall Payne, who was a 
 brother of the noted Col. Thomas Y. Payne. 'She 
 was the second of five children. The others were: 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Green, Mrs. Judith L. Marshall, 
 Maurice Langhorne, and John D. Langhorne. 
 Maurice Langhorne was captain of a Mississippi 
 steamer before the war, and a well-known charac- 
 ter on the Father of Waters. His brother graduated 
 from Annapolis, and was an officer in the United 
 States Navy for many years. Mrs. Sarah B. 
 Waller died in Chicago, December 13, 1883, at 
 the age of sixty- two years. Mrs. Waller was a 
 student at Aberdeen, Ohio, where she was a class- 
 mate of Gen. U. S. Grant. She was married at 
 the age of fifteen years, and was the mother of 
 ten children before she was thirty-six years old. 
 She was chiefly self-educated, and was a historian 
 of some note. She was a remarkable woman, 
 queenly in social circles and a leading spirit among
 
 254 
 
 P. H. DOBBINS. 
 
 the brilliant men and women of her time. During 
 the war she was a ministering angel to the sick 
 and suffering Southern prisoners at Camp Doug- 
 las. Her influence for good was felt by everyone 
 who came within her reach, and many bless her 
 memory. Following are the names of her chil- 
 dren : William Smith Waller, who died in Chicago 
 in 1874, aged thirty-six years, and who was a 
 dealer in real estate; Rev. Maurice Waller : D. D., 
 of Lebanon, Kentucky; Lilly L-, chief matron of 
 the Police Department of Chicago; Henry, a well- 
 known real-estate dealer in Chicago; Edward C. , 
 of the same occupation, residing at River Forest; 
 Catherine, wife of Rev. John G. Hunter, D. D. , 
 of Harrodsburg, Kentucky; Judith C. W. (Mrs. 
 William S. Johnston) , of Chicago; John D. ; Bell 
 Langhorne, of Chicago; and James B., of Norfolk, 
 
 Virginia, who is connected with the Seaboard Air 
 Line Railroad Company. 
 
 Politically Mr. Waller was a conservative Dem- 
 ocrat. He served two terms in the Kentucky 
 Legislature before leaving that State, from 1845 
 to 1849. In Illinois he was the firm friend and 
 co-laborer of Stephen A. Douglas, at whose funeral 
 he was an honorary pall-bearer. They stumped 
 the State together in several campaigns. During 
 his earlier years in Chicago, Mr. Waller was a 
 member of the old South Presbyterian Church 
 (of which Rev. W. W. Harsha was then pastor) . 
 He was afterward identified for a number of years 
 with the Third Presbyterian Church of Chicago. 
 He was firm and uncompromising in all his con- 
 victions, and able to hold his own in debate with 
 the ablest speakers of his day. 
 
 PARIS H. DOBBINS. 
 
 RARIS HORACE DOBBINS, a successful 
 yf young business man of Chicago, who now 
 J>3 resides at River Forest, was born in the city 
 of Paris, France, October 6, 1869, and is a son of 
 Thomas S. and Mary C. Dobbins, of whom ex- 
 tended notice will be found in this volume. While 
 an infant, Paris H. Dobbins was brought by his 
 parents to the United States, arriving in New 
 York City on the first anniversary of his birth. 
 His education was obtained in Chicago, where he 
 attended the public schools, and later the Har- 
 vard School, one of the best-equipped private 
 educational institutions in the city. 
 
 At the age of seventeen years, he began his 
 business career as a clerk in the First National 
 Bank. Three years in this connection sufficed to 
 give him a thorough knowledge of practical 
 business methods, and in 1890 he formed a part- 
 nership with his brother, Charles E. Dobbins, 
 and engaged in the manufacture of steel springs. 
 Though begun on a rather limited scale, the en- 
 
 terprise has been prosperous from the start, 
 from twenty to forty men being now employed. 
 All kinds of wagon and carriage springs are 
 manufactured by the firm, which is now known as 
 Dobbins & Company. 
 
 December 29, 1890, was celebrated the marriage 
 of Paris H. Dobbins to Miss Lottie C. Spurck, 
 daughter of P. E. Spurck, of Peoria, Illinois. 
 They have two living children, named respect- 
 ively, Mary Corinneand Thomas Deshler. Since 
 May i , 1896, their home has been at River Fuicst, 
 where they attend Saint Luke's Catholic Church. 
 In this rural suburb Mr. Dobbins finds much 
 pleasant recreation from the noisy and tumultuous 
 life of the city. He is connected with the Bank- 
 ers' Athletic Club of Chicago. He has usually 
 supported the Democratic party, but has more 
 recently acted independent of party lines, and in 
 the fall of 1896 supported William McKinley for 
 President of the United States, believing his can- 
 didacy to be in the interests of national prosperity.
 
 A. B. MCLEAN. 
 
 255 
 
 ARCHIBALD B. McLEAN. 
 
 RCHIBALD BRUCE McLEAN. It is a re- 
 LJ markable circumstance that this gentleman, 
 / I although he has attained the age of over 
 seventy-five years and has spent the greater part 
 of this time either in active business or military 
 service, has never been a witness of an accident. 
 He was born at Stirling, Scotland, a locality teem- 
 ing with romantic interest and historic reminiscen- 
 ces, on the yth of April, 1820. Both his parents 
 were worth y representatives of the Scotch nation . 
 
 His father, Alexander McLean, who was born 
 at Callendar, became a cabinet-maker at Stirling, 
 where his death occurred when Archibald was 
 but three years old. The mother, Elizabeth 
 (Robinson) McLean, was a native of Bannock- 
 burn. After reaching the age of eighty years 
 she came to America, and died at Brooklyn, New 
 York, in 1871, at the venerable age of one hun- 
 dred and one years and two months. She was 
 the youngest of a family of ten children which 
 was conspicuous for the longevity of its members. 
 Her eldest brother, James Robinson, reached the 
 age of one hundred and fifteen years, dying at 
 Glengary, Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander 
 McLean were the parents of seven sons, four of 
 whom still survive. James is a business man of 
 Glasgow, Scotland. Alexander and George are 
 citizens, respectively, of Brooklyn and Albany, 
 New York. John died in Cork, Ireland, after 
 serving fifteen years in the British army. Neal 
 died in a hospital from the effects of wounds re- 
 ceived during the great American Civil War; and 
 Archibald B. is the next in order of birth. Don- 
 ald, the eldest of the family, died in boyhood. 
 
 Archibald B. McLean grew to manhood in his 
 native town, and at the age often years began to 
 
 learn the tailor's trade, an occupation which he 
 has continued ever since, with the exception of 
 the time spent in military service. At the age of 
 seventeen years he entered the British army as a 
 member of the Seventy-first Highland Light In- 
 fantry, which was soon afterward ordered to Can- 
 ada to assist in quelling the rebellion then in 
 progress in that colony. He saw considerable 
 skirmish duty during this expedition, and was 
 stationed most of the time at Montreal or St. 
 John's, Canada. 
 
 In 1843 he was discharged from the service of 
 the Crown, and, coming to the United States, lo- 
 cated at Albany, New York, where he worked at 
 his trade for the next two years. At the end of 
 that time he enlisted in the United States navy 
 and embarked on the seventy-four-gun ship "Col- 
 umbus," which sailed from Brooklyn, New York, 
 upon a voyage around the world. While at a 
 Chinese port the crew first heard of the war be- 
 tween the United States and Mexico and received 
 orders to sail for the coast of California. Upon 
 their arrival they patroled that coast until the 
 close of hostilities, when they returned to the 
 Atlantic Coast by way of Cape Horn. The voy- 
 age, which terminated at Norfolk, Virginia, had 
 lasted for thirty-five months, during which time 
 they had sailed sixty-eight thousand miles. 
 
 Mr. McLean again went to Albany and opened 
 a tailoring establishment, carrying on business at 
 that place until 1854, when he came to Chicago 
 and engaged in business on Randolph Street. 
 Three years later he removed to Janesville, Wis- 
 consin. Here he carried on a merchant-tailoring 
 establishment until the outbreak of the rebellion, 
 when he was again seized with the spirit of mil-
 
 256 
 
 R. N. TRIMINGHAM. 
 
 itary enthusiasm. Soon after the fall of Fort 
 Sumter he recruited Company D of the Second 
 Wisconsin Infantry, and, declining a Captain's 
 commission, became the First Lieutenant thereof. 
 He reached the field with his regiment in time 
 to take part in the disastrous battle of Bull 
 Run, and after serving six months resigned his 
 commission and applied for a position in the Ma- 
 rine Corps. Having passed the prescribed age, 
 and the officers not being aware of his past naval 
 experience, his services were declined, and he re- 
 enlisted in Company C, of the Twenty-seventh 
 Wisconsin. He chose the position of color-bearer, 
 and served in that capacity until the close of hos- 
 tilities. Though he was constantly exposed to 
 the fire of the enemy, taking part in many of the 
 bloodiest engagements of the war, Mr. McLean 
 received no wounds and was never in a hospital. 
 After participating in the battles of Fort Donel- 
 son, Pittsburg Landing and Corinth, he took 
 part in General Shield's expedition in Arkansas. 
 This campaign encountered fourteen general en- 
 gagements in twenty-one days, besides meeting a 
 great deal of guerrilla warfare. After the close of 
 the campaign he was sent to Mobile and took 
 part in the siege of that place, which terminated 
 the war. 
 
 After peace came he remained one year in 
 Janesville, but in 1866 again located in Chicago, 
 
 where he was continuously engaged in merchant 
 tailoring until June, 1894, when he resigned the 
 business to his son, W. S. McLean, who had 
 previously been for some years a partner in the 
 business. During the twenty-nine years' exist- 
 ence of this establishment it has won and retained 
 a valuable patronage and is still in a flourishing 
 condition. 
 
 On the nth of April, 1849, Mr. McLean was 
 married to Margaret Shields, a native of Elgin, 
 Morayshire, Scotland. Four children have been 
 born to them, all of whom are residents of this 
 city. They are: William S., the present successor 
 of his father in business; Archibald, who is also 
 connected with the establishment; George', who 
 has charge of a department in the great wholesale 
 establishment of Marshall Field & Co. ; and Isa- 
 bella, now the wife of William L- Melville. Mr. 
 and Mrs. McLean are the proud grandparents of 
 eight children. 
 
 For over forty years Mr. McLean has been con- 
 nected with the Masonic order, and although he 
 has been at times a member of other societies, is 
 not identified with any other organization at the 
 present time. He has been a steadfast Repub- 
 lican from the organization of that party, and has 
 ever been a patriotic and public-spirited citizen of 
 the land of his adoption. 
 
 RALPH N. TRIMINGHAM. 
 
 RALPH N. TRIMINGHAM, Secretary of the 
 Chicago Underwriters' Association, is one of 
 the best known insurance men in the city. 
 He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Sep- 
 tember 2, 1838, and is the eldest son of Ralph 
 and Ann (Brine) Trimingham, and a member of 
 one of the oldest Colonial families. 
 
 The Trimingham family was founded in Ber- 
 muda by James Trimiugham, who emigrated 
 
 thither from England during the reign of Charles 
 II. and died there April i, 1735, The mercan- 
 tile house which he established and conducted 
 there during his lifetime was inherited and en- 
 larged by successive generations of his descen- 
 dants. He was the father of four sons and two 
 daughters. Of these, John, the third son. mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Jones. Francis, the third son of 
 this couple, died in 1813. He inherited the rare
 
 R. N. TRIMINGHAM. 
 
 257 
 
 commercial instincts of his ancestors, and under 
 his able guidance the business assumed extensive 
 proportions, and branch houses were established 
 in the Barbadoes, St. Vincent, and St. John's, 
 Newfoundland. Several of his sons became 
 partners in the concern, and continued the busi- 
 ness for some time after his death. The firm 
 owned a number of vessels and maintained exten- 
 sive trade between the places above mentioned 
 and various ports in Great Britain and South 
 America. 
 
 Francis Trimingham married Frances Light- 
 bourn, and they were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, the youngest of whom was Ralph, father of 
 the subject of this notice. The last-named gen- 
 tleman, who was born at Bermuda in 1801, re- 
 moved while a young man to St. John's, taking 
 charge of the company's interests at that place. 
 He was married there, and about 1847 removed 
 to Baltimore, Maryland, where the firm of which 
 he was a member also established a mercantile 
 house. Four years later he disposed of his inter- 
 est in the business, and in 1851 removed to St. 
 Vincent, where he turned his attention to agri- 
 culture and operated a large sugar plantation for 
 the next four years. He then came to Chi- 
 cago, and for a brief period re-engaged in mer- 
 chandising, but soon retired from active business. 
 His death occurred in 1869, at the age of sixty- 
 eight years. His wife survived until August, 
 1874, departing this life at the age of sixty-three 
 years. She was born in Newfoundland and was 
 a daughter of Robert and Ann Brine. They 
 came from the South of England and settled at 
 St. John's, where Mr. Brine was for many years 
 a prosperous merchant. 
 
 Ralph N. Trimingham was educated at private 
 schools, it being the intention of his parents to 
 give him a college education and fit him for 
 the Episcopal ministry. This purpose had to be 
 abandoned, however, and at the age of sixteen 
 years he entered upon his business career as clerk 
 in a lawyer's office at St. Vincent. His subse- 
 quent occupations have usually been of a clerical 
 order, and he seems to be peculiarly adapted for 
 the accurate, methodical labors which are so es- 
 sential to success in such avocations. For some 
 
 time previous to the departure of the family from 
 St. Vincent he was employed as cashier in a dry- 
 goods store, and his first occupation in Chicago 
 was of a similar nature. A few years after locat- 
 ing here he entered the office of Magill & La- 
 tham, vessel-owners and commission merchants, 
 with whom he remained for some time. He sub- 
 sequently became a bookkeeper for his uncle, 
 William Brine, who was a commission merchant 
 operating upon the Board of Trade. 
 
 Since 1866 he has been identified with the fire- 
 underwriting interests of the city. His first con- 
 nection in that line was with the Home Insurance 
 Company of New York, under the management 
 of Gen. A. C. Ducat, with whom he remained 
 for a little over ten years. After leaving the em- 
 ploy of the Home he for a short time became en- 
 gaged in mercantile pursuits, but soon re-entered 
 the business of fire insurance. In 1882 he was 
 elected Secretary of the Underwriters' Exchange, 
 a combination of insurance companies, and when 
 the members of that organization united with 
 those of the Chicago Board of Underwriters in 
 forming the Chicago Fire Underwriters' Associa- 
 tion, an institution organized for a similar pur- 
 pose, he continued to serve the new concern in 
 the same capacity. In 1894 the last-named cor- 
 poration was succeeded by the Chicago Under- 
 writers' Association. In recognition of his expe- 
 rience and previous services, Mr. Trimingham 
 was elected Secretary of the new association, and 
 the performance of his duties to these successive 
 organizations has absorbed his time and attention 
 since 1885. 
 
 On the 1 6th of April, 1885, he was married to 
 Miss Carrie J., daughter of Robert G. Goodwillie, 
 an early resident of Chicago. They are the par- 
 ents of two daughters, named, respectively, Eliz- 
 abeth and Anna. For thirty-eight years Mr. 
 Trimingham held membership with the Third 
 Presbyterian Church of Chicago, in which, for 
 seventeen years, he was Elder and Clerk of the 
 Session. He is now Elder of the First Presby- 
 terian Church at Oak Park, where he lives. He 
 has been identified with the Masonic order for 
 the last twenty years, being a member of Cleve- 
 land Lodge, Washington Chapter and Siloam
 
 G. W. BARNARD. 
 
 Commandery, Knights Templar, of which he is 
 Past Eminent Commander. His life has been 
 marked by diligent, punctual habits and the con- 
 scientious observance of upright principles. He 
 has witnessed the growth and development of 
 
 Chicago for nearly forty years, and during all that 
 time he has spent but little time out of the city, 
 his chief recreation being found in his domestic 
 and social relations. 
 
 GILBERT W. BARNARD. 
 
 0ILBERT WORDSWORTH BARNARD is 
 
 bwell known amid Masonic circles through- 
 out America and Europe, and has a world- 
 wide reputation for sterling character, accommo- 
 dating manners, and devotion to the interests of 
 the order. He was born at Palmyra, Wayne 
 County, New York, June i, 1834, and is the son 
 of George Washington Barnard, whose death oc- 
 curred previous to the birth of this son. The 
 father of George W. Barnard, whose name was 
 spelled Bernarde, was a Frenchman. Following 
 the noble example of the immortal La Fayette, 
 he came to America to enlist in the cause of free- 
 dom, and upon the termination of the conflict 
 settled in western New York, where he married 
 and became the father of two sons. The elder 
 of these died without issue, and the second lived 
 and died in Wayne County, that state. The lat- 
 ter became the captain of a passenger packet on 
 the Erie Canal, a position of considerable import- 
 ance in his time. His wife, Sabrina Deming, 
 was a native of New York, and now resides in 
 Howard City, Michigan, at the extreme old age 
 of eighty years, her present name being Preston. 
 Gilbert W. Barnard was reared in the family of 
 his maternal grandfather. David Demming, a na- 
 tive of Connecticut, who removed to Jackson 
 County, Michigan, soon after his grandson be- 
 came a member of his family. The Demming 
 family was founded in America by four brothers, 
 who settled in Connecticut early in the seven- 
 teenth century. The name was originally spelled 
 
 Dummund, but by a process of evolution peculiar 
 to foreign names in America, it became Demming, 
 and was contracted by the present generation by 
 the omission of one " m." 
 
 The subject of this biography spent the first 
 fifteen years of his life in Jackson County, Mich- 
 igan, whence he came to Chicago and began his 
 business career as clerk in a general store. He 
 afterward engaged in the book and stationery 
 business, which line of trade he carried on for 
 several years, achieving a reputation for upright 
 and honorable dealing, and winning the esteem 
 and confidence of his fellow-citizens. During the 
 first year of his residence in Chicago he joined 
 the volunteer fire department, and during the next 
 nine or ten years rendered much valuable service 
 to the city. 
 
 - In October, 1864, he joined the Masonic order 
 and has ever since been actively identified with 
 its interests. He has taken over three hundred 
 degrees known to Masonry, and has filled most 
 of the principal offices in the subordinate and 
 grand lodges. He is at present Past Master of 
 Garden City Lodge; Past High Priest of Cor- 
 rinthian Chapter No. 69, R. A. M.; Past Emi- 
 nent Commander of St. Bernard Commandery 
 No. 35, Knights Templar; Past Commander-in- 
 Chief of Oriental Consistory ; Grand Secretary of 
 the Grand Chapter; Grand Recorder of the Grand 
 Council and of the Grand Commandery; and 
 Grand Secretary of the Council of Deliberation, 
 S. P. R. S., and other bodies.
 
 JACOB MANZ. 
 
 259 
 
 In 1877 he was elected Secretary of the Capit- 
 ular, Cryptic and Chivalric Grand Bodies of the 
 State of Illinois, a position he has ever since filled, 
 and has devoted the best years of his life to the 
 interests of the fraternity, administering to the 
 wants of his brethren, and relieving the needs of 
 their widows and orphans in distress. His sig- 
 nal ability and unrelenting efforts in the perform- 
 ance of his duties have won for him a host of 
 friends and admirers. He has labored untiringly 
 in behalf of the Illinois Masonic Orphans' Home, 
 of which he was the first Secretary, and through 
 his active efforts has contributed much to the up- 
 building of that worthy institution. 
 
 His long connection with the Ancient Accepted 
 Scottish Rite has placed him in correspondence 
 with all branches of the order in all parts of the 
 world. His commodious quarters in the Masonic 
 Temple are general headquarters for Masonic 
 affairs, and the resort of brethren from every civ- 
 ilized country on the globe. They contain an 
 ample library, and are filled with numerous other 
 articles of use or interest to members of the fra- 
 ternity . 
 
 Mr. Barnard was married in 1863, and one child, 
 a daughter, is still living, he having lost three 
 children. 
 
 JACOB MANZ. 
 
 (JACOB MANZ, one of the self-made men of 
 I Chicago, and prominent among its Swiss- 
 (*/ American citizens, is an excellent representa- 
 tive of the benefits of a Republican Government. 
 He was born October i, 1837, in Marthalen, in 
 the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, in which his 
 grandparents and parents, Jacob and Elizabeth 
 (Keller) Manz, were also born. 
 
 Jacob Manz, Sr., was a stone-cutter in early 
 life, and became an architect and superintendent, 
 which indicates that he made the best use of his 
 faculties and opportunities. Having heard much 
 of the wonderful republic beyond the seas, he 
 came to America in 1853, to ascertain for himself 
 if it afforded better opportunities for an ambitious 
 man than his native land. He spent six months 
 at Lima, Ohio, and came to Chicago in the spring 
 of 1854. He soon decided to remain here, and 
 wrote to his wife to dispose of their property in 
 Switzerland and follow him, with the children. 
 On account of the youth of some of the latter, 
 whose studies were not yet completed, as well as 
 the difficulty of disposing of the property to ad- 
 
 vantage, the move was postponed until death pre- 
 vented the meeting again on earth of husband 
 and wife. The latter died in 1860, at the age of 
 fifty-eight years. Mr. Manz did some building 
 in Chicago, but was forced in a short time to give 
 up business by the failure of his sense of hearing. 
 His latter years were occupied in carving marble 
 monuments, and he died in 1886, aged eighty- 
 four years, leaving two sons and two daughters. 
 Marguerite, the eldest, is the wife of Ulrich 
 Liechty, residing at Polk City, Iowa. Elizabeth, 
 Mrs. Toggenburger, is living at Bluffton, Ohio, 
 near which place the younger son, William, also 
 resides. 
 
 Jacob Manz, the elder son and third mature 
 child of his parents, grew up in his native village, 
 attending the public schools until his thirteenth 
 year. He was then apprenticed to a firm of wood- 
 engravers in Schafihausen, with whom he re- 
 mained until sixteen years old. Through the 
 dissolution of partnership of his employers, he 
 was unable to finish the prescribed term of his ap- 
 prenticeship, but has natural ability and industry
 
 260 
 
 HUGO NEUBERGER. 
 
 had already made him a skillful engraver. He 
 immediately set out for America, crossing the 
 ocean on a sailing-vessel, and arriving in Chicago 
 in the middle of July, 1855. He soon found em- 
 ployment with S. D. Childs & Company, with 
 whom he continued six years, and was next for 
 five years in the employ of W. D. Baker, a well- 
 known Chicago engraver. His long terms in 
 these connections are sufficient indication of his 
 faithfulness and skill. After a short period with 
 Bond & Chandler, Mr. Manz formed a partner- 
 ship with another engraver and went into busi- 
 ness for himself, late in 1866. 
 
 The firm was known as Maas & Manz, and was 
 first located at the corner of Clark and Washing- 
 ton Streets, and was two years later moved to 
 Dearborn and Madison. While here, Mr. Manz 
 became the sole proprietor of the business, by 
 purchasing the interest of his partner, and was a 
 very heavy loser in the great fire of 1871, realiz- 
 ing almost nothing of insurance. He had faith, 
 however, in himself and the city, and very soon 
 opened a shop on West Madison Street, near 
 Union, whence he shortly removed to Clinton 
 and Lake Streets. He subsequently occupied 
 locations on LaSalle, Madison and Dearborn 
 Streets, and is now established atNos. 183 to 187 
 Monroe Street. The business, in the mean time, 
 has kept pace with the growth of the city and 
 the improvements in the art of engraving. It is 
 now conducted by an incorporated company, 
 
 known as J. Manz & Company, of which Mr. 
 Manz is President, F. D. Montgomery Vice- 
 President, and Alfred Bersbach Secretary and 
 Treasurer. Every process of engraving adaptable 
 to the printing-press is carried on, and about one 
 hundred people are employed in the establish- 
 ment. 
 
 The genial and benevolent character of Mr. 
 Manz has naturally led to participation in the 
 work of many social and charitable organiza- 
 tions. He is a member of the Sons of Hermann, 
 Schweizer Maennerchor, Swiss Benevolent Socie- 
 ty, Germania Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted 
 Masons, and Gauntlet Lodge, Knights of Pythias, 
 also of the Royal League and National Union. In 
 religious faith, he adheres to the Swiss Reformed 
 Church, and has been a Democrat in political 
 preference since 1876. His only visit to the home 
 of his childhood was made in the summer of 1894, 
 when he made a tour of interesting localities in 
 Europe. 
 
 Mr. Manz has been twice married. January 6, 
 1859, he wedded Miss Carolina Knoepfli, who 
 died September 7, 1866. She was a native of 
 Ossingen, Switzerland. Two of her children are 
 living, namely: Caroline and William Manz. 
 November 24, 1867, Mr. Manz married Johanna 
 Hesse, who was born in Crivitz, Mecklenburg. 
 Germany. Her children are Ida, Paul, Adolph 
 and Helena Manz. 
 
 HUGO NEUBERGER. 
 
 HUGO NEUBERGER. Germans as a class 
 are a thrifty people, and when, after some 
 years, those who have come from the Fa- 
 therland return to pay their visits to old, loved 
 scenes, their friends wonder at the wealth Fort- 
 une has allowed them to so quickly acquire 
 in our beloved country of such advantages; for 
 here each man is equal in the eyes, not only of 
 
 God, but the law; here he may do as he pleases, 
 so long as he does not commit a crime or trespass 
 upon the rights of his neighbors. Politically, 
 they are formidable too, for we can see in the 
 election of Governor Altgeld what power is theirs 
 when they unite upon a candidate. 
 
 A man of influence among his fellow-citizens 
 was Hugo Neuberger, who was born at Camberg,
 
 HUGO NEUBERGER. 
 
 261 
 
 near Frankfort, Germany, on the 8th day of April, 
 1819. He came of a good family, one of his 
 brothers afterward becoming Mayor of his native 
 place, in which office he was 'continued for a 
 period of twenty years. Hugo, being a younger 
 son, and denied, according to the laws of the Old 
 World, some of the rights and advantages of an 
 elder child, like so many other enterprising young 
 men, came to this country to seek his fortune (or, 
 let us say, to make his fortune) , in boyhood. He 
 settled very soon after his arrival in his life-long 
 home, Chicago, which he grew to love with that 
 strong attachment entertained by all the old set- 
 tlers, who have seen its wonderful rise from a 
 sandy lowland (not unlike a part of Holland) to 
 its present growth as the metropolis of the Mis- 
 sissippi Valley, and destined before long to be- 
 come one of the most powerful cities of the globe. 
 
 He bought, after many exchanges (for he was 
 a man of speculation, a typical American, always 
 ready for a trade), the valuable piece of property 
 now known as Nos. 284 and 286 North Clark 
 Street, about the year 1860. Here he built a 
 substantial frame house, used as a grocery and 
 (according to the Old Country custom) a beer 
 hall combined, with his residence adjoining. 
 This was destroyed some years after his death, 
 in the great fire of 1 87 1 . His widow rebuilt more 
 substantiall}' in brick a structure of three stories, 
 now used as dwelling flats, having by self-denial 
 and unusual good sense been able to keep the 
 property and family together, and to see the latter 
 properly brought up to become useful members 
 of the community. 
 
 Mr. Neuberger had been a landscape-gardener 
 in Germany; but it is needless to remark in those 
 early days there was no demand for such services 
 in this vicinity, although no doubt at this date, 
 were he again to come among us as he did so 
 many years ago, his able intelligence would be 
 eagerly sought by the owners of some of our pal- 
 atial residences, for we have already grown to 
 number in our midst some of the finest homes 
 to be found anywhere in the country. Accord- 
 ingly, he turned his active mind to something that 
 was practicable in those days, from which he had 
 the satisfaction of knowing that he died in fair 
 
 circumstances, and future advances certainly con- 
 spired to give to his family who survived him a 
 success in life which at that time could not have 
 been altogether foreseen. 
 
 He was a consistent Democrat, voting regularly 
 but never seeking office. He was a Catholic in 
 faith, although his family, like their mother, have 
 altogether embraced the Lutheran tenets. As a 
 citizen he was law-abiding and reliable and had 
 many friends. He died in July, 1863, and was 
 buried in the family lot in Graceland Cemetery. 
 Had he lived to more mature years he would have 
 been justly proud of his family, whom it was fated 
 he should be taken from in middle life. 
 
 Mr. Neuberger married, May 25, 1854, Miss 
 Magdalena Ludwig, of Detroit, Michigan, a 
 daughter of Simon and Margaret (Knaben) Lud- 
 wig, who emigrated from Baden, Germany. She 
 was born in the City of Straits, July 18, 1835, 
 removing to this city in early life, where she 
 grew to know and love the subject of this sketch; 
 and although widowed in early life, she has been 
 faithful to his memory ever since, as she will die, 
 filled with the trust of guiding aright the family 
 of young people entrusted by God to her moth- 
 erly charge. All of them have grown to be a 
 comfort to her, respectable members of the com- 
 munity, and some of them with descendants who 
 call her "Grandma." It is owing to her watch- 
 ful care during the past more than thirty years 
 that her children grew up in honor, and that they 
 could be kept together in a home, and with a 
 property left them (of comparatively little value 
 at the time) now grown to be of considerable 
 worth. 
 
 Four children were the fruits of their happy, 
 though short, wedded life. Louise, born April 3, 
 1855, married, April 5, 1883, Julian Vaudeberge, 
 of Chicago, an editor in good standing; they have 
 two children, Madeline Marie and' Julian. Ba- 
 betta married, in 1892, David J. Lyons, of the 
 merchant police force, who unfortunately died the 
 following year, leaving no children. Magdalene 
 is unmarried. Hugo George married, in 1887, 
 Miss Emma L. Hunting, of Chicago, who died 
 in 1892, leaving two children, Anna Louise and 
 Florence Augusta. He has been for some years a
 
 262 
 
 E. F. PEUGEOT. 
 
 commercial traveler, but at present is employed 
 on the merchant police. 
 
 We thus see that Mr. Neuberger established 
 
 bring honor and fame to his name. Therefore it 
 is eminently fitting that his history should be 
 preserved herein, that those who shall follow in 
 
 one of the representative German families of the after years ma)- gain a faint idea of the early life 
 
 city, whose members, as they grow more and 
 more into harmony with American ideas, will 
 
 of this Chicago pioneer. 
 
 EDWARD F. PEUGEOT. 
 
 [TOWARD FREDERICK PEUGEOT, an 
 
 1^ early citizen of Chicago, and at one time a 
 I leading merchant and importer, was born in 
 Buffalo, New York, September 8, 1836, and was 
 the son of Peter Peugeot, a native of France. He 
 was also a relative of Peugeot Brothers, the fa- 
 mous bicycle manufacturers of Paris. Peter Peu- 
 geot was a highly esteemed citizen of Buffalo, 
 New York, to which city he removed from France 
 in 1833. He was engaged several years in the 
 hardware business, and as a manufacturer of ma- 
 chinery, but, having amassed a competency, he 
 retired from active business twenty years before 
 his death, which occurred November 22, 1875, in 
 the seventy-fourth year of his age, having been a 
 resident of Buffalo forty-two years. His wife, De- 
 siree, nee Sachet, also a native of France, survived 
 him, and her death occurred in November, 1886. 
 They were the parents of thirteen children, all 
 but two of whom died before their father. Ellen 
 J. became the wife of Judge W. M. Oliver, ol 
 Buffalo, and died at San Marcial, New Mexico, 
 while there trying to restore her health. An- 
 other daughter, Amelia, now deceased, became 
 the wife of George P. Bird, now a wealthy mill- 
 owner in Helena, Montana. 
 
 The other survivor was Edward, the subject 
 of this sketch, who came to Chicago in 1857, 
 when twenty-one years of age, and displayed 
 great ability in building up the largest toy im- 
 porting house in the West, which was known as 
 Peugeot' s Variety Store. During the time when 
 his business was largest, he made annual visits 
 
 to France to select goods. He was the local rep- 
 resentative of some of the largest and best known 
 manufacturing companies in France. When Chi- 
 cago was destroyed in 1871, he lost everything, 
 and, on account of the failure of the local insur- 
 ance companies, caused by the unparalleled mag- 
 nitude of their losses, he realized nothing from 
 that source. However, he went into business 
 again after the fire, and to some extent retrieved 
 his fortune. 
 
 On the I4th of March, 1861, Mr. Peugeot was 
 married to Maria L. Flershem, daughter of Lem- 
 uel H. Flershem, who is mentioned at length in 
 this volume. Four children blessed the home of 
 Mr. Peugeot, namely: Nina, now the wife of 
 Conrad Mueller, real-estate dealer and Assistant 
 Clerk of the Sheriff of New York County; she 
 has one child, Edward Herman Mueller. lone, 
 the second daughter, resides with her mother. 
 Pierre and Leon are now in the employ of W. 
 McGregor & Company, of Chicago. Mr. Peugeot 
 died August 8, 1886, and subsequently his widow 
 became the wife of William McGregor (see sketch 
 elsewhere in this work). 
 
 Edward F. Peugeot was a man in whom those 
 elements so essential to social popularity and 
 business success were prominent, and he was al- 
 ways the center of a large circle of admiring 
 friends. He was a very enterprising merchant, 
 possessing a high character and integrity, and 
 left to his children, as a legacy, a good name and 
 an excellent example of true manhood.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 Bk ,*. C.y. Co. Cficayo. 
 
 /^>
 
 FERDINAND LINK. 
 
 263 
 
 FERDINAND LINK. 
 
 l"~ ERDINAND LINK. ' 'Der Gipfel des Ber- 
 IV es f un ^ e ^ * m abend Sonnenschein," sings 
 | ^ the beautiful, irresistible Lorellei, seated 
 upon the picturesque summits of those storied, 
 castle-crowned highlands of the Rhine, whence 
 she drew to herself all who came within the scope 
 of her vision. It is proper now to write modestly 
 of one born in the Fatherland, to whom the sound 
 of "America" was, like the harmony of theold folk- 
 song, an entrancing melody, full of bright proph- 
 ecy, the hope of whose fulfillment he could not 
 withstand. 
 
 Ferdinand Link was born on the ist of No- 
 vember, 1829, in Birkigt Herzogthum, Meinin- 
 gen, Germany, his parents being Trougott and 
 Rosina (Schmidt) Link, persons of respectable 
 attainments, who lived and died in the Old Coun- 
 try. At about his fourteenth year he had com- 
 pleted the learning of the same trade as his 
 father, a carriage-maker, after which, in accord- 
 ance with the custom of his country-men, he 
 traveled to improve his knowledge of the craft, a 
 phase of intelligent life very interestingly set forth 
 by the great Goethe in his immortal ' ' Wilhelm 
 Meister." 
 
 Having acquired whatever seemed necessary to 
 thoroughly fit his genius to his life-work, he re- 
 solved to come to the United States of America; 
 so, in 1848, at the age of nineteen, he set sail 
 from Bremen upon a passage which took forty- 
 nine days in crossing to Baltimore, where he 
 disembarked on the 6th of July, 1848. Presently 
 he found employment at his old trade with a 
 Mr. Bishop, with whom he remained for a time 
 in mutual good-will. Anon, desirous to see more 
 of the New World, and getting on famously with 
 
 the new language, he set out for Richmond, Vir- 
 ginia, via the Natural Bridge, up to Abington, 
 where he continued his trade for a season, or un- 
 til the ist of November, 1850. Thence, at that 
 time, he proceeded to Kingston Springs, and by 
 way of the Mississippi River as far south as New 
 Orleans, directly returning as far north as this 
 city, which he reached the last week in Decem- 
 ber, 1850. and where for more than forty years 
 he has continued uninterruptedly to reside, pros- 
 pered, honored, and full of dignified interests in 
 our midst. 
 
 Mr. Link is a very modest man, but in his 
 craft it remains true that in the younger days he 
 was the peer of any in our city, which is amply 
 evidenced by some handiwork, so superior and 
 excellent, that it raises a well-defined doubt as 
 to whether there was any other here who at that 
 time could have done so skillfully. In the lan- 
 guage of the country whence he came to our 
 shore, he was a master mechanic, a "turner" of 
 rare ability. Among the things which came 
 like magic from his deft touch were the following, 
 which recur readily to the mind: A finely carved 
 turnout for Governor Wise, of Virginia; the first 
 hearse ever used in our city which had glass sides, 
 made for Undertaker Gavin, before which they 
 used a rough conveyance with a pall thrown over 
 the coffin; and the first public hack ever con- 
 structed here or seen upon our pioneer streets. 
 Surely this is quite sufficient to establish Mr. 
 Link's right to be remembered as one of the best 
 "turners" who ever lived with us, and certain- 
 ly the man who did the first really fine kind of 
 work in several valuable lines. 
 
 For eleven years he was foreman for Richard
 
 264 
 
 FERDINAND LINK. 
 
 Biel, a carriage manufacturer on the West Side, 
 who "has now gone to the "bourne whence no 
 traveler returns. ' ' While working at his trade, 
 Mr. Link also began to turn his attention to that 
 source of financial wealth which has made most 
 of our rich men, and that was to real-estate in- 
 vestments; for never in the history of the world 
 has there been so much money made in so short 
 a time out of building sites as right here in our 
 little Cook County, Illinois. Foreseeing himself 
 what would certainly come of it, he began to make 
 good moves in this direction as fast as he could 
 get money to buy with. On State Street, near 
 Chestnut, which for the greater part has been the 
 locality of his winning moves, he purchased a 
 piece of land and proceeded, in 1858, to put up 
 some houses for rent. The results were gratify- 
 ing from the start. 
 
 In the winter of 1864, in reduced health (ad- 
 vised by his physicians to do so if he wished to 
 prolong his life), he took his family and went to 
 California. The route, before the days of the 
 steam horse, was from New York City, via the 
 West Indies and the Carribean Sea, to Aspinwall 
 and Panama, and then by another line of steam- 
 ers to San Francisco, in which last city he stopped 
 for some time, his condition being much amelior- 
 ated by the salubrious climate, and his interest 
 deeply aroused by the quaint customs of that 
 strange new country, whose hills were made of 
 gold . For a season he soj ourned at Los Angeles (at 
 a period prior to this of they? de siecle) , Alame- 
 da, Warm Springs, and returned home in March, 
 1867, via Nicaragua and Greytown. Mr. Link's 
 love of travel is remarkable, and his keenly- 
 observing eyes, with the note-book which he 
 invariably keeps, make it intensely interesting 
 after long years to revisit with him in memorized 
 record those scenes of former delights. 
 
 On his return he invested in more real estate 
 near the site of his former possessions, and put up 
 houses upon the same; then came the fire of 1871, 
 that mighty holocaust which cost so many their 
 entire fortunes, and did inestimable damage for a 
 time to all our citizens, until returning courage 
 resulted in rebuilding better than was ever 
 dreamed of before. Mr. Link lost by this fire 
 
 seven houses, which shows that he had already 
 grown to be quite a landlord. Nothing daunted, 
 with that admirable energy which was so charac- 
 teristic of the age, he mortgaged his land to set 
 to work and build again, this time including the 
 construction of a grocery store near the corner of 
 State and Chestnut Streets, which he personally 
 conducted up to the year 1882, when he finally 
 retired from business, well intrenched in his fort- 
 unes, with hosts of friends his genial, honest and 
 frank nature had won him, for he never made an 
 enemy in his life. 
 
 That he might spend his closing years ' 'under 
 his own vine and fig tree," he bought a fine lot 
 at Number 76 Walton Place, overlooking the lake 
 at its foot (and which now has within plain view 
 the celebrated Newberry Library, since construct- 
 ed, one of the famous libraries of the world) . where 
 he erected a commodious home, wherein the years 
 pass by (when he is not in other scenes) like a 
 dream of the fabled days of old. 
 
 In 1852, tired of single blessedness, Mr. Link 
 took to his heart a wife (one of the most congen- 
 ial, entertaining, whole-souled women in our whole 
 city), Miss Mary Laux being her maiden name. 
 She was born, like himself, in Germany, in the 
 town of Losheim, County of Merzig, Province of 
 Trier, West Prussia, it being territory formerly 
 belonging to the French, and quite adjacent to 
 the famous Alsace-Lorraine country of later years' 
 contest. Her father, Peter Laux (coming of an 
 old French family) , had been a second orderly for 
 the great Napoleon. At the battle of Leipsig, 
 his horse being shot under him, he caught the 
 horse of the first orderly, who had himself been 
 killed, which was so bewildered by the fray and 
 smoke of battle, that when soldat Laux, being ig- 
 norant of the way to his troop, gave the horse his 
 head, he dashed away into the very enemy 's lines, 
 where, by a singular mistake, a French flag, 
 which had been captured, was handed him, he 
 being taken for one of their own German forces. 
 Thereupon, he put spurs to his horse and started 
 like lightning away for the opposite side among 
 his friends. His horse was shot by the volley 
 sent after him, and he himself badly wounded in 
 the leg, sustaining, besides several flesh wounds,
 
 FERDINAND LINK. 
 
 265 
 
 a fracture of the leg bone. Crawling under a 
 corn stack, he managed to escape apprehension, 
 and in this way was left for three days before be- 
 ing rescued by his own men and taken to hospital 
 to have his painful wounds dressed. In the mean 
 time, however, he had crawled to the River Katz- 
 back to bathe himself, and had kept the old flag, 
 which later came safely into Napoleon's hands. 
 This episode stamps him as a man not only of 
 strong vitality, to withstand such suffering and 
 hardships, but also as a heroic soul, of no common 
 mould. 
 
 Mr. Laux, in 1840, took his wife and family, 
 including those who were married, to America; 
 and at this juncture befel a very pathetic scene. 
 As they were about to leave France forever, the 
 vessel bringing from St. Helena the remains of his 
 old general, Napoleon, was coming into port. He 
 wept like a child, and exclaimed, "Why art thou 
 not alive, that I might again forsake my friends 
 and family to follow thee?" With Barbara, his 
 wife, he landed upon Chicago soil on the twenty- 
 fifth day of August, 1840. They have both 
 passed to their eternal rewards, for few of the 
 older settlers are longer left to greet us. 
 
 Mrs. Link was born the twenty-fifth day of 
 March, 1833, so that she began her blissful wed- 
 ded life at the early age of nineteen. One child 
 has blessed their union, Ferdinand Eugene Link, 
 who was born September 10, 1852. He learned 
 his trade of druggist with Mr. Van Derburg, and 
 went into the employ of Tollman & King, whole- 
 sale druggists, with whom he still remains, his 
 services being rewarded with the responsible po- 
 sition of manager. He was married, in 1875, to 
 Miss Marion Langdon of this city, by whom he 
 has three children , Ferdinand (third) , Marion and 
 John. 
 
 Politically the subject of this sketch is a Dem- 
 ocrat, not an office-seeker, nor fanatic in his views; 
 locally, he invariably selects the best man, in his 
 candid judgment, for support. 
 
 Physically Mr. Link is not a large man, but 
 so engaging in manner that he seems to rise at 
 times to the stature of a giant, as he graphically 
 depicts interesting experiences he has passed 
 through in his varied life of many vicissitudes. 
 
 He is one of the most unassuming, genial men 
 it is one's good fortune to run across, hospitable 
 and full of good parts. As an instance of the po- 
 etic feeling of his soul (a thing somewhat rare in 
 our crowding, rushing city) , at an advanced age, 
 he bought a fine piano, and started in to learn 
 music. He progressed with such amazing rapidity 
 that, although he had but six months' lessons, he 
 really plays very well, and some difficult pieces 
 of classical music, too. Jt is one of the proudest 
 recollections of his experience that he was per- 
 mitted, on a foreign tour, to play for a few mo- 
 ments upon the piano of Frederick the Great, in 
 the castle at Potsdam, during which exceptionally 
 honored occasion he very touchingly ran through 
 the pathetic bars of "Sad Thoughts of Thee." 
 One can readily picture this inspiring incident, of 
 one returning from a new country, full of honor 
 and wealth, to the home of his nativity, to view 
 for a season the place that gave him birth. Ah, 
 it is a strange world we live in, and strange in- 
 deed are the changes which come to us all! 
 
 The incident above related occurred upon his 
 memorable tour of the continent in 1892, when 
 he felt he must visit again the old endeared scenes 
 of his boyhood. Not alone those, but France, Bel- 
 gium and England were traversed; and if anyone 
 doubts the good use our friend made of his sight, 
 let him sit for a while listening to the "logbook," 
 as it has been the writer's privilege, and doubt 
 would vanish before the perfect light of enrapt- 
 ured conviction. It is understood that he is plan- 
 ning another trip abroad for the near future, for 
 lie is an indefatigable traveler. 
 
 In closing, we must not forget to say, that as 
 his earthly life has been correct, and his surround- 
 ings beautiful and uplifting, so he has had the 
 wise foresight to see to it that his remains after 
 death may be in a temporary earthly mansion 
 suitable to his wishes. In the family lot at St. 
 Boniface Cemetery, he has finished the construc- 
 tion of a family tomb, which for exquisiteness of 
 design and perfection of execution is unsurpassed. 
 There is no finer owned or erected in this city s 
 places of burial. The exterior facades are of 
 that handsome, durable stone, rock-faced, known 
 as Blue Bedford; while the interior rises grace-
 
 266 
 
 W. W. PHELPS. 
 
 fully and without that sense of oppression so fre- 
 quent in low-constructed burial places, being com- 
 posed of English Channel fire brick and elegant 
 imported Italian marbles. In the center rises the 
 catafalque, which will one day contain the last 
 mortal remains of our dear friend and his beloved 
 
 spouse. Each one has his themes of delight. Can 
 there be a more beautiful wish than to lie securely 
 safe after one's earthly existence is over, surround- 
 ed by the beauties which, like the hills, pass not 
 away until the judgment day? 
 
 WILLIAM W. PHELPS. 
 
 WALLACE PHELPS, one of 
 the earliest and most conscientious of our 
 business men, was born at Conesville, 
 Schoharie County, New York, June 17, 1825. His 
 parents were George and Mary (Chapman) 
 Phelps. 
 
 Being of the generation of self-made men, he 
 started out with a clear, straightforward mind, 
 aided by a common-school instruction, to do his 
 life work as the Creator foresaw it would come to 
 pass. 
 
 First in Oneida, at nineteen years of age, and 
 elsewhere in his native State, he waited upon 
 customers as a clerk behind merchants' counters, 
 and in 1847 went to Catskill, Greene County, New 
 York, to clerk for Potter Palmer. It is needless 
 to add, he did his humble early duties as faith- 
 fully and ably as he bore the later more hon- 
 orable and distinguished burdens which time 
 demonstrated he was more than equal to carrying. 
 
 Henceforth he was fated to join forces with that 
 truly royal man, Potter Palmer, the bare mention 
 of whose name thrills the listener with intense 
 admiration, and conjures up in his mind the 
 rapid achievement of our unrivalled city; in all 
 and through all of which none has been more 
 modestly conspicuous and helpful than Mr. Pal- 
 mer. Along with Mr. Palmer, Mr. Phelps was 
 mainly to work out his destiny. It was fitting, 
 for they were brothers-in-law; and so long, un- 
 ruffled and intimate were their mutual relations 
 
 and regard for each other, that the two men 
 actually grew more and more in personal appear- 
 ance alike. One glance at Mr. Phelps' face, 
 as the artist left it for our delight, and the 
 lineaments of his "dear friend Potter" suggest 
 themselves. Together they removed, in 1851, to 
 Lockport, New York, there engaging in business 
 for about one year only, for in 1852 they started 
 resolutely for the then Far West, resting their 
 weary limbs by the head of the beautiful Lake 
 Michigan, in which place fortune had decreed 
 they should win honorable names and a goodly 
 portion of the desires of this life. One has quite 
 finished his labors and is at rest above all earthly 
 value. Soon the other will go to his comrade's 
 side, while this scene shall know their presence no 
 more; but history is the better, and future genera- 
 tions, though they may lealize it not, will be the 
 happier and better that two such American noble- 
 men were among us in our infancy. 
 
 Soon after their advent, Mr. Palmer, having 
 some capital at command, entered into the dry- 
 goods business, wherein Mr. Phelps was his con- 
 fidential friend and financial secretary for long 
 years, always in every way satisfactory in his 
 discharge of onerous trusts. 
 
 In 1865 Mr. Phelps went for himself into the 
 wholesale and retail carpet business with a part- 
 ner, under the style of Hollister & Phelps, hav- 
 ing purchased the interest of the former partner, 
 Mr. Wilkins. He sold out his interest in this
 
 W. W. PHELPS. 
 
 267 
 
 paying establishment the June preceding the his- 
 torical fire of 1871. Thereafter for some six 
 months he enjoyed the delights of old Europe, 
 with the keen intellectual appreciation so charac- 
 teristic of him, combining business with health- 
 ful recreation, as he did considerable buying for 
 Mr. Palmer, who was furnishing the Palmer 
 House, recently built at that time. 
 
 Returning to the United States in good condi- 
 tion, he lived the easy life of an ' 'old-school' ' 
 gentleman for a period of eight years. But act- 
 ive life extended too great temptations to one 
 of his temperament; so it is not surprising, when 
 Mr. Palmer made him a flattering offer, that he 
 found it impossible to resist, and so it is chronicled 
 that the last twelve years of his life were spent 
 as confidential financial manager of that great 
 hostelry, one of the grandest and best known in 
 the wide world, the Palmer House. In him Mr. 
 Palmer had full and explicit trust and confidence. 
 He said: "I can goto California; I maybe gone 
 six months; and when I return, I feel I shall 
 hear everything has gone on just the same." 
 
 Alas, all must pay the sad debt of nature. Mr. 
 Phelps died May 18, 1891, of Bright's Disease, 
 and was interred in the family lot at Graceland, 
 where a fine monument marks his beautiful final 
 resting-place. For many years he was an at- 
 tendant at the Plymouth Congregational Church, 
 where he held a pew. Bishop Cheney, a warm 
 friend, officiated at the funeral obsequies at his 
 magnificent mansion house, No. 2518 Prairie 
 Avenue. 
 
 Mr. Phelps married, first, Lydia Palmer, sister 
 of Potter Palmer, in the fall of 1867. She died 
 on the very day of the Fire of 1871 , without issue. 
 September 9, 1873, he wedded Miss Cornelia 
 Austina Hubbard, of Spring Prairie, Wisconsin. 
 In good health, she continues to survive her 
 lamented husband, whose memory is sacred in 
 her heart and whose worth she delights to exalt 
 and honor. How strong under such circumstances 
 does the merit of this undertaking appear ! They 
 who make for themselves honorable names, but 
 are barred by fate against leaving children, must 
 herein find their most lasting and fitting monu- 
 ment in this record of their good deeds. 
 
 Cornelia A. (Hubbard) Phelps is a daughter of 
 Alfred Hubbard and Hannah Steele, of Wind- 
 ham, Greene County, New York, being the 
 youngest of eight children. Alfred Hubbard was 
 a son of Timothy Hubbard and Dorothy Raleigh, 
 of Connecticut. Hannah Steele was a daughter 
 of Stephen Steele and Hannah Simonds, also of 
 Connecticut. 
 
 Mr. Phelps was a stanch Republican, a con- 
 scientious Christian, a gentleman and a lover of 
 home. Tall and straight of stature, his pale 
 blonde face, handsome, yet full of kindly charac- 
 ter, firm mouth, prominent eyes, heavy eyebrows 
 and massive forehead well denoted the strength he 
 possessed. He and Mr. Palmer might have been 
 taken for brothers. Their names are indelibly 
 associated, and those who, in coming years, when 
 the flowers are blossoming over ancient graves, 
 shall read the records of the two lives, will un- 
 derstand more deeply and solemnly than words 
 can depict what this age and this city owe to men 
 like Potter Palmer and William Wallace Phelps. 
 
 It is fitting that this work shall record the fol- 
 lowing quite full and satisfactory genealogical 
 descent: 
 
 Ichabod Phelps, who was a merchant in Eng- 
 land, married Betsy Bristol, and, coming to this 
 country, in company with three brothers, settled 
 at Salisbury, in Litchfield County, Connecticut. 
 Later he removed to Wyoming, Pennsylvania, 
 where he continued to reside until the historical 
 massacre there by the Indians under the notorious 
 Brant, upon which event he took a fresh depart- 
 ure for Broome, Schoharie Count y, New York, 
 where he built and conducted a general store. 
 His son, Othniel Phelps, born in 1777, died in 
 1856. He was twice married; first, to Polly Fiero, 
 and secondly to Hannah Frost, who lived to the 
 remarkable age of ninety-two years, dying in 
 1876. 
 
 The eldest son by the first marriage was 
 George W. Phelps, who was born in 1798, at 
 Conesville, Schoharie County, New York, and 
 died July 3, 1866. He was twice married; first, 
 about the year 1820, to Zerviah Potter, who died 
 three years later, leaving two sons, Othniel B. 
 and Samuel P. (for a sketch of Othniel B. vide
 
 268 
 
 C. E. PIPER 
 
 other pages herein) ; second, he married, about 
 1824, Mary Chapman, who was born February 
 25, 1801, and died January 28, 1879. She was 
 a daughter of Samuel Chapman (born January 
 13, 1773, died November 30, 1858) and Rhoda 
 Cowles, his wife (born September 3, 1775, and 
 
 died in 1801). By this second marriage there 
 were eight children: Helen M., John M., Mary 
 Z., Catherine, Lucinda M., George C., Abbie 
 A. and William Wallace Phelps, the subject of 
 this sketch. 
 
 CHARLES E. PIPER. 
 
 QHARLES EDWARD PIPER was bom in 
 
 1 1 the city of Chicago June 12, 1858. His fa- 
 \.J ther, Otis Piper, well and favorably known 
 to the pioneer business men of Chicago, was of 
 English extraction, and traced his descent di- 
 rectly to ancestors who arrived in America and 
 settled at the town of New Salem in 1782. His 
 mother, Margaret (McGrory) Piper, of Scotch- 
 Irish lineage, was a native of Prescott, province 
 of Ontario, Canada, whither her father removed 
 in 1824. 
 
 Otis Piper, with his family, came to Chicago in 
 1851, at a time when the struggling town was 
 barely beginning to give promise of future impor- 
 tance, and cast in his lot with the few fervent- 
 spirited citizens whose eyes of faith saw, above the 
 alternating sand dunes and swamps of that early 
 period, something of the glory of the present me- 
 tropolis. Amid the surroundings common to the 
 pioneer outposts of civilization in our country, 
 Charles Edward Piper, the subject of this sketch, 
 first saw the light of day. The foundation of his 
 education was laid in the public schools of the 
 city, and in the face of many trials and vicissi- 
 tudes was, nevertheless, so firmly planted in the 
 mind of the young boy that an unquenchable 
 thirst for knowledge, and an indomitable deter- 
 mination to obtain it, impelled him to successively 
 graduate from the high school in 1876, the North- 
 
 western University in 1882, and the Union College 
 of Law in 1889, earning, in the mean time, his 
 own livelihood and the means to meet his stu- 
 dent's expenses. 
 
 After completing his law course, he entered 
 upon practice with Mr. Wilbert J. Andrews, un- 
 der the firm name of Andrews & Piper, a firm 
 which is recognized as one of the leading real-es- 
 tate law firms in Chicago. The business of buy- 
 ing and selling real estate has naturally grown up 
 with the practice of real-estate law, and the sub- 
 urban town of Berwyn was founded by and is to- 
 day, to a considerable extent, the property of Mr. 
 Piper and his associates. Socially Mr. Piper is a 
 genial, warm-hearted gentleman, easy in his man- 
 ners and a favorite in several social organizations 
 with which he is connected, notably the Prairie 
 Club, of Oak Park, and the Lincoln Club, of 
 West Chicago. In religious matters he is a fol- 
 lower of Wesley, and a consistent member of the 
 Methodist Church. He is President of the State 
 Epworth League and Treasurer of the National 
 Epworth League. Politically he is a Republican, 
 "dyed in the wool," is President of the town of 
 Cicero, and has held the office of Supervisor of 
 the town of South Chicago, as well as that of 
 member of the Board of Education of the town 
 of Cicero. 
 
 August 15, 1882, he married Carrie L. Gregory,
 
 FRANCIS WARNER. 
 
 269 
 
 daughter of Edwin and Anna S. Gregory, of 
 Nauvoo, Illinois, and granddaughter of Robert 
 Lane, partner of John Morris, of Philadelphia, of 
 Revolutionary fame. The three living children 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Piper are: Carrie E., born May 
 29, 1884; LuluL.; and Robert G. , December 6, 
 1889. 
 
 Mr. Piper vividly recalls the burning of Chi- 
 cago on the fatal October 8, 1871, but at that 
 time, fortunately, was residing outside of the burnt 
 district, and escaped any serious personal dam- 
 ages or loss. He is the President of the Method- 
 
 ist Forward Movement of Chicago, and takes 
 deep interest in the building of the Epworth 
 House, at Number 229 Halsted Street, now in 
 process of erection. This house, like its prototype, 
 Hull House, is designed to serve as an oasis in 
 the desert of poverty and iniquity, and will aid 
 greatly in the regeneration of that benighted re- 
 gion. He was one of the founders, and is now an 
 officer, of the Epworth Children's Home, and is 
 at the present time President of the Chicago Meth- 
 odist Social Union. 
 
 FRANCIS WARNER. 
 
 F~ RANCIS WARNER, a quiet, worthy citizen 
 ry of Chicago, is a descendant of very early 
 | English and German yeomanry. He was 
 born at Watertown, Massachusetts, January 26, 
 1819. His parents, George Warner and Mary 
 Salisbury, were natives, respectively, of Pack- 
 ington and Ashby de la Zouche, in Leicestershire, 
 near the border of Nottinghamshire, England. 
 The family name was originally Werner, and was 
 brought to England from Germany, after the Re- 
 formation of Martin Luther. England had just 
 become a Protestant country, and the founder of 
 this family on English soil received a grant of 
 land near the Welsh border. He had a coat-of- 
 arms, the principal objects on which were a castle 
 surmounted by a squirrel, with a motto signify- 
 ing, " Not for ourselves alone, but for others." 
 Mary Salisbury was a lineal descendant of a man- 
 at-arms who flourished long before the first 
 Werner came to England, and was granted a 
 "hide " of land (being all that he could surround 
 with an ox's hide cut into strips) by the lord of 
 the manor, whose life he had saved in battle. 
 
 Members of the Warner family came to America 
 in the early Colonial days, and it is a tradition 
 that one settled in each of the colonies of Massa- 
 chusetts, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. 
 
 George Warner and Mary Salisbury were mar- 
 ried in England in 1806, and removed four years 
 later to Massachusetts, where eight of their eleven 
 children were born. Mr. Warner was a lace 
 weaver, and was employed at his trade in and 
 about Watertown, Massachusetts, until 1837, 
 when he came to Illinois. He engaged in farm- 
 ing in Northfield Township, La Salle County, for 
 over twenty years, and then went to Iowa, and 
 settled on the Soldier River, near the present site 
 of Ida Grove. After he retired from farming he 
 returned to Massachusetts and died at Ipswich, 
 in that State, in 1874, at the age of eighty-nine 
 years. Both he and his wife were born in 1785. 
 The latter died in Illinois in 1851, age sixty-six. 
 
 All of their seven sons and two of their daugh- 
 ters grew to adult life. Samuel, born in England, 
 and an upholsterer by occupation , passed most of 
 his life in Massachusetts, and died, as the result
 
 270 
 
 FRANCIS WARNER. 
 
 of an accident, in St. Louis, Missouri. George, 
 born in Massachusetts, was a farmer; he died in 
 La Salle County, Illinois, in 1882, from the ef- 
 fects of a fall. Mary, Mrs. Sanford Peatfield, 
 resides in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Alfred is a 
 resident of Michigan, and John died in Newton, 
 Massachusetts, in 1892, at the age of seventy- 
 three. The subject of this sketch is the sixth. 
 Elizabeth, deceased, was the wife of William 
 Powell, a farmer in La Salle County, Illinois. 
 Thomas died in California from the effects of 
 drinking alkali water; and William is engaged in 
 mining in Utah. 
 
 Francis Warner was reared in Newton, Massa- 
 chusetts, and was taught to read by his mother. 
 His only attendance at a public school was one 
 half-day, at which time the teacher was absent. 
 At the age of fifteen years he was apprenticed to 
 a cabinet-maker, and his articles of indenture 
 stipulated that he was to receive $50 per year 
 and his board. During this apprenticeship he 
 made the most of his opportunities for material 
 and mental advancement. He joined several 
 others in a plan to secure instruction, and they 
 were taught four nights each week, for which the 
 teacher received fifty cents per night. So faith- 
 ful and diligent was young Warner, that he be- 
 came a journeyman at the age of nineteen. He 
 immediately went to Boston, where he continued 
 to ply his trade until 1843, when he came to Illi- 
 nois and took up farming on Somomauk Creek, 
 in La Salle County. 
 
 In the spring of 1861 Mr. Warner responded 
 to the call for troops to defend the Union. He 
 first went out in the three-months service, under 
 General McClellan, who was a personal acquaint- 
 ance, in West Virginia. He was a participator 
 in the battle of Rich Mountain, and was one of 
 the detail which accompanied the body of the 
 Confederate General, Garnett, to Washington, en 
 route to his home in Virginia. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. Warner again joined the Federal 
 forces, being attached to the Provost- Marshal's 
 department, with the pay and rank of Captain, 
 and was chiefly employed in the charge and hand- 
 ling of prisoners of war, with headquarters in 
 Washington. After the surrender of New Or- 
 
 leans, he joined Colonel Wood's command, the 
 First United States Regiment, with which he con- 
 tinued until May, 1865, when he was honorably 
 discharged. 
 
 While a resident of La Salle County, Mr. War- 
 ner was twice elected to the office of Sheriff, and 
 demonstrated such superior ability in the capture 
 of offenders, that his services were sought by de- 
 tective agencies throughout the country. Soon 
 after leaving the army he took charge of Allen 
 Pinkerton's New York detective agency, where 
 he continued a year, removing thence to Chicago, 
 where he occupied a similar position until his 
 health failed, in 1879, and he was compelled to 
 resign. After spending three months at the sea 
 shore, on the advice of his physician, he returned 
 to Chicago, very much improved in health anc 
 strength, and at once, in 1880, took charge of the 
 detective service of the American Express Com- 
 pany at Chicago. This was his last active em- 
 ployment, in which he still holds an honorary po- 
 sition. Though now in his seventy-seventh year, 
 Mr. Warner exhibits plenty of mental and physi- 
 cal vigor, and is still a useful member of society. 
 
 Mr. Warner is a Royal Arch Mason, and was 
 for many years active in the order. He is a mem- 
 ber of the Congregational Church, and a con- 
 sistent and stanch Republican in principle, being 
 one of the founders of that political organization. 
 In 1840 he married Miss Juliette Back, who was 
 born in Burlington, Vermont, August 17, 1819, 
 and is a daughter of Jasper and Sally (Harring- 
 ton) Back. Mr. Back was one of the minute- 
 men who served at the battle of Plattsburgh, 
 during the last war with Great Britain. Four of 
 Mr. Warner's eight children are now living. 
 Francis Armstrong Warner, the eldest, is a resi- 
 dent of Chicago. Alice, the second, died while 
 the wife of Albert Forbes, leaving an infant 
 daughter, who was reared by Mr. Warner. Juli- 
 ette died at the age of eighteen months, and Isabel 
 is the wife of Dr. Edward J. Lewis, of Sauk Cen- 
 ter, Wisconsin. Ernest died at three years of 
 age, Charles at fourteen, and Gray resides at 
 Denver, Colorado. Nellie is the wife of Henry 
 B. Gates and resides in Wilmette.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 

 
 LYMAN J. GAGE. 
 
 27 x 
 
 LYMAN JUDSON GAGE. 
 
 I YMAN JUDSON GAGE, President of the 
 I C First National Bank of Chicago, is widely 
 l~) known as the leading financier of the 
 West, as well as an active power in political and 
 other movements. As a promoter and active Di- 
 rector of the World' s Columbian Exposition, he 
 earned and received the good-will of every citi- 
 zen of Chicago, as well as of most of the world be- 
 side. 
 
 Eli A. Gage and Mary Judson, parents of the 
 subject of this biography, were natives of New 
 York, of English descent, their ancestors being 
 numbered among the early settlers of New Eng- 
 land. The student of American history cannot 
 fail to note that much of the energy and good 
 sense which gave direction to the development of 
 the entire northern half of the United States was 
 contributed by the New England blood. 
 
 L,yman J. Gage was born at De Ruyter, Madi- 
 son County, N. Y., June 28, 1836, and passed 
 the first ten years of his life in that village. On 
 the removal of the family to Rome, N. Y., in 
 1846, he entered the local academy, but left school 
 to engage in business life at the age of fourteen. 
 For a year, he was employed as clerk in the Rome 
 postofHce, and was detailed by the Postmaster as 
 mail-route agent on the Rome & Watertown Rail- 
 road at the age of fifteen. In 1854 he became 
 junior clerk in the Oueida Central Bank at Rome, 
 at a salary of $100 per annum. His duties in 
 that position were somewhat varied, and involved 
 the sweeping of the bank, as well as many other 
 duties which are fulfilled by a janitor in larger 
 institutions. The ambitious soul of the youth 
 who was destined by fate to control in time great 
 financial enterprises, could not always be content 
 in this position, and after a year and a-half of 
 
 service, with no immediate prospect of advance- 
 ment in position or salary, he resolved to try his 
 fortune in the growing West. 
 
 On the 3d of October, 1855, young Gage, 
 being then a little past the completion of his nine- 
 teenth year, arrived in Chicago with a capital 
 consisting of brains and energy. He shortly 
 found employment in the lumber-yard of Nathan 
 Cobb, a part of the time in keeping books, and 
 often in loading lumber. He continued in this 
 employment until the business changed hands in 
 1858. The financial depression of that period 
 made many changes, and, rather than remain idle, 
 Mr. Gage accepted the position of night-watch- 
 man at the same place. At the end of six weeks 
 in this service, in August, 1858, he was offered 
 and accepted the position of book-keeper in the 
 Merchants' Savings, Loan & Trust Company, at 
 an annual salary of $500. Here he found field 
 for the exercise of his abilities, and his advance- 
 ment was rapid. On the ist of January follow- 
 ing, he was promoted to the position of paying 
 teller, with the accompanying salary of $1,200 
 per year. In September, 1860, he became As- 
 sistant Cashier at $2,000 per annum, and a year 
 later was made Cashier. In August, 1868, he 
 resigned this position to accept a similar one in 
 the First National Bank. On the re-organiza- 
 tion of this institution, at the expiration of its 
 charter in 1882, Mr. Gage was elected Vice-Pres- 
 ident and General Manager, and became Presi- 
 dent January 24, 1891. Thus are briefly related 
 the steps of his progress, but they were not the 
 result of accident. Back of them were the quali- 
 ities which inspired the confidence of his fellows, 
 and the ability to make intelligent use of his op- 
 portunities.
 
 272 
 
 O. P. BASSETT. 
 
 Mr. Gage was one of the organizers of the Amer- 
 ican Bankers' Association at Philadelphia, in Oc- 
 tober, 1876, and was made President of that body 
 in 1882, and twice successfully re-elected, a com- 
 pliment both to Chicago and the man. He is a 
 member of two social clubs of the city, the Chi- 
 cago and the Union, an ex-President of the Com- 
 mercial Club (an organization limited to sixty 
 members) , and a Director and Treasurer of the Art 
 Institute. Mr. Gage takes a warm interest in 
 all matters affecting the public welfare, and has 
 been quite active as a member of the Republican 
 organization, because he considers the Republi- 
 can party the best exponent of his ideas on the 
 conservation of human liberty and general pros- 
 perity. While somewhat active in promulgating 
 his principles, he is by no means a narrow parti- 
 san, and will not tolerate anything which his 
 judgment or conscience does not approve, because 
 it bears the endorsement of his party. He has 
 been frequently urged to accept a nomination for 
 some public position, as the spontaneous choice 
 of the public urged, but his business interests 
 could not be set aside sufficiently to permit. At the 
 last regular municipal election he could have been 
 almost unanimously elected mayor, had he per- 
 mitted the use of his name. In spite of the cares 
 of his responsible position, he gave much of his 
 energy to the promotion of the World's Fair en- 
 terprise, and was made President of the Board of 
 Directors at its organization in April, 1890. This 
 he resigned on his accession to the bank presi- 
 dency, nearly a year later, but continued as an 
 active member of the Board. It is no injustice to 
 
 his contemporaries to say that the final success of 
 the scheme was in a large measure due to the 
 influence and efforts of Mr. Gage. When the 
 hostility of New York seemed likely to take the 
 location away from Chicago, Mr. Gage was one 
 of four local capitalists to guarantee the comple- 
 tion of the ten-million-dollar guaranty fund re- 
 quired by Congress from Chicago. It was while 
 on his way to attend a banquet in New York in' 
 honor of this event, that Mr. Gage was stricken 
 with a serious illness, which it required a dan- 
 gerous operation to overcome, and the whole na- 
 tion rejoiced when it was announced that he would 
 recover. 
 
 Mr. Gage is a student of rare discrimination, 
 and his public speeches show a cultivated taste in 
 literature, as well as a mind well stored with use- 
 ful knowledge. He has a happy faculty ofim- 
 parting information to others, and his occasional 
 addresses on financial, political and other topics 
 are greeted with wide and careful attention. In 
 private life, he is a most companionable gentle- 
 man, and gives ear as readily to the request of 
 the humble individual as the large investor. He 
 has been twice married. In 1864 he espoused 
 Miss Sarah Etheridge, daughter of Dr Francis 
 Etheridge, of Little Falls, N. Y. She died in 
 1874, and he was married to his present wife, Mrs. 
 Cornelia Gage, of Denver, Colo., in 1887. Their 
 home is on North State Street, near beautiful Lin- 
 coln Park, and here Mr. Gage spends most of his 
 evenings, ever gathering something from his well- 
 selected library. 
 
 ORLAND P. BASSETT. 
 
 | RLAND P. BASSETT, of the Pictorial Print- 
 ing House, of Chicago, and the owner of large 
 greenhouses in Hinsdale, where he makes 
 his home, was born March 31, 1835, in Towanda, 
 Pa. His father, John W. Bassett, was a wheel- 
 
 wright of the Keystone State, and in 1872 became 
 to Illinois, spending his last days in Chicago at 
 the home of his son, where he died at the age of 
 eighty-four years. He was a member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church. His wife bore the maiden name
 
 J. O. CLIFFORD. 
 
 273 
 
 of Angeline Crocker, and passed away several 
 years previous to the death of her husband. Their 
 family numbered nine children, of whom four are 
 yet living: Henry, John, Orland and Chauncy. 
 
 Mr. Bassett whose name heads this record was 
 reared in his native State, and remained with his 
 parents until he had attained his majority. The 
 greater part of his education was acquired in a 
 printing-office. In 1854 he began the printing 
 business, which he has followed up to the present 
 time, and step by step he has worked his way up- 
 ward until now he is President of the Pictorial 
 Printing Company, of Chicago. He owned the 
 entire business until about four years ago, when 
 he sold the controlling interest. It was in March, 
 1857, that he came to the West and located in 
 Sycamore, 111., where he published a paper, the 
 Sycamore True Republican, for nine years. He 
 then sold out and removed to Chicago, where he 
 carried on a job printing-office until 1874, when 
 he bought out the establishment of the Pictorial 
 Printing Com pan y, as before stated. 
 
 On the 5th of April, 1858, Mr. Bassett was 
 united in marriage with Miss Betsey M. Shelton. 
 
 One child has been born to them, Kate B., wife 
 of Charles L. Washburn, of Hinsdale. They 
 have one son, Edgar B. 
 
 For many years Mr. Bassett was a supporter of 
 the Republican party, but is now independent in 
 his political views. In 1887 he removed to Hins- 
 dale, where he makes his home, but still does 
 business in Chicago. He also has in Hinsdale 
 the largest greenhouses to be found in the West, 
 does an extensive business in this line, and em- 
 ploys a large number of men. When he began 
 business in Sycamore he had 110 capital and bought 
 his outfit on credit, but he has steadily worked 
 his way upward, and the business of the Chicago 
 Pictorial Printing Company has at times amounted 
 to $1,000 per day. The company is well known 
 throughout the United States and Canada, and . 
 also in parts of Australia and South America, and 
 its success is due in a large measure to the untir- 
 ing efforts and good management of Mr. Bassett. 
 He is a genial and pleasant gentleman, is very 
 popular, makes friends wherever he goes, and is 
 justly deserving of the high regard in which he 
 is held. 
 
 JAMES ORRA CLIFFORD. 
 
 (TAMES ORRA CLIFFORD was born Decem- 
 I ber 8, 1856, at Salem, Kenosha County, 
 G/ Wis. , being the son of Emery and Mary Jane 
 (Osgood) Clifford. He comes of English ances- 
 try, and his forefathers were among the early set- 
 tlers of the New England States. His paternal 
 grandparents, John and Nancy (Ray) Clifford, 
 were born in New Hampshire. They afterward 
 settled at Collins, Erie County, N. Y. They were 
 the parents of eleven children. Emery, the sev- 
 enth of these, was born at Collins, Erie County, 
 N. Y., October 21, 1832. In the year 1846 his 
 parents removed from New York and settled near 
 
 Salem, Kenosha County, Wis. His maternal 
 grandparents, John Sherman and Jane (Orvis) 
 Osgood, were natives of Brookline, Windham 
 Count}', Vt. They were the parents of five chil- 
 dren. Mary Jane, the eldest, was born at Brook- 
 line, Windham County, Vt., November 30, 1838. 
 In the fall of 1851 they removed from Vermont, 
 settling on a farm near Salem, Kenosha County, 
 Wis. 
 
 Emery Clifford and Mary Jane Osgood were 
 married at Salem, Kenosha County, Wis., on 
 February 8, 1856. They settled on a farm near 
 Salem, Wis., where their four children were born.
 
 274 
 
 J. O. CLIFFORD. 
 
 Emery Clifford enlisted in the First Wisconsin 
 Heavy Artillery, Company L, and was stationed 
 at Arlington Heights, near Washington, D. C., 
 guarding the United States capital until the close 
 of the civil war, after which he returned and was 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits until the autumn 
 of 1874, when he sold his farm and removed to 
 Delmar, Clinton County, Iowa, where he still re- 
 sides. Of his four children, James O. is the eld- 
 est. Jennie O. resides with her parents. Lurie 
 E. died unmarried in 1882; and Gay Emery, the 
 youngest, is married and resides at Arthur, Ida 
 County, Iowa, where he is the manager of a lum- 
 ber-yard. 
 
 The subject of this sketch entered the public 
 (country) schools at the age of eight years. From 
 the age of eleven he was employed in assisting his 
 father with the farm work during the summer, and 
 attending school in the winter, until the summer 
 of 1873, at which time he left home, going to 
 Delmar, Clinton County, Iowa, where he entered 
 the railway service as a messenger boy and ap- 
 prentice under his uncle by marriage, William E. 
 Roberts, who was agent for the Chicago & North- 
 western Railway Company at that station. Here, 
 during the following year until October, he learned 
 telegraphy and the duties of a station agent 
 generally, and has since been in the employ of 
 the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company 
 consecutively, as follows: October, 1874, to Au 
 gust, 1880, at various stations on the Iowa Divis- 
 ion as telegraph operator and agent. In August, 
 1880, while he was stationed at Montour, Iowa, 
 he was appointed to the position of Traveling 
 Auditor. In this capacity he traveled over the 
 entire Northwestern System. On November 7, 
 1887, he was appointed Freight Auditor of the 
 Chicago & Northwestern Railway ; Fremont, Elk- 
 horn & Missouri Valley, and Sioux & Pacific 
 Railroads, with office at Chicago, which position 
 he holds at the present time. His long continu- 
 ance in this position, where a thorough knowl- 
 edge of the intricacies of railway accounting, sys- 
 tematic supervision, and accuracy in every detail, 
 are essential, attests his executive ability and 
 faithfulness. His management in business affairs 
 is characterized by a progressive spirit, seeking 
 
 improved methods and higher efficiency in mat- 
 ters pertaining to his chosen profession. In har- 
 mony with this idea he has been a member of the 
 Association of American Railway Accounting Of- 
 ficers since its organization, having always taken 
 an active and influential part in its deliberations, 
 and having been honored by his fellow-members 
 with the office of Vice-President of the Associa- 
 tion. 
 
 On November 7, 1883, Mr. Clifford married 
 Miss May Elizabeth Dannatt, who was born at 
 Low Moor, Iowa, June 25, 1859, and who is a 
 daughter of Benjamin and Jane (Cortis) Dannatt, 
 natives of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, England, 
 respectively. In 1851 her grandfather, Samuel 
 Dannatt, came from England and purchased five 
 thousand acres of land in Clinton County, Iowa, 
 giving to the location the name of his old home in 
 England, and to his residence the name of Kill- 
 inghome Hall, after his English estate. They 
 resided at Clinton, Iowa, until October, 1885, at 
 which time they removed to Wheaton, 111., where 
 they now occupy a pleasant home on Main Street, 
 corner of Franklin. To them have been given 
 five children. Grace Edith was born at Clinton, 
 Iowa, February i, 1885. The other four were 
 born at Wheaton, DuPage County, 111. Lewis 
 Dannatt on April 17, 1886; Oliveon JuneS, 1887; 
 Marshall Emery on February 26, 1892; and Alice 
 on April 8, 1893. Mr. Clifford has served two 
 terms in the City Council of Wheaton as represen- 
 tative of the ward in which he lives, having de- 
 clined further honors in that direction. 
 
 Mr. Clifford possesses a fine physique, and has 
 the easy, cordial bearing which makes and retains 
 friendships. He is of a social disposition and is 
 prominently identified with numerous fraternal 
 orders, among which may be named the Masonic, 
 Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of Amer- 
 ica and National Union. He attends the Epis- 
 copal Church, in which Mrs. Clifford is a com- 
 municant, and gives his political fealty to the 
 Republican party. Mrs. Clifford is a refined and 
 amiable lady, who presides over their pleasant 
 home with easy grace, and aids her husband in 
 making it a hospitable and attractive abode.
 
 THEODORE HUBBARD. 
 
 275 
 
 DR. THEODORE HUBBARD. 
 
 0R. THEODORE HUBBARD, the first 
 Postmaster of Babcock's Grove, and a prom- 
 inent citizen of Cook County, was born 
 in Putney, Vt. , October 19, 1803, and died in 
 Chicago, February i, 1873. His parents were 
 Theodore and Dorothy (Wilson) Hubbard. The 
 family is descended from Edmund Hubbard, who 
 was born in Hingham, England, about 1570, and 
 crossed the Atlantic to Charlestown, Mass., in 
 1633. He died in Hingham, Mass., March 8, 
 1646. One of his sons, Rev. Peter Hubbard, a 
 dissenting clergyman, founded the oldest church 
 now in existence in the United States, located at 
 Hingham. He died there January 20, 1679, in 
 the seventy-fifth year of his age, and the fifty- 
 second year of his ministry. He was a graduate 
 of Magdalen College, of Cambridge, England. 
 Among Edmund Hubbard's descendants are num- 
 bered many eminent judges, ministers and educa- 
 tors, and the present Earl of Buckinghamshire, 
 England, is a descendant of the same family. The 
 Hobarts, or Huberts, of England came from Nor- 
 mandy during the reign of William the Conqueror. 
 The earliest known record of the family locates 
 them near Dieppe, Normandy, in 1198. They 
 were a baronial family in Norfolk, England, where 
 John Hobart resided in 1260. One of his de- 
 scendants, James Hobart, was made a Knight of 
 the Sword by Henry VII. in 1504. They were 
 created baronets in 1611. Our subject repre- 
 sented the eighth generation in America. The 
 names of his progenitors in direct line were Ed- 
 mund, Thomas, Caleb, Benjamin, Peter, Sr., 
 Peter, Jr., and Theodore. 
 
 Peter Hubbard, Sr., died near Ft. William Hen- 
 ry during the French and Indian War, of wounds 
 received in that service. His son was an Ensign 
 in a New Hampshire company during the Revo- 
 lutionary War. The father of our subject was 
 born in Keene, N. H., October 25, 1774, and 
 
 died in Hartford, Vt., February 15, 1814. His 
 wife died at Babcock's Grove, July 16, 1840, at 
 the age of sixty-seven years. 
 
 Doctor Hubbard was the fourth in their family 
 of seven children. He was married November 
 25, 1828, to Anne Ward Ballou, who was born 
 December 29, 1809, in Deerfield, near Utica, N. 
 Y. , and was a daughter of Ebenezer and Marana 
 (Ward) Ballou. The Ward fataily has an ex- 
 tensive genealogical history, which can be traced 
 back to 1 1 30. The name is derived from ' 'Gar' ' 
 or "Garde." Ralph de Gar, ordelaWarde, flour- 
 ished in Norfolk, England, at the time of Henry 
 II. 
 
 Returning to the personal history of Dr. Hub- 
 bard, we note that he settled in Chicago May 21, 
 1836, and about a year later went to DuPage 
 County, pre-empting a farm near the present vil- 
 lage of Glen Ellyn. A few years later he was 
 made the first Postmaster of Babcock's Grove, 
 keeping the office in his house and bringing the 
 mail from Bloomingdale on horseback. In 1851, 
 he returned to Chicago, where he engaged in the 
 practice of medicine until his death. He had pre- 
 viously studied for the ministry, but later entered 
 the medical profession, and as a physician se- 
 cured a liberal patronage. He also had an ex- 
 tensive knowledge of law, and was a man of more 
 than ordinary intellectual ability, although he 
 had little opportunity for education while a boy. 
 For several years he served as County Commis- 
 sioner of DuPage County. 
 
 Of the children of Doctor and Mrs. Hubbard, 
 Augustus, a civil engineer, died in Amboy, 
 111., in April, 1865. Carlos, manager of a wagon 
 factory, died in Chicago at the age of forty years. 
 Oscar died in Groesbeck, Tex., in April, 1877; 
 Adolphus, who was the founder of the Sons ol the 
 American Revolution in 1879, is now connected 
 with the California University of San Francisco,
 
 2 7 6 
 
 NATHAN DYE. 
 
 and is a member of many historical societies. Ed- 
 ward Clarence, who '^as a prominent attorney of 
 Hartford, Ky., died in Chicago, June 27, 1887, 
 at the age of forty-four years. He was a mem- 
 ber of the Thirteenth Illinois Infantry during the 
 late war. Enlisting April 21, 1 86 1, he was dis- 
 charged June 1 8, ^864, after having participated 
 in the battles of Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, 
 Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, siege of 
 Vicksburg, and other engagements. Ellen, who 
 died soon after aer graduation from the Chicago 
 High School, pnd Laura complete the family. 
 
 Mr. Hubbard was a life-long Democrat, but all 
 of his sons sup port the Republican party. In his re- 
 ligious views he was a Universalist. Of the first 
 Masonic lodge of Chicago he was a charter mem- 
 ber and was made an honorary member previous 
 
 to his death. Prominent in public and business af- 
 fairs, he was an honored and highly respected 
 citizen, who for many years was connected with 
 the leading interests of Chicago. His skill and 
 ability as a physician won him an enviable repu- 
 tation, and he was widely known as a man of ster- 
 ling worth. Mrs. Hubbard is an honorary mem- 
 ber of Chicago Chapter of the Daughters of the 
 American Revolution, and is honorary Vice- Pres- 
 ident of the Daughters of 1812. She is also a 
 member of the Historic Council, which was estab- 
 lished to keep alive the memories of the men who 
 gave liberty and fraternity to the western world. 
 She now resides in Glen Ellyn with her daughter 
 Laura, who is a lady of intelligence and refine- 
 ment, and a corresponding member of the Chi- 
 cago Historical Society. 
 
 PROF. NATHAN DYE. 
 
 . NATHAN DYE. No mention of the 
 LX musical fabric of Chicago and the West can 
 1$ be considered complete without a notice of 
 Professor Dye, who was endeared to many of the 
 early families of Chicago. A man who attained 
 the ripe old age of eighty-three years, he was 
 beloved by all with whom he came in contact. 
 He was a pioneer in his chosen profession, and 
 taught both vocal and instrumental music in 
 three generations of some families. One of the 
 secrets of his great success lay in his love of the 
 divine art, and his ability to so simplify his meth- 
 ods as to bring them within the grasp of almost 
 infantile minds. 
 
 Nathan Dye was born in the town of De Ruy- 
 ter, Madison County, New York, June 30, 1808, 
 and lived on the homestead farm until he was 
 sixteen years of age. The country schoolhouse 
 was a mile and a-half away, and the boy attend- 
 ed school half of each year from the age of seven 
 to ten years, helping on the farm during the in- 
 tervals, as was customary with lads of his time. 
 
 After this, he had but three months' schooling, 
 although always a student. When he was twelve 
 years of age, he met with an accident which 
 caused a lameness from which he never entirely 
 recovered. He was married, in 1833, to Miss 
 Lucy Maria Kinyon, of Milan, New York, and 
 four years later they removed to Kenosha, Wis- 
 consin, then called Pike Creek, and later South- 
 port. 
 
 A few years after coming West, Mr. Dye deter- 
 mined to devote his life wholly to music, which 
 had hitherto employed but a portion of his time 
 and energy. In 1844116 introduced his induct- 
 ive method of teaching in Milwaukee, Wiscon- 
 sin, by giving a series of concerts there with a 
 class of his Kenosha pupils. He continued to 
 teach in Milwaukee, with pronounced success, un- 
 til 1848, when he settled permanently in Chicago. 
 His phenomenal power of teaching children to 
 read music at sight attracted wide attention. For 
 years his classes, both adult and juvenile, were 
 a prominent feature of the musical world of Chi-
 
 NATHAN DYE. 
 
 277 
 
 cago and adjacent cities. A part of his life work 
 which is full of beautiful memories was that con- 
 nected with those of his pupils whom he assisted 
 in the development of musical powers that must 
 have remained dormant but for this generous and 
 kindly teacher. How many were placed in con- 
 dition of self-support along the line indicated by 
 nature's gift, only their helper knew. Several 
 of Professor Dye's pupils made brilliant reputa- 
 tions on the lyric stage and in great oratorios. 
 He numbered in his early classes some of Chica- 
 go's most prominent citizens. The well-known 
 comic opera singer, Lillian Russell, first started 
 on her musical career under his tutelage. In the 
 spring of 1880 the Professor was tendered a tes- 
 timonial and complimentary benefit concert at 
 Central Music Hall, which his old friends and 
 pupils made a great success. 
 
 In November, 1843, ^ e was bereaved by the 
 death of his wife, which occurred in Kenosha, 
 and a year's illness followed this sad blow. The 
 loss was somewhat compensated by the survival 
 of his three children for many years thereafter. 
 
 His only son, Byron E. Dye, died at Paola, 
 Kansas in September, 1883, and his remains were 
 taken to Kansas City for burial. His daughters 
 are Harriet A. and Frances E., of Chicago, the 
 former being the wife of N. Buschwah, and the 
 latter the wife of Gen. C. T. Hotchkiss, who won 
 his title in the Civil War. This sketch is penned 
 in loving memory of Professor Dye by Mrs. Hotch- 
 kiss. In 1855 Professor Dye married Miss Cor- 
 delia A. Hamlin, daughter of the late Rev. E. H. 
 Hamlin, once pastor of the First Baptist Church 
 of Chicago. Twin sons were born of this union. 
 
 After thirty-five years of happy wedded life, 
 they were separated by death only two months, 
 her demise occurring first. He passed away July 
 30, 1891, at his home, 383 Park Avenue. He 
 had been an invalid about seventeen months, 
 though his final illness was a severe attack of 
 pneumonia, which his great age made resistless. 
 His funeral took place Sunday, August 2, at Cen- 
 tral Music Hall, and his remains were interred 
 in the family lot at Kenosha, beside those of his 
 first wife. The funeral services were conducted 
 by Rev. Thomas G. Milsted, of the First Unita- 
 
 rian Church of Chicago, assisted by Mrs. Emma 
 J. Bullene, a trance speaker and an old pupil of 
 Professor Dye. 
 
 Professor Dye was an advanced thinker in the 
 line of religious conviction, investigating fear- 
 lessly and impartially new theories, and listening 
 gladly to the presentation of truth, as seen by 
 Christian or unbeliever. He accepted the tenets 
 of spiritualism, after the most careful and can- 
 did research, finding satisfaction in its teachings 
 as given by the scientific writers in that line of 
 thought. He was a great admirer of Rev. Dr. 
 Thomas, in whose discourses he found much food 
 for reflection. 
 
 Professor Dye was a descendant of old Revolu- 
 tionary stock, and imbibed the love of liberty 
 with his earliest breath. It is not strange, there- 
 fore, that he was identified with the earliest Aboli- 
 tion movement, and labored unflinchingly for the 
 emancipation of the colored man. Fifteen mem- 
 bers of the Dye family served in the Continental 
 army, several of them being officers. Among 
 the number was Gen. Thomas Dye, a personal 
 friend of Washington and La Fayette, who were 
 often entertained at his house in Bergen, New 
 Jersey, during the memorable winter of 1777-78. 
 Daniel Dye, grandfather of the subject of this 
 biography, endured the horrors of that winter at 
 the Valley Forge encampment, his feet being 
 swathed in rags for protection. He often related 
 reminiscences of the privations endured by him- 
 self and comrades at that time. At one time a 
 number of British officers visited General Wash- 
 ington under a flag of truce, and such was the 
 destitution prevailing in the camp that the only 
 refreshment he was able to offer them consisted 
 of baked potatoes and salt, which were served on 
 pieces of bark, in lieu of plates. Daniel Dye 
 was born in Kent County, Connecticut, February 
 10, 1744. He enlisted in Captain Beardsley's 
 company, Seventh Regiment of the Connecticut 
 Line, May 28, 1777, and was under command of 
 Col. Heman Sift. He was discharged from that 
 company February 17, 1778. Prior to entering 
 the regular service, he was a member of Captain 
 Fuller's company of militia, and did duty in the 
 New York campaign of 1776. He was the father
 
 2 7 8 
 
 THOMAS TAGNEY. 
 
 of eight children, the eldest of whom was John 
 P. Dye, born May 9, 1768. About 1791 he 
 moved from Connecticut to western New York. 
 His wife's name was Sally Rhodes, and Nathan 
 was the tenth of their eleven children. 
 
 Professor Dye was a member of the old Tippe- 
 canoe Club, and ever maintained the principles 
 
 upon which that organization was founded. He 
 was always thoroughly posted on current political 
 events and matters of historical interest. Every 
 movement looking toward the moral and physical 
 uplifting of humanity in general received his 
 cordial support and commendation. 
 
 THOMAS TAGNEY. 
 
 "HOMAS TAGNEY, whose death occurred 
 on the seventh day of September, 1894, a * 
 897 Seminary Avenue, was one of the early 
 settlers of Chicago, having first .visited this city 
 in 1836, nearly sixty years ago. He was a native 
 of Sheffield, England, born May 15, 1818. His 
 father, Thomas Tagney, was a musician in the 
 British army, as was also one of his brothers. In 
 1833 the elder Tagney migrated with his family 
 to Canada, where he taught music, in which he 
 was very proficient, for several years. The family 
 afterward returned to England, but the subject of 
 this sketch preferred to remain in this country, 
 and continued for a short time with his uncle in 
 Canada. Young Tagney was of a restless and 
 roaming disposition, and desired to see other parts 
 of the world. He accordingly went into the 
 Southern States, and was engaged on different 
 plantations in Alabama and Louisiana, in the vi- 
 cinity of New Orleans, for several years. Al- 
 though only a boy in his teens at the time he 
 went there, he rapidly acquired knowledge that 
 enabled him to direct plantation work, and he be- 
 came an overseer. In this employment he earned 
 good wages, a large portion of which he managed 
 to save. 
 
 Abandoning that life in 1836, he came direct to 
 Chicago, with a small fortune, which he invested 
 in North Side property. Two lots, 143 and 145 
 Illinois Street, for which he paid $600, he still 
 
 had in his possession at the time of his death, 
 and their value had increased to twenty-five thou- 
 sand. For several years Mr. Tagney was a steam- 
 boat engineer, and sailed all over the Lakes, from 
 Buffalo to Duluth On retiring from the lake 
 service he settled at Muskegon, Michigan, where 
 he resided 'five years, and was engaged as engi- 
 neer in the sawmill there. Returning again to 
 Chicago, he engaged as mechanical engineer in 
 the employ of the Fulton & St. Paul Grain Ele- 
 vators. He superintended the construction of the 
 former (first known as Munn & Gill's Elevator), 
 both in its original construction and when rebuilt 
 in 1873. He was continuously in the employ of 
 this elevator company for thirty-three years, a 
 testimony to his regular habits, ability and devo- 
 tion to the interests of his employers. 
 
 At the time of the great fire in Chicago, in 187 1 , 
 Mr. Tagney owned houses and lots on Illinois, 
 Indiana and Wells Streets, which, of course, were 
 consumed by the element which devastated the 
 entire North Side. But he had great confidence 
 in Chicago, and within three months rebuilt the 
 Illinois Street property, selling the other; this 
 property being the first house rebuilt. In the 
 year 1885, having spent the greater part of a long 
 life in active, arduous and useful labors, Mr. Tag- 
 ney retired from business and moved to L,ake 
 View, where he remained until his death. In 
 his later years he bought residence property on
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 ALONZO J. CUTLER 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 A. J. CUTLER. 
 
 279 
 
 Fletcher, Baxter, North Halsted Streets and Lin- 
 coln Avenue. In 1847 he was married to Miss 
 Alice Steele, daughter of Hugh and Mary Steele. 
 She was bora in May, 1828, in Canada, to which 
 country her parents had immigrated from the 
 North of Ireland, and died in Chicago on the 7th of 
 August, 1892, aged sixty-four years. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Tagney were the parents of seven children, 
 of whom five grew to maturity. Henry Thomas, 
 the eldest, was an engineer by profession, and 
 succeeded to the place made vacant by his father 
 in the Fulton Elevator. He married Miss Ella 
 Moore, and died in 1893, leaving a widow and 
 three children, Henry T., George and Effie. 
 
 The second son, James William, is a sign-paint- 
 er, and resides on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. 
 February 27, 1872, he married Miss Kate Casey, 
 a native of County Cork, Ireland, daughter of 
 Dennis and Mary Casey. They have four liv- 
 ing children, Thomas, Charles, Harry and Alice 
 Marion. Alice Jane, the third child, was married, 
 in 1873, to William Young, and now has two 
 children. Hugh, the elder, is a salesman, and 
 William, the younger son, is an artist. Mrs. 
 Young conducts a prosperous business on Diver- 
 sey Street. John E. is an engineer. He married 
 
 Ada Weinberg, and has three children, Willie, 
 Charles and Nellie. Charles S., the youngest son 
 of Thomas Tagney, is now engaged in the livery 
 business. He was married, February' 18, 1893, to 
 Miss Hilda Anderson, a native of Sweden; they 
 have one child, an infant. 
 
 Mr. Tagney was one of those men whose busy, 
 but quiet, lives have been spent in the upbuild- 
 ing of the great city of Chicago, and in the ac- 
 cumulation of wealth for his posterity. He was 
 a man whose temperate life and intensely domestic 
 characteristics were fit patterns for imitation of 
 those who succeed him. His disposition was 
 quiet and undemonstrative, but his impulses were 
 generous, and he never refused aid to the needy. 
 In politics he was a Democrat, supporting the 
 men whom he deemed best qualified for the offices 
 which they sought, but never asking for place for 
 himself. In his early life he was a member of the 
 Baptist Church, but in his later years he cher- 
 ished liberal ideas. In his investments he was 
 fortunate, in his domestic life happy, always pro- 
 viding for his wife and children a comfortable and 
 pleasant home. His sterling qualities of head 
 and heart attracted to him many friends, who are 
 left to mourn his departure from their midst. 
 
 ALONZO J. CUTLER. 
 
 GlLONZO J. CUTLER is widely known as 
 I I one of the most daring and successful brok- 
 / | ers operating upon the Chicago Board of 
 Trade. His transactions are distinguished by a 
 display of exceptional judgment, discretion and 
 foresight, which causes his movements to be 
 watched and commented upon by the whole field 
 of speculators and investors. It is a notable fact 
 that the men who have made and retained fort- 
 unes on the Board of Trade were all of a kind 
 especially endowed with the trading instinct, or 
 
 ' made wise in the school of experience; and Mr. 
 Cutler can justly be classed under both these 
 heads. Every move made by him is carefully 
 calculated and planned, and all his financial ar- 
 rangements are faithful to well-grounded princi- 
 ples of business. 
 
 Mr. Cutler first came to Chicago in the spring 
 of 1869, being then but seventeen years of age. 
 His cash capital at that time consisted of about 
 $20, but this lack of means was abundantly com- 
 pensated for by brains, pluck and energy, and he
 
 280 
 
 A. J. CUTLER. 
 
 immediately set about the task of bettering his 
 financial condition. With that end in view, he 
 vigorously applied himself to the first employment 
 which presented itself. This was the position of 
 driver of a wagon for the Singer Sewing-Machine 
 Company. A few weeks' experience in this ca- 
 pacity demonstrated his capability for employ- 
 ment demanding more skill and acumen, and 
 within a few months he was promoted to the po- 
 sition of head salesman of the Chicago agency. 
 It was not long before he was dealing in sewing- 
 machines at wholesale, and in a single year 
 cleared over $5,00x3 in this way. Such a prac- 
 tical demonstration of business ability and apti- 
 tude for trade could not fail to attract the atten- 
 tion of live business men, and in the spring of 
 1883 O. H. Roche, the well-known Board of 
 Trade operator, suggested to him that his trading 
 talents would find a more extended field in spec- 
 ulation. Other friends pointed out the dangers 
 and hazards, and advised him to persevere in his 
 previous line of business. 
 
 But Mr. Cutler had abundant confidence in his 
 own powers, and, after a brief consideration, re- 
 solved to enter the speculative field, as a more 
 congenial and speedy method of gaining a compe- 
 tence. He soon became an active trader in the 
 capacity of broker for Mr. Roche, for whom he 
 has ever entertained the highest respect, and 
 whom he regards as his preceptor in the specula- 
 tive field. 
 
 When Mr. Roche retired from business the fol- 
 lowing year, Mr. Cutler opened a brokerage office 
 for himself, and his rise has been steady and not 
 less remarkable than that of the renowned Ed 
 Pardridge, whom he has actively represented in 
 many great deals. But he has an outside busi- 
 ness of his own, and numbers customers by the 
 score, who have the utmost confidence in his 
 judgment, integrity and ability. One of the most 
 active traders on the Board, Mr. Cutler is always 
 in the thick of the crowd when there is any ex- 
 citement in the wheat pit. He is generally known 
 "on "change" as "the man behind Pardridge," 
 and his natural instinct and adaptability as a 
 trader have made his success no less remarkable 
 than that of the great speculator, in whose service 
 
 and under whose tuition his peculiar talents have 
 been developed. That these two men, being 
 similarly endowed by nature, and having knowl- 
 edge of each other's abilities, should have made a 
 record unparalleled in successful speculative an- 
 nals is not surprising. Their immense daring 
 and successful operations have become a part of 
 the absorbing and wonderful history of the Chi- 
 cago Board of Trade. Some of their boldly and 
 cleverly executed plans have evoked the admira- 
 tion of the commercial world. The appellation 
 of "plunger" is a misnomer when applied to 
 either of this pair, for the reason that their move- 
 ments, upon analysis and investigation, appear 
 plainly to be the results of the most carefully laid 
 plans and calculations. None of their deals have 
 been reckless, although they have been pro- 
 nounced so by persons not familiar with the inner 
 details. 
 
 Alonzo J. Cutler was born at Montpelier, Ver- 
 mont, March 24, 1852. He is the youngest in 
 the family of four children born to David W. 
 Cutler and Maria Marshall. The father, who 
 was a farmer and ice dealer at Montpelier, died 
 of typhoid fever during the infancy of the subject 
 of this sketch, who was afterward placed under 
 the guardianship of Elon Hammond, of East 
 Montpelier. Owing to the incompetence and mis- 
 management of this guardian, young Cutler was 
 removed to the charge of Hon. Clark King, a 
 prominent farmer, in whose home he remained 
 until about sixteen years of age. Most of his 
 education was obtained by attending a country 
 school in winter, and his first money was earned 
 by working as a farm hand at $7 per month. Be- 
 fore coming West he spent one year as clerk in 
 the Pavilion Hotel in Montpelier, but becoming 
 dissatisfied with the irksomeness of this position, 
 which consumed nineteen hours per day of his 
 time, he resolved to seek a change by moving to 
 the West. 
 
 The Cutler family in America is of English de- 
 scent. The first progenitor of A. J. Cutler in 
 America was John Cutler, Senior, who is sup- 
 posed to have come from Sprauston, a sub- 
 urb of Norwich, England. About 1637 he set- 
 tled at Hingham, Massachw ;etts, where he soon
 
 W. O. TYLER. 
 
 281 
 
 afterward died, leaving a widow and seven chil- 
 dren. He and his immediate posterity furnish 
 examples of the typical Puritan character. His 
 fifth son, Thomas Cutler, who was a farmer by 
 occupation, died at Charlestown, Massachusetts, 
 in 1683. The next in the line of descent herein 
 traced was Jonathan, a tailor by trade, and the 
 generations following him are successively repre- 
 sented by the following names: David, Jonathan, 
 David, and David W., the father of the subject of 
 this notice, who died in 1854, aged thirty -nine 
 years. His mother was Abigail, daughter of 
 Daniel Carroll, of Montpelier, Vermont, and a 
 niece of Charles Carroll, the noted statesman of 
 Carrollton, Maryland. 
 
 A. J. Cutler was married, December 26, 1891, 
 to Jessie Estelle, daughter of O. B. Warner, of 
 Peoria, Illinois. This lady is endowed with mu- 
 sical and elocutionary powers of a superior order, 
 
 and is the mother of two charming children. 
 They are named, respectively, E. Warner and 
 Fanchon T. Mr. Cutler is essentially a family 
 man, and, when able to leave the haunts of trade, 
 finds his greatest pleasure in the attractions fur- 
 nished by the home fireside. He is not connect- 
 ed with any religious, social or political organi- 
 zations of importance, but always votes the Re- 
 publican ticket. He is well known and respected 
 in Vermont, where he has scores of warm friends, 
 who admire his liberal and genial disposition as 
 well as his gift for making a trade. Mr. Cutler 
 honors his Yankee ancestors by exhibiting the 
 proverbial New England thrift and shrewdness, 
 and is abundantly able to take care of himself. 
 In the course of his transactions it is no rare mat- 
 ter for him to handle checks representing a half- 
 million dollars. 
 
 WARREN O. TYLER. 
 
 fi>G|ARREN OLIVER TYLER. Among the 
 I A/ i ua lif ac tions which are essential to an hon- 
 V V orable and successful business career may- 
 be mentioned physical endurance, sound judg- 
 ment, ready decision, unswerving integrity, patient 
 application, keen foresight and prudent and reg- 
 ular habits. It may be safely asserted that the 
 man of noteworthy accomplishments will possess 
 most, if not all, of these qualities, and while some 
 of them may be acquired or developed by the im- 
 mediate surroundings and conditions to which 
 the individual has been subjected, many of the 
 most essential elements of his character may be 
 attributed to inheritance. 
 
 Hence, in contemplating the personal history 
 of the gentleman whose name heads this notice, 
 
 it is well to observe that his ancestors were 
 among the early and substantial colonists of New 
 England, to whose physical vigor, longevity 
 and integrity of character the present generation 
 is indebted for the founding of some of its most 
 cherished institutions. The Tyler family was 
 planted in America by several brothers of that 
 name who came from England in the seventeenth 
 century. One branch of this family settled in 
 Virginia, and among its descendants was John 
 Tyler, ninth President of the United States. 
 Another branch of the family was located in 
 Connecticut, and a third in Vermont, near the 
 Canadian border, where for several successive 
 generations it has furnished some of the most 
 useful and patriotic citizens. One of these was
 
 282 
 
 W. O. TYLER. 
 
 David Tyler, a man of sterling virtues and noble 
 impulses. He was born at Cambridge, Vermont, 
 and for many years kept hotel at Essex Junction 
 and neighboring places. In 1864, he moved to 
 Chicago, where the balance of his days was spent, 
 his death occurring in 1886, in the ninetieth year 
 of his age. His wife, whose maiden name was 
 Clarissa Butler, died in 1890, in the seventy- 
 fourth year of her age. She was born on a farm 
 between Essex Center and Jericho, Vermont. 
 The Butler family was one of the oldest of that 
 commonwealth, and, like the Tyler family, of 
 English lineage. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler had six 
 children who attained mature years. Edwin T. , 
 of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is the eldest, and 
 the rest, in order, are: Warren O. ; Fred C. and 
 Henry W., dealers in paper mill supplies in 
 Chicago; Frank P., connected with the Ameri- 
 can Paper Company; Mattie A., unmarried, re- 
 siding in Chicago. Besides these, Mr. .David Ty- 
 ler had a daughter by a previous marriage, 
 Amelia, now the wife of G. T. Woodworth, of 
 Chicago. The members of this family are con- 
 spicuous for their domestic harmony and marked 
 fraternal regard several of their number having 
 avoided all matrimonial or other relations likely 
 to interfere therewith. 
 
 Warren O. Tyler was born at Essex Junction, 
 Vermont, March 3, 1844. When he was but 
 seven years of age, the family received a visit 
 from an aunt of the lad, by whom he was easily in- 
 duced to return with her to Chicago. He was 
 charmed with her glowing descriptions of the 
 growing metropolis of the West and already 
 longed to be a participant in the activity and 
 development which were there going on. Upon 
 his arrival, he became an inmate of the home of 
 his uncle, Mr. O. N. Butler, by whom he was 
 placed at school in the village of St. Charles, Illi- 
 nois. He subsequently returned to Vermont and 
 spent three years in his father's hotel. He had 
 in the meantime imbibed too much of the spirit of 
 western freedom to be long contented in the nar- 
 row limits of Vermont semi-rural life, and at the 
 age of fifteen we again find him in Chicago. At 
 that time he entered the employ of Butler & 
 Hunt, manufacturers of and dealers in paper, 
 
 then located at No. 48 State Street. At the end 
 of five years, he was admitted to a partnership 
 in the concern and continued to be identified 
 therewith for a period of twenty-five years, al- 
 though the name of the firm underwent several 
 changes during that time and the business was 
 subjected to disasters and vicissitudes which 
 would have discouraged less determined men 
 than Mr. Tyler and his associates. 
 
 In 1870, the greatest conflagration which had 
 visited Chicago up to that time occurred on 
 Wabash Avenue. The loss of Laflin, Butler & 
 Company by this disaster was $88,000. In the 
 great fire of the following year, the firm, then 
 known as J. W. Butler & Company, suffered a 
 loss of $455,000. Only a small percentage of 
 this loss was recovered from the insurance com- 
 panies. After the Wabash Avenue fire, the firm 
 came near suffering a loss of its books by the 
 premature opening of its safe, and, warned by this 
 experience, in the second instance the safe was 
 placed upon a stoneboat and drawn out upon the 
 paririe and carefully cooled with ice before being 
 opened, and its contents were thus well preserved. 
 Nothing daunted by the catastrophies which had 
 overtaken it, the firm immediately re-engaged in 
 business, which continued prosperously for many 
 years. Under the management of Mr. Tyler, a 
 branch establishment was opened in Milwaukee, 
 known as the Butler Paper Company, afterwards 
 succeeded by the Standard Paper Company. 
 
 In 1885, Mr. Tyler retired from connection 
 with this establishment and organized the Tyler 
 Paper Company, of which he became the Presi- 
 dent. This was in turn succeeded by the Calu- 
 met Paper Company, and he disposed of his inter- 
 est therein a few years before its annihilation by 
 fire, in 1893. He subsequently, in 1889, organ- 
 ized the American Paper Company, of which he 
 is now the presiding executive officer, and which 
 is conducting a successful and growing business. 
 At different times, he has been a stockholder in 
 several paper mills. 
 
 Mr. Tyler attends the Episcopal Church, with 
 which his parents were identified. He has been 
 a lifelong adherent of Republican principles, ful- 
 filling his duty as a voter, but never seeking any
 
 w. H. ALSIP. 
 
 283 
 
 public position. He has always been a model of 
 industry, often devoting eighteen hours per day 
 to his business, and has been successful in the 
 face of obstacles which would appal men of less 
 resolution and perseverance. The history of his 
 
 life furnishes an additional example of the fact 
 that consistent and well-directed effort is certain 
 of an ultimate reward, a principle too often lost 
 sight of in the modern scramble for pelf. 
 
 WILLIAM H. ALSIP. 
 
 HENRY ALSIP, Secretary and 
 Treasurer of the Alsip Brick Company, 
 was born in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, 
 January 23, 1858. He is a son of Frank and 
 Mary Jane Alsip. The former, who is well 
 known as one of the leading contractors and man- 
 ufacturers of the West, was born in Pittsburgh, 
 Pennsylvania, and began to learn the trade of 
 brick-making at that place at the age of twelve 
 years. He subsequently spent two or three 
 years in California, and in 1857 located in Prairie 
 du Chien. He established extensive brick yards 
 at that place and in McGregor, Iowa, and en- 
 gaged in contracting and building. His opera- 
 tions extended throughout northern Wisconsin, 
 eastern Iowa and southern Minnesota. The 
 period immediately subsequent to the great Chi- 
 cago fire offered an immense demand for building 
 material in this city, and Mr. Alsip was one of 
 the first to respond to the demand. He removed 
 his entire plant to the vicinity of Chicago, where 
 he has ever since had his headquarters. He has 
 become identified with several large brick manu- 
 facturing concerns, and is recognized as one of 
 the leading brick makers of the world. The 
 product of the Alsip brick yards has been used in 
 the construction of many of the principal build- 
 ings of Chicago, including the Masonic Temple, 
 Great Northern Hotel and the Grand Central 
 Station . 
 
 The subject of this sketch spent most of his 
 
 boyhood in McGregor, Iowa, where the founda- 
 tion of his education was laid in the public schools. 
 He afterward attended the Chicago High School, 
 and in 1880 he graduated from the University of 
 Chicago, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. 
 Two years later he graduated from the Union 
 College of Law, and was admitted to the Bar. 
 
 He began his business career as foreman of the 
 Hayt & Alsip brick yards, at Thirty-ninth and 
 Robey Streets, filling that position for three years. 
 In 1885, in company with his father, he built the 
 Lincoln Street brick yards, and when the Alsip 
 Brick Company was incorporated two years 
 later he became -its Secretary and Treasurer, 
 which position he still occupies, having almost 
 exclusive charge of the office work. The com- 
 pany, which is composed of Frank Alsip, William 
 H. Alsip and Frank B. Alsip, now operates four 
 extensive brick yards and furnishes employment 
 to about five hundred men. The business has 
 been constantly increasing, and is recognized as 
 one of the largest in that line. The output 
 ranges from one hundred to one hundred and 
 twenty-five millions per day. 
 
 Mr. Alsip was married on the 3oth of Septem- 
 ber, 1887, to Marcella Cusak, daughter of Mrs. 
 Joan Cusak, of Chicago. Mrs. Alsip was born in 
 St. Louis, Missouri, and has presented her hus- 
 band with two children William Henry and 
 Virginia. Mr. Alsip is a member of the Lincoln 
 Street Methodist Church, and is identified with
 
 284 
 
 JOHN MORRIS. 
 
 the Illinois and Union League Clubs. He also 
 holds membership with the Royal League and 
 Royal Arcanum. For six years past he has been 
 a member of the National Brick Makers' Associa- 
 tion, and is now its President. He takes an 
 active interest in political affairs, and is a mem- 
 ber of the Republican Committee of the Eleventh 
 
 Ward. He positively and consistently declines 
 the use of his name as a candidate for office, 
 though he has been repeatedly requested to be- 
 come a candidate for Alderman from his ward. 
 He is a man of recognized business ability and 
 unquestioned integrity, and is filling a responsible 
 and useful position in the community. 
 
 JOHN MORRIS. 
 
 (JOHN MORRIS, assistant superintendent of 
 I the Piano Manufacturing Company at West 
 (*) Pullman, was born near Blue Mounds, Iowa 
 County, Wisconsin, on the i2th of April, 1858, and 
 is of Welsh descent. His parents, Rev. Owen R. 
 and Catherine (Jones) Morris, were both natives 
 of Wales. The father was born in Blaenan, 
 Festiniog, Merionethshire, July 18, 1828, and 
 came to America in 1849 from Merionethshire, 
 North Wales, with his parents, Robert and Ellen 
 Morris, the family locating on a farm in Iowa 
 County, Wisconsin. On October 17, 1851, he 
 married Mrs. Catherine Williams, widow of I. N. 
 Williams, and lived in Iowa County until March, 
 1868, when, with his wife and children, he removed 
 to Fillmore County, Minnesota, where he now re- 
 sides. For a number of years he was pastor of 
 the Welsh Presbyterian Church at Blue Mounds, 
 Wisconsin, and for twenty-four years had charge 
 of the Welsh Presbyterian Church at Bristol 
 Grove, Minnesota. He is an earnest and untir- 
 ing worker in behalf of the church, and his work 
 has been productive of much good. All who 
 know him hold him in high regard. Mrs. Morris 
 was born in Llanrug, Carnarvonshire, North 
 Wales, February 25, 1816, and came to America 
 in 1845. She first married I. N. Williams, by 
 whom she had one son, I. N., now a resident of 
 Fillmore County, Minnesota. After the death of 
 her first husband she returned to Wales, in 1848, 
 
 but in 1849 again came to America, with her 
 father, Thomas Jones, who died in Iowa County, 
 Wisconsin, a few years later. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Morris had a family of four sons, 
 three of whom are yet living. William and 
 Thomas both reside in Fillmore County; Evan is 
 now deceased; and John completes the family. 
 
 Mr. Morris of this sketch spent his boyhood 
 days upon, his father's farm and was early inured 
 to arduous labor. He followed farming through 
 the summer months and in the winter season at- 
 tended the public schools, until eighteen years of 
 age, when he began teaching. He had early 
 evinced a taste and aptitude for carpentry and 
 machine work, and that instinct has been con- 
 stantly developing since; but it was some time 
 before he entered upon that line of work as a 
 business. After teaching for five seasons, he be- 
 came a student of the University of Minnesota, 
 and was graduated therefrom in 1888, with the 
 degree of Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. 
 During his four years' attendance he had received 
 some of the highest markings ever given in that 
 department. In 1888 he became connected with 
 the city schools of Minneapolis, and continued to 
 there serve until 1893, being for three years an 
 instructor in the Manual Training Department, 
 while for two years he was assistant superintend- 
 ent and had entire charge of the Manual Training 
 Department. His services were eminently satis-
 
 HENRY ABRAHAMS. 
 
 285 
 
 factory, and the work of the department prepared 
 under his direction for the World's Fair exhibit 
 was deservedly worthy of the high commendation 
 it received. During this period he also engaged 
 in consulting work and mechanical engineering, 
 and developed new devices and secured a number 
 of patents for patrons. 
 
 Prof. Morris was married on October 8, 1889, 
 in Cambria, Wisconsin, to Miss Lizzie Williams, 
 daughter of Robert G. Williams. The lady was 
 born in Cambria, and died in Minneapolis on the 
 27th of February, 1892, at the age of thirty-three 
 years, leaving one child, a daughter, Lizzie. 
 
 In June, 1893, Prof. Morris severed his connec- 
 tion with the Minneapolis public schools and ac- 
 cepted the position of assistant superintendent and 
 mechanical engineer of the Piano Manufacturing 
 Company at West Pullman. He had previously 
 spent a number of vacations as an expert and 
 traveling representative of the firm. His man- 
 
 agement of the affairs of the factory has given 
 entire satisfaction to his employers and won him 
 high commendation. His natural inventive genius 
 is constantly active, and new mechanical devices 
 are being continually developed under his direc- 
 tion. Mr. Morris has invested in West Pullman 
 real estate, with the view of making this place 
 his home. 
 
 Mr. Morris is a member of the Welsh Presby- 
 terian Church of Minneapolis, and for six years 
 served on its board of deacons, taking an active 
 part in the work of the church and everything 
 pertaining to its advancement. In politics he has 
 been a life-long Republican, and its men and 
 measures receive his earnest support. He is a 
 warm advocate of temperance principles, is of 
 cordial and pleasant manner, and takes a deep 
 and abiding interest in public advancement and 
 progress. 
 
 HENRY ABRAHAMS. 
 
 HENRY ABRAHAMS, one of the self-made 
 men of Chicago, was born September 28, 
 1837, at Kornmarck, near Posen, Prussia, 
 and was one of the seventeen children of Louis 
 Lipman and Rosa (Moses) Abrahams. His ca- 
 reer furnishes a forcible illustration of what may be 
 achieved through force of natural ability, energy, 
 perseverance, industry and integrity. Born in 
 penury and reared in poverty, with no advanta- 
 ges and every obstacle, outside of his own person- 
 ality, to overcome, he won his way to affluence 
 and an influential position among the representa- 
 tive citizens of Chicago. Louis L. Abrahams 
 was a tailor, who supported his large family by 
 the earnings of his needle. Hoping to better his 
 condition, he went to Newcastle, England, in 
 
 1840, and remained there until 1849, when he 
 came to Chicago, where his widow still resides, 
 at the age of eighty-five years. 
 
 Henry Abrahams showed his force of character 
 and instinct for trade by starting out in life as a 
 peddler in Chicago, at the age of twelve years, 
 and was eminently successful. He continued in 
 this occupation for twelve years, at the end of 
 which period he felt able to take a wife and set- 
 tle down in business. He accordingly married 
 Elizabeth Gerber, a daughter of Joseph and Julia 
 (Levy) Gerber. Joseph Gerber was a dry-goods 
 merchant in Hoston, near Prague, Austria. Mr. 
 Abrahams established himself as a retail grocer 
 at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Adams Street, 
 on the site now occupied by the Phelps, Dodge &
 
 286 
 
 HENRY ABRAHAMS. 
 
 Palmer Company, where he remained until his 
 buildings and entire stock, valued at $55,000, 
 were swept away by the great fire of 1871. At 
 this time he was the owner of the southeast quar- 
 ter of the block upon which he did business, be- 
 sides nine houses on Adams and Quincy Streets 
 and Fifth Avenue. It is said that he was before 
 the fire the leading retail grocer of the city. As 
 was the case with many others, his loss by the 
 fire was nearly total, on account of the failure of 
 the insurance companies. 
 
 Subsequent to the fire, Mr. Abrahams disposed 
 of all his South Side property and bought lots on 
 the corner of Van Buren and Halsted Streets, 
 covering all of the block fronting on Van Buren 
 Street, except two lots, which he owned at the 
 time of his death. At the same time he purchased 
 eight acres at Fifty-fifth Street and Garfield Boul- 
 evard. For the latter property he paid $8,000 in 
 1872, and sold the same in 1891 for $60,000. He 
 continued business on the West Side until his re- 
 tirement from commercial relations in 1880. He 
 subsequently engaged in the real-estate and loan 
 business, giving his attention largely to his own 
 investments. It was always a gratification to 
 him to reflect that he had never filled a subordin- 
 ate position, being always the proprietor of the 
 business in which he was engaged. 
 
 The success of this remarkable man is especial- 
 ly noteworthy from the fact that until his second 
 marriage, in 1867, he had not learned to read or 
 write. He never kept any books, and was able 
 to refer with as much reliance to his memory for 
 the details of every transaction as the ordinary 
 merchant does to his books. The date of a 
 note, its maturity and the interest accrued could 
 always be told by him at a moment's notice. His 
 memory with regard to other matters was equal- 
 ly retentive. He attributed this remarkable fac- 
 ulty to constant reliance upon his memory, unas- 
 sisted by the usual accessories. 
 
 In 1866 Mr. Abrahams was bereaved of his 
 wife by cholera, and her body was the first one 
 buried in Graceland Cemetery. She left three 
 children: Abraham Abrahams, late Health In- 
 spector of the Fourth Ward; Moses, a furniture 
 dealer in Clinton, Iowa; and Albert, who died at 
 
 seven years of age. In 1867 Mr. Abrahams 
 married Eleanora, sister of his first wife, who sur- 
 vives him and is the mother of the following chil- 
 dren: Max, a plumber, and Fanny, the wife of 
 Isadore Weiskopf, of Chicago; Bessie, the wife of 
 Albert Richmond, of Philadelphia, formerly pro- 
 prietor of the Standard Theatre of Chicago, 
 and now sole wholesale agent for the Schlitz 
 Brewing Company at Philadelphia, where his 
 wife operates one of the largest photograph gal- 
 leries; Joseph, a graduate of the public schools of 
 the West Side Business College, now manager of 
 his father's estate; and George and Louis, at pres- 
 ent students at Notre Dame University, Indiana. 
 Elizabeth, the second, died at eighteen years of 
 age; Albert, the sixth, at thirteen; and Sarah, 
 the seventh, in childhood. Mrs. Abrahams' 
 grandchildren are: Leo Weiskopf and Leroy and 
 Wilfred Richmond. 
 
 Mr. Abrahams' death occurred on the eleventh 
 day of April, 1894, at his home at No. 3355 For- 
 est Avenue, which he purchased and occupied in 
 1891. He was a man of fine appearance and 
 pleasant address, and his friendship was of that 
 warm and earnest character which attracted and 
 held men to him. He was generous, and many 
 remember with pleasure the time when he was to 
 them a friend in need. His eminent geniality 
 and social qualities brought him so closely in con- 
 tact with his fellow-men that he naturally became 
 a member of many societies, among which may 
 be mentioned the Masonic and Odd Fellows' or- 
 ders, B'nai B'rith, Hebrew Beneficiary Associa- 
 tion, Sons of Benjamin, Old Settlers' Society of 
 Chicago, and others. He was prominent and in- 
 fluential in politics, a member of the Democratic 
 partj', and a man whose counsel had great weight 
 with his associates in party affairs. He always 
 refused nominations for office, which were fre- 
 quently urged upon him, preferring to be a work- 
 er for the interests of the party to which he gave 
 his allegiance rather than receive the emoluments 
 of office. He was not only a genial and popular 
 citizen, but was the kindest and most indulgent 
 of fathers and husbands, and was the idol of his 
 family.
 
 G. S. INGRAHAM. 
 
 287 
 
 GRANVILLE S. INGRAHAM. 
 
 [RANVILLE SHERWOOD INGRAHAM, 
 youngest of a family of nine, was born May 
 27, 1824, in Montgomery County, New 
 York. His father, born April 23, 1782, was a 
 tanner and currier, who came from England to 
 the State of Rhode Island in his boyhood, remov- 
 ing subsequently to the State of New York, where 
 he became a very prominent Free Mason and was 
 universally esteemed, dying at the age of seventy- 
 three. He was one of the claimants of the cele- 
 brated "Leeds Estate" in England. His mother, 
 Philinda Taylor by maiden name, was born May 
 i, 1784, at Hartford, Connecticut, living to the 
 remarkable age of ninety-two. 
 
 Owing to the disability of total blindness which 
 afflicted his father for the last twenty-five years 
 of his life, the subject of this sketch, after an or- 
 dinary education obtained at the Union Mills 
 Academy, was obliged to leave home at the boy- 
 ish age of twelve to seek his own fortunes, and 
 well indeed did he find them. His first employ- 
 ment was in a merchant's store in New York 
 City; afterward, returning to Saratoga County, 
 was engaged in similar pursuits for a period. 
 
 At this juncture the turning point of his busi- 
 ness life was presented. James McKindley, the 
 veteran pioneer wholesaler of our metropolis, had 
 spent many happy boyhood days in companion- 
 ship with Mr. Ingraham; and now, being at the 
 head of the mercantile house, McKindley, Church 
 & Co. , thoughtful for and kindly disposed toward 
 this early associate, offered Mr. Ingraham, in 
 1856, a position with his house as traveling sales- 
 man. Losing no time in reaching his new field 
 of employment, destined always to be his home, 
 so well did he foresee the requirements of his own 
 and higher positions, at the same time bending 
 every energy toward fulfilling more duties than 
 those imposed upon him, that in an incredibly 
 short time, namely in 1860, he was elevated to 
 the standing of a full partner in the firm, there- 
 after to be styled McKindley, Ingraham & Co. 
 
 The next seven years witnessed severest appli- 
 cation and unremitting efforts upon his part, 
 gaining him unstinted meed of praise from all 
 with whom he had to do, wonderfully fruthering 
 the interests of his concern, but carried to the 
 excess of personal disability, so that at the end 
 of the period of which we are speaking, quite de- 
 bilitated and "run down" in health, he was com- 
 pelled to leave his office and seek the means of 
 regaining strength for the following two years. 
 The firm, in which he still retained his interests, 
 was burned out by the great fire of 1871, but 
 being well insured, it declined offers of finan- 
 cial aid as well as volunteered extension of time 
 on bills payable falling due. With marvelous 
 recuperation, being actually engaged in trade 
 within a week after the burning, and by good 
 fortune, it was enabled to meet all obligations as 
 rapidly as they matured. 
 
 About this time was organized the wholesale 
 grocery and tea house of Ingraham, Corbin & 
 May (now Corbin and May) , with which he was 
 thenceforth prominently identified in its very suc- 
 cessful upbuilding, until, in 1884, overtaxation 
 of mental and physical powers rendered retire- 
 ment again necessary, this time forced to become 
 practically final. But his fortune continued to be 
 thus mainly embarked with his firm, and during 
 the semi-invalid existence of his slow decline, he 
 always enjoyed thinking and speaking of trade, 
 and dreaming the optimist's dream of the golden 
 days bound to come to the trade when the entire 
 Northwest was better developed in its vast re- 
 sources. 
 
 The last years were made comfortable by a 
 portion of the means his industrious ability had 
 accumulated, the summers being mainly spent in 
 Chicago, while in winter he sought a less rigorous 
 climate; now in California, now in Florida, until 
 finding in Pass Christian, Mississippi, surround- 
 ings thoroughly congenial and beneficial, he there 
 bought a home in 1888, that he might regularly
 
 288 
 
 G. S. INGRAHAM. 
 
 surrendei himself to the delights of the semi- 
 tropic Gulf Coast. Alas for the brevity of life! 
 Love may not entice away, nor fortune bribe 
 against the visitation of grim, universally fated 
 death. The end came on December 20, 1892, to 
 a patient, long sufferer, resigned to the will of 
 God. 
 
 In boyhood he had followed family affiliations 
 with the Christian Church, that being a liberal 
 and righteous faith; but in maturer years he was 
 attracted by the stanch tenets and rugged char- 
 acter of Presbyterianism, and so had been for 
 many years united with the Hyde Park Presby- 
 terian Church, in which, wholly obedient, he 
 passed to a reward of good merits. 
 
 In Whig days he was a willing follower of 
 Henry Clay, but on the breaking up of old lines 
 and the drawing of new ones, he took and held a 
 liberal Democratic attitude, in local affairs sup- 
 porting the best man, irrespective of party. He 
 was always deeply interested in parks and other 
 public improvements, and all educational works 
 had his generous approbation and furtherance. 
 Being most happily environed, and strongly do- 
 mestic in temperament, he cared not for "club 
 life" or society, so called; yet he was not a re- 
 cluse, neither, as his friends well knew, was he 
 at all unsociable. 
 
 His first home in Chicago was purchased at 
 the corner of Prairie Avenue and Eighteenth 
 Street; removing, in 1872, to Washington Ave- 
 nue, just south of Fifty-fifth Street, he was en- 
 gaged in the construction of an elegant mansion 
 in the immediate neighborhood (No. 5520 Wash- 
 ington Avenue) , when he was taken away. She 
 who is left to execute his wishes may long find a 
 noble employment in the finishing of his ap- 
 pointed work. 
 
 The humanitarian shows out nowhere more 
 plainly than in his will. Years of affliction had 
 taught him the needs of the sick, while abundant 
 means enabled him to intelligently contrast the 
 wretched condition of the indigent ill. Therefore, 
 in his last testament, after liberal provisions for 
 his family and near relatives (not overlooking 
 generous legacies to several charitable institu- 
 tions) , he directed that the residue of his estate 
 
 should be invested and spent in the founding, 
 building, usefully equipping and maintaining of 
 a hospital for the poor sick, to be conducted on as 
 free a plan as possible. Would that all our wealth 
 accumulators, circumstanced like unto himself, 
 could be prompted by as philanthropic motives! 
 Then would riches become a general blessing in 
 disguise, and the abyss between the financially 
 high and low forever kindly bridged. Realizing 
 that he had few dependents, and that he was 
 largely indebted to the city of his adoption for his 
 opulence, he, in this dignified, munificent, last- 
 ing manner of endowing a glorious charity, con- 
 ceived that that debt should and would be paid; 
 and though for a time there be a contest over the 
 will, while something of doubt exists as to the 
 ultimate fate of the quarter of a million of dollars 
 thus bequeathed by Mr. Ingraham to the found- 
 ing of a hospital, which was to bear his name, let 
 us trust the law will vindicate itself and our testa- 
 tor friend's wishes, and that his widow, unswerv- 
 ingly devoted to the administration of his estate, 
 may be speedily confirmed in her legal rights as 
 his representative, and so enabled to proceed un- 
 der the will-terms toward the completion of the 
 conceived edifice; and generations to come will 
 thank the justice of the decree while blessing the 
 memory of him, their patron and benefactor. 
 
 Mr. Ingraham was twice married; (i.) July 
 14, 1847, to Miss Frances Sarah Foster, of Sara- 
 toga County, New York, who died January i, 
 1878, having had as issue a son, Hiram Foster 
 Ingraham, who died February 10, 1874, leaving 
 a widow, Fannie Ingraham (nee Wood), and a son, 
 Granville Foster Ingraham, which latter were 
 cared for by the subject of this sketch while liv- 
 ing, and abundantly provided for in his last will. 
 
 (2.) December 6, 1 88 1, to Miss Harriette Au- 
 gusta Foster (sister of his former wife, a daugh- 
 ter of Hiram Clark Foster) , who had no children, 
 but who was and is the soul of faithfulness toward 
 him and his house, and appointed as one of the 
 executors of his will. 
 
 (For some details of the Foster pedigree, vide 
 under sketch of James Mairs Gilchrist, on another 
 page herein.) 
 
 Mrs. Ingraham' s mother was Elizabeth Platt,
 
 NICHOLAS BUSCHWAH. 
 
 289 
 
 of a family of honorable standing and mention in 
 Eastern centers. Elizabeth was the fifth child 
 and daughter of Alexander Smith and Annie 
 Platt (nee Wakeman, of Greenfield, Connecticut) 
 and Galway, New York; Alexander being the 
 fourth son of Obadiah and Thankful Platt (nee 
 Scudder, of Huntington, Connecticut), and 
 North Fairfield, Connecticut; Obadiah being the 
 fourth son of Obadiah and Mary Platt, nee Smith, 
 who removed from Huntington across Long Is- 
 land Sound (with his brother Timothy), found- 
 ing the Fairfield branch of the family ; Obadiah 
 was the eldest son of Jonas and Sarah Platt (nee 
 Scudder), of the "Older Huntington" (Connecti- 
 cut) branch. Jonas was the second child and 
 eldest son of Isaac and Elizabeth Platt (nee 
 Wood) who (with his brother Epenetus) founded 
 the "Older Huntington" branch. Isaac was 
 
 probably born in England, being the third son of 
 Richard and Mary Platt, who came to this coun- 
 try from England in 1638, landing at New Haven, 
 Connecticut, where he afterward acquired valuable 
 landed possessions. The old family seat, how- 
 ever, is at Milford, a few miles thence west, 
 where the first American progenitor is buried, 
 and where have ever since dwelt the honored de- 
 scendants. 
 
 The English seat of the emigrating branch is 
 believed to be Bovingdon, a village near Hert- 
 ford, England. The Herald's College shows 
 some seven coats-of-arms assigned and granted 
 to different English families by the name of Platt. 
 
 From the foregoing it will be seen that Mrs. 
 Ingraham, through her mother, represents the 
 eighth generation of Platts in the United States. 
 
 NICHOLAS BUSCHWAH. 
 
 JJJICHOLAS BUSCHWAH is, doubtless, the 
 \j best informed man living in regard to titles to 
 I /!) Cook County realty. His long experience of 
 over thirty years in the preparation and examin- 
 ation of abstracts, together with his reliability and 
 unquestioned integrity of character, has earned 
 the confidence and respect of all political parties, 
 and of investors and business men generally. He 
 was born amid the romantic scenery bordering 
 the River Rhine, the place of his birth being the 
 village of Wahlen, Rhenish Prussia, and the date 
 of his advent being the igth of October, 1842. 
 His parents, Nicholas and Marie (Dewald) 
 Buschwah, were natives of Germany, of French 
 extraction. The father was a carpenter and 
 builder by occupation. In 1 844 he sold his beau- 
 tiful home and grounds in the land of his birth 
 and emigrated with his family, which then in- 
 cluded four children, to the United States, in or- 
 
 der to secure to them the blessings of political 
 and religious liberty. He located in Chicago, 
 where he followed his trade until death, January 
 24, 1864. His wife survived him several years, 
 dying at the age of seventy years. They em- 
 bodied the regular habits and sturdy character 
 for which our German citizens are conspicuous, 
 and left to their posterity sacred memories and a 
 good name. Seven of their children survive and 
 are residents of Chicago. Margaret, the, eldest, 
 is now Mrs. John Woltz ; Catherine is the widow 
 of Caspar Koerper; and the others are Matthew, 
 Nicholas, John, Peter and Jacob. One died in 
 childhood, and Mary, who was the wife of Mi- 
 chael Schwiser, passed away May 4, 1877. 
 
 The subject of this notice received his primary 
 education at the Kinzie School, then the only 
 public school in North Chicago, and known as 
 Alden Q. Wilder's School. He afterward became
 
 29 
 
 NICHOLAS BUSCHWAH. 
 
 a student at the Franklin School, Daniel C. Fer- 
 guson Principal, and completed the course of 
 study at the age of fifteen years, the Chicago 
 High School not being built at that time. He 
 then entered the real-estate office of James H. 
 Rees, to learn the real-estate business, and subse- 
 quently he entered the office of Rees, Chase & 
 Company, abstract makers, with whom he began 
 his clerical career, serving their interests for eight 
 years, during which time the style changed to 
 Chase Brothers. He became very proficient in 
 the preparation of abstracts, and after the ter- 
 mination of his engagement with this house he 
 served one year as money-delivery clerk in the 
 office of the American Express Company. This 
 was a responsible and arduous position, and he 
 often handled a million dollars in a single day. 
 He was next employed by Fernando Jones & 
 Company, the well-known abstract makers, whose 
 office was then located at No. 42 Clark Street. 
 He remained with this firm four years, filling the 
 place of chief abstract maker, after which he was 
 employed in the office of the City Comptroller up 
 to the time of the great fire of October 8 and 9, 
 1871. During the period immediately subsequent 
 to that catastrophe he assisted the Chicago Relief 
 and Aid Society as chief clerk and paymaster of 
 the Third Division of the city. For two and one- 
 half years thereafter he was an assistant in the 
 office of the City Clerk. At this time the firm of 
 Williams & Thielcke sought his services in the 
 conduct of their abstract office, and when, in Sep- 
 tember, 1885, their books became the property of 
 Cook County, he continued with the work, re- 
 maining in the employ of the county over seven- 
 teen years making the first abstract turned out 
 by the county and was chief abstract maker in 
 the department of abstracts in the Recorder's of- 
 fice throughout this period. During his long ex- 
 perience in the examination and production of 
 abstracts, he has becomes familiar with all the 
 details and technicalities of the business, and has 
 prepared more instruments of the kind than any 
 other individual. 
 
 In April, 1893, he resigned his position in the 
 Recorder's office, since which time he has con- 
 ducted an independent business as examiner of 
 
 titles, in connection with which he does a general 
 loan, real-estate and investment business. The 
 extensive acquaintance which he has formed dur- 
 ing his connection with this line of work brings to 
 him an ample and lucrative patronage, and many 
 large investors find it to their advantage to en- 
 trust to him the conduct of their financial trans- 
 actions. For many years past he has conducted 
 a loan and real-estate agency in connection with 
 his other undertakings, and has displayed such 
 judgment and discretion in placing funds entrust- 
 ed to his care that he has never found it necessary 
 to foreclose a mortgage or trust deed. His integ- 
 rity, justice and fairness are recognized alike by 
 creditors and debtors, and every man who forms 
 his acquaintance through a business transaction 
 becomes a permanent friend. By his shrewd 
 management many a poor and delinquent debtor 
 has been saved from total loss, while the interests 
 of the creditor have been at the same time fully 
 protected. 
 
 On New Year's Day of 1868 occurred the 
 marriage of Mr. Nicholas Buschwah to Miss Har- 
 riet A. Dye, daughter of Prof. Nathan Dye, 
 whose life history appears on another page of this 
 work. She was born at Truxton, Cortland Coun- 
 ty, New York, and at an early age began 10 de- 
 velop a talent and taste for music, taking her first 
 lesson from her father at the age of three years. 
 At fourteen she became a teacher of music, and 
 for many years previous to her marriage gave 
 instruction in both vocal and instrumental work, 
 often assisting her father in the conduct of his 
 classes and concerts. Ida A., the only child of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Buschwah, is a graduate of the 
 Chicago Conservatory of Music, and a teacher of 
 recognized ability in musical circles. She is the 
 wife of Leroy Grant, with whom she resides at 
 Laramie City, Wyoming. 
 
 For many years Mr. and Mrs. Buschwah were 
 members of Unity Church of Chicago, the soci- 
 ety established by Rev. Robert Collyer, who con- 
 ducted the ceremony at their wedding and the wed- 
 ding of their daughter, Ida A. They are among 
 the original members of the Independent Liberal 
 Church, organized by Rev. T. G. Milsted in Oc- 
 tober, 1894. It is a society founded upon prin-
 
 GEORGE DEARLOVE. 
 
 291 
 
 ciples of benevolence and Christian brotherhood. 
 Mrs. Buschwah is one of the trustees of the soci- 
 ety, and both she and her husband are enthusiastic 
 and active in good works. She is a member of 
 Chicago Chapter, Daughters of the.American Rev- 
 olution. Mr. Buschwah is a member of the Exec- 
 
 utive Board of the Twenty -first Ward Republican 
 Club, and has been a life-long supporter of the 
 principles of that party, and numbers among his 
 friends many of the leading citizens of Cook 
 County, irrespective of political or other connec- 
 tions. 
 
 GEORGE DEARLOVE. 
 
 DEARLOVE, a prominent pioneer 
 of Northfield Township, now living in Chi- 
 cago, was born in Harrowgate, Yorkshire, 
 England, in May, 1824. He is the only surviving 
 child of Richard and Hannah (Matterson) Dear- 
 love, who in 1836, with their family, came to 
 America, settling in Northfield Township, Cook 
 County, where they became the owners of an ex- 
 tensive tract of land on Milwaukee Avenue. 
 This tract, which is still retained in the family, 
 includes several of the finest and most productive 
 farms in Cook County, well supplied with first- 
 class improvements. 
 
 The children of Richard and Hannah Dear- 
 love were Mary, William, Peter, Richard, 
 Thomas, George and Hannah, all of whom be- 
 came leading citizens of Northfield Township, 
 but, as stated above, are now deceased, with the 
 exception of George. The latter became the 
 owner of several fine farms in Northfield Town- 
 ship, but in 1885 removed to Chicago, where he 
 has since dealt in real estate, his long acquaint- 
 ance with the county giving him an intimate 
 knowledge of land values which has helped him 
 materially in his business. 
 
 Mr. Dearlove was married in 1872 Miss Mary 
 A. Dwyer, daughter of Peter and Maria Dwyer, 
 of Newport, Herkimer County, New York, be- 
 coming his wife. Mrs. Dearlove, who is a lady 
 of refinement and ability, acquired her primary 
 
 education in the public schools of Herkimer 
 County, and later attended a select school at New- 
 port for one year. She then took a three-years 
 course at Fairfield Seminary, and still later at- 
 tended the State Normal School at Albany, New 
 York, but did not finish the course on account of 
 sickness. From the age of seventeen years she 
 was engaged at intervals in teaching. She came 
 to Cook County in the year 1867, and taught for 
 several years after her arrival, she and her sister 
 being the first teachers of the Normal System in 
 Cook County. 
 
 March 5, 1888, Mrs. Dearlove graduated from 
 Bennett Eclectic College of Medicine and Surgery, 
 with the degree of M. D., and afterwards grad- 
 uated from the Chicago College of Ophthalmia 
 and Aural Surgery. Since her graduation she 
 has practiced her profession with marked success, 
 and has won the confidence of the public and of 
 her associates to a most flattering degree. Dr. 
 Dearlove holds membership in the Chicago Eclec- 
 tic Society, and in the State Eclectic Medical So- 
 ciety, and during the progress of the World's 
 Columbian Exposition was in charge of the Illi- 
 nois Woman's Hospital at the Exposition 
 grounds. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Dearlove were born the fol- 
 lowing children: George M., whose biography 
 appears elsewhere in these pages; Thomas, a 
 student at the North- Western Military Academy;
 
 292 
 
 JOHN CRAWFORD. 
 
 and Mabel H. In his religious adherence Mr. 
 Dearlove is a member of the Church of England, 
 and in his political leanings he is a Republican, 
 though not a strict partisan, and never an as- 
 
 pirant for public honors. He is a successful 
 farmer and business man, and he and his family 
 enjoy the esteem of a large circle of acquaintances. 
 
 JOHN CRAWFORD. 
 
 HOHN CRAWFORD, deceased, was for years 
 I connected with the business and official in- 
 O terests of Cook County, and was a prominent 
 and representative citizen. He was born in Buf- 
 falo, New York, October 14, 1832, and died in 
 Chicago on the ist of February, 1894. His father, 
 Peter Crawford, is mentioned elsewhere in this 
 work. John spent the first twelve years of his 
 life in the Empire State and then accompanied 
 his parents on 'their removal to Chicago. Here 
 he became his father's assistant in the lumber 
 trade, and was thus employed until nineteen 
 years of age, when he entered Knox College, at 
 Galesburg, Illinois, where he pursued a prepara- 
 tory course of study. Later he entered Hamilton 
 University (now Colgate University) of Hamil- 
 ton, New York, and when his literary education 
 was completed he taught in Cicero Township, 
 Cook County, for several years. 
 
 At the age of twenty- four Mr. Crawford began 
 reading law in the office of Judge Buckner S. 
 Morris, of Chicago. He did not complete his 
 legal studies, but yet obtained a knowledge of law 
 which proved of great benefit to him in his sub- 
 sequent business and official transactions. For 
 many years he dealt largely in real estate, hand- 
 ling not only his own subdivisions at Crawford 
 Station, but also much other property. He served 
 for several terms as Supervisor of Cicero Town- 
 
 ship, also as Trustee and Assessor, and in numer- 
 ous other local offices. He was County Commis- 
 sioner for two terms, being a member of the Board 
 at the same time with Carter H. Harrison, about 
 the beginning of the latter's political career. They 
 were elected on the "Fire Ticket," as it was 
 called, the election being held soon after the great 
 fire of 1871. 
 
 On the 22d of August, 1861, Mr. Crawford was 
 united in marriage with Miss Adelaide F. Neff, 
 daughter of William and Olive NefF, of Chicago, 
 and a native of Buffalo, New York. When a little 
 maiden of six summers she came with her par- 
 ents to this State. Her father died in March, 
 1887, but her mother is still living in Chicago. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Crawford were born three chil- 
 dren: John H., a real-estate dealer of Chicago; 
 Florence, who is now deceased; and Genevieve. 
 
 Mr. Crawford was a member of the Millard 
 Avenue Baptist Church, and the family still at- 
 tends tha,t church. He belonged to the Masonic 
 fraternity, and in his political affiliations was a 
 Republican. He was a man of earnest convic- 
 tions and conscientious motives, and by straight- 
 forward dealing and uniform courtesy he won the 
 good-will of all with whom he came in contact. 
 Probably no man in Cook County had fewer 
 enemies.
 
 C. P. BRYAN. 
 
 293 
 
 CHARLES P. BRYAN. 
 
 HARLES P. BRYAN was born in Chicago, 
 October 2, 1855. His childhood was spent 
 \,J at Elmhurst, where his parents took up their 
 residence in 1856. Young Bryan completed his 
 education at the University of Virginia and the 
 Columbia Law School. He was admitted to the 
 Bar in Washington, D. C., in 1878. The follow- 
 ing year he removed to Colorado, where he en- 
 gaged in mining and in editorial and literary 
 work. He edited the Denver Inter Ocean and the 
 Colorado Mining Gazette, which he owned, and 
 was elected President of the Colorado Editorial 
 Association in 1884. A year after his arrival in 
 the Rocky Mountains he was chosen to represent 
 Clear Creek County in the Legislature, of which 
 he was the youngest member. He was Chairman 
 of the Railroad Committee. As champion of the 
 people against monopolies, he was called the 
 "Plumed Knight of the Rockies." He had a 
 voice iu every Republican State convention during 
 his sojourn in Colorado, and stumped the State 
 for Elaine. Twice he was urged by the slate- 
 makers, but declined to allow his name to be pre- 
 sented to the Republican State Convention as a can- 
 didate for Secretary of State. The probable nom- 
 ination for Lieutenant-Governor was also offered 
 him as an inducement to remain in Colorado. 
 Filial duty, however, called him back to Illinois 
 in 1885. 
 
 In 1 890, Col. Bryan was, unsolicited, nominated 
 for the Legislature and elected. In 1892 he was 
 re-elected to represent DuPage County. His chief 
 efforts in the Legislature have been directed to- 
 ward ballot reform, World's Fair and National 
 Guard measures, and those locally of interest to 
 
 his constituents. As a boy, he entered the First 
 Regiment of Illinois National Guards, and has 
 nearly ever since served in the State troops of Illi- 
 nois or Colorado, having been commissioned Aide- 
 de-Camp by four Governors. Col. Bryan is now 
 on the general staff of the Illinois National 
 Guard. His occupation is that of contributor to 
 newspapers and magazines, his line of work be- 
 ing editorial, historical and descriptive. 
 
 The paternal and maternal families of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, the Bryans and the Pages, set- 
 tled in Virginia about 1660. They intermarried 
 with the Lees, the Carters, Barbours, Crawfords 
 and Penns. Daniel Bryan, the grandfather of 
 Charles, made speeches in the Senate of Virginia 
 as far back as the '303 advocating the abolition 
 of slavery. On account of his pronounced Union 
 views he endangered his life at Alexandria at the 
 beginning of the late war. His son, Thomas B. 
 Bryan, came to Illinois iu 1852. As a member of 
 the Union Defense Committee, as president of the 
 Soldiers' Home and Sanitary Fair, and in aiding 
 to equip regiments for the war, he constantly 
 showed his loyalty to the Union. Company H 
 of the One Hundred and Fifth Illinois Infantry, 
 composed of the flower of the youth of DuPage 
 County, was called the "Bryan Blues" in honor 
 of the liberality of Thomas B. Bryan. As cham- 
 pion of Chicago for the site of the World's Fair in 
 speeches made in Washington and other cities, as 
 Vice-President of the Columbian Exposition, and 
 as Commissioner-at-Large to Europe, Mr. Bryan 
 has won international fame. His son has seconded 
 him in all these efforts. Famous men from all 
 over the world have been entertained at the
 
 294 
 
 A. F. HATCH. 
 
 "Bird's Nest," the Bryans' home. Edward Ev- 
 erett, President and Mrs. Harrison, the Logans, 
 Blaines, Cardinal Gibbons, princes, nobility and 
 ministers and commissioners from nearly every 
 
 land have been guests at this beautiful home, 
 whose hospitalities have helped to give renown to 
 Elmhurst and to DuPage County. 
 
 AZEL FARNSWORTH HATCH. 
 
 Gl ZEL FARNSWORTH HATCH, a promin- 
 LJ ent and well-known attorney-at-law of Chi- 
 / I cago, living in Lisle, was born on the 6th 
 of September, 1848, in Lisle Township, DuPage 
 County, and was the fifth in a family of six chil- 
 dren born to James C. and Charlotte (Kidder) 
 Hatch. He remained upon the home farm until 
 sixteen years of age, and attended the public 
 schools of the neighborhood, there acquiring his 
 primary education. In 1867 he entered Oberlin 
 College, of Oberlin, Ohio, where he continued 
 his studies until 1870, when he became a student 
 of the senior class in Yale University. In 1871 
 he was graduated from that institution, after 
 which he accepted the principalship of the High 
 School of Sheboygan, Wis., where he continued 
 for a year. 
 
 Mr. Hatch arrived in Chicago in 1872, and be- 
 gan the study of law in the office of Shorey & 
 Norton, attorneys, with whom he continued for 
 about two years, when, in September, 1874, he 
 was admitted to the Bar. In December following 
 he entered upon the practice of his profession, and 
 during the first year was associated with Messrs. 
 Norton and Hulburd, under the style of Norton, 
 Hulburd & Hatch. In 1880 he formed a part- 
 nership with O. F. Aldis, and under the firm 
 name of Hatch & Aldis these gentlemen con- 
 tinued business for several years, when the part- 
 nership was dissolved. Mr. Hatch is now alone 
 in business. He has been very successful in his 
 legal practice and has won an enviable reputation 
 therein. 
 
 On the sth of February, 1880, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Miss Grace H. Greene, of 
 Lisle, daughter of Daniel Greene, of DuPage 
 County. By their union were born four daugh- 
 ters: Alice V. , Helen, Laura and Grace P. All 
 are still with their father. The mother's death 
 occurred in Chicago, on the i8th of April, 1886. 
 
 Mr. Hatch is a Republican in political sentiment, 
 but is not strongly partisan, and has never been 
 an office-seeker, preferring to devote his entire 
 time and attention to his legal practice and other 
 business interests. He is connected with various 
 important concerns of the city. He is one of the 
 Directors and owners of the Chicago Herald and 
 the Chicago Evening Post, and is also one of the 
 exchequer committee of the Equitable Trust Com- 
 pany of Chicago. He is a Director of the United 
 Press, and is also connected with several other 
 enterprises. He has been a member of the Board 
 of Directors of the Chicago Library for three 
 years. He had charge of the organization of the 
 committees of the World's Fair and of the first 
 meeting of the stockholders. This was one of 
 the most wonderful corporations ever formed, as 
 there were at that time over twenty-eight thou- 
 sand stockholders. He took an active part in 
 promoting the interests of the World's Columbian 
 Exposition, and did all in his power toward mak- 
 ing the Fair a success. He is a well-known and 
 leading citizen and a worth}' representative of the 
 enterprise and progressive spirit which have made 
 Chicago the second city of the Union.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 P. D. ARMOUR. 
 
 295 
 
 PHILIP DANFORTH ARMOUR. 
 
 DANFORTH ARMOUR, who is 
 LX known throughout the world through his 
 t$ extensive business interests, is also widely 
 known for his efforts in behalf of his fellow-men. 
 While his financial gains have been great, he has 
 not neglected opportunities for devoting a fair 
 proportion to benevolent and educational work. 
 Through his generosity and fostering care, the 
 Armour Mission, originally established in 1881 
 by a bequest of $100,000 from his brother, Jo- 
 seph F. Armour, has grown to cover a very wide 
 extent of educational and philanthropic work, be- 
 ing permanently endowed and supplied with ade- 
 quate buildings and apparatus and a large corps 
 of instructors. This institution is recognized as 
 a powerful factor in the city's literary develop- 
 ment, and one of Mr. Armour's benevolent works 
 is thus made too prominent to be hidden. Of his 
 many private and quiet acts of charity the world 
 will know but little. 
 
 Philip D. Armour was born in Stockbridge, 
 Madison County, N. Y., on the i6th of May, 
 1832, being one of a family of six sons and two 
 daughters given to Danforth Armour and Juliana 
 (Brooks) Armour, his wife. The parents left 
 Union, Conn., in September, 1825, and settled at 
 the above-named place, where they engaged in 
 farming. The paternal ancestors were of Scotch- 
 Irish lineage, and were early established in this 
 country. The maternal progenitors were, no 
 doubt, of English blood, though they must have 
 early renounced allegiance to the mother coun- 
 try, as we find them honorably mentioned for 
 acts of daring in the struggle for American inde- 
 pendence. 
 
 Amid the simple surroundings of a New York 
 country home, P. D. Armour and his brothers 
 and sisters grew to maturity, imbibing the frugal 
 and industrious habits which have been handed 
 down from New England, and have done so much 
 to develop and husband the resources of the 
 United States. Wherever the New England 
 spirit has been prevalent, schools, churches and 
 manufactories have risen simultaneously, and so- 
 ciety has rapidly advanced in the arts and sci- 
 ences. The mother of this family was noted for 
 a joyous disposition, and under her loving care its 
 members grew up in a strong affection one for 
 another, and readily adopted habits of cheerful 
 industry, which led them all to material success. 
 
 Circumstances so favored Philip that, in addi- 
 tion to the district school, he was privileged to 
 attend the village academy . Here he became a 
 leader in both sports and studies, and it was con- 
 sidered a privilege to belong to his "set," for he 
 early developed a perseverance and determination 
 that carried through whatever he undertook. 
 His ambition had already looked beyond the nar- 
 row limits of a country hamlet, and when the dis- 
 covery of gold in California became a topic of gen- 
 eral interest throughout the country, he eagerly 
 joined a company which proposed to make the 
 overland trip to the land of gold. They left 
 Oneida, N. Y., in the spring of 1852, and reached 
 their destination after six months of toilsome and 
 dangerous journeying. Not all the dreams of all 
 the Argonauts were realized. They found the 
 country full of desperate adventurers, who had 
 everything to gain and nothing to lose, with lit- 
 tle or no law to restrain them. Here the habits
 
 296 
 
 P. D. ARMOUR. 
 
 and ideas absorbed in early life by young Armour 
 served him well. He went to work, and after 
 four years of moderate success, in which the sal- 
 ient points of his character were more fully 
 brought out, he returned for a short visit with his 
 parents and the companions of his youth. 
 
 After a visit of a few weeks at his native place, 
 he again started West, and located at Milwaukee, 
 Wis., where he entered into partnership with 
 Frederick B. Miles in the grain and commission 
 business. To this business he gave his time and 
 energies, with the result that it flourished and 
 gave him a high standing among business men. 
 In 1863, the firm was dissolved, and in the 
 spring of that year he formed a connection which 
 gave ample scope to his energies and abilities, 
 and hastened his pecuniary advancement. This 
 was a partnership with John Plankinton, a wide- 
 ly-known merchant and provision dealer, who 
 had been long established at that point, and the 
 new firm engaged extensively in pork-packing 
 for the market. At this period, the tendency of 
 prices was ever upward, because of the large de- 
 mands and limited supply made by the Civil War, 
 and business prospered with Plankinton & Ar- 
 mour. Herman O. Armour, a brother of the 
 junior partner, had established himself in the 
 grain and commission business at Chicago in 
 1862, and three years later he was induced to 
 take an interest in and charge of a New York 
 branch, under the style of Armour, Plankinton& 
 Co. At the same time, the Chicago business of 
 H. O. Armour & Co. was placed in charge of Jo- 
 seph F. Armour, and so continued until 1870. 
 In 1868, Armour & Co. began packing meats in 
 Chicago, and two years later absorbed the busi- 
 ness of all the Armour brothers in this city. In 
 1871, Armour & Plankinton established a pack- 
 ing-house at Kansas City, under the supervision 
 of Simon B. Armour, who gave the same judi- 
 cious and active care to its interests which have 
 characterized all the business undertakings of the 
 Armours. In 1883, the Kansas City business 
 was assumed by the Armour Packing Company, 
 in which Kirkland B. Armour was the leading 
 spirit. For four years previously it had been op- 
 
 erated by the Armour Brothers Packing Compa- 
 ny, with Andrew Watson Armour as President. 
 
 In 1875, P. D. Armour came to Chicago, and 
 from this center of the provision business has ever 
 since manipulated the business of the several 
 plants. The extent of this can be judged from 
 the fact that the distributive sales of the Chicago 
 branch exceed the receipts of any single railroad 
 corporation in the world. Mr. Armour has as 
 yet relaxed but little of his labor, and is found at 
 his desk at seven o'clock in the morning directing 
 business. To all he is most affable and courte- 
 ous, and he is regarded by his friends as the most 
 genial of men. His only departure from atten- 
 tion to his private business consisted in the ac- 
 ceptance of a directorship in the Chicago, Mil- 
 waukee & St. Paul Railroad, at the earnest re- 
 quest of his friend, Alexander Mitchell, of Mil- 
 waukee, now deceased. He has been a stock- 
 holder in the Milwaukee Mutual Fire Insurance 
 Company, and many other enterprises which de- 
 served and needed his sanction and support. The 
 simple habits and healthful surroundings of his 
 boyhood gave him a vigorous physique, which, 
 seconded by a sound constitution, has enabled 
 him to perform wonders in the line of business, 
 and he still possesses a wonderful vitality, which 
 promises many more years'of labor to him. He 
 is ably assisted by his sons, Jonathan Ogden Ar- 
 mour and Philip D. Armour, Jr. , who have proven 
 themselves apt pupils in the school of business in 
 which their sire is past master. 
 
 Mr. Armour was married at Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 in October, 1862, to Miss Belle, only daughter of 
 Jonathan Ogden. Starting in life with the same 
 sound New England training, Mrs. Armour has 
 been a true sharer in the labors and successes of 
 her husband. The family is affiliated with the 
 Plymouth Congregational Church, in the work of 
 which strong organization Mr. Armour takes a 
 deep interest and bears his due share. If the am- 
 bitious American youth seeks an example worthy 
 of his emulation in the struggles of life, let him 
 study the qualities which have made Mr. Armour 
 financially successful, and which have led him to 
 share his prosperity with those around him.
 
 T. E. LEWIS. 
 
 297 
 
 THOMAS EDWARD LEWIS. 
 
 "HOMAS EDWARD LEWIS, a self-made, 
 
 enterprising and progressive citizen of Whea- 
 ton, is one of the pioneers of Illinois, hav- 
 ing come to the State with his parents in 1839. 
 He is a native of Swansea, Wales, born on the ad 
 of July, 1826. His ancestors were prominent in the 
 military service of Great Britain, and were among 
 the most ancient in that country. His grandfather, 
 Joshua Lewis, was a farmer, and lived to be over 
 ninety years old, being succeeded on retiring by 
 his son Joseph, father of Thomas E. Lewis, all 
 being born on the same farm. Joseph Lewis 
 married Margaret, only daughter of Thomas Rob- 
 erts, a neighboring farmer. Beside this daugh- 
 ter, Mr. Roberts had two sons, John and Thomas. 
 The former was a very stalwart specimen of 
 manhood, being six feet and six inches in height. 
 He led the choir in the Independent Church near 
 his home. 
 
 As above stated, in 1839 Joseph Lewis came 
 with his family to America. Proceeding at once 
 to West Northfield, Cook County, 111., he pre- 
 empted a quarter-section of land, on which he 
 passed the balance of his life. His wife died in 
 her seventy-first year, and he lived to see his 
 eighty-eighth. Of their thirteen children, twelve 
 grew to maturity, the third dying in Wales, and 
 nine are now living. Following are their names: 
 Joseph, Mar) r , Elizabeth, Thomas, Evan, John, 
 William, Sarah, David, Charles, Eli, Maria and 
 Margaret. The eldest mastered Hebrew, Greek, 
 Latin, navigation and surveying before he was 
 twenty years old, and became a Methodist Epis- 
 copal clergyman. He died at the early age of 
 twenty-seven years, at Norwood Park, 111., where 
 he was buried, though his home was at Beloit, 
 Wis., where he built the first Methodist Church 
 
 of that city. David and Mary are deceased, and 
 William is a resident of Portland, Ore. Charles 
 is practicing medicine in Chicago. 
 
 Thomas E. Lewis attended school in his native 
 place till he was nine years old, when he went to 
 work. His first week's wages were eighteen 
 cents, which he kept as a souvenir for many 
 years. With the exception of about a quarter's 
 attendance at night school in Chicago, the balance 
 of his education has been supplied by contact 
 with the world, and he has proved a most apt 
 pupil. Nature blessed him with a sound mind 
 and constitution, and he is considered one of the 
 solid men whose presence in the community is a 
 blessing, for his judgment is correct and he has 
 the courage to carry out his convictions. With 
 no early advantages, with no aid save his own in- 
 dustry and adherence to an ideal, he has amassed 
 a modest competence, and has earned the respect 
 and good-will of his fellows. 
 
 The old proverb says, "Where there is a will, 
 there is a way," and one morning in the spring 
 of 1843 young Lewis set out on foot for Chicago 
 to find the way, his capital on starting consisting 
 of fifty cents. His feet becoming sore from the 
 action of a pair of new and stiff boots, he made a 
 bargain with a teamster bound for the city to 
 carry him thither for eighteen cents. Arriving 
 on South Water Street, he came opposite the 
 lumber-yard of Sylvester Lynd, the first person 
 to whom he had spoken after alighting, and he at 
 once engaged to work in the lumber-yard at such 
 remuneration as Mr. Lynd found him worth after 
 trial. This was soon fixed at $i 2 per month, and 
 in addition his kind employer provided him with 
 a new suit of clothing, complete, in order that he 
 might attend Sabbath-school. He soon made
 
 298 
 
 T. E LEWIS. 
 
 himself familiar with the lumber business, and 
 was promoted to the position of inspector, with a 
 corresponding salary. He remained in the city 
 for seven years, being for a short time in the em- 
 ploy of the late Deacon Philo Carpenter, a well- 
 known pioneer of Chicago. 
 
 In the spring of 1850 Mr. Lewis took a help- 
 mate, in the person of Miss Margaret, daughter 
 of Edward and Elizabeth Jones, all of Bala, 
 Wales, where the family has dwelt for many gen- 
 erations on the same farm, called ' 'Nanthir, ' ' and 
 which is still occupied by some of its members. 
 Mrs. Thomas J. Evans, a pioneer of Racine, Wis. , 
 is a sister of Mrs. Lewis. Mr. Lewis immediately 
 took his bride to a farm of his own at Arlington 
 Heights (then called Dunton), Cook County, 
 where he broke up and improved wild land and 
 got a good start in the world. He remained 
 there eighteen years, serving continuously as 
 School Director, and then removed to Blue Is- 
 land, in the same county, and continued his agri- 
 cultural pursuits, being there also a school officer 
 for six years. Beside farming, Mr. Lewis has 
 dealt extensively in lands, and is a large owner 
 of Chicago and Hyde Park real estate, as well as 
 numerous farms. He dwelt two years in Engle- 
 wood, and removed thence on the ist of May, 
 1891, to Wheaton, where he built a handsome 
 home on an eminence near College Avenue Station. 
 He still occupies himself with the care of his large 
 farms near Wheaton, though he finds time to give 
 attention to all matters of public concern, especi- 
 ally education, on which his judgment is emi- 
 nently sound and practical. He has striven to 
 equip his children for the battle of life, and six of 
 his daughters are graduates of the Cook County 
 Normal School, and successful teachers. 
 
 Like all true Welshmen, Mr. Lewis is proud 
 of his native land, its people and their achieve- 
 ments, though this does not detract in the least 
 from his loyal American spirit. He is a Director 
 and Treasurer of the Cambro Printing Company, 
 of Chicago, which publishes a Welsh and English 
 newspaper called Columbia, the largest of its kind 
 in the world. For a short time Mr. Lewis was 
 President and General Manager of this company, 
 but as soon as it was firmly established he re- 
 
 signed those positions, because he could not de- 
 vote his time to them. When it was found neces- 
 sary to provide a bond for the payment of prizes 
 offered for competition in the International Ei- 
 steddfod, in Festival Hall, at the World's Colum- 
 bian Exposition, Mr. Lewis, with true patriotic 
 spirit, came forward and gave his personal secur- 
 ity for $12,500, which was ultimately paid out of 
 the receipts of the festival, thus justifying his 
 faith in his compatriots and the Fair. 
 
 In religious matters, Mr. Lewis is liberal and pro- 
 gressive. He attends the Congregational Church 
 with his entire family. In political concerns, he 
 adheres to the Republican party, because he be- 
 lieves it rests on true underlying principles, but 
 has never found the time nor had the inclination 
 to seek preferment. He took a deep interest in 
 the public school management, because he had a 
 large family to educate, and gave much time to 
 this interest, always insisting on the conduct of 
 the schools with a sole view to the public welfare, 
 sometimes making enemies by his course, but al- 
 ways triumphing in the end. He is now serving 
 as Alderman from the Second Ward of Wheaton. 
 He is a member of the Welsh Society, Cymrodo- 
 rion, and the League of American Wheelmen, he 
 being an expert bicycle-rider. 
 
 On the 6th of May, 1889, death entered the 
 home of Mr. Lewis and took the kind, faithful 
 wife and mother, leaving, beside the bereaved 
 husband, seven of her nine children to mourn her 
 absence. The eldest of these, Margaret J., wife 
 of George H. Brewster, of Wheaton, died July 9, 
 1891. Joseph W. resides at Blue Island, where 
 he is engaged in manufacturing; and Sarah M., 
 who for some time held the position of Critic 
 Teacher at the Cook County Normal School, is 
 now her father's housekeeper. Alice U., wife of 
 James H. Kerr, resides at Amsley, Neb., and is 
 prominent in temperance and Sunday-school 
 work, making frequent public addresses in their 
 behalf. Mary A., Mrs. William H. Hoar, died 
 a few weeks before her mother. Cora E. gradu- 
 ated at the Blue Island High School, at the 
 Cook County Normal (being valedictorian of the 
 two-years graduating class), and at Oberlin Col- 
 lege, Ohio. She is now Principal of the Belle
 
 R. S. GOUGH. 
 
 299 
 
 Plaine School in Chicago, and Chairman of the 
 Executive Committee of the Illinois State Teach- 
 ers' Association. She makes frequent addresses 
 on educational topics, and was chosen to conduct 
 the model school which served as a World's Fair 
 exhibit near Jackson Park, and carried it through 
 successfully. AdaL., widow of J.W. Bannerman, 
 with her son Tommy, resides with Mr. Lewis. 
 Edward J. is engaged in the real-estate and fire- 
 insurance at Wheaton, 111. Grace May (often 
 called Minnie) is pursuing a medical course at 
 the Woman's College in Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Lewis is a frank, whole-souled gentleman, 
 with refined instincts and manly self-respect, 
 
 which forbid his doing a mean or low act, and his 
 conversation is always cheerful and entertaining. 
 Out of a ripe experience, he has gathered a large 
 stock of general and useful knowledge. Now, in 
 his sixty-eighth year, he is in the full vigor of a 
 temperate and well-spent life. He has a closely 
 knit frame, weighing one hundred and ninety 
 pounds, and has promise of an extended continu- 
 ance of an existence which has blessed himself, 
 his family, and the community at large. When 
 his time comes to lay down the active duties of 
 life, which have been a perennial source of pleas- 
 ure, he can safely consign the good name that he 
 has won to the care of a worthy posterity. 
 
 RICHARD S. GOUGH. 
 
 RICHARD S. GOUGH, Manager of the Postal 
 Telegraph Cable Company at the stock yards 
 in Chicago, although doing business in the 
 metropolis of the West, makes his home in Turner, 
 preferring the quiet of a small town in which to 
 spend his leisure hours. England has furnished 
 a number of valued citizens to DuPage County, 
 among whom is our subject. He was born in 
 Buckingham, England, February 6, 1844, and 
 his parents, James and Ann (Scott) Gough, were 
 also natives of the same country. The paternal 
 grandfather was an English farmer, and spent his 
 entire life in his native land. The maternal grand- 
 father, William Scott, who was also an agricul- 
 turist, was a member of the regular militia, and 
 was an Episcopalian in religious belief. He 
 reached a very advanced age. 
 
 James Gough was an extensive farmer of Buck- 
 inghamshire, and died in the land of his birth in 
 1851, at the age of forty-two years. His wife 
 long survived him, passing away in 1892, at the 
 age of eighty. They were both members of the 
 Episcopalian Church. He was one of the parish 
 
 officials, and belonged to the Royal Bucks Yeo- 
 manry, a cavalry association. In the Gough 
 family were three sons and three daughters, but 
 only two are now living: Richard S., and Re- 
 becca, who is now a resident of Great Marlow, 
 England. 
 
 Richard S. Gough left his native land in 1859, 
 at the age of fourteen years, and, coming to Amer- 
 ica, located in Brooklyn, N. Y., where he spent 
 one winter. The next summer was also spent in 
 the Empire State, and in 1861 he made his way 
 westward to Chicago. He there enlisted in the 
 war, in the telegraph service, and served for two 
 and a-half years, when he was discharged on ac- 
 count of sickness. After the war he went to Dixon , 
 111., as telegraph operator, spending one year 
 at that place, and going thence to Bureau Junc- 
 tion, where he served in the capacity of operator 
 for two years. His next location was in Musca- 
 tine, Iowa, and subsequently we find him in 
 Wilton Junction, Iowa, where he was employed 
 as agent for the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad 
 Company, remaining in that place until 1867.
 
 3 oo 
 
 EDWARD HAMMETT. 
 
 That year witnessed his arrival in Chicago, and 
 saw him employed in the Chicago Union Stock 
 Yards, as chief operator in the office of the West- 
 ern Union Company. In May, 1872, he was ap- 
 pointed manager of the office, which position he 
 filled until 1881, when he resigned to accept the 
 position of manager for the Mutual Union Com- 
 pany at the stock yards. With that company he 
 remained until 1883, when the two companies 
 consolidated, and he then accepted the position of 
 manager of the Postal Telegraph Cable Company, 
 which he has filled to the present time, employing 
 two assistants. He now has charge of thirty- 
 seven men, and the business has increased from 
 $3,600 to $200,000 per year. 
 
 On the 8th of June, 1864, Mr. Gough wedded 
 Miss Sarah E., daughter of E. H. and Jane (Sher- 
 man) Ketcham. Seven children have blessed 
 this union, two sons and five daughters. Ger- 
 trude, the eldest, married Council Sheffler, who is 
 engaged in business in the stock yards in Chicago, 
 and they have two sons, Richard and Rankin. 
 
 Julia is the next younger. Jennie is the wife of 
 Charles E. Trescott, a printer of Choteau, Mont., 
 by whom she has two children, Gertrude and 
 Richard. The other members of the family are 
 Alice, Rea and Raymond. One died in infancy. 
 The family occupies a pleasant home in Turner, 
 which is the property of Mr. Gough, who also 
 owns several town lots. He is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, of the Modern 
 Woodmen, and of the Telegraphic Mutual Benefit 
 Association. For about two years he was Presi- 
 dent of the School Board in Turner, and dis- 
 charged the duties of that position with the same 
 fidelity which has characterized all his affairs, 
 both public and private. He now occupies a very 
 responsible position, and that he discharges his 
 duties faithfully and well is manifest by his long 
 continuance in the service. He is a man of good 
 business ability, honorable and upright in all his 
 dealings, and has the confidence and good-will of 
 those with whom he has been brought in contact. 
 
 EDWARD HAMMETT. 
 
 ' DWARD HAMMETT, Cashier of the Lin- 
 coln National Bank, Chicago, and a resident 
 of Wheaton, is descended from an old New 
 England family of English origin. His great- 
 grandfather, Nathan Hammett, spent his life in 
 Newport, R. I., where he had an estate on the 
 harbor front, which he divided at death between 
 his surviving sons, Edward and Nathan. He 
 passed away July 18, 1816, and his wife, Cathar- 
 ine Yates, of Providence, R. I., survived him 
 many years, dying February 17, 1837. 
 
 Edward, eldest son of Nathan Hammett, was a 
 builder and vessel-owner, interested in the whal- 
 ing industry, and passed his life at Newport. 
 He died about 1858, being upwards of eighty 
 
 years old. His wife, Amy Lyon, was of English 
 descent, and was, like himself, a native of New- 
 port. They had five sons and two daughters. 
 Albert, the youngest of these, is still a resident of 
 Newport, being seventy-two years of age, and 
 being still, as always, engaged in the lumber 
 trade, occupying the site of his grandfather's es- 
 tate on the harbor front. For a few years he 
 dwelt at New Bedford, but returned to Newport 
 in 1853. His wife, Sarah Swasey, was born in 
 Salem, Mass., and was a daughter of Alexander 
 Swasey, a captain in the merchant marine service, 
 making voyages to China. Through her mother, 
 Mrs. Hammett was descended from Jerathmel 
 Bowers, who came from England about the mid-
 
 EDWARD HAMMETT. 
 
 301 
 
 die of the seventeenth century, and settled on the 
 Taimton River, near Somerset, Mass. He was 
 an extensive shipbuilder and slave-owner, and 
 built a magnificent mansion near his shipyards. 
 On account of its commercial surroundings, this 
 is now an undesirable residence property, and is 
 used as a tenement for laborers. 
 
 Edward Hammett was born at New Bedford, 
 Mass., June 26, 1848, and was reared at Newport. 
 He attended the public school and a private school 
 there, and a business college at Providence, but 
 left school at the age of fifteen years, and has 
 since been actively engaged in business. He 
 was employed for a time in the Newport postoffice, 
 and later in his father's lumber office. With an 
 ambition to be numbered among the citizens of 
 the growing West, he set out for Chicago at the 
 age of nineteen. He secured employment as a 
 clerk with S. H. McCrea & Co., grain and 
 produce commission dealers, and remained in 
 their employ fourteen years, which is a strong 
 testimonial to his ability and faithfulness. For 
 several years subsequently he was a partner in the 
 firm of W. F. Johnson & Co. , in the same line of 
 business. He was one of the original stock- 
 holders and corporators of the Lincoln National 
 Bank, and was one of its first officers, and after 
 two years in other business, resumed his connec- 
 tion with that bank, of which he is now Cashier. 
 In the spring of 1883 he became a resident of 
 Wheaton, and purchased sixteen acres of land, 
 with a handsome mansion facing College Avenue, 
 at the corner of President Street. This house 
 occupies an elevation commanding a view of the 
 city of Wheaton and surrounding country, and is 
 an ideal home in which to rear a family. 
 
 On November 28, 1870, in Chicago, Mr. Ham- 
 mett married Miss Mary E. Culver, who is a 
 native of that city. Her parents, John Breese 
 Culver and Margaret A. Boyd, were born in New 
 Jersey, and the city of Leith, Scotland, respec- 
 tively, the latter being a daughter of John and 
 Jeannette Boyd. Mrs. Hammett's paternal grand- 
 father, Phineas Culver, was born March 17, 1764, 
 in Bernard, Somerset County, N. J. His father 
 came from Shrewsbury, England, to Bernard when 
 an old man, and Phineas was early left an orphan. 
 
 With three elder brothers he joined the fortunes 
 of the Continental Army, being employed for sev- 
 eral years as errand boy, and carrying a musket 
 at last. He settled at Horseheads, N. Y., and 
 became wealthy, owning five hundred acres of 
 land, but he refused to employ slave labor, as did 
 many of his neighbors. His wife, Phoebe Breese, 
 was a daughter of John and Hannah (Gilder- 
 sleeve) Breese, the former one of the first set- 
 tlers at Horseheads, N. Y., and his wife a scion 
 of an old Protestant- Irish family. John, father of 
 John Breese, was born in Shrewsbury, England, 
 in 1713, and settled at Bernard, Somerset County, 
 N. J., in 1735. His wife, Dorothy Riggs, was 
 also a native of Shrewsbury. John Breese, their 
 son, was born at Bernard in November, 1738. 
 Hannah Gildersleeve was born in June, 1750, and 
 they were married June 30, 1769, a date which is 
 supposed to have followed his settlement at Horse- 
 heads. Phoebe and Deborah Breese, their twin 
 daughters, were born in February, 1773. From 
 the Breese family are descended many noted 
 American citizens, among whom may be men- 
 tioned the late Judge Samuel Sidney Breese, Chief 
 Justice of the State of Illinois; Samuel Findlay 
 Breese Morse, inventor of the electric telegraph; 
 and Samuel Sidney Breese, Rear- Admiral of the 
 United States Navy, who was buried at Newport. 
 
 John B. Culver, one of the prominent early 
 citizens of Chicago, now resides with his daugh- 
 ter, Mrs. Hammett, at Wheaton. The children 
 of the latter, nine in number, are as follows: 
 Albert, a student in the medical department of 
 the Michigan University at Ann Arbor; Llewel- 
 lyn; Edith May; Edward; Helen; Amy; Law- 
 rence; Dorothy and Margaret. The eldest mar- 
 ried Mary lone Cook, of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hammett are communicants of the 
 Methodist Church, and in many ways are active 
 in furthering the best interests of the community. 
 Their home bears many evidences of refined and 
 cultivated taste, and is the domicile of a happy 
 and well-trained group of children, the central 
 figure being the cheerful wife and mother. Mr. 
 Hammett has never taken a prominent part in 
 political affairs, but has always adhered to the 
 Republican party, as the advocate and adminis-
 
 302 
 
 P. P. MATTHEWS. 
 
 trator of sound principles of government. He 
 has served as a member of the Town Council of 
 Wheaton, and is now a Trustee of the Adams 
 Memorial Library. Without any sound of trump- 
 
 ets, he proceeds daily to perform to the best of 
 his ability his duty to himself, his family and his 
 fellow-men. 
 
 PASCHAL P. MATTHEWS. 
 
 r\ASCHALP. MATTHEWS, one of the highly 
 LS respected citizens of Hinsdale, who well de- 
 |^9 serves representation in the history of his 
 adopted county, is a native of the Empire State. 
 He was born in Herkimer County, August 3, 
 1811, and is a son of Edmund and Lucy (Mc- 
 Clelland) Matthews, the former of French descent, 
 and the latter of Scotch lineage. Edmund Matth- 
 ews was twice married, and by his first union 
 had a son, Charles. By the second, there were 
 five children: Henry; Lucy, deceased, wife of 
 Reuben Wellington; Paschal P.; Emery, and 
 Lucretia, deceased, wife of Myron Everetts. In 
 early life the father of this family was a carpenter, 
 and helped to build the first market-place in Bos- 
 ton. Later, however, he followed agricultural 
 pursuits. He served during the War of 1812, as 
 Quartermaster, and died on his farm in New 
 York September 2, 1848, at the age of seventy- 
 three years. His wife survived him some time, 
 and passed away February 17, 1862. They held 
 membership with the Presbyterian Church in 
 Mexico, Oswego County, N. Y. 
 
 Mr. Matthews whose name heads this record 
 spent his boyhood and youth upon his father's 
 farm, remaining at home until he had reached his 
 twentieth year, when he began to earn his own 
 livelihood. Later, he attended school for a few 
 months, and then engaged with a stage company 
 for ten years. He was afterward for nearly ten 
 years captain of a packet-boat on the Erie Canal, 
 running between Syracuse, Schenectady and Utica. 
 With the hope of bettering his financial condi- 
 
 tion, he determined to come to the West in 1859, 
 and, carrying out this resolution, took up his 
 residence in Chicago. He embarked in the grain 
 business, and was connected with the Board of 
 Trade for many years, continuing operations along 
 this line until 1883, when he retired from active 
 business. 
 
 On the2istofMay, 1840, Mr. Matthews wedded 
 Miss Louisa Vinton, and they became the parents 
 of one child, a daughter, Alice, now the wife of 
 Nelson R. Davis. The mother died in 1891, since 
 which time a niece of Mr. Matthews has been 
 keeping house for him. 
 
 For many years our subject has been a mem- 
 ber of the Odd Fellows' fraternity. In early life 
 he exercised his right of franchise in support of 
 the Whig party, but on its dissolution joined the 
 ranks of the new Republican party and has since 
 fought under its banner. It was in 1889 that he 
 came to Hinsdale, where he has a beautiful home 
 and ten acres of valuable land within the corpora- 
 tion limits of the town. He has now reached the 
 age of eighty-two, but his years rest lightly upon 
 him, and he is still strong and active. His eyes 
 are bright, his mind clear and keen, and he is a 
 good and rapid penman. While not a church 
 member, he has always attended religious services 
 and contributed liberally to church and benevo- 
 lent work. He is a man of fine physique and 
 excellent carriage, and bids fair to live for many 
 years to come. His life has been honorable and 
 upright, and his many friends hold him in high 
 regard.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 MARSHALL FIELD
 
 MARSHALL FIELD. 
 
 33 
 
 MARSHALL FIELD. 
 
 I ARSHALL FIELD, the merchant prince of 
 Chicago, who believes in sharing his pros- 
 perity with his fellow-citizens, comes of the 
 hardy New England blood which has done so 
 much toward developing the whole northern half 
 of the United States. He was born in Conway, 
 Franklin County, Mass., in 1835, and is a son of 
 a farmer of that town. His early life differed 
 none from that of lads of that time and region. 
 His education was supplied by the local public 
 school and academy, and his attention was early 
 turned toward a mercantile career, which accord- 
 ed best with his tastes and ambition. 
 
 The student of human progress, and the youth 
 who seeks an example worthy of his emulation, 
 in the struggle for success will find in the career 
 of Marshall Field one more proof that the road 
 to prosperity is a plain and narrow path, wh'ich 
 lies open to almost every American youth. With 
 no capital other than an active brain and the en- 
 ergy of youth, he laid the foundation of a mag- 
 nificent estate, and a firm adherence to a simple 
 rule of business has enabled him to complete the 
 superstructure. He has never borrowed money, 
 and has always insisted on the same rigid com- 
 pletion of contracts on the part of others which 
 has characterized his own actions. 
 
 At the age of seventeen, young Field went to 
 Pittsfield, in his native State, where he spent four 
 years as clerk in a general store. Having thor- 
 oughly mastered the details of the business, he 
 began to look about for a field that promised a 
 wider opportunity for a young man. At that 
 time (1856), Chicago was a city of about sixty 
 thousand people, and he resolved to cast his lot 
 in the growing town, which showed an energy 
 that promised a rapid development. On his ar- 
 
 rival in Chicage, he at once secured employment 
 in the wholesale dry-goods house of Cooley, 
 Wadsworth & Co., which soon after became 
 known as Cooley, Farwell & Co. Though 
 he occupied a subordinate position, his ability 
 and familiarity with business soon became appar- 
 ent to his employers, and at the end of four years 
 he was taken into partnership, and the largest 
 house of its kind in the West became Farwell, 
 Field & Co. In 1865 this firm was dis- 
 solved, and Mr. Field entered into a partnership 
 with Potter Palmer and L. Z. Leiter, under the 
 title of Field, Palmer & Leiter, which connection 
 continued two years, at the end of which time 
 Mr. Palmer withdrew, and the house was hence- 
 forth known as Field, Leiter & Co. until 
 1881, when, upon the withdrawal of Mr. Leiter, 
 the style became Marshall Field & Co., and 
 has so continued. For almost thirty years Mr. 
 Field has been the head of the firm, and under 
 the operation of his simple business rules it has 
 steadily prospered. In 1868 the business was 
 located at State and Washington Streets, where 
 the buildings and stock were totally consumed in 
 the great fire of 1871, entailing a loss of three 
 and one-half millions of dollars. After serious 
 delays, and with much difficulty, _ two and one- 
 half millions of this were collected from the insur- 
 ance companies, and with a dead loss of one mill- 
 ion dollars, the business was continued, being 
 temporarily located at State and Twentieth 
 Streets, while the rebuilding of the house at State 
 and Washington went on. This has been grad- 
 ually increased in size by purchase and construc- 
 tion until it covers more than one-half of the 
 block bounded by State, Washington and Ran- 
 dolph Streets and Wabash Avenue. In the year
 
 34 
 
 J. A. DOLLINGER. 
 
 1893, the portion covering the southeast corner 
 was constructed, embodying every essential of 
 comfort and convenience known to the modern 
 builder's art. The wholesale department was 
 separated from the retail in 1872, and removed to 
 the corner of Madison and Market Streets. This 
 location was soon found inadequate fop- the needs 
 of the business, which was continually increasing, 
 and in 1885 the construction of a building for the 
 wholesale business was begun on the block sur- 
 rounded by Fifth Avenue and Franklin, Adams 
 and Quincy Streets. This was completed in 1887, 
 and at once occupied, and continues to be the 
 model of its kind for the whole world. 
 
 Such, in brief, is the record of achievements. 
 Let none ask for further details. To the subject 
 of this biography all publicity is extremely dis- 
 tasteful. The public demands all the knowledge 
 obtainable, some from motives of mere curiosity, 
 others from honest desire to benefit from the ex- 
 perience of a successful man. If one would em- 
 ulate his example, let him adopt the same rules 
 of life: Always pay cash, never give a note or 
 mortgage, labor steadily, and never speculate 
 or spend anything idly. In the conduct of 
 the great wholesale house of Marshall Field & 
 Co., goods are purchased for cash and sold 
 on short time. Customers are strictly required 
 to meet their payments, and are thus led to be 
 cautious in contracting obligations, and prompt 
 in their cancellation. By this method, the house 
 retains the trade of the best and most success- 
 ful merchants, and the interests of all are con- 
 served. Under this safe and wholesome system, 
 
 the trade has grown to the annual dimensions of 
 $35,000,000. The pay-roll of the two stores in- 
 cludes from 3,500 to 4,000 persons, and to all of 
 these, as well as any who may have business with 
 him, Mr. Field is always accessible. With a won- 
 derful power of organization, and the ability to 
 gauge the qualifications of his subordinates, he 
 encourages each by uniform kindness and consid- 
 eration, and all are most loyal and faithful aids 
 in the prosecution of business. 
 
 Mr. Field's home is the seat of quiet luxury, 
 with no ostentation. He goes little into society, 
 but takes a deep interest in the welfare of the city 
 of his home,' and responds liberally to all just 
 calls upon his purse, though much of his benevo- 
 lence is secretly bestowed. When the estab- 
 lishment of the new University of Chicago was 
 made possible by the liberality of Mr. Rockefeller 
 and others, Mr. Field donated a valuable tract of 
 city ground as a part of the site. This gift seems 
 all the more liberal in view of the fact that the 
 institution is controlled by the Baptist Church, 
 while Mr. Field is a Presbyterian. After the 
 World's Columbian Exposition was closed, the 
 people of Chicago began to agitate the idea of 
 preserving as much as possible of the exhibits in 
 a permanent home, which was made possible by 
 Mr. Field's gift of one million dollars. On the 
 second day of June, 1894, this institution was 
 formally opened, under the title of ' ' The Field 
 Columbian Museum, " with a few simple ceremo- 
 nies, and its benefits are likely to extend to many 
 generations and many millions o r the American 
 people. 
 
 JOHN ANTON DOLLINGER. 
 
 (JOHN ANTON DOLLINGER, a traveling 
 
 I salesman residing at Wheaton, is numbered 
 
 G) among the early residents of DuPage County, 
 
 and has made his own way in the world since he 
 
 was ten years of age. He was bom in Baden, 
 
 Germany, on the 24th of December, 1845, and is 
 the eldest child of Christopher Dollinger, a native 
 of the same place. His mother died when he was 
 an infant, and when he had arrived at the age of 
 twelve years his father brought the four children
 
 D. N. CHAPIN. 
 
 35 
 
 to America. The second child, Adelaide, Mrs. 
 George Rieser, resides in Naperville Township, 
 DuPage County. Christopher, Jr., is a resident 
 of Colorado Springs, Colo. ; and Margaret, Mrs. 
 lyUther, dwells in Fredericksburg, Neb. Chris- 
 topher Dollinger engaged in farming in Naper- 
 ville Township, where he died in 1873, aged 
 about sixty years. 
 
 From the time of his arrival in America, our 
 subject has been independent of parental aid in 
 supporting or educating himself. He took em- 
 ployment in a hotel and meat-market kept by his 
 maternal uncle, Nicholas Graff, at Danby, now 
 Glen Ellyn, attending school a portion of the 
 time, and continued in this way until the death 
 of his uncle. He was afterward employed in a 
 general store until 1862, when he entered the 
 military service, as a member of Company I, One 
 Hundred and Fifth Illinois Infantry, in defense 
 of the American Union. This service continued 
 about three years, and involved a participation in 
 many of the most decisive battles of the war. Mr. 
 Dollinger was mustered out at Washington in 
 June, 1865. While in front of Chattanooga, he 
 was excused from duty on account of illness, but 
 refused to leave his comrades, and remained at 
 the front to the finish. 
 
 Since 1 867 Mr. Dollinger has been in mercan- 
 tile business, and for some years kept a grocery 
 in Chicago. For the last seventeen years he has 
 traveled in the capacity of salesman, and twelve 
 of those years have been passed in the service of 
 his present employers, Franklin MacVeagh&Co. 
 In 1872 he became a resident of Wheaton, and 
 he is the owner of a handsome brick residence on 
 Wesley Street, near Scott. He takes an active 
 interest in the social affairs of the town, being a 
 prominent member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
 public and Knights of Pythias, as well as a genial, 
 magnetic gentleman, whose friends are numbered 
 by his list of acquaintances. He entertains lib- 
 eral religious views, and is an ardent supporter 
 of the principles of the Republican party. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Dollinger married Miss Emagene 
 C. Wicks, who was born in Carthage, N. Y., and 
 bears in her veins the blood of the principal Eu- 
 ropean settlers of New England and New York 
 French, English and Dutch. Her parents 
 were Stutley and Ann E. (Strong) Wicks, the 
 former being a son of Stutley Wicks, whose wife's 
 maiden name was Treadway. Three children 
 complete the family of Mr. and Mrs. Dollinger, 
 namely: Anna W., Charles A. and William. 
 
 DEACON NEWTON CHAPIN. 
 
 0EACON NEWTON CHAPIN, deceased, 
 a prominent resident of northeastern Illinois, 
 was a man widely and favorably known. 
 He was born in Chicopee, Mass., April 17, 1821, 
 and was a son of William and Lucy (Day) Chapin. 
 The family is descended from Deacon Samuel 
 Chapin, who emigrated from England about 1 640. 
 He was one of the seven men who founded Spring- 
 field, Mass. , and was prominent in the govern- 
 ment of that town for many years. Twenty 
 
 thousand of his descendants contributed to the 
 erection of a monument to his memory in Spring- 
 field a few years since. His direct descendants 
 now number fifty thousand people, about three- 
 fourths of whom are professed Christians, many 
 of them being widely known in church work and 
 other fields of labor. The family is indeed an 
 honored one. 
 
 Newton Chapin spent his boyhood upon a farm, 
 aiding in the labors of the fields from an early
 
 306 
 
 D. N. CHAPIN. 
 
 age. His school privileges in youth were limited, 
 but, wishing to acquire a good education, he at- 
 tended Andover Academy after reaching the age 
 of twenty-one, meeting his tuition with money 
 saved from his wages as a mechanic. Leaving 
 school, he engaged in carpenter work in Spring- 
 field, and followed that occupation and bridge- 
 building until 1856, when he decided to seek a 
 home in the West, hoping thereby to benefit his 
 financial condition. Coming to Illinois, he located 
 in Chicago. The previous season he spent a few 
 months in St. Louis, Mo. In 1867, he removed 
 to Lombard, where he made his home until 1874, 
 when he returned to Chicago. In this city Mr. 
 Chapin was engaged in bridge and depot building, 
 his first contract being the building of the first 
 Van Buren Street bridge. He was associated 
 first with William B. Howard, and later with D. 
 L- Wells, and built many bridges for the Chicago, 
 Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and other corpor- 
 ations. He was the inventor of the "Newton 
 Chapin Clamp and Key" for truss bridges. 
 
 In the great fire of 1871, he lost all his property, 
 but managed to pay off his creditors in full, al- 
 though he never afterward became a wealthy man. 
 He was a man whose word was as good as his 
 bond, and no one ever suffered loss at his hands. 
 After the fire he became interested in the manu- 
 facture and sale of the Babcock Fire Extinguisher, 
 and was also associated with his son in the station- 
 ery business. He was the publisher of "Chapin's 
 Lumber Reckoner, ' ' which is now in general use 
 throughout the United States and Europe. A 
 short time before the great fire Mr. Chapin had 
 returned home after a fifteen-months trip abroad. 
 He was accompanied by his family, and visited 
 many places of interest in Europe, Asia and Africa. 
 The journey was made chiefly on account of the 
 health of Mr. Chapin, and in 1876 he went to 
 Denver, Colo., hoping thereby to benefit his 
 health. He returned to Chicago in 1878, where 
 he continued to reside until his death, December 
 
 17, 1887. He was married forty years previous, 
 in 1847, to Carra B. Sawin, a native of Ashland, 
 Mass. They became parents of six children, four 
 of whom died in childhood. William Newton 
 Chapin, the eldest, now has charge of the produc- 
 tion of the Ticonderoga Paper Campany, of Ticon- 
 deroga, N. Y. He married EllaT. Hull, daugh- 
 ter of R. E. Hull, of Detroit, Mich., and they have 
 had five children, of whom one died in infancy, 
 while Edna, Mary, Helen and Newton are still 
 living. Charles O. , the other son of the family, is 
 engaged in the manufacture of stationery special- 
 ties in Chicago. He resides in Lombard and is a 
 member of the Congregational Church of that 
 place. He takes a very active part in the work of 
 the church, and the Christian Endeavor Society, 
 and is always ready to aid in promoting the best in- 
 terests of the community in which he lives. In 
 Denver, Colo. , he wedded Fannie E. , daughter of 
 J. G. A. and S. E. Finn. They have adopted 
 three children, two of whom died in infancy, and 
 Ruth Sawin Chapin, the third, died June 20, 1893, 
 at the age of four years and three months. Mrs. 
 Carra Chapin, wife of our subject, was called to 
 her final rest November 24, 1885, at the age of 
 fifty-nine. 
 
 Mr. Chapin became one of the Deacons of Ply- 
 mouth Congregational Church of Chicago as early 
 as 1857, and was ever prominent in its work and 
 upbuilding. He contributed liberally to the erec- 
 tion of the house of worship, and on removing to 
 Lombard became the prime mover in the building 
 of the Congregational Church at that place. He 
 was always active in church work, and at his death 
 was a teacher in the Sunday-school of the Union 
 Tabernacle Congregational Church. He was a 
 man of fixed principles and strict integrity, whose 
 whole life was governed by conscientious motives. 
 Always interested in the spiritual welfare of the 
 community, he left to his famil} 7 an untarnished 
 name, well worthy of perpetuation in the history 
 of his adopted county.
 
 C. H. HARRISON. 
 
 307 
 
 HON. CARTER H. HARRISON. 
 
 HON. CARTER H. HARRISON, deceased, 
 late Mayor of Chicago, was one of the most 
 prominent citizens of the western metropolis 
 for the long period of thirty-six years, and was 
 its most popular citizen. The record of his life is 
 interwoven with the history of the community, 
 with its social, business and political career. A 
 native of Fayette County, Ky., he came of an old 
 Virginian family, which was connected with the 
 struggle for independence, and which had among 
 its members one of the signers of the Declaration 
 of Independence. His father was a gentleman 
 planter, and from his birth, February 15, 1825, 
 until his sixteenth year, he remained in the old 
 southern home. After completing his common- 
 school and academic education, he studied under 
 Dr. Marshall, of Lexington, brother of Chief 
 Justice Marshall, thus preparing himself for his 
 university course. He entered the sophomore 
 class at Yale in 1842, and was graduated in law 
 and letters in 1 845. At college he was a member 
 of the Scroll and Key Society, whose roster em- 
 braces the names of the most prominent men who 
 claim Yale as their Alma Mater. After his re- 
 turn to Kentucky, Mr. Harrison attended a post- 
 graduate course of law lectures for a year. He 
 then went back to his boyhood home, and was 
 the manager of the large plantation from 1847 
 to 1851 
 
 In the latter year, Mr. Harrison went abroad, 
 spending some months in visiting Paris, London, 
 Edinburgh and the cities of Germany and Austria. 
 The ostensible purpose of this trip was the pur- 
 chase of some blooded cattle, and this business 
 brought him in contact with the Earl of Ducie, at 
 whose country seat he made a long visit. It was 
 during this trip that he studied the French and 
 German languages, his knowledge of which 
 proved of immense benefit to him in later years, 
 and made him one of the best representatives of 
 
 the nation in receiving the foreign visitors at the 
 World's Columbian Exposition, so lately closed. 
 Leaving Europe, Mr. Harrison then spent many 
 months in travel through Syria, Palestine and 
 Asia Minor, in company with Bayard Taylor, 
 who was then gathering material for his book, 
 "The Land of the Saracen," in the preface of 
 which the author refers to "my traveling com- 
 panion, Mr. Carter Henry Harrison, of Clifton, 
 Ky." 
 
 Returning to his native land and State in 1852, 
 Mr. Harrison completed his law studies and was 
 soon afterwards admitted to the Bar. In 1855, 
 he married Miss Sophie Preston, of Henderson, 
 Ky. , and unto them were born four children who 
 are yet living: Lina, wife of Heaton Owsley, of 
 Chicago; Carter H., Jr.; William Preston and 
 Sophie G. There were six other children, all of 
 whom died in early youth. 
 
 Chicago was first visited by Mr. Harrison the 
 year of his marriage, and so well pleased was 
 he with -the young city that he sold his Ken- 
 tucky home, and in 1857 made a permanent loca- 
 tion here. The $30,000 which he secured from 
 his Kentucky property he at once invested in 
 real estate. One of his earliest purchases Was the 
 block at the corner of Clark and Harrison Streets, 
 which he still owned at the time of his death, and 
 which in the years that have passed has be- 
 come very valuable. He also bought unim- 
 proved land on the West Side, which was later 
 made the Carter Harrison Subdivision. His first 
 home was at the southwest corner of Hermitage 
 Avenue and Congress Street, where he erected a 
 residence in 1860. Six years later he purchased 
 the Honore home at No. 231 Ashland Avenue, 
 where he continued to reside until his death. 
 
 On coming to Chicago, he engaged to a limi- 
 ted extent in law practice, but he who was to be- 
 come so well known as an orator and extempor-
 
 308 
 
 C. H. HARRISON. 
 
 aneous speaker was then so timid about public 
 speaking that he abandoned the law. In 1871, 
 he entered upon his official career, being elected 
 County Commissioner. In 1872, he was pre- 
 vailed upon to make the race for Congress 
 against Jasper D. Ward, but was defeated by seven 
 hundred votes. In 1874, he again accepted the 
 nomination. He and his opponent, Mr. Ward, 
 who had defeated him two years previously, 
 both claimed the election, and on a recount 
 of votes Mr. Harrison was declared the winner 
 by a majority of eight. It was while he was in 
 Congress that, in September, 1876, his wife died. 
 She passed away in Gera, Germany, where the 
 elder children were attending school, and was 
 there interred. While Mr. Harrison was crossing 
 the ocean to bring his motherless children home, 
 his Democratic constituents nominated him for 
 Congress, and a few days after his return he was 
 re-elected, defeating Col. George R. Davis by six 
 hundred votes. Later the remains of his wife were 
 brought back to Chicago and interred at Grace- 
 land. He refused the re-nomination for Congress 
 in 1878. 
 
 In 1879, by the vote of the people, Mr. Har- 
 rison was placed in the Mayor's chair, which he 
 filled for eight years, being three times re-elected. 
 During his second term, he was again married, 
 the lady being Miss Margaret Stearns, daughter 
 ot Marcus C. Stearns, one of the oldest settlers of 
 Chicago. The ceremony was performed in July, 
 1882. In 1887, Mr. Harrison was offered a fifth 
 nomination, but declined. Even after this his 
 name was put before the convention as a dele- 
 gate, and he was nominated by acclamation. Mr. 
 Harrison, who had hitherto been absent, then ap- 
 peared before the convention, and his coming was 
 the signal for an ovation. Cheer after cheer rent 
 the air. When quiet had been restored, he said 
 that he would only accept on one condition, 
 namely, that every man in the convention should 
 by raising his right hand pledge himself to loyally 
 support his candidacy. Every hand went up, 
 and again a mighty cheer shook the building. 
 The local press antagonized his nomination bit- 
 terly, and friends of President Cleveland gave it 
 out that the administration at Washington de- 
 
 sired Mr. Harrison's defeat. Worried by this 
 opposition in his party and the illness of his wife, 
 who died a few weeks later, he sent a letter of res- 
 ignation to the Democratic Committee. 
 
 Two months after the death of his wife, Mr. 
 Harrison started on his journey around the 
 world, and during his travels the public was 
 made familiar with his wanderings through his 
 letters to the Chicago Mail. On his return he 
 was urged to put these into book form, which 
 he later did, under the happily selected title, ' 'A 
 Race with the Sun." His was certainly one of 
 the most comprehensive journeys ever made in 
 one circuit of the globe. He visited the north- 
 western part of our own country, the Pacific 
 Coast, and sailed from Vancover to Yokohama. 
 He spent many pleasant hours in Japan; studied 
 the habits and quaint customs of the Chinese; be- 
 came intimate with the King of Siam; visited the 
 various points of interest in India and Ceylon; 
 sailed the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the 
 Suez Canal; took a trip up the Nile, and after- 
 wards studied Greece in the light of its past and 
 of its present, and drew his conclusions as to its 
 future. In conclusion he wrote: "Again I look 
 out of our window; clouds are gathering over the 
 sky; the curtain of the far West is dyed in purple 
 and salmon. Through a cloud-rift the round, 
 low-down sun is bloody red. Nearly five hun- 
 dred times has he run his course since we started 
 in our race with him around the world. He has 
 reached our home and passed it, and we are not 
 yet quite there. He dips his rim and is gone. 
 He has won the race. To him and to you good- 
 bye." 
 
 Mr. Harrison reached home on the 8th of No- 
 vember, 1889, and the following year was again 
 urged to become the candidate for Mayor, but he 
 refused the honor, and during the two succeed- 
 ing years lived a quiet, retired life. At the ex- 
 piration of that period, however, he was again a 
 nominee for Mayor on an independent ticket. 
 Nothing else could have so indicated his personal 
 popularity. There were four candidates in the 
 field, and Mr. Harrison polled a very large vote, 
 the three leaders being separated by but three 
 thousand ballots. Members of the Democracy
 
 GEORGE ERASER. 
 
 309 
 
 greatly opposed his course, but the majority of 
 the party believed in him, and he became their 
 candidate for the campaign of 1893. He was 
 elected by an overwhelming majority to a position 
 all the more important from the fact that his city, 
 where the World's Fair was to be held, would 
 receive distinguished visitors from all lands, and 
 he would virtually be the country's representa- 
 tive in welcoming them to the United States. All 
 summer long as a courteous host he presided, 
 and each day added to the number of his friends. 
 Again and again he had presided on different pub- 
 
 lic occasions, and on the 28th of October, two days 
 before the official closing of the Fair, Mayors' Day 
 was celebrated, a day set apart for the Mayors of 
 all the cities of the Union. Mr. Harrison, in his 
 capacity of host, presided, and at the close of the 
 ceremonies returned to his home. A few hours 
 later a shot was fired which terminated his life, 
 and the city, which was making such extensive 
 preparations to close the Fair with brilliant cere- 
 monies, went instead into mourning for its Chief 
 Executive. 
 
 GEORGE ERASER. 
 
 FRASER is an influential Scotch- 
 
 b American citizen, who has made his home 
 in Chicago for nearly thirty years. Allen 
 Grange, near the village of Munlochy, in Ross- 
 shire, Scotland, where he was born, has been the 
 home of his ancestors for more than a century, 
 and three generations of the name are now living 
 there. 
 
 His father, Donald Fraser, was a blacksmith 
 by trade, succeeding his father, John Fraser, in 
 that occupation. Donald Fraser died at Allen 
 Grange in 1875, at the age of seventy years. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was Isabella Young, 
 still lives there, having attained the venerable 
 age of more than ninety-one years. She is a na- 
 tive of the same place, her father having been a 
 farmer in that locality. 
 
 George Fraser was born on the 2d of June, 
 1840. He attended the parish school at Mun- 
 lochy, and when he was old enough went to learn 
 the trade of a baker at Dingwall. He served a 
 four-years apprenticeship without wages, and 
 subsequently spent two years in working at his 
 trade in Edinburgh, and one year in London, 
 England. In 1866 he resolved to come to Amer- 
 
 ica. Upon reaching Brooklyn, New York, he 
 tarried a few months in that city, but in the fol- 
 lowing spring continued his journey to Chicago. 
 Here he immediately found work at his trade, and 
 in 1868 he opened an establishment of his own on 
 Division Street, near his present location. In 
 common with most of his neighbors in that vicin- 
 ity, three years later he lost everything he pos- 
 sessed by the Great Fire, and for a few months 
 thereafter moved to the West Side. For twenty- 
 three years past he has been in his present loca- 
 tion, and the constant arrival and departure of 
 customers attests the popularity which his busi- 
 ness has attained. 
 
 About sixteen years ago Mr. Fraser united 
 with St. Andrew's Society, an organization in 
 which nearly all of the best of his countrymen 
 in Chicago are interested. His active interest in 
 this association has caused him to become one of 
 its most popular members, and for six years past 
 he has officiated as one of its Board of Mana- 
 gers. He has been a member of the Caledonian 
 Club for ten years, and, with few exceptions, has 
 voted the Republican ticket since becoming a cit- 
 izen of the United States.
 
 3io 
 
 J. J. RUSSELL. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. Fraser was married to Catharine 
 Ross, a native of Invergordon, Ross- shire, Scot- 
 laud. She is the daughter of David Ross, a rep- 
 resentative of one of the oldest Scottish families, 
 in honor of which their native shire was named. 
 Mrs. Fraser is a valuable helpmate to and ad- 
 viser of her husband, and the mother of five chil- 
 dren, named, respectively, Anna, Isabel, Donald 
 George, Kate and Margaret. 
 
 Born and reared amid the historic and pic- 
 turesque scenes of the Highlands, Mr. Fraser is a 
 typical representative of the Gaelic race, a people 
 noted for their sturdy character and industrious 
 and frugal habits. Their adherence to principle 
 has led them to endure much in past centuries, 
 and they have exerted no small influence upon 
 the progress and civilization of America. 
 
 JOHN J. RUSSELL. 
 
 (TOHN J. RUSSELL, an esteemed pioneer of 
 I Cook County, now deceased, was born in 
 (*/ Sharon Springs, New York, on the I4th of 
 August, 1810, and made farming his life work. 
 Emigrating westward, he reached Chicago on the 
 I4th of February, 1836, and purchased one hun- 
 dred and sixty acres of timber-land, including the 
 site on which Rush Medical College now stands. 
 About a year and a-half later he sold and removed 
 to Niles Township, where he lived six months. 
 He then became a resident of Northfield Town- 
 ship, purchasing land on section 14, to which he 
 aftenvards added until he had on sections 14, 15 
 and 22 three hundred and forty acres of rich 
 land, all in one body, which yielded to him a 
 good income. Here he devoted the greater part 
 of his time and attention to agricultural pursuits, 
 winning success in his undertakings. He mar- 
 ried Ann Eliza Legg, daughter of Isaac Legg, a 
 native of Tennessee. The lady was born in Ken- 
 tucky on the gth of October, 1813, and with 
 her parents came to Chicago in 1833. Her 
 death occurred at Wilmette, August 20, 1886. 
 She was a lady of many admirable qualities, 
 and she and her husband had been for many years 
 
 identified with the Methodist Church. They con- 
 tributed liberally to its support, and were always 
 considered among the leading members. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Russell were born six chil- 
 dren, three sons and three daughters: Isaac H., 
 who is now proprietor of a paper and paint store 
 in Chicago; John J., deceased; Edward, whose 
 sketch will be found elsewhere in this work; 
 Lizzie, wife of B. F. Kay, who for twenty- 
 four years has been connected with the postof- 
 fice of Chicago; Ella, wife of Heny McDaniel, a 
 policeman of Wilmette; and Lena, who completes 
 the family. After many years spent in farming, 
 John J. Russell removed to Wilmette, where his 
 death occurred April 30, 1889. He always advo- 
 cated the principles of the Republican party, and 
 kept well informed on the issues of the day. He 
 took quite an interest in military affairs and be- 
 longed to the State militia, in which he held a 
 Lieutenant's commission from Gov. Ford. 
 He was for ten years a member of the Board of 
 Supervisors and for several years Count}- Com- 
 missioner, a faithful officer in both positions. He 
 was ever a public-spirited citizen, and the best in- 
 terests of the community found in him a friend.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 W. H JONES. 
 
 WILLIAM HUGH JONES. 
 
 HUGH JONES, the President of 
 \ A / the Piano Manufacturing Company, one of 
 V Y the substantial industries of Chicago, is a na- 
 tive of Wales. He was born in 1845, and is one 
 of eight children whose parents were Hugh and 
 Jennett Jones. The father was a farmer by occu- 
 pation and was comfortably situated. In 1812, 
 when eighteen years of age, he crossed the At- 
 lantic to America, locating near Utica, N. Y., 
 where the death of his first wife occurred. He 
 afterward returned to Wales, where he was again 
 married, the second wife being the mother of our 
 subject. They were both members of the Welsh 
 Calvinistic Church, in which the father served 
 as Deacon. In 1857 he again came with his 
 family to this country, and located in Wiscon- 
 sin, from where he removed to Iowa in 1873. 
 His death occurred in Howard County, Iowa, in 
 1876, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife 
 survived him for about four years. Her father, 
 Richard Jones, was an extensive farmer in Wales, 
 and reached the advanced age of ninety-two y ears. 
 The family to which our subject belongs num- 
 bered six sons and two daughters, but only four 
 are now living: William H., Hugh H., John H. 
 and Owen W. The last-named is Secretary of the 
 Piano Manufacturing Company. 
 
 We now take up the personal history of W. H. 
 Jones, who is truly a self-made man, in the best 
 sense of the term, for he started out in life empty- 
 handed and has worked his way upward by un- 
 tiring labor, making the most of his opportuni- 
 ties and overcoming the difficulties and obstacles 
 in his path by a determined effort to succeed. He 
 continued in his native land until twelve years of 
 age, and then accompanied his parents to this 
 country, and with them went to Wisconsin. He 
 was early inured to hard labor, but thereby he 
 developed a self-reliance and force of character 
 
 which have proven of incalculable benefit to him 
 in his later years. His youth was spent in work 
 upon the home farm, and to his father he gave 
 the benefit of his services until the spring of 1866, 
 when he had attained his majority. He now turned 
 his attention to other pursuits, and became agent 
 for the Dodge Reapers and Champion Mowers in 
 Berlin, Wis., selling those machines until 1868, 
 when he became traveling salesman for the firm 
 of L. J. Bush & Co., of Milwaukee. Two years 
 covered his continuance with that company, and 
 in 1870 he formed a connection with E. H. Gam- 
 mon for the sale of the Marsh Harvester, which 
 at that time was the only machine of the class on 
 the market. Subsequently, the firm became Gam- 
 mon & Deering, and Mr. Jones continued in their 
 employ as general traveling salesman and super- 
 visor of agencies until the partnership was dis- 
 solved in the fall of 1879, on the retirement of Mr. 
 Gammon. Mr. Jones, however, continued to 
 serve in the interests of Mr. Deering until 1881, 
 when he, in connection with Mr. Gammon, Lewis 
 Steward, and others who had been previously in- 
 terested in the Han-ester W T orks in Piano, 111. , 
 organized the Piano Manufacturing Company. 
 He became its President and has since contin- 
 ued at its head, and owing to the good man- 
 agement, keen foresight and excellent business 
 and executive ability of the President, the Pia- 
 no Manufacturing Company now is one of the 
 prominent industries of this city. During his 
 business career, Mr. Jones has kept informed 
 concerning all inventions along this line, and no 
 agricultural implement is put on the market 
 without his knowledge. His early life as a farm- 
 er made known to him what was needed in farm 
 work. His later experience made him familiar 
 with all kinds of farm machinery; hence in plac- 
 ing upon the market such machinery he would
 
 3 I2 
 
 SHEPHERD JOHNSTON. 
 
 combine in its construction his knowledge of the 
 mechanical necessities with that which was re- 
 quired for the actual work. Many inventors who 
 know nothing about farm work in itself fail to do 
 this. The wisdom of his method is shown in the 
 result, for the Piano machines have met with un- 
 qualified success and fill a long-felt want in farm 
 implements. Through the dark hours of the 
 greatest panic known to commerce (in 1893), the 
 company built and now occupies a new factory, 
 which for completeness and detailed perfection is 
 without an equal, covering twenty-five acres. It 
 is located on i2oth Street, West Pullman. In 
 the old factory, although it afforded extensive 
 facilities, it was unable for several years to satisfy 
 the popular demand. With improved machinery 
 and perfect arrangement for manufacturing, it is 
 now prepared to meet the full demand not only 
 of its American but rapidly increasing foreign 
 trade. 
 
 In 1867, Mr. Jones was united in marriage with 
 Miss Elizabeth Owens, and unto them have been 
 born three sons, Hugh W. , William O. and Gar- 
 
 field R. The parents are faithful members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, contribute liberally 
 to its support, and take an active interest in its 
 work. Mr. Jones is now serving as one of its 
 Trustees. In politics, he advocates Republican 
 principles, but in voting does not feel himself 
 bound by party ties. He has never sought official 
 honors, desiring rather to give his entire time and 
 attention to his business interests and the enjoy- 
 ment of the home and the companionship of his 
 family. In April, 1872, he came to Evanston, 
 where he has resided almost continuously since, 
 and among the people of this beautiful suburb 
 he is held in the highest regard, for he is a man 
 of upright character and his example is worthy 
 of emulation. In the fall of 1878 he opened a 
 wholesale implement house in Minneapolis, which 
 has since done a large business, and with which he 
 was connected until 1889. The farm has fur- 
 nished to this country many of its most prominent 
 and successful business men, and among these is 
 W. H. Jones. 
 
 SHEPHERD JOHNSTON. 
 
 iHEPHERD JOHNSTON, late Secretary and 
 Clerk of the Board of Education of Chicago, 
 was descended from Scotch ancestry, his pater- 
 nal grandfather, who was a soldier in the War of 
 the American Revolution , being an emigrant from 
 Scotland to New York City some time in the lat- 
 ter part of the eighteenth century. Mary, the 
 wife of this ancestor, was born in 1761, and died 
 June 1 2, 1838, at the age of seventy-seven. The pa- 
 ternal grandmother was "Knickerbocker" Dutch. 
 Shepherd Johnston, the father of the subject 
 of this sketch, was born in New York City Sep- 
 tember 28, 1797, and was for many years a well- 
 known educator in his native place. His wife 
 was Jane Sherwood, also a native of New York, 
 
 born September 28, 1807. Her parents were na- 
 tives of Connecticut, and were .the descendants of 
 generations of New England ancestors, one of 
 whom was a minute-man in the Revolution. Her 
 death occurred on the 27th of December, 1846, 
 at Big Rock, Illinois. Shepherd and Jane John- 
 ston had a family of nine children, and eight of 
 these grew to mature age. The subject of this 
 biography, who was born on the 1 8th of Septem- 
 ber, 1823, laid the foundation of his education in 
 the private school taught by his father. His pre- 
 cocity and the thoroughness of his education are 
 vividly shown by the fact of his entering college 
 at the almost unparalleled age of thirteen years. 
 After spending two years at Columbia College,
 
 SHEPHERD JOHNSTON. 
 
 313 
 
 New York, circumstances necessitated the aban- 
 donment of the further prosecution of his studies 
 except as a private and independent student 
 but in this latter capacity it can be no more truly 
 said of any other man in the city of Chicago, 
 that he was throughout his life a devoted, ear- 
 nest and successful student, consecrating himself 
 to the acquisition of knowledge for the purpose 
 of making it most useful to those for whose inter- 
 ests he spent a lifetime of toil. 
 
 In 1839 the elder Johnston, tiring of the con- 
 straint of New York, came West by way of the 
 Lakes to Detroit, and thence, in company with his 
 eldest son, Shepherd, crossed Michigan on po- 
 nies to Chicago,' which they found to be a muddy 
 city of about four thousand inhabitants. Not 
 liking Chicago, they pursued their way westward 
 to Kane County, and there the father bought a 
 thousand or more acres of land near Big Rock, 
 to which he removed his family soon after. 
 There he spent seven years, but, not being adapt- 
 ed either by education or taste to farm lite, at 
 the end of that period he returned to New York, 
 where he died in 1853. 
 
 After a residence of five or six years on the 
 farm, young Johnston tired of the monotony of 
 rural life and settled in New York City, when 
 twenty-one years of age, and obtained a position 
 as teacher in the Institute for the Blind. He filled 
 this position with that fidelity and ability which 
 characterized his life work in any capacity in 
 which he was called upon to act. On the 27th of 
 July, 1849, at Whitlockville, Westchester Coun- 
 ty, New York, he married Mary Ann Wild, a 
 native of Sheffield, England, a daughter of James 
 and Mary Ann Outram (Hobson) Wild. Imme- 
 diately after his marriage he came to Illinois, and 
 tried farm life for a few months, but again re- 
 turned to New York City in 1850. There for a 
 year he was employed in the ticket office of the 
 Hudson River Railroad. In 1851 he engaged in 
 the retail grocery business in New York, in which 
 he continued for seven years. In the fall of 1859 
 he again removed to Illinois, locating at Aurora, 
 and in the following year settled in Chicago, 
 where he resided until the time of his death. In 
 
 February of the same year he began work as 
 clerk in the office of the Board of Education, and 
 remained there continuously until his life work 
 was finished. He saw the public-school system 
 grow from comparatively insignificant propor- 
 tions to the wonderful educational power which it 
 is at the present time. When he began work 
 in the office of the Board the population of the 
 city was one hundred and ten thousand, and the 
 number of teachers was one hundred and twenty - 
 three. Now the total enrollment of pupils is one 
 hundred and fifty thousand, and the number of 
 teachers in the public schools is three thousand 
 two hundred and twenty-eight, and the amount 
 required to pay this vast army is two and one- 
 half millions of dollars. 
 
 Mr. Johnston died at his home on the 3rd of 
 October, 1894, leaving a widow and one daugh- 
 ter, the latter, Laura Ann, being now the wife 
 of John M. Stanley, of Chicago. His only son, 
 Charles Sherwood Johnston, died in 1889, at the 
 age of thirty-nine. 
 
 Not only as a worker in the field of education, 
 but also as a zealous laborer in the cause of relig- 
 ion, was Mr. Johnston known. For nearly a 
 score of years he was a member of the Episcopal 
 Church, in which he held the office of vestryman. 
 He also took a deep interest in the affairs of the 
 Sunday-school, of which he was Superintendent. 
 He was a devoted student of the Bible, to the 
 study of which he gave many hours of his crowd- 
 ed life. As might be expected of a man of his 
 intelligence, taking the interest he did in public 
 affairs, a knowledge of and an interest in politics 
 were not overlooked. He was a member of the 
 Republican party, whose great underlying princi- 
 ples he fully understood, endorsed and supported. 
 But he was far above the petty broils of partisan 
 strife, and contented himself with working for 
 those higher principles and ends which interest 
 the thinker and philosopher. 
 
 A fitting summary of the life and works of Mr. 
 Johnston can be no more aptly expressed than is 
 done in the following eloquent tribute paid to his 
 memory by the members of the Board of Educa- 
 tion, taken from the records of said body:
 
 J. S. RUMSEY. 
 
 "At a special meeting of the Board of Educa- 
 tion of Chicago, held October 5, 1894, the follow- 
 ing memorial was unanimously adopted: 
 
 " 'The Board of Education of the City of Chi- 
 cago learns with the most profound sorrow of the 
 death of their scholarly, faithful and most tireless 
 Secretary, Shepherd Johnston, after a continuous 
 service of thirty-four years of unparalleled devo- 
 tion to the educational interests of this great me- 
 tropolis. 
 
 " 'He had reached the limit of years allotted to 
 man. He closed his books at the office, went to 
 his quiet home, retired to sleep, and awoke no 
 more to consciousness here. The book of his life 
 was gently closed, and he was transferred to the 
 unknown realm which is beyond our mortal sight. 
 
 " 'Mr. Johnston possessed those habits of mind 
 and character which made him eminently fitted 
 for the responsible duties of the office which he 
 held so long and filled so efficiently. His early 
 training and experience as a teacher made him 
 acquainted with the details of educational work, 
 
 and gave him a familiarity with the school sys- 
 tem of the country, as shown in the financial and 
 statistical reports which were published annually. 
 As his labors multiplied, his ability to cope with 
 them multiplied in like ratio. There was no detail 
 of his office with which he was not familiar. He 
 was a well of information, imparting courteously 
 to all who desired to know aught of the historical 
 progress of the city for nearly two score of years. 
 In the varied and perplexing duties of his office, 
 he won the confidence and esteem of the members 
 of the Board of Education, the Superintendents, 
 his associates in the office, the teachers and citizens 
 of Chicago. The members of the Board of Edu- 
 cation take this method of expressing their appre- 
 ciation of his valuable services and their high 
 regard for his life and character. 
 
 " 'THEREFORE, Be it resolved, that this memo- 
 rial be entered upon the records of this Board, and 
 that a copy be suitably engrossed and presented to 
 the family.' " 
 
 JULIAN S. RUMSEY. 
 
 (JULIAN S. RUMSEY, a very early resident 
 I of Chicago and one of the founders of its 
 G/ Board of Trade, was born in Batavia, Gene- 
 see County, New York, on the 3d day of April, 
 1823. His parents were Levi Rumsey, of Fair- 
 field, Connecticut, and Julia F. Dole, of Troy, 
 New York. The line of descent is traced from 
 Robert Rumsie, who is supposed to have been of 
 Welsh ancestry, and who settled at Fairfield, 
 Connecticut, before 1660. His name appears in 
 the town records under date of January 23, 1664, 
 the earliest entry in said records bearing date of 
 January 12, 1649, which must have been about 
 the time of the first settlement there. The will 
 of Robert Rumsey appears in the same record, 
 
 under date of November 28, 1710, in which he 
 bequeaths to his widow and children a large 
 amount of laud and personal property, his inter- 
 est in commonage and his negro man, Jack. The 
 early residents of New England had to contend 
 with conditions differing widely from those sur- 
 rounding pioneers of the present day, and few can 
 realize the energy and perseverance required to 
 make a home in the wilderness. Only those of 
 strong body and mind could survive the rigorous 
 climate and overcome the obstacles to human 
 progress. Among the present generation, only 
 those who have made a study of the subject can 
 realize, in a faint degree even, what were their 
 surroundings, ideas and character.
 
 J. S. RUMSEY. 
 
 Levi Runisey was one of the first graduates of 
 Williams College, at Williamstown, Massachu- 
 setts (in 1800), and settled at Batavia in 1822, 
 becoming one of the foremost attorneys of western 
 New York and serving as District Attorney of 
 Genesee County. He died there in 1834. At 
 the solicitation of her brother, George W. Dole, 
 already a resident of Chicago, the widow decided 
 to move to the new and growing city with her 
 younger son (the subject of this biography) and 
 two daughters, in the spring of 1835, but death 
 interposed and removed the mother before this 
 purpose could be consummated. With an aunt, 
 Mrs. Coffin, and her husband and MissTownsend 
 (who afterward became Mrs. Dole), Julian Sid- 
 ney Rumsey and his two younger sisters came to 
 Chicago, arriving on the steamer "Michigan" 
 July 28, 1835. This vessel was owned by Mr. 
 Dole's partner, Oliver Newberry, of Detroit, and 
 was by far the finest vessel then on the Lakes. 
 The trip was made from Buffalo to Chicago, with 
 a stop at Green Bay, in a little over eight days. 
 Among the passengers were George Smith, who 
 afterward became a wealthy banker of the city ; 
 Mr. and Mrs. John H. Kinzie and a young infant, 
 and Miss Williams, who became the wife of Mark 
 Skinner, one of the judges of Chicago in later life. 
 
 Young Rumsey had attended a private school 
 in Batavia taught by Rev. John F. Earnst, a 
 widely-known educator of that place and Buffalo, 
 and after his arrival here he had the benefit of 
 such schools as the new town afforded for a few 
 months. He soon took employment in the ship- 
 ping house of Newberry & Dole, where his elder 
 brother, George F. Rumsey, was already estab- 
 lished. This association made him acquainted 
 with all the boats coming to Chicago and their 
 officers. These included the bark "Detroit" and 
 brig "Queen Charlotte," former British vessels, 
 which had been sunk in the bay at Erie, Penn- 
 sylvania, by Commodore Perry in 1813, and sub- 
 sequently raised and fitted for commerce. 
 
 In September, 1839, the Runisey brothers, while 
 still in the employ of Newberry & Dole, shipped 
 the first cargo of grain ever sent out of Chicago, 
 consisting of about 2,900 bushels of wheat, put on 
 board the brig "Osceola" for Buffalo. This had 
 
 been taken from farmers' wagons and stored, 
 awaiting an eastbound boat. In 1841 Capt. E. B. 
 Ward brought eighty tons of bituminous coal to 
 Chicago, which was probably the first here, and 
 this was sold out by the Runisey brothers in two 
 years' time, thus indicating that the consumption 
 was small in those days. The firm of Runisey, 
 Brother & Company ultimately succeeded New- 
 berry & Dole, and became one of the heaviest 
 grain shippers and dealers in the city. 
 
 Mr. Rumsey was one of the organizers of the 
 Board of Trade early in 1848, and continued his 
 membership with his life. During the early years 
 of its existence, it was his custom, with others of 
 the younger members, to visit business men in 
 their offices and urge them to go "on "Change," 
 in order that it might be truthfully recorded that 
 such a meeting had been held. He was elected 
 President of the Board in 1858 and again in 1859, 
 and in the latter year he drew and secured the 
 passage of its charter and code of rules. He also 
 secured, in the face of much opposition, the pres- 
 ent system of grain inspection Chicago being the 
 first city to adopt the plan. During his adminis- 
 tration, the current plan of obtaining and publish- 
 ing statistics of trade was inaugurated, and the 
 first annual report of the Board issued, and in the 
 same period the membership doubled and the 
 permanency of its existence was established. 
 
 Mr. Rumsey was one of the organizers of the 
 Volunteer Fire Department in 1844, and at one 
 time was Foreman of Engine Company Number 
 Three, and did much to improve the old and or- 
 ganize new companies. In those days, many of 
 what are now the most prominent and wealthy 
 citizens regularly "ran with the boys." The 
 venerable Stephen F. Gale was Chief Engineer 
 and Mr. Rumsey Foreman in 1847, when the pa- 
 rade was made in honor of the famous River and 
 Harbor Congress of that year. In his report to 
 the New York Tribune, Horace Greeley said: "I 
 never witnessed anything so superb as the appear- 
 ance of some of the fire companies, with their en- 
 gines drawn by led-horses, tastefully caparisoned. 
 Our New York firemen must try again. They 
 certainly have been outdone." Thurlow Weed 
 wrote to his paper: "Let me here say that the
 
 J. S. RUMSEY. 
 
 firemen's display in this infant city to-day excited 
 universal admiration. I never saw anything got 
 up in better taste. The companies were in neat 
 uniforms. The machines were very tastefully 
 decorated. There was also a miniature ship, 
 manned and full-rigged, drawn by twelve horses, 
 in the procession. While moving, the crew on 
 board 'The Convention' made, shortened and took 
 in sail repeatedly." 
 
 In early life Mr. Rumsey associated himself, as 
 a political factor, with the Whig party, and joined 
 its successor the Republican at its inception. 
 He was often a delegate in the county and State 
 conventions, and was a member of the State Cen- 
 tral Committee of his party when Abraham Lin- 
 coln was first elected to the Presidency. He had 
 the honor of entertaining Mr. Lincoln at his home 
 in Chicago, was present at his inauguration, and 
 was a member of the committee on which devolved 
 the sad duty of receiving his remains when brought 
 back to Chicago, preparatory to final interment 
 at Springfield. In 1871 Mr. Rumsey was elected 
 County Treasurer and Collector on the "Fire- 
 proof ' ticket, the result of a political compromise, 
 and served two years in that responsible capacity. 
 
 Before the actual commencement of hostilities, 
 in the War of the Rebellion, early in 1861, a Com- 
 mittee of Safety was organized in Chicago, and 
 Mr. Rumsey was made a member of the sub-com- 
 mittee to carry out its objects. This involved the 
 judicious expenditure of nearly fifty thousand 
 dollars, and required the labor of its members for 
 nearly two years, much of it of a secret character, 
 and all of vast importance to the State and Nation. 
 One of the first undertakings was the fitting out of 
 an expedition to take possession of Cairo, and thus 
 save Illinois to the Union. After four days and 
 nights of arduous effort, a force of five hundred 
 men was dispatched by the Illinois Central Rail- 
 road, and the plan successfully carried oat. Mr. 
 Rumsey never asked for office, but was elected 
 Mayor of the city in the troublous days of 1861, 
 and maintained the high financial standing of the 
 municipality. During his term of service, the 
 Government sent twelve thousand rebel prisoners 
 here from Fort Donelson, without any warning 
 or previous provision for their care. They were 
 
 quartered in the sheds of an old race track, after- 
 wards known as Camp Douglas, until suitable 
 barracks could be erected for their care and reten- 
 tion. Among them were about two hundred offi- 
 cers, most of whom possessed knives or pistols, 
 and with the small police force and absence of 
 firearms (caused by the drain in supplying Union 
 troops) , the city seemed entirely at the mercy of 
 its unwilling guests. Through the vigilance of 
 Mayor Rumsey, and his appeals to the Govern- 
 ment, the danger was averted the officers being 
 removed elsewhere, and the privates speedily pro- 
 vided with suitable lodgings, and safeguards cre- 
 ated for the city. 
 
 July 31, 1848; at Chicago, occurred the wedding 
 of J. S. Rumsey and Miss Martha A. Turner. 
 Mrs. Rumsey, who still survives her husband, is 
 a daughter of John B. Turner, one of the most 
 honored and worthy of Chicago's early citizens, 
 whose biography will be found on another page 
 of this work. This union resulted in eleven chil- 
 dren, eight of whom were daughters. One of the 
 latter died in infancy, and one after a short mar- 
 ried life. Two daughters are married and reside 
 in Massachusetts and New York, respectively, 
 and the eldest son and two daughters, also mar- 
 ried, reside in Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Rumsey passed away in Chicago April 20, 
 1886, aged sixty-three years. He was ever inter- 
 ested in the city and its welfare, and did much to 
 place it in its present proud commercial position. 
 He did not shirk any duty as a citizen, and left to 
 his children an honored name. His recollections 
 of early Chicago are very interesting, and extracts 
 from his pen picture are here given: 
 
 "When the 'Michigan' arrived off Chicago in 
 July of 1835, a dense fog covered the surface of 
 the lake, and the town could not be easily located. 
 After reaching the mouth of the Calumet River, 
 the captain was set right by the direction of an 
 Indian, and returned to the city. In the mean 
 time the fog had lifted and when the boat came to 
 anchor the fort and Government pier and light- 
 house seemed the most prominent features. No 
 entrance to the river existed for lake craft, and 
 even the yawlboat which brought the passengers 
 ashore grounded on the bar at the mouth of the
 
 ANDREW ORTMAYER. 
 
 317 
 
 river, and a passage had to be carefully sounded 
 before it could be brought in. The river was then 
 but little more than half as wide as at present, 
 and portions of its shores were occupied by wild 
 rice, and near the mouth the abode of the musk- 
 rat was prominent. Fish and wild fowl were 
 abundant. There was one 'gallows-frame' hoist 
 bridge at Dearborn Street, crossing the river, one 
 pontoon over the South Branch, between Lake 
 and Randolph Streets, and another across the 
 North Branch, just south of Kinzie Street. The 
 Tremont House was then a yellow wooden build- 
 ing at the southeast corner of Lake and Dearborn 
 Streets, kept by Star Foot. 
 
 "The population was about twenty-three hun- 
 dred, divided in something like this proportion: 
 Eight hundred on the North Side, twelve hundred 
 on the South Side, and three hundred on the 
 West Side. The Postoffice was located in the 
 angle at the intersection of Lake and South Water 
 Streets. There were no sidewalks or improved 
 streets, and cattle, pigs and wolfish dogs occupied 
 
 the thoroughfares at will, and sometimes at night 
 wolves came into the settlement Street lights 
 were unknown, as were sewers, cellars or water 
 service, and there were very few brick buildings. 
 The people came from all parts of the world and 
 included many half-breeds, and all were exceed- 
 ingly democratic in habit. It was no uncommon 
 thing for ladies to employ a dump-cart, uphol- 
 stered with hay or buffalo robes, as a means of 
 transportation when making social excursions. 
 There was still a garrison at the fort, and on two 
 subsequent occasions Indians to the number of 
 thirty-five hundred and five thousand, from the 
 Pottawatamie, Winnebago and Sacs and Foxes 
 tribes came here to receive pay for their lands from 
 the Government. During the summer of 1835, 
 the 'Michigan' made four trips between Chicago 
 and Buffalo, and one or two other vessels visited 
 the port. While anchored in the bay off Milwau- 
 kee, on her first trip, only one house was dis- 
 cerned at that point, though the weather was 
 clear." 
 
 ANDREW ORTMAYER. 
 
 Gl NDREW ORTMAYER, who was for nearly 
 LJ half-a century a resident of Chicago, was 
 I I numbered among the most substantial and 
 well-known citizens of German birth. He was 
 born in Bartenstein, Wurtemberg, Germany, on 
 the first day of May, 1826. His father, Joseph 
 Ortmayer, was a native of Neuoetting, Bavaria, 
 and his mother, Margaret Uhlman, was born in 
 the same village as her son, where her ancestors 
 had for several generations carried on the saddlery 
 business. Joseph Ortmayer was also a saddler, 
 and when the son had completed the prescribed 
 German term of school, ending at the age of 
 fourteen years, he entered the shop and was able 
 through being the son of a master to become 
 
 a journeyman at the age of sixteen. He first 
 sought employment in his father's native city, 
 where he remained one year, and was afterwards 
 employed in Saalzburg and other Austrian cities. 
 By the time he had attained his majority, he 
 determined to follow the sun towards that land of 
 promise, the United States, as he saw little op- 
 portunity for a mechanic to better his condition 
 in Europe. His was the same spirit which not 
 only led to the discover)- of the Western continent, 
 but to the development of its resources, east and 
 west. Being in London, England, in the spring 
 of 1849, he took passage in March of that year 
 on board the sailing-vessel "Apeona" for New 
 York, where he arrived on the fourth day of
 
 ANDREW ORTMAYER. 
 
 July, the voyage consuming nearly four months. 
 He proceeded directly to Buffalo, New York, 
 where he was able to maintain himself at his 
 trade until the following spring. 
 
 Again moved by the spirit of enterprise, he 
 took the first steamer which left the port of Buf- 
 falo for the upper lakes in the spring of 1 850, 
 and landed in Detroit on the 3oth of March, after 
 a two days' voyage. Thence, he proceeded di- 
 rectly by rail to Chicago, arriving on the last 
 day of the month. 
 
 His first employment in this city was with J. 
 O. Humphrey, the first carriage manufacturer in 
 Chicago, by whom he was engaged as a carriage 
 trimmer. This continued until Mr. Humphrey 
 went out of business two and one-half years later, 
 when Mr. Ortmayer rented a room in the now 
 idle factory and engaged in trimming carriages 
 on his own account. He had by this time formed 
 business acquaintances and established a reputa- 
 tion for honest and faithful work, and did a fairly 
 prosperous business. At the end of six months, 
 he established a shop on Franklin Street, and in 
 the fall of 1854 he opened a harness shop on 
 Randolph Street, between Canal and Clinton 
 Streets. Though his work as a carriage trim- 
 mer had proved satisfactory to his patrons, it did 
 not satisfy himself, on account of the unsteadiness 
 of the demand, and he found business much more 
 remunerative in the harness and saddlery line. 
 
 In 1863, he began the wholesale trade at No. 42 
 Lake Street, in partnership with William V. Kay 
 and William H. Turner, under the style of A. 
 Ortmayer & Company. For a quarter of a cen- 
 tury, beginning with 1866, the business was 
 located at Nos. 16 to 22 State Street. Messrs. 
 Turner and Kay successively retired from the 
 firm, and after the great fire of 1871, it was 
 known as Ortmayer, Lewis & Company, until 
 it became A. Otrmayer & Son in 1882. In 1891, 
 the firm purchased of the Farwell estate the 
 building now occupied, on Illinois Street, be- 
 tween La Salle Avenue and Wells Street, to 
 which two stories were added, and the building 
 was fitted for the extensive manufacture of har- 
 ness and saddlery ware now carried on there. 
 
 Mr. Ortmayer was married at Buffalo, New 
 
 York, in the spring of 1850, to Miss Marie Cher- 
 bon, who was born in the same place as himself, 
 and is- descended from French ancestors, her 
 grandfather having moved from France to Ger- 
 many. In 1876, he built a pleasant mansion at 
 No. 496 Dearborn Avenue, where dwells a united 
 and happy family. Mr. Ortmayer was also pos- 
 sessed of other improved real estate, which was 
 secured through his own industry and prudent 
 management. Having made his way from hum- 
 ble beginnings, he was in sympathy with all hon- 
 est efforts for success, and held out encourage- 
 ment not only by word but by his own example, 
 which any American youth may well emulate. 
 The same steadfast and persistent effort which 
 characterized his career in life is sure to bring 
 prosperity to any one. He never spent time or 
 money in the follies which are all too prevalent 
 among young men of the present day, but re- 
 solved on a course of industry and thrift, and ad- 
 hered to his plans through "good" and "bad 
 times." 
 
 Of the seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ortmayer, three died in early childhood. The 
 eldest of the others, Annie, died while the wife 
 of Albert Kuhlmay. Carl G. is manager of the 
 business of A. Ortmayer & Son. Carrie is now 
 the wife of Albert Kuhlmay, and Emma is Mrs. 
 Theophile Pfister, all of Chicago. 
 
 Though always a busy man, until failing 
 health compelled him to abandon his activities 
 three years ago, Mr. Ortmayer found time to cul- 
 tivate pleasant social relations, and was always 
 deservedly popular among his fellow-citizens. 
 He was for many years an active member of the 
 Germania Club, and held membership in Accor- 
 dia Lodge, No. 277, of the Masonic order. He 
 cherished liberal religious views, and always ad- 
 hered to Republican principles in politics. He 
 was never 1 ambitious to hold public office, but 
 always strove to fulfill the duties of a good 
 American citizen, and with eminent success. 
 He died on Sunday, February 3, 1895, having 
 succumbed to an acute attack of bronchitis, which, 
 combined with other difficulties, burst the bonds 
 of life.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 ISRAEL G. SMITH 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 I. G. SMITH. 
 
 ISRAEL G. SMITH. 
 
 CVSRAEL GROVER SMITH, one of the oldest 
 settlers of Cook County, was born September 
 I 7, 1816, at White Creek, Washington Coun- 
 ty, New York, and is a son of Henry and Ann 
 (Waite) Smith, natives of that county. The 
 family is an old one in this country, having re- 
 sided here since the Revolutionary War. 
 
 Henry Smith and his wife had ten children, as 
 follows: Gustavus, who came to Cook County in 
 1835, and died here in January, 1855; Marcellus 
 B.; Israel Grover, the subject of this sketch; 
 Waldo W., Harlow H., Edwin D., H. Lafayette, 
 Sarah A., Adoniram J. and Emily M. Of this 
 number only two are still living Israel G. and 
 Sarah A. Henry Smith died in Cook County, in 
 March, 1841, and his wife survived him until 
 1872, and died in Chicago. The first of the fam- 
 ily to come to the West was Gustavus, in 1835, 
 and the remainder of the family followed in 1836. 
 Israel and his brother Marcellus came through 
 with a horse and jumper, starting March 16 and 
 coming through Ontario to the place where the 
 home of the former is still located, which they 
 reached April 10. They settled on this land, then 
 in what was called Monroe Precinct, afterward 
 Jefferson Township, and when it was surveyed 
 and put upon the market, they bought a large 
 tract on a beautiful ridge, which for many years 
 was called Smith's Ridge, and much of this 
 land is still in the possession of the family. 
 Israel G. Smith was educated in the subscrip- 
 tion schools of his neighborhood, and was reared 
 on a farm, where he learned the usual farmer's 
 
 work. At the age of nineteen he began learning 
 the trade of blacksmith, but six months later he 
 came to the West. Since coming here he has 
 been engaged in agriculture. He owns one 
 hundred fifty-three acres of fertile land in section 
 18, in the town of Norwood Park. 
 
 Mr. Smith was a successful farmer, and in a 
 comparatively few years became wealthy. In 
 1853 he built a house on what is now Jackson 
 Boulevard, between Desplaines and Halsted 
 Streets, where he lived a few years and then re- 
 turned to his farm. Later he bought a stock of 
 groceries on State Street and conducted the busi- 
 ness about a year, when he sold out and returned 
 to his farm. He had built a couple of stores on 
 Lake Street, one of which he rented. Failing to 
 find a tenant for the other, he opened a boot and 
 shoe store in it, in company with a Mr. Barney, 
 under the firm name of Smith & Barney. This 
 business venture again necessitated his becoming 
 a resident of the city, to enable him to give the 
 business his personal supervision. This connec- 
 tion continued about a year, at the end of which 
 time Mr. Smith abandoned mercantile pursuits. 
 In 1869 he bought the Judge Bradwell home- 
 stead on Washington Street, intending to improve 
 it and remain permanently in the city. Having 
 always been accustomed to an active life, idleness 
 soon became irksome to him, and after the fire of 
 1871 he returned to his farm, and a few years 
 later built the beautiful farm residence which has 
 been his home ever since. 
 
 Mr. Smith has always taken an active interest
 
 320 
 
 T. M. TURNER. 
 
 in public affairs, and keeps himself well informed 
 on the great questions of the day. He was a 
 Whig until the establishment of the Republican 
 party, since which time he has been one of its 
 most ardent supporters. At the first election 
 held in Jefferson Township he was elected Justice 
 of the Peace, and held the office several years. 
 He was never an office-seeker, but he has filled 
 several local offices. 
 
 April 13, 1843, Mr. Smith was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Susannah Pennoyer, who was 
 born June 17, 1814, in Connecticut. Her 
 father, John Pennoyer, was born June 16, 1780, 
 in Connecticut. March 4, 1807, he married 
 Sallie Fox, who was born September 17, 1780. 
 They came to Cook County in 1837. Mrs. Pen- 
 noyer died May 15, 1843, and Mr. Pennoyer 
 passed away August 28, 1856. 
 
 Mrs. Smith was well educated for her time, 
 and was of a studious nature. She was a suc- 
 cessful teacher in the Empire State, and taught the 
 first school in Ley den Township, this county. 
 She was very highly respected for her many 
 excellencies of head and heart. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Smith had seven children, as 
 follows: Frederick A., an attorney of Chicago; 
 
 Frank G., deceased; Milton Henry, who died ot 
 cholera; Emily, wife of H. R. Clissold, who 
 resides in Morgan Park; Edwin D., a farmer; 
 Sarah M., now the wife of George W. Wilcox, a 
 resident of Minneapolis; and Stella, Mrs. D. C. 
 Dunlap, who resides in Chicago. Mrs. Smith 
 died March 28, 1893, in her seventy-ninth year, 
 after nearly fifty years of happy married life. 
 When the family first came to their present home 
 the nearest neighbors were Christian Ebinger on 
 the north, and Elijah Wentworth on the east. 
 Mr. Smith has witnessed almost the entire growth 
 of the great metropolis, its population being 
 about four thousand when he came to Cook 
 County, and he is well known by the oldest set- 
 tlers of this part of the county. 
 
 Mr. Smith's life has been one of activity and 
 usefulness, and, although, by reason of a good 
 constitution and temperate habits, he has exceeded 
 by a decade the psalmist's limit of "three-score 
 years and ten," the cares of life have rested lightly 
 upon him. He is still in good health, vigorous 
 intellectually, cheerful in disposition, of a pleas- 
 ing personality, and, from his sprightly step, 
 might easily be taken for a much younger man 
 than he is. 
 
 THOMAS M. TURNER. 
 
 'HOMAS MCCLELLAN TURNER was 
 
 born July i, 1829, in Bellefonte, Center 
 County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of 
 James B. and Mary A. (McClellan) Turner, both 
 of whom were natives of that county, where their 
 parents were early settlers. James B. Turner was 
 a contractor and builder, and especially success- 
 ful in the erection of forges, furnaces and rolling 
 mills. During his business career he was widely 
 known, and one of the important pieces of work 
 done by him was the construction of forges for 
 
 Mr. Curtin, father of the well-known Governor, 
 A. G. Curtin. James B. Turner died in his native 
 place, February 17, 1870, at the age of seventy- 
 two years, and his wife survived him until Au- 
 gust 22, 1890, when she passed away, at the ven- 
 erable age of eighty-nine years and four months. 
 The Turners are descended from an old English 
 family, and the McClellan family is of Scotch 
 descent. The father of James B. Turner was 
 born in New York City, and emigrated to Carlisle, 
 Pennsylvania, and later removed to Center Couu-
 
 T. M. TURNER. 
 
 321 
 
 ty. Thomas McClellan, the maternal grand- 
 father of the subject of this sketch, was born in 
 Scotland and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylva- 
 nia. He was a noted marble-cutter when that 
 city had only about four thousand inhabitants. 
 About the time the British bombarded Philadel- 
 phia, he fell in love with a beautiful 3'oung girl, 
 fifteen years of age, named Ann Kinnier, and 
 they were married. As it was not safe for them 
 to remain in the city, they journeyed westward 
 on horseback and soon reached Bellefonte, by fol- 
 lowing an Indian path. In this town he erected 
 the seventh house. Bellefonte afterward became 
 the county seat, and of this town Mr. McClellan 
 was a useful and honored citizen. His descend- 
 ants have been pioneers in many districts, and his 
 family is represented in all parts of the United 
 States. Mrs. McClellan's father, James Kinnier, 
 was a merchant of Philadelphia. 
 
 Thomas McClellan Turner is the eldest of a 
 family of six children. The others were: Matilda; 
 William K.; James, who was killed by guerrillas 
 near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the beginning of 
 the Civil War; Deborah A., now Mrs. Thomp- 
 son; and Mary J. He received his education in 
 his native State, and when he was sixteen years 
 of age he assisted his father in the erection of 
 buildings and similar labors. 
 
 In 1854 ne came to Chicago, and soon after 
 engaged in building the Chicago & Alton Rail- 
 road, with headquarters at Joliet. The iron rails 
 reached their place from England by way of the 
 ocean and the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. In 
 1855 Mr. Turner removed to Bloomington and 
 built the Chicago & Alton Railroad shops, when 
 that town had only two thousand five hundred 
 inhabitants. Later, he acted as road master, 
 superintending the division between Bloomington 
 and Joliet. 
 
 At the opening of the Civil War the spirit of 
 patriotism, so frequently found in natives of his 
 State, induced him to return to Bellefonte and 
 enlist in Company C, of the Twenty-second Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteer Infantry, as a private soldier. 
 When the regiment was disbanded at Harrisburg, 
 Pennsylvania, his company gave him a vote of 
 thanks for coming so far to join it. His conduct 
 
 was most praiseworthy, when we remember that 
 he was an expert engineer and capable of hold- 
 ing a position of comparative ease and safety. 
 Such men are the safeguards of our Nation, and 
 they deserve to be remembered by posterity. 
 
 Returning to Chicago, Mr. Turner became 
 interested in mining and prospecting for coal. 
 While hunting ducks near Wilmington, Illinois, 
 he found traces of coal in a creek, and after 
 searching, he was rewarded by finding a three- 
 foot vein of coal, sixty-three feet from the sur- 
 face. He carried the sample to Chicago for 
 analysis and subsequently developed the coal 
 lands and made a producing mine. 
 
 Seeing the necessity of the use of larger capital, 
 he induced Mr. James Robbins, of Boston, Massa- 
 chusetts, to become his silent partner. The latter 
 never took an active interest in the management 
 of the business, which rapidly assumed large pro- 
 portions. A few years later he sold his interest to 
 the Chicago & Wilmington Coal Association, 
 with the exception of one hundred sixty acres, 
 which he still owns, at the center of the field. He 
 next developed the Bloomington field, and man- 
 aged it three years. 
 
 Dr. Streator (for whom the city of Streator, 
 Illinois, was named) induced him to sell out at 
 Bloomington, and invest his money in the Streator 
 mine, where there had been much trouble with 
 quicksand. Where others failed in overcoming 
 this difficulty, Mr. Turner was successful, and, 
 after two. years, Dr. Streator having sold his 
 interest, he did the same, and returned to Chi- 
 cago, where he has since resided. Later he 
 bought land east of the Calumet River, where he 
 still owns property. He has sold two subdi- 
 visions, on which eighty houses have been built. 
 He was a liberal contributor to the fund which 
 secured the James Brown Iron Mill, whose plant 
 is situated 0*1 the Calumet River. 
 
 Mr. Turner was married in Chicago May 30, 
 1865, to Miss Carrie K. Ferguson, daughter ot 
 Stauts M. Ferguson, one of Chicago's honored 
 pioneers. They are the parents of three children, 
 namely: James Lyle, Helen N. and Thomas M. 
 The sons fill offices of trust and responsibility in 
 the offices of the Chicago City Railway Company.
 
 322 
 
 C. O. WESTERGREN. 
 
 Stauts Morrison Ferguson, an old settler of 
 Chicago, was born December 10, 1799, in the 
 State of New York. He was of Scotch descent, 
 but his ancestors for many generations were 
 Americans. He was reared in New York, where 
 he was a manufacturer of woolen goods, and in 
 1840 sold his mills in Orange County, New York, 
 and, with his family, came to Chicago, settling 
 ten miles northwest of the city, at Union Ridge, 
 now called Norwood Park. His farm comprised 
 three hundred acres of choice agricultural land, 
 which he cultivated. He sold out a part of this 
 in 1858, and removed to Chicago, where he resided 
 on West Adams Street. He died while on a 
 
 return journey from Gait, California, where he 
 had visited at the homes of his children. He 
 was well known to the West Side residents of 
 Chicago. He took quite an interest in religious 
 matters, and was a high-minded man, much 
 esteemed and respected. He was a Presbyterian, 
 and a stanch Republican in politics, and exerted 
 a wide influence. He was an active Abolitionist, 
 and always showed his friendship for the colored 
 man. 
 
 Mr. Ferguson was married in Orange 
 County, New York, to Miss Naomi A. Rice, who 
 died January 21, 1866. She was the mother of 
 nine children. 
 
 CHARLES O. WESTERGREN. 
 
 CHARLES OSCAR WESTERGREN, a reli- 
 I ( able citizen of South Chicago, was born 
 \J March 8, 1853, on a farm situated near the 
 town of Westervik, in the congregation of Tor- 
 nesfalla, Sweden, and is a son of John and Jose- 
 phine Ulrica (Johnson) Westergren. .His sister 
 Matilda was the first one of the family to emigrate 
 to the United States. She came in 1869, and in 
 1872 married Mr. John Smith, and they at present 
 reside on North Clark Street, in this city. 
 
 Charles O. Westergren received his education 
 in the schools of his native country, and at an 
 early age became possessed of a desire to try his 
 fortunes in the new world. In 1872 he sailed for 
 America, and reached Chicago June 5th of that 
 year. He was first employed at general labor, and 
 after spending six months in the city he found 
 employment at farm labor, which he continued 
 eight months, and then returned to the city. On 
 his return he became engaged in the service of 
 Marshall Field & Company as a box nailer. By 
 
 his faithfulness and ability he has gradually 
 risen in position, and is at present engaged by 
 that firm as a packer. He has been in its service 
 for many years, and has the respect and esteem 
 of his employers. 
 
 June 14, 1 88 1, Mr. Westergren took up his res- 
 idence in South Chicago, and for ten years con- 
 ducted a large boarding-house, having sometimes 
 as many as forty guests. He has owned several 
 houses, the first one being built by him in 1882 at 
 No. 9038 Superior Avenue. In 1 887 he sold it and 
 bought two lots at the northeast corner of Su- 
 perior Avenue and Ninety-first Street, where he 
 built two houses. He sold this property in 1890 
 and bought a lot at No. 74 Ninety-first Street, 
 where he built a house, and occupied it until it 
 was destroyed with others in the fire of 1893. The 
 loss sustained by him was about fifteen hundred 
 dollars. He rebuilt on this land, and still owns the 
 property. June 18, 1894, Mr. Westergren bought 
 the lot he now occupies, at No. 9033 Superior
 
 R. H. SAGE. 
 
 323 
 
 Avenue, and the same year he built a comfortable 
 residence, consisting of a four-story, modern flat 
 building. 
 
 July 31, 1875, he was united in marriage with 
 Ellen Margaret Frankenburg, daughter of Olof 
 Frankenburg. She was born April 4, 1845, in 
 the town of Lusdahl, Sweden, and came to Chi- 
 cago before the Great Fire of 1871. Their union 
 has been blessed by the following children: John 
 Olof Evan, who was born October 6, 1876, and 
 died August 20, 1896; Hilda Josephine Margaret, 
 
 born August 9, 1878, died in July, 1880; and 
 Charles Algert David, born June n, 1882, now 
 residing with his parents. Mr. Westergren and 
 his family are connected with the Swedish Luth- 
 eran Church. He is a thoughtful and conscien- 
 tious man, and in all his dealings with his fellow- 
 men is thoroughly just and honorable. He takes 
 an active interest in the affairs of his adopted 
 countr} r , and is a friend to progress and improve- 
 ment. In politics he is a supporter of the Re- 
 publican part}'. 
 
 RUFUS H. SAGE. 
 
 RUFUS HENRY SAGE was born November 
 22, 1837, in Troy, New York, and was a 
 son of Henry Rufus Sage, who was a brother 
 of the world-famed Russell Sage, of New York 
 City. The family is of Welsh descent, and the 
 first American progenitor settled in Connecticut. 
 The ancestry is traced back to the time of William 
 the Conqueror, who, in 1066, gave a coat-of-arms 
 and a grant of land to this family. They were 
 tillers of the soil, and led upright and honorable 
 lives. On the coat-of-arms is this motto, "JVon 
 Sit>t," meaning "Not for ourselves." 
 
 Rufus Henry Sage received an academic edu- 
 cation in his native State, and was subsequently 
 appointed to a cadetship in the United States Mil- 
 itary School at West Point. He received this ap- 
 pointment through his uncle, Russell Sage, but 
 after two years of hard study he was compelled to 
 abandon his military life, and engage in some 
 other occupation. Soon after leaving West Point 
 he removed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he 
 remained only a short time, and came to Chicago 
 in the spring of 1858, and became an agent for 
 one of the oldest and most reliable commission 
 firms of the city. After becoming acquainted 
 with the details of the business, he embarked in 
 
 it on his own responsibility, and from the begin- 
 ning then made was successful, and the name of 
 Rufus H. Sage became a familiar one among the 
 commission men of the Northwest. 
 
 Mr. Sage had always the happy faculty of mak- 
 ing and keeping friends, and he often loaned the 
 better class of his customers money for conduct- 
 ing their business, and was thus of assistance in 
 preventing the failure of many men who after- 
 wards became prominent in the financial world. 
 He was seldom the loser in these transactions, 
 as his heart and his head were in perfect har- 
 mony with each other. He was one of the 
 largest flour merchants of Chicago, and shipped 
 this product in great quantities to the .Eastern 
 cities. Prior to the Great Fire of 1871, Mr. 
 Sage was one of the best known commission mer- 
 chants in Chicago, but by this disaster he was left 
 a comparatively poor man. However, he retrieved 
 his fallen fortunes to the best of his ability, and 
 eventually became eminently successful, mostly 
 through a brokerage business on the Board of 
 Trade. 
 
 Mr. Sage was known as one of the quiet, hon- 
 orable and industrious citizens of this great me- 
 tropolis, and his word was as good as his bond.
 
 324 
 
 LEIGHTON TURNER. 
 
 He was surrounded by a host of friends, and ap- 
 parently had no enemies. He was a man who 
 possessed strong likes and dislikes, so that it was 
 an honor to be counted among his friends, and 
 although he v\ as a man of few words, he always 
 drew friends to him. Mr. Sage passed away May 
 7, 1897, nl hi s sixtieth year. He was a member 
 of the Presbyterian Church. 
 
 He was married March 6, 1857, while in Wis- 
 consin, to Miss Ellen Wicker. Mr. Sage was a 
 stranger at the prominent clubs and societies of 
 
 Chicago, though at one time he was often to be 
 found in Masonic circles. He loved the compan- 
 ionship of his wife, and highly valued his home, 
 where the atmosphere of tender sympathy per- 
 vaded all, and where he ever found a haven of 
 rest and comfort after the fatigues of business 
 hours. His death, though not unexpected, left 
 his friends deeply grieved at the thought of miss- 
 ing the quiet man, whose gentle nature had 
 endeared itself to all by the practice of every 
 manly virtue. 
 
 LEIGHTON TURNER. 
 
 I EIGHTON TURNER, who was for many 
 1C years identified with the business interests 
 I J of Chicago, was a pioneer of 1836, and was 
 born February 17, 1812, in Gilberdike, York- 
 shire, England. His parents were William and 
 Mary Turner, both of whom grew to maturity 
 and married in Yorkshire, where all of their nine 
 children were born. In the early part of the 
 thirties all the family except the eldest emigrated 
 to the United States, locating at Detroit, Mich- 
 igan, where the parents lived the remainder of 
 their lives, and where they died several years 
 ago. 
 
 Leighton Turner received only a limited educa- 
 tion, in the schools of his native land, and was 
 reared to farm pursuits. He was about twenty 
 years of age when he came to America. In 1836 
 he came to Chicago, in company with his brother 
 John, and two years later they engaged in the 
 livery business in a small way, on Wolcott Street 
 (now State Street) between Kinzie and North 
 Water Streets. This enterprise prospered and 
 gradually increased in importance until it became 
 one of the most lucrative of its kind in the city. 
 They continued the partnership about fifteen 
 years, during which time they had made a 
 
 financial success of the business. By investing 
 their money judiciously in land they soon had 
 large interests in real estate, owning several hun- 
 dred acres of land in Lake View, Jefferson and 
 Niles Townships. 
 
 The brothers dissolved the partnership by 
 mutual consent, and made an equitable division 
 of their property. Leightou Turner then re- 
 moved to Jefferson Township, in Cook County, 
 where he engaged in farming, and carried on this 
 business successfully until 1867. He then lo- 
 cated in Evanston, in order that his growing chil- 
 dren might enjoy the educational advantages of- 
 fered by that place. For some years he lived in 
 comparative retirement, giving attention only to 
 his landed interests. In 1872 he took a trip to 
 Europe, and remained there a few months. He 
 engaged in the livery business in Evanston in 
 1882, in connection with his sons, and they con- 
 tinued until the building was destroyed by fire 
 about 1890. 
 
 When Mr. Turner came to Chicago he was a 
 poor man, who had enjoyed few advantages for 
 education and improvement in his early life. He 
 had, however, learned the valuable lessons of self- 
 help and self-reliance, and he became, in the
 
 J. T. McCULLOUGH. 
 
 325 
 
 truest sense, a self-made man. His success in 
 life was owing to his industry, his integrity and 
 his keen business foresight. His career was al- 
 ways characterized by honesty in his dealings 
 with his fellow-men. He achieved his ample 
 fortune through the legitimate channels of busi- 
 ness, and not by taking advantage of the neces- 
 sities of others. In politics he was a Republican, 
 but he never sought any office, being content to 
 leave the management of public affairs to others. 
 He was not lacking in enterprise, as all measures 
 for public good found in him a liberal supporter. 
 In religious faith he was a Methodist, as is also 
 his wife, and both took an active interest in 
 church work. 
 
 December 17, 1844, Mr. Turner married Miss 
 Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Jane 
 (Osmond) Briden. She was born December 26, 
 1824, in Yorkshire, England, the native place of 
 her parents. When she was ten years old, her 
 mother died, and in 1842 the family came to the 
 United States and settled in Cook County. Of 
 the twelve children born to Thomas and Jane 
 Briden, only two are now living. The father 
 died in Iowa about 1866. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Turner had eight children, all 
 of whom grew to maturity, and are now living, 
 namely: Jane (now Mrs. J. F. Lang, of La 
 Crosse, Wisconsin), Mary E. , Sarah C., Miles 
 L-, Charles W., Julia P., Leighton I. and 
 Walter I. 
 
 Soon after Mr. and Mrs. Turner settled on the 
 farm in Jefferson Township, they were instru- 
 mental in organizing the first Methodist congre- 
 gation in that community, and the students who 
 went out from school to conduct religious services 
 among the pioneers always found a hearty wel- 
 come in their hospitable home, and were the 
 recipients of many kindnesses at the hands of 
 Mrs. Turner. 
 
 In December, 1894, Mr. and Mrs. Turner 
 quietly celebrated their golden wedding in their 
 pleasant home, with all the members of the fam- 
 ily present. After a long, useful and successful 
 life, Mr. Turner was called to his reward, Feb- 
 ruary n, 1895, and in his demise the community 
 lost a valuable citizen. In his home, where his 
 happiest hours had been passed, his death caused 
 an irreparable loss, and left a sadness and gloom 
 which will never be overcome. 
 
 JOHN T. McCULLOUGH. 
 
 (JOHN THOMAS McCULLOUGH, a skilled 
 I mechanic of South Chicago, was born June 
 G) 19, 1854, in Troy, New York, and is a son 
 of Edward and Susan (Lynch) McCullough. 
 Edward McCullough was born in Belfast, Ireland, 
 and became a member of the Queen's Guards. 
 He followed the occupation of his great-grand- 
 father, Andrew McCullough, and of his grand- 
 father, who were musicians in the Six-foot Regi- 
 ment Queen's Guards. Edward McCullough 
 was especially noted as a performer on the flute, 
 of which instrument he was a good master. He 
 
 came to America about 1830, and lived in the 
 State of New York. He became a foreman in 
 cotton mills in Troy, and married Susan Lynch 
 of New York. He and his wife were the parents 
 of four children, as follows: John, William, Ed- 
 ward and Lucretia. Mrs. McCullough married 
 for her second husband Daniel Reardon, with 
 whom she resides in Chicago. They have two 
 children, August and Mary Reardon. 
 
 John T. McCullough received his early educa- 
 tion in his native State, and at a very early age 
 began the serious business of life for himself. He
 
 3 26 
 
 C. A. WENZLAFF. 
 
 came to Chicago when thirteen years old, and 
 began to learn the machinist's trade. For twenty- 
 six years he was employed by Robert Owens, and 
 for sixteen years was his foreman, which speaks 
 well for his faithfulness, industry and careful at- 
 tention to his work. He was then employed by 
 Sherman & Flavin as foreman in 1895, and is 
 still engaged in their services. 
 
 July 25, 1878, Mr. McCullough married Miss 
 Annie Esther Garrity, daughter of Thomas Gar- 
 rity, whose biography appears on another page 
 
 of this volume. She was born September 8, 
 1855, on Stony Island Avenue. Their children 
 pre: Helen Gertrude, born May 14,, 1879, and 
 died January 20, 1881; Lilian Marie, Helen 
 Marcia and Edward Michael. Mr. McCullongh 
 and his family are communicants of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. He is an intelligent and law- 
 abiding citizen, and has the interest of his country 
 at heart. In his political views he favors the 
 principles of the Republican party, of which he is 
 a firm supporter. 
 
 CHARLES A. WENZLAFF. 
 
 HARLES AUGUST WENZLAFF, a good 
 citizen of South Chicago, was born Novem- 
 ber 8, 1862, in Pommern, Germany, and is 
 a son of Carl and Henrietta (Behnke) Wenzlaff. 
 Carl Wenzlaff emigrated to America when the 
 subject of this sketch was a small boy, locating 
 in Blue Island. Charles A. Wenzlaff had limited 
 educational advantages, attending school only un- 
 til he was thirteen years of age. He received 
 part of his training in a school connected with 
 the German Lutheran Clunch, and later studied 
 in the public schools of Blue Island. 
 
 When he left school, he began work in the 
 planing mill of Riggs & Goodwill, as a helper 
 at a machine, and he followed this branch of 
 employment for a number of years. He next 
 found a place in the mill of Mr. Russell, on Har- 
 bor and Green Bay Avenues, where he remained 
 until he found employment with the North Chi- 
 cago Rolling Mill Company, now the Illinois 
 Steel Company. When he began working for 
 the above company, he helped the brick ma- 
 sons, then was assistant to the straighteners, 
 working on the hot bed two and one-half years, 
 
 and for the past seven years he has been a rail 
 straightener. He is careful, thoughtful and faith- 
 ful in his work, and has thus been able to ad- 
 vance in position by degrees. 
 
 When Mr. Wenzlaff bought a lot in September, 
 1896, at No. 9018 Green Bay Avenue, he was 
 able to build a comfortable home, which he has 
 occupied ever since. April 29, 1889, he married 
 Miss Louise Augusta Stark, daughter of Fred- 
 erick and Mary (Boger) Stark. Her parents are 
 among the oldest families in Blue Island, where 
 they are universally respected. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Wenzlaff had four children, namely: an infant 
 son, deceased; Charles Elmer, Edward William 
 and Herbert John. The last-named also died when 
 an infant. 
 
 Mrs. Wenzlaff was reared in the Methodist 
 faith, and the family is now connected with the 
 Emanuel Evangelical German Lutheran Church. 
 Mr. Wenzlaff sympathizes largely with the Re- 
 publican party, but he is independent in politics. 
 He is thrifty in business, and has always been so 
 careful in his expenditures that he upholds the 
 reputation of German-Americans for frugality.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 WYERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 CHARLES E. BOLLES.
 
 C. E. BOLLES. 
 
 327 
 
 CHARLES E. BOLLES. 
 
 EHARLES EDWIN BOLLES, a leading 
 citizen of Oak Park, has long been identified 
 with large enterprises in Cook and Du Page 
 Counties. He was born at Cambridgeport, Wind- 
 sor County, Vermont, October 14, 1844. His 
 parents were Lemuel Bolles and Mary Ann Wea- 
 ver. The former carried on a general store at 
 Cambridgeport, and also employed a number of 
 wagons and carts in distributing his goods through 
 the country. He died there in May, 1848, at 
 the age of thirty-six years. He was a son of 
 Lemuel Bolles, a native of Richmond, New 
 Hampshire. The first ancestor of this family of 
 whom a record has been preserved was Joseph 
 Bolles, born 1608 and died 1678. He was of 
 Scotch and English lineage, and came to Am- 
 erica early in the colonial period. His descend- 
 ants in direct line to Lemuel Bolles, senior, were 
 Samuel, Jonathan, and Jonathan, junior. The 
 last-named, who was born in 1732 and died in 
 1824, removed to Richmond, New Hampshire, 
 and later to Rockingham, Vermont. The mem- 
 bers of this family have always been conspicuous 
 for longevity 'and physical vigor, a number of 
 them having lived past the great age of ninety 
 years. 
 
 Lemuel and Mary A. Bolles were the parents 
 of one daughter and two sous. Besides Charles 
 E., these were: Delia I., who is now the wife of 
 Hon. Gilbert A. Davis, a leading attorney of 
 Windsor, Vermont, and Esek C., who was born 
 October 4, 1842, and served from May 24, 1861, 
 
 to June 18, 1864, in Company K, Thirteenth 
 Illinois Volunteers. He was afterwards employed 
 for a number of years as a conductor on the Chi- 
 cago & Eastern Illinois Railroad, and was ac- 
 cidentally killed . while in the service of that 
 corporation, December 6, 1878. 
 
 After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Mary 
 A. Bolles was married to George J. Atcherson, 
 and in 1855 the family came to Illinois, locating 
 at Turner (now West Chicago), Du Page County. 
 Mr. Atcherson became a leading citizen of that 
 village, where he did a general business in hides, 
 real estate and loans. He took considerable in- 
 terest in public affairs, and for a number of years 
 was supervisor of the township. He died Jan- 
 uary 26, 1884, .and Mrs. Atcherson passed away 
 in the same year. She was very prominent in 
 the work of the Methodist Church at that place, 
 and was held in the highest esteem by all her 
 neighbors. Out of respect to her memory the 
 public schools were closed on the day of her fun- 
 eral, that being the first instance in which a resi- 
 dent of the village was honored in this manner. 
 
 When the Civil War began Charles E. Bolles, 
 whose name heads this article, offered to enlist in 
 defense of the Union cause, but was rejected, ow- 
 ing to his youth. On the 8th of May, 1862, he 
 was enrolled, however, as a recruit in Company 
 K, Thirteenth Illinois Volunteers. Starting with 
 his comrades from Rolla, Missouri, he inarched 
 to Batesville, Arkansas, where they joined the 
 regiment soon after the battle of Pea Ridge.
 
 328 
 
 C. E. BOLLES. 
 
 Thence they marched to Helena, Arkansas, being 
 cut off for three weeks from all communication 
 with the other Union forces. This march from 
 Rolla, Missouri, to Helena, Arkansas, covered a 
 distance of 1218 miles, much more than the route 
 in a direct line. As it was a dry season, there 
 were but few sources from which supplies of 
 fresh water could be obtained, and most of these 
 had been poisoned by the enemy. They also 
 suffered considerably from lack of food, but upon 
 reaching St. Charles, Arkansas, received abun- 
 dant supplies from the Union gun boats, which 
 had been making every effort to communicate 
 with them. 
 
 The Thirteenth Regiment was afterwards made 
 the First Regiment, First Brigade, Second Di- 
 vision, of the Army of the Southwest, under com- 
 mand of Gen. Eugene A. Carr. Mr. Bolles 
 participated in a number of skirmishes, and at 
 Chickasaw Bayou, near Vicksburg, he was shot 
 through the right arm, and owing to this dis- 
 ability was mustered out February 10, 1863. 
 Upon his recovery he re-entered the army, as 
 quartermaster's clerk of the Fourteenth (colored) 
 U. S. Infantry. In 1864 he received a certificate 
 from the examining board at Nashville, as a first 
 lieutenant and regimental quartermaster. In the 
 fall of that year he became a quartermaster's 
 clerk, under Captain Eaton, at Dal ton, Georgia, 
 the outermost Union post, after Sherman's evacua- 
 tion of Atlanta. He was afterwards ordered to 
 go by way of New York to Savannah, Georgia. 
 Upon reaching Cincinnati he received orders to 
 return to Chattanooga and close up Captain 
 Eaton's accounts with the post quartermaster at 
 that place. After resuming his journey he had 
 reached Cincinnati, when he was seized with 
 typhoid fever and sent home. 
 
 After the war he attended the military academy 
 at Fulton, Illinois, and spent one term in the com- 
 mercial department of Wheaton college. He then 
 became a traveling representative and purchasing 
 agent of H. C. Tillinghast & Company, of Chi- 
 cago, with whom he continued five years. After 
 dealing in hardware four years at Turner, he was 
 again connected with that firm until 1880, at 
 which date he became a member of the firm of 
 
 Bolles & Rogers, wholesale dealers in hides, pelts, 
 and similar goods. This relation still continues, 
 and the firm does the largest business in that 
 line of any concern in Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Bolles has always been greatly interested in 
 real estate at Turner and other places. He owns 
 a large farm adjacent to that village, and at dif- 
 ferent times has laid out eight or nine subdi- 
 visions. In company with J. H. Lesher, in 1893, 
 he organized the Turner Brick Company, and 
 the product of this establishment has entered into 
 the construction of many of the finest buildings 
 of Chicago and its suburbs. In 1894 he erected 
 upon the old homestead of Mr. Atcherson a fine 
 opera house and business block, which is one of 
 the most substantial and attractive structures in 
 that suburb. He has recently been instrumental 
 in changing the name from Turner to West Chi- 
 cago, and spares no pains in promoting the 
 growth and development of that thriving suburb. 
 He has made a proposition to donate a site and 
 erect a ten-thousand-dollar building for a public 
 library, provided that the citizens raise a fund to 
 stock and equip the same. This offer will no 
 doubt be accepted at an early date. 
 
 Mr. Bolles was married to Miss Mattie Butter- 
 field, daughter of George W. and Ann (Bennett) 
 Butterfield, pioneer settlers of Du Page County. 
 Mr. Butterfield was born June 29, 1820, and died 
 May 3, 1848. Mrs. Bolles was born in Chicago, 
 and has always lived in Cook and Du Page Coun- 
 ties. Her only daughter, Maud E. , is the wife 
 of Abram Gale, now a resident of West Chicago. 
 Mrs. Bolles is connected with the Congregational 
 Church of Oak Park, which place has been the 
 home of the family since 1878. Mr. Bolles is 
 prominently identified with the Oak Park Club, 
 of which he was vice-president two years. He 
 was always an ardent admirer of James G. Elaine, 
 whose death he regards as a national calamity. 
 He participates to some extent in the local coun- 
 cils of the Republican party, and is chairman of 
 the finance committee of the Oak Park Republican 
 Club. Though often solicited to become a can- 
 didate for public office, he uniformly declines, 
 believing that he can best serve the interests of 
 the community in the capacity of a private citizen.
 
 THOMAS GARRITY. 
 
 329 
 
 THOMAS GARRITY. 
 
 'HOMAS GARRITY, an early settler in 
 Chicago, was born in County Mayo, Ire- 
 land, and is a son of Patrick and Mary 
 (Brown) Garrity, natives of that country. His 
 grandfather, Conrad Garrity, spent his life in 
 Ireland, and was engaged in fanning. Some of 
 his children were: Owen, Martin, Mary and 
 Catherine. The sons of Owen - Owen, Patrick, 
 Dominick and John came to America. Patrick 
 now resides in Boston, Dominick in Massachu- 
 setts, and John in Chicago. The children of 
 Martin Garrity John and Owen emigrated to 
 America. John is deceased, and Owen resides 
 in Maryland. 
 
 Patrick Garrity was born in Ireland, where he 
 was a farmer, and died in 1847, a * the a S e or " 
 eighty-nine years. His wife died three weeks 
 after, at the age of eighty years. They had thir- 
 teen children. Those who lived to maturity are: 
 George, Michael, Owen, James, Thomas, Cath- 
 erine, Biddy and Mary. George was married in 
 Ireland, and died there at the age of forty years; 
 Owen was drowned in Saint Catharines, Canada; 
 Catherine never left Ireland, and died at the age 
 of fifty years; and Mar}' married John Lavelle, 
 and lived in Saint Catharines, Canada. Michael 
 Garrity emigrated to America in 1841, coming to 
 Chicago, and locating at Morgan Park, where he 
 bought about eighty acres of land, and resided 
 until his death. James also emigrated, coming 
 to the United States in 1849. He lived in Mor- 
 gan Park two years, and then removed to South 
 Chicago. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of Thomas Garrity, 
 the subject of this sketch, married Mary Roan, 
 and Mary Brown was their only child. The 
 Brown family was a wealthy one, and was prom- 
 
 inent in Irish politics, furnishing three members 
 of the British Parliament, who were brothers, and 
 resided in Dublin. 
 
 Thomas Garrity received his education in his 
 native country, where he remained until April, 
 1841. He then emigrated to America, and with 
 his brother built a house on Stony Island, now 
 called Calumet Heights. They occupied it three 
 years, and then Thomas built himself a house on 
 Ninety-fourth Street, where he resided ten years. 
 About 1860 he moved to South Chicago Avenue, 
 where the Calumet Theatre now stands, and 
 erected two houses. The smaller one was after- 
 ward made into a stable, and the other was 
 burned in a fire which caught from a spark from 
 a locomotive engine. Mr. Garrity made his res- 
 idence on South Chicago Avenue until 1871, and 
 then moved to No. 8923 Exchange Avenue, and 
 purchased the right to a tract of land from a man 
 who had a squatter's claim on it. He erected a 
 temporary dwelling, and in 1894 he built his 
 present comfortable residence. 
 
 For the first nine years of Mr. Garrity's resi- 
 dence in South Chicago, he was employed by 
 Thomas Morgan in the lime kilns in Stony Island, 
 and lie also found time to cultivate his land. He 
 then found employment on various lines of rail- 
 road, at section work, which he continued until 
 about ten years ago, since which time he has en- 
 joyed a life of ease and retirement. 
 
 January 25, 1842, Mr. Garrity was married, in 
 Parish Kilmore, County Mayo, Ireland, to Miss 
 Ellen McGlain. She was a daughter of Patrick 
 and Mary (Crump) McGlain, wealthy and in- 
 fluential citizens of Ireland. The latter was a 
 daughter of James Crump. Mrs. Garrity was 
 born in 1828, and passed away September u,
 
 33 
 
 A. B. BRINKERHOFF. 
 
 1882. She was the mother of the following 
 children: George, who died when an infant; 
 Stephen, who died when one week old; Patrick, 
 who was born February 2, 1848, and is now liv- 
 ing at No. 7318 Evans Avenue, Chicago; Mary, 
 who died in infancy; Mary (the second) , who was 
 born August 15, 1851, and died December 2, 
 1882, being the widow of Laurence O'Neil, who 
 died a year before his wife, and left two children, 
 John Joseph and James Laurence; Michael, who 
 was born March 18, 1852, resides at Saint Paul, 
 Minnesota, and is employed as engineer on a 
 locomotive; Cordelia (called Bridget), who was 
 born October 18, 1857, married Michael S. Mon- 
 roe, and resides in Trenton, Missouri; Ellen, who 
 
 was born August 18, 1859, married J. T. P. Pick- 
 ett, and lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota; James, 
 unmarried, who was born May 10, 1861, and 
 is employed by the Pullman Palace Car Company 
 as an axle-maker; Thomas, who was born March 
 18, 1863, and lives in South Chicago, where he is 
 engaged as an engineer in a mill; and John, who 
 was born June 19, 1865, and died when nine 
 months old. J. T. P. Pickett, who married 
 Ellen Garrity, belongs to the Western Associa- 
 tion of Baseball Players, and plays first base in 
 the Minneapolis team. All the children of 
 Thomas Garrity have followed the worthy exam- 
 ple of their father, and lead honest and 'industri- 
 ous lives. 
 
 ABRAM B. BRINKERHOFF. 
 
 Gl BRAM BEVIER BRINKERHOFF. Among 
 LJ the railroad men of Chicago who have, by 
 / I their long and faithful service, won a name 
 and place in the history of the Great West and in 
 this volume, should be mentioned the subject of 
 this sketch. He was born June 15, 1836, in 
 Barton, Tioga County, New York. The gen- 
 ealogy of this family in America dates back to 
 Joris Dircksen Brinckerhoff, who was born in 
 Drenthe, Holland, in 1609, and came to America 
 with his family, and settled on the banks of the 
 beautiful Hudson River, where ten successive 
 generations have since made their home. 
 
 There are to-day at least one thousand persons 
 who bear the name of Brinkerhoff, and about ten 
 thousand others who are descendants, but who 
 bear other names, thus making this family one of 
 the most numerous of the Knickerbockers in 
 America. Joris Dircksen BrinkerhofF settled on 
 Manhattan Island when New Amsterdam num- 
 bered only about three hundred inhabitants. One 
 
 of his sons was killed by the Indians, probably in 
 Kieft's Indian War of 1643. He held positions 
 of trust for many years, positions which required 
 probity and integrity of character, thus making 
 the family motto, " Constantes fides et integritas," 
 most applicable to him, as it is to the subject of 
 this sketch. 
 
 As far back as the family can be traced in direct 
 line, the ancestry is as follows: Joris D. , Hendrick, 
 Jacobus, Joris, James I. and Abram B. Joris, 
 grandfather of A. B. BrinkerhofF, was a captain 
 in the Revolutionary War. He married Miss 
 Annatie Demarest, and they had a family of seven 
 sons and four daughters. James I. Brinkerhoft 
 married Rachel Bevier, and their children were: 
 Horatio, Martha, Helen, Abram B., Jacob O. 
 and Annatie. The father was a merchant, farmer 
 and lumberman, being a thrifty, honest man. 
 He came West with his family in 1854, and set- 
 tled near Elgin, Kane Count}-, Illinois, but later 
 removed to McHenry County, where he died at
 
 HENRY BIRREN. 
 
 the age of sixty-five years, and his wife at the 
 age of ninety -two years. Of their children only 
 "Jacob O. and Abram B. are living. 
 
 The subject of this biography was educated in 
 the common schools of his native State, and 
 learned the mercantile business. He worked on 
 a farm for two years, and then secured a posi- 
 tion as baggageman at Elgin, Illinois, at nine 
 shillings a day, a position for which he was 
 thankful. His mercantile career had fitted him 
 for this position, and he gave general satisfaction. 
 After two years' service at Elgin he was sent to 
 Chicago, as clerk in the freight department of 
 the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, under J. 
 D. Tyler. His skill and close attention to busi- 
 ness soon won him the confidence and esteem of 
 his superiors, and he became familiar with every 
 detail of the service, in time filling every office 
 in the department. For a short time he was sent 
 to the country to fill temporary vacancies, and 
 
 then secured the position of agent at Dundee, 
 Kane Count}', Illinois, where he remained eight- 
 een years. But he was not forgotten by the 
 managers of the road, who showed that they ap- 
 preciated his alertness, fidelity and attention to 
 detail by appointing him freight agent at Chi- 
 cago, which position he has filled with great 
 credit to himself ever since, enjoying to a marked 
 degree the confidence of his superior officers. 
 
 Mr. Brinkerhoff was married at Dundee, Illi- 
 nois, to Miss Ellen E., daughter of Henry E. 
 Hunt, who was a native of New York and an 
 early settler in Illinois. He is a Master Mason, 
 and politically a Republican, but never a politician, 
 belonging to that conservative class of men who 
 consider it a sacred duty to guard the interests of 
 the community by the ballot. He is not a mem- 
 ber of any club, but regards his home as a haven 
 of rest, where he can recreate himself after the 
 day's work is done. 
 
 HENRY BIRREN. 
 
 HENRY BIRREN (deceased) was one of the 
 well-known old settlers of Chicago. He 
 was born in Steinsel, Luxemburg, Germany, 
 in July, 1812. In the common schools of his 
 native land he received a good, practical educa- 
 tion. In early life he was apprenticed to the 
 smithing trade, at which he served his time and 
 became a skillful workman. He followed this oc- 
 cupation in various places, and for nine years 
 worked at it in Paris, France. He was also a 
 successful veterinary surgeon, having gained a 
 knowledge of the science from private study and 
 practical experience. 
 
 In 1845 he came to the United States, crossing 
 the Atlantic in a sailing-vessel and being several 
 weeks on the water. Settling in Buffalo, New 
 
 York, he remained there three years, working at 
 his trade. He was poor in purse, but ambitious 
 to attain success, and piit away his meagre sav- 
 ings for future investment. In 1848 he settled in 
 Chicago, the city at that time having only fifty 
 thousand inhabitants. Soon after his arrival he 
 established himself in business, although for a 
 brief time at first he worked in the machine shops 
 of the McCormick Reaper Company, and was the 
 first German to establish a blacksmith shop on the 
 North Side. 
 
 This was located on Dearborn and Chicago 
 Avenues, where for some years he carried on 
 a fairly successful business in smithing and gen- 
 eral repair work, to which he added his veterinary 
 practice. He did quite a business in treating
 
 332 
 
 G. H. HOOS. 
 
 farmer's horses. Later, he removed to North 
 Park Avenue and Eugenie Street, where he lo- 
 cated a shop, and in 1859 branched out in the un- 
 dertaking business, though in a small way at first. 
 His business in this line grew to extensive pro- 
 portions, and for several years he was the only 
 undertaker on the North Side, and had three dif- 
 ferent establishments, one each on Clark Street, 
 North Avenue and Eugenie Street. He grew 
 prosperous, and his surplus was invested in real 
 estate, and he was on the highway to fortune 
 when the Great Fire of 1871 swept away nearly 
 all that he owned, including five buildings. This 
 loss did not dishearten him, however. He re- 
 covered three thousand dollars of insurance, re- 
 built, and continued his former business, and in 
 1873 he had three undertaking establishments, 
 one on Chicago Avenue and the others on North 
 Avenue and Eugenie Street. Although he labored 
 under disadvantages after the fire, he was yet 
 
 successful and carried on his business until age 
 compelled its relinquishment, when he turned it 
 over to his two eldest sons. 
 
 He was united in marriage, in the Fatherland, 
 to Miss Katharine Faber, who bore him twelve 
 children, two of whom died in infancy. Ten 
 grew to maturity, namely: Nicholas, now de- 
 ceased; Cornelius, an undertaker at No. 283 
 North Avenue; N. H., deceased; Margaret, Mrs. 
 Bernard Brosterhaus; Mary, deceased; Anna; 
 John H.; Peter A., undertaker at No. 842 Lincoln 
 Avenue, Joseph P., an artist of Chicago; and 
 Elizabeth, wife of Henry Zuber, of Chicago. Mr. 
 Birren died November 10, 1880, and his devoted 
 wife survived him, departing this life March 20, 
 1895. Both were communicants of St. Michael's 
 Roman Catholic Church, and were among its 
 most liberal supporters. Mr. Birren was a public- 
 spirited man, and took an active interest in what- 
 ever, in his judgment, subserved the public good. 
 
 GEORGE H. HOOS. 
 
 0EORGE HENRY HOOS was born July 2, 
 
 biSsg, on his father's farm in Sandusky, Coun- 
 ty, Ohio. He is a son of Jacob and Christina 
 (Ream) Hoos. Jacob Hoos was born in Ger- 
 many, was a blacksmith by trade, and came to 
 America in 1845, locating in Tiffin, Ohio. 
 When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in 
 Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-third 
 Oliio Volunteer Infantry, and died in October, 
 1862, of camp fever, at the age of thirty-five 
 years. His wife was a daughter of Philip Lau- 
 renz Ream, who was a farmer in Germany, and 
 emigrated to America about the same time as 
 Mr. Hoos. After the death of her husband she 
 managed to keep the family together, though she 
 found it no easy task. 
 
 George Henry Hoos removed to Seneca Coun- 
 
 ty, Ohio, with his parents when he was two 
 years old. He lived on the farm left by his fa- 
 ther until he was thirteen years old, and then 
 went to Tiffin, Ohio. His educational advan- 
 tages amounted to about one year's attendance 
 at the public schools, and he obtained his educa- 
 tion by his own efforts and by private study. 
 When he removed to Tiffin he was employed in 
 the Tiffin Agriculture Works, where he labored 
 in various departments. He found employment 
 in a grocery store as clerk, and remained three 
 years, next engaging in business with Mr. P. J. 
 Sconnell as a partner, dealing in books, stationery 
 and musical instruments. After three years in this 
 occupation his health was so poor that he decided 
 to try some outdoor employment, and accordingly 
 lived on a farm the next two years. He then
 
 P. W. GRAY. 
 
 333 
 
 returned to Tiffin and was engaged as a clerk in 
 the freight office of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- 
 road, at which he worked until December i, 1890, 
 when he took a position as cashier in the freight 
 department of the same road, and in January, 
 1891, he was made station agent. 
 
 In June, 1892, he became a switchman for the 
 Baltimore & Ohio road, and he remained in that 
 position two years. June 19, 1894, he began as 
 switchman for the Chicago, Lake Shore & East- 
 ern Railroad, and is at present in their employ. 
 
 Mr. Hoos was married November 16, 1881, to 
 Miss Hattie C. Fisher, daughter of William H. 
 
 Fisher, of Tiffin, Ohio. They have three chil- 
 dren, namely: Nina Christina, Jennie May and 
 Delia Marie. Mr. Hoos is a member of the 
 Knights of Pythias, being connected with Pick- 
 wick Lodge, No. 177. He was reared in the 
 German Reformed Church. In politics he is an 
 adherent of the Republican party. He is a self- 
 made man, and is intelligent and well read, hav- 
 ing been so anxious to have the greater power 
 and ability which education alone can give, that 
 all through his life he has been a student, learn- 
 ing not only from books, but by careful obser- 
 vation as well. 
 
 PRESTON W. GRAY. 
 
 QRESTON WILLIAM GRAY, of Ravens- 
 
 yr wood, is a representative of one of the early 
 ^5 and well-known families of Cook County. 
 He was born in Monroe Precinct, afterwards the 
 town of Jefferson (which now forms part of the 
 city of Chicago), September 15, 1848. His father, 
 William Perry Gray, of Jefferson Park, is one of 
 the pioneers of Chicago, having come to Cook 
 County in September, 1844. Chicago had at 
 that time about ten thousand inhabitants, and 
 gave no promise of its present size and importance. 
 William Perry Gray was born in Fort Coving- 
 ton, Franklin County, New York, May 24, 1821, 
 and is a son of John and Rebecca (Hastings) 
 Gray. John Gray was born near Dumbarton 
 Castle, in Scotland, and came to America with 
 his parents when but two years old. The family 
 settled in the old town of Cambridge, now Jack- 
 son, Washington County, New York. There 
 John Gray grew to manhood, and about 1808 
 removed to Franklin County, where he remained 
 
 until his death. This occurred June 24, 1821, 
 when his son, William Perry Gray, was an in- 
 fant one month old. He was about fifty )'ears 
 old when he died, and the wife and mother sur- 
 vived until April, 1877. She made her home in 
 the town of Jefferson for a number of years. 
 
 John Gray and his wife were the parents of 
 nine children who grew to mature years. Will- 
 iam P. was the youngest of them, and is the only 
 one now living. Mary, Agnes, Caroline and 
 Rebecca were the daughters, and the first born. 
 They all lived in the State of New York all their 
 lives, and all left children. The eldest son was 
 John, who came to Chicago in 1836. He made 
 his home here for many years, then located in 
 Niles, where he kept a hotel and operated a saw- 
 mill, then moved to a farm in Jefferson, where he 
 lived the remainder of his life. He was at one 
 time sheriff of Cook Count}-. The second of the 
 brothers, Wareham, died at the age of nineteen 
 years. The next son, Walter B. Gray, came to
 
 334 
 
 P. W. GRAY. 
 
 Cook County in 1854, and resided here until his 
 death. James Gray died at the age of twenty- 
 two years. He came West in 1839, and his 
 death occurred quite suddenly soon after. 
 
 William Perry Gray, as before stated, was the 
 youngest. He lived on the homestead farm in 
 the State of New York until he reached his nine- 
 teenth year. The mother remained a widow un- 
 til her death. She was a most remarkable wo- 
 man, possessing great energy and force of char- 
 acter, and kept her family together until they 
 were successively married and settled, and until 
 her youngest child reached manhood. 
 
 When William Perry Gray left home he went 
 to Washington County, New York, where his fa- 
 ther had grown from early childhood to manhood. 
 In 1844 he came to Cook County, and in 1845 he 
 returned to Washington County, New York, 
 where he was married in April of that year to 
 Miss Catherine Donahue, a native of that county, 
 and daughter of James and Catherine (Hastings) 
 Donahue. In May following Mr. Gray returned 
 to his work in Cook County, and in 1846 pur- 
 chased one hundred and sixty acres of land in the 
 town of Jefferson, now within the limits of Chi- 
 cago. The purchase price was six and a- quarter 
 dollars an acre, or one thousand dollars for the 
 whole. Later he added forty acres, and still 
 later he divided the land equally between his two 
 sons. The wife he brought from the East died 
 December 31, 1881. Two sons are the only chil- 
 dren surviving from this marriage, Preston W. 
 and Henry A. Four others, John W., James, 
 Caroline M. and Charles E., were born to them 
 and are now deceased. On April 5, 1883, Mr. 
 Gray was married to Miss Louisa Wier, who was 
 born in the town where his first wife was born. 
 He has one son by this union, Herbert W. by 
 name, and has lost two daughters, the elder being 
 named Catherine. Mr. Gray has seen Chicago 
 grow from a few thousand inhabitants to. the 
 second city in America, and has seen Cook Coun- 
 ty grow from a wilderness to its present position 
 of importance and" influence. He is widely 
 known throughout this region and esteemed by 
 all who know him. In early life he was a Demo- 
 
 crat, but during the Civil War and since he has 
 voted the Republican ticket in national elections. 
 He is not a strong partisan, being liberal in both 
 his political and religious views. 
 
 Preston W. Gray continued to live on the home 
 farm in the town of Jefferson until 1884. In the 
 mean time the land had become too valuable to 
 be used for farming purposes, and was divided 
 into several parts for market-gardening. The 
 two oldest brothers still own one hundred acres 
 of the old farm. December 24, 1872, Mr. Pres- 
 ton Gray was married to Miss Celia Jordan, ol 
 Allegany County, New York. She is the daugh- 
 ter of Andrew and Eleanor (Stevens) Jordan, 
 early settlers in Allegany County. In May, 
 1884, the family went to Allegany County, to 
 visit the old home of Mrs. Gray. In August of 
 the same year Mr. Gray joined his family in the 
 State of New York. That portion of New York 
 was producing large quantities of coal oil and the 
 subject of this sketch decided to engage in the oil 
 trade, which proved a successful venture. He 
 continued in this business until 1890, when, hav- 
 ing been severely and apparently permanently in- 
 jured by falling from an oil tank, he decided to 
 retire, and accordingly sold his interests. His 
 family had returned to Chicago the previous 
 year, and on his return he made his home in Jef- 
 ferson Park, where he remained until 1891, when 
 he settled in Ravenswood. He eventually recov- 
 ered from his injury, and is now engaged in the 
 real-estate business at No. 69 Dearborn Street, 
 Chicago. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gray have two sons, Charles M. , 
 born in the town of Jefferson August 23, 1877, 
 and Louie O. , born at Richburg, Allegany 
 County, New York, February 14, 1888. In 
 politics Mr. Gray is an active Republican, but 
 desires and accepts no official positions. Mr. 
 Gray, his wife and son take an active part in 
 religious work, and are members of the Baptist 
 Church. Mr. Gray is a member of Ravenswood 
 Lodge, No. 777, Ancient Free and Accepted 
 Masons, and Columbia Chapter, No. 202, Royal 
 Arch Masons, and for several years has been a 
 member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 OF ILLINOIS
 
 T. F. WITHROW. 
 
 335 
 
 THOMAS F. WITHROW. 
 
 'HOM AS FOSTER WITHROW was born 
 in Kanawha County, Virginia (now West 
 Virginia), March 6, 1832. His father, who 
 was a physician, was bound his son should be a 
 medical practitioner, but the son had an early 
 bent for the law, which brooked no opposition; 
 on this account, as his father would not furnish 
 necessary funds, his early years were mainly 
 self-educated. When sufficiently advanced, he 
 taught district schools, thereby earning the means 
 wherewith to attend the Western Reserve College, 
 situated at Delaware, Ohio. By reason of his 
 father's death during his youth, he was obliged to 
 drop his books, leave college, and forthwith pro- 
 ceed to business life in order to support his wid- 
 owed mother and his sister. 
 
 Adopting for a season the journalistic field, 
 that he might lay up money to prosecute ultimate 
 legal aims, at the age of twenty-one he was ap- 
 pointed local editor upon the Republican, pub- 
 lished at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, removing in 1855 to 
 Zanesville, in the same State, to assume editor- 
 ship in chief of the Free Press. Although excep- 
 tionally brilliant in this sphere of occupation (a 
 fact amply vouched for by his rapid rise therein), 
 he felt that his powers were not called upon to 
 their fullest extent, and that he would be alto- 
 gether unable in any field, save the law, to find a 
 theme whose ringing echoes should sound the 
 melody of his life. 
 
 Upon the death of his dearly beloved mother 
 in the fall of 1856, he commenced the study of 
 law in the offices of Miller & Beck, of Fort Madi- 
 son, Iowa. The following year witnessed his 
 admission to the practice of the local bar of his 
 newly acquired home in Des Moines, Iowa, where 
 he first opened his office. Directly his unusual 
 abilities became voiced, he was sought for private 
 secretary by Governor Ralph P. Lowe (the first 
 
 Republican to assume the gubernatorial functions 
 in that State), as also by his successor in office, 
 Governor Samuel J. Kirkwood. Fancy can read- 
 ily picture what flames were added to his aspira- 
 tions by such distinguished environment at the 
 inception of his young career. Prosperity, how- 
 ever, far from spoiling him, amplified both his 
 talents and his tact; wherefore, recognizing his 
 fitness for so exacting a function, the proper au- 
 thorities selected our modestly-laureled subject to 
 act as Official Reporter of the Supreme Court of 
 the State of Iowa; the well-digested results of his 
 long incumbency of such office being embodied 
 in some fourteen volumes of Iowa State Reports, 
 containing decisions upon all branches of law as 
 issues were made on appeals, and which, as the 
 decrees of the court of dernier resort, are prece- 
 dents in that State for future adjudication. 
 
 In 1863 the deserts of his exceedingly enthusi- 
 astic political services were formally acknowledged 
 in his elevation to the highly responsible position 
 of Chairman of the Iowa State Republican Com- 
 mittee. During this period his alert faculties 
 were so impressed by the necessities calling for 
 better means for effectual campaign work, that he 
 originated a new code of methods, thereupon 
 proven to be so superior in conception that they 
 have been very largely followed and patterned 
 after ever since. The unusual needs of these ' 'war 
 times' ' so enthused his impressionable mind that 
 he foresaw and spoke as a party prophet or law- 
 giver. None has left a brighter, more wholesome 
 memory in the political annals of that State, so 
 long his honored and honoring home. 
 
 In 1866 he was made local Division Attorney 
 for the Rock Island & Pacific Railway, his ser- 
 vices manifesting such activity and success that 
 in 1873 he was rewarded by an advancement to 
 the chief post of his department; under the title
 
 336 
 
 T. F. WITHROW. 
 
 of General Solicitor, whereupon removal of resi- 
 dence was made to the situs of the general offices 
 of that road at Chicago. Litigation increased in 
 bulk to such a degree, that in after years they 
 found it would be expedient to select two such 
 solicitors, at which juncture Mr. Withrow was 
 installed in the newly created office of General 
 Counsel for the entire system, having a general 
 supervision over a corps of able legal subordi- 
 nates, in person only going into the highest 
 courts upon questions of weightier import. These 
 duties he continued with conscientious energy to 
 administer until the time of his decease, Febru- 
 ary 3, 1893, since which time the Rock Island 
 Railway has withheld from elevating any suc- 
 cessor to his so peculiarly honored seat. 
 
 On the occasion set apart by the Supreme 
 Court of Iowa for the delivering of eulogies upon 
 the life-work and character of Mr. Withrow, 
 among numerous eloquent tributes paid to his 
 superlative worth on the part of professional old 
 friends and associates, we find in the address par 
 excellence, spoken by Judge Wright, the follow- 
 ing passage: ' 'As a lawyer, he was industrious, 
 conscientious, aggressive, and of the quickest 
 perceptions. He had a genius for hard and ef- 
 fective work, all of which was done thoroughly, 
 slighting nothing. * He was the very 
 
 soul of fidelity to his client. His 
 
 greatest power was fertility of resource. * * 
 Generous and considerate, alas, that he must pass 
 away in the prime of life!" 
 
 It was this ' 'genius for hard and % effective 
 work" which led to his untimely, sudden death, 
 through heart failure. The fall previous, in the 
 retirement of his summer home at Lake Geneva, 
 he had spent several very laborious weeks in pre- 
 paring for hearing an extremely important case 
 for his corporation, from which particular over- 
 work, though he respited, he never fully recov- 
 ered. Sturdy as an oak, which under careful 
 cherishing outstands the violence of myriad sea- 
 sons, his ardent temperament recked not of the 
 prudences of life; with him it was always ' 'This 
 is the battle! This must end in victory!" And 
 so into the seething flames of a too consumingly 
 brilliant professional life, he had cheerfully thrown 
 
 that score of years of reserved force which, along 
 more conservative lines, would undoubtedly have 
 sufficed him to meet with heroic fortitude the 
 slowly gathering shadows of a quite advanced 
 age. But who will take upon him to assert that 
 he was not well contented on the whole that it 
 befell as indeed it did? For had not the solicita- 
 tions of friends often cautioned him against his so 
 lavish expenditure of exceptional energies? Let 
 us take example of this ' 'faithfulness unto death, ' ' 
 his most fitting eulogy, and rarest, pure balm ol 
 solace to the bereaved. 
 
 By religious faith he was a Unitarian; always 
 in attendance upon the inspiring services of the 
 Rev. Dr. Robert Collyer while he so long and 
 efficiently filled the pulpit of Unity Church of this 
 city. Of later years a warm friendship had grown 
 up between him and the late Rev. Dr. David 
 Swing, who officiated so feelingly at the obsequies, 
 unspeakably regretful over the loss of his lawyer- 
 naturalist comrade; for they were boon mates 
 together in the woods and fields, mutually wor- 
 shiping the omnipresent God as they walked. 
 
 Like his father, Mr. Withrow was an exceed- 
 ingly devoted abolitionist, at a period when Vir- 
 ginia was not at all prolific of such citizenship. 
 Many a colored man was able through their 
 agency to breathe the free air of the North. In- 
 deed, so bitter grew the local sentiment engen- 
 dered by the temerity of so exceptional an 
 attitude, altogether hostile to southern tenets, 
 that it became expedient, and was the chiet 
 cause of, the family removal to Ohio. No less 
 zealous -in this new field, and grown to great 
 prominence in the dominant party, what pleasure 
 our friend must have experienced over that im- 
 mortal proclamation of President Lincoln, with 
 its ensuing complete practical ratification! We 
 sincerely believe that no happier moments than 
 these crowned his life, unless, possibly, the con- 
 templation of these signal, national transactions 
 in later years, while seated upon his own mag- 
 nificent premises overlooking Chicago Lincoln 
 Park, of which he was a Commissioner, being 
 thus in full view of the superb bronze statue of 
 the President himself, of the fund for erecting 
 which he had been a trustee.
 
 J. M. WARREN. 
 
 337 
 
 Vivacious and sociable, a semi-public life had 
 found him a member of many choice clubs and 
 societies; but with growing domesticity necessi- 
 tated by maturer years, added to the drains made 
 by constant prefessional duties upon his vitality, 
 he withdrew more and more into the quiet enjoy- 
 ments afforded by home life, especially delighting 
 in belles lettres, in whose rich domain he was 
 during the thirty-five most busily occupied years 
 of professional activity, never less than an ambi- 
 tious student and philosophic meditator. Here 
 the richest verbal expressions of genius became 
 again his living legacy, always ready at a neces- 
 sitous crisis to do his eloquent bidding. At the 
 time of his demise he was still enrolled with the 
 Chicago Literary Club, as for the many years 
 past, as well as with the famous Grolier Club of 
 New York City. 
 
 Mr. Wi throw was married October 27, 1859, 
 at Hamilton, Madison County, New York, to 
 Miss Jane Frances Goodwin, who survives him, 
 together with three children born unto them, as 
 follows: Henry Goodwin Withrow, born April 
 29, 1861, whose advanced education was com- 
 pleted in the University of Michigan, now being 
 engaged in railroading; Charles LeBaron With- 
 row, born in June 1866, matriculated at the Cam- 
 bridge (Massachusetts) Law School, but now in 
 journalistic labors with the Associated Press in 
 New York City; Bonnie Withrow, born in Au- 
 gust, 1867, educated at Ogontz, near Philadel- 
 phia, now largely devoted to philanthropic work, 
 
 especially the welfare of young women whom fate 
 has thrown upon their own resources. 
 
 Mrs. Withrow is a daughter of the sea captain, 
 LeBaron Goodwin, of Old Plymouth, Massachu- 
 setts, and Mary, his wife (nee Leggett), of Sarato- 
 ga Springs, New York. Her father removed in 
 mature years to De Ruyter, Madison County, 
 New York, where he led a retired and studious 
 life. The said Mary Leggett was a daughter of 
 Samuel and Susannah Leggett (nee Smith) ; Sam- 
 uel being a son of Isaac and Rebecca Leggett (nee 
 Starbuck), a daughter of Benjamin and Hepsibah 
 Starbuck (nee Bunker). The said LeBaron Good- 
 win was a son of William and Lydia C. Goodwin, 
 (nee Sampson), the former a son of Nathaniel 
 and Lydia Goodwin (nee LeBaron) , a son of John 
 and Mary Goodwin (nee Roby), a son of Nathan- 
 iel (who died in 1754) and Elizabeth Goodwin. 
 
 Mrs. Withrow is related to eminent families, 
 as will be seen from the fact that through her pa- 
 ternal grandmother, Lydia C. Sampson, she traces 
 back to Nathaniel Gushing, born in 1588 (a son 
 of Peter Cushing, of Norfolk, England), an early 
 American colonist; also to Henry Pitcher, born 
 in 1586, who came early to Hingham, Massachu- 
 setts, in the ship "Delight;" also to Capt. Miles 
 Standish, famous of the "Mayflower" crew; also 
 to Henry Sampson, compeer of Standish, whose 
 grandson Isaac married Lydia, a granddaughter 
 of Captain Standish, and who became in due time 
 grandparents of the said Lydia C. Sampson, the 
 grandmother of Mrs. Withrow. 
 
 JULIUS M. WARREN. 
 
 (lULIUS M. WARREN, only son of Daniel 
 
 I Warren, a pioneer settler of Du Page Coun- 
 
 G/ ty (see biography elsewhere in this volume), 
 
 was born in Fredonia, New York, June 13, 1811, 
 
 being the first white child born in Chautauqua 
 
 County. He became a member of the New York 
 militia, in which he attained the rank of colonel. 
 With the family, he came to Du Page County in 
 the autumn of 1833, and spent the balance of his 
 life there. He was a very genial and happy-dis-
 
 338 
 
 J. M. WARREN. 
 
 positioned gentleman, and early became a favorite 
 in society. A recent writer in the Chicago Her- 
 ald speaks thus of the society ofthatday: " The so- 
 ciety of all this region, including town and coun- 
 try, forty-five years ago, had its attractive seat 
 and held its principal revelries in the valley of 
 Fox river. 'The best people' that came out 
 from the eastern states to settle in this region did 
 not stop in Chicago, but made for the magnifi- 
 cent farming lands in this vicinity. Some came 
 from central and western New York, where they 
 had seen families of the aristocracy plant them- 
 selves and flourish on the fat lands of the Mohawk 
 and Genesee valleys. To clear off timber and re- 
 duce those great farms to productivity, had taken 
 half a century of time and had exhausted the lives 
 of three generations. This was known to the new 
 emigrants, and as they heard of or saw these 
 Illinois lands, bare of obstinate trees, but clothed 
 with succulent grasses, of nature's sowing; in a 
 climate that possessed no torridity, nor yet any 
 destructive rigors; all this being known before- 
 hand, many refined and cultivated families came 
 out with all their effects, and bought or entered 
 land and proceeded to make themselves homes, 
 which, they had no doubt, would be homes to 
 them for their natural lives." 
 
 Mr. Warren had a keen sense of humor and 
 was always amiable and cheerful, which made 
 him a favorite in all circles. Instead ofdisaprov- 
 ing the amusements of the young people, he al- 
 ways had a strong sympathy and interest in their 
 pleasures. He was the constant attendant of his 
 sisters, and often laughingly mentioned them as 
 seven reasons why he should not marry. He was 
 also devotedly attached to his mother who was 
 justly proud of her only son. Together they kept 
 house until her death, when he induced his nephew 
 to bring his family to live on the old homestead 
 at Warrenville, where he continued to reside. 
 He passed away on the first of May, 1893, his 
 last words being, ' 'Take me home to my mother. ' ' 
 
 In speaking of Colonel Warren and the village 
 of Warrenville, we again quote from the Herald: 
 "He called in a storekeeper, a blacksmith, a coop- 
 er and a carpenter, and a tavernkeeper came in 
 good time. Naperville was a smaller village, hav- 
 
 ing but two log houses. Aurora scarcely had a 
 being, and St. Charles was not. But all along 
 on the banks of the Fox river were settlers of a 
 high class, who had knowledge of and corres- 
 pondence with the eastern portions of the United 
 States. Foremost among these was Judge Whip- 
 pie, who, acting with the Warrens, father and 
 son, organized and gave direction to local affairs. 
 They were without postal facilities of any kind, 
 and every family had to send a member into 
 Chicago for letters and papers. A letter from 
 Buffalo to any place on the Fox river was from 
 four to six weeks in coming, and to Chicago cost 
 fifty cents postage. Colonel Warren making use 
 of eastern friends, got a postoffice (the first in the 
 valley) established at Warrenville in 1833, and 
 himself appointed postmaster. He was his own 
 mail-carrier, making weekly trips, on foot some 
 times, to Chicago and out again, with letters and 
 papers for distribution through his office to people 
 in all that section. Colonel Warren held this of- 
 fice for fifty years, and only lost it when President 
 Cleveland came in the first time. ' ' 
 
 Although chiefly self-educated, Colonel Warren 
 was a thoroughly well-read man, and was admir- 
 ably fitted for a leader in politics, as well as in so- 
 ciety. He represented his district for three suc- 
 cessive terms in the State Legislature, from 1840 
 to 1843, but refused to longer remain in public 
 life, preferring the quiet joys of his home and 
 neighborhood to anything the capital or metropo- 
 lis might offer. He continued to manage the 
 large homestead farm until his death. He was a 
 loyal adherent of the Republican party, having 
 espoused its leading principles before its organi- 
 zation. 
 
 The following incident will indicate the kindly 
 nature of Colonel Warren and his noble mother, 
 as well: A young lawyer of Chicago, now known 
 throughout Illinois as the venerable ex- Chief Jus- 
 tice of the State, John Dean Caton, fell sick of 
 fever while staying at the log tavern in Naper- 
 ville, one of the two buildings of that village. 
 Hearing of the case, Colonel Warren went at 
 once to see what he could do to render the suf- 
 ferer comfortable, and soon decided to remove him 
 to his own home, where he could receive better
 
 F. W. PECK. 
 
 nursing than at the little frontier tavern. This 
 probably saved the life of the patient, who attrib- 
 utes his recovery to the careful nursing of Mrs. 
 Warren and her daughters, with such aid as 
 Colonel Warren could apply. The last-named 
 saw the completion of his eighty-second year, 
 
 full of humor and harmless badinage to the last, 
 and died as the result of an attack of pneumonia, 
 after an illness of only two days, leaving as an 
 inspiration to those who come after the record of 
 a well-spent life. 
 
 FERDINAND W. PECK. 
 
 ["" ERDINAND W. PECK. Among Chicago's 
 r^ native sons, of whom she is justly proud, 
 is the subject of this sketch. He is the 
 youngest son of P. F. W. Peck, the pioneer 
 settler and merchant of the city (for biography 
 see another page), and was born in the family 
 residence, which stood on ground now covered by 
 the Grand Pacific hotel, July isth, 1848. 
 
 It is not often that one not stimulated by 
 necessity or forced to cultivate self-reliance 
 achieves anything worthy of note among the 
 active men of to-day. Without this stimulus, 
 Mr. Peck applied himself first to the acquirement 
 of an education, passing through the grades of 
 the city schools, graduating at the High School, 
 the Chicago University and the Union College of 
 Law. Next he took up the practice of his 
 chosen profession, and met with the full measure 
 of success vouchsafed to the young lawyer in a 
 field already occupied by a multitude of able and 
 experienced jurists and attorneys. After several 
 years of practice, with growing business that is 
 bound to come to one of his energy and ability, 
 he was forced to abandon the law to engage in 
 caring for the estate which his father had left to 
 the charge of his sons, at his demise. This 
 property consisted principally of real estate, 
 much of which had been stripped of its im- 
 provements by the great fire of 1871, and which 
 now required constant and careful attention. 
 Under the conservative management of the senior 
 
 Peck's sons, the estate has prospered, at the same 
 time it has conferred upon the city some of its 
 most valuable and permanent features. 
 
 Mr. F. W. Peck is a devotee of music and a 
 lover of art, and has been the means of bringing 
 to Chicago much of its culture in these elevating 
 and ennobling studies. For some years he cher- 
 ished the idea of providing the city with facilities 
 sufficiently ample and substantial to bring hither 
 all that was best in the line of intellectual and 
 refining entertainments. The Opera Festival of 
 1885, of which Mr. Peck was President, brought 
 to the city the finest musical and dramatic enter- 
 tainments ever offered to an American audience, 
 and made apparent to the citizens the need of 
 better facilities for such entertainments. Mr. 
 Peck seized upon this sentiment and organized 
 the Auditorium Association, of which he was 
 unanimously chosen President. The stock was 
 distributed among three hundred subscribers, 
 including the most prominent and wealthy 
 citizens, and the result is known to every denizen 
 of the city, in one of its most conspicuous land- 
 marks the Auditorium. 
 
 A recent writer says : ' ' The genius of the 
 world has exhausted itself in devising and 
 erecting architectural edifices. The Parthenon 
 in the age of Pericles, glorious in all the adorn- 
 ments of art wrought by the chisel of Phidias and 
 brush of Praxiteles, was a temple of heathen 
 worship; the mighty walls of the Coliseum were
 
 340 
 
 F. W. PECK. 
 
 raised to furnish an arena for gladiatorial brutal- 
 ity. Mediaeval architects reared the clustered 
 columns and vaulted arches of Gothic cathedrals 
 to woo men to pious aspirations; the chaste lines 
 and sculptured walls of the " Nouvelle Opera" 
 were raised as a temple of music and dramatic 
 art; each had or has its beauties and special use; 
 but it remained for the genius of Chicago to con- 
 ceive and its enterprise to provide, by private 
 munificence, a structure as perfect as any in sub- 
 stantial utility, both as a gathering place of the 
 multitude and a temple of all the arts; the per- 
 fection of architectural genius. It is more capa- 
 cious than the Albert Hall of South Kensington, 
 more substantial than the new opera of Paris; 
 chaste, solid and sublime." 
 
 Mr. Peck has shown the same zeal, energy 
 and ability in the conduct of public business 
 which has been placed in his charge that mark 
 all his own undertakings. As chairman of the 
 finance committee of the World's Columbian Ex- 
 position he assumed a heavy responsibility, and 
 aided in bringing that stupendous enterprise 
 through successfully and paying every pecuniary 
 obligation. This involved the expenditure of 
 over $30,000,000, and was calculated to test the 
 capacity of the greatest financiers. Mr. Peck is 
 also associated in official capacity with many of 
 the permanent institutions of the city, including 
 most of those calculated to promote an aesthetic 
 sentiment among the people. Some of these 
 official positions are the presidency of the Chicago 
 Athenaeum, the Auditorium Association and the 
 Union League Club; he has been Vice-president 
 of the Board of Education of the city of Chicago, 
 and was Vice-president of the World's Columbian 
 Exposition, with a seat in its board of reference 
 and control, on its executive committee, commit- 
 tee on legislation and special committee on cere- 
 monies, in addition to the finance committee, as 
 above noted. 
 
 Mr. Peck's habits and manners are wholly un- 
 ostentatious, and he is ever affable and kind to 
 all who may come in contact with him. In the 
 midst of a busy life, full of cares and responsibil- 
 ities, he gives much attention to the amenities of 
 life and has been an extensive traveler. In sum- 
 
 mer he spends much time out of doors, and main- 
 tains a summer home at Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, 
 and enjoys the honor of being Commodore of the 
 Wisconsin Yacht Club. His favorite yacht is 
 named the "Tarpon," in honor of his good for- 
 tune in capturing an enormous tarpon while fish- 
 ing off the coast of Florida at one time. In his 
 handsome home on Michigan Avenue, in the 
 city, are found a happy and congenial wife, four 
 sons and two daughters. Mrs. Peck is the 
 daughter of the late William A. Spalding, a 
 sketch of whom appears on another page. 
 
 In speaking of Mr. Peck, the History of Chi- 
 cago says: "One only slightly familiar with the 
 telltale disclosures of physiognomy, looking upon 
 his mild, refined and thoughtful features, cannot 
 fail to be impressed that behind them is character 
 of more than ordinary delicacy of sentiment and 
 maturity of mind, that belongs rather to the aes- 
 thetic than to the gross and material lines of 
 thought and action. While not an artist, he is 
 a lover of art; his mind has a constructive qual- 
 ity, which, with sympathy with human needs 
 and enthusiasm for the uplifting of the standard 
 of life among the masses of the people, calls him 
 to undertake enterprises of pith and magnitude, 
 for the education of the people, for inspiring them 
 with higher ideals of life, and leading them from 
 the indulgence of degrading passions, through 
 the ministries of the ' diviner arts, ' to higher 
 planes of living and enjoyment. This type of 
 mind is not often found amid the rush and com- 
 petition of life in our great cities. To its pos- 
 session and well-developed proportions by so 
 many of the well-to-do young men of Chicago, 
 whose names will readily occur to the observant 
 student of her inner life, is due in great part the 
 aesthetic character which Chicago has taken on, 
 despite her unwonted devotion to the more sordid 
 pursuits of her gigantic enterprises. With her 
 university and schools of every "sort, with her art 
 studios and collections, with her social clubs, mu- 
 sical festivals and dramatic entertainments, and 
 especially since her magnificent triumph in con- 
 structing and maintaining the grandest exhi- 
 bition of art and industry which the world has 
 ever seen, Chicago easily leads all other Ameri-
 
 J. F. STAFFORD. 
 
 can cities in aesthetic development, and stands 
 not far behind such old-world centers of art and 
 artists as Paris, Brussels and Florence. ' ' 
 
 The stockholders of the Auditorium Associa- 
 tion have caused to be placed in the foyer of the 
 Auditorium a bronze bust of Mr. Peck, upon the 
 
 granite pedestal of which has been inscribed: "A 
 tribute to the founder of this structure, from the 
 stockholders of the Auditorium Association, in 
 recognition of his services as their President, in 
 behalf of the citizens of Chicago. 1 889. ' ' 
 
 CAPT. JOHN F. STAFFORD. 
 
 EAPT. JOHN FRANCIS STAFFORD, who 
 was for many years connected with the mer- 
 cantile and maritime interests of Chicago, 
 was born in Dublin, Ireland, August 12, 1820. 
 His father, John Stafford, was a provision mer- 
 chant, and an intimate friend of Daniel O' Council, 
 the famous Irish patriot. His mother's maiden 
 name was Sarah Mallon. 
 
 In the year 1828 the family removed to Port 
 Hope, Canada West (now Ontario), where John 
 Stafford bought and operated a grist, saw and 
 fulling mill. In the following winter he was 
 frozen to death while on the road between Port 
 Hope and Toronto. The next spring his widow 
 moved to Rochester, New York, where, a few 
 years later, her son John began the study of 
 medicine in the office of Elwood & Toby, the 
 former then one of the eminent surgeons of the 
 State, and the latter a prominent physician. Two 
 years later, in 1832, Mrs. Stafford died of cholera, 
 and the son abandoned his medical studies; but 
 he never forgot his mother's counsel and made 
 it the rule of his life, which has always been up- 
 right and stainless. 
 
 At the age of fourteen he began life on the 
 great lakes in the capacity of cabin boy on the 
 ship "Julia Palmer," of Buffalo, New York. In 
 those days the old custom of serving grog (in this 
 case it was Santa Cruz rum) prevailed, and at 
 eleven o'clock each day the crew had its daily 
 
 rations. Being anxious to succeed, young Staf- 
 ford spent several years as a sailor, and gradually 
 worked up to a position as master, which he ac- 
 quired in 1849, at which date he became part 
 owner and captain of the brig "Boston," of Buf- 
 falo. In this capacity he spent three years on 
 the lakes. 
 
 In 1851 he settled in Chicago, and engaged in 
 the business of ship chandler and grocer on 
 South Water Street, in which occupation he re- 
 mained nine years. During that time he bought 
 vessels, and in 1860 he owned a fleet often. One 
 of these, the brig "Banner," made the voyage 
 from Chicago to Buffalo in four days and two 
 hours. In the year 1859 he purchased a half 
 interest in Sans' Ale Brewing Company. This 
 firm manufactured a very fine quality of ale and 
 supplied the United States Government, under 
 contract, with one hundred barrels of ale daily, 
 for use in the hospitals of the sick and wounded, 
 during the War of the Rebellion. 
 
 Mr. Stafford was a member and principal cap- 
 italist in the firm of Bennett, Peters & Co., then 
 the largest wholesale liquor house west of New 
 York. He sold his interest in the two last-men- 
 tioned firms in 1869, and disposed of his fleet of 
 ships the following year, since which time he has 
 not been actively engaged in business. During 
 all these years he had been active in politics, and 
 through this activity became well acquainted with
 
 342 
 
 J. F. STAFFORD. 
 
 all the public men of his political (Republican) 
 faith in the State of Illinois since Richard Yates 
 was elected Governor of this commonwealth. 
 Although often solicited to become a candidate 
 for office, he would never consent, and has held 
 but one political position. During Mr. Yates' 
 term as Governor of Illinois Mr. Stafford was 
 prevailed upon to accept the appointment of Coal 
 Oil Inspector, in order to give the city the bene- 
 fit of his experience and ability in straightening 
 out the irregularities previously prevailing in the 
 administration of that office. This he did in 
 eight months, and promptly resigned. After the 
 great fire of 1871 he was a prominent member of 
 the Aid and Relief Committee, and contributed 
 liberally to assist the sufferers by that disaster. 
 
 It was in a work of vast importance to the citi- 
 zens of Chicago that Captain Stafford most dis- 
 tinguished himself, not only by his steadfastness 
 of purpose, but also by the results of his efforts in 
 a matter which involved the title to millions of 
 dollars' worth of property. In the year 1869 the 
 Legislature of the State of Illinois granted to the 
 Illinois Central Railroad Company the use of the 
 lake shore a long distance south of the Chicago 
 River. The company afterward, in the exercise 
 of its riparian rights, usurped the rights of own- 
 ership over the adjacent portions of the lake and 
 filled up a portion of the harbor, subjecting so 
 much of the lake as it chose to its own purposes. 
 At the time of the passing of the statute providing 
 for the conveyance of an easement to the com- 
 pany, it was held to be illegal by some of the 
 best lawyers, and a meeting of merchants, cap- 
 italists and others was called to take measures to 
 resist the encroacnments of the railroad company. 
 As a result of this meeting, J. Young Scammon, 
 Thomas Hoyne and John F. Stafford were ap- 
 pointed a committee to take proper steps to re- 
 strain the company from exercising riparian 
 rights on the lake front. In pursuance thereof, 
 an injunction was obtained from the lower court, 
 which was sustained, but the railroad company 
 carried the case up until it finally reached the 
 Supreme Court of the United States, and there, 
 twenty-four years after its institution, the case 
 
 was decided adversely to the company. One 
 hundred million dollars' worth of property, it 
 was estimated, was thus saved to the citizens of 
 Chicago. While the suit was in the courts, Cap- 
 tain Stafford's colleagues had died, and he alone 
 had been left to see the end of this famous suit. 
 During all the years of this litigation Captain 
 Stafford had given the case unremitting attention, 
 and expended his money liberally in forwarding 
 the interests of the people, and did it all gratu- 
 itously. 
 
 In March, 1854, at Buffalo, New York, Cap- 
 tain Stafford was married to Miss Elizabeth C. 
 Cadwallader, daughter of Michael Cadwallader, 
 City Comptroller of that city, and for many years 
 editor of the Buffalo Journal. It is a noteworthy 
 fact that Gen. Thomas Proctor, the maternal 
 grandfather of Mr. Cadwallader, inducted Gen- 
 eral Washington into the mysteries of Free Ma- 
 sonry. Mrs. Stafford died in 1861, leaving 
 two daughters, Juniata and Minnie, who reside 
 with their father. 
 
 Although Mr. Stafford finds no more pleasant 
 place than his comfortable home on the North 
 Side, he has spent much time during recent years 
 in travel, always accompanied by one of his 
 daughters. The summer season of the year was 
 spent in northern resorts and the winter in the 
 South, sometimes as far away as Cuba or Mex- 
 ico. During the year 1888 Captain Stafford and 
 Miss Minnie spent six months in Europe, visiting 
 the home of his childhood (after an absence of 
 sixty-two years), the four quarters of Britain and 
 the principal countries of Southern Europe. 
 
 In politics Captain Stafford has been an earnest 
 and unflinching Republican since the organization 
 of the party. He has never been a candidate for 
 office, but has chosen, rather, to help deserving 
 friends to good positions. In religious faith he is 
 an Episcopalian, and for seventeen years has been 
 vestryman of Trinity Church. There is no man 
 in Chicago deserving a larger circle of warm 
 friends, or more highly esteemed for public ser- 
 vices than genial, warm-hearted Captain Stafford, 
 whose fidelity to the interests of the people of 
 Chicago will be long remembered.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 C. M. HAWLEY. 
 
 343 
 
 HON. CYRUS M. HAWLEY. 
 
 EYRUS MADISON HAWLEY was born in 
 Cortland County, New York, in January, 
 1815. His liberal education, for the times, 
 was received at the Albany (New York) Normal 
 School, under the tutelage of the eminent scholar, 
 Professor Woolworth. His law studies were 
 begun under the guidance of the distinguished 
 advocate, Joshua A. Spencer, of Utica, New 
 York. On coming to Chicago, in 1847, he con- 
 tinued his application until admission to the local 
 bar in 1849, and in 1862, on motion, was admitted 
 to practice in the Supreme Court of the United 
 States. Says a noted contemporary, "By force 
 of native genius and industry, he directly took a 
 front position in the ranks of his profession." 
 Remarkable indeed was the degree of success 
 which attended his twenty-five continuous years 
 of legal practice here, being annually retained by 
 such opulent clients as John V. Farwell & Com- 
 pany and Field, Leiter & Company; and his profes- 
 sional affiliations being for many years with such 
 1 ^a\ giants as Senator Lyman Trumbull and his 
 brother, George Trumbull. 
 
 In 1869 he was nominated by President U. S. 
 Grant to act as Associate Justice of the Supreme 
 Court for the Territory of Utah, which appoint- 
 ment was, on the I5th of April of that year, 
 unanimously confirmed by the United States Sen- 
 ate. To this new sphere of usefulness he was 
 warmly welcomed, delivering the Fourth of July 
 oration at Salt Lake City the year of his arrival, 
 which was very highly complimented and at once 
 established his ability as a public speaker, in 
 addition to his known superior legal acquirements 
 and the laurel crown of jurist about to be won. 
 
 Of the succeeding four years, through which he 
 sat upon the Supreme bench of that polygamy- 
 practicing territory, it would be quite difficult to 
 speak in full justice, but, in the language of two 
 
 of his conservative biographers,- we may chron- 
 icle, "Among the distinguished persons who 
 have figured in the affairs of Utah, there is none 
 deserving a more respectful notice than Judge 
 Hawley . ' ' ' 'Every subject demanding his official 
 attention has been grasped firmly and fearlessly, 
 and his written decisions and opinions upon the 
 various legal issues which have been submitted to 
 his consideration are noted for their soundness, 
 ability and perspicuity." 
 
 Taking a firm stand against the Mormon sys- 
 tem, as might have been expected, he encoun- 
 tered the solid antagonism of its united press 
 and public efforts, in which he was made the sub- 
 ject of undeserved censure and even vituperative 
 abuse. But the golden purity of his judgment 
 and decisions continued unsullied by malign tra- 
 ducers, living now in the immortal canons of law 
 of that region, wherein his own bravely sown 
 seeds were among the first and noblest to bear 
 governmental fruit. On all questions involving 
 polygamy or other associated evils, which were a 
 growing menace to these United States, he took 
 the most determined and unwavering stand against 
 further usurpation by, or continuance in the prac- 
 tice of such customs. No more doughty champion 
 of the right has ever thrown down the glove of 
 challenge against Mormon-entrenched hierarchy; 
 for to the subject of this sketch, as much as to any 
 single person, is due credit for the improved pres- 
 ent tone and condition of that territory, now ad- 
 mitted to our sisterhood of States. 
 
 From among many of his prominent decisions, 
 afterward published in pamphlet form, we make 
 mention of the following: "Opinion of the Su- 
 preme Court as to the Jurisdiction of Probate 
 Courts in the Territory of Utah," 1870; "An 
 Important United States Supreme Court Decision 
 for Utah," 1871; "Arrest of Militia Officers in
 
 344 
 
 C. M. HAWLEY. 
 
 Utah Territory," after 1870; "Militia Officers in 
 Utah Territory, Habeas Corpus Decision," after 
 1870; "Habeas Corpus Decision of January 28, 
 1873;" "The Mormons and the Treaty with 
 Mexico;" "A Review of a Decision of the Su- 
 preme Court of the United States," after 1870; 
 "Opinion on the Original Jurisdiction of the Su- 
 preme Court," Supreme Court of the United 
 States, October term, 1873, on appeal. 
 
 One of the most memorable acts of Judge Haw- 
 ley in connection with this epoch of his career 
 was his causing the arrest of Bishop Lee, leader 
 of the Mountain Meadow Massacre, who was sub- 
 sequently indicted, tried and convicted, the death 
 penalty being executed upon the very spot of the 
 bloody massacre. Because of such heroic and 
 judicial acts as the foregoing, upon the eve of his 
 departure from Utah for he had been too stu- 
 dious in performance of duties to seek subtle 
 means of continuance or preferment in office his 
 recent friends and associates, made in these few 
 but eventful years, tendered him a dignified but 
 cordial banquet in this formal manner: 
 
 "SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, April 8, 1873. 
 "Hon. C. M. Hawley, 
 
 ' 'Dear Sir: Understanding that it is your 
 intention to return to your former home in Chi- 
 cago, we desire to evince before your departure in 
 some suitable manner our appreciation of your 
 character as a citizen, gentleman, and an able, 
 fearless and incorruptible judge. 
 
 "We, therefore, respectfully tender to you the 
 compliment of a dinner on the evening of the nth 
 instant, when we may have another opportunity 
 of expressing the esteem, confidence and friend- 
 ship we now entertain and have ever entertained 
 for you in your personal and official capacity." 
 
 The foregoing was signed by leaders at the 
 bar, and, upon acceptance, was the occasion of a 
 remarkable gathering, including many distin- 
 guished legal lights, federal functionaries and 
 army officers, which called forth many a brilliant 
 and touching expression of sentiment. 
 
 From that post of honor, after some journey- 
 ings, he settled for a time at Washington, D. C., 
 as a copartner of the Hon. A. G. Riddle, where 
 his, by this time, widely voiced reputation brought 
 distinguished and lucrative retention. But the 
 old home by the lakes always held a warm spot 
 
 in his heart, and returning to Chicago, he here 
 passed the final years of a worthy life. The vital 
 spark too soon burned out at his substantial resi- 
 dence, No. 5326 Washington Avenue, at ten 
 o'clock in the morning of Wednesday, August 29, 
 1894. 
 
 Aside from pursuits of law, he was profuse in 
 discursive literary outpourings on social as well 
 as legal problems. Among numerous lectures 
 delivered we find gratifying reviews of those upon 
 these subjects: "What is Life," "Corinne," 
 "The Mutations of Time." He was, at the time 
 ol his decease, President of the Hyde Park Phil- 
 osophical Society. He was very proud of hav- 
 ing been one of the founders, as likewise a most 
 active and able supporter, of the Chicago "Old 
 Tippecanoe Club, ' ' before whom he repeatedly ap- 
 peared in edifying contributions, notable among 
 which was a paper in 1891 (afterward published 
 as a pamphlet) upon the Italian Mafia trouble at 
 New Orleans. Therein was furnished a learned 
 review of the international laws covering the dis- 
 pute, together with the treaty in force between 
 the two countries, which was made the occasion 
 for suitable resolutions. Most feelingly of their 
 recent loss the Tippecanoe Club adopted the fol- 
 lowing resolutions at a regular monthly meeting, 
 held at the Grand Pacific Hotel, September 29, 
 1894: 
 
 "RESOLVED, That the President appoint a 
 committee of three to present a paper expressive 
 of the profound sorrow of the Club for the death 
 of Judge Cyrus Madison Hawley." 
 
 The President therefore appointed the following 
 committee: Dr. J. W. Harmon, Henry Sayrs 
 and Rev. W. S. Post. 
 
 That committee presented the following report: 
 
 "Since our last meeting this Club has met with 
 an irreparable loss in the death of Judge Cyrus 
 Madison Hawley. 
 
 "He was one of our most talented and influen- 
 tial members. No member of this Club could 
 speak upon questions which were discussed at 
 our meetings with more force and eloquence. He 
 attended our meetings quite regularly, and always 
 contributed to their interest. 
 
 "He was a patriot. Descended from a long 
 line of revolutionary and patriotic ancestors, he 
 was a worthy son of such noble sires. 
 
 ' 'He was an able expounder and defender of
 
 C. M. HAWLEY. 
 
 345 
 
 the foundation principles of this Club and of the 
 Republican party. In him were embodied the 
 essential and enduring principles which are the 
 foundation of the prosperity of our government. 
 
 "Judge Hawley was a man of great ability. 
 He was a logical and consecutive reasoner. His 
 keen intellect enabled him to see the pith and 
 very essence of questions which he discussed, and 
 he always supported his propositions with con- 
 summate skill, force and ability. 
 
 "He was the author of many papers which 
 have been published. 
 
 "He also left a large number of manuscripts, 
 which the writer of this has read, and they all 
 give evidence of profound study and research 
 and great ability. 
 
 "The death of Judge Hawley is a great loss to 
 this Club. We all mourn the sad event. There- 
 fore, be it 
 
 ' 'Resolved, That by the death of Judge Hawley, 
 the old Tippecanoe Club of Chicago loses one of 
 its most esteemed and valuable members, and 
 that we all deeply deplore the sad event. 
 
 ' 'Resolved, That this report be entered upon the 
 records of this Club, and that a copy of it be sent 
 to the family of the deceased." 
 
 It is thus apparent that the subject of this 
 sketch was in political views a Republican, in 
 whose ranks few were more modestly conspicu- 
 ous. An Abolitionist, he lived to see the greatest 
 stain upon national and domestic annals wiped 
 away; an early advocate (in 1861) of the right 
 and duty of government to issue treasury notes as 
 a circulating medium, as a means with which to 
 meet immediate fiscal governmental demands, he 
 saw that opinion become an established adminis- 
 trational dogma. 
 
 What affords a more impressive spectacle than 
 to see one pass away in the fullness of years and 
 fame? Prominent, as lawyer; consummately 
 able, as a jurist; stanch, as a friend; devoted, as 
 husband and father; independent in means ac- 
 quired through channels of laborious honor; 
 surely we may safely leave his memory and his 
 fame to the goddess of impartial hand, who con- 
 siders the consciences, and records for all eternity 
 the deeds of each . 
 
 Judge Hawley 's charities were dispensed with 
 quiet unostentation, but were none the less very 
 substantial both in amount and judicious selection 
 of the donees. Witness, during his lifetime he 
 
 was a periodical giver to the Chicago Presbyte- 
 rian Hospital, the Newsboys' and Bootblacks' 
 Association, and the Protestant Orphan Asylum, 
 his contributions to each of these often amounting 
 to as much as $500 yearly. In his will he pro- 
 vided for the annual payment to all of said insti- 
 tutions of $500 during the lifetime of two of his 
 immediate relatives, and upon their deaths the 
 whole o his ample estate is devised in fee to be 
 divided among the said institutions. Who can 
 foresee the amount of good thus accomplished, 
 the suffering relieved and the buds of many noble 
 manhoods forever quickened? Thus he reared a 
 monument in the hearts of unborn thousands who 
 are yet to arise and bless his life and memory. 
 
 Judge Hawley was a lifelong Presbyterian in 
 religious faith, having been a member of the First 
 Presbyterian Church, of Chicago, for upward of 
 thirty years. Its pastor, the Rev. Dr. Barrows, 
 preached his funeral sermon in sincerely glowing 
 terms. He was buried at Penfield, New York, 
 beside his deceased wife. 
 
 In 1862 he married Sophia Fellows, of Penfield, 
 New York; her father being a lawyer of good 
 abilities, and her grandfather the General Fellows 
 who performed heroic service for the colonies in 
 the Revolutionary War. 
 
 Upon her decease, Mr. Hawley, January 19, 
 1893, married Mrs. Annie Fulton Loomis (a 
 widow), of Chicago, who survives him. Her 
 maiden name was Fulton, the family being of 
 Scotch-Presbyterian descent, one branch of which 
 produced the immortal Robert Fulton, inventor 
 of the first steamboat, successfully launched on 
 the Hudson River in 1814. Her mother was 
 Elizabeth Moore, a daughter of Major Thomas 
 Moore, famed in connection with the War of 1812. 
 
 He had two children: C. Myron Hawley, who 
 was admitted to the bar and served his father as 
 Clerk of the Court in Utah, where he untimely 
 died of pneumonia; and a daughter, now Mrs. 
 Charles Bumford, of New York City. 
 
 Cyrus Madison Hawley was a son of Lewis and 
 Sarah Hawley, nee Tanner, a daughter of James 
 and Hannah Tanner, nee Hazard, of Newport, 
 Rhode Island, they having been formerly of 
 Huntington, Connecticut, but removing to Solon,
 
 346 
 
 I. N. CAMP. 
 
 New York, where they were prominent residents 
 for upward of half a century. 
 
 Ascending the lineage in America, we record 
 the following: His grandparents were Joseph 
 and Anna Hawley, nee Lewis, a daughter of Na- 
 thaniel and Ruth Lewis, nee Beardsley, of Hunt- 
 ington, Connecticut. Joseph was a son of Cap- 
 tain Francis and Rachel Hawley, nee Davis, a 
 daughter of John and Sarah Davis, nee Chatfield, 
 of "Great Hill" Derby, Connecticut, residents of 
 Huntington. Francis was a son of Samuel, Jr., 
 and Bethia Hawley, nee Booth, a daughter of 
 Ephraim and Mary Booth, nee Clark, of Strat- 
 ford, Connecticut, who lived at Stratford, and 
 later at Derby, Connecticut. Samuel, Jr., was a 
 son of Samuel, Sr., and Mary Hawley, nee 
 Thompson, a daughter of Thomas and Ann 
 Thompson (nee Welles, of Farmington, Connect- 
 icut) , of Stratford, Connecticut. Samuel was a 
 son of Joseph Hawley, ' ' Yaoman and Town Re- 
 corder," and Katherine Birdsey, of Stratford, 
 Connecticut. 
 
 The last said Joseph Hawley came to America 
 about 1629 or 1630, from "Parwidge" (now Par- 
 wick), Derbyshire, England, which is a place 
 located about nine miles northwest of Old Derby; 
 he settled upon "Home Lot No. 37," as set off 
 by the "first inhabitants of Stratford, Connecti- 
 cut." Here he died at the advanced age of 
 eighty-seven, his burial spot being still identified 
 by a well-worn slate tablet (an exceptional mark 
 among early New England settlers) , on which is 
 yet legible its inscription, "J. H. May 20, 1690." 
 
 From a work embodying the results of great 
 labor and research, into which we have been 
 privileged to examine in connection herewith (the 
 volume being entitled the "Hawley Record, 1066 
 to 1890," a heavy quarto tome), we ascertain 
 that this family is both very ancient and honor- 
 able. The line is of Norman origin; the first 
 Hawley, as appears from the "Roll of Battel 
 Abbey' ' (that consummate aggregate genealogical 
 tree builded by "The Conqueror," back to whom 
 is traced so much of the good and bad of the past 
 nine hundred years of English history), came 
 into England in 1066 from France with the con- 
 quering King William I. The arms of the Derby 
 (England) Hawleys are, " vert a saltier engrailed 
 argent. Crest, a dexter arm in armor ppr. , gar- 
 nished or holding in the hand a spear in bend 
 sinister, point downward ppr. Motto, "sitivez 
 moi." The etymology of this patronymic sug- 
 gests itself as a compound of the root words, 
 "haw" and "ley," which might be intelligently 
 interpreted as ' 'A meadow field enclosed by haw- 
 thorns. 
 
 Stratford, Connecticut, the ancestral American 
 seat, is situated very advantageously upon Long 
 Island Sound, in Fairfield County, which is not 
 only the southwesternmost in that State, but all 
 New England; here the Hawley family has been 
 prominent for many generations. As one au- 
 thority states, ' 'The name of Hawley has stood 
 pre-eminent in the ranks of jurists and statesmen 
 of New England." 
 
 ISAAC NEWTON CAMP. 
 
 CVS AAC N. CAMP, one of the prominent busi- 
 ness men of Chicago, who has been success- 
 X fully engaged in mercantile pursuits in this 
 city for more than a quarter of a century, is a 
 
 native of Elmore, Lamoille County, Vermont, 
 having been born thereon the igth of December, 
 1831. His ancestors were colonial settlers in the 
 Green Mountain State. His parents, Abel and
 
 I. N. CAMP. 
 
 347 
 
 Charlotte (Taplin) Camp, were both natives of 
 Vermont. The father was a farmer, whose sound 
 sense and good judgment gave him the position 
 of leading citizen among the people of the town 
 in which he lived. For several years he held the 
 office of Postmaster and Town Clerk. He died 
 on the 22d of December, 1890, aged ninety years. 
 In respect to his longevity, he was like his father, 
 grandfather and great-grandfather, each of whom 
 lived to a very advanced age. Among other 
 things that came to Mr. Camp, on account of his 
 integrity and financial ability, was the charge of 
 a large tract of land which was left to the Uni- 
 versity of Vermont by Guy Catlin. In connec- 
 tion with the management of this land was a 
 scholarship in the university held by Mr. Catlin, 
 and placed at Mr. Camp's disposal. 
 
 Isaac Newton Camp, after the usual course in 
 the common schools, attended the academy at 
 Bakersfield, Vermont, where he paid his board by 
 teaching music. At the age of twenty he entered 
 the University of Vermont, where he made use 
 of the scholarship above mentioned, and in his 
 spare time earned enough money to pay his cur- 
 rent expenses. After four years of hard study, 
 interspersed with a liberal amount of hard work, 
 he was graduated and received his diploma from 
 his Alma Mater in 1856. Soon afterward he be- 
 came assistant principal in Barre Academy, which 
 had been transferred from Bakersfield during the 
 time he was in college. There he taught math- 
 ematics and music for four years, after which he 
 became principal of the High school, at Burling- 
 ton, Vermont, filling that position until he came 
 to Chicago, April 20, 1868. 
 
 In this city Mr. Camp became associated with 
 H. L. Story, and entered the business in which 
 he spent a large portion of his life. The firm 
 took the name of Story & Camp, and continued 
 in business until the spring of 1884, when the 
 Estey Organ Company bought Mr. Story's inter- 
 est, and the firm assumed the style of Estey & 
 Camp, which has been continued to the present 
 date, 1895. 
 
 Mr. Camp's life is an exemplification of what a 
 man may do if he has ability and business meth- 
 ods. He began life on a small capital which he 
 
 had saved out of his salary as a teacher. With 
 that as a base, and an abundance of energy, per- 
 severance, enterprise and integrity of the highest 
 character, he was prepared to enter the contest 
 for success in commercial circles with a good 
 prospect of winning, and he succeeded. The 
 house of which he is a member is one of the most 
 reputable and substantial in Chicago, and its 
 status is the outgrowth of the efforts of the gen- 
 tlemen who have managed its affairs. It grew 
 up on fair dealing and honest and successful 
 competition with its rivals. At the time of Mr. 
 Story's withdrawal from the firm, the capital 
 exceeded $500,000, and he received $250,000 for 
 his interest in the business. The capital to-day 
 exceeds $1,000,000. 
 
 Mr. Camp has been prominently connected 
 with public enterprises. He is a director in the 
 Chicago Theological Seminary and the Royal 
 Trust Company. In April, 1891, he was ap- 
 pointed a director of the World's Columbian Ex- 
 position, and served as a member of the commit- 
 tees on Agriculture and Liberal Arts. In politics 
 Mr. Camp is a Republican, but he does not serve 
 his party with a blind devotion, rather taking a 
 liberal view of political matters, and in local 
 affairs votes for the man whom he thinks best 
 qualified to discharge the duties of the office. 
 For many years he has been a member of Union 
 Park Congregational Church, and is president of 
 its board of trustees. He is a member of the 
 Illinois and Union League Clubs. 
 
 On the ist of January, 1862, Mr. Camp mar- 
 ried Miss Flora Carpenter, daughter of Hon. 
 Carlos Carpenter, of Barre, Vermont. Of the 
 four children born of this marriage, three are now 
 living. The daughter, Charlotte, is the wife of 
 M. A. Farr, of Chicago; Edward N., the elder 
 son, is in business with his father; and William 
 Carpenter, the younger son, is also in the business. 
 
 Mr. Camp has found time in his busy commer- 
 cial life to see his native land quite thoroughly, 
 and has also traveled extensively abroad with his 
 family. As a result of his journeyings, he is a 
 better citizen and more loyal American than he 
 would otherwise have been. He is a generous 
 giver to the church and for charitable purposes.
 
 E. A. JEWETT. 
 
 In consequence of his industrious, well-spent life, 
 and his energy, integrity and force of character, 
 Mr. Camp has raised himself from the bottom 
 round of the financial ladder to a position of in- 
 
 dependence, and at this advanced period of his 
 life enjoys the luxuries of wealth, the society of 
 numerous friends, and the pleasures of an environ- 
 ment of refinements. 
 
 EDWARD A. JEWETT. 
 
 ITDWARD ADAMS JEWETT, one of the 
 1^ successful sons of Vermont, now identified 
 I with the greatest enterprise of Chicago, was 
 born at St. Johnsbury, July 18, 1838. His 
 grandfather, Dr. Luther Jevvett, was one of the 
 pioneers of that town, where he officiated first as 
 a clergyman and later as a physician. He was 
 also a member of Congress from Vermont, elected 
 in 1815 and re-elected in 1817. He was born in 
 Canterbury, Connecticut, and reached the age of 
 eighty-seven years. Ephraim Jewett, the father 
 of the subject of this notice, was in turn a promi- 
 nent citizen of St. Johnsbury, where he carried 
 on a mercantile business. He married Miss Jane 
 Fairbanks, a daughter of ex-Governor Erastus 
 Fairbanks and sister of ex-Governor Horace 
 Fairbanks a name which is a household word 
 in the Green Mountain State, and familiar in this 
 and other countries in connection with Fairbanks' 
 scales and philanthropic deeds. Mrs. Janejewett's 
 grandfather was remotely of English descent, his 
 ancestors being among the first settlers of Massa- 
 chusetts. Both he and his wife lived to extreme 
 old age, departing this life during the boyhood of 
 Edward A. Jewett Mrs. Fairbanks at the age of 
 ninety-nine years. Erastus Fairbanks was born in 
 Brimfield, Massachusetts, in 1792, and was known 
 as Vermont's "War Governor," his second elec- 
 tion to that office having occurred in the fall of 
 1860. The first election was in 1852. 
 
 The ancestry of Edward A. Jewett on both 
 sides was of prime New England stock a lineage 
 
 distinguished for sturdy character, industrious 
 habits and intellectual force and this scion per- 
 petuates those characteristics to a marked degree. 
 He attended the schools in St. Johnsbury, and 
 later became a student at Phillips Academy, at 
 Andover, Massachusetts, graduating from that 
 famous educational institution in 1857. He then 
 entered Harvard University, but his health hav- 
 ing become impaired, he was obliged to relinquish 
 his studies there at the end of the second year. 
 
 He soon after entered upon the business career 
 in which he has since been almost continuously 
 occupied. His first employment was with a large 
 wholesale boot and shoe house in Boston, where 
 he remained until 1861. He was then sent to 
 Burlington, Vermont, to settle up the affairs of a 
 boot and shoe store which had become largely 
 indebted to his employers. Having adjusted this 
 business in a manner creditable to himself and 
 satisfactory to the creditors, he purchased the 
 business of the bankrupt concern and carried on 
 the same for four years. At the end of that 
 period he became interested in the construction of 
 a railway from Swanton, Vermont, to St. John's, 
 Quebec, which subsequently became a part of the 
 Vermont Central system. From 1866 to 1870 he 
 was in the service of the United States Govern- 
 ment as deputy collector of internal revenue at 
 Burlington, Vermont, after which he engaged in 
 the book and stationery business at that place for 
 three years. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Jewett became a resident of Chi-
 
 GOTTLIEB MERZ. 
 
 349 
 
 cago, and in July of that year he was appointed 
 Assistant Superintendent of the Chicago division 
 of the Pullman Palace Car Company. On the ist 
 of June, 1874, he was promoted to the office of 
 Division Superintendent, and held that position 
 until April i, 1888, when he was appointed As- 
 sistant General Superintendent of the company, 
 a position which he still capably fills. This high 
 and responsible position was given to him in 
 recognition of his merits and qualifications. 
 This important trust involves in its operations 
 millions of dollars, under a method so thoroughly 
 systematized that the checks and balances must 
 tally to a cent. The vast system managed by 
 the Pullman Palace Car Company extends 
 throughout the United States, Canada and Mex- 
 ico, its domain being so broad as to be almost 
 incomprehensible all under the sagacious super- 
 intendency of this quiet and unpretentious gen- 
 tleman, whose hand is felt and recognized as 
 being constantly at the helm. He has been the 
 recipient of many evidences of the high regard in 
 which he is held by the heads of this great cor- 
 poration. 
 
 In 1870 he married Miss Jennie M. Hubbell, 
 of Charlotte, Chittenden County, Vermont, a 
 member of an old and highly -respected family, 
 
 the daughter of S. W. and Polly Hubbell. The 
 home of Mr. and Mrs. Jewett in Chicago is the 
 seat of pleasant hospitality, where their friends 
 are always sure of cordial welcome. 
 
 In his social and fraternal relations Mr. Jewett 
 occupies an enviable position. He is an honored 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, being affiliated 
 with Washington Lodge, Burlington Chapter and 
 Council, of Burlington, Vermont; of Chevalier 
 Bayard Commandery, Chicago; and Boston (Mas- 
 sachusetts) Consistory. He served one year as 
 Deputy Grand Master of the State of Vermont, 
 Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter.for two 
 years, and Grand Generalissimo of the Grand 
 Commandery for one year. He was an early 
 member of the Sons of Vermont in Chicago, and 
 one of the vice-presidents of that society in 1894. 
 He is a stanch supporter of Republican principles 
 of government, and in 1872 and 1873 he served 
 as aide-de-camp on the staff of Gov. Julius Con- 
 verse, of Vermont. His bearing is uniformly 
 courteous and dignified, and inspires the confi- 
 dence and regard of all who come in contact with 
 him. He can have the proud satisfaction of 
 knowing that it has been to his own capacity, 
 diligence and careful observance of the highest 
 rules of business that his uniform success is due. 
 
 GOTTLIEB MERZ. 
 
 gOTTLIEB MERZ. Among the self-made 
 and patriotic citizens of Chicago of foreign 
 birth, is the subject of this biography. His 
 ancestors were among the prominent people of 
 Menziken, in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland, 
 and he does honor to his lineage. His grandfather 
 moved from that city to Erlach, Canton Berne, 
 where his parents, Jacob and Elizabeth Merz, 
 were born. Jacob Merz was a carpenter, and 
 
 passed his whole life in the pursuit of his occu- 
 pation at Erlach. 
 
 Gottlieb Merz was born at the last-mentioned 
 place on the I4th of October, 1838, and attended 
 the public schools of his native place until he was 
 fourteen years old. He was then apprenticed to 
 a cabinetmaker and became a journeyman two 
 years later, at the age of sixteen. After this he 
 worked at his trade in several of the Swiss cities
 
 350 
 
 GOTTUEB MERZ. 
 
 bordering on the Lake of Geneva, such as Neuf- 
 chatel, Locel, Lucerne, Vevey and Merges. He 
 was also employed for some time in the principal 
 city of Geneva. 
 
 At the age of twenty-four, possessed by that 
 spirit of enterprise which has made the American 
 Nation pre-eminent in the world's progress, he 
 determined to settle in the western world, and 
 came direct to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After 
 working six months in a cabinet shop there, he 
 went into a factory employed in the manufacture 
 of picture frames, mirrors and show cases, and 
 after being there two months, was made foreman 
 and had charge of a large business. 
 
 Mr. Merz became a resident of Chicago in 1865, 
 and was employed for two years by Stotz & Wolz, 
 makers of cabinet ware. In 1867 he established 
 his present business the manufacture of cigar 
 boxes which has grown under his energetic and 
 judicious care to enormous magnitude. His first 
 shop was in the old Turner Hall on Kinzie Street, 
 where, in 1871, he lost everything in the great 
 fire. The North Side residents did not suppose 
 the devouring element would cross the river from 
 the South Side, until it seemed to leap over all 
 along the river front, and Mr. Merz was sur- 
 rounded, like many others, before he could make 
 arrangements to save anything, and was glad to 
 escape with his family to a place of safety. After 
 this disaster he set cheerfully to work to repair 
 his losses, as far as possible, without wasting any 
 time in repining. He began on Twenty-second 
 Street, whence he removed in June, 1872, to 
 North Franklin Street. His business continuing 
 to grow until he was again compelled to move, 
 he built the brick buildings now occupied by him 
 at 209 to 215 Superior Street, in 1879. Here he 
 turns out daily five thousand cigar boxes, beside 
 from one to two thousand other light packing 
 boxes. The establishment is equipped with the 
 latest improved machinery, much of which is the 
 result of Mr. Merz' inventive genius. 
 
 Mr. Merz is the founder and builder of his own 
 fortune, and his example is commended to the 
 youth of the land. His success is the result of 
 no sudden turn of fortune, but to the persistent 
 
 pushing of his enterprise, which is the only real 
 "luck" in the world. Sometimes a fortune is 
 rapidly accumulated, but an examination of the 
 case will show that, with rare exceptions, the 
 foundation of such success was laid by long years 
 of patient preparation which fitted the individual 
 for seizing the opportunity when it came. Mr. 
 Merz labored patiently many years at his trade 
 to secure a start in the way of a small capital and 
 a business experience and knowledge of the En- 
 glish language, which fitted him for the promi- 
 nent position he now holds in the business world 
 of Chicago, that typical city of American enter- 
 prise. 
 
 While he has been energetic in business, Mr. 
 Merz has also fulfilled his duty to society. He 
 has long been an active member of the Grutli 
 Society, an organization of Swiss-born citizens, 
 of which he was treasurer for ten years. He is 
 a member of the Schweitzer Maennerchor, the 
 North Side Turners' Society, and was for many 
 years identified with the Sous of Herman. He holds 
 membership in Miethra Lodge, No. 410, in the 
 Masonic Order, beside that of the Consistory and 
 Shrine of the same order. In religious faith he 
 adheres to the German Lutheran Church, and 
 has usually affiliated with the Republican party 
 in matters of public policy. 
 
 Mr. Merz was married, in 1864, to Miss Jo- 
 sephine Boppart, who is a native of St. Gallen, 
 Switzerland. Two sons and a daughter of this 
 family died in childhood. The living are, Emilie, 
 widow of Henry Kallemberg; Louise, Mrs. 
 Charles Stierlin; Edward G., who is associated 
 with his father in business (the firm now being 
 G. Merz & Son) ; and Lily, still in the home of 
 her parents. All reside in Chicago. 
 
 By his uniform courtesy and fair dealing, Mr. 
 Merz has won the confidence and good will of all 
 with whom he comes in contact, and he is unan- 
 imously voted one of the most popular of the 
 North Side citizens. He has never aspired to 
 public station, but has been content to fill his 
 place as a gentleman among his fellows and at his 
 own fireside, where he is the center of conjugal 
 and filial regard.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT I
 
 J. W. TOPE, M. D. 
 
 JOHN W. TOPE, M. D. 
 
 (lOHN WESLEY TOPE, M. D., ofOak Park, 
 I who has achieved some distinction in medical 
 (~/ and surgical science, there and elsewhere, 
 was born at New Philadelphia, Ohio, November 
 10, 1845. He is the eldest son in the family of 
 Jacob J. and Mary (Brown) Tope. 
 
 John Tope, the grandfather of Jacob J. Tope, 
 was a native of Maryland, who became a resident 
 of Holliday's Cove, West Virginia. During the 
 War of 1812 he and his brother, George, held ex- 
 tensive contracts with the United States Govern- 
 ment for furnishing beef to the army. In 1815 he 
 removed to Carroll County, Ohio, of which he 
 was one of the original settlers. He and his sons 
 erected extensive mills at a place still known as 
 Tope's Mills. His son, George, who became the 
 father of Jacob J., was born at Holliday's Cove, 
 West Virginia. He was a miller by trade and 
 continued the business founded by his father for 
 many years. 
 
 Jacob J. Tope was born at Tope's Mills, Ohio, 
 February 22, 1822. He was a blacksmith by 
 trade, and during his latter years engaged in 
 fanning. He also had a taste for military affairs, 
 and served for some time as captain of a rifle 
 company in the Ohio militia. During the 
 Mexican War this company tendered its ser- 
 vices to the United States Government, but, 
 owing to the termination of the conflict a short 
 time afterward, it was not called into service. 
 Mr. Tope died in 1862, of typhoid fever, con- 
 tracted while on a visit to his son, John W. 
 Tope, who was then in the United States serv- 
 ice in Virginia. Mrs. Mary Tope is still living at 
 New Philadelphia, Ohio, at the age of sixty-nine 
 
 years. She was born in Harrison County, in the 
 same State, and is a daughter of John Brown, a 
 farmer, who went thither from Pennsylvania. 
 Three sons and one daughter were born to Jacob 
 J. and Mary Tope. John W. is the eldest of 
 these; George W. is a farmer of New Philadel- 
 phia, Ohio; William A. is a physician at Dow- 
 ner's Grove, Illinois; and Mary is the wife of 
 John Heaton, of Harrison County, Ohio. 
 
 John W. Tope passed his early boyhood upon 
 the homestead farm. He was in his sixteenth 
 year when the great civil strife, which for years 
 had threatened to dismember the nation, devel- 
 oped into actual warfare. Though but a youth 
 in stature, he already began to manifest the 
 patriotic determination and enthusiasm which 
 foretold the distinguishing characteristics of the 
 future man. 
 
 Embracing the first opportunity, he enlisted 
 August 20, 1861, in Company I, Thirtieth Ohio 
 Infantry. After serving three years, he re- 
 enlisted in the same company and remained in the 
 ranks until the close of hostilities. He was at first 
 attached to the Army of West Virginia, under 
 General Rosecranz, and participated in engage- 
 ments at Gauley Bridge and Fayetteville. When 
 that commander was succeeded by General Coxe 
 he participated in the latter' s unsuccessful expedi- 
 tion, which was designed to cut off communication 
 between Richmond and North Carolina. Just 
 after the second battle of Bull Run his regiment 
 joined Pope's Army and took part in the famous 
 battles of South Mountain and Antietam. They 
 were afterward transferred to West Virginia and 
 went into winter quarters at Gauley Bridge, under
 
 352 
 
 CAPT. J. D. COURTRIGHT. 
 
 command of Gen. Joseph Lightburn. Thence 
 they were ordered South, and joining Sherman's 
 army just after the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, 
 were attached to the First Brigade, Second Divi- 
 sion, Fifteenth Army Corps. Mr. Tope was on 
 the first detail set at work upon the famous Vicks- 
 burg canal, but, having contracted the measles, 
 he was disabled for three weeks, and took no 
 further part in that gigantic enterprise. After the 
 fall of Vicksburg he accompanied Sherman's 
 army in the march from Memphis to Chattanooga, 
 served throughout the Atlanta campaign, the 
 March to the Sea, and thence northward to the 
 city of Washington, where he participated in the 
 Grand Review. After this his regiment was sta- 
 tioned for a time at Little Rock, Arkansas, whence 
 they returned to Columbus, Ohio, and were mus- 
 tered out August 20, 1865, just four years from 
 the date of Mr. Tope's enlistment. He had passed 
 through these successive campaigns without real 
 injury, and returned to the pursuits of peace, 
 matured and developed in both mind and body. 
 
 He then began the study of medicine with Dr. 
 J. D. Otis, at New Philadelphia, Ohio. In the 
 fall of 1868 he entered Rush Medical College, 
 Chicago, where he spent two years in practical 
 preparation for his chosen profession. During 
 eighteen months of this time, August, 1868, to 
 January, 1870, he was an interne in the Cook 
 County Hospital, and upon his graduation he 
 
 was appointed medical superintendent of the Cook 
 County Insane Hospital, which had just been 
 completed at Jefferson, a position which he filled 
 with credit for four years. 
 
 In 1876 he located in Oak Park, where he has 
 ever since been engaged in general practice, 
 though his field of usefulness is by no means con- 
 fined to that village. He gives special attention 
 to practical surgery, and for three years past has 
 been an attending surgeon at the Cook County 
 Hospital. From time to time he has become in- 
 terested in different business enterprises; in 1892 
 became one of the incorporators of the Oak Park 
 State Bank, and has ever since been a member of 
 the board of directors of that thriving institution. 
 
 The Doctor was most happily married in 1880, 
 to Delia Whaples, daughter of Reuben Whaples, 
 one of the earliest pioneers of Cook County. The 
 three children which have been born to them are 
 named respectively, Helen, John and Oliver. The 
 family attends the Congregational Church of Oak 
 Park and is welcomed to the most select social 
 circles of that delightful suburb, a village justly 
 celebrated for its many cultivated and happy 
 homes. The Doctor is identified with Phil Sher- 
 idan Post No. '615, Grand Army of the Republic, 
 and holds a conspicuous position in Masonic 
 circles, having been a charter member of Siloam 
 Commandery No. 54, of which body he was 
 commander in 1886. 
 
 CAPT. JAMES D. COURTRIGHT. 
 
 JAMES DEARBORN COURT- 
 RIGHT, who was long known as one of the 
 most skillful and reliable navigators on the 
 Great Lakes, was born February 27, 1828, in the 
 State of New York. He was the son of James 
 and Eliza (Dearborn) Courtright. When he was 
 a boy, his parents moved to Madison, Ohio, and 
 
 later to Painesville, Ohio. At the age of sixteen 
 years he began sailing on the lakes, and he fol- 
 lowed that business for nearly forty years, mak- 
 ing trips to all the ports on the lakes, but chiefly 
 between Chicago and Buffalo. For many years 
 he commanded the "City of Painesville," one of 
 the finest vessels on the lakes, in which he owned
 
 W. M. MEREDITH. 
 
 353 
 
 an interest. At one time he was wrecked in a 
 storm on Lake Erie, though fortunately no lives 
 were lost. He afterwards commanded the "Dick 
 Sommers" for several years. About the year 
 1 88 1 he retired from business, owing to failing 
 health. He had lived in Cook County since No- 
 vember, 1876, having been two years in Austin, 
 and the remainder of the time in Chicago. He 
 died in Chicago, September n, 1886, at the age 
 of fifty -eight years. 
 
 He was married January 8, 1862, to Mrs. 
 Nancy Custin, widow of Edwin Custin, and sister 
 of Capt. Stephen Seamens, whose biography ap- 
 pears elsewhere in this history. Mrs. Courtrightis 
 
 now living in Austin, and is nearly sixty-six years 
 old. Mr. and Mrs. Courtright had two children, 
 one of whom died in infancy. The other lives in 
 Austin, and is now Mrs. Clara E. Seamens, wife 
 of George R. Seamens. 
 
 While a young man, Mr. Courtright made two 
 trips to California, but he soon returned to the 
 pursuits and surroundings in which the most of 
 his life was spent, and which possessed such 
 great attraction for him. Captain Courtright was 
 a member of the Masonic order and was identified 
 with a commandery of Knights Templar at 
 Painesville, Ohio. He was a lifelong Democrat, 
 but never an office-seeker. 
 
 WILLIAM M. MEREDITH. 
 
 fS QlLLIAM MORTON MEREDITH was born 
 \ A I in Centerville, Wayne County, Indiana, 
 VV April n, 1835. He was educated in pri- 
 vate schools and in White W r ater College, served 
 an apprenticeship to the printing business, in 
 1852 commenced work as a journeyman in the 
 office of the Indianapolis Journal, and was en- 
 gaged there as a compositor when the War of the 
 Rebellion broke out in 1861. In 1860 he was a 
 delegate to the National Typographical Union, 
 which assembled that year in Nashville, Tennes- 
 see. For some years prior to the war he had been 
 a member of the Indianapolis City Grays, and 
 was among a great many of that organization who 
 at once tendered their services to the Union. A 
 few days after marching into camp, and before 
 being regularly mustered into the service, young 
 Meredith was appointed by Governor O. P. Mor- 
 ton, assistant to the Commissary General of In- 
 diana, and served in that capacity, instructing 
 regimental quartermasters and commissaries, until 
 June, 1862, when he was commissioned second 
 lieutenant, with authority to recruit a company. 
 
 In about one month the company was fully enlisted 
 to the maximum number of one hundred one men, 
 and Meredith was mustered and commissioned 
 captain of Company E, Seventieth Indiana Vol- 
 unteer Infantry, Col. Benjamin Harrison com- 
 manding, in which he served until discharged for 
 disability contracted in the line of duty at Atlanta, 
 Georgia, August 12, 1864. He was with his 
 regiment every time it was engaged in battle, re- 
 ceiving honorable mention for gallantry during 
 the Atlanta campaign, and especially for his con- 
 duct at the battle of Resaca, Georgia. Return- 
 ing to Indianapolis, Meredith again went to work 
 as a printer in \he. Journal office in that city, and 
 in 1867 became foreman of the establishment. In 
 1872 he removed to Saint Louis and accepted the 
 foremanship of the office of the Daily Democrat of 
 that city, which position he retained until July, 
 1875, when the Democrat and Globe were consoli- 
 dated, and he accepted a position with the 
 Western Bank Note Company of Chicago, and 
 removed to that city. After ten months residence 
 within the city limits he removed to the beautiful
 
 354 
 
 STEWART COLLINS. 
 
 suburb of Austin, where he bought a home, and 
 where he has since made his residence. 
 
 July ist, 1889, Captain Meredith was appointed 
 by President Harrison, chief of the Bureau of 
 Engraving and Printing, Treasury Department, 
 Washington, District of Columbia, and filled 
 that office with honor and credit to himself, and 
 acceptably to his superiors Secretaries Windom, 
 Foster and Carlisle, until July ist, 1893, when 
 he was relieved, to give place to a Democrat. 
 He then returned to Chicago, and again entered 
 the service of the Western Bank Note Company, 
 as superintendent of the Steel Plate Printing De- 
 partment, which position he holds to-day. 
 
 He was married April 23, 1867, to Miss Ter- 
 ressa A. Richey, of Indianapolis, Indiana. Their 
 married life has been a most happy one. They 
 have been blessed with five children, two sons and 
 three daughters, all of whom are living. 
 
 Politically, Captain Meredith has been a faith- 
 ful Republican. It is his proud boast that his 
 first vote was for Fremont, the first Republican 
 candidate for president, -and that he has never 
 forsaken the line. 
 
 He conies of Welsh descent, his great-grand- 
 
 father, Luff Meredith, having come to the colony 
 of Delaware from Wales early in 1700. His 
 grandfather, John Wheeler Meredith, served un- 
 der Washington during the War of the Revolu- 
 tion. His uncle, John Meredith, was an officer 
 in the regular army during the War of 1812; an- 
 other uncle, Joseph Busbey Meredith, was an In- 
 dian fighter during the Blackhawk War; several 
 cousins served in the Mexican War, and the sub- 
 ject of this sketch, as stated above, served honor- 
 ably in the Union Army during the War of the 
 Rebellion. His father, Samuel C. Meredith, was 
 for many years editor and publisher of a newspa- 
 per in Indiana, and now lives, aged ninety, in the 
 city of Indianapolis, beloved and respected by all. 
 Captain Meredith belongs to the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, is a companion of the military 
 order of the Loyal Legion, a comrade of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, an Odd Fellow, and a 
 member of the Veterans' Union League of Chi- 
 cago. He also belongs to the Army and Navy 
 Club of Washington, District of Columbia, the 
 Sons of the American Revolution, the Press Club 
 of Chicago, and is an honorary member of the 
 Chicago Typographical Union. 
 
 STEWART COLLINS. 
 
 Q TEW ART COLLINS (whose genealogy may 
 ?\ be found in the biography of W. H. Collins, 
 C*y on another page of this volume) was born 
 August 13, 1864, at Cleveland, Ohio. He is the 
 son of William and Lavinia (Harvey) Collins. 
 Stewart Collins began earning his own living 
 when a very young boy, and until he was twenty 
 years old he gave his money to his mother as he 
 earned it. He first started to work in a blast 
 
 furnace at New Straitsville, Ohio. In 1882 his 
 parents came to South Chicago, and upon coming 
 here he began work as a laborer in the steel mills. 
 Later he was able to obtain a position at work on 
 steel ladles, and he has been at that work ever 
 since. 
 
 August 30, 1887, Mr. Collins married Miss 
 Caroline Horner, a daughter of William Peter 
 Horner. She was born in Ohio, but she had spent
 
 CAPT. STEPHEN SEAMENS. 
 
 355 
 
 most of her life previous to marriage in Ken- 
 tuck)'. They have two children, William Peter 
 and Clarence. 
 
 Mr. Collins is numbered among the good citi- 
 zens of South Chicago, and is a hardworking and 
 honest man, who tries to do his duty by his fel- 
 lowmen. Until recently he has been a member 
 of the Republican party, but for the last three years 
 
 he has been identified with the People's party. 
 In 1896 he was one of the judges of election in the 
 Fifteenth Precinct of the Thirty-third Ward. Mr. 
 Collins and his family are members of the Second 
 Congregational Church. He takes an interest in 
 public affairs, and promotes any cause for the 
 benefit of his City and State, as well as of the Na- 
 tion. 
 
 CAPT. STEPHEN SEAMENS. 
 
 EAPT. STEPHEN SEAMENS, whose death 
 occurred at Austin, Illinois, June 19, 1896, 
 was a man of remarkable physical develop- 
 ment and noteworthy intellectual powers, a record 
 of whose life should not be omitted from this his- 
 tory. He was a native of Pennsylvania, born 
 August 25, 1823, his parents being Stephen 
 and Angeline (Snyder) Seamens. 
 
 The father of Stephen Seamens, senior, came 
 to this country from England, in company with 
 a bachelor brother, and was the progenitor of all 
 the members of that family now living in Amer- 
 ica. Stephen Seamens, senior, was born in the 
 State of New York in the year 1783, and was 
 married to Miss Snyder in 1807. He was a far- 
 mer by occupation, and lived for a time in Penn- 
 sylvania, subsequently removing to Lake County, 
 Ohio, where his death occurred in May, 1862. 
 His wife, who was of German parentage, died 
 there in July, 1852. Fourteen children were 
 born to this couple, eleven of whom became 
 grown men and women, and five are now living. 
 Their names, and the present homes of the sur- 
 vivors, are as follows: Jeremiah, Andrus, Nelson, 
 George; Mary, widow of John McClintock, 
 Elyria, Ohio; James; Stephen; William, Seneca, 
 Missouri; Sabra, widow of Leonard Swetland, 
 North Madison, Ohio; Eliza, Mrs. Bronson Robin- 
 son, Pierpont, Ohio; and Nancy, widow of James 
 
 D. Courtright, Austin, Illinois. While a young 
 man, Andrus Seamens left his home in Ohio and 
 went to New York State, where he was married 
 and had one son. Little was known of him or 
 his family by their relatives until recently, when 
 it was learned that he subsequently came to Illi- 
 nois and died in this State. 
 
 Capt. Stephen Seamens, whose name heads 
 this notice, spent most of his boyhood in Ohio. 
 About 1842 he came to Illinois and became a 
 sailor on the Great Lakes, a business which he 
 followed for a number of years. He also ac- 
 quired an interest in a packet on the Illinois & 
 Michigan Canal. He made his home for several 
 years about New Buffalo, Michigan, and Michi- 
 gan City, Indiana, but about 1851 he traded his 
 interest in the canal packet for eighty acres of 
 land in Mazon Township, Grundy County, Illi- 
 nois, and removed to that place, which was then 
 a wilderness, abounding in wolves and other wild 
 beasts. In 1852 he went overland to California, 
 where he spent two years in getting out mining 
 timbers. Returning by way of the isthmus, he 
 lived on his farm until 1861, when he removed 
 to another near Wheeler Station, Porter County, 
 Indiana. The next year he came to Chicago, 
 and again became a sailor upon the lakes. 
 
 About 1863 he purchased five acres of land in 
 the town of Cicero, now included in the village of
 
 356 
 
 D. E. WASHBURN. 
 
 Austin, and built the third house there, before a 
 name had been given to the place. For several 
 years longer he continued to sail upon the lakes, 
 and also operated a boat upon the canal, which 
 was chiefly employed in transporting stone be- 
 tween Chicago and Lemont. During the winter 
 season, when navigation was closed, he was ac- 
 customed to find employment in the packing 
 houses in Chicago. After his removal to Austin 
 he was employed for two or three years as fore- 
 man in the clock factory at that place. About 
 1880 he retired from active business and found 
 recreation and diversion in the care and subdivi- 
 sion of his property, which had greatly increased 
 in value, its original cost to him being one hun- 
 dred dollars per acre. 
 
 Captain Seamens was married December 5, 
 1844, to Minerva F. Pratt. She was born at 
 Buffalo, New York, July 23, 1823, and died at 
 
 Austin, Illinois, March 15, 1891. The only son 
 of this couple, Morton G. Seamens, died at Aus- 
 tin September 20, 1895, aged thirty-nine years 
 and nine months. Captain Seamens was an 
 exhaustive reader and profound thinker. He 
 was well informed in historical matters and the 
 leading questions of the day, and enjoyed nothing 
 better than the discussion of these topics with his 
 neighbors and acquaintances, and was always 
 able to handle his side of the debate with skill 
 and ability. He was an enthusiastic disciple of 
 Thomas Paine, and in questions of national policy 
 a stanch Democrat. He weighed over three hun- 
 dred pounds, was six feet four inches in height, 
 and was always noted for his great muscular 
 powers. A feat which he occasionally practiced 
 by way of diversion was to pick up a barrel of 
 salt by the chines and toss it from the deck of a 
 vessel to the dock. 
 
 DANIEL E. WASHBURN. 
 
 0ANIEL ERASTUS WASHBURN was born 
 in Adrian, Michigan, August 13, 1846, and 
 is the son of Daniel and Vashti H. (Pratt) 
 Washburn. His father was a native of New 
 York, a contractor, and in a small way a specu- 
 lator, and died in Adrian when the subject of this 
 sketch was but six weeks old. Mrs. Vashti Wash- 
 burn was born in Buffalo, New York, and her 
 father, Mr. Pratt, was a boy living in Trenton, 
 New Jersey, when Gen. George Washington 
 passed through that place with the army at the 
 close of the Revolution. After his death, in 1833, 
 his family came from Buffalo to Michigan, settling 
 at New Buffalo. They drove a team composed 
 of one ox and one cow. 
 
 After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Wash- 
 burn came to Chicago. Later she returned to 
 New Buffalo, and married George R. Selkirk, aeon- 
 
 tractor. They moved to Michigan City, Indiana, 
 where Mrs. Selkirk now lives, at the age of nearly 
 seventy-eight years. George Selkirk built the 
 first piers and warehouse at Michigan City, and 
 he died at that place. 
 
 Daniel E. Washburn is the only surviving son 
 of his father. He was an infant when his mother 
 came to Chicago, where they lived on the present 
 site of Hooley's theatre. He afterwards lived for 
 some time with his uncle, Capt. Stephen Sea- 
 mens, whose history can be found on another 
 page of this volume. 
 
 May 5, 1864, he enlisted in Company D, One 
 Hundred and Thirty-eighth Indiana Volunteer 
 Infantry. He served until September i, of the 
 same year, in the Army of the Cumberland, on 
 garrison duty around Nashville and Chattanooga. 
 In July, 1866, he re-enlisted at Indianapolis, In-
 
 H. M. NORTHROP. 
 
 357 
 
 diana, in the regular army, and served three years 
 in Texas. During this time he was in a number 
 of engagements with Indians and outlaws. He 
 then returned to Chicago and was for some time 
 engaged in teaming. He was employed six years 
 in Walker Oakley's tannery, and later with A. F. 
 Woolensack, who handled hardware specialties. 
 For the past four years he has been on the special 
 police force for the Town of Cicero, and has lived 
 in Austin since 1892. 
 
 Mr. Washburn married Miss Emma E. , daugh- 
 ter of William Bunting, a native of England, who 
 came to Rahway, New Jersey, in 1848, and four 
 
 years later to Chicago. He was engaged in busi- 
 ness at Market Hall, on West Randolph Street, 
 for some years, handling green groceries, fish and 
 game. Mr. Bunting was born February 21, 
 1825, and died in 1891. His widow, Martha 
 Bunting, is now living in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Washburn have one son, Stephen A. Washburn. 
 The family is identified with the Methodist 
 Church. Mr. Washburn belongs to Kilpatrick 
 Post, Grand Army of the Republic; to the An- 
 cient Order of Foresters, and the Royal Circle. 
 He has been a Republican in political principle 
 all his life. 
 
 HENRY M. NORTHROP. 
 
 HENRY MARVIN NORTHROP, a highly 
 esteemed citizen of Oak Park, was born in 
 Kent, Litchfield County, Connecticut, Au- 
 gust 3, 1828. He is the son of Thomas Grant 
 and Aurelia (Curtis) Northrop, natives of Con- 
 necticut. Thomas G. Northrop was born in New 
 Milford, Connecticut, and was the son of Amos 
 Northrop, a graduate of Yale College, who en- 
 listed as first lieutenant in the Second Company , 
 First Battalion of Connecticut, in 1776, and served 
 under General Wooster and General Spencer. His 
 farm in New Milford was kept in the family until 
 a few 3'ears ago. 
 
 Amos Northrop was born in Old Milford, Con- 
 necticut, December 9, 1742. His ancestors were 
 of Welsh and Scotch lineage. His wife, Anne 
 Grant, was of the same family from which General 
 Grant descended. His daughter Sally, a maiden 
 lady, lived in Old Milford until her death in 1877, 
 at the age of over one hundred years, having been 
 born June 28, 1776. A photograph of her at the 
 age of one hundred years is in the possession of 
 the family. Her birthday had been celebrated 
 by the children and the New Milford citizens for 
 
 several years. Her faculties were well preserved, 
 and she was very patriotic and well versed in his- 
 toric lore. 
 
 A number of Amos Northrop's descendants have 
 been students at Yale College, and several are en- 
 gaged in educational work, including Professor 
 Harry E. Northrop, of Brooklyn, who is a teacher 
 of German. Thomas G. Northrop lived upon a 
 farm at Kent until his death, which occurred 
 when he was eighty years old, in 1850. He was 
 a regular attendant of the Congregational Church. 
 Mrs. Aurelia Northrop died at Kent in 1839. She 
 was born in Huntington, Connecticut, and was a 
 very superior woman, a devout member of the 
 Congregational Church. She had four sons and 
 one daughter, namely: Thomas Welles, Ann Au- 
 relia (Mrs. Joel Pratt), Agur Curtis; Birdsey 
 Grant, LL. D. , a lecturer of Clinton, Connecti- 
 cut, and formerly secretary of the boards of edu- 
 cation of Massachusetts and Connecticut for a 
 period of about thirty years, being the successor 
 of Horace Mann; and Henry M.; the last two are 
 the only ones living. 
 
 Henry M. Northrop attended the public school
 
 358 
 
 HENRY vSCHEURMEIER. 
 
 and afterward entered Yale College, Later he 
 went to Harvard Medical School and there studied 
 two years under Drs. O. W. Holmes and Eben 
 S. Horsford. Before completing the course, he 
 began teaching, and spent five years in the public 
 schools of Saint Louis. Just before the war began 
 he returned to the East. When at Alton, Illi- 
 nois, he saw a load of arms and other war imple- 
 ments, which had been brought from Saint Louis 
 to prevent its confiscation by the Confederate 
 army. 
 
 He enlisted July 6, 1864, in Company A, For- 
 ty-second Massachusetts Infantry. He was em- 
 ployed in garrison duty at Alexandria, Virginia, 
 and was discharged in November, 1864. Soon 
 after the war Mr. Northrop came to Chicago and 
 entered the employ of the Chicago & Northwest- 
 ern Railway Company, as a clerk in the freight 
 department. For twelve years past he has been 
 
 in the general ticket office of the Chicago, Rock 
 Island & Pacific Railroad. Since 1873 ne has 
 been a resident of Oak Park. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Northrop married Sarah Elizabeth, 
 daughter of Reuben and Sarah (Lamprey) Hunt- 
 ing. Her father was a native of western Massa- 
 chusetts, and for a period of forty years was in 
 business in Boston. Mr. and Mrs. Northrop are 
 connected with the First Congregational Church 
 of Oak Park, and Mr. Northrop is a member of 
 the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Sons 
 of the American Revolution. Mrs. Northrop is a 
 member of George A. Clarke Chapter, Daughters 
 of the Revolution, at Oak Park. .Her grand- 
 father, Amos Hunting, endured the horrors of the 
 historic winter at Valley Forge in General Wash- 
 ington's army. He was detailed to bring back 
 the horses driven away by General Arnold, which 
 he successfully accomplished. 
 
 HENRY SCHEURMEIER. 
 
 NENRY SCHEURMEIER, a progressive and 
 public-spirited citizen of South Chicago, was 
 born April 26, 1839, in Canton Zurich, 
 Switzerland. He is the son of John and Katrina 
 (Keller) Scheurmeier, and the only one of his fam- 
 ily to come to this country. He came in 1870, and 
 located at Chicago, on the West Side. In his na- 
 tive country he had learned the carpenter's and 
 cabinet-maker's trades, which he followed in Chi- 
 cago. He lived four years on the West Side, and 
 then went to Colehour, now a part of Chicago. 
 He bought some property on Avenue F, near One 
 Hundred Third Street. Here he built a comfort- 
 able home and lived there three years, working 
 at his trade. 
 
 He returned to the West Side of the city in 1878, 
 and lived there five years. In 1882 he returned 
 to Colehour and remained five years. In 1887 he 
 again made his home in South Chicago, and be- 
 
 gan working as sales agent for the Peter Schoen- 
 hofen Brewing Company, which has ever since 
 been his occupation. His territory includes Grand 
 Crossing, Riverdale, Kensington, Colehour and 
 South Chicago. 
 
 May 4, 1865, Mr. Schetirmeier married Miss 
 Barbara Wiesendanger, a native of Switzerland. 
 They are the parents of two daughters. Anna 
 Matilda, the elder, married Leonard Seiler and 
 lives at Colehour; she has four children, namely: 
 Ella, Harry, Edward and Arthur. The second 
 daughter is Clara Louise. 
 
 Mr, Scheurmeier is a member of Fortschritt 
 Lodge, No. 27, Independent Order of Odd Fel- 
 lows, which he joined in 1888, and is connected 
 with Chicago Lodge No. i, Sons of Hermann. 
 Mr. Scheurmeier is a man of good principles and 
 of great business ability. He is interested in 
 public improvements and is a valuable citizen.
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 OF ILLINOIS
 
 LYMAN G. HOLLEY 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 L. G. HOLLEY. 
 
 359 
 
 LYMAN G. HOLLEY. 
 
 I YMAN GIDD.INGS HOLLEY, a prominent 
 I C business man of Chicago, and one of the 
 I \ J most influential citizens of Oak Park, was 
 born in Ellisburg, Jefferson County, New York, 
 June 29, 1845. He is the son of Nathan Tillot- 
 son and Martha S. (Giddings) Holley. His an- 
 cestors are supposed to have removed from Con- 
 necticut to Vermont during the colonial period. 
 Nathan Holley, the grandfather of Lyman G. 
 Holley, was born (probably in Vermont) August 
 6, 1750. He removed from Dorset, Vermont, to 
 New York, settling first in Oneida County. At 
 about the time his son, Nathan T., was born, he 
 located at Ellisburg, becoming one of the pio- 
 neers of that locality. He died there in 1833, 
 having attained the ripe old age of eighty-three 
 years. October 26, 1800, he married for his 
 second wife, Cynthia Tillotson, who became the 
 mother of Nathan T. Holley. She was born Au- 
 gust 16, 1771, and died July 20, 1822. 
 
 Nathan T. Holley, who was born January 2, 
 1812, passed nearly three-score years in Ellis- 
 burg. He owned several farms in that locality, 
 and dealt in live stock to a considerable extent, 
 amassing a comfortable fortune. In 1870 he re- 
 moved to Oak Park, Illinois, where he made 
 some judicious investments in real estate. Among 
 his purchases was a tract of five acres on the 
 north side of Lake Street, which he subdivided, 
 and at the same time laid out the thoroughfare 
 known as Holley Court. He died in that village 
 at the age of seventy-eight years, February 2, 
 1890. He was a man of excellent judgment and 
 stable character, a member of the Methodist 
 Church and identified with the Masonic order in 
 
 New York. In early life he was a Whig, and 
 later a Republican, though he never accepted any 
 public office. Mrs. Martha S. Holley died Au- 
 gust 9, 1845, aged twenty-six years, in Ellisburg, 
 the place where she was born. She was the 
 daughter of Lyman and Beulah (Emerson) Gid- 
 dings, who removed from Dorset, Vermont, to 
 Ellisburg, and died a few years later. She was 
 the mother of five children, only two of whom 
 are living, namely: Augusta (Mrs. O. D. Allen), 
 of Oak Park, and Lyman G. N. T. Holley mar- 
 ried for a second wife Mrs. Electa Giddings, 
 widow of Monroe Giddings, who was a brother 
 of the first Mrs. Holley. He was married the 
 third time to Mrs. Sarah Angeline, widow of 
 Rev. James Manning, who still lives at Oak Park. 
 Lyman Giddings Holley was educated in Union 
 College at Schenectady, New York, and grad- 
 uated in 1866 as a civil engineer, after which he re- 
 moved to Chatfield, Minnesota, intending to follow 
 his occupation of engineer, but being offered a 
 position in a bank he accepted and remained two 
 years; then removed to Chicago and engaged in 
 the grain and flour commission business, being 
 one of the firm of Easton & Holley. In 1872 the 
 firm name changed to N. T. & L. G. Holley, 
 two' years later to Holley, Easton & Allen, and 
 in 1878 became Holley & Allen, which continued 
 until 1887. Since that year he has been manager 
 of the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Com- 
 pany in Chicago, supplying the trade with the 
 product of that concern, which is everywhere 
 recognized as a staple article of merchandise. 
 Some idea of the magnitude of the local business 
 done may be gained from the fact that it fur-
 
 3<5o 
 
 C. A. SCHROYER. 
 
 nishes fully one-third of the flour sold for family 
 consumption in Chicago. 
 
 He was married in August, 1872, to Miss 
 Minnie Lyon, daughter of Henry Pilkington and 
 Margaret (Miller) Lyon, of Utica, New York, .at 
 which place Mrs. Holley was born. Since their 
 marriage Mr. and Mrs. Holley have been resi- 
 dents of Oak Park. They move in the most 
 select circles of society in that suburb, which is 
 justly celebrated for the culture and intelligence 
 
 of its people. Since 1885 they have been iden- 
 tified with the First Congregational Church, of 
 which society Mr. Holley was treasurer fourteen 
 years. He is secretary of the board of trustees 
 of the Scoville Institute, and has been a member 
 of that body from its incorporation. While tak- 
 ing a wholesome interest in all important public 
 movements, Mr. Holley avoids the contaminating 
 influence of politics, but casts his ballot in sup- 
 port of Republican principles. 
 
 CHARLES A. SCHROYER. 
 
 QHARLES A. SCHROYER, superintendent 
 l( of the car shops of the Chicago & North- 
 Lj western Railroad in Chicago, has made a 
 specialty of car construction for many years and 
 acquired his present responsible position as the 
 result of ripe experience, accompanied by supe- 
 rior mechanical skill and executive ability. He 
 was born at Milton, Pennsylvania, October 14, 
 1853, and is a son of Allen and Rebecca (Crites) 
 Schroyer. 
 
 The grandfather of Allen Schroyer came to this 
 country from Germany before the Revolutionary 
 War. His son, Abraham Schroyer, the father of 
 Allen, was a skilled artisan, and established one 
 of the first piano factories in America at Milton, 
 Pennsylvania. Most of the product of this estab- 
 lishment was shipped by water to Philadelphia, 
 where the instruments were placed on exhibition 
 and sold. His granddaughter, now Mrs. George 
 Evans, who was an accomplished musician, often 
 accompanied the shipment of goods to that city, 
 where her skill was employed in exhibiting the 
 pianos to best advantage. 
 
 Allen Schroyer, who was a native of Berks 
 County, Pennsylvania, continued the enterprise 
 founded by his father for a time, and was subse- 
 quently engaged in the manufacture of cabinet 
 
 goods at Lock Haven and Bellefonte, Pennsyl- 
 vania. He died at the latter place in 1883, at 
 the age of seventy-eight years. He was a man 
 of firm con'victions and was very pronounced in 
 the expression of his views on public questions. 
 He held to the Presbyterian faith in religious 
 matters, and was one of the early advocates of the 
 abolition movement. In his later years he was 
 identified with the Republican party. 
 
 Mrs. Rebecca Schroyer died at Oak Park, Ill- 
 inois, November 4, 1892, having attained the 
 age of seventy-five years. She was born at Chil- 
 lisquaque, Northumberland County, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was a daughter of John Adams Crites, 
 a prominent farmer of that county, who was also 
 a native of Germany. He was the father of 
 thirteen children, of whom Mrs. Schroyer was 
 the youngest and the latest survivor. She was 
 the mother of five sons and five daughters, of 
 whom the following is the record : Margaret is 
 the wife of George Evans (who was previously 
 mentioned in this article), of Lock Haven, Penn- 
 sylvania; Minnie, Mrs. Jonathan Harper, resides 
 at Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, which place is also 
 the home of Maria, Mrs. Hoffman; Louisa, Mrs. 
 Garvin, died at the same place; Lydia, Mrs. 
 Hathorne, died at Williamsport, Pennsylvania,
 
 FREDERICK MILLER. 
 
 361 
 
 as did her eldest brother, William; Charles A. is 
 the next in order of birth ; Benjamin is an agent 
 of the Adams Express Company at Hollidays- 
 burgh, Pennsylvania; Hayes is an auditor of the 
 same corporation at Altoona, Pennsylvania; and 
 Harry Hunter is a dealer in groceries at Belle- 
 fonte, in the same State. 
 
 Charles A. Schroyer attended the public schools 
 of Lock Haven and learned the trade of cabinet- 
 maker. He served an apprenticeship of five 
 years in his father's shop, acquiring a thorough 
 knowledge of that line of work, which has always 
 been of great value to him. In 1878 he engaged 
 in car-building in the shops of the Philadelphia 
 & Erie Railroad at Renova, Pennsylvania. 
 Thence he subsequently went to Jefferson ville, 
 Indiana, where he was employed for six years as 
 car-builder by the Ohio Falls Car Company, one 
 of the leading establishments in the United States 
 in the construction of railway coaches. He spent 
 two years more in the shops of the Jeffersonville, 
 Madison & Indianapolis Railroad, at Indian- 
 apolis, and in February, 1886, entered upon his 
 engagement with the Chicago & Northwestern 
 Railroad Company. He has ever since been 
 superintendent of the immense shops of this cor- 
 poration near the western line of the city, and 
 about one thousand six hundred men are em- 
 ployed under his charge, including several hun- 
 dred who are dispersed along the lines of the 
 
 system. He commands the highest respect of 
 his subordinates and associates, both as an arti- 
 san and as a gentleman, and under his careful 
 and systematic management this gigantic enter- 
 prise proceeds with the least possible friction and 
 delay. The results accomplished during his 
 eleven years in this connection have been highly 
 satisfactory to the company, as is attested by his 
 long continuance in the responsible position he 
 occupies. 
 
 In October, 1875, Mr. Schroyer was married to 
 Miss Amanda Galbraith, daughter of Bartram 
 and Sarah Galbraith, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. 
 In 1882 the family was bereaved by the death of 
 this lady, which occurred at the same place, 
 when she was but twenty-nine years of age. She 
 was a devout member of the Methodist Church at 
 Bellefonte, in which she had worshipped from 
 childhood. She left two daughters, Mary and 
 Minnie, who survive to cheer their father's home. 
 The family is at present connected with the 
 Methodist Church at Oak Park, in which attract- 
 ive suburb it has resided some years. Socially 
 Mr. Schroyer is identified with the Oak Park 
 Club, and Harlem Lodge, Ancient Free and 
 Accepted Masons. In questions involving national 
 issues, he has always supported the men and 
 measures of the Republican party, but finds no 
 time for participation in the rewards of practical 
 politics. 
 
 FREDERICK MILLER. 
 
 f~ REDBRICK MILLER, oneof the landmarks 
 r3 of Taylor's Addition, sometimes called Cole- 
 | hour or East South Chicago, was born March 
 22, 1836, in Ifenack, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 
 Germany. His father bore the same name as he. 
 In Germany he learned the trade of wagon-maker 
 and blacksmith, but he was too ambitious to re- 
 
 main there, and wished for wider opportunities than 
 were offered to young men in his own country. 
 
 In the spring of 1857, he came to La Porte, In- 
 diana, and lived there until 1869, when he came 
 to Chicago and started a shop for himself, locating 
 at Blue Island Avenue and Henry Street. In 
 March, 1880, he moved to South Chicago, and
 
 362 
 
 G. W. SHEARBURN. 
 
 bought some property on Sixth Avenue (now Av- 
 enue J) , where he started another shop. In 1883 
 he bought his present place of business at No. 
 9915 Avenue K. He however still owns the 
 property on Avenue J. 
 
 Just before leaving Germany, in 1857, he mar- 
 ried Louisa Koch, a native of the village in which 
 he was born, and they came to America together. 
 Their children are: William, Jacob and Augusta. 
 In politics Mr. Miller is a supporter of the Demo- 
 cratic party. He is one of the oldest settlers of 
 
 South Chicago, and is honored and respected by 
 the early settlers of the city. He is a hard work- 
 ing, honest mechanic, who has prospered only by 
 his own industry, thrift and frugality. He has 
 enough of this world's goods to make himself and 
 his family comfortable, and in his wife he has a 
 good helpmate. Having lived in South Chicago 
 long enough to have the opportunity of seeing its 
 every period of growth, he is especially interested 
 in all that concerns its welfare and that of its in- 
 habitants. 
 
 GEORGE W. SHEARBURN. 
 
 0EORGE WILSON SHEARBURN, a trusted 
 l_ employe of the Chicago & Northwestern 
 ^| Railway and a well-known citizen of River 
 Forest, was born in Whitby, Yorkshire, England, 
 March 25, 1848. His father, George Linol 
 Shearburn, was also born in Whitby, where he 
 became a farmer, following the occupation of his 
 father, Thomas Shearburn. George L. Shear- 
 burn married Margaretta Wilson, and in 1851 
 emigrated to America, locating in Macoupin 
 County, Illinois. There he purchased land and 
 carried on general farming. He subsequently re- 
 moved to Mendota, La Salle County, Illinois, 
 where he bought a farm and made his home until 
 the time of his death, which occurred in July, 
 1891. Mrs. Margaretta Shearburn passed away 
 at the same place in June, 1886. Ten children 
 were born to this worthy couple, of whom the 
 following is the record: George W. is the subject 
 of this notice; John died in infancy; Thomas is 
 a farmer at Ohio, Bureau County, Illinois; Ben- 
 jamin W. is a farmer at Nodaway, Adams Coun- 
 ty, Iowa; Elizabeth Ann resides at Mendota, 
 Illinois; William Finder is a fanner at Corning, 
 Adams County, Iowa; Mary Caroline is the wife 
 
 of James Armstrong, of Ohio, Bureau County, 
 Illinois; Arthur is a physician at Walnut, in the 
 same county; Edwin W. resides on the old home- 
 stead at Mendota, Illinois; and Phcebe Emma 
 died in September, 1894. 
 
 George W. Shearburn was but three years of 
 -age when he crossed the Atlantic with his parents, 
 to find a home on the prairies of Illinois. He re- 
 ceived such educational advantages as were offered 
 by the country schools of Macoupin County, and 
 alternated farm labor with attendance at school. 
 At the age of eighteen he went to the city of Peo- 
 ria, with the intention of learning the trade of 
 cabinetmaker. Not liking that occupation, he 
 returned to farm work, which he followed until 
 1874. In that year he came to Chicago and en- 
 tered the employ of the Chicago & Northwestern 
 Railway Company, and has ever since been con- 
 nected with that corporation. His first position 
 was that of brakeman, which, together with that 
 of train baggage-man, occupied seven years. For 
 two years he was cashier in the baggage depart- 
 ment, and in 1883 he became a clerk in the general 
 baggage department. He has served in this ca- 
 pacity fourteen years, and his long period of serv-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 IOHN M. RICE 
 
 i E ; rom Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 J. M. RICE. 
 
 363 
 
 ice is sufficient evidence of his reliability and of 
 the value of his services to the corporation he 
 serves. 
 
 May 8, 1878, Mr. Shearburn was united in 
 marriage to Miss Libbie Jennette Gilson. She 
 was born in Syracuse, New York, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Lester J. and Jennette (Carpenter) Gilson. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gilson lived many yeajs in Men- 
 dota, Illinois, and later removed to Chicago, 
 where they still reside. Three children have 
 blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Shearburn, of 
 whom two are living, Edna Jennette and Ray- 
 mond L. The family has resided in River Forest 
 
 since June, 1884, and is connected with the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church of that place. Mr. Shear- 
 burn is a member of General Grant Council No. 
 916, Royal Arcanum, of Oak Park. His genial 
 disposition and excellent social qualities have 
 made him popular among his associates, and his 
 fine business ability induced his fellow-citizens to 
 elect him clerk of the village of River Forest in 
 1888. With the exception of the year 1892 he 
 has held the office continuously since, to the emi- 
 nent satisfaction of all concerned. In national 
 affairs he uniformly supports the men and 
 measures of the Democratic party. 
 
 JOHN M. RICE. 
 
 (JOHN MILTON RICE, a prominent business 
 I man of Austin, was born in Freeport, Illinois, 
 G/ May 26, 1845. He is the son of John and 
 Milvira (Williams) Rice. John Rice was a son 
 of Gershom Rice, and was born in Burlington, 
 Vermont. Gershom Rice was a farmer in Ver- 
 mont and a son of John Rice, a lieutenant in the 
 Revolutionary Army. The latter enlisted from 
 Mansfield, Connecticut. He was of Welsh lin- 
 eage. 
 
 John Rice, the father of the subject of this no- 
 tice, was a contractor and builder in western New 
 York. About 1838 he went to Ann Arbor, Mich- 
 igan, and from there to Freeport, Illinois, where 
 he continued the business of contracting with 
 great success. In 1854 he abandoned that busi- 
 ness and spent most of the remainder of his life as 
 a missionary. He went first to Nauvoo, Illinois, 
 and established the first public school ever there, 
 and also the first church, hiring the minister and 
 teacher at his own expense. He spent several 
 years in this place, working to christianize the 
 people. The town had been abandoned by the 
 Mormons a short time before he went there. His 
 
 next field of labor was Carlinville, Illinois, where 
 he established a fruit farm, having been attracted 
 thither by the excellent schools of that place, 
 which afforded a good opportunity for the educa- 
 tion of his growing family. Later he lived at 
 Riverside, near Hamilton, Hancock County, Illi- 
 nois, and in the spring of 1865 he came to Chi- 
 cago, living here about three years. In 1868 he 
 went to Quincy, and from there he moved to 
 Hematite, Missouri, where the remainder of his 
 days were spent. Froni 1862 he did much mis- 
 sionary work, and built several churches at dif- 
 ferent places, his missionary work at first being in 
 behalf of the Presbyterian Church. He was not 
 educated for the ministry, and the Presbyterian 
 Church refused to ordain him to preach. While 
 living at Riverside he became a member of the 
 Congregational Church, and after that his mis- 
 sionary work was done in the interest of that de- 
 nomination. He died at Hematite, Missouri, No- 
 vember 19, 1880, at the age of sixty-seven years. 
 Mrs. Milvira Rice, wife of John Rice, was born 
 in Allegany County, New York, and was the 
 daughter of John Williams (a millwright) and
 
 364 
 
 N. H. KRANSZ. 
 
 Sally (Wright) Williams. Like her husband, 
 she was a devout member of the Presbyterian 
 Church. She died November 30, 1856, at the age 
 of forty-three years. Mr. and Mrs. John Rice 
 were the parents of the following children: Julia 
 V., widow of James Molineaux, of Rogers Park, 
 Illinois; John M.; Harvey J., of Huron, South 
 Dakota; Irene R. (Mrs. Cunningham), whodied 
 in Chicago; and Ella J. , who is a resident of 
 New York. 
 
 John M. Rice attended Blackburn Theological 
 Seminary, at Carlinville, Illinois, where he pur- 
 sued a scientific course. Before completing the 
 same, he enlisted, August 24, 1861, in Company 
 C, Thirty-second Illinois Infantry, and was mus- 
 tered out July 19, 1865. He took part at the bat- 
 tle of Shiloh, being in the Western Army. He 
 also participated in the Corinth, the Vicksburg 
 and the Atlanta campaigns. He was taken pris- 
 oner by Hood's troops soon after the fall of At- 
 lanta, together with part of his own regiment and 
 the veteran portion of the Fourteenth and Fif- 
 teenth Illinois, who were employed on a skirmish 
 line. He was a prisoner from this time to the 
 close of the war, at Milan, Savannah, Blackshear, 
 and Anderson ville, at which latter place he spent 
 six months. April 28, 1865, he was turned over 
 to the Union lines at Jacksonville, Florida. He 
 was brought by rail within twenty miles of the 
 
 lines, which he reached in a very short time by 
 walking, being more vigorous than many of his 
 comrades. He saw all the principal features of 
 the war. 
 
 In 1865 he came to Chicago, where he engaged 
 in the business of building, and after two years 
 began contracting, which he has followed since. 
 Since i86c) he has lived in Austin, where he has 
 erected many buildings. He has built many pub- 
 lic buildings, such as post-offices and court hous- 
 es, in all the States of the Northwest. He is in- 
 terested in quartz mills in Arizona, and has also 
 been interested in other enterprises. 
 
 In 1866 he married Miss Lottie, daughter of 
 Orrin and Myra Rice, of Adrian, Illinois. She 
 was born in Defiance, Ohio. They are the par- 
 ents of four children, namely: Lottie M., Helen 
 A., Myra K. and Irene B. The family is con- 
 nected with the First Presbyterian Church of 
 Austin. Mr. Rice has always favored the princi- 
 ples of the Republican party, and has filled a 
 number of the principal offices of the town of 
 Cicero. He is a member of Columbia Post, Grand 
 Army of the Republic, and of Siloam Command- 
 ery, Knights Templar. He is a prominent Ma- 
 son, having taken the thirty-second degree, and 
 being a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is a 
 valuable citizen of Austin, and is universally ad- 
 mired and respected. 
 
 NICHOLAS H. KRANSZ. 
 
 NICHOLAS HENRY KRANSZ, the eldest 
 
 | / son of Nicholas and Margaret (Faber) 
 |/5 Kransz, was born October 9, 1851, near 
 where he now lives. He was educated in the 
 public schools and reared to farm life, which pur- 
 suit he followed until 1879, at which time he en- 
 gaged in the insurance business, in which he has 
 
 been continuously engaged since. He has been 
 in the employ of the Home Fire Insurance Com- 
 pany for a period of twelve years, having pre- 
 viously been with the American Insurance Com- 
 pany. 
 
 Mr. Kransz is a Republican in politics, and 
 has taken a lively interest in the success of his
 
 MICHAEL CARTER. 
 
 365 
 
 party. He served about five years on the school 
 board of Lake View. He is a member of the Cath- 
 olic Order of Foresters and the National Union. 
 October 7, 1880, he married Miss Sophia Dil- 
 ger, who was born in Cook County, and is a 
 daughter of Frank Paul and Charlotte (Wollner) 
 Dilger, natives of Prussia, and early settlers of 
 Cook County, both now deceased. Mr. Dilger 
 was born April 2, 1828, and died in Cook County, 
 December 26, 1872. Mrs. Dilger, born March 
 7, 1831, died November 24, 1869. They had a 
 
 family of nine children, five of whom are now 
 living, namely: Frank Paul, of Milwaukee; 
 Robert F., of Rosehill; Mrs. Kransz is next; 
 Mathias P., of Waukegan; and Anna, wife of 
 William Volk, of No. 1936 South Ashland Ave- 
 nue, Chicago. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kransz have had three children, 
 namely: Charles, who died at the age of eight 
 years; Lydia and Margaret. They are all mem- 
 bers of Saint Henry's Church, and most esti- 
 mable people. 
 
 MICHAEL CARTER. 
 
 ly/llCHAEL CARTER, who has been for 
 IV I many years a citizen of Oak Park, was 
 \(S\ born in Antigouish, Nova Scotia, April 27, 
 1827. He is a son of Thomas and Bridget 
 (O'Neal) Carter, who emigrated from Limerick, 
 Ireland, to Nova Scotia about 1818. Thomas 
 Carter was a farmer in both countries and be- 
 longed to that sturdy class of Irish emigrants 
 which has given the New World so many noble 
 men and women. He was a friend to education 
 and was instrumental in organizing the first 
 school in his locality in Nova Scotia. He was 
 twice married, his first wife being Margaret 
 Gallagher, who died in Ireland, leaving five 
 children, of whom the following is the record: 
 John died in St. John's, Newfoundland; Mar- 
 garet, Mrs. Ronan, died in Maiden, Massachu- 
 setts; Francis and Thomas died in New Bruns- 
 wick; and William, whose home was in Cape 
 Ann, Massachusetts, was drowned at sea. Mrs. 
 Bridget Carter was the mother of nine children, 
 of whom Michael is the only known survivor. 
 The names and residences of the others were as 
 follows: Henry, on the old homestead in Nova 
 
 Scotia; Ann, Mrs. Powers, Antigonish, Nova 
 Scotia; James, Dubuque, Iowa; Mary, Mrs. 
 Cluney, Sacramento, California; Bridget, Mrs. 
 Coffin, Lawrence, Massachusetts; Daniel, Boston, 
 Massachusetts; George, Woburn, Massachusetts; 
 and Joseph, Barre, Vermont. George was a 
 member of the Twenty-first Regiment, Massachu- 
 setts Infantry, and was wounded at Newbern, 
 North Carolina. Joseph, who was a stone cut- 
 ter by occupation, possessed considerable literary 
 genius and was the author of a number of poems. 
 Thomas Carter died in Newfoundland in 1863, 
 aged about eighty years. Mrs. Bridget Carter 
 passed away at Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1870, 
 aged about seventy years. 
 
 Michael Carter, who is the fifth child in the 
 family of his parents, remained in Nova Scotia 
 until he reached his majority, attending the 
 school which his father had helped to establish. 
 Like most schools of that day its methods were 
 crude and its course of study quite limited. 
 Though of a studious and thoughtful nature he 
 was somewhat repelled by the harsh measures 
 then prevalent, and much preferred to study na-
 
 366 
 
 MICHAEL CARTER. 
 
 ture by himself and to give his attention to such 
 studies as pleased his fancy. Still he acquired 
 considerable general knowledge, and in later 
 years became a careful reader, especially of 
 poetry. In 1858 he removed to Massachusetts, 
 landing at Newburyport, and going thence to 
 Cambridge. There he made his home for nearly 
 ten years, during most of which time he was en- 
 gaged in raising vegetables for the Boston market. 
 Living in the midst of such classical surround- 
 ings, he naturally formed the acquaintance of a 
 number of noted literary men, whose influence 
 helped to develop his taste for choice reading. 
 Upon leaving Cambridge he invested his savings 
 in land at Butler, Jackson County, Iowa, but 
 owing to his inexperience in selecting western 
 lands, this venture was unsuccessful. 
 
 In 1865 he removed to Oak Park, Illinois, 
 where he has since carried on market-gardening, 
 renting land first from H. W. Austin and later 
 from J. W. Scoville. His labors in this direction 
 have been blessed with a reasonable degree of 
 success, and though he still operates a small 
 area, he has practically retired from active busi- 
 ness. 
 
 August 19, 1852, Mr. Carter was united in 
 marriage with Miss Catharine Mooney, a native 
 of Nova Scotia, and a daughter of John and Mary 
 (Dunfey) Mooney, both of whom were born in 
 County Derry, Ireland. Ten children have 
 blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Carter, of 
 whom the record is as follows: George died in 
 Austin, Illinois, in 1883; Louis and Harriet died 
 in infancy; Mary, a teacher in the Chicago schools, 
 resides with her parents; Ann is a teacher in 
 Chicago; Joseph is Indian agent for the United 
 States at the Flathead Reservation in Montana; 
 Sarah, Mrs. Ambrose Mullen, resides at Austin, 
 Illinois; James W. is a dealer in coal and ice at 
 Oak Park; Frank is a dealer in bicycles at Butte 
 City, Montana; and Clement died at the Flat- 
 head Agency in Montana in 1892. 
 
 In the spring of. 1894 Mr. Carter made a trip 
 to Montana, visiting his son at the Flathead 
 Agency, and spending about four months in the 
 Rocky Mountains. His account of his adventures 
 and experiences is very interesting. He pos- 
 
 sesses the true poetic instinct, and his descrip- 
 tions of nature betoken keen observation. Among 
 many excursions which he made were one to 
 Flathead Lake and another to McDonald's Peak. 
 The latter had been scaled but once before by a 
 white man, but Mr. Carter's party went nearly 
 to the summit, and his story of the climb and at- 
 tending circumstances is most realistic. A quota- 
 tion is here given: "As we feasted our eyes on 
 this magnificent array of peaks and domes and 
 minarets, we little dreamed of what the Moun- 
 tain God was preparing for us, till, some one 
 glancing downward, noticed and remarked numer- 
 ous bodies of fleecy clouds collecting below us. 
 They looked like hundreds of millions of tons of 
 cotton batting, and the sun shining upon them 
 made them look a sea of silver. The surround- 
 ing mountains seemed to have been submerged, 
 and none but the highest peaks were to be seen. 
 When, all at once, there was an explosion at our 
 feet, and for a moment we seemed to be petrified 
 and awe-stricken as it dawned upon us that a 
 thunder storm was raging below us, while we 
 stood upon our giddy perch, with the sun shining 
 brightly above our heads and not a cloud in the 
 sky. But all eyes were directed downward, for 
 such a sight we had never witnessed before. The 
 clouds, pierced and lashed by the lightning, 
 seemed to sink and roll and tumble, while the 
 thunder sounded more like explosions than any- 
 thing else I can liken it to. We expected to find 
 the mountain torn to pieces, provided we should 
 be able to make the descent, as silently, with 
 bated breath, we picked our way down the side 
 of the mountain." 
 
 Mr. Carter is a member of St. Luke's Catholic 
 Church of River Forest. In political faith he 
 was originally a Democrat, but in the years im- 
 mediately preceding the Civil War his love of 
 liberty and just-ice caused him to affiliate with the 
 Republican party, and he has since supported its 
 doctrines. He is intensely patriotic and is ever 
 ready to protest against any measure tending to 
 destroy true American sentiments. He keeps 
 fully abreast of the times in current events, and 
 spends considerable time in general reading and 
 reflection.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 MRS. M. A. ROBERTS 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 MRS. M. A. ROBERTS. 
 
 367 
 
 MRS. MARGARET A. ROBERTS. 
 
 |RS. MARGARET AGNES ROBERTS, a 
 well-known member of North Side society 
 in Chicago, and a lady of rare discrimina- 
 tion and business ability, has been long a resident 
 of the city, and is a daughter of one of its pioneers. 
 Her father, Edmond Gleason, was born near 
 Thirles, Ireland, and was educated for the priest- 
 hood. His father was a highly educated man 
 and a landed proprietor, a scion of an old and 
 wealthy family of the West of Ireland. The 
 name is derived from the dwellers in a famous 
 glen of that region, and is very ancient. 
 
 Edmond Gleason was not desirous of entering 
 the priesthood, and decided to emigrate to Ameri- 
 ca. Soon after his arrival he was married, in 
 Boston, Massachusetts, to Miss Hannah Gleason, 
 who was no relative, though bearing the same 
 name. They settled on a farm near Burlington, 
 Vermont, and remained there ten years. In 1836 
 Mr. Gleason paid a visit of exploration to Chi- 
 cago, and concluded to remain, being followed by 
 his family the next year. The father died in St. 
 Louis, Missouri, and the mother expired at the 
 home of her daughter, Margaret A., in Chicago, 
 May 22, 1878, aged eighty-eight years. When 
 the family arrived in Chicago it included two 
 daughters, Mary and Margaret A.; and a son and 
 daughter, John and Ellen, were born in Wau- 
 kegan. 
 
 Margaret Agnes (Gleason) Roberts was educa- 
 ted in Chicago. She was married here to Andrew 
 Gilbert Benton, a son of a New York State clergy- 
 man. Mr. Benton was a clothing merchant in 
 Freeport, Illinois, where he died August 22,1852. 
 He left a son, Charles F. Benton, now a resident 
 of Chicago. 
 
 In 1857 Mrs. Benton became the wife of Russell 
 M. Roberts, of Chicago, a native of Binghamton, 
 New York, who died in August, 1871. The 
 children of this union are William Olney and 
 Marie Genevieve Roberts. Mrs. Roberts has 
 been a resident of Chicago nearly all her life. She 
 takes a keen interest in all things pertaining to 
 the history of the city, and is an active mem- 
 ber of the Old Settlers' Society of Cook County, 
 being one of its best-posted sustainers. 
 
 Being at one time, by force of circumstances, 
 left to her own resources, Mrs. Roberts made such 
 good use of her quick mind and willing hands as 
 to accumulate a comfortable provision for future 
 years. She has a host of friends who honor her 
 for her independence and strength of character, as 
 well as for her kind deeds, whose number is 
 known only to a few, though generally appre- 
 ciated. She has a strong love for her home and 
 friends, is still in possession of the keenest facul- 
 ties, and is well known among the society people 
 of Chicago.
 
 368 
 
 PETER REINBERG. 
 
 PETER REINBERG. 
 
 pvETER REINBERG, an extensive florist of 
 Lj/ Chicago, is not only a representative of an 
 JC) old pioneer family of the city, but is a lead- 
 ing representative of his business in the West. 
 His parents, Henry and Katherine Reinberg, 
 were natives of Germany, and were married in 
 their native land. Soon after their marriage 
 they resolved to try their fortune in the free land 
 across the Atlantic. So, leaving home, friends 
 and familiar scenes, with little hope of ever seeing 
 them again, they set out with brave hearts, in 
 1847, to begin life where every face was strange, 
 and where business must be conducted in a lan- 
 guage unknown to them, and which must be 
 acquired by slow study and at the cost of many 
 unpleasant experiences. Landing in New York, 
 they were so fortunate as to find employment at 
 once, and with willing hands did they toil to 
 make a beginning in the new world. Upon 
 arrival, Mr. Reinberg was in debt ten dollars, 
 and had only seven cents in his pocket, but his 
 industry and good habits soon made him friends, 
 and with the aid of his good wife he was able at 
 the end of a year to begin business on his own 
 account. 
 
 After remaining in New York a year they came 
 to Chicago and soon secured a few acres of land 
 in Lake View Township, Cook County. From 
 this time until his death Mr. Reinberg engaged 
 in gardening for the city market, and was very 
 successful. He did not abandon his early habits 
 
 of industry and thrift, and was enabled gradually 
 to extend his holdings until they included eighty 
 acres of land. All this was accomplished, with 
 no aid except the co-operation of his faithful wife, 
 in a strange land, before he reached the age of 
 fifty-nine years, when he died, in 1881. His 
 widow survived him fourteen years, reaching the 
 age of seventy-one years. Mr. Reinberg was a 
 public-spirited citizen, identified in politics with 
 the Democratic party, but was never a seeker for 
 public honors. He passed away at an early age, 
 mourned by a wide circle of acquaintances, and 
 all who knew him honored him for his sterling 
 honesty and sturdy character. 
 
 His family included two sons and five daugh- 
 ters, all of whom are living in Cook County, as 
 follows: Margaret, wife of Mathias Weiland, of 
 Evanston; Mary, widow of Lawrence Zender, 
 Rosehill; Katherine, Mrs. Peter Smith, Rogers 
 Park; Anna, wife of Mr. Hoffman, a confectioner 
 in Chicago; Peter, whose name heads this article; 
 Lena, wife of Adam Zender, Rogers Park; and 
 George, a gardener of Chicago. 
 
 Peter Reinberg was born March 5, 1858, in 
 Chicago, and was educated in the public school 
 and Saint Henry's parish school. The intervals of 
 school life were filled by assisting his father in the 
 cultivation of vegetables, and he was early made 
 familiar with the duties and labors of a market- 
 gardener. He began business for himself in this 
 line in 1883, and won the success due to industry
 
 JOHN HUNTINGTON. 
 
 369 
 
 and prudence. Four years later he commenced 
 the cultivation of flowers, and has gradually ex- 
 tended his operations until he has about seven 
 acres under glass. He gives attention chiefly to 
 the cultivation of roses and carnations, and em- 
 ploys twenty-five men in his greenhouses alone. 
 He maintains a wholesale house at No. 51 Wa- 
 bash Avenue, where five men are constantly 
 engaged in packing and shipping cut flowers. 
 The trade is confined to this branch of the indus- 
 try, and the products are shipped East, South and 
 West, some of them going as far as Denver, 
 Colorado. Mr. Reinberg has built up a steady 
 patronage, and has no seasons, the business being 
 almost uniform throughout the year. He is a 
 
 member of the Chicago Horticultural Society, 
 and has won many prizes at the local flower 
 shows. 
 
 Following the example of his parents, Mr. 
 Reinberg is a faithful member of Saint Henry's 
 Roman Catholic Church, and adheres to the 
 Democratic party in political contests. He gives 
 his earnest attention to his own concerns and 
 does not seek to manage those of others, either 
 as a meddler or in official positions. His only 
 association with fraternal orders consists in mem- 
 bership in North Shore Commandery, Catholic 
 Order of Foresters. In May, 1883, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mary Kronenberger, a native of 
 Cook County, of German parentage. 
 
 JOHN HUNTINGTON. 
 
 (JOHN HUNTINGTON, of Niles Township, 
 I is an honored pioneer of Cook County. He 
 (*/ is a native of Stephentown, Rensselaer Coun- 
 ty, New York, born September 9, 1824, and is 
 descended from Revolutionary stock. His par- 
 ents were Ezekiel and Phebe (Berry) Hunting- 
 ton, natives of Connecticut. The grandfather 
 was also named Ezekiel, and is supposed to have 
 descended from the same family as Samuel Hunt- 
 ington, one of the signers of the Declaration of 
 Independence, and of which C. P. Huntington, 
 the great railroad king, is also a scion. 
 
 The father of John Huntington came to New 
 York State when five years of age, and was 
 reared on a farm. He was born in Connecticut, 
 March 30, 1790, and his wife, Mary Berry Hunt- 
 ington, December 25, 1791. He followed fann- 
 ing all his life, and was prominent in public af- 
 fairs. He served several years as justice of the 
 peace and as sheriff of his county. He died at 
 
 the age of eighty-nine years, and his wife passed 
 away several years before his death. 
 
 John Huntington was reared on his father's 
 farm, and obtained a limited education in the 
 subscription schools, which has been largely sup- 
 plemented by private reading and in the practical 
 business affairs of life. He remained at home 
 until of age, when he began life for himself. He 
 carried on farming and teaming until he came 
 West. 
 
 In December, 1845, he married Miss Sarah 
 Ann Finch, a native of the same county as him- 
 self. In 1855, accompanied by his wife and three 
 children, he came to Cook County, locating in 
 Niles Township on the ist of April. The town- 
 ship was then but sparsely settled. He was for 
 some time sawyer in the mill of Robert Heartt and 
 John Gray. About a year and a-half after his 
 arrival, he bought four acres of land. 
 
 In 1857 he bought the stage line running be-
 
 37 
 
 JOHN PROESEL. 
 
 tween "Dutchman's Point" (Niles) and Chicago, 
 and ran the mail route for a period of about fifteen 
 years. Since that time he has been engaged in 
 various occupations, farming, teaming and similar 
 employments. Mr. Huntington was a Whig in 
 early life, and has been a Republican since the 
 organization of that party. He has always taken 
 a lively interest in public affairs, and especially 
 in educational matters, having served a number 
 of years on the school board. In 1872 he was 
 elected supervisor of Niles Township, and served 
 two years. 
 
 By his first marriage he had five children, 
 namely: Julia, the wife of David Evans, of Chi- 
 cago; Phoebe, wife of John W. Hamilton, of Chi- 
 cago (a flour dealer) ; Fidelia, now Mrs. Alex- 
 ander Robinson, of Chicago; John, who died at 
 the age of three months; and Marvin, who died 
 at the age of three and one-half years. They 
 adopted a boy who bore the name of Edward 
 
 John, who is now living in Maine Township. 
 Mrs. Huntington died in 1880, aged fifty years. 
 
 August 18, 1881, Mr. Huntington married 
 Mrs. Christena McKay, widow of John McKay. 
 She had been previously married to Mr. John 
 Tarplit, by whom she had two children, James 
 Tarplit, of San Francisco; and Margaret, wife 
 of James Sharp, of Washington, District of 
 Columbia. After his death she married Mr. Mc- 
 Kay, but they had no children. Mrs. Hunting- 
 ton is a Canadian by birth, and of Scotch origin. 
 She is the daughter of Hugh McKay, of Simcoe 
 County, Ontario, and came to Chicago in the 
 year 1865. 
 
 Mr. Huntington is not a member of any church, 
 but Mrs. Huntington is a Methodist. Mr. Hunt- 
 ington has always been an industrious and en- 
 terprising citizen, ever ready to espouse the cause 
 of the public welfare, and winning the respect 
 and admiration of the community. 
 
 JOHN PROESEL. 
 
 n OHN PROESEL, a prominent German farm- 
 I er of Cook County, was born in Bavaria, 
 Q) Germany, in October, 1835. He was the 
 son of George and Magdaline Proesel, both na- 
 tives of Bavaria. They came, with their family of 
 six children, to the United States in 1845. They 
 embarked on a sailing-ship from Bremen, Ger- 
 many, their sea voyage taking several weeks. 
 From New York they went by way of Albany to 
 Buffalo, and by the Great Lakes to Chicago, at 
 which place they arrived on November ist. Mr. 
 Proesel had two thousand dollars, and, coming 
 direct to Niles Township, bought a farm of one 
 hundred sixty acres, in section 35. At that time 
 there were but a few settlers between him and 
 
 Gross Point. He set about clearing and improv- 
 ing the land, and followed farming until his 
 death, in 1884, aged eighty-two years. His wife 
 died in 1890, aged eighty-nine years and nine 
 months. Their children were: Joseph, now of 
 Livingston County, Illinois; Katharine, wife of 
 Frank Alles, living on Division Street, near Clark 
 Street, Chicago; George, deceased; John, of this 
 article; John Baptiste, of Lawrence Avenue, Chi- 
 cago; and Anna, wife of Henry Brandt, of Rog- 
 ers Park. 
 
 As John Proesel was but ten years of age when 
 he came from Germany, and the country being 
 new where he settled, he enjoyed but meagre 
 advantages for education. He was reared to
 
 P. N. KIRSCHT. 
 
 farm life, and at nineteen years of age began 
 learning the trade of brick-layer, which he fol- 
 lowed sixteen years in the city. In 1873 he went 
 to the country and became engaged in farming, 
 at which occupation he has since continued. 
 
 In 1861 he married Miss Magdalene Lochner, 
 and they had two children, Michael and William. 
 Mrs. Proesel died in 1867, and in 1869 Mr. Proe- 
 sel married Miss Katharine Becker, daughter of 
 Henry and Mary (Green) Becker. Mrs. Proesel 
 was born in Prussia, and came to the United 
 States in 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Proesel became 
 the parents of ten children, namely: John, of 
 
 Larrabee Street, Chicago; Robert, Louisa, Joseph, 
 Oscar, Franklin, Nicholas, Clara, Ella and 
 Henry. All are identified with Saint Peter's 
 Roman Catholic Church, of Niles Center. Mrs. 
 Proesel 's parents are deceased, the mother dying 
 in Chicago in 1872, and the father at West Bend, 
 Wisconsin, in 1888. 
 
 Mr. Proesel is not a politician, and is not bound 
 by party lines in supporting candidates for office, 
 but gives his vote to those he deems best qualified 
 and most worthy. He is a very domestic man, 
 honest and industrious, and a very successful 
 farmer. 
 
 PETER N. KIRSCHT. 
 
 QETER N. KIRSCHT, a florist of Niles Town- 
 yr ship, residing on section 16, is a member of 
 J3 an old pioneer German family. He was born 
 in Niles Township, October 20, 1861, being the 
 eldest living son of John H. and Clara (Hauer) 
 Kirscht, of Trier, Germany. Both of the parents 
 came to the United States in 1854, the former 
 stopping a few months in New York before coin- 
 ing to Cook County, and the latter coming direct. 
 In 1857 they were married. Mr. Kirscht was a 
 poor man, and began life in the New World by- 
 working at his trade of carpenter, which he 
 learned and followed in his native land. Soon 
 after their marriage he bought land in Niles 
 Township, and in 1866 engaged in farming, but 
 continued at his trade some of the time. 
 
 For the past two years he has lived in com- 
 parative retirement. He is now sixty-seven, and 
 his wife sixty-two years of age. Mr. Kirscht has 
 always been interested in the affairs of his adopted 
 country, and, as a Democrat, in the success of his 
 
 party. For five years he has held the office of 
 school trustee, of which office he is the present 
 incumbent. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kirscht had a family of thirteen 
 children, only nine of whom grew to maturity. 
 These are still living (in the spring of 1897), 
 namely: Elizabeth, wife of Adam Dotzauer, of 
 Niles Center; Apolonia, wife of Joseph Dittiich, 
 of Glencoe; Peter N.; Barbara, now Mrs. Joseph 
 Schinler, of Glencoe; Mary, Mrs. J. J. Durruebeck, 
 of Kenosha, Wisconsin; Theodore M., of Niles; 
 Nicholas H., with Peter in the florist business; 
 Katherine and Anna, who live with their parents. 
 
 Peter N. Kirscht was educated in a public and 
 parochial schools, and he spent four winters at 
 a night school. He grew to manhood on his 
 father's farm and assisted in its cultivation until 
 twenty-two years of age. He then spent three 
 years as a clerk in a general store at Niles Center. 
 In 1887 he built greenhouses and established him- 
 self in business as a florist, in connection with a
 
 372 
 
 HON. G. c. KLEHM. 
 
 partner, with whom he continued only one year. 
 He was then associated with his father in the 
 business four years, since which time his brother, 
 Nicholas Kirscht, has been in partnership with 
 him. They grow roses, carnations and violets 
 for the city market, which they sell through com- 
 mission houses. 
 
 Mr. Kirscht is public spirited and progressive, 
 and keeps himself informed on the public ques- 
 tions of the day. In politics he was formerly a 
 Democrat in national affairs, but for two years 
 
 has favored the Republican party. He was 
 school director of his district six years. In 1888 
 he was elected town assessor, and served two 
 years, but declined a re-election. In 1895 he 
 was 'again elected, and has served continuously 
 ever since. Mr. Kirscht is a member of the Cath- 
 olic Order of Foresters, the Saint Joseph Reading 
 Society and the Niles Center Volunteer Fire Com- 
 pany. The members of the family residing here 
 are connected with Saint Peter's Roman Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 HON. GEORGE C KLEHM. 
 
 HON. GEORGE CONRAD KLEHM, one of 
 the most prominent and public-spirited citi- 
 zens of Niles Township, is numbered among 
 the pioneer citizens of that community, having 
 been a resident since 1856. He was born in 
 Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, on the 2Qth of July, 
 1839, and is a son of Paul and Katharine ,Klehm. 
 The father died when George was a child less 
 than one year old, and the mother set out with 
 her two sons, in 1851, to find a home for them in 
 the free land beyond the Atlantic. These sons 
 were John Klehm, now a resident of Arlington 
 Heights, Illinois, and the subject of this sketch. 
 They remained in Buffalo, New York, until 1856, 
 and then removed to Cook County. At the time 
 of their arrival here they were poor in purse, 
 though rich iti health and ambition, the family 
 purse containing at that time but seventeen dol- 
 lars. The mother continued to reside here until 
 her death, at the age of nearly ninety years, in 
 the spring of 1886. 
 
 George C. Klehm received an elementary edu- 
 cation in his native land, which was supplemented 
 by a brief attendance at the public schools of 
 Jefferson Township. In Buffalo he was appren- 
 
 ticed to the trade of brick-laying and plastering, 
 and completed his knowledge of these arts after 
 the removal of the family to Cook County, in the 
 then town of Jefferson, now a part of the city of 
 Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Klehm has been self-supporting since early 
 boyhood. While living in the town of Jefferson 
 he attended the public schools in winter and was 
 a diligent student. Being possessed of much 
 natural ability, his studious habits soon fitted 
 him to be an educator of others, and for several 
 years he busied himself during the winter in 
 teaching school, and in building operations 
 through the summer. 
 
 In 1865 he engaged in the mercantile business 
 in what is now Niles Center, a forest region then 
 known as the ' ' Big Woods. ' ' This was the sec- 
 ond store established at that point, the previous 
 one having been opened a few years before by 
 Mr. A. J. Snell. With the exception of eight 
 years, Mr. Klehm has been continuously engaged 
 in mercantile business since that time, and has 
 been in many ways conspicuously identified with 
 the growth and development of the best interests 
 of the place. He has borne no inconsiderable
 
 MICHAEL SCHREIBER. 
 
 373 
 
 part in the conduct of local affairs, and has been 
 influential in political matters since 1860, in 
 which year he cast his first presidential vote for 
 Abraham Lincoln. He is in no sense an office- 
 seeker, but his fellow-citizens have insisted on his 
 taking positions of responsibility, because of his 
 well-known capability and enterprise. He has 
 filled nearly all of the township offices, and 
 served as treasurer for a period of twenty years. 
 He has been treasurer of the village of Niles 
 Center since its incorporation, and has served 
 twelve years as Justice of the Peace. But the 
 field of his usefulness could not be confined with- 
 in the limits of a township, and his ability and 
 public spirit soon made him known throughout 
 the county. In 1877 he was elected as a Repre- 
 sentative of his district to the General Assembly. 
 But Mr. Klehm was not ambitious for public 
 honors, preferring to give his time and talents to 
 the conduct of his own affairs, and leave political 
 emoluments to those whose desires ran in that 
 direction. He is fond of his home and family, 
 and is the center of a large group of admiring 
 and appreciative friends. He is a progressive 
 and intelligent .citizen, and is distinctly a self- 
 
 made man. He owes his prosperity to his own 
 unaided efforts, and his popularity to his genial 
 and upright character. He is an active and val- 
 ued member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. 
 
 Mr. Klehm has been twice married first, in 
 1864, to Miss Eliza Harms, a native of Germany, 
 who died in 1878, leaving six children Emma, 
 Edwin, Lydia, Amelia, George and Alma. In 
 1 88 1 he married Miss Eliza Ruesch, a native of 
 Niles Township, and a member of one of its old 
 families. She is the mother of five children, 
 namely: Florence, Hubert, Harold, Grace and 
 Raymond. 
 
 Mr. Klehm has fitted up at Morton Grove 
 station, on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
 Railway, near Niles Center, a spacious and 
 handsome picnic ground, known as St. Paul 
 Park. This is covered with natural trees, and is 
 traversed by a stream of water, which has been 
 dammed, thus creating pleasant boating privi- 
 leges, and is a very popular resort. It is kept in 
 excellent condition by its obliging and enterpris- 
 ing proprietor, and on account of this and its 
 proximity to the city of Chicago, is much fre- 
 quented by societies and pleasure parties. 
 
 MICHAEL SCHREIBER. 
 
 [ICHAEL SCHREIBER, a representative 
 of one of the old German families of Cook 
 County, residing at No. 3393 Ridge Ave- 
 nue, Chicago, was born June 18, 1853, on the 
 spot where he now lives. His parents, Nicholas 
 and Katharine (Metzler) Schreiber, were born 
 near the city of Mainz, Germany, and came to 
 the United States in 1848. They located in 
 Evanston Township, Cook County, where, soon 
 after their arrival, Mr. Schreiber bought forty 
 acres of land and engaged in fanning and garden- 
 ing. This he continued until his death, which 
 
 occurred November 25, 1852. Mrs. Schreiber is 
 still living, at the age of eighty-five years, and 
 her declining years are made happy by the loving 
 care of four of her seven children, who are com- 
 fortably settled near her. Two died in the old 
 country, and John, the fourth, died in Chicago, 
 at the age of thirty-six years. The others are: 
 Frederick, a gardener of Niles Center; Anna 
 Mary, wife of John Letto, residing at No. 243 
 Townsend Street, Chicago; and Dominick and 
 Michael, twins. 
 
 Michael Schreiber was educated chiefly in Saint
 
 374 
 
 FREDERICK MIGELY. 
 
 Henry's parish school, and filled the intervals of 
 study by assisting his father on the farm. He is 
 now engaged largely in market-gardening, and is 
 reckoned among the successful and leading citi- 
 zens of the community in which he resides. He 
 has never sought to manage any but his own af- 
 fairs, and has never had a desire to occupy official 
 positions, but is a steadfast supporter of Demo- 
 cratic policies and candidates. He is a member 
 of the Catholic Order of Foresters, and, with his 
 family, affiliates with Saint Henry's Roman 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 May 17, 1 88 1, he was married to Miss Kathar- 
 ine, daughter of John and Mary Alles, both of 
 whom were born in German}'. Mrs. Schreiber 
 is, like her husband, a native of Cook County, 
 born November 14, 1859. Of the seven children 
 born to Michael and Katharine Schreiber, five 
 are now living, namely: John, Eva, Mary, Amelia 
 and Aluyse. Mr. Schreiber is an industrious, 
 enterprising and public-spirited man, who gives 
 his hearty support to all movements which he 
 considers valuable to the community or the world 
 at large. 
 
 FREDERICK MIGELY, 
 
 r~ REDBRICK MIGELY was born in Chicago, 
 rft August 26, 1845, at Nos. 180-182 Ran- 
 | dolph Street, where the Hotel Bismarck now 
 stands. This property was then owned by his 
 father, Rudolph Migely, and is now owned by the 
 subject of this sketch. 
 
 The family is of Swiss descent. The grand- 
 father, Emanuel Migely, was a native of Bern, 
 Switzerland, where the family held positions of 
 trust and responsibility. The old way of spelling 
 the name was Muegely. 
 
 Rudolph Migely was educated in the schools 
 of Bern, and at the age of eighteen years came to 
 the United States, and located at Buffalo, New 
 York. In 1835, at the age of twenty-four, he 
 came to Chicago, and found employment as a 
 wagonmaker for Briggs & Humphrey. (Briggs 
 later built the hotel which bears his name.) 
 This firm manufactured the heavy, strong wagons 
 used at that time. Finally Mr. Migely started a 
 general store and hotel at Nos. 180 182 Ran- 
 dolph Street, where he conducted a successful 
 business fifteen years, and then, having bought 
 
 considerable property and improved it, he retired 
 from active business. He was well and favorably 
 known by all of the old settlers of Chicago, who 
 honor his memory. His death occurred in Chi- 
 cago, September 5, 1885, at the age of seventy- 
 five years. 
 
 Mr. Migely married Katharine Goodman, 
 daughter of Frederick and Mary Goodman, na- 
 tives of Bavaria. Frederick Goodman was a 
 merchant tailor, and died at the age of ninety- 
 seven years. He was a very well-preserved man, 
 and at the age of eighty-eight, could walk to the 
 city and back. Katharine (Goodman) Migely died 
 in Chicago, August 26, 1883, at the age of sixty- 
 six years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is the only child of 
 his parents who reached maturity. He was edu- 
 cated here, and engaged in the dry-goods business 
 for many years, and was for a short time in the 
 grocery trade. After the death of his father he 
 retired from business, and now looks after his 
 real-estate interests in Chicago and elsewhere. 
 
 He was married in Chicago, May 4, 1869, to
 
 I. G. SMITH. 
 
 375 
 
 Miss Mary Schall, a daughter of Andrew Schall, 
 a former hotel-keeper and ex-alderman of Chicago. 
 To this union were born seven children, as fol- 
 lows: Rudolph E., William J., Jeanette B., 
 Frederick, Andrew P., Katharine and Walter 
 Louis. 
 
 In political matters Mr. Migely has always 
 favored the Republican party. He is a good citi- 
 zen, and belongs to the class of well-to-do de- 
 scendants of Chicago pioneers, who, by their 
 honorable and conservative lives, give tone and 
 security to our great commonwealth. 
 
 ISRAEL G. SMITH. 
 
 CVSRAEL GROVER SMITH, one of the oldest 
 settlers of Cook County , was born September 
 I 7, 1816, at White Creek, Washington Coun- 
 ty, New York, and is a son of Henry and Ann 
 (Waite) Smith, natives of that county. The 
 family is an old one in this country, having re- 
 sided here since the Revolutionary War. 
 
 Henry Smith and his wife had ten children, as 
 follows: Gustavus, who came to Cook County in 
 1835, and died here in January, 1855; Marcellus 
 B.; Israel Grover, the subject of this sketch; 
 Waldo W., Harlon H., Edwin D., Lafayette W., 
 Sarah A., Adoniram J. and Emily M. Of this 
 number only two are still living Israel G. and 
 Sarah A. Henry Smith died in Cook County, in 
 March, 1841, and his wife survived him until 
 1872, and died in Chicago. The first of the fam- 
 ily to come to the West was Gustavus, in 1835, 
 and the remainder of the family followed in 1836. 
 Israel and his brother Marcellus came through 
 with a horse and jumper, starting March 16 and 
 coming through Ontario to the place where the 
 home of the former is still located, which they 
 reached April 10. They settled on this land, then 
 in what was called Monroe Precinct, afterward 
 Jefferson Township, and when it was surveyed 
 and put upon the market, they bought a large 
 tract on a beautiful ridge, which for many years 
 was called Smith's Ridge, and much of this 
 
 land is still in the possession of the family. 
 
 Israel G. Smith was educated in the subscrip- 
 tion schools of his neighborhood, and was reared 
 on a farm, where he learned the usual farmer's 
 work. At the age of nineteen he began learning 
 the trade of blacksmith, but six months later he 
 came to the West. Since coming here he has 
 been engaged in agriculture. He owns one 
 hundred fifty-three acres of fertile land in section 
 1 8, in the town of Norwood Park. 
 
 Mr. Smith was a successful farmer, and in a 
 comparatively few years became wealthy. In 
 1853 he built a house on what is now Jackson 
 Boulevard, between Desplaines and Halsted 
 Streets, where he lived a few years and then re- 
 turned to his farm. Later he bought a stock ot 
 groceries on State Street and conducted the busi- 
 ness about a year, when he sold out and returned 
 to his farm. He had built a couple of stores on 
 Lake Street, one of which he rented. Failing to 
 find a tenant for the other, he opened a boot and 
 shoe store in it, in company with a Mr. Barney, 
 under the firm name of Smith & Barney. This 
 business venture again necessitated his becoming 
 a resident of the city, to enable him to give the 
 business his personal supervision. This connec- 
 tion continued about a year, at the end of which 
 time Mr. Smith abandoned mercantile pursuits. 
 In 1869 he bought the Judge Bradwell home-
 
 376 
 
 M. L. ECKERT. 
 
 stead on Washington Street, intending to improve 
 it and remain permanently in the city. Having 
 always been accustomed to an active life, idleness 
 soon became irksome to him, and after the fire of 
 1871 he returned to his farm, and a few years 
 later built the beautiful farm residence which has 
 been his home ever since. 
 
 Mr. Smith has always taken an active interest 
 in public affairs, and keeps himself well informed 
 on the great questions of the day. He was a 
 Whig until the establishment of the Republican 
 party, since which time he has been one of its 
 most ardent supporters. At the first election 
 held in Jefferson Township he was elected Justice 
 of the Peace, and held the office several years. 
 He was never an office-seeker, but he has filled 
 several local offices. 
 
 April 13, 1843, Mr. Smith was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Susannah Pennoyer, who was 
 born June 17, 1814, in the Empire State. Her 
 father, John Pennoyer, was born June 16, 1780, 
 in Connecticut. March 4, 1807, he married 
 Sallie Fox, who was born September 17, 1780. 
 They came to Cook County in 1837. Mrs. Pen- 
 noyer died May 15, 1843, and Mr. Pennoyer 
 passed away August 28, 1856. 
 
 Mrs. Smith was well educated for her time, 
 and was of a studious nature. She was a suc- 
 cessful teacher in her native State, and taught the 
 first school in Leyden Township, this county. 
 
 She was very highly respected for her many 
 excellencies of head and heart. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Smith had seven children, as 
 follows: Frederick A., an attorney of Chicago; 
 Frank G., deceased; Milton Henry, who died of 
 cholera; Emily, wife of H. R. Clissold, who 
 resides in Morgan Park; Edwin D., a farmer; 
 Sarah M., now the wife of George W. Wilcox, a 
 resident of Minneapolis; and Stella, Mrs. D. C. 
 Dunlap, who resides in Chicago. Mrs. Smith 
 died March 28, 1893, in her seventy-eighth year, 
 after nearly fifty years of happy married life. 
 When the family first came to their present home 
 the nearest neighbors were Christian Ebinger on 
 the north, and Elijah Wentworth on the east. 
 Mr. Smith has witnessed almost the entire growth 
 of the great metropolis, its population being 
 about four thousand when he came to Cook 
 County, and he is well known by the oldest set- 
 tlers of this part of the county. 
 
 Mr. Smith's life has been one of activity and 
 usefulness, and, although, by reason of a good 
 constitution and temperate habits, he has exceeded 
 by a decade the psalmist's limit of "three-score 
 years and ten," the cares of life have rested lightly 
 upon him. He is still in good health, vigorous 
 intellectually, cheerful in disposition, of a pleas- 
 ing personality, and, from his sprightly step, 
 might easily be taken for a much younger man 
 than he is. 
 
 MICHAEL L ECKERT. 
 
 IV^ICHAEL L. ECKERT, wholesale and re- 
 IV I tail dealer in cigars, at No. 1632 North 
 \(\ Clark Street, is an enterprising young 
 business man. He was born in Lake View Town- 
 ship, near Rosehill, July 9, 1860, and is the son 
 of John Eckert, whose biography appears on 
 
 another page of this work. He received a good, 
 common-school education in the public school, 
 which has been largely supplemented by his 
 reading, observation and practical experience. 
 His boyhood was passed upon his father's farm, 
 which he helped to cultivate until he attained his
 
 HENRY RUMSTICK. 
 
 377 
 
 majority, after which he was engaged for nearly 
 four years in the wholesale crockery house of 
 Burley & Tyrrel. His next occupation was that of 
 traveling salesman for the firm of O. Schroeder 
 & Company. 
 
 In 1891 he established himself in business near 
 his present location, and has built up a good 
 trade. In public affairs he has always taken a 
 deep interest and he keeps himself informed on 
 the issues of the times. In 1881 he acceptably 
 filled the office of assistant assessor of Lake 
 View Township. 
 
 To the men and measures of the Republican 
 party he formerly gave his support, but for some 
 years past, he has not been bound by party ties, 
 preferring to support the man who seems to him 
 to be best qualified, and who will most faithfully 
 
 discharge the duties of office, regardless of his 
 political opinions. 
 
 On the isth of October, 1886, Mr. Eckert was 
 married to Miss Mary Spelz, who was born in 
 Chicago, and is a daughter of John and Mary 
 Spelz, both natives of Germany, who came to 
 Chicago some years ago. To them were born 
 three sons, namely: John, Fred and Harold. 
 
 Mr. Eckert is a member of the Knights of 
 Pythias, Royal League, National Union, Lincoln 
 Turner Society, and the Harmonia Singing 
 Society. He is progressive in his ideas, courteous 
 to his patrons and all others, and very public- 
 spirited. He gives encouragement and support 
 to every deserving public enterprise, and is de- 
 servedly popular throughout a wide acquaintance, 
 having a large number of true friends. 
 
 HENRY RUMSTICK. 
 
 HENRY RUMSTICK, a member of one of 
 the early North Side German families of 
 Chicago, is engaged in gardening in that 
 section of the city. He was born on the 3d of 
 May, 1850, in North Berlin," Prussia. Both 
 his parents, Christian and Doris (Arndt) Rum- 
 stick, were natives of Prussia, and came in 1851 
 to Chicago, with their son Henry, the eldest of 
 the family, whose life has been mostly passed 
 here. On reaching Chicago they proceeded di- 
 rectly to Lake View, where the father purchased 
 five acres of land, and at once engaged in garden- 
 ing for the city markets, and also worked as 
 laborer for his neighbors. 
 
 Five children were born after their arrival, 
 namely: Otto, now a resident of Indiana; Augus- 
 ta, who became the wife of John Paccaduck, of 
 Chicago; Otto, who died at the age of seventeen 
 
 years; Minnie, wife of Henry Rosch, of Indiana. 
 The father is still living at the age of eighty 
 years, residing with his son Henry, and is active 
 and industrious. His wife died in 1883. They 
 were members of Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, 
 with which the former is still identified. He has 
 served several years as school trustee of Rogers 
 Park. Since becoming a citizen of the United 
 States he has given his support uniformly to the 
 Republican party. 
 
 Henry Rumstick was educated in the public 
 schools of Cook County, but was obliged to give 
 most of his time from an early age to his own 
 support, and that of the family. At the age of 
 eighteen years he went to learn the trade of 
 stone-cutter, and after serving an apprenticeship 
 of three years he continued as journeyman until 
 1890. He then engaged in gardening and now
 
 378 
 
 JOSEPH CLARK. 
 
 tills thirteen acres of land. He has never sought 
 for political preferment, and has given his time 
 and talents to the prosecution of his private 
 business, but has always been an enthusiastic 
 Republican in politics. 
 
 July 4, 1874, Mr. Rumstick was married to 
 Miss Barbara Klein, a daughter of Christopher 
 and Anna Klein, whose history is given in this 
 volume, in connection with the sketch of Celestial 
 Keller. Mrs. Rumstick was born January 24, 
 1856, in Germany, and has had five children, 
 
 namely: Anna, born June 26, 1875, now the wife 
 of Axel Lindgren of Chicago; Otto, July 13, 1877, 
 died October 13, 1879, at the age of two and 
 one-half years; Minnie, April 7, 1879; Emma, 
 August 13, 1882; Katharine, December 28, 1886. 
 The family is associated with the Lutheran 
 Church, and Mr. Rumstick is a member of the 
 Knights of Honor; he is a progressive citizen, 
 who appreciates the advantages and benefits of 
 American institutions, and is providing his chil- 
 dren with excellent educational opportunities. 
 
 JOSEPH CLARK. 
 
 (JOSEPH CLARK, one of the worthy pioneers 
 I of Cook County, was born August 8, 1826, 
 Q) in Brechin, Forfarshire, Scotland. He is a 
 son of David and Catherine (Dackers) Clark, both 
 natives of that county. David Clark died when 
 Joseph, his son, was a child, leaving his nine 
 children to the care of his wife. They were: John, 
 who came in 1832 to Chicago, where he died 
 many years ago; Margaret, Elizabeth, James, 
 William, Alexander, David, Robert, and Joseph, 
 the last-named being the only one surviving. 
 
 Joseph Clark received a good common-school 
 education in his native land. His brothers John 
 and Alexander were so well pleased with the op- 
 portunities offered to young men in the United 
 States, whither they had come, that Joseph was 
 ambitious to come to this country also. He sailed 
 from Greenock in May, 1844, on a sailing-ship, 
 spending three months on the voyage. He land- 
 ed in Quebec, and came through to Chicago by 
 the lakes. When he arrived in Chicago, in 
 August, he had a cash capital of but twenty- 
 five cents. He went immediately to section 14, 
 Jefferson Township, where his brothers were lo- 
 
 cated. He began gardening on land which was 
 furnished him by his brother, who had bought it 
 from the Government for one dollar and a-quarter 
 an acre. Ever since that time, Mr. Clark has 
 lived on this land, with the exception of three 
 years spent in California. He originally had 
 eighty acres, but has given each of his children 
 five acres, and has only about twenty-five acres 
 remaining. 
 
 In 1849, attracted by the vast fortunes being 
 made in the gold-mining regions of California, 
 he went thither by the overland route, seven 
 months being consumed by the journey. He spent 
 a short time in mining, and then bought a mule- 
 train and engaged in packing for the miners, 
 which business was so lucrative that, at the end 
 of three years, he returned to Cook County, Illi- 
 nois, well satisfied with his expedition. At the 
 time of his return, the county was only sparsely 
 settled, and he engaged in farming and gardening, 
 which he continued until, in 1890, he was obliged 
 to retire on account of advancing years. 
 
 Mr. Clark has always taken an active interest in 
 public affairs, and has been a useful member ofsoci-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 FRANK A. BAER
 
 F. A. BAER. 
 
 379 
 
 ety, having filled many local offices. In 1857 he 
 married Miss Sallie Ann Ferguson, daughter of 
 Stauts Morrison and Neoma (Rice) Ferguson, pio- 
 neers of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have five 
 children, namely: Charles, a gardener; Richard; 
 Martin; Maud, the wife of Winfield Glenn; and 
 Kittie, wife of Harry Jackson, of Bowmanville. 
 
 Mr. Clark was a Whig until the formation of 
 the Republican party, whose cause he has since 
 espoused. He is intimately connected with the 
 growth and development of the town of Jefferson, 
 and has always favored public enterprises. He 
 has given his faithful service to his adopted land 
 on all occasions, and is a progressive citizen. He 
 is a member of Myrtle Lodge No. 795, Ancient 
 Free and Accepted Masons, of Irving Park. 
 
 Stauts M. Ferguson, the father of Mrs. Clark, 
 was born in Orange County, New York, of Scotch 
 and English ancestry. Neoma Rice was a native 
 of Pennsylvania. After their marriage they set- 
 tled in Tioga County, New York, where Mr. 
 Ferguson engaged in mercantile business at Fac- 
 toryville, until he came to Cook County in 1838. 
 
 He bought land in Ley den Township, where the 
 village of Norwood Park now is. He owned two 
 hundred acres of land and engaged in farming, 
 stock-raising and dairying, continuing until 1859, 
 when he sold out and moved into Chicago. He 
 lived retired until his death, which occurred while 
 on his way from California about 1873. His wife 
 passed away in Chicago in 1862. They had nine 
 children, namely: Emily and Henrietta (now de- 
 ceased); Mary, who married Dr. Richard Ever- 
 ett, a pioneer physician of Cook County, and died 
 in 1894; Martha (Mrs. B. Bryant), of California; 
 Mrs. Clark is next in order of birth; Caroline, 
 wife of Thomas Turner, of Ellis Park, Chicago; 
 Charles G., now a miner of Cripple Creek, Colo- 
 rado; Frances, wife of Anson Bryant, of Gait, 
 California; and Jennie, now Mrs. Samuel Wrist- 
 on, also of Gait, California. 
 
 Mr. Ferguson was quite prominently identified 
 with the early history of Cook County. Although 
 not an office-seeker he held a number of official 
 positions, and was a very earnest worker in the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 FRANK A. BAER. 
 
 |~~RANK ADAM BAER. Among the well- 
 r3 known and popular men of the }'ounger gen- 
 | eration, comprising North Siders, none were 
 held in higher esteem or more widely known than 
 Frank A. Baer. He was born in Rosehill in 1853, 
 and was the son of Franz and Dorothea Baer, na- 
 tives of Germany, who emigrated to America and 
 settled in Rosehill in 1851. Here Mr. Baer was 
 engaged in business for many years, and was a 
 prosperous and influential citizen. 
 
 The boyhood of Frank Baer was spent in Rose- 
 hill, and in the parochial schools he received a 
 
 practical education in the English branches. He 
 remained under the parental roof until he became 
 of age, when he, in company with his brother 
 Lawrence, started a saloon business, at which they 
 were engaged for several years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch moved to Ravenswood 
 and conducted a greenhouse three years, and was 
 prosperous in this venture. In 1892 he disposed 
 of his interest and established the Lake View 
 Exchange, which became a popular resort, and 
 which he conducted until his death. In his busi- 
 ness relations Mr. Baer reached a high standard.
 
 380 
 
 COL. JAMES QUIRK. 
 
 His reputation for integrity and fair dealing was 
 of an order that always inspired confidence in his 
 business associates. His attentiveness to his per- 
 sonal business was marked, and led to the achieve- 
 ment of financial success. 
 
 Public office had no allurement for him. In 
 politics he was a Republican, and always dis- 
 charged the duties of citizenship at the polls. The 
 only office he ever held was that of street commis- 
 sioner, while he was living at Rosehill. He was 
 an honored member of the Catholic Order of For- 
 esters and Sons of Chicago, and a communicant of 
 
 the Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, of 
 which he was a liberal supporter. He was united 
 in marriage with Miss Anna, daughter of Margar- 
 ita Koch, who settled in Chicago in 1865. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. Baer were born four children, three 
 of whom are living, Frank P., Anna and Julius. 
 Margaret, the other, lived only to the age of five 
 years. Mr. Baer was a kind and indulgent hus- 
 band and father, and a most exemplary citizen. 
 His last illness was of brief duration, and after five 
 days of suffering he passed away, March 29, 
 1897. 
 
 COL. JAMES QUIRK. 
 
 EOL. JAMES QUIRK, a valiant soldier of 
 the Civil War, and a prominent citizen of 
 Chicago, was born April 27, 1832, in Castle 
 Gregory, County Kerry, Ireland. He is a son of 
 Francis and Ellen (Lynch) Quirk, who were 
 born in the same town. 
 
 Francis Quirk was a shoe manufacturer and 
 employed a number of people in his business. He 
 was induced by friends to come to the United 
 States, and sailed from Ireland about 1840. For 
 a few years he was located in Buffalo, New York, 
 whence he came to Chicago in 1844, arriving in 
 this city September 14 of that year. He brought 
 with him his wife and eight children. 
 
 He continued in the business of shoe manu- 
 facturer in this city, and some of his sons became 
 familiar with the trade. Only two of these are 
 now living, Capt. Bartholomew Quirk (see biog- 
 raphy on another page) and the subject of this 
 sketch. All of the others, as well as the parents, 
 died in Chicago, except John, who died in St. 
 Joseph, Missouri. The father reached the good 
 age of eighty- four years, and the mother that of 
 eighty-eight years. Both of Mr. Quirk's grand- 
 parents lived to be over ninety years of age. He 
 was an intelligent and successful business man, 
 
 and was numbered, with the members of his fam- 
 ily, among the faithful adherents of the Roman 
 Catholic faith. 
 
 James Quirk attended school in Chicago, being 
 a pupil in the old Dearborn School, the first free 
 public school erected in the city. In early life he 
 was employed as a clerk in a shoe store kept by 
 William H. Adams, where he continued several 
 years. In 1857 he entered the employ of the 
 city, as a clerk in the old Court House. In 
 1854 he joined the State militia, in a company 
 known as the Shields Guards, belonging to 
 the Sixtieth Regiment, Illinois National Guard, 
 in which five of his brothers also served. He 
 enjoyed the military training which this connec- 
 tion afforded, and became quite proficient in mili- 
 tary tactics, and was elected captain of the com- 
 pany. In this capacity he entered the Union 
 army, having in the mean time raised another 
 company known as Company B, of the Shields 
 Guards. These were technically known as 
 Companies I and K of the Twenty-third Illinois 
 Regiment. When he opened his recording office 
 for the first company, on the I7th of April, 1861, 
 he enrolled one hundred and forty-nine men in 
 one hour.
 
 REV. W. H. GANSKE. 
 
 In the following June he was elected lieuten- 
 ant-colonel of the Twenty-third Regiment, with 
 which he proceeded to Missouri, the services of 
 the regiment being accepted by President Lincoln, 
 although rejected by the State of Illinois under 
 the Twelve Regiment Bill. They participated in 
 the Siege of Lexington, Missouri, where the 
 regiment was captured and paroled, and sent to 
 Benton Barracks, Missouri, to await exchange. 
 
 Owing to the supersedure of General Fremont 
 by General Halleck, the regiment was mustered 
 out of the service by order of the latter. This 
 justly provoked the leading officers of the regi- 
 ment, and Colonel Mulligan, Major Moore and 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Quirk visited General Mc- 
 Clellan and President Lincoln at Washington, 
 and secured the countermanding of General Hal- 
 leek's order. The regiment went East in June, 
 1862, and joined the Eighth Army Corps in 
 Virginia. 
 
 Colonel Quirk remained with his regiment, 
 participating in its active service, until Septem- 
 ber 28, 1864, when he resigned and returned to 
 Chicago. He had been in command of the regi- 
 ment nearly three years, as his superior, Colonel 
 Mulligan, was most of the time in charge of a 
 brigade or division. Colonel Quirk received a 
 wound in Missouri, from which he quickly recov- 
 ered, and was an efficient and brave officer. He 
 
 was a good disciplinarian, kind though just, and 
 very popular with his men, whom he was willing 
 to lead and never followed. 
 
 After the war Colonel Quirk was for many years 
 the incumbent of prominent civil positions. He 
 entered the Custom House service as inspector, 
 and was connected with the United States Custom 
 House of Chicago about twenty years. For some 
 time he was in the auditor's department, later in 
 the clearance department, and organized the 
 weighing department, of which he was chief. 
 Later, he was gas inspector under Mayor Roche. 
 In politics he has always been a Republican. 
 Having made judicious investments in real estate, 
 his wealth has been much increased by its appre- 
 ciation in value, and he is now the owner of many 
 houses in Chicago, and has practically retired 
 from active business. 
 
 September 5, 1854, he was married to Miss 
 Rose C. McKenna, a native of central New York, 
 born in 1835. She came to Chicago with her 
 parents when an infant. Mrs. Quirk died May 
 6, 1895. She was a faithful member of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, as are her husband and 
 children. 
 
 The latter were three in number, namely: Daniel 
 F., who died in California; Alice, wife of Ed F. 
 Haydon; and James P., a successful physician 
 of Chicago. 
 
 REV. WILLIAM H. GANSKE. 
 
 REV. WILLIAM H. GANSKE is pastor of 
 Saint Philippus' German Evangelical Lu- 
 theran Church and teacher of the parochial 
 school connected therewith. The church build- 
 ing is located on the corner of Oakley and Law- 
 rence Avenues, Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Ganske has been pastor and teacher since 
 August, 1893. For about two years previous to 
 that time, this was a mission-post in charge of 
 Rev. J. H. Miller, the present pastor being the 
 first settled minister. The church was completed 
 in October, 1896. Previous to the completion of
 
 3 82 
 
 P. L. GORMAN. 
 
 the church, religious services were held in the 
 present school building. The Saint Philippus' 
 Church property is valued at about eleven thou- 
 sand dollars and the school property at fifteen 
 thousand dollars. The church has forty-two 
 members, but the families that attend its services 
 number about two hundred. 
 
 Rev. William H. Ganske is a native of Chi- 
 cago, having been born on the West Side. His 
 father, William Ganske, is a pioneer in school 
 work in that part of the city, and has had charge 
 of Saint Matthew's Church and parochial school 
 for the past twenty -seven years. He is a native 
 of Germany, a successful educator and a well- 
 known and esteemed citizen . 
 
 Rev. William H. Ganske received his early 
 education in the school under his father's super- 
 vision, and later was a student at Concordia Col- 
 lege, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for four years. He 
 graduated from the college of the same name at 
 Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the class of 1890. He 
 pursued a theological course at Concordia Col- 
 lege, at St. Louis, and was ordained pastor Au- 
 gust 6, 1893. Previous to that time he had been 
 assistant to Rev. J. H. Miller for one year. He 
 was married January 20, 1897, to Miss Emma 
 Wegner, also a native of Chicago. Saint Philip- 
 pus' Church, under the pastorate of Rev. W. H. 
 Ganske, is making rapid progress and takes high 
 rank among the churches of that denomination. 
 
 PATRICK L, GORMAN. 
 
 QATRICK LAWRENCE GORMAN was born 
 
 LX in County Mayo, Ireland, in the year 1837, 
 [3 and is a son of Patrick and Margaret (Dur- 
 kin) Gorman. The family moved to England 
 when Patrick Gorman, the subject of this sketch, 
 was eleven years of age. He began the serious 
 business of life at a very early age, his first work 
 being at a furnace. This was soon after the family 
 moved to England, and he carried pig iron twenty 
 years. They were first located in Staffordshire, 
 and later in North Lancashire, where young 
 Patrick worked at the furnace at Barrow. 
 
 In 1866 he came to America, being the only one 
 of the family to do so. He located first at Scran- 
 ton, Pennsylvania, and worked there at a furnace 
 three and one-half years. He left Scranton for 
 Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, in 1870, and there 
 worked in mines a few years. In 1881 Mr. Gor- 
 man came to South Chicago, and entered the 
 service of the Potter Company, tending a furnace. 
 
 He has been in the same employ most of the time 
 since. He has thus continued at the same kind 
 of work till the spring of 1897, a thing which is 
 done by very few men. 
 
 Before leaving England, Mr. Gorman married 
 Catherine Durkin, daughter of John and Bridget 
 (Jordan) Durkin. They were married June 10, 
 1861, and their children are: Mary, Agnes, Sa- 
 bina, John, Catherine and Gertrude. Sarah and 
 William P. died at the age of sixteen years, re- 
 spectively. Beside these, they lost three children. 
 All are communicants of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. Mr. Gorman is a member of the Cath- 
 olic Order of Foresters, and of the Ancient Order 
 of United Workmen. He is an honest, industri- 
 ous citizen, and is careful and trustworthy in his 
 work. Mrs. Gorman has been a faithful help- 
 meet to her husband, and both have the con- 
 fidence and esteem of the community in which 
 they reside.
 
 S. E. GROSS. 
 
 383 
 
 SAMUEL EBERLY GROSS. 
 
 (3 AMUEL E. GROSS is one of Chicago's best 
 ?\ known business men, and especially in real- 
 Q} estate circles has he a wide acquaintance. 
 He has long been active in promoting the growth 
 and advancement of the city, not merely for his 
 own interest, but largely for the benefit of the 
 community as well. He was born on the Old 
 Mansion Farm in Dauphin County, Pennsylva- 
 nia, November 1 1, 1843. He is descended from 
 Huguenot ancestry, and reliable information 
 shows that the family lived in America in 1 726, 
 at which time Joseph Gross was the owner of 
 property in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. 
 His grandson, who was the great-grandfather of 
 our subject, valiantly aided the colonies in their 
 struggle for independence and became a captain 
 in the sen-ice, his commission, dated November 
 25, 1776, being signed by John Hancock, Gov- 
 ernor of Pennsylvania. When the war was over 
 he went to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, where 
 he owned extensive farm and milling interests. 
 His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sahler, 
 was of Holland descent on the paternal side, and 
 of Huguenot on the maternal, coming from the 
 Du Bois family, which was prominent in Kings- 
 ton, New York, as early as 1649. The mother 
 of Mr. Gross was in her maidenhood Elizabeth 
 Eberly. She came of a family of German origin, 
 whose representatives have been prominent in 
 various professional walks in life. 
 
 The American people are coming ..o recognize 
 more fully ever}- day the fact that good blood tells. 
 The most prominent characteristics of Mr. Gross 
 are inherited from ancestors who were active in 
 war and in the same lines of business as himself. 
 His genealogy is traced as follows: Seigneur 
 Jean de Gros, Master of the Chamber of the 
 Count of Dijon, (died 1456), married Peronette 
 le Roye; their eldest son, Jean, of Dijon, Secre- 
 
 tary to Due de Bourgogne, married Philiberte de 
 Sourlam; their son, Ferry, of Dijon, in 1521, 
 married Phillipolte Wielandt; their son, Jean, of 
 Dijon, (died 1548), married Catharine Laurym; 
 their son, Jean, of Dijon, in 1599, married Jacque- 
 line de Berneincourt; their son, Jean, of Dijon, 
 in 1620, married Leonore de Briard; their son, 
 Jacob, married Marie Debar, and removed from 
 France at the time of the persecution of the Hugue- 
 nots to the Palatinate, Germany, and later re- 
 moved to Mannheim on the Rhine. Their son, 
 Johann, of Mannheim, in 1665, married Miss 
 Neihart; their son, Johann Christopher, of Mann- 
 heim, in 1703, married Elizabeth Metger; and 
 their son, Joseph, in 1719, accompanied the Men- 
 nonites from the Palatinate to America, residing 
 for some time on the banks of the Hudson, and 
 removing afterward to Pennsylvania. He mar- 
 ried Catherina , owned property in 
 
 the neighborhood of the Trappe, Montgomery 
 Count}', Pennsylvania, previous to 1726, and land 
 in Philadelphia County in 1728, and died in 1753; 
 their son, John, of Montgomery County, married 
 
 Clara , and died in 1788; their son, 
 
 John, born in 1749, was a Captain in the War of 
 the Revolution. In 1778 he married Rachel Sah- 
 ler, and died in 1823; their son, Christian, born 
 in 1788, of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, mar- 
 ried Ann Custer, of Montgomery County, and 
 died in 1843; their son, John C., in 1843, married 
 Elizabeth Eberly, of Cumberland County, Penn- 
 sylvania; and their eldest son, Samuel E., is 
 the subject of this biography. 
 
 Through his great-grandmother, Rachel Sah- 
 ler, wife of Capt. John Gross of Revolutionary 
 fame, Samuel E. Gross is directly descended from 
 Matthew Blanshan, Louis Dubois and Christian 
 Deyo, Huguenots of France, who, like Jacob de 
 Gros, at the time of the persecution, removed to
 
 S. E. GROSS. 
 
 the Palatinate in Germany, and thence emigrated 
 to America in the middle of the seventeenth cen- 
 tury. Matthew Blanshan and his family were the 
 first of the refugees to try their fate in the New 
 World, sailing from the Palatinate April 27, 1660. 
 Louis Dubois and Christian Deyo soon followed, 
 and were two of the twelve patentees who, in 
 1677, obtained title to all the lands in Eastern 
 New York State lying between the Shawangunk 
 Mountains and the Hudson River, and were in- 
 strumental in founding New Paltz and Kingston 
 in Ulster County. 
 
 Rachel Sahler was the daughter of Abraham 
 Sahler and Elizabeth Dubois. Her mother, Eliza- 
 beth Dubois, was the daughter of cousins, Isaac 
 Dubois and Rachel Dubois. Isaac Dubois, her 
 father, was the son of Solomon Dubois, and her 
 mother, Rachel Dubois, was the daughter of Sol- 
 omon Dubois' eldest brother, Abraham. The 
 mother of Rachel Dubois was Margaret Deyo, 
 daughter of Christian Deyo, the patentee. Abra- 
 ham Dubois, Rachel's father, and Solomon Du- 
 bois, her husband's father, were both sons of 
 Louis Dubois, the patentee and founder of New 
 Paltz, and his wife, Catherine Blanshan, daugh- 
 ter of Matthew Blanshan, the first of these Hugue- 
 not arrivals. 
 
 In 1846, Mr. Gross came with his parents to 
 Illinois, and after residing for a time in Bureau 
 County removed to Carroll County. His early ed- 
 ucation was acquired in the district schools, and 
 he afterwards attended Mt. Carroll Seminary. 
 Prompted by patriotic impulses, he enlisted in his 
 country's service on the breaking out of the late 
 war, although only seventeen years of age. He 
 joined the Forty-first Illinois Infantry, and took 
 part in the Missouri campaign, but was then mus- 
 tered out by reason of the strong objections made 
 by his parents to his service, on account of his 
 youth. He spent the following year as a student 
 in Whitehall Academy, Cumberland County, 
 Pennsylvania, but in June, 1863, he again left 
 school, for the Confederates had invaded the Key- 
 stone State and he could no longer remain quiet- 
 ly at his books. On the 29th of June he was made 
 First Lieutenant of Company D, Twentieth Penn- 
 sylvania Cavalry, being one of the youngest offi- 
 
 cers of that rank in the army. His faithful and 
 valiant service won him promotion to the rank of 
 Captain of Company K. February 17, 1864. He 
 participated in many of the important battles of 
 the eastern campaign, and when the war was 
 over was mustered out at Cloud Mills, Virginia, 
 July 13, 1865. 
 
 At this time Chicago ' was becoming a city of 
 prominence and gave rich promise for a brilliant 
 future. Attracted by its prospects, Mr. Gross 
 here located in September, 1865, and entered Un- 
 ion Law College. The following year he was ad- 
 mitted to the Bar, entering at once upon practice. 
 In the mean time, however, he had invested a 
 small capital in real estate. He built upon his 
 lots in 1867, and as his undertakings in this di- 
 rection met with success, he gave more and more 
 attention to the business. He was instrumental 
 in the establishment of the park and boulevard 
 system in the winter of 1869. When the great 
 fire broke out in 1871, and Mr. Gross saw that his 
 office would be destroyed, he hastily secured his 
 abstracts, deeds and other valuable papers, as 
 many as he could get, and, putting them in a row- 
 boat, carried them to a tug. When the flames 
 had completed their disastrous work, he returned 
 to the old site of his office and resumed business. 
 A financial depression from 1873 until 1879 fol- 
 lowed the boom, and Mr. Gross gave his time to 
 the study of politics, science, and to literary 
 pursuits. 
 
 On the revival of trade, Mr. Gross determined 
 to devote his entire time to real-estate interests, 
 and to the southwest of the city founded several 
 suburbs. In 1882, to the north, he began what 
 has now become Gross Park. In 1883, he began 
 the work which has made him a public benefac- 
 tor, that of building homes for people of moderate 
 means, and the selling the same to them on time. 
 Thus many a family has secured a comfortable 
 home, where otherwise their wages would have 
 been expended in rent, and in the end they would 
 have had nothing to show for it. Unimproved 
 districts under his transforming hand became pop- 
 ulated and flourishing neighborhoods. In 1886, 
 Mr. Gross founded the town of Brookdale; platted 
 Calumet Heights and Dauphin Park the following
 
 CALVIN DE WOLF. 
 
 385 
 
 year, and platted a forty-acre subdivision on Ash- 
 land Avenue. A large district near Humboldt 
 Park was improved by him, and some three hun- 
 dred houses were built near Archer Avenue and 
 Thirty-ninth Street. The beautiful town of Gross- 
 dale has been one of his most successful ventures. 
 He established the town one mile west of River- 
 side, and beautiful drives, lovely homes, churches, 
 a theatre and fine walks make this one of Chica- 
 go' s best suburbs. He has also recently founded 
 the beautiful town of Hollywood, and during the 
 last twelve years he has founded sixteen thriving 
 suburban towns and cities. His fortune is esti- 
 mated at $3,000,000, or over, and although his 
 reputation is that of a multi-millionaire the United 
 Workingmen's societies showed their confidence 
 in him by nominating him to the mayoralty in 
 1889, an honor which from press of private busi- 
 ness he was obliged to decline. 
 
 Constantly has the business of Mr. Gross in- 
 creased, until his dealings have reached the mill- 
 ions. He buys property outright, and then sells 
 as the purchasers feel that they can pay. It is 
 said that he has never foreclosed a mortgage, and 
 his kindliness, forbearance and generosity have 
 won for him the love and confidence of the poorer 
 people and the high regard of all. 
 
 Mr. Gross was married in January, 1874, to 
 
 Miss Emily Brown, a lady of English descent. 
 He is a member of the Chicago Club, the Union 
 Club, the Washington Park, the Athletic, Mar- 
 quette and Iroquois Clubs. He is a patron of the 
 Art Institute and the Humane Society, and his 
 support is given to other benevolent organizations. 
 He holds membership with the Chicago Union 
 Veteran Club; U. S. Grant Post No. 28, G. A. 
 R.; the Western Society Army of the Potomac, 
 and the Sons of the American Revolution. 
 
 In 1886, Mr. Gross made a trip to Europe, 
 spending four months in visiting the leading cit- 
 ies and points of interest in that continent. He 
 also made investigations concerning city develop- 
 ment. In 1889, he traveled through Mexico and 
 the cities on the Pacific Coast, and later in the 
 year attended the Paris Exposition. In 1892, he 
 went to Europe once more, and also visited the 
 Orient. In manner, Mr. Gross is genial, pleas- 
 ant and entertaining, and the kindliness of his face 
 at once wins him friends. Although he would 
 not be called a professing philanthropist, his life 
 has certainly been characterized by a practical 
 charity, which has probably proven of more bene- 
 fit than the acknowledged philanthropic work of 
 some others. His success in business seems mar- 
 velous, yet it is but the result of industry, enter- 
 prise, and careful and well-directed management. 
 
 CALVIN DE WOLF. 
 
 eALVIN DE WOLF, now one of the foremost 
 citizens of Chicago, is an example of the 
 manner in which men rise to stations of 
 wealth and honor through sturdy moral integrity 
 and unceasing, ambitious toil. His story is that of 
 a young man who came to Chicago with nothing 
 in the days of the city's infancy, and by a sustained 
 effort has grown with the city's growth, until he 
 is numbered among the representative men of the 
 "great city by the inland sea." 
 
 Calvin De Wolf was born in Braintrim, Luzerne 
 County, Pennsylvania, on the i8th of February, 
 1815, and was one of the family offifteen children 
 of Giles M. De Wolf, a well-to-do farmer. His 
 father and grandfather were born in Pomfret, Con- 
 necticut, and his more remote ancestors were 
 among the early settlers in Lyme, Connecticut, 
 being colonists who came over from Holland, to 
 which country they had probably been driven from 
 France (where the family originated) by religious
 
 3 86 
 
 CALVIN DE WOLF. 
 
 persecution. His mother, whose maiden name 
 was Anna Spaulding, was born in Cavendish, Ver- 
 mont, and was a descendant of Edward Spaulding, 
 who settled in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in 
 
 1633- 
 
 Soon after the birth of Calvin De Wolf, his par- 
 ents removed to his mother's native place and re- 
 mained there until he was five years of age, and 
 then returned to Braintrim, Pennsylvania, from 
 whence, four years later, they removed to the ad- 
 joining county of Bradford, where his father pur- 
 chased a farm in the beech woods of that county. 
 This farm was covered with heavy timber, the 
 clearing of which was a task of a different kind 
 and of much greater magnitude than falls to the 
 lot of most farmers of the present day. Putting 
 this land into condition to be sufficiently produc- 
 tive to support the large family of its owner fur- 
 nished work for every hand for years. 
 
 Calvin De Wolf was the eldest of his father's 
 sons who lived beyond the infantile period, and 
 converting the beech forest into tillable land was 
 a task in which he was required to practice, and 
 which, with the tilling of the soil, required all his 
 time except the three winter months, when he at- 
 tended school until he was twenty-one years of 
 age. After attaining his majority he made up his 
 mind to obtain an education, and, under the in- 
 struction of his father, who was a man of more 
 than ordinary ability, had a good common-school 
 education and was well versed in mathematics, he 
 obtained a good knowledge of arithmetic, algebra 
 and sun-eying. He was also assisted to a knowl- 
 edge of the elements of Latin by a gentleman of 
 liberal education who lived in the neighborhood. 
 When he had progressed to this point in educa- 
 tion, he left home and entered Grand River In- 
 stitute, in Ash tabula County, Ohio, in 1836. That 
 institution, then famous throughout eastern Ohio 
 and western Pennsylvania, was conducted some- 
 what on the plan of agricultural colleges of the 
 present day, in that students who desired to do so 
 could partially support themselves by manual la- 
 bor and pursue a course of study at the same time. 
 For a year and a half young De Wolf maintained 
 himself at this school and fitted himself for teach- 
 ing; he also presided for a term or two at the peda- 
 
 gogue's desk. At all times, however, when op- 
 portunity offered, he was intent on study and made 
 the most of his educational opportunities. 
 
 Then, as now, the West was looked to as the 
 land of opportunities and the goal of the ambition 
 of every aspiring young man. Calvin De Wolf, 
 with his industrious habits and ambitious desires, 
 was not content to spend his days in the East, but 
 looked westward with longing eyes, and in those 
 days the West was not so far away as now and 
 Chicago was included in the term. In the fall of 
 1837, young De Wolf arranged with a trader who 
 was making a shipment of fruit by boat from Ash- 
 tabula to Chicago to pay his passage between the 
 cities by assisting to load and unload the fruit and 
 take charge of it in transit, which agreement he 
 faithfully carried out and, in due time, found him- 
 self in this city, then covering a small area of ter- 
 ritory at the mouth of the Chicago River and hav- 
 ing but one four-story brick building the old 
 Lake House, then the pride of the West. The 
 first thing the young man had to do was to look 
 for employment, for he had come West with very 
 little money. He hoped to obtain a situation as 
 teacher in the city schools, and passed the required 
 examination for license to teach, but his hopes 
 were disappointed and he had to seek elsewhere, 
 as there were others whose claims had to be first 
 considered. Disappointed but not cast down, he 
 set out on foot across the prairie to seek like em- 
 ployment in some other locality. After traveling 
 thirty-five or forty miles, he at last arrived at 
 Hadley, Will County, Illinois, with only a York 
 shilling in his pocket. He was more fortunate in 
 his quest there, and obtained the position of vil- 
 lage schoolmaster, teaching during the winter of 
 1837-38, and returning the following spring to 
 Chicago. Here he again made application for em- 
 ployment as teacher, and was successful. While 
 teaching school he also engaged in various other 
 occupations which were calculated to improve his 
 financial condition. 
 
 In 1838, Mr. De Wolf began the study of law 
 in the office of Spring & Goodrich, a firm com- 
 posed of Giles Spring, afterward Judge of the Su- 
 perior Court of Chicago, and Grant Goodrich, for 
 many years one of the prominent lawyers of the
 
 CALVIN DE WOLF. 
 
 387 
 
 city. In 1843, he was examined and admitted to 
 the Bar by Judge Richard M, Young, and The- 
 ophiltis W. Smith, then sitting on the Supreme 
 Bench, and immediately after began practice in 
 this city, which then had a Bar consisting of about 
 thirty lawyers, a large number of whom became 
 prominent as jurists in later years. Up to 1854, 
 Mr. De Wolf was engaged in the active practice 
 of law. He was then elected Justice of the Peace, 
 an office which at that time and place was a highly 
 important and responsible one, as the city was de- 
 veloping rapidly and the amount of business in- 
 cident to its growth gave rise to a great deal of 
 friction, which had to be adjusted in the tribunal of 
 law. Mr. De Wolf held this office six successive 
 terms, four by popular election and two by ap- 
 pointment. The whole period covered was more 
 than twenty-five years, and more than ninety 
 thousand cases were disposed of by him, a far 
 greater number than any other judicial officer in 
 this State had ever decided. Preliminary exam- 
 inations in many important cases which afterward 
 became celebrated in the higher courts were heard 
 in the earlier years of his magistracy by Judge 
 De Wolf, as he was then known to the profession 
 and the public. 
 
 Judge De Wolf had been taught from childhood 
 to hate slavery, and as early as 1839 became Sec- 
 retary of an anti-slavery society, of which Rev. 
 Flavel Bascom, a Presbyterian minister, was the 
 first President, and Judge Manierre, Treasurer, 
 and of which many of the prominent business and 
 professional men of the city were earnest and ac- 
 tive members. In 1842, the Illinois State Anti- 
 Slavery Society held a meeting in Chicago, at 
 which an organization was effected to raise funds 
 for establishing an anti-slavery newspaper in Chi- 
 cago. Henry L. Fulton, Charles V. Dyer, Shu- 
 bal D. Childs and Calvin De Wolf were appointed 
 a committee to collect funds and set the enterprise 
 on foot, Mr. De Wolf being made Treasurer of the 
 committee. As a result of their efforts, the West- 
 ern Citizen came into existence, with Z. Eastman 
 as editor and publisher, and for several years it 
 was recognized as one of the leading Abolition 
 newspapers in the country. It was in 1858, that 
 Mr. De Wolf, in connection with other Abolition- 
 
 ists of Chicago, brought down upon himself the 
 wrath of a disappointed slave-hunter and his sym- 
 pathizers, who sought to inflict upon him condign 
 punishment for facilitating the escape of a liberty- 
 seeking black woman. 
 
 Stephen F. Nuckolls was a southern man who 
 had carried his slaves with him into Nebraska. 
 One of these slaves, a young negro woman, Eliza, 
 made her escape, and by some means or other 
 found her way to Chicago, to which place she was 
 followed by her master, Nuckolls, who came near 
 effecting her capture. His scheme was frustrated 
 by the parties who appeared before Judge De 
 Wolf, charging him with riotous conduct. Under 
 the warrant issued from the magistrate's court, 
 the slave-owner was arrested and locked up for 
 a few hours, and in the mean time the colored wo- 
 man made her escape from the city. Nuckolls 
 carried the matter to the United States Courts, and 
 succeeded in having the magistrate, Mr. De Wolf, 
 George Anderson, A. D. Hayward and C. L. 
 Jenks indicted for "aiding a negro slave called 
 Eliza to escape from her master," she having 
 been ' 'held as a slave in Nebraska and escaped to 
 Illinois. ' ' This involved the constitutional ques- 
 tions as to whether or not slaves could be held 
 in free territory. The defendants held that the 
 negro woman was not lawfully held as a slave in 
 Nebraska, and moved to quash the indictment on 
 that ground. This motion was never passed upon 
 by thecourt, but, in 1861, the case was dismissed 
 by advice of the Hon. E. C. Larned, United States 
 District Attorney. 
 
 It is almost superfluous to state that a man hold- 
 ing the radical views of Calvin De Wolf became 
 identified at the outset of its existence with the 
 Republican party, and that he still remains in 
 the ranks of the same organization. But he has 
 never been an active politician. He served two 
 terms as a member of the Board of Aldermen ol 
 Chicago, and from 1856 to 1858 served as Chair- 
 man of the Committee on Revision and Publication 
 of Ordinances, where he rendered important service 
 to the city in codifying and putting the ordinances 
 in form to be easily referred to, to be generally un- 
 derstood and easily and systematically enforced. 
 He retired from the position of Magistrate in 1879,
 
 3 88 
 
 C. IvI. FITCH. 
 
 and is not now engaged in the practice of law, but 
 devotes his time mainly to the management of his 
 financial affairs. 
 
 Mr. De Wolf is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and is now one of the Elders of the Sixth 
 Presbyterian Church of Chicago, in which he is 
 an influential member, and in the work of which he 
 bears a prominent part. "Do right" is a motto 
 which he has made the rule of his life. In the 
 discharge of his duties as a public official he was 
 
 conscientious and upright; as a lawyer, watchful 
 over his client's interests and honorable in his 
 dealings with both court and client; in his general 
 business dealings he "has been a man of his word, 
 upright and honest. His residence in Chicago 
 from pioneer times has caused him to be well 
 known, and he is regarded as one of the land- 
 marks of a generation of sagacious business men 
 now rapidly passing away. 
 
 DR. CALVIN M. FITCH. 
 
 0R. CALVIN MAY FITCH, one of the oldest 
 physicians now in active practice in this city, 
 graduated at the medical department of the 
 university of New York in 1852, and subse- 
 quently studied in Europe. He came to Chicago 
 in 1855, and is therefore in the fortieth year of 
 his practice in this city. Doctor Fitch was born 
 January 3, 1829, in Sheldon, Franklin County, 
 Vermont. His grandfather, Dr. Chauncey Fitch, 
 married the daughter of Colonel Sheldon, for 
 whom the town of Sheldon was named, and prac- 
 ticed there until his death. Colonel Sheldon com- 
 manded the Connecticut Cavalry during the Revo- 
 lutionary War, and the family have several letters 
 of Washington's still in their possession. Doctor 
 Fitch's father, Rev. John Ashley Fitch, an Epis- 
 copal clergyman, married the daughter of Dr. Cal- 
 vin May, who for nearly fifty years practiced 
 medicine in St. Armand, Canada, just across the 
 Vermont line. Doctor May graduated from Yale 
 about the close of the Revolutionary war, and he 
 and Dr. Chauncey Fitch were the pioneer physi- 
 cians in that section, and although eighteen miles 
 apart, frequently met in consultation. 
 
 Doctor Fitch is of old New England stock, the 
 sixth in descent from Rev. James Fitch, who came 
 to this country from Becking, England, in 1638. 
 Maj. James Fitch, son of Rev. James Fitch, served 
 
 in King Philip's War. He was active in promot- 
 ing the founding of Yale College, donating to the 
 college in October, 1731, six hundred and forty- 
 seven acres of land in the town of Killings!}-, and 
 all the glass and nails which should be necessary 
 to build the college edifice. Rev. Ebenezer Fitch, 
 a grandson of this Maj. James Fitch, and brother 
 of Dr. Chauncey Fitch, was a tutor in Yale for 
 several years prior to 1791, when he resigned from 
 Yale to take charge of the Academy at Williams- 
 town, Massachusetts, and when that academy was 
 chartered as a college (Williams College) in 1793, 
 Mr. Fitch was elected its first President, which 
 position he held for twenty-two years. 
 
 In 1860 Doctor Fitch married Susan Ransom, 
 daughter of Daniel Ransom, originally from 
 Woodstock, Vermont, and for many years in 
 business in this city. In 1871 Mr. Ransom re- 
 moved to L,ongmont, Colorado, where he recently 
 died at the age of eighty-one. Doctor Fitch has 
 one son, Dr. Walter May Fitch, a graduate of 
 Rush Medical College, who is associated with his 
 father in practice. 
 
 Doctor Fitch is or has been a memberof several 
 medical societies, the Chicago Medical, the South 
 Avenue, the State Medical and American Medical 
 Associations, but has never been connected with 
 any medical school, although a professorship has
 
 CHARLES HUNTINGTON. 
 
 389 
 
 been twice offered him. He has always enjoyed 
 the study of languages, and speaks several fluently, 
 and it is partly in consequence of this fact that no 
 small percentage of his large practice is among 
 
 our foreign-born citizens. A practice of this char- 
 acter involves much hard work, but carries with it 
 the chance to do much good. 
 
 CHARLES HUNTINGTON. 
 
 CJHARLES HUNTINGTON, a veteran of the 
 I { railroad service in Chicago and the oldest 
 U general baggage agent, in point of service, 
 in the United States, was born in Hartford, Con- 
 necticut, May 29, 1824. He is a son of Christo- 
 pher and Mary (Webb) Huntingdon. The Hunt- 
 ington family is one of the oldest in Connecticut. 
 All persons of that name in America are supposed 
 to be descendants of Christopher Huntington and 
 his brothers, who came from England in the early 
 days of the Connecticut colony. They sprang 
 from an ancient English family, and the name is 
 supposed to have originated as a military title. 
 Their posterity is numerous, and includes many 
 noted American citizens. The name of Christo- 
 pher Huntington was perpetuated through seven 
 successive generations, the father of the subject of 
 this sketch being the last. His father, Christo- 
 pher Huntington, was a physician who practiced 
 in Connecticut. The father of Charles Hunting- 
 ton was a wholesale manufacturer of shoes, and 
 was a member of the Governor's Foot Guards, a 
 regiment of Connecticut militia. He died in 1832, 
 at the premature age of thirty-five years. 
 
 Mrs. Mary Huntington was a daughter of Ab- 
 ner Webb, a Revolutionary soldier, who also rep- 
 resented one of the early Connecticut families. 
 She survived her husband but one 3 - ear, dying in 
 1833, and leaving three orphaned sons. Charles 
 is the eldest. Henry is now a prominent citizen 
 of Burnham, Michigan, and George died in 1850, 
 of yellow fever, at Mobile, Alabama. 
 
 Soon after his father's death, on the 3d of July, 
 1832, .Charles Huntington left his boyhood home 
 and took passage by stage to Albany, en route to 
 the home of an uncle at Penn Van. His young 
 
 heart was sorely tried by this separation from 
 natal ties, but the celebration of the Nation's 
 birthday at Albany the next morning after his ar- 
 rival there distracted his attention from his child- 
 ish sorrow and so cheered the way that his further 
 stage journey to Schenectady was made in com- 
 parative comfort. Here he took passage on the 
 Erie Canal as far as Geneva, whence the journey 
 was completed by stage. At Penn Yan, he found 
 a comfortable home with his uncle, Elisha H. 
 Huntington, who afterwards became a banker in 
 Chicago. 
 
 Charles received about two years' schooling in 
 all, spending most of his boyhood in working at 
 odd jobs. Being a robust youth, he was adapted 
 to many useful employments, and among other 
 things, assisted in building the Congregational 
 Church at Penn Yan, for which his uncle had the 
 contract, handling all the material for that struc- 
 ture. At the age of nineteen, he was entrusted 
 by his uncle with an important mission to Phila- 
 delphia, where he was sent to purchase an outfit 
 for bottling mineral waters, and subsequently took 
 charge of a drug store at Rochester, owned by 
 Elisha Huntington. At one time, he was em- 
 ployed as conductor of a construction train on the 
 Canandaigua & Elmira Railroad. . 
 
 At an early age, he went to the Isthmus of 
 Panama, to take charge of the machine depart- 
 ment of the Panama Railroad, at Aspinwall. He 
 was one of the very few non-residents who escaped 
 the Chagres fever, and at the end of his one year's 
 engagement, he resigned and returned to New 
 York. Thence, in March, 1854, he came to Chi- 
 cago and soon after accepted a position as en- 
 gineer on the Great Western Railroad now a
 
 390 
 
 CHARLES HUNTINGTON. 
 
 part of the Wabash system his headquarters be- 
 ing at Springfield, Illinois. On the loth day of 
 January, 1855, he entered the employ of the 
 Chicago & Alton Railroad, with which he has 
 been since continuously engaged. He was pro- 
 moted from engineer to freight conductor, and 
 soon afterward became a passenger conductor. 
 In 1858, he was made general baggage agent with 
 office on the site of the present Chicago Union 
 Passenger Station. His appointment was made 
 by a receiver, in whose hands the affairs of the 
 company were then placed, and as the duties of 
 the office were comparatively light, he continued 
 to run a passenger train between Chicago and St. 
 I/ouis until 1865, employing only one assistant in 
 his office at Chicago. These statements show a 
 vast difference between the passenger traffic of 
 those days and the present. When he first en- 
 tered the service of this road, the eastern terminus 
 was at Joliet, whence all freight for Chicago was 
 transferred to the canal, the passenger trains 
 reaching this city by way of the Chicago & Rock 
 Island tracks. The southern terminus was at 
 Alton, where all passengers and freight for St. 
 Louis were transferred to Mississippi steamboats. 
 
 In 1857, Mr. Huntington took a prominent 
 part in a strike on the part of employees of this 
 line, which suspended all business thereon for 
 eighteen days. This strike was caused by arrear- 
 age of salaries, ranging from three to eighteen 
 months. Mr. Huntington was a member of a 
 committee which settled the matter with ex-Gov. 
 Joel A. Matteson, who was lessee of the road, the 
 trouble being compromised by payment of part of 
 the arrearages at once and the promise of double 
 payments each month until all were paid up in 
 full. 
 
 The scarcity of currency at that time is illus- 
 trated by the fact that the conductor rarely col- 
 lected sufficient cash on a trip to pay the board 
 bills of his crew for the same time. The rude 
 appliances and equipments of railroads in those 
 days made railroad operation a very difficult mat- 
 ter. Many cars were without sufficient brakes, 
 and a "down grade" had terrors for the men on a 
 heavy train. It was often necessary to set out cars 
 with defective brakes or, as was not infrequent, 
 
 with no brake at all, to avoid disaster. On one 
 occasion, while approaching Alton on a steep 
 down grade, Conductor Huntington was horrified 
 by the discovery that there was not a working 
 brake on the train. The labors of the reversed 
 engine, however, attracted the attention of the 
 Alton station agent, who ran out and so placed 
 the switches that they passed the station without 
 doing any damage and were able to bring the 
 train to a stop after running a mile beyond their 
 destination. 
 
 In his domestic affairs, Mr. Huntington has 
 been sorely afflicted. In July, 1845, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Amelia, daughter of Harvey Tomlin- 
 son, of Geneva, New York. In 1856, he was 
 called upon to mourn her death. Of their three 
 children, but one survives Mary Isabella, who is 
 now the wife of Edward L- Higgins, ex-Adjutant 
 of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Higgins have four chil- 
 dren, and reside at Springfield, Illinois. Mr. 
 Huntington's two sons, Edwin and William, died 
 in childhood, of scarlet fever. He was again mar- 
 ried, in 1866, to Mary Goodrich, of Chicago, whose 
 death occurred on the i6th of April, 1890, at the 
 age of sixty years. The death of his sons and of 
 his first wife occurred during his absence from 
 home, and was more trying on this account. 
 
 Mr. Huntington has been for many years a mem- 
 ber of the Masonic order, being connected with 
 Bloomington Lodge. He is Secretary and Treas- 
 urer of the Conductors' Mutual Aid Association, 
 which he helped to organize in 1874. In early 
 life, he was a Whig, and supported the candidacy 
 of William H. Harrison in 1840, though not old 
 enough to vote at that time. Since 1860 he has 
 been a Republican. Before leaving New York, 
 he served as Deputy Sheriff of Yates County, and 
 the State still owes him for a tedious trip which 
 he made in securing a requisition from the gov- 
 ernor of New Yoik and serving the same on the 
 governor of Pennsylvania, in securing and bring- 
 ing to justice a notorious thief. While a boy, 
 he visited Baltimore and witnessed the operation 
 of the first telegraph line in the world, which 
 had just been completed. He is now the oldest 
 employee of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, in 
 point of service.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 c 
 
 '/? // 
 
 e? *~/vt> t
 
 C. M. HENDERSON. 
 
 CHARLES M. HENDERSON. 
 
 HARLES MATHER HENDERSON, a rep- 
 resentative business man and exemplary citi- 
 \J zen of Chicago, a scion of the old Puritan 
 stock, was born in New Hartford, Litchfield 
 County, Connecticut, and is a son of James F. 
 Henderson and Sabrina (Marsh) Henderson, both 
 natives of the "Land of Steady Habits." His 
 paternal grandmother, in maidenhood, bore the 
 name of Mather, being a lineal descendant of Cot- 
 ton Mather, the noted Puritan divine and author, 
 of Massachusetts colony. His maternal grand- 
 father, Roswell Marsh, was a Revolutionary sol- 
 dier and witnessed the execution of the unfortu- 
 nate Major Andre. 
 
 The first fifteen years of C. M. Henderson's 
 life were passed in the usual manner of urban 
 New England boys of that period, during which 
 time he was a pupil in the district school of his 
 native village. After attending the Baptist School 
 at Suffield one year, he went out, at the age of 
 sixteen years, to teach a district school, in which 
 undertaking he acquitted himself with credit, re- 
 turning at the end of one term to his studies at 
 Suffield, where he continued another year. His 
 tastes and ambition pointed to a commercial career, 
 and when, in 1853, an uncle in Chicago offered 
 him a position in the wholesale boot and shoe 
 house of C. N. Henderson & Co., he promptly 
 accepted. He was then eighteen years of age, 
 and was installed as general clerk and salesman. 
 Applying himself diligently in both store and of- 
 fice, wherever his services were most needed, he 
 rapidly acquired a general knowledge of the busi- 
 ness, and shortly became very useful to his em- 
 ployers. So rapid was his advancement that in 
 less than four years after entering the establish- 
 ment he became a partner in it, in which connec- 
 tion he continued until the death of his uncle in 
 1859. 
 
 Mr. Henderson immediately organized a new 
 firm, under the name of C. M. Henderson & Co., 
 his partner being Mr. Elisha Wadsworth, for- 
 merly the head of the great dry goods house of 
 Wadsworth, Farwell & Co. Mr. Wadsworth was 
 virtually a silent partner, as the entire manage- 
 ment of the business was left to Mr. Henderson, 
 who carried it on so successfully that, at the end 
 of two or three years, he was enabled to purchase 
 the interest of his partner. He now associated 
 with himself his brother, Wilbur S. Henderson, 
 who had been several years in his employ as clerk, 
 and also gave an interest to his bookkeeper, Ed- 
 mund Burke, who sold his share to Mr. Hender- 
 son some years later. 
 
 The firm continued to do a jobbing business 
 until 1865, when a small factory was established 
 for the production of the heavy goods demanded 
 by the western trade. This was the nucleus of 
 what has become one of the largest establishments 
 of its kind in the United States. The original 
 factory is still in operation, surrounded by im- 
 mense modern buildings, equipped with all that 
 genius has supplied for the saving of labor and the 
 improvement of the quality of finished products. 
 In 1880 a building was constructed, devoted to the 
 production of ladies' fine wear, and recently an- 
 other immense structure has risen, whose mission 
 is the construction of gentlemen's fine shoes. 
 These factories are located at Dixon, Illinois, and 
 the offices and shops employ over one thousand 
 people daily. In 1888 the firm was incorporated 
 under the laws of Illinois, the name remaining 
 unchanged, and several of the old and faithful 
 employes became stockholders. 
 
 The business has occupied many locations in 
 the city, the first being on South Water Street. 
 Subsequently three different stores on Lake Street 
 were used in succession, and in 1868 the building
 
 392 
 
 ALEXANDER BEAUBIEN. 
 
 and stock at the corner of that thoroughfare and 
 Michigan Avenue were swept away by fire. The 
 great fire of 1871 found the business located at 
 Nos. 58 and 60 Wabash Avenue, and in common 
 with thousands of others it was annihilated. No 
 time was wasted in repining, and inside of three 
 weeks after this disaster business was resumed in 
 a one-story board shanty on Michigan Avenue. 
 In four months after the loss, the firm was estab- 
 lished in a new brick building on Wabash Avenue, 
 the plastering being completed after its occupancy. 
 In the fall of 1872, another removal was made, to 
 the corner of Madison and Franklin Streets, and 
 five years later it was moved to the corner of 
 Monroe Street, one block south, where it con- 
 tinued until the firm was able to occupy its own 
 fine building. This is located at the northeast 
 corner of Adams and Market Streets, and was 
 built in 1884. It covers a ground space 170x120 
 feet, is six stories high, and is devoted exclusively 
 to the purposes of an office and distributing depot. 
 The development of this immense and successful 
 business is the result of Mr. Henderson's execu- 
 tive ability, industry and well-known integrity. 
 As a business man, he commands high standing 
 among Chicago's enterprising and superlatively 
 aggressive business circles, while he enjoys the 
 respect and friendship of a wide acquaintance as 
 a man and gentleman. 
 
 Mr. Henderson is somewhat socially inclined, 
 and holds membership in several clubs, among 
 which are the Union League, Chicago, Calumet 
 and Commercial. Of strong religious nature, he 
 early adopted the Christian religion as his rule of 
 
 practice, and has been a communicant of the First 
 Presbyterian Church of Chicago since 1868. He 
 has been active and useful in church and mission 
 work, was two years President of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association and for ten years, 
 until failing health compelled him to resign some 
 of his work, acted as Superintendent of the Rail- 
 road Chapel Mission. 
 
 In political sentiment, he is a Republican from 
 principle, and has always been active in every ef- 
 fort to promote good government for the city. In 
 the reform movement of 1874, which secured a 
 re-organization of the fire department and numer- 
 ous other changes among them a new city char- 
 ter, the present one he was especially active, 
 contributing liberally in money to carry on the 
 work, and giving of his time and counsel. In 
 many other ways he has shown his disposition to 
 discharge his whole duty and shirk no responsi- 
 bility as a citizen. He seeks the best and right 
 thing in government, regardless of partisan preju- 
 dices or advantage. As a part of his duty to the 
 public, he is now acting as Trustee of the Home 
 for Incurables and the Lake Forest University. 
 He is devoted to his home and family, and when 
 duty does not call him away, he is found, out of 
 business hours, at his pleasant home on Prairie 
 Avenue. In 1858 he was married to Miss Emily, 
 daughter of James Hollingsworth, of Chicago. 
 A son, who died in infancy, and three daughters 
 have been given him. Amid kind friends and 
 many other surroundings that conduce to peace 
 and happiness, he is enjoying the fruits of a busy 
 and useful life. 
 
 ALEXANDER BEAUBIEN. 
 
 LEXANDER BEAUBIEN enjoys the dis- 
 
 Htinction of being the oldest individual born 
 in Cook County. The date of his birth was 
 January 28, 1822, and the place is on the east 
 side of Michigan Avenue, between Randolph and 
 
 Washington Streets. The house in which he 
 was born had been built a few years earlier by 
 John Dean, and was one of five or six buildings, 
 including Fort Dearborn, which then stood upon 
 the site of Chicago.
 
 ALEXANDER BEAUBIEN. 
 
 393 
 
 Alexander is one of twelve children born to 
 John B. and Rosette (La Frambois) Beaubien. 
 The father was born at Detroit, Michigan, during 
 the closing days of the American Revolution. 
 His father, Antoine Beaubien, and his grand- 
 father, who also bore the name of Antoine, 
 were among the earliest settlers of Detroit, and 
 carried on an extensive farm at that place. An- 
 toine Beaubien, Sr. , was a native of France, and 
 doubtless came to America before the French and 
 Indian War. 
 
 John B. Beaubien first visited Fort Dearborn in 
 1809. His purpose in coming hither was to 
 trade with the Indians, and in the pursuit of that 
 object he was quite successful, remaining in the 
 vicinity for some time. At the time of the mas- 
 sacre, in 1812, he had gone to Mackinaw, but 
 the following year he returned as agent of 
 John Jacob Astor and built a trading-post near 
 the site of the old fort. Branch posts were also 
 established at Milwaukee, Pecatonica, Hennepin 
 and Danville, goods being transported on pack- 
 horses between these points and the main store- 
 house at Chicago. Mr. Beaubien had the super- 
 vision of all these posts, and remained in charge 
 of them for some years. He made a pre-emption 
 claim to the land between State Street and the 
 lake, extending as far south as Madison Street, 
 and including about one acre on the north side 
 of the river; but, owing to some technicality, the 
 government refused to give him a title to the 
 same. About 1840 he settled on a half-section 
 of land near the Desplaines Eiver, in Leyden 
 Township, with his familj*, improving the same 
 until it became a desirable farm. He died at 
 Naperville, Illinois, in 1864, at the age of eighty- 
 four years. Had all white men manifested the 
 spirit of justice and fairness exhibited by him in 
 dealing with the Indians, much trouble and mis- 
 ery might have been averted. 
 
 Mrs. Rosette Beaubien was born in Michigan. 
 Her father, Joseph La Frambois, was a French- 
 man, and her mother was a member of the Potta- 
 watomie tribe. In 1804, while still a young girl, 
 Mrs. Beaubien came to Chicago, accompanying 
 the party in command of Major Whistler, which 
 originally built Fort Dearborn. She was living 
 
 with the Kinzie family when the fort was aban- 
 doned in 1812, and with her Mr. and Mrs. Kin- 
 zie, and one or two other persons, started in a 
 canoe to follow the troops. They were near 
 shore and in plain sight of the massacre which 
 took place near the foot of Eighteenth Street, and 
 Mrs. Beaubien often described the scene to her 
 children in later years. After the battle was 
 over, Mr. Kinzie and party continued the journey 
 in safety to St. Joseph and thence to Detroit. 
 Mrs. Beaubien died at River Park, Illinois, in 
 1845. Following are the names of her children: 
 George, who died at the age of fourteen years; 
 Susan and Monique, twins; Julia; Henry and 
 Philip, twins; Alexander; Ellen Maria, wife of 
 Joseph Robeson; William S.; Margaret (Mrs. 
 De Witt Robinson) ; Louise (Mrs. N. D. Wood); 
 and Caroline (Mrs. Stephen Fields). Alexander 
 and the four last mentioned are the only members 
 of this family now living, but they probably know 
 more of the early history of Chicago than any 
 other family in existence. 
 
 The circumstances attending his youth gave 
 Mr. Beaubien little opportunity for education save 
 that gained in the school of experience, but ex- 
 tensive reading and observation have given him 
 a well-stored mind. He was eighteen years old 
 when the family removed from Chicago to Ley- 
 den Township, where he became one of the leading 
 farmers, and filled all the township offices except 
 that of Justice of the Peace, which he declined. 
 In 1862 he returned to Chicago, which has since 
 been his home. During the most of this time he 
 has been connected with the police force of the 
 city, and for seven years past has been in charge 
 of the lock-up at the Harrison Street Station, 
 discharging the duties of that position in a man- 
 ner which meets the approval of all his superior 
 officers, though the administration of the city 
 government has several times changed during this 
 period. 
 
 He readily recalls the time when every house 
 in the then village of Chicago could be counted 
 from the roof of his father's home. He saw the 
 first frame house built by his uncle, Mark Beau- 
 bien. The latter also built the first brick resi- 
 dence, a one and one-half story structure, on the
 
 394 
 
 J. S. TOPPAN. 
 
 north side of Lake Street, about fifty feet west of 
 Fifth Avenue. Mr. Beaubien witnessed the first 
 public execution in Cook County, when John 
 Stone was hung for murder. This took place on 
 the prairie, about where Thirty-first Street now 
 is, and one-quarter of a mile west of the lake. 
 
 Mr. Beaubien was married, in 1850, to Miss 
 Susan Miles, a daughter of Stephen Miles of Can- 
 andaigua, New York. Five children have blessed 
 their union, as follows: Julia Caroline, wife of 
 Eugene Wait; Ida E. (Mrs. Albert H. Moulton, 
 of Alexander, Genesee County, New York) ; 
 Fannie G., wife of Richard S. Beaubien; William 
 S., Jr.; and Harry Miles; all except Mrs. Moul- 
 ton living in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Beaubien 
 also have five grandchildren, in whose company 
 they find great comfort and delight. 
 
 Mr. Beaubien was the first child baptised by a 
 Catholic priest in Chicago, although the rite was 
 not performed until he was six years of age, 
 when Father Badden chanced to visit this place. 
 It is needless to add that Mr. Beaubien has con- 
 sistently retained that faith to the present time. 
 Since 1882 he has been a member of the Police- 
 men's Benevolent Association. He is independ- 
 ent in political action, supporting such men and 
 measures as he deems best suited to the public 
 interests, irrespective of party allegiance. He 
 leads a quiet, unassuming life, and takes great 
 pleasure in discussing events connected with the 
 pioneer days of Cook County, the most important 
 of which either came under his own observation 
 or that of his parents. 
 
 JAMES S. TOPPAN. 
 
 (TAMES SMITH TOPPAN, a man of broad 
 I business experience, has been an extensive 
 (*/ traveler and has resided and been engaged 
 in business in nearty every quarter of the globe. 
 He was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, 
 October 7, 1830, of good old New England stock, 
 as is shown by the following resume of his gene- 
 alogy: 
 
 The name Toppan was originally Topham, 
 taken from the name of a place in Yorkshire, 
 England, meaning upper hamlet or village. The 
 pedigree, as far back as it has been traced, com- 
 mences with Robert Topham, who resided at 
 Linton, near Pately Bridge, which is supposed to 
 have been in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He 
 made his will in 1550. His second son, Thomas 
 Topham, was of Arnecliffe, near L,inton. He 
 died in 1589, and was buried in the church at 
 Arnecliffe. Edward Topham, alias Toppan, eld- 
 est son of Thomas Topham, was of Aiglethorpe, 
 near L,inton, and has his pedigree recorded in the 
 
 College of Arms, with armorial bearings. Will- 
 iam Toppan, fourth son of Edward Toppan, of 
 Aiglethorpe, lived for some time at Calbridge, 
 where his son Abraham was baptised April 10, 
 1606. 
 
 The family still exists in England, and is 
 now of Middleham, in the northwest part ot 
 Yorkshire, on the river Ouse. The crest is a 
 Maltese cross (croix patee) with entwined ser- 
 pents. As early as 1637 Abraham Toppan re- 
 sided at Yarmouth. His wife was Susanna Taylor. 
 
 In the first volume of the fourth series of the 
 publications of the Massachusetts Historical So- 
 ciety, pp. 98-99, is the following: 
 
 ' 'A Register of the names of such persons who 
 are 21 years and upward and have license to 
 passe into forraigne parts from March, 1637, to 
 2gth of September, by virtu of a Commission of 
 Mr. Thomas May hew, Gentleman." 
 
 Among these persons are the following: 
 
 "Abraham Toppan, cooper, aged 31, Susanna,
 
 J. S. TOPPAN. 
 
 395 
 
 his wife, aged 31, with their children Peter and 
 Elizabeth, and one mayd servant, Anne Goodin, 
 aged 18 years, sailed from Yarmouth, 10 May, 
 1637, in the ship 'Rose,' of Yarmouth, Wm. 
 Andrews, Master." 
 
 In October, 1637, Abraham Toppan was in 
 Newbury, Massachusetts, as appears by the fol- 
 lowing extract from the town records: 
 
 "Abraham Toppan being licensed by John En- 
 dicott Esqr. to live in this jurisdiction, was re- 
 ceived into the town of Newberry as an inhabi- 
 tant thereof, and has promised under his hand to 
 be subject to any lawful order that shall be made 
 by the towne. 
 
 "Oct. 1637. ABRAHAM TOPPAN. " 
 
 The genealogy from this time on is as follows: 
 
 Jacob (son of the above) , b. 1645, m. Hannah 
 Sewall 24th August, 1670. 
 
 Abraham, b. 2gth June, 1684, m. Esther 
 Sewall 24th October, 1713. 
 
 Edward, b. 7th September, 1715, m. Sarah 
 Bailey 7th September, 1743. 
 
 Enoch, b. 7th May, 1759, m. Mary Coffin 
 2nd February, 1794. 
 
 Edward, b. 7th April, 1796, m. Susan L. 
 Smith, 22nd January, 1821. 
 
 James S., b. 7th October, 1830, m. Juliet A. 
 Lunt, 1 3th August, 1861. 
 
 The old homestead upon Toppan Street, in 
 Newburyport, was built by Jacob Toppan in 1670, 
 and was first occupied by himself and his bride. 
 The house has been lived in almost continually 
 since, and is still in the possession of the fam- 
 ily, being, even now, in a remarkably well-pre- 
 served condition. 
 
 Edward Toppan, the father of the subject of 
 this sketch, spent his entire life as a farmer in the 
 neighborhood of his native town, and was the fa- 
 ther of the following children : EdwardS., Charles, 
 Hannah, James S., Margaret, Susan L,., Serena 
 D. and Roland W. 
 
 James S. left school at twelve years of age, 
 and remained at home upon the farm until he was 
 fifteen, when he entered a stationery store in his 
 native town. 
 
 In May, 1849, when less than nineteen years 
 of age, he left Boston for California in the barque 
 
 ' 'Helen Augusta." ' A stop of seven days was made 
 at St. Catherines, Brazil, where, on the day after 
 their arrival, six of the crew deserted, and as no 
 others could be had to fill their places, four pas- 
 sengers, including Mr. Toppan, volunteered to 
 fill them, and did sailors' duties for the remainder 
 of the voyage. After rounding Cape Horn, they 
 spent one day on the island of Juan Fernandez, 
 made famous as the home of Robinson Crusoe. 
 Another stop of a week's duration was made at 
 the Gallapagos Islands for the purpose of secur- 
 ing supplies of water, terrapin and fish, and on 
 the ist of October they arrived in San Francisco. 
 
 Mr. Toppan's first work here was to build 
 a fence around some lots on the Sand Hills for a 
 Mr. David Murphy, and also to cloth and paper 
 two houses for the same person. When this was 
 completed, he, in company with another young 
 man, bought a whale-boat, which they ran as a 
 ferry-boat between San Francisco and what is 
 now Oakland. 
 
 Shortly afterwards this was sold out at a good 
 profit, and, in company with two others, Mr. 
 Toppan laid claim to one hundred and sixty acres 
 of mission land, supposing it to be public property. 
 A redwood tree, measuring eight feet in diameter 
 at the butt, was cut down, and from one length of 
 the trunk they built a house some thirty by eigh- 
 teen or twenty feet in size. Two yoke of oxen 
 and an old prairie wagon were purchased for 
 $1,200, and the land was cleared, plowed and 
 planted. 
 
 While waiting for their crops to mature they 
 employed their leisure time in cutting wild hay 
 and building a lever press a young sycamore 
 tree serving as the lever. Strips of green raw- 
 hide were used in binding the bales, and in this 
 manner six tons of hay were baled. They then 
 loaded it on old overland wagons, two of which 
 were borrowed, drawn by oxen, and started for 
 San Francisco, a distance of forty-eight miles. 
 
 Upon arriving at the Dolores Mission, they 
 found a large number of persons waiting to pur- 
 chase the ha}% and in less than an hour they had 
 disposed of their loads for $2,400. This was the 
 first large quantity of hay that had ever reached 
 San Francisco.
 
 396 
 
 J. S. TOPPAN. 
 
 On their return they gathered their crops and 
 purchased a sloop, with which to take them to 
 market at San Francisco. Potatoes brought eigh- 
 ty-five cents per pound, and other products were 
 proportionately high. After remaining in this 
 business for a year, Mr. Toppan was prostrated 
 with fever and ague, and was obliged to sell out 
 and return to San Francisco. Having remained 
 there three months and experienced no improve- 
 ment, he accepted an invitation from the master 
 of the ship "Lowell," of Newburyport, to take a 
 trip with him to Mazatlan, Mexico. From there 
 the vessel was ordered to Ypala, a thousand miles 
 south, where it was loaded with a cargo of dye- 
 woods for Boston. As Mr. Toppan did not care 
 to return home by the way of Cape Horn, he ac- 
 cepted an invitation from a wealthy Spanish gen- 
 tleman to accompany him to the City of Mexico. 
 They made their way to Typic, and thence to 
 their destination, making the entire trip on horse- 
 back, stopping at the principal towns along their 
 route. Mr. Toppan remained in the City of 
 Mexico six weeks, and was then appointed a 
 special bearer of dispatches to Washington by the 
 United States Minister. 
 
 After delivering these dispatches and visiting 
 his home he went to New York and took passage 
 in the Vanderbilt steamer "Daniel Webster" for 
 San Francisco, by way of Nicaragua. 
 
 They reached Nicaragua during the rainy sea- 
 son, and were eighteen days in crossing the Isth- 
 mus, and while passing up the Pacific Coast to 
 San Francisco eleven stops were made for the 
 purpose of burying people who had died of fever 
 contracted on the Isthnius. 
 
 On reaching the Golden Gate City, Mr. Top- 
 pan formed a partnership with George Mansfield, 
 a former chief steward of the Massasoit House, of 
 Springfield, Massachusetts, and they opened a 
 hotel on Clay Street, which they called the Mas- 
 sasoit House. This venture proving a success, 
 they carried on the hotel until it was destroyed in 
 the second big fire. They then purchased an in- 
 terest in a stern-wheel boat called ' 'The Fashion, ' ' 
 which they ran between San Francisco and Colusa, 
 the latter place being on the Sacramento River, 
 one hundred miles above the city of Sacramento. 
 
 A year after this Mr. Toppan, being ill with 
 bilious fever, sold his interest in the boat and 
 took passage for Honolulu, Sandwich Islands. 
 After a stay of six weeks he boarded the clipper 
 ship "Sovereign of the Seas," bound for New 
 York. At that time this ship was the largest 
 sailing-vessel afloat, and eighty days after leaving 
 Honolulu they reached New York, having made 
 the shortest passage ever made by a sailing-vessel. 
 
 Two months were now passed at home, and 
 then, the family physician having advised a 
 warmer climate for him, he sailed from Boston to 
 Calcutta, going as third mate of the vessel. Be- 
 fore starting he had made arrangements with 
 Frederick Tudor, a large dealer in and shipper of 
 ice, to act as his agent. He represented Mr. Tudor 
 for eight years in Calcutta, two years in Ceylon, 
 two years in Singapore, and two years in Java, 
 opening new houses in the last three places. 
 
 During his residence in the East, Mr. Toppan 
 visited Newburyport three times, remaining about 
 three months on each occasion. These trips were 
 made through the Red Sea, Suez Canal, the Med- 
 iterranean and overland across Europe to Liver- 
 pool. He was on the eve of going to Hong Kong, 
 to open an ice-house there when Mr. Tudor' s 
 death prevented. 
 
 Mr. Toppan then returned home and accepted 
 a position with Addison, Gage & Co., of Boston, 
 to start an ice business in Havana, Cuba, but af- 
 ter three years they were obliged to discontinue 
 operations on account of the internal dissensions 
 of the people of Cuba. 
 
 He then returned to Boston and became inter- 
 ested in petroleum oil. By experimenting, he 
 discovered a new way of filtering, and went to 
 Cleveland, Ohio, where he made arrangements 
 for manufacturing and placing his oil upon the 
 market. This business venture continued until 
 the peculiar grade of oil which was used as a base 
 became exhausted, since which time none like it 
 has been found. 
 
 Again, he went to Boston and purchased a one- 
 third interest in a large fish-oil house, taking 
 possession on the i5th of September, 1872. On 
 the loth of November the entire plant was de- 
 stroyed in the great Boston fire. The business,
 
 N. S. HAYNES. 
 
 397 
 
 however, was soon resumed, and continued until 
 the following September, when the Jay Cook 
 panic caused a failure. 
 
 Four years after this, or in May, 1877, Mr. 
 Toppan became identified with the Galena, and 
 the Signal Oil Works, Limited, of Franklin, Penn- 
 sylvania, coming to Chicago as their Resident 
 Manager for this territory. 
 
 He was the originator of the contract system 
 of supplying railroads with their lubricating oils, 
 these contracts being based upon the car and lo- 
 comotive mileage of the different roads. So sat- 
 isfactory and successful has this system proved, 
 that to-day upwards of seventy per cent, of the 
 railway mileage of the United States and Mexico 
 is supplied in this manner by the above-named 
 concerns. 
 
 Mr. Toppan was married, August 13, 1861, in 
 Newburyport, Massachusetts, to Miss Juliet A. 
 Lunt, who immediately accompanied him to Java. 
 She is the daughter of the late George and Caroline 
 (Chase) Lunt, and had one sister. Both her parents 
 died in Newburyport, the father at the age of 
 seventy-six, and the mother at seventy-five. Mr. 
 Lunt was a ship-owner and master, and spent the 
 major part of his life at sea. Mrs. Toppan 
 made two or three trips with him around the 
 world, and first met her husband in Calcutta. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Toppan became the parents of 
 four sons and two daughters. The first child, 
 James S., was born in Batavia, Java. When this 
 child was ten months old, Mr. and Mrs. Toppan 
 left Java for home, sailing from Liverpool on the 
 old Cunarder "Africa." When two days out, 
 small-pox broke out in the cabin, the child took 
 it and died ten da\'s after reaching home. Frank 
 W. was born in Cleveland, and lived only a few 
 weeks. 
 
 Of the remaining children, George L., who 
 married Grace D. Chapman, of Boston, resides in 
 Evanston. William R. married Carrie H. Clark, 
 01 this city, and has a son and daughter. Carrie 
 L. married George T. Loker, of this city; and 
 Fannie C. is still at home. 
 
 Mr. Toppan is a member of the society of Cali- 
 fornia Pioneers, and of the Sons of Massachusetts; 
 is domestic in his tastes and fond of his family. 
 He was brought up in the Unitarian faith, and 
 he and his wife attend Prof. Swing's and Bishop 
 Cheney's Churches. 
 
 He always votes the Republican 'ticket, and is 
 a stanch supporter of his party, keeps abreast of 
 the times, is broad-gauged and well informed, 
 and is a pleasant, genial man and an entertain- 
 ing companion. 
 
 REV. N. S. HAYNES. 
 
 REV. N. S. HAYNES, pastor of the Engle- 
 wood Church of Christ, Chicago, is a native 
 of Kentucky, his birth having occurred in 
 Washington, Mason County, on the yth of March, 
 1844. When he was a lad of eight summers, his 
 parents removed to Illinois, settling in Woodford 
 County, on a farm near the town of Eureka. No 
 
 event of special importance occurred during his 
 youth, which was passed in the usual manner of 
 farmer lads. During the summer he aided in the 
 labors of the field, and in the winter months be- 
 came familiar with the common branches of learn- 
 ing by study in the district schools. In 1859, he 
 became a student in Eureka College, where he
 
 39 
 
 N. S. HAYNES. 
 
 remained until after the breaking out of the War 
 of the Rebellion, when, prompted by patriotic im- 
 pulses, he joined an Illinois regiment and went to 
 the front. On his return from the South, he re- 
 sumed his study in college, and in 1867 was grad- 
 uated from the full classical course. He con- 
 tinued his studies after this, however, and in 
 1868 the degree of Master oi Arts was conferred 
 upon him. 
 
 In the fall of 1867, Mr. Haynes received the ap- 
 pointment of principal of the public schools of Kan- 
 sas, Edgar County, Illinois, and for a year filled 
 that position in a creditable and acceptable man- 
 ner. In May, 1868, he determined to enter the 
 ministry, feeling that his services were needed in 
 the cause of Christianity, and in June of that year 
 he was ordained to the ministry by the churches 
 of Kansas and Eureka. In July he became the 
 regular pastor of the churches of Kansas and Dud- 
 ley, and did good work in both. During that time 
 he also organized the church in Newman. In the 
 fall of 1869, he entered the Bible College of Lex- 
 ington, Kentucky, where he remained during the 
 school year, and then returned to his former field 
 in Edgar County. In July, 1872, he went to 
 Prince Edward Island, where he spent one hun- 
 dred and two days, during which time he delivered 
 one hundred and five sermons and held a two-days 
 public discussion with Rev. Mr. Melville, a min- 
 ister of the Kirk and a graduate of Edinburgh Uni- 
 versity. As a result several prominent members 
 of the Kirk were converted and a strong and influ- 
 ential church was organized at Montague Bridge, 
 where the debate was held. 
 
 After his return from abroad, Mr. Haynes, in 
 August, 1873, became pastor of the church in De- 
 catur, Illinois, where he remained almost uninter- 
 ruptedly until January, 1 88 1. He found there a 
 church of small membership, with little influence, 
 and the services were held in a very dilapidated 
 house. Undaunted by the obstacles in his path, 
 with zeal and energy he began his labors there, 
 and during his pastorate a commodious chapel was 
 erected at a cost of over $7,000, the membership 
 of both the Sunday-school and congregation was 
 more than doubled, and the church was placed on 
 
 a good working basis, becoming one of the lead- 
 ing religious organizations in the city. 
 
 Soon after his removal to Decatur, Mr. Haynes 
 was married. On the 2oth of November, 1873, he 
 was joined in wedlock with Miss Rose Frazier, the 
 ceremony being performed near Paris, Illinois. 
 Three children have been born to them, but Ruth, 
 the eldest, died at the age of eighteen months. 
 Rose, aged fifteen, and Ethel, ten years of age, are 
 still at home. 
 
 On resigning the pastorate of the Decatur 
 Church, Mr. Haynes entered upon his duties as 
 State Evangelist, to which position he was elected 
 by the Illinois Christian Missionary Convention 
 on the ist of January, 1881. He thus served un- 
 til September i, 1886, during which time the 
 Permanent Fund of the society grew from less than 
 $2,000 to $20,000, and it is now a source of constant 
 income for the evangelistic work in the State. 
 He traveled extensively all over Illinois, laboring 
 untiringly, aiding missions, preaching the gospel, 
 locating pastors, and performing all the labors that 
 came to his hand which were calculated to ad- 
 vance the cause of Christianity. 
 
 On the ist of September, 1886, Mr. Haynes be- 
 came pastor of the First Christian Church in Pe- 
 oria, Illinois, where he continued until the ist of 
 March, 1892. There again his labors were very 
 successful and he left the church in a flourishing 
 condition, its work being carried on systematically, 
 while everything was in a harmonious condition. 
 On the ist of March, 1892, he accepted a call from 
 the church of Englewood, where he has since con- 
 tinued, winning the love and respect of his con- 
 gregation and the esteem of all with whom he has 
 been brought in contact, of whatever denomina- 
 tion. He is an able writer and has long been a 
 valued contributor to the Christian Evangelist, 
 one of the leading papers of the denomination. 
 His writings are clear, logical and to the point, 
 and in every department of church work he has 
 proven almost equally successful. As a teacher, 
 evangelist, pastor, writer and superintendent of 
 missionary operations, he has indeed shown him- 
 self to be "a workman that needeth not to be 
 ashamed. ' '
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 JOHN CHIPP
 
 JOHN CHIPP. 
 
 399 
 
 JOHN CHIPP. 
 
 (JOHN CHIPP was bom June 24, 1828, in 
 I Worcestershire, England, and was the son 
 Q) of Isaac and Martha (Lanning) Chipp. Isaac 
 Chipp and his wife lived to the unusual age of 
 more than eighty years; he died in 1868, at the 
 age of eighty-six years, and his wife in 1872, at 
 the age eighty-three years. Their children were: 
 Elizabeth, Hannah, Richard, Obadiah, John, 
 Isaac and Samuel. Samuel and Richard came 
 to America, where Samuel died, and Richard is 
 still living on a farm in Du Page County, Illinois. 
 When he was thirteen years of age, John Chipp 
 was apprenticed to a butcher, with whom he re- 
 mained five years, and then, not liking his work, 
 ran away to the Isle of Guernsey, where he con- 
 ducted a business for himself six years, and there 
 he was married in 1853. I" I ^54 ne decided to 
 come to America, and emigrated to Chicago, 
 locating at what is now Blue Island Avenue and 
 Morgan Street, and he opened a meat market in 
 stall No. 7, in the old West Side Market. He 
 remained here doing business until the building 
 was condemned, when he started a market on 
 West Polk Street, near Blue Island Avenue, and 
 later had a market on Jefferson Street, near Har- 
 rison. His next venture was packing and ship- 
 ping meat for the pinery trade. After some 
 time spent in this way, he moved to Pike's Peak, 
 at which place he started in business, buying 
 about seven thousand dollars' worth of stock and 
 opening a store in California Gulch. His busi- 
 ness here was unprofitable, so he returned to Chi- 
 cago at the end of eleven months, but did not 
 remain long. 
 
 In the latter part of 1863 he again went to 
 
 California Gulch and opened a store with ten 
 thousand dollars' worth of stock, and this venture 
 was a success. In a year and a-half, however, 
 he returned to Chicago, where he built three 
 houses, one of which he occupied himself five 
 years in the dry-goods business. He lived a re- 
 tired life the next six years, and then built two 
 stores at the corner of Sixteenth Street and Blue 
 Island Avenue. He exchanged this property 
 for two hundred and fifty-two acres of improved 
 land in section n, Virgil Township, Kane 
 County, Illinois. The object of this was that he 
 might live a retired life, having the farm culti- 
 vated by a tenant. 
 
 Mr. Chipp was married February 20, 1853, to 
 Miss Jane, daughter of Abraham and Jane 
 (Wales) Crossland. She was born December 29, 
 1832, in the Isle of Guernsey. Her father, 
 Abraham Crossland, was born in Leeds, and her 
 mother, Jane Wales, was born in Kendall, Wales. 
 John, the father of Abraham Crossland, was a 
 silk weaver, and lived in Wales all his life. He 
 married Elizabeth Wincupp, and their only chil- 
 dren were Abraham and John. Mrs. Jane Cross- 
 land's father, William Wales, was a tanner, who 
 came to America and located in Philadelphia, 
 where he was accidentally killed by falling from 
 a bugg3 r . His wife was Jennie Riggs, and their 
 children were John, William and Jane. Abra- 
 ham Crossland died in 1862, at the age of seventy- 
 seven years, and his wife, Jane, died in 1853, at 
 the age of sixty-eight years. Their children 
 were: John, Mary, Elizabeth, Louisa, Annie and 
 Jane, Mrs. Chipp. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. John Chipp became the parents
 
 400 
 
 J. A. SIMPIER. 
 
 of the following children: Martha Jane, born No- 
 vember 20, 1854, in Guernsey; she married John 
 Keating, living in Aurora until her death, January 
 n, 1897. ( Her children are Lena, born July 20, 
 1886; Roy, June 17, 1887; and Edward, February" 
 3, 1890.) James Harris, who was born in this 
 city November 17, 1856, and died August 12, 
 1872; Vincent, born September 12, 1857, and 
 died in December, 1867; Wales fanning, born 
 April 8, 1873, in Kane County, and is in busi- 
 ness in the city. 
 
 Mr. Chipp died at his comfortable home on his 
 farm in Kane County, February 9, 1888, and he 
 was laid to rest in Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago. 
 He united with the Masonic order in 1859, by 
 becoming a member of Old Bigelow Lodge in 
 Chicago. Subsequently he became a member of 
 Ashland Lodge, and was buried under the 
 
 auspices of the Masons. In politics he was an 
 ardent Republican. He was nominated for alder- 
 man on the West Side, but did not accept the 
 nomination. He was a worthy member of the 
 English Church. Mr. Chipp's wife survives him, 
 and she is a valuable citizen of South Chicago. 
 She is a member of Lady Garfield Lodge, Order 
 of the Eastern Star; of Charity Lodge, Daughters 
 of Rebekah, and a valued member of Burnside 
 Relief Corps. Since her husband's death she 
 has very ably managed the business of his estate. 
 Her son, Wales Lanning Chipp, and her nephew, 
 George Dobin, have a large grocery business in 
 South Chicago, which is conducted at three 
 different stores. She has been an active business 
 woman, showing great ability in the conduct of 
 all her affairs, and she has won the admiration 
 and esteem of the community. 
 
 JOSEPH A. SIMPIER. 
 
 (JOSEPH ASDRASE SIMPIER was born in 
 I Montreal, Canada, August i, 1846. He is 
 G/ of French descent, and is the son of Amos and 
 Sophia (Brothers) Simpier, natives of France. 
 His grandfather, Amhern Simpier, was born in 
 Paris, France, and was a watchmaker by trade. 
 He traveled from place to place, making and re- 
 pairing watches and clocks. In 1812 he emigra- 
 ted to Canada and located at Montreal, where he 
 died in 1862. His wife was Mary Robscheo, and 
 they had three children, among them Amos Sim- 
 pier, father of the subject of this notice. 
 
 Amos Simpier was born in Montreal and came 
 to the United States in 1852, settling in Olean, 
 New York. Here he remained one year and then 
 returned to Canada, and lived there until 1867, 
 when he again came to this country, and located 
 at Chicago. He brought his family this time, 
 and worked at his trade, shoemaking, in South 
 
 Chicago. He married Miss Sophia Brothers in 
 Point de Tremble, Canada, and they had fourteen 
 children, of whom Joseph A. is the eldest. Amos 
 Simpier died in 1885, in South Chicago, at the 
 age of sixty-four years, and his wife survives him 
 and lives in this city. 
 
 Joseph Simpier was born in Montreal and learned 
 the shoemaker's trade there when a youth. When 
 he was twenty-one years of age, he went to Olean, 
 New York. This country has always offered to 
 young men of courage and ambition, a field for 
 study or labor, where they can make good prog- 
 ress in whatever line of work they follow. Wheth- 
 er rich or poor, whether born of the aristocracy 
 or of the common people, only those are able to 
 rise who are fitted by intellect, energy, and firm- 
 ness of character. Mr. Simpier remained at Olean 
 nine years and was there engaged in business. 
 In 1873, attracted by the wider field of opportuni-
 
 J. H. JONES, SR. 
 
 401 
 
 ties in the Great West, he came to Chicago. He 
 bought a triangular lot in South Chicago, at the 
 corner of Harbor and Mackinaw Avenues, and 
 there built the house in which he lived until 1887. 
 In that year he bought a lot at No. 9142 
 Mackinaw Avenue, and built his present comfort- 
 able home, where he still carries on the boot and 
 shoe business. When Mr. Simpier first came to 
 Chicago, he engaged successfully in the dry-goods 
 business, and owned one of the largest stores in 
 the city, which he sold out in 1891. 
 
 When he was only twenty years old, he married 
 Mary Butcher, but they had no children. Mrs. 
 
 Simpier died when they had been married only a 
 few years, and in 1883 Mr. Simpier married Mary 
 O'Marro, daughter of Timothy O'Marro, and a 
 native of Watertown, Wisconsin. They have two 
 children living Amos, aged twelve, and Laura, 
 aged ten years. One child, Lulu, died at the age 
 of two years. 
 
 Mr. Simpier was reared in the Catholic faith, 
 but never has been active in church matters. He 
 is an upright, law-abiding citizen, and is inter- 
 ested in all that concerns the welfare of his adopt- 
 ed country. In politics he favors the Republican 
 party, but has never cared for any office. 
 
 JOHN H. JONES, SR. 
 
 (JOHN HUGH JONES, Senior. This is a 
 I name that will readily be recognized in Chi- 
 C/ cago building circles as that of one of the 
 most honorable and reliable contractors with 
 which large building interests in the city have 
 ever had occasion to deal. He was killed while 
 superintending the construction of the plant of 
 the North Chicago Rolling Mill Company in 
 South Chicago, the circumstances attending 
 his death being peculiarly sad and tragic. 
 
 His father, Hugh Jones, died October 19, 1893, 
 in Llangfui, County Anglesea, North Wales, at 
 the advanced age of eighty- four years. He was 
 a farmer, and had a life lease of twenty acres of 
 land, which he held, without rent, from his 
 brother, Harry Jones. 
 
 John Hugh Jones, senior, was born March 28, 
 1831, in North Wales, and came to this country 
 in 1849, in company with his brother Hugh. He 
 settled at Rome, New York, where he remained 
 one year, and then found work in Milwaukee, 
 where he lived until 1862. He moved that year 
 to Winona, Minnesota, where he followed the 
 builders' trade for ten years. The year of the 
 
 big fire brought him to Chicago to engage in re- 
 building the ruined city. He took up his resi- 
 dence at No. 227 Fulton Street, and devoted his last 
 years to the gigantic work of reconstruction 
 that the rapid growth of Chicago made necessary. 
 He was a practical mason, and served as foreman 
 in Milwaukee. In Winona he did independent 
 contracting on an extensive scale, and was the 
 principal partner of the building firm of Jones & 
 Butler. In Chicago he built some of the most 
 imposing buildings that were completed in the 
 seventies, among them being the Hale-Ayer 
 building, Orrin W. Potter's residence, as super- 
 intendent of mason work for Carter Brothers, and 
 Adolph Loeb's fine house on the North Side. He 
 built the mill work for the Joseph H. Brown Com- 
 pany at Irondale, and the D. K. Pierson block on 
 North Clark and Schiller Streets. He put up the 
 blast furnace at Irondale, and laid the first track 
 for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail- 
 road that was put across Halsted Street. In a 
 contracted sketch like this it is impossible to re- 
 count all his varied activities and labors. But 
 this is enough to show the manner of the man
 
 402 
 
 C. W. TRAVIS. 
 
 and the bent of his disposition. He was capable 
 and energetic, and not afraid of the largest un- 
 dertakings. 
 
 Mr. Jones wedded Jane Thomas, in Waukesha, 
 Wisconsin, December 18, 1856. She was a 
 daughter of John William and Elizabeth (Jones) 
 Thomas. Her father died April 13, 1894, at 
 Waukesha, when over eighty-three. He was a 
 farmer, and came from Wales to Wisconsin in 
 1849. He bought Government land, which he 
 cultivated with much profit, and was a successful 
 man. Elizabeth (Jones) Thomas died May 10, 
 1884, at the age of seventy-two. Her children are: 
 Owen, who died at the age of eighteen; William, 
 who is at Waterville, Wisconsin; Jane, who was 
 born October 16, 1837; Ellen, Mrs. Howell Will- 
 iams, of Delta, Pennsylvania; and Mary, who 
 married William C. Jones, and lives in Waukesha. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. John Hugh Jones were 
 born five children, of whom John Hugh was the 
 eldest. His sketch appears elsewhere. William 
 Owen was born July 15, 1860, and lives at No. 175 
 Seventy-third Place. He is doing a good commis- 
 sion business. David Richard, whose sketch is 
 in this work, was born June 12, 1863, and is 
 deputy sheriff. Abraham Lincoln was born De- 
 cember 3, 1865, and died January i, 1870. Eliz- 
 abeth Jane was born August 7, 1870, and married 
 Martin Weightman, whose sketch forms a part of 
 this work. Mr. Jones united with the Indepen- 
 dent Order of Odd Fellows in Winona, and 
 throughout his life was much interested in its 
 welfare. He filled all its chairs and reflected 
 credit upon the institution. He was a Presbyte- 
 rian, and a Republican, but never held a public 
 office. 
 
 CHARLES W. TRAVIS. 
 
 /TJHARLES WINFIELD TRAVIS, a promi- 
 1 1 nent man among railroaders, was born April 
 \^J 25, 1849, in Fishkill Village, Dutchess 
 County, New York. He is the son of Jeremiah 
 Banker and Catharine (Bogardus) Travis, both 
 of whom are native-born Americans. Richard, 
 father of Jeremiah Travis, was a native of New 
 York. His children were: John, Susan, Jere- 
 miah and Nathaniel. Susan married Henry Slau- 
 son, and is living at Dwight, Illinois. Jeremiah 
 Travis was a stone mason and plasterer. He was 
 foreman of repairs on the Chicago & Alton Rail- 
 road fourteen years, and during the fifteen years 
 preceding his death he lived a retired life at his 
 home, No. 134 Forty-third Place, Chicago. He 
 died May 25, 1897, at the age of seventy-nine 
 years. His wife, Catharine Bogardus, was born 
 October 15, 1817, at Fishkill, and died June 
 8, 1884. She was the daughter of Abraham 
 
 Bogardus, whose children were: Catharine, John, 
 Oliver, Frederick, Jeanette and Phrebe. Jere- 
 miah Travis and his wife were the parents of 
 the following children: Daniel, George, Martha, 
 William, Alonzo, Richard, Mary, Charles, Jere- 
 miah and Annie, the first five of whom are now 
 dead. 
 
 Charles W. Travis removed with his parents to 
 Dwight, Illinois, in 1855. In 1864 he left home 
 to earn his own living, though then only fifteen 
 years of age. At first he was a brakeman for the 
 Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, 
 and was later employed in switching, and after 
 some time was promoted to be a conductor. He 
 was in the service of the Fort Wayne Road until 
 1870, and subsequently worked for the Chicago & 
 Alton as a brakeman. Then he went back to the 
 Fort Wayne Railroad, and continued with it until 
 the strike of 1894, in the positions of brakeman
 
 FRANK HENNEBOHLE. 
 
 403 
 
 and switchman, and finally as a conductor. In 
 1895 he engaged with the Calumet & Blue Island 
 Railway, and is at present in the same serv- 
 ice. Altogether he has worked about twenty 
 years as a conductor, and he has in that time 
 made a good record for himself. 
 
 October 27, 1870, Mr. Travis married Frances 
 Jane, daughter of Martin and Lejah (Graham) 
 Berry. Mrs. Travis was born April i, 1852, on 
 
 Polk Street, in Chicago. She is the mother of one 
 child, Charles Edward Travis, born at Washing- 
 ton, Illinois, June 20, 1872. Mr. Travis is a 
 member of Renfrew Lodge No. 144, Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of Washington, 
 Illinois. In political matters he supports the 
 principles upheld by the Democratic party. He 
 is a man who is esteemed by his fellow-workmen 
 as an honest and reliable friend. 
 
 FRANK HENNEBOHLE. 
 
 j"~ RANK HENNEBOHLE, one of the most 
 JM successful inventors of this country, and an 
 | expert mechanic, was born September 30, 
 1856, in the city of Ruethen, Westphalia, Ger- 
 many. He is the son of Casper and Theresa 
 (Tillman) Hennebohle, natives of Germany, and 
 the first one of his family to come to America. 
 He landed in New York, April 2, 1880, and went 
 to Pittsburgh, where he worked a year for the 
 Pittsburgh Locomotive Works, and afterward a 
 year for the McKinney Hinge Factory. 
 
 In 1882 he came to Chicago and worked in the 
 Allen Paper Car- Wheel Works, at Pullman, six 
 months. He worked four months in the city, 
 and then went to South Chicago, where he was 
 employed by Fieldhouse, Butcher & Belden, 
 manufacturers of wrought-iron pipe, for a period 
 of eight months. From August, 1883, till 1889, 
 he worked for the Illinois Steel Company, as head 
 machinist. He then began business for himself, 
 with his factory on Ontario Avenue near Ninety- 
 first Street. He moved to his present location, 
 South Chicago and Erie Avenues, in July, 1894, 
 and has since done business under his individual 
 name. 
 
 He had been working at the machinist's trade 
 since he was twelve years old, having then begun 
 his apprenticeship of three and a-half years. This 
 
 was at the time of the Franco-Prussian War, 
 when this business was very lucrative. From 
 1875 to 1878 he served as foreman for the Bochu- 
 mer-Verein (manufacturers of steel rails and all 
 kinds of railroad equipments, as well as cannon 
 and other implements of war, such as steel pro- 
 jectiles, etc.), located at Bochumer, Germany. 
 Mr. Hennebohle has perfected and patented more 
 than twenty-four inventions, including useful 
 articles that are now in use throughout the world, 
 and are manufactured exclusively by him at 
 his plant in South Chicago. Among his later 
 inventions may be mentioned the Air and Hy- 
 draulic Compressor, in which not over five per 
 cent, of the power in operating other similar ma- 
 chines is used; and he has applied for a patent on 
 this. The Hennebohle Rotary Engine is another 
 late invention, and promises to be the only really 
 successful engine of its kind ever placed on the 
 market. He is the inventor and manufacturer 
 of steam and hydraulic specialties, which include 
 man}- steam and gas regulators. 
 
 His patents on the Automatic Stop Safety Valve 
 and the Boiler Steam Check Valve, as well as the 
 F. Hennebohle Noiseless Automatic New Relief 
 Valve, cover the United States, England, Ger- 
 man}', Belgium, Austria and France, and he is 
 destined to be made wealthy by the universal use
 
 40 4 
 
 EDWARD NOMMENSEN. 
 
 of these valuable appliances. Many lives which 
 have been lost in steam boiler explosions might 
 have been saved, had the invention of Mr. Henne- 
 bohle been in use on those boilers. 
 
 At the World's Columbian Exposition he re 
 ceived medals and diplomas, and he supplied 
 many buildings at the Great Fair with machinery. 
 He purchased from the German inventor, Custo- 
 dis, the chimney exhibited by the latter at the 
 Fair, and has it now in use on his factory at 
 South Chicago. It is made of hollow bricks, in 
 octagonal form, each brick being in dimension 
 identical with the dimension of the chimney. 
 
 Mr. Hennebohle employs about thirty-five men, 
 and gives to every part of the work his personal 
 attention and supervision, understanding all that 
 takes place within his factory. The building is 
 at the corner of Erie and South Chicago Avenues, 
 and is a two-story and basement building, sixty 
 by one hundred feet in dimension. Mr. Henne- 
 bohle is honorable in all his dealings, and is in- 
 terested in any project for the improvement of the 
 city. 
 
 November* 16, 1877, Mr. Hennebohle married 
 
 Miss Anna, daughter of Johann and Margaret 
 Schildges. They have the following children: 
 Martha, who was born December 24, 1878, and died 
 when one year and nine months old; Henry, who 
 was born March 28, 1880, and died at the age of 
 one year and ten months; Frank, who was born 
 April 4, 1882, and died when five months old; 
 Theresa, who was born July 12, 1883; Elizabeth, 
 who was born March 10, 1885; and Anna, who 
 was born September 6, 1886; Mary, who was 
 born July 13, 1888; and Katharina, who was born 
 November 4, 1890. Besides these children he is 
 rearing five children of his brother, who are or- 
 phans. Their names are: William, who was 
 born January 13, 1879; Frank, born February 
 19, 1885; Emil, born December 9, 1887; Mar- 
 garita, born July 10, 1891; and John, born Sep- 
 tember 15, 1892. Mr. Hennebohle is a member 
 of Branch No. 317, Catholic Knights of America, 
 and also of the German Catholic Central Society 
 of America, under the Catholic Church. In poli- 
 tics he is a Democrat. He is prominent among 
 the citizens of South Chicago, among whom he 
 has many friends and admirers. 
 
 EDWARD NOMMENSEN. 
 
 |~ DWARD NOMMENSEN was born August 
 fy 6, 1832, in the village of Klickspiel, Thun- 
 L_ den, Germany, and died March 27, 1893, at 
 his family residence in Chicago. His parents 
 were John and Margareta (Marcelon) Nommen- 
 sen, and in their home he remained untrT he 
 reached the estate of manhood. He was united 
 in marriage in the old country to Mary An- 
 derson, a daughter of John and Christina (Broder- 
 son) Anderson. She was born November 20, 
 1835, in Teck, Germany, and before the family 
 came to America was the mother of several chil- 
 dren. They reached South Chicago in May, 1870, 
 
 bringing with them their children, Christina, 
 Laura, Mary, John and Edward. The husband 
 and father was a horse dealer in Germany, but on 
 coming to this country did whatever came to his 
 hand until he was wonted to the ways and ac- 
 quainted with the language of the country. In 
 1892 he bought property at No. 603 Ninety- 
 seventh Street, and built a house there. He was 
 very active in helping to rebuild the city after 
 the great fire. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Nommensen were the parents of 
 eight children, whose history is here briefly given: 
 Christina was born July 25, 1859, married
 
 JOSEPH PECKER. 
 
 405 
 
 Andrew Hansen, an engineer in the employment 
 of the Illinois Steel Company, and lives on Hous- 
 ton Avenue. Laura, born April 25, 1861, married 
 William Martz, an engineer for the Illinois Steel 
 Company, and lives at No. 8723 Exchange Ave- 
 nue. Mary, born November 29, 1863, married 
 Marcus Hansen, and is a widow, with a home on 
 Exchange Avenue, just north of her sister Laura. 
 John, born October 28, 1866, an engineer, in the 
 employ of the Illinois Steel Company , wedded Mary 
 Tiege, and lives at No. 8906 Superior Avenue. Ed- 
 ward, born August 25, 1869, married LenaSchim- 
 kie, and has his home at No. 8729 Houston 
 Avenue. All these children are of German na- 
 tivity. Anthony, born September 23, 1872, is an 
 engineer and a skilled workman in the Illinois 
 Steel Company's works. He served under Will- 
 iam Gillice, master mechanic in the bessemer de- 
 partment, eight years. He attended the South 
 Chicago schools, and is a man of much character 
 and genuine worth. Andrew, born December 19, 
 1874, a native of South Chicago, is a house paint- 
 er, lives at home and works by the day. August 
 was born June 20, 1877, at the family homestead, 
 and is employed by the Illinois Steel Company as 
 fireman, a position that he has held three years. 
 John, father of Edward Nommensen, died in 
 
 1849 in Klickspiel. By occupation he was a la- 
 borer. He was the father of four children beside 
 the subject of this sketch, Nicholas, Johannah, 
 Katharina and Peter. These children remained 
 in the old countiy, where their families are still 
 living. The father studied for the ministry, but 
 joined the German army, and served throughout 
 the Franco- Prussian war, his military experiences 
 covering a period of eight years. 
 
 John Anderson, father of Mrs. Mary Nommen- 
 sen, was born in 1804, and died when Mrs. Nom- 
 mensen was a mere child. He was the father of 
 three children. Meta Marie, the eldest, married 
 George Peterson in the old country, came to Amer- 
 ica in 1882, and is now living on Houston Ave- 
 nue. Mary is Mrs. Nommensen. Christina 
 married Lawrence Petersen in Germany, where 
 they now reside, and is the mother of four chil- 
 dren. The grandfather of Mrs. Nommensen, 
 Andrew Anderson, was a tailor and had four chil- 
 dren. Christina (Mrs. Hans Hollenson), Andrew, 
 John and Christian. Broder Broderson, father of 
 Mrs. John Anderson, had four children, Inge, 
 Christina, Dorothea and Christian. Mr. Nom- 
 mensen was an honest, hard-working man, and 
 his modest, unassuming virtues are tenderly re- 
 membered. 
 
 JOSEPH PECHER. 
 
 (JOSEPH PECHER was born May 21, 1823, 
 in Doelitscheu, Bohemia, and is a son of 
 Mathias and Margaret (Croy) Pecher. The 
 father was a tailor, and the grandfather a black- 
 smith. The family was an old and respected one, 
 and has representatives in various walks of life 
 in the home country to-day. 
 
 Mr. Pecher grew to manhood in the old coun- 
 try home, where he was married and reared quite 
 a family before the spirit moved him to emigrate 
 
 to America. He crossed the ocean, and landed in 
 New York October 18, 1866, having with him 
 his wife, and his children, John, Joseph, Ernes- 
 tina, Frank and Paul. One son, Charles, had 
 come over six months .before. The family came 
 direct to Chicago, and settled on Blue Island 
 Avenue, They are still together, with the ex- 
 ception of Ernestina, Frank and Joseph. John 
 was born November 15, 1850, in Vienna, and 
 was a shoemaker in Germany. In Chicago he
 
 406 
 
 R. E. LITTLE. 
 
 was a butcher until 1881, and has been engaged 
 in the commission business since that time. 
 Joseph was born in Vienna, November 29, 1852, 
 and is a cabinet-maker. He wedded Mary New- 
 man, and has four children in his South Morgan 
 Street home: Joseph, Leo, and the twins, John 
 and Addie. Ernestina, born May 25, 1858, mar- 
 ried Jacob M. Strauch, for account of whom see 
 sketch in this volume. Frank is also the subject 
 of a biography in this work. Paul was born April 
 20, 1865, and is a hardwood finisher and painter, 
 now in business. He was married February 
 7, 1888, to Annie Heinz, a Chicago girl. Her 
 
 parents were Christian and Catharine (Hartman) 
 Heinz, and she was born October 31, 1866. She 
 is the mother of one child, Maria, born February 
 18, 1889. Charles was born June 20, 1869, at 
 No. 213 Blue Island Avenue, and died when six 
 months old. Mrs. Joseph Pecher was born De- 
 cember 4, 1825, in Machren, Bohemia, where her 
 parents were living on a farm. Their names 
 were Frank Steppan and Annie Marie Groeber. 
 They became the parents of six children, of whom 
 Mrs. Pecher is the youngest. The others were 
 Theresa, Annie Maria, Anton, Barbara and 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 ROBERT E. LITTLE. 
 
 QOBERT ELLISON LITTLE. Among the 
 ^ names of sturdy Scotchmen who came to. 
 f 3 \ America in early youth, and among the best 
 citizens and protectors of our national reputation 
 and honor, will be found that of Robert E. Little. 
 He was born November 4, 1840, in Stirling, Scot- 
 land, and is the son of Robert and Jane (Liddell) 
 Little, natives of that country. His father was a 
 farmer and came to Goderich, Canada, in 1856. 
 Here he purchased a farm, on which he lived 
 until his death. He had nine children, of whom 
 the eldest is Robert Ellison Little, the subject of 
 this notice. 
 
 Robert E. Little was an ambitious youth, and 
 when he was only fourteen years old he followed 
 his desire for sea life and sailed on salt water four 
 years. In 1858 he came to America, and took 
 command of the schooner "Experiment," and 
 sailed the lakes five years. Then he went to 
 Memphis, Tennessee, where he spent eighteen 
 months as a bookkeeper. After this he was nine 
 months in Canada, with his parents, and in the 
 spring of 1870 he located at Hyde Park, Chicago. 
 He lived there a year, and then came to South Chi- 
 cago, where he bought and fitted out the schooner 
 
 "Jim," and for two years kept it on the lakes. 
 This was practically the close of his sailor's career. 
 
 When Mr. Little was in South Chicago, he 
 made his home with Mrs. Mary Hunt, widow ot 
 William Hunt. They were among the earliest 
 settlers of South Chicago, and their home was 
 located where the elevators now stand. The 
 Hunt House was in early times a landmark for 
 miles around. It was a favorite resort of hunters 
 and visitors to the Calumet region. After the 
 close of his sailing Mr. Little bought this house, 
 in 1871, and conducted it till 1888. 
 
 August 28, 1883, Mr. Little married Miss 
 Anna, daughter of Gottfried and Marie (Sipple) 
 Deist, who came to Chicago in 1849. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Little are the parents of three children, 
 namely. Emma Bella, Robert Gottfried and John 
 William. Mr. Little has taken the degree of 
 Master Mason, but is not at present an active 
 member of any lodge. He and his family are 
 members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics 
 he is a stanch Republican. He is a man who 
 loves his home, and is a good husband and father. 
 He is a generous, true-hearted friend, and has 
 the respect of all who know him.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 DR. ALFRED HAKANSON 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J, ROOT)
 
 ALFRED HAKANSON, M. D. 
 
 407 
 
 ALFRED HAKANSON, M. D. 
 
 GlLFRED HAKANSON, M. D., a prominent 
 L_l physician of South Chicago, was born May 
 /| 12, 1866, at Geneseo, Illinois, and is the 
 son of John and Hannah (Pearson) Hakanson. 
 The latter's father was Peter Johnson, who mar- 
 ried Christine Mousen. Hakan Johnson, the pater- 
 nal grandfather of Dr. Hakanson, was born in 
 1785, and died in 1825. His wife was named 
 Elizabeth. 
 
 John Hakanson was born March 2, 1817, in 
 Christianstad, Sweden, and emigrated to Amer- 
 ica in 1860. He located in Henry County, Illi- 
 nois, and lived there six years, removing to 
 Henry County, Iowa, at the end of that time. 
 In 1874 he moved to Clay County, Nebraska, 
 and took up Government land. He has lived 
 there ever since, and the land is much improved. 
 He was married in Sweden December 3 1 , 1847, 
 and two of his children were born there, namely: 
 Anna and Elizabeth. The others, Peter, John 
 and Alfred, were born in the United States. Mrs. 
 Hannah Hakanson was born February 9, 1823, 
 in Sweden, and died July 9, 1891. 
 
 Alfred Hakanson was reared on a farm and 
 had the advantage of a high-school education at 
 Oakland, Nebraska. Later he went to Luther 
 Academy, Wahoo, Nebraska, from which he was 
 graduated. After leaving the academy he went 
 to Augustana College, at Rock Island, Illinois, 
 where he took a select course through the 
 sophomore year, taking also some of the junior 
 
 studies. In the autumn of 1886 he took .up the 
 study of medicine, his first preceptor being 
 Dr. John B. Ralph, city physician at Omaha, 
 Nebraska; the next preceptor was Prof. D. C. 
 Bryant, M. D. , an oculist and aurist of the same 
 city. March 27, 1890, he graduated from the 
 Medical Department of the University of Omaha. 
 He then practiced at Rockford, Illinois, for a 
 year, and thence went to South Chicago, where 
 he has practiced ever since 
 
 May 12, 1892, Dr. Hakanson married Bertha 
 Wilhelmina, daughter of Martin and Mary 
 Christine (Olson) Lindberg. She was born June 
 4, 1870, in Chicago. Dr. Hakanson is medical 
 examiner of the Linnea Society No. i, the In- 
 dependent Order of Svithiod No. 6, and Court 
 Norden No. 203, Independent Order of Foresters. 
 He is a member of the South Chicago Medical 
 Society and of the American Medical Association. 
 He is a Republican in politics, and had the honor 
 of serving as county physician for the period of 
 two years. In 1895 Mr. Hakanson took a post- 
 graduate course at the New York Post-Graduate 
 Medical School and Hospital, where he took a 
 course in clinical medicine and gynecology. 
 Though a comparatively young man, he has a 
 good practice, and is one of the most reliable 
 physicians of South Chicago. He is progressive 
 in his ideas, is interested in the public welfare, 
 favors public improvements, and is an honor to 
 his profession.
 
 408 
 
 H. S. SPARROW. 
 
 HANNAH S. SPARROW. 
 
 HANNAH STEELE SPARROW, M. D., is 
 one of the leading eclectic physicians of the 
 country, and a woman known throughout 
 the city for her charitable work and connection 
 with benevolent associations. She practices her 
 profession and makes her home at No. 9125 Erie 
 Avenue, Chicago. Her parents and their nine 
 children emigrated from England in March, 1868, 
 and came through to Chicago. Her father was 
 born March i, 1832, in Snainton, England, and 
 died November 30, 1868. His profession was 
 that of veterinary surgeon. The mother was 
 born May 12, 1831, in Hutton Buscel, England, 
 and now makes her home with Mrs. Sparrow. 
 She owns property at No. 909 North Robey 
 Street, Chicago, and has owned property on 
 Crossing Street, and at No. 87 Commercial Street, 
 in which neighborhood she was one of the old set- 
 tlers, having kept a residence there for twenty- 
 nine years. The children of this family are as 
 follows: Hannah, the subject of this sketch; Eva, 
 Mrs. William Salmon, now residing in Chicago; 
 Agnes, who married Daniel Lucy, and also 
 resides in Chicago; Robert Dunhill, who died at 
 the age of eleven years; Charlotta, who married 
 William Griffith, and resides at Dundee, Illinois; 
 Mary, wife of William De Critehlar Langston, a 
 resident of Chicago; Fred, also of Chicago; Caro- 
 line, who married Terrence O'Neil, and lives in 
 South Chicago; Ruth, Mrs. Edward Mann, a res- 
 ident of Chicago. 
 
 Mrs. Sparrow's paternal grandfather was 
 Thomas Steele, who was a veterinary surgeon in 
 Snainton, England. His wife was a Miss Maria 
 Dawson, and their children were: Mary, Robert, 
 William, Dawson, Martha, George, Jane and 
 
 John. None came to America, except the father 
 of Dr. Sparrow. 
 
 Tradition states that the Steeles were of 
 French origin, and located in England at an early 
 day and made a permanent home there until the 
 members of the family came to America. The 
 maternal grandfather of Dr. Sparrow was Leonard 
 Dunhill, who died in January, 1878, at the age of 
 sixty-four years. He was born in Hutton Buscel, 
 England, and married Jane Leaper, of Leeds, 
 England, who died in 1862, at the age of fifty 
 years. Their children were: Caroline, who died 
 in infancy; Mary Ann, Elizabeth, Robert and 
 Leonard Wilson, who died an infant. 
 
 The great-grandfather was Leonard Dunhill, 
 who married Caroline Charlotte Holt. Their 
 children were: Robert, Leonard, William, Mary, 
 Charlotte and Elizabeth. Mary and Elizabeth 
 came to this country and reared large families, 
 the latter being the wife of Thomas Sharp, and 
 the former of David Gill. 
 
 Dr. Hannah Steele Sparrow was born January 
 2, 1854, in Hutton Buscel, Yorkshire, England, 
 and is a daughter of William and Mary Ann 
 (Dunhill) Steele. She pursued her studies in 
 England until she came to America, and in 1881 
 she began the study of her profession with Doctors 
 Wilson H. Davies and Henry C. Tucker, of this 
 city. In 1887 she took her degree from Bennett 
 Eclectic Medical College of Chicago. While at- 
 tending school she had an office in the college 
 building, and was subsequently located at No. 68 
 Oak Street, No. 23 Townsend Street, at No. 3027 
 Fifth Avenue, and No. 9125 Erie Avenue, and 
 has been in South Chicago since 1881. She 
 never associated with a partner in practice.
 
 ALFRED DIBBEN. 
 
 409 
 
 May 23, 1870, she married Richard Sparrow 
 (see sketch elsewhere) . Their children are : 
 Willie Harold Steele, born February 28, 1878; 
 and Richard Paul Steele, November 26, 1896. 
 
 Dr. Sparrow has a membership in the South 
 Chicago Medical Society, the Woman's Medical 
 Club of Chicago, and the Eclectic Medical and 
 Surgical Society of Chicago. 
 
 She has a philanthropic and patriotic nature 
 and takes an active interest in charitable affairs 
 and the Grand Army of the Republic. She is 
 identified with nearly all the leading benevolent 
 associations in South Chicago. She is an ardent 
 Republican, and always takes as active a part in 
 politics as the limited franchise will allow. She 
 was one of the six women who were instrumental 
 in establishing a Woman's Hospital on the World's 
 Fair grounds. This hospital was intended to 
 take care of the sick and wounded or injured of 
 all classes during the continuance of the Fair, and 
 the plan was originated and carried to successful 
 completion by women physicians. To Dr. Sparrow 
 was assigned the arduous task of inspiring interest 
 in the enterprise throughout the various States, 
 among the lady physicians, and so well did she 
 
 succeed that the Woman's Hospital was pro- 
 nounced one of the greatest successes of the Fair. 
 All the labor and talent expended on this work 
 were purely gratis, and given for the love of her 
 profession and the good of mankind. 
 
 Dr. Sparrow has .in her possession a certificate 
 issued by the World's Congress Auxiliary of the 
 World's Columbian Exposition, which reads as 
 follows : "This certifies that Hannah S. Sparrow, 
 M. D., has been appointed by the World's Con- 
 gress Auxiliary, a member of the Woman's Ex- 
 ecutive Committee on a congress of eclectic phy- 
 sicians and surgeons, to convene in the city of 
 Chicago during the week commencing Monday, 
 May 29, 1893. In witness Whereof we have here- 
 unto affixed our names and the seal of the Auxil- 
 iary. 
 
 BERTHA HONORS PALMER, 
 
 President of Woman's Congress Auxiliary. 
 
 ELLEN M. HENROTIN, 
 
 Vice-President of Woman's Branch. 
 C. C. BONNEY, 
 
 President of World's Congress Auxiliary. 
 
 CLARENCE E. YOUNG, 
 
 Asst. Sec'y of World's Congress Auxiliary." 
 
 Only six of these signed certificates were issued. 
 
 ALFRED DIBBEN. 
 
 Gl LFRED DIBBEN, who comes of a family 
 I I noted for health and strength, was born in 
 / I Worthing, Sussex County, England, and is 
 a son of Reuben and Mary Ann (Boyling) Dib- 
 ben. Reuben Dibben was a blacksmith, who 
 owned his shop. He died in 1877, at the age of 
 seventy-three years. His wife, Mary Ann Dib- 
 ben, was born in 1832, and is still living in the 
 old home in England. They were the parents of 
 eight children, namely: George, John, James, 
 Alfred, Frederick, Walter, and two who died 
 when they were young. George was a sailor, 
 
 who came to America in 1862. He enlisted and 
 served through the Civil War. He now lives at 
 No. 3439 South Marshfielcl Avenue, and works at 
 Bridgeport in a rolling mill, as a ladle liner. John 
 came in 1867, and is now a watchman, and lives 
 at No. 994 North Lincoln Street, Chicago. James 
 came in 1869. He was a clipper in the foundry 
 at the North Chicago rolling mills. He returned 
 to England in 1872, and in 1873 he was killed by 
 accident. The subject of this sketch came to 
 America next. Frederick came in 1885, and 
 worked as a cupola-man in a mill. He returned
 
 4io 
 
 A. A. PETERSEN. 
 
 on a visit in 1896. Walter emigrated to the 
 United States in 1889, and returned in 1896. He 
 was a runner-man in a mill, but was compelled to 
 return to England on account of ill-health. 
 
 Alfred Dibben came to the United States in 
 April, 1876, and entered the service of the North 
 Chicago Rolling Mill Compaq' at its North 
 Works, as a cupola-man. In 1882 he went to 
 South Chicago, and has lived there ever since. 
 He built a home at No. 7949 Reynolds Avenue, in 
 1890, living there till 1895, when he went to his 
 present home, No. 9120 Superior Avenue. He 
 also owns lots in the city. 
 
 August 21, 1 88 1, Mr. Dibben married Miss 
 Caroline, daughter of James and Mary Turner. 
 
 They are the parents of the following children: 
 Arthur Reuben, born January 14, 1884; Earl 
 Chester, January 25, 1890; Carrie Pearl, June 
 15, 1892; and Frederick William, December 10, 
 
 1895- 
 
 Mr. Dibben is a member of Good Samaritan 
 Lodge No. 90, Sons of Saint George. He is a 
 Republican in politics, and has served as election 
 judge in the Eleventh Precinct of the Thirty-third 
 Ward. He is a devout member of the Episcopal 
 Church. August 4, 1882, while Mr. Dibben was at 
 work in the Illinois Steel Company's South 
 Chicago Works, an explosion occurred, which 
 covered his body with hot metal and water, and 
 as a result of this accident he lost his right eye. 
 
 ANDREW A. PETERSEN. 
 
 GlNDREW ANDERSEN PETERSEN was 
 J I born March 21, 1846, in Tandem, Germany, 
 l\ and is a son of Olde and Otelia (Wolfsen) 
 Petersen. His father was a shoemaker, and died 
 in 1861, at theageof fifty-seven. His widow sur- 
 vived him many years, and died in 1891, when 
 over eighty-three. She never came to America, 
 but spent all her days in the land where she mar- 
 ried and buried her husband. Their children 
 were: Johanna, Christina, Peter Boysen, Othelia, 
 Andrew Andersen and Johannis. All are dead 
 except Johannis, Peter and Andrew, the last 
 being the only one to leave the old country. An- 
 drew Andersen Wolfsen, the maternal grand- 
 father of the subject of this notice, was a tailor, 
 and had reached the great age of eighty-nine 
 years and five months at the time of his death in 
 1855. Two of his daughters, Annie and Cecelia, 
 never married. 
 
 Andrew Andersen Petersen passed his boyish 
 days in the German homestead, attended school 
 
 until it was time for him to go to work for him- 
 self, when he became an apprentice at the trade 
 of locksmith. He served several years at this 
 branch of industry, and knows it in all its details. 
 In 1 867 he was summoned to serve in the Ger- 
 man army, and was in the Franco- Prussian war 
 from its beginning to the end. He was an artil- 
 leryman, and passed unhurt through fifteen heavy 
 battles, though on more than one occasion horses 
 were killed under him. He was discharged from 
 the army in 1871, and the same year he came to 
 the new world, landing in Quebec. He had a 
 friend in Chicago, a Mr. Schrader, and he imme- 
 diately came to this city, and boarded in Mr. 
 Schrader's home for a year or more, while he 
 did any kind of iron or sign work that he could 
 find to do. 
 
 Mr. Petersen came to South Chicago July 15, 
 1874, and bought a small house, and in 1881 
 built his present home at No. 9932 Commercial 
 Avenue. In South Chicago he was busy at gen-
 
 DAVID KOENIG. 
 
 411 
 
 eral labor for a year, and then went into the ma- 
 chine shops of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 
 where he was employed about the engines five 
 years. He was in the service of the Illinois Steel 
 Company as a stationary engineer from 1879 to 
 1890. The ensuing five years he spent in various 
 ways, and in 1 895 was engaged by the city to do 
 repair work in the water-pipe department, and 
 this position he still holds. 
 
 Mr. Petersen has been twice married , his first 
 wife being Caroline Lorensen, whom he wedded 
 May 12, 1873. She was born May 31, 1854, and 
 died April 12, 1889. Her father's name was 
 Christopher Lorensen, and she was the mother of 
 a goodly family, of whom few representatives are 
 now living. Christopher Olde was born Febru- 
 ary 26, 1874, and died when seven years old. 
 Johannis, November 19, 1876, lived four years; 
 Peter Boysen, April n, 1877, died when two 
 years old. The next child, a girl, never lived, 
 
 and Christian Olde, June 28, 1880, is at home. 
 Othelia F., June 21, 1882, is at home. A sis- 
 ter Caroline died young. Andrew Andersen, 
 born June 18, 1887, and Carolina Fredrika, Au- 
 gust 9, 1885, are bright young girls at home. 
 
 Mr. Petersen' s second marriage united him with 
 Caroline Lissen, a daughter of Christopher and 
 Annie (Lusie) Lessen. She was born in Ger- 
 many, January 17, 1860, and came to this coun- 
 try when eighteen years old. She is now the 
 mother of four children: Peter Boysen, born 
 August 12, 1890, died December 28, 1890; Peter 
 Boysen, November 27, 1891; Anton Louis, April 
 12, 1894; and Herman Otto, August n, 1895. 
 Mr. Petersen belongs to the Krieger Verein, an 
 association of veterans of the great war with 
 France, and delights in the old memories. He is 
 a Republican in political principle, and is highly 
 esteemed in all the business and personal rela- 
 tions of his life. 
 
 DAVID KOENIG. 
 
 0AVID KOENIG, of the firm of Koenig & 
 Gross, dealers in paints, oils, glass and 
 wall-paper, was born on the I3th of De- 
 cember, 1868, onWentworth Avenue near Twen- 
 ty-seventh Street, Chicago, and is the son of Theo- 
 dore and Anna ( Deist) Koenig. Theodore Koe- 
 nig was born March 17, 1844, ' n Germany, and 
 emigrated in 1858, locating in Chicago. Anna 
 Deist was born February 3, 1841, in Germany. 
 They were the parents of three children, namely: 
 Mary, who married Arthur V. Daegling, and now 
 lives at No. 9006 Houston Avenue, Chicago; Da- 
 vid, whose name begins this sketch; and George, 
 who resides in California. 
 
 David Koenig was a youth of great energy, 
 and began life for himself at the age of thirteen 
 years. He worked at first for his father at the 
 
 butcher's trade, and was subsequently employed 
 by Mr. W. H. Stone. After this he attended 
 school at South Chicago, feeling that a young 
 man who has education has many advantages over 
 one without. When he left school, he went to 
 work for M. C. Magnussen, with whom he learned 
 his present trade. He stayed with Mr. Magnus- 
 sen eight years, which fact attests his faithfulness 
 and skill. But his ambition was not satisfied 
 with working for others, and in 1890 he attended 
 public night school, and studied bookkeeping 
 with a view to starting in business for himself. 
 
 In 1891 he began dealing in paints on his own 
 account, and in 1894 he was joined by a partner, 
 his brother-in-law, Henry Gross, and they have 
 been associated in business ever since. They have 
 from time to time enlarged their business, and at
 
 4 I2 
 
 J. H. HASKIN. 
 
 the present time are enjoying a very profitable 
 trade. They are the leading dealers in paints, 
 glass and similar materials, in South Chicago. 
 Both are young men of business ability, the firm 
 has a name for honest dealing, and the partners 
 make a careful study of their line of business. 
 
 April 18, 1891, Mr. Koenig married Miss 
 Mary Weimar, daughter of Theodore Weimar, of 
 German}-. They are the parents of two children: 
 Theodore, who was born May 14, 1892; and Al- 
 
 fred, September 21, 1895. Mr. Koenig is a mem- 
 ber of Sherman Lodge No. 279, Knights of 
 Pythias, which he served two terms as vice chan- 
 cellor, and is connected with the German Lutheran 
 Church. In political opinion he is a Republican, 
 and he is now judge of election for the Twenty- 
 second precinct of the Thirty-third Ward. Mr. 
 Koenig is a man of great sociability, and has 
 many firm friends. He is well known, and is one 
 of the representative business men of the city. 
 
 JOHN H. HASKIN. 
 
 (lOHN HAMILTON HASKIN (deceased) 
 I was for nearly a quarter of a century well 
 G) known in the business and social circles of 
 Chicago. He was born in London, Ontario, in 
 the year 1842, and was a son of John H. Haskin. 
 He had the misfortune to lose his mother in his 
 earliest childhood, and at seven years of age he 
 was orphaned by the death of his father. In con- 
 sequence thereof his early life was devoid of that 
 care and training which have so much to do in fit- 
 ting the child for the duties of adult life. 
 
 When only a boy he came to the United States, 
 locating in Chicago some years previous to the 
 outbreak of the Civil War. He was an ambitious, 
 energetic youth, and easily made his way, and 
 having the faculty of making and retaining friends, 
 his progress was rapid. The war coming on, he 
 enlisted at Blackberry, July 26, 1861, in what was 
 then called the Kane County Cavalry, but which 
 became Company H, of the Fifteenth Illinois Cav- 
 alry, Col. Warren Stewart commanding. He 
 participated in the battles of Wilson's Creek, Mis- 
 souri, August 10, 1861, and Belmont, Missouri, 
 November 7, 1861. 'The following spring his 
 regiment was assigned to Steele's division of 
 Curtis' army, and participated in the battle of Pea 
 Ridge, Arkansas, in which fight he was seriously 
 
 wounded in the breast by a piece of shell. He 
 was confined in the hospital at Benton Barracks, 
 Missouri, about ten months on account of this 
 wound, and as it prevented his performing active 
 service in the ranks, he was honorably discharged 
 February 13, 1863. He was then detailed as re- 
 truiting officer at Nashville, Tennessee, but re- 
 mained only a short time. Subsequently he en- 
 tered the quartermaster's department of the army, 
 where for some time he did clerical duty. Late 
 in 1864 he went into the ranks of Gen. GeorgeH. 
 Thomas' army, and was in the battle of Nashville, 
 when Hood, the rebel general, was overthrown. 
 
 In this battle he was again wounded. A mus- 
 ket ball passing through his hand, glanced from 
 the stock of his rifle and lodged back of the knee- 
 cap. The surgeons were unable to extract it, and 
 he carried it with him until the end of his life. 
 This wound left him helpless on the field of bat- 
 tle, where he remained throughout the night. The 
 war over, he studied law at Nashville, but never 
 practiced, owing to ill-health. 
 
 At Elgin, Illinois, May 14, 1866, he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Abbie Ellithorpe. Subsequently he 
 went to Belvidere, Illinois, wheie he engaged in 
 business, remaining there a year, then settled in 
 Chicago. He became connected with the Steele
 
 MARTINUS PETERSEN. 
 
 413 
 
 & Price Baking Powder Company in the capacity 
 of traveling salesman, and later went with Heuer 
 & Brockschmidt, now Aug Heuer & Sons, dealers 
 in furniture and upholsterers' supplies, as travel- 
 ing salesman. In 1873 he settled in Rogers Park, 
 then a straggling village of four houses, on the 
 prairie. 
 
 Mr. Haskin was a man of good abilities. He 
 had a natural talent that made up in good part 
 for the lack of advantages in his early life. He 
 was a close observer of people and events, and a 
 great reader. His memory was excellent, retain- 
 ing and digesting all that he read. He had won- 
 derful aptness of speech, making use of all that 
 he read. Although not cultured in graces of rhet- 
 oric, he possessed a natural oratory that was both 
 effective and pleasing. As a platform speaker he 
 was in demand at political and social gatherings. 
 As a Democrat he was prominent in the local 
 councils of the party, and upon the political ros- 
 trum he carried the flag of Democracy to victory 
 in many exciting contests. August 2, 1881, he 
 was elected to the office of justice of the peace for 
 the town of Evanston, a position he creditably 
 filled until his death. He was widely known and 
 respected by a host of friends and acquaintances. 
 
 Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Has- 
 kin, Middleton A. and Roy H., both promising 
 young men. Mr. Haskin died June 30, 1883. 
 Mrs. Haskin is a daughter of Oliver H. and Ade- 
 line (French) Ellithorpe, who settled in Kane 
 County, Illinois, about fifty-five years ago. The 
 Ellithorpes are a very old English family, and are 
 closely allied to the Oglethorpe family, of whom 
 General Oglethorpe, the founder of the State of 
 Georgia, is the most famous member. The first 
 one of the family to emigrate to this country was 
 Ichabod Ellithorpe, who came in the year 1710, 
 and settled in Connecticut. His grandson, John 
 Ellithorpe, grandfather of Mrs. Haskin, was a 
 soldier of the War of 1812, and took part in the 
 battle of Lake Champlain. Oliver Ellithorpe, her 
 father, was born in Sheldon, Vermont, November 
 21, 1814, and died in Elgin, Illinois, June 30, 
 1889. Mrs. Ellithorpe is still living. She is a 
 daughter of Isaac French, an English-Canadian, 
 and a soldier in the English army. Mrs. Has- 
 kin's great-grandfather, Timothy Chapman, was 
 a soldier of the Revolutionary War, enlisting at 
 Stratford, Connecticut, April 15, 1777, as a ser- 
 geant in Col. Heman Swift's Connecticut regi- 
 ment, and served throughout the war. 
 
 MARTINUS PETERSEN. 
 
 | ARTINUS PETERSEN, one of the most 
 progressive Danes of our great metropolis, 
 and a hardworking, useful citizen, was 
 born in Hillerslev, near Thisted, in Northern 
 Denmark, September 19, 1859. He is the son of 
 Peter Christian and Karen Marie (Christiansen) 
 Petirsen, natives of Denmark. Martinus was 
 the first one of his family to emigrate to the 
 United States, and he came to Chicago in Jan- 
 uary, 1879. His first work was shoveling coal 
 in South Chicago, at which he was occupied only 
 
 a short time; then he went to Dwight, Illinois, 
 where he worked on a farm three months, but 
 did not like this employment. With the excep- 
 tion of the three months spent at Dwight, he has 
 lived continuously in the city since arriving here. 
 In 1 88 1 he became clerk in a grocery store for 
 Hans Heinsen. This is the store at which he is 
 himself now located, Nos. 9176 and 9178 Harbor 
 Avenue. He worked for Heinsen until 1890, by 
 which time he had saved sufficient money to join 
 him as a partner, and the firm of Petersen &
 
 M. C. MAGNUSSEN. 
 
 Company "was then formed. This firm continued 
 to do business until 1895, when Mr. Heinsen 
 bought the business and Mr. Petersen again 
 worked for him. April 14, 1896, Mr. Petersen 
 bought out Mr. Heinsen, and the establishment 
 has since been conducted under the name of M. 
 Peterson & Company, with Mr. Petersen as sole 
 proprietor. He comes of an industrious family, 
 and has three brothers in Chicago, namely: 
 Charles, who is a merchant tailor; Nels, a shoe- 
 maker; and Arthur, who is connected with the 
 fire department of South Chicago, in which city 
 all three reside. 
 
 September 20, 1884, Mr. Petersen married Miss 
 Anna Margerita, daughter of Nels Jacobsen. 
 
 They have two children, Peter Christian, aged 
 eleven years, and Matilda, aged five years. Mr. 
 Petersen is a member of Court Denmark No. 219, 
 Independent Order of Foresters. In politics he 
 is not controlled by party lines, but always de- 
 cides for himself the relative fitness of candidates, 
 independent of party. He is a valuable resident 
 of the community, and sets a good example of 
 thrift and energy. He has practically built up 
 the grocery trade which he controls from the be- 
 ginning. Mr. Petersen has been doing a profit- 
 able business and has accumulated a considerable 
 amount of money. He also owns a handsome 
 three-story and basement flat building at Nos.. 
 9120 and 9122 Mackinaw Avenue. 
 
 MEINERT C MAGNUSSEN. 
 
 CONRAD MAGNUSSEN was 
 JYI born December 5, 1850, in Emmelsbuell, 
 Kjl Schleswig, Prussia, and is the son of Carl 
 and Brigetta (Bonnigsen) Magnussen. He is the 
 only one of his family who came to America, and 
 reached Chicago on the 28th of October, 1872. 
 In the old country he had served the time of ap- 
 prenticeship as a general painter, and was skilled 
 at his trade. He first worked for Dahinden & 
 Schroeder on Milwaukee Avenue, and stayed with 
 them three months. In the fall of 1873 he went 
 to South Chicago to live. He did general work 
 for Mr. Oemich and also worked for William 
 Kratzenburg. In 1875 he returned to Chicago 
 and lived on Milwaukee Avenue, near Carpen- 
 ter Street. He at this time worked at graining 
 and ornamenting chairs for Herhold & Company. 
 He continued there till February, 1882, when he 
 returned to South Chicago and bought a lot at 
 No. 9143 Superior Avenue. The same spring he 
 built a shop and started business for himself. He 
 
 does general painting and contracting, and is 
 conducting a prosperous business. 
 
 In 1874 Mr. Magnussen married Ingeburg 
 Heinsen, daughter of Nicholas and Anna (Han- 
 sen) Heinsen. Mrs. Magnussen was born Octo- 
 ber ii, 1850, and became the mother of the fol- 
 lowing children: Brigetta Johanna, born Sep- 
 tember 9, 1875; Anna, April 24, 1879; Clara Nic- 
 olina, February n, 1887; Meinert Conrad, Feb- 
 ruary 22, 1889; Arthur Henry, April 25, 1890; 
 and Nellie Irene Maria, November n, 1892. Four 
 children died in infancy, Nicholas and Carl Mau- 
 rice, and two not named. 
 
 Mr. Magnussen is a member of the Old Set- 
 tlers' Society, and of the Evangelical Lutheran 
 Church. He is not confined by party lines in 
 politics, but favors the man he thinks to be most 
 worthy and best fitted for office. He is a repre- 
 sentative of the sturdy class of people who fur- 
 nish the bone and sinew of a nation in time of 
 peace or war.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 r tin, nr TA y -u*J .Cifcn
 
 A. C. DTJCAT. 
 
 GEN. ARTHUR C DUCAT. 
 
 /2fEN. ARTHUR CHARLES DUCAT was 
 I born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 24th of Feb- 
 Vj ruary, 1830. His father, Mungo Moray 
 Ducat, was a gentleman who traced his lineage 
 from a very ancient Highland family, renowned 
 in the annals of Scotland. He was a native of 
 Cupar Angus, but in early life removed to New 
 Lawn, County Dublin, Ireland, where he also 
 possessed large estates. His wife, Dorcas Julia 
 Atkinson, was born in County Armagh, Ireland, 
 and died in Downer's Grove, Illinois, in Novem- 
 ber, 1889, aged eighty-six years. Her father 
 was an Englishman, of Cambridgeshire. 
 
 Arthur C. Ducat was educated at private 
 schools in his native city, and at the age of 
 nineteen years came to America with the inten- 
 tion of becoming a civil engineer. He pursued 
 that profession for some years on important rail- 
 road lines and other public works. This occupa- 
 tion was abandoned when he was tendered the 
 position of Secretary and General Surveyor of the 
 Board of Underwriters of Chicago, which position 
 he accepted and occupied until the opening of the 
 Civil War. In the mean time he began to mani- 
 fest a keen interest in the affairs of the city, and 
 organized, drilled and disciplined the Citizens' 
 Fire Brigade, a semi-military and armed body of 
 citizens. Their duties were to attend fires and save 
 and guard property and life. This action also 
 had a deeper meaning, for Ducat had resolved to 
 abolish the old ' 'volunteer' ' fire department and 
 
 introduce a new one in its place on a paid and 
 disciplined basis, employing steam fire-engines. 
 He was obliged to protect the first engines 
 brought to Chicago from the demonstrations and 
 attacks of mobs, incited by the bad element of the 
 volunteer department, which he did by the aid of 
 his fire brigade. He wrote the ordinances estab- 
 lishing and substituting steam engines for the old 
 hand machines, and enlisted the vote of the Com- 
 mon Council to adopt it. 
 
 Upon the beginning of hostilities between the 
 North and the South, he was one of the first to 
 offer substantial aid in support ol the Government. 
 His taste had led him to the study of military 
 history and science, and he knew as much of the 
 art of war as a lieutenant fresh from West Point. 
 The roar of the first guns had scarcely ceased 
 before he had raised and offered first to the State 
 of Illinois and then to the National Government 
 a corps of three hundred engineers, sappers and 
 miners. Many of these men were professionals 
 who had seen service and understood the details 
 of field and permanent fortifications, and works 
 connected therewith, the rapid construction of 
 bridges, roads, etc. The Government was not 
 aware, however, of the struggle before it and per- 
 haps thought that engineers would not be neces- 
 sary. So Ducat was chagrined and disappointed 
 by the rejection of what he foresaw would be a 
 much-needed service. Notwithstanding this re- 
 fusal, he immediately enlisted as a private, and
 
 416 
 
 A. C. DUCAT. 
 
 in April, 1861, became a member of the Twelfth 
 Illinois Infantry. He was without political, gov- 
 ernmental or family influence, and resolved to do 
 his duty and depend upon his merits for promo- 
 tion. Although a good horseman, he selected 
 the infantry arm of the service, as he believed it 
 would do most of the fighting. His regiment 
 was among the first that seized the important 
 strategic point of Cairo and supported General 
 Lyon in taking possession of the arsenal at St. 
 Louis. It was not long before Ducat's military 
 acquirements and capabilities were appreciated. 
 Within a month he was commissioned Second 
 Lieutenant, and afterwards appointed Adjutant of 
 the regiment. Upon the expiration of the three 
 months for which he had enlisted, he was again 
 enrolled for three years in the same regiment, and 
 appointed Captain of Company A. The Twelfth 
 formed a part of the brigade that first occupied 
 the sacred soil of Kentucky, taking possession of 
 Paducah in August, 1861. Here he was pro- 
 moted to be Major of his regiment, and in the 
 month of April following, at Fort Donelson, 
 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant- 
 Colonel. In August, 1862, he was appointed to 
 the command of the grand guards, pickets and 
 outposts for the Army of the Tennessee. When 
 Major-General Ord was appointed to the com- 
 mand, Ducat was ordered to his staff, and when 
 Major-General Rosecrans relieved General Ord, 
 Ducat was attached to the staff of the former. At 
 Rosecrans' great battle of Corinth and the subse- 
 quent pursuit of the enemy, he served as acting 
 Chief of Staff and Inspector- General, and so con- 
 ducted himself as to receive the warmest con- 
 gratulations of his superior officers, not only for 
 bravery, but for efficiency, making most important 
 suggestions as to movements, and carrying them 
 out with great success. 
 
 Subsequently he was directed by the general in 
 command to conduct a flag of truce to the enemy 
 at Holiy Springs, Mississippi, a distance of over 
 seventy-five miles, through a country infested 
 with a superior force of guerrillas and the enemy's 
 cavalry, who were not to be depended upon to 
 recognize a flag of truce. He succeeded, and dis- 
 played as much tact and discretion in the im- 
 
 portant negotiations entrusted to him as in the 
 field. He was afterward detailed to arrange with 
 General Burnside the Knoxville campaign, rep- 
 resenting General Rosecrans on that occasion. 
 
 When Major-General Rosecrans took command 
 of the forces known as the Army of the Ohio 
 (which subsequently became the Army of the 
 Cumberland), Colonel Ducat was ordered to ac- 
 company General Rosecrans and named as acting 
 Chief of Staff and acting Inspector-General. In 
 this important and responsible position he ren- 
 dered the most efficient service in re-organizing, 
 equipping, disciplining and drilling the army, 
 in raising the siege of Nashville, and in opening 
 the railway from that city to Louisville. He was 
 afterward appointed by the War Department In- 
 spector-General of the Fourteenth Army Corps, 
 and after the battle of Stone River and the or- 
 ganization of the Army and Department of the 
 Cumberland, he was appointed Inspector-General 
 of that army and department (the most military 
 of the staff positions), in addition to which he had 
 charge of the grand guards, pickets and out- 
 posts, and the organization of the signal corps 
 of the army. When it is recollected that Ducat 
 was a self-educated soldier, his selection from 
 among the many able and experienced men who 
 had made war their profession is a distinc- 
 tion indicating a high degree of merit. He or- 
 ganized the Bureau of the Inspector-General on a 
 system substantially new, but adapted to secure 
 the greatest efficiency and discipline of a great 
 army in the field. At first his strict and rigid 
 exactions rendered him unpopular, but as soon 
 as results began to manifest themselves in the 
 greater efficiency of the troops, their sanitary 
 condition and military spirit, he became, among 
 officers and men, one of the most popular officers 
 of that army. He formulated and put in practice 
 a system of picketing and outposting an army 
 which highly distinguished him. When General 
 Rosecrans was relieved and Maj.-Gen. George H. 
 Thomas took command, Ducat was ordered to 
 the staff of the latter, in which capacity he served 
 until he left the service at the close of the war, 
 respected and beloved by all. 
 
 Many of these facts are obtained from an arti-
 
 A. C. DUCAT. 
 
 cle written by General Rosecrans, who also said 
 of him: "I regard him as an extraordinary man, 
 * * * an excellent tactician, * * a soldier 
 by nature; so much so, that he never exacted 
 the credit he easily merited, nor the promotion 
 given to less able and more plodding men." 
 
 The following is from the pen of General 
 Grant: "His services have been very valuable 
 and have been highly appreciated." General 
 Thomas wrote: "One of the most able and use- 
 ful of the army staff and cannot well be spared." 
 General Sheridan characterized him as "an 
 officer of high standing and distinguished merit." 
 Another writer "on the war says: "Ducat was 
 early distinguished for his thorough knowledge 
 of military details, his organizing powers and his 
 executive ability; but especially for his sleepless 
 vigilance and activity, that mastered all details of 
 topography and the movement of hostile armies. ' ' 
 
 The late President Garfield, Quartermaster 
 General Meigs, Major Generals Ord, Palmer, and 
 others, addressed the war department, recom- 
 mending the higher promotion of Ducat, but the 
 lack of influence at headquarters, together with 
 his own indifference regarding promotion, seemed 
 to prevent him from receiving appointments to 
 higher commands. He was always fully con- 
 tented in any capacity in the army to which he 
 was appointed. 
 
 Soon after the close of hostilities, the Home In- 
 surance Company, of New York, appointed him 
 to superintend its business in Ohio, Indiana and 
 Kentucky, and shortly afterward he became its 
 general agent in Chicago. His career as an act- 
 ive underwriter was eminently successful, his 
 popularity and acquaintance throughout the West 
 being of great advantage to his employers. The 
 firm of Ducat & Lyon, of which he was the 
 head, carries on a general fire-insurance business. 
 The business under his control has always been 
 successful and profitable. One of the standard 
 works of America is "Ducat's Practice of Fire 
 Underwriting," which he brought out in 1857. 
 
 Before the great fire he was chairman of the 
 committee that organized the celebrated Fire 
 Insurance Patrol of Chicago. He remained 
 
 chairman of the Patrol Committee five years after 
 the fire, and infused into it the esprit du corps 
 and military spirit that have characterized it 
 and brought about the extension of the fire 
 limits to be co-extensive with the city limits 
 an important work, adroitly managed in the 
 face of great opposition. He was chairman of 
 the committee which framed the new building 
 law after the great fire, and, in conjunction with 
 Frederick Baumann, wrote the most elaborate 
 and well-digested building law in this or any 
 other country. The Board of Local Fire Under- 
 writers was organized on the basis of his recom- 
 mendation, in the capacity of committee for that 
 purpose, to which position he was appointed soon 
 after the great fire. 
 
 In 1873 there was a movement in Illinois to re- 
 organize the National Guard of the State. The 
 advice of General Ducat on this subject was 
 sought, and the military code upon which the 
 present efficient Guard was organized is the prod- 
 uct of his brain and pen, for which he was made 
 major general and its commander. In 1886 he 
 was elected commander of the Illinois Comman- 
 dery of the military order of the Loyal Legion. 
 He was a member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
 public, and of the Masonic order, being identified 
 with Apollo Commandery, Knights Templar; 
 and a member of the Chicago Club. He was 
 always a staunch Republican, though never a 
 candidate for civil office. He was married to Miss 
 Mary Lyon, daughter of William Lyon, Esq., of 
 Bedford, Pennsylvania. Her death occurred in 
 Chicago, October 26, 1890, at the age of forty - 
 three years. In 1892 he was married to Miss 
 Alice Jane Soutar, daughter of P. J. Soutar, an 
 eminent lawyer of Dunfermline, Scotland. Six 
 of General Ducat's children survive. Arthur C. , 
 Jr., a graduate of West Point, is a lieutenant in 
 the United States Army; Kate, the second child, 
 is the wife of C. P. Stivers, of Chicago; and 
 Mary, Reginald, Elizabeth and Alice complete 
 the family, whose members are communicants of 
 the Episcopal Church, in which General Ducat 
 was reared. The latter died January 29, 1896, at 
 his home in Downer's Grove.
 
 418 
 
 DANIEL WARREN. 
 
 DANIEL WARREN. 
 
 0ANIEL WARREN, one of the pioneers of 
 Illinois, deserves more than passing notice 
 in this record. He was the representative 
 of one of the oldest American families, which 
 will always live in history because of the brave 
 general who lost his life at the battle of Bun- 
 ker Hill. Daniel Warren was a successful busi- 
 ness man, who came West to embrace the op- 
 portunity to secure a large landed estate at small 
 original outlay. He was a native of Massachu- 
 setts, born about 1 780, near Concord, the scene of 
 the first conflict of arms in behalf of colonial in- 
 dependence and American liberty. 
 
 In early life, Mr. Warren went to western New 
 York, and opened the first store in Fredonia, 
 Chautauqua County, that State. He afterward 
 lived about fourteen years in Westfield, same 
 county. While a resident of New York, he be- 
 came acquainted with the Naper brothers, who 
 settled the present prosperous town of Naperville, 
 in DuPage County, Illinois. Naturally, when 
 he decided to locate in the West, he called upon 
 them, at their Illinois home, and at once found a 
 satisfactory location about halfway between Na- 
 perville and the present town of Warrenville. 
 This was in the spring of 1833, while Chicago 
 was scarcely thought of as a city, and certainly, 
 its present marvelous development undreamed-of 
 by the wildest speculator on human destiny. In 
 a few years, Mr. Warren sold out his claim and 
 moved to the present site of Warrenville, where 
 he built a sawmill and laid out a town. He also 
 secured nearly a section of land, and made farm- 
 ing his principal industry until advancing years 
 caused his retirement from active life. In all his 
 undertakings, he was assisted by his only son, 
 Col. J. M. Warren, a sketch of whom will be 
 found elsewhere in this volume. The father 
 
 passed away at his home in Warrenville in 1866, 
 aged eighty-six years. 
 
 Nancy Morton, who became the wife of Daniel 
 Warren, and the mother of a son and seven 
 daughters, was born in Orange, Worcester Coun- 
 ty, Massachusetts, on the ninth day of February, 
 1785. When nine years old, she went with her 
 parents to Madison County, New York, and was 
 the favorite companion of her brother, Rev. Sal- 
 mon Morton, a well-known pioneer clergyman of 
 western New York. That she was a woman of 
 refinement and graces of mind is shown by the 
 character of her daughters, several of whom be- 
 came ornaments of Chicago society. The pio- 
 neers were largely dependent upon their own re- 
 sources for amusement and culture, and the youth 
 of the time were fortunate whose parents brought 
 educated and refining influences with them. Mrs. 
 Warren took a keen delight in the lives of her 
 offspring, and lived to a great age, retaining her 
 faculties to the end, which came February 4, 
 1873, and she was buried on the eighty-eighth 
 anniversary of her birth. 
 
 Following are the names of the children of 
 Daniel and Nancy (Morton) Warren: Philinda, 
 widow of P. H. Fowler, now in her ninety-first 
 year, residing at Warrenville; Louisa, married 
 Frederick Bird, and died at Rockton, Illinois; 
 Julius Morton (see biography elsewhere in this 
 volume); Sarah, wife of Abel Carpenter, died in 
 Chicago; she was one of the first teachers in this 
 city, in a select school; Harriet, Mrs. C. B. Dod- 
 son, lived at Geneva, Illinois, where she died; 
 Mary and Maria were twins, the former now re- 
 siding in Chicago, being the widow of Jerome 
 Beecher, and the latter died in the same city, 
 while wife of Silas B. Cobb; Jane married N. B. 
 Curtiss, a prominent business man of Peoria.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 CHARLES C. P. HOI.DEN.
 
 MRS. C. C. P. HOLDEN
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 C. C. P. HOLDEN. 
 
 419 
 
 CHARLES C. P. HOLDEN. 
 
 EHARLES C. P. HOLDEN was born at Gro- 
 ton, New Hampshire, August 9, 1827. His 
 father's name was Phineas H., and his 
 mother, prior to her marriage, was Miss Betsey 
 Parker. His genealogical record shows his earliest 
 American ancestor to have been one Richard 
 Holden, who, in 1634, with his brother Justinian, 
 came from Ipswich, England, in the sailing-ves- 
 sel "Francis," settling in the locality which after- 
 ward became Watertown, Massachusetts. Mr. 
 Holden' s maternal grandfather was Lieutenant 
 Levi Parker, a patriot who served in the army of 
 the Revolution, taking part in the battle of Bun- 
 ker Hill and not returning to his fireside until 
 after the surrender of Cornwallis. He chanced to 
 be with Washington at the time of Arnold's trea- 
 son and Andre's capture, and served as one ot 
 the guards at the execution of the gallant British 
 officer who was punished as a spy, and whose 
 conspicuous bravery Lieutenant Parker sincerely 
 admired. 
 
 Mr. Holden' s father, with his family of nine 
 children, came West in 1836, reaching Chicago 
 June 30. With hired ox-teams he at once set out 
 for the prairie, where he pre-empted one hundred 
 and sixty acres of Government land, selecting as 
 a location Skunk's Grove, on the "Sauk Trail," 
 in the edge of Will County, thirty miles south of 
 the future city. He was the first settler in that 
 region, his nearest neighbor being two miles and 
 a-half distant, and his children being compelled 
 to walk three miles across the trackless prairie to 
 receive instruction in the rude log hut which 
 served as a school house. 
 
 Among such surroundings Charles rapidly de- 
 
 * This sketch is taken from the "History of Chicago," by per- 
 mission of the publishers Munsell & Co. 
 
 veloped great physical strength. When not more 
 than ten years old he drove a breaking team of 
 five yoke of oxen, his father holding the plow, 
 and was able to do all that usually fell to the lot 
 of farmers' boys in those early days. When he 
 was fifteen, his father placed him in Sweet's gro- 
 cery store, on North Water Street, near Wolcott, 
 now North State Street, where for six months he 
 worked hard for his board. At the end of that 
 time, however, his employer presented him with 
 a pair of cassimere pantaloons, which the young 
 clerk highly prized. 
 
 In the spring of 1847 his patriotic ardor, no less 
 than his love of adventure, prompted him to en- 
 list in Company F, of the Fifth Regiment of Illi- 
 nois Volunteers, and after serving until the end 
 of the Mexican War he was mustered out of serv- 
 ice at Alton, Illinois, October 16, 1848. He 
 immediately secured employment in the book 
 otore of A. H. & C. Burley, where he remained 
 until March, 1850. On the igth of that month 
 he joined a party which set out from Old Fort 
 Kearney, Missouri, for California. The route 
 was overland, and the pilgrims took up their 
 weary journey with two teams. They reached 
 Hangtown July 1 2 and at once began mining on 
 the Middle Fork of the American River. Young 
 Holden spent two seasons on this stream, pass- 
 ing the second at Coloma Bar. In the fall ot 
 1851 he began farming and stock-raising at Napa 
 Valley, which pursuits he followed until Decem- 
 ber i, 1853, when he turned his face eastward. 
 He took passage on the steamship "Winfield 
 Scott, ' ' bound from San Francisco for Panama, 
 but the vessel was wrecked in a fog on the reef 
 of Anna Capa Island, at midnight, December 2. 
 As soon as the grinding of the ship's bottom on
 
 420 
 
 C. C. P. HOLDEN. 
 
 the rocks aroused the three hundred or more pas- 
 sengers to a comprehension of their danger, they 
 buckled on life preservers, promptly given them 
 by the officers, and anxiously awaited their sup- 
 posed fate. They recalled the doom of the ill- 
 fated "Independence," which had gone to the 
 bottom a few months before with four hundred 
 souls on board. The officers of the "Winfield 
 Scott" did their duty nobly, the furnace fires 
 were promptly extinguished and the first boat- 
 loads of impatient, terror-stricken voyagers were 
 landed on the shelving rocks, which, however, 
 seemed a veritable haven of refuge. The pass- 
 age to these rocks was perilous, but every one 
 was safely transported. The stranded passengers 
 and crew, however, underwent torments of hun- 
 ger and thirst upon a barren ledge until rescued, 
 seven days after the wreck, by the steamship 
 "California," which carried them to Panama. 
 The ' 'Scott' ' was abandoned to the pitiless buffet- 
 ing of the elements and ultimately went to pieces. 
 Neither cargo, express matter (except the money ) , 
 mail nor baggage was rescued. The destitute 
 passengers made the best of their way across the 
 isthmus and were taken to New York by the 
 Pacific Mail steamer "Illinois," landing January 
 3, 1854. Mr. Holden returned to Chicago, reach- 
 ing this city March 18, 1854, precisely four years 
 (lacking one day) from the date of his departure. 
 
 The next important event in his life was his 
 entry into the service of the land department of 
 the Illinois Central Railroad Company, which 
 occurred February 20, 1855. 
 
 Seven months later on September 17, 1855 
 he was married to Miss Sarah J. Reynolds, 
 daughter of Isaac N. and Rue Ann Reynolds, of 
 New Lenox, Will County, Illinois. Mrs. Hol- 
 den was the granddaughter of Abraham Holder- 
 man, of Holderman's Grove, Illinois, where he 
 settled in 1830. 
 
 Mr. Holden has been a prominent figure in 
 Illinois politics since 1858, when he went as a 
 delegate from Chicago to Springfield to the Re- 
 publican State Convention. The train that car- 
 ried the delegation was decorated with a banner 
 bearing the legend, "For United States Senator, 
 Abraham Lincoln." It was after the adjourn- 
 
 ment of this convention that the great commoner 
 uttered those memorable words: 
 
 "A house divided against itself cannot stand. 
 I believe this Government cannot endure per- 
 manently, half slave, half free. I do not expect 
 the Union to be dissolved. I do not expect the 
 house to fall, but I do expect it will cease to be 
 divided. It will become all one thing, or all the 
 other." 
 
 Mr. Hoiden was elected a member of the city 
 council in April 1861, he representing the old 
 "fifth ward," and continued a member of the 
 municipal legislature until December, 1872. Dur- 
 ing his protracted term of sen-ice he had an eye 
 single to the city's good. He worked as did few of 
 his confreres, "public office" being, in his esti- 
 mation, a "public trust." Measures of genuine 
 improvement not for his own ward, but looking 
 to the benefit of all Chicago found in him an 
 ardent champion. The improvement of streets 
 was one of his cherished hobbies, of which he 
 never lost sight. In this connection due credit 
 should be given to Mr. Holden' s labors. The 
 water supply received his thoughtful considera- 
 tion, and it was largely through his efforts that the 
 present system of abundant distribution through- 
 out the city took its inception and received its im- 
 pulsive force. While a member of the council he 
 was constantly agitating this question. He was 
 the advocate of pure water, and plenty of it, for 
 every man, woman and child within the corporate 
 limits. Indeed had it not been for him and others 
 like him, Chicago would have been, to-day, as 
 poorly supplied with water as some of her sister 
 western cities. It was through his persistent la- 
 bor that the city authorized the building of the 
 second tunnel under the lake, with its extension, 
 besides the construction of the watenvay ending 
 at Ashland Avenue and Twenty-second Street. 
 
 As to Mr. Holden's influence in this regard, 
 see proceedings of the common council for 1869 
 and 1870, pp. 87, 91, in, and page 690, Pro- 
 ceedings 1868-9. 
 
 During the dark hours of the nation's history, 
 Mr. Holden was conspicuously loyal. His vote, 
 his voice and his efforts were always in support 
 of the Union. His vote as a municipal legislator
 
 C. C. P. HOLDEN. 
 
 421 
 
 was always in behalf of aiding the National Gov- 
 ernment with men and money. In 1862 he 
 raised a company for the Eighty- eighth regiment 
 of Illinois Volunteers, his brother, Levi P., being 
 elected its captain. In 1864, when a draft was 
 ordered in case the quota of troops allotted to 
 Chicago was not furnished through voluntary en- 
 listment, he determined that there should be no 
 draft in his ward the Tenth. He organized a 
 "Ward Draft Association" and was chosen its 
 president. The members worked with a will, and 
 the sum of $51,912 was raised wherewith to pay 
 bounties to volunteers, thus warding off what 
 Mr. Holden was inclined to regard as a threat- 
 ened disgrace. Mr. Holden furnished three rep- 
 resentatives for his family for the army Harris 
 Dtirkee, for his wife; Frederick A. Hausmann, 
 for his sister-in-law, Rowena P. Reynolds; and 
 Alonzo C. Ide for himself. 
 
 His part in civic affairs has always been a prom- 
 inent one. He was marshal of the city council 
 on the occasion of the reception of the remains of 
 President Lincoln on their way to their final rest- 
 ing place at Springfield , and chairman of the com- 
 mittee named to secure the attendance of General 
 Grant at the great fair held at Dearborn Park, 
 July, 1865. It was he who introduced the reso- 
 lutions which were adopted by the council relative 
 to Lincoln's funeral.* 
 
 At the time of the great fire of 1871, he was 
 president of the council, and rendered valuable 
 service in bringing order out of chaos and secur- 
 ing succor for the destitute. A detailed account 
 of his efficient work at that trying period may be 
 found in Andreas' History of Chicago, Vol. II, 
 pp. 761-772.! At the next municipal election 
 both the great political parties Republican and 
 Democratic placed Mr. Holden in nomination 
 for the mayoralty, each also nominating a full 
 ticket for the other city offices. But there was an 
 element in the community which was of opinion 
 that political considerations ought not to be re- 
 garded at such a time, and in consequence a com- 
 plete "citizens' " ticket, known as the "fire- 
 proof," was nominated, containing the names of 
 
 *See Council Proceeding! for ISGB, p. 8. 
 
 tSee also Council Proceedings for 1871, pp. 346, 347. 
 
 Joseph Medill for Mayor and David A. Gage for 
 Treasurer. The "fire-proof " ticket was elected. 
 
 In 1872, Mr. Holden was an elector on the 
 Greeley ticket, but, with his associates, went 
 down in the political cyclone which swept the 
 country in November of that year. 
 
 Previous to this in March, 1869 Governor 
 Palmer had appointed him a West Chicago Park 
 Commissioner, and re-appointed him in 1871. He 
 accepted the trust, and with his brother commis- 
 sioners laid out the magnificent system of parks 
 and boulevards which has so largely aided in 
 building up the great West Side. He resigned 
 from the board in 1878. 
 
 In 1873, he was called upon to mourn the loss 
 of his wife, who for a lifetime had been his coun- 
 sellor, his helpmeet, and the honored mistress of 
 his happy home. She passed away July 26, after 
 a lingering illness, and was laid to rest at Rosehill. 
 It was a source of regret to both Mr. and Mrs. 
 Holden that the latter 's youngest sister, Rowena 
 (who had been a member of the family since 
 1858), was not at home during this protracted 
 sickness, she being absent on an extended tour 
 through Europe and the Orient. An adopted 
 daughter, Sarah J. , remained to sustain him in 
 his bereavement. 
 
 In February, 1873, Mr. Holden left the employ 
 of the Illinois Central railway, after eighteen 
 years' consecutive service, during which period 
 he had aided in selling two million acres of the 
 corporation's lands. He then took a prominent 
 part in the construction of the Chicago & Illi- 
 nois River Railroad, running from Joliet to Coal 
 City, the charter and organization of which he 
 virtually controlled; he disposed of his interest in 
 this company, whose line ultimately became a 
 part of the Chicago & Alton system. 
 
 In 1874, he was elected a County Commissioner, 
 and July 4, 1877, as president of the board, laid 
 the corner stone of the county court house. His 
 investments in real estate proved fortunate, and 
 he has erected several blocks, among them one 
 at the corner of Monroe and Aberdeen Streets 
 and another at Nos. 298 to 302 West Madison 
 Street. 
 
 Mr. Holden' s adopted daughter, Sarah J., was
 
 422 
 
 W. B. PARSONS. 
 
 married, February 17, 1885, to Mr. George M. 
 Sayre. and now resides at Elmira, New York. 
 They have two children, Charles Holden and 
 Grade. Some three years later, July u, 1888, 
 he was married for a second time, his bride being 
 Miss Thelena N. McCoy, daughter of Henry M. 
 and Mary (L,akin) McCoy. She was born at 
 Port Perry, Canada, where she received her 
 schooling and musical education. Her mother 
 died in 1879, and she being the eldest daughter, 
 much fell to her lot in caring for the family, which 
 consisted of her father, two brothers and three 
 sisters. She bravely assumed the responsibility. 
 The children were educated, and while caring for 
 her household she was pursuing her musical and 
 other studies. The western fever having seized 
 her father, he removed with his family to South 
 Dakota, where, in the winter of 1888, they passed 
 through the terrible blizzard that scourged the 
 Dakotas, and where he is now living a quiet life 
 with his second wife, in Mitchell, of that State. 
 
 Thelena, who had in previous years met Mr. 
 Holden, was married to him July n, 1888, and 
 accompanied him to their cozy home in Chicago. 
 Her brother Charles, with his wife and three 
 children, lives in Rapid City, South Dakota. Her 
 brother George and wife reside in Hart, Michi- 
 gan. Her eldest sister, Addie, married Dr. J. H. 
 Reed, of Lansing, Michigan. Her sister Nettie 
 
 married Dr. T. Allen, of Garnett, Kansas; and 
 Emma, her baby sister, who was always Mrs. 
 Holden 's favorite and especial charge, was mar- 
 ried to Mr. L,u Newman, of Chicago, in 1888. 
 She died December i, 1893. Mrs. Holden is of 
 a very domestic nature, and strives to make their 
 home pleasant. It is adorned with much of her 
 own work, she being handy both with the brush 
 and needle, as is clearly shown in their domestic 
 home, which is on the great West Side in'thiscity. 
 
 Mr. Holden's mother passed away September 
 23, 1869, and his father February 23, 1872. 
 They died on the farm they had located in 1836. 
 His sister Mary E. (Mrs. J. W. Freer) died 
 November 28, 1845, and his sister Sarah Ann 
 C. February 13, 1847. 
 
 In his social relations he is a member of sev- 
 eral well-known organizations, among them the 
 Illinois State Association of Veterans of the 
 Mexican War, the Sons of the American Revolu- 
 tion, the California Pioneers' Association of Chica- 
 go, the Old Settlers' Society of Cook County and 
 the German Old Settlers' Association. By the latter 
 Organization he was presented with a gold medal 
 in 1888. At the age of sixty-seven, Mr. Holden 
 still retains his mental and physical faculties un- 
 impaired, hale and hearty in his declining years, 
 one of the distinguished products of Chicago's 
 cosmopolitan influence. 
 
 WILLIAM B. PARSONS. 
 
 BOSTWICK PARSONS, a for- 
 mer citizen of Chicago, now deceased, is 
 we ll worthy of a place in the columns of 
 this work, on account of his family connections, 
 his precocity as a child, his ability as a student, 
 and the part which he took in the legal profession 
 and in business. He was born at Burlington, 
 Vermont, on the last day of the year 1833, and 
 was the son of Judge Sylvanus Parsons, a promi- 
 nent citizen and scion of one of the old families of 
 New England. 
 
 As a youth he was quiet and studious, much 
 preferring the company of books to the society of 
 other children, and so rapid was his progress in 
 the acquisition of an education that he not only 
 completed the primary studies incident to prepa- 
 ration for college, but mastered Latin and Greek, 
 which he taught in Spalding's School at Barre, 
 Vermont, at the age of thirteen years. Entering 
 Dartmouth College when a mere lad, he made a 
 brilliant record as a student in that institution, 
 and graduated third in his class, the most of
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 WILLARD SCOTT, SR. 
 
 423 
 
 whose members were several years older than he. 
 His subsequent career showed that the teachings 
 of this old and honored institution the alma 
 mater of Daniel Webster and a host of other emi- 
 nent statesmen, lawyers, orators and men of other 
 professions were not lost upon him. 
 
 At the completion of his college course, stirred 
 by the same spirit which has caused the migration 
 from New England of thousands of her worthy 
 sons, who have contributed in a great measure to 
 people the West, build up our interests and shape 
 the destiny of the Nation, and full of love for the 
 free institutions for which his ancestors had per- 
 iled their lives in the great struggle for freedom, 
 he decided to cast his lot with the liberty-loving 
 people of Kansas, who were then in the throes of 
 that mighty moral struggle which preceded the 
 War of the Rebellion. Settling in Coffee Coun- 
 ty, the young lawyer engaged in the practice 
 of his profession and soon rose to a prominent 
 place at the bar, and was honored by being 
 elected County Attorney. The outbreak of the 
 Civil War interfered with the practice of the law 
 and stirred his patriotism. He volunteered at an 
 early date, as a private in a Kansas regiment, 
 and served out the term of his enlistment, after 
 
 which he re-enlisted and was appointed to a place 
 in the Paymaster's department, where he served 
 until the close of the war. Returning to Kansas, 
 he was again elected attorney of his county. 
 
 After spending several years in the profession 
 and acquiring prominence as a lawyer, declining 
 health compelled him to abandon the practice, 
 and he sought a higher altitude and new em- 
 ployment in the mountain districts of Colorado, 
 where he was engaged in mining enterprises 
 until the year 1882. At the latter date he came 
 to Chicago and retired from active life. He died 
 here January 3 1 , 1885. 
 
 On the i2th of November, 1861, William B. 
 Parsons and Julia W. Kinzie were united in wed- 
 lock at Burlington, Kansas, the home of Robert 
 A. Kinzie, the pioneer of Chicago, whose biogra- 
 phy appears in this work. Mr. and Mrs. Parsons 
 were the parents of three children, namely: Rob- 
 ert Wilkins, now a resident of Chicago; William 
 Guy, cashier of the United States Rubber Com- 
 pany, of New York; and Frank Kinzie Parsons, 
 who is a stock-raiser in Montana. Mrs. Parsons 
 survives her husband, and occupies a responsible 
 position in the Chicago postoffice, which she has 
 held for twenty years. 
 
 WILLARD SCOTT, SR. 
 
 SCOTT, SR., deceased, who for 
 man y y ears was connected with the leading 
 business interests of Naperville, and for 
 half a century made his home in this section of 
 the great commonwealth of Illinois, was a native 
 of New York, born in Unadilla, Otsego County, 
 April 20, 1808. His parents were Stephen J. and 
 Hadassah (Trask) Scott. The father followed 
 the sea in his early years and became the owner 
 and master of a schooner, which bore his name 
 and was engaged in the coast trade along the At- 
 
 lantic shore. In Connecticut he wedded Miss 
 Trask, who was a relative of Gen. Israel Putnam, 
 one of the heroes of Revolutionary fame. On 
 leaving Hartford, Conn., they went to Unadilla, 
 and the year 1816 witnessed their removal to 
 Maryland, where they spent the next decade. 
 
 During this time our subject was acquiring an. 
 education in the common schools, and also took a 
 short course in mathematics. It was his desire 
 to become a sailor, but his mother urged him not 
 to do this, for the life was too fraught with dan
 
 424 
 
 C. J. MAGILL. 
 
 gers. In 1825 the family made a visit to New 
 York, and then started for St. Joseph, Mich., go- 
 ing through Canada to Detroit, and thence by 
 water. The goods were shipped by sailing-vessel 
 to Detroit, and thence Willard took them to their 
 destination. He went to Detroit with a man 
 from Ohio, and the journey thither was a perilous 
 one through the unbroken forest, there being no 
 road except the Indian trails. They reached De- 
 troit ten days before the arrival of their goods, 
 during which time they lived on corn and pota- 
 toes. The family were not pleased with their 
 home in Michigan, and, crossing the Lake, located 
 in Evanston. 
 
 On the i6th of July, 1829, Willard Scott wed- 
 ded Caroline Hawley, in Holderman's Grove. In 
 1818, her father, Pierce Hawley, went from Ver- 
 mont to Vincennes, Ind., and afterwards came to 
 Illinois, locating in Holderman's Grove in 1825. 
 In the fall of 1830, he and his family, accompa- 
 nied by Mr. Scott and his family, located three 
 miles south of Naperville, in what is now DuPage 
 County, but was then a part of Cook County. 
 Cook County at that time also comprised Lake, 
 McHenry and Will Counties. There were thirty- 
 two votes polled in Chicago that year, Mr. Scott's 
 father depositing the first one. During the War 
 of 1832, our subject proved a valued citizen in 
 the settlement, on account of his knowledge of 
 the Indians and their methods of warfare. 
 
 In 1838 Mr. Scott became a resident of Naper- 
 
 ville, built the Naperville Hotel, and conducted it 
 for eighteen years, after which he carried on mer- 
 chandising for twenty years, most of the time be- 
 ing associated with his son Thaddeus. The firm 
 of Willard Scott & Co. controlled the leading bus- 
 iness in this place, and operations are still carried 
 on under that name, Willard Scott, Jr., succeed- 
 ing his father and brother Thaddeus in the busi- 
 ness. Retiring from merchandising after the 
 Civil War, Mr. Scott was President of the Du- 
 Page County Bank, subsequently of the Bank of 
 Naperville, and was a private banker until his 
 death, September 13, 1892. He possessed busi- 
 ness ability of a high order, was sagacious and far- 
 sighted, and his enterprise was tempered by a 
 commendable conservatism. He won success, and 
 his prosperity was the reward of his own labors. 
 In political belief our subject was a Democrat, 
 and his first vote was cast for Andrew Jackson 
 in 1828. He was a resident of Naperville for 
 more than half a century, and was ever found in 
 the front rank of those enterprises calculated to 
 advance the best interests of the community. 
 Throughout DuPage and Cook Counties he was 
 widely known, and was held in the highest re- 
 gard by young and old, rich and poor. The 
 name of Willard Scott is inseparably connected 
 with the history of this community, and the rec- 
 ord of the county would be incomplete without his 
 sketch. 
 
 CHARLES J. MAGILL. 
 
 (3HARLES JAMES MAGILL, whose name William Magill, was a native of Middletown, Con- 
 
 1 l has for years been a synonym for unbiased 
 \J integrity and honesty of purpose among the 
 early residents of Chicago, was born at St. John's, 
 Newfoundland, in November, 1818. His father, 
 
 necticut, born June 30, 1792. The Magill family- 
 is of Irish extraction, and was founded in Con- 
 necticut by two brothers, named Robert and Will- 
 iam Magill, who came from Belfast and were
 
 C. J. MAGIUv. 
 
 425 
 
 among the first settlers of the Connecticut Colony. 
 The old family homestead, which has sheltered 
 many successive generations, is still standing at 
 Middletown. 
 
 While a young man, William Magill moved to 
 Newfoundland. For many years he was in the 
 service of the British Government, first as the 
 Collector of the port of St. John's, and later as 
 Governor of the provincial prison at that place. 
 Retiring from public life, he removed to Char- 
 lottetown, in Prince Edward Island, where his 
 death occurred on the fourteenth of August, 1878. 
 He was a man of exemplary character and note- 
 worthy ability, as is evidenced by his long contin- 
 uance in public life. His wife, Ann Morris, who 
 was a nativeof Dublin, Ireland, died atSt. John's, 
 Newfoundland, about the year 1850. Of their three 
 children, Charles J. is the eldest. John was for 
 many j'ears a prominent citizen and public official 
 of Chicago; and Sarah, Mrs. Henry L. Messieur- 
 er, now deceased, was well known to the early 
 residents of Chicago. 
 
 William Magill was one of a family of six 
 children, all of whom, with their posterity, have 
 been conspicuous for longevity, intelligence and 
 refinement. His sister, Mrs. Ann Campbell, who 
 was at that time a widow, came to Chicago soon 
 after 1850. For some years she taught a private 
 school on the North Side, and many of her pupils 
 are prominent in the business and social life of 
 Chicago to-day. She was a lady of rare intelli- 
 gence, tact and benevolence, and was regarded by 
 her pupils as a model of wisdom and strength of 
 character. Mrs. Juliette Kinzie, who was well 
 known throughout America as the author of 
 "Wau-bun," was a niece of William Magill. 
 
 At the age of eleven years Charles Magill left 
 home and went to sea, and followed a marine life 
 until the autumn of 1852. A portion of that pe- 
 riod was spent in navigating the Great Lakes. In 
 the year last named he located permanently in 
 Chicago, though he had frequently visited this 
 port previous to that date. He engaged in the 
 forwarding and commission business, becoming 
 the owner of vessel property, and simultaneously 
 acting as agent of vessel-owners at other points on 
 the lakes. Among other corporations which he 
 
 represented was the Ohio, Superior & Huron 
 Railroad Company, which was operating a line of 
 boats on the middle lakes. He dealt in salt and 
 other merchandise, and was one of the first mem- 
 bers of the Chicago Board of Trade, joining that 
 body in 1853, and still retaining his membership, 
 though he retired from active business operations 
 in 1893. 
 
 While on a voyage to the Bermuda Islands, Mr. 
 Magill, who was then a young man, formed the 
 acquaintance of Miss Esther S. Chalker. This 
 gifted lad\' became his wife, the marriage taking 
 place at Guilford, Connecticut. The couple first 
 located at Buffalo, but in July, 1854, removed to 
 Chicago, where Mrs. Magill died in October, 
 1886. She was born at Hamilton, Bermuda, Feb- 
 ruary 7, 1819. Her mother, whose maiden name 
 was Stowe, was descended from one of the oldest 
 families in that colony, her ancestors receiving a 
 grant of land from the British crown upon locat- 
 ing there. The old Stowe residence, now the 
 property of the Government, is still standing at 
 Hamilton. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Magill were the parents of eight 
 children. Jacob C., the eldest, is a well-known 
 business man of Chicage. Anna C., Mrs. Hugh 
 Alexander, is a resident of Brooklyn, New York. 
 William C. is also well known in Chicago. Ed- 
 ward S. is a commercial traveler residing in Wich- 
 ita, Kansas. Mary E. is the wife of E. C. Ward, 
 of Chicago, in which city Arthur W. also resides. 
 Sarah L., now deceased, was the wife of C. S. 
 Spencer, of Indianapolis, Indiana; and Charles A. 
 is engaged in mercantile business at Kingman, 
 Kansas. 
 
 Though he has a host of friends, Captain Ma- 
 gill has formed but few social connections. For 
 many years he has held membership with the 
 Church of the Epiphany, of which he is a Senior 
 Warden. He has always enjoyed the confidence 
 of his associates to a remarkable degree. As an 
 illustration of this fact may be cited the case of 
 one of his early friends in Chicago, who, upon his 
 demise a few years since, made Mr. Magill the 
 sole administrator of his large estate, providing in 
 his will that if any of the heirs should question 
 any act of the executor they should be disinher-
 
 426 
 
 J. A. SWEET. 
 
 ited. After a long, eventful and useful life, Cap- 
 tain Magill is spending his declining years in well- 
 
 merited peace and tranquility, which it is the wish 
 of his many friends may be long continued. 
 
 JOHN A. SWEET. 
 
 (TOHN ALLEN SWEET, a member of one of 
 I the leading mercantile firms of Chicago, was 
 O born March 20, 1846, at Farmington, Frank- 
 lin County, Maine, and comes from the genuine 
 Puritanic New England stix:k. His ancestors 
 were of those long-lived, hardy, industrious, fru- 
 gal, as well as moral people, who, notwithstand- 
 ing all the hardships and privations consequent 
 upon the early settlement of the country, did not 
 forget to devote themselves to laying the founda- 
 tion for, and the shaping and rounding out of a 
 moral character as an example for their posterity. 
 His great-grandfather, whose name was Eben- 
 ezer Sweet, was born at Attleboro, Massachu- 
 setts, January 18, 1741. In 1782, he went to that 
 portion of Maine which was then uninhabited ex- 
 cept by Indians, save perhaps, half a dozen white 
 families. He cleared off a little patch of timber 
 land, as the beginning of the settlement after- 
 wards known as Farmington, one of Nature's 
 most beautiful spots to be found anywhere. Here 
 he resided during his long life, and died Novem- 
 ber 4, 1838, at the age of ninety-seven years and 
 ten months. He was a tanner by trade, and in 
 the year 1785 built the first tannery in that 
 township. He was a man of the strictest integ- 
 rity, and lived an exemplary, moral life, industri- 
 ous in his habits, and accumulated a pecuniary 
 independence. He married Desire Daggett, who 
 was also a native of Attleboro, Massachusetts, 
 born September 17, 1745, and died at Farming- 
 ton, Maine, October 4, 1839, at the age of ninety- 
 
 four years. They had five sons and two daugh- 
 ters. The third son, Ellis Sweet, who was born 
 November 20, 1770, died May 7, 1848, at the age 
 of seventy -eight years. He married Mary Fuller, 
 who was born in 1775, and died January 2, 1854, 
 at the age of seventy- nine years. He became the 
 owner of his father's farm, in the year 1822. 
 During the War of 1812, he entered the United 
 States service, and was promoted to the rank of 
 Colonel, commanding a regiment during that 
 struggle. He and his wife became the parents of 
 five children, two sons and three daughters. The 
 eldest son, Loring Sweet, was born August 7, 
 1796, and died July 6, 1881, at the age of eighty- 
 five years and eleven months. He was married, 
 June 7, 1828, to Elizabeth Berry Allen, who was 
 born in 1809, at Canton, Oxford County, Maine, 
 and died in Farmington, March 28, 1875, at the 
 age of sixty-six years. Her father was a Revolu- 
 tionary soldier, and lived to the age of one hun- 
 dred and three years. Five sons and three daugh- 
 ters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Loring Sweet, 
 the subject of this sketch being the fifth son and 
 seventh child. 
 
 John Allen Sweet laid the foundation of his ed- 
 ucation in the public schools and academy of his 
 native town, and at the age of twenty-one years 
 graduated from the State University. It was his 
 intention in early life to qualify himself for the 
 practice of law. Coming West in 1868, at the 
 age of twenty-two years, he studied law for about 
 two years, and for several years following applied
 
 E. W. CASE. 
 
 427 
 
 himself at intervals to legal study, giving his at- 
 tention chiefly to its bearing upon trade and 
 commerce. 
 
 Ill 1872, Mr. Sweet became connected with the 
 wholesale dry goods firm of Carson, Pirie, Scott 
 & Company, of Chicago, assuming charge of their 
 collection and legal departments, and after six 
 years' service, or in 1878, he was promoted to the 
 exclusive charge of the credit, legal and collection 
 departments of this firm, and has occupied that 
 position up to the present time, having retained 
 his present connection for nearly a fourth of a 
 century, and in his particular line of business he 
 has earned the reputation of being the most suc- 
 cessful man in the trade, being admittedly with- 
 out a peer as a credit manager. 
 
 In appreciation of his ability, integrity and 
 long and faithful service, the firm rewarded him 
 with a general partnership, to which he was ad- 
 mitted on the first of January, 1892. Mr. Sweet 
 is thoroughly known among bankers and business 
 men of Chicago, the seat of the keenest commercial 
 competition, where only the fittest can survive, 
 and enjoys a most enviable reputation as a manly, 
 straightforward and safe business manager. In 
 speaking of him, the Inter Ocean recently said: 
 ' 'In appearance, Mr. Sweet is tall and symmet- 
 
 rically proportioned. He is genial, affable and 
 courteous, and has a faculty of making and re- 
 taining friends. He is a natural physiognomist, 
 and has rarely been known to make a mistake in 
 reading men's characters. It is to these qualities 
 that his success in a most important department 
 must be largely attributed. He is an indefatigable 
 worker, and is as well known as a man of grand 
 business capacities among the commercial circles 
 of New York, as he is here in Chicago, where 
 he has lived and labored. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Sweet is a member of the Chicago Athletic 
 Club and prominent in Masonic circles, being a 
 member of Chicago Commandery and Oriental 
 Consistory, having taken the thirty-second degree. 
 On the 1 8th of June, 1878, he was married to 
 Miss Mary Stevenson, daughter of John W. and 
 Caroline C. Stevenson, of Sandusky, Ohio, where 
 Mrs. Sweet was born, October 2, 1855. They 
 have had two children: Fred Kent Sweet, born 
 September 26, 1879, and died December i of the 
 same year; and John Allen Sweet, Junior, who 
 was born April 27, 1881 The family is in com- 
 munion with St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, and holds a desirable position in social 
 circles. 
 
 ELISHA W. CASE. 
 
 ITLISHA W. CASE. The New England 
 1^ Yankee never forgets the home of his child- 
 I hood. Wherever he may wander, and in 
 whatever situation he may be placed, visions of 
 his native hills and dells are retained in his mind, 
 and these scenes always recall many little acces- 
 sories which contributed their share towards the 
 
 comfort and delight of the youthful mind or body. 
 The typical New England homestead is no less 
 famous for its Christian principles, and the sturdy 
 characters which it has trained and sent forth to 
 leave their impress upon every important institu- 
 tion of the great West, than for its culinary tri- 
 umphs and the superior quality of the pastry
 
 428 
 
 E. W. CASE. 
 
 found upon its hospitable boards. And who 
 knows to what extent the memory of the latter 
 has served to keep alive the recollection of precepts 
 and teachings which have helped to mould the 
 characters of many of the best men and women of 
 the present day? 
 
 Elisha \V. Case, whose name is identified in 
 the minds of hungry people with one of the most 
 popular articles of daily consumption, was born 
 in Norwich, Connecticut, in January, 1833. He 
 is the youngest son and ninth in a family of ten 
 children born to John Case and Diana Congdon. 
 The Case family is one of the oldest in Connect- 
 icut. Their first American ancestor came, while 
 a young man, from England, and was married in 
 Connecticut, about 1657, t Sarah, daughter of 
 William Spencer. Several successive generations 
 of their posterity have lived in the same locality, 
 and the name is still one of the most common ones 
 to be found in that state. 
 
 John, father of Elisha W. Case, was a son of 
 Samuel and Susannah Case. During his youth 
 he became a sailor, and while on board a whal- 
 ing vessel was taken prisoner by a British man-of- 
 war, whose officers claimed him as a subject of 
 the Crown, and he was pressed into the naval 
 service. He made an ineffectual attempt to es- 
 cape, for which he was severely flogged. He 
 finally succeeded in eluding his captors, and re- 
 turned to the United States in time to enlist in 
 the War of 1812, and rendered valuable service 
 at the battle of New London. After the war he 
 learned the trade of a machinist and was em- 
 ployed for many years in the railroad shops at 
 Norwich. With the exception of a few years 
 spent in Washtenaw County, Michigan, this 
 place continued to be his home until his death, 
 which occurred in April, 1847, at tne a g e of six- 
 ty-two years. His wife's death took place about 
 eight years earlier. 
 
 At the age of fourteen years, his father having 
 died, Elisha W. Case left home and went to New 
 York City, where he learned his trade in the or- 
 iginal Connecticut pie bakery. In 1854 he came 
 to Chicago and, taking advantage of the wide- 
 spread reputation which everywhere existed for 
 New England cookery, he began the manufacture 
 
 of "Connecticut pies" on Milwaukee Avenue, 
 near Halsted Street. This was the first exclu- 
 sive pie bakery in the city. The people employed 
 were all natives of the Nutmeg State, well versed 
 in the culinary art, and the superior quality of 
 their wares, which far surpassed anything previ- 
 ously offered in this market, created a demand 
 for them which has been continuously increasing 
 to the present time. 
 
 About 1859 the "Mechanical Bakery" began 
 doing business on Clinton Street. Mr. Case be- 
 came the foreman of the pie department of the 
 concern, which filled large contracts for supplies 
 for the Union army. In 1869 he severed his 
 connection with this establishment and became a 
 member of the firm of Case & Martin, which built 
 a large bakery at the corner of Wood and Wal- 
 nut Streets, where the business of exclusive pie- 
 baking was resumed and has ever since been con- 
 ducted. Upon the death of Mr. Martin in 1890, 
 Mr Case became the sole proprietor, and contin- 
 ued to conduct the enterprise until June i, 1894, 
 when the Case & Martin Company was incorpor- 
 ated. 
 
 The fame of their Connecticut pies is well 
 known to everybody in Chicago and many adja- 
 cent cities and towns, and there are few people 
 who cannot testify to their excellence as appeas- 
 ers of appetite. Their goods, which are for the 
 most part hand-made, are prepared from formulas 
 used by the best Connecticut cooks, and such is 
 the demand for this particular article of dessert 
 that about one hundred people are employed in 
 its production, and they turn out from ten thou- 
 sand to eighteen thousand nine-inch pies per 
 day. 
 
 Mr. Case is the inventor of the pie wagon 
 which is now used by nearly all bakers and which 
 he began to employ in 1872. He has contrived 
 a number of articles and appliances which are 
 useful in his business, and, though he has spent 
 considerable time and money in experiments, has 
 never patented any of his ideas, some of which 
 have been adopted and patented by others. 
 
 June i, 1851, Mr. Case was married to Eliza 
 Jane Baldwin, daughter of William and Char- 
 lotte Baldwin, of Braufort, Connecticut. Of
 
 C. T. NICHOLS. 
 
 429 
 
 their five children, one died in infancy, and Ever- 
 ett passed away at the age of twenty-five years. 
 The names of the survivors are John M., Elmer G. 
 and Edna J., the latter the wife of P. M. Vermass, 
 all of Chicago. The family is connected with the 
 Western Avenue Baptist Church, in which soci- 
 ety Mr. Case has been a Deacon for twenty -five 
 years. He has voted for every presidential can- 
 didate nominated by the Republican party, and 
 
 though he refrains from political agitation he 
 always endeavors to fulfill his duty as a citizen. 
 In private and social circles as well as in business 
 affairs, he has maintained a reputation for stabil- 
 ity and integrity, which causes him to be among 
 the best known and most highly esteemed citi- 
 zens of this great city, the growth of which has 
 been almost identical with that of his business. 
 
 CLIFFORD L. NICHOLS. 
 
 CLIFFORD L. NICHOLS, of Blue Island, 
 I ( the efficient and well-known Superintendent 
 \J of the Illinois Division of the Chicago, Rock 
 Island & Pacific Railroad, was born in Wyanet, 
 111., on the 30th of November, 1856, and is a son 
 of David T. and Hulda G. (Barry) Nichols. The 
 father came to this State in 1839, taking up his 
 residence in the then town of Chicago, where he 
 carried on a harness-shop for several years. In 1846 
 he removed to Kane County, 111., where he was 
 engaged in the same line of business for some 
 time. In 1850 he crossed the plains to California, 
 attracted by the discovery of gold on the Pacific 
 Slope, but returned to Illinois the following year, 
 as he did not find that wealth was as easily ob- 
 tained in the West as reports had indicated. In 
 1853 he removed to Wyanet, Bureau County, 
 where he opened a harness-shop, and in 1854 he 
 became agent for the Chicago, Burlington & 
 Quincy Railroad at that place, continuing with 
 that company in the same capacity, with the ex- 
 ception of two years, up to the time of his death, 
 which occurred on the loth of December, 1893, 
 at the advanced age of eighty-one years. He was 
 born in Broadalbin, N. Y. His wife, who is a 
 native of Madison, N. Y., still resides in Wyanet. 
 The gentleman whose name heads this record 
 attended the public schools until fourteen years of 
 
 age, when he began to learn the art of telegrapfc.y 
 in his father's office. In 1876, having mastered 
 the business, he left Wyanet and secured a posi- 
 tion as operator, train dispatcher and ticket agent 
 elsewhere. He was employed at various points 
 on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad 
 until 1880, when he entered the employ of the 
 Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad as train 
 dispatcher. From time to time he won promo- 
 tion as the result of his faithful and meritorious 
 service, until he had become Superintendent of 
 the Eastern Division. Later he was made Super- 
 intendent of the Kansas City Division, and with 
 the exception of a short period remained with 
 that company until 1890, as Superintendent of 
 the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Road. He then be- 
 came connected with the Chesapeake & Ohio, and 
 the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroads. In 
 1892 he engaged with the Chicago, Rock Island 
 & Pacific Railroad Company as chief train dis- 
 patcher at Horton, Kan., and in August, 1893, 
 he came to Blue Island as Superintendent of the 
 Illinois Division of that road, which position he 
 now fills. 
 
 Mr. Nichols was married in 1878 to Miss Mabel 
 E. Frans, daughter of Harry B. Frans, of Gales- 
 burg, 111., and a native of California. They now 
 have four children, Earl, Jessie, Ethel and Allan.
 
 430 
 
 AIX)NZO HUNTINGTON. 
 
 ALONZO HUNTINGTON. 
 
 aLONZO HUNTINGTON, who was born at 
 Shaftesbury, Vermont, September i, 1805, 
 and died in Chicago, November 17, 1881, 
 was a Vermonter of good old stock. Capt. Amos 
 Huntington, of the Revolutionary army, was his 
 grandfather, and, like Samuel Huntington, one 
 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, 
 was a great-grandson of the first of the name in 
 America. Samuel was also President of the Con- 
 tinental Congress, Chief Justice of Connecticut, 
 Governor of Connecticut, and (1789) recipient of 
 two electoral votes at the first Presidential elec- 
 tion. Alonzo was also grand-nephew of Gov- 
 ernor Galusha, of Vermont. His father owned 
 and operated a marble quarry, in which business 
 young Alonzo took his share of work and respon- 
 sibility, even while laying the foundation of his 
 education; his higher teaching being deferred to 
 that of an elder brother, whom his service at home 
 helped through Union College. 
 
 In spite of this sacrifice, he managed to secure 
 a fair degree of good practical culture, and, so 
 grounded, he studied law in Buffalo under the 
 Hon. I. T. Hatch, and was there admitted to the 
 Bar. He came to Chicago in 1835, became State's 
 Attorney in 1837, and administered his office so 
 well as to be re-elected in 1839, serving until 
 1841. His most noteworthy case in this connec- 
 tion was the prosecution of John Stone for 
 the murder of Lucretia Thompson, which ex- 
 cited great interest, and elicited from the Ameri- 
 can remarks which the presiding judge (Pearson) 
 thought demanded prosecution for contempt of 
 court. A suit was accordingly instituted by the 
 State's Attorney under the orders of the court. 
 It had no result, except the usual one of calling 
 down the united voice of the press on the head 
 
 of the prosecutor, who had simply done his of- 
 ficial duty and obeyed orders. 
 
 His term of office ended, Mr. Huntington re- 
 sumed practice, wherein (as in his official life) his 
 qualities and attainments assured success. His 
 manners were dignified, yet cordial; his standing 
 as a man and citizen flawless; his relations in 
 private and family life kind, generous and de- 
 voted. Many know that by his energy, ability, 
 foresight and self-denial he gained a handsome 
 fortune; few have any idea of the burden of duty 
 he was taking so voluntarily on his strong shoul- 
 ders. During much of his later life he was the 
 stay and support of his father, mother, two broth- 
 ers and a widowed sister, besides his own con- 
 siderable family; the whole load sustained with 
 an heroic cheerfulness that either felt no weari- 
 ness, or concealed what it felt. Three genera- 
 tions carried wholly by one inflexible conscience 
 and faithful heart! 
 
 Mrs. Huntington was also of distinguished 
 descent, being granddaughter of Gideon Olin, 
 one of the founders of Vermont and a member of 
 Congress (1803-7); a niece of the late Abraham 
 Olin, a member of the Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth 
 and Thirty-seventh United States Congresses, and 
 Judge of the Supreme Court of the District of 
 Columbia, and a lineal descendant of the Quaker- 
 ess, Mary Dyer, who suffered religious martyr- 
 dom on Boston Common in 1 660. She was a sis- 
 tor of Dr. Charles V. Dyer, the celebrated wit 
 and humorist of the early days of Chicago, whose 
 engaging qualities she shared and transmitted to 
 her children, of whom two survive their parents: 
 Frances, Mrs. Benjamin M. Wilson, and Henry 
 Alonzo, late Brevet Major in the United States 
 army, a brave soldier in the Union War, and stil! 
 distinguished in literary and social life.
 
 EDWIN PARDRIDGE. 
 
 EDWIN PARDRIDGE. 
 
 ["" DWIN PARDRIDGE, one of the most re- 
 jv) markable characters ever connected with 
 the Chicago Board of Trade, passed away 
 at his residence on Prairie Avenue on the morn- 
 ing of April 17, 1896, in the sixty-first year of 
 his age. The Chicago Tribune said: "The his- 
 tory of Mr. Pardridge's sixty years has few paral- 
 lels. He was a man of the clearest perceptions, 
 and his strong convictions and the nerve with 
 which he backed them made him a marked man. 
 Since 1869 he has been a familiar figure in local 
 commercial circles, and for the last ten years, 
 during which time he had devoted himself almost 
 exclusively to speculation, his name and fame 
 were world-wide. Probably no man as merchant 
 and operator has been called upon in the West 
 to meet such odds and face such opposition; and 
 those who knew him are agreed as to his busi- 
 ness acumen, courage, common sense and kind- 
 liness of heart. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Pardridge exemplified in a marked degree 
 the sturdiness of character handed down by a 
 long line of New England ancestry. The pro- 
 genitor of this family came from England, and 
 first settled in Massachusetts early in the history 
 of that colony. Thence the line extending to 
 this subject was transferred to Grafton, near 
 Troy, New York, where his grandfather was a 
 thrifty farmer. He was a man of large stature, 
 and reached a green old age. He was twice 
 married. His first wife, Miss Smith, of an old 
 New York family, was the mother of eleven chil- 
 dren, and died at the age of fifty years. She 
 was a woman of great thrift and economy, and a 
 devoted mother. Six of her children reached 
 
 maturity, namely: Asa, Ambrose, Abiah, Anson, 
 Julia and Lydia. All were born at Grafton, 
 were interested in farming, and were highly re- 
 spected and prospered in life. 
 
 The youngest son, Anson, was reared on the 
 old homestead, where he remained until he had 
 attained his majority. He then went to Durham- 
 ville, Oneida County, New York, where, after 
 four years of patient labor, he was enabled to set- 
 tle down upon a farm. He married Miss Amanda 
 Field, a native of Leyden, Massachusetts, a 
 daughter of John Field, a Revolutionary soldier, 
 who reached the age of eighty-two years. His 
 father and two brothers immigrated from Wales 
 before the French and Indian War, and settled 
 in Massachusetts. His wife, Silence Lincoln, 
 was a native of that State, and was, no doubt, a 
 scion of the same family as the late martyred 
 President, whose family was of English descent 
 and located in Massachusetts. Ansou Pardridge 
 was born June 10, 1804, passed his entire life 
 upon a farm, and died April 28, 1877. His wife 
 was born in the same year as himself, November 
 23, and died January 26, 1890. She was a de- 
 voted member of the Baptist Church, and was the 
 mother of five children, Anson, Marion, Edwin, 
 Charles W. and Ellen. The eldest daughter is 
 the wife of Charles J. Stokes, and the other of 
 Charles Oscar Gleason, all residing in Evanston. 
 The elder son remained on the home farm until 
 1877, when he removed to Chicago, where he 
 now resides. The younger son has been inter- 
 ested all his life in the dry-goods trade," and is 
 now in Chicago. 
 
 Edwin Pardridge was born at Durhamville,
 
 432 
 
 EDWIN PARDRIDGE. 
 
 New York, October 24, 1835. His life was an 
 independent one, and his success was achieved en- 
 tirely through his own unaided efforts. His educa- 
 tion was supplied by the district schools, and he 
 very early began his mercantile career, in which he 
 laid the foundation of his fortune, in .a village 
 store near his home. After working five years 
 in a general store at Lyons, New York, he en- 
 gaged in the dry-goods business at Buffalo, in 
 partnership with his youngest brother. This con- 
 tinued until 1869, when he came to Chicago. He 
 was ambitious and desired a larger field of opera- 
 tions. His first store was located at Lake and 
 State Streets, and in its conduct he showed the 
 same discriminating judgment and mastery of de- 
 tail which later characterized his operations on 
 the Board of Trade. In 1870 he formed a part- 
 nership with his brother, Charles W. Pardridge, 
 to continue the business. 
 
 The great fire of 1871 destroyed this store, 
 which was then on Wabash Avenue. After that 
 disaster they built the Boston Store, and pur- 
 chased the adjoining one at Nos. 112-116 State 
 Street, which was known as Pardridge' s Main 
 Store. He finally reverted the Boston Store to 
 his partner, Charles W. Pardridge, and retained 
 the main store. He also had a dry-goods store 
 in Detroit at the time of his demise. He had 
 started and operated numerous other stores, but 
 had largely abandoned trade to gratify his pas- 
 sion for speculation. He made careful invest- 
 ments of his profits, and soon after the fire he 
 was the owner of one hundred rented houses. 
 His faith in local real estate continued, and when 
 he died he had more than seven hundred tenants 
 in flats, houses and store property. Beside this, 
 he conveyed much property to members of his 
 family to provide against the possible disasters of 
 speculation. 
 
 Mr. Pardridge operated upon the Board of 
 Trade for about twenty years, and for the first 
 five years, as is the case with most beginners, he 
 was a buyer, and was much of the time a loser. 
 He was attracted to speculation by the success of 
 a few very wealthy men who had acquired their 
 property in this manner. He was not an im- 
 pulsive, but a systematic and persistent, operator. 
 
 He formulated a plan which he ever afterwards fol- 
 lowed. He became a seller, and though he often 
 took great risks, and even approached seeming 
 recklessness, and on a few occasions narrowly 
 escaped bankruptcy, his gains far exceeded his 
 losses and justified the soundness of his plan. 
 The fortunes Mr. Pardridge won and lost through 
 his boldness in plunging became the gossip of 
 the world. He used to say that it did not require 
 much education to make a speculator, but it 
 needed plenty of cool common sense. Mr. Pard- 
 ridge's clear foresight was emphatically shown 
 in August, 1892, when May wheat was selling at 
 $1.06 per bushel, and the majority of traders 
 were predicting that it would reach $1.50. Mr. 
 Pardridge said that it would sell for eighty cents 
 per bushel, and it became the case of one man 
 against the world, for all the speculative trade 
 at home and abroad believed in higher prices. 
 Though he lost nearly three-quarters of a million 
 dollars during that summer, he stuck to his pre- 
 diction, which was verified before the following 
 March, and the speculative world, which had 
 laughed at him, was forced to pay him tribute to 
 the extent of millions of dollars. 
 
 He was never exacting in times of stringency, 
 and it is well known that he could have closed 
 out many houses by exacting the margins due 
 him. He never attempted to corner the market, 
 but contented himself with putting in prac- 
 tice his theory of short selling. His fame be- 
 came world- wide, and between 1890 and 1894 
 his movements meant a great deal more than 
 the crop reports or the amount of exports. 
 As seen on the floor of the board, Mr. Pardridge 
 was a modest, unassuming man, and while he 
 could play like a wizard with millions of dollars 
 as if .they were so many pennies, he was one of 
 the most plainly dressed men on the board. His 
 most pronounced characteristic was dogged de- 
 termination, though it was never expressed in 
 his face. 
 
 Mr. Pardridge had few intimate friends on the 
 board, but this was principally because he did 
 not care about casual friends. His chief friend 
 and supporter was A. J. Cutler, whose biography 
 will be found in this volume. Scores of traders
 
 H. D. BAKER. 
 
 433 
 
 remember with gratitude how Mr. Pardridge 
 saved them from bankruptcy by timely loans. 
 These kind acts he was accustomed to do without 
 ostentation, and he never desired to hear them 
 mentioned. He practiced silent charity, and 
 never permitted his left hand to know what his 
 right hand did. The poor and unfortunate were 
 special objects of his bounty, and many cases of 
 his liberality hitherto unknown have come to 
 light since his death. 
 
 The tension under which Mr. Pardridge lived 
 as an operator undermined his constitution, and 
 his death resulted from Bright's Disease, after 
 three months of almost constant suffering. But 
 his vitality was something remarkable. A few 
 weeks before his death Mr. Cutler called at his 
 home, but learned that he was unable to talk 
 about anything pertaining to business. The 
 next day he was thunderstruck on receiving 
 orders from Mr Pardridge to sell wheat, and 
 within a day or two the latter was seen on the 
 floor of the exchange. 
 
 July 10, 1861, Mr. Pardridge was married, 
 near Durhamville, New York, to Miss Sarah 
 Swallow, a native of the town of Verona, Oneida 
 County, New York, and a daughter of William and 
 Mary (Hicks) Swallow, both natives of England. 
 The father was nineteen years old when he came 
 to this country, and was known as an energetic 
 business man of Durhamville. His wife came to 
 the United States when eleven years of age. 
 They were active members of the Methodist 
 Church, and were highly respected by the people 
 of Durhamville, at which place they ended their 
 days in peace and quiet contentment. 
 
 The five children of Mr. and Mrs. Pardridge 
 have all reached maturity. The eldest, Sarah 
 Blanche, wife of R. C. Price, resides at Wauke- 
 gan; Grace Emily, wife of C. W. Leeming, Will- 
 ard Edwin and Frederick Charles Pardridge re- 
 side on Indiana Avenue; and Florence Eva re- 
 sides at home with her mother. 
 
 HENRY D. BAKER. 
 
 HENRY DAVIS BAKER is a native of Illi- 
 nois, whose patriotic impulses and thorough- 
 going business methods have gained for him 
 a reputation well worthy of perpetuation in this 
 record. He was born at Lockport, Will County, 
 April 7, 1845, and is the elder of two sons born 
 to James S. Baker and Adeline H. Eddy. 
 
 James S. Baker was born in Otsego County, 
 New York, and removed to Illinois in 1837, be- 
 coming one of the pioneer settlers of Lockport. 
 He was a carpenter by trade, and followed that 
 occupation there until his death, which occurred 
 in 1890, at the age of seventy-four years. He 
 was prominent in the Masonic fraternity and the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but interested 
 himself little in public affairs. His only official 
 
 service was in the capacity of Justice of the Peace. 
 He was a sou of John Baker, an Englishman, 
 born near the city of Hull, who came to this 
 country about the beginning of the present cent- 
 ury. He settled in Otsego County, New York, 
 where he was married, and died there at the age 
 of sixty years. His wife survived to the age of 
 eighty-four. 
 
 Mrs. Adeline H. Baker was born near Nor- 
 wich, Chenango County, New York. She was 
 a daughter of Eli Eddy, a farmer of that locality, 
 whose ancestors were among the number ban- 
 ished from the Massachusetts Colony in company 
 with Roger Williams, and became pioneers of 
 Rhode Island. Mrs. Baker died of cholera in 
 1854. Her second son, Ernest, died in Eugle-
 
 434 
 
 H. D. BAKER. 
 
 wood, Chicago, in 1891, at the age of forty-two 
 years. After the death of his first wife, Mr. 
 James S. Baker was married to Mrs. Philinda B. 
 Moon, a native of Rochester, New York. 
 
 Henry D. Baker received a common-school 
 education, and at the age of nineteen years en- 
 listed in Cogswell's Independent Battery, Illinois 
 Light Artillery. He entered the service on the 
 23d of February, 1864, and served until June 23, 
 1865, being mustered out at Vicksburg, Missis- 
 sippi. He participated in the battle of Nash- 
 ville, under General Thomas, ' and was subse- 
 quently employed on detached service at that 
 place under General Rosseau. Still later, he 
 served under Captain Barr, Ordnance Officer at 
 Fort McPherson, Natchez, Mississippi. Though 
 the bullets sometimes whizzed in close proximity 
 to his body, he came unscathed from the conflict, 
 and returned to the pursuits of peace. 
 
 The next few years after the war he spent at 
 different places in the South and West, and in 
 1871, just previous to the Great Fire, he located 
 in Chicago. He was employed for a short time 
 by a commission house on the Board of Trade, 
 and for fifteen years thereafter was connected 
 with the Singer & Talcott Stone Company. After 
 severing his connection with that house, he spent 
 four years in the office of Fraser & Chalmers, 
 the well-known foundrymen. His clerical duties 
 were always dispatched in a thorough and com- 
 petent manner, and he gained a reputation for 
 being an expert accountant. 
 
 About twelve years ago Mr. Baker began in- 
 vestigating building and loan associations, and 
 demonstrated to his own satisfaction that this 
 form of investment, when properly managed, of- 
 fered one of the very best opportunities for people 
 of moderate incomes. He became identified with 
 the Bankers' and Merchants' Building and Loan 
 Association, one of the earliest and most reliable 
 concerns of that character organized in the city. 
 He has served as a Director of that institution 
 since 1884. In 1891 he became its Secretary, 
 filling that position with marked ability for the 
 next three years. Owing to ill-health, he re- 
 signed the office of Secretary at the end of that 
 period, and devoted the next year to rest and re- 
 
 cuperation. In 1894 he became Secretary of the 
 Grand Army of the Republic Building and Loan 
 Association. This institution, which has been 
 established for about eleven years, is in a sound 
 and healthy condition, having matured its first 
 five series of stock, and is now recognized as one 
 of the most substantial and prosperous corpora- 
 tions of the kind. 
 
 Mr. Baker is a conservative, energetic and far- 
 seeing business man, and eminently adapted to 
 the management of involved and extensive finan- 
 cial accounts. He is known as one of the well- 
 informed men in the city on matters pertaining to 
 building and loan associations, and his services 
 and counsel are frequently sought by other in- 
 dividuals and corporations whose affairs have be- 
 come entangled through incompetent or unfaith- 
 ful management. In addition to his duties as 
 Secretary of the association with which he is now 
 identified, he transacts a general loan and fire in- 
 surance business. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Baker was married to Miss Agnes 
 M. Milne, daughter of Robert Milne, of Lock- 
 port, Illinois. Mr. Milne, who was an early set- 
 tler at that place, became one of the leading farm- 
 ers and stock-breeders of Illinois, and served as 
 a member of the first Board of Canal Commis- 
 sioners appointed by the Governor of the State. 
 He lived to the age of eighty-seven years, passing 
 away in November, 1891. Mrs. Baker, who is 
 an accomplished and amiable lady, is the mother 
 of a son and two daughters. Horace S., the son, 
 is a student at the Evanston Township High 
 School. The daughters are named, respectively, 
 Adeline M. and Elsie M. The family is con- 
 nected with the Congregational Church of Evan- 
 ston, which city has been its home since the 
 spring of 1890. Mr. Baker is a member of 
 Unity Council of the National Union at Evanston, 
 and of John A. Logan Post, Grand Army of the 
 Republic. He has been connected with the Ma- 
 sonic order since he was twenty-one years old, 
 and in political sentiment is an independent Re- 
 publican. He entertains no aspirations for polit- 
 ical honors, but endeavors in a quiet way to fulfill 
 all the duties of an American citizen.
 
 U. H. WHEELER. 
 
 435 
 
 URIAH H. WHEELER. 
 
 HRIAH HARMON WHEELER. The clos- 
 ing life work of Uriah H. Wheeler ended a 
 branch of one of the distinguished Bay State 
 families; which pathetic fact invites attention well 
 back towards primal Pilgrim days, an era -of rug- 
 gedly severe but sterling deeds. Briefly told, the 
 story runs as follows: Traditionally from Wales, 
 in 1640 (only twenty years subsequent to the im- 
 mortal landing of the Pilgrims), Thomas Wheeler 
 is found at Concord, Massachusetts, historic scene 
 of the "Minute-men" fight in earliest Revolu- 
 tionary times. Here he founded a large family, 
 in evidence of which fact it is only necessary to 
 say that persons bearing this name have from 
 that day to this always exceeded the numbers of 
 those of any other family name in that town. 
 
 He rose to the rank of Captain, and as such 
 was in command of that intrepid score of com- 
 rades who made the march in 1675 to Brookfield, 
 to treat with King Philip, where, falling into an 
 ambush, about one-half of the band was slaugh- 
 tered. Captain Wheeler had his horse shot under 
 him while in the saddle, and, being himself badly 
 wounded, was from under the very tomahawks of 
 savage foes rescued by his son, Sergeant Thomas 
 Wheeler, who, although suffering from wounds, 
 placed his father upon another horse of a fallen 
 soldier, and from the bloody scene both found 
 safety in flight. 
 
 The following year, Captain Wheeler died, 
 never having recovered from the effects of his 
 wounds. Thomas Wheeler, junior, in the mean 
 time having married and had children, later re- 
 moved to the rapidly developing town of Marl- 
 boro, situated only a few miles west. 
 
 The scene now changes to New Marlboro, in 
 Berkshire County, western Massachusetts, whose 
 original grantors were principally from Marlboro, 
 whence the name. Benjamin Wheeler, a de- 
 scendant of the said Thomas Wheeler, junior, 
 was the first settler in this new grant, and one of 
 the organizers of New Marlboro. The winter of 
 1739-40 was spent by him entirely alone in his 
 log cabin, provisions being brought from Shef- 
 field, the nearest settlement, ten miles distant. 
 The next year he brought his family, who, the 
 following season, were reinforced by the arrival 
 of several other families. 
 
 The old Wheeler homestead is situated one 
 mile northwest of New Marlboro Center, on the 
 road to Great Barrington, on the right of An- 
 thony Brook (so called from the last Indian oc- 
 cupant of the valley), and remained in the family 
 for one hundred and forty years, through five 
 generations of direct descendants, four of the 
 number bearing the Christian name of Benjamin. 
 From the first Benjamin Wheeler, above named, 
 the descent is traced to the subject of this biog- 
 raphy through Zenas Wheeler and his wife, 
 Azubah; their son Zenas, born October 22, 1756, 
 and his wife, Elizabeth; their son, Warren Wheel- 
 er, born March 10, 1788, who was the father of 
 Uriah H. Wheeler, as related below. Trans- 
 planted to new soil, the family tree throve and 
 spread out its branches, many of them bearing 
 distinguished offspring, conspicuously Capt. Ze- 
 nas Wheeler of Revolutionary War times. 
 
 In the western part of New Marlboro, at a 
 place locally known as "Mill River," is a fine 
 water power upon the Konkapot River, where in
 
 436 
 
 U. H. WHEELER. 
 
 later years paper and lumber manufacturing has 
 been extensively carried on. Attracted thither 
 in 1836, Warren Wheeler erected the first mill 
 for the manufacture of writing paper. So rapidly 
 did the new industry develop, that in 1855, of 
 three paper mills then running there, that of 
 Warren Wheeler & Co. was the largest, more 
 than forty hands being employed and a yearly 
 output of $50,000 worth of stock being made a 
 remarkable showing for so early a day ; therefore 
 no wonder the firm was rated very high in the 
 metropolis of New York. 
 
 This firm later became Wheeler & Sons, after- 
 wards Wheeler, Sheldon & Babcock, and was 
 finally sold out to a syndicate known as the 
 Marlboro Paper Company, and later to the Brook- 
 side Paper Company, while to-day these large in- 
 dustries of the vicinity are controlled by the well- 
 known Berkshire Paper Company. It will thus 
 be seen that Warren Wheeler was one of the 
 founders of the trade. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, Uriah Harmon Wheel- 
 er, was born at New Marlboro in the year 1825, 
 being a son of the said Warren Wheeler and wife, 
 Alice (Harmon) Wheeler. Of delicate mould, 
 he was an apt pupil, and we know made the 
 most of opportunities at local schools and later at 
 Meriden (Connecticut) Academy. At the age of 
 twenty-one, he became a partner with his father 
 in the paper mill, succeeding to a place made 
 vacant by the death of an elder brother, Warren 
 Wheeler, junior, who had formerly been the first 
 partner of Cyrus W. Field, father of the Atlantic 
 Telegraph Cable. 
 
 Uncertain health led to disposing of this 
 lucrative business in 1854, at which period father 
 and son came West; the former to Berrien 
 Springs, Michigan, the latter to the welcoming 
 city of Chicago, where he located on the South 
 Side, destined henceforth to be his home. For 
 ten years he was a partner and Chicago repre- 
 sentative of the great lumber firm of E. & J. Can- 
 field of Chicago, and Manistee, Michigan, which 
 then owned extensive local yards, situated on the 
 West Side, near the Lake Street Bridge. When 
 this branch of the business was sold out, 
 not wishing to leave Chicago, Mr. Wheeler 
 
 severed his pleasant relationship with this firm. 
 Subsequently he bought from the well-known 
 John B. Idson his interest in the wholesale belt- 
 ting and rubber business at No. 174 Lake Street, 
 thus becoming a partner of Sylvanus Hallock 
 (formerly of New York), under the firm style 
 of Hallock & Wheeler, one of the first, largest 
 and most reputable houses of its kind in their 
 day. 
 
 Here failing health found him in January, 1875, 
 obliged to halt midway in life's pleasant march. 
 For the final two years, he endured the lot of a 
 patiently resigned invalid; and so when the Angel 
 of Death visited his earthly home, April 21, 
 1876, he found not an anxious but a prepared 
 well-doer, at peace with both God and men. The 
 remains were borne by loving friends from the 
 family mansion at Twenty-second Street to their 
 last home, Rose Hill. The Rev. Dr. Mitchell 
 officiated at the obsequies of one who had for a 
 long time been a stanch supporter of the First 
 Presbyterian Church. In politics, he was an 
 unswerving Republican; never aggressively active 
 in political life, but quietly fulfilling his duties of 
 citizen as he wisely knew them. 
 
 Mr. Wheeler was married, in 1846, to Miss 
 Lorinda Canfield Wheeler, of New Marlboro, 
 who was born at Hudson, on the Hudson, where 
 her parents were for a time residing. She was a 
 daughter of Abraham Wheeler, who married a 
 Miss Lorinda Canfield, of eastern New York, a 
 descendant of an old Connecticut family. 
 
 Their happy union was blessed with four chil- 
 dren, whom unkind fate removed upon the very 
 threshold of their lives. Mr. Wheeler possessed a 
 typical old-school Massachusetts face, intellectu- 
 ally refined and bearing an expression almost 
 feminine in gentleness. Deeply set dark blue 
 eyes lent a spirituelle radiance to finely chiseled, 
 classic features, as vividly portrayed by the 
 skilled brush of the well-known New York artist, 
 Theodore Pine. Beloved by those with whom 
 he became intimate, he was held in respectful 
 esteem by all acquaintances in business relations. 
 Socially he was an ever-welcome, genial compan- 
 ion, full of clever, refined thoughts, delivered 
 without ostentation. His superior success was
 
 AARON OLLENDORFF. 
 
 437 
 
 mainly due to a well-defined, consistent conser- 
 vation of energies, for while naturally conserva- 
 tive, a delicate constitution was continually teach- 
 ing this essential lesson. And here we stay our 
 
 narrative, with an observation of an honored fel- 
 low-citizen: "He was faithful in all things. 
 None of our business men has better merited 
 the epithet gentleman." 
 
 AARON OLLENDORFF. 
 
 QEV. AARON OLLENDORFF, one of the 
 kf most highly respected citizens of Chicago, 
 P \ died at his home in that city October 30, 
 1895, and his remains were deposited in Wald- 
 heim Cemetery. He was born August 31, 1816, 
 in Rawicz, in the Province of Posen, Prussia, 
 and was a son of Marcus Ollendorff, a wealthy 
 contractor of that city, where his ancestors had 
 been born and reared for many generations. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received a liberal 
 education, preparing for a teacher, and com- 
 menced his career at the age of seventeen as tutor 
 in a private family in Kozmen, Germany. At 
 the age of twenty five years he was a teacher 
 and minister in Holland, where he achieved con- 
 siderable fame through an address made at the 
 funeral of a noted rabbi. This address was 
 printed and sold throughout the entire kingdom, 
 the proceeds being devoted to the building of a 
 synagogue. Proceeding to Pleshen, in the Prov- 
 ince of Posen, he opened a school, and also be- 
 came an instructor in the Jewish religion. He 
 received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from 
 the Theological Seminary at Posen. 
 
 In 1855 he accompanied his brother and broth- 
 er-in-law to Australia, whither the}' were led by 
 the brilliant promise of the newly opened gold- 
 fields. They were ten weeks on the voyage from 
 England to Australia on a sailing-vessel. Arriv- 
 ing in Melbourne, he immediately became pastor 
 of a Hebrew congregation, but returned in 1858 
 to Germany, locating in Breslau, where he opened 
 a college for boys in company with his brother- 
 in-law, P. Joseph, Doctor of Philosophy. 
 
 Mr. OllendorfFinvested his means in real estate, 
 but the speculation proved unfortunate, and in 
 
 1866 he came to America to retrieve his fortunes. 
 He located for a time in Baltimore, where he 
 was associated for a time with Mr. Joseph, a 
 brother-in-law, in the wholesale jewelry business. 
 From there he was called to Chicago to take 
 charge of the North Chicago Hebrew congrega- 
 tion, the first of that sect on the North Side. 
 He officiated there three years, the house of wor- 
 ship being located on Superior Street, near Wells 
 Street, and his residence was on Illinois Street, 
 near LaSalle Avenue. He was next called to 
 Quincy, Illinois, where he officiated three years, 
 thus escaping the great Chicago fire. In 1873 
 he returned to the city and became an active 
 member of his former congregation, devoting 
 himself for the remainder of his life to private 
 pursuits. 
 
 Beside the subject of this sketch, the Ollen- 
 dorff family has produced another noted scholar 
 Professor Ollendorff, of Paris, France, who was 
 the author of grammars in all modern languages, 
 many of which are still in use. 
 
 Doctor Ollendorff was married in Great Glogau, 
 Germany, March 29, 1853, to Miss Sophia Joseph, 
 of Great Glogau, Silesia, Germany. She was a 
 native of that place and daughter of Jacob and 
 Henrietta (Peisach) Joseph. The children of 
 Doctor and Mrs. Ollendorff were Fannie, Martha, 
 Max, Paul and Arthur. The only survivor, 
 Fannie, is the wife of Millard Cass, a prominent 
 real-estate dealer of Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cass are the parents of two sons, namety: Mr. 
 Philip Cass, a promising young man of twenty- 
 one, who is an expert electrician and bicyclist; 
 and Sigmund Cass, now eleven years old, a stu- 
 dent of the Chicago public schools.
 
 438 
 
 S. P. SKINNER. 
 
 Doctor Ollendorff 's mother, Helen Ollendorff, 
 was a famous beauty, born and reared in Dantzig, 
 West Prussia. The fame of her beauty extended 
 to Rawicz, where her future husband lived. He 
 hastened to Dantzig and succeeded in bringing 
 her home as his bride. The beauty of this lady 
 was transmitted to her posterity, and is noticeable 
 in her only granddaughter living on this side of 
 the Atlantic. She lived to the great age of 
 ninety-six years, and preserved her remarkable 
 beauty and vivacity of spirits until her death. 
 
 Reverend Doctor Ollendorff was one of the 
 greatest Tahnudic and Hebraic scholars of the 
 age, and was considered an authority on all mat- 
 ters pertaining to ancient Hebrew history. His 
 funeral was one of the most imposing ever seen 
 on the North Side, and was conducted from the 
 new temple of the North Side Hebrew congrega- 
 tion, corner of LaSalle Avenue and Goethe Street, 
 the Reverend Doctor Norden, pastor of the con- 
 gregation, and Reverend Doctor Felsenthal offici- 
 ating. 
 
 SAMUEL P. SKINNER. 
 
 REV. SAMUEL PROUTY SKINNER, one 
 of the fathers of Universalism in the West, 
 and for seven years the publisher of its lead- 
 ing western organ, passed away in Chicago, 
 August 12, 1858, at the age of forty-eight years. 
 He was the son of Baxter Skinner, a farmer in 
 Manchester, New Hampshire, where he was born 
 in 1810. The family was noted for its intellect- 
 ual force, and furnished one of the Presidents of 
 Lombard University, at Galesburg, Illinois, Otis 
 A. Skinner. 
 
 Samuel P. Skinner was educated in New Eng- 
 land, and at the age of twenty-two was married, 
 in Conway, Franklin County, Massachusetts, to 
 Miss Armenia Pulsifer, a native of that town. 
 She survived him two years, dying in Chicago 
 in 1860. They had no children, but adopted a 
 niece, Sarah A., who is now the wife of Charles 
 E. Lake, residing in Chicago. Dr. Skinner, as 
 he was called by his contemporaries, was justly 
 so styled, for Lombard College (as it was then 
 known) conferred upon him the degree of Doc- 
 tor of Divinity; but he did not accept it, for reasons 
 best known to himself. He was a man of rare 
 beauty of character, and spread sunshine wherever 
 he went. He was beloved by all who knew him. 
 He first preached at Cambridgeport, Massachu- 
 setts, whence he went to Baltimore, Maryland, 
 and was pastor oi the Universalist Society there 
 
 ten years. Returning to Boston, he preached oc- 
 casionally at Newton Upper Falls, near that city. 
 His health was never robust, and he decided to 
 try the western climate. 
 
 He arrived in Chicago in October, 1845, and 
 six months afterward accepted a call to the First 
 Universalist Church, now known as St. Paul's, 
 and at present presided over by Rev. A. J. Can- 
 field, D. D. He purchased land at the north- 
 west corner of Van Buren Street and Wabash 
 Avenue, upon which was erected in i856achurch 
 edifice patterned after the church of Rev. Dr. 
 Neal, at Boston. This was destroyed in the 
 great conflagration of 1871, soon after which the 
 society built a church at great expense on the east 
 side of Michigan Avenue, between Seventeenth 
 and Eighteenth Streets, on what was known as 
 the Widow Clark property, for years a land- 
 mark of Chicago. Later the church was abandoned 
 as being too far down town, and the present 
 handsome house of the society was put up at 
 Thirtieth Street and Prairie Avenue. Rev. Mr. 
 Skinner continued as pastor until 1852, when he 
 was compelled to give up the ministry on account 
 of feeble health. Though not possessed of a good 
 voice, his sermons were able, and he held the 
 society together and established it firmly. 
 
 Upon abandoning the pulpit, he did not get 
 out of church work, and bought the Belter Cove-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HWVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 J. Y. SANGER. 
 
 439 
 
 nan/, a small denominational paper, which he en- 
 larged and improved, changing the name to the 
 New Covenant. It is now a flourishing religious 
 journal, known as the Universalist. He was an 
 easy writer and superior editor, and continued 
 the management of the paper for some years, 
 when he sold it to Rev. D. P. Livermore, who con- 
 ducted it a long time, until his removal to Bos- 
 ton, where he now resides. 
 
 In his last years Dr. Skinner gave some atten- 
 tion to real-estate investments, and he left a com- 
 petence to his family. Cut off at a comparatively 
 early age, the church lost in him one of its most 
 faithful and useful workers, and his memory is 
 still lovingly cherished in its records. He was of 
 a retiring disposition, and those who intimately 
 knew him best appreciated his worth. His works 
 live after him. 
 
 JAMES YOUNG SANGER. 
 
 (TAMES YOUNG SANGER was conspicuous 
 I for many years among the prominent eastern- 
 C2/ born citizens of Illinois. His birthplace is 
 in Sutton, Vt. , his birth having occurred on the 7th 
 of March, in the year 1814. He received a prac- 
 tical common-school education, and was a pre- 
 cocious youth in business matters. At the age 
 of fourteen, he became head clerk in the store of 
 Isaac Harris, of Pittsburgh, Pa., then the largest 
 mercantile establishment of its kind in the city. 
 He was methodical, devoted to the interests of 
 his employers, remarkable for his readiness and 
 facility in business, and commanded the admiring 
 commendation of his associates. 
 
 His father, David Sanger, after removing from 
 Vermont, associated with himself one of his sons, 
 and they became contractors on the Erie Canal 
 and other public works in the State of New York. 
 They built some of the locks at L,ockport, N. Y., 
 and had other contracts on the canal, James Y. 
 Sanger being associated with them . The four sons 
 of David Sanger all became contractors and build- 
 ers of public works. After completing their work 
 in New York, they went to Pennsylvania and 
 engaged in the same kind of business. Going 
 from there to Ohio, they assisted in the construc- 
 tion of the Ohio canals; still going westward, 
 they performed similar work on the Wabash & 
 
 Erie Canal. Following the completion of this 
 undertaking, J. Y. Sanger moved to St. Joseph, 
 Mich. , where he opened a general store, and was 
 interested in bridge-building and similar enter- 
 prises. 
 
 In 1836 James Y. Sanger, his father and Gen. 
 Hart L. Stewart came to Chicago and bid for 
 contract work on the Illinois & Michigan Canal, 
 which was let by the State of Illinois. Several 
 of these contracts were secured by these gentle- 
 men, who had formed a co-partnership for that 
 purpose, and their first work was in the vicinity 
 of Chicago. As the work progressed southwest- 
 ward, the canal was constructed where now the 
 famous quarries of Lemont and neighboring towns 
 are situated, and a vast amount of rockwork was 
 excavated. They also built the aqueduct and bridge 
 at Ottawa, the locks at Peru, and constructed 
 various other public works. In the spring of 
 1840 J. Y. Sanger moved to Chicago. 
 
 The year 1842 proved disastrous to them. 
 There was due them a large amount of money 
 for work which they had performed at an im- 
 mense outlay. The State defaulted payment, 
 and they were compelled to accept in satisfaction 
 of their claim State script, whose commercial 
 value was twenty-five per cent, of its face repre- 
 sentation. Mrs. Sanger received as a present
 
 440 
 
 T. Y. SANGER. 
 
 from her husband $2,000 of this script, worth 
 $500, with which she bought a lot, on which the 
 Stewart House now stands. One half of this she 
 afterward sold to her sister, the wife of Gen. 
 Stewart, at cost price; upon the other half, which 
 constituted the corner lot, she erected a two- 
 story frame house, with frontage of twenty-five 
 feet, and planted the remainder, a strip of fifteen 
 feet, with trees and flowers for ornament. This 
 property she sold a few years afterward for 
 $12,000. 
 
 In the year 1850, James Y. Sanger, Gen. 
 Stewart, L- -'. Sanger and others organized a 
 company to build public works, especially rail- 
 roads, on a more extensive scale than the people 
 of the West had ever seen them carried on be- 
 fore. This organization was known as Sanger, 
 Camp & Co., and its first undertaking was 
 the construction and equipment of the Ohio & 
 Mississippi Railroad, which was projected to run 
 from East St. Louis to Vincennes, Ind. For the 
 completion of one hundred and fifty miles of line 
 the compensation was to be $5,000,000. Shortly 
 afterward, they contracted with the Belleville & 
 Alton Railroad Company to build a line from 
 Belleville, by way of St. Louis, to Alton for 
 $1,000,000. In the winter of 1853-54, the North 
 Missouri Railroad Company contracted with this 
 firm for a railroad from St. Louis to the Iowa 
 State line, northwesterly one hundred and eighty 
 miles. The estimates for this work were about 
 $7,000,000. In 1855 another contract was made 
 by Sanger, Camp & Co. to complete a railroad 
 from St. Louis, by way of Vandalia, to the Wabash 
 River, near Terre Haute, a distance of one hun- 
 dred and sixty miles, and for this they were to 
 receive $8,000,000. The total of the contracts 
 undertaken by this company, within the dates 
 mentioned, amounted to more than $21,000,000. 
 Nothing more clearly illustrates the energy and 
 enterprise of the members of this company than 
 the mention of these figures. Their work was 
 pushed with vigor, and their operations were 
 watched with interest by the people of the entire 
 West. 
 
 In addition to the works which the company 
 constructed, and which have been already men- 
 
 tioned, a line of railroad fifteen miles in length 
 was built from St. Louis to Belleville, which be- 
 came one of the most profitable pieces of railroad 
 property in the United States, in proportion to its 
 length. The year 1857 scattered broadcast its 
 calamities with an impartial hand, and financial 
 troubles involved Sanger, Camp & Co. , as they did 
 thousands of others. The railroad companies 
 with which their contracts were made were una- 
 ble to meet their financial obligations, and this 
 company was compelled to take $8,000,000 for 
 the work they had performed, which, if completed 
 according to the contract, would have brought 
 them $21,000,000. In 1857 James Y. Sanger, 
 disappointed in his expectations with regard to 
 eastern railroads, turned his attention toward the 
 West, and went to California, where he put in 
 operation a railroad from Sacramento to Marys- 
 ville, the first one ever operated in California. 
 He remained on the Pacific Coast for two years, 
 and then returned to Chicago. 
 
 At the outbreak of the Civil War he became a 
 contractor for Government supplies, which con- 
 tinued to be his principal business during the 
 continuance of the war. After the return of 
 peace, he again engaged in railroad work, and^ 
 associated with Gen. James H. Lecllie in the or- 
 ganization of a syndicate to build the Union Pa- 
 cific Railroad. The syndicate secured several 
 large contracts. Before any considerable amount 
 of work had been done, Mr. Sanger 's health 
 failed, and he was disappointed in his expecta- 
 tion of putting his whole time upon this pro- 
 ject. In a short time his condition compelled 
 him to abandon it entirely. His interest in the 
 company was taken by Gen. John M. Corse, who 
 was afterward Postmaster at Boston. Thus it 
 was that Mr. Sanger missed an opportunity of 
 sharing the large profits of this enterprise. He 
 returned to Chicago, where he remained until his 
 death, on July 3, 1867. 
 
 It was after his settlement at St. Joseph, Mich., 
 that Mr. Sanger met Miss Mary Catherine Mc- 
 Kibben, daughter of Col. James McKibben, 
 whose family had moved from Pennsylvania to 
 Michigan after his death. Col. McKibben's wife 
 was the daughter of William Nelson, an Irish
 
 H. W. THOMAS. 
 
 441 
 
 gentleman, who emigrated to America after the 
 Revolutionary War and settled in Bedford, Pa., 
 where his family grew up and his only daughter 
 married Col. McKibben. The acquaintance of 
 Mr. Sanger and Miss McKibben resulted in 
 mutual affection and led to their marriage, which 
 occurred at Lockport, 111., April 5, 1841. Miss 
 McKibben was born in Westmoreland County, 
 Pa., and was one of four children born to Col. 
 and Mrs. McKibben. She was the true help- 
 mate and companion of the noble husband whom 
 she survives, and for the honor of whose memory 
 she has performed many good works. She is 
 familiar with the history of Chicago from the 
 period of its early growth, and is still a resident of 
 this city. She has been the mother of two sons and 
 one daughter, all of whom were born in Chicago. 
 One son, James McKibben Sanger, died Septem- 
 ber 19, 1877, leaving two sons, James P. and 
 John Foster Sanger. The other son, Fred W. 
 
 Sanger, resides in his native city. The daugh- 
 ter is the wife of George M. Pullman, of Chicago. 
 For more than thirty years Mr. Sanger was one 
 of the most prominent citizens of Illinois, and one 
 whose efforts contributed as much as those of any 
 other toward the growth and development of the 
 State. The influence of the enterprises with 
 which he was identified upon the commerce of 
 the West is incalculable. The four hundred and 
 fifty miles of railroad in the construction of which 
 he was largely instrumental, were built at an out- 
 lay of $12,000,000. It is not necessary to speak 
 of the many lesser enterprises with which he was 
 identified. He was widely known, not only in 
 commercial, but also in social circles, and was a 
 prominent member of the Masonic order. His 
 success in life was due to his fertility of resource, 
 his wonderful ability to recover from pecuniary 
 embarrassments, and his indomitable energy. 
 
 REV. HIRAM WASHINGTON THOMAS. 
 
 REV. HIRAM WASHINGTON THOMAS, 
 D. D., the subject of this sketch, is the son 
 of Joseph and Margaret (McDonald)Thomas, 
 who were well-to-do farmers in Hampshire Coun- 
 ty, W. Va. On his father's side he is of Ger- 
 man and Welsh, and on his mother's Scotch and 
 English, extraction. Hiram is the fourth in a 
 family of six children, having three brothers 
 older and two sisters younger than himself, and 
 was born in Hampshire County, among the moun- 
 tains of West Virginia, April 29, 1832. When 
 but a year old the family removed to Preston 
 County, near the Maryland line, where he grew 
 to manhood. He was naturally of a slender con- 
 stitution, with a massive brain overtopping his 
 body, and it was fortunate that his childhood and 
 early manhood were spent on a farm among the 
 
 rugged mountains. The outdoor active life of a 
 farmer toned up his physical constitution to a 
 reasonable equality with his mental capacity, 
 so that he has been able to bear an amount of in- 
 tellectual work surpassed by few, and at the age 
 of sixty years his vigor is unimpaired and his 
 personal appearance still youthful. The educa- 
 tional facilities of his native place were, fortu- 
 nately perhaps for him, meagre and primitive, 
 and he was left to the very necessary work of 
 preparing a constitution for future use. The 
 thirst for knowledge was, however, so great in 
 him, that at the age of sixteen he went one hun- 
 dred miles on foot to Hardy County, Va., and 
 worked nights and mornings for a winter's school- 
 ing at a little village academy. Two years after, 
 one Doctor McKesson, of his neighborhood, took
 
 442 
 
 H. W. THOMAS. 
 
 him under his private tutelage for two years, after 
 which he attended the Cooperstown, Pennsyl- 
 vania Academy, and subsequently the Berlin 
 Seminary, in the same State, then under the di- 
 rection of J. F. Eberhart, now a member of the 
 People's Church, Chicago, and a fast friend of 
 the Doctor's. 
 
 On moving to Iowa he continued his studies 
 privately under Dr. Charles Elliott, formerly 
 President of the Iowa Wesleyan University. His 
 studies have, however, never been discontinued. 
 Like many men of mark, he has never graduated, 
 but expects to remain a student to the end of his 
 life. The greater part of his knowledge of books 
 he has acquired since he began to preach, and 
 has facilitated his work greatly, and fastened his ' 
 acquirements in his memory, by making immedi- 
 ate use of them as fast as acquired, a most ad- 
 mirable method. 
 
 His mother was a devout Methodist, and his 
 father a Quaker. The moral tone of the family 
 was exceptionally high, and its religion both 
 practical and intensely devotional. At the age of 
 eighteen Hiram became converted, and began 
 soon after to preach. Like many other great 
 preachers, he had the conviction from childhood 
 that he must one day preach, and although he 
 fought against it long and energetically, yet when 
 the time came he yielded and entered into the 
 work. 
 
 He at first joined the Pittsburgh Conference of 
 the Evangelical Association, or German Method- 
 ists, with whom he remained till in 1856, when 
 he joined the Iowa Conference of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 March 19, 1865, he married Miss Emmeline C. 
 Merrick, an accomplished young lady of Demp- 
 seytown, Pa. Her people were Presbyterians, 
 and Methodist preachers, and though popular with 
 the same class who used to hear Christ ' 'gladly, ' ' 
 were, nevertheless, at that period considered rather 
 among the proletariat. The union has been, how- 
 ever, a happy one, and through all the extraordi- 
 nary trials of the life of an itinerant Methodist 
 preacher on the frontier, they have found in each 
 other an unfailing source of strength and consola- 
 tion. 
 
 In the autumn of 1854 his pa rents sold out their 
 Virginia home, and the family removed to Wash- 
 ington Count}- , Iowa, and bought a tract of land. 
 Thither Hiram, with his young wife, followed 
 them the following spring. The summer was 
 spent opening a new farm, house-building, etc., 
 the young preacher working faithfully seven days 
 in the week, six on the farm and one in the pul- 
 pit. In the fall that scourge of a new country, 
 congestive chills and fever, brought him and his 
 faithful wife to the verge of death, but, as he firmly 
 believes, his life was spared in answer to prayer. 
 Whether his faithful spouse was included in the 
 petition, or is indebted to the efficacy of a stronger 
 vital organization for her escape, is not recorded, 
 but it is certain that she, too, was spared to re- 
 mark that there was little left of Hiram but ' 'a 
 handful of bones and a tuft of red hair. ' ' 
 
 But he was not ordained to bury himself or his 
 talents in Iowa soil, and speedily relinquished 
 the farm entirely for the pulpit, and entered fully 
 upon the arduous life of a Methodist itinerant. 
 For several successive years he managed to eke 
 out a subsistence for himself and family on $300 
 a year. The leading charges of Marshall, Ft. 
 Madison, Washington, Mt. Pleasant and Burling- 
 ton enjoyed the benefit of his labors, besides which 
 he spent two years as Chaplain of the State Peni- 
 tentiary. In 1869 he was transferred to the Rock 
 River Conference, and stationed at Park Avenue, 
 Chicago. After three years he was appointed to 
 the First Church (Methodist Church Block) of 
 the same city, where likewise he remained three 
 years. He was then sent to the First Church of 
 Aurora for two years, and next to Centenary 
 Church, Chicago, where his term of three years 
 expired in October, 1880. His early preaching 
 gave promise of all his later fame. He always 
 drew large congregations and the church flour- 
 ished under his care. It was predicted many 
 years ago by astute friends that he only had 
 to be transferred to a large city to acquire a na- 
 tional reputation. He has captured every place 
 in which he has preached, and his success in 
 Chicago is only a repetition of his career on a 
 smaller scale in the villages and towns of his
 
 H. W. THOMAS. 
 
 earlier ministry. There have usually been many 
 demands for him, and a spirited rivalry between 
 the leading churches of his conference, as there is 
 now between cities and denominations. 
 
 Dr. Thomas has been a man of sorrows as 
 well as of privations and arduous labors. Of 
 seven children born to his home but one survives, 
 Dr. Homer M. Thomas, now a prominent physi- 
 cian of Chicago. His large personal experience 
 in the school of grief has opened a door for him 
 into the hearts of the afflicted and desolate few 
 not tempered in the same school can enjoy. He 
 was born and reared in humble life; he drew his 
 first breath among the freedom-inspiring moun- 
 tains; he had his long struggle with poverty, and 
 is familiar with its trials and temptations; he has 
 mingled with the lowly, and become familiar 
 with their wants and woes, and no fame, honor 
 or pelf of his later years can lift him above the 
 common people in his sympathies or his labors. 
 He began his life with them, he has spent it for 
 them, he will close it among them. This is the 
 secret of his heresy it is the secret of his power. 
 And had not Methodism progressed out of its 
 primitive simplicity and liberality, it would not 
 have scandalized and wronged itself by driving 
 'him from among them. However, it gave him a 
 broader field, and probably increased his useful- 
 ness by breaking down for him the wall of parti- 
 tion which the church unconsciously had erected 
 between her ministers and the people, and by 
 casting him with her ban upon him into the 
 bosom of the people whom he loved. "Nothing 
 pains me more, ' ' he said at one time, ' 'or gives 
 me more anxious thought, than that the world's 
 great need, and religion's great gift man's want 
 and God's fullness cannot be brought together. 
 It rests upon me with such a weight that I have 
 sometimes almost felt that God calls me to a min- 
 istry at large outside of the church, that I might 
 get near to the hearts and homes of the people. ' ' 
 The expression of such sentiments could not 
 but make him very popular among those who 
 most need human sympathy and ministerial coun- 
 sel and assistance, and naturally the narrow bigots 
 of his own class would look with increasing dis- 
 favor upon him. He would be regarded by the 
 
 scribes and pharisees with jealousy, anger and 
 suspicion, in proportion as it became manifest that 
 "the common people heard him gladly." It 
 hence became early apparent that a separation 
 must sooner or later come the drift of events 
 could not be checked. With the deepening of 
 his sympathies for humanity came the inevitable 
 broadening of his religious, or rather theological, 
 views of truth and his understanding of the Script- 
 ures. With him to study, to learn and to preach 
 were necessary steps in a process continually go- 
 ing on. He never waits to inquire how truth 
 will be received, or what will be its consequences 
 to himself. He only asks if it be truth; his duties 
 to proclaim it he never questions. His opposers 
 did not stop to inquire if his views were truth, 
 nor yet whether they were contrary to the essen- 
 tials of Methodism, but placed the issues of their 
 cause against him upon the standards of the 
 Church, and themselves determined the stand- 
 ards. There could be but one issue of such a 
 trial. It is difficult to ascertain the date of the 
 earliest expression of heresy by the Doctor, and it 
 is of little moment. It is probable that his early 
 popularity arose from his human and rational 
 view of God, the Bible, and its teachings, which 
 came to him unconsciously, and was expressed 
 as unconsciously and as naturally as he breathed. 
 However, rumors of his unsoundness were heard 
 as far back as 1865, while yet in Burlington, 
 Iowa, and on that account an effort was made to 
 prevent his transfer to Chicago. It was not, 
 however, until he became the pastor of the First 
 Church that his liberal views attracted general 
 notice. His nearness to the people, and his pop- 
 ularity among publicans and sinners who flocked 
 to hear him, and many of whom he reformed, 
 seemed to give offense to the brethren. Besides 
 this he did a good deal of undenominational work. 
 He originated the Philosophical Society of Chi- 
 cago, and was its second President. The society 
 was organized soon after the great fire, and held 
 its meetings for a time in the Methodist Church 
 Block. It was composed of such men as Judge 
 Booth, Prof. Rodney Welch, Dr. Samuel Wil- 
 lard, Gen. Buford, Dr. Edmund Andrews, Rev. 
 Dr. Joseph Haven, Dr. E. F. Abbott, J. W. Ela,
 
 444 
 
 H. W. THOMAS 
 
 Prof. Austin Bierbower, and two hundred or three 
 hundred more orthodox, liberal sceptics, spirit- 
 ualists, atheists, Catholics and all the shades be- 
 tween these. Its discussions were not always 
 orthodox, as might be expected, and Dr. Thomas 
 was held responsible for every variation there- 
 from. 
 
 He affiliated with liberal-minded people outside 
 of his own church. He preached a powerful ser- 
 mon in defense of Prof. Swing, and followed it with 
 one on hell, something after the example of Henry 
 Ward Beecher; sometimes preached for the Uni- 
 versalists and Unitarians; organized an undenom- 
 inational preachers' meeting, called the Round 
 Table, and in general conducted himself in a way 
 which indicated that he could no longer, "after 
 the straighter sect of our religion, live a pharisee. ' ' 
 When, therefore, in the fall of 1875, his term 
 at the First Church in Chicago expired, the com- 
 plaints had grown so loud in certain quarters that 
 he was sent out of the city to Aurora. There 
 was much dissatisfaction about this. His own 
 church, the newspapers, and the general public 
 believed it was designed to lessen his field of in- 
 fluence. Several large and wealthy churches of 
 other denominations offered him places. Charges 
 in other conferences sought his services, but he 
 went quietly to his new appointment and soon 
 built up a large congregation in Aurora. Per- 
 sistent efforts were, however, made to get him 
 back to Chicago, and with final success, for he 
 was appointed to Centenary Church in 1877. 
 Immediately this society became one of the largest 
 in the Northwest, and other clergymen claimed 
 that their congregations were rushing off to Cen- 
 tenary Church and getting "Thomasized." Dur- 
 ing all this time he was lecturing throughout the 
 Northwest, giving during the lecture season one 
 or two lectures a week in Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, 
 Wisconsin, and occasionally other States. This 
 spread both his fame and his opinions, and mul- 
 tiplied both his friends and his enemies. But the 
 crisis of his religious affairs was approaching. 
 
 When the next conference met at Mt. Carroll, 
 in October, 1878, the subject of Dr. Thomas' 
 recent utterances was privately discussed, and a 
 plan carefully matured in secret to bring the mat- 
 
 ter to a head. With characteristic boldness, and 
 rejoicing in his own freedom, Dr. Thomas 
 preached before the conference a sermon in which 
 he took occasion to give free expression to his 
 peculiar views and criticise the narrowness of 
 some of his brethren. 
 
 A committee on conference relations was ap- 
 pointed. This was a sort of Star Chamber, be- 
 fore which complaints might be secretly brought 
 against any minister, and some one, unknown to 
 anybody except the committee, made charges 
 against Dr. Thomas, and an adverse case was 
 worked up. The committee reported the case to 
 the conference, and there was much discussion of 
 the matter, but finally the presiding bishop, Dr. 
 Foster, cut the matter short by asking all those 
 . to rise to their feet who felt that no loyal Method- 
 ist could preach such a sermon, an unwarrant- 
 able proceeding, asking, as it did, judgment be- 
 fore trial. A large majority, nevertheless, stood 
 up and set themselves right on the question of 
 heresy before the world. A resolution ofiered 
 was then adopted, asking Dr. Thomas either to 
 abandon his objectionable teaching, or withdraw 
 from the church; in other words, to become a 
 hypocrite and stay in, or remain an honest man 
 and get out. He very properly refused to do 
 either, thinking probably that the church was in 
 need of honest and independent thinkers, rather 
 than regulation preachers. 
 
 The trial began at the opening session, Oc- 
 tober 5, 1879, and continued at intervals till Oc- 
 tober 10, when, as was anticipated, he was again 
 found guilty and expelled, both from the minis- 
 try and the membership of the church. 
 
 The committee, however, did not sustain the 
 charge upon the question of the inspiration of the 
 Bible, but acquitted him on that account. Upon 
 the atonement the vote stood nine to six, and on 
 endless punishment eleven to four. 
 
 Shortly before the meeting of the conference at 
 Rockford in 1880, a number of Chicago gentle- 
 men met and pledged themselves to be responsi- 
 ble for the expenses of a service in the central 
 part of the city. Accordingly, Hooley's Theatre 
 was engaged, and to it the Doctor went after the 
 action of that conference. A large congregation
 
 H. W. THOMAS. 
 
 445 
 
 greeted him at once, and he continued to hold 
 services there with great success till in 1885, then 
 in the Chicago Opera House for a few months, 
 and since then in McVicker's Theatre. 
 
 Upon this expulsion by the conference at Syca- 
 more, although it endangered his right of appeal 
 to the judicial conference, he felt it his duty 
 to continue his work, and did so. As he feared, 
 so it turned out. The judicial conference which 
 met at Terre Haute, Ind., December 6, 1881, re- 
 fused to entertain the appeal, and the decision of 
 the conference at Sycamore stands as final. 
 
 To his new relation the Doctor and the public 
 have both become accustomed and are well satis- 
 fied. He still preaches to large audiences every 
 Sunday at McVicker's Theatre, his influence and 
 popularity are unabated, and the People's Church 
 of Chicago has been a source of comfort and bless- 
 ing to thousands, and is every year growing in 
 numbers and usefulness. 
 
 The following statement of his belief is from 
 his own defense, when on trial before the con- 
 ference: 
 
 "And now, what is the substance of what I be- 
 lieve and what I deny ? 
 
 "It must be evident that I hold to the great and 
 fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and that I 
 am in hearty accord with the spirit and work of 
 Methodism. 
 
 "I hold to the inspiration and authority of the 
 Scriptures, that in matters of doctrine and duty 
 they are final the authority of God. But I do 
 not accept the verbal theory of inspiration, nor 
 claim that all parts of all the sixty-six books of 
 the Bible are of equal authority, inspiration, or 
 value, nor that all parts of the Old Testament 
 are critically infallible. And in these things, 
 am I not in accord with the best scholarship of 
 our own church and of the world ? Certainly I 
 am. Does the Methodist Church, or the fifth ar- 
 ticle of religion, require our ministry to believe 
 more or differently ? I think not. 
 
 "I hold to the doctrine of a vicarious atonement, 
 but I hold it in that form that is called moral or 
 paternal; or, in other words, I hold to the govern- 
 mental view with the penal idea left out I deny 
 the doctrine of a literal penal substitution. It is, 
 
 I think, both unreasonable and unscriptural. It 
 is an offense to our deepest moral institutions 
 and a burden to Christian faith. I am aware that 
 in saying this I am compelled to differ to some 
 extent from what seems to be the teachings of 
 Wesley and Watson, but I claim to be in sub- 
 stantial accord with Raymond and Miley, and to 
 hold in substance what in its last analysis must 
 be declared to be the true Arininian Doctrine. 
 
 "I hold to the strength and integrity of the gov- 
 ernment of God, that all sin will be properly pun- 
 ished, but I do not believe in a material hell fire, 
 nor in the terrible ideas of future torment that 
 have come down to us from the past. Such 
 teachings, to my mind, negate the very idea of a 
 God. I must agree with good Dr. Raymond, 
 that 'it is competent to think of God as making 
 hell not as terrible, but as tolerable as possible. 
 If God punishes sinners, it is because He must. 
 He is vindicatory, but not vindictive. He is a 
 righteous being, and a righteous sovereign, but 
 not a malicious murderer. ' But I cannot agree 
 with Dr. Williamson, who says: 'Mr. Wesley, in 
 his sermon on Hell, states the doctrine of the 
 Methodist churches on this subject. From this 
 teaching, so far as known, there are no influential 
 dissenters. ' I should rather say with Dr. Whe- 
 don, 'We imagine the census would be small of 
 American Methodist ministers who would accept 
 Mr. Wesley's physical views of hell.' 
 
 "I hold to the endlessness of the law by which 
 sin must be punished, and hence to endless pun- 
 ishment for the endlessly obdurate, if such there 
 be; but, assuming as I do the freedom of souls 
 after death, I cannot affirm that any soul will or 
 will not forever remain in sin, and hence I can 
 neither affirm nor deny endless punishment for 
 any soul. But, postulating endless punishment 
 upon endless sinning, I am logically bound to 
 suppose that if the sinning come to an end, the 
 suffering must also come to an end, unless, in- 
 deed, it be that suffering of loss that in the nature 
 of things seems to be remediless. And I have a 
 hope a hope that has come to me through much 
 suffering and prayer, and that seems to be 
 strengthened by the nearest visions of God that, 
 somehow, all the divine love and striving to win
 
 446 
 
 H. W. THOMAS. 
 
 and save souls will not end with this poor, short 
 life, but that the work of discipline and salvation 
 may go on in the immortal world. And it seems 
 to me that whilst there is upon some texts a sur- 
 face look of finality, there is a deeper and far- 
 reaching vision of other texts, and the Scriptures 
 as a whole, on which this hope may rest. ' ' 
 
 Dr. Thomas is a born student. Everything he 
 sees, hears and feels, or in any way comes in con- 
 tact with, he investigates, and the impress is left 
 on his mind. He seeks for the essence and cause 
 of things. No one analyses and interprets past 
 history, or present human activities, with a keener 
 or more truthful philosophy, or reads nearer the 
 lines of truth in all things that affect humanity. 
 He is an honest student, intent on getting the true 
 meaning of life and all its related conditions and 
 existences, without reference to their supporting 
 any pre-conceived notions or dogmas of church or 
 society. 
 
 As a public speaker, he is himself and nobody 
 else. When ready to begin his sermon he steps 
 slowly to the front of the platform, without note 
 or manuscript about him, and pausing a moment 
 and casting his eyes over his expectant congrega- 
 tion, he commences in a low and measured tone 
 of voice that scarcely reaches the outer sittings of 
 his large audience-room. At first he is very slow 
 and articulate in his utterances, and pauses at the 
 end of every sentence. He is addressing the un- 
 derstanding. His sentences are terse, condensed, 
 and plain in their meaning. Every one is very 
 likely complete in itself, though nearly related to 
 the preceding ones, and adding to their strength 
 and clearness. There is no effort at oratory, and 
 his thoughts are couched in the simplest language. 
 He presents deliberately accepted facts of life and 
 the world, and multiplies generalized statements 
 along the line of the subject under discussion; 
 statements which all know to be true, but which 
 few have considered in their relations to the theo- 
 ries or views he is presenting. He at once creates 
 an interest and prepares the way for his discourse, 
 and lays the foundations on which to build his 
 arguments. And he is so eminently fair and 
 truthful in all his propositions, that from the start 
 he wins both the sympathies and understanding 
 
 of his hearers. As he continues to add proposi- 
 tion to proposition, and argument to argument, 
 and to interweave these, his voice gradually rises, 
 becoming clear, strong and emphatic; the interest 
 intensifies, and a pleasing spell steals over his 
 audience, which holds them with greater or less 
 tension until the last word has been spoken. 
 
 Every sentence now comes weighted down with 
 meaning, and the central idea and unity of his 
 discourse soon become more and more apparent. 
 Each statement makes clearer and stronger his 
 points. Reflection on what he has said adds force 
 to what he is now saying, and brings out in fuller 
 form and grandeur the high ideals of his lofty and 
 inspiring conceptions. And he always has an 
 ideal, a lofty ideal, that lifts his hearers above the 
 cruder every-day thoughts and scenes of exist- 
 ence. He invites them to quit the valleys of de- 
 spair and tread with him the highlands of a nobler 
 life. 
 
 As he passes along, he attacks every evil and 
 exalts every virtue. The long face of the phari- 
 see is no protection to him. Self-righteousness, 
 oppression, the dead formalities of the old churches, 
 and unreasonable and obsolete church creeds, are 
 each in their turn pierced by the keen blade of 
 his logic, and in this his wonderful memory serves 
 him well and brings all needed facts for his use; 
 while poetry, rhetoric, apothegm, wit, wisdom 
 and ridicule each comes at the proper time un- 
 bidden to his aid. 
 
 While intensely devotional and reverential in 
 his ministrations, he yet occasionally hurls the 
 lance of ridicule at some dominant or excused so- 
 cial sin with such force and in such a way that 
 his audience breaks into applause. 
 
 He seldom hesitates for words or uses a re- 
 dundancy of speech. Every word comes forth as 
 though it gushed from a great suppressed foun- 
 tain of thought and emotion. And every sermon 
 is a complete philosophy in itself. It is the result 
 of a study of all the things bearing on that sub- 
 ject. And he has a wonderful way of grouping 
 facts, history, experiences and philosophies to 
 make clear and impressive a point. He is a man 
 great even beyond the appreciation of the multi- 
 tude who flock to hear him gladly.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 
 I
 
 J. G. SHORTALL. 
 
 447 
 
 JOHN G. SHORTALL. 
 
 HOHN G. SHORTALL has been prominently 
 I connected with the history of Chicago for 
 Q) almost forty years. Especially has he been a 
 leader in benevolent work and an influential 
 patron of those arts which tend to elevate man- 
 kind. Literature has found in him a friend, and 
 along these various lines the efforts of Mr. Short- 
 all have greatly promoted the best interests of 
 this western metropolis. 
 
 Mr. Shortall was born in Dublin, Ireland, Sep- 
 tember 20, 1838, and is a son of John and Char- 
 lotte (Towson) Shortall. When the son was be- 
 tween two and three years old, his parents emi- 
 grated with their family to America, joining an 
 elder branch long settled in New York. The 
 only brother of our subject, Pierce S. Shortall, 
 served continuously throughout the entire War 
 of the Rebellion, as a member of a regiment of 
 New York volunteers, until killed at the battle of 
 Averasboro, North Carolina, in April, 1865. 
 
 After the death of his parents the subject of 
 this sketch was employed by the late Horace 
 Greeley, and the two or three years, 1852, 1853 
 and 1854, passed in the editorial rooms of the 
 New York Tribune proved to be a period of ed- 
 ucation that he feels he could in no way have 
 dispensed with, for he was there brought in con- 
 tact with the men who molded public opinion in 
 those days, and the master minds of the age were 
 often there present. In the summer of 1854, 
 following the advice of Mr. Greeley, he came 
 to the West, locating first in Galena, where he 
 was engaged for a short time with the Illinois 
 Central Railroad Company in the completion of 
 the construction and survey work between Scales 
 Mound and Galena. Going thence to Chicago, 
 
 in the late autumn of 1854, he was engaged for 
 a few months upon the Chicago Tribune, and 
 then withdrew to enter the office of J. Mason 
 Parker, and incidentally the study of real-estate 
 law and titles, which profession he has followed 
 to the present time. At the time Mr. Shortall 
 entered the office, Mr. Parker was engaged in 
 the work of preparing the real-estate abstract 
 books afterwards known as the Shortall & 
 Hoard Abstracts, and which are now the prop- 
 erty of the Title Guarantee and Trust Company, 
 of which Mr. Shortall is a Director. Upon the 
 completion of the books in 1856, he leased them 
 and began the business of making abstracts and 
 examining titles of real estate, which was then 
 assuming great importance. He was among the 
 first to reduce the details of that business down 
 to the perfect and simple system of to-day, so 
 that security in transferring real estate could be 
 guaranteed. In October, 1871, the Great Fire 
 swept over the city, and the county records were 
 entirely destroyed. The volume of the abstract 
 business had largely increased. At that time 
 there were three abstract firms iu Chicago, each 
 of which saved a large part of its valuable records. 
 It was soon found that while the most valuable 
 portion of the abstract records were saved, not one 
 set was entire!}' complete; and as it seemed very- 
 probable that difficulties and involvements would 
 in consequence arise, the three firms decided 
 that the public interests would be best served by 
 a consolidation of all the evidences of title extant. 
 This was done. Moneyed men relied upon the 
 accuracy of the books and the skill and integrity 
 of the owners, and, thus confident, loaned the 
 hundreds of millions of dollars necessary to the
 
 J. G. SHORTALL. 
 
 rebuilding of the city. Mr. Shortall continued 
 with his associates in the conduct of the business 
 until 1873, when the property was leased to 
 Messrs. Handy & Company, and Mr. Shortall 
 retired from active participation in it, though 
 still retaining his holdings and interest. 
 
 On the 5th of September, 1861, Mr. Shortall 
 married Miss Mary Dunham Staples. They be- 
 came the parents of one son, John L. Mrs. 
 Shortall died in August, 1880. There are two 
 grandchildren, Katherine and Helen. 
 
 Although he retired from private business, 
 Mr. Shortall has been none the less active, for he 
 has devoted his time and energies untiringly to 
 matters pertaining to the welfare of the city, be- 
 lieving a man's duty to his fellow-citizens to be 
 continuous. For twenty-five years he has been 
 devoted to the welfare of his townsmen, doing all 
 in his power to aid in the promotion of the city's 
 welfare, and imbued with an exalted pride in its 
 progress. He is a constant patron of the fine arts, 
 and was one of the Directors of the old Philhar- 
 monic Society, and afterwards was President of 
 the Beethoven Society, during almost its entire 
 existence. He is also one of the honorary mem- 
 bers of the Amateur Musical Club of this city. 
 A writer of intelligence and force, he has made 
 valuable contributions to papers and periodicals. 
 His keen appreciation of the thoughts of master 
 minds through all ages has led him to do much 
 for literature. As a member of many organiza- 
 tions, he has sought through them to influence 
 public opinion in high and honorable channels. 
 In 1880 he was appointed by the School Board 
 one of the appraisers of the school property, and 
 in 1886 was appointed Appraiser of School Lands 
 by Mayor Harrison. In the appraisement of 
 1880, the application of the rental value to ma- 
 terially aid in determining the value of realty was, 
 it is believed, first introduced and applied as a 
 system. It has since become almost universal. 
 In 1883 Mr. Shortall was appointed a Director 
 of the Chicago Public Library, served three terms 
 as President, and conducted negotiations on be- 
 half of the board which resulted in securing 
 Dearborn Park as the site of the public library 
 building and in the successful adjustment of all 
 
 opposing claims. Under his administration the 
 plans of the superb new library building were se- 
 lected under large competition, and the necessary 
 appropriation of moneys made by the city. He was 
 originally made a Director by Mayor Harrison and 
 re-appointed by Mayors Harrison, Cregier and 
 Washburn, successively, and still serves in that 
 position. In politics he is independent. He has 
 been connected with various reform movements 
 in the city government, and the Municipal Re- 
 form Club, which did such valuable service, and 
 the Citizens' Association attest in their records 
 his service and labors. 
 
 Of the Masonic fraternity, Mr. Shortall is an 
 old, though no longer an active, member. In re- 
 ligious belief he is an Episcopalian and formerly 
 was a member of Trinity and Grace Episcopal 
 Churches; but since the withdrawal of Professor 
 Swing from the Presbyterian Church, and his 
 organization of the "Central Church," he has 
 been a regular attendant on its services. 
 
 Along few lines of work, however, has the 
 name of Mr. Shortall become so widely known 
 as through his connection with the Illinois Hu- 
 mane Society. In 1869, one of its original 01- 
 gauizers, he became one of its Directors, and in 
 May, 1877, was chosen President of that most 
 commendable organization, to which position he 
 has ever since been annually elected. He has 
 earned the recognition and gratitude of the 
 benevolent people of the city and State, for it is 
 largely through his instrumentality, his business 
 ability and legal acumen, as well as his industry 
 and devotion, that the success of what is now one 
 of the strongest forces of our social system was 
 assured. Its beneficial results cannot be over- 
 estimated. It was through his efforts that the 
 society joined the protection of children to its 
 work. Mr. Shortall called the American and 
 Canadian societies for the prevention of cruelty 
 together in 1877, and the American Humane As- 
 sociation was thereupon organized in Cleveland, 
 Ohio, in that year. In 1884 Mr. Shortall was 
 elected its President, and again in 1892 and 1893. 
 He is also an honorary member of the Pennsyl- 
 vania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 
 Animals. During the World's Columbian Ex-
 
 J. A. MALTBY. 
 
 449 
 
 position, Mr. Shortall, as the Chairman of the 
 Men's Committee on Moral and Social Reform of 
 the Auxiliary Congresses, assisted in the noted 
 work of that committee, and organized and con- 
 ducted the Humane Congress in October, 1893, 
 which was so successful. He also arranged the 
 Humane exhibit of the American Humane As- 
 sociation in the Liberal Arts Building, for which 
 it obtained a reward, medal and diploma. Of 
 social organizations not above mentioned, Mr. 
 Shortall is a member of the Chicago Club, the 
 Chicago Literary Club and the Algonquin Club 
 
 of Boston. If asked what is the controlling ele- 
 ment in the life of Mr. Shortall, his many friends 
 would undoubtedly respond," A sense of justice 
 and kindness." A warm and sympathetic heart, 
 which reaches out in charity and love to the 
 worthy helpless, the suffering and the needy, has 
 made his name synonymous with good works, 
 yet it is but just to him to say that he does not 
 seek the admiration of the public, and, were it pos- 
 sible to do so, his works would be concealed from 
 all save himself. 
 
 JASPER A. MALTBY. 
 
 gEN. JASPER ADALMORN MALTBY, 
 one of the distinguished officers of the great 
 Civil War, was born November 4, 1832, in 
 Ashtabula, Ohio, and died December 12, 1867, in 
 Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Maltby family conies 
 from England. The great-grandfather of the 
 subject of this sketch settled in Ohio, being one 
 of three brothers who came from England, the 
 others settling, respectively, in New York and 
 Baltimore. The Ohio and New York brothers 
 left man} 1 descendants. David Maltby, a grand- 
 son of one of these, was the father of Gen. Jasper 
 A. Maltby. 
 
 David Maltby was an able attorney, and also 
 a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 and an ardent churchman. He was a man of 
 considerable local prominence in Ohio. He finally 
 removed with a younger son to Texas, and died 
 in Corpus Christi, in that State, at the age of 
 seventy -eight years. His wife, Lucy Marsh, was 
 a daughter of Dr. Marsh, a prominent physician 
 of Ohio. She died at Plymouth, in that State, 
 and left three sons and two daughters, namely: 
 
 Jasper A., Elizabeth, Henry A., Matilda and 
 William. The last-named died in Corpus Christi, 
 Texas, where he had been a noted editor, and 
 was at one time publisher for the Emperor Maxi- 
 milian. He was the author of a sketch entitled 
 "Poor Carlotta," which was published immedi- 
 ately after the death of the unfortunate Maxi- 
 milian, and was received with much favor and 
 widely copied. He was a Captain of Confederate 
 artillery in the Civil War, and was captured dur- 
 ing General Banks' expedition up the Red River. 
 He was paroled, and a year later returned to 
 Texas. His brother, Henry A., also a prominent 
 newspaper man, now resides in Brownsville, that 
 State. Elizabeth Maltby married Albert Barber, 
 and is the mother of two sons, one of whom is a 
 teacher in a college at Oberlin, Ohio. Matilda 
 Maltby married Allen Barber, a brother of her 
 sister's husband, and is now deceased, having 
 left five children. 
 
 David Maltby and Sarepta Marsh, a sister of 
 the wife of the former, were among the founders of 
 Oberlin College, in which the latter taught many
 
 450 
 
 J. A. MALTBY. 
 
 years. Mrs. Lucy (Marsh) Maltby was also a 
 teacher, as was her husband. She was a woman 
 of rare character, and was highly reverenced by 
 all who knew her, especially by her husband's 
 family. 
 
 Jasper A. Maltby enlisted in the Mexican War 
 at the age of sixteen years, and served gallantly, 
 receiving a wound at the battle of Chapultepec. 
 He came to Chicago in 1850, and a year later 
 went to Galena, where he at once assumed promi- 
 nence through his energy, ability and sterling 
 character. Soon after taking up his residence 
 there, he perfected the telescope sight for the rifle, 
 which made his name famous. He was an ex- 
 tensive dealer there in sporting goods. 
 
 He was associated with Gen. John E. Smith, 
 now a resident of Chicago, in raising the famous 
 ' ' Washburne Lead Mine Regiment' ' for the 
 Union army, which became the Forty-fifth Illi- 
 nois, and within a short time after the fall of 
 Fort Sumter it was in the field. Mr. Smith was 
 elected Colonel of the regiment; and Mr. Maltby 
 Lieutenant-Colonel, on the organization at Camp 
 Douglas, in Chicago. The first action was at 
 Fort Henry. At Fort Donelson, Colonel Maltby 
 received a bad wound, and was carried to the 
 hospital in the same ambulance with General 
 Logan, who was struck about the same time. 
 Immediately after the battle of Pittsburg Land- 
 ing, Colonel Maltby was able to rejoin his regi- 
 ment, which, as a part of Logan's division, 
 participated in the marches, engagements and 
 siege which led to the fall of Vicksburg. 
 
 Col. John E. Smith having been promoted for 
 gallant conduct in battle, he was succeeded by 
 Lieu tenant- Colonel Maltby, who led the charge 
 at Fort Hill on the bloody 25th of June, 1863, 
 receiving three wounds before gaining the coveted 
 position. This was accomplished with great loss, 
 and temporary breastworks were immediately 
 thrown up to hold the ground. While Colonel 
 Maltby was personally adjusting a heavy piece of 
 timber for the protection of his sharpshooters, it 
 was struck by a cannon ball. The shot passed 
 close to his person, and the timber was shivered, 
 hurling splinters in every direction. Three of 
 these penetrated his body, making six wounds 
 
 which he suffered in that costly, but victorious, 
 action. For his fearless and effective bravery, 
 Generals Sherman and Logan sent a recommen- 
 dation from the field that he be made a Brigadier- 
 General, and President Lincoln forwarded his 
 commission as such at once. 
 
 When the final entry was made into Vicksburg, 
 the Forty-fifth Illinois led the way, with General 
 Maltby's horse and trappings at its head. The 
 General was also at the head of his regiment, but 
 rode in an ambulance. The fight at Fort Hill was 
 hand-to-hand, and the colors of the Forty-fifth 
 were literally torn to tatters. General Maltby 
 was mustered out January 16, 1866, and was 
 soon thereafter made Military Mayor of Vicks- 
 burg. He never recovered from his wounds, 
 and died from their effects December 12, 1867, 
 while still administering the office of Mayor. He 
 was also operating a plantation, and kept a com- 
 mission store in Vicksburg. He was held in the 
 highest regard by the people of the conquered 
 city, and was the idol of the colored people. 
 
 General Maltby was married at Galena, March 
 25, 1852, to Miss Malvina A. James, who sur- 
 vives him, and now resides in Chicago. Besides 
 his widow, he left a son, Henry Maltby, a journal- 
 ist. Mrs. Maltby is a daughter of David James, 
 a Sergeant under General Scott, who fought at 
 Lundy's Lane in the War of 1812. Her mother, 
 Catherine Jamieson, was the daughter of an Irish- 
 man who was a famous distiller. He owned the 
 ground in Canada where Tecumseh was killed. 
 David James was a native of North Carolina, and 
 his wife of Canada. 
 
 Many of the most noted military men of the war 
 testified to General Maltby's great courage and 
 moral worth, and the following extract from the 
 Vicksburg Republican shows the estimation in 
 which he was held by his erstwhile enemies: 
 
 "With an unfeigned regret, we announce the 
 death of Gen. J. A. Maltby, the recently ap- 
 pointed Mayor of this city. No northern man 
 who has cast his fortunes with our people has 
 commanded more respect from our citizens than 
 General Maltby. As an officer of the United 
 States army, he was humane to our people; as a 
 citizen of Mississippi, he was kind in his social
 
 A. B. CAPRON. 
 
 451 
 
 life and impartial in his official action. We sin- 
 cerely sympathize with his bereaved family, and 
 we believe they have the sympathy of the entire 
 community. 
 
 "He met us upon the field of battle in aid of a 
 
 cause which he felt sacred, but, like a true soldier, 
 he recognized the valor and honor of his enemy, 
 and, when Peace spread her white wings over the 
 land, all animosity was sheathed with his sword. 
 Peace to the gallant soldier. ' ' 
 
 ALBERT B. CAPRON. 
 
 EOL. ALBERT BANFIELD CAPRON, a 
 member of the Chicago Board of Trade and 
 a brave soldier of the Civil War, was born 
 at Laurel, Prince George's County, Maryland, 
 June 12, 1844. His father was Gen. Horace 
 Capron, who went to Maryland when a young 
 man and erected the Laurel Cotton Mills, whose 
 product, the famous Laurel Cotton, was shipped to 
 all parts of the world. His mother was Louise 
 Snowden daughter of General Snowden, whose 
 grandfather received a patent from the king for 
 twenty thousand acres. His estate joined that 
 of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton. Louise Snow- 
 den was born July 3, 1811, and married Horace 
 Capron June 5, 1834. She was a devout church- 
 woman, and built the Episcopal Church of Laurel, 
 which she gave to the people. Her life was full of 
 kind deeds. She died March 27, 1849, mourned by 
 the entire community. She left five children . Ad- 
 aline, Horace, junior, Albert Banfield, Elizabeth 
 Snowden, and Osmond Tiffany (the eldest child, 
 Nicholas Snowden, died in infancy). The planta- 
 tion on which their childhood was passed was 
 known as the "Model Farm of Maryland," it 
 being a pet scheme of General Capron to see to 
 what a state of perfection that soil could be brought. 
 The genealogy of the family points to Ban- 
 field Capron as the progenitor of those bearing 
 the name in America. He was born in England, 
 but was of French- Huguenot descent, and derived 
 his Christian name from Lord Banfield of Eng- 
 land. He came to America near the close of the 
 seventeenth century and settled in Attleboro, 
 Massachusetts, where he became the possessor of 
 large estates. He was a man of marked ability, 
 
 both mental and physical, having great muscular 
 development and wonderful powers of endurance. 
 He lived to the age of ninety-two years, dying in 
 1752. He was twice married. His first wife 
 was a Miss Callender, of Rehoboth, Massa- 
 chusetts, daughter of a former neighbor in Eng- 
 land. The second wife was Sarah Daggett. He 
 was the father of twelve children. Jonathan, sixth 
 child of Banfield Capron, married Rebecca Morse, 
 and was the ancestor of the subject of this biog- 
 raphy. His son, Jonathan, junior, married Alice 
 Alden, a great-granddaughter of John Alden, of 
 the Plymouth Colony. Elisha, another son of 
 Jonathan Capron, married Abigail Makepeace, 
 and they had nine children. The eldest son, Dr. 
 Seth Capron, grandfather of the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Massachusetts, September 23, 
 1762, and married Eunice, daughter of Dr. 
 Bezaleel Mann, of Attleboro, Massachusetts, a man 
 of prominence as a physician and educator. Dr. 
 Seth Capron served in the War of the Revolution. 
 He enlisted March 31, 1781, and was first at- 
 tached to General La Fayette's corps of light in- 
 fantry. In 1782 he was transferred, and served 
 until the close of the war as aide-de-camp on Gen- 
 eral Washington' s staff. He was a personal friend 
 of General Washington, and commanded the 
 barge which conveyed him to Elizabethtown 
 Point, after he had taken leave of his army at 
 New York at the close of the war. Immediately 
 on returning home Dr. Seth Capron began the 
 study of medicine with Dr. Bezaleel Mann, an 
 eminent physician of that period. In 1806 he 
 settled in Whitesboro, Oneida County, New 
 York, where he practiced his profession,
 
 452 
 
 A. B. CAPRON. 
 
 Doctor Capron was a man of great enterprise and 
 industry, and was possessed of large resources 
 and fertility of commercial ideas. His name is 
 identified with the history of the manufactures 
 of the State of New York. He was the originator 
 of the enterprise which, in 1807, resulted in the 
 establishment of the "Oneida Factory," the first 
 cotton-mill erected in the State of New York, 
 followed shortly by the "Capron Factory," of 
 New Hartford. In 1809 he organized a com- 
 pany and established the "Oriskany Woolen 
 Factory," the first woolen factory ever erected in 
 the United States. Another enterprise of which he 
 was the originator was the importation from Spain 
 of the first Merino sheep ever introduced into 
 Oneida County. 
 
 In 1825 he removed to Orange County, and 
 with his son, Capt. Seth Capron, established 
 the beautiful manufacturing town of Walden, on 
 the Walkill, where he died September 8, 1835. 
 Dr. Seth Capron had six children. Gen. Hor- 
 ace Capron, father of Albert B. Capron, was the 
 fourth son. He was born August 31, 1804, 
 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and died at the Na- 
 tional Capital on Washington's birthday, 1885. 
 His death was caused by exposure at the dedica- 
 tion of the Washington Monument the day before, 
 on which occasion he and the orator of the day, 
 Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, were among the few 
 survivors of those who officiated at the laying of 
 the corner-stone, forty years before, when he 
 commanded the cavalry which took part in the 
 ceremony. 
 
 General Capron was connected with the army 
 many years before the outbreak of the Civil War. 
 For seven years he was stationed in Texas, hav- 
 ing charge of the Indians under the War Depart- 
 ment. After the removal of these Government 
 wards to the Indian Territory he came to his farm 
 in Alden, Me Henry County, Illinois, to which, a 
 few years previously, he had moved his family 
 and valuable stock from Maryland. He married 
 Miss Margaret Baker, of New York City, and 
 now settled down to the agricultural pursuits 
 of which he was so fond. His beautiful farm of 
 a thousand acres was conducted on principles so 
 superior to anything then dreamed of in this part 
 
 of the country, that it soon became famous, and 
 visitors wondered and admired. The latest inven- 
 tions and improvements in machinery and farm 
 implements were always at hand, and his noble 
 herds were his pride. His home was beautiful 
 in all its appointments and pervaded by an 
 atmosphere of culture and refinement. His large 
 library was ever at the disposal of his neighbors 
 and friends. 
 
 General Capron was in every sense a pro- 
 gressive man, and was always foremost in 
 advancing better methods. He was, at this time, 
 much interested in the State Fairs, feeling that 
 they should have the influence of the best agri- 
 culturists of the land. In 1858 he was appointed 
 by the United States Government as General 
 Superintendent of the United States Fair, which 
 was held in Chicago in September of that year. 
 The fair was at that time considered a great 
 event, and to this day is spoken of as a notable 
 success. He had on exhibition his famous herd 
 of forty-two Devons and a large number of his 
 blooded horses, many of which won first premiums. 
 About this time he decided to make a change of 
 ,home, and moved to another farm near Peoria, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Soon the war broke out, and his two eldest sons 
 quickly enlisted . Governor Yates requested Gen- 
 eral Capron to drill and prepare cavalry troops for 
 the field, as that branch of the service was much 
 needed. He therefore raised and drilled three 
 cavalry regiments, and in 1862 went out him- 
 self in charge of the last one, the Fourteenth 
 Illinois Cavalry. He was soon promoted to the 
 command of a brigade. 
 
 After the war General Capron was appointed 
 Commissioner of Agriculture by President Grant. 
 At this time the department was located in dark, 
 dingy quarters in the Interior Department. Gen- 
 eral Capron felt that it was a disgrace to the 
 great interests it represented, and spared no efforts 
 until he had secured appropriations fora building. 
 He was given full charge of plans, and in due 
 time the stately Agricultural Building, with its 
 beautiful grounds, gave to the department a home 
 befitting its dignity. In General Capron 's cor- 
 respondence is found a letter from Secretary and
 
 A. B. CAPRON. 
 
 453 
 
 Adjutant-General Dent, in which he says: 
 "When Sheridan met his beaten, demoralized 
 army near Winchester, Virginia, and turned it 
 right about and on to victory, he did what you 
 have done with the Agricultural Department of 
 the United States." 
 
 In April, 1871, while still at the head of this 
 department, he was waited upon by certain high 
 officials of the Japanese Government, who pre- 
 sented to him their plans and wishes in regard to 
 the development of the agricultural and mineral 
 resources of the island of Yesso, a very important 
 possession of Japan, and invited him to accept a 
 position as Commissioner and Adviser under their 
 Government. This he decided to do, and his 
 resignation being accepted by the President, he 
 sailed in September, 1871, for Japan, where he 
 entered upon this great work with his usual 
 energy and earnestness. The island of Yesso, 
 about two-thirds the size of the State of Illinois, 
 was turned over to him as the site of his ex- 
 perimental farms, mills and railroads. He de- 
 veloped the gold and coal mines, and did such re- 
 markable work and showed such grand results, 
 as to win the lasting gratitude of the Emperor 
 and his people. When General Capron took 
 leave of the Emperor at his castle in Tokio, 
 Japan, in 1875, the Emperor made use of the fol- 
 lowing language in his parting address: "In- 
 deed your services were valuable and deserve my 
 highest appreciation, and it is hardly a matter of 
 doubt that the future progress of the island, the 
 fruit of your labor, will much advance the hap- 
 piness of my whole empire." 
 
 A year after his return to this country the 
 Hon. John A. Bingham, American Minister 
 Plenipotentiary to Japan, in a letter to General 
 Capron says: "Kuroda, Kido and others of the 
 Ministers of State have spoken most kindly of you 
 and said your name would live in the grateful 
 remembrance of their people. Rely upon it, you 
 may well commit your name to the present and 
 future generations of Japan. Long after you 
 shall have joined those who have gone before 
 you, when Yesso shall be covered with cattle and 
 sheep and fields of golden wheat and corn, and 
 its mountains clothed to their summits with the 
 
 purple vine, will it be said of you, 'This was the 
 work of General Capron.' ' 
 
 On January 16, 1884, General Capron was in- 
 formed by the Charged' Affairs that His Majesty, 
 the Emperor of Japan, had been pleased to confer 
 upon him the decoration of the Second Order of 
 the Rising Sun. This was the first time the 
 order had ever been conferred upon a foreigner. 
 The lacquer box in which the decoration is en- 
 closed is said to be eight hundred years old. By 
 right of inheritance his son, Col. A. B. Capron, is 
 now in possession of the decoration. 
 
 The latter, as purchasing agent of his father, 
 shipped to Japan machinery, horses, cattle, sheep 
 and seed-grains. He sent over a great variety of 
 fruit trees, and the Japanese were trained in the 
 art of pruning and grafting. The shipments in- 
 cluded the best strains of Morgan, Hambletonian, 
 and Kentucky thorough-bred horses and all the 
 choicest varieties of domestic animals. Every- 
 thing flourished even beyond the most sanguine 
 expectations. 
 
 General Capron remained four and one-half 
 years in Japan, and then took up his residence 
 in Washington, where he enjoyed nearly ten years 
 of peaceful retirement from the activities which 
 had engaged him beyond the allotted years of 
 man. 
 
 His son, Col. Albert B. Capron, has a military 
 record both unique and brilliant. The firing of 
 the first gun roused the patriotic blood of this 
 boy in his quiet home on the Illinois farm, and 
 quickly he responded to the first call of his coun- 
 try. He was soon after stationed at Benton Bar- 
 racks, Missouri. His first taste of battle was when 
 General Lyon ordered five hundred to cross over 
 and seize the guns just unloaded on the opposite 
 side and intended for the rebels at Camp Jackson, 
 numbering three thousand infantry. It was a 
 sharp contest, but the guns were secured and 
 General Lyon's prompt and masterly action saved 
 St. Louis to the Government. 
 
 Under Siegel's command he participated in the 
 severe battle of Wilson Creek, August 8, 9 and 
 10, 1861, when they were under almost contin- 
 uous fire during the three days.
 
 454 
 
 A. B. CAPRON. 
 
 The death of the brave General Lyou at the 
 head of his command made a deep impression on 
 this young soldier. At this time he was trans- 
 ferred to the Thirty-third Infantry, where for 
 eighteen months he was Color- Bearer. 
 
 When, in 1862, his father went into the field, it 
 was his wish to be transferred to his father's com- 
 mand. His older brother, Horace, was also 
 transferred from the Eighth Illinois Cavalry. 
 Soon, too, his youngest brother, Osmond, a mere 
 lad, joined them, and now father and sons were 
 together united in the one grand effort to protect 
 their country's honor. 
 
 His brother, Capt. Horace Capron, was killed 
 in an engagement with the Cherokee Indians at 
 Cedar Cove, in North Carolina, February 2, 1864. 
 He was a gallant soldier, and his untimely tak- 
 ing-off was a loss to the service and to his many 
 friends. He was buried at Peoria, Illinois, and 
 a monument was erected to his memory by his de- 
 voted company. While a Sergeant, he received 
 a bronze medal for capturing a rebel flag, with 
 this inscription: 
 
 THE CONGRESS 
 To FIRST SERGEANT HORACE CAPRON, JR., 
 
 COMPANY G, EIGHTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY, 
 
 FOR GALLANT CONDUCT AT CHICKAHOMINY 
 
 AND ASHLAND, JUNE, 1862. 
 
 Albert B. Capron rode beside his brother in 
 the last charge, and took command of the 
 company at his death. One of the most thrill- 
 ing of his army experiences was his night 
 ride of one hundred miles through the 
 enemy's line, bearing dispatches from General 
 Burnside in Knoxville to General Wilcox at 
 Cumberland Gap. It was a hazardous under- 
 taking. Twenty brave men had already failed 
 in the attempt. When he returned General 
 Burnside, overcome with emotion, said, "You 
 have won your spurs," and presented him with a 
 pair of his own spurs. Colonel Capron still guards 
 them sacredly. He was also one of the cavalry 
 brigade, led by his father, which helped to 
 capture Gen. John Morgan and his entire com- 
 mand, after a ride of nineteen hundred miles in 
 thirty-one days. He participated in twenty-three 
 general battles, beside a great many skirmishes 
 
 and sharp cavalry actions. Two horses were 
 shot under him while in action. He and his 
 command were under fire for one hundred days 
 on the march to and siege of Atlanta, Georgia, at 
 which place he was taken prisoner. 
 
 His last service of the war was under General 
 Sheridan on the Texas frontier, where he was 
 in expectation of proceeding to Mexico to help 
 in relieving the people of that country of the 
 pretended sovereignty of Maximilian. Happily, 
 the Mexicans were able to drive out the invader, 
 and the Monroe Doctrine continued to rule in 
 the Americas. Colonel Capron was three times 
 made a prisoner, and received three severe 
 wounds in the service of his country. 
 
 He was brevetted Major at the close of the 
 Civil War. A few years since he was appointed 
 aide-de-camp on the staff of General Lawler, Com- 
 mander-in- Chief of the Grand Army, with the 
 rank of Colonel. 
 
 Before his employment as purchasing agent 
 for the Japanese Government, he was engaged in 
 mercantile business at Kenosha, Wisconsin. He 
 came to Chicago in 1872, and has since resided 
 in this city, on the North Shore. For more than 
 twenty years he has been a member of the Board 
 of Trade, and carries on a general grain commis- 
 sion business. In business he pursues the same 
 energetic and straightforward course which won 
 him distinction in military circles, and he is held 
 in the highest regard by his social and commercial 
 associates. 
 
 Colonel Capron was married at Kenosha, Wis- 
 consin, October 20, 1869, to Miss Amelia Doo- 
 little, daughter of Alfred W. and Ann Urania 
 (Hannahs) Doolittle, natives of Oneida County, 
 New York. 
 
 Their union has been blessed with three chil- 
 dren: Horace Mann, born in Kenosha, Wiscon- 
 sin, August27, 1872; Florence, born in Evanston, 
 Illinois, November 18, 1873; Albert Snowden, 
 born in Winnetka, Illinois, February 8, 1877. 
 Their home is now in Winnetka, Illinois. 
 
 The head of the family has always been a 
 loyal and earnest supporter of Republican prin- 
 ciples, and he is now a member of the Illinois 
 Commandery of the Loyal Legion.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 

 
 HENRY WEBER. 
 
 455 
 
 HENRY WEBER. 
 
 WENRY WEBER, one of the most successful 
 manufacturers of Chicago, a thoroughly 
 self-made man, is among the large number 
 of industrious and prosperous citizens given to 
 Chicago by German ancestors. His birth took 
 place in that unfortunate disputed territory which 
 has alternately belonged to France and Germany 
 being now in possession of the latter country. 
 September 15, 1822, when Mr. Weber was born 
 in the village of Hochweiler, Canton Soultz, 
 Elsass, the locality was in possession of the 
 French, and he was, therefore, by birth a French- 
 man, though his ancestors were among the most 
 sturdy Germans. They had long resided in Al- 
 sace, and several members of the family were 
 soldiers under the first Napoleon. Michael Weber, 
 father of Henry, was a farmer of Hochweiler, 
 where he reached the age of seventy-eight years. 
 His second wife, mother of the subject of this 
 sketch, Helena Langenbrunn (Studi) Weber, died 
 at the age of sixty-seven years. Both she and 
 her husband had reared good-sized families by 
 former marriages. 
 
 Henry Weber received a scanty education un- 
 der the French system. He was made of the am- 
 bitious stuff which peoples and develops nations, 
 and he early resolved to join his fortunes with 
 those of the free land across the seas, of which he 
 had heard through a friend who had visited the 
 United States. At the age of eighteen, he joined a 
 party of five young men, including the one before 
 referred to, who had been in America, and together 
 they came to New York. They sailed from 
 Havre, France, on an English sailing-vessel 
 commanded by Captain Thompson, and after a 
 voyage of thirty-three days they arrived in the 
 harbor of New York, a very speedy voyage for 
 
 that day. On the way they maintained them- 
 selves, and took turn about in cooking. 
 
 In New York they separated, and Mr. Weber 
 went to Lyons, New York, where he served a 
 three-years apprenticeship at wagon-making, be- 
 coming a skillful workman, and able to compete 
 with any man in his line of work. Having com- 
 pleted his term of indenture, Mr. Weber went to 
 Detroit, Michigan, and found employment. But 
 he did not long remain there. He determined to 
 locate in the growing and enterprising town of 
 Chicago, then beginning to attract notice through 
 its favorable location and the enterprising char- 
 acter of its citizens. On the z6th of June, 1844, 
 Mr. Weber arrived in Chicago, where he has 
 ever since made his home, and in the develop- 
 ment of whose commercial, social and moral in- 
 terests he has borne no unimportant part. 
 
 Like another distinguished German citizen, 
 who is now deceased (Andrew Ortmayer, whose 
 biography appears in this volume) , he at once 
 found employment with the pioneer wagonmaker 
 of Chicago, Mr. Joseph O. Humphrey. Here he 
 continued one and one-half years, at the end of 
 which period, being then twenty-three years of 
 age, he engaged in business for himself, having 
 as a partner Mr. Jacob Gauch. With a capital 
 of $250, they built a small shop on Randolph 
 Street, near La Salle, and began working up a 
 business, boarding themselves in the building 
 in the mean time. Later, they boarded at the 
 New York Hotel, an hostelry well known to the 
 old residents of the city. In 1849 Mr. Gauch 
 was seized with the gold fever and went to Cali- 
 fornia. His partner, who was satisfied with the 
 slow but certain gains of business in Chicago, 
 purchased Mr. Gauch's interest, and continued
 
 456 
 
 HENRY WEBER. 
 
 to manage the growing industry alone until 1883, 
 when a company was incorporated to continue 
 it, with his sons as partners. This is known as 
 the Weber Wagon Company, and turns out an- 
 nually twelve thousand wagons and four thou- 
 sand bob sleds, and employs a large number of 
 men. Mr. Weber was for many years a member 
 of the old "Number Two" volunteer fire com- 
 pany, which did good service in the early days, 
 when steam was unknown in Chicago as a power 
 to be used in subduing fires. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Weber was enabled to purchase 
 land for the location of his works. At the north- 
 west corner of Lake and Union Streets he se- 
 cured ground, ninety by one hundred and forty feet 
 in area, on which he built three frame buildings. 
 These were all two stories in height, one being 
 occupied as a dwelling and the others for a fac- 
 tory'. He was among the first manufacturers on 
 West Lake Street, and was uniformly success- 
 ful, laying the foundation for a large business, 
 which furnished a livelihood to many families. 
 In the spring of 1871 he erected a fine four-story 
 brick building on this site, which escaped the 
 fury of the great fire in the autumn of the same 
 year, and was at once occupied by profitable 
 tenants. 
 
 In 1886 the factory was removed to Eighty- 
 first and Wallace Streets, where superior railway 
 facilities were secured, and here it is now con- 
 ducted by Mr. Weber's sons, who have taken 
 from his hands and mind much of the labor re- 
 quired in its management. The founder very 
 appropriately occupies the position of President 
 of the company, with W. H. Weber as Secre- 
 tary and Treasurer, and George A. Weber as 
 Superintendent. The product is shipped to nearly 
 every State of the Union, and enjoys a reputa- 
 tion for reliability such as has always been at- 
 tached to the name of its worthy maker from the 
 beginning. 
 
 On the loth of August, 1887, a fire destroyed 
 nearly all the plant except the lumber-yard, but 
 no time was lost in repining, and, with the in- 
 surance which careful foresight had previously 
 provided as an assistance, its owners were en- 
 enabled to start with an entirely new outfit of 
 
 machinery, and the business was soon a greater 
 success than ever before. The plant is now one 
 of the largest and most complete of its kind in 
 the United States. 
 
 With the arrival of the year 1849, Mr. Weber 
 felt that he was warranted in assuming the re- 
 sponsibility of a householder, and on the 4th of 
 November in that year he married Miss Eliza- 
 beth Schoeneck, a German girl, who arrived in 
 Chicago with her parents the same year as him- 
 self. She is a daughter of Adam and Elizabeth 
 Schoeneck, all natives ot Mainz, Germany, who set- 
 tled on a farm on the North Branch of the Chicago 
 River, about fifteen miles from the city. Mrs. 
 Weber was in every way fitted to be the wife of 
 the sturdy young mechanic, and proved a worthy 
 helpmeet to her enterprising husband. The little 
 home on Fifth Avenue was kept scrupulously 
 neat and tidy, and Mr. Weber's success is in part 
 due to her good management and many good 
 traits of character. Six children came to bless 
 their home, namely: Elizabeth, now the wife of 
 T. Wasserstrass; Louise, Mrs. Albert Kaempfer; 
 William H. and George A., before mentioned; 
 Mary M., who died at the age of twenty-nine 
 years; and Emma, wife of Henry Rietz, all of 
 Chicago. 
 
 The family is connected with the German Lu- 
 theran Church, and in political action its head is 
 thoroughly independent, affiliating with the best 
 elements in both parties in national and local af- 
 fairs. He is a member of the Masonic frater- 
 nity, being one of the oldest living members of 
 Germania Lodge No. 182, and is a charter mem- 
 ber of Harmonia Lodge No. 221, Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows. 
 
 Mr. Weber has richly earned his success in 
 life, and enjoj's his well-earned competence in 
 the comforts of home life and the society of his 
 many friends. His example may afford a good 
 lesson to the young man of to-day, who needs to 
 be impressed with the value in business of indus- 
 try and unswerving integrity. 
 
 In this connection, a brief mention of the pres- 
 ent managers of the Weber Wagon Company is 
 appropriate and desirable. To them is due, in a 
 great measure, the marvelous growth and pros-
 
 W. W. FARWELL. 
 
 457 
 
 peril)- of the business. It requires more than 
 ordinary talent to conduct successfully a business 
 involving a capital of nearly half a million dollars, 
 and yearly increasing in volume. All the de- 
 tails are carefully watched by the superintendent 
 in the construction department, and by the busi- 
 ness manager in the office. The continued sub- 
 stantial development of the concern in the face of 
 the financial stringency of 1894 and 1895 is es- 
 pecially worthy of note, and the year 1895 is re- 
 corded as the most prosperous in its history. 
 
 The factory gives employment to a large 
 number of men, many of whom have grown 
 gray in the service of Mr. Weber and his 
 sons, some of them having been in the con- 
 tinuous employ of Mr. Weber more than forty 
 years. The high esteem in which the founder 
 and present managers are held by their employes 
 is a strong testimonial to their executive ability 
 and upright character, and their course is worthy 
 the emulation of every employer of labor. A 
 personal interest is shown in every man on the 
 pay roll and in those dependent upon him, and 
 no man is ever discharged except for indolence or 
 inefficiency. Consequently a strike, with its train 
 of misfortune for all concerned, was never known 
 in the establishment. The members of the com- 
 pany do not enter into any outside speculations, 
 but confine themselves to their legitimate field of 
 operations, which fact is entitled to credit for 
 much of their prosperity. 
 
 George A. Weber, the superintendent of the 
 works of the Weber Wagon Company, was born 
 
 in Chicago, and completed his education in the 
 West Side High School of that city. He is gifted 
 with a taste and talent for mechanics, and at 
 the early age of sixteen years he entered the fac- 
 tory of his father to master its mechanical details. 
 Here he made quite as rapid progress as he had 
 previously shown in his studies, and he steadily 
 rose to the position of superintendent, which he 
 has filled since. 
 
 William Henry Weber, business manager of 
 the Weber Wagon Company, was born April 21, 
 1855, in the city which now numbers him among 
 its most substantial and respected citizens. He 
 was educated in the Chicago West Side High 
 School, and took a thorough course of business 
 training in Bryant & Stratton's Business College. 
 After one year's connection with the wholesale 
 dry-goods firm of Stettauer & Weiman, in 1879, 
 at the age of twenty-four years, he entered the 
 service of his father, with whose business he has 
 ever since been identified. With his natural apt- 
 itude, and as a result of his careful training, he 
 readily fitted in with the office management oi 
 the concern, and soon came to be its responsible 
 head. He attends strictly to business, his only 
 recreation being an occasional hunting trip of a 
 few days' duration, and to him is due much of 
 the credit for the high commercial standing of 
 the house. Being of a genial nature, he comes 
 naturally to possess the respect and cordial good- 
 will of all with whom he comes in social or busi- 
 ness relations. 
 
 WILLIAM W. FARWELL 
 
 fD6|lLLIAM WASHINGTON FARWELL, 
 \ A I who graced the Bench of Cook County for 
 V V nine years, and was an honored member of 
 the Chicago Bar forty years, was descended from 
 good old English stock. His ancestors were 
 among the early pioneers in the settlement and 
 
 civilization of the New World. Henry Farwell 
 came from Somersetshire, England, and located 
 in Connecticut with the founders of that colony, 
 and bore his part in sweeping away the wilder- 
 ness which then occupied all New England and 
 in developing a Christian community. He had a
 
 458 
 
 W. W. FARWELL. 
 
 son and grandson named Isaac. Thomas, son of 
 the last-named, was born in Mansfield, Connecti- 
 cut, and practiced agriculture in that State. His 
 son, John Farwell, also born in Mansfield, was 
 the father of Judge William W. Farwell. 
 
 John Farwell was possessed of the same spirit 
 which led the Pilgrim Fathers to seek a home 
 under new conditions, in an untried world, and, 
 moved by this pioneer instinct, he went to Mor- 
 risville, New York, in his young manhood and 
 opened up a farm in that then new region. He 
 was a highly respected citizen, and served as 
 Postmaster at Morrisville for many years. His 
 wife, Elmira Williams, was, like himself, a na- 
 tive of Mansfield, Connecticut, and was a daugh- 
 ter of Amariah Williams, supposed to have been 
 of English lineage. The marriage of this couple 
 took place in their native town, and they began 
 housekeeping at the new home of Mr. Farwell 
 in Morrisville. Their children, five in number, 
 were named as follows: John William, Benjamin 
 Franklin, William Washington, Thomas Lyle 
 and Elmira Jane. 
 
 William W. Farwell, third child of his parents, 
 was born in Morrisville, New York, January 5, 
 1817. His early life did not differ much from 
 that of other farmers' sons in that day and region. 
 He made the most, however, of his educational 
 opportunities, passing through the primary schools 
 and academy of his native town, and entered 
 Hamilton College, at Clinton, New York, in 
 1833. Before attaining his majority, in 1837, he 
 was graduated from that old and solid institution 
 of learning with credit to himself and his Alma 
 Mater. 
 
 He at once began the study of law in the 
 office of Hon. Otis P. Granger, of Morrisville, 
 whose daughter he subsequently married. He 
 finished his legal studies at Buffalo, New York, 
 and was admitted to practice by the Superior 
 Court at Rochester, in that State, in 1841. After 
 practicing law with success for seven years in his 
 native village, he felt the promptings of the an- 
 cestral enterprise, and determined to cast in his 
 lot with those fearless and energetic spirits who 
 were just then developing the nucleus of the 
 wonderful city on Lake Michigan, whose future 
 
 greatness was beyond the predictions of their 
 wildest fancies. Arriving in Chicago in 1848, 
 he set out the next year for California, and re- 
 mained in that modern El Dorado one year, re- 
 turning to the East by way of Panama and New 
 York City. 
 
 At Morrisville, New York, on the I2th of 
 February, 1851, Mr. Farwell led to the marriage 
 altar Miss Mary Eliza Granger, who was 
 born in Morrisville, November 8, 1829. Hon. 
 OtiS P. Granger, father of Mrs. Farwell, was a 
 native of Suffield, Connecticut, his birth occur- 
 ring February 21, 1796, and bore in his veins 
 the blood of the early English settlers of that 
 State. He was a graduate of Williams College, 
 Class of 1816, and became a noted lawyer in cen- 
 tral New York. He studied for his profession in 
 the office of Talcott & Maynard, and later with 
 John Bradish, of Utica, New York, and was ad- 
 mitted to the Bar July 21, 1821. He practiced his 
 profession in Morrisville, New York, until 1827, 
 when he was appointed Surrogate of Madison 
 County, New York, and filled that position thir- 
 teen years. He passed away at Morrisville at 
 the venerable age of eighty-seven years. His 
 first ancestor in this country was Launcelot 
 Granger, who was born in the West of England 
 and was brought to America when fourteen years 
 old. Mr. Granger's wife, Elvira Gates, was a 
 native of Morrisville, daughter of Abiather and 
 Lois (Holt) Gates, who were natives of Massa- 
 chusetts. Mrs. Gates was a descendant of Nich- 
 olas Holt, who came from England to Connecti- 
 cut in the early days of that colony. 
 
 Mrs. Farwell is the eldest of the four children 
 of her parents. Only one beside herself, Mrs. 
 Agnes Elvira Groves, is now living. She was 
 educated at a female seminary at Utica, New 
 York, and was fitted by birth and breeding to be 
 the companion of her husband during his long 
 and useful career in Chicago. She is a well-pre- 
 served lady, of much natural refinement, and her 
 charitable and kindly character has made her dear 
 to all who have been privileged to come within her 
 influence. Two sons born to Judge and Mrs. 
 Farwell, Granger and John Williams Farwell, are 
 well-known brokers of Chicago. The elder, born
 
 C. G. AVARS. 
 
 459 
 
 in Chicago, May 25, 1857, married Sarah C. 
 Goodrich, daughter of James G. Goodrich, of 
 Chicago, and has five children: Leslie, Ruth 
 Goodrich, Olive, Sarah Granger and Helen. The 
 younger son was born in Chicago, March 30, 
 1862, and is the stay and companion of his 
 mother. 
 
 It was in 1854 that Mr. Farwell settled perma- 
 nently in Chicago. He had been admitted to 
 the Bar of Illinois in 1848, and he now devoted 
 himself assiduously to the labors of his profes- 
 sion, rapidly winning for himself a reputation for 
 soundness and ability. In the spring of 1855 the 
 firm of Goodrich, Farwell & Scovell was formed, 
 the senior member being Grant Goodrich, who 
 was subsequently an honored occupant of the 
 Bench in Chicago. A year later Mr. Scovell 
 withdrew, and Mr. Sidney Smith joined the firm, 
 which became Goodrich, Farwell & Smith. 
 
 Mr. Farwell was elected to the Circuit Bench 
 in 1870, and was twice re-elected, serving in a 
 
 most impartial and efficient manner nine years. 
 Upon his retirement from the Bench, he was en- 
 gaged, in 1880, as Lecturer in the Union College 
 of Law, which position he continuously filled un- 
 til failing health compelled his resignation in 
 1893. His practical experience, his ripe scholar- 
 ship and sound judgment made him especially 
 useful in preparing young men for the practice of 
 law, and his resignation was received with regret 
 by faculty and students. He died April 30, 
 1894. 
 
 Judge Farwell was a faithful member of the 
 Congregational Church, in which he appropri- 
 ately and consistently filled the office of Deacon 
 for some time. In every relation of life he was 
 true, and the history of his life stands as an in- 
 spiration and encouragement to young men every- 
 where. Especially are his upright life and official 
 course commended to the emulation of all who 
 wish to win friends and enjoy the good opinion 
 and blessing of their fellows. 
 
 CHARLES G. AVARS. 
 
 EHARLES GERRY AVARS, a capable busi- 
 ness man of Chicago, and at one time one of 
 the most widely-known public officials of 
 Cook County, was born at Newton, New Jersey, 
 December 28, 1831. His parents were Rev. 
 James Ayars and Harriet Amelia Reed, both na- 
 tives of Bridgeton, New Jersey. The family is of 
 Scotch, Welsh and German ancestry, and fur- 
 nished some of the Colonial emigrants to the 
 present United States. Noah Ayars, grandfather 
 of the subject of this sketch, attained the age of 
 ninety-three years, dying at Bridgeton, New 
 Jersey, about 1858. 
 
 Rev. James Ayars was educated at Bridgeton, 
 and entered the ministry of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church in 1827. He continued actively in 
 
 the work of that church for fifty years, holding 
 pastorates in the principal towns of New Jersey. 
 In 1856 he became Secretary of the American 
 Sunday-school Union. He lived at Covington, 
 Kentucky, three years, and at Evanston, Illinois, 
 two years. Returning to New Jersey, he re- 
 entered the regular ministry, and died at Summit, 
 New Jersey, in 1880, at the age of seventy-five 
 years. He was a man of great public spirit, and 
 did much work in the temperance cause and 
 in the management of municipal affairs in the 
 towns where he was located. 
 
 Mrs. Harriet A. Ayars died at Trenton, New 
 Jersey, in 1870, at the age of sixty- four years. 
 She was a daughter of Dr. John Reed, who was 
 born in New Jersey, where he practiced medi-
 
 460 
 
 C. G. AVARS 
 
 cine most of his life. He was also engaged in 
 the manufacture of woolen goods at Deerfield, 
 New Jersey. His father was a native of 
 Ireland. 
 
 Rev. and Mrs. James Ayars had five sons. 
 Enoch Reed, the eldest, was a dentist in New 
 Jersey, and went to California in 1849. While 
 there, he joined Walker's expedition to Nica- 
 ragua, was wounded at the battle of Rivos, 
 and died in hospital. Charles G. Ayars is the 
 second. James was for many years a prominent 
 citizen of Cook Count}', and is now deceased. 
 William Henry Ayars was a student of the North- 
 western University of Evanston when the Civil 
 War began, and enlisted and served eighteen 
 months in the Union army. He became a Lieu- 
 tenant in a colored regiment, and was killed at 
 the battle of Petersburgh, Virginia. Howard B., 
 the youngest, died at the age of five years. 
 
 Charles G. Ayars, whose name heads this 
 article, gained his primary education in the pub- 
 lic schools of various points where his father was 
 stationed in the ministry, and finished at Rutgers 
 College, New Brunswick, New Jersey. At the 
 age of seventeen years he entered mercantile life, 
 being employed as a clerk in stores at various 
 places. He spent one year with a wholesale 
 paper house in New York City, and in 1857 
 went to Covington, Kentucky, where he entered 
 the general western agency of the Phcenix Fire 
 Insurance Company, of Hartford, Connecticut. 
 
 In 1859 he became a resident of Cook County, 
 and engaged in farming at Evanston. Two years 
 later he removed to the vicinity of what is now 
 known as Forest Hill, at the crossing of the Wa- 
 bash and Pan Handle Railroads, where he oper- 
 ated a large farm, producing annually large 
 quantities of hay for the Chicago market. While 
 residing here, he served six years as Clerk of 
 Lake Township. 
 
 In 1867 he was appointed a Deputy Sheriff of 
 Cook County, and removed to Chicago, where he 
 filled this position under successive Sheriffs for 
 eight years. His duties brought him in contact 
 with people of all avocations, and he gained an 
 acquaintance exceeded by few men. Probably, not 
 a half-dozen persons know personally more people 
 
 in Cook County than were included in his list of 
 friends. About this time there was much litiga- 
 tion over land titles. Many squatters had to be 
 dispossessed, and Mr. Avars' duties as Deputy 
 Sheriff sometimes brought him exciting experi- 
 ences. His impartiality, coupled with firmness, 
 and his uniform kindness to the unfortunate in- 
 spired the public with confidence in him, and 
 gained for him a host of true friends. In 1874 he 
 was elected County Commissioner for the Evans- 
 ton District, and at the expiration of his term he 
 was re-elected, serving six years continuously, 
 during which period the present court house 
 was built. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Ayars formed a connection with 
 the Phosnix Fire Insurance Company, of Hart- 
 ford, Connecticut, as State Agent for Illinois, 
 having general charge of all its business outside 
 of Chicago, which relation still continues. In 
 this connection he travels all over the State, giv- 
 ing careful and diligent attention to his duties, 
 and, as a result, the volume of business trans- 
 acted by the company in his jurisdiction has very 
 largely increased. 
 
 Mr. Ayars was married, April 25, 1859, to 
 Miss Margaret, daughter of William Fredenberg, 
 of New York City, where her Knickerbocker an- 
 cestors located in the early Colonial period. Many 
 of the name now reside there, and Mrs. Ayars is 
 the first who left that city. For twenty-five years 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ayars have been connected with 
 the First Methodist Church of Evanston. The 
 former is a member of Evans Lodge, Evanston 
 Chapter and Commandery of the Masonic order, 
 and of the Evanston Club and Evanston Boat 
 Club, being among the organizers of the last- 
 named organization. 
 
 Mr. Ayars was among the supporters of John 
 C. Fremont for the United States Presidency in 
 1856, and since that time has consistently ad- 
 hered to the Republican party from principle. 
 His varied business experience has given him 
 a wide knowledge of many subjects and made 
 him a capable judge of human nature, enabling 
 him to give to his business and social duties the 
 benefit of a mind ripened by years of practical 
 training.
 
 . S. LACEY. 
 
 461 
 
 EDWARD S. LACEY. 
 
 r~DWARD SAMUEL LACEY, President of 
 rp the Bankers' National Bank of Chicago, 
 L_ enjoys a national reputation as an able 
 financier, and has won his way to his present 
 honored position in the business, social and pol- 
 itical world through his pre-eminent perseverance, 
 foresight and integrity. He was born in the town 
 of Chili, Monroe County, New York, November 
 26, 1835, and is a son of Edward DeWitt and 
 Martha C. (Pixley) Lacey. 
 
 Edward D. Lacey was born at Beunington, 
 Vermont, and died at Charlotte, Michigan, 
 November 6, 1862, aged nearly fifty-three years. 
 He possessed in a notable degree those qualities 
 of integrity, intelligence and tenacity of purpose 
 for which the people of the Green Mountain 
 State are notable. He removed, with his par- 
 ents to Monroe County, New York, when but 
 ten years of age, and was educated at Henrietta, 
 in that State. He engaged in mercantile business 
 at Chili, New York, and in 1842 removed to 
 Michigan, locating the next year at Kalamo, 
 Eaton County, then a comparative wilderness. 
 He was a man of prominence in that locality, 
 filling many positions of public trust and respon- 
 sibility, and was a leading spirit in the develop- 
 ment and improvement of that section of the State. 
 He was a son of Maj. Samuel Lacey and 
 grandson of Ebenezer Lacey, natives of Wood- 
 bury, Connecticut. The latter served in the 
 Connecticut Line through the Virginia and Penn- 
 sylvania campaigns of the Revolutionary War, 
 under Generals Washington and La Fayette, be- 
 coming an Orderly-Sergeant in the latter's com- 
 mand. He was a son of Thaddeus Lacey, who 
 moved to Connecticut from Boston, Massachu- 
 setts. The first ancestor in America came from 
 
 the vicinity of Belfast, Ireland, and located at 
 Boston in 1704. 
 
 Samuel Lacey was born at Woodbury, Con- 
 necticut, and went with his parents Ebenezer 
 and Mary (Hurd) Lacey to Vermont in 1784. 
 He established the second cloth-dressing works 
 in the State at Bennington, and in 1818 removed 
 to Monroe County, New York, where he was a 
 prosperous and influential citizen. During the 
 War of 1812 he was Major of the First Regiment 
 of Vermont Militia, which was called into service 
 on the northern frontier. He assisted in the first 
 organization of the Whig party at Syracuse, 
 New York, in 1835, and was for many years one 
 of its ablest supporters. He died at Marshall, 
 Michigan, May 9, 1863, in the eighty-fifth year 
 of his age. He married Ruth, eldest daughter 
 of Anthony Sigourney, of Oxford, Massachusetts, 
 a Revolutionary veteran, who took part in the 
 disastrous campaign of 1776, on Long Island and 
 about New York City, being twice wounded in 
 battle during that service. He was the fourth in 
 line of descent from Andrew Sigourney, a prom- 
 inent Huguenot, who, with his wife, escaped 
 from Rochelle, France, after the revocation of 
 the Edict of Nantes in 1685, and became one of 
 the founders of Oxford, Massachusetts. Mrs. 
 L. H. Sigourney, the famous writer and poet, 
 married a descendant of the same family. 
 
 The subject of this biography was about seven 
 years old when the family settled in Eaton 
 County, Michigan, where he continued to reside 
 until 1889. He was educated at the public 
 schools and Olivet College. At the age of eight- 
 een years he began his business career as clerk 
 in a general store at Kalamazoo, Michigan. 
 
 In 1857 ne returned to his home at Charlotte,
 
 462 
 
 E. S. LACEY. 
 
 Michigan, and in 1862, in partnership with 
 Hon. Joseph Musgrave, established a private 
 bank, which became, in 1871, the First National 
 Bank of Charlotte. He was the active manager 
 of this institution from its organization, officiat- 
 ing as Director and Cashier, and upon the death 
 of Mr. Musgrave became its President. He was 
 distinguished for ability and thoroughness in his 
 methods, and became identified with many im- 
 portant business interests. He was a Director, 
 and for many years Treasurer, of the Grand River 
 Valley Railroad Company, which he helped to 
 organize. 
 
 Early in his career his fellow-citizens began to 
 recognize his fitness for the discharge of public 
 duties, and his opinion on financial questions has 
 always been accorded great consideration. His 
 first official position was that of Register of 
 Deeds of Eaton County, which he held four years, 
 beginning in 1860. In 1874 the Governor of 
 Michigan appointed him a Trustee of the State 
 Asylum for the Insane, and he continued to fill 
 this position for six years. In 1876 he was a 
 delegate to the National Republican Convention 
 at Cincinnati, and from 1882 to 1884 was Chair- 
 man of the Republican State Central Committee 
 of Michigan. He also served as the first Mayor 
 of the city of Charlotte, and assisted in inaugu- 
 rating its excellent system of public improve- 
 ments. In 1880 he was elected to Congress from 
 the Third Michigan District, and served two 
 terms. He was nominated by acclamation and 
 elected by a vote far ahead of his ticket in each 
 instance. He declined to accept the candidacy 
 for a third term, but in 1886 became a candidate 
 for the United States Senate, in which he was 
 unsuccessful, though he showed great strength 
 and popularity. 
 
 In Congress he served on the Committees on 
 Postoffices and Post Roads and Coinage, Weights 
 and Measures. But he was distinguished chiefly 
 through the ability displayed in the consideration 
 of financial questions. In the Forty-eighth 
 Congress he attracted wide attention by a mas- 
 terly speech on the silver question. His address 
 on the use of silver as money, delivered before 
 the American Bankers' Association in Chicago in 
 
 1885, was received with marked attention and 
 increased his popularity among financiers. His 
 prominence in monetary circles caused him to 
 be recommended by friends in Michigan, New 
 York, Boston and Chicago for the position of 
 Comptroller of the Currency, to which he was 
 appointed in 1889. 
 
 This office, so far as regards national finance, is 
 second only to that of Secretary of the Treasury. 
 His administration, extending from 1889 to 1892, 
 covered one of the most critical periods in the 
 history of the national banking system. He 
 pursued a vigorous and yet conservative policy, 
 keeping in view the protection of depositors and 
 creditors, and his conduct of the office was 
 endorsed by the ablest financiers. His integrity 
 and ability have always been recognized, and his 
 national reputation caused his services to be 
 sought by many of the leading financial institu- 
 tions of the country. Believing in the resources 
 and future of Chicago, he resigned in June, 1892, 
 to accept the presidency of the Bankers' Na- 
 tional Bank of that city. 
 
 On New Year's- Day, 1861, Mr. Lacey married 
 Miss Annette C. Musgrave, daughter of his busi- 
 ness partner, Hon. Joseph Musgrave, of Char- 
 lotte, Michigan. Two daughters and a son, 
 named, respectively, Jessie P., Edith M. and 
 Edward Musgrave, complete the family. Since 
 coming to Cook County, the family has resided 
 at Evanston, where it is identified with the First 
 Congregational Church. Mr. Lacey is a mem- 
 ber of the Society of the Sons of the American 
 Revolution, the Union League Club, Bankers' 
 Club (of which he has been President), Bankers' 
 Athletic Association, Evanston Club and Evans- 
 ton Country Club. He has always been an 
 enthusiastic Republican, and wields a strong 
 influence in the party councils. 
 
 Personally, Mr. Lacey is a man of fine phys- 
 ique, ready discernment, and pleasing manners. 
 All who have occasion to approach him in regard 
 to social or business matters are certain of 
 receiving courteous attention, notwithstanding 
 the attention necessarily bestowed upon the 
 financial and business matters of great magni- 
 tude entrusted to his management.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 JOHN TURNER
 
 MRS. JOHN TURNER
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 JOHN TURNER. 
 
 463 
 
 JOHN TURNER. 
 
 (JOHN TURNER. While the race is not al- 
 I ways to the swift, or the battle to the strong, 
 Q) the invariable law of destiny accords to tire- 
 less energy, industry and ability a successful 
 career. The truth of this assertion was abun- 
 dantly verified in the life of John Turner. Every 
 step in his progress was an honorable tribute to 
 industry, humanity and true manhood. Mr. 
 Turner was born July 10, 1815, in Gilberdike, 
 Yorkshire, England, and was a son of William 
 and Mary Turner, who were natives of that 
 county. William Turner and his wife had a 
 family of two -daughters and seven sons. Their 
 names were: Sarah, Elizabeth, Thomas, William, 
 Robert, Leighton, John, George and Charles. 
 With the exception of the eldest, all became resi- 
 dents of the United States, and all are now de- 
 ceased except Charles, who resides in Detroit, 
 Michigan. William and Robert Turner emi- 
 grated in 1830, and two years later Leighton fol- 
 lowed. In 1834 the parents came, bringing with 
 them one daughter, and the other sons. They 
 settled at Detroit, Michigan, where the parents 
 died several years ago. 
 
 In 1836 John Turner came to Chicago, accom- 
 panied by his brother Leighton, arriving October 
 25, the same day which witnessed the advent of 
 John Wentworth. In early life he enjoyed very 
 few advantages, and received only a limited edu- 
 cation. He had attained his majority when he 
 came to Chicago, and he determined to seek the 
 broad field of western enterprise in beginning life 
 on his own account. Estimated in dollars and 
 cents, his resources at this time were very mea- 
 ger, but in mental endowment, pluck and self- 
 
 reliant manhood, he had abundant capital. He 
 soon found employment with the proprietor of the 
 old Lake House, being put in charge of the 
 horses and stables. At the end of a year the 
 proprietor failed and was unable to pay Mr. Tur- 
 ner his salary, so that the only remuneration he 
 received for his first year's services was the 
 gratuitous contributions made by the guests in 
 consideration of the excellent care he had taken 
 of their horses, the whole of which he carefully 
 saved. 
 
 Undaunted by his first year's hard experience, 
 he continued to labor, engaging in any honest 
 work he was able to procure. Mr. W. B. Ogden, 
 recognizing the industry and integrity of the 
 young emigrant, urged him to engage in the 
 livery business on his own responsibility, and 
 offered him the necessary assistance, and Silas B. 
 Cobb insisted upon furnishing him with harness 
 on credit. In 1838 John and Leighton Turner 
 opened a livery stable on Wolcott (now State) 
 Street, between Kinzie and North Water Streets. 
 They began on a small scale, increasing their 
 business to meet the growing demands of their 
 trade. They were very prosperous, and in a few 
 years began to invest their surplus capital in Gov- 
 ernment land in Cook County, and the Turner 
 Brothers soon began to take rank among the sub- 
 stantial and wealthy business men of the city. 
 
 After a successful partnership of about fifteen 
 years, the brothers separated, making an equitable 
 division of their realty and personal property, 
 Leighton turning his attention to farming, and 
 John continuing the livery business. From this 
 time on the career of the latter was a prosperous
 
 464 
 
 JAMES SMITH. 
 
 one, and he erected a number of valuable build- 
 ings. The fire of 1871 swept away nearly his 
 entire fortune, which he had been over thirty 
 years in accumulating, and which amounted, at 
 least, to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, 
 leaving him comparatively poor. He did not 
 attempt to rebuild and re-commence his business 
 in the city, but moved his family to a farm he 
 owned in Section 19, Lake View Township (now 
 in the city), and with the assistance of his eldest 
 son, set about to retrieve his lost fortune by farm- 
 ing and gardening. By pushing this industry 
 vigorously, he accumulated a handsome compe- 
 tence, and passed the last years of his life in com- 
 parative ease and retirement. 
 
 January 18, 1843, Mr. Turner married Miss 
 Sarah Patterson, sister of John G. , and daughter of 
 Andrew Patterson, the latter a pioneer of Chicago. 
 She was born March 22, 1825, near Newburg, 
 New York. They had eight children, namely: 
 Mary P. ; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of Carman 
 Moody, who has one son, named Mervin Turner 
 Moody; John W. ; Charles Wesley ; Ella Bird, now 
 Mrs. John Trelease, who has three children, Justin 
 Patterson, John Dudley and Ella Trelease; Thom- 
 as Andrew, who married Fannie B. Wilkins; Hen- 
 rietta Pamelia, wife of John Arthur Fishleigh, 
 
 who has three sons, Walter Turner, John Arthur 
 and Clarence Fishleigh; and William Edward, all 
 of Chicago. The mother of this family died May 
 14, 1882, and Mr. Turner passed away February 
 17, 1892, their remains being laid side by side in 
 Rosehill Cemetery. 
 
 For over fifty years Mr. Turner was an honored 
 and respected citizen of Chicago and Cook County. 
 When he came to the city it contained a popula- 
 tion of about four thousand, so that he witnessed 
 almost the entire growth of the second city in the 
 Union, and bore no inconsiderable part himself in 
 promoting its best interests. 
 
 From boyhood Mr. Turner was a member of 
 the Methodist Church, and his delight was al- 
 ways in doing good, his religion being a part of 
 his daily walk in life. He was one of the found- 
 ers of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in 
 Chicago, a liberal contributor to its building 
 fund, and for many years its treasurer. He was 
 a friend to the poor, and was always ready to ex- 
 tend a helping hand to the needy. He achieved 
 success, not by over-reaching his fellow-men, or 
 by any questionable means, but through honest 
 industry, and he bequeathed to his family not 
 only an abundance of this world's goods, but also 
 the priceless heritage of a good name. 
 
 JAMES SMITH. 
 
 3 AMES SMITH, a retired farmer of Mayfair, 
 has been identified with that place thirty- 
 three years. He was born July 29, 1841, in 
 Yorkshire, England, and is a son of Francis and 
 Ann (Robinson) Smith, natives of Yorkshire. In 
 1845 the family moved to Canada, and settled in 
 Ontario Count)', Ontario, where Francis Smith 
 bought a productive farm, which he cultivated 
 until his death, in 1876. Mrs. Smith still lives 
 
 there, aged ninety-two years. They had five 
 daughters and one son. 
 
 James Smith was educated in the public schools 
 of Ontario County, Ontario, and was reared to 
 the occupation of agriculture, which has been his 
 life work. In 1864 he came to Chicago and lo- 
 cated in Jefferson Township, where he was em- 
 ployed at farm labor for a short time. In 1869 
 he bought twelve acres of land in Montrose,
 
 R. Y. SPIKINGS. 
 
 465 
 
 which he sold four years later, at an advance of 
 twelve thousand dollars on the cost. He after- 
 wards bought twenty acres, on which he made a 
 profit of ten thousand dollars, and during this 
 time he was engaged in cultivating land he had 
 rented. By judicious investment he has become 
 wealthy, all his investments in land proving a 
 success. He is now the owner of two hundred 
 and twelve lots in Mayfair and in Jefferson Town- 
 ship. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Smith began selling milk in a 
 small way, which business has grown to large 
 proportions and is conducted by his sons. Mr. 
 Smith now devotes his time to superintending his 
 private interests, dealing in real estate and loan- 
 ing mone}'. He attributes much of his success 
 in life to the influence of Mr. L. C. P. Freer, who 
 was his friend and adviser in most of his im- 
 portant transactions. 
 
 April 3, 1866, Mr. Smith married Miss Sarah 
 Mitchell, who was born in Ontario, and is a 
 daughter of Amos and Sarah (Stuart) Mitchell, 
 who were of Scotch descent. Her parents died 
 when she was an infant, and she was adopted into 
 the family of Chester Dickenson. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Smith have four sons and two daughters, namely: 
 Frank Eugene, Archie C. , Howard G. , Albert J., 
 Florence L,. and Nellie G. The family is con- 
 nected with the Baptist Church of Irving Park. 
 
 Mr. Smith has always been identified with the 
 Democratic party, but has never sought any of- 
 fice, preferring rather to spend his time in the 
 conduct of his business. He has achieved suc- 
 cess through his careful attention to every detail 
 of his business, and has always been a very busy 
 man. He well deserves his wealth and the respect 
 and admiration given him by the members of 
 the community in which he has his residence. 
 
 RICHARD Y. SPIKINGS. 
 
 RICHARD YOUNG SPIKINGS is one of 
 the oldest living representatives of the pi- 
 oneers of the town of Jefferson, and has been 
 intimately connected with its growth. He was 
 born November 14, 1821, near Wisbech, Cam- 
 bridgeshire, England, where his ancestors had 
 lived for many generations. He is the fifth son 
 of John and Mary- (James) Spikings. The for- 
 mer was a farmer and land-owner in Wisbech, 
 where he died in 1847. His wife passed away 
 two years later. They were the parents of four- 
 teen children, eight of whom died in childhood. 
 Six sons grew to manhood, of whom the following 
 is the record: John died in England; Thomas 
 came to the United States, served in the American 
 Army in the Mexican War, and afterward went 
 to South Africa; William came to America, but 
 
 returned to England, where he died; James was 
 a farmer in Valparaiso, Indiana, where he died; 
 Richard Y. is the subject of this notice; Henry 
 went to Africa as a veterinary surgeon, and sub- 
 sequently died there. 
 
 Richard Young Spikings spent his boyhood 
 on his father's farm. He came to America in 
 1842, making the voyage in a sailing-vessel, and 
 spending six weeks on the trip from London to 
 New York. He spent one winter in Lyons, 
 Wayne County, New York, and in 1843 came to 
 Chicago. He remained in the city about ten 
 years, working for Archibald Clybourn as a 
 butcher most of the time, and one year keeping 
 the Old Bull's Head Tavern, near the bridge, at 
 Clybourn's Place. During the first few years 
 he made frequent trips to London. In 1852 he
 
 466 
 
 J. A. KAY. 
 
 bought a farm of sixty acres in Jefferson, where 
 for several years he raised vegetables for the city 
 market, but when railroads began to open greater 
 facilities for transportation, the business became 
 less profitable, and in 1859 was discontinued. 
 In that year he rented his farm and went to 
 Thornton Township, where he managed a large 
 farm for Clarence Dyer. He subsequently be- 
 came a partner in a brewery, for which he acted 
 as salesman. At the beginning of the Civil 
 War he accompanied an old friend, Maj. Lewis 
 Hubbard, during one year of. the campaign in 
 Missouri, having charge of the officers' baggage 
 most of that time. Being called home by sick- 
 ness in his family in March, 1862, he returned to 
 his farm, and carried on general farming for many 
 years. Upon the approach of old age, he divided 
 the land among his children, most of it still being 
 owned by members of the family. 
 
 July 2, 1847, he married Cornelia Augusta 
 Harding, who was born in New York City, and 
 is a daughter of Henry W. and Rachel Harding. 
 The ceremony took place in an old log cabin, 
 then the home of Mr. Harding, which was built 
 by the Indians, and had been the home of their 
 chief. Five children have blessed the union of 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Spikings, as follows: William, of 
 whom extended notice is given elsewhere within 
 this volume; Richard, who is deceased; Cornelia, 
 wife of John Hebert; Louis, a contractor at 
 Bowmanville, Illinois; Joseph, a contractor in 
 Jefferson, who died in 1896; Zana, widow of 
 James Ferguson, residing with her parents; and 
 George, also a contractor. All those living, ex- 
 cept Louis, reside upon the home property. 
 
 Mr. Spikings is a member of Providence Lodge, 
 Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, at Jefferson. 
 He is a Democrat in national political affairs, but 
 in the campaign of 1896 he supported William 
 McKinley for president, believing that the issues 
 were not those which usually separate the two 
 great parties. He has ever been in harmony with 
 American institutions, and though never aspiring 
 to public office, has conscientiously fulfilled his 
 duty as a citizen. He has been a stanch friend 
 of the public schools, and for many years was 
 director in his district. Like the majority of 
 pioneers, he has had to contend with many trials 
 and hardships, and has lived to see the land to 
 which he has devoted the best years of his life 
 become a means of wealth and independence to 
 his children. 
 
 JOSEPH A. KAY. 
 
 (JOSEPH ARCHDALE KAY was born June 
 I i, 1844, on the old homestead of his parents 
 Q) in Jefferson Township, Cook County, Illi- 
 nois. He spent his boyhood on the farm of his 
 father, Abel Kay, attending school in the winter, 
 and assisting in the labor of the farm as soon as 
 he was able. In 1859 he drove a milk wagon, 
 and took care of an engine in a grist mill. In 
 September, 1861, he enlisted in the First Mis- 
 souri Cavalry, Company D, which was con- 
 solidated with the Tenth Missouri Cavalry in the 
 
 winter of 1862. He served three years and one 
 month, and then enlisted in Hancock's Veteran 
 Corps, in Company K. The first service of his 
 company was in Missouri, against Price, at Pea 
 Ridge, and soon after they were in Arkansas, 
 and then they went down the Mississippi to a 
 point below Vicksburg. In northern Mississippi 
 he saw many skirmishes and battles. From 
 Corinth they made a forced march to Florence, 
 passing through Shiloh. During the war he 
 was home for a few months on furlough. He
 
 J. W. TURNER. 
 
 467 
 
 spent one year in the Veteran Corps, and was 
 discharged April n, 1866. During the last of 
 Mr. Kay's service he did provost duty in Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 After the war Mr. Kay returned to Jefferson 
 and engaged in farming. He remained with his 
 mother two years, and then moved to the place 
 he now occupies, and has since been engaged in 
 gardening. His sons cultivate the farm, which 
 contains eighteen and one- half acres. 
 
 June 23, 1866, he was married to Maggie, 
 daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Best) 
 Primrose, the former a native of Scotland and 
 the latter of England. They died in Jefferson. 
 Mrs. Kay was born in Elgin, and died October 
 3, 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Kay had nine children, 
 namely: Marshall, who lives with his father; 
 Joseph, deceased; Stephen, deceased; Carrie, now 
 
 Mrs. Lincoln Smith, who resides in Chicago; 
 David, deceased; De Mar, who resides at home; 
 Annie, who lives in Chicago; Bert, deceased; and 
 Maggie, who resides in Chicago with a sister. 
 Mr. Kay was married November 17, 1886, to 
 Mrs. Katie Stull, of Monmouth, Illinois, and 
 they, have two children, namely: Jefferson and 
 Edith. 
 
 Mr. Kay is a member of Providence Lodge, 
 No. 711, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of 
 Jefferson Park, having been connected with the 
 order thirty-two years. He is also connected 
 with George H. Thomas Post, No. 5, Grand 
 Army of the Republic. He takes an active in- 
 terest in politics and is a supporter of the Repub- 
 lican party. He is interested in local affairs, 
 and favors all movements for public improve- 
 ment. 
 
 JOHN W. TURNER. 
 
 (JOHN WESLEY TURNER, an honored citi- 
 I zen of Chicago, was born March 22, 1847, 
 Q) in the great city of the West, and is the old- 
 est son of John and Sarah (Patterson) Turner, 
 extended mention of whom appears elsewhere in 
 this volume. He was educated in the public 
 schools of Chicago, and grew to manhood in this 
 city, being occupied, when old enough, with as- 
 sisting his father in the care of his livery stable, 
 and with other business interests. When he 
 reached his majority, most of the management of 
 his father's affairs devolved upon him. The 
 disastrous fire of 1871 swept away much of the 
 fortune of the family, and they removed to the 
 farm in Lake View, when John W. Turner faced 
 the inevitable, and resolving to do his best for 
 the welfare of their interests, determined to try 
 market-gardening, and to make a success of it. 
 He assumed almost the entire management of the 
 
 farm, and personally contracted for the sale of 
 the products, most of which were disposed of by 
 wholesale. Having lived all his life in a great 
 city, this life and work were new to him, and 
 it was only by his giving great energy and study 
 to his labor that he was able to succeid so well. 
 
 For eighteen years Mr. Turner supplied the 
 Goodrich line of lake steamers with all their 
 vegetables, besides making large shipments an- 
 nually of carload lots to different ports of the 
 country. The cultivation of about sixty acres of 
 land for the growth of vegetables necessitated the 
 employment of considerable capital and labor. 
 Mr. Turner gave his personal care and attention 
 to every detail in the management of his large 
 business, and so successfully was it conducted 
 that about 1890, father and son were both able to 
 retire from active business cares. 
 
 Since his retirement Mr. Turner has enjoyed
 
 468 
 
 PROF. O. 0. BAINES, M. D. 
 
 the fruits of his industry, and he busies himself 
 in superintending the management of his farms 
 in Niles Township, and other landed interests. 
 He has fully improved all opportunities for the 
 promotion of his financial interests, and thor- 
 oughly enjoys the results of his well-directed 
 efforts. 
 
 Mr. Turner has always taken an active in- 
 terest in the affairs of the country and in men of 
 note, and he keeps himself well informed on the 
 general topics of the day. In politics he is an 
 
 ardent supporter of Republican principles, and is 
 a recognized leader in the councils of his party, 
 having for several years been chairman of the 
 Central Republican Club of the Twenty-sixth 
 Ward. He is a member of the Marquette Club 
 and of the National League, and is popular 
 among his friends and acquaintances. Mr. Tur- 
 ner is a very companionable gentleman, of pleas- 
 ing presence, an entertaining conversationalist, 
 and possesses to a remarkable degree the qualities 
 of good-fellowship. 
 
 PROF. OSCAR O. BAINES, M. D. 
 
 RROF. OSCAR ORLANDO BAINES, M. D., 
 
 LX who was one of the most successful of the 
 [3 younger physicians of Chicago, was born 
 March 5, 1863, in Ashtabula County, Ohio. His 
 father, William B. Baines, emigrated from England 
 at the age of eighteen years, and settled near Janes- 
 ville, Wisconsin, where he became a prominent 
 farmer, owning what was then widely known 
 as the Willard farm, where Frances E. Willard, 
 the famous temperance worker, was reared. His 
 wife, whose parents were wealthy manufacturers 
 in Germany, came to this country from a little 
 village on the Rhine, when she was twenty-two 
 years old. Their children were: Mary, now the 
 wife of William Blandon, assistant cashier of the 
 Merchants' & Mechanics' Bank in Janesville, 
 Wisconsin; William, a farmer, who is now de- 
 ceased; Charles, a thriving commission merchant 
 in Omaha, Nebraska; Frank, the foremost leaf 
 tobacco merchant of Wisconsin; and Oscar O., 
 the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Oscar began his education in Janesville, Wis- 
 consin, acquitting himself with honor in the pri- 
 mary and high schools of that city. He was pos- 
 sessed of a strong love for literary work, and was 
 well adapted for the study of medicine, which he 
 
 began in the office of Dr. S. S. Judd, of Janesville. 
 After spending two years there, he entered Bennett 
 Medical College, Chicago, and graduated in 1885, 
 carrying the highest honors of his class. He 
 then located in the northern part of Chicago, and 
 in the fall of 1886 was elected demonstrator of 
 anatomy at his alma mater. He held this 
 position until 1889, when he was elected to the 
 chair of general descriptive anatomy, and in 1890 
 he received the additional honor of the chair of 
 surgical anatomy and the office of secretary of 
 Bennett College. 
 
 He was a member of the National Eclectic 
 Medical Association, of the State Medical As- 
 sociation, and was vice-president of the Chicago 
 Eclectic Medical and Surgical Society. In 1895 
 he received an unusual honor for one of his 
 years, being appointed by Governor Altgeld as a 
 member of the State Board of Health. He was 
 also secretary and attendant doctor of the Baptist 
 hospital, at which place he was loved by all the 
 patients. Dr. Baines ranked high among the 
 members of his profession, both in his specialty 
 of diseases of women and in general medical and 
 surgical work, the extent of his practice dem- 
 onstrating his standing in the community. In
 
 EDUARD KLEINDIENST. 
 
 469 
 
 politics, though non-partisan, his sympathies were 
 with the Democratic party, and he belonged to 
 the honorable class of men who always vote. He 
 was a member of the Congregational Church, and 
 was a most worthy and respected citizen. 
 
 He was very ambitious in his profession, and 
 his fellow- laborers lost a valuable associate when 
 he died, May 19, 1896. He was also active in 
 social and religious life, having been superin- 
 tendent of the Lincoln Park Congregational Sun- 
 day-school one year, and also a deacon and 
 trustee in the church. He was always ready to 
 come to the aid of those who needed a leader, 
 and always gave his services cheerfully. He 
 was a member of the Masonic order, the Royal 
 League and the Royal Arcanum. It is a pleasure 
 
 to know such a man as was Dr. Baines, and to 
 have been his friend is a great privilege. His 
 memory will be cherished in Chicago for many 
 years, and his life will be an example to young 
 men in this and other generations. 
 
 Christmas Eve, 1887, Dr. Baines married Miss 
 Ida. Christie, daughter of Angus and Elizabeth 
 (Walker) Christie, of Chicago, who were de- 
 scendants of very old Canadian and English fam- 
 ilies. Mrs. Baines was in every way fitted to be 
 the wife of a man like her husband. She is ac- 
 complished in music and in other ways, which 
 helped make the home life pleasant, and to make 
 the home one that it was a pleasure to enter. To 
 Dr. and Mrs. Baines were born two children, 
 Oscar Roland and Alice Elizabeth. 
 
 EDUARD KLEINDIENST. 
 
 FT DUARD KLEINDIENST was born Decem- 
 rS ber 14, 1853, in Schlesien, Melisch, Ger- 
 |_ many, and is a son of Gottlieb and Anna 
 Rosa (Pittoli) Kleindienst. His maternal grand- 
 father was lost in the battle of Leipsic, when his 
 mother, Anna Pittoli, was only three years old. 
 
 Gottlieb Kleindienst was born in the same 
 province as his son, Eduard, and was by trade a 
 mason and a contractor. He settled in the 
 Province of Posen, near the city of Posen, and 
 there followed his trade until he died, in 1868. 
 His wife is still living, at the age of eighty- 
 seven years. They had nine children, five of whom 
 died in childhood, of diphtheria. William died in 
 1889, in the Province of Poseu. The living are: 
 Charles, who follows the mason's trade, and lives 
 in Chicago; Dorothea, wife of Adolph Peschel, a 
 resident of Schokken, in Posen; and Eduard, 
 whose name heads this sketch. 
 
 Eduard Kleindienst removed to Posen with his 
 parents when he was two > r ears old. He received 
 
 a common-school education, and then began to 
 study for the profession of architect in a private 
 school, but he did not follow this work. He 
 learned the trade of mason, and had some prac- 
 tical experience in the work before he came to 
 America, at the age of eighteen. He came from 
 Bremen to New York, and thence to Philadelphia, 
 where he remained three months and found em- 
 ployment as an interpreter of the Polish and Ger- 
 man dialects. 
 
 After coming to Chicago he worked at his 
 trade one year, and in 1874 entered the employ 
 of Goodwin & Elder, commission merchants, and 
 spent three years with them. After this he spent 
 one year as superintendent in the oleomargarine 
 factory of James Turner. He then returned to 
 Goodwin & Elder and was in their employ two 
 and one-half years. He was later emplo3 r ed as 
 salesman for ex-County Commissioner Knopf, one 
 of the largest commission dealers on the street, and 
 continued two years, after which he was with
 
 470 
 
 C. W. TURNER. 
 
 J. H. Phillips & Company, commission merchants, 
 over four years. Mr. Kleindienst then entered 
 into partnership with F. Heinze, under the firm 
 name of F. Heinze & Company. This connec- 
 tion continued one year, when it was dissolved 
 by mutual consent. Mr. Kleindienst estab- 
 lished a partnership with C. W. Cleveland and 
 H. T. Marsh, under the name of Kleindienst, 
 Cleveland & Company. This continued only 
 about six months, when his partners withdrew and 
 Mr. Kleindienst continued alone about six months. 
 He then entered the employ of Barren & Bir- 
 mingham and continued with them four years, 
 and after that was with N. E. Hollis for two 
 years. He was then with O. P. Emerson nearly 
 two years. 
 
 October 27, 1880, he married Maria Johanna 
 Seiring, a native of Leipsic, Saxony, Germany. 
 She is a daughter of Gottlieb and Johanna (Kohler) 
 Seiring. The former died in 1866, in Leipsic, 
 and the latter still lives in that city, at the age of 
 seventy-two years. Mrs. Kleindienst came to 
 Chicago in 1872. She had one child, who died 
 in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Kleindienst were both 
 reared in the Lutheran faith, and he favors the 
 Democratic party with his political support. In 
 1885 he removed to Norwood Park, where he 
 built the handsome and comfortable residence in 
 which he now resides. He came to this country 
 when a very young man, and has carved his own 
 fortune by his perseverance and energy, and is 
 worthy the admiration and respect he receives. 
 
 CHARLES W. TURNER. 
 
 EHARLES WESLEY TURNER, a retired 
 clergyman, living in Chicago, is the second 
 son of John and Sarah (Patterson) Turner, 
 whose biographies appear elsewhere in this vol- 
 ume. He was born July 8, 1849, in Chicago. 
 His primary education he received in the public 
 schools, and he later attended tne Chicago High 
 School, from which he graduated in 1869. He 
 spent one year at the Chicago University, and 
 then took a classical course at the Northwestern 
 University, at Evanston, where he graduated 
 with the class of 1875. He was always much in- 
 terested in the church and its work, and in this 
 he was encouraged by his father, who was also 
 an influence and power in such w.rk. For one 
 year after graduation, he was assistant secretary 
 and librarian of the Young Men's Christian As- 
 sociation of Chicago. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Turner removed to Milwaukee, 
 
 where he filled the office of general secretary of 
 the association for a period of six 3 T ears, after 
 which he spent five years in South Dakota, rest- 
 ing, recuperating his health, and preaching oc- 
 casionally for the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 with which he has all his life been identified. 
 In 1889 he was ordained to preach, and was as- 
 signed to regular work in the ministry. His 
 first charge was at Stockbridge, Wisconsin, where 
 he spent two years, and subsequently spent one 
 year at Elo, three years at Waukau and two years 
 at Amherst. In 1896 failing health forced his 
 retirement from active labor in the ministry. 
 
 March 19, 1879, Mr. Turner married Miss 
 Florence N. Wakeman, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 
 and they became the parents of seven children, 
 whose names are as follows: John W., Frederick 
 N., Anna Belle, Glenn P., Forrest H., Florence 
 N. and Charles W.
 
 GEORGE BUTTERS. 
 
 GEORGE BUTTERS. 
 
 OEORGE BUTTERS, one of the most 
 
 b spirited citizens of Oak Park, was born Sep- 
 tember 14, 1849, in South Boston, a division 
 of the Massachusetts metropolis, and is a son of 
 John Arnauld Cormerais Butters and Caroline 
 Elizabeth (Sampson) Butters. 
 
 His first American paternal ancestor was Will- 
 iam Butters, who settled in that part of Woburn, 
 Massachusetts, now called Wilmington, in the 
 year 1665. He served in King Philip's War as 
 a member of Capt. Joseph Sill's company. He 
 was a farmer by occupation and also operated a 
 sawmill at Wilmington. He probably came from 
 Dedham, England, and his posterity in the 
 seventh generation, which is now scattered all 
 over the United States, is represented by the sub- 
 ject of this sketch. His great-grandson, Samuel 
 Butters, and a son of the latter, who bore the same 
 name, enlisted from Wilmington, in the Con- 
 tinental army, and were among the "Minute Men" 
 who were called out at Lexington. Samuel But- 
 ters, junior, continued in the service until 1781, 
 and was a corporal in Capt. William Bird's com- 
 pany, of Colonel Webb's regiment. His son, 
 William Butters, was a counselor-at-law, at Pitts- 
 field, New Hampshire, and later at Boston. 
 
 John A. C. Butters, who was a son of the last- 
 named, was born at Pittsfield, New. Hampshire, 
 and for some time kept a book store at Lynn, 
 Massachusetts. He went from there to Boston, 
 as bookkeeper for Phillips & Sampson, the lead- 
 ing book publishers in the United States at that 
 time. He died at West Roxbury, Massachusetts, 
 
 Febuary 19, 1856, at the early age of thirty-four 
 years. His brother, William A. Butters, be- 
 came a well-known citizen of Chicago, where he 
 was engaged in the auction and commission busi- 
 ness for many years. Another brother, Isaac N. 
 Butters, was a prominent business man in Min- 
 neapolis, Minnesota. The mother of these children 
 was Eloisa Monreau Cormerais, a daughter of 
 John Arnauld and Jane Vaughan (Rindge) Cor- 
 merais, the former a native of France. 
 
 George Vaughan, great-grandfather of Jane V. 
 Rindge, was a lieutenant governor of New 
 Hampshire in the early days of that province. 
 He was a grandson of Hon. Richard Cutt, and 
 married a daughter of Hon. Robert Elliot, one of 
 the first counselors of the province of New 
 Hampshire. The maternal great-grandfather of 
 Jane V. Rindge was Col. Timothy Gerrish, a 
 grandson of Maj. Richard Waldr.on, who was 
 killed by Indians at Dover, Massachusetts. 
 
 Mrs. Caroline E. (Sampson) Butters was born 
 April 5, 1824, at Plympton, Massachusetts, and 
 died of apoplexy at Oak Park, Illinois, March 17, 
 1893. She had lived in Chicago since 1870, and 
 was a member of Dr. N. W. Thomas' Church. 
 She was a daughter of Capt. John Sampson (who 
 commanded the Old Artillery Company at Ply- 
 mouth, Massachusetts) and Priscilla (Bramhall) 
 Sampson. Captain Sampson represented the 
 sixth generation of descendants from John Alden, 
 and also Capt. Miles Standish, of Plymouth 
 Colony. Zabdiel Sampson, grandfather of Capt. 
 John Sampson, was killed September 9, 1776, at
 
 472 
 
 GEORGE BUTTERS. 
 
 the battle of Harlem, New York. He enlisted 
 from Plymouth, Massachusetts, and had pre- 
 viously served in the French and Indian War. 
 During the last-named struggle, he was captured 
 by the Indians, who (as related in Giles Memorial, 
 by John A. Vinton, page 400) "tied him to a 
 tree and amused themselves by throwing hatchets, 
 to see how near they could throw and miss." Mr. 
 and Mrs. J. A. C. Butters had two children. The 
 eldest, Mary Priscilla, was born September 16, 
 1847, at Lynn, Massachusetts, and died unmar- 
 ried, January 12, 1872, at Quincy, in the same 
 State. 
 
 George Butters attended a private school at 
 West Roxbury and also at Brookline, Massachu- 
 setts. At the age of nine years he went to live 
 with an uncle at Quincy, Massachusetts, where 
 he attended the primary and high schools. When 
 fifteen years old, he entered the employ of Samuel 
 Greves, a furniture manufacturer in Boston, and 
 learned the trade of upholsterer. 
 
 He took up his residence at Chicago in July, 
 1868, and was employed by D. Long & Com- 
 pany, upholsterers and furniture dealers, in whose 
 business his uncle, William A. Butters, had an 
 interest. He became a salesman in this estab- 
 lishment, and a few years later was employed as 
 bookkeeper. When the business was closed out 
 in 1870, he entered the service of William A. 
 Butters & Company, having charge of their shoe 
 department. The following spring, owing to ill- 
 health, he went to Colorado, where he remained 
 until after the Great Chicago Fire in October of 
 that year. The next spring he moved to Oak 
 Park, and purchased a tract of land, which he 
 subdivided and sold. He has ever since given 
 his attention to real-estate investments, and was 
 in a portion of these transactions associated with 
 the firm of E. A. Cummings & Company. He 
 is one of the original stockholders of the Proviso 
 Land Association and also in the Union Land 
 Pool. He was one of the corporators and a mem- 
 ber of the first board of directors of the Cicero & 
 Proviso Electric Railroad Company, and was as- 
 sistant consulting engineer during the construc- 
 tion of its lines and performed all the duties of 
 that office. Upon their completion, he was elected 
 
 the first general manager of the company, and 
 was later elected president, to succeed D. J. Ken- 
 nedy. He held this position until February, 
 1896, and is still one of the directors. 
 
 He has always manifested a great interest in 
 the progress and development of Oak Park, es- 
 pecially of the portion known as Ridgeland. He 
 has not only sought to promote its material 
 growth, but has wisely taken a leading part in 
 the work of developing the intellectual culture 
 and social instincts of the people. He was one of 
 the first members of the Ridgeland Literary Club, 
 an organization which became very popular, 
 grew rapidly and was eventually merged into the 
 Ridgeland Hall Association, a corporation which 
 included most of the citizens among its stock- 
 holders, and erected the handsome brick block 
 on Lake Street known as Ridgeland Hall. Mr. 
 Butters was president of this corporation until it 
 disbanded. 
 
 November 17, 1872, he was married to Miss 
 Maria Shaw Bramhall, of Boston, Massachusetts, 
 a daughter of William Bramhall, president of the 
 Shawmut National Bank of that city, and his 
 wife Elizabeth (Shaw) Bramhall. The only child 
 of this marriage, George Russell Butters, born 
 October 6, 1878, died July 21 of the following 
 year. Mr. and Mrs. Butters are connected with 
 Unity Church of Oak Park. 
 
 Mr. Butters was made a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity in Lincoln Park Lodge, No. 611, of 
 Chicago. He subsequently joined Harlem Lodge 
 of Oak Park, in which he has held all the prin- 
 cipal offices, being elected worshipful master in 
 
 1879, in which lodge he is now a life member. 
 He was created a sublime prince of the thirty- 
 second degree, October 5, 1875, in Oriental Con- 
 sistory of Chicago, of which he is also a life mem- 
 ber. He was made a Knight Templar April 28, 
 
 1880, in Apollo Commandery, Chicago, from 
 which he was demitted to join Siloam Command- 
 ery of Oak Park. He was made a Noble of the 
 Mystic Shrine, in Medinah Temple of Chicago, 
 November 20, 1891. He is one of the early 
 members of the Society of Colonial Wars of Illi- 
 nois, and also of the Illinois Society, Sons of the 
 American Revolution .
 
 HENRY SCHADE. 
 
 473 
 
 Mr. Butters has always been a Republican in 
 political principle. In 1877 he was elected a 
 member of the Oak Park Board of School Di- 
 rectors, and served six years, being at first 
 secretary, and later president of the board. It 
 was during this time that the first school build- 
 ing at Ridgeland was erected. In 1878 he was 
 elected assessor of the town of Cicero, and was 
 five times successively re elected. This office 
 made him an ex-officio member of the Town 
 Board of Trustees, and at the expiration of his 
 services as assessor, in the spring of 1884, he 
 was elected treasurer of the town. In the year 
 1889 he was elected a town trustee for the 
 term of four years. During this period of eleven 
 years of his connection with the Town Board 
 
 he served on the most important committees of 
 that body. 
 
 He helped to organize the first fire company 
 in the town of Cicero, known as the Ridgeland 
 Fire Association, was elected its first president, 
 and has held that position most of the time since. 
 This organization created an endowment fund 
 by subscription, with which it built the first en- 
 gine house in the town, installed the first system 
 of electric fire alarms, and has introduced most of 
 the improved features of the service in that town. 
 
 In recent years Mr. Butters has spent con- 
 siderable time in the preparation of a large volume 
 entitled "A History of the Butters Family, from 
 1666 to 1896," which he published in the latter 
 year, at his own expense. 
 
 HENRY SCHADE. 
 
 HENRY SCHADE, who is now conducting a 
 florist's establishment in Norwood Park, 
 was born December 26, 1839, in Prussia, 
 and is a son of Henry and Margaret Schade, na- 
 tives of that country. In 1846 they came with 
 their family of three children to Chicago. Henry 
 Schade, senior, was a painter and decorator, and 
 worked at his trade many years in Berlin. 
 His first employment in Chicago was on Mr. 
 Ogden's house, and he was engaged at his trade 
 when he could find such employment, until his 
 death, from cholera, in 1856. His widow is still 
 living, and is eighty-three years old. They had 
 six children, three of whom were born in Chi- 
 cago. They are: Nicholas, of No. 239 North 
 Avenue, Chicago; Henry, the subject of this 
 sketch; Elizabeth, wife of Julius Nieman, of No. 
 235 North Avenue; Peter, of South Dakota; Hat- 
 tie, deceased; and Margaret, Mrs. Bruno Hacker, 
 residing on North Avenue. 
 
 Henry Schade of this notice was educated in 
 
 the parochial schools of Saint Joseph and Saint 
 Michael's Churches. At the age of fourteen 
 years he began to learn the trade of upholstering, 
 and after completing this was employed at his 
 trade by the Tobey Furniture Company. He 
 remained with this company thirty-three years, 
 thus demonstrating his ability and faithfulness. 
 In 1883 he bought six acres of land in Norwood 
 Park, and moved his family to it. He sold this 
 land later, and bought about an acre and a- 
 quarter where he now lives, at the corner of 
 Evergreen and Locust Streets. In 1895 he es- 
 tablished his present greenhouses, where he cul- 
 tivates roses, carnations, geraniums and potted 
 flowers for the city market. 
 
 August 4, 1861, Mr. Schade married Miss 
 Margaret Stelzer. She was born in Baden, Ger- 
 many, May 7, 1843, and is a daughter of George 
 Michael and Margaret Barbara Stelzer, who came 
 to Chicago in 1856. Soon after their arrival the 
 father died, and the mother lived only until 1860.
 
 474 
 
 I. N. HUESTIS. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Schade have four children, namely: 
 Elizabeth, wife of Christ Otto; Christina, wife of 
 Charles Stacle; Peter and Henry, the latter being 
 still at home. Mr. Schade was reared in the 
 Catholic faith, but he is not now a member of 
 any church. Mrs. Schade is a member of the 
 Presbyterian Church. 
 
 At the time of the Great Fire of 1871, Mr. 
 Schade lived at No. 237 North Avenue and was 
 burned out, losing about five thousand dollars. 
 In the cyclone which passed through Norwood 
 Park May 24, 1896, he lost about four thousand 
 dollars' worth of property, but fortunately his 
 family escaped without injury. Mr. Schade was 
 
 a member of the Volunteer Fire Department ot 
 Chicago six years and a- half, from about 1852, 
 and nearly lost his eyesight in the fire of 1858. 
 
 He has always taken an active interest in pub- 
 lic affairs, and is a Republican in politics. He 
 is public-spirited, and keeps informed on the 
 topics of the day, thus proving his interest in the 
 progress of the country of his adoption. He is 
 connected with the Ancient Order of Druids, and 
 also with the German Working Society, of which 
 societies he is a valuable member. His flourish- 
 ing business gives evidence of his diligence and 
 thrift, and he has the high regard of a large circle 
 of friends. 
 
 ISAAC N. HUESTIS. 
 
 VSAAC NEWTON HUESTIS, who has been 
 connected with the business interests of Chi- 
 X, cago and Cook County for nearly half a 
 century, was born May 19, 1824, at Dover, 
 Dutchess County, New York. He is a son of 
 John and Emmeline (Losee) Huestis, both mem- 
 bers of old New York families. John Huestis 
 was a son of Reuben Huestis, and was born at 
 Dover, where he died about 1827. His wife sur- 
 vived him to the venerable age of eighty-eight 
 years, passing away in 1892. They were the 
 parents of four children, namely: Harriet, Mrs. 
 Daniel Chase, who resided in Providence, Rhode 
 Island, and is now deceased; Isaac N., the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; Elias, deceased, who formerly 
 lived in New York; and Edwin, deceased, whose 
 home was in New Jersey. 
 
 Isaac N. Huestis was deprived of a father's 
 care at the age of three years, and lived with his 
 paternal grandfather until he was ten years old, 
 and from this time on he was obliged to earn his 
 own living. He obtained work with farmers, 
 and attended school during the winter months. 
 
 In 1840 he went to New York City and entered a 
 dry-goods store as clerk, continuing this occupa- 
 tion until 1852, when he came to Chicago and 
 found employment in the same line of business, 
 continuing about four years. He then obtained 
 a situation as conductor on the first line of horse- 
 cars used in Chicago. His route was from Lake 
 to Twelfth Street, on State Street, and he was the 
 second conductor employed by the company. 
 
 Subsequently he engaged in the lime trade, 
 which business he followed successfully until 
 1873, and then, having acquired a competence, 
 he decided to retire from active business. Ac- 
 cordingly he removed to Jefferson Park, and 
 there built the pleasant and comfortable home 
 which he now occupies. After a few years, how- 
 ever, as might be expected from one of his ener- 
 getic nature, he felt the need of occupation , and 
 accordingly engaged in the insurance business, 
 in which he is quite actively interested. He 
 served as justice of the peace between the years 
 1877 and 1894, during which time his business 
 increased rapidly.
 
 A. W. LANDON. 
 
 475 
 
 October 28, 1854, Mr. Huestis married Altieri 
 Butler, a native of Chicago, and daughter of Na- 
 thaniel F. and Rachel (Little) Butler. Her father 
 went from New Hampshire to New York, settling 
 at Watertown, and moving from there, in 1837, 
 to Chicago, where he engaged in the hardware 
 business. Mr. and Mrs. Huestis had nine chil- 
 dren, of whom the following are living: Lilian B., 
 widow of Charles S. Brown, who resides at May- 
 fair; Celia T., wife of Fred E. Eldred, city sealer 
 of Chicago; Altieri A., Mrs. Arthur W. Dickin- 
 son, residing south of Jefferson Park; Eva M., 
 Mrs. David Gilliard, of Mayfair; and Isaac J., 
 who resides with his parents. 
 
 Mr. Huestis has been a supporter of the Re- 
 
 publican party since its organization, before 
 which time he was a Whig. Fraternally he is 
 connected with Providence Lodge, No. 711, An- 
 cient Free and Accepted Masons, at Jefferson 
 Park, and is a member of the Chicago Society of 
 the Sons of New York. For the past ten years 
 he has been a school trustee, and for some time 
 was notary public. He has gained his success 
 by his own efforts, and is truly a self-made man. 
 He still writes much of the insurance in his lo- 
 cality. He is the owner of considerable property 
 on the West Side in Chicago, and in Jefferson. 
 He is a prominent and representative citizen of 
 the town of his residence, and enjoys the respect 
 of a large circle of acquaintances. 
 
 ALBERT W. LANDON. 
 
 GILBERT W. LANDON. Everyone identi- 
 LJ fied with the broad work of humane societies, 
 / | or cognizant of the good they have done, 
 will regret that Albert W. Landon, editor and 
 publisher of The Humane Journal, has passed 
 away. He died at his home in Chicago, February 
 20, 1897. 
 
 For many terms Mr. Landon filled with abil- 
 ity the office of secretary of the Illinois Hu- 
 mane Society and the American Humane Asso- 
 ciation. When he resigned it was to broaden 
 the scope of his usefulness, through the medium 
 of The Humane Journal, and his success in this 
 direction has been great. It is to be deplored 
 that after a vigorous campaign of upwards of a 
 quarter of a century, in defense of the dependent 
 of the human race and the helpless of the dumb 
 animal creation, he overtaxed his physical 
 strength. The work which he so ably conducted 
 must be assumed by others, whose accomplish- 
 ments in the future, it is to be hoped, will not fall 
 short of his. 
 
 Born in the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio, May 
 4, 1840, Mr. Landon was in his fifty-seventh year. 
 At a youthful age he left home to . find a resi- 
 dence in Indianapolis, where he remained ten 
 years. He acquired the printer's trade, becom- 
 ing an adept in job work. His great taste for the 
 art preservative of all arts prompted him to se- 
 cure a more promising field for his efforts. This 
 he sought in the Garden City. He arrived here 
 in 1865 with means enough to establish a busi- 
 ness which for a long time prospered at Nos. 121 
 and 123 Clark Street, under the style of Landon 
 & Kroff, printers. 
 
 Ill health eventually caused Mr. Landon to in- 
 hale the invigorating ozone of Minnesota. The 
 Northern Star, a flourishing daily and weekly pub- 
 lication at Minneapolis, became his property. 
 Though not conducive to his health, the Chicago 
 spirit possessed him and the year 1869 found him 
 once more in the bustle and strife of the prosper- 
 ing young metropolis. On his return to Chicago, 
 Mr. Landon invested in real estate, which was
 
 A. W. LANDON. 
 
 rising in value under the influence of a boom, 
 and he acquired money easily. 
 
 At the time of the Great Chicago Fire he was 
 associated with the late E. M. Haines in the 
 publication of The Legal Adviser. Mr. Haines, 
 whose death occurred a few years since, left an 
 honored name, prominently identified with the 
 State's history. As an indication of the enter- 
 prise evinced by Mr. Landon it may be stated 
 that within ten days after the fire of 1871 he had 
 formed a partnership with a former Cincinnati 
 friend, and under the name of Landon, Boyd & 
 Company, had five steam presses in operation in 
 an old planing mill at the junction of Twelfth and 
 Lumber Streets. 
 
 The same enthusiasm which resulted in prompt 
 decisions in time of disaster seems to have actuated 
 Mr. Landon as a man of affairs throughout his 
 subsequent career. He was married April 22, 
 1893, to Mrs. Martha J. Manning, daughter of 
 William McDwine and Ruth A. (Dean) Mc- 
 Dwine. She survives him, and now ably edits 
 The Hii.ma.ne Journal, having taken up the work 
 previous to her husband's illness, thus carrying 
 on a part of his life work. Mr. Landon always 
 voted the Republican ticket. He was identified 
 with Englewood Lodge, No. 690, Ancient Free 
 and Accepted Masons, and was made a life mem- 
 ber April 6, 1893. 
 
 Before the initial meeting of the Illinois Hu- 
 mane Society, Albert W. Landon's heart was 
 tenderly in the work. He loved all nature and 
 delighted in its cultivation. His mind could 
 brook no abuse of the smallest plant or blossom, 
 while the protection of the dumb animal and the 
 defenseless of the human kind was his constant 
 care. 
 
 The Stock Yards of Chicago at one time pre- 
 sented an opportunity for faithful, disinterested 
 work in the humane cause. It had to be done 
 without price, without the applause of man. The 
 populace had not been wrought to the point of 
 opposing the flagrant abuses existing there; in 
 fact, it was not generally known that reforms in 
 this quarter were called for. 
 
 It seems to have been the habit of shippers 
 whose cattle arrived too late on Saturday for 
 
 market to confine their property in pens through- 
 out Sunday without water. The aim was ad- 
 ditional profit. It was believed that by exciting 
 an abnormal thirst until Monday morning and 
 then giving unlimited quantities of fluid to the 
 parched beasts, just before the opening of busi- 
 ness, the animals would be induced to consume 
 enough to greatly enhance their weight. 
 
 This inhumane system had been carried on un- 
 interruptedly for years, when Mr. Landon under- 
 took the apparently hopeless task of ending the 
 heartless practice. His crusade in the interest of 
 those who could not speak for themselves brought 
 him to the Stock Yards every Sunday, regardless 
 of inclement weather, and the neglected dumb 
 prisoners were given relief. The righting of a 
 wrong and the consciousness of a good deed done 
 were his reward, and to his niind he was well 
 compensated. 
 
 Through Mr. Landon's devotion to his friend, 
 the horse ever his pet the city parks to-day af- 
 ford spacious, attractive drinking fountains. 
 Though purely a labor of love, it was not always 
 an easy task to interest public officials in reforms 
 upon the results of which we are now accustomed 
 to look as being a matter of course. 
 
 Stories might be evolved from the experiences 
 of Mr. Landon, which cover a period of three dec- 
 ades, in his efforts to suppress chicken fighting, 
 coupled with his thrilling adventures among the 
 rough elements of society which fostered the cruel 
 sport. 
 
 Mr. Landon took with him the benediction of 
 countless friends, who have learned to esteem him 
 for his unselfish devotion to the helpless ones in- 
 cluded in his motto: "We speak for those who 
 cannot speak for themselves." Just before his 
 death, Ferdinand W. Peck said of Mr. Landon: 
 "Mr. Landon has done more for the Humane So- 
 ciety work in Illinois than all others," which 
 expression is echoed by many letters sent to him 
 before he died. 
 
 The following resolutions in connection with 
 the death of Mr. Landon were adopted by the 
 Board of Directors of the Illinois Humane So- 
 ciety at a meeting held on April 17, 1897: 
 
 WHEREAS, It has pleased Almighty God tore-
 
 A. C. T. PREGLER. 
 
 477 
 
 move from our midst Albert W. Landon, one of 
 the most useful and honored members of our So- 
 ciety, who by thirty years of faithful toil as 
 founder and publisher of The Humane Journal 
 and other good works, has rendered most valuable 
 service to this Society and to the humane cause 
 in general, therefore be it 
 
 Resolved, That while we deeply deplore his 
 death, and fully realize that we have lost one of 
 our most valuable members, yet we know that 
 the influence of his life and work will go on, and 
 that his memory will be cherished because of his 
 kindly life and deeds. 
 
 Resolved, That we extend to the bereaved fam- 
 ily of our departed brother our sincerest sympathy 
 in their affliction. 
 
 Resolved, That these resolutions be spread 
 upon the records of this Society, and that the 
 secretary be requested to send a copy to the fam- 
 ily of our deceased brother. 
 A true copy of the records. 
 
 JOHN G. SHORTALL, 
 
 President. 
 Attest: BELDEN F. CULVER, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 ANTON C T. PREGLER. 
 
 Gl NTON CLEMENT THOMAS PREGLER, 
 LJ a prominent citizen of Jefferson Township, 
 / I was born September 21, 1849, in Kuntenberg, 
 Bohemia, and is a son of Thomas and Mary 
 (Strachovsky) Pregler, both of whom were na- 
 tives of that country. Thomas Pregler was a 
 son of George Pregler, and was at one time a rev- 
 enue officer of Austria, and afterwards was en- 
 gaged in the mercantile business. He came to 
 America in 1865, his wife being already here, as 
 she and her son Louis emigrated in 1864. After 
 he had lived in America about ten years, he and 
 his son, Anton C., engaged in the grocery busi- 
 ness, which they continued for eighteen years. 
 Thomas Pregler died February 7, 1889, and his 
 wife survived him seven j-ears. They were the 
 parents of three children, namely: Rosa, who 
 married Joseph Novak, and died March 23, 1892; 
 Anton C., the subject of this sketch; and Louis, 
 who died in 1896. 
 
 Anton Pregler attended the public schools of 
 his native country, and later a business college in 
 Prague. He came to America when he was in 
 his sixteenth year, and upon settling in Chicago, 
 he attended the Foster School two years. When 
 he was about eighteen years old, he began to 
 
 learn the trade of silver gilding on picture frames 
 and mouldings, which industry he followed six 
 years. Then he entered the grocery trade with 
 his father, as above stated, at No. 440 South 
 Jefferson Street. After several years thus spent, 
 he bought property and erected a building to rent 
 for a summer resort, but he decided to occupy it 
 himself when it was completed. The building 
 is still standing, and is situated on the North 
 Branch of the Chicago River, in Jefferson 
 Township. 
 
 He owns thirteen acres of land, on which are 
 situated ar park and three picnic grounds, which 
 are made attractive by an artificial pond, stocked 
 with fish, and many cages containing a large 
 variety of animals, such as wolves, foxes, deer 
 and birds. He has provided swings and a merry- 
 go-round for the amusement of children, and 
 everything needed to accommodate the people who 
 patronize the grounds, and to make a successful 
 picnic. They are used mostly by lodges and 
 societies. 
 
 Mr. Pregler was united in marriage, September 
 28, 1880, with Miss Julia Raback, daughter of 
 Joseph and Magdalena (Steinbach) Raback, and 
 a native of the same part of Bohemia as himself.
 
 478 
 
 THOMAS WHELDON. 
 
 Joseph Raback was born in Bohemia, and his 
 wife was of German origin. They emigrated to 
 America, settling first in Milwaukee, and later in 
 Chicago, where Mr. Raback died in 1885, and 
 his wife ten years later. Mr. and Mrs. Pregler 
 were both reared in the Roman Catholic Church, 
 and still attend its worship. In politics Mr. Pregler 
 supports the principles of the Republican party. 
 
 Mr. Pregler has always been much interested 
 in relics and has made a handsome collection of 
 curiosities, among which are many mementoes of 
 the days when this region was occupied by the 
 
 American Indians. He sent fifteen hundred ar- 
 ticles of interest to the school which he formerly 
 attended in his native land, where they occupy a 
 place of honor, and are much admired and studied. 
 He is a lover of music, and was the founder of 
 the Bohemian Singing Society in Chicago. He 
 is now a member of what is termed the Lyre 
 Singing Society, and was formerly connected 
 with the T. J. Sokol Bohemian Turner Society. 
 He is a man who enjoys social life, and who 
 holds the friendship and good-will of his country- 
 men and friends. 
 
 THOMAS WHELDON. 
 
 'HOMAS WHELDON was bom May 2, 
 
 1834, in section 19 of Niles Township, and 
 was a son of James and Sarah (Bins) 
 Wheldon, both natives of England. James Whel- 
 don and his wife emigrated to America in 1832, 
 and settled in Niles Township soon after their 
 arrival, buying a quarter-section of land from the 
 Government when it was put upon the market. 
 At that time the Indians were numerous in this 
 part of the country. He cleared a tract of land 
 for a farm, and built himself a comfortable home, 
 engaging in farming until his death, August 
 25, 1868. His good wife died January 6, 1862. 
 They had three children, namely: Elizabeth, 
 Sarah and Thomas. Elizabeth became the wife 
 of Joseph Bickerdike, of Jefferson, and is now 
 deceased. Sarah is the widow of John Winter, 
 who died some years ago, and resides in Perry, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Thomas, the youngest child of his parents, was 
 reared to farm labor, and received only a very 
 limited education, as the schools near the home 
 of his boyhood were few and poor. He inherited 
 the old homestead, and was engaged in its culti- 
 vation all his life, being quite successful. He 
 
 was also proficient as a veterinary surgeon, and 
 had a large practice, treating the horses and cat- 
 tle of his neighbors. 
 
 In politics Mr. Wheldon was a Republican, but 
 he refused to accept any public office, though re- 
 peatedly urged to do so. He took a great inter- 
 est in educational matters, and although his own 
 opportunities had been few, he had improved 
 them, and was a competent member of the school 
 board. He also took an active part in church 
 work, adhering to the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and being quite liberal in its support. 
 
 April 29, 1863, Mr. Wheldon married Miss 
 Mary Ann Kay, daughter of Abel and Elizabeth 
 (Paylor) Kay, natives of Yorkshire, England, 
 and early settlers in Cook County. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wheldon had five sons, but the eldest, 
 James A., died when three years old. Those liv- 
 ing are: Charles A., who is in the employ of 
 Siegel, Cooper & Company, Chicago; Thomas J., 
 a machinist, and a resident of Edison Park; 
 George W. and Joseph Abel, who reside with 
 their mother. Mr. Wheldon died April 17, 1896, 
 and his widow still occupies the old homestead 
 in Niles.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 COL. E. D. SWAIN 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 E. D. SWAIN. 
 
 479 
 
 EDGAR DENMAN SWAIN, D. D. S. 
 
 f~ DGAR DENMAN SWAIN, D. D. S., is en- 
 KS gaged in the practice of dentistry at the 
 I corner of Randolph and State Streets, Chi- 
 cago, and is prominent in both professional and 
 military circles. He was born in Westford, Vt., 
 in August, 1836, and is a son of Dr. Marcus and 
 Charlotte (Woodbury) Swain. On the paternal 
 side he is of Scotch lineage, and on the maternal 
 side is of English descent. The father became a 
 resident of Oshkosh, Wis., in 1857, an d during 
 the war he was appointed Surgeon of the Wis- 
 consin Penitentiary at Waupun. About 1878, he 
 removed to Englewood, 111., and thence to Glen- 
 coe, where his death occurred at the age of sev- 
 enty-nine. His wife died in Waupun, Wis. In 
 their family were four sons and two daughters: 
 Edgar D. of this sketch; Dr. Oliver D., a resi- 
 dent of Chicago; Marcus W., who was killed in 
 a railroad accident in 1862; George A., who died 
 of typhoid fever in the army in the summer of 
 1863; and Alice M. and Charlotte, both living. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this sketch 
 remained under the parental roof until seventeen 
 years of age, and then left home, going to Wor- 
 cester, Mass., where he worked in a machine- 
 shop. He afterward removed to Saratoga Springs, 
 N. Y., where, in 1855, he began the study of den- 
 tistry. Two years later he became a resident of 
 Wisconsin and began practice in Oshkosh. Sub- 
 sequently he was engaged in the prosecution of 
 his profession in Aurora, 111., and inBatavia, 111. 
 Mr. Swain watched with interest the progress 
 of events which preceded the Civil War, and after 
 the South had attacked Ft. Sumter, he resolved 
 to strike a blow in defense of the Union. He 
 raised a company, and on the 22d of July, 1861, 
 
 became Captain of Company I, Forty-second Illi- 
 nois Infantry. He was afterward promoted to the 
 rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, in October, 1863, and 
 in 1865 was placed in command" of the Second 
 Brigade, Second Division, Fourth Army Corps. 
 He served until the close of the war, and took 
 part in many important engagements, including 
 the Fremont campaign in Missouri. His was the 
 first regiment to enter Columbus, Ky. , and with 
 his company he took part in the siege of Island 
 No. 10, being largely instrumental in its capture. 
 Under the command of Gen. Polk, he then went 
 to Hamburg, Tenn., and aided in the capture of 
 Corinth. The following summer he was employed 
 in guarding railroads, and in the fall was ordered 
 to report to Gen. Buell, of Nashville, remaining 
 with the command of Gen. Negley in possession of 
 that city during Bragg and Buell' s Kentucky 
 campaign. After the cessation of hostilities his 
 regiment was ordered to Texas for duty. Dr. 
 Swain was finally mustered out in Springfield, 111. , 
 on the 1 2th of January, 1866. He was wounded 
 in the left knee at New Hope Church, Ga. , and for 
 three months his injury would not permit him to 
 engage in active service, but he saw nearly all of 
 the important campaigns of the war west of the 
 Alleghany Mountains, and was in twenty-seven 
 engagements. 
 
 Dr. Swain's connection with military affairs 
 has since continued, and in army circles he is a 
 leader. In 1877, he became Major of the First 
 Regiment Illinois National Guards, and took part 
 in suppressing the railroad riots of that year. In 
 August he was made Lieutenant- Colonel, and in 
 December, 1877, was promoted to the rank of 
 Colonel, in which capacity he served for four years,
 
 480 
 
 WILLIAM HAHNE. 
 
 when he resigned. He has long been a promi- 
 nent member of the Grand Army of the Re- 
 public, served for three years as Commander of 
 George H. Thomas Post, and for two years was 
 Commander of the Department of Illinois. He 
 has also served as Senior Vice- Commander in 
 Chief of the National Encampment, and is a mem- 
 ber of the military order of the Loyal Legion of 
 the United States. 
 
 After the war, Dr. Swain began the practice of 
 dentistry in Chicago, and for a time was associated 
 with Dr. Cushing, and afterward with Dr. Noble. 
 Since 1870 he has been alone in practice, and 
 now finds little time for other pursuits. He is an 
 accomplished microscopist and has given much 
 time to the investigation of histology. He was 
 
 President of the Chicago Dental Society in 1874 
 and of the Illinois State Dental Society in 1875. 
 He was also Secretary of the latter for two terms, 
 and was Secretary of the Chicago Octontological 
 Society. At present he is Dean of the dental 
 department in the Northwestern University. The 
 degree of D. D. S. was conferred upon him by the 
 Ohio Dental College in March, 1883. 
 
 Dr. Swain was married in 1869 to Miss Clara 
 Smith, who was born in Kane County, 111. , and 
 is a daughter of Benjamin Smith, one of the pio- 
 neers of Chicago. The Doctor is a close observer 
 and careful student, thorough and industrious in 
 all undertakings, and has steadily risen in his 
 profession until he is numbered among the lead- 
 ing dentists of the city. 
 
 WILLIAM HAHNE. 
 
 P<J)ILLIAM HAHNE, a well-known citizen 
 \A/ anc ^ Dealer * n agricultural implements in 
 Y V Mattison, Cook County, was born in Han- 
 over, Germany, February 2, 1834, and is one of 
 six children, namely: Emma, Henry, Mary, 
 Frederick Diedrich, William and Louis. Their 
 parents, Diedrich and Marie (Biermann) Hah ne, 
 were also natives of Germany. The father died 
 when our subject was about seven years of age, 
 leaving quite an estate to the eldest son, Henry, 
 who was to care for and educate the other mem- 
 bers of the family. With his younger brothers 
 and sisters, therefore, he left his native land and 
 set sail for the New World, landing in Chicago 
 on the 2d of October, 1850. 
 
 W T illiam Hahne acquired his education in the 
 public schools of Germany. At the age of six- 
 teen he was apprenticed for three years to Will- 
 iam Way man, a wagon and carriage maker of 
 Chicago. After learning his trade, he worked 
 for John Borinan and Mr. Whitbeck, both of 
 
 Chicago. In 1858 he embarked in business for 
 himself in Elk Grove, Cook County, where he 
 carried on operations as a wagon and carriage- 
 maker until 1862. In that year he came to Mat- 
 tison and continued in the same business, to which 
 in a short time he added a complete line of agri- 
 cultural implements and farm machinery. About 
 the year 1882, on account of failing health, he 
 abandoned wagon and carriage making, but still 
 carries on the other lines, and is now enjoying a 
 prosperous trade, which is the sure reward of un- 
 tiring energy and straightforward business prin- 
 ciples. 
 
 Mr. Hahne was married in the summer of 1858 
 to Sophia L. Shumacher, daughter of John Shu- 
 macher, a native of Germany. She was born in 
 the same country in 1836. Their children are: 
 John Frederick Henry, who was born in Elk 
 Grove, Cook County, 111. , June n, 1859, and died 
 January 23, 1865; Dora Maria Berthe, who was 
 born in Elk Grove, Cook County, 111., Septem-
 
 NORMAN REXFORD. 
 
 481 
 
 ber 21, 1860, and is now the wife of William H. 
 Depke, a grocer of Danville, 111. ; Henrietta D. 
 Marie Emma, born in Elk Grove April 18, 1862, 
 the wife of Fred Utermark, proprietor of the Mat- 
 tison House, of Mattison, Cook County, 111.; 
 Marie Caroline, who was born in Mattison, and 
 is the wife of Henry Tueachman, a cigar manu- 
 facturer of Chicago Heights; Willemine Dorethea 
 Mathilda, who was born in Mattison, March n, 
 1866, and is the wife of Frank Kort, a baker of 
 Dalton, 111.; Diedrich William F., who was born 
 in Mattison, November 12, 1867, and is a grocer 
 of Danville, 111. ; Henry Carl George, who was 
 born January 18, 1870, and died October 12, 
 1880; H. Gus Louis, who was born January 23, 
 1873, and died December 18, 1874; Caroline 
 Marie Sophia, born in Mattison, February 3, 
 1874; Anna Sophia Dorthe, born October 23, 
 1876; and Amanda Marie W. C., born in Matti- 
 son, January 12, 1883. The last three are at 
 home. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hahne are members of the Ger- 
 man Lutheran Church, and have educated their 
 children in that faith, and have also given them a 
 thorough English education. Mr. Hahne has 
 ever been a liberal contributor to the support of 
 the church. His education was acquired in the 
 schools of the Fatherland when quite young, but 
 
 although he never attended the public schools 
 after coming to America, by observation and close 
 application, he has acquired a good knowledge of 
 English. He is an ardent supporter of our pub- 
 lic-school system, and his influence has been 
 thrown into every educational movement. To 
 him more than to any other citizen of Mattison is 
 the public indebted for ten months school in each 
 year, not only in the public, but also in the paro- 
 chial schools. As Director or Township Treas- 
 urer, he has served almost continuously since his 
 arrival in Rich Township. 
 
 On the 22d of October, 1856, Mr. Hahne re- 
 ceived his naturalization papers, and in the fol- 
 lowing November he cast his first vote. He has 
 always been a stanch Republican, holding firmly 
 to the principles upon which the organization of 
 this party was based. He has held the office of 
 Justice of the Peace for the long period of twenty- 
 five years, that of Notary Public for twelve years, 
 and President of the Village Board of Trustees 
 for four years. To the performance of his duties 
 he has brought an intelligent mind and the right 
 idea of the practicability of a movement. He 
 is true to every trust, and his public and private 
 life are alike above reproach. Happy in a promis- 
 ing family, he has become the possessor of a rep- 
 utation for unsullied integrity of character. 
 
 NORMAN REXFORD. 
 
 REXFORD, deceased, the first 
 | / permanent settler of Blue Island, and for 
 I Is many years one of its most prominent citi- 
 zens, will be long remembered among the pioneers 
 of northern Illinois for his hospitality and kindly 
 manner. Mr. Rexford was born in Charlotte, 
 Vt., June 4, 1802, and died at Blue Island, March 
 28,1883. He was a son of Benajah and Zeruia 
 (Squire) Rexford, who had six children: Ste- 
 
 phen, Norman, Isabel (Mrs. Fayette Dickson), 
 HeberS., Elsie Ann (Mrs. Cooley) and Ruth, 
 who died in childhood. Benajah Rexford was 
 born in Wallingford, Conn., June 23, 1780, and 
 died at W T estfield, N. Y., March 25, 1862. His 
 second wife, Roxana Ayer, of Stanstead, Conn., 
 bore him six children: Wilder A., Betsy L. 
 (Mrs. Daniel Morse), Olive H. (Mrs. Isaac 
 Relf), Louisa A. (Mrs. Thaddeus Ayer), So-
 
 482 
 
 NORMAN REXFORD. 
 
 phronia H. (Mrs. L,. Harmon) and Thomas 
 Ayer. 
 
 Benajah Rexford represented the fifth genera- 
 tion of his family in America, being descended 
 from Arthur Rexford, an English ship-master, 
 who was married at New Haven, Conn., Septem- 
 ber 3, 1702, to Elizabeth Stevens. Their eldest 
 son was also named Arthur, and his first wife, 
 Jemima, bore him eight children, one of whom, 
 named Benjamin, served in the Continental army. 
 He married Esther Hall, and they had eleven 
 children, the eldest, Benjamin, being also a Rev- 
 olutionary soldier. The latter married Catherine 
 Rice, and Benajah was the eldest of their six 
 children. 
 
 Norman Rexford removed while a young man 
 to Ripley, Chautauqua County, N. Y., where he 
 was married, January 10, 1828, to Julia Wattles, 
 daughter of Chandler and Diana (Murray) Wat- 
 tles. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Rexford re- 
 moved to Pittsburgh, Pa., and thence, in 1835, he 
 drove by team to Chicago, arriving on the 5th 
 day of June. He first located at Bachelor's 
 Grove, Cook County, where his brother Stephen 
 had preceded him in 1833. A few months later, 
 Norman Rexford located at Long Wood, near the 
 north end of ' ' the island, ' ' where he kept tavern 
 in a log cabin of four rooms. In November, 1836, 
 he removed to the present village of Blue Island. 
 A small log cabin had been erected the previous 
 year by a man named Courtney. This was a rude 
 structure, only 12x15 feet, without floor, and was 
 the only building within the present limits of the 
 village. Mr. Rexford proceeded to build a hewed 
 frame building for a hotel. This was sided with 
 boards drawn by team from Pine Creek, Ind., 
 over one hundred miles distant, the lumber cost- 
 ing $40 per thousand. The building stood on the 
 east side of Western Avenue, at the top of the bluff, 
 on or near the site of the present post-office. As 
 the country was rapidly filling up with emigrants, 
 this hotel was well patronized. It was after- 
 wards enlarged, and continued to be a landmark 
 until 1858, when it was destroyed by fire. It was 
 known as the Blue Island House. Many a social 
 gathering was held therein, and many of the pio- 
 neers of Chicago and other points twenty or thirty 
 
 miles distant often drove thither to trip "the light 
 fantastic" upon its floor. The fun was frequently 
 continued until morning, many of the guests re- 
 maining to breakfast before departing for their 
 homes. In the spring of the year the prairie 
 roads were often almost impassable. It was cus- 
 tomary with Mr. Rexford to hang beacon lights 
 in the upper windows of the house on dark nights, 
 as a guide to all belated travelers who might be 
 struggling through the mire or the severe storms 
 of winter. 
 
 In 1838, a postoffice was established at Blue 
 Island, and Mr. Rexford served as Postmaster for 
 a number of years, during which time his son 
 Fayette carried the mail on horseback from Chi- 
 cago to Buncombe, 111., a distance of ninety miles, 
 making weekly trips. Letter postage was twen- 
 ty-five cents, and nearly every house along the 
 sparsely-settled route was a postoffice. In 1852, 
 Mr. Rexford sold out the hotel and removed to a 
 farm adjoining the village, where the balance of 
 his days were spent. Most of the farm is now in- 
 cluded in the village, and it has appreciated in 
 value to an extent little dreamed of by him at the 
 time of his purchase. Mrs. Julia Rexford still 
 resides at Blue Island, at the venerable age of 
 eighty-four years. The following is a record of 
 their children: Fayette D. is proprietor of the 
 Centralia House at Centralia, 111. ; Laura A. , who 
 became the wife of A. B. Kyle, ofEnglewood, is 
 now deceased; Clarissa C. is now Mrs. H. H. 
 Massey, of Blue Island; Norman B. is a well- 
 known citizen of that place; Mary D. died in 
 childhood; Julia married James B. Massey, and is 
 now deceased; Susan Mary is deceased; Elizabeth 
 P. died in childhood; and Heber Squire became a 
 prominent citizen of Blue Island, where his death 
 occurred in 1882. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rexford were active members of 
 the Universalist Church, and were interested in 
 many benevolent and charitable works. Seldom 
 was a man turned away from their door for want of 
 food or money, although their generosity was 
 sometimes imposed upon. Mr. Rexford never 
 engaged in litigation, or wished to see others do 
 so. It is said that at one time, after trying in 
 vain to adjust a quarrel between two of his neigh-
 
 WILLIAM HAMILTON. 
 
 bors, he paid the amount in dispute out of his own 
 pocket, rather than see them engage in a lawsuit. 
 In early life he was an active Democrat, but af- 
 terwards became a Republican. A stanch adher- 
 
 483 
 
 ent of every progressive movement, it may be 
 truly said that Blue Island owes much of its pres- 
 ent prosperity to the example of public spirit, 
 forethought and enterprise set by Mr. Rexford. 
 
 WILLIAM HAMILTON. 
 
 f*J <SiILLIAM HAMILTON, who resides in Bre- 
 \ A I men Township, where he is living retired, 
 V Y ^'"joying a res t which he has truly earned 
 and richly deserves, was born in Ballymolin, 
 County Down, Ireland, in April, 1808, and is a 
 son of John and Mary Ann Hamilton, both of 
 whom sj:,ent their entire lives on the Emerald 
 Isle, reaching a very advanced age, the father 
 living to be one hundred and four years old, and 
 his wife to be eighty-six. The year 1822 witnessed 
 the arrival of William Hamilton in this country. 
 He lived for nine years in New York City, where 
 he learned the plasterer's trade, and also engaged 
 in making date roofs. In 1838 he came West 
 and took up his residence in Bremen Township, 
 Cook Count\ , then an undeveloped and unsettled 
 region. Tht. Indians occupied lands adjoining, 
 and for several years he had only two white neigh- 
 bors for miles around. The family lived in a log 
 cabin, and wtnt through all the experiences of 
 frontier life. In 1850 Mr. Hamilton built the 
 present family homestead, in which he has since 
 lived. He has been a successful farmer and man 
 of business, and increased his landed possessions 
 from eighty to three hundred and twenty acres. 
 As an investment, he early bought city lots in 
 Blue Island, which he subsequently sold at a fine 
 profit, and later made very successful investments 
 in Hyde Park property, which is now owned by his 
 children. In 1879 he retired from active life, and 
 at that time apportioned his property among his 
 children. He is now spending his declining years 
 on the old homestead with his son John, and, al- 
 
 though he has reached the advanced age of eigh- 
 ty-six, he still enjoys excellent health. He is 
 one of the honored pioneers of the county, and by 
 all who know him is held in high regard. Since 
 fourteen years of age he has been a member of 
 the Presbyterian Church, and his life has been in 
 harmony with his profession. 
 
 In 1837 William Hamilton was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Mary Ann Kelley, of New York 
 City. Her death occurred in December, 1887, at 
 the age of seventy-five years. They were the 
 parents of five children, four of whom are yet liv- 
 ing: William, a resident of Hyde Park; Mary 
 Jane, wife of W. A. Briggs, of Hyde Park; 
 Margaret, wife of John P. Roberson, of Hyde 
 Park; and John, who owns the old homestead in 
 Bremen Township. The fourth child, James G. , 
 lost a limb in front of Richmond, Va., in October, 
 1864, while serving in Company G, Thirty-ninth 
 Illinois Regiment. He died May 7, 1885, aged 
 forty -one years. 
 
 Jofcn Hamilton was born on the home farm, 
 July 27, 1842. During his boyhood he attended 
 the public schools and Hillsdale (Mich.) College. 
 In 1864, having completed his education, he 
 returned home, and since that time has de- 
 voted his energies to his extensive farming inter- 
 ests. Since 1879 he has had charge of two hun- 
 dred and forty acres of good land, comprising one 
 of the most valuable farms in this section of Illi- 
 nois, and for the past sixteen years he has made 
 a specialty of the dairy business. He keeps on 
 hand about fifty cows, and has met with excellent
 
 484 
 
 JOHN McELDOWNEY. 
 
 success in that enterprise. He also raises some 
 fine horses, and is recognized as one of the lead- 
 ing farmers and stock-dealers of this locality. 
 
 On the i6th of November, 1882, Mr. Hamilton 
 was united in marriage with Miss Alma G. Lucas, 
 daughter of George and Baibara (Drummond) 
 Lucas, whose family numbers five children, the 
 others being Margaret, wife of W. Hulet, of Bre- 
 men Township; Robert and Arthur, well-known 
 farmers; and Clara L-> wife f Dexter Minard, 
 who is represented elsewhere in this work. The 
 father, George Lucas, was a native of the Buck- 
 eye State, but during his boyhood left his Ohio 
 home, and has since resided in Illinois. By oc- 
 
 cupation, he is a farmer. His wife is a native of 
 Buffalo, N. Y. , and a daughter of James and 
 Margaret (McMartin) Drummond. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton have been born three 
 children, Margaret Florence, Emily Clara and 
 John Emerson, and all are still under the parental 
 roof. In his political views, Mr. Hamilton is a 
 stalwart advocate of Republican principles, and 
 has served as School Trustee of Bremen Town- 
 ship, but has never sought political preferment, 
 desiring rather to give his entire time and atten- 
 tion to his business interests, in which he has 
 met with good success. 
 
 JOHN McELDOWNEY. 
 
 (TOHN McELDOWNEY, one of the honored 
 I pioneers of Cook County, has for almost 
 (*) sixty years resided on the site of Chicago 
 Heights, although it was long years after his ar- 
 rival that the town sprang into existence. The 
 history of Cook County as a frontier settlement is 
 well known to him, and the experiences of the 
 pioneer form a part of his record. He was born 
 in Ireland, on the nth of October, 1811. His 
 father, John McEldowney, and his grandfather, 
 who also bore the name of John, likewise were 
 natives of the Emerald Isle. The mother, who in 
 her maidenhood was Martha Caldwell, was born 
 in Ireland, and was a daughter of James and Jane 
 (Moorhead) Caldwell. Mr. McEldowney, the 
 father, was a farmer, and followed that occupation 
 throughout his entire life. In 1832, he crossed 
 the Atlantic to Canada, and in 1836 came to Cook 
 County, 111., where he spent his remaining days, 
 his death occurring on the 2oth of January, 1875. 
 With the Presbyterian Church he held member- 
 ship. His wife was called to her final rest March 
 5, 1861. They were married in 1810, and became 
 
 the parents of nine children, namely: John of this 
 sketch; Jane, who was born January 21, 1814, 
 became the wife of Robert Wallace, and died 
 in 1874; James, who was born May 4, 1816, has 
 followed farming throughout his life, and now re- 
 sides in Chicago Heights; Ann, who married John 
 Hughes, and died May 4, 1888; Thomas, born De- 
 cember i, 1821, retired, living in Chicago Heights; 
 Rosana, born May 28, 1822, and who died May 17, 
 1845, being the first one interred in Bloom Ceme- 
 tery; Catherine J., born June 15, 1824, thewifeof 
 Stewart B. Eakem; Martha, who was born Jan- 
 uary 21, 1827, became the wife of John W. Mor- 
 rison, a minister of Bloom for twenty-five years, 
 and died on the 2d of May, 1894; and Elizabeth, 
 born July 10, 1829, deceased, wife of j'ohn Miller. 
 The eldest member of the family, in whom the 
 readers of this volume are especially interested, 
 well deserves representation in the history of his 
 adopted county. He acquired his education in 
 the public schools, and remained on the Emerald 
 Isle until 1832, when, with his father, he boarded 
 a sailing-vessel and became a resident of Canada.
 
 
 JOHN McELDOWNEY.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 EVERITTE ST. JOHN. 
 
 485 
 
 There he began working on a farm, receiving $7 
 per month for his services. He was thus era- 
 ployed until 1835, when he resolved to seek his 
 home in Illinois, and in the spring of that year 
 started for Chicago. He made the first part of 
 the journey on foot as far as Burlington, Vt., and 
 by way of the Canal and Lakes to Detroit, from 
 whence he came on foot to his destination, a dis- 
 tance of three hundred miles. 
 
 For two months Mr. McEldowney worked in 
 the New York Hotel stable. He has cut hay 
 where the court house of Chicago now stands, and 
 has witnessed almost the entire growth and devel- 
 opment of Cook County. On the i st of July, 1835, 
 he took up his residence at Thorn Grove, now 
 Chicago Heights, and made a claim of four hun- 
 dred acres of land on sections 28 and 29, Bloom 
 Township, for which he paid the usual Govern- 
 ment price of $1.25 per acre. His first home was 
 a log cabin, built on the site of the present town, 
 and there he lived in true pioneer style. His 
 farming was done with crude machinery, and he 
 worked early and late in order to make a start. 
 His enterprise, perseverance and industry were at 
 length crowned with success, and at one time he 
 was the owner of a very valuable farm of five 
 hundred and twenty acres. He acquired a hand- 
 some competence, which now enables him to rest 
 from business cares. 
 
 On the 1 5th of July, 1836, Mr. EcEldowney 
 
 married Miss Ann Wallace, daughter of William 
 and Elizabeth Wallace, and a native of Ireland, 
 born June 4, 1814. They have eight children. 
 Dorothy, who was born March 28, 1838, became 
 the wife of James Hunter, and died June 28, 
 1870; Mary A., born May 17, 1840, isthewifeof 
 Samuel McDowall, an attorney at law, engaged in 
 practice in Salt Lake City; William J., born June 
 30, 1843, is President of the Chicago Heights 
 Bank; Martha E., born May 19, 1846, died Feb- 
 ruary 27, 1867; James H. was born May 20, 1848; 
 Margaret J., born May 13, 1850, died on the 6th 
 of July following; Rebecca, born October 8, 185^ 
 is the wife of William J. Campbell, an attorney 
 at law; and Andrew W., born February 6, 1854, 
 completes the family. 
 
 Since the organization of the party, Mr. Mc- 
 Eldowney has been a stanch Republican in poli- 
 tics, and has been honored with several local offi- 
 ces. He has served as Supervisor, and for the 
 long period of twenty years was Justice of the 
 Peace, proving a capable and efficient officer. In 
 1886, he was called upon to mourn the loss of his 
 wife, who died on the 7th of September, and was 
 laid to rest in Bloom Cemetery. She was a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church, to which 
 Mr. McEldowney also belongs. His life has been 
 well and worthily passed, and throughout the 
 community in which he has so long made his 
 home he has the high regard of all. 
 
 EVERITTE ST. JOHN. 
 
 |~~ VERITTE ST. JOHN, General Manager of 
 ft) the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- 
 I road, was born at Sharon, Litchfield County, 
 Conn., February 4, 1844. Both parents were 
 natives of that State and of English lineage. 
 When four years old, his father died, and his 
 mother, though left with a large family of chil- 
 
 dren, managed to provide for their physical com- 
 fort and gave each a public-school education. 
 Ambitious to begin a career of usefulness, at an 
 early .age the subject of this biography began to 
 earn his livelihood by becoming a clerk for his 
 elder brother, who filled the combined offices of 
 Postmaster, station agent, Town Clerk and gen-
 
 486 
 
 EVERITTE ST. JOHN. 
 
 eral store-keeper of the village. Here, and in his 
 mother's home, were imbibed in a large degree 
 those principles of industry, economy and perse- 
 verance which have characterized the man, and 
 which are essential to the successful management 
 of an extensive railway system, or other large en- 
 terprises. 
 
 Through the medium of the local gossip, which 
 had its natural center at the village postoffice, he 
 heard much of the success of other young men 
 who had left the Nutmeg State to seek their 
 fortunes in the great West, and becoming inocu- 
 lated with the western fever, at the age of seven- 
 teen years he resigned his position as his broth- 
 er's assistant and went to Quincy, 111. Here he 
 became a clerk in the general ticket office of the 
 Quincy & Toledo Railroad, at a salary of $30 per 
 month. When that road was consolidated with 
 the Great Western Railroad, of Illinois, he was 
 transferred to a similar position at Springfield, 
 with a slight increase of salary. One year later, 
 having received an offer of a better position from 
 the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, he came to 
 Chicago, and on the 4th of July, 1863, began his 
 career with that corporation. His steady appli- 
 cation and untiring energy soon attracted the at- 
 tention of his superiors, and secured promotion 
 to a more responsible and lucrative position. Suc- 
 cessively he became Chief Ticket Clerk and Gen- 
 eral Ticket Agent, occupying the latter position for 
 fourteen years. At the expiration of that period, 
 he was appointed General Ticket and Passenger 
 Agent of the road, and six months later became 
 Assistant General Manager, while still holding 
 the former position. In July, 1887, he was made 
 General Manager of the lines east of the Missouri 
 River, and the duties of that office were supple- 
 mented by those of Assistant General Manager 
 of the lines west of the Missouri River. On the 
 ist of April, 1889, he assumed the position of 
 General Manager of the entire system, bringing to 
 the discharge of his duties the ripened experience 
 of a quarter-century of active railroad labors. 
 
 With the growth and development of the . great 
 West, the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail- 
 road system has grown, and in many localities 
 has preceded the development of its tributary terri- 
 
 tory. Mr.St.John has constantly striven to improve 
 and perfect every department, and to that end 
 has devoted much of the time given by others to 
 recreation, having often given, for many years, 
 twelve to fifteen hours per day to his work. His 
 industry has been something phenomenal, and it 
 is a source of wonder to his acquaintances that 
 he has not given way in physical vigor under the 
 assaults made by his own ambition and industry. 
 He is remarkably free from all ostentation and 
 those assumptions of exclusiveness often affected 
 by men in high and responsible positions, and is 
 among the most approachable and genial of men. 
 Having conquered by labor his own elevation, he 
 can sympathize with all who labor, and his latch- 
 string is always out to the humblest employe who 
 has a grievance, or a request to make. 
 
 As Chairman of the General Managers' Asso- 
 ciation, Mr. St. John bore no small part of the re- 
 sponsibility in overcoming the great sympathetic 
 strike of 1894, i R which the American Railway 
 Union, composed largely of switchmen, and others 
 identified and unidentified with railroad opera- 
 tions, sought to compel the railroads of the 
 country to abandon the use of Pullman cars, be- 
 cause of an alleged grievance of members of the 
 union against the Pullman Palace Car Company. 
 The principle thus sought to be set up being 
 wholly un-American, and not acknowledged by 
 thinking people, the railroads set about carrying 
 on their own business according to existing con- 
 tracts with the Pullman Palace Car Company, 
 and for the accommodation of the traveling pub- 
 lic. The false principle was set up, and an at- 
 tempt made to force the railroads and the public 
 to accept it, that the strikers had a right to pre- 
 vent, even by force, anyone from operating the- 
 roads by fulfilling the duties and service they had 
 left. The General Managers met every emer- 
 gency, and by co-operation soon secured men to 
 operate trains; and the National Government 
 protecting its mails and inter-state commerce, de- 
 lays were averted, and as speedily as possible the 
 resumption of traffic, both passenger and freight, 
 thereby secured. All this was not accomplished 
 until much valuable property, chiefly the cars of 
 the railroads and their freight, belonging to ship-
 
 C. H. McCORMICK, JR. 
 
 487 
 
 pers all over the country, had been destroyed by 
 fires set by strikers and their sympathizers. By 
 their firm position and prompt action in securing 
 the most ready and valuable protection, the Gen- 
 eral Managers won, and received the admiration 
 and thanks of law-abiding people everywhere, 
 and also made mofe certain and intelligible the 
 principle that every American citizen has the 
 right to undertake any honorable employment 
 he wishes, and that no class can rightfully cut off 
 the privileges of the rest of the world to secure its 
 own selfish ends. 
 
 As Chairman of the Railway Finance Commit- 
 tee of the World's Columbian Exposition, he en- 
 abled that association to add nearly $1,000,000 to 
 its treasury. He has been for years connected 
 with many important railway associations, as fol- 
 
 lows: Chairman of Executive Committee of the 
 Trans-Missouri Freight Association; Chairman 
 of Western Railroad Weighing Association and 
 Inspection Bureau; Chairman of the Chicago 
 Car Service Association, and a member of the 
 Executive Committee of the Western Freight As- 
 sociation. 
 
 Mr. St. John was happily married in 1869 to Miss 
 Emilina B. Lamson, of Andover, Mass. They 
 occupy a pleasant home on Rush Street, Chicago, 
 where is stored his library of over one thousand 
 choice volumes. He is a communicant of the 
 Episcopal Church; a member of the Union League 
 Club, and of Waubansee Lodge No. 160, A. F. & 
 A. M. ; Past Eminent Commander of Montjoe 
 Commandery, No. 53, K. T., and ex-President 
 of the Sons of Connecticut. 
 
 CYRUS HALL McCORMICK, JR. 
 
 EYRUS HALL McCORMICK, Jr., is the 
 eldest child of the great inventor of the 
 reaper, Cyrus H. McCormick. His mother 
 is Nettie Fowler McCormick. He was born on 
 the i6th of May, 1859, in Washington. D. C., 
 where his parents lived for several months while 
 his father was securing patents on his reaper. At 
 an early age, young McCormick entered the pub- 
 lic schools of Chicago, and at the age of eighteen 
 was graduated from the High School at the head 
 of his class. He at once entered Princeton Col- 
 lege and became a member of the Class of '79. 
 In the autumn following, he entered the business 
 of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, 
 and served in several departments in order that 
 he might obtain a knowledge of its various 
 branches. On the death of his father in 1884, he 
 was elected to succeed him as President of the 
 company, and has continued in that position up 
 to the present time. 
 
 On the 5th of March, 1 889, Mr. McCormick was 
 married at Monterey, Cal., to Miss Harriet Brad- 
 ley Hammond, a niece of Mrs. E. S. Stickney, of 
 Chicago. They have three children, two sons 
 and a daughter. 
 
 For several years Mr. McCormick has been a 
 director of the Merchants' Loan & Trust Company, 
 of Chicago. Since June, 1889, he has been a 
 member of the Board of Trustees of Princeton Uni- 
 versity. He is also Secretary of the Board of 
 Trustees of McCormick Theological Seminary' of 
 the Presbyterian Church, and was for several 
 years the first Vice-President of the Young Men's 
 Christian Association of Chicago. In the summer 
 of 1889, he spent some time in Paris in the inter- 
 est of the company's exhibits at the International 
 Exposition, and was soon after decorated by the 
 President of France ' 'Officer of the Merite Agri- 
 cole.'" In speaking of this honor, the Courier 
 d' Illinois said: "This is one of but a few instances
 
 4 88 
 
 ALBERT WINGATE. 
 
 where that decoration has been bestowed upon a 
 citizen of the United States, it being rarely con- 
 ferred upon a foreigner." 
 
 Cyrus H. McCormick, who has inherited many 
 of his father's qualities of head and heart, is a 
 gentleman whose education and business training 
 
 have fitted him to fill the responsible position to 
 which he has been called. Under his manage- 
 ment, the great manufacturing industry has de- 
 veloped successfully, and its output of harvesting 
 machines is the largest in the world. 
 
 ALBERT WINGATE. 
 
 G\ LBERT WINGATE, one of the highly re- 
 LJ spected and prominent citizens of Worth 
 / I Township, was born in Hallowell, Me., June 
 15, 1817, and is a son of Paine and Mary (Page) 
 Wingate, The family is descended from John 
 Wingate, who was a planter at Hilton's Point, 
 now Dover, N. H., in 1657. He was a native of 
 England, and the founder of the family in Amer- 
 ica. One of his ancestors was the Sheriff who 
 committed the famous John Bunyan, author of 
 "Pilgrim's Progress," tojail. The name Wingate, 
 according to a popular legend, originated with a 
 powerful warrior, who during the siege of an an- 
 cient castle tore its gate from its fastenings and 
 bore it away on his shoulders, thereby allowing 
 his comrades to obtain an entrance. Members of 
 the Wingate family were numerous in many parts 
 of England and Scotland as early as the twelfth 
 century, although the name was spelled in several 
 different ways. They occupied many leading 
 positions, becoming prominent in various walks 
 of life. Descendants of the family were living in 
 Bedfordshire, England, in the early part of the 
 nineteenth century. Descendants of John Win- 
 gate still own his original homestead near Dover, 
 N. H. He became one of the principal house- 
 holders of that place, was a leading and influen- 
 tial citizen, and took an active part in the service 
 during King Philip's War. His second wife, 
 Sarali Wingate, was a daughter of Anthony Tay- 
 lor, a native of England. 
 
 One of their sons, Joshua Wingate, was born 
 in Hampton, N. H., and became Colonel of a 
 regiment of New Hampshire militia. He took a 
 prominent part in the siege of Louisburg in 1745. 
 He wedded Mary Lunt, and his death occurred 
 in 1769, at the advanced age of ninety years. His 
 wife passed away three years later, also at the 
 age of ninety. Their son Paine, the eldest in the 
 family of eleven children, became a Congregational 
 minister, and for sixty years was pastor of the 
 Second Congregational Church in Amesbury, 
 Mass. He wedded Mary Balch, and his death oc- 
 curred in 1786, aged eighty-three years. His 
 wife also reached that age, passing away in 1789. 
 Joseph, the youngest son of Rev. Paine Wingate, 
 was born in Amesbury, Mass., and about 1800 
 removed to Hallowell, Me. , where he died in 1826, 
 at the age of seventy-five. His wife, Judith, was 
 a daughter of Elder James Carr. By their mar- 
 riage they became the parents of ten children, of 
 whom the father of the subject of this sketch was 
 the fifth in order of birth. He cleared and de- 
 veloped a farm near Hallowell, where he spent his 
 entire life, being called to the home beyond Jan- 
 uary 12, 1849, in his sixty-third year. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this record 
 spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Hallo- 
 well, and in 1842 emigrated to Cook County, 
 driving across the country with a team. The 
 journey was accomplished in six weeks, and he 
 settled on a farm on section 28, Worth Township,
 
 C. H. FELTON. 
 
 489 
 
 but subsequently removed to section 27, where he 
 now resides. For thirty-four years he lived on 
 the first farm, and placed it under a high state of 
 cultivation, making many excellent improvements 
 upon it. He arrived in Cook County four years 
 before the first school districts were organized, 
 and for several years he held the three offices of 
 Township Treasurer, Township Trustee and 
 School Director. He was one of the leading 
 spirits in the development of the educational in- 
 terests of this locality, and has ever taken a prom- 
 inent part in promoting those enterprises calcu- 
 lated to advance the general welfare. 
 
 Mr. Wingate was married, June 29, 1842, to 
 Rhoda, daughter of Lowell and Lois Mitchell. 
 She was a native of Chesterville, Me. , and died 
 May 30, 1864, at the age of forty-five years and 
 two months. Mr. and Mrs. Wingate had a fam- 
 ily of five children: Levi Page, who died at the 
 age of four years; Elizabeth, who died at the age 
 of eighteen; Mary Caroline, wife of J. M. Green, 
 
 of Blue Island; Levi Albert, who is engaged with 
 the Piano Manufacturing Company of West Pull- 
 man; and Mrs. Martha Alice Trumble, of Worth 
 Township. 
 
 Mr. Wingate cast his first Presidential vote for 
 William Henry Harrison, and is a member of the 
 Chicago Tippecanoe Club. On the organization 
 of the Republican party hejoined its ranks and has 
 since been one of its stalwart supporters. He has 
 also served as Assessor and Highway Commis- 
 sioner of Worth Township, in connection with the 
 other offices before mentioned. He has never 
 failed to keep an obligation or agreement, and al- 
 though constantly in debt for thirty-three years, 
 he was never dunned, sued nor refused a loan, a 
 fact which indicates the confidence and trust re^ 
 posed in his personal integrity. He possesses a 
 remarkable memory, is considered an authority 
 on matters of local history, and his evidence is of- 
 ten required in court, especially on questions per- 
 taining to early surveys and titles to real estate. 
 
 CHARLES HENRY FELTON. 
 
 QHARLES HENRY FELTON, one of the 
 
 1 1 well-known business men of Chicago, now 
 \J Secretary and Manager of the White Swan 
 Laundry Company (incorporated), was born in 
 Troy, N. Y., February 18, 1840. His ancestors 
 were of English origin, and the founders of the fam- 
 ily in America, who came here in 1636, settled and 
 resided in Salem, Mass. His great-grandfather, 
 Capt. Benjamin Felton, took a prominent part in 
 the Revolutionary War. He was a brave and 
 valiant officer, as well as a highly educated man, 
 and at the close of the war he was appointed Pro- 
 fessor in a college, which position he held until 
 disqualified by old age. He was a leader in Ma- 
 sonic circles, and was an influential citizen, who 
 was honored with several public positions of trust. 
 
 He lived to be eighty years of age, and was the 
 father of ten children. 
 
 The grandfather of our subject, Skelton Felton, 
 of Brookfield, Mass. , was a lieutenant in the regu- 
 lar army, receiving his commission from President 
 Madison. He served in the War of 1812; and af- 
 ter its close received a pension for gallant services 
 rendered. He was also a Professor in a college of 
 Massachusetts for a time. Later he removed to 
 Troy, N. Y., and died at the age of sixty -five 
 years. His children were Ainory, Benjamin, 
 Henry, Lucinda, Sarah and Amanda. Only one 
 is now living, who resides in New York. The 
 mother of this family bore the maiden name of 
 Hough ton. Her death occurred in the Empire 
 State at the ripe age of seventy years.
 
 490 
 
 C. H. FELTON. 
 
 Amory Felton, father of Charles Henry j was a 
 native of Brookfield, Mass., born in 1813. From 
 his father he received an excellent education, and 
 at the age of nineteen years was Principal of Dud- 
 ley Academy, Brookfield, Mass. Later, he re- 
 moved to Troy, N. Y., and established the whole- 
 sale grocery house of Felton & Mathews. He af- 
 terward went into the iron business, purchasing 
 the Empire Stove Works. He was very success- 
 ful in this enterprise, and left to his family a for- 
 tune. In 1863, at the age of fifty-one years, he 
 was called to his final rest. He married Nancy 
 Boynton, a native of the Bay State, and a descen- 
 dant of Hughes De Boynton, a Norman baron, 
 who went with William the Conqueror into Eng- 
 land. The manor and lands granted to DeBoynton 
 by William the Conqueror in 1067, in the old 
 Kingdom of Wessex, are still in possession of the 
 family. Her mother reached the very advanced age 
 of one hundred and one. The children of this mar- 
 riage are William, Charles, Herbert and Emma 
 Louise. William resides in Troy, N. Y. Herbert 
 is Division Superintendent of the Philadelphia & 
 Reading Railroad, and a graduate of the Polytech- 
 nic Institute of Troy, N. Y. ; and Emma Louise is 
 the wife of F. K. Lyon, of Dunkirk, N.Y. Mrs. Fel- 
 ton is still living, at the age of seventy-eight. She 
 is a remarkable old lady, in perfect health, and in 
 perfect possession of her faculties; her eyesight, 
 and hearing are good, and no silver threads are 
 yet seen in her hair. Tall and straight, her step 
 is firm and elastic, and she seems not to have 
 passed the prime of life. She is also a well-in- 
 formed lady, extensive reading having made her 
 well informed on the questions of the day. 
 
 Mr. Felton whose name heads this record ^yas 
 educated in the common schools of Troy, N. Y., 
 and in Bennington Seminary, of Bennington, Vt., 
 from which he was graduated at the age of nine- 
 teen. During his school days, he manifested a 
 restless spirit, longing to be a locomotive engineer, 
 and would often run away from school, get aboard 
 a locomotive, and try to run it. On completing 
 his education, he remained at home for a while, 
 and then went to Marion, Ala. , where he remained 
 for one year. Later we find him in Selma, 
 Ala., where he obtained employment in a jewelry 
 
 store. About a year later, as the War of the 
 Rebellion was approaching, and his sympathies 
 were with the North, his residence in the South be- 
 came, in consequence, very unpleasant. He there- 
 fore decided to come to Chicago, and on his ar- 
 rival here, he entered the employ of A. H. Miller 
 & Co., the leading jewelry firm of the city at that 
 time. With them he remained until February, 
 1862, when he enlisted in Battery L of the Second 
 Illinois Light Artillery, then located at Camp 
 Douglas. . " 
 
 The company was soon ordered to the front, 
 and went to St. Louis, where it received its equip- 
 ment, and from there was ordered to Pittsburg 
 Landing, to reinforce Gen. Grant, but arrived too 
 late to take part in the great battle which occurred 
 at that place. They were actively engaged in the 
 campaign which soon followed under Gens. Grant 
 and Halleck, when they advanced on Corinth, and 
 in the battles of the Grant campaign, including 
 the battles around Memphis and at Jackson, 
 Tenn., Bolivar and Holly Springs, Miss. After 
 re-organizing at Memphis for the siege of Vicks- 
 burg, Mr. Felton' s company was sent to Lake 
 Providence, La. , and from this point they started 
 on their march through the interior to Grand 
 Gulf, where they crossed the Mississippi River be- 
 low Vicksburg. Then followed the battles of 
 Raymond, Champion Hills, Big Black River, and 
 the siege of Vicksburg, in which Mr. Felton took 
 part. During the campaign, he received several 
 promotions for gallant services, until he reached 
 the rank of Senior First Lieutenant, and Adjutant 
 of Artillery of the District of Vicksburg, which 
 comprised Vicksburg, Natchez and Milliken's 
 Bend; then followed his promotion as First Assist- 
 ant Provost-Marshal of the city of Vicksburg. 
 About this time, Mr. Felton was recommended by 
 Gen. Logan, of Illinois, and Gen. M. D. Legget, 
 of Ohio, for the position of Adjutant of Artillery on 
 Gen. Grant's staff, the place being then vacant; 
 but as the war was now drawing to a close, he de- 
 cided to resign, but did not do so till all the rebel 
 armies had surrendered, when he returned to 
 Chicago. 
 
 On the 25th of September, 1865, in Albany, N. 
 Y. , Mr. Felton married Miss Lizzie R. Borthwick,
 
 C. P. HUEY. 
 
 491 
 
 who had been his playmate in early childhood. 
 She is a daughter of Alexander Hamilton and 
 Rachael (Esm6) Borthwick, the former a leading 
 and successful merchant of Albany. Her grand- 
 father was a grandson of Lord Borthwick, of 
 Grands Hall, Scotland. Her ancestors were 
 Scotch-French, and her maternal grandfather was 
 an officer in the French army and came to Amer- 
 ica with Gen. La Fayette. Mrs. Felton was born 
 in Albany, N. Y., and there resided until the age 
 of fourteen. The three succeeding years of her 
 life were passed in a college for young ladies in 
 Lyons, Iowa, and after graduating she returned to 
 her native city. Mrs. Felton is a linguist and a vo- 
 calist of some note, having studied under the best 
 teachers in America and Europe. 
 
 In 1865, soon after Mr. Felton left the army, 
 he re-entered the service of A. H. Miller &Co., 
 with whom he continued until 1870, when he en- 
 gaged in the railroad business. He was appointed 
 contracting agent of the Empire Freight Line, 
 which was a part of the Pennsylvania system, and 
 to the duties of that position devoted his energies 
 for ten years, when he became general agent of 
 the Merchants' Dispatch Dairy Line (having 
 charge of the territory west of the Mississippi 
 River) of the New York Central System, in which 
 capacity he served for two years. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Felton purchased one of the largest 
 
 steam laundries in Chicago, successfully conduct- 
 ing the same until 1884, when, accompanied by 
 Mrs. Felton, he went to Europe and located in 
 London, England. He there embarked in the man- 
 ufacture of laundry machinery, and did a prosper- 
 ous business for three years, when he became a 
 financial agent, and dealt in all kinds of Ameri- 
 can enterprises and investment securities. With 
 this business he was connected for five years, and 
 was again very successful. During this period, 
 in company with his wife, he visited and resided 
 in some of the principal cities of Europe. In 1892, 
 he returned to Chicago, and soon after secured an 
 extensive interest in the White Swan Laundry, 
 one of the largest in the city. This corporation, of 
 which he is now Secretary and Manager, is doing 
 a very prosperous business. Mr. Felton is a very 
 energetic and capable man, yet modest and unas- 
 suming, polite and courteous, intelligent and well 
 informed. His views are broad, his understand- 
 ing having been well developed by travel and ex- 
 perience. He is domestic in his tastes, very fond 
 of music, and an admirer of the opera and art. 
 In religious belief, he is independent, and in his 
 political views is a Republican. He keeps abreast 
 with the times in all things, and is well posted 
 on the leading questions of the day. We predict 
 for him the same success in the future, that has 
 crowned his efforts in the past. 
 
 CHARLES P. HUEY. 
 
 EHARLES P. HUEY, who is successfully en- 
 gaged in the practice of law in Harvey, re- 
 ceiving a liberal patronage, was born in Cape 
 Town, Cape Colony, October 3, 1849. His fa- 
 ther, Robert T. Huey, was born and reared in 
 Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he made his home 
 until the age of thirty -five, when he entered the 
 British service and became a soldier in the Colonial 
 
 army. He was sent with his command to South 
 Africa, and reached Cape Town about 1838. In 
 that place he was united in marriage with Wil- 
 helmiiia Thomas. At the close of the war he was 
 discharged from the service and returned to Cape 
 Town, from whence he afterwards removed to 
 Port Elizabeth, on the extreme southern coast of 
 Cape Colony, where with his family he resided
 
 492 
 
 C. P. HUEY. 
 
 for many years, engaged in trading and in various 
 business pursuits. He finally engaged in mer- 
 chandising, and in the interests of that business, 
 and partly for recreation, departed for Liver- 
 pool in 1860. He took passage on a sailing-ves- 
 sel, which was never heard from again, and is 
 supposed to have sunk in mid-ocean, not a pas- 
 senger escaping to tell the tale of the disaster. 
 He left a wife and six children. Anna, the eldest, 
 became the wife of Samuel Slaughter, who is now 
 serving as a County Assessor in southern Utah; 
 Mary is married and resides in northern Mon- 
 tana; Charles is the next younger; Leonard is in 
 the railway service and resides in southern Colo- 
 rado; Nellie is the wife of Ernest H. Price, of 
 Fresno, Cal. ; and Walter resides in the same 
 State. 
 
 Charles P. Huey began his education in the 
 private schools of Port Elizabeth, which he at- 
 tended until nine years of age, after which he 
 spent two years in the Gray Institute, a large and 
 most excellent school. At the age of ten years 
 he began the study of Latin. When a child of 
 eleven summers he accompanied the family to 
 America, locating in Salt Lake City, where he 
 attended St. Mark's Grammar School, an Epis- 
 copal institution of learning, for two years. At 
 the age of nineteen he entered a printing-office 
 and worked as a compositor until 1872, becoming 
 an expert printer. He learned so rapidly that in 
 half the usual time he had completed the regular 
 apprenticeship and was made a journeyman. He 
 then, until the fall of 1873, was engaged in the 
 newspaper and publishing business, and during a 
 part of the time assisted John C. Young, a nephew 
 of Brigham Young, in the publication of a local 
 paper, which was opposed to the system of polyg- 
 amy, and was really the beginning of the great 
 opposition developed in Utah against the system. 
 So bitter was the opposition of the Mormon lead- 
 ers, that the printing establishment was once 
 broken up by a mob and Mr. Young assaulted. 
 
 In the fall of 1873, Mr. Huey became a student 
 in the law department of the University of Michi- 
 gan at Ann Arbor, pursuing a two-years course, 
 and graduating with honor in the Class of '75. 
 He at once began practice in Salt Lake City, and 
 
 soon acquired prominence in the prosecution of 
 the case of the United States against Rossiter, a 
 prominent Mormon in the employ of Brigham 
 Young, who was bound over under the Poland 
 Law to keep the peace for having threatened with 
 violence John C. Young, the old friend and asso- 
 ciate of Mr. Huey, and who was then local editor of 
 the Salt Lake Tribune, the leading Gentile paper 
 of the city. The case, under the advice of Mr. 
 Huey, was prosecuted before Mr. Pratt, United 
 States Commissioner, who held the accused under 
 bonds. The prisoner's counsel, one of the lead- 
 ing lawyers of Salt Lake City, and attorney for 
 the Mormon Church, appealed to the United 
 States District Court for discharge, under writ of 
 habeas corpus, which, after an able argument by 
 Mr. Huey in opposition to the release, and argu- 
 ments in its behalf by the prisoner's counsel, was 
 denied by the Chief Justice, and the prisoner re- 
 manded to the custody of the United States Mar- 
 shal. Mr. Huey's maiden speech at the Bar won 
 the first signal victory for the anti-polygamist un- 
 der the Poland Law and gained him a well-de- 
 served prominence. He continued in practice in 
 Salt Lake City until 1882. 
 
 In 1878, Mr. Huey wedded MaryJ. McFerren, 
 of Hoopeston, 111., and in 1882, on account of his 
 wife's health, removed to Hoopeston, where he 
 practiced law for some time, but was mostly en- 
 gaged in the banking business for six years, in 
 company with his brother-in-law, J. S. McFerren, 
 who is President and chief owner of the First 
 National Bank of Hoopeston. Mr. Huey served 
 as Assistant Cashier until 1889, when he resumed 
 law practice, and also for a year published the 
 Hoopeston Sentinel. He also founded and pub- 
 lished the Danville Sentinel, and in March, 1892, 
 came to Harvey, where for a few months he edited 
 the Harvey Citizen. In the same year, however, 
 he retired from the newspaper field, and has since 
 successfully engaged in law practice. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Huey is a Republican, but at 
 local elections subordinates party to the best in- 
 terests of the town, laboring with other promi- 
 nent citizens for temperance, good government, 
 and the material interests of this thriving suburb. 
 He now holds the office of City Attorney. He is
 
 PLEASANT AMICK. 
 
 493 
 
 a r,:ember of the Episcopal Church, and an active James J., who is now nine years of age. Mr. 
 
 member of Dirigo Lodge No. 399, K. P., which 
 he represented in the State Grand Lodge at Spring- 
 Seld. He has taken the highest degree in the 
 Odd Fellows' fraternity, and has passed all the 
 chairs in the local lodge. He has only one child, 
 
 Huey is recognized as one of the most prominent 
 and progressive citizens of Harvey, and in the 
 history of his adopted county he well deserves 
 mention. 
 
 PLEASANT AMICK. 
 
 1"^ LEAS ANT AMICK, a pioneer of northern 
 LX Illinois, now engaged in the real-estate busi- 
 t& ness in Chicago, has for some years been con- 
 nected with the business and official interests of 
 this city, and is recognized as one of its represen- 
 tative men. He was born near Diamond Lake, 
 Cass County, Mich., October 14, 1834, and is a 
 son of Jacob and Rachel (Corron) Amick, natives 
 of Virginia. They removed to Cass County, 
 Mich. , previous to 1830. The Amick family is of 
 German origin, and the ancestors were among the 
 pioneer settlers of Pennsylvania. Members of 
 the family afterward removed to the Old Domin- 
 ion, and Jacob Amick was born near the Natural 
 Bridge in Virginia. The Corron family is Eng- 
 lish, and its founders in America settled in Vir- 
 ginia. The mother of Mrs. Rachel Amick was a 
 daughter of James Pinnell, Jr., who came from 
 Lambeth, London. One of his uncles, Rev. 
 Robert Pinnell, served as rector of a church for 
 more than half a century in one of the parishes 
 near London. 
 
 In 1835, Jacob Amick removed with his family 
 to Illinois and located on a farm in Kane County, 
 becoming one of the first settlers of that locality. 
 He was a cooper by trade, and carried on that bus- 
 iness in connection with farming. He was the in- 
 ventor of the grapevine cradle-swath. In 1844, 
 he removed to Chicago, where he engaged in the 
 manufacture of scythes and grain-cradles until 
 
 1849, when he went overland to California. There 
 his death occurred, October 25, 1850, at the age of 
 forty-eight years, resulting from an attack of 
 cholera. He was an old-time Abolitionist, being 
 identified with the movement from the beginning, 
 and left Virginia on account of the slavery there 
 tolerated. He was distinguished for his strong 
 convictions and devotion to principle, and had the 
 confidence of all who knew him. He held mem- 
 bership with the Tabernacle Baptist Church, now 
 the Second Baptist Church of Chicago, the house 
 of worship being then located on La Salle, between 
 Washington and Randolph Streets. His wife, 
 who was a member of the same church, passed 
 away in 1878, at the age of seventy-two. Of their 
 children, one died in infancy; Mary Elizabeth be- 
 came the wife of Alanson Miller, and died of chol- 
 era in Chicago in 1852; Martha, deceased, was the 
 wife of Joseph Shaw; Pleasant is the next younger; 
 Hiram, who is now living in California, was a 
 member of the Mercantile Battery of Chicago, and 
 for a number of years was Secretary of the Fire 
 Department of Chicago; Myron J., who for many 
 years was a member of the United States army, 
 and did much scouting duty during the Great 
 Rebellion, now resides in New York City. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this record 
 was in his tenth year when the family located in 
 Chicago. The house built by his father in 1844 
 on Curtis Street is still standing. Pleasant Amick,
 
 494 
 
 H. T. BYFORD. 
 
 his wife, and afterward two of their children, at- 
 tended the Scammon School on Madison Street, 
 the first free-school building in the West Division, 
 of which Prof. A. D. Sturtevant was the Principal, 
 and Pleasant was afterward a pupil in Gleason's 
 Academy. At the age of fifteen he became a 
 clerk in a grocery- store on Clark Street owned by 
 T. B. Doggett, with whom he continued until 
 1855, when he embarked in business for himself 
 as a member of the firm of Leybourn & Amick, 
 grocers. In 1859, they sold out, and during the 
 war Mr. Amick served as enrolling officer under 
 Col. William James, of Chicago. In 1864, he was 
 elected Tax Collector for the West Division, on 
 the same ticket with Abraham Lincoln, and served 
 two years. In 1866, he embarked in the real- 
 estate business, which he has followed almost con- 
 tinuously since, being considered one of the best 
 judges of real-estate values in the city. During 
 the three succeeding years he served as City As- 
 sessor, and in 1880 and 1881 he was Assessor of 
 ihe Town of West Chicago. For fourteen years 
 
 he was in the tax department of the West Division, 
 serving in various capacities. 
 
 On the 1 5th of November, 1854, Mr. Amick 
 was joined in wedlock with Julia S. Bishop, a na- 
 tive of Lewis, Essex County, N. Y., and to them 
 have been born three children: Frank S., a real- 
 estate dealer of Chicago; J. Stella; and Mamie, 
 who died at the age of three and a-half years. 
 
 Mr. Amick was reared in the faith of the Bap- 
 tist Church, but now holds membership with 
 no religious organization. He is a member of 
 Columbian Lodge No. 819, A. F. & A. M., of 
 Lawndale, and in politics he has been a stalwart 
 Republican since the organization of the party. 
 He is a gentleman of genial and pleasant manner, 
 has an extensive acquaintance among the earlier 
 settlers of Chicago, and feels a keen and abiding 
 interest in their early history. His long residence 
 here makes him familiar with much of its devel- 
 opment, and in the work of advancement he has 
 ever borne his part. 
 
 HENRY TURMAN BYFORD, M. D. 
 
 HENRY TURMAN BYFORD, M. D., Profes- 
 sor of Gynecology in the College of Physi- 
 cians and Surgeons of Chicago, and in the 
 Chicago Post-Graduate Medical School, and of 
 Clinical Gynecology in the Woman's Medical 
 College of Chicago, and ex-President of the Chi- 
 cago Gynecological Society, is a native of Evans- 
 ville, Ind., born on the I2th of November, 1853. 
 He is the second and only surviving son of the 
 late Dr. William Heath Byford, of Chicago, and 
 Mary Ann Byford, his wife, the latter a daughter 
 of Hezekiah Holland, a physician of Mt. Vernon, 
 Ind., and sister of a physician, Andrew Holland. 
 Dr. William H. Byford, the pioneer gynecol- 
 ogist of Chicago, was a man whose intelligence 
 
 and culture, extended observation and experience, 
 fitted him to fully appreciate the benefits of edu- 
 cation, proper environment and morality upon the 
 young, and took such measures as afforded his 
 sons ample opportunity to enjoy them and to pre- 
 pare to enter one of the learned professions. 
 
 The subject of this sketch obtained in the pub- 
 lic schools of Chicago his primary education, and 
 at the age of twelve had completed a large portion 
 of the public-school course. He then accompa- 
 nied his elder brother to Europe, where he spent 
 four years (1865-1868) in travel and study. At 
 Berlin, he learned French and German, and also 
 took a full regular classical course including Lat- 
 in and Greek. It would seem that under the
 
 H. T. BYFORD. 
 
 495 
 
 circumstances he would have labored under in- 
 surmountable difficulties in competition with the 
 pupils of native birth, but at graduation he took 
 prizes in divinity and also in German composition. 
 
 Upon his return to the United States, Dr. By- 
 ford matriculated in the University of Chicago, 
 where he contemplated taking higher honors in 
 the classics; but discovering a preference for the 
 sciences, he. entered the scientific department of 
 Williston Seminary in East Hampton, Mass. , from 
 which he was graduated in the year 1870. En- 
 tering the Chicago Medical College, he took a 
 three-years course, which he completed in 1873, 
 graduating as valedictorian of his class. It is a 
 matter worthy of remark that the college records 
 show that he was marked one hundred per cent, 
 in all branches of medicine taught, except diseases 
 of the eye and ear, which at that time did not re- 
 ceive so much attention as at the present date. 
 During his second year lie attended the lectures 
 and demonstrations given to the senior class, and 
 at the end of the year passed a successful exami- 
 nation in all branches and fairly won the position 
 of interne in Mercy Hospital. 
 
 The serious illness of his brother in Louisiana 
 requiring Dr. Byford's presence there, interrupted 
 his hospital course, and prevented his delivering 
 the valedictory address to his class at graduation. 
 Although absent from the commencement exer- 
 cises, his extraordinary proficiency and excep- 
 tional standing were distinctly recognized by the 
 faculty, which granted him his degree of Doctor of 
 Medicine without examination, a very unusual 
 act, but one which the circumstances of the case 
 fully justified. One condition was attached to the 
 granting of the degree, and that was that the 
 young graduate, then hardly twenty years of age, 
 should not enter the active practice of medicine un- 
 til he had attained his majority. This was done 
 out of regard for the ethics of the profession, 
 which does not encourage the practice of medicine 
 by minors, however proficient. 
 
 The interim between graduation and the attain- 
 ment of his majority was spent by Dr. Byford in at- 
 tendance upon his brother in Colorado, where he 
 had the satisfaction of seeing him recover. Declin- 
 ing his father's proffered partnership, the young 
 
 physician thought it best to begin professional life 
 independently, and associated himself with his col- 
 lege friend, Dr. J. A. St. John, opening an office 
 in one of the less fashionable districts of the city. 
 The brilliant promise of future success which had 
 appeared in the student was fully realized in the 
 practitioner. He was energetic, competent, pop- 
 ular, and successful from the first. In 1879, 
 he visited Europe a second time, and for a year 
 and a-half devoted his time about equally to study 
 in the hospitals and travel for pleasure. 
 
 On his return to Chicago, Dr. Byford associated 
 himself with his father, and directed his attention 
 principally to obstetrics and the diseases of women 
 and ehildren, working steadily toward his life ob- 
 ject the diseases of women and abdominal sur- 
 gery. Although busy with his private practice 
 he has not spent his whole time therein. He has 
 been Curator in the museum of the Chicago Medi- 
 cal College, lecturer on diseases of children in the 
 Chicago Medical College, and lecturer on obstet- 
 rics in Rush Medical College. These positions, 
 however, were relinquished on account of their 
 requiring time that he could not spare from his 
 favorite study and specialty. In December, 1888, 
 he received the appointment to the chair of 
 Gynecology in the Chicago Post-Graduate Medi- 
 cal School, of which he is one of the founders; and 
 the following year he was chosen Professor of 
 Clinical Gynecology in the Woman's Medical 
 College, and upon the death of A. Reeves Jack- 
 son, in 1892, was elected Professor of Gynecology 
 in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chi- 
 cago. He has also been Gynecologist to St. 
 Luke's Hospital for several years past and surgeon 
 to the Woman's Hospital. He is a member of 
 the American Medical Association, Illinois State 
 Medical Association, of the American Gynecolog- 
 ical Society, of the Chicago Medical Society, the 
 Chicago Gynecological Society (of which he was 
 President in 1887), of the Chicago Academy of 
 Medicine, and the Chicago Medico-Legal Society. 
 
 Dr. Byford is known throughout the United 
 States as one of the most original and progressive 
 men in his specialties, and has originated a num- 
 ber of operations which have been approved and 
 adopted by medical practitioners generally.
 
 496 
 
 J. A. MACK. 
 
 Among these are inguinal suspension of the blad- 
 der, shortening of the sacro-uteiine ligaments, bi- 
 lateral anterior elytroirhaphy, subcutaneous peri- 
 neal tenotomy and the vaginal fixation and vaginal 
 drainage of the stump in abdominal hysterectomy. 
 Not only surgical operations, but also surgical 
 instruments, have been the objects of Dr. Byford's 
 study, and of these latter he has originated many 
 new forms of greater utility tiian their predeces- 
 sors that are in daily use and called by his name. 
 As a clinical and didactic lecturer he has been 
 very successful, and as a writer on medical topics 
 is able and voluminous. He was one of the edi- 
 tors of "Byford's Diseases of Women," a treatise 
 originally by his father, one of the authors of the 
 
 "American Text Book of Gynecology," and also 
 of ' 'A Treatise on Diseases of Women, by Emi- 
 nent American Teachers. ' ' 
 
 While in Paris, Dr. Byford was a student at the 
 school of Julian, where he studied drawing of the 
 human figure. From other artists of Europe he 
 learned landscape-painting from nature, and now 
 seeks recreation in the study of art and the treas- 
 ures of literature. 
 
 On the Qth of November, 1882, Dr. Byford 
 married Mrs. Lucy L- Richard, a daughter of 
 Frederick learned, who was a near relative of N. 
 P. Willis. They have four children, Genevieve, 
 Mary, Heath Turman and William Holland. 
 
 REV. JOSIAH AUGUSTUS MACK. 
 
 REV. JOSIAH AUGUSTUS MACK, Gen- 
 eral Secretary and Manager of the Chicago 
 Bible Society, was born in Gilead, Tolland, 
 County, Conn., on the 4th of July, 1828, and isa 
 son of Ela Augustus and Esther (Cone) Mack, 
 who were also natives of Gilead, and came of old 
 New England families. The father was adopted 
 in his infancy by a man bearing the name of 
 Mack, which became his surname, although his 
 own father was named Gillette. The father of 
 Mrs. Esther Mack, John Cone, was killed, dur- 
 ing her childhood, by the accidental explosion of 
 a cannon on one of the training days of the Con- 
 necticut militia. E. A. Mack served as Captain 
 of a company of militia, and made farming his oc- 
 cupation through life. He died at the age of 
 forty-six years, and his wife passed away in Chi- 
 cago at the advanced age of eighty-seven. They 
 came to Illinois in 1836, and the journey by way 
 of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes covered a 
 period of six weeks. The family settled on a 
 claim near the Fox River, iu Kane County, after- 
 
 ward purchasing the land of the United States 
 Government, and for several years they lived the 
 typical frontier life. Later they removed to Ba- 
 tavia, 111. 
 
 Josiah A. Mack acquired his early education in 
 the district schools, then the only educational in- 
 stitutions. Afterward he attended a boarding- 
 school in Batavia for several terms. At the age 
 of eighteen he began clerking in a general store 
 in Batavia, and three years later entered into part- 
 nership with his uncle in the same business. 
 After two years he yielded to the desire for 
 Christian work and became agent for the Ameri- 
 can Bible Society, and in that capacity labored in 
 northern Illinois for three years. This occupa- 
 tion gave him experience and training for public 
 speaking and determined him to enter the Chris- 
 tian ministry. A college course being out of the 
 question, he took up the study of theology with 
 Dr. William E. Merriman, who afterward became 
 President of Ripon College, at Ripon, Wis. 
 
 After studying for one year, Mr. Mack was
 
 REUBEN LUDLAM. 
 
 497 
 
 licensed to preach by the Elgin Association of 
 Congregational Churches, and in 1839 he ac- 
 cepted his first pastorate at Udina, 111., where he 
 was ordained by a special council, Rev. N. C. 
 Clark preaching the sermon. He was later called 
 to Plainfield, where he labored with growing suc- 
 cess for four years. When the war broke out he 
 took an active interest in organizing troops for the 
 service, and during the struggle was sent to 
 Helena, Ark., as a representative of the Christian 
 Commission. There he engaged in Christian 
 work among the soldiers and colored people. He 
 spent some further time in the South for the ben- 
 efit of his health, which had broken down under 
 his labors at Peoria, in the First Congregational 
 Church of that city. He held pastorates also at 
 Moline and other points in Illinois, and in 1876 
 was called to his native town in Connecticut, where 
 he served as pastor of the church for over six 
 years. 
 
 In 1883 Rev. Mr Mack returned to Illinois and 
 became General Secretary and Agent for the Chi- 
 cago Bible Society, in which service he continues. 
 Under his management the receipts of the society 
 have increased from $2, oooto$i4,ooo per annum. 
 In 1889 the society was reorganized and special 
 provision made for a Bible-work department, in 
 which fifteen to twenty young women have been 
 
 employed, and the force is increased as fast as 
 means justify. This work is undenominational, 
 and the society is supported by benevolent con- 
 tributions. It has been in existence for over fifty 
 years, and is managed on the broad basis of the 
 fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. 
 
 Mr. Mack was united in marriage in 1850 with 
 Eliza Sophia Towne, a native of Troy. N. Y. 
 and a daughter of Deacon Silvanus Towne, of 
 Batavia, 111. To them were born six children 
 who grew to maturity. Emily Eliza, wife of 
 George C. Clark, of Peoria, 111.; Charles Augus- 
 tus, pastor of the Congregational Church at Ran- 
 toul, 111.; Mary L-, wife of Charles Alden Smith, 
 Principal of the preparatory school at Lake Forest 
 University; William Howard, of Philadelphia, 
 Pa. ; Fannie Cone and Rose C. 
 
 Mr. Mack has always taken an intelligent in- 
 terest in political and other public interests, though 
 he is not a partisan politician. Growing up among 
 the people, and earnestly sympathizing with what- 
 ever makes for good government and mutual con- 
 fidence, he has cast his vote and given his influ- 
 ence in ways promotive of these ends. His good 
 judgment and conscientious labors have been of 
 inestimable value to the cause with which he is 
 identified, while his genial, pleasant manner has 
 won him many warm personal friends. 
 
 REUBEN LUDLAM, M. D. 
 
 REUBEN UJDLAM, M. D., one of the fore- 
 most physicians, surgeons and medical 
 writers in the Northwest, was born in Camden, 
 N. ]., on the yth of October, 1831. His parents, 
 natives of New Jersey, were descended from 
 early Colonial immigrants. His father, Dr. Jacob 
 W. Ludlam, an eminent physician, spent his 
 earlier years in the East, but removed with his 
 family to Illinois in 1856, and died in Evanston 
 
 in 1858, after a long life spent in alleviating the 
 sufferings of humanity. His widow, Mrs. Mary 
 Ludlam, now eighty-six years of age, still resides 
 in Evanston. 
 
 Reuben Ludlam's inherited tendencies and early 
 training led him to follow in the professional foot- 
 steps of his father. In his childhood he was ac- 
 customed to accompany his father in his daily 
 round of visits, and took great interest in the cases
 
 498 
 
 REUBEN LUDLAM. 
 
 lie saw. His studious habits and thoughtful na- 
 ture caused his rapid advancement at school, and 
 at the age of nineteen he was graduated from the 
 old academy at Bridget on, N. J., with the highest 
 honors of his class. At the age of sixteen he be- 
 gan the study of medicine in his father's office, 
 and when qualified matriculated at the University 
 of Pennsylvania (where his father had received 
 his medical education) , finished the curriculum, 
 and was graduated therein in 1852. He had spent 
 six years in preparation for the practice of his 
 chosen profession. 
 
 Soon after receiving his diploma, Dr. Ludlam 
 came to Chicago. He was a young man fresh 
 from the influences of the regular or allopathic 
 school of teachers, but he did not allow his train- 
 ing or environment to overbalance his judgment, 
 and after weighing the doctrines of Hahnemann, 
 the great founder of homeopathy, with care and 
 conscientious attention, he decided they were 
 largely true and should be adopted. To renounce 
 the teachings of those he had learned to re- 
 spect for their great knowledge of the healing art 
 was a matter that required a great effort, but, 
 his mind once made up, he was equal to the effort, 
 embraced the new theory of medicine and became 
 a practitioner of the new school. In 1859, the 
 Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago was or- 
 ganized, and he was chosen to fill the chair of 
 physiology, pathology and clinical medicine 
 therein. On account of the high degree of skill he 
 showed in those branches, he was transferred, four 
 years later, to the chair of obstetrics and the dis- 
 eases of women and children. He was made 
 Professor of the Medical and Surgical Diseases of 
 Women a few years later, and elected Dean of the 
 college faculty. In each of these capacities 
 he rendered inestimable service, and his cheerful 
 and attentive manner endeared him to all who 
 came within the circle of his acquaintance. For 
 twenty-five years he was Dean of the faculty, and 
 resigned that place to become President of the 
 college and hospital in 1891, which office he still 
 holds. 
 
 From the first Dr. Ludlam gave very close at- 
 tention to gynecology, and after exhausting the 
 opportunities of this country he made four medi- 
 
 cal journeys to Europe, where he spent some years 
 in hard study and painstaking labor in order to 
 make himself complete master of the subject. As 
 might be expected from the man and from the ef- 
 fort, his success was abundant and almost beyond 
 belief. In the department of uterine surgery, his 
 services in difficult operations are constantly in 
 demand throughout the Northwest, and as a con- 
 sulting authority his ability is recognized wherever 
 he is known. 
 
 Dr. Ludlam was chosen President of the Amer- 
 ican Institute of Homeopathy, the oldest National 
 Medical Society in America, in 1869, and presided 
 over its deliberations at Boston, and delivered 
 the annual oration, entitled "The Relation of Wo- 
 man to Homeopathy." He was also elected 
 President of the Chicago Academy of Medicine, of 
 the Illinois Homeopathic Medical Society, and the 
 Western Institute of Homeopathy. In 1870, he 
 was offered, but declined, the position of Physician 
 in Chief of the Woman's Homeopathic Infirmary 
 of New York City, and that of Professor of Obstet- 
 rics and Diseases of Women and Children in the 
 New York Homeopathic Medical College. 
 
 The confusion and almost total disorganization 
 of mercantile and social functions that succeeded 
 the great fire of 1871, made it necessary to or- 
 ganize a Relief and Aid Society for attending 
 the sick and homeless, who otherwise would 
 have been left to suffer, and in many cases to 
 die, for want of medical attention. Dr. Ludlam 
 was one of the physicans who with tireless gener- 
 osity devoted their best efforts toward the relief of 
 suffering without pay or hope of reward. In 
 1877 the State Board of Health was organized, 
 and Gov. Cullom, recognizing Dr. Ludlam 's fit- 
 ness for the place, appointed him a member of the 
 Board. He was twice re-appointed and his service 
 extended over a period of fifteen consecutive years. 
 Although Dr. Ludlam is so well known as a 
 physician and surgeon, it seems probable that he 
 is best known, to the reading and professional 
 world at least, as a writer. For six years, begin- 
 ning in 1860, he was editorially connected with the 
 North American Journal of Homeopathy, publish- 
 ed in New York, and for nine years with the 
 United States Medical and Surgical Journal, pub-
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 ONIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 STEPHEN D. JONES 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 S. D. JONES 
 
 499 
 
 lished in Chicago. Since 1879, he has been edi- 
 tor of the Cliniqttc, a monthly abstract of the 
 work of the Clinical Society and the Hahnemann 
 Hospital. His paper entitled "Clinical Observa- 
 tions Based on Five Hundred Abdominal Sec- 
 tions," was one the most important contributions 
 to this paper. In 1871 his great work entitled 
 "Clinical and Didactic Lectures on Diseases of 
 Women' ' was published, and is now in its seven- 
 teenth edition. It is an octavo of over one thous- 
 and pages, employed as a text-book in all home- 
 opathic colleges, and is an acknowledged author- 
 ity among homeopathic physicians both in Amer- 
 ica and Europe. This work has been trans- 
 lated into French, and has equally as high a 
 standing among the physicians of continental 
 Europe as among the English-speaking med- 
 ical practitioners. In 1863, Dr. Ludlam 
 brought out a volume entitled "A Course of 
 Clinical Lectures on Diphtheria," which was the 
 first work of a purely medical character ever pub- 
 lished in Chicago and the Northwest. In 1880, 
 
 in return for the compliment paid him by the 
 translation of one of his volumes into French, Dr. 
 Ludlam rendered into English a valuable work 
 by Dr. Jousset, of Paris, entitled "A Volume of 
 Lectures on Clinical Medicine." 
 
 Dr. Ludlam has been twice married. His first 
 wife was Anna M. Porter, of Greenwich, N. J., 
 who died three years after her marriage. His 
 second wife was Harriet G. Parvin. They have 
 one son, Dr. Reuben Ludlam, Jr., a young man ot 
 ability, whose education and habits have enabled 
 him to be of assistance to his father in the perform- 
 ance of his multifarious labors, as well as to estab- 
 lish for himself an enviable reputation as a prac- 
 titioner. Dr. Ludlam is an untiring worker, an 
 enthusiastic student and an accomplished linguist. 
 He is social and a very entertaining conversa- 
 tionalist, whose fund of humor and anecdote en- 
 riches his instructive familiar discourse. As a 
 writer he is forceful, graceful and lucid, and as a 
 physician he stands in the front rank. 
 
 STEPHEN DECATUR JONES. 
 
 (STEPHEN DECATUR JONES, a worthy 
 
 ?\ representative of one of the pioneer families 
 Q) of Cook County, now resides in Blue Island, 
 where he is engaged in business as a dealer in con- 
 fectionery, stationery, etc. This is the place of 
 his nativity, for his birth here occurred on the 
 23d of October, 1846. His parents were Stephen 
 and Martha (Crandall) Jones. His father, who 
 was a native of Broome County, N. Y., born No- 
 vembers, 1806, died in Blue Island, June 14, 1851. 
 His ancestors were early settlers of the Empire 
 State, and took part in the War of the Revolu- 
 tion. Mrs. Jones was born in Westford, Chit- 
 tenden County, Vt., on the ist of November, 
 1808, and died in Blue Island on the 5th of Au- 
 
 gust, 1890. Stephen Jones came to Blue Island 
 in 1 836, being one of three who in that year lo- 
 cated there. He opened a wagon-shop, and car- 
 ried on that line of business most of the time un- 
 til his death. His wife came to Cook County in 
 1836, and the following year they were married. 
 Three children of the six who were born of their 
 union survived the period of infancy: Eda Ann, 
 who was the first white child born in the village 
 which is now her home; Stephen D. of this sketch; 
 and Alice A., now the wife of C. A. Roberts, of 
 Pasadena, Cal. The mother was one of the orig- 
 inal members of the Universalist Church of Blue 
 Island, and in many other ways the family was con- 
 nected with the early history of this community.
 
 500 
 
 J. P. YOUNG. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this record 
 was reared and educated in his native town, and 
 at the early age of sixteen years started out in life 
 for himself. He began to earn his livelihood by 
 working at the carpenter's trade, which he fol- 
 lowed in this locality until 1868, when he went 
 to Brushton, Franklin County, N. Y., where he 
 engaged in farming. In 1872, he returned to 
 Blue Island, and followed his trade until 1880, 
 when he embarked in his present line of business. 
 He earnestly desires to please his customers, and 
 his courteous treatment and straightforward deal- 
 ing have won him the confidence and respect of 
 all. 
 
 On the i2th of September, 1871, Mr. Jones was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Martha Slate, daugh- 
 ter of Charles P. and Ann (McElwain) Slate, of 
 Bangor, N. Y. The lady, who was born in Ft. 
 Covington, N. Y. , April 24, 1849, was a member of 
 the Universalist Church, and died in Blue Island, 
 
 December 17, 1893, at the age of forty-four years. 
 In the family were five children, but two died in 
 infancy. Those still living are Emma Alice, Asa 
 Charles and Martha Lillian. 
 
 Mr. Jones .was one of the original members of 
 the Universalist Church of Blue Island, and has 
 ever identified himself with those interests calcu- 
 lated to improve the community and promote the 
 general welfare. Socially, he is a member of the 
 Masonic fraternity, the Royal Arcanum and the 
 Knights of the Maccabees. In politics, he was 
 formerly a supporter of the Republican party, but 
 now affiliates with the Democracy. For two terms 
 he served as Clerk of Worth Township. He is a 
 man of upright character, of a pleasant and accom- 
 modating spirit and manner, and has the high re- 
 gard of all who know him. He can recall many 
 interesting reminiscences of the early days in Blue 
 Island, and may well be numbered among her 
 pioneer settlers. 
 
 JOSHUA PALMER YOUNG. 
 
 (JOSHUA PALMER YOUNG, an honored 
 I pioneer of Chicago and Blue Island, was born 
 \2) in Brockport, Monroe County, N. Y., on the 
 i8th of March, 1818, and is a son of Eli M. and 
 Temperance (Palmer) Young. Their family num- 
 bered four children: Eli, a resident farmer of 
 Brockport, N. Y. ; William, who died in Morgan- 
 ville, N. Y.; Joshua P. of this sketch; and Reu- 
 ben, who died in Williamston, Mich. The father 
 of this family was killed by a falling tree, when 
 Joshua was about six years old, and his wife died 
 several years later. 
 
 Soon after the father's death the family became 
 scattered. Joshua was adopted by a Mr. Staples, 
 a farmer residing near Brockport, who treated 
 him kindly and gave him fair educational ad- 
 vantages. When he had attained his majority he 
 
 began life for himself as clerk in a store in his na- 
 tive town, and later engaged in teaching school. 
 On the isth of January, 1845, Mr. Young was 
 united in marriage with Miss Louisa J. Spencer, 
 daughter of Oliver and Electa Spencer, of Sweden, 
 N. Y. The grandfather of the subject of this 
 sketch and the grandfather of Mrs. Young were 
 Revolutionary soldiers, and were quartered at New 
 London, Conn., at the time that place was sacked 
 by Gen. Arnold; but having been sent out on an 
 expedition some distance from the town, they es- 
 caped capture. The young couple began their 
 domestic life upon a farm near Sweden, N. Y., 
 where they resided until 1848, which year wit- 
 nessed their removal westward. Taking up their 
 residence in Chicago, Mr. Young here embarked 
 in business. He built the first house on the West
 
 H. H. MASSEY. 
 
 Side, south of Polk Street, and in 1856 he pur- 
 chased eighty acres of land, comprising a part of 
 the present site of Blue Island, which tract lay 
 between Western and Maple Avenues, and in- 
 cluded the most valuable portions of the present 
 village, extending from Vermont to Burr Oak 
 Streets. During the next four years he made his 
 home thereon, devoting his time and attention to 
 the improvement of his purchase, after which he 
 returned to Chicago and engaged in the produce 
 commission business at Market and Lake Streets, 
 being thus employed until after the death of his 
 wife. 
 
 Mrs. Young passed away in Chicago in Oc- 
 tober, 1863. She was a member of the Congre 
 gational Church, and was highly esteemed for her 
 many excellencies of character. She left two chil- 
 dren, and one had died in infancy. The surviv- 
 ing sons, Charles S. and Frank O., are both 
 prominent residents of Blue Island. 
 
 On the yth of February, 1866, Mr. Young was 
 again married, his second union being with Min- 
 erva P., daughter of Sweet and Eliza Brayton, 
 of Blue Island. The lady was born in Marion, 
 Wayne County, N. Y., and still resides in Blue 
 Island. She has one son, Chauncey Brayton 
 Young. 
 
 In 1866, Joshua P. Young returned to Blue 
 Island, erected a fine residence and began dealing 
 
 in real estate in Chicago, handling both city and 
 suburban property. In company with John K. 
 Rowley, he laid out the south part of Englewood, 
 between Sixty-third and Sixty-eighth Streets, 
 and subsequently they platted the town of South 
 Lawn, now Harvey. Mr. Young continued to 
 engage in the real-estate business until his death, 
 which occurred on the 26th of May, 1889. From 
 the age of sixteen years he was identified with 
 the Congregational Church. In Blue Island he 
 organized the society, and contributed liberally 
 toward the erection of the house of worship. He 
 served as Deacon of that church until called to 
 the home beyond, and was ever one of its most 
 faithful members. He cast his first Presidential 
 vote for William Henry Harrison, and his last 
 vote for Benjamin Harrison. He was a member 
 of the Tippecanoe Club, and filled several local 
 offices, discharging his duties with promptness 
 and fidelity. He was a man of unquestioned in- 
 tegrity and lofty, noble-minded principles. He 
 was not partisan or sectarian, but advocated 
 human rights in politics, righteousness and tem- 
 perance in society, and Christianity in the church. 
 He was ever progressive, and gave much thought 
 to social and theological questions, though con- 
 stantly engaged in active business. The influence 
 of his exemplary life will be long felt wherever he 
 was known. 
 
 HENRY HART MASSEY. 
 
 HENRY HART MASSEY, one of the pioneers 
 of northern Illinois, now living in Blue Is- 
 land, has since an early day witnessed the 
 growth and development of this part of the State, 
 and has borne his part in its progress and ad- 
 vancement. A native of New York, he was born 
 
 in Watertown, February 25, 1828, and is a son 
 of Hart and Nancy (Matteson) Massey. His 
 mother, who was a devout member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church and an earnest Christian lady, 
 died in Watertown October n, 1845, at the 
 age of thirty-nine. The father afterward married
 
 502 
 
 H. H. MASSEY. 
 
 Emeline Utley, and about 1855 removed to Jack- 
 sonville, 111., where he engaged in the lumber 
 business for a few years. He then came to Blue 
 Island and carried on a fire and life insurance 
 agency. He, too, was a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church, and. was a highly respected citi- 
 zen. His death occurred on the 3ist of January, 
 1882, at the ripe old age of seventy-nine. 
 
 To Hart and Nancy Massey were born eight 
 children: Harriet Amelia, who died December 
 14, 1846; Henry H. of this sketch; Julia Jane, 
 who became the wife of A. B. Safford, of Cairo, 
 111. , and died January 31,1 862 ; Heman Whelpley, 
 who died in Santa Rosa, Cal., November 25, 1891; 
 James Bates, who is living in Oakland, Cal. ; Emily 
 Elizabeth, who died in Blue Island, April 18, 
 1894; Ann Eliza, widow of A. H. Irvin, and a 
 resident of Blue Island; and Charles M., who 
 died in Blue Island, August 15, 1864. 
 
 The children of the second marriage are: Ella 
 Amelia, wife of Rev. Samuel F. Dickenson, now 
 of Grand Junction, Colo. ; and Harriet Holmes, 
 wife of George T. Hughes, of Downer's Grove, 
 111. The mother died in Blue Island April 20, 
 1876. 
 
 H. H. Massey of this sketch was reared to 
 manhood on his father's farm, and in 1847 re- 
 moved to Joliet, 111., where he was employed as 
 clerk in a general store for two years. He then 
 went to Chicago and secured a position in the 
 dry-goods store of O. Sherman & Co., at No. 104 
 Lake Street, then one of the leading dry-goods 
 establishments of the city. Nearly all of the bus- 
 iness was done on Lake Street, while the present 
 commercial center of the city was a residence dis- 
 trict. In the fall of 1851, Mr. Massey went to 
 Blue Island as clerk for the contractor who graded 
 the Rock Island Railroad. The following yeai 
 he became Treasurer of the southern division of 
 the Illinois Central Railroad, with headquarters at 
 Jonesboro, until the road was completed to Cen- 
 tralia, when his office was removed thither. He 
 also acted as pay-master between Wapello and 
 Cairo, 111., until 1855, when he resigned and re- 
 turned to Blue Island. Soon after he bought an 
 interest in a general merchandise store, and carried 
 on business along that line for twelve years. 
 
 Mr. Massey has since been prominently identi- 
 fied with the business of this locality. In 1868 
 he engaged in the grain and commission business 
 on the Chicago Board of Trade, with which he 
 was connected until 1871. From that time until 
 1876 he dealt in real estate in the city and in 
 Blue Island, after which he was appointed Cash- 
 ier in the County Recorder's office, and served 
 for five years. During the succeeding year he 
 was employed in the real-estate department of the 
 Chicago & Western Indiana Railroad Company, 
 and was then in the grain commission business 
 until 1892, when he retired to private life. He 
 now occupies his time and attention with improv- 
 ing his grounds and looking after his real-estate 
 interests in Blue Island. He has added a num- 
 ber of subdivisions to the village at various times. 
 
 On the 4th of August, 1853, in Blue Island, 
 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Massey and 
 Miss Clarissa C. Rexford, daughter of Norman 
 Rexford. They have become the parents of five 
 children: Willie R., who died at the age of six 
 years; Mary S., now the wife of Charles R. 
 Clark, of Chicago; Julia R., wife of W. N. Rudd, 
 of Blue Island; Harry A.; and Fred F., who is 
 now a clerk in the Continental National Bank of 
 Chicago. 
 
 The members of the family are all communi- 
 cants of the Universalist Church of Blue Island, 
 and Mr. Massey has served as one of its Trustees 
 and as Treasurer during the greater part of the 
 time since its organization. Socially, he is a 
 member of the Masonic fraternity, and is Treas- 
 urer of the Illinois Universalist State Convention, 
 of which organization he was a charter member. 
 In politics, he is a stalwart Republican, and never 
 fails to vote in support of the men and measures of 
 his party, although he has never sought office for 
 himself. With the educational interests of the 
 community he has long been identified, serving 
 as School Treasurer of Worth Township for 
 twenty years. He has also been Notary Public 
 since 1856. He takes a commendable interest in 
 all questions of public concern, and is one of the 
 most esteemed citizens of Blue Island. Mr. Mas- 
 sey remembers when tliere was only one house at 
 Washington Heights and one at Auburn Park.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 BNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 ORRINGTON LUNT. 
 
 503 
 
 ORRINGTON LUNT. 
 
 RRINGTON LUNT is one of the founders 
 of Evanston, and of the Northwestern Uni- 
 versity, and has been one of the important 
 factors in the upbuilding of Chicago. In the days 
 of the infancy of the city, he cast in his lot %vith 
 its settlers, and his interests have since been con- 
 nected with theirs. Many monuments to his 
 handiwork still stand, and the history of Cook 
 County would be an incomplete volume without 
 the record of his life. He was born December 24, 
 1815, in Bowdoinham, Me. His father, William 
 Lunt, was a leading merchant of that place, and 
 represented his district in the State Legislature. 
 He was a direct descendant of Henry Lunt, of 
 Newburyport, Mass. , who emigrated to the United 
 States from England in 1635. The mother of our 
 subject died when he was ten years old, and his 
 father afterwards, married again. He lived to a 
 ripe old age, and both he and his second wife 
 died December 31, 1863. 
 
 Mr. Lunt of this sketch attended the public 
 and private schools of his native town, and in his 
 fourteenth year entered his father's store, serving 
 as clerk until he attained his majority, when he 
 was admitted to partnership. They safely passed 
 through the financial panic of 1837, for their busi- 
 ness had been prudently managed, and they could 
 thus meet the crisis. Soon after, the father re- 
 tired, and a partnership was formed between Or- 
 rington and his brother W. H. They did a good 
 business, and besides dealing in dry goods traded 
 largely and shipped hay and produce to the South. 
 In 1842, Mr. Lunt sold out, preparatory to mov- 
 ing westward. He believed that better advant- 
 ages were furnished by the new and rapidly grow- 
 ing West, and the then young town of Chicago 
 attracted him. He left home on the ist of No- 
 vember, and on the nth reached his destination. 
 This western town had then not a single railroad, 
 and its business at that time was very slack, not 
 
 much being done through the winter season. 
 Mr. Lunt hoped for better opportunities in the 
 spring, but his wife's health at that time forced 
 him to return to Maine. The many discourage- 
 ments which he met disheartened him, but he 
 would not give up, and in the later part of July 
 we again find him in Chicago. He had no capi- 
 tal, but was furnished with letters of recommen- 
 dation from leading merchants in the East. He 
 began business as a commission merchant, and 
 soon had built up a flourishing trade. In the 
 summer of 1844 he began dealing in grain, and 
 in the following winter packed pork to a limited 
 extent. Both of these ventures proved profitable, 
 and he then leased one hundred feet of ground on 
 the river front for ten years, erecting thereon a 
 grain house. With the growth of the city his 
 business increased, and in those early days he 
 made one sale of fifty thousand bushels, which 
 was considered a large transaction. He had now 
 made about $10,000, but trade the following spring 
 proved disastrous, and he lost all he had. He 
 never shipped grain East, Chicago being his only 
 market, and through the experience gained by 
 his losses he became a prudent and careful busi- 
 ness man. He has been a member of the Board 
 of Trade since the beginning, but the business 
 done there in early years was little, as the organi- 
 zation had to struggle for existence for some 
 time, notwithstanding a lunch of crackers and 
 cheese served as an attraction. In 1853 he aban- 
 doned the grain trade, and retired for a time from 
 commercial life. 
 
 Mr. Lunt has been connected to a considerable 
 extent with official positions. He was first called 
 to office when in his twenty-second year, being 
 elected Clerk and Treasurer of his town, and also 
 appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1855 he was 
 elected to the office of Water Commissioner for 
 three years for the south division of the city.
 
 504 
 
 ORRINGTON.LUNT. 
 
 On the expiration of his first term he was re-elect- 
 ed, and during the last three years he served as 
 Treasurer and President of the Board. At the 
 end of the six years the city departments were con- 
 solidated in the Board of Public Works. He was 
 made a Director of the Galena & Chicago Union 
 Railroad in 1855, and continued as such until the 
 consolidation of the road with the Northwestern. 
 For several years he was one of the Auditors of 
 the Board of Directors, and his time was largely 
 given to the business of the office. During his 
 last two years with the road he served as its Vice- 
 President. In 1877 Mr. Lunt was elected by the 
 lot owners of Rose Hill Cemetery Company as 
 one of the three trustees for the care of the lot 
 owners' fund. He was President of the Board, 
 and for the last few years its Treasurer. It has 
 been well managed, and a fund of $100,000 col- 
 lected and now in their hands has been invested 
 in Cook County and city bonds. 
 
 Mr. Lunt had previously leased his warehouse, 
 but the parties failed after the panic of 1857, and 
 he took possession of it in 1859. Forming a 
 partnership with his brother, S. P. Lunt, they 
 used the warehouse as a canal elevator, and did a 
 large business, sometimes handling three and a- 
 half million bushels annually. Impaired health, 
 however, forced him to abandon the grain trade 
 in 1862, and in 1865 he started for the Old World 
 with his family, spending two years abroad, dur- 
 ing which time he visited many of the famous 
 cities of Europe and Asia. 
 
 Mr. Lunt was united in marriage, on the i6th 
 of January, 1842, to Cornelia A. Gray. Her father, 
 Hon. Samuel Gray, was a prominent attorney of 
 Bowdoinham, his native town, and was Repre- 
 sentative, Senator and a member of the Gover- 
 nor's Council of the State. He was also promi- 
 nent in commercial circles. Four children were 
 born unto Mr. and Mrs. Lunt, three sons and a 
 daughter, but one son died in infancy. Horace, 
 who graduated from Harvard University, is a 
 leading attorney; and George is a sturdy busi- 
 ness man. Cornelia G., the accomplished daugh- 
 ter, seems to have inherited her father's philan- 
 thropic nature, and takes a most active part in 
 charitable and benevolent work. 
 
 During the late war the Union found in Mr. 
 Lunt a faithful friend. He was a member of the 
 Committee of Safety and War Finance, appointed 
 at the first meeting, which convened April 13, 
 1 86 1. The Sunday after the fall of Sumter he 
 spent in raising supplies and in preparing the first 
 regiment to start from this city to Cairo. His 
 labors in behalf of the army and the Union then 
 continued until victory perched on the banners of 
 the North. Four years after the commencement 
 of the struggle he had the pleasure of being 
 present when the Old Flag was again flung to the 
 breeze from the battlements of the fort, attending 
 the Grand Review of the victorious army, and 
 visiting the principal cities of the late Confed- 
 eracy. 
 
 When about twenty years of age, Mr. Lunt 
 joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his 
 name is inseparably connected with the history of 
 its growth in this locality. For about twenty 
 years he was Trustee of the Clark Street Method- 
 ist Church, and during much of that time was 
 Secretary of the Board. He bought several lots 
 on the corner of State and Harrison Streets in 
 1848, and five years later sold them on three 
 years' time to the church at cost price. That 
 ground was afterwards exchanged for the site of 
 the Wabash Avenue Methodist Church, to which 
 he transferred his membership in 1858. He has 
 always given most liberally for the erection of 
 church edifices, both of his own and other denom- 
 inations in the city, and struggling churches in 
 the West. Of the Clark Seminary at Aurora, he 
 was one of the first Trustees. This was built by 
 a private company, but subsequently turned over 
 to the church without compensation. He was 
 one of the charter members, and has been Secre- 
 tary, Treasurer and General Business Agent of 
 the Garrett Biblical Institute from its organiza- 
 tion in 1853. In company with a few others, he 
 procured the charter for and incorporated the 
 Northwestern University of Evanston. The com- 
 mittee was appointed to secure a site. They 
 wished to get land on the lake front, but could 
 find none which they thought near enough to the 
 city, and were almost closing a deal for property 
 in Jefferson. Through the instrumentality of
 
 MATERNUS SCHAEFER. 
 
 505 
 
 Mr. Lunt, however, who, in riding one day, vis- 
 ited the present site of Evanston, the business was 
 deferred, and his iudgment led to the selection of 
 the spot where now stands the University. To 
 this institution he has contributed in time, energy 
 and money, and while he was in Europe the board 
 set aside land, now valued at $100,000, which he 
 had given, as the Orrington Lunt Library Fund. 
 Desirous, also, to render passible the erection of 
 a suitable library building, he has given $50,000 
 toward the one now in process of completion. 
 This splendid building is of Bedford stone, beau- 
 tiful in style, graceful and enduring. The finest 
 structure on the campus, it is a fitting memorial 
 of the man whose name it perpetuates in the let- 
 ters carved upon its noble entrance: THE OR- 
 RINGTON LUNT LIBRARY. He has always been 
 on the executive committee of the school, and 
 has been largely instrumental in the success of 
 the institution. He was early connected with the 
 Chicago Orphan Asylum, and raised nearly $20,- 
 ooo to complete the edifice, while a member of 
 the building committee in the summer of 1854. 
 
 The Chicago fire consumed the home of Mr. 
 Lunt and all of the buildings from which he de- 
 rived an income. The winter following he served 
 on the Special Fire Relief Committee. Many 
 Methodist Churches and the Garrett Biblical In- 
 stitute also suffered great losses, and a committee 
 to devise means for their relief was appointed by 
 the Rock River Conference. Arrangements were 
 made to solicit funds, and Mr. Lunt became Sec- 
 
 retary and Treasurer. For eighteen months he 
 was actively engaged in the disbursement and 
 collection of the money raised, about $150,000. 
 By this means he was enabled to rebuild the Gar- 
 rett building, the structure being finer than the 
 former one. When he could find time for his own 
 work he built the fine banking-house occupied by 
 Preston, Kean & Co. He has truly borne his 
 part in the upbuilding of Chicago. 
 
 On the 1 6th of January-, 1842, was celebrated 
 the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Lunt, and a half- 
 century later was celebrated their golden wedding. 
 Two hundred friends met to extend to this worthy 
 couple their congratulations for the happy years 
 that had passed, to review the lives so well spent, 
 and to wish them the return of many more such 
 pleasant occasions. The co-workers of Mr. Lunt 
 in church, in business and in his university labors 
 all bore their testimony, not only to his pleasant 
 companionship, but to his honorable, upright life 
 and exemplary character. Many beautiful gifts 
 attested the esteem and love of guests, which 
 could not be expressed in words alone. Al- 
 though Mr. Lunt has led a very prominent life, 
 he is yet retiring and very unassuming in man- 
 ner. He has followed the Golden Rule, has 
 walked in the light as he saw it, has been un- 
 wearied in well-doing, and when he shall have 
 been called to the home beyond he will leave to 
 his family what Solomon says is better than great 
 riches, "a good name." 
 
 MATERNUS SCHAEFER. 
 
 I ATERNUS SCHAEFER, a retired farmer 
 residing in Gross Point, has, as ;the result 
 of his enterprise and industry in former 
 years, acquired a competency that now enables 
 him to lay aside business cares. He claims Prus- 
 sia as the land of his birth, which occurred on 
 the 26th of August, 1833. He is the eldest in the 
 family of thirteen children born to Peter and 
 
 Lena (Bleser) Schaefer. In 1843 the parents 
 bade adieu to the Fatherland, and, having crossed 
 the briny deep to the New World, took up their 
 residence in New Trier Township, Cook County, 
 where they continued to make their home until 
 called to their final rest. The father died June 
 12, 1894, in his ninetieth year, and his wife passed 
 away in 1891, at the age of seventy-nine. They
 
 506 
 
 GEORGE WEIMER. 
 
 were well-known and highly-respected people, 
 and further mention of them and their children is 
 made in connection with the sketch of John 
 Schaefer, on another page of this work. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write became fa- 
 miliar with farming in all its details at an early 
 age. He was married on the 26th of August, 
 1854, to Miss Mary Schaefer, daughter of John 
 Schaefer, a tanner. She was born in Prussia, 
 November 4, 1835, and died May 21, 1891, the 
 last of her family to pass away. Fourteen chil- 
 dren were born of this union, seven sons and 
 seven daughters, of whom two sons and six daugh- 
 ters are yet living, namely: Katrina, who was 
 born March 4, 1856, and is the wife of Louis A. 
 Brucks, a real-estate dealer and insurance agent 
 of Englewood; Christina, who was born Decem- 
 ber 19, 1857, and is the wife of Mathias Wagner, 
 a carpenter and contractor of Englewood; Anna 
 Maria, who was born March 26, 1861, and is the 
 wife of Gerhard Steffens, a liquor dealer of Gross 
 Point; Peter Joseph, who was born December 29, 
 1862, and is a contractor and builder of Wilmette; 
 Frank, who was born October 18, 1864, and fol- 
 lows farming at Gross Point; Helena, who was 
 born February 21, 1867, and is the wife of Peter 
 
 Sesterhenn, an agriculturist of the same locality 
 Margarite, born November 24, 1868, wife of Max 
 Engels, who is engaged in the beer-bottling busi- 
 ness at Gross Point; and Eva, who was born No- 
 vember 13, 1870, and is the wife of William Wer- 
 ner, a teamster of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Schaefer and his family are Catholics in 
 religious faith, belonging to St. Joseph's Church 
 in Gross Point. He cast his first Presidential 
 vote for Buchanan, then supported Lincoln, and 
 has since been a stanch Republican. He has 
 filled the offices of Town Collector, was President 
 of the Village Board for thirteen years, and has 
 been School Director for a quarter of a century. 
 He is a member of St. Joseph's Library and Sick 
 Benefit Association, and is a loyal citizen, devoted 
 to the best interests of the community. He now 
 owns thirty-five acres of valuable land on section 
 33, New Trier Township, besides a number of 
 residences in Wilmette. He is a worthy repre- 
 sentative of an honored pioneer family, and is a 
 highly-respected citizen, whose excellencies of 
 character have gained for him the confidence and 
 esteem of all with whom he has been brought in 
 contact. 
 
 GEORGE WEIMER. 
 
 (2JEORGE WEIMER is one among the repre- 
 
 bsentative citizens of Lemont. He was born 
 in Nassau, Germany, on the 23d of Septem- 
 ber, 1835, and is a son of John and Margaret 
 (Weis) Weimer. The father was a blacksmith, 
 and died when George was only five years old. 
 Three years later, Mrs. Weimer became the wife 
 of John Noll. 
 
 Our subject was the third in a famity of four 
 
 children, two sons and two daughters. At the 
 age of five years, he began to attend the public 
 schools, and finished the course at the age of 
 twelve. During the next two years he attended 
 the high school and also took lessons as a private 
 student, acquiring a good practical education. In 
 1853, he left Germany for the United States, and 
 landed at New York on the 23d of August of that 
 year. In New York City and Raritan, New Jer-
 
 GEORGE WEIMER. 
 
 507 
 
 sey, during the succeeding two years, he learned 
 the cabinet-maker's trade, .after which he started 
 westward, arriving in Chicago August 23, 1855. 
 There he learned carpentering and made the city 
 his home until the latter part of 1857, a portion 
 of the time being engaged as a carpenter and 
 builder. In November of that year he went to 
 Europe and returned with his parents and their 
 family the following spring. They settled near 
 Downer's Grove, Du Page County, and Mr. 
 Weimer resided in Chicago, where he did business 
 as a contractor. He erected many buildings in 
 various parts of Cook County. In 1860, became 
 to Lemont. 
 
 On the 23d of June, 1861, Mr. Weimer and 
 Miss Elizabeth C. Hein were united in marriage 
 in this place. The lady is a native of the same 
 town as her husband and came to America with 
 her parents in 1856. 
 
 After two or three years' residence in Lemont, 
 Mr. Weimer removed to Chicago, where he was 
 engaged in merchandising until 1865, at which 
 time he went to New Buffalo, Michigan, and car- 
 ried on contracting and building, erecting more 
 than a hundred buildings during his stay there. 
 For years he devoted his time and attention to 
 merchandising, and also held the offices of Asses- 
 sor and Supervisor from 1867 until 1877. For 
 ten years he was also Justice of the Peace. In 
 1877, he returned to Lemont, where he has since 
 resided. For a short time, in company with his 
 brother, Andrew Weimer, he conducted a wagon 
 and blacksmith shop, but during the greater part 
 of the time he has been a contractor and builder. In 
 1879, he was elected Justice of the Peace, and held 
 that office for four years. In 1893, he was again 
 elected to that position, and is kept busy during 
 the greater part of the time in the discharge of 
 his official duties. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs Weimer have become the parents 
 of seven children, namely: George A.; Rosa, wife 
 of Peter Meilinger, of Chicago; Mary Ann, Joseph 
 M., Maria Elizabeth, Frank Joseph and Benjamin 
 Franklin. 
 
 George A. Weimer, of Lemont, is a son of 
 George and Elizabeth C. Weimer, whose sketch is 
 
 given above. He was born at this place on the 
 5th of June, 1862, and obtained a good education 
 in the schools of the town, where he spent his 
 early life, attending until nineteen years of age. 
 In 1882, he began to learn the drug business, ar.d 
 continued in that line until May, 1893, becoming 
 in the mean time a very proficient pharmacist. 
 His first employer was G. A. Boclenschatz, with 
 whom he remained six years, when J. G. Boden- 
 schatz succeeded to the business, and Mr. Weimer 
 spent the remaining years in his employ. His 
 genial disposition and good character made him 
 a favorite with Lemont people, and when but 
 twenty-one years of age, he was elected to office, 
 and from that time to the present he has filled 
 some public position. In 1883, he was elected 
 Town Clerk and filled that office until 1888, when 
 he was appointed City Clerk, thus serving until 
 the next election, when he was elected. In dis- 
 charging the duties of that position his time was 
 passed until April, 1893, he being annually re- 
 elected. At the last-mentioned date, he was 
 elected Township Supervisor, and was again the 
 people's, choice in 1894. In 1893, he was ap- 
 pointed to a place in the County Treasurer's office, 
 which he held until February, 1894, when he was 
 made deputy in the office of the Recorder of Deeds 
 in Cook County, in which capacity he is now 
 serving. In the fall of the present year (1894) 
 he was nominated by the Democracy as the can- 
 didate of that party for State Senator from the 
 Seventh Senatorial District. 
 
 On the 22d of October, 1883, Mr. Weimer was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Lizzie V. Hettinger. 
 daughter of George Hettinger, who came to Le- 
 mont about 1863. He was a member of the first 
 volunteer fire company of Chicago. To them 
 four children, two sons and two daughters, were 
 born, all of whom died of diphtheria in less than 
 two weeks' time, in May. 1893. The death of his 
 children destroyed Mr Weimer's faith in the ef- 
 ficacy of medicines and caused him to abandon 
 pharmacy. He is an ardent and influential sup- 
 porter of Democracy and a member of several fra- 
 ternal societies.
 
 508 
 
 W. S. WHITE. 
 
 WILLIAM S. WHITE, M. D. 
 
 G>G|ILLIAM SEYMOUR WHITE, M. D., is a 
 \ A I native of Greenwood, McHenry County, 
 Y Y Illinois, and was born on the 3oth of De- 
 cember, 1864. The records show, and the Doc- 
 tor modestly admits, that he is descended on the 
 maternal side from Francis Capet (Coquilette) , 
 the Huguenot half-brother of Louis XIV., King 
 of France, who, on account of the persecutions to 
 which that sect was subjected, fled to America, 
 and, changing his name to Coquilette, became the 
 progenitor of a numerous family in Westchester 
 County, New York, and later removed with his 
 family to Rockland County, New York. His de- 
 scendant, William Coquilette, the great-grand- 
 father of the subject of this sketch, died in Rock- 
 land County, New York, at an early age. Maria 
 (Garrison) Coquilette, his wife, died at the age 
 of eighty-eight years. Peter Cook, Dr. White's 
 maternal grandfather, a native of New York and 
 a descendant of the Knickerbockers, married 
 Eletta, daughter of William and Maria Coquilette. 
 
 Capt. William White, the paternal grandfather* 
 of Dr. White, was born in the city of Gottenburg, 
 Sweden, in 1813, and at an early age became a 
 sailor. In his voyages, Capt. White carried 
 troops to Mexico while the United States was at 
 war with that country, transported the first ship- 
 load of stone for the construction of Ft. Moultrie, 
 and twice circumnavigated the globe. His wife, 
 who still survives him, was Mary Ehrhardt, of 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 William R. White, the father of the subject of 
 this sketch, and the son of Capt. William and 
 Mary White, was born in New York City, in 
 1841, and has been engaged in mercantile pur- 
 suits all his life. He married Emily A. Cook, 
 daughter of Peter and Eletta Cook, two children, 
 
 William S. and Wilomene T., being the result 
 of this union. 
 
 William S. White came to Chicago with his 
 parents in 1865. He received his education in 
 the public schools of Chicago. His first work 
 was in the grocery store of John A. Tolman & Co. , 
 where he remained a year. He later entered the 
 employ of D. S. Munger & Co. as office boy, and 
 in three years worked his way upward to the 
 position of cashier. In 1884 ne entered the Chi- 
 cago Homeopathic Medical College. At that time 
 the course required only two years, but he at- 
 tended three years, and during the season of 
 1886-87 demonstrated anatomy to the class of 
 which he was a member, and also a part of that 
 time to the senior class. He graduated in 1888. 
 Following his graduation, he was successful in 
 winning honors in a competitive examination, and 
 during the years 1888 and 1889 was interne in 
 the Cook County Hospital for eighteen months. 
 Subsequently he was called to Rochester, New 
 York, where he opened and put in practical oper- 
 ation the Rochester Homeopathic Hospital, com- 
 monly known as the Monroe Avenue Hospital. 
 
 Returning to Chicago, Dr. White entered into 
 the general practice of medicine and dermatology, 
 in which he has since been engaged, with office 
 at No. 70 State Street. In the fall of 1889 he re- 
 ceived the appointment of Demonstrator of An- 
 atomy in the Chicago Homeopathic College. In 
 1890 he was made clinical assistant in the depart- 
 ment of dermatology, and in 1893 was appointed 
 Adjunct Professor of Physiology in the same insti- 
 tution. In January, 1893, he received the ap- 
 pointment of Dermatologist in the homeopathic 
 department of the Cook County Hospital, and 
 still fills all of these positions. He is a member
 
 JEROME BEECHER. 
 
 509 
 
 of the Illinois Homeopathic Medical Association 
 and of the American Institute of Homeopathy. 
 He holds membership in two fraternal organiza- 
 tions, being medical examiner in the Improved 
 Order of Heptasophs. 
 
 On the 5th of October, 1892, Dr. White was 
 united in marriage with Miss Isabelle Stone, of 
 Charlotte, Vermont, daughter of L,uther D. and 
 Phoebe (Rogers) Stone. 
 
 f o judge the future from the past, it is not diffi- 
 cult to predict for Dr. White success in a much 
 
 greater measure than usually falls to the lot of 
 the medical practitioner. His mind is active, his 
 memory retentive, his habits studious, his com- 
 prehension of the science of medicine rapid, intui- 
 tive and thorough. His manner is easy, affable 
 and vivacious, with a dash of bonhomie, which, 
 no doubt, is inherited from his Gallic ancestors. 
 It is not too much to say that mental attrition 
 with Dr. White would brighten many preten- 
 tious members of the medical profession. 
 
 JEROME BEECHER. 
 
 (TEROME BEECHER, among the early, sub- 
 I stantial and most exemplary citizens of Chi- 
 C2J cago, was a scion of old and well-known New 
 England stock. His father, Mather Beecher was 
 one of the pioneers of Central New York, going 
 thither from New Haven, Connecticut. He was 
 a tanner by occupation, and gave to his family 
 the training which has developed so much of 
 thrift, enterprise and morality among the sons of 
 New England, and has made an indelible impres- 
 sion upon the religious, educational and mercan- 
 tile conditions of the United States, and particul- 
 arly the northern half of the country. Wherever 
 a leaven of Yankee blood is found in a community, 
 there are sure to be found churches, schools, fac- 
 tories and sound business men, Chicago was es- 
 pecially fortunate in that the major portion of her 
 pioneers came from the land of industrious habits 
 and careful economy, and to this cause alone 
 may be attributed her wonderful progress in busi- 
 ness supremacy, as well as in social and moral 
 culture. 
 
 Jerome Beecher was born in the town of Rem- 
 sen, Oneida County, New York, January 4, 1818. 
 His first implement for self-help was the intellect- 
 
 ual training afforded by the village school, and 
 he was early made familiar with the occupation 
 of his father, mastering all that pertained to the 
 manufacture of leather and its uses. His natural 
 sagacity and shrewdness, with these helps, en- 
 abled him to conduct the large business which he 
 built up in later years, and to manage intricate 
 financial trusts which were placed in his care. 
 
 The year 1838 found him in Chicago, whither 
 his father sent him to look after a stock of 
 leather, boots, shoes and findings which had been 
 entrusted to an incompetent or unfaithful agent. 
 He managed this undertaking with such success 
 and found such glowing prospects in the young 
 city that he decided to remain here and engage in 
 business permanently. At that time the center 
 of business clustered about the corner of Lake and 
 LaSalle streets, and his pioneer store was among 
 those forming the group. He shortly set up a 
 tannery, which was destroyed by fire about 1858. 
 During these years, he had grown in wealth with 
 the rapid growth of the city and surrounding 
 country, his industry and integrity bringing him 
 a large trade, which he retained until he de- 
 cided to retire and give attention to his invest-
 
 JEROME BEECHER. 
 
 ments. His accumulations had been invested in 
 land and improved real estate. With other care- 
 ful investments, these had grown in value beyond 
 his fondest anticipations, and he found himself 
 while yet in vigorous middle life a man of in- 
 dependent means, and at the time of his 'demise, 
 after more than half a century's residence here, 
 his estate had become very valuable. 
 
 He became interested in the gas business as 
 early as 1850, and was made a director in the Chi- 
 cago Gas Light & Coke Company. He was in- 
 terested in the Merchants' Savings, Loan & 
 Trust Company, and was one of the purchasers of 
 the Chicago West Division Railroad, of which he 
 was many years a director, in 1863. A recent 
 writer says: "Among the enterprises of his 
 earlier years, for which he should be remembered 
 with grateful regard by those who survive, was 
 his connection as trustee and treasurer with the 
 Graceland Cemetery Improvement Company, in 
 whose peaceful grounds so many once active in the 
 brisk life of Chicago have found their last resting 
 place." 
 
 Mr. Beecher had in his youth attended the 
 worship of the Unitarian society near his home in 
 New York, and he adhered to the faith which 
 he there imbibed throughout his long and useful 
 life. The First Unitarian Society of Chicago 
 was a feeble band, in the third year of its exist- 
 ence, when he came to Chicago, and to his zealous 
 aid much of its subsequent strength is due. At 
 his decease, after completing more than the 
 allotted years of the scripture, the church pre- 
 pared and had engraved a most beautiful and 
 touching memorial, which was presented to his 
 widow. He was a member of the Calumet Club, 
 whose meetings of old settlers in annual reunion 
 gave him great pleasure. The Old Settlers' As- 
 sociation embraced most of his business and social 
 companions, and he was prominent in its con- 
 duct. Mr. Beecher always endeavored to fulfill 
 the duties of citizenship, but was conspicious in 
 politics only once in his life. This was in the 
 memorable campaign of 1840, when the Demo- 
 cratic party was overthrown and William Henry 
 Harrison, the Whig candidate, elected to the 
 Presidency. Mr. Beecher was a delegate in the 
 
 convention which nominated Harrison, and took 
 part in the political meetings held in a log cabin 
 on the north side, near Rush Street bridge. 
 
 In his business relations, Mr. Beecher was a 
 man of unspotted integrity, careful and quiet in 
 action, and reticent in speaking of himself or his 
 affairs. One of his favorite methods of benevolent 
 action was the assistance of some worthy man in 
 starting in business, realizing that the truest way 
 to help others is to teach and aid them to help 
 themselves. He loved to gather children and 
 young people about him, and a number were 
 taken into his family and educated. He was es- 
 pecially fond of music, and to his own family con- 
 nections and friends he was ever generous. His 
 style of living was unostentatious, and his hab- 
 its were simple and domestic. In bearing, he 
 was affable and considerate, and he always spoke 
 charitably of men, making it a rule never to speak 
 ill of any person. 
 
 Four years after his arrival in Chicago, Mr. 
 Beecher took a helpmeet in the person of Miss 
 Mary Warren, daughter of Daniel Warren, whose 
 biography will be found on another page of this 
 book, and she proved in every way a companion 
 to him. Mrs. Beecher's twin sister married 
 Silas B. Cobb, another pioneer leather merchant 
 (see skeech in this work). The sisters so closely 
 resembled each other as to be often mistaken, one 
 for the other. 
 
 The first housekeeping experience of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Beecher was in a modest rented house at the 
 corner of Lake Street and Michigan Avenue, and 
 they afterwards built a home on Michigan Ave- 
 nue. The advance of business drove them to 
 several removals until thi family homestead at 
 No. 241 Michigan Avenue was constructed. This 
 is one of two or three which escaped the flames in 
 the great fire of 187 1 , and is almost the sole repre- 
 sentative on the lake front of ' 'old Chicago. ' ' Here 
 they dwelt for more than thirty years, and here 
 Mrs. Beecher continues to reside. She is greatly in- 
 terested in benevolent work, and has been active in 
 promoting several of the most important charities 
 of the city, regarding a fortune as a blessing only 
 in the proportion it is devoted to doing good.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 REV. JOSEPH RUTERSHOFF 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 REV. JOSEPH RUTERSHOFF. 
 
 REV. JOSEPH RUTERSHOFF. 
 
 REV. JOSEPH RUTERSHOFF, pastor of 
 Saint Henry's Roman Catholic Church, of 
 West Ridge, was born April 12, 1861, in 
 the Province of Westphalia, Germany, and is a 
 son of Theodore and Mary (Lakenberg) Ruters- 
 hoff. At the age of seven years he was sent to 
 the parochial school at Castrop, which he attended 
 several years. L,ater he took a course of study 
 at the Rectorate School at Walthrop, and was 
 graduated from that institution when eighteen 
 years old. He then pursued a higher course of 
 study at Paderboru, being graduated therefrom 
 after four years of diligent work. 
 
 In 1883 Father RutershofF was called to Amer- 
 ica by Archbishop Feehan , of Chicago, and after 
 his arrival, took up the theological course at the 
 Seminar}^ of Saint Francis, near Milwaukee. 
 Soon after completing the work in that institu- 
 tion, in 1887, he was ordained a priest and was 
 assigned to the pastorate of Saint Mary's Church, 
 at Elizabeth, Illinois, in August of that year. 
 Besides this pastorate, Father Rutershoff had 
 charge of two missions, one at Scales Mound and 
 another at Hanover. In addition to his pastoral 
 labors, he gave instruction to the pupils of the 
 parochial school connected with the church. Here 
 he labored faithfully and with success until his 
 appointment to his present charge April 15, 1891. 
 
 Saint Henry's congregation was established by 
 the Rev. General- Vicar Kopp, previous to 1860, 
 and was attended to by the same during the first 
 years. In the year 1863 the congregation was 
 augmented by the Rev. Father Jacob Nagel, Re- 
 demptorist. He had charge until July, 1864. 
 From then until October, 1879, the Reverend Re- 
 
 demptorist Fathers, Charles Hahn, Albert 
 Schaeffler, Theodore Majerus, Peter Zimmer, John 
 Kuehn, Albert Stiessberger and Francis Oberle, 
 alternately labored here. 
 
 After the Redemptorist Fathers, the Rev. 
 Fathers Marschell and Haemers had charge of 
 the congregation. In 1870 Rev. Father Michels, 
 of Covington, Kentucky, came here and had care 
 of this place until 1873. He was succeeded by 
 Rev. Father Wagner, during whose pastorate the 
 present church edifice was built. 
 
 Father Wagner remained as pastor until Sep- 
 tember, 1875, and then Rev. F. Niederberger 
 took his place until June, 1879. Father Nieder- 
 berger's successor was Rev. A. Thiele, who re- 
 mained here and built the new schoolhouse. Af- 
 ter his departure, in 1884, Rev. Jacob Mellertook 
 up the pastorate, and under the active manage- 
 ment of this zealous priest a parsonage was built 
 in 1884. 
 
 In the year 1887 the congregations of Saint 
 Matthias, at Bowmanville, and Saint Nicholas, 
 at South Evanston, branched off from Saint Hen- 
 ry's and formed new, permanent congregations. 
 The Saint Henry's parochial school is conduct- 
 ed by Sisters belonging to the Order of the Poor 
 Handmaids of Christ (who also conduct the 
 German Catholic Orphanage at Rosehill), and 
 a lay teacher for the large boys. At present two 
 hundred eighty-five pupils attend the school. 
 After the branching off of the two new congrega- 
 tions there were one hundred sixty-five families 
 remaining, and the number has increased to about 
 three hundred sixty. There are four societies, 
 three courts of Catholic Foresters, Saint Henry's
 
 512 
 
 E. F. HEDRICH. 
 
 Court, No. 51, having one hundred fifty mem- 
 bers. Saint Mary's Ladies' Society has one hun- 
 dred fifty members. 
 
 In June, 1890, Rev. J. Meller left for his home 
 in Europe, from whence he did not return. In 
 his place were stationed for a short time the Rev. 
 Fathers E. Goldsmith and A. Royer. In the 
 spring of 1891, the present pastor, Rev. J. Ruters- 
 hoff, took charge of Saint Henry's. Under his 
 guidance the congregation, especially the school, 
 flourishes. At present the school is visited by 
 two hundred sixty-six pupils, and is conducted by 
 
 four Sisters, Poor Handmaids of Christ, and a 
 male teacher, Mr. J. Hellrung, for the large boys. 
 The cares of the parish have become so great that 
 the pastor now has an assistant, the Rev. Clement 
 Duerr, a priest of large experience. 
 
 Father Rutershoff is a most scholarly man, of 
 pleasant manners and genial nature, and withal, 
 wholly unassuming. His influence among the 
 Catholic people of West Ridge is far- reaching and 
 he is also regarded with the utmost respect by all 
 who may corne into the wide circle of his acquaint- 
 ance. 
 
 EDWARD F. HEDRICH. 
 
 r~DWARD FREDERICK HEDRICH was 
 rj born in Saxony, Germany, July 8, 1841, a 
 L. son of Carl F. Hedrich, of the Fatherland. 
 In his youth young Edward was half orphaned by 
 the death of his mother. 
 
 His early advantages for obtaining an educa- 
 tion were such as the public schools afforded, 
 learning to read and write. He was early ap- 
 prenticed to the cabinet-maker's trade and was a 
 good workman before he was fourteen years old. 
 In 1856 he came to the United States, being in his 
 sixteenth year at the time. He took up his resi- 
 dence at first in New York City, where he in- 
 dustriously followed his trade until the outbreak 
 of the late Civil War, when he enlisted in Com- 
 pany I, of the Eighth New York Infantry, hav- 
 ing been mustered into service April 23, 1861. 
 He went at once into active duty at the front 
 with his regiment and in one of the engagements 
 that followed he received a wound in one of his 
 wrists, which necessitated his accepting a dis- 
 charge. 
 
 He then came West and temporarily located in 
 Indianapolis, Indiana, in which place, December 
 8, 1863, he re-enlisted in Company B, Ninth 
 
 Indiana Cavalry. While in this command he 
 participated in many hard-fought battles, bravely 
 sustaining the part of an heroic soldier until his 
 capture by the enemy in one of the sanguinary 
 conflicts of the war. He was incarcerated in 
 the Catawba prison, where he was held a close 
 prisoner for a long time, suffering greatly from 
 exposure and want. Finally, his exchange was 
 effected, and he, with others of his comrades, 
 started for home. At Vicksburg, Mississippi, 
 he boarded the ill-fated steamer, "Sultana." 
 This was a large Mississippi River steamer, and 
 was loaded to her fullest capacity with soldiers 
 returning to their homes, the most of whom were 
 either invalids or exchanged prisoners of war. 
 While nearing Memphis, Tennessee, her boilers 
 blew up and nearly two thousand of her pas- 
 "sengers were lost. Mr. Hedrich miraculously 
 escaped drowning. He was blown into the 
 water, where for a short time the scene was in- 
 describably appalling. The river was almost 
 choked with wreckage and a seething mass of 
 humanity. He swam until nearly exhausted, 
 when, fortunately, he floated near a piece of 
 wreckage, which he grasped, and with it he finally
 
 HENRY WIETOR. 
 
 succeeded in making his way to land. Only four 
 hundred were saved. 
 
 After the war he resided in Indianapolis, In- 
 diana, and > Louisville, Kentucky, for several 
 years. In 1872 he came to Chicago, and soon 
 after he received an appointment to the city 
 police force as patrolman. Later, for meritorious 
 service, he was promoted to be desk sergeant at 
 the North Avenue Station, which position he re- 
 tained several years. He was later transferred 
 to the Central Station, where he creditably filled 
 the office of sergeant, and for twenty-three years 
 he served in this department. For some years he 
 was chief clerk of the detective bureau. He was 
 a brave and resolute officer, and no danger, how- 
 ever great, appalled him. Wherever duty called 
 he was there to execute. During the celebrated 
 Cronin trial, he was detailed to work up evidence 
 for the State, and he was engaged in this for 
 several months. It was to his indefatigable ef- 
 forts that the State was largely indebted for its 
 success, and it was Mr. Hedrich who, after weeks 
 of searching, finally ran down and captured 
 "Little Kunze." 
 
 Mr. Hedrich was in the Haymarket riot, and 
 
 also the riots in South Chicago. He was greatly 
 feared by the lawless element in the city, and he 
 received many letters threatening his life. He 
 was a member of General Hancock Post, No. 
 560, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he 
 was adjutant eight years, and also quartermaster 
 for a considerable length of time. He was also 
 an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, af- 
 filiating with Lincoln Park Chapter, and of the 
 order of Maccabees. Mr. Hedrich was a social 
 gentleman, and decidedly popular with a large 
 number of friends and acquaintances, who always 
 delighted in doing him honor. 
 
 He was married in Chicago, January 27, 1875, 
 to Miss Catherine, daughter of Mathias Barcal, 
 an old settler of the city. Their union resulted 
 in nine children, all of whom are living, namely: 
 Arthur Edward, Stella, Katie, Walter, Josephine, 
 Archibald, Percy, Ella and Thomas. 
 
 Mr. Hedrich died August 29, 1896. He was a 
 kind and indulgent father, and his death left a 
 void in the family that can never be filled. His 
 life's work was well and thoroughly done, and 
 he left to his children as a legacy the heritage of 
 a name free from the taint of dishonor. 
 
 HENRY WIETOR. 
 
 HENRY WIETOR, a successful florist of the 
 old town of Lake View, is a native of the 
 locality, born at Calvary November 6, 1861, 
 a representative of one of the old families. His 
 parents are George and Lena (Reinberg) Wietor, 
 both natives of Germany. They were married in 
 Paris, France, where they lived a few years be- 
 fore coming to America. Having resolved to 
 seek a home in the free country across the Atlan- 
 tic Ocean, they set out in 1857, and came direct 
 to Cook County. Their fortune was yet to be 
 made, and Mr. Wietor accepted any honorable 
 
 employment which came in his way. He was in 
 debt on arrival, but his patience and industry 
 were rewarded, for he was able, after half a dozen 
 years of toil, to purchase twenty acres of land 
 with his savings. He engaged in market-gar- 
 dening, and was successful, so that his old age is 
 being spent in quiet and contented retirement 
 from labor. His four children are still living, 
 namely: Katherine, wife of John Muno (see biog- 
 raphy in this work) ; Henry, whose name heads 
 this sketch; Mary and Nicholas, still residing 
 with their parents.
 
 CAPT. P. N. HAGEN. 
 
 Henry Wietor was educated at Saint Henry's 
 parochial school, and he received practical train- 
 ing on his father's domain. He started a green- 
 house in 1883, in which he cultivated vegetables 
 until 1892, and since that date has given his 
 attention to the production of flowers. He is a 
 member of the Rogers Park Floral Company, 
 with salesroom at No. 41 Wabash Avenue, Chi- 
 cago. His greenhouses cover a space of twenty- 
 five by one hundred twenty feet each, and num- 
 ber twenty-six, all devoted to the growth of roses 
 and carnations. His success is due to his con- 
 stant exercise of industry, combined with good 
 judgment and prudent care. 
 
 Mr. Wietor is numbered among the faithful 
 communicants of Saint Henry's Roman Catholic 
 
 Church, and he is a member of the Catholic Or- 
 der of Foresters. In politics he affiliates with the 
 Democratic party, but gives little attention to 
 practical politics, preferring the sure gains found 
 in careful attention to his own business to the emol- 
 uments and attendant worries of public service. 
 
 October 7, 1889, he was happily wedded to 
 Miss Maggie Evert, who was born in the same 
 locality as himself, and is a daughter of Franz 
 and Mary Evert, both of German birth. One 
 son, named George Wietor, has come to the home 
 of Mr. Wietor. As a result of the careful train- 
 ing the son is receiving, he may be reasonably 
 expected to follow in the footsteps of his father, 
 reflecting credit upon his parents, and upon his 
 native place. 
 
 CAPT. PETER N. HAGEN. 
 
 EAPT. PETER N. HAGEN, of Rogers Park, 
 is a native of Kragero, Norway, born in 
 1836, and is a son of Martin and Ellen Hagen, 
 natives of Norway, who died in their native land. 
 The boyhood of Peter N. Hagen was passed in 
 Kragero, a place somewhat noted for the high 
 character of its schools, where he received a prac- 
 tical education, and received papers showing his 
 efficiency. His father was a sea-faring man, and 
 at the early age of thirteen years young Peter was 
 placed before the mast. 
 
 His career as a sailor is an interesting one. He 
 has visited all of the Mediterranean countries, 
 Russia, and many other European parts. For 
 nine months he was aboard the Norwegian war 
 ship "Disaderia," while on her first trip, and 
 which proved to be her last. That was in 1854. 
 
 In 1856 he came to New York aboard one of his 
 country's merchant vessels. He then shipped on 
 American and other vessels, and later returned 
 to Norway. In 1863 he returned to America and 
 
 settled in Chicago. He followed the lakes for a 
 while, having secured a one-third interest in the 
 schooner Pilot, which he sailed as commanding 
 officer for six years. Leaving the lakes, he was 
 appointed a patrolman on the city police force 
 and served three and a-half years, proving him- 
 self a brave and efficient officer and securing the 
 confidence and esteem of his superiors on the 
 force. The Great Fire of 1871 occurred during the 
 time he was on the police force. 
 
 In 1 88 1 he went to Rogers Park to take charge 
 of the toll gate, which position he held five years, 
 until the abolition of the toll road. Subsequently 
 he received an appointment as policeman, being 
 the only night police in the place, which position 
 he creditably filled for two years, to the satisfac- 
 tion of the trustees and citizens. Since then he 
 has been employed in various ways, at the present 
 time being engaged in the oil and gasoline busi- 
 ness. 
 
 In Rogers Park he has a pleasant home, own-
 
 WILLIAM STEAD. 
 
 ing one acre of ground at Rogers Avenue and 
 Robey Street. He has been twice married, both 
 wives being now deceased. He has two children 
 living promising boys Richard and Harry. 
 Sadie, his only daughter, died late in December, 
 1893. 
 
 Captain Hagen is a member of the Independent 
 Order of Foresters, and in politics is a stanch Re- 
 
 publican. He is the eldest of eleven children born 
 to his parents, of whom ten are living, and all 
 reside in Chicago. 
 
 Captain Hagen is a well-preserved man, con- 
 sidering his years and the exposure he has expe- 
 rienced. He has a large acquaintance with the 
 old settlers of the city; as well as many men of 
 the representative and official classes. 
 
 WILLIAM STEAD. 
 
 fi>QlLLIAM STEAD, a wealthy farmer of 
 \ A I Niles Township, residing on section 34, 
 V V and having land in sections 34 and 35, is a 
 native of Yorkshire, England, born April 10, 
 1822. He is a son of John and Hannah (Grange) 
 Stead. John Stead died when William was but 
 seven years old, and his widow married again. 
 
 Not being satisfied with the treatment he re- 
 ceived from his step-father, William Stead re- 
 solved to leave home, and at the age of ten years 
 he ran away , becoming the master of his own for- 
 tunes, and beginning the battles of life for himself. 
 Although so young, he endured the hardships and 
 difficulties he encountered with patience that 
 would be considered remarkable in a much older 
 person. His opportunity for acquiring an educa- 
 tion was extremely limited, and he was able to 
 spend only a few months at school, which barel}' 
 enabled him to read and write. He found em- 
 ployment as a farm laborer, and so carefully saved 
 his earnings that he had accumulated sufficient 
 money to defray the expenses of his marriage, in 
 March, 1848, to Miss Ann Hannican, and to pay 
 their passage on a sailing-vessel to the United 
 States. 
 
 On their arrival in New York, in April of the 
 same year, he was entirely destitute of funds. He 
 worked on a steamboat to pay their passage to 
 Albany, where he was engaged to assist in driv- 
 
 ing on the Erie Canal, and such other work as 
 might be required of him, to pay their passage to 
 Buffalo, and when there he worked on a steam- 
 boat for their transportation to Chicago. They 
 reached Chicago in May, and Mr. Stead found 
 employment with a farmer named Sweney, of Jef- 
 ferson Township, for whom he worked six months. 
 He was afterward employed two years as a farm 
 hand by the late Leighton Turner, of the same 
 township. 
 
 Three years later Mr. Stead bought sixty acres 
 of land in sections 34-35, Niles Township, most 
 of which was covered with a heavy growth of 
 timber. His first residence was a small log shan- 
 ty, built without the use of nails or window glass. 
 In this primitive style he and his faithful wife be- 
 gan housekeeping, and immediately set to work 
 to clear the land and make for themselves a com- 
 fortable home, and thus laid the foundation of 
 their future success. By great perseverance and 
 industry the land was cleared and improved, and 
 it gradually developed into a beautiful and pro- 
 ductive farm, upon which Mr. Stead has success- 
 fully carried on agriculture ever since. One child 
 was born to them, but it died in infancy. In 1879 
 Mr. Stead met with an irreparable loss in the 
 death of his devoted wife, who had shared his re- 
 verses and successes through so many years of 
 ceaseless toil and anxiety.
 
 MICHAEL BECKER. 
 
 Mr. Stead has met with some severe financial 
 losses, but has never succumbed to misfortune. 
 When the Fidelity and State Savings Banks of 
 Chicago failed a few years since, he lost fifty- two 
 hundred dollars, and this destroyed his confidence 
 in banks, and he resolved to be his own banker. 
 December 20, 1880, about six o'clock in the even- 
 ing, his home was visited by five men, who beat 
 him into insensibility and robbed him of twenty- 
 four hundred dollars, leaving him for dead. He 
 ultimately recovered from these injuries, after a 
 surgeon had taken thirty-seven stitches in his 
 scalp, and set about the apprehension and con- 
 viction of his assailants. After spending five 
 
 hundred dollars in this effort he had the satisfac- 
 tion of seeing three of them sentenced to the peni- 
 tentiary, but was justly annoyed and grieved, as 
 were all good citizens cognizant of the facts, at 
 their release within a short time. 
 
 Mr. Stead is distinctively a self-made man, as 
 he has been self-supporting since the age of ten 
 years. He has passed a quiet, industrious, unas- 
 suming life, attending strictly to his own affairs, 
 and is numbered among the substantial and 
 wealthy members of the community. He has 
 been able to achieve success, but only through 
 untiring industry and judicious management of 
 his own affairs. 
 
 MICHAEL BECKER. 
 
 ICHAEL BECKER, son of a pioneer mar- 
 ket-gardener of Cook County, is now 
 engaged in the occupation to which he was 
 reared by his father. He was born March 8, 
 1862, near the spot where he now resides (corner 
 of Peterson Avenue and North Lincoln Street), 
 being the second child and eldest son of Lawrence 
 and Elizabeth (Seibert) Becker. 
 
 The parents were born, reared and married in 
 Germany. They set out to seek their fortune in 
 the New World soon after their marriage, and 
 came direct to Chicago. This was about 1858. 
 Having no fortune, Mr. Becker took up any labor 
 that was honorable, and was able, after a time, 
 to begin business on his own account, on rented 
 land. He continued from this time to grow veg- 
 etables for the city market, and was prospered so 
 that he soon purchased eleven acres of land, on 
 which his sons are still pursuing the calling in 
 which he earned his success. By their aid he car- 
 ried on the business until his death, which oc- 
 curred October 4, 1883, at the age of fifty-five 
 years. He was an industrious, honest man, and 
 
 succeeded in accumulating a nice property. 
 While he took an intelligent interest in the affairs 
 of his adopted country, he desired no part in the 
 management of even local affairs, but went on his 
 peaceful way, caring for his family and leaving 
 public concerns to more ambitious souls. He was 
 a consistent member of Saint Henry's Roman 
 Catholic Church, and his remains were interred 
 in the beautiful cemetery of the parish, near the 
 church where he was wont to worship. His good 
 and faithful wife still survives. To them were 
 born five children, namely: Katherine, now the 
 wife of Peter P. Krantz, an insurance agent re- 
 siding in Chicago; Michael, whose name heads 
 this article; Nicholas, deceased; Lawrence, a 
 gardener, who occupies the old family residence 
 and cultivates a part of the original estate; and a 
 second Nicholas, who died in childhood. 
 
 Michael Becker was early wont to assist in the 
 labors of his father, and had but little opportunity 
 to attend school, but he has become, through the 
 force of his own character and ability, recognized 
 as a leading citizen of the locality in which he
 
 NICHOLAS MILLER. 
 
 lives. From constant association with his busi- 
 ness he became master of all its details before he 
 reached manhood, and has followed in a creditable 
 manner the example of his father. His green- 
 houses cover an area of one hundred twenty by 
 one hundred twenty-five feet, and are devoted to 
 the growth of vegetables. His brother has about 
 the same amount of ground under glass for the 
 same purpose. 
 
 Mr. Becker is an enterprising citizen, who takes 
 
 a commendable interest in public affairs, and sup- 
 ports the men and measures of the Democratic 
 party. He is connected with Saint Henry's 
 Roman Catholic Church and with the Catholic 
 Order of Foresters. 
 
 March 3, 1886, he was married to Miss Eliza- 
 beth Katherine Arndt, who was born in this 
 county, of German parents. Their family in- 
 cludes three children, natned, in order of age, 
 Cecelia, Henry and Lawrence. 
 
 NICHOLAS MILLER. 
 
 IJjICHOLAS MILLER. Among the many 
 fy sturdy pioneers and excellent citizens that 
 I IS Germany has furnished to Cook County, Mr. 
 Miller is especially prominent and deserving of 
 honorable mention in this volume. He was born 
 February 2, 1821, near Trier, Rhine Province, 
 Germany, and came to America in 1846. After 
 spending three years in Cleveland, Ohio, he lo- 
 cated permanently in Cook County in 1849. He 
 purchased eighty acres of land in the town of 
 Ridgeville, now a part of the city of Chicago. It 
 was mostly timber land, and with the industry 
 characteristic of his countrymen, he began clear- 
 ing it up, selling the timber and making for him- 
 self a home and good farm. 
 
 After his land was cleared he devoted his ener- 
 gies to market-gardening, which he followed sev- 
 eral years with good success. Although he began 
 life in this country a comparatively poor man. and 
 with the disadvantage of having no knowledge of 
 the English language, he was eminently success- 
 ful, and became one of the wealth} 7 and substan- 
 tial men of his time. This came through his in- 
 dustry and good management, with the assistance 
 of his good wife. They are now living in retire- 
 ment in their pleasant home near Rosehill. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. Miller was married to Miss Anna 
 
 Gruenewald, who arrived in that year from Ger- 
 many. To this worthy couple were born ten 
 children, of whom eight grew to maturity, name- 
 ly: John, a gardener of Chicago; Joseph, of Perry 
 County, Illinois; Katherine, now deceased; Nich- 
 olas, a grocer of Rees Street, Chicago; Peter L., 
 of whom further mention is made in this sketch; 
 Henry, a gardener near Rosehill; Anna, wife of 
 John Meyer, a dry-goods merchant of Chicago; 
 and Mathias. 
 
 Mr. Miller gave his children the best educa- 
 tional advantages, and sufficient financial aid to 
 each to afford a good start in life, and has seen 
 them become good and useful citizens, a credit to 
 their training and the communities in which they 
 live. He takes an interest in all matters pertain- 
 ing to the public welfare, and his life has been 
 characterized by perseverance, honesty and good 
 will to all. In politics he is a Democrat, and in 
 religion a Roman Catholic, being affiliated with 
 Saint Henry's Church of High Ridge. 
 
 Peter L. Miller, the fifth child and fourth son of 
 Nicholas and Anna Miller, was born February 17, 
 1863, in the town of Ridgeville, Cook County. 
 He was reared to gardening, and liberally educa- 
 ted in the public schools. In 1888 he began bus- 
 iness for himself, and opened a grocery store at
 
 NICHOLAS KARTHAUSER. 
 
 Nos. 202 and 204 Foster Avenue, Chicago, his 
 present place of business. 1111893, to meet the 
 demands of his growing trade, he established a 
 meat market adjoining the grocery. He is always 
 courteous and pleasant, and his customers are 
 steadily increasing in number. His stock is care- 
 fully chosen to meet the wants of the community, 
 and is always full and complete. He follows the 
 political and religious tenets of his father, and is a 
 
 faithful communicant of Saint Matthew's Church 
 at Bowmanville. 
 
 August 6, 1889, he married Miss Anna Agnes 
 Mailman, a native of Chicago, daughter of Phil- 
 ip and Mary Mailman, the former a native of 
 Germany and the latter of Cook County, Illinois. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Miller have had three children. The 
 first died in infancy, and the living are named 
 Anthony and Mary. 
 
 NICHOLAS KARTHAUSER. 
 
 UJICHOLAS KARTHAUSER, son of John and 
 
 | / Mary Karthauser, was born December 10, 
 |/9 1860, in the Rhine Province of Prussia. The 
 father died there, but the mother is still living, in 
 Chicago, whither she came in 1877. The son, 
 whose name heads this notice, was reared to the 
 occupation of florist, and received a good educa- 
 tion in his native language. He was early left to 
 his own resources by the death of his father, and 
 left Germany before he reached the age of four- 
 teen years, to seek his fortune in the New World. 
 
 He landed at New York, March 23, 1874, and 
 came direct to Chicago. The first year after his 
 arrival was spent at Riverside, in the employ of 
 Charles Reisig, a florist of that place. Being 
 anxious to learn the English language, he decided 
 to go into the country, where he would be separ- 
 ated from his German friends, and have more 
 leisure and opportunity to study. For three years 
 he worked for a farmer in Jersey County, Illinois, 
 and utilized every opportunity for study, becom- 
 ing a proficient reader and writer of English. He 
 spent the next two years at Gladstone, Henderson 
 County, in the same State, working for a gar- 
 dener. 
 
 He now determined to make a start on his own 
 
 account, and went to Devil's Lake, North Dakota, 
 and took up a homestead claim of a quarter sec- 
 tion of land. Thence he proceeded to Belcourt 
 Mission > on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reserva- 
 tion, and remained four years, being employed in 
 farm labor during the summer and baking bread 
 for the Government school in the winter. Tiring 
 of life among the Indians, he secured a position as 
 gardener at an industrial school at Morris, Min- 
 nesota, conducted by Sisters of Mercy. After 
 spending two years there, he returned to Chicago 
 to settle down. 
 
 November 5, 1890, he was married to Miss 
 Mary Zender, a native of Rogers Park, a former 
 suburb of Chicago, now part of the city. Two 
 children have come to bless his home, namely: 
 Maria and Peter. Mrs. Karthauser's parents, 
 John and Mary (Schmidt) Zender, were born in 
 Germany, and came to the United States in 1840, 
 sailing on the same vessel. They were married 
 immediately after arriving in this country, and 
 set out to make a home for themselves. Though 
 poor and among strangers, they were industrious 
 and hopeful of the future. For five years they lived 
 in Chicago, and Mr. Zender tilled rented land. 
 
 In 1845 he bought twenty-eight acres of land
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 REV. B. J. SCHUETTE 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 REV. B. J. SCHUETTE. 
 
 on what is now Ridge Avenue (Rogers Park) , 
 Chicago. He.vigorously prosecuted farming and 
 gardening, and filled every day not thus occupied 
 by teaming, getting out timber, or any labor that 
 promised to enable him to better his condition. 
 By such industry, which never flagged, he accu- 
 mulated a handsome property. He died in 1876, 
 and his wife in 1892. Of the seven children born 
 to this worthy couple, but four are now living, 
 namely: Anna, widow of Henry Muno (see bi- 
 ography of Mr. Muuo in this volume); John, a 
 resident of Ridge Avenue; Mary, wife of Mr. 
 
 Karthauser; and Adam, a florist, located on Ridge 
 Avenue. 
 
 For a year after settling in Chicago, Mr. Kart- 
 hauser kept a flower store on North Avenue; and 
 then opened a cafe and pool room at No. 3543 
 Ridge Avenue, where he has continued since to 
 cater to the tastes of his neighbors. He is a 
 member of the Catholic Order of Foresters, and 
 North Shore Commandery of the Knights and 
 Ladies of Honor. He supports the Democratic 
 party in political matters, but is in no sense a pol- 
 itician or office-seeker. 
 
 REV. BERNARD J. SCHUETTE. 
 
 REV. BERNARD J. SCHUETTE, pastor of 
 Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Church of 
 Niles Center, was born August i, 1863, in 
 Everswinkel, Province of Westphalia, Germany, 
 and is the son of Conrad and Gertrude Schuette, 
 natives of the same place. He received his early 
 education in the parochial schools of his native 
 village, and at the age of fourteen years entered 
 the gymnasium of Warendorf, remaining there 
 five years, studying the classics. At the end of 
 that time he came to the United States, and after 
 paying a brief visit at Quincy, Illinois, he went 
 to Saint Francis Seminary at Milwaukee, where 
 he took a three-years course in philosophy and 
 theology. He then attended American College, 
 at Louvain, Belgium, two years, and was or- 
 dained there in June, 1887. In September of 
 that year he returned to America and became an 
 assistant at Wilmette, Illinois, one year, and 
 then went to Saint Mary's Church at Sublette, 
 Lee County, in this State, of which church he 
 had charge three years and a-half. He came to 
 
 Niles Center in 1892, and has since had charge 
 of Saint Peter's Church, which was founded in 
 1868. Under his pastorate the church has had a 
 steady, healthy growth and now has a member- 
 ship of about one hundred and forty families. 
 
 Father Schuette is loved by his congregation, 
 and by all the citizens of the place is respected 
 as a pleasant and genial gentleman, who is a 
 benefactor of the community. He is well edu- 
 cated, and is still a close student. 
 
 In 1894 and 1895 he built the present beautiful 
 church edifice, which has a seating capacity of 
 about eight hundred. He has had to enlarge 
 the school building, in which are now three 
 school rooms, with an average attendance of one 
 hundred and fifty scholars, in charge of three sis- 
 ters. The church property, consisting of six 
 acres, was donated by the late Peter Blameuser, 
 and the first building was a frame structure forty 
 by sixty feet. 
 
 The first pastor was Rev. J. J. Reinecke, who 
 remained three years, coming in 1869. He died
 
 520 
 
 CAPT. MARTIN HAUSLER. 
 
 in Kankakee some years ago. In 1872 came 
 Rev. A. J. Thiele, at present pastor of Aloysius 
 Church of Chicago. After him came his brother, 
 Rev. D. Thiele, in 1880. At present he is pastor 
 of Saint Francis' Church, Chicago. In 1882 Rev. 
 
 W. J. Revis took charge of the church, was fol- 
 lowed in 1883 by Rev. Clement Duerr, who re- 
 mained until 1892. The new church is one hun- 
 dred and thirty-two by fifty-three feet in dimen- 
 sions, and cost about twenty-six thousand dollars. 
 
 CAPT. MARTIN HAUSLER. 
 
 EAPT. MARTIN HAUSLER was born 
 in Aschersleben, Saxony (now Prussia), 
 Germany, December 25, 1848, and is a son 
 of Gottfried Hausler and Mary Schuster. The 
 father was the first of the family to seek the 
 larger life that America offered the workingman, 
 and came to this country in 1852. He found 
 work in Chicago, and the following spring was 
 joined by his wife and their five children, namely 
 Albertina (Mrs. Philip Ehrenfelts), Emily (Mrs. 
 Henry Neuenberger) , Louis, Charles (deceased) 
 and Martin. The father never became wealthy, 
 but was an honest, hard-working man, and cared 
 well for his family. He kept house in the winter 
 of 1852-53 at the northwest corner of Lake and 
 Clark Streets, and in the spring moved to Mil- 
 waukee Avenue. Later on he moved to Indiana 
 Street, and again to a cottage on the north fork 
 of the Chicago River, located near where Feather- 
 stone's machine shops now stand, west of Halsted 
 Street. He became a landowner, paying eight 
 dollars an acre for one hundred and twenty acres 
 of good farm land a mile south of the present site 
 of Riverdale. Here he engaged in farming for a 
 time, then sold and bought twenty acres on the 
 Calumet River, and removed to South Chicago 
 in the winter of 1861-62, and settled on section 7, 
 which was purchased of Stephen A. Thurston. 
 Mr. Hausler built a house that still stands at the 
 corner of Commercial Avenue and One Hun- 
 dredth Street. In 1870 the canal company desired 
 this property and secured it in exchange for two 
 lots on Harbor Avenue, and twenty-five hundred 
 dollars in cash. This property was presently ex- 
 
 changed for other Harbor Avenue property, near 
 Mackinaw Avenue, which is still in the family. 
 
 Martin Hausler is a veteran lake captain, and 
 is familiar with all the lakes excepting Superior. 
 He began life as a sailor when quite young, and 
 has had a long and honorable business career. 
 He received his license as a captain in 1877, and 
 the first boat he commanded was the tug " Two 
 Brothers, ' ' now owned by the Star Construction 
 Company. It was also the first boat owned by 
 the Hausler Brothers. They built the tug "Holli- 
 day" in 1881; the "William Raller," now owned 
 by McGillis & Co., in '1882; the "C. W. El- 
 phicke in 1889; the "M. G. Hausler" in 1893, 
 and the "T. C. Lutz," the largest tug on the 
 Calumet, in 1895. All these tugs were built by 
 Captain Hausler and his associates in business. 
 
 The firm of Hausler Brothers continued until 
 1890, when the subject of this sketch became the 
 sole proprietor. In January, 1893, he sold a half- 
 interest in the towing business to J. S. Dunham, 
 and the firm became the Hausler & Dunham 
 Towing and Wrecking Company. The following 
 year he sold a part of his pile-driver business to 
 T. C. Lutz, and the next }'ear Mr. Dunham 
 bought of him one-quarter of the pile-driver busi- 
 ness. Mr. Dunham sold a part of his holding to 
 Mr. Lutz, and the firm became the Hausler & 
 Lutz Towing and Dock Company. This firm 
 was regularly incorporated in 1896, and is pre- 
 pared to do a general towing and pile-driving 
 business. The business has taken on large pro- 
 portions and ranks high among all similar con- 
 cerns around the lakes. Captain Hausler has
 
 JOHN ZENDER. 
 
 521 
 
 retired from active labor, but occasionally takes 
 out a boat in rush times. 
 
 When the Hauslers first came to South Chi- 
 cago, fishing and trapping were about the only 
 paying industries established along the Calumet, 
 and with characteristic enterprise the subject of 
 this sketch was among the leading fishermen of 
 the south shore. The Hausler Brothers conduct- 
 ed for many years the most extensive fishing 
 establishment along the lake, and many of the 
 most important catches are recorded on their 
 books, from which are taken the following fig- 
 ures: The spring catch of white fish for 1873 was 
 64,223 pounds; for 1874 it was 62,933 pounds; 
 for 1875, 45,600 pounds; for 1876, 65,480 pounds; 
 and for 1877, 89,830 pounds. The sturgeon 
 catch usually exceeded the white fish by a few 
 thousand pounds. The spring catch of herring 
 for 1873 was 64,904 pounds; for 1874, 49,871 
 pounds; for 1875 it was 37,471 pounds; for 1876, 
 45,752 pounds, and for 1877 it reached 55,549 
 pounds. It was a hard life, fraught with much 
 care and anxiety, and attended by uncertain prof- 
 its, and in 1890 the Hausler Brothers retired from 
 all connection with or interest in it. In the six- 
 ties game of all kind was abundant on the Calu- 
 met. Ducks and deer were plentiful, and -the 
 muskrat, mink and raccoon richly rewarded the 
 trappers' skill and persistence. The Hauslers 
 had as many as eight dozen traps set about at one 
 time, and in addition shot large numbers of rats, 
 using a shot gun for that purpose. Captain 
 Hausler in one day shot one hundred and four, 
 and his brother ninety -six. In ten days these 
 
 two young men shot rats enough to bring them 
 in three hundred and twenty-seven dollars, at 
 twenty-seven and a-half cents each. They had a 
 dog who would frequently catch more rats than 
 the boys could shoot. He would also catch ducks 
 and kill them by breaking their necks. The 
 hunting on the Calumet gradually died away, and 
 in 1885 came to an end. 
 
 Captain Hausler was married January 14, 1872, 
 to Miss Augusta Eggers, and they are the parents 
 of an interesting family of children. They are: 
 Fredrika, Mary, Martin, Henry, William, Au- 
 gusta (deceased), Charles, Frederick and Ernest 
 (twins), and Albertina. Captain Hausler is the 
 only survivor of the original members of the . 
 Evangelical Lutheran Emanuel Church of South 
 Chicago, and is a stanch Republican. He has 
 taken an active part in all matters that look to 
 public improvement, and served for seven years 
 on the South Chicago School Board. 
 
 Gottfried Hausler, the father of Captain Haus- 
 ler, was born in Germany in 1806, and died in 
 Chicago December 13, 1893. He was a cloth 
 weaver by trade, but never engaged in that occu- 
 pation in this country. His father was a weaver 
 and bought and sold wool, beet seed, blankets, 
 and kindred commodities. He was delivering a 
 consignment of blankets to the German army, 
 when both he and Gottfried were captured by the 
 Russians, and held for some time as prisoners. 
 The maternal grandfather of Captain Hausler 
 was a prosperous German farmer and miller. His 
 name was Christopher Schuster, and he was a 
 prominent character in his community. 
 
 JOHN ZENDER. 
 
 (JOHN ZENDER. John and Mary (Schmidt) 
 
 I Zender were natives of Germany, and came 
 
 Q) to the United States on the same vessel, in 
 
 1840, and were soon married after their arrival in 
 
 Chicago. They began life with no capital, save 
 
 strong hands and willing, hopeful hearts. For 
 five years they resided in Chicago, carrying on 
 agriculture on rented land, and in 1845 bought 
 twenty, acres on what is now Ridge Avenue 
 (then called the Ridge Road), which they imme-
 
 522 
 
 NICHOLAS REIS. 
 
 diately began to clear and improve. The timber 
 found a ready market in Chicago, and Mr. Zender 
 was very busy in teaming, fanning and garden- 
 ing. By that indefatigable industry and thrift 
 which are characteristic of the German people, he 
 was successful in accumulating a handsome prop- 
 erty, and left, beside, to his family the priceless 
 heritage of a good name. He died in 1876, being 
 survived many years by his widow, who passed 
 away in 1892. They were honest and valuable 
 citizens and faithful members of the Roman 
 
 Catholic Church. Of the seven children born to 
 this worthy couple, only four are now living, 
 namely: Anna, widow of Henry Muno (whose 
 biography appears in this work) ; John, a resi- 
 dent on Ridge Avenue, Chicago; Mary, wife of 
 Nicholas Karthauser (see sketch in this volume) ; 
 and Adam, a florist of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Zender celebrated their silver 
 wedding in May, 1867, and on the same day the 
 parents of Mrs. Zender, Peter and Mary Schmidt, 
 celebrated their golden wedding. 
 
 NICHOLAS REIS. 
 
 REIS, who was known to many 
 of the early settlers of the South Side in 
 Chicago as "Honest Nic," was a native of 
 the city, born March 14, 1842, on the present 
 site of the Palmer House, State and Monroe 
 Streets. He died at his home on Indiana Ave- 
 nue, in his native city, December 30, 1896, in the 
 fifty-fifth year of his age. 
 
 Peter Reis, father of the subject of this notice, 
 was born May 18, 1815, in Uhrexweihler, Saxe- 
 Coburg, Germany, and was a son of John Peter 
 Reis, a chorister of that place. In 1837 the 
 last-named came to Chicago, with his family, 
 which consisted of his wife, Barbara, and nine 
 children, namely: Margaret, Peter, Nicholas, 
 Barbara, John, Ellen, Jacob, Mary and John 
 Peter. The first home of the family was on 
 Adams Street, near the present post-office site. 
 
 For ten years Peter Reis was associated with 
 his brother Nicholas in delivering water with a 
 horse and wagon, which they sold by the barrel 
 to the citizens of the town. Of course, this was 
 before any system of water service was adopted 
 
 by the city, and the fact is illustrative of the 
 primitive conditions which obtained for ten years 
 following 1837. On the decadence of this busi- 
 ness, through the public improvements inaugu- 
 rated by the young city, Peter Reis opened a 
 grocery store on La Salle Street, near Randolph. 
 He also kept boarders, and finally abandoned 
 the grocery and devoted himself to the business 
 of hotel-keeping. The demands of business in 
 the center of the city made his ground valuable, 
 and he sold out and moved to No. 403 State 
 Street. About 1850, for six hundred dollars, he 
 purchased two lots at this location, on which he 
 erected a hotel, in which he lived and did business 
 until his death, March 2, 1870. His wife, Eliza- 
 beth (Baumgarten) Reis, survives him, and still 
 resides on this homestead, where she has lived 
 since 1852. She is a native of Pitlingen, Lorraine 
 (now a province of Germany), and a daughter of 
 Moritz Baumgarten, who came to Chicago, with 
 his family, in 1836. He was well known among 
 the pioneers, and followed teaming all his life in 
 this city. All the children of Mr. and Mrs. Reis
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 JOHN ECKERT
 
 JOHN ECKERT. 
 
 523 
 
 Margaret, Nicholas, Magdalena, Barbara, 
 Katharine, Elizabeth and Caroline married and 
 reared children. Of these, only three are now 
 living, namely: Mesdames Barbara Sinclair, 
 Elizabeth Lauer and Caroline Martzel. 
 
 Nicholas Reis, whose name heads this notice, 
 was educated in a German Catholic school of 
 Chicago, and learned the tinsmith's trade, which 
 he followed with such success that he was able to 
 purchase his father's business when the latter 
 was ready to retire. This he continued until his 
 death, and he was known to the law-abiding citi- 
 zens of Chicago as "Honest Nic," a title which 
 he won by his integrity and regard for the welfare 
 
 of society. He was the friend of rich and poor. 
 He served as a soldier in defense of the Union, and 
 was esteemed by a wide circle of acquaintances 
 for his open, manly character. 
 
 He was married May 17, 1868, to Miss Ellen 
 Murphy, a daughter of Michael and Ann 
 (McComb) Murphy. She was born August 30, 
 1848, in Albion, New York, where her father was 
 for a time engaged in business. He was later a 
 clothing merchant in Detroit, Michigan, where 
 he died. He was a native of Cork, Ireland, and 
 a nephew of Bishop Murphy of that city. L,ike 
 all their near relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Reis were 
 faithful members of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 JOHN ECKERT. 
 
 (JOHN ECKERT, now living in retirement 
 I from the active cares of life, is an early set- 
 Q) tier of Chicago. He was born April 19, 1830, in 
 Kreis Mainz, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and was 
 educated there. He was reared upon a farm and 
 was early accustomed to the duties and labors of 
 rural life, and continued in that capacity until he 
 came to the United States in 1857. He arrived 
 in New York in August of that year, and re- 
 mained a few months in that city. 
 He then came to Chicago, whence he proceeded 
 to Galesburg, Illinois, and remained there until 
 March 15 of the year 1858. He then returned to 
 Chicago and bought twenty-two and one-half 
 acres of land where he now lives. In 1865 he 
 engaged in market-gardening and continued until 
 1891, when he sold all of his land except the por- 
 tion occupied by his residence, and since then has 
 not been engaged in active business. He takes 
 
 an interest in what is going on around him and is 
 a patriotic son of the country in which he has 
 been so blessed. He is independent in political 
 matters, being ruled by his own considerations as 
 to the fitness of candidates. 
 
 In 1859, in Chicago, he was married to Anna 
 Kneib, a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, 
 who was born in 1836. Two children were born 
 of this union, namely: Michael and Mary. The 
 former resides at No. 1635 North Clark Street, 
 and the latter is the widow of Dr. Mathias L,inster, 
 who died October i, 1896. Mrs. Anna Eckert 
 died August 18, 1893, and on the I2th of April 
 following Mr. Eckert married Magdalena Thart, 
 daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Thart, who 
 came to the United States in 1886. The 'family 
 is identified with Saint Henry's Roman Catholic 
 Church. Mr. Eckert visited the Fatherland in 
 1874, in 1877, and again in 1890.
 
 524 
 
 PHILIP ROGERS. 
 
 PHILIP ROGERS, 
 
 ROGERS, deceased, was one of the 
 L/ prominent pioneers of Cook County. He 
 1^) was born August 15, 1812, in Dublin, Ire- 
 land, and came to the United States in childhood, 
 with his parents, James and Catherine (Mc- 
 Gregor) Rogers, of Scotch-Irish origin. They 
 located at Watertown, Jefferson County, New 
 York, where Philip grew to manhood and re- 
 ceived his education. Under the instruction of 
 an elder brother, who was a college graduate, he 
 acquired considerable proficiency in civil engin- 
 eering. He was deeply interested in the study 
 of geology, and before coming West had made an 
 extensive examination into the formations of the 
 earth strata of the United States, and was em- 
 ployed for some time as assayist by an iron ore 
 firm. He soon decided to locate in Illinois, and 
 started in 1835, in company with his brother, 
 Milton Rogers, the founder of Saint Joseph, Mis- 
 souri. The latter was not pleased with the pros- 
 pects of the West and returned to New York, 
 only to repair to the far West again. The sub- 
 ject of this sketch was not dismayed by the 
 hardships which the pioneers were compelled to 
 endure, and went to work at ditching, splitting 
 rails, and any labor that seemed to be demanded 
 in this region. He staked out a claim in Lake 
 View Township, which included a judicious pro- 
 portion of timber and prairie, and subsequently 
 purchased land from time to time, chiefly from 
 the Government, until his landed estate comprised 
 sixteen hundred acres. Much of this he improved, 
 and his farming operations became quite exten- 
 sive, being conducted under his own supervision. 
 In 1841 he married Mrs. Mary Ward Hickey, 
 
 widow of James Fox Hickey, and daughter of 
 Thomas Breen Masterson, Esq., of Mishal, 
 County Carlow, Ireland. Thomas Breeu Mas- 
 terson was a native of Mishal, descended from 
 the Breens of Bally Breen, County Wicklow, Ire- 
 land. He was born May 4, 1781, and died in 
 1814. Mrs. Rogers was born July 15, 1802, in 
 Blossom Terrace, London, England, and was 
 married to James Fox Hickey, in Saint Paul's 
 Cathedral in that city, October 12, 1829. They 
 took ship at Gravesend May 23, 1831, on a sail- 
 vessel, bound for the shores of the New World. 
 After a prolonged journey, caused by storms and 
 adverse winds, they arrived in New York July 4 
 glorious Independence day. Those were the 
 days when the great anniversary was properly 
 commemorated by the veterans of the Revolution 
 and their patriotic children, and woe to the rash 
 "Britisher" who would point a finger of scorn 
 at the thirteen stars and stripes as they floated 
 triumphantly over all that hot July day, sixty-six 
 years ago. 
 
 In her widowhood Mrs. Hickey was left child- 
 less, and with considerable property at the present 
 site of the Sunnyside Hotel. With her second 
 husband, Philip Rogers, she began life in true 
 pioneer style, and two children came to bless their 
 western home. The youngest of these, Philip 
 M., died a year after attaining his majority. The 
 other, Catherine, is now Mrs. P. L. Touhy, of 
 Rogers Park. 
 
 Mr. Rogers was a Jacksonian Democrat, and 
 took a keen interest in the success of his party, as 
 well as in all measures that seemed to him calcu- 
 lated to promote the general welfare. He was
 
 FREDERICK SULZER. 
 
 525 
 
 very enterprising and public-spirited, and was 
 respected by all with whom he came in contact. 
 He lived at peace with the Indians, who were 
 numerous about him in the early days, as well as 
 with all others, and always counseled harmony 
 among the settlers. He spoke and wrote the 
 German language with ease, and assisted in 
 bringing many Germans to settle about him, and 
 aided the early settlers in many ways. 
 
 He was a deep reader, of broad and liberal 
 views. In religious opinion he most nearly coin- 
 cided with the Roman Catholic Church. He 
 held the office of assessor in the town of Evans- 
 ton for twelve years, or from the time of its 
 organization to his death. Physically he was 
 large and powerful, and was noted for his great 
 good humor. He died of congestion of the brain 
 December 13, 1856, after a short but very active 
 and useful life. 
 
 The memory of Mr. Rogers will always be 
 revered by his grandchildren, though none of 
 them bear his name. His daughter Catherine, 
 
 educated in Saint Agatha's Academy of Chicago, 
 married P. L. Touhy in 1865. They have had 
 ten children, as follows: Mabel, Edniond Rogers, 
 Stephen Rogers, Catherine, Joseph G., John 
 Rogers, Alice B., Grace A., and two who died, 
 unnamed, in infancy. The second, who was a 
 graduate of the Chicago Law Institute, class of 
 1891, died January 9, 1894, and the sixth died at 
 the age of four years. All of the living are pos- 
 sessed of exceptional talents and are enjoying 
 excellent educational advantages. 
 
 Mrs. Rogers died in 1890, sincerely mourned by 
 a large number of persons. She was a member of 
 the Humane Association in London from its origin. 
 After the death of her second husband she managed 
 the estate, with the assistance of her son-in-law. 
 The name was given to the former suburb of 
 Rogers Park in honor of Mr. Rogers, its founder. 
 At present the estate is being managed by Mrs. 
 Catherine C. Touhy and his son, S. Rogers 
 Touhy, a practical and efficient real-estate man- 
 ager. 
 
 FREDERICK SULZER. 
 
 f~ REDERICK SULZER, whose death occurred 
 ry at his home in Ravenswood, February 6, 
 | 1892, belonged to one of the pioneer families 
 of Cook County. He was born in Watertown, 
 Jefferson County, New York, March 5, 1836. In 
 June of the same year his parents, Conrad and 
 Christina Sulzer, emigrated from the State of New 
 York to Chicago. The great city was then but a 
 village on the lake shore, of a few hundred inhab- 
 itants, and gave no promise of the wonderful 
 growth to which it has since attained. 
 
 In 1837 the family removed to what was sub- 
 sequently Lake View Township, where Mr. Con- 
 
 rad Sulzer purchased a farm, which is now includ- 
 ed in the city, formerly the suburb of Ravenswood. 
 Forty acres of the original plat of one hundred 
 ninety -four acres, which was laid out by the Ra- 
 venswood Land Company, was purchased from 
 Mr. Sulzer in 1868. Mr. Conrad Sulzer and fam- 
 ily were probably the first settlers on the site of 
 Ravenswood. 
 
 He engaged in farming and stock-raising, and 
 was prominently connected with the growth and 
 development of this part of Cook County. He was 
 assessor of the town of Lake View in 1857, and 
 the first to hold that office after the organization of
 
 524 
 
 PHILIP ROGERS. 
 
 PHILIP ROGERS. 
 
 ROGERS, deceased, was one of the 
 L7 prominent pioneers of Cook County. He 
 jsJ> was born August 15, 1812, in Dublin, Ire- 
 land, and came to the United States in childhood, 
 with his parents, James and Catherine (Mc- 
 Gregor) Rogers, of Scotch-Irish origin. They 
 located at Watertown, Jefferson County, New 
 York, where Philip grew to manhood and re- 
 ceived his education. Under the instruction of 
 an elder brother, who was a college graduate, he 
 acquired considerable proficiency in civil engin- 
 eering. He was deeply interested in the study 
 of geology, and before coming West had made an 
 extensive examination into the formations of the 
 earth strata of the United States, and was em- 
 ployed for some time as assayist by an iron ore 
 firm. He soon decided to locate in Illinois, and 
 started in 1835, in company with his brother, 
 Milton Rogers, the founder of Saint Joseph, Mis- 
 souri. The latter was not pleased with the pros- 
 pects of the West and returned to New York, 
 only to repair to the far West again. The sub- 
 ject of this sketch was not dismayed by the 
 hardships which the pioneers were compelled to 
 endure, and went to work at ditching, splitting 
 rails, and any labor that seemed to be demanded 
 in this region. He staked out a claim in Lake 
 View Township, which included a judicious pro- 
 portion of timbtr and prairie, and subsequently 
 purchased land from time to time, chiefly from 
 the Government, until his landed estate comprised 
 sixteen hundred acres. Much of this he improved, 
 and his farming operations became quite exten- 
 sive, being conducted under his own supervision. 
 In 1841 he married Mrs. Mary Ward Hickey, 
 
 widow of James Fox Hickey, and daughter of 
 Thomas Breen Masterson, Esq., of Mishal, 
 County Carlow, Ireland. Thomas Breeu Mas- 
 terson was a native of Mishal, descended from 
 the Breens of Bally Breen, County Wicklow, Ire- 
 land. He was born May 4, 1781, and died in 
 1814. Mrs. Rogers was born July 15, 1802, in 
 Blossom Terrace, London, England, and was 
 married to James Fox Hickey, in Saint Paul's 
 Cathedral in that city, October 12, 1829. The}' 
 took ship at Gravesend May 23, 1831, on a sail- 
 vessel, bound for the shores of the New World. 
 After a prolonged journey, caused by storms and 
 adverse winds, they arrived in New York July 4 
 glorious Independence day. Those were the 
 days when the great anniversary was properly 
 commemorated by the veterans of the Revolution 
 and their patriotic children, and woe to the rash 
 "Britisher" who would point a finger of scorn 
 at the thirteen stars and stripes as they floated 
 triumphantly over all that hot July day, sixty-six 
 years ago. 
 
 In her widowhood Mrs. Hickey was left child- 
 less, and with considerable property at the present 
 site of the Sunnyside Hotel. With her second 
 husband, Philip Rogers, she began life in true 
 pioneer style, and two children came to bless their 
 western home. The youngest of these, Philip 
 M., died a 3 r ear after attaining his majority. The 
 other, Catherine, is now Mrs. P. L. Touhy, of 
 Rogers Park. 
 
 Mr. Rogers was a Jacksonian Democrat, and 
 took a keen interest in the success of his party, as 
 well as in all measures that seemed to him calcu- 
 lated to promote the general welfare. He was
 
 FREDERICK SULZER. 
 
 525 
 
 very enterprising and public-spirited, and was 
 respected by all with whom he came in contact. 
 He lived at peace with the Indians, who were 
 numerous about him in the early days, as well as 
 with all others, and always counseled harmony 
 among the settlers. He spoke and wrote the 
 German language with ease, and assisted in 
 bringing many Germans to settle about him, and 
 aided the early settlers in many ways. 
 
 He was a deep reader, of broad and liberal 
 views. In religious opinion he most nearly coin- 
 cided with the Roman Catholic Church. He 
 held the office of assessor in the town of Evans- 
 ton for twelve years, or from the time of its 
 organization to his death. Physically he was 
 large and powerful, and was noted for his great 
 good humor. He died of congestion of the brain 
 December 13, 1856, after a short but very active 
 and useful life. 
 
 The memory of Mr. Rogers will always be 
 revered by his grandchildren, though none of 
 them bear his name. His daughter Catherine, 
 
 educated in Saint Agatha's Academy of Chicago, 
 married P. L. Touhy in 1865. They have had 
 ten children, as follows: Mabel, Edtnond Rogers, 
 Stephen Rogers, Catherine, Joseph G., John 
 Rogers, Alice B., Grace A., and two who died, 
 unnamed, in infancy. The second, who was a 
 graduate of the Chicago Law Institute, class of 
 1891, died January 9, 1894, and the sixth died at 
 the age of four years. All of the living are pos- 
 sessed of exceptional talents and are enjoying 
 excellent educational advantages. 
 
 Mrs. Rogers died in 1890, sincerely mourned by 
 a large number of persons. She was a member of 
 the Humane Association in London from its origin. 
 After the death of her second husband she managed 
 the estate, with the assistance of her son-in-law. 
 The name was given to the former suburb of 
 Rogers Park in honor of Mr. Rogers, its founder. 
 At present the estate is being managed by Mrs. 
 Catherine C. Touhy and his son, S. Rogers 
 Touhy, a practical and efficient real-estate man- 
 ager. 
 
 FREDERICK SULZER. 
 
 j~ REDBRICK SULZER, whose death occurred 
 fy at his home in Ravenswood, February 6, 
 I 1892, belonged to one of the pioneer families 
 of Cook County. He was born in Watertown, 
 Jefferson County, New York, March 5, 1836. In 
 June of the same year his parents, Conrad and 
 Christina Sulzer, emigrated from the State of New 
 York to Chicago. The great city was then but a 
 village on the lake shore, of a few hundred inhab- 
 itants, and gave no promise of the wonderful 
 growth to which it has since attained. 
 
 In 1837 the family removed to what was sub- 
 sequently Lake View Township, where Mr. Con- 
 
 rad Sulzer purchased a farm, which is now includ- 
 ed in the city, formerly the suburb of Ravenswood. 
 Forty acres of the original plat of one hundred 
 ninety-four acres, which was laid out by the Ra- 
 venswood Land Company, was purchased from 
 Mr. Sulzer in 1868. Mr. Conrad Sulzer and fam- 
 ily were probably the first settlers on the site of 
 Ravenswood. 
 
 He engaged in farming and stock-raising, and 
 was prominently connected with the growth and 
 development of this part of Cook County. He was 
 assessor of the town of Lake View in 1857, and 
 the first to hold that office after the organization of
 
 526 
 
 REV. A. P. LONERGAN. 
 
 the township. He was deeply interested in edu- 
 cational progress and whatever tended to promote 
 the moral and material interests of the community. 
 His death occurred in 1873. The wife and 
 mother survived her husband a number of years. 
 
 Frederick Sulzer was but an infant when the 
 family came to Cook County. He lived at home 
 on the farm with his parents until 1857, when he 
 went to Rochester, New York, to learn the nursery 
 business, returning in the fall of 1859. There he 
 acquired a thorough knowledge of that industry, 
 and in the spring of 1860 began the planting of a 
 nursery. He was successfully engaged as nurs- 
 eryman and florist for many years. The former 
 he discontinued some time previous to his death, 
 but continued as florist until about two years pre- 
 vious to that event. 
 
 February 2, 1870, Mr. Frederick Sulzer was 
 married to Miss Anna M. Buether, of Chicago. 
 Mrs. Sulzer is a daughter of Glaus and Rebecca 
 Buether, natives of Hanover, Germany, but early 
 settlers of Chicago. Her father is deceased, but 
 
 the mother is still living. Mrs. Sulzer is one of a 
 family of two sons and one daughter. The chil- 
 dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Sulzer are: Julia R., 
 Angelina M., Harriet L., Albert F. and Grace E. 
 At the time of his death Mr. Sulzer was, doubt- 
 less, the oldest settler of the town of Lake View. 
 He held various official positions, including that 
 of town clerk, to which he was elected in 1867. 
 He was elected highway commissioner in 1868, 
 and supervisor and treasurer in 1875. He was 
 especially interested in the growth and efficiency 
 of the schools, acting as school director for many 
 years. Several of his children are now engaged 
 in educational work, in connection with the 
 schools of Ravenswood. He was long a represen- 
 tative citizen, and highly esteemed by all who 
 knew him. His family resides in a beautiful 
 home, No. 1306 Perry 'Street, where the husband 
 and father passed away after a brief illness. Mr. 
 Sulzer resided on the land which his father pur- 
 chased in 1837 for the long period of fifty-five 
 years. 
 
 REV. ARTHUR P. LONERGAN. 
 
 REV. ARTHUR PATRICK LONERGAN, 
 pastor of St. Jerome's Church in Rogers 
 Park, was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, 
 and is the son of Edmond and Anne M. Loner- 
 gan. He received his classical education at Saint 
 Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, and his theological 
 education at Saint Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. 
 He was ordained deacon in the cathedral, Balti- 
 more, December 23, 1882, and was promoted to 
 the priesthood by the Most Reverend Archbishop 
 Feehan, December 29, 1882. He was then ap- 
 pointed assistant to the Reverend Father Roles, at 
 
 Saint Mary's Church, Wabash Avenue and Eld- 
 redge Court, Chicago. Later he served as as- 
 sistant to the Very Reverend Doctor Butler, at 
 Saint John's Church, on the corner of Eighteenth 
 and Clark Streets, in the same city. From Saint 
 John's Church he went to Amboy, Illinois, where 
 he labored as pastor for four years, when he was 
 called to this city to assume charge of the newly 
 organized parish of Saint Jerome, May 10, 1895. 
 Under his able guidance the parish has been thor- 
 oughly organized and is now in a most prosper- 
 ous condition.
 
 O. D. RANNEY. 
 
 527 
 
 ORRIN D. RANNEY. 
 
 IRRIN DATUS RANNEY was born at East 
 Granville (on Holden Hill), Massachusetts, 
 March 6, 1812, unto Orrin and Betsy Ran- 
 ney, ( nee Gibbons. ) He had one brother and three 
 sisters, all of good attainments. The brother, 
 Timothy Pickering Rauney (now deceased), was 
 long a prominent laywer at Newark, New Jersey. 
 His sisters, Nancy Deborah and Sarah Sheppard 
 Ranney, were both graduates of Mount Holyoke 
 Seminary, Massachusetts. The former (now de- 
 parted) for many years had a private ladies' 
 seminary at Elizabeth, New Jersey. Sarah mar- 
 ried Mr. J. Austin Scott, a capitalist, of Toledo, 
 Ohio. Sarah Sheppard Ranney Scott and hus- 
 band are now both dead. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, on account of ill 
 health was obliged to forego youthful aspirations 
 for becoming a clergyman. After finishing his 
 common school education, at the age of fourteen 
 years, he began clerking in Westfield, Massachu- 
 setts. Upon his marriage, at the age of twenty- 
 one, he began to conduct his own store at Lee, 
 Massachusetts, whence he removed to Adrian, 
 Michigan. Thence he went to Maumee City, 
 Ohio, where he remained for a period of about 
 ten years; thence to Toledo, Ohio. In all of 
 these places he continued, with varying fortunes, 
 in the mercantile business. 
 
 Removing from Toledo, Ohio, he came to the 
 final destination of his earthly life, arriving in 
 Chicago in 1856. He went directly into the pro- 
 vision commission business, on South Water 
 Street, where he was long associated with the 
 still surviving veteran Sherman Hall. Later he 
 was for some years a member of the Board of 
 Trade, in which we need not add he was deeply 
 interested, and at whose marvelous growth he was, 
 with his compeers of earlier days, obliged to mar- 
 vel greatly. 
 
 In May, 1872, he became attached to the force 
 
 of the First National Bank, serving that corpora- 
 tion most faithfully in the capacity of Manager ol 
 the Safety Deposit Vaults, for upwards of a score 
 of years, unto the very time of his death, March 
 4, 1894. 
 
 By political faith, he was a staunch Republi- 
 can, following the progressive career of that su- 
 premely American party in every election with 
 his unvarying support at the ballot box. The 
 uplifting force of his long and good life is found 
 in the Presbyterian dogma, to which he sub- 
 scribed by actions which "speak louder than 
 words. ' ' At the time of his coming to our city, 
 he identified himself with the First Presbyterian 
 Church,, in which he was ever honorably promi- 
 nent, acting as an Elder for long years, up to 
 within about two years of the time of his decease. 
 He was also warmly interested in the welfare of 
 the Foster Mission, a time-honored school of that 
 denomination. The Rev. Herrick Johnson offici- 
 ated at his funeral, and he was laid at rest in 
 Albion, Michigan. 
 
 Our departed friend belonged to no clubs, he 
 was no society man; he belonged to his home; he 
 was a man for the fireside and his tried, true 
 friends. Said one of those high in position, with 
 whom business associations for a lengthy period 
 had brought the subject of this sketch into close 
 relations of importance, ' ' I would as soon have 
 thought of our bank suddenly becoming bankrupt 
 for some inexplicable reason, as to know that 
 anything had gone wrong with our Deposit De- 
 partment while it was under Mr. Ranney's super- 
 vision." Another, standing under the shadow 
 of his tomb, said, "He was an honest man in 
 every way, church, business, social and domestic 
 life; none could come nearer perfection than Orrin 
 Datus Ranney. All knew him only to respect 
 and love, as one of God's noblemen." 
 
 As the Creator does not finish the lives of any,
 
 528 
 
 M. N. KIMBELL. 
 
 no matter how saintly, upon this lower earth, so 
 we cannot record in worthy fulness what is most 
 deserving of historic remembrance and emulation 
 on the part of succeeding generations of business 
 men, about to enter upon important duties in our 
 vast and rapidly growing metropolis. Surely, we 
 may trustfully believe, as he was without fear, 
 he passed to fields of Paradise without punish- 
 ment; as he submissively wore the cross, the 
 crown of eternal bliss is already encircling his be- 
 loved brow. 
 
 Mr. Ranney was twice married, having and 
 leaving children only by the former marriage. 
 The first union was with Miss Phoebe Eldredge, 
 the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Isaac 
 Knapp, at Westfield, Massachusetts, April 15, 
 1833. Three children came to them, as follows: 
 Charles Luce Ranney, born January 14, 1834 in 
 Westfield, Massachusetts; went through the Civil 
 War, and died in a hospital in Portland, Oregon, 
 in 1890, unmarried. Ellen Maria Ranney, born 
 July 5, 1839, in Lee, Berkshire County, Massa- 
 chusetts, died in childhood at Maumee City ; Alice 
 Maria Ranney, born July 5, 1849 at Maumee 
 City, Ohio; educated at Miss Ranney's Private 
 School in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and later a 
 graduate of the Chicago Dearborn Seminary. 
 She married December 10, 1868, Walter Weeks 
 Hilton, a banker of early Chicago, by whon she 
 has two children: Myra Fisk Hilton, born Sep- 
 tember 27 1869, educated at the Chicago Dear- 
 born Seminary; and married June 26, 1889, to 
 Mr. William Z. Mead, formerly of Virginia, now 
 
 of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he is engaged 
 in the insurance business. John Ranney Hilton, 
 born September 5, 1873, educated in the Chicago 
 High School, unmarried. 
 
 On the i gth of January, 1881, Mr. Ranney was 
 married to Mrs. Adeline S..Peabody, (wrcGrosve- 
 ner) a prominent family of Albion, Michigan, by 
 the Rev. Daniel M. Cooper, of Detroit, Michigan. 
 Their more than half a score of happy years of 
 wedded life were not blessed by offspring. She 
 still survives him, living at Albion, and visiting 
 his last resting place on frequent occasions, feel- 
 ing honored in being the associate of one in every 
 way so worthy of the best of womankind. 
 
 It will be seen that Mr. Ranney leaves no male 
 child to bear his name throughout the coming 
 years; therefore, although the good traits of fe- 
 male descendants will loudly voice themselves in 
 his behalf, it is especially appropriate that at this 
 time and in this place and manner, in dignified 
 setting, surrounded by the best of his contempo- 
 raries, a lasting memorial be created, befitting 
 in some degree the superlative characteristics of 
 manhood possessed by him of whom this is written. 
 
 It is to be regretted that some fuller record of 
 Mr. Ranney's lineal ancestry is not available; for- 
 the present it is known that his maternal grand- 
 parents were Timothy and Elizabeth Gibbons, 
 and that the preceding in the male line was Peter 
 Gibbons. It is unnecessary to call attention to 
 those prominent in this family, a Cardinal being 
 in the mouths of us all, at first mention. The pa- 
 ternal grandfather was Jonathan Ranney. 
 
 MARTIN N. KIMBELL, 
 
 [ARTIN NELSON KIMBELL, one of the 
 most public-spirited of Cook County's pio- 
 neers, who ably bore his part in promoting 
 its moral and intellectual progress, as well as aid- 
 
 ing in its material prosperity, was born in Still- 
 water Township, Saratoga County, New York, 
 January 24, 1812. He was the eldest child of 
 Abel Kimbell and Maria Powell. The former
 
 M. N. KIMBELL. 
 
 529 
 
 was born at Pownal, Bennington, County, Ver- 
 mont, and was a son of Noah Kimbell, a native 
 of Rhode Island, who removed to Vermont while 
 a young man. The last-named was of Scotch- 
 Irish descent, and a farmer and miller by occu- 
 pation. He joined the Continental forces and 
 took part in the battle of Bennington. Abel 
 Kimbell, in early life, removed to Saratoga 
 County, New York, where his death occurred in 
 1833 at the age of forty-two years. He was a 
 veteran of the War of 1812. 
 
 Mrs. Maria Kimbell died in Saratoga County, 
 New York, in 1830. Her mother, whose maiden 
 name was Nelson, was of Dutch descent, and her 
 father's name was Frost Powell. He was of 
 English-Welsh extraction, sonof Obadiah Powell, 
 a Quaker, who died in Saratoga County at the 
 age of nearly one hundred years. Some time 
 previous to the Revolutionary War he removed 
 thither from Dutchess County, New York, with 
 his wife Betsy, bringing all their belongings on a 
 pack pony. They became the parents of three 
 sons and eight daughters, all of whom lived to 
 extreme old age. During the Revolutionary 
 struggle, Obadiah Powell was much censured by 
 his neighbors on account of his non-combatant 
 principles, and most of his personal property was 
 confiscated. He was steadfast in his convictions, 
 however, and lived to become one of the leading 
 farmers of the county. At the age of ninety -eight 
 years he husked several baskets of corn and car- 
 ried them to the loft of his carriage house. His 
 house was a favorite gathering-place of his nu- 
 merous descendants, including the subject of this 
 sketch, who was the recipient of considerable at- 
 tention from the old gentleman on account of his 
 being the first great-grandchild. About 1840 
 Frost Powell moved to Wisconsin, settling near 
 Waterford, in Racine County, where he died a 
 few years later. 
 
 Martin N. Kimbell was but six years old when 
 the family moved to Windham, Bradford County, 
 Pennsylvania, and a few years later another remov- 
 al was made to Tioga Count}', New York. Though 
 his parents were able to equip him with little 
 other education, they implanted in his mind those 
 upright and honorable principles which, with the 
 
 habits of industry, frugality and sobriety acquired 
 in early youth, admirably fitted him for the battle 
 of life. At the age of twelve years he began 
 working out among the neighboring farmers, his 
 first wages being $4 per month. The money 
 earned in this way was spent for schooling most 
 of his education being obtained after he had 
 passed the age of eighteen years. At the age of 
 twenty he returned to Saratoga County, New 
 York, where he was employed as foreman upon a 
 large farm at the extraordinary salary of $11 per 
 month, the other help receiving from $6 to $8. 
 So satisfactory were his services that he was 
 offered still farther advance in salary, but after a 
 few years he again went to Tioga County and 
 taught school for several terms at a salary of $15 
 per month, " boarding around. " Having heard 
 wonderful tales of the great West, in 1836 he 
 came to Chicago. His first employment here was 
 at farm work and teaming. In the fall of the same 
 year he made a claim to a quarter-section of land 
 in Jefferson Township, now inside of the city 
 limits, and in the spring of 1837 built a shanty of 
 hay on his claim. In 1838 he purchased this 
 land, paying to the middle man who secured the 
 title from the Government, the sum of $2.50 per 
 acre in annual installments of $100. The same 
 year he built a frame house near the location of 
 his late residence, and engaged in active farming 
 operations. Four years later he rented a hotel 
 on Milwaukee Avenue, at the corner of the thor- 
 oughfare now known as Warner Avenue. This 
 house was at that time known as ' ' The Prairie 
 Grocery," but he changed its name to " Live and 
 L,et Live. ' ' Although this enterprise was quite 
 successful, he resolved to abandon it because it 
 did not provide satisfactory environment for his 
 growing family, and two years later he returned 
 to his farm, which was his home during the rest 
 of his life. At one time his farm comprised two 
 hundred and seventeen acres, most of which has 
 been subdivided in city lots. In addition to his 
 farming operations he engaged for some years in 
 jobbing and general contracting. In 1849 ne 
 began to grade and plank the highway known as 
 Milwaukee Avenue, and built about three miles 
 thereof, and was afterward employed for five
 
 532 
 
 A. J. GALLOWAY. 
 
 compensation offered to competent engineers. 
 Under the instructions of Professors Harney and 
 Thompson, he made special studies in mathemat- 
 ics and engineering, and received his diploma as 
 civil engineer in April, 1837. 
 
 Proceeding to Evansville, he hoped to obtain a 
 position on the Indiana Central canal, but was of- 
 fered the charge of the Mount Carmel Academy 
 at Mount Carmel, Illinois, soon after, and accepted 
 for one year. Among his pupils were many 
 young men who have since become distinguished 
 men of business, law and letters. At the close of 
 his school year, he accepted an appointment as 
 assistant engineer in the service of the State, and 
 was actively employed in the location and con- 
 struction of railways in that section of the State. 
 
 In the fall of 1840, he went to Springfield, and 
 was employed during a part of the following win- 
 ter as assistant enrolling clerk of the Senate. In 
 the following July, he received an appointment 
 from the Canal Commissioners as engineer on the 
 Illinois & Michigan Canal, under Chief Engineer 
 William Gooding and his assistant, Edward B. 
 Talcott. He continued in this work until the 
 suspension of operations in the winter of 1843-4, 
 when he retired to the farm which he had pur- 
 chased in 1842, on the Big Vermillion river in 
 La Salle County. In 1845, he resumed his posi- 
 tion and employment on the canal, with head- 
 quarters at Marseilles, and continued until De- 
 cember, 1846, when the work was about com- 
 pleted and he was relieved. Within a few days, 
 he was elected enrolling and engrossing clerk of 
 the lower house of the Legislature, to which posi- 
 tion he was also elected in 1848. At the close of 
 the session in 1849, he was appointed Secretary 
 to the State Trustee of the Canal Board, with of- 
 fice in Chicago. He moved his family to the 
 city, and for over two years filled this position, 
 until he resigned to accept the office of assistant 
 engineer under Col. Roswell B. Mason, on the 
 Illinois Central Railroad. 
 
 Mr. Galloway located about one hundred and 
 fifty miles of the line of this road, and superin- 
 tended the construction of the twelfth division 
 until near completion, when he was transferred 
 to the land department of the same road, with an 
 
 increase of $1,000 per annum in salary. He 
 superintended the survey of more than a million 
 acres of the company's lands, and made sketches 
 for maps of the same, with descriptions of the 
 character and quality of every tract surveyed. 
 
 He retired from the railroad service in July, 
 1855, and formed a company, with two others, 
 to deal in real estate and lands, under the title of 
 A. J. Galloway & Company. Before the close of 
 that year, they bought sixty thousand acres of 
 Illinois Central lands, all of which eventually 
 passed into the individual possession of Mr. Gal- 
 loway. For some years he was occupied in dis- 
 posing of these holdings, together with sales on 
 commission for the company and other owners, 
 and has done his share in securing the location 
 of desirable citizens in the State. 
 
 Mr. Galloway cast his first Presidential vote 
 for Martin Van Buren, in 1836, and has voted 
 in every national contest since. He adhered to 
 the Democratic party until the organization of 
 the Republican in 1856, since which he has af- 
 filiated with the latter party. He was a member 
 of the Twenty-seventh General Assembly of Illi- 
 nois, and chairman of the committee on canal alid 
 river improvements in the house. This was the 
 first Legislature under the present State Consti- 
 tution, and held four sessions, two of them being 
 called by the Governor of the State, and one of 
 which was made necessary by the fearful conflagra- 
 tion which destroyed some two hundred million 
 dollars' worth of property in Chicago in the brief 
 space of twenty hours. He was elected to fill a va- 
 cancy in the Cook County Board of Commissioners 
 in November, 1872, by some eight thousand major- 
 ity, but was beaten on the "law and order" ticket 
 in the following year for the same office, by some 
 ten thousand majority given for the candidate on 
 the "people's ticket." In 1882, he was a candi- 
 date on the Republican ticket for County Clerk, 
 and though elected by the legal votes cast, was 
 counted out. While at Springfield, he formed 
 the acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln, and their 
 mutual friendship continued with the life of the 
 latter. 
 
 As chairman of the committee on taxation of 
 the Citizens' Association, he has rendered valu-
 
 JAMES TOMPKINS. 
 
 533 
 
 able aid to that very useful organization, and at 
 various times, through the medium of the press, 
 has given to the public useful hints, facts and 
 statistics which ought not to be forgotten. 
 
 In November, 1838, Mr. Galloway was mar- 
 ried to Miss Rebecca Buchanan, youngest daugh- 
 ter of the late Victor Buchanan, senior, of Law- 
 rence County, Illinois, a well-known and highly 
 esteemed farmer, a native of Pennsylvania, who 
 died and was buried on his farm in the year 1843, 
 
 having reached the ripe age of eighty-one years. 
 Following are the names of Mr. Galloway's 
 children: Rebecca Elizabeth, wife of George G. 
 Gunther, now residing in California; Robert Wil- 
 son, an amateur artist and member of the Chicago 
 Board of Trade, died at the age of twenty-seven 
 years; Margaret, widow of Samuel L. Fogg, and 
 James Buchanan, a prominent business man, re- 
 side in Chicago. Jessie died in 1870, aged 
 twenty years. 
 
 REV. JAMES TOMPKINS, D. D. 
 
 REV. JAMES TOMPKINS, D. D., for seven- 
 teen years Superintendent of the Congrega- 
 tional Home Missionary Society of Illinois, 
 is not only an able preacher but a superior busi- 
 ness man as well. His practical ideas and genial, 
 sunnj 7 disposition inspire confidence and interest 
 in all with whom he comes in contact, and secure 
 ready co-operation in his work. He was born in 
 Galesburg, Illinois, on the 6th of April, 1840. 
 His father, Deacon Samuel Tompkins, was one. 
 of the founders of that city, being a member of 
 the committee that came from New York, in 
 1835, to select the site of an institution of learning 
 and, incidentally, of a town in the "wild West." 
 The committee entered a township of Govern- 
 ment land and platted a village in its center, in 
 the name of Knox College. Tompkins Street, 
 on which is located Knox Female Seminary, is 
 named in honor of this pioneer. Samuel Tomp- 
 kins was a native of Rhode Island, and his wife, 
 Mary Grinnell, was born at Paris Hill, Oneida 
 County, New York. 
 
 James Tompkins spent his early years in his 
 native place, studying in the public schools, until 
 1854, when he entered the preparatory depart- 
 
 ment of Knox College. He graduated from that 
 institution in 1862, taking the degree of Bachelor 
 of Science. In 1865, having pursued special 
 lines of study, he received the degree of Master 
 of Arts. In 1867, he graduated from Chicago 
 Theological Seminary, and in 1888 he received 
 the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from 
 Illinois College. 
 
 During his preparatory and college course, he 
 maintained himself by teaching school, and the 
 same year of his graduation at the age of twen- 
 ty-two he took charge of Elmwood Academy, at 
 Elmwood, Illinois. He continued here two years, 
 at the end of which period a regular system of 
 graded schools was established by the town and 
 the trustees of the academy decided to merge 
 that institution in the public high school. The 
 formation of the grades and establishment of the 
 high school was a task assigned to Mr. Tomp- 
 kins, and faithfully carried out. 
 
 While he was in college, the call of President 
 Lincoln was issued for seventy-five thousand men 
 to put down the rebellion, and a company was 
 enlisted at Knox College, Mr. Tompkins being 
 among the first. So many men were enlisting
 
 534 
 
 JAMES TOMPKINS. 
 
 throughout the State that it was feared the com- 
 pany of students would not be accepted, and its 
 captain was sent to Springfield to urge the matter 
 upon Governor Yates, but the mission was vain, 
 and thus several good soldiers were spoiled in the 
 making of some good ministers. 
 
 After graduating, Mr. Tompkins aided in re- 
 cruiting some companies of volunteers under a 
 later call. These went into the Seventy-seventh 
 and Eighty-fifth Regiments of Illinois Volunteers. 
 Through much open air speaking in recruiting, 
 Mr. Tompkins was suffering from a slight inflam- 
 mation on the lungs at this time, and the exam- 
 ining surgeon refused to pass him for military 
 duty. As he was anxious to go out with the 
 men he had enlisted, he endeavored to persuade 
 the surgeon that his ailment was temporary, but 
 the official was inexorable and he was compelled 
 to remain behind. After resigning his position 
 at Elmwood, however, in June, 1864, he was en- 
 abled to give his* services to the country by join- 
 ing the United States Christian Commission, 
 which did such valuable work for the "boys in 
 blue" in camp and hospital and on the battle- 
 field. In this service, he remained until the close 
 of the war. He was first sent to the Army of the 
 Potomac, in company with Rev. W. G. Peirce, 
 the beloved and heroic chaplain of the Seventy- 
 seventh Illinois. When they reached City Point, 
 Virginia General Grant's headquarterc they 
 responded to a call for volunteers to go to the 
 front, and were assigned to duty at Point of Rocks, 
 on the Appomatox river. Here Mr. Tompkins 
 met with an accident which nearly proved fatal. 
 After hovering between life and death for a week, 
 he rallied sufficiently to betaken in an ambulance 
 to City Point, and was placed on a steamer bound 
 for Baltimore. 
 
 On his recovery, he was engaged for several 
 weeks in lecturing throughout Central Illinois on 
 the work of the Christian Commission, and col- 
 lected several thousand dollars for its use. He 
 then visited the Army of the Cumberland and 
 followed General Thomas as he drove the Con- 
 federate army, commanded by General Hood, out 
 of Tennessee. He cared for the sick and wounded 
 of both armies, took the last message of the dy- 
 
 ing for the loved ones at home, and aided in giv- 
 ing a decent burial to the remains of those who 
 had given up their lives for their country. 
 
 Mr. Tompkins was ordained to the work of the 
 Gospel Ministry April 24, 1867, immediately after 
 graduating from Chicago Theological Seminary, 
 in the Congregational Church at Prospect Park 
 (now called Glen Ellyn), and entered upon the 
 duties of the Congregational pastorate, serving 
 jointly this church and the First Church of Christ 
 in the neighboring village of Lombard, Illinois. 
 On visiting Minnesota for rest and recuperation, 
 he was engaged as stated supply of the Congre- 
 gational Church at St. Cloud. From there, he 
 was called to the pastorate of the First Congrega- 
 tional Church of Minneapolis. Three years' resi- 
 dence in Minnesota made it apparent that a 
 milder climate was necessary to the health of both 
 himself and wife, and he resigned his charge in 
 Minneapolis. He soon after accepted a call from 
 the Congregational Church at Kewanee, Illinois, 
 which he served as pastor for over six years. 
 
 In May, 1878, the General Congregational As- 
 sociation of Illinois voted to appoint a Superin- 
 tendent of its work in the State. A number of 
 prominent clergymen were candidates for the 
 position, and after several ballotings, Mr. Tomp- 
 kins received a majority of all the votes cast and was 
 declared elected. He entered upon his new duties 
 in the succeeding July, with headquarters in 
 Chicago, and is still occupying that position. He 
 has introduced several new methods in the prose- 
 cution of the work, and awakened a deeper inter- 
 est and more hearty co-operation in all the 
 churches. The most important of the new in- 
 strumentalities was the employment of able men 
 as State Evangelists. This gave new impetus, 
 strength and enlargement to the work. 
 
 In 1869, on the 8th of September, Mr. Tomp- 
 kins married Miss Ella A. Kelley, a native of 
 Rutland, Vermont, daughter of J. Seeley Kelley 
 and Mary E. Hall. To Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins 
 have been given four children, namely: Roy 
 James, born in Minneapolis, Mabel Ella, William 
 C. , born at Kewanee, Illinois, and Seeley Kelley, 
 born at Oak Park, Illinois.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF H MNOIS
 
 KASPAR G. SCHMIDT
 
 K. G. SCHMIDT. 
 
 535 
 
 KASPAR G. SCHMIDT. 
 
 RASPAR G. SCHMIDT was born in Vocken- 
 hausen, near Wiesbaden, Nassau, Germany, 
 February 20, 1833. His parents' names 
 were John and Elizabeth (Dinges) Schmidt. 
 John Schmidt was a tailor by trade and, in later 
 life, became foreman of a tannery. He served in 
 the German army as a sergeant-major under 
 General Blucher. After participating in the bat- 
 tle of Waterloo, he accompanied the victorious 
 army to Paris. His death occurred in 1854, at 
 the age of sixty-two years. Mrs. Elizabeth 
 Schmidt survived until 1882, attaining the vener- 
 able age of eighty-two years. 
 
 Kaspar G. Schmidt is one of a family of nine 
 children, of whom but one beside himself came 
 to America. This was a brother, named Nicholas, 
 who now resides in Chicago. Kaspar received a 
 common-school education and, at the age of four- 
 teen years, began to learn the trade of a machinist. 
 After serving a four years' -apprenticeship at 
 Mines, he followed the same occupation for some 
 time at Frankfort-on-the-Main. In April, 1854, 
 he set sail for America. After a tempestuous 
 voyage lasting fifty-six days, he landed in New 
 York. Thence he came direct to Chicago, where 
 he soon obtained employment at his trade. His 
 enterprising spirit was not destined to be confined 
 to mere mechanical labor, however, and he began 
 saving his surplus earnings with a view to mak- 
 ing a permanent investment. He did not have 
 to wait long for an opportunity, and when, in 
 1857., several large Milwaukee brewers became 
 bankrupt, he purchased a stock of beer at an ad- 
 vantageous figure and began doing a small whole- 
 sale business in that product. This enterprise 
 continued to prosper until 1860, when he was en- 
 abled to start a small brewery, at the corner of 
 Superior and Clark Streets. Two years later, he 
 removed to Grant Place, which has ever since 
 
 been the scene of his operations. His extensive 
 buildings were totally destroyed in the great fire 
 of 1871. His loss at that time, including his 
 residence, amounted to one-fourth of a million 
 dollars. He was able to recover but a small per- 
 centage of his insurance, and the entire business 
 had to be built up anew. Rebuilding upon a 
 small scale, he enlarged the establishment at in- 
 tervals until it attained a capacity of one hundred 
 and fifty barrels per day and furnished employ- 
 ment to one hundred men. Having more than 
 recovered his loss by the great fire, and being re- 
 solved to retire from active life, he sold out his 
 plant in 1890, and is practically retired from 
 business. 
 
 Mr. Schmidt was married in 1856 to Barbara 
 Wagner, who was born in Rhodt, Rheinpfalz, 
 Bavaria. She died on the 2ist of September, 
 1894, at the age of sixty years. Of the eight 
 children born to this union, five reached mature 
 years. Barbara Elizabeth is now the wife of 
 George W. Kellner, of Chicago; Katie Emma is 
 Mrs. Martin Herbert, of Chicago; August died in 
 1889, at the age of twenty-eight years; George 
 K. and Edna complete the list of the survivors. 
 Ten living grandchildren make glad the heart of 
 Mr. Schmidt. 
 
 Mr. Schmidt was a charter member of Mithia 
 Lodge No. 410, F. & A. M., in which body he 
 has filled all the chairs, and served as Master for 
 five years. He helped to organize the Germania 
 Club, with which he has since been identified, 
 and is one of the original members of the Sonne- 
 felter a German singing society. Ever since he 
 became a citizen, he has given faithful allegiance 
 to the Republican party, because its principles 
 embodied his ideas of progress and good govern- 
 ment. In 1868, he was elected Alderman of the 
 Thirteenth Ward, serving four and one-half years
 
 536 
 
 G. M. DEARLOVE. 
 
 in that capacity. The time of election was 
 changed during his term from fall to spring, thus 
 prolonging his term six months. From 1874 to 
 1877, he served as County Commissioner, during 
 which time he was chairman of the Building 
 Committee of that body, and had charge of the 
 construction of the present court house. His ex- 
 perience in the repeated construction of his own 
 ample buildings was especially useful to him in 
 the discharge of this duty, and was of great 
 
 benefit to the county, and the city of Chicago. 
 He owns a fine stock farm at Twin Lakes, Wis- 
 consin, where he has spent considerable time in 
 recent years, and where he finds enjoyment and 
 recreation. Though sixty-two years of age at 
 this writing, Mr. Schmidt is still hale and hearty. 
 His interest in the growth and development of 
 Chicago is unabated, and he views with pride and 
 satisfaction the continuous progress in which he 
 was for many years an active participant. 
 
 GEORGE M. DEARLOVE. 
 
 OEORGE M. DEARLOVE, B. L., a young 
 
 I ( man of pronounced judgment and business 
 \J ability, who makes his home in Chicago, 
 though spending much of his time in travel, is 
 a native of Cook County. He was born in 
 Northfield Township, in 1873, and is a son 
 of George and Mary A. Dearlove, the his- 
 tory of whose lives may be found elsewhere 
 in this volume. In his early years he attend- 
 ed the public schools of Chicago, and later, 
 as a youth, the Morgan Park Military Academy. 
 After graduating from the last-mentioned institu- 
 tion, he attended the North- Western Military 
 Academy at Highland Park, from which, after 
 passing the Government examination in an able 
 manner, he received his commission of Second 
 Lieutenant in the State Militia, subsequently at- 
 taining to the rank of Senior Captain and Ad- 
 jutant. While attending the academy he was 
 President of the Class of 1891. 
 
 Not satisfied with his attainments thus far, Mr. 
 Dearlove then attended Lake Forest University, 
 completing the entire course with the exception 
 of the senior year. Thence he went to Monmouth 
 College at Monmouth, Illinois, where he took a 
 course in Liberal Arts, graduating June 6, 1893, 
 with the degree of B. L- While a student of 
 
 Lake Forest University, he was a member of the 
 Zeta Episiton, and of the Eccritian Society while 
 attending the college at Monmouth. In the lat- 
 ter institution, as well as at Lake Forest, he 
 made a special study of Economics and of Finan- 
 ciering. 
 
 Possessed of strong human interests and a live- 
 ly intelligence, it is not strange that Mr. Dear- 
 love should find one of his keenest delights in 
 traveling, especially as lie is financially able to do 
 so. Since 1887 he has spent most of his vaca- 
 tions in traveling, chiefly through the South and 
 West. In these journeys he has happily com- 
 bined pleasure and business, for, being possessed 
 of considerable foresight and discernment, his 
 travels have given him abundant opportunities 
 for investment in promising enterprises. He was 
 one of the promoters and constructors of the As- 
 toria & Columbia River Railroad, and is still one 
 of the Directors of the company which operates 
 the same a corporation which pays the largest 
 dividends of any railroad company in the United 
 States. He was also one of the original incor- 
 porators, and is now Vice-President of the Florida, 
 Ocean & Gulf Railroad ; Director of the Florida 
 Central & Peninsular Railroad; and Director and 
 Vice- President of the Florida Engineering and
 
 E. C. LONG. 
 
 537 
 
 Construction Company, which owns about two 
 million acres of land in Florida. In addition to 
 these numerous offices, Mr. Dearlove is a Direc- 
 tor of the Florida Development Company, which 
 has extensive fruit lands in Florida, with offices 
 at Jacksonville, Florida and Chicago; and a Di- 
 rector of the Avon Park National Bank at Avon 
 Park, Florida. 
 
 With the foregoing record of his business con- 
 nections before one, it is hardly necessary to re- 
 mark that Mr. Dearlove is a young man of keen 
 perception and ready decision, who never loses a 
 business opportunity for lack of promptitude in 
 action. In address he is pleasing and intelligent, 
 showing a great general knowledge of men and 
 affairs, remarkable in one so young. 
 
 EUGENE C LONG. 
 
 FT UGENE CON ANT LONG was born in Bran- 
 re) don, Vermont, October 31, 1834, and is a 
 |_ son of James and Cerusa (Conant) Long, 
 who were among the early pioneers of Cook 
 County. James Long was born in Washington, 
 District of Columbia, and was a son of Andrew 
 and Alice Long, of Baltimore, Maryland. An- 
 drew Long was killed in the service of the United 
 States during the War of 1812. The family of 
 Long (or Laing, as it was originally spelled) is 
 of Scotch extraction, and was founded in America 
 by four brothers who settled at Baltimore about 
 1660. Commodore Long, who was in the United 
 States naval service during the Revolution, was 
 descended from one of these. 
 
 While a young man, James Long went to New 
 York City, where he became a partner with Sam- 
 uel Hoard, afterwards Postmaster of Chicago, in 
 the publishing business. A few years later, the 
 firm removed to Brandon, Vermont, where they 
 published a newspaper for some years. In 1835 
 James Long moved, with his family, to Cook 
 County and engaged in farming in Jefferson town- 
 ship, near the present village of that name, now 
 within the limits of the city of Chicago. Not find- 
 ing agriculture very profitable, after three years' 
 experience, he sold out and moved to Chicago 
 and built a steam grist mill on Michigan Avenue, 
 at the corner of Lake Street. This he operated 
 
 for several years. The engine in this mill was 
 employed in pumping the water which was first 
 supplied by the city to the people of Chicago. 
 This contract continued some years, the water 
 being forced through hollow logs laid in a few 
 streets near the river. Those outside the service 
 were wont to keep barrels for storing a supply, 
 and these barrels were filled by private enterprise, 
 at ten cents per barrel. 
 
 After disposing of the mill, Mr. Long was ap- 
 pointed by President Polk as Keeper of the light- 
 house, which stood near the site of the present 
 Rush Street bridge. He subsequently served as 
 County Treasurer, and for a number of } r ears filled 
 the office of Alderman of the First Ward. After re- 
 tiring from business and public life, he spent con- 
 siderable time in travel, and his death occurred 
 in Paris, France, on the loth of April, 1876, at 
 the age of seventy-four years. 
 
 Mrs. Cerusa Long died in Chicago in 1874, a * 
 the age of sixty-seven years. She was a daugh- 
 ter of John Conant and Chara Broughlon, of 
 Brandon, Vermont. John Conant was descended 
 from one of the earliest American families. His 
 grandfather, Ebenezer Conant, served in the Con- 
 tinental army, as Captain of a Massachusetts com- 
 pany. Roger Conant, father of the last-named, 
 was among the Colonial Governors of Massachu- 
 setts preceding Governor Endicott.
 
 538 
 
 FRANCIS HUTCHISON. 
 
 Eugene C. Long was still in his infancy when 
 the family came to Cook County, Chicago being 
 at that time a village of three or four thousand in- 
 habitants. While a boy, he was accustomed to 
 do the family marketing. The chief produce 
 market was on State Street near Randolph, and 
 its wares were brought by farmers from long dis- 
 tances and displayed in wagons and other vehi- 
 cles, much after the present fashion of the Hay- 
 market of the West Side. The pioneers of that 
 day did not lack for the substantials, though there 
 was little cash in circulation, and they were largely 
 ignorant of the present style of living in the city. 
 
 At the age of seventeen years, Eugene C. Long 
 graduated from the Beardsly Seminary, and soon 
 after became a clerk and teller in the Marine 
 Bank. His connection with that institution con- 
 tinued for twenty-two years, during the last twelve 
 of which he served as Cashier. In 1874 he re- 
 signed this position and engaged in the stock and 
 brokerage business, continuing that occupation 
 
 five years. He then entered the office of the late 
 Judge Van H. Higgins. Since 1880 he has been 
 a stockholder and Secretary of the Rose Hill Cem- 
 etery Company, and since 1893 has also been 
 Treasurer of the corporation. 
 
 He was married in October, 1858, to Harriet 
 Alexander, step-daughter of Van H. Higgins, 
 and daughter of the first Mrs. Higgius Elizabeth 
 (Morse) Alexander. Mrs. Long was born in 
 Jacksonville, Illinois, and is the mother of two 
 daughters, Eugenie and Harriet, the first being 
 now the wife of Edward L- Frasher, of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Long and his family are members of the 
 Protestant Episcopal Church, and he has been a 
 life-long Republican in principle and practice. 
 The record of his business career shows him to 
 be capable and upright, for only through these 
 qualities could any one hold the positions he has 
 filled. In manner, he is courteous and easy, show- 
 ing long familiarity with the best men and methods 
 of the day. 
 
 FRANCIS HUTCHISON. 
 
 ["~RANCIS HUTCHISON, a successful Chi- 
 rQ cagoan now living in practical retirement, 
 | is a Scotchman by nativity and spent his 
 youth upon the banks of the river Leven, the 
 outlet of Loch Lomond, a locality which has been 
 rendered famous in song and story, and abounds 
 with historic interest and romantic scenery. His 
 birth occurred on the 3oth day of April, 1828, in 
 the village of Alexandria, Dumbartonshire. His 
 parents, James and Janet (Weir) Hutchison, 
 were in humble circumstances and, though able 
 to afford their offspring but a rudimentary intel- 
 lectual training, endowed them with habits and 
 
 principles which fitted them for filling responsible 
 and useful positions in life. 
 
 James Hutchison was born at Abernathy, near 
 Perth, Scotland, but removed during his youth 
 to Dumbartonshire where his later life was spent. 
 Mrs. Janet Hutchison was a daughter of Donald 
 Weir, a well-to-do farmer and herdsman of Argyle- 
 shire. But three of their nine children are now 
 living, and Francis is the only resident of the 
 United States. The other survivors are Rev. 
 John Hutchison, an Independent (Congrega- 
 tional) minister at Ashton-under-line, England, 
 who has filled his present pastorate for upwards
 
 FRANCIS HUTCHISON. 
 
 539 
 
 of forty years,' and Donald Hutchison, who is 
 the chief engineer of a steamship company, which 
 operates a line of vessels plying between Liver- 
 pool and the La Plata river in South America. 
 
 At the age of eight years, Francis Hutchison 
 began to earn his daily bread by laboring in the 
 print and dye works which abound in the vicin- 
 ity of his birthplace. At fourteen he was set to 
 learn the carpenter trade serving five years ap- 
 prenticeship at that industry. He was afterwards 
 employed as a ship-carpenter and acquired a de- 
 gree of skill and proficiency which has since 
 served him in good stead. 
 
 Having heard fabulous-sounding stories of the 
 great land beyond the Atlantic ocean, he deter- 
 mined to see and investigate its wonderful re- 
 sources by a personal visit and, not without con- 
 siderable misgivings as to the duration of his 
 sojourn, in 1858 he took passage upon the steamer 
 "Kangaroo" for New York, arriving in that city 
 on the ninth day of June. He went from there 
 to Rochester, New York, and after spending a 
 few months at that place, took passage by way of 
 the lakes for Chicago whither he arrived in due 
 time, landing upon a temporary pier at Clark 
 Street. His destination was the home of his uncle, 
 Donald Weir, who lived on the Des Plaines river 
 near "the Sag," but as the address which had 
 been furnished him was rather vague, he spent 
 several days in unnecessary travel before reach- 
 ing the place, a delay which was amply atoned 
 for by the hearty welcome accorded him upon his 
 arrival. As a number of farm houses were being 
 erected in that neighborhood, he found a ready 
 demand for his services, and his first season's 
 earnings so far exceeded any sum he had ever 
 received for a corresponding period of time that 
 all doubts concerning the superior advantages of 
 this country as a permanent place of residence 
 were dispelled from his mind and he determined 
 to become an American citizen. 
 
 In the fall of 1860 he went to Helena, Arkan- 
 sas, where he was employed at his trade until the 
 following spring, when, owing to the outbreak of 
 the rebellion and not wishing to be pressed into 
 the Confederate service, he returned to the North 
 without being able to collect the money he had 
 
 earned there. His brief residence at the South 
 had given him a good understanding of the con- 
 ditions which prevailed there, however, and en- 
 abled him to take a more conservative view of 
 the questions which divided the union than pre- 
 vailed among the more enthusiastic partisans of 
 the North. 
 
 The prevailing wages for house-builders in 
 Chicago at this time ranged from seventy-five 
 cents to one dollar per day, and Mr. Hutchison 
 found it more profitable to engage in ship car- 
 pentry. He was subsequently employed in build- 
 ing gun-boats for the United States Government 
 at St. Louis, and at Cairo, Illinois. In 1863 he 
 purchased an interest in a distillery at Joliet, but 
 as some features of the business became distaste- 
 ful to him, he sold out the following year and in- 
 vested his profits in vessels plying between Chi- 
 cago and the lower lake ports. He continued 
 the carrying trade for the next nine or ten years, 
 and in the meantime purchased several lots and 
 a residence at the corner of Van Buren and 
 Throop Streets. The rapid growth of the city 
 soon created a demand for this location for com- 
 mercial purposes and he replaced his residence 
 with several substantial business blocks. He has 
 since bought and improved other valuable west- 
 side property, and of recent years the care and 
 renting of these buildings has absorbed most of 
 his time and attention. 
 
 Mr. Hutchison was married in 1864 to Miss 
 Elizabeth Jones, daughter of Thomas Jones, who 
 died in Chicago in 1882, at the age of more than 
 eighty years. The lady was born in Denbigh- 
 shire, Wales, and came to America in 1856. She 
 has been an able helpmeet and counsellor of her 
 husband, and their union has been blessed with 
 four children, three of whom are still under the par- 
 ental roof, namely: Elizabeth Agnes, Catherine 
 Jane, wife of S. B. Foster, James Francis and Jean- 
 nette Weir. All the members of this family are 
 identified with the Jefferson Park Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Mr. Hutchison is a man of simple tastes, and 
 leads a quiet and unostentatious life, though he 
 does not think it out of place to crack an occa- 
 sional joke among his old-time friends. Since the
 
 54 
 
 W. B. SNOW. 
 
 war he has been a pronounced Republican, but 
 sometimes ignores party lines concerning ques- 
 tions of local import. When he first arrived in 
 Chicago his total cash assets were c6mprised in 
 a gold quarter eagle. This he carefully hoarded 
 for some time and when obliged to spend a por- 
 
 tion of it for repairing his shoes, he received in 
 change a one-dollar bill of "wild-cat" currency, 
 which proved to be worthless. His subsequent 
 prosperity, therefore, may be attributed solely to 
 his frugal, industrious habits, correct judgment 
 and integrity of character. 
 
 WILLIAM B. SNOW. 
 
 P GJlLLIAM BLAKE SNOW, who put on track 
 \A/ *^ e fi rs t railway passenger coach built in 
 V Y Chicago, is descended from an old Ameri- 
 can family. The environment of the New Eng- 
 land fathers was calculated to develop all that was 
 sturdy in mind and body, and in many of their 
 descendants are found the qualities which enabled 
 them to survive the hardships they were com- 
 pelled to endure and caused them to prosper in 
 the midst of most forbidding conditions. The 
 spirit of adventure and progress which led to the 
 colonization of New England, still lives in the 
 posterity of the Pilgrims, and has raised up sim- 
 ultaneously throughout the northern half of the 
 United States churches, school houses and fac- 
 tories. 
 
 William B. Snow was born in Bellows Falls, 
 Vermont, February 13, 1821, and -is a son of Sol- 
 omon and Lucina Snow. His ancestors were, 
 doubtless, English, and early located in America. 
 His paternal grandfather was a chocolate manu- 
 facturer near Boston, and his maternal grand- 
 father, "Bill" Blake, established the Bellows 
 Falls Gazette, one of the first newspapers in Ver- 
 mont. His wife was Polly Wait, of Milbury, 
 Massachusetts. 
 
 The subject of this biography passed his boy- 
 hood in his native village, receiving his education 
 in the schools there existing. At the age of four- 
 teen years, he began working in his father's 
 wagon and carriage shop, becoming expert in the 
 
 use of woodworking implements. For some years 
 he was employed by his uncles in a paper mill. 
 When twenty-two years of age, he set out to make 
 his fortune, going to Springfield, Massachusetts, 
 where he took contracts for carpenter work. From 
 there he went to Seymour (then called Hum- 
 phreysville), Connecticut, where he was employed 
 by the American Car Company, and moved with 
 that establishment to Chicago in 1852. At this 
 time he had a contract with the company for 
 building coaches, and set up the first one ever 
 constructed in this city. This was purchased by 
 the Chicago & Galena Union Railroad, then in 
 its infancy. An account of the origin of that en- 
 terprise will be found in this work, in the sketch 
 of John B. Turner, who was its founder. When 
 the American Car Company sold out to the Illi- 
 nois Central Railroad Company, Mr. Snow was 
 employed by the new proprietor, with whom he 
 continued from 1857 to 1872. His integrity and ex- 
 ecutive ability had meantime become known to 
 many Chicago citizens, and he was offered a lucra- 
 tive position by the Pullman Palace Car Company, 
 for which he traveled three years. At the end of 
 this period, he again took employment with the 
 Illinois Central Company, and so continued until 
 he retired from active business in October, 1891. 
 Mr. Snow has always been a quiet citizen, giv- 
 ing his undivided attention to business, and leav- 
 ing others to manage their concerns in their own 
 way. He has been a faithful attendant of the
 
 A. G. LULL. 
 
 Reformed Epistopal Church, with which his fam- 
 ily is affiliated , being identified with Bishop Che- 
 ney's congregation. He is a member of the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and a demitted 
 Freemason. His early political associations were 
 with the Whig party, and he has adhered to the 
 Republican organization since it came into exist- 
 ence. He has never sought political preferment, 
 
 but has fulfilled that imperative duty as well as 
 privilege of the good American citizen, a vote 
 in every important contest. In 1843 he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Orra L. Dyke, of American parentage, 
 and two children have blessed this union. The 
 eldest, Frank Austin Snow, resides in Chicago, 
 as does also the other, Lottie, wife of A. G. Farr, 
 of the firm of N. W. Harris & Company. 
 
 ALBERT G. LULL 
 
 GILBERT GALLATIN LULL was born in 
 I I Windsor, Vermont, February 20, 1827, and 
 / I died in Chicago, February 13, 1892. His 
 parents, Joel and Celia (Smith) Lull, were na- 
 tives of the Green Mountain State, the Lull fam- 
 ily being one of the oldest in that commonwealth. 
 Mrs. Celia Lull died in Windsor, and her hus- 
 band afterwards came to Chicago, where he 
 served as constable for several years. His death 
 occurred in 1880, at North Attleboro, Massachu- 
 setts. 
 
 After leaving the public schools, Albert G. Lull 
 became a student for a time at Dartmouth Col- 
 lege. At Springfield, Massachusetts, he took up 
 the study of gunsmithing and mechanics. In 
 1849, he came to Chicago and obtained employ- 
 ment in the machine shop of H. P. Moses. While 
 thus engaged, he assisted in the construction of 
 the first water works in the city. He was subse- 
 quently employed by Foss Brothers, in a large plan- 
 ing mill on Canal Street, near Monroe, the site of 
 which is now occupied by the Union Passenger 
 Station and railroad tracks. When this mill was 
 torn down, preparatory to the construction of the 
 depot, he purchased the machinery, in company 
 with his brother-in-law, Isaac Holmes, and built 
 a new mill on the west side of Canal Street, be- 
 tween Jackson and Van Buren Streets. The firm 
 dealt in lumber and carried on the manufacture 
 of packing boxes, doing an extensive business 
 until 1871, when the entire plant was consumed 
 
 in the fire, which occurred on Saturday night, the 
 8th of October, preceding by one day the memor- 
 able "great fire." The disaster which destroyed 
 the mills of Lull & Holmes made a gap which 
 saved the West Side from the ravages of the suc- 
 ceeding fire. The firm rescued the safe contain- 
 ing their books from the ruins and placed them in 
 the office of a friend, on the south side of Van Buren 
 Street, only to be lost in the greater conflagration 
 of the following day. This alone inflicted a serious 
 loss on Mr. Lull, whenever recovered his fortunes 
 and suffered a permanent loss of health from the 
 shock and exertions in trying to rescue his prop- 
 erty. He retired a few years later from all busi- 
 ness activities. 
 
 On the 5th of April, 1855, he was married to 
 Mrs. Maty Sammons, daughter of John and Ellen 
 Holmes, widow of Elijah H. Sammons. Mrs. 
 Lull was born at Bradford, England, and came to 
 America with her parents in 1835, arriving in 
 Chicago in April of that year. She is still active 
 in mind and body, and relates many incidents of 
 pioneer life in Chicago. She is a member of the 
 Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul, in 
 which Mr. Lull was also a communicant. Two 
 children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lull Rich- 
 ard H., who is a physician now practicing in 
 Chicago, and Mary C., who is the wife of Mark 
 R. Sherman, an attorney of the same city. 
 
 Mr. Lull was a prominent member of the Ma- 
 sonic order, and likewise, of the Independent
 
 542 
 
 E. F. DANIELS. 
 
 Order of Odd Fellows, in which last fraternity he 
 had taken all the degrees and was a member of 
 the Grand Lodge of the United States. From the 
 first organization of the Republican party, he was 
 
 one of its most steadfast and consistent suppor- 
 ters, and as a man and citizen, he ever sought to 
 promote the material, moral and intellectual 
 growth of the community in which he lived. 
 
 EDWIN F. DANIELS. 
 
 P~ DWIN F. DANIELS, an enterprising busi- 
 Iv) ness man of Chicago, was born at Concord. 
 L Jackson County, Michigan, January 23, 
 1848. He is a son of George and Delzina (John- 
 ston) Daniels, both of whom died before he was 
 five years old. George Daniels was born at Hull, 
 England, and was one of a family of eleven chil- 
 dren who came to America with their parents in 
 1832. They settled at Dearborn, Michigan, near 
 Detroit. George Daniels afterwards moved to 
 Jackson County, where his death occurred in 
 1854, at the age of thirty -two years. His wife 
 was of Irish descent. 
 
 Edwin F. Daniels lived with his paternal 
 grandparents and attended school at Hudson, 
 Michigan. Before completing his education, how- 
 ever, he went to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to as- 
 sist his uncle, Capt. William H. Johnston, who 
 was a commissary officer in charge of forage for 
 the army. He continued in that employment 
 until Sherman's army started on its famous "march 
 to the sea," when he became a messenger in 
 charge of forage on the railroad from Chattanoo- 
 ga to Atlanta. At the time when the rebels 
 tore up the track, at Big Shanty, Georgia, the 
 train on which he was serving returned to Al- 
 toona, just in time to escape capture. After the 
 battle between Hood and Corse, in which the for- 
 mer was defeated, Mr. Daniels returned to Chatta- 
 nooga and soon afterwards left the service and 
 returned to his boyhood home in Michigan. He 
 then, for some years, engaged in the manufac- 
 
 ture of woodenware and also operated a planing 
 mill. 
 
 In February, 1876, he came to Chicago, and 
 was employed for four years as Clerk in the 
 County Treasurer's office. In 1881, he began 
 dealing in coal, an occupation which he has con- 
 tinuously and successfully followed until the 
 present time. The original firm of Weaver, 
 Daniels & Co. , was succeeded in turn by Pea- 
 body, Daniels & Co., and Edwin F. Daniels & 
 Co. Since 1890, Mr. Daniels has been sole pro- 
 prietor, and the business, which was inaugurated 
 on a rather limited scale, has grown to immense 
 proportions and is now one of the most extensive 
 in its line in the city. 
 
 He was married in 1880, to Miss Kate Elkins, 
 daughter of Henry K. Elkins, whose biography 
 appears elsewhere in this work. Mrs. Daniels 
 was born in Chicago, and has presented her hus- 
 band with two sons, Henry Elkins and Raymond 
 Elkins Daniels. Mr. and Mrs. Daniels are mem- 
 bers of the First Unitarian Church of Chicago, 
 and the former is identified with the Union 
 League, Kenwood, Chicago Athletic and Tolles- 
 ton Shooting Clubs, and the Chicago Board of 
 Trade. During the hunting season, he finds 
 recreation by making weekly trips to Tolleston 
 for shooting water fowl. He is an advocate of 
 Republican principles, but ignores party lines in 
 voting upon local issues. His success may be at- 
 tributed to his enterprising business methods, 
 ready decision and integrity of character.
 
 I,. C. CLARK. 
 
 543 
 
 LYMAN C. CLARK. 
 
 I YMAN C. CLARK is one of the leading and 
 I C prominent business men of Turner, where 
 12 he has made his home since 1870. During 
 the years which have since passed, he has con- 
 tinuously engaged in the insurance business. He 
 was born June 10, 1833, in Darien, Genesee 
 County, N. Y. , and is a son of Henry S. and Deb- 
 orah R. (Carpenter) Clark. The paternal grand- 
 father, Joshua Clark, was a Revolutionary soldier 
 and served under Gens. Washington and Green. 
 He was a native of Rhode Island, and after his re- 
 moval to New York he took up several hundred 
 acres of land. Throughout his life he followed 
 farming as a livelihood. A prominent and influ- 
 ential citizen, he was honored with the office 
 of Justice of the Peace for over forty years. His 
 death occurred in the Empire State at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-seven. In his family were 
 thirteen children, twelve of whom grew to mature 
 years. The maternal grandfather of our subject, 
 James Carpenter, was a native of Connecticut, and 
 his entire life was spent in that State, where he 
 died at an advanced age. 
 
 Henry S. Clark was born in Rhode Island, and 
 became a contractor and builder of New York. 
 He also engaged in painting, and his death was 
 the result of his being poisoned by paint, in 1855, 
 at the age of sixty-two years. His wife, who 
 was born in Connecticut, died in the Empire 
 State in 1881, at the age of eight}-- four. Both 
 were members of the Baptist Church, and the 
 father was a local preacher of that denomina- 
 tion. He served as a soldier in the War of 1812, 
 and his widow received a pension on that account. 
 In their family were four sons and five daughters, 
 of whom the following are now living: Henry H. ; 
 Lyman C. ; Loriiida E. , wife of William Waldron, 
 
 of Trenton, Canada; and Susan M., wife cf Albert 
 Blackman, of Erie County, N. Y. Two brothers 
 lost their lives during the late war. Jerome was 
 killed at Bentonville, N. C., and Dennis died at 
 home from injuries received in the service. 
 
 We now take up the personal history of our 
 subject, who was reared in the State of his nativ- 
 ity, and in the common schools of the neighbor- 
 hood acquired a good English education. When 
 about fourteen years of age, he began learning 
 the trade of carriage- maker, which he followed 
 continuously until 1865. The following year he 
 emigrated westward and took up his residence in 
 Davenport, Iowa, where he embarked in the life- 
 insurance business. In 1870 he came to Turner, 
 where he has since devoted his time and energies 
 to the same pursuit with good success. 
 
 On the 1 8th of September, 1855, Mr. Clark was 
 united in marriage with Miss Laura E. Babcock, 
 daughter of Rev. R. and Lucinda (Gilbert) Bab- 
 cock, the former a native of Massachusetts, and 
 the latter of New York. Seven children have 
 been born of this union, two sons and five daugh- 
 ters. Altie Florence is the wife of C. E. Norris, of 
 Turner, by whom she has four children: Charles 
 H., Carroll W., Ernest L. and Florence. Clar- 
 ence Henry, deceased, was a twin brother of Altie 
 Florence. Clara Louise, Henrietta and Charles 
 Herbert are all deceased. Ella Laura is the wife 
 of E. B. Holmes, of Turner; and Lulu Pauline 
 completes the family. 
 
 The parents are both members of the Method- 
 ist Episcopal Church and take a most active part 
 in church and benevolent work. Mr. Clark has 
 been Steward of the church for thirty -seven con- 
 secutive years, and has also served as Trustee 
 and Class-leader for many years. He is now Su-
 
 544 
 
 E. H. CASTLE. 
 
 perintendent of the Sunday-school, which is mak- 
 ing good progress under his able management. 
 He has also been prominently identified with tem- 
 perance work. In politics, he is a Republican, 
 and socially is connected with Amity Lodge No. 
 472, A. F. & A. M.; Doric Chapter No. 166, R. 
 A. M.; and Siloam Conimandery No. 54, of Oak 
 Park. He and his wife are both members of the 
 Order of the Eastern Star. Mr. Clark has a good 
 
 home and other town property in Turner, and is 
 numbered among the valued and representative 
 citizens of this community. He has lived an up- 
 right, honorable life, and his career is one well 
 worthy of emulation. He has the confidence and 
 high regard of all with whom he has been brought 
 in contact, and it is with pleasure that we present 
 to our readers this record of his life. 
 
 EDWARD HERRICK CASTLE. 
 
 |"~DWARD HERRICK CASTLE. To the 
 1^ student of human progress, or the youth who 
 seeks an example worthy of his emulation, 
 the history of this successful man offers especially 
 interesting features. His career has been full of 
 adventure and excitement, and yet the experi- 
 ences of his life have made his mind philosophical 
 and his heart sympathetic. When he was born, 
 the nation was young and still almost an experi- 
 ment, so that men were not encouraged to ven- 
 ture into strange fields of action. He has lived to 
 see the American nation become one of the great- 
 est of the earth; and now, in his old age, he re- 
 joices that he has been permitted to witness the 
 triumph of the institutions of liberty. 
 
 E. H. Castle was born in Amenia, Dutchess 
 County, N. Y., on the 5th of August, 1811, and 
 is now nearing the completion of his eighty-third 
 year. His great-grandfather, Gideon Castle, was 
 one of the early Colonists who came from Eng- 
 land. A brother went to Virginia, while another 
 accompanied him to New York. Gideon, son of 
 Gideon Castle, who lived to the age of ninety- 
 six years, occupied an honorable place in his- 
 tory as a member of Gen. Washington's per- 
 sonal staff. He was with the immortal com- 
 mander through the Revolutionary War as Com- 
 missary of Subsistence. He owned a mill in 
 
 Dutchess County, which manufactured flour for 
 the Continental army. After the treaty of peace he 
 removed to Amenia, where his son, William 
 Castle, father of the subject of this biography, 
 passed his life. His farm was situated about two 
 miles from the village of Amenia, and here Ed- 
 ward H. Castle grew up to be a strong and hearty 
 youth, full of ambition. He longed to go to sea 
 and visit strange lands, and to make his fortune 
 in the world. However, he remained upon his 
 father's farm until about ten years of age, attend- 
 ing the small school in the vicinity. He after- 
 ward attended Dr. Taylor's academy in Cortland 
 County, but his restless disposition soon drove 
 him to sea, and he shipped on a bark bound for a 
 distant port. After a voyage of many months, 
 he returned to find his mother dead and the house- 
 hold in mourning. 
 
 This seems to have been a turning-point in Mr. 
 Castle's life. The death of his dear mother af- 
 fected him deeply. He had started out into the 
 world full of youth's bright hopes, and this sud- 
 den bereavement was a severe blow. He'had not 
 been permitted to close the dying eyes of his best 
 friend on earth, or receive her last blessing. He 
 determined to honor her memory by making 
 something of himself. In deference to his father's 
 earnest wish, he consented to enter the office of
 
 E. H. CASTLE. 
 
 545 
 
 his father's attorney, Samuel Perkins, and take 
 up the study of law. He studied faithfully two 
 years, until an attack of measles resulted in a 
 partial loss of his eyesight. He had long been 
 convinced that he was not calculated to make a 
 lawyer, and on being relieved from his studies, 
 he began to look about for an opportunity to enter 
 a business life, much to his father's disappoint- 
 ment. His subsequent fortune shows the wisdom 
 of his choice. 
 
 Soon after attaining his majority, on the ist of 
 September, 1832, Mr. Castle started out from his 
 father's home in Freetown, Cortland County, 
 whither he had moved from Dutchess County. 
 He traveled on foot over a lonely road to Carbon- 
 dale, Pa., one hundred miles distant. At Car- 
 bondale, Deacon Hodgden had a force of men and 
 horses employed in hauling coal from the mines 
 to the canal. Young Castle applied to him for 
 employment, and was offered $14 per month and 
 board. He stipulated, however, for what he 
 proved to be worth at the end of three months, a 
 unique plan, which was accepted by the Deacon 
 with alacrity. Before the day of settlement came 
 around, Castle was foreman and was paid $40 per 
 month. By gradual increase his salary soon rose 
 to $100 per month, and he shortly bought out his 
 employer, giving in payment his personal note, 
 which was promptly paid when due. 
 
 After three years of business, Mr. Castle en- 
 tered into partnership with Stephen Clark, 
 and the firm carried on a large lumber trade and 
 opened a general store. They also secured through 
 attorneys the lease of the Fall Brook coal mines 
 for ninety-nine years, and added mining to their 
 lumbering and mercantile business. Mr. Castle 
 finally became sole owner by purchasing his part- 
 ner's interest, and continued to prosper until his 
 store and stock were destroyed by fire in 1838. 
 
 The year previous to that last above mentioned 
 had brought reports to Mr. Castle's Pennsyl- 
 vania home of the wonderful village on the shore 
 of Lake Michigan, under the shadow of Ft. Dear- 
 born. During that year this village began to be 
 a thriving business center, and streets were opened 
 &.-, far west along the main river as the north and 
 sourb branches. A paper was established by 
 
 John Calhoun, of New York, and was making 
 the prospective advantages of the town known. 
 Although he had been very successful in Carbon- 
 dale, Mr. Castle felt that the growing West of- 
 fered him greater advantages than he had hith- 
 erto enjoyed. He purchased a stock of goods in 
 Philadelphia, which was transported by the only 
 method then known by wagon over the moun- 
 tains to Pittsburgh. Here he added iron, nails, 
 and the heavy goods manufactured at Pittsburgh, 
 and chartered a steamer to carry his stock, with 
 which he proceeded down the Ohio and up the 
 Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Peru. Here he 
 decided to open business, and soon after started 
 another store at Joliet, having added to his stock 
 at St. Louis on the way up. In a short time, 
 Mr. Castle went into partnership with Gov. Mat- 
 terson and Hiram Blanchard, in a contract for 
 excavating a part of the Illinois & Michigan 
 Canal. 
 
 In the spring of 1839, Mr. Castle became a 
 resident of Chicago, arriving on the ist of May, 
 having previously disposed of his mercantile bus- 
 iness at Peru and Joliet. He opened a store in an 
 unfinished building at the corner of Lake and 
 Wells Streets, so far out of the then business cen- 
 tre that his venture was considered risky by many. 
 The business soon grew to be profitable, however, 
 and Mr. Castle shortly became a pioneer in what 
 has since proved one of the greatest glories of the 
 western metropolis the grain trade. Although 
 the modern grain elevator was then unknown, he 
 handled in one year 100,000 bushels, shipping by 
 lake and canal to New York. 
 
 With his usual business foresight, Mr. Castle 
 early secured large tracts of land, entering one 
 tract of swamp lands in the Illinois Valley, em- 
 bracing six hundred acres, at ten cents per acre. 
 Many derided him for buying this worthless land, 
 but he, with others, secured the passage of a 
 drainage act by the State Legislature, and within 
 ten years after its purchase he sold portions of it 
 for $50 per acre. Mr. Castle also opened a dairy 
 farm at Wheeling, and found a ready market for 
 the product of his fifty cows in the city. 
 
 Navigation seemed natural to Mr. Castle, and 
 we find him engaged hi the Mississippi River
 
 E. H. CASTLE. 
 
 trade for seven winters, exchanging the products 
 of the St. Louis markets for those of New Or- 
 leans. At one time he sailed the fine steamer 
 ' ' Alonzo Child. ' ' He secured a tract of two hun- 
 dred acres of land in Washington County, Tex. , 
 and several years of his life were spent in making 
 a beautiful plantation of this land. 
 
 In November, 1849, Capt. Castle bade farewell 
 to his Chicago friends and set out for the newly- 
 discovered gold fields of California. Proceeding 
 down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, he 
 accepted the position of mate on the "Florida," 
 and set sail for Chagres. Crossing the Isthmus, 
 he found at Panama the good ship ' 'Unicorn, ' ' 
 of the Aspinwall Line, and was tendered its com- 
 mand by the owner. On account of the crowded 
 condition of the port, it was found impossible to 
 carry all who wished to go, and a plot was made 
 by some of the disappointed ones to murder Capt. 
 Stout, but the plot was overheard by Capt. Castle 
 and a friend, and was frustrated. With a crew 
 of one hundred and thirty men and seven hun- 
 dred passengers, Capt. Castle set sail for San 
 Francisco, stopping on the way at Acapulco to 
 secure as much provisions, cattle and coal as 
 could be procured. January 5, 1850, found them 
 in San Francisco without accident. Among all 
 the hordes found there, one desire seemed para- 
 mount gold. Fabulous prices were paid for all 
 the necessaries of life, and the most fortunate 
 were those who discreetly remained in town and 
 sold merchandise. Capt. Castle was one of these. 
 He plied a small steamer, the "Eldorado," be- 
 tween San Francisco and Sacramento, and opened 
 a store ,in the latter city. On the 5th of. Feb- 
 ruary, 1850, he opened a hotel, called the Illinois 
 House, in San Francisco, which at once did a 
 thriving business. He also purchased, or secured 
 the consignment of, over four hundred cargoes, 
 and operated a very extensive warehouse trade. 
 
 Being admonished by failing health to return 
 home, Capt. Castle sailed on the steamer "Col- 
 umbus" for Panama in the fall of 1851. The sea 
 voyage and careful nursing which he received 
 from the ship's matron soon made him compara- 
 tively well. During the voyage, he was sent for 
 by a Mr. Saltpaugh, who had noticed that Capt, 
 
 Castle was a Mason. Mr. Saltpaugh was dying 
 with cholera, and confided to Capt. Castle's care 
 his money ($1,200) to be delivered to Mrs. Salt- 
 paugh at Port Gibson, N. Y. The captain of 
 the vessel claimed the custody of this money un' 
 der a United States law, but Capt. Castle said: 
 "I promised that man, who was a brother Mason, 
 to deliver the money to his widow, and you can 
 only secure it from my dead body." The matter 
 was not pressed any further, and Capt. Castle 
 subsequently had the pleasure of delivering the 
 money to its rightful owner. By steamer "Fal- 
 con" to Cuba, and "Ohio" to New York, Capt. 
 Castle was once more united with his wife and 
 daughter, who met him in New York, and the 
 meeting was a joyful one. 
 
 Soon after his return to Chicago, Capt. Castle 
 was appointed Western Agent of the Erie Rail- 
 road, and administered its affairs for four years, 
 largely increasing its traffic, and at the same time 
 he dealt more or less in city property, with profit 
 to himself. During most of this period he acted 
 as General Agent for the entire Mississippi Val- 
 ley. After retiring from the railroad agency, Mr. 
 Castle engaged in the real-estate business on a 
 large scale, in partnership with Lewis W. 
 Clark, which continued until the death of Mr. 
 Clark, after which Mr. Castle continued alone. 
 
 In 1858, Mr. Castle turned his attention to rail- 
 road construction, and secured, after much ef- 
 fort, a charter from the State of Missouri for 
 a road from Canton to the Missouri River, a 
 distance of two hundred miles. The people along 
 the line promptly subscribed for double the stock, 
 and he had completed about fifty miles of track 
 when the outbreak of the Civil War stopped all 
 operations and caused him a heavy loss. The 
 rebel, Gen. Greene, drove Capi. Castle and his 
 men from the State and seized all the stores, iron 
 and cars, valued at about $2 ,000,000. Nearly all 
 of Capt. Castle's force was composed of single 
 men, who were loyal to the Union, and when he 
 asked them to join the Union army they responded 
 almost to a man. Chartering a steamer, he took 
 them to St. Louis, where they were accepted by 
 Maj.-Gen. Fremont, and Mr. Castle was made a 
 colonel on Fremont's staff. Col. Castle was made
 
 K H. CASTLE. 
 
 547 
 
 Superintendent of Railroads for the Western De- 
 partment, comprising twenty-seven lines, with" 
 headquarters at St. Louis. By his arrangement, 
 various lines centering there were connected, and 
 a vast amount of delay and expense thus saved to 
 the Government. He prepared a uniform scale 
 of freight rates, which was accepted by Congress 
 and known as the Castle Rates. He and his faith- 
 ful men were kept busy in repairing the damage 
 to bridges and grades by the rebels, who well 
 knew that the success of the Union troops was 
 much enhanced by rapid transportation. 
 
 A warm friendship sprang up between Col. 
 Castle and his brave commander, which contin- 
 ued as long as both of them were permitted to 
 live. When Gen. Fremont was ordered to Vir- 
 ginia, Col. Castle accompanied him and was em- 
 ployed in bridge-building. He had bridges and 
 wagons for their transportation built in Pitts- 
 burgh, and because of his presence everywhere in 
 preparing a way to cross rivers on pontoon bridges, 
 the soldiers dubbed him "Col. Pontoon." 
 
 After Sheridan's famous raid up the Shenan- 
 doah River, Col. Castle was summoned to Wash- 
 ington by President Lincoln, for whom he per- 
 formed some special services, and received the 
 thanks of the President and Congress. After the 
 surrender of Vicksburg, Col. Castle contracted to 
 furnish Gen. Grant's army with twenty-eight 
 thousand tons of ice, which was done with con- 
 siderable difficulty on account of the fall of water 
 in the Mississippi, necessitating the employment 
 of railroad transportation a part of the way, and 
 re-shipment by boat at Cairo. When the ice was 
 delivered at Vicksburg, Gen. Grant thanked Col. 
 Castle with tears in his eyes, and the town was 
 illuminated. Col. Castle was sent by the Presi- 
 dent to confer with Gen. Banks at New Orleans 
 concerning the contemplated Red River expedi- 
 tion, but Banks spurned the advice of Col. Castle, 
 who showed him the disaster that was sure to re- 
 sult from his plans, and the result proved the wis- 
 dom of Col. Castle's conclusions, based upon his 
 long experience in travel and navigation. In the 
 spring of 1865, he again entered the real-estate 
 business, with office on La Salle Street, in which 
 he continued to be successful. About two years 
 
 later he experienced religion, and devoted much 
 of his time to the cause of the Master, with tell- 
 ing effect among his neighbors and friends. 
 
 Col. Castle's first wife, Miss Caroline E. John- 
 son, of Norwich, Conn., was a woman of deep 
 piety and many beautiful graces. He first met 
 her in Carbondale, Pa., and after a married life 
 of thirteen years she was called to her reward in 
 heaven. His present wife, Mrs. Emeline Castle, 
 was born in Pittston, Luzerne County, Pa., in 
 1818. She is descended from Quaker ancestors, 
 and married Wells Bennett, of Wilkes Barre, Pa. , 
 for her first husband, with whom she came to 
 Illinois more than fifty years ago. She was one 
 of the pioneers of Methodism in northern Illi- 
 nois. 
 
 Col. Castle has been for over fifty years a Free 
 Mason, and more than forty years a Master 
 Mason. He believes the society has led him to 
 high and noble resolves, and has contributed more 
 than $25,000 to the benefit of the order. He is 
 the only surviving charter member of Cambrian 
 Lodge No. 58, I. O. O. P., of Carbondale, to 
 which he has been a liberal contributor. 
 
 As a member of the Chicago Union Veteran 
 Club, he has taken a deep interest in the welfare 
 of old soldiers. His great pleasure now, how- 
 ever, is the Mission on West Lake Street, near 
 Garfield Park, which is now known as the Garfield 
 Park Methodist Church. It was his interest in 
 this mission which led him to sever his connec- 
 tion with the Park Avenue Methodist Church two 
 years ago, in order to devote more time to mis- 
 sion work. He is one of the supporting mem- 
 bers of the Lake Street Mission. 
 
 At the present time, Col. Castle is actively en- 
 gaged in business, and attends to his large inter- 
 ests with a regularity remarkable for one of his 
 great age. His large hall at the corner of Lake 
 and Paulina Streets is occupied by the Salvation 
 Army, and a godd work is being accomplished by 
 this, the greatest corps in the world. 
 
 And now, as the long and eventful career draws 
 to a close, Col. Castle looks back over the many 
 years of struggle and strife with a tranquil mind. 
 Having done the best that he could, he leaves the 
 rest with his God. His life is well worth the
 
 E. D. PARMELEE. 
 
 study of any young man. His is a character of 
 true nobility, formed by years of honest labor and 
 honorable dealings with his fellow- men. No dif- 
 ficulty was so great that it could not be overcome, 
 and no path so rough that could not be made 
 smooth. He can well say to the young, with 
 Bryant: 
 
 " So live, that when thy summons comes to join 
 The innumerable caravan that moves 
 To that mysterious realm where each shall take 
 His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
 Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night. 
 Scourged to his dungeon; but sustained and soothed 
 By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave 
 Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
 About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams." 
 
 EDWARD DAVID PARMELEE. 
 
 |"~ DWARD DAVID PARMELEE, city ticket 
 r) agent at Chicago of the Chicago & North- 
 Li western Railroad, claims New York as the 
 State of his nativity, his birth having occurred in 
 Aurora, Cayuga County, August 27, 1859. His 
 parents were David L- and Jeannette Brown 
 (Kimball) Parmelee. His father was born in 
 Middlefield Centre, Otsego County, N. Y., and 
 was a graduate of Hamilton College, of Clinton, 
 N. Y. Later he served as Principal of the Cay- 
 uga Lake Academy, and subsequently carried on 
 a private bank in Aurora, N. Y., where he made 
 his home until his death, which occurred in 1866, 
 at the age of thirty-eight years. In politics, he 
 was a Republican, and was connected with a num- 
 ber of college societies. In religious belief, he 
 was a Presbyterian, and lived an honorable, up- 
 right life, which won him high regard. His wife 
 was born in Chicago, and is a daughter of Mark 
 Kimball, who was one of the pioneers of this city. 
 Her birth occurred on Monroe Street, near the 
 present office of the Adams Express Company, 
 which locality was then one of the chief residence 
 portions of the metropolis. The lake then ex- 
 tended to Michigan Avenue. 
 
 In the Parmelee family were four children, but 
 our subject is the only survivor. He had one 
 sister, Fannie, who died in Canton, N. Y. , about 
 six yenrs since, and the other two died in infancy. 
 He was a lad of seven years when the family re- 
 moved to Orange, N. J. Subsequently they took 
 
 up their residence in Adams, N. Y. , where hf At- 
 tended Hungerford's Collegiate Institute, pu_ .su- 
 ing a classical course of study. At the ag<; of 
 seventeen, just before completing the course, he 
 came to Chicago, to accept a position as clerk in the 
 General Baggage Agent's office of the Chicago 
 & Northwestern Railroad. Since that time he 
 has been with the same company, and has won 
 promotion from time to time, until he has attained 
 his present responsible position. He was first 
 made assistant depot ticket agent, and in 1884 
 was made assistant city ticket agent at the old of- 
 fice in the Sherman House. Since 1887 he has 
 filled his present position, and a large volume of 
 business is transacted under his supervision and 
 management. 
 
 Mr. Parmelee supports the principles of the 
 Republican party, and was one of the original 
 members of the Marquette Club. He served for 
 several years on its board of directors, during 
 which time it first nominated Benjamin Harrison 
 for the Presidency. He is now a member of the 
 Chicago Athletic Association, and is a cultured 
 and accomplished gentleman, who has gradually 
 risen to his present responsible position by fidel- 
 ity and strict attention to business. He merits 
 and receives the confidence and good-will of the 
 traveling public as well as that of his superior 
 officers. A courteous aud genial gentleman, he is 
 well fitted for his position, which he is acceptably 
 and creditably filling.
 
 CHARLES ADAMS. 
 
 549 
 
 CHARLES ADAMS, M. D. 
 
 MARGES ADAMS, M. D., oueofthephysi- 
 cians of Chicago who have risen by their own 
 \J unaided efforts to a conspicuous place among 
 the medical practitioners of the city, is of English 
 birth. He was born in Northamptonshire, Eng- 
 land, on the zgth of May, 1847. His father, John 
 Adams, was of a yeoman family, which for gen- 
 erations had been engaged in agricultural pur- 
 suits and stock-raising. His mother, Elizabeth 
 (Clarke) Adams, was a daughter of a gentleman 
 farmer of the same country. 
 
 At an early age the Doctor began his studies, 
 and when a youth of ten he had completed the 
 course in the grammar school at Wellingborough, 
 in his native county. In 1856, his father bade 
 adieu to Old England, and the fair fields, pretty 
 leas and spreading elms that cause its scenery to 
 be so long remembered, and, accompanied by his 
 family, sailed for the United States. He settled 
 in the then new and crude West, which years of 
 patient effort are making to resemble, in its phys- 
 ical features and in many of its institutions, the 
 land of our forefathers. The Adams family first 
 located in Milwaukee, where they remained until 
 1861, when they came to Chicago. 
 
 During that period, the Doctor spent the greater 
 part of his time in school, but on moving to Chica- 
 go he became book-keeper for his father, who was 
 engaged in the live-stock business. There he 
 continued until 1868. Much of his leisure time 
 was devoted to study, and in this way he obtained 
 a wide and varied knowledge. In connection 
 with his general reading, he also took up the 
 study of medicine, mastered various works on that 
 science, and resolved to make the practice of the 
 healing art his life work. He finally entered the 
 office of Dr. J. S. Mitchell, and, after spending 
 
 some time there as a student, he entered Hahne- 
 mann Medical College of this city, from which in- 
 stitution, on the completion of a three-years course, 
 he was graduated in 1872. The year after his 
 graduation he spent as house surgeon in Scammon 
 Hospital, of Chicago. The greater part of the 
 year 1873 he passed in Europe, taking a special 
 course of surgery in London. On his return to the 
 United States, he took up the practice of medicine 
 in Chicago, where his thorough training and fit- 
 ness for the profession soon brought him a profit- 
 able practice among the upper classes of Chicago's 
 citizens. 
 
 In 1875, Dr. Adams again crossed the Atlantic 
 and visited the land of his nativity. He went to 
 Wellingborough, and was there wedded to Miss 
 Mary Curtis, daughter of Thomas S. Curtis, a mer- 
 chant of that place. By their union were born two 
 children, one of whom, Cuthbert, a young man of 
 eighteen, is still living. Mrs. Adams died in 1888, 
 and the following year the Doctor was united in 
 marriage with Mrs. Elizabeth (Mitchell) Gaylord, 
 of Chicago, widow of Henry Gaylord, and a 
 daughter of W. H. Mitchell, the well-known Vice- 
 President of the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank. 
 
 When he again came to the United States, in 
 1873, Dr. Adams accepted the chair of surgical 
 pathology in Hahnemann College and thus served 
 until 1875, when, on the organization of the Chi- 
 cago Homeopathic College, he accepted the chair 
 of principles and practice of surgery, which he 
 filled for some years. Now, after an absence of 
 considerable length, he again occupies that posi- 
 tion. The Doctor is also surgeon of the Chicago 
 Homeopathic Hospital, the Chicago Nursery, the 
 Half Orphan Asylum and the First Regiment, 
 Illinois National Guards. He is a member of the
 
 550 
 
 HENRY BUDDE. 
 
 Association of Military Surgeons of the United 
 States, of the Illinois Homeopathic Medical Asso- 
 ciation, the Chicago Medical Association, belongs 
 to the Academy of Science of Chicago, and is a 
 Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society of 
 London. 
 
 Dr. Adams possesses a large library of profession- 
 al works and also of general literature, the charac- 
 ter of which shows his wide knowledge of books, 
 
 and splendid ability to select the best, and none 
 other. He not only possesses a library, but has a 
 knowledge of the contents of almost every volume 
 in it, whether English, French or German. His 
 success is a fitting reward of his labors. He has 
 been, and still is, a hard student, an earnest, pains- 
 taking and successful practitioner, a faithful friend 
 and a cultured, genial gentleman. 
 
 HENRY BUDDE. 
 
 NENRY BUDDE, a well-known farmer of 
 Niles Township, Cook County, residing on 
 section 17, is the youngest in a family of 
 three sons, whose parents were Conrad and L,eo- 
 nore (Baesner) Biidde. He was born December 
 5, 1815, in Messenkomp, Hanover, Germany, 
 and his brothers were William and Christian 
 Budde. His parents died when he was only two 
 years of age. Losing the entire estate which 
 came to them from their father, the three brothers 
 separated, and Henry, when only a child, was 
 thrown upon the mercies of a cold, and often pit- 
 iless, world. In July, 1845, he left his native 
 land and sailed for America, landing in New 
 York after a voyage of five weeks. He at once 
 came to Cook County, arriving July 20, 1845. 
 Here, during the following winter, he chopped 
 one hundred and seventy-five cords of wood, re- 
 ceiving in compensation for his hard labor three 
 shillings per cord. The next year he became the 
 possessor of sixty acres of land on section 17, 
 Niles Township, where he now resides. 
 
 In 1846, when war's cruel tongue was calling 
 for brave men to do battle against the Mexicans, 
 Mr. Budde believed it his duty to enlist in de- 
 fense of his country , for although he was not 
 an American born, he was now an American cit- 
 izen. In June he became a member of Company 
 
 K, First Illinois Infantiy, under Capt. Mowers, 
 and was honorably dischaiged in 1847. At the 
 battle of Buena Vista, on the 22d of February of 
 that year, he was wounded in the left leg. 
 
 Returning from the scene of strife, he laid aside 
 the. weapons of war for Cupid's bow and arrow, 
 and wooed and won Miss Marie Linaman, who 
 became his wife April 8, 1848. They had four 
 children: Henry, born October 4, 1850; Marie, 
 May 20, 1852; John, born in 1854; and Louis, 
 January 21, 1859. After the death of his first 
 wife, Mr. Budde, in July, 1882, married Mrs. 
 Marie Ludwig, who was called to the home be- 
 yond December 5, 1887, at the age of fifty years. 
 He was again married, for the third time, August 
 23, 1894, to Mrs. Sophia Uhrscheller, widow ot 
 Charles Uhrscheller, of Chicago. Mrs. Budde' s 
 first husband, Henry Schmidt, served many 
 years on board of a United States man-of-war. 
 From New York he removed to Chicago about 
 1864, and died there in 1878. 
 
 Mr. Budde has devoted the greater part of his 
 time and attention through life to agricultural 
 pursuits. He received from the Government one 
 hundred and sixty acres of land in return for his 
 services as a Mexican soldier, and this he traded 
 for the farm upon which he now resides. It is a 
 valuable place, highly cultivated and well im-
 
 JOHN UNOLD. 
 
 551 
 
 proved, and its neat and thrifty appearance indi- 
 cates the careful supervision of the owner. He 
 has erected thereon a fine brick residence, one of 
 the most beautiful homes in this locality. 
 
 Mr. Budde holds membership with the Luth- 
 eran Church, in which he is now sen-ing as 
 Trustee. For several years he has served as 
 School Director, and the cause of education finds 
 in him a warm friend. He cast his first Presi- 
 dential vote in 1848. He said, " I went so far 
 
 astray as to vote for Buchanan, but since that 
 time I have been a Republican," and he is true 
 to the party of his choice to this day. In Mr. 
 Budde is seen a self-made man, who began life 
 without capital, but success crowned his efforts 
 and he has won a handsome competence. He is 
 now recognized as one of the substantial agricul- 
 turists of this community, as well as one of its 
 highly respected citizens. 
 
 CAPT. JOHN UNOLD. 
 
 EAPT. JOHN UNOLD, who is now living a 
 retired life in La Grange, is one of the hon- 
 ored veterans of the late war, who followed 
 the Old Flag in defense of the Union for about 
 three years and faithfully aided in securing the 
 victory that made the United States inseparable. 
 He was born in Germany on the 2gth of Novem- 
 ber, 1829, and is a son of George and Elizabeth 
 (Brechiesen) Unold. The family numbered six 
 children, four sons and two daughters, as follows: 
 George and David, both now deceased; Chris- 
 topher, who is the owner of a factory for the man- 
 ufacture of wooden-ware in Germany; Elizabeth, 
 who is still living in the Fatherland; and Mary, 
 now deceased. George Unold was a millwright 
 by trade, and in German}' he spent his entire life, 
 as did the mother of our subject. 
 
 The Captain was born and reared in his native 
 village, and attended the public schools of Ger- 
 many until thirteen years of age, when he was 
 bound out for a three-years apprenticeship to the 
 harness-maker's trade. He then traveled through 
 Germany for three years, working at that occupa- 
 tion, and in 1849, when a young man of twenty 
 years, he crossed the broad Atlantic to America - 
 on a sailing-vessel, which after six weeks upon 
 the bosom of the Atlantic dropped anchor in the 
 harbor of New York City. He made his first lo- 
 
 cation in Newark, N. J. , where he worked at his 
 trade for two years. He then went to New 
 Haven,. Conn., where he spent the four succeed- 
 ing years of his life, and in 1855 removed to Chi- 
 cago. For two years he was there employed as a 
 harness-maker, after which he went to Fullers- 
 burg, DuPage County, where he started a shop 
 of his own and engaged in business until 1861. 
 He also carried on a general store at that place, 
 and was Postmaster of Fullersburg for a time, 
 but in 1862 he disposed of his business interests 
 in order to enter the service of his adoped coun- 
 try. 
 
 Mr. Unold had watched with interest the prog- 
 ress of events and saw that the war was to be no 
 holiday affair; so, prompted by patriotic impulses, 
 on the isth of August, 1862, he became a private 
 of Company D, One Hundred and Fifth Illinois 
 Infantry. Before he was mustered into service, 
 which event took place at Dixon, he was trans- 
 ferred to Company I, and became Second Sergeant. 
 The first active engagement in which he partici- 
 pated was at Frankfort, Ky. He afterwards took 
 part in the battles of Resaca, New Hope Church, 
 Cassville, Kennesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek 
 and Clintonville. He was wounded in the left 
 ankle by a shell at the battle of New Hope 
 Church, but did not go to the hospital. At At-
 
 552 
 
 L. P. HASKELL. 
 
 lanta, he was promoted to the rank of First Lieu- 
 tenant, and was mustered out as Captain. He re- 
 ceived his discharge June 15, 1865, for the war 
 was then practically over, and the preservation of 
 the Union an assured fact. 
 
 Capt. Unold at once returned to his home in 
 Fullersburg, where he established another har- 
 ness shop, which he carried on until 1868, when he 
 came to La Grange, and opened a general store. 
 He carried on business along that line until 1887, 
 when he sold out and has since lived retired. He 
 was successful in his business dealings and there- 
 by acquired a comfortable competence, which now 
 enables him to enjoy the rest which he has so 
 truly earned and richly deserves. He now owns 
 considerable real estate in La Grange. 
 
 On the 5th of February, 1852, Capt. Unold was 
 united in marriage to Miss Martha Hoppach. 
 Unto them have been born nine children, namely: 
 Willemanie, now deceased; Lewis, who holds 
 the position of book-keeper in his brother's 
 
 store in La Grange; George, who carries on a 
 large general merchandise establishment in La- 
 Grange; Julia, deceased; Amelia, wife of Ed- 
 ward Tillotson, who is living in Michigan; Ottil- 
 da, widow of Samuel Clifford; and Amanda, Lou- 
 isa and Sherman, all of whom have now passed 
 away. 
 
 In politics, Capt. Unold is a supporter of the 
 Republican party, and from 1869 until 1875 he 
 served as Postmaster of La Grange. He was for 
 seventeen years one of its School Directors, and 
 did effective service in the cause of education, 
 proving a capable officer. Socially, he is con- 
 nected with the Grand Army of the Republic. 
 He came to this country a poor boy and has made 
 all that he possesses by his own careful business 
 management, his thrift and enterprise. Kis life 
 has been well and worthily spent, and he has 
 achieved a success which now enables him to 
 spend his declining years surrounded by all the 
 comforts and many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 LOOMIS POMROY HASKELL, 
 
 I OOMIS POMROY HASKELL, who has for 
 1C thirty-seven years been successfully engaged 
 |_2? in the practice of dentistry in Chicago, has 
 won a reputation for skill and ability that has 
 made him known not only in this city but through- 
 out the world. His prominence in professional 
 circles makes him well worthy of representation 
 among the leading citizens of Cook County. 
 
 Dr. Haskell was born in Bangor, Me., April 
 25, 1826, and is a son of Benjamin and Mary 
 (Fuller) Haskell, who were natives of Gloucester, 
 Mass. The Haskell family in America was 
 founded by three brothers, who in an early day 
 emigrated from England, their native land, to the 
 New World, and became early settlers in the Mass- 
 achusetts Colony. About 1823, the father of our 
 
 subject removed to Bangor, Me. , and five years 
 later went to Marblehead, Mass. , where his last 
 days were passed, his death occurring in 1830. 
 He was a shoe-maker by trade, and opened the 
 first shoe-store in Bangor, Me. His wife, who 
 survived him thirty years, died in Milwaukee, 
 Wis., in 1860. She was a daughter of Rev. 
 Thomas Fuller, a Congregational minister of 
 Gloucester, Mass. Both Mr. and Mrs. Haskell 
 were members of the Congregational Church, and, 
 socially, he was connected with the Masonic 
 order. 
 
 After the death of the father the family removed 
 to Salem, Mass. , where the Doctor attended school 
 until fifteen years of age. He then went to Bos- 
 ton and entered a printing-office, where he was
 
 J. O. HUTCHINSON. 
 
 553 
 
 employed for four years. His experience there 
 formed an excellent supplement to the limited ed- 
 ucational privileges he had previously received. 
 On leaving the printing-office, he took up the 
 study of dentistry in the office of his brother-in- 
 law, Dr. M. P. Hanson, of Chelsea, Mass., and 
 in connection with the latter he gave considerable 
 attention to the manufacture of carved block 
 teeth. It was through this means that he became 
 widely known among his professional brethren in 
 New England. 
 
 Ere leaving the East, Dr. Haskell was united 
 in marriage with Sarah E. Wason, a native of 
 Chester, N. H. Six children were born of their 
 union, but only four of the number are now liv- 
 ing, namely: Ella P.; Lizzie M., wife of Rev. W. 
 J. Clark, of Lamoille, 111.; Sarah Isabel, wife of 
 Col. J. B. Parsons, of Dwight, 111.; and Anna N., 
 wife of W. T. Barr, of Hinsdale, 111. The two 
 children now deceased are Harriet N. , who died 
 in infancy ; and Mary F. , who died at the age of 
 fifteen years. 
 
 In 1856, Dr. Haskell left his old New England 
 home and removed to Milwaukee, Wis. The 
 following year he came to Chicago, where he has 
 since been almost continuously engaged in prac- 
 tice. He demonstrated the excellence of his 
 methods for two terms in the Baltimore College 
 of Dental Surgery, and for two terms in the Minn- 
 eapolis College. He was Professor of prosthetic 
 dentistry in the Chicago College of Dental Sur- 
 gery for four years, and for three years in the 
 dental department of the Northwestern Univer- 
 sity. In 1888 he established the first post-grad- 
 uate school of dentistry, which since that time 
 
 has furnished instruction to hundreds of students, 
 mostly practicing dentists from all parts of North 
 America, as well as England, Germany, Holland, 
 Chile, Australia and New Zealand. The Doctor 
 is a frequent contributor to dental journals, and 
 is the author of "The Student's Manual and 
 Hand Book for the Dental Laboratory," which 
 circulates extensively among the profession in 
 America, and has been republished in France and 
 Germany. Since the organization of the party, 
 Dr. Haskell has been a stanch Republican. In 1848 
 he cast his first vote, supporting Martin Van Buren 
 on the Free-Soil ticket, and he was a delegate 
 to the first Free-Soil Convention ever held in 
 the United States, which met at Worcester, 
 Mass. He is a member of the Chicago Dental 
 Club, the Illinois State Dental Society, and the 
 American Dental Association. He and his fam- 
 ily are members of the Congregational Church of 
 Hinsdale, where they make their home. He has 
 practiced dentistry longer than any other dentist 
 in Chicago, and with one exception has been ac- 
 tively engaged in dental work here longer than 
 any other member of the profession. He keeps 
 fully abreast of the times, and is continually 
 studying to gain new knowledge on the subject 
 to which he has given his life work. Thus has 
 he won a front rank among the dentists of the 
 world. He is a gentleman of pleasing address 
 and prepossessing manner, and is an interesting 
 writer and able speaker. So well known is he 
 throughout the Northwest, that the history of 
 Cook County would be incomplete without this 
 sketch. 
 
 JAMES O. HUTCHINSON. 
 
 (I AMES O. HUTCHINSON, who for nine 
 I years has been in the employ of the well- 
 ed known firm of Thomas Cook & Sons, now oc- 
 cupies the position of General Western Agent, 
 with headquarters at No. 234 South Clark Street, 
 
 Chicago. His long continuance with the com- 
 pany is a testimonial of his ability and fidelity 
 more expressive than any words could be. Mr. 
 Hutchinson was born in Syracuse, N. Y., in 
 1845, and comes of one of the oldest families of
 
 554 
 
 C. A. COOLEY. 
 
 the Empire State. His ancestors were originally 
 natives of Scotland, and came from that country 
 to America not long after the Colonies had been 
 founded on the shores of the New World. The 
 father of our subject was a man of prominence 
 and influence, and served as a member of the 
 General Assembly of New York. The maternal 
 grandfather, Judge Strong, sat on the Supreme 
 Bench of the State in 1812, and was a prominent 
 figure in the history of that time. 
 
 James O. Hutchinson spent the days of his boy- 
 hood and youth in his parents' home, acquiring 
 his education in the public schools and in the 
 naval academy. He acted as Lieutenant for five 
 years, from 1860 until 1865, and then became 
 Chief Clerk in the office of the Adjutant-General 
 of New York. There he remained until 1880. 
 Two years later he formed a connection with the 
 firm of Thomas Cook & Sons, which has contin- 
 ued up to the present time, and which has seen 
 him advanced from one position to another, until 
 he is now General Agent for all western territory, 
 having entered upon the duties of that position 
 on the 2oth of April, 1893, 
 
 Thomas Cook & Sons are general steamship 
 and railway agents, and secure passage for sin- 
 
 gle tourists or parties visiting any known point 
 on the face of the globe. They have their agents 
 in all countries, who make the traveling arrange- 
 ments, and secure a hotel and other accommoda- 
 tions for visitors, thus giving the tourist time for 
 sight-seeing which otherwise would be largely 
 taken up in planning and executing the trip. 
 They also issue letters of credit and do all ex- 
 change business with the banks. 
 
 Mr. Hutchinson himself has made several trips 
 to distant lands, has visited Asia, spent some 
 time in India, China and Egypt, and has seen 
 many of the points of interest, historical and 
 otherwise, in Europe. He expects soon to start 
 for Japan, where he will spend seven months 
 among one of the most interesting peoples known. 
 
 In his social relations, he is connected with the 
 Grand Army of the Republic, and in his political 
 affiliations is a Democrat. His life has been a 
 busy one, and he well merits the confidence and 
 trust reposed in him by the company with which 
 he is now connected. His position is a responsi- 
 ble one, for he is agent for the entire Western 
 Territory, and attends to all the business of this 
 section of the country. 
 
 CLARK A. COOLEY. 
 
 ELARK A. COOLEY is the efficient Clerk 
 of Elk Grove Township, Cook County. 
 He resides on section 16, and is numbered 
 among the prominent farmers of the community. 
 His entire life has been spent in this locality, and 
 an honorable, upright career has gained him the 
 high regard of all with whom he has been brought 
 in contact. He was born in Elk Grove Town- 
 ship, this county, September 21, 1847, and comes 
 of an old New England family. His father, 
 Charles Cooley, was a native of Vermont, and 
 emigrated to Illinois in 1845, locating in Elk 
 Grove Township, where he took up a claim from 
 
 the Government and began the development of a 
 farm, transforming the raw prairie into rich and 
 fertile fields. There he carried on agricultural 
 pursuits and made his home until his death, 
 which occurred in 1884, in his sixty-fourth year. 
 In politics, he was a Democrat, and served as 
 School Director. Mrs Cooley, who bore the 
 maiden name of Clara Green, is a native of Mass- 
 achusetts, and is yet living, at the age of seventy- 
 two. Both families were of English origin. 
 
 In the Cooley family were seven children, our 
 subject, who is the eldest, being the only son. 
 The daughters were: Kittie, wife of William
 
 LOUIS VOLTZ. 
 
 555 
 
 Higgins, of Elk Grove Township; Mary, who 
 died at the age of six years; Sarah, widow of 
 John B. Weeks, and a resident of Beadle County, 
 S. Dak.; Addie, who died at the age of a year and 
 a-half; Clara, wife of John Carson, a resident of 
 Iowa; and Mary, who is engaged in teaching 
 school, and makes her home in Arlington 
 Heights. 
 
 C. A. Cooley spent the days of his boyhood 
 and youth in the usual manner of farmer lads, and 
 in the schools of Elk Grove Township acquired a 
 good English education. From an early age he 
 has been familiar with all the details of farming, 
 for as soon as old enough to handle the plow he 
 began work in the fields, and to agricultural pur- 
 suits has since devoted his energies. In his deal- 
 ing, he has been quite successful. His farm com- 
 prises one hundred and fifty-six acres of valuable 
 land, and is considered one of the best in the town- 
 ship, for the fields are well tilled, and it is sup- 
 plied with all modern accessories and conven- 
 iences. In connection with general farming, the 
 
 owner also carries on stock-raising and dealing, 
 and has met with success in this line. 
 
 In 1871, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. 
 Cooley and Miss Rosa J. Crego, a native of New 
 York, who, when a maiden of twelve summers, 
 removed with her parents to Arlington Heights, 
 111. There her girlhood days were passed. Two 
 children grace this union, a son and daughter, 
 Frank A. and Anna E., both of whom are still 
 at home. 
 
 In his political affiliations, Mr. Cooley is a Re- 
 publican, and in 1893 was elected Clerk of his 
 township, which position he is now creditably fill- 
 ing. He has also served as School Director, and 
 has filled other offices. Having spent his entire 
 life in this community, Mr. Cooley has witnessed 
 the many changes which have taken place in the 
 county, has seen its growth and upbuilding, and 
 has aided in its development. He has ever been 
 a progressive and public-spirited man, and is rec- 
 ognized as a valued citizen. 
 
 LOUIS VOLTZ. 
 
 I GUIS VOLTZ, who is successfully engaged 
 1C in fanning on section 10, Northfield Town- 
 I \ J ship, Cook County, claims Germany as the 
 land of his birth. He was born in Hesse-Darm- 
 stadt, September 30, 1833, and is the second in or- 
 der of birth in a family of six children whose par- 
 ents were Louis and Elizabeth Voltz. They were 
 also natives of Germany. In the common schools 
 of the neighborhood our subject acquired his edu- 
 cation. No event of special importance occurred 
 during his boyhood and youth, which were quietly 
 passed in his father's home. Having arrived at 
 years of maturity, he determined to seek his for- 
 tune in America, and in 1857 crossed the Atlantic 
 to the New World. He made his way direct to Chi- 
 cago, and thence removed to McHenry County, 
 111., where lie secured work as a farm hand by the 
 
 month. When he had acquired a sufficient capi- 
 tal, he purchased land in Jefferson Township, Cook 
 County, and began fanning in his own interest. 
 For a time he continued the cultivation and im- 
 provement of that tract, but at length sold out, and 
 in 1870 purchased the farm on which he now re- 
 sides in Northfield Township. 
 
 Mr. Voltz was married in Jefferson Township 
 in 1862, the lad}- of his choice being Miss Mar- 
 garet Kilwy, a native of Germany, who at the 
 age of fourteen years left the Fatherland and came 
 to the United States. By the union of this worthy 
 couple were born the following children: Louis, 
 who is now deceased; William, who is married; 
 Katie, who has passed away; Charlie, at home; 
 Emma, deceased; Emma, the second of that name; 
 Edward, Walter, Sophia, Ella, George, Frank,
 
 556 
 
 A. SOHM. 
 
 Richard and Albert, all of whom are yet under 
 the parental roof. The children were all born in 
 Cook County, and nine of the number are still at 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Voltz now carries on general farming, and 
 is the owner of one hundred and six acres of good 
 land, which he has placed under a high state of 
 cultivation. He has also made many good im- 
 provements upon his farm, audits neat and thrifty 
 appearance indicates his careful supervision. His 
 life has been a busy one, and as the result of his 
 energy and untiring labors he has become the 
 possessor of a comfortable property. He may 
 truly be called a self-made man. 
 
 In religious belief, Mr. Voltz is a Lutheran, and 
 in politics is a Republican, having supported his 
 party by his ballot for many years. He has 
 held the office of School Director for a long period, 
 and the cause of education finds in him a warm 
 friend. For six years he served as Township 
 Commissioner, and is now Township Treasurer. 
 In September, 1883, he was elected Supervisor of 
 Northfield Township, and has held that position 
 continuously since, discharging his duties with a 
 promptness and fidelity that have not only caused 
 his retention in office, but have also won him the 
 high commendation of all concerned. 
 
 A. SOHM. 
 
 a SOHM is at the head of one of the leading 
 engraving establishments of Chicago, and is 
 doing a good business, which has been se- 
 cured through excellent workmanship, courteous 
 treatment and honorable dealing. His success is 
 therefore well deserved. Mr. Sohm claims Aus- 
 tria as the land of his birth, which occurred in 
 1862. His father, Joseph Sohm, was also a na- 
 tive of Austria. Under the parental roof our 
 subject was reared to manhood, the days of his 
 boyhood being quietly passed. The schools of 
 the vicinity afforded him his educational privi- 
 leges, and when he had mastered the common 
 branches of learning, he turned his attention to 
 business pursuits, whereby he might earn his 
 own livelihood. For some time he engaged in 
 block-cutting. 
 
 At length Mr. Sohm resolved to try his fortune 
 in America, for he had heard much of its advan- 
 tages and privileges, and believed that he might 
 thereby benefit his financial condition. In 1881 
 he crossed the ocean to the New World, and on 
 his arrival in America learned the engraving 
 business in the establishment of the Acme En- 
 graving Company, of Chicago. He spent three 
 years in mastering the trade, becoming a most 
 excellent workman, and then for five years fol- 
 
 lowed that vocation in the employ of other firms 
 in the city. 
 
 It was in 1888 that Mr. Sohm embarked in 
 business for himself, being then located on L,a 
 Salle Street. About a year later, however, he 
 removed to the Staats Zeitung Building, where 
 he has now been for the past four years. He en- 
 gages in mechanical engraving, and the artistic 
 work which he turns out has secured for him a 
 liberal patronage. He is recognized as one of the 
 best engravers in the city, and his high reputa- 
 tion is well deserved. 
 
 In the year 1891, was celebrated the marriage 
 of Mr. Sohm and Miss Gertrude Bruh. He and 
 his wife are members of the Catholic Church, and 
 in the social circles in which they move they have 
 many friends who esteem them highly. In his 
 political views, our subject is a supporter of the 
 Democracy, but has never been an aspirant for 
 public office, preferring to devote his entire time 
 and attention to other interests. It proved a for- 
 tunate day for him when he determined to leave 
 his native land and make a home in the New 
 World, and he has never yet had occasion to re- 
 gret the change, for he has here won a prosperity 
 that would probably not have come to him had 
 he remained upon his native soil.
 
 MATHIAS HOFFMAN. 
 
 557 
 
 MATHIAS HOFFMAN. 
 
 HOFFMAN, a prosperous and 
 highly respected fanner of Niles Township, 
 Cook County, residing on section 18, was 
 born on the 25th of July, 1825, on the River 
 Rhine, in Prussia, and is a son of Peter and Su- 
 sannah (Saul) Hoffman, both of whom were born 
 in Prussia in the year 1799. The grandfather, 
 Mathias Hoffman, was also a native of the same 
 country and was a farmer by occupation. In 
 1842, the parents with their children turned their 
 faces toward the setting sun and started for the 
 New World. They crossed the Atlantic in a 
 sailing-vessel and made their way to Chicago, 
 taking up their residence on the northwest quar- 
 ter of section 18, Niles Township, Cook County, 
 where the father purchased a farm of ninety -five 
 acres, paying $3 per acre. At his death in 1846, 
 he was the possessor of two hundred and sixty 
 acres, a valuable and desirable place. 
 
 The children born to Peter and Susannah 
 Hoffman were: Mathias; John, who was a farmer 
 of Northfield Township; Michael, who lives in 
 Des Plaines; Marguerite; Nicholas, a farmer of 
 Niles Township; and Mrs. Catherine Schmelzer. 
 John and Marguerite are deceased. 
 
 Mathias Hoffman was in his seventeenth year 
 when, with the family, he bade adieu to the Fa- 
 therland and came to the United States. In Niles 
 Township he has since made his home, and during 
 the long years which have since passed his hon- 
 orable, upright life has made him many friends. 
 He was married on the jth of September, 1850, 
 to Miss Barbara Harsom, daughter of John Har- 
 som, a farmer and a native of Bavaria. The lady 
 was born September 19, 1828, and by their union 
 have been born five children, who in order of 
 birth are as follows: William, who was born Sep- 
 tember ii, 1851, and is now a carpenter of South 
 
 Evanston; John, born February 24, 1853, who is 
 now living retired at Gross Point; Nicholas, a 
 farmer of Northfield Township, born October 19, 
 1854; Catherine, who was born March 23, 1857, 
 and is now the wife of James Dalton, of South Chi- 
 cago; and Marguerite, who was born March 11, 
 1859, and is the wife of Anton Mayer, a farmer 
 of Hamlet, Indiana. 
 
 Mr. Hoffman received as his portion of his 
 father's estate forty acres of the old home place 
 and twelve acres of timber-land. All his other 
 property has been acquired through his own ef- 
 forts. By perseverance and untiring industry, he 
 has made life a success and has acquired a hand- 
 some competency. Some years since he gave to 
 each of his children seventy acres of valuable 
 prairie land, and ten acres of timber, save to 
 one daughter, to whom he gave $7,000 in cash. 
 He has ever been of a liberal and generous nature, 
 free and open-handed with those in whom he 
 takes an interest, and cannot do too much to en- 
 hance the happiness and promote the welfare of 
 his family. Although he has transacted a large 
 volume of business, he has never had a lawsuit, 
 but has ever been at peace with all mankind. 
 
 The parents and their children are all members 
 of the Catholic Church, and are highly respected, 
 having many friends in this community. In his 
 political views, Mr. Hoffman is a Democrat, and 
 cast his first Presidential vote in 1848. Although 
 he has never been an office-seeker, he has served 
 as Assessor of Niles Township for twenty-four 
 years, has been Road Commissioner six years, and 
 School Director for a quarter of a century. Be- 
 ing a man of excellent judgment, he has made 
 an efficient officer, and his fidelity to duty is well 
 attested by his long service.
 
 558 
 
 T. S. ROGERS. 
 
 CAPT. THEODORE S. ROGERS. 
 
 EAPT. THEODORE S. ROGERS is one of 
 the leading citizens of Downer's Grove, and 
 an honored veteran of the late war, who 
 wore the blue in defense of the Union, and vali- 
 antly followed the Old Flag in many of the most 
 hotly contested battles of that struggle, which 
 not only did away with slavery, but made the 
 Union more indissoluble than before. The Cap- 
 tain was born in Morristown, St. Lawrence 
 County, N. Y., August 30, 1831. The family is 
 of English lineage. The father, Joseph I. Rogers, 
 was a native of Rhode Island. Removing to 
 the Empire State, he there married Caroline 
 Smith, who was born in New York, and was also 
 of English extraction. Her father was a well- 
 educated man, and kept a hotel in New York for 
 a number of years. In 1844 Mr. Rogers came 
 with his family to Illinois, making the journey 
 by water to Chicago, where he hired a team, with 
 which he came to DuPage County. Here he 
 purchased a farm, upon which he spent his re- 
 maining days. He was a stanch Republican, 
 and took quite an active part in local politics. 
 His death occurred in this county, at the age of 
 sixty-two years. He was the only son of the 
 family who lived to any age, but has a sister, 
 Mrs. Julia Aldrich, who is now living in this 
 county, at the advanced age of ninety-five years. 
 The mother of our subject still survives her hus- 
 band, and although now in her eighty-third year, 
 her mental and physical faculties are well pre- 
 served. 
 
 The Rogers family numbered six children, 
 three sons and three daughters, but Ella is now 
 deceased. The others are Mary L-, widow of 
 Chauncy Harmon, and a resident of Downer's 
 Grove, Theodore S.; Joseph W., a prosperous 
 
 merchant of this place; Francis A., a successful 
 farmer of Downer's Grove Township; and Sarah, 
 wife of John A. Kinley, of Aurora, 111. 
 
 Capt. Rogers spent the first thirteen years of 
 his life in the State of his nativity, and in 1844 
 came with his parents to Illinois. He remained 
 at home until twenty years of age, when he be- 
 gan teaching school in this county. For twelve 
 winters he followed that profession, while in the 
 summer months his labors were devoted to work 
 upon the home farm. He had attended the com- 
 mon schools, and was graduated from the Down- 
 er's Grove High School. On the igth of July, 
 1862, prompted by patriotic impulses, he re- 
 sponded to the country's call for troops, and en- 
 listed as a private of the One Hundred and Fiftt 
 Illinois Infantry. On the organization of Com 
 pany B, he was elected Captain. The regiment 
 went into camp at Dixon, and was mustered into 
 the United States service September 2, 1862, and 
 sent thence to Louisville and Frankfort, Ky., en- 
 gaging at the skirmish at the latter place. Capt, 
 Rogers took part in the battles of Bowling Green, 
 Taylor's Ridge, Smoke Creek Gap, and at the 
 battle of Resaca had charge of the skirmish line 
 in front of the assaulters. He led his men at 
 Calhoun, Cassville, the advance on Dallas, New 
 Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Lookout 
 Mountain, Golgotha, the assault on Kenesaw, the 
 battle of Marietta, Chattahoochee River, Peach 
 T:ee Creek, the battle of Atlanta, and the siege 
 of that city. On the 3oth of September, 1864, 
 he resigned and was honorably discharged from 
 the service. He participated in many skirmishes 
 and battles, and his war record is one of which he 
 may well be proud. 
 
 On the 1 3th of December, 1855, the Captain
 
 CAPT. THEO. S. ROGERS
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 P. C. GARDNER. 
 
 559 
 
 married Miss Helen M., a daughter of Dexter 
 and Nancy (Capron) Stanley, who were among 
 the early settlers of DuPage County. She was 
 born in Pennsylvania, February 6, 1833, but 
 since her second year has made her home in this 
 county. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers had two children, 
 Bertha and Glen, but both died in infancy. 
 
 The Captain was elected Sheriff of DuPage 
 County in 1860, but on entering the sen-ice of 
 his country he left reliable deputies to perform 
 the duties of that office. He has served as Super- 
 . visor, Township Clerk and Collector. He was a 
 member of the Board of Town Trustees for four- 
 teen years, and, with the exception of one year, 
 was President during that entire time. He cast 
 his first Presidential, vote for Scott, but it is need- 
 less to say that he is now a stanch Republican, 
 supporting that party which was formed to pre- 
 vent the further extension of slavery. In 1892 
 he was appointed by Gov. Fifer on the Board of 
 Equalization to fill the vacancy caused by the 
 death of Henry L. Bush. He is a prominent 
 Grand Army man, and with the exception of one 
 year has been Commander of Naper Post No. 
 468, G. A. R., of Downer's Grove, since its or- 
 ganization: At that time he refused to have the 
 office, but, his comrades insisting upon his ac- 
 cepting the position again, he is now the incum- 
 bent. He has served as Superintendent of the 
 Agricultural Society of the county for a number 
 
 of years, and is a member of the Masonic frater- 
 nity of Downer's Grove, and the Royal Arcanum 
 of Hinsdale. He also belongs to the Loyal 
 Legion of Illinois, the last two being societies of 
 the Army of the Cumberland and the Army of 
 the Tennessee. 
 
 After his return from the war, the Captain en- 
 gaged in teaching school for a year, then spent 
 one year in the insurance business, and in July, 
 1866, embarked in the market and provision busi- 
 ness in Chicago. In 1871, in the great fire, he 
 was burned out, and again in 1874, but with 
 characteristic energy he rebuilt, retrieved his 
 losses, and has since successfully carried on busi- 
 ness. He now has one of the finest markets in 
 Chicago, located at the corner of Wabash Ave- 
 nue and Eighteenth Street. His possessions have 
 all been acquired through his own earnings, and 
 he has gained a handsome competence, but in- 
 stead of using it all for selfish ends, he gives lib- 
 erally to charitable and benevolent work. The 
 needy are never turned from his door empty- 
 handed, and probably no man has contributed so 
 much to the poor of Downer's Grove as has 
 Capt. Rogers. He has a beautiful home here 
 and several lots and business houses. Through- 
 out DuPage and Cook Counties he has a host of 
 friends, and is held in the highest regard by all 
 with whom he has been brought in contact. 
 
 CAPT. PETER G. GARDNER. 
 
 EAPT. PETER G. GARDNER, one of the 
 representative citizens of La Grange, and a 
 man prominent in public affairs in this com- 
 munity, claims Ohio as his native State. He was 
 born near Zanesville, September 12, 1842, and 
 was the second in a family of four children, three 
 sons and a daughter, born unto Adam and Eliza- 
 beth Gaertner. The mode of spelling the sur- 
 name was changed to Gardner by the Captain. 
 
 The father was born in Germany, and there grew 
 to mature years. Having married, he came to 
 this country, locating near Zanesville, Ohio. His 
 wife died in 1846, after which the family was 
 scattered, and the father joined an Ohio regiment 
 for sen-ice in the Mexican War. He was killed 
 in the siege of the City of Mexico. 
 
 Capt. Gardner was only four years of age at 
 the time of his mother's death. He was bound
 
 56o 
 
 P. C. GARDNER. 
 
 out to a farmer near Zanesville, and there resided 
 until fifteen years of age, when he began work- 
 ing as a farm hand by the month through the 
 summer season, and in the winter he attended 
 the common schools. On the lyth of April, 1861, 
 he joined Company A, of the Fifteenth Ohio In- 
 fantry, for three months' service, being among the 
 first to respond to the call for troops. When that 
 term had expired, he immediately re-enlisted, and 
 was made Corporal March 7, 1862. He was ap- 
 pointed Sergeant January i, 1864, and was made 
 First Lieutenant February 9, 1865. On the ist 
 of January, 1864, he again enlisted for another 
 term of three years, if the war continued so 
 long. On the gth of February, 1865, he was dis- 
 charged as an enlisted man, to accept a commis- 
 sion as First Lieutenant of his old company and 
 regiment. On the 22d of December, 1865, in 
 Columbus, Ohio, he received his final discharge. 
 He participated in the engagement at Philippi, 
 W. Va. , and afterwards took part in the battles 
 of Carricks Ford, Cheat Mountain and Shiloh. 
 He also participated in the engagement at Liberty 
 Gap, Chickamauga and Mission Ridge, and was 
 in the entire campaign from Chattanooga to At- 
 lanta, which lasted from May i until Septem- 
 ber i, 1864. During all that time hardly an hour 
 passed during which the sound of the guns could 
 not be heard. He took part in the engagements 
 at Resaca, Peach Tree Creek, New Hope Church, 
 Kennesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee River, and for 
 five weeks was in the siege of Atlanta. The army 
 then went South, and after the battle of Franklin 
 the regiment in which Mr. Gardner served, which 
 formed a part of the rear-guard, had to destroy 
 the bridge at that place. They then returned to 
 Nashville, Tenn., with Gen. Thomas in com- 
 mand, and participated in the campaign. In June, 
 1865, Capt. Gardner was sent to western Texas, 
 and during the month of August, with his troops, 
 marched from Matagorda Bay to San Antonio, 
 where he remained on duty until December, 1865. 
 He then marched back to the Gulf of Mexico, 
 after which he returned home. He received no 
 serious wounds, but had some very narrow es- 
 capes. He still has in his possession the sword 
 which he carried through the greater part of the 
 
 war, and upon it is a large scar that was caused 
 by a piece of shell striking it. 
 
 When his country no longer needed his serv- 
 ices, Capt. Gardner returned to his home in 
 Zanesville, Ohio, but after a short time went to 
 visit his sister in Mattoon, 111. The eldest 
 brother of the family, now deceased, was in the 
 Sixth Iowa Infantry. The Captain had not seen 
 him since the home was broken up until the 
 night following the battle of Shiloh, when they 
 chanced to meet. The brother was wounded at 
 the battle of Missionary Ridge, and was a cripple 
 throughout the remainder of his life. George A., 
 another brother, was a member of the same com- 
 pany and regiment as our subject, and is now 
 residing in Chula, Mo., a retired farmer and 
 prominent citizen of that place, where he is en- 
 gaged in the banking business. Their sister, 
 Catherine, is now the wife of Henry Hortinstine, 
 a farmer residing in Chillicothe, Mo. 
 
 Removing to Clinton, Iowa, in 1866, Capt. 
 Gardner there engaged in the fire-insurance bus- 
 iness until 1869, when he went to Chicago, where 
 he followed the same pursuit and where he is 
 still engaged in business. In the spring of 1871, 
 he came to where the town of LaGrange now 
 stands, being the first resident of the village. 
 Purchasing a lot on the prairie, he has made 
 this place his home continuously since. 
 
 In June, 1869, was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Gardner and Miss MaroaE. Conklin, of Dar- 
 ien, Wis., who died in 1873, leaving one son, 
 Charles A., who is now in the Treasurer's office 
 of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, 
 filling a responsible position. Our subject was 
 again married, in December, 1874, his second un- 
 ion being with Miss Luella W. Humphry, of Port- 
 land, Me. They had five children, but three of 
 the number died in infancy, and William R., a 
 young man of much promise, died at the age of 
 seventeen. Eugene, the youngest, is a lad of 
 eleven years. 
 
 Mr. Gardner takes considerable interest in civic 
 societies, especially in Masonry, in which he has 
 taken the Thirty-second Degree. He is a mem- 
 ber of the La Grange Lodge, and an honorary 
 member of Garden City Lodge of Chicago. He
 
 N. S. CARRINGTON. 
 
 belongs to the Commandery of the military order 
 of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and to 
 the Grand Army of the Republic. He was one 
 of the organizers of Hiram McClintock Post No. 
 667, G. A. R., of La Grange, and was its first 
 Commander. He also organized the Masonic 
 lodge at this place, was its Master for six years, 
 and is now High Priest of the Chapter. With 
 the Royal Arcanum he is also connected. In his 
 political views, he is a stanch Republican, who 
 always gives his support to the men and meas- 
 ures of his party. He is now serving as Secre- 
 tary of the High School Board, is Secretary and 
 
 Treasurer of the Music Hall Association of La- 
 Grange, is a warm friend to education, and is a 
 patron of all those enterprises which are calcu- 
 lated to uplift humanity. He is now doing a 
 large insurance business in Chicago, and has the 
 respect and esteem of all who know him. He is 
 an honored member of various societies, and has 
 won prominence through merit and ability. He 
 was ever true to his country in her hour of peril, 
 and for four years and a-half was actively en- 
 gaged in her service, faithfully defending the Old 
 Flag which now floats so proudly over the united 
 nation. 
 
 N. STARR CARRINGTON. 
 
 |O STARR CARRINGTON, who resides upon 
 \"l a farm on section 18, Lyons Township, is 
 I /J numbered among the pioneer settlers of Cook 
 County of 1836. His residence therefore in this 
 community covers a period of fifty-seven years. 
 He was born in Middletown, Conn., on the I2th 
 of December, 1816, and is a son of Henry and 
 Susan (Starr) Carrington, both of whom were of 
 English descent. The Starr family was founded 
 in America in 1634. The grandfather, Nathan 
 Starr, served in the Revolutionary War. Unto 
 Mr. and Mrs. Carrington were born seven chil- 
 dren, as follows: Susan, Elizabeth, Mary, Henry, 
 Starr, Lorrania and William, but our subject is 
 now the only one living. While in the East, the 
 father served as cashier of the Middletown Bank. 
 At length he determined to seek a home on the 
 broad prairies of the West, and emigrated to Chi- 
 cago, then a small town, giving little or no evi- 
 dence of its future growth and importance. He 
 there engaged in the brokerage business in con- 
 nection with E. K. Hubbard until 1837, when he 
 removed to the farm of three hundred and twenty 
 acres which he had purchased of B. Jacobs for 
 $12.50 per acre the year previous. Upon this 
 farm he made his home until 1840, when he re- 
 
 turned to Middletown, Conn., and became Treas- 
 urer and Secretary of the Savings Bank of that 
 place. He was entirely a self-made man, and for 
 the success of his life deserves great credit. With 
 the Congregational Church he held membership, 
 and his career was an honorable, upright one. 
 He died at the advanced age of ninety-three 
 years. 
 
 In the schools of his native town, Mr. Carring- 
 ton of this sketch acquired a good business edu- 
 cation and under the parental roof he spent his 
 childhood days. With his father he came to Illi- 
 nois, but he remained in Chicago only a short 
 time. On leaving that place he took up his resi- 
 dence upon the farm which is now his home. 
 There were no improvements upon the place, save 
 a log cabin, which is still standing, one of the few 
 landmarks that yet remain. Chicago was the 
 nearest trading-point and they hauled all their 
 grain and farm produce to that place. When he 
 first reached that city, Mr. Carrington boarded at 
 the old Lake Street Hotel. There was not a 
 bridge in the place, and many portions that are 
 now solidly built up with fine residences or busi 
 ness houses were then only wet prairie. Mr. 
 Carrington now owns two hundred and twenty
 
 562 
 
 WESLEY POLK. 
 
 acres of good land, and carries on general farming 
 and stock-raising. Idleness is utterly foreign to 
 his nature, and a busy and well-spent life has 
 brought him a comfortable competence. 
 
 On the i6th of August, 1841, Mr. Carrington 
 was joined in marriage with Miss Laura Butler, 
 and unto them have been born eight children, 
 namely: William H., now deceased; Susan; 
 Mary; Elizabeth; William H.; Lorriana, de- 
 ceased; Laura and Edward. 
 
 In his political affiliations, in early life, Mr. 
 Carrington was a Whig, and since the organiza- 
 tion of the Republican party has been one of its 
 stanch supporters. He has been honored with 
 
 some public offices, has served as Commissioner, 
 for the past twelve years has filled the office of 
 Justice of the Peace, and is the present incum- 
 bent. The best interests of the community have 
 ever found in him a friend. His co-operation and 
 support are given to worthy enterprises, and all 
 that is calculated to benefit the community re- 
 ceives his assistance. The history of Cook 
 County is well known to him, for since its early 
 days he has watched its growth and advance- 
 ment. He may truly be classed among the hon- 
 ored pioneers, and it is with pleasure that we pre- 
 sent to our readers the sketch of this worthy gen- 
 tleman. 
 
 WESLEY POLK. 
 
 POLK was a native of Kentucky. 
 He was born in Jefferson County, on the 
 4th of November, 1818, and was one of six 
 children whose parents were Edmund and Mar- 
 garet Polk. Their children were H. H., James, 
 William, Wesley and Wilson, but Henry H. is 
 the only 'one now living. 
 
 Our subject was born and reared upon the 
 home farm in Kentucky, and acquired the greater 
 part of his education outside the school-room. 
 He began life for himself when a young man, and 
 was afterward dependent upon his own resources. 
 In 1831 he left the State of his nativity and re- 
 moved to Indiana, where he made his home un- 
 til 1833, when he came to Illinois, making the 
 journey by wagon. He located in Lyons Town- 
 ship, where he purchased a tract of wild, uncul- 
 tivated land on section 2 1 , upon which a log cabin 
 was built. He was accompanied by his parents 
 and family, and they experienced all the hard- 
 ships and trials of life on the frontier. The In- 
 dians were still numerous in the settlement, and 
 Chicago was the trading-point of the pioneers. 
 
 Mr. Polk grew to manhood upon the new farm, 
 and there made his home until 1849, when, in 
 
 connection with his brother H. H., and three 
 other young men, they started with pack mules 
 for California. They walked much of the dis- 
 tance, but at length after traveling for several 
 months reached their destination. There Mr. 
 Polk engaged in prospecting and mining from 
 1849 until 1851. His trip proved quite a success- 
 ful one, and he returned home .by way of New 
 York City and the water route. He then came 
 back to the farm, and to agricultural pursuits de- 
 voted his energies until the breaking out of the 
 war, when, in 1861, prompted by patriotic im- 
 pulses, he responded to the country's call for 
 troops. He enlisted as a private, was assigned 
 to Company H, One Hundred and Twenty -seventh 
 Illinois Infantry, and was mustered into service in 
 Chicago. He faithfully followed the Old Flag for 
 three years, and during that time was never either 
 wounded or taken prisoner, but was always found 
 at his post of duty, participating in all the engage- 
 ments in which the regiment took part, a faithful 
 and valiant defender of the Union. When mus- 
 tered out he held the rank of Corporal. 
 
 When the war was over, Mr. Polk returned to 
 the old farm, where he lived until 1881. He then
 
 C. H. HARRISOX. JR. 
 
 563 
 
 purchased the farm now owned by the family. It 
 comprised one hundred and ninety acres of rich 
 and valuable land, under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion and well improved with all the accessories 
 and conveniences of a model farm. Mr. Polk be- 
 gan life a poor boy, but his career was a success- 
 ful one, for he was diligent and enterprising and 
 possessed good business ability. 
 
 In 1860 Mr. Polk was united in marriage with 
 Miss MaryJ. Bielby. Her birthplace was near 
 Utica, N. Y. They had only one child, Edmund 
 R., who was born March 7, 1866. He attended 
 the public schools and was graduated from the 
 .Metropolitan Business College of Chicago. On 
 the 1 4th of January, 1891, he married Miss Agnes 
 L,ittle, and they have become the parents of one 
 son, Wesley W. Edmund now carries on the 
 
 home farm and is a wide-awake and enterprising 
 agriculturist. 
 
 The father was called to his final rest May 23, 
 1893, and his remains are interred in Lyonsville 
 Cemetery. He had the respect of all who knew 
 him and his death was deeply mourned. In poli- 
 tics, he was a stalwart advocate of the Republican 
 party and its principles, and did all in his power 
 to insure its success. For fourteen successive 
 years he creditably and ably filled the office of 
 Justice of the Peace, was Township Collector, and 
 also served as Supervisor. Socially, he was a 
 member of the Grand Army post, and in religious 
 belief he was a Congregationalist. Alike true in 
 public and private life, and faithful to every trust, 
 he had the confidence and regard of all with whom 
 business or social relations brought him in contact. 
 
 CARTER H. HARRISON, JR. 
 
 EARTER H. HARRISON, JR., the editor of 
 the Chicago Times, the leading Democratic 
 newspaper of the city, has spent his entire 
 life here, with the exception of three years spent 
 in Germany and the time passed in college. The 
 Harrison family has been prominently connected 
 with the city's interests since an early day, and 
 the ancestors of our subject were among those 
 who aided in achieving the independence of this 
 country. The family originated in England, and 
 some of its members came from that country to 
 the United States in the seventeenth century, lo- 
 cating in Virginia. It had several representatives 
 in the Colonial army during the Revolutionary 
 War, and Gen. William Russell, one of the ma- 
 ternal ancestors of our subject, won his title during 
 that eight-years struggle. Benjamin Harrison, 
 who first came to America, was a man of promi- 
 nence in Virginia, and served as Colonial Gov- 
 ernor. For three generations after him the blood 
 was transmitted through a Benjamin Harrison. 
 
 The fourth Benjamin had two sons, Benjamin 
 and Carter. In direct line the descendants of the 
 former are William Henry, Scott H. and Benja- 
 min. Of the latter they are Robert Carter, Carter 
 H., Carter H. (the late Mayor of the city), 
 Carter H., Jr., of this sketch, and his little son, 
 who also bears the name of Carter H. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this record 
 was born in Chicago, on the 23d of April, 1860. 
 His father had located here several years previ- 
 ous, and from that time until his death was ac- 
 tively connected with the welfare of the city. 
 The son was educated in private schools until 
 1873, when he went to Germany. In 1876, he 
 attended college in New York, and later was 
 graduated from St. Ignatius' College, of Chicago. 
 He afterwards entered Yale College, and com- 
 pleted the law course in that renowned institution 
 in the Class of '83. 
 
 Returning to his home, Mr. Harrison then em- 
 barked in the real-estate business, and carried on
 
 564 
 
 CHRISTIAN THIELE. 
 
 operations along that line for a number of years, 
 when, in 1891, in connection with his father, he 
 bought out the Chicago Times, and assumed 
 charge of the editorial department of the paper. 
 The Times is too well known to need mention 
 here. It is an old paper, yet its success and high 
 reputation have been greatly increased since Mr. 
 Harrison's connection with it. 
 
 In the year 1887, our subject was united in 
 marriage with Miss Edith Ogden, daughter of Rob- 
 ert N. Ogden, of New Orleans, La., and to them 
 has been born a son, who was named for his father 
 and grandfather. Mr. Harrison holds member- 
 ship with the University Club and the Chicago 
 
 Athletic Club. His connection with the Times at 
 once indicates his political views to be Democratic. 
 He is well known in his -native city, his father's 
 prominence having brought him a wide acquaint- 
 ance among leading people, while his own qualities 
 have gained for him their high regard and es- 
 teem. He possesses the same attractive manner 
 for which the Harrison family is noted. Although 
 yet a young man, he is recognized as one of the 
 leading and influential citizens of the second city 
 in the Union, and whether he should continue in 
 newspaper work or leave the journalistic field he 
 is sure to occupy a position of importance. 
 
 CHRISTIAN THIELE. 
 
 /2f HRISTIAN THIELE, a well-known citizen 
 1 1 of Proviso Township, this county, is a native 
 \j of Germany, his birth having occurred in 
 Hanover, on the igth of January, 1834. His boy- 
 hood and youth were quietly passed; the common 
 schools afforded him his educational privileges, 
 and in his native land he learned the carpenter's 
 trade. Thinking to better his financial condition 
 by emigrating to the New World, in 1850 he 
 sailed for America, and after a voyage of nine 
 weeks landed in New York City. During the 
 trip across the water he served as the ship's car- 
 penter. He left home with a capital of $50, which 
 his father gave him, and with this he started out 
 in life in the United States, a stranger in a 
 strange land. After remaining in New York 
 City for a short time, he took an emigrant train to 
 Chicago. 
 
 On reaching that place, Mr. Thiele found that 
 his money was exhausted, but he soon secured 
 employment as a carpenter, and thus worked for 
 about eighteen months. He then went to what 
 is now Addison, and worked at his chosen trade, 
 building houses for the farmers of that locality 
 for a period of about nine years. With the capi- 
 
 tal thus acquired, he purchased a ten-acre tract of 
 land where the village of Proviso now stands,' and 
 has here made his home continuously since. He 
 rented an additional tract, and turned his atten- 
 tion to farming, which he carries on in connection 
 with the hay business. 
 
 In 1857, Mr. Thiele was joined in marriage 
 with Miss Minnie Summerman, of Cook County, 
 and unto them were born two children: Henry, 
 who is now carrying on a grocery on Madison 
 Street, in Oak Park, Chicago; and Sophia, wife 
 of William Ruchty, a resident of Fullersburg. 
 In the year 1872, the mother of this family was 
 called to her final rest, and in 1874 Mr. Thiele 
 was again married, his second union being with 
 Miss Margaret Bernard, by whom he has two 
 children, a son and daughter, Arno and Lizzie, 
 both at home. 
 
 Mr. Thiele is now the owner of one hundred 
 and sixty acres of valuable land in Cook County, 
 together with a handsome brick residence, store 
 and saloon, which are valued at $23,000. He 
 also has a granary worth $6,000. Everything 
 that he now possesses has been acquired through 
 his own efforts. When he reached Chicago, he
 
 A. F. WEBB. 
 
 565 
 
 slept for two nights in the depot, for he had not 
 money enough to pay for lodging. Undaunted, 
 however, by the difficulties in his path, he soon 
 secured work, and as he was enabled to save 
 something from his earnings, he made judicious 
 investments of his capital, and is now numbered 
 
 among the substantial citizens of this community. 
 He may be truly called a self-made man. In his 
 political views, Mr. Thiele is a Republican, and 
 has served his township as Highway Commis- 
 sioner. 
 
 ALBERT F. WEBB. 
 
 Gl LBERT F. WEBB, superintendent of the 
 J 1 Stinson Stock Farm at Thornton, was born 
 /I in Chicago, on the ist of March, 1863, and 
 is a son of Francis and Amelia (Wheeler) Webb. 
 
 The father was a native of England, born near 
 London. In 1861, he took up his residence near 
 Thornton, having that year crossed the Atlantic 
 to America, and upon the farm where he located 
 he made his home until his death, which occurred 
 in 1881, at the age of fifty-one years. Hiswidow 
 still resides on the old homestead. She was 
 born in Oxford, England, and came to America 
 in 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Webb had a family of 
 four children, but two of the number died in child- 
 hood. Albert F. and Bessie are the survivors. 
 The father of this family was a well-known citi- 
 zen of Thornton and vicinity for some years. 
 For a long time he carried on a general store in 
 the village of Thornton and did a good business 
 in that way. At the same time he operated his 
 farm, and it also yielded him a good income. He 
 was not a member of any church, but was an hon- 
 orable, upright man, and for several years was 
 superintendent of a union Sabbath-school in 
 Thornton, and was always recognized as one of 
 the most useful and esteemed citizens of the place. 
 
 Albert F. Webb attended the public schools, 
 where he acquired a fair English education, and 
 at the age of sixteen years he began clerking in a 
 grocery store in Chicago. Thus he started out 
 in life for himself and since that time he has made 
 
 his own way in the world. For a year he con- 
 tinued to serve as a salesman, and then began 
 learning the carpenter's trade, which he followed 
 for nine years. On the expiration of that period, 
 in the spring of 1890, he became the superintend- 
 ent of the Stinson Stock Farm at Thornton, 
 which position he yet fills. This farm com- 
 prises about seven hundred acres of land and is 
 devoted to the breeding of trotting horses and 
 Jersey cattle. About two hundred and fifty 
 thoroughbred trotters are kept on the farm, most 
 of them bred under the management of Mr. 
 Webb. His stables are extensive, are well 
 lighted and ventilated and are models of conven- 
 ience in all particulars. They were built under 
 the personal supervision of Mr. Webb and indi- 
 cate his thorough knowledge of the needs and 
 care of horses. The farm is now a first-class 
 stock-breeding establishment. About thirty men 
 are employed upon the place, including several 
 expert trainers, and altogether it is considered 
 one of the best stock farms in the State. Since 
 locating here Mr. Webb has also superintended 
 the establishment of another stock farm on a 
 similar plan at Highlands, Indiana. 
 
 In 1882, was celebrated the marriage of the 
 subject of this sketch and Miss Winnie Wendt, 
 daughter of Frederick Wendt, of Homewood. She 
 was born in Germany, and came with her par- 
 ents to Cook County when four years of age. 
 Two children were born of their union, but the
 
 566 
 
 son, George, died at the age of ten years, 
 daughter, Amy, is still with her parents. 
 
 Mr. Webb is a member of the Masonic frater- 
 nity and of the Independent Order of Foresters. 
 In politics, he has been a life-long Republican, 
 and is a warm advocate of the principles of his 
 party. He served for two terms as School Direc- 
 
 E. P. PATCH. 
 The 
 
 tor of Thornton. His position as Superintendent 
 of the Stinson Stock Farm lie has filled for four 
 years, and in its management has given entire 
 satisfaction. He is a systematic farmer and busi- 
 ness man, a practical and enthusiastic stockman, 
 and a public-spirited citizen. 
 
 EDWARD P. PATCH. 
 
 IT D WARD PATRICK PATCH, Clerk of the 
 1^ village of Wilmette, is a native of Cook 
 I County who reflects credit upon the place of 
 his nativity. He was born in Chicago, on Saint 
 Patrick's Day, 1867, and is a son of Theodore J. 
 and Rose (Cassidy) Patch, the former a native of 
 Albany, New York, and the latter of Ireland. 
 
 T. J. Patch is still a resident of Chicago, where 
 he located in 1844, settling on the West Side, and 
 has ever since been engaged in the dray and ex- 
 press business. He has built up a large business, 
 and employs a number of men and teams. His 
 father was a native of Germany, the name being 
 originally spelled Fach. Mrs. Patch came to Amer- 
 ica in 1851, and after living five years in Brook- 
 lyn, came to Chicago. Her father, Edward 
 Cassidy, was a Captain in the British army, and 
 lost his life at the battle of Waterloo. His widow, 
 Bridget Cassidy, died in Chicago, at the age of 
 ninety-eight years. Mr. Patch was born in 1855, 
 and his wife two years later. 
 
 Edward P. Patch was educated at the school 
 attached to the Church of the Holy Family, at 
 Twelfth and Morgan Streets, completing the 
 course before he was eighteen years old. He im- 
 mediately entered the employ of the North Amer- 
 ican Accident Insurance Company, and continued 
 one year. For the past nine years he has been 
 
 with the Standard Life and Accident Insurance 
 Company, for the last five years in the capacity 
 of manager of its general agency at Chicago. He 
 has supervision of the business of the company 
 all over the West, which is chiefly transacted 
 with railroad employes. His long continuance 
 and steady progress with his present employers 
 attest his faithfulness and business ability. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Patch took up his residence at Wil- 
 mette, where he built a handsome home, and in 
 April, 1895, he was elected Clerk of the village. 
 Since August, 1894, he has been the Wilmette 
 correspondent of the North Shore News. He is a 
 progressive, public-spirited citizen, and takes an 
 intelligent interest in the affairs of his native 
 country. He keeps thoroughly informed on all 
 questions of the day, and adheres to the Republi- 
 can party in matters of public policy, because its 
 principles and practice exemplify his ideas of 
 good government. He is a member of Ouilmette 
 Council of the Royal Arcanum. 
 
 May 27, 1889, he was married to Miss Lavinia 
 M. Bruno, and they are the parents of one child, 
 Rose Louise, aged five years. Mrs. Patch is a 
 native of Geneva, Illinois, and is a daughter of 
 John and Louise M. Bruno. Her father died 
 from wounds received in the service of the United 
 States during the Civil War.
 
 HENRY GREENEBAUM. 
 
 567 
 
 HENRY GREENEBAUM. 
 
 HENRY GREENEBAUM, a well-known bus- 
 iness man of Chicago of long years' stand- 
 ing, is descended from very ancient and hon- 
 orable families. His grandfather, Elias Greene- 
 baum, was an iron merchant at Reipolskirchen, 
 in Rhenish Bavaria. It is notable that this line of 
 mercantile industry has been continued to the 
 present, one of the leading iron houses of Chicago 
 having been until recently conducted by great- 
 grandsons of Elias Greenebaum. Being a Jew, 
 the last-named was at a great social disadvantage 
 in Germany, yet such were his energy, capability 
 and integrity, that he was appointed Treasurer 
 of his county. This position involved great re- 
 sponsibility at that time, owing to the existence in 
 the neighborhood of a powerful bandit, who com- 
 manded a strong organization of followers, whom 
 he ruled with despotic power. He was known 
 by the nickname of "Schinderhannes," and acted 
 much upon the plan of the Robin Hood of Eng- 
 lish history, who took from the rich and gave 
 largely to the poor. For many years he was a 
 terror to the people and officers of the region 
 where he flourished, but was finally captured and 
 beheaded at Mainz. During his term of official 
 life Elias Greenebaum was compelled to maintain 
 a strong guard about his premises continually to 
 protect the public funds, as well as his own, from 
 attacks of the robber king. 
 
 Jacob Greenebaum and Sarah Herz, parents 
 of the subject of this biography, were cousins, 
 and grandchildren of "Jakob," of Rathskirchen, 
 who was born in the early part of the eight- 
 eenth century, and whose descendants have been 
 
 active and prominent citizens in many lands. One 
 of his sons, Herz Felsenthal, was a delegate to 
 the synod held in Paris in 1806, by decree of 
 Napoleon I. It was during this time that the 
 Jews in Germany took surnames, and this family 
 assumed that of Felsenthal. Among Jakob's 
 great-grandchildren were Dr. Felsenthal, an emi- 
 nent physician of Darmstadt, who died in 1885, 
 and Dr. Greenebaum, who was Rabbi emeritus at 
 Landau, Bavaria, and died in 1893. Dr. B. Fel- 
 senthal, of Chicago, now in his seventy-fifth year, 
 and long known here as a man of science and pub- 
 lic spirit, is one of the great-great-grandchildren; 
 so also is August Blum, Cashier of the Union Na- 
 tional Bank of Chicago; Eli B. Felsenthal, an at- 
 torney-at-law, and a Trustee of the Chicago Uni- 
 versity; also Mrs. Hannah Greenebaum Solomon, 
 President of the National Council of Jewish 
 Women of America. A niece of Mrs. Solomon, 
 and representing the sixth generation from Jakob, 
 was married in San Diego, California, at the 
 home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Max^Lesem, 
 in 1894. 
 
 Jacob Greenebaum was born at Reipolskirchen, 
 and lost his father by death when he was six 
 years old. He was brought up to commercial 
 pursuits, having the advantage of a thorough ed- 
 ucation in the German, French and Hebrew lan- 
 guages, and became a merchant at Eppelsheim, 
 in the Grand Duchy of Darmstadt. He possessed 
 a taste for agriculture, and gradually came into 
 possession of land in the Commune of Eppelsheim 
 and adjoining territory, until he owned and man- 
 aged a large estate. His wife, of sacred memory,
 
 5 68 
 
 HENRY GREENEBAUM. 
 
 was a daughter of Michael and Jetta (Felsen- 
 thal) Herz, of Eppelsheim, where Mr. Herz was 
 a veterinary surgeon and a livestock dealer. They 
 were able to give their children the benefit of 
 the best schools, and did not fail to thus perform 
 their duty in preparing them for the stations for 
 which they were fitted by birth and capability. 
 In 1852 Mr. Greenebaum sold his possessions and 
 came to Chicago to be near his sons, three of 
 whom had preceded him by several years. He 
 did not engage in active business after coming 
 here, but made real-estate purchases and built a 
 number of houses for rent. He died in 1870, at 
 the age of seventy-three years, and was followed to 
 the grave by a very large concourse of people, 
 the large courthouse bell being tolled as the pro- 
 cession moved, May n, 1870. His wife survived 
 him thirteen years, reaching the age of eighty- 
 seven years. Eight of their thirteen children 
 came to America, the others having died before 
 the removal of their parents from Eppelsheim, 
 several of them in infancy. Elias, the eldest, is 
 a prominent banker in Chicago. Michael, the 
 second, was an iron merchant, and did an exten- 
 sive business in Chicago, where he died in 1894, 
 leaving a widow and a large and interesting fam- 
 ily of sons and daughters. He came to America 
 in 1846, and to Chicago the next year. Jacob, 
 the third, died here in 1871, and Isaac in 1885. 
 The latter was a hardware merchant, and later in 
 life became a broker in Chicago. Henry is the 
 next in order of birth. Hannah died while the 
 wife of Gerhard Foreman, an old-time banker of 
 this city. Barbara is the wife of A. Wise, of 
 Chicago; and David S., the youngest of the fam- 
 ily, is engaged in the banking business in the 
 same city. Elias, Michael and Henry preceded 
 the rest of the family to Chicago. 
 
 Henry Greenebaum was born at Eppelsheim, 
 Germany, June 18, 1833. He received his prim- 
 ary education in the public schools, where he 
 early attracted the favorable notice of the teachers 
 and school officers. He then took up the classics 
 at Alzey and Kaiserslautern, and only left off 
 his literary researches when he started for Amer- 
 ica. He arrived in Chicago October 25, 1848, 
 and at once took employment as a hardware sales- 
 
 man in the establishment of W. F. Dominick, 
 who conducted a strictly cash and one-price busi- 
 ness. Young Greenebaum found this employ- 
 ment congenial, especially as its conduct harmon- 
 ized with his ideas of integrity and sound financial 
 management. After two years of service, in 
 which he did not fail to improve his opportunities, 
 he engaged as clerk in the banking house of 
 General R. K. Swift. Here he met many prom- 
 inent citizens of the state, and his intercourse with 
 them enhanced his knowledge of men and affairs. 
 He was inspired with a laudable ambition to be- 
 come a man of business, and he so applied him- 
 self as to be thoroughly conversant with banking 
 in the course of four years, during which time he 
 made a trip to Europe and formed business con- 
 nections for his employer. 
 
 At the end of this period, in connection with 
 his elder brother, Elias, a clerk in the same bank, 
 he opened a similar business on his own account. 
 In fact, all of the Greenebaum brothers, except 
 Jacob, became at one time or another bankers, 
 though not in the same bank. The subject of 
 this sketch did not follow the limited lines of 
 nationality or religious affiliation, but fraternized 
 with New Englanders and Southerners, as well 
 as the natives of the Fatherland. He was a reader 
 and lover of books, and joined the Young Men's 
 Library Association, in whose affairs he was an 
 active officer, with Robert Collyer and others, until 
 the Great Fire. He was among the early officers 
 of the Athenaeum, another literary institution 
 after the fire, and was among the promoters of 
 the City Library. As a member of the commit- 
 tee of which the late Thomas Hoyne was Chair- 
 man, he went to Springfield and aided in securing 
 the permanent establishment of this great institu- 
 tion, which has grown to be one of the most im- 
 portant and valuable establishments of the city 
 of his home. 
 
 He became President of the German-National 
 Bank, which was compelled by the panic of 1877 
 to close its doors after a long-continued run, in 
 which it paid eighty per cent, of its liabilities in 
 cash, and within a comparatively short time paid 
 the balance, with interest. The German Sav- 
 ings Bank, of which he was also President, had
 
 HENRY GREENEBAUM. 
 
 569 
 
 a similar experience at the same time, and met 
 its liabilities in the same honorable manner. The 
 aggregate deposits of these banks in the time of 
 their highest prosperity approximated five mill- 
 ions of dollars. 
 
 In his social and benevolent activities Mr. 
 Greenebaum has accomplished a stupendous 
 work, the simple enumeration of which almost 
 exceeds the capacity of this article. His great 
 heart and wide popularity are evidenced by the 
 mere mention of these associations. He is a life 
 member of the Chicago Historical Society, the 
 Academy of Sciences, the Astronomical Society, 
 and of several kindred associations. Through 
 secret and benevolent societies he has been per- 
 mitted to do more for his fellows than often falls 
 in the way of a single man. All Jewish interests, 
 congregational, charitable and educational, owe a 
 heavy debt to the tireless energy and enthusiasm 
 of Mr. Greenebaum. In 1855, at Cleveland, Ohio, 
 he joined the nearest lodge of the Independent 
 Order of B'nai B'rith, and two years later took a 
 card of withdrawal in order to assist in institut- 
 ing Rammah Lodge Number 33, of that frater- 
 nity, in Chicago. He was an active member of 
 District Lodge Number 2 for ten years, and one 
 of the founders of the Cleveland Orphan Asy- 
 lum, of whose Board of Trustees he is still a 
 member. At the convention of the order in 1868, 
 at New York, as a member of the Committee on 
 Constitution, he was largely instrumental in plac- 
 ing the entire body upon a Democratic basis, es- 
 tablishing the sovereignty of lodges. . At that 
 convention a charter was granted to District Grand 
 Lodge Number 6, of which he became the first 
 Grand President by unanimous choice, and twice 
 succeeded himself. His usefulness in these and 
 other matters is well known to the great body 
 of the Jewish people in Chicago, and has become 
 almost as well established in foreign lands. In 
 June, 1885, he assisted Julius Bien, President of 
 this order, in instituting District Grand Lodge 
 Number 8 at Berlin, Germany. Five years later 
 he was in attendance at the convention of the order 
 at Richmond, Virginia, representing the Berlin 
 District Grand Lodge, and in May, 1895, repre- 
 sented District No. 9, Roumania, at the conven- 
 
 tion in Cincinnati, Ohio. He has delivered many 
 addresses in various conventions, the last being 
 at Grand Rapids, Michigan, in February, 1892, 
 upon "Knowledge and Character." His spoken 
 and written matter is always clear and effective. 
 He is an officer of the Jewish Training School, a 
 Director in the German Altenheim, and holds 
 membership in many other organizations. 
 
 In the purely religious institutions of his people 
 in Chicago he has ever been foremost and efficient. 
 Before he was of age he was Secretary of the con- 
 gregation B'nai Sholom. In 1855 he withdrew 
 to join that of Anshe Maarib, and was elected an 
 honorary member of the congregation of B'nai 
 Sholom. He was one of a minority in Anshe 
 Maarib who proposed a modification of forms of 
 Jewish worship, and was associated with Levi 
 Rosenfeld and Lazarus Silverman as a commit- 
 tee to make the desired changes in the official rit- 
 ual. Although the majority were favorable to 
 their report, Mr. Greenebaum would not consent 
 to its adoption by a mere majority, and accord- 
 ing to his desire the reformers were induced to 
 go out and form a new congregation, which is 
 now known as Sinai, and is the strongest con- 
 gregation in Chicago. In 1864 Mr. Greenebaum 
 was the founder of Zion Temple on the West Side, 
 and was its President seven years. In 1882 he 
 was requested to take charge again, which he 
 did for two years, and during this time the move- 
 ment was started for the building of the beautiful 
 temple of the society erected at Washington 
 Boulevard and Ogden Avenue. In the fall of 
 1895 a large number of co-religionists living south 
 of Thirty-ninth Street united to organize the 
 Isaiah Temple, a Jewish Reform congregation, 
 with Dr. Joseph Stoltz as Rabbi, and Mr. Greene- 
 baum was elected the first President of the con- 
 gregation by a unanimous vote. 
 
 Mr. Greenebaum was one of the foremost in 
 placing on a firm foundation the United Hebrew 
 Charities, formerly known as the United Hebrew 
 Relief Association. It built and maintained a hos- 
 pital on La Salle Avenue. At the laying of its cor- 
 ner-stone, when Mayor John B. Rice was the only 
 speaker beside Mr. Greenebaum, the latter said: 
 "While it is true that it is to be built and when
 
 570 
 
 HENRY GREENEBAUM. 
 
 completed will be maintained by the Jews of Chi- 
 cago, yet its doors will ever be open to any poor or 
 sick man, without any reference to nationality, de- 
 nomination, creed or color;" and his utterance 
 was deeply applauded by the Jewish people pres- 
 ent. He takes a just pride in the fact that he is 
 an honorary member of Johanna Lodge, the lead- 
 ing organization of Jewish ladies in Chicago, 
 devoted to charity and intellectual culture. He 
 is also President of the Past- Presidents' Associa- 
 tion of District Grand Lodge Number 6, 1.O.B.B., 
 and for thirty years officiated in Zion Temple as 
 reader on the most important Jewish holiday, the 
 eve of the Day of Atonement. 
 
 As early as 1856 he took an active part in or- 
 ganizing several German societies, and was Pres- 
 ident of the German Aid Society in 1861. He 
 was the first President of the Orpheus Mannaer- 
 chor, in 1869. On account of his services in fur- 
 thering the war for the preservation of the Amer- 
 ican Union, he is an honorary member of the 
 Eighty-second Illinois Veteran Association. Dur- 
 ing the Civil War he maintained a recruiting of- 
 fice in Chicago at his own expense, and furnished 
 a man to serve in the army as his representative. 
 He was Chief Marshal on the following occasions: 
 the Siegel Festival in 1862; the great Peace Jubi- 
 lee of 1871; the opening of Humboldt Park by. 
 the German people; and the unveiling of the 
 Humboldt monument. He was Division Marshal 
 at the unveiling of the Fritz Reuter monument, 
 and was Adjutant-General on German Day at 
 the World's Fair in 1893, and also at the recent 
 commemoration of the German victory at Sedan. 
 It will thus be seen that he is and has been for 
 forty years a prominent representative of the best 
 German element in Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Greenebaum has never been a politician, 
 and holds broad and liberal views on political, as 
 well as religious, questions. He originally af- 
 filiated with the Democratic party, and was a 
 warm admirer of Stephen A. Douglas, whose 
 personal friend he was. Without his previous 
 knowledge, he was placed on the Democratic 
 electoral ticket in 1860. His only political office 
 previous to that was that of Alderman from the 
 Sixth Ward, defeating in the election the ' 'know- 
 
 nothing" candidate. In the City Council he act- 
 ed as Chairman of the Finance Committee. After 
 the war he became a Republican, and was chosen 
 Elector-at- Large on the Presidential ticket of that 
 party in 1872. With Charles B. Farwell, he 
 represented Cook County on the first Equaliza- 
 tion Board of the state, and the clear financial 
 ideas of these two gentlemen enabled the first 
 board to complete its business in five'days. He 
 was appointed by Governor Palmer a delegate to 
 a national convention at Indianapolis to devise 
 means for protecting European immigrants, and 
 was a member of the committee which laid the 
 matter before Congress. He was a member of 
 the Committee on Finance to make preliminary 
 arrangements for the Philadelphia Exposition of 
 1876. He was active in promoting the adoption 
 of Chicago's park system, and was appointed a 
 member of the West Chicago Park Commission 
 in 1869, and was once re-appointed. He was 
 one of the first promoters of direct trade between 
 Chicago and Europe, and for many years his let- 
 ters-of-credit were readily cashed throughout the 
 civilized world. 
 
 In 1855 Mr. Greenebaum was married, in New 
 York, to Miss Emily Hyman, whose birthplace 
 is not far from that of her husband. Having been 
 trained in the same manner and under the same 
 customs, they have been happily united all these 
 years in aim and thought, and are warmly wel- 
 comed in general, as well as Jewish, society. 
 Mrs. Greenebaum sympathizes wholly with her 
 husband's benevolent disposition, and does her 
 part in aiding him. For twenty-two years she 
 has been the representative of the Jewish people 
 in the directory of the Home for the Friendless, 
 and has fulfilled her duties in perfect accord with 
 her associates. The only child of this couple, 
 born August 24, 1856, was named George Wash- 
 ington, and died on the day which completed his 
 first year of life. Several orphaned children of 
 relatives have been reared by Mr. and Mrs. 
 Greenebaum with the same loving care which 
 their own would have received had he been 
 spared to them. 
 
 Though still influenced much by his early Ger- 
 man training, Mr. Greenebaum is a true Ameri-
 
 D. S. SMITH. 
 
 can, loyal through and through. He is a student 
 of literature and modern languages, of which he 
 speaks half a dozen, and is much interested in 
 music. He has contributed liberally to the mu- 
 sical culture of Chicago, and to providing a home 
 for musical art. He is a firm believer in the 
 power of woman in the ethical development of the 
 world, and approves of every effort to remove her 
 trammels and make her the equal of man in lib- 
 erties and power, as she is in talent. 
 
 Mr. Greenebaum is a resident Manager at Chi- 
 
 cago of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of 
 the United States, and has been connected with 
 the company since the spring of 1882. His ster- 
 ling character and business activity have secured 
 for him a large business from the best element of 
 Chicago, and won for him a deserved respect and 
 confidence on the part of the general officers of the 
 society. Although in his sixty-third year, he is 
 a special favorite of the young people, to whom he 
 is sympathetic and congenial as an associate. He 
 is an optimist, and always pleasant and agreeable. 
 
 PROF. DAVID S. SMITH, M. D. 
 
 . D. S. SMITH, M. D., late President of 
 yr the Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago, 
 [3 was born in Camden, New Jersey, April 28, 
 1816. His father, Isaac Smith, was born in Salem 
 County, of that state. His mother's family name 
 was Wheaton, a family of Welsh extraction. 
 The sturdy, manly principles which mark the 
 career of Professor Smith are largely due to the 
 character he inherited from his parents. They were 
 both noted for great force of character, and they 
 trained their children in ways of strict right- 
 eousness and integrity. Besides this training, 
 David received from his parents a nature full of 
 energy and perseverance, attributes which were 
 strong factors in leading him to a grand success 
 in the field of labor he eventually chose as his 
 life work. From his mother, particularly, he 
 received a taste for learning that led him to be- 
 come a most diligent student. He made rapid 
 progress in his studies, and early evinced a strong 
 inclination for the study of medicine. In this he 
 was encouraged, and when only seventeen became 
 a medical student in the office of Dr. Isaac Mul- 
 ford, of Camden, New Jersey. He attended three 
 full terms of lectures at the Jefferson Medical Col- 
 lege in Philadelphia, and graduated in 1836. 
 
 Chicago, at that time, began to attract the en- 
 terprising youth of the East, and Dr. Smith, 
 with his references, began practice in Chicago. 
 He was successful from the start, and in 1837 
 went back to Camden to visit his parents. It 
 was a momentous visit, as it was then that Dr. 
 Smith attained the first insight into the then new 
 doctrine of homoeopathy. So interested did he 
 become in the subject, that he resolved to investi- 
 gate it thoroughly. He bought all the books he 
 could find in the English language treating upon 
 the matter, and brought them with him when he 
 returned to Chicago. Circumstances led him to 
 Joliet for a time, and there he studied assiduously 
 the doctrines of Hahnemann. The world to-day 
 knows the result of his researches. Dr. Smith 
 brought the new science to the front to such pur- 
 pose that he has been called ' ' the Father of 
 Western Homoeopathy." He procured from the 
 Illinois Legislature, in 1854-55, the charter of 
 Hahnemann Medical College of Chicago. The 
 original draft of this charter was written by Dr. 
 Smith in the law office of Abraham Lincoln at 
 Springfield, Illinois. The achievement of con- 
 ceiving and establishing this college gave to Dr. 
 Smith great honor and credit.
 
 572 
 
 D. S. SMITH. 
 
 Dr. Smith remained in Joliet until 1842, when 
 he returned to Chicago. In the spring of 1843 
 he adopted the new system in his practice. He 
 was thus the first physician to introduce homoe- 
 opathic practice west of the Great Lakes, a region 
 that now has six medical colleges, twice as many 
 hospitals, and more than two thousand prac- 
 titioners to represent what he stood for singly and 
 alone. He was both surprised and gratified at 
 the favor with which the new system was received 
 by the public. He soon had more calls than he 
 could respond to, and other practitioners were 
 attracted to his side. So rapidly did the new 
 school increase in members, that a medical body 
 was soon formed whose power has kept pace with 
 the other great factors in the growth of the west- 
 ern metropolis. Dr. Smith was naturally elected 
 President of the Board of Trustees of Hahnemann 
 Medical College when it was organized. He held 
 that position until 1871, when he resigned in 
 favor of Dr. A. E. Small. At the death of the 
 latter he was again elected President, and held 
 the office up to the time of his death. He was 
 obliged to desist from his labors on account of 
 failing health at various times, and in 1866 he 
 went to Europe, where he spent a year in travel. 
 His reputation had preceded him, and he was 
 received at the various hospitals and colleges 
 which he visited with the friendliest attention 
 and consideration from the distinguished mem- 
 bers of the profession. When he returned home, 
 in 1867, he was fully restored to health, and fol- 
 lowed his profession till the day of his death. 
 
 Dr. Smith was an attendant of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and through his mother's in- 
 fluence he became early imbued with a deep 
 religious conviction. He was a man of sterling 
 integrity and unflinching uprightness, simple in 
 his habits, dignified, urbane and generous. His 
 noble efforts and humane spirit were recognized 
 when the cholera epidemic fell upon the city from 
 1848 to 1854. Instances of his devotion to the 
 suffering poor at that time can be related which 
 place him in the ranks of the most noted bene- 
 factors of the human race. He was hospitable 
 in the extreme, and an attentive listener to all 
 who sought his ear for counsel. Thoroughly ac- 
 
 curate in his own habits, he was a strict disciplin- 
 arian, and demanded the same adhesion to duty 
 which he rendered himself. In recognition of 
 his ability, and in appreciation of his services to 
 the cause of homoeopathy, an honorary degree 
 was conferred upon him, in 1856, by the Homoe- 
 opathic Medical College of Cleveland, Ohio. In 
 1857 he was elected General Secretary of the 
 American Institute of Homoeopathy, in 1864 was 
 chosen President, and in 1865 Treasurer of this 
 national association. 
 
 Naturally, with his many professional duties, 
 Dr. Smith never sought political honors, but he 
 lived and died a stalwart Republican. He was 
 President of the Second Ward Republican Club 
 in its palmiest days, during the Hayes campaign. 
 He was at the time of his death the honored and 
 popular President of the old Tippecanoe Club of 
 Chicago, which was organized in July, 1887, by 
 those who ad voted for General Harrison in 
 1840. 
 
 Dr. Smith was married, in 1837, to Miss 
 Rebecca Ann Dennis, a native of Salem, New 
 Jersey, who survives him. She came to Chicago 
 in 1835 with her uncle, E. H. Mulford, in whose 
 family she resided until her marriage. Four 
 children blessed their union, two of whom survive. 
 The eldest is the widow of Maj. F. F. White- 
 head, of the United States army. Caroline is the 
 wife of E. L. Ely, of New York City. 
 
 Dr. Smith died in Chicago, April 29, 1891. 
 The following resolutions were adopted by the 
 faculty of Hahnemann Medical College and Hos- 
 pital of Chicago, and the members of the hospital 
 staff: 
 
 ' ' Inasmuch as we have been deeply grieved by 
 the death of our worthy and venerable colleague, 
 Dr. David S. Smith, we, as a faculty, in expres- 
 sion of deep sorrow, and in acknowledgment of 
 his inestimable services, do hereby adopt the fol- 
 lowing resolution: 
 
 ' ' Resolved, That we recognize first of all the loss 
 of the profession at large, in which, as the first 
 representative of our school of practice in this 
 locality, his undaunted energy and marked abil- 
 ity during the pioneer days have given the im- 
 print of success and of character to the modern
 
 F. I. JACOBS. 
 
 573 
 
 standard of medicine. What he knew to be right 
 he faithfully prescribed. What he honestly be- 
 lieved he bravely defended and earnestly applied. 
 To his ability and his faithfulness the followers of 
 homoeopathy owe a debt of gratitude, and the 
 generations to come will bow in reverence to his 
 name. 
 
 ' ' Resolved, That as the President of our College 
 and Hospital, we shall miss his guiding spirit 
 and his encouraging presence. In all our work 
 he has ever been a willing helper and a good ad- 
 viser. His life was consecrated to the college he 
 established and loved, and his pride was centered 
 in her prosperity. The joy of his last days was 
 the realization that ' Old Hahnemann ' had ful- 
 filled the desire of his heart and had become the 
 
 largest homeopathic college of the world. To 
 every student his words were an encouragement 
 to honest ambition. To every graduate he gave 
 the inspiration of hope. 
 
 ' ' Resolved, That more than all we admire the 
 manly qualities and the Christian character of his 
 life. In all things he was ennobling. At all 
 times the silent dignity of his faith gave a strength 
 to his work. His absence will ever be mourned 
 and his memory forever honored. In our loss we 
 shall sacredly prize the record he leaves us. 
 
 ' ' Resolved, That to his bereaved family we ten- 
 der our sincere sympathy, and offer the token of 
 love we bore our departed friend and associate in 
 their sorrow." 
 
 FRANCIS I. JACOBS. 
 
 ["" RANCIS IRVING JACOBS, a gallant vet- 
 It) eran of the great Civil War, residing at Wil- 
 | * mette, was born at Spafford Hollow, Onon- 
 daga County, New York, October 4, 1846. He 
 is the son of Rev. Milo E. and Cornelia (O'Far- 
 rel) Jacobs. Milo E. Jacobs was born in Ver- 
 mont, and removed with his parents to New 
 York in boyhood. His father, Elias Jacobs, was 
 a native of Vermont, of German descent. Betsey 
 Jacobs, wife of the latter, was of Welsh descent. 
 The Jacobs family dates from early Colonial times 
 in this country, Elnathan Jacobs, the father of 
 Elias, having been born, probably in Vermont, 
 in 1750. 
 
 Milo E. Jacobs was educated at Cazenovia, 
 New York. He entered the Methodist ministry 
 while a young man. In 1857 he went to Ogle 
 County, Illinois, and settled on a farm. Two 
 years later he removed to Winnebago, Illinois, 
 where he joined the Rock River Conference, and 
 was successively located at Lena, Richmond, Sand 
 Lake, Lanark and other charges. He died in 
 
 Winnebago, on account of an injury received in 
 Chicago in the spring of 1874, a ged fifty-one 
 years. His widow died in Chicago in 1893, a ged 
 seventy-two years. She was born at Spafford 
 Hollow, New York. Her father, William O'Far- 
 rel, who was born August 28, 1784, was a farmer, 
 of Irish descent. His wife, Dinah, was a daugh- 
 ter of Henry and Catharine Turbush, of Fishkill, 
 New York. Mr. and Mrs. Milo E. Jacobs had 
 three sons and a daughter: Francis I. ; Charles 
 H., of Marble Rock, Iowa; Wilbur F., of Rock- 
 ford, Illinois; and Alfaretta, who died at the age 
 of eleven years, at Winnebago. 
 
 Francis I. Jacobs attended the public schools 
 until the beginning of the Civil War. In August, 
 1861, being then fourteen years and ten months 
 old, he enlisted in Company C, Thirty-seventh 
 Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He served nearly 
 five years, beginning with Fremont's campaign in 
 Missouri. This included the battles of Pea Ridge 
 and Prairie Grove (where five thousand Union 
 troops drove twenty thousand rebels from the
 
 574 
 
 F. I. JACOBS. 
 
 field), and other engagements of minor character. 
 After the Missouri service he was taken down the 
 river to Vicksburg, and took part in the siege of 
 that place and other expeditions in Mississippi. 
 Thence he went to Port Hudson, where he was 
 stationed for some time, and later he was at Mor- 
 ganza Bend, Louisiana. He camped at New 
 Orleans and various points in Louisiana. He was 
 on the Texas frontier during the winter of 1863 
 -64, where the regiment re-enlisted, and he re- 
 ceived a veteran's furlough. 
 
 While returning to the front after the expira- 
 tion of his furlough, Mr. Jacobs met General 
 Banks' army on retreat from its disastrous Red 
 River expedition. The steamers going down 
 stream met those going up and formed a bridge, 
 on which the army crossed from the west bank to 
 an island in the river. This temporary bridge 
 was instantly and readily removed before the 
 enemy could advance and take possession. Mr. 
 Jacobs continued to New Orleans. Later the 
 regiment went to Pensacola by boats, thence 
 overland to Mobile Bay, and helped capture the 
 forts opposite the city, with severe fighting. After, 
 the capture of Mobile, they encamped three miles 
 from the city, where pieces of iron fell in camp at 
 the explosion of the arsenal at Mobile Bay. From 
 here they went, by way of Selma, to Montgomery, 
 Alabama, and heard of Lee's surrender on the 
 march. 
 
 Mr. Jacobs was soon afterward sent to New 
 Orleans, and thence went on an expedition to 
 Sabine Pass, Columbus and Houston, Texas. 
 While on the levee at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, 
 he was detailed to serve in the artillery force. 
 Being surprised by the enemy while saddling a 
 horse, he received a kick from the animal, in con- 
 sequence of its pain at being shot. This consti- 
 tuted the only injury he received during his service 
 of four years and ten months, though frequently 
 exposed to a galling fire. He was captured that 
 evening and marched about a mile to the enemy's 
 camp. Being unable to walk on account of lame- 
 ness from the kick of the horse, he was assigned 
 to an ambulance, and helped to care for the 
 wounded. During the night a Union ambulance 
 corps arrived, under cover of a flag of truce, and 
 
 by claiming to be wounded he was taken in the 
 wagon to the Union camp. Among several hun- 
 dreds of his comrades captured on that day, most 
 were kept prisoners for eighteen months, and many 
 were starved and killed. While on duty guard- 
 ing a plantation in Texas, he was offered the use 
 of a large cotton plantation for three years, free of 
 cost. The owner was about to leave the state for 
 fear of arrest for treason, and thought he could 
 leave his property in no safer hands than those of 
 a Union soldier; but his offer was declined. Dur- 
 ing his service he traveled over 13,000 miles, 
 marching on foot about one-fourth of that dis- 
 tance, and took part in four battles and thirteen 
 skirmishes. 
 
 After the war he was engaged in stock-farming 
 at Downer's Grove, Illinois, where he reared 
 thoroughbred horses and cattle. In the fall of 
 1871, he moved to Chicago, where he was em- 
 ployed in overseeing preparations for rebuilding 
 the burned city. He was also engaged in buying 
 old iron for an eastern foundry. For two years 
 he was engaged in the grocery trade on West 
 Madison Street, and two years in commission 
 business On South Water Street. Five years 
 were spent in the office of the ' ' Panhandle ' ' 
 Railroad, at Crown Point, Indiana. The next six 
 years were passed on a stock farm in Franklin 
 County, Iowa, breeding high-grade horses, cattle 
 and swine. Since 1887 he has been connected 
 with the commission firm of Wayne & Low, on 
 South Water Street, Chicago, taking charge of 
 their butter trade. 
 
 Since the fall of 1894 Mr. Jacobs has lived at 
 Wilmette, where he built a pleasant home. His 
 business career has been marked by integrity, 
 activity and thoroughness. 
 
 He was married, in 1869, to Miss Julia Flora 
 Hudson, daughter of Horace Hudson, of Winne- 
 bago, Illinois. They have one adopted child, 
 Edith Wilson Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs is a member 
 of George H. Thomas Post Number 5, Grand 
 Army of the Republic. While living at Crown 
 Point he joined the Masonic order. He takes 
 considerable interest in public affairs, and gives 
 his enthusiastic support to Republican candidates 
 and principles.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Of THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 GEORGE McKINNEY
 
 GEORGE McKINNEY. 
 
 575 
 
 GEORGE McKINNEY. 
 
 QEORGE McKINNEY was born in Hender- 
 I son County, Illinois, November 18, 1836. 
 \Jl His ancestors were the hardy and thrifty 
 people of Scotland. On the authority of Alex- 
 ander McKenzie, one of the most noted genealo- 
 gists of Scotland, in the revised edition of his 
 celebrated work, published in 1894, the family is 
 a very old one, and is traced back to the O'Beolan, 
 Earls of Ross, or Gilleoin of the Aird, one of the 
 Celtic earls who besieged King Malcolm at Perth, 
 in 1 1 60; and we find from the oldest Norse Saga 
 connected with Scotland, that the ancestor of the 
 Earls of Ross was chief in Kintail as early as the 
 beginning of the tenth century. This powerful 
 chief in the north of Scotland, named O'Beolan, 
 married the daughter of Ganga Rolfe, or Rollo, 
 the noted pirate, who afterward became the cele- 
 brated Earl of Normandy. Following down the 
 genealogy of the family, it will be seen that they 
 are descended from the ancient Celtic McAlpine 
 line of Scottish kings; from the original Anglo- 
 Saxon kings of England, and from the Scandina- 
 vian, Charlemagne and Capetian lines as far back 
 as the beginning of the ninth century. Through 
 their inter-marriages they formed the network of 
 cousinship which ultimately included all the lead- 
 ing families in the Highlands, every one of which, 
 through these alliances, has the royal blood of 
 all the English, Scottish and Scandinavian kings, 
 including the royal blood of Bruce and the Plan- 
 tagenet royal blood of England, and many of 
 the early foreign monarchs, coursing in their 
 veins. The family name was derived from John, 
 the son of Kenneth, who would be called in the 
 original native Gaelic "Ian MacChoinnich," the 
 
 pronunciation of which, to a foreigner, would be 
 as if spelled MacKenny, and it is from this pro- 
 genitor the McKennies, McKinneys and McKen- 
 zies derive their family name. In the case of the 
 McKenzies, in Scotland the Z has the sound of 
 Y, and the name is pronounced as if spelt "Mc- 
 Kenyie." 
 
 In the early part of the eighteenth century, 
 Collin McKinney and his wife, with three broth- 
 ers of this old family, emigrated to America, loca- 
 ting in Virginia. A part of the family remained 
 there, and have occupied many positions of hon- 
 or and trust in the Old Dominion, one having re- 
 cently been Governor of the state. Others moved 
 out into East Tennessee, from which family came 
 Judge McKinney, of Knoxville, who for many 
 years was upon the Supreme Bench of Tennessee. 
 
 Collin McKinney had five sons and three daugh- 
 ters. A part of the family, among whom was 
 his son, George McKinney, the grandfather of 
 the subject of this sketch, moved to Casey Coun- 
 ty, Kentucky, in 1800. While on their way 
 thither, over the mountains, he became attached 
 to Ann Riley, a beautiful Irish lassie, whom he 
 married, and who was closely related to Barnabas 
 Riley, the author of the first Ohio code of laws. 
 To them were born a number of sons and daugh- 
 ters, the latter noted for their beauty, which they 
 inherited from their mother. The children were: 
 John, the father of the subject of this sketch; Col- 
 lin, who spent most of his life in Tennessee, as a 
 minister of the Presbyterian Church; Archibald, 
 who was a noted lawyer and Judge in Texas at 
 the time of his death; Margaret, Mary and Ann. 
 
 A portion of the family who came out to Ken-
 
 576 
 
 GEORGE McKINNEY. 
 
 tiicky, led by Uncle Collin McKinney, went to 
 Texas and settled in Collin County, of which Mc- 
 Kinney is the county seat. 
 
 John McKinney was born in Lincoln County, 
 Kentucky, November 2, 1801, and was married 
 there, in November, 1827, to Elizabeth Goode, a 
 native of the same state. In early life he was a 
 farmer, and then spent five years in the office of 
 John Riley, Clerk of Butler County, Ohio; and 
 he later on studied law in the office of Hon. John 
 Pope, in Springfield, Kentucky, who had been a 
 United States Senator, and was afterward ap- 
 pointed Governor of Arkansas by President Jack- 
 son. Here he obtained a good knowledge of 
 human affairs, but he soon tired of the confine- 
 ment of an office, and returned to farming. He 
 had, before studying law, in 1825, settled his fa- 
 ther's estate in Kentucky. He settled on Gov- 
 ernment land in Illinois in 1832, at a place since 
 known . as McKinney 's Grove, in Henderson 
 County, where he pre-empted a large tract of 
 land and lived like a patriarch, surrounded by a 
 large family and a host of friends. In Ohio he 
 had become an Abolitionist, which induced him 
 to settle in a free state. He was quite prosperous 
 as a farmer, and owned eight hundred acres of 
 land. In 1844 ne removed to Oquawka, where 
 he became a merchant and pork-packer. Success 
 followed his efforts, and he removed to Aledo, the 
 county seat of Mercer County, Illinois, and en- 
 gaged in banking, with a partner, under the style 
 of McKinney & Gilmore. After a time he pur- 
 chased the interest of his partner in the banking 
 business. He died at Aledo, rich in years, honors 
 and in this world's goods, January 14, 1892, hav- 
 ing attained the ripe old age of ninety-one years. 
 Elizabeth, his first wife, died at the age of thirty- 
 six years. The following are the children who 
 grew to maturity: Hiram, Ann, Elizabeth, John, 
 George and Collin. Of these, Hiram and John 
 are now deceased. Another son, William, died 
 in infancy. Mr. McKinney 's second wife was 
 Mary M. Stewart. She was the mother of Ade- 
 laide, James, Archibald, Mrs. Mary Bergen and 
 Robert McKinney, who are yet living. 
 
 John McKinney had a personal acquaintance 
 with many of our National statesmen, especially 
 
 of the West, among them Henry Clay, Abraham 
 Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, Horace Greeley, 
 William H. Seward, Gov. William Brass, Rich- 
 ard Yates, and others. In early life, at one time 
 he occupied the same bed at a hotel with Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, then a young law student. He, at 
 one time or another, entertained most of these 
 people at his home in Oquawka, Illinois. 
 
 George McKinney was partially educated in 
 the public schools of Oquawka, but, tiring of 
 school life, he requested his father to allow him 
 to learn the printer's trade, which he did, enter- 
 ing as an apprentice, or "devil," in the office of 
 the Oquawka Plaindealer, edited by F. A. Dai- 
 lam, a well-known journalist. After a year's ap- 
 prenticeship, he entered Knox College, at Gales- 
 burg, Illinois, but, having been badly burned by 
 the explosion of a lamp in which burning fluid 
 was used, he was unable to pursue his studies, 
 and hence left the college about the time Pres- 
 ident Blanchard left the institution. Through 
 ill -health, and a love of adventure and roving, 
 which he has retained to the present day, he was 
 induced to accompany his brother-in-law on a 
 trip to New Mexico, visiting Santa Fe and Los 
 Vegas. At the latter place he bought a Mexican 
 mustang, and, joining a wool train, returned to 
 the Missouri River. At Topeka, Kansas, he dis- 
 posed of his pony, and after working a short time 
 in a printing-office, returned home, via the Mis- 
 souri and Mississippi Rivers. Arriving in Oquaw- 
 ka, he returned to the store, filling the position 
 of bookkeeper and clerk. Here Mr. McKinney 
 was married to Miss Sarah Frances Chickering, 
 daughter of Joseph Chickering, a talented musi- 
 cian and popular citizen of that place. Rev. J. 
 W. Chickering, the well-known divine, was a 
 brother of Mrs. McKinney 's father. Only two 
 of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. McKinney 
 survived the period of childhood, namely: Alice 
 and William. The former, Alice, is now deceased, 
 and the other, William, is connected with a Chi- 
 cago business house as bookkeeper. 
 
 Before the war the father of Mr. McKinney had 
 retired from business, and turned the store over 
 to his sons. The eldest, Hiram, died in Novem- 
 ber, 1 86 1. Another son, Collin, enlisted in the
 
 R. J. HAMILTON. 
 
 577 
 
 army at the first call for troops, and he was fol- 
 lowed to the field by John. This left only 
 George to manage the store, and, his health fail- 
 ing, he sold the store back to his father, and, ac- 
 companied by his wife, went to California by the 
 Nicaragua route, returning two years later by the 
 Panama route, and locating in Chicago in the fall 
 of 1864. His health began to improve gradually, 
 and he became a member of the Board of Trade. 
 His field of operation was chiefly in the grain- 
 commission business, and for eighteen years he 
 was a well-known figure in business marts. He 
 had the required perseverance, and was rewarded 
 by satisfactory results. He began early to invest 
 in North Shore real estate, and yet owns valuable 
 property there. 
 
 In the spring of 1872 he took up his residence 
 at Winnetka, and has been ever since a useful 
 citizen of that suburb. He feels an interest in 
 every movement calculated to further the moral 
 
 and material welfare of the community in which 
 he resides. He has always been a Republican 
 in political sentiment, because he believes the 
 Republican party most active in promoting the 
 general welfare of the people, regardless of local 
 or personal factions, but has at times been inde- 
 pendent in his votes, especially when the old par- 
 ties conflicted with his moral ideas of reform 
 movements. Mr. and Mrs. McKinney are char- 
 ter members of the Congregational Church at 
 Winnetka, where both are held in high esteem. 
 Mrs. McKinney was organist for many years in 
 the church and Sunday-school, and she and her 
 husband were active in the early upbuilding of 
 the church. They originally united with the 
 Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Oquawka, 
 and while in California became charter members 
 of the first Congregational Church in Redwood 
 City, and later of the Tabernacle Church of 
 Chicago. 
 
 RICHARD J. HAMILTON. 
 
 RICHARD JONES HAMILTON, who is 
 famous in the annals of Cook County as its 
 first Circuit Court Clerk, was born at Jones- 
 boro, near Danville, Mercer (now Boyle) Coun- 
 ty, Kentucky, August 21, 1799, his parents be- 
 ing James L. and Sarah (Jones) Hamilton. The 
 father was born in England, but his parents emi- 
 grated to this country when he was only a year 
 old, and settled in South Carolina, on the Savan- 
 nah River. At the age of twenty the father went 
 northward into Kentucky, and after his marriage 
 with Miss Sarah Jones, settled near Danville, in 
 that state. Sarah Jones was a daughter of Rich- 
 ard Jones, of Kentucky, whose wife was a Miss 
 Wills, of Maryland. In 1803 he removed to 
 Shelby County, where Richard J. spent his boy- 
 hood and youth and received his early education, 
 
 chiefly at the Shelbyville Academy, then in 
 charge of instructors of some eminence, among 
 others Rev. Mr. Gray and Rev. Mr. Cameron. 
 Finishing his academic education at the age of 
 seventeen, young Hamilton then entered a store 
 at Shelbyville, as clerk, and later held a similar 
 position at Jefferson, devoting altogether some 
 fifteen months to this calling, which seems, how- 
 ever, to have had little attraction for him. In 
 1818 he went to Louisville, where he studied law 
 until 1820, then removing to Jonesboro, Union 
 County, Illinois, in company with his friend, 
 Abner Field. The two young men owned a horse 
 jointly, and the journey was made in alternate 
 stages of walking and riding, the horse, which 
 constituted their sole property, being sold on 
 their arrival at their destination. Here Mr.
 
 578 
 
 R. J. HAMILTON. 
 
 Hamilton taught school for some time, still, how- 
 ever, continuing his law studies at intervals, un- 
 der the direction of Charles Dunn, who had re- 
 cently been admitted to the Bar, and who gained 
 great distinction as a lawyer, finally becoming 
 Chief-Justice of the then territory of Wisconsin. 
 
 At its session of 1820-21 the Second General 
 Assembly of Illinois established the old State 
 Bank, and at the first meeting of the Directors at 
 Vandalia, a branch was authorized at Browns- 
 ville, Jackson County, and Mr. Hamilton was 
 appointed its Cashier. In 1822 he was married 
 to Miss Diana W. Buckner, of Jefferson County, 
 Kentucky, but then residing near Jackson, Cape 
 Girardeau County, Missouri. Mrs. Hamilton 
 was a daughter of Col. Nicholas Buckner, of the 
 historic Kentucky family of that name. 
 
 January 14, 1826, by the General Assembly, 
 Mr. Hamilton was confirmed as Justice of the 
 Peace for Jackson County, and March 31, 1827, 
 he was admitted to the Bar. In 1829 he is on 
 record as one of the itinerant lawyers who rode 
 the circuit of the southern counties, deriving a 
 meagre and precarious subsistence from the few 
 and scattered clients who fell to his share in those 
 early days in Illinois, when the cases were rare 
 and fees were small. The Brownsville branch 
 bank closed its career about this time, Mr. Hamil- 
 ton retaining to the last, as far as known, his po- 
 sition of Cashier, the duties of which, especially 
 in those later years, were neither exhaustive nor 
 remunerative. 
 
 He now turned his eyes toward northern Illi- 
 nois, and was elected by the General Assembly 
 as the first Probate Judge of the new county of 
 Cook, January 29, 1831. His friend, Judge 
 Young, of the Fifth Judicial District, appoint- 
 ed him Clerk of Cook County Circuit Court, 
 and Governor Reynolds, who was also especially 
 interested in his welfare, commissioned him as 
 Notary Public and Recorder. He arrived in Chi- 
 cago early in March, being present at the organ- 
 ization of the county on the 8th of the month, 
 and removed his family (which consisted at this 
 time of his wife and two children, Richard N. 
 and Sarah A.) from Brownsville in August. In 
 October he was appointed Commissioner of School 
 
 Lands for Cook County, and the school fund re- 
 mained in his charge until 1840. As an illustra- 
 tion of the backward condition of Chicago at the 
 period of his arrival, he used to refer to the lim- 
 ited mail facilities, saying that special care was 
 used in reading the older papers first, that they 
 might be properly advised of the events in the 
 outside world in the order of occurrence. He re- 
 sided with his family in Fort Dearborn for some 
 time after his arrival, and there his second daugh- 
 ter, Eleanor, was born, February 14, 1832. This 
 daughter, now Mrs. E. H. Keenon, is still a resi- 
 dent of the city, and is stated to be the first child 
 of purely American parentage born here; she is 
 certainly the oldest woman living a native of the 
 city. The eldest daughter is the widow of Col. 
 Henry A. Mitchell, who died from the effects of 
 a bullet wound received at the battle of Perry- 
 ville, in the Civil War. He had previously com- 
 manded a revenue cutter on the Great Lakes, 
 and was Provost- Marshal at Covington, Ken- 
 tucky, after he was wounded. 
 
 The year that witnessed his daughter's birth 
 saw Mr. Hamilton appointed Clerk of the Coun- 
 ty Commissioners' Court, which office he held 
 until 1837. Besides discharging the. duties of 
 his various offices, which were more numerous 
 than remunerative, he took a pioneer part in tem- 
 perance work, and in 1832 co-operated energetic- 
 ally with Colonel Owen, the Indian Agent, and 
 other influential men, in keeping the Indians in 
 this section from joining the hostile bands in the 
 disturbances of that year. Public-spirited in the 
 highest degree, he was the first of thirty-seven 
 volunteers who, on May 2, 1832, "promised obe- 
 dience to Capt. Gholson Kercheval and Lieuts. 
 George W. Dole and John S. Hogan, as com- 
 manders of the militia of Chicago, until all appre- 
 hension of danger from the Indians may have 
 subsided." Later in the month, with Capt. Jesse 
 B. Brown, Joseph Naper and twenty-five mount- 
 ed men, he scoured the Fox River country to 
 carry succor and encouragement to the scattered 
 settlements. Unfortunately, they did not arrive 
 at Indian Creek until the 22d of the month, the 
 day after the terrible massacre by the Indians at 
 that point. Here they found thirteen dead bod-
 
 R. J. HAMILTON. 
 
 579 
 
 ies, those of members of the families of Davis, 
 Hall and Pettigrevv, terribly mangled. The com- 
 pany escorted some of the refugees to Chicago, 
 where a much larger number had sought refuge 
 as early as the loth. Colonel Hamilton (whose 
 title seems to have been one of courtesy, due to 
 the fact of his identification with the state militia 
 for some years) was one of the commissioners 
 appointed to supply them with food and shelter, 
 and was indefatigable in his efforts in their behalf. 
 He moved his family into the old agency-house 
 about this time, the fort being crowded with ref- 
 ugees, and being occupied after July by the 
 troops who had arrived to take part in the Black- 
 hawk War. 
 
 In the spring of 1833, m conjunction with 
 Colonel Owen, Colonel Hamilton employed John 
 Watkins to teach a small school, near the old 
 agency-house, where he still resided, but which 
 he soon abandoned for his own house, built on 
 what is now Michigan Street, between Cass 
 and Rush Streets, where he lived for nineteen 
 years. He was one of the voters for the incorpora- 
 tion of Chicago August 5, and for its first Board 
 of Trustees five days later. He was a subscrib- 
 ing witness to the Indian Treaty of September 
 26, and his claim of $500 was allowed. The claims 
 allowed against, and paid in behalf of, the Indians 
 at that time aggregated in their entirety about 
 $175,0x30. In October, as Commissioner of 
 School Lands, in compliance with a petition 
 signed by the principal residents of the place, he 
 authorized the sale of the Chicago School Section. 
 November 13 of that year, in virtue of his office 
 as Probate Judge, he performed a marriage cere- 
 mony between John Bates, junior, and Miss Har- 
 riet E. Brown. He was one of the original sub- 
 scribers to the first Chicago newspaper, which 
 appeared November 26, and in December he ad- 
 vertised $10,000 to loan, which was probably 
 part of the net cash proceeds of the sale of school 
 lands two months before. In 1834 he was Pres- 
 ident of the Board of School Trustees, and with 
 characteristic energy labored tirelessly in the in- 
 terest of the early schools of Chicago. In con- 
 junction with Hiram Pearsons, he laid out four 
 hundred and twenty acres at Canalport, adjoin- 
 
 ing what is now Bridgeport, which, judging from 
 the first preliminary survey, they supposed would 
 be the actual terminus of the Illinois & Michi- 
 gan Canal, but which the final survey passed by 
 and left comparatively worthless. 
 
 In 1834 Colonel Hamilton suffered a deep be- 
 reavement in the death of his first wife, soon 
 after the birth of her fourth child, who was named 
 Diana B. in memory of her mother. Mrs. Ham- 
 ilton was highly esteemed as an intelligent and 
 zealous Christian lady, one who suffered the hard- 
 ships of pioneer life uncomplainingly, and proved 
 a devoted wife and mother. She was a member 
 of the first Methodist Church of Chicago, in 
 whose behalf she took an active and efficient in- 
 terest. March 25, 1835, the Colonel married Miss 
 Harriette L,. Hubbard, sister of Henry G. Hub- 
 bard, of Chicago. Mrs. Harriette Hamilton died 
 February 7, 1842, leaving one child, Henry E. 
 She had lost an infant daughter named Pauline 
 August 21, 1839, and another of the same name 
 about two years before. The son is now famil- 
 iarly known as "Colonel Hamilton," as it were, 
 by right of inheritance. 
 
 About 1834 the subject of this sketch became 
 largely interested in outside lands, being also 
 probably the most extensive owner in the county 
 and the whole Northwest. These lands were 
 often purchased on joint account with non-resi- 
 dents, and perhaps at the time with no larger in- 
 terest on his part than a commission for the 
 transaction of the business, but they were usually 
 made and recorded in his name for greater con- 
 venience in transfer and negotiation. About 1835 
 he became a candidate for election as Recorder, 
 and published the following card in answer to 
 certain cavilings about his many offices: 
 
 "In 1831 I received the appointment of Clerk 
 of Circuit Court, Judge of Probate and Notary 
 Public. I then moved to Chicago, and found 
 that nobody wanted these offices. Soon after, 
 the gentleman holding the position of Clerk of 
 the County Commissioners' Court resigned, and 
 I was appointed. The office of School Commis- 
 sioner was then held by Col. T. J. V. Owen, 
 who resigned. Up to September, 1834, that of- 
 fice has yielded me in all about $200; notary
 
 R. J. HAMILTON. 
 
 fees have not exceeded $50; probate fees have 
 not amounted to more than $50. I have not re- 
 alized from all offices, including that of Recorder, 
 during four years more than $1,500. The whole 
 number of instruments recorded, including a large 
 number of Receiver's certificates for lands pur- 
 chased at late sales, have been to July i, 1835, 
 about thirteen hundred, at seventy cents each." 
 
 At the August election of 1835 he was elected 
 Recorder by six hundred two votes, and removed 
 his office, toward the end of October, to the 
 new building recently erected by the county on the 
 public square. In December he became a Di- 
 rector in the Chicago branch of the new State 
 Bank. The offices he held at this time were: 
 Judge of Probate, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Clerk 
 of Commissioners' Court, Recorder of Deeds, 
 Notary Public, School Commissioner and Bank 
 Commissioner. He continued to discharge the 
 various duties of these offices, with the help of 
 deputies and clerks in the more exacting ones as 
 the volume of business in each required. As 
 Clerk of the Circuit Court, his first deputy was 
 Henry Moore, in 1834, succeeded by J. Young 
 Scammon in 1835. Solomon Wills, who had 
 married the sister of his first wife, became his 
 deputy in 1836, and was succeeded in 1837 by 
 George Manierre, who gave way to Thomas 
 Hoyne in 1839. All these were lawyers, and 
 nearly all young men, who served as his assist- 
 ants until the professional business of each suc- 
 cessively required his entire attention. 
 
 Colonel Hamilton was elected a member of the 
 new Board of School Inspectors for the city of 
 Chicago May 12, 1837, in recognition of his serv- 
 ices and interest in the early schools, and of his 
 position as School Commissioner. Pinched by 
 the financial depression of 1837, he weathered 
 the storm without becoming bankrupt, or failing 
 to meet his financial obligations. In 1840 he was 
 nominated Alderman of the Sixth Ward by the 
 Democrats, and was elected; and the same year 
 he was chosen a delegate to the State Democratic 
 Convention held at Springfield. 
 
 In contemporary notices of the press Colonel 
 Hamilton appears frequently as an active mem- 
 ber in public meetings of the period on all ques- 
 
 tions of social, political, educational and religious 
 interest, and he was frequently chosen on com- 
 mittees of all sorts for the furtherance of public 
 business, being apparently one of that worthy 
 class of men who suffer themselves to be over- 
 worked rather than shirk the responsibilities 
 of active citizenship. He was prominent in the 
 meeting held in memory of President Harrison 
 in 1841, and was no less active in the reception 
 given the same year to Governor Carlin in Chi- 
 cago. Meanwhile the time had arrived for re- 
 linquishing some of his offices, the increased du- 
 ties of which had now made them too unwieldy 
 even for superintendence by one individual. In 
 1835 he had ceased to be Judge of Probate, in 
 1837 Clerk of the Commissioners' Court, and in 
 1839 Recorder of Deeds. In 1840 William H. 
 Brown was elected School Agent, an office which 
 entitled him to the care of the school funds of 
 Chicago, which therefore passed out of the care 
 of Colonel Hamilton with the close of that year. 
 He still, however, retained his position as Com- 
 missioner of School Lands for the county, for he 
 is found to have advertised section 16, township 
 41, for sale August 9, 1841, as such. On the 
 reorganization of the judicial system in 1841, 
 Cook County fell within the circuit of Associate- 
 Justice Theophilus W. Smith, who appointed his 
 son-in-law, Henry G. Hubbard, to replace Col- 
 onel Hamilton, who resumed the practice of law, 
 his clerkship terminating March 12, 1841. 
 
 About 1843 the Colonel formed a law partner- 
 ship with J. S. Chamberlaine, which was, how- 
 ever, dissolved in 1845, and in 1846 his firm be- 
 came Hamilton & Moore, Francis C. Moore be- 
 ing the junior member. In 1847 this partnership 
 was also dissolved, and he remained alone until 
 his retirement from practice, which took place in 
 1850. In 1849 he was elected Alderman from the 
 Ninth Ward, upon the resignation of Samuel 
 McKay, and in 1850 and 1851 as his own suc- 
 cessor. He was Presidential Elector on the Dem- 
 ocratic ticket in 1852, and in 1856 he was a can- 
 didate for Lieutenant-Governor on the same ticket, 
 which was, however, defeated by the Repub- 
 licans. 
 
 His appearance as a candidate for the above
 
 J. F. HENROTIN. 
 
 office seems to have closed his long, useful and 
 honorable public career. December 26, 1860, he 
 died of paralysis, in his sixty-second year. Five 
 children and his widow, his third wife, whom he 
 married in 1843, survived him. She was for- 
 merly Mrs. Priscilla P. Tuley, of Louisville, Ken- 
 tucky, and the mother of the present Judge Tuley, 
 of Chicago. Colonel Hamilton was buried on 
 the 28th of December, 1860, with Masonic hon- 
 ors. He had long been a member of the Ma- 
 sonic order, and stood high in its counsels and 
 honors, having been an officer in the first 
 grand lodge in Illinois. At a memorial meet- 
 ing of the Bar held on the same day, Judge 
 Morris said : ' 'There is scarcely a lawyer here now 
 but owes much in his early life to Colonel Ham- 
 ilton. He took every young practitioner who 
 came here by the hand, and helped him to busi- 
 ness and practice." Judge Wilson said: "Mr. 
 Hamilton was a gentleman remarkable in many 
 particulars; of very high notions as a gentleman, 
 and of unusual sympathies." Judge Manierre re- 
 ported a series of resolutions, from which the fol- 
 lowing are extracted: "His death has removed 
 one of our most distinguished citizens and pio- 
 neers, and the oldest member of the legal frater- 
 nity; we take pleasure in bearing testimony to 
 
 the high character of the deceased as a man and 
 a citizen. His life was a career of active useful- 
 ness. He was foremost in all public enterprises 
 for the advancement and prosperity of the com- 
 munity. We remember with pleasure the social 
 and genial qualities of our deceased brother. He 
 was a zealous friend; his heart was warm and 
 his hand ever ready. In losing him the com- 
 munity has lost one of its most valued citi- 
 zens, and this Bar one of its most respected mem- 
 bers. ' ' Twenty years after death he was char- 
 acterized by Hon. Thomas Hoyne as being "of a 
 generous and open nature, a good citizen, and a 
 kind man, and one of those men who were then 
 shaping the destinies of the state. ' ' 
 
 During the last years of his life Colonel Ham- 
 ilton lived on the West Side, in a residence he had 
 erected himself, "on Madison, west of Bull's 
 Head," afterward the southwest corner of Hoyne 
 Avenue. He devoted the remaining years of 
 his life largely to beautifying this place, which 
 was then regarded as a suburban home. Towards 
 the close of 1860 he became a member of the 
 South Presbyterian Church, the denomination 
 with which he had most intercourse in early life, 
 and to which his wife belonged. 
 
 DR. JOSEPH F. HENROTIN. 
 
 @R. JOSEPH FORTUNAT HENROTIN 
 was among the early physicians of Chicago, 
 and endeared himself to a large number of 
 citizens, especially on the North Side, by his 
 brave and unselfish labors during the cholera epi- 
 demic of 1849 to 1855. At that time there was a 
 large German settlement between State Street 
 and the lake shore, north of Chicago Avenue, 
 
 known as New Buffalo, the gratitude of whose 
 denizens toward the "good French Doctor," as 
 they called him, was unbounded. Without stop- 
 ping to inquire about the certainty of his fees, 
 when many others had left the city in alarm, Dr. 
 Henrotin went among the poor and rich alike, 
 carrying good cheer and healing balm to the 
 stricken ones. His success in exterminating the
 
 J. F. HENROTIN. 
 
 scourge gave him at once a very large practice, 
 and he acquired what is a large fortune to be 
 gained in medical practice in a few years. It was 
 only his lack of a thorough knowledge of our lan- 
 guage that prevented his taking the prominence in 
 the professional and literary world that he de- 
 served. He was a ripe scholar, and his diction 
 in French was considered an ornament to the 
 language. His reports to his native Government 
 while serving as Consul are still preserved as 
 models of elegance, clearness and practical value. 
 
 Joseph Fortunat Henrotin was born in Tellin, 
 Belgium, March 17, 1811. His grandfather was 
 a farmer at that place. His father, Dr. Clement 
 Henrotin, was a graduate of the Medical Univer- 
 sity of Paris, France, to which place he walked in 
 youth, because of the limited means of transporta- 
 tion in that day and region, to gain an education in 
 medicine. While there he befriended and en- 
 couraged young Dubois (who afterward became 
 the French Court Physician) to take up the study 
 of the healing art. Dr. Clement Henrotin prac- 
 ticed medicine sixty-five years at Tellin, where 
 he died, full of honors, at the age of ninety-six 
 years. His wife was Miss Rossion. 
 
 Joseph F. Henrotin pursued his elementary 
 studies in his native town, and entered the Uni- 
 versity of Liege, Belgium, from which he gradu- 
 ated at the age of twenty -two. He then spent 
 three years in further study in the Belgian hos- 
 pitals, being a pupil and friend of Dr. Seutin, the 
 inventor of the starch bandage, who secured his 
 appointment, at the age of twenty-five, as sur- 
 geon in the national army, with the privilege of 
 further pursuing his investigations and studies in 
 the hospitals. He continued to hold this position 
 for nearly twelve years, at the end of which time 
 he resolved to come to America. 
 
 He arrived in Chicago in the autumn of 1848, 
 and, as above related, soon acquired a large and 
 remunerative practice. This was general through- 
 out the city, but most of his work was done 
 on the North and Northwest Sides. Having 
 placed himself in independent circumstances by 
 eight years of arduous and incessant labor, he 
 returned to his native land, in 1856. A year later 
 he was appointed by the Belgian Government to 
 
 be Consul to the Northwestern States of this 
 country, and returned to Chicago, leaving several 
 of his children abroad to be educated. In 1858 
 he was commissioned by Belgium to make a spe- 
 cial inspection of the states of Illinois, Wisconsin 
 and Minnesota and report on their adaptability as 
 homes for Belgian emigrants. In the fulfillment 
 of this charge he traveled throughout the states 
 named, rendering a prompt and exhaustive re- 
 port to his Government. For this service he re- 
 ceived the thanks of the Belgian Parliament, on 
 account of its practical value and literary merit, 
 and copies of the report were widely distributed 
 over Germany and other neighboring countries, 
 as well as throughout Belgium. He continued 
 to serve as Consul until his death, which occurred 
 March 17, 1876, on the sixty fifth anniversary 
 of his birth. He was succeeded in office by his 
 eldest living son, a sketch of whom will be found 
 elsewhere in this work. Dr. Henrotin was a 
 heavy sufferer by the great fire of 1871, but par- 
 tially recovered from his loss before his death. 
 
 In the fall of 1840, Dr. Henrotin married Adele 
 Kinsoen, a native of Tournai, Flanders, born in 
 1821, and daughter of Henri Kinsoen, who had 
 a contract to furnish the Dutch army with sup- 
 plies. A brother of Henri Kinsoen was a noted 
 portrait painter, who numbered the members of 
 the French Court among his patrons. Both were 
 natives of Bruges, Belgium, as was Mrs. Henro- 
 tin's mother, Josephine Brice. 
 
 Besides his widow, Dr. Henrotin left eight 
 children. The eldest son, Henry, was killed at 
 the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the 
 Civil War, while serving in Taylor's Battery. 
 All the living, save the sixth, who is engaged in 
 business in Havre, France, are residents of Chi- 
 cago. Following are their names: Charles; Mar- 
 garet, Mrs. James H. B. Daly; Dr. Fernand; 
 Adolph; Mary; Victor; Fortuni, wife of George 
 Le Jeune; and Louise, now Mrs. Maurice Pin- 
 coffs. Mrs. Henrotin survived her husband many 
 years, dying, widely mourned, November 29, 
 1893. She was an able helpmate to her husband, 
 whom she nobly aided in his labors among the 
 cholera sufferers, and was held in high regard by 
 all who enjoyed her acquaintance.
 
 W. M. COULTER. 
 
 583 
 
 WILLIAM M. COULTER. 
 
 ,'LLIAM MITCHELL COULTER, one of 
 the survivors of the war with Mexico, re- 
 siding in Chicago, is a native of the Key- 
 stone State. His birth occurred in Oliver Town- 
 ship, Mifflin Count}-, Pennsylvania, November 
 17, i?)23. He is a son of Irwin Coulter and Mary 
 C. Mitchell. The latter was the daughter of an 
 Irish gentleman named George Mitchell, who was 
 born near Belfast, Ireland. He married a Scotch 
 lady named Elizabeth Thompson, and they emi- 
 grated to America previous to the Revolutionary 
 War. Mr. Mitchell became one of the first set- 
 tlers in Mifflin County, on the banks of the 
 Juniaia river. He cleared and improved a large 
 farm, and became one of the most prominent citi- 
 zens cf that county. 
 
 Irwin Coulter, whose Christian name was given 
 him to perpetuate the family name of his mother, 
 was a native of Mifflin County. His father, 
 David Coulter was born in the North of England, 
 but became a loyal citizen of Pennsylvania dur- 
 ing the colonial days. Soon after the beginning 
 of the Revolutionary conflict, he enlisted under 
 Geneial Washington, and afterwards became the 
 captain of his company. He was wounded while 
 doing gallant service at the battle of the Brandy- 
 wine. The rifle which he carried into that war 
 and the sword which he wore in his official capac- 
 ity are still preserved in the family. Irwin Coul- 
 ter succeeded to the ownership of the Mitchell 
 homestead, where his death occurred about 1830, 
 at the age of forty-nine years. Both the Coulter 
 and Mitchell families were ardent adherents of 
 the Presbyterian Church, and exhibited many ad- 
 mirable characteristics, being firm in the support 
 of principle and fearless in defense of their con- 
 victions. 
 
 William M. Coulter passed his boyhood ia his 
 
 native county and, at an early age began to take 
 an active part in local political affairs. He was 
 frequently chosen as a delegate to local and State 
 conventions of the Democratic party, and helped 
 to nominate several Governors of the common- 
 wealth. When the United States Government 
 called for volunteers to help prosecute the war with 
 Mexico, he enlisted as a member of Company D, 
 of the Eleventh United States Infantry. After 
 being drilled for a time, with other recruits, near 
 Corpus Christie on the coast of Texas, they were 
 sent forward to join General Scott's army at 
 Puebla, Mexico. As Scott's limited force did not 
 permit him to leave any garrisons at places hs 
 had vanquished, the recruits were forced to figlit 
 their way over the route previously pursued 
 by the main army. One of their duties was 
 to escort a pay train, loaded with many thousands 
 of dollars in gold sent to pay Scott's army. The 
 Mexicans having knowledge of this fact, made 
 desperate efforts to capture the train, and the 
 whole course of the journey was almost a con- 
 tinuous battlefield. At the National Bridge, the 
 enemy lay in ambush, and made extraordinary ef- 
 forts to destroy the little band of devoted Ameri- 
 can troops. Several wagons, containing accoutre- 
 ments and supplies of the soldiers, were thrown 
 over a high precipice in the struggle and des- 
 troyed, and Mr. Coulter narrowly missed accom- 
 panying one 'of these wagons in its fall. The at- 
 tack was repulsed, and a portion of the knapsack? 
 and other paraphernalia was recovered next day. 
 The train was turned over to General Scott at 
 Puebla in June, 1847, without the loss of a dollar, 
 after many days of struggle in its defense. 
 
 After joining the main army, Mr. Coulter par- 
 ticipated in the battles of Contreras Mountain, 
 Cherubusco, Chapultepec?:id the numerous figbts
 
 T. E. HILL. 
 
 about the gates of Mexico. It is a matter of his- 
 tory that the American troops, in a strange land, 
 far from their base of supplies, conquered im- 
 mensely superior numbers throughout their march 
 and triumphantly entered the city of Mexico on 
 the 1 3th ot' September, 1847, having traversed 
 more than a thousand miles of distance, over 
 mountain ranges and across lava beds and other 
 regions supposed by the Mexicans to be impass- 
 able. At the capture of Molino del Rey, where 
 the Mexicans were engaged in casting cannon, 
 most of his superior office r s having been killed or 
 disabled, Corporal Coulter took command of a 
 company, and held possession of the foundry un- 
 til Lieutenant U. S. Grant came up and received 
 the-svvords of the captured Mexican officers, who 
 refused to deliver them to a non-commissioned 
 officer. For his gallantry on this and other oc- 
 casions, he was made Second Sergeant and re- 
 ceived honorable mention by Maj. John F. Hun- 
 ter, commanding the Eleventh regiment. Mr. 
 Coulter gives a very graphic description of a brief 
 engagement on the igthof August, where eight 
 thousand mounted Mexican lancers rode down 
 upon three brigades of American infantry, with 
 the evident intention of overwhelming them. 
 The lancers were quickly repulsed by the infan- 
 try, formed in a hollow square, with fixed bayo- 
 nets, who reserved their fire until the enemy came 
 within close range. So deadly were the volleys 
 
 that met the onslaught that the lancers were 
 thrown into confusion, and the survivors turned 
 and fled. The Americans suffered but slight loss, 
 and this incident illustrates the superiority of 
 courage and discipline over mere strength of num- 
 bers, even when accompanied by the advantage 
 of position. The impression which this brief en- 
 counter made upon the mind of Mr. Coulter is 
 one never to be effaced. 
 
 In 1858, Mr. Coulter moved from Pennsylvania 
 to Monroe County, Missouri, where he was en- 
 gaged in agriculture for some years, and during 
 his residence there served two terms in the Missouri 
 Legislature. His business career reflects equal 
 credit with his military record upon the character 
 of Mr. Coulter. In 1876 he became a resident of 
 Chicago, where he has since been dealing in real 
 estate. 
 
 He was married in 1856, to MissLydiaF. Cox, 
 of McVeytown, Pennsylvania, and four of their five 
 children still survive. Mr. Coulter is still iden- 
 tified with the Presbyterian Church, in the faith 
 of which he was reared. In early life, he was a 
 member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. 
 Having inherited a powerful frame and iron con- 
 stitution from his ancestors, Mr. Coulter is still 
 the picture of robust manhood and strength, and is 
 evidently prepared to continue his honorable busi- 
 ness career and socially-useful life for many years 
 to come. 
 
 THOMAS EDIE HILL. 
 
 "HOMAS EDIE HILL was born in Sand- 
 gate, Bennington County, Vt., February 29, 
 _ 1832. He was reared on his father's farm, 
 attending in the winter the district schools of 
 that vicinity, and finishing his school instruction 
 at the Cambridge Academy, at Cambridge, N. Y. 
 Possessing natural aptitude for teaching, Mr. 
 
 Hill entered upon that work, and taught his first 
 school at Eagleville, East Salem, N. Y., receiv- 
 ing therefor $10 per month; following which, 
 at the age of nineteen, he taught the winter school 
 in Londonderry, Vt., receiving $14 per month 
 and "boarding "round." Fitting himself in Bos- 
 ton for teaching penmanship, he entered upon the
 
 T. E. HILL. 
 
 58: 
 
 work of conducting evening schools, teaching 
 penmanship and forms, and followed that profes- 
 sion during the fifteen succeeding years, the field 
 of his teaching being in Vermont, New York, 
 Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois. He left this work 
 in 1866, and has taught none since, except a 
 school in parliamentary practice, which (being 
 deeply impressed with the importance of such a 
 school) he opened at the Chicago Athenseum in 
 1891, conducting the same for several months and 
 closing with a public exhibition. This class was 
 the first of its kind, up to the time when it was 
 established. 
 
 Settling at Waukegan, 111., in 1854 with his 
 wife, formerly Miss Rebekah J. Pierce, of Lon- 
 donderry, Vt., by whom he had one child, Flor- 
 ence G., at present Mrs. George M. Porteous, he 
 remained there until 1866, when he located at 
 A.urora, 111., and began the publication of the 
 Aurora Herald, from which he severed his con- 
 nection a few years afterward. He continued his 
 residence in that city for twelve years, during 
 which time he founded and obtained a large cir- 
 :ulation for the Herald. He also established the 
 Suburban Chicago Purchasing Agency business, 
 and as manager for a time of the Aurora Silver 
 Plate factory, placed that institution upon a suc- 
 cessful basis. While Mayor of Aurora, in 1876 
 and 1877, he introduced various improvements 
 into the city, among them being the suppression 
 of cows from running at large, the setting out of 
 thousands of shade trees, the taking down offences 
 around dwellings, and the organizing of an im- 
 provement society, which since that time has 
 been largely instrumental in making that city the 
 metropolis of the Fox River Valley. 
 
 Giving a liberal portion of the property which 
 he had accumulated up to that time (1878) to his 
 wife, she secured a separation from him by mutual 
 consent, he taking up his residence in Chicago to 
 give personal supervision to the management of 
 "Hill's Manual of Social and Business Forms," 
 which had been brought out by Moses Warren, a 
 publisher of Chicago, in 1873, Mr. Hill assuming 
 the publishing of it in 1879. Subsequently mar- 
 rying Mrs. Ellen M. Whitcomb, at Shushan, 
 N. Y.. he continued his residence in Chicago un- 
 
 til 1885, at which time he purchased a farm ad- 
 joining the village of Prospect Park, DuPage 
 County, 111. In the succeeding year he settled 
 thereon, returning thus to the employment with 
 which he had been familiar in his boyhood. His 
 return to farming was voluntary and not of neces- 
 sity, a phrenologist on one occasion, when exam- 
 ining his head, having told him when he began 
 his teaching that he would succeed in anything 
 that he undertook. 
 
 With large natural love of the ornamental in 
 landscape and building, he became the publisher 
 and editor, in 1884, of the Chicago National 
 Builder, in which he gave to the world many 
 beautiful designs of buildings and ornamental 
 grounds. Retiring from this publication after 
 making it the best magazine of its class, he or- 
 ganized a land syndicate at Prospect Park, en- 
 abled several of the old fanners of that vicinity 
 to sell their farms so well as to retire on a 
 competency, changed the name of the village to 
 Glen Ellyn, and secured the making of the charm- 
 ing little Lake Glen Ellyn, the construction of an 
 elegant hotel upon its borders, and the develop- 
 ment of several springs near the lake, among 
 them being the famous Glen Ellyn Apollo, the 
 waters of which have large sale in Chicago. 
 
 Among Mr. Hill's literary works have been 
 several books of large circulation, of which "Hill's 
 Manual" has had a sale of about four hundred 
 thousand copies at this writing, at an average 
 price of $6 per copy; "Hill's Album of Biogra- 
 phy," having a circulation of eighty thousand 
 copies; "Hill's Guide to Chicago;" "Ways of 
 Cruelty," an illustrated pamphlet used in great 
 numbers by humane societies; "Right and Wrong 
 Contrasted;" and "Money Found," the latter a 
 popular book on the subject of finance. 
 
 This latest work is an original publication, 
 which fully outlines the plan by which the Gov- 
 ernment may assume the ownership of banks, 
 and may operate them at all central points, guaran- 
 teeing depositors against loss, preventing finan- 
 cial panics, and the consequent depressions in busi- 
 ness. Mr. Hill is the first person to put forth to 
 the world a practical method by which Govern- 
 mental banking may be established. At this
 
 L. C. RUTH. 
 
 writing, the book, "Money Found," is having an 
 immensely large sale, with a fair probability of 
 so educating the people as to cause them to de- 
 mand Government ownership of banks in the very 
 near future, thus revolutionizing the present in- 
 secure system of banking, giving the profits per- 
 taining to the handling of the people's money to 
 the people; and at the same time securing relief 
 from bank failures, and permanent financial pros- 
 perity for all. 
 
 While Mr. Hill's efforts have been crowned 
 with success for himself, his labors have been 
 largely of a public character, and have resulted 
 in great educational benefit to the people in all 
 parts of the country. Though a quiet resident of 
 Glen Ellyn, his works have had such large circu- 
 lation as to make his name much more familiar 
 to the inhabitants of New England, the Middle 
 States and the Pacific Coast than it is to the peo- 
 ple of DuPage County. 
 
 LINUS C RUTH. 
 
 I INUS C. RUTH, of Hinsdale, is a prominent 
 1C member of the DuPage County Bar, and 
 I \ J well deserves representation in this volume. 
 He has the honor of being a native of Illinois, for 
 he was born at Long Grove, Lake County, on 
 the 1 8th of December, 1854. His parents were 
 Irwin and Leah (Brown) Ruth, natives of Penn- 
 sylvania The family is of English origin, and 
 was founded in America by George E. Ruth, the 
 grandfather of our subject, who left England, his 
 native land, and emigrated to America, locating 
 in Northumberland County, Pa. The year 1836 
 witnessed his arrival in Illinois. He settled near 
 Waukegan, then called Little Fort, where he died 
 when past the age of sixty years. He reared a 
 family of eight children. The maternal grand- 
 father, John Brown, was born in the Keystone 
 State, and was for some years engaged in mer- 
 chandising in Philadelphia. He came to the 
 West in 1838, settling in Cedarville, 111., where 
 he died at the age of eighty-one years. 
 
 Mr. Ruth whose name heads this record spent 
 his early boyhood upon the home farm, aiding in 
 the labors of the field through the summer months, 
 while in the winter season he attended the district 
 school and acquired the rudiments of his educa- 
 tion. Later, he was a student in the High School, 
 
 and in the Iowa State College, of Ames, Iowa. 
 On the completion of his literary education, he en- 
 tered Bryant & Stratton's Business College of 
 Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1873. 
 His time was then devoted to business interests 
 for several- years, after which he determined to 
 enter upon a professional career, and began the 
 study of law in the Union College of Law in Chi- 
 cago. Two years later he was admitted to the 
 Bar. During several succeeding years, he was 
 engaged in delivering lectures on commercial law 
 and the law of real property in Bryant & Strat- 
 ton's College, in which he had formerly been a 
 student. 
 
 On the 1 8th of August, 1880, Mr. Ruth was 
 united in marriage with Miss Ella F. Reardon. 
 Three children have been born of their union: 
 Irwin, Chester and Linus C. The parents are 
 members of the Hinsdale Unity Church, and con- 
 tribute liberally to its support. They occupy an 
 enviable position in social circles, and have won 
 the high regard of all who know them. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. Ruth came to Hinsdale, and has 
 since engaged, in the practice of his profession with 
 excellent success. He has been honored with a 
 number of official positions, having served as a 
 member of the Board of Trustees and the Board of
 
 C. B. SMITH. 
 
 587 
 
 Health, and for three years has been Village At- 
 torney. He discharges his duties with a prompt- 
 ness and fidelity that have won him high com- 
 mendation, and his public and private life are alike 
 above reproach. In politics, he is a supporter of 
 the Republican party. He owns some good prop- 
 erty in Hinsdale, including his pleasant residence, 
 and was one of the organizers of the Hinsdale 
 
 Building and Loan Association, of which he has 
 served as attorney from the start. He is ever 
 found in the front rank of any enterprise calcu- 
 lated to prove of public benefit, and is alive to 
 the best interests of this community and its wel- 
 fare. Public-spirited and progressive, he is a 
 valued citizen and a man of sterling worth. 
 
 CHARLES BENNETT SMITH. 
 
 /TJHARLES BENNETT SMITH, only son of 
 1C William G. Smith, a pioneer of DuPage 
 U County, this State, is one of the most suc- 
 cessful business men of Wheaton. He was born 
 in Whitehall, N. Y., April 6, 1853, and was 
 brought to Illinois when an infant. He attended 
 the public schools at Warrenville and Wheaton, 
 and was a student of Wheaton College two years. 
 At the age of seventeen, he began learning the 
 railroad station business at Elmhurst, and soon 
 found employment in the station at Wheaton, be- 
 coming a skillful telegraph operator. In the 
 spring of 1872 he was made agent for the Chicago 
 & Northwestern Railway and the American Ex- 
 press Company at Westside, Crawford County, 
 Iowa, and filled that position eight years. He 
 then took charge of the station at Carroll, an im- 
 portant division point on the Northwestern sys- 
 tem, for three years. At the end of that time, at 
 his request, he was transferred to the charge of 
 Wheaton Station, being at the time the oldest 
 ' agent in point of service on the Northwestern 
 line west of Boone. Mr. Smith was determined 
 to improve his opportunities, and soon after locat- 
 ing at Wheaton, he opened a real-estate and in- 
 surance office, in which he transacted a large 
 amount of business. He is one of those who are 
 responsible for the incorporation of the city, and 
 
 for the modern improvements which make it a 
 desirable place of residence. He served foui 
 years as City Clerk, but has never been a seeker 
 after political preferment. He is keenly alive to 
 business opportunities, and is quite content to let 
 others handle the reins of government. He is a 
 stockholder in the company which supplies the 
 city with electric light, and during the Columbian 
 Exposition was Vice- President of the Epworth 
 Hotel Restaurant Company, an organization which 
 built and operated a successful hotel near the 
 Fair grounds. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Smith was appointed Assistant 
 Claim Agent of the Chicago & Northwestern 
 Railway Company, a position that he has accept- 
 ably filled since. With no influence to push him, 
 save his own energy and ability, he has attained 
 a responsible position with an extensive corpora- 
 tion at an age when many are still apprentices. 
 Mr. Smith is an active and enthusiastic Republi- 
 can, and carries an influence in local political af- 
 fairs. He is a member of the Methodist Church, 
 and of several fraternal orders. 
 
 On the 3oth of December, 1875, Mr. Smith 
 was married to his childhood's playmate and 
 schoolmate, Laura Elizabeth, youngest daughter 
 of Jude P. Gary, a pioneer of DuPage County. 
 Mrs. Smith was born in Wiufield Township, and
 
 588 
 
 J. R. WHEELER. 
 
 is a valuable member of Wheaton society. To 
 the aged parents of Mr. Smith she is like one 
 born to them, and in every relation of life is the 
 worthy helpmate of a popular citizen. Mrs. 
 Smith has been throughout her adult life one of 
 the most faithful and efficient members of the 
 Methodist .Episcopal Church, and has been for 
 many years the leading soprano singer in the 
 
 choir of the Wheaton Church. Two children 
 have been given to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, namely, 
 Laura Eoleen and Winifred Alice. 
 
 In 1892 Mr. Smith built the fine residence 
 which he occupies at the southwest corner of 
 West Street and Washington Avenue. It is the 
 seat of quiet elegance and refined hospitality. 
 
 JOHN R. WHEELER, 
 
 (TOHN R. WHEELER, for many y ears promi- 
 I nent in the business, social and religious life 
 O of Chicago, was born in East Greene, Che- 
 nango County, N. Y., on the 3ist of Decem- 
 ber, 1827. His grandfather, Samuel Wheeler, 
 came with his family from England and settled in 
 East Greene in 1792. At that time the town of 
 East Greene had not been created. It was taken 
 from the town of Union, Tioga (now Broome) 
 County, in 1798, and was named for Gen. Na- 
 thaniel Greene, of Revolutionary fame. A set- 
 tlement of French refugees was made on the east 
 side of the river at Greene in 1792, and a few 
 families of these remained to form a part of the 
 permanent settlement, though most of them 
 moved away in a short time. Samuel Wheeler 
 was among the settlers of the northern part of the 
 town, where he engaged in farming. Both he 
 and his wife died in 1808. 
 
 Capt. Samuel Wheeler, son of Samuel, was a 
 soldier in the War of 1812. The subject of this 
 biography was the seventh in a family of nine 
 children born to him and his wife, Tainar Barnes. 
 Their names in order are: William, Melissa, Har- 
 riet, George, Sarah Ann, Charles H., John R., 
 Mary and Margaret. 
 John R. Wheeler passed his minority upon his 
 
 father's farm, completing his school days at the 
 academy in Greene. In early life he taught 
 school at East Greene and Oxford, and for five 
 years engaged in farming near Oxford, after which 
 he kept a general store twelve years at Oxford, 
 N. Y. He served several terms in Oxford as 
 Town Supervisor and County School Commis- 
 sioner. Having been moderately successful, the 
 result of persistent attention to business, he re- 
 solved to seek a new field of operations in the 
 great West, and removed to Chicago in March, 
 1869. Here he invested his capital in real estate, 
 and with such good judgment did he handle his 
 holdings that he was made independent. He 
 always took an intelligent interest in questions 
 affecting the general welfare, and was soon called 
 upon to serve his fellows in various official capac- 
 ities. For a time he served as Superintendent of 
 the Western Railway Weighing Association. Be- 
 lieving in the fundamental principles of the Re- 
 publican party, he gave his earnest support to the 
 cause of that organization. In 1884 he was a 
 delegate from the Third Illinois District to the 
 National Republican Convention, and was in- 
 tensely devoted to Mr. Elaine. The next year 
 he presided over the Cook County Republican 
 Convention, and the following spring was elected
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 DR. LEONARD PRATT
 
 LEONARD PRATT 
 
 589 
 
 Alderman from the then Ninth Ward. He was the 
 Republican Presidential Elector from the Third 
 District in 1888, and was appointed a member of 
 the State Railroad and Warehouse Commission 
 the next year, being made Chairman of the Board. 
 He was re-appointed in 1891, and acted until 
 about a month before his death, which sad event 
 occurred February 19, 1893. His demise, soon 
 after the completion of his sixty-fifth year, was 
 supposed to be the result of a severe attack of 
 la grippe in the spring of 1892. 
 
 Mr. Wheeler was for eighteen years a Deacon 
 in the Second Baptist Church of Chicago. In 
 every relation of life, he strove to do his whole 
 duty, and entered into every undertaking with 
 his full strength. During the Civil War he at- 
 tempted to give his services in defense of the 
 Union, but was rejected on account of an injury 
 which he sustained in earlier years. By precept 
 and example, he sought to lead others in the way 
 of duty and right. 
 
 In July, 1849, Mr. Wheeler took for a help- 
 mate Miss Eliza Ann Tremaine, who was born 
 in East Greene, and was three months and eleven 
 
 days his junior. She is the fifth of the eight chil- 
 dren of Erastus and Lucretia Tremaine, the lat 
 ter's maiden name having been Race. Her grand- 
 father, Daniel Tremaine, was among the pioneers 
 of East Greene, and was a member of the Bap- 
 tist Church organized there in 1795. It is prob 
 able that he was a descendant of a Huguenot 
 refugee in America, as the name is of undoubted 
 French origin. Daniel Tremaine served in the 
 Revolutionary army, and was present at the sur 
 render of Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777. He 
 reached the ripe old age of ninety-four years, 
 passing his latter years with his son Erastus, the 
 father of Mrs. Wheeler, near East Greene. 
 
 Three children were given to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Wheeler, namely: George A., Luella and Ida. 
 The daughters were married on the same day, in 
 October, 1873, the elder becoming the wife o< 
 John W. Midgley, Chairman of the Western 
 Freight Association, and the other wedding En- 
 field D. Moore, Manager of the Chicago Car 
 Service Association. Mrs. Midgley is the mother 
 of four children, Stanley, Arthur, Ethel and 
 Edith. 
 
 DR. LEONARD PRATT. 
 
 0R. LEONARD PRATT, for many years a 
 leading physician of Wheaton, and now a 
 resident of San Jose, Cal., is a native of 
 Towanda, Pa. His parents, Russell and Olive 
 (Towner) Pratt, whose names indicate English 
 ancestry, passed their lives in that place, where 
 Russell Pratt carried on a cooperage business. 
 Leonard Pratt was born December 23, 1819, and 
 is therefore now in his seventy-fourth year, but is 
 still vigorous in mind and bod}' and actively en- 
 gaged in the practice of his profession. He re- 
 ceived his primary education in the Pennsylvania 
 common schools, and his medical training at 
 
 Jefferson and Hahnemann Medical Colleges in 
 Philadelphia. For more than fifty years his time 
 has been employed in the healing art, the first 
 years of his practice being passed in his native 
 town. In 1852 he removed to Carroll County, 
 111. , settling on a farm in Rock Creek Township, 
 one of the finest farms in that county. He re- 
 moved in 1865 to Wheaton, 111., for the purpose 
 of educating his son, a biography of whom will be 
 found elsewhere in this volume. He built a fine 
 brick mansion on Main Street (now occupied by 
 Dr. E. C. Guild) , where his home remained until 
 1889, when he removed to his present residence.
 
 590 
 
 F. D. COSSITT, JR. 
 
 Dr. Pratt is a member of the American Insti- 
 tute of Homeopathy and of the Illinois and Cali- 
 fornia State Associations of that school, and is a 
 man of fine attainments and progressive ideas. 
 He has always given his political allegiance to the 
 Republican party since its organization. His 
 religious faith is represented by the New Church, 
 commonly known as the Swedenborgian. His time 
 has been given to the demands of a large medical 
 practice, and he has been able to devote but little 
 personal attention to public affairs, although he 
 always took a deep interest in any effort to pro- 
 mote and secure good government. The original 
 charter of the town of Wheaton, which has since 
 become a city, was the work of his mind and pen. 
 
 Dr. Pratt was for seven ~^ars a member of the 
 faculty of Hahnemann Me .iical College, of Chi- 
 cago, filling the chair of Special Pathology and 
 Diagnosis, and was an extensive contributor to 
 
 medical literature, being the first Western physi- 
 cian to call the attention of the profession to the 
 clinical thermometer. At the same time he was 
 constantly employed in attending patients in and 
 about Wheaton and Chicago. 
 
 Dr. Pratt's wife, Betsy, is a daughter of Lemuel 
 Belding, of LeRaysville, Bradford County, Pa., 
 a widely known Swedenborgiaii clergyman and 
 physician, who was eminently successful in both 
 capacities. He was a calm, logical speaker, and 
 achieved considerable reputation as an orator. 
 The Belding family is of English lineage. Two 
 sons and two daughters were born to Dr. and 
 Mrs. Pratt, one son dying in infancy, and a 
 daughter, Hattie, at the age of thirteen yeais, 
 the latter being carried off by the first case ol 
 diphtheria known in Rock Creek, Carroll County, 
 111. One daughter, Nettie L,., is a successful 
 teacher of music at San Jose, Cal. 
 
 FRANKLIN DWIGHT COSSITT, JR. 
 
 |~~RANKLIN DWIGHT COSSITT, JR., only 
 r3 surviving son of F. D. and Martha I,. 
 (Moore) Cosjsitt, was born in La Grange, 
 Tenn., December 4., 1861, and during his infancy 
 was taken by his parents to Chicago. About a 
 year later his mother died, and he was taken back 
 by her sister to Tennessee, where he continued 
 to make his home until 1869. In his eighth year 
 he returned to Chicago, and attended its public 
 schools and pursued a course in one of its busi- 
 ness colleges. At the age of eighteen he opened 
 a general store in La Grange, whicli he conducted 
 for three years. At the end of this period he 
 sold out, and again took up study at a business 
 college. He next became associated with his fa- 
 ther in the real-estate business, a connection which 
 has continued until the present time. 
 
 On the loth of February, 1886, Mr. Cossitt 
 married Miss Margaret A. , daughter of Dr. George 
 M. Fox, a prominent citizen of La Grange, whose 
 
 biography appears elsewhere in this work. Foui 
 children have been born to them, namely: Frank- 
 lin D., named for his paternal grandfather; George 
 M., named for his maternal grandfather; Jean, 
 who bears the name of her maternal grandmother: 
 and Margaret, her mother's namesake. 
 
 In 1889 Mr. Cossitt was elected Trustee of the 
 village of La Grange, and has twice been re- 
 lected, now serving his third term. In 1892 he 
 was elected Highway Commissioner of Lyons 
 Township, and is now Treasurer of that town- 
 ship. In political sentiment, he is a Democrat, 
 and is now serving his second term as a membei 
 of the County Democratic Central Committee. 
 The prominent part which he has taken in public 
 affairs, and especially in the upbuilding of this 
 community, entitles him to representation among 
 the public-spirited and progressive citizens ol 
 Cook County.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 8NIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT) 
 
 JACOB HUBER
 
 JACOB HUBER. 
 
 59i 
 
 JACOB HUBER. 
 
 (JACOB HUBER, who is now living retired in 
 I his pleasant home at No. 271 Racine Avenue, 
 Q) has been a resident of Chicago since March, 
 1854. He was born in May, 1820, near Zurich, 
 Switzerland, and is a son of Kasper and Regula 
 (Huerlimann) Huber. He was reared on a farm, 
 assisting his father in its cultivation, and received 
 but a limited education. In the seventeenth year 
 of his age he entered the employ of a neighboring 
 farmer, and served him two years. On the 
 expiration of this term he returned home and 
 worked for his father until he was nearly twenty 
 years old. Then he went to the city of Zurich, 
 where he found employment with a man for 
 whom he worked ten years. 
 
 In compliance with the custom of his native 
 country, he entered the army at the age of 
 twenty years, and took part in the Revolutionary 
 wars of 1844-45 and 1847. He was several times 
 promoted, and finally attained the rank of 
 Quartermaster. This distinction was practically 
 a reward of merit, as it was won by him in conse- 
 quence of his passing the annual examinations so 
 creditably. In 1849 he was honorably discharged 
 from the army on account of having lost the 
 middle finger of his left hand. The same fidelity 
 to duty that caused his promotion in the army 
 was always observed in his business pursuits and 
 secured his advancement in the employment 
 spoken of above. He began as a teamster and 
 gradually worked himself up to the second highest 
 position in the largest soap factory in Switzerland. 
 In 1841 Mr. Huber married Miss Mary Verena 
 Schnabel, who was born and educated in Zurich. 
 On the first day of January, 1854, Mr. Huber, 
 accompanied by his wife and children and a party 
 
 of friends, sailed from Havre, France, bound for 
 the United States. The party consisted of thirty- 
 five members, and after a voyage of seven weeks 
 landed in New York, and reached Chicago March 
 13. Their objective 'point was Wisconsin, but 
 as Mr. Huber had only twenty -five dollars on 
 reaching Chicago, he decided to remain in the 
 city, and the other members of the part}' continued 
 their journey to the Badger State. 
 
 The next day after ^his arrival Mr. Huber 
 found employment in a soap factory, his compen- 
 sation to be seventy-five cents per day of twelve 
 hours. Not being able to support his family 
 with this meager salary, he obtained a situation 
 on South Water Street, which he retained three 
 summers, working winters in packing houses. 
 August 2, 1854, his wife died, leaving him with 
 the entire care of three children. 
 
 February 2, 1855, he married Mrs. Elizabeth 
 Catherine Mangold, who had a son by her former 
 marriage, and with mingled pride and pleasure 
 Mr. Huber relates that their wedding expenses 
 were thirty-five cents, spent for cake to give the 
 four children a feast. Soon after their marriage, 
 with their combined capital, he bought a quarter 
 of an acre of land on Larrabee Street, where they 
 lived the succeeding ten years. Both were in- 
 dustrious and energetic, and hopeful for the 
 future. Mr. Huber continued to work in the 
 city, and for eleven successive winters was in the 
 employ of Reynolds & Hay wood. He practiced 
 the closest economy, and was able to save a part 
 of his salary, besides paying all his obligations. 
 His good wife cultivated their garden, growing 
 vegetables for the city market. On the first 
 basketful of vegetables sold she realized twenty-
 
 592 
 
 J.'K. EDS ALL. 
 
 eight cents, with which she bought coffee. As 
 their means increased they bought a few cows 
 and engaged in selling milk. 
 
 While residing on Larrabee Street Mr. Huber 
 bought several lots, which were used for garden- 
 ing purposes. In 1864 he bought eight acres of 
 land on Racine Avenue, a part of which he now 
 occupies. After locating on this land he carried 
 on market gardening extensively, and was very 
 prosperous. For the eight acres of land he paid 
 nine hundred dollars an acre, and in 1895 s ld 
 five acres of this for seventy thousand dollars, to 
 the Alexian Brothers. He also bought other lots, 
 and at one time owned sixteen acres of land in 
 Chicago. His different investments proved 
 profitable and by indefatigable industry, strict 
 integrity in all his dealings, and keen business 
 foresight, he achieved success. At the age of 
 seventy years he retired from active business, 
 with a handsome competence, and has since en- 
 joyed a well-earned rest. 
 
 In his domestic relations Mr. Huber was 
 always happy. By his first wife he had seven 
 children, only three of whom are now living, 
 namely: Conrad, who resides in Lake View; 
 Elizabeth, widow of Mr. Schwackert, of South- 
 port Avenue; and Jacob, who lives at No. 255 
 Racine Avenue. Mr. Huber and his second wife 
 were the parents of the following children, Ru- 
 dolph, who died of scarlet fever at the age of 
 three and a-half years, and Wilhelmina, wife of 
 William George Reichwald. The mother of 
 these died in April, 1879. 
 
 Mr. Huber supports the principles of the 
 Republican party. He has been for a number of 
 years one of the directors of an orphan asylum, 
 and is also a director of the German hospital, and 
 identified with Saint Paul's Lutheran Church. 
 He is a highty respected and valuable citizen, 
 and evinces a creditable interest in the affairs of 
 the country of his adoption, and of the city in 
 which he resides. 
 
 JAMES K. EDSALL. 
 
 (JAMES KIRTLAND EDSALL was born at 
 I Windham, Greene County, New York, May 
 O 10, 1831, and was the son of Joseph Edsall 
 and Nancy Kirtland Edsall. His grandfather, 
 John Edsall, served in the Revolutionary War, 
 and was with General Washington at the crossing 
 of the Delaware. He belonged to a family that 
 settled with the early colonists in New Jersey. 
 
 Samuel Edsall, the first of the name in this 
 country, came from the West Riding of Yorkshire, 
 England, in 1644. By marriage this English an- 
 cestry was mingled with the sturdy qualities of 
 the Knickerbocker Dutch. 
 
 Joseph Edsall, the father of the subject of this 
 sketch, was a man possessed of unusual natural 
 ability and extensive general information, and 
 
 ever manifested a determination to secure for his 
 children the best educational advantages that lay 
 within his reach. His wife, Nancy Edsall, was 
 born in Connecticut, but removed with her 
 parents, Richard and Lydia (Lord) Kirtland, to 
 Durham, New York, whence the family subse- 
 quently moved to Windham. She was a woman 
 of superior education, and an exemplary Christian, 
 who left upon her children the impress of her 
 character. 
 
 James K. Edsall received his education in the 
 common schools, and later pursued a course of 
 study comprising modern science, mathematics, 
 languages, and classics, in the academy at Pratts- 
 ville, New York. He paid his expenses at the 
 latter place by teaching and working upon the
 
 J. K. EDSALL. 
 
 593 
 
 home farm. His father selected him as the lawyer 
 of the family, and at the age of twelve years his 
 brothers and sisters conferred upon him the title 
 of ' ' The Counsellor. ' ' His brother Henry was in 
 like manner selected for a physician . The suc- 
 cess which attended each one in his life work, 
 shows the correctness of their father's judgment. 
 
 James left the academy in 1851, and began the 
 study of law in the office of Herman Winans of 
 Prattsville, and taught school during the follow- 
 ing winter. In the spring of 1852, he took a 
 clerkship in the office of Alexander H. Bailey, of 
 Catskill, New York, where he could pay his ex- 
 penses and at the same time pursue his studies. 
 In the following September, he passed an exami- 
 nation for the bar, before the Justices of the 
 Supreme Court, at Albany, New York. 
 
 In December, 1853, he moved to Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, and the following summer to Fond du 
 Lac, in the same State. From there he went to 
 Saint Paul, Minnesota, and in the fall of 1854, he 
 settled at Leavenworth, Kansas. There he was 
 made a candidate on the Free State ticket for rep- 
 resentative in the first Territorial Legislature; 
 and though he received a majority of the local 
 votes, armed bodies of men came over from Mis- 
 souri, and by fraudulent means, elected a Slave 
 State candidate. In 1855, he was elected to the 
 Legislature which was organized under the " To- 
 peka Constitution." He participated in the de- 
 liberations of that body and was a member of the 
 committee to draft a code of laws for Kansas. He 
 was present as a member of the Topeka Legisla- 
 ture, when, on July 4, 1856, it was broken up by 
 United States troops, by order of President Pierce. 
 
 July 24, 1856, Mr. Edsall married Caroline 
 Florella Moore, at Florence, Michigan, whence 
 her family had moved from Delhi, New York. 
 Three children were born to them as follows: 
 James Star, Samuel Cook and Emily Farrington. 
 The only one living is Samuel Cook, who, after 
 several years spent with his father in the study 
 and practice of the law, entered the ministry of 
 the Episcopal Church, and is now Rector of St. 
 Peter's Church, Chicago. 
 
 James K. Edsall became, in his early manhood, 
 and continued through life, an ardent adherent of 
 
 the Episcopal Church, giving liberally of his 
 means to its support and regularly attending its 
 services. For several years before his death, he 
 was a vestryman in his son's parish. In August, 
 1856, he moved to Dixon, Illinois, and there con- 
 tinued in the practice of his profession. Though 
 then only twenty-five years old, he soon attained 
 a leading position at the bar of northern Illinois, 
 and built up an extensive practice. His name 
 frequently appears as counsel in the reports of the 
 Supreme Court, and rarely upon the losing side. 
 In 1863, he was elected Mayor of Dixon, and in 
 1870 was elected to the Senate of the Twenty- 
 seventh General Assembly of Illinois, in which 
 capacity he served two years. This body con- 
 tained several of the ablest lawyers of the State, 
 and of these Mr. Edsall was accorded a place 
 among the first. 
 
 The adoption of the new Constitution of 1870, 
 rendered it necessary to frame general laws to 
 take the place of the incongruous mass of special 
 legislation which had previously been in vogue, 
 and by common consent it seems to have been 
 thought expedient to confide that duty to the 
 most competent hands. The present general law 
 for the incorporation of cities and villages was 
 framed in the Senate Committee on Municipalities, 
 of which Mr. Edsall was then chairman, and most 
 of its provisions bear the impress of his study and 
 thought. The sections of the Conveyance Act, 
 which prescribed short forms of deeds and mort- 
 gages, so brief that they contain but few more 
 words than an ordinary promissory note, aside 
 from names of parties and necessary descriptions, 
 and yet so complete that the single word ' ' war- 
 rant ' ' expresses full covenant for title written out 
 in the most exact legal phraseology, were drafted 
 by him. 
 
 The public and the bar are more indebted to 
 him than to anyone else for the incorporation into 
 the Practice Act of 1872, of those liberal provi- 
 sions which did much to rescue the common law 
 system of pleading and practice, in use in this 
 State, from the reproach which rested upon it. 
 His clear thought, sound judgment and legal ac- 
 quirements, were such as to distinguish between 
 the real merits of the system based upon the com-
 
 594 
 
 J. K. EDS ALL. 
 
 mon law and the mass of outgrown technicalities 
 by which it was overlaid. He took a leading 
 part in the discussion of the important subjects 
 which came before the Senate and prepared the 
 report of the Judiciary Committee in support of 
 the right of the State to impose and collect reason- 
 able tolls for the use of the improvements which 
 it had made in the navigation of the Illinois River. 
 He made an argument of great power in support 
 of the constitutionality of Governmental control 
 of railroads and warehouses. At the close of his 
 speech, he predicted that this power would ulti- 
 mately be sustained by the Supreme Court, a pre- 
 diction which was subsequently verified by the 
 decision of that court in " Munn versus the State 
 of Illinois, ' ' a cause argued by him as Attorney- 
 General. At the conclusion of the opinion of the 
 United States Supreme Court in that case, Chief 
 Justice Waite said, " In passing upon this case, 
 we have not been unmindful of the vast impor- 
 tance of the question involved. This and cases of 
 a kindred character were argued before us more 
 than a year ago by most eminent counsel, and in a 
 manner worthy of their well-earned reputations. ' ' 
 Mr. Edsall's work in the State Senate made 
 such an impression upon his fellow-members of 
 the Legislature, that many of them insisted he 
 was the man needed by the State for its Attorney- 
 General. His nomination by the Republican 
 Convention followed, and in 1872 he was elected 
 Attorney -General of the State, and was re-elected 
 to the same office in 1876. The manner in which 
 he discharged the duties of that office earned for 
 him the admiration of his professional brethren, 
 and the gratitude of the people. The case of 
 Munn versus the State had been argued a year 
 prior to his election, and, upon the authority of 
 members since retired from the bench, is said to 
 have been decided against the State, when con- 
 sidered in conference, but the opinion had not been 
 announced. A re argument of the case was 
 ordered by the Court after the election of two 
 new judges, who filled vacancies. Mr. Edsall 
 availed himself of this opportunity, and as Attor- 
 ney-General, filed an argument in behalf of the 
 State, which became the basis of the opinion of 
 the Court, sustaining the power of the State to 
 
 pass laws prescribing the maximum charges by 
 public warehouses for the storage of grain. The 
 eight years which he held the office of Attorney- 
 General formed an epoch in the legal and consti- 
 tutional history of the State. The revenue cases 
 which he successfully carried through the courts 
 of the State and the United States, involving 
 taxes to the amount of millions of dollars, speak 
 for themselves as to the value of his services, and 
 the untiring labor and legal talent displayed in 
 their management. 
 
 In all his varied career as student, lawyer, legis- 
 lator, senator and attorney-general, Mr. Edsall 
 showed himself in every way worthy of the im- 
 portant trusts imposed upon him. Prompt in all 
 his actions, decided in his opinion and independ- 
 ent of thought, he never deviated from the course 
 which duty had marked out, and always acted 
 without regard to popular favor. A lover of free- 
 dom and equality, his sympathies were ever en- 
 listed in the cause of the oppressed, and he firmly 
 maintained the rights of the people. In the dis- 
 charge of his official duties he showed himself the 
 possessor of a sound judgment, a thorough knowl- 
 edge of constitutional law and the principles of 
 government, and that he was profoundly versed 
 in jurisprudence. He was one of those rare 
 lawyers capable of arguing from first principles, 
 and able to strike out in original paths. During 
 his incumbency of the office of Attorney- General 
 his official opinions were constantly sought and 
 relied upon by the Governor and other executive 
 officers of the state, upon all questions of legal or 
 constitutional difficulty, and he invariably met 
 the demands of the occasion in such manner as to 
 solve the problem presented and make plain the 
 path of official duty. Gifted with a high order of 
 talent, patience, perseverance and most estimable 
 social qualities, few men stood higher in the ap- 
 preciation of the public than did the subject of 
 this sketch, James K. Edsall. 
 
 The reputation he made, and the position he 
 achieved before the public, were such that it was 
 quite generally assumed that he would be a can- 
 didate for Governor of the State at the election of 
 1880. But mere official positions not within the 
 line of his profession, appeared to have no attrac-
 
 JOSEPH MEISNER. 
 
 595 
 
 tion for him. He did not even entertain the propo- 
 sition to become a candidate for Governor, and 
 more than a year prior to the expiration of his 
 term gave notice to all aspirants to the office of 
 Attorney- General, that he designed to retire to 
 private practice and would not be a candidate for 
 that office. In pursuance of this resolution, he 
 moved to the City of Chicago in September, 1879, 
 and there opened an office for the practice of law. 
 After Mr. Edsall's retirement to private prac- 
 tice he was several times retained as private coun- 
 sel for the State, when it became necessary to 
 defend the constitutionality of important laws; 
 notably in the cases of the Illinois Central and 
 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads in the 
 United States Supreme Court, in which it had 
 been asserted that the charters of these companies 
 exempted them from State control. During the 
 years of his private practice in Chicago, Mr. 
 Edsall's services were frequently sought in cases 
 of a public character, involving the application of 
 great skill in constitutional law, and, as was to be 
 expected, his role was nearly always that of an 
 advocate for the people. Among the more promi- 
 nent cases with which his name thus became as- 
 sociated, and in which he materially contributed 
 to the final victories achieved, were the Lake 
 Front case and the Gas Trust case. It was a 
 
 marked characteristic of his legal career that he 
 always won the respect and admiration of his 
 legal opponents. Able lawyers who had met de- 
 feat at his hands repeatedly sought his aid as 
 counsel in their own difficult cases. In his later 
 years a large proportion of his practice was of this 
 character, and this still further developed his re- 
 markable power of concentration, and those quali- 
 ties of keen perception which enabled him to 
 speedily get at the root of things and unravel 
 difficult snarls. 
 
 But while it was as a lawyer that James K. 
 Edsall deserves to be classed as a really great 
 man, it was in his domestic and social life that 
 the amiability and kindness of the man shone 
 most brightly forth. He was never so happy as 
 with his grandchildren on his knee. Those who 
 knew him intimately loved him best. He was 
 one of those men who are a tower of moral 
 strength in the circle in which they live; and 
 when, on June 19, 1892, he died, after an illness 
 of four months succeeding a stroke of paralysis, 
 brought on by overwork, he was mourned by 
 many who had experienced his ever kind gener- 
 osity. His body was laid away in the cemetery 
 at his old home in Dixon; where, after an interval 
 of some two years, his beloved life partner came 
 to rest by his side. 
 
 JOSEPH MEISNER. 
 
 (70SEPH MEISNER, who was for several 
 I years an expressman of Chicago, was born 
 \*S December 24, 1809, in Hirshberg, Austria. 
 He was educated in his native country, and there 
 fell in love with a young girl named Anna Froech- 
 lich, a daughter of Joseph and Theresa (Schluka) 
 Froechlich. They were married in Jung Buns- 
 lau, Austria, in 1850, though the bride was then 
 only seventeen years old. Two years later they 
 
 came to America and settled in Chicago, where Mr. 
 Meisner obtained employment. They resided at 
 No. 175 Jackson Street, their home having been 
 bought by Mrs. Meisner. Mr. Meisner died in 
 Chicago, September 24, 1883. 
 
 After the death of her husband Mrs. Meisner 
 bought the property at No. 8n Fairfield Avenue, 
 where she now resides. She has been a success- 
 ful business woman and a good wife and helpmate
 
 596 
 
 A. J. NOWLEN. 
 
 to her husband. She has been able to accumu- 
 late a comfortable fortune, which she manages to 
 the best advantage, being possessed of good judg- 
 ment; She is the mother of six children, name- 
 ly: Anna, Amalia, August, Matilda, Peter and 
 Mary. Anna first married Henry Thage, who 
 died, and now she is the wife of William Molzen; 
 Amalia married John Stepens; Matilda is the 
 wife of William Rohe; and Mary was married to 
 Henry Busche. 
 
 Mrs. Meisner always practiced frugality and in- 
 
 dustry, and so able was she in the management of 
 her affairs that she laid the foundation of a small 
 fortune, which will benefit her posterity for many 
 generations. She is a kind mother and was a 
 dutiful and affectionate wife, combining those 
 qualities of mind and heart which win for a wo- 
 man the respect of all. She is an example of what 
 may be accomplished by a woman left with no 
 protector, if ambitious and willing to do her best. 
 She is well known in her community, and has 
 the respect and esteem of all. 
 
 ADDISON J. NOWLEN. 
 
 Gl DDISON JOSHUA NOWLEN, a prominent 
 J 1 citizen and well-known business man of Irv- 
 / I ing Park, was born March 28, 1828, at 
 Conesville, Schoharie County, New York. He 
 is a grandson of Joshua Nowlen , who was born 
 in Connecticut of Irish descent, and who moved to 
 New York. He served his country as a soldier 
 in the War of 1812. He was a farmer by occupa- 
 tion, and married Miss Rhoda Scoville. Their 
 son, Ira Nowlen, 'the father of AddisonJ. Nowlen, 
 was born in Conesville, which was his home most 
 of his life. He was a prominent citizen and 
 served as Captain in the State Militia several 
 years. When quite a young man, he married 
 Sophia Toles, who was of Welsh descent, but was 
 a relative of the Tinkham family, which is of 
 Pilgrim origin in this country. Subsequently he 
 removed to Ben ton Harbor, Michigan, where he 
 and his wife both died in 1871. Of their five 
 children, the following is the account: Almira is 
 the wife of Rev. A. M. Shaw, of Whitney's Point, 
 New York; Albert is a farmer, fruit grower, and 
 business man of Benton Harbor, Michigan; Louisa 
 died in Nemaha County, Kansas; Victorine is the 
 wife of John McCoy, who lives in Nemaha County, 
 Kansas; and the subject of this sketch. 
 
 Addison J. Nowlen spent his early youth on 
 the farm of his father, and after completing the 
 course of the district school, he continued his 
 education at the Delaware Literary Institute of 
 Delaware County, New York, in which he pur- 
 sued a course for four years. With this good 
 foundation, he took a legal course at Hamilton 
 College, and later studied in a law office at 
 Oneonta. At the latter place he had access to 
 the law books from the library of the famous 
 novelist, James Fenimore Cooper, for whom the 
 town was named. 
 
 In 1853, having been admitted to the bar, Mr. 
 Nowlen practiced law in the courts of New York 
 for the next twelve years, making a specialty of 
 criminal cases. He soon became prominent in 
 this line and was retained on some of the most 
 noted cases that have ever been tried in the courts 
 of that State. In 1856, his health had become so 
 seriously impaired by his diligent application to 
 his profession, that he found it necessary to seek 
 some employment which would give him exercise 
 in the open air, and at the solicitation of his 
 brother, he removed to Benton Harbor, where, 
 when his health permitted, he assisted the county 
 surveyor. So proficient did he become in this
 
 A. D. KENNEDY. 
 
 597 
 
 line of work, that he was elected to the office of 
 county surveyor. 
 
 Immediately after the great fire, he came to 
 Chicago and took up the business of examining 
 titles and similar work connected with real estate. 
 This venture has proved so successful that he has 
 continued it ever since. Soon after locating in 
 Chicago, he built a fine residence in Irving Park, 
 which is surrounded by pleasant grounds. He 
 also has other interests in that suburb, with whose 
 social and business welfare he is in sympathy. 
 
 September 4, 1850, Mr. Nowleti was united in 
 marriage with Clarinda Niles, who was born at 
 Sydney Center, Delaware County, New York, 
 and is a daughter of Joseph and Sally (Barstow) 
 Niles. They have no children of their own, but 
 have adopted one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Nowlen 
 attend the Reformed Church of Irving Park, but 
 they still hold membership in the Congregational 
 
 Church at Benton Harbor, Michigan. In the 
 latter Church Mr. Nowlen was a most valued and 
 influential member, and it was by his energy and 
 perseverance that the funds were raised to build 
 the first church edifice. He has always been 
 active in movements for political reform, and is at 
 present president of the Civic Federation of the 
 twenty-seventh ward. While he favors the prin- 
 ciples of the Prohibition party, his support has 
 usually been in the interests of the Republican 
 party since its organization, having " stumped " 
 the State of New York, in 1856, for John C. Fre- 
 mont. 
 
 Throughout his life Mr. Nowlen has found his 
 main enjoyment in music and art. He was for- 
 merly a member of the Mozart Society and has 
 been the leader of many choirs, being still en- 
 gaged in that kind of work. He is a member of 
 the Art Institute. 
 
 ALEXANDER D. KENNEDY. 
 
 GlLEXANDER DALTON KENNEDY, one 
 I I of the best -known underwriters of Chicago, 
 / I was born in Kendall County, Illinois, March 
 24, 1842, and is the son of John M. Kennedy, of 
 whom extended notice is given elsewhere in this 
 volume. His parents moved to Chicago when 
 he was seven years of age, and he was educated 
 in the public schools of this city. One of his first 
 business ventures was in the capacity of sutler of 
 the Eighth Illinois Cavalry, which position he 
 filled from October, 1861, till April, 1862. 
 
 In May, 1862, he entered the employ of James 
 K. Murphy, one of the pioneer underwriters of 
 Chicago, and has since been almost exclusively 
 engaged in that line of business. Beginning as 
 office boy he worked his way by degrees to the 
 position of cashier and manager, and in the 
 spring of 1866 succeeded Mr. Murphy as agent 
 
 of the Peoria Marine & Fire Insurance Company, 
 the firm name changing to Kennedy & Williams. 
 Mr. Kennedy was a member of this firm until 
 1868, when he received an appointment in the 
 grain inspecting department of Illinois. 
 
 In 1871 he became policy clerk and manager 
 of the underwriting department of E. E. Ryan & 
 Company, and in 1876 he was given an interest 
 in the business. When Mr. Ryan died, in 1882, 
 the firm became Kennedy & De Roode, and in 
 1886 was changed to A. D. Kennedy & Company 
 and so it has since remained. In the twenty-two 
 years following the year 1871, the firms with 
 which Mr. Kennedy was connected wrote insur- 
 ance policies in twenty-eight different companies, 
 on which the premiums amounted to nearly two 
 million dollars. The present firm occupies com- 
 modious offices in the Woman's Temple, and is
 
 H. I. ROWLAND. 
 
 recognized as one of the most reliable concerns 
 doing business in its line in the city. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy was married in November, 1869, 
 to Miss Lizzie Elliott, daughter of H. J. Elliott, 
 an early resident of Chicago, who died when Mrs. 
 Kennedy was a young child. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kennedy became the parents of six children, 
 namely: Alexander D. , Junior, a professional 
 athlete, who has won considerable renown in 
 that line; Harry J., manager of a department in 
 the store of the Monarch Bicycle Company in 
 this city; Mattie, wife of Joseph Burton, a receiv- 
 ing teller in the American Exchange National 
 Bank, in Chicago; Lallah Rooke, wife of R. W. 
 
 Kinsely, manufacturer of cornice and metal 
 roofing, of Chicago; Memay, a student of Notre 
 Dame College, South Bend, Indiana. One son 
 died in childhood. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy has always been a Democrat in 
 political principles, but takes little interest in 
 practical politics. He was one of the first judges 
 of election under the Australian ballot system, 
 in his precinct, and has since been several times 
 appointed in the same capacity. In the campaign 
 of 1896, believing that the business interests of 
 the nation could be best promoted by that course, 
 he supported Major McKinlejr for the office of 
 President. 
 
 HIRAM I. HOWLAND. 
 
 HIRAM ISBUN HOWLAND, a retired citi- 
 zen of Chicago, who has borne no incon- 
 siderable part in promoting the growth and 
 development of that great western metropolis, is a 
 native of Erie County, New York, born February 
 3, 1818. He is a descendant of an old New Eng- 
 land family, being a son of Isbun and Sylvia 
 (Smith) Howland. His mother was a native of 
 the same state as himself, and the father was born 
 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. 
 
 The Howland family was founded in America 
 by John Howland, one of the little band who left 
 their native land in the quest of religious freedom, 
 and came on the good ship Mayflower, to Ply- 
 mouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. Isbun Howland 
 was a soldier in the War of 1812. He had three 
 sons and four daughters, all of whom are now de- 
 ceased except Hiram I. and James Howland. In 
 1845, the family removed from New York to Ing- 
 ham County, Michigan, where all but the two 
 sons above named passed away. 
 
 Hiram I. Howland was educated in the com- 
 
 mon schools of Erie County, New York, and 
 passed the intervals of his youth, when not in 
 school, upon his father's farm. He became a resi- 
 dent of Illinois in 1845, and located on a farm 
 near Wheaton, Du Page County. He remained 
 there but a short time and was employed for two 
 years in a distillery at Batavia, Kane County. 
 Thence he went to Elgin and continued in the 
 same business. 
 
 In 1850 he came to Chicago, and was twelve 
 years employed by Crosby & Company, distillers. 
 In 1862 he established a distillery business of his 
 own on Indiana Street, where for nine years he 
 conducted a prosperous business. This was ter- 
 minated by the great fire of 1871, which swept 
 away nearly his entire possessions. He was en- 
 abled to collect from the Aetna Insurance Com- 
 pany the sum of twelve hundred dollars, which 
 was all that he saved from total loss. He now en- 
 tered the service of George Burrows & Company, 
 who conducted a distiller}-, and for ten years was 
 numbered among their faithful and efficient assist-
 
 T. A. FOLEY. 
 
 599 
 
 ants. For the past fifteen years he has been re- 
 tired, and enjoj's in quiet contentment the savings 
 accumulated by many years of industry and pru- 
 dent management. 
 
 In 1850 he was married to Miss Diana M. 
 Levens, who bore him two children, who, with 
 the mother, are now deceased. Mr. Howland 
 was identified with the Whig party in early life, 
 
 and joined the ranks of the Republican party 
 when that organization was first formed, and of 
 which he has ever since been .a faithful adherent. 
 He was made a Mason in Lincoln Park Lodge 
 No. 611, many years ago, and has endeavored to 
 practice the benevolent principles inculcated by 
 that order in all his intercourse with his fellow- 
 men. 
 
 THOMAS A. FOLEY. 
 
 'HOMAS AMBROSE FOLEY, police jus- 
 tice at the Seventh District Police Court, 
 South Chicago, was born May 2, 1857, near 
 Maple Grove, Wisconsin, and is a son of Thomas 
 and Bridget (Keeley) Foley. His grandfather, 
 Dennis Foley, was a farmer in Ireland, and was 
 the father of eight children, only one of whom, 
 Thomas, emigrated to America. 
 
 Thomas Foley was born in Tipperary County, 
 Ireland, and reared in County Clare, and emi- 
 grated to America at the age of eighteen years. 
 While in Ireland he was employed at farm labor, 
 and when he came to America he first located in 
 Philadelphia, where he found employment in a 
 grocery store. Later he lived in Morristown, 
 and in 1855 removed to Wisconsin and took 
 up land in Brown County, for which he paid the 
 Government fifty cents per acre. This land was 
 in Morrison township, where he was one of the 
 earliest settlers. After a few years he engaged 
 in buying and selling live stock. He removed 
 to Chicago in 1889, and has remained here since, 
 now living with his son. He is now (1897) eighty 
 years old. His wife was born in County Clare, 
 Ireland, and emigrated in the same year as her 
 husband. She died in 1883, at the age of fifty- 
 eight years. They were the parents of the fol- 
 lowing-named children: Dennis, Thomas A. 
 (subject of this article), John, Michael, Martin and 
 Margaret. 
 
 Thomas Ambrose Foley attended school in 
 
 Wisconsin until he was twelve years old, and 
 then left home to become a porter on the steamer 
 Muskegon, of the Goodrich line. He came to 
 Chicago soon after, where he was for a time 
 engaged in cleaning brick on the marine hospital. 
 He then returned to Wisconsin, where he worked 
 at farm labor in the summer time, and at lumber- 
 ing in the winter. In 1879 he returned to Chicago 
 and found employment in shoveling grain. In 1880 
 he began work for the Michigan Central Railroad 
 Company, where he spent a short time as a repair 
 man, and then became inspector in the stock 
 yards. In September, 1880, he took the position 
 of foreman of car repairs at Kensington, for the 
 Michigan Central Railroad Company, which 
 position he held ten years. 
 
 In 1 88 1, realizing the advantages he would 
 have if he possessed a more liberal education, he 
 attended night school at Pullman. He continued 
 this three years, and took, among other studies, 
 lessons in elocution and oratory. In this he was 
 encouraged and assisted by his wife and by Mr. 
 J. H. Snyder, now Superintendent of the Western 
 Division of the Michigan Central. His tastes 
 had always inclined toward law, and while in 
 Chapin's book-store one day, he met Judge 
 Bailey, who was about to establish the Chicago 
 School of Law. As a result of this meeting, he 
 entered the school in 1889 and in 1891 received 
 the certificate which admitted him to the bar. 
 
 At the time of his graduation he was made
 
 6oo 
 
 T. A. TURNER. 
 
 Justice of the Peace, with an office at Kensington. 
 He took a post-graduate course at the Chicago 
 College of Law, and in June, 1895, received the 
 degree of Bachelor of Law. He practiced at Ken- 
 sington until February, 1894, and then removed 
 to South Chicago where he continued as a justice, 
 and had an office in the Commercial Block. 
 
 In June, 1895, Mr. Foley, in companj' with 
 Frank Foster, began a partnership under the 
 firm name of Foley & Foster, with offices at 
 No. 9249 South Chicago Avenue. On the fol- 
 lowing June this partnership was dissolved, and 
 Mr. Foley has continued to practice under his 
 own name since, with offices as before. 
 
 Mr. Foley was formerly a supporter of the Re- 
 publican party, and his first presidential vote was 
 cast for James A. Garfield. His political views and 
 career were changed by a series of articles which 
 appeared in the Chicago Times, advocating free 
 trade and attacking protection. Since that time 
 he has agreed with the views held by the Demo- 
 cratic party. He gave his support to Carter 
 Harrison, Senior, when he was candidate for 
 
 Mayor, and has been quite active in political 
 campaigns, and began "stumping" for his party 
 in 1890. He was requested by the State com- 
 mittee to make a tour of the State, but he declined 
 the invitation. He has never received any com- 
 pensation for political work, and during the hard- 
 fought campaign of 1896 he made nearly as 
 many speeches as Mr. Bryan. He was given his 
 present position April 27, 1897. 
 
 In November, 1884, Mr. Foley married Miss 
 Julia Sullivan, daughter of Owen Sullivan, of 
 Kensington, formerly of Kankakee, and now in 
 the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad Com- 
 pany. Mr. and Mrs. Foley have four children, 
 namely: Anna, Mary, Lenore, and Zoe. Mr. 
 Foley is a member of Tribe No. 102, Improved 
 Order of Red Men. The tribe has lapsed, but 
 Mr. Foley is still in good standing. He belongs 
 to Division No. 9, Ancient Order of Hibernians; 
 to the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association, to 
 the Catholic Order of Foresters, and is connected 
 with Council No. 335, National Union. He is a 
 man of social habits and has many firm friends. 
 
 THOMAS A. TURNER. 
 
 'HOMAS ANDREW TURNER, the third 
 son of John and Sarah (Patterson) Turner, 
 was born September 23, 1853, in Chicago. 
 His early education was received in the public 
 schools of Chicago, and he remained at home 
 until he had attained his majority, assisting 
 his father in the duties attending his business 
 from the time when he was old enough. In 1876 
 and 1877 he was employed in the office of the 
 Chicago Gas Light and Coke Company as a clerk. 
 Mr. Turner decided to try his fortune in the 
 West, and in 1883 removed to South Dakota and 
 took a Government claim of one hundred sixty 
 
 acres of land, to which he added by purchase a 
 second quarter-section. He engaged in farming, 
 which he continued six years, with good success. 
 November 18, 1883, Mr. Turner married Fannie 
 Bell, daughter of John L. and Frances B. (Ken- 
 dall) Wilkins, of Chicago. This marriage cere- 
 mony was the first ever performed in Edmonds 
 County, South Dakota, taking place at Ipswich. 
 The parents of Mrs. Turner were natives of Pike 
 County, New York, and their families were early 
 settlers of Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois, 
 where Mrs. Turner was born. Her maternal 
 grandfather built the first farmhouse in that
 
 NICHOLAS OLSON. 
 
 60 1 
 
 county, and kept the first hotel. She had been 
 formerly married to Mr. D. H. Hard, and has 
 one son named Merril Wilkins Hard. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Turner are the parents of two sons, namely : 
 William Patterson, and Chester Kendall. 
 
 In 1889 the family returned from Dakota, and 
 located in Ravenswood, where, in 1894, Mr. 
 Turner built a beautiful residence at No. 518 Ad- 
 dison Street, which they have occupied since that 
 
 time. Since his return from Dakota, Mr. Turner 
 has served three years as a member of the Chicago 
 Fire Department. He now enjoys a life of re- 
 tirement from business cares and worries. The 
 family is connected with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church of which Mrs. Turner is a member. In 
 politics Mr. Turner is a Republican, and though 
 he has never held any public office, he is a stanch 
 supporter of the principles of his party. 
 
 NICHOLAS OLSON. 
 
 PjJICHOLAS OLSON, whose life abounds in 
 Y/ adventure by sea, is now a resident of South 
 I IS Chicago and is held in the highest respect 
 and esteem by the residents of that former sub- 
 urb. He was born October 30, 1843, on the 
 Island of Oroust, Sweden, and is a son of Olof 
 and Johanna (Nelson) Johnson. His parents 
 lived out their days in Sweden, the mother dying 
 in 1876 and the father in 1883. One of their sons 
 and three daughters live in Sweden, and three sons 
 came to America. One of these, Martin Olson, 
 arrived in December, 1869, and died in Chicago 
 in September, 1872. Adolph Olson came here in 
 April, 1871, and now resides on Wallace Street. 
 Nicholas Olson began the life of a sailor at the 
 age of eighteen years, going before the mast on 
 the Swedish schooner "William," which sailed 
 between Guttenberg and England. He followed 
 the ocean many years, visiting various parts of 
 the globe, and sailing on many ships. Among 
 these and their voyages may be mentioned: The 
 brig "Brilliant," which sailed between England 
 and Sweden ; a Scotch schooner which sailed from 
 Hamburg to Dantzig, Prussia, and to Hull, Eng- 
 land; an American ship to Shields, England; the 
 Norweigan ship "Brederne," which went to 
 Genoa, Italy, and to Sicily, where it took on a 
 
 cargo of salt for Stavanger, Norway; a Swedish 
 schooner, in which he reached London , England ; 
 here he shipped on an American vessel, on which 
 he sailed to Melbourne, Australia, and Callao, 
 Peru, and back to London, whence he went by 
 rail to Cardiff, Wales, and shipped on an English 
 ship which visited Barcelona, Spain, and Con- 
 stantinople, Turkey; next he took service on a 
 steamer which carried him back to London, then 
 to Malta, and Alexandria, Egypt, and again to 
 London; thence he sailed to Guttenberg, Sweden, 
 and paid a visit of three months to his parents at 
 Oroust; he then went with a Norwegian brig to 
 Antwerp, Belgium, from there to Sundvald, 
 Sweden, and once more to London. 
 
 On the fourteenth of December, 1868, Mr. 
 Olson set out from London for America, on a sail- 
 ing-vessel, and this voyage ended his career on 
 the ocean. It was a long one, and the supply of 
 water and provisions became so low before it was 
 ended as to cause severe suffering to passengers 
 and crew. Arriving in Philadelphia March 24, 
 1869, Mr. Olson reached Chicago May 3, of the 
 same year. He was still fond of a life on the 
 water, and spent the sailing seasons of that year 
 and the next on the schooner "Mary Ann," ply- 
 ing between Chicago, Cleveland and Detroit.
 
 602 
 
 TIMOTHY COUGHLIN. 
 
 In 1871 he was engaged as night watchman at 
 the planing-mill of Palmer & Fuller, where he 
 remained three and one-half years. His love of 
 a sailor's life led him to resign this position and 
 again go on the lakes, but he retired permanently 
 from the water in 1882. His record for faithfulness 
 and attention to every detail of his work is of the 
 best, and the citizens of Chicago are proud to 
 reckon among their number one who has served 
 so long and faithfully, and traversed the paths of 
 the sea around the world . His presence on a 
 vessel always seemed an omen of good luck, as 
 no life was ever lost on any ship with which he 
 was at the time connected. Accidents often hap- 
 pened just before or just after his association with 
 a vessel, but never while he was a member of its 
 crew. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Olson began contracting for hand- 
 ling lumber cargoes in Chicago, and was thus en- 
 gaged two years. April 18, 1884, he settled in 
 South Chicago, and at once proceeded to organ- 
 ize a union of lumber unloaders, by which he was 
 authorized to make contracts. He subsequently 
 entered the service of the Hedstrom Coal Com- 
 pany, and has acted as its foreman during the 
 last two years. 
 
 Mr. Olson resides at No. 9650 Avenue L, and 
 has been twenty-four years an agent for the sale 
 
 of steamship and railroad tickets. He is prepared 
 to furnish transportation to Europe to any one 
 who may desire, and conducts an honorable and 
 straightforward business. The esteem in which 
 he is held is shown by the following testimonial 
 from the management of the International Navi- 
 gation Company which operates the "Red Star 
 Line" of steamers on the Atlantic: 
 "To whom it may concern: 
 
 "This is to certify that Mr. Nick Olson, of 
 South Chicago, has acted as agent for the sale of 
 steamship tickets for us during the past twenty- 
 four years, and that we have always known him 
 to be straightforward, honest, and an upright man, 
 and cheerfully recommend him to whoever de- 
 sires to employ him. ' ' 
 
 May 29, 1878, Mr. Olson was married to Miss 
 Wilhelmina Johnson, a native of Sweden. They 
 have the following children living: Oscar Albert, 
 Gustav, Maurits Leonard, Johanna, Laura Eliza- 
 beth, Herbert Jonas and David Emanuel. One 
 child, Albert Emanuel, died in 1884, when only 
 three weeks old. Mr. Olson has been four years 
 a deacon in the Swedish Lutheran Bethesda 
 Church, of South Chicago, with which his 
 family is identified. In politics he is a Repub- 
 lican, and has served two terms as judge of elec- 
 tion. 
 
 TIMOTHY COUGHLIN. 
 
 'IMOTHY COUGHLIN was born August 
 15, 1834, in County Cork, Ireland, and is a 
 son of John and Hannah (Burke) Coughlin, 
 natives of that country. John Coughlin and his 
 wife were parents of the following children: 
 Michael, John, Timothy (the subject of this no- 
 tice), Cornelius and Jeremiah. All save Timothy 
 and Cornelius are now deceased. John Coughlin 
 died in 1847, and his widow, with five children, 
 emigrated to America. They landed in Montreal, 
 
 where they spent three weeks, and then removed 
 to Burlington, Vermont, where they remained 
 five months, going thence to Boston. Cornelius 
 Coughlin was a soldier in the Civil War, and is 
 now an inmate of the Soldiers' Home at Washing- 
 ton. 
 
 Timothy Coughlin remained in Boston until 
 1858, being engaged in general labor. In that 
 year he went to Valparaiso, Indiana, and entered 
 the service of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne &
 
 MARTHA A. BOWERMAN. 
 
 603 
 
 Chicago Railroad Company, being part of the 
 time foreman of a section. July 15, 1872, he- 
 came to South Chicago, and in 1874 entered the 
 employ of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Com- 
 pany, taking charge of the transportation as 
 watchman. He has been in this service since 
 that time, being employed in various depart- 
 ments. Mr. Coughlin bought land at No. 8839 
 Superior Avenue, and built a residence there, 
 which he has occupied since. He also owns a 
 lot adjoining this. 
 
 In 1852 Mr. Coughlin married Miss Hannah 
 Donahoe, and they had seven children, namely: 
 Hannah, Mamie, Julia, Nellie, Maggie, John 
 and Elizabeth. The second, third and fourth are 
 deceased, and Mrs. Coughlin died in 1889. Mr. 
 Coughlin is a man of great ability in his line of 
 work, and has always given his employers good 
 satisfaction. He won his way in a strange coun- 
 try, and did this by his own efforts and persever- 
 ance. He is recognized as a man of good habits 
 and a valuable citizen. 
 
 DR. MARTHA A. BOWERMAN. 
 
 0R. MARTHA ALMINA BOWERMAN 
 was born March 27, 1841, in Bergen, Gen- 
 esee County, New York. Her parents, 
 Porter and Sarah Ann (Knapp) Brink, removed 
 to Churchville, New York, when she was an in- 
 fant, and resided there a number of years. When 
 she was six years old they removed to Wisconsin, 
 settling first in Lake Mills, where they lived a 
 few years; then located in Neenah, where they 
 spent three years, and subsequently made their 
 home in Ripon, Wisconsin. Porter Brink was 
 named after Commodore Porter, famous in the 
 War of 1812, and he was an active and enter- 
 prising citizen. His ability as a builder was rec- 
 ognized by the Government during the war, and 
 he was put in charge of General Sherman's Con- 
 struction Corps of the Army of the Tennessee, in 
 which position he rendered valuable services. He 
 stood beside General Sherman, when the latter 
 gave the command to burn Atlanta, before his 
 famous March to the Sea. He built many build- 
 ings in Ripon, Wisconsin, the college buildings 
 being among them. Mr. Brink died December 
 20, 1876, in Los Angeles, California, at the age 
 of sixty-two years. His widow, now in her 
 eightieth year, is living with her only remain- 
 
 ing daughter, Mrs. Sarah D. Oaks, on North 
 Horseman Street, Rockford, Illinois. 
 
 Martha A. Brink received most of her education 
 in the schools of Ripon, and attended the college, 
 then known as the Brockway College. She was 
 the oldest of five children, and much of the care 
 of the younger ones fell to her lot. She was a 
 bright student and made rapid progress in her 
 studies at Ripon College, and would have gradu- 
 ated in 1861 had not the war closed the school. 
 In the spring of 1861 she became the wife of 
 Nelson Bowerman, editor of the Ripon Times, 
 now Commonwealth. Four years after their mar- 
 riage Mr, Bowerman made his residence at Madi- 
 son, Wisconsin, where for a period of twelve 
 years he was connected with the Wisconsin State 
 Journal. 
 
 In the fall of 1878 Mrs. Bowerman determined 
 to carry out a long-cherished ambition, and re- 
 moved to Chicago. Upon her arrival she began 
 at once the study of medicine. Since her girl- 
 hood she had wished to do this, and had secretly 
 resolved to carry her plan into execution some 
 day. Though she had but limited means at her 
 command, she entered into her work with great 
 energy under the preceptorship of President A .
 
 604 
 
 I. D. KINNE. 
 
 E. Small, and three years later she graduated in 
 the class of 1882 from Hahnemann Homeopathic 
 Medical College. After receiving her diploma, 
 she began to practice her profession, on Oak wood 
 Boulevard, in which she won the admiration, 
 trust and affection of her patients and fellow- 
 practitioners. She became identified with the 
 American Institute of Homeopathy, the Illinois 
 Homeopathic Medical Association, the Woman's 
 Homeopathic Medical Society, of Chicago, and the 
 Clinical Society of Hahnemann Hospital. She 
 said, "Whatever success I have attained has been 
 achieved by a stubbornly contested fight against 
 adverse circumstances." July 31, 1897, srie 
 passed away at her home, 3948 Cottage Grove 
 Avenue, and her remains repose in a beautiful lot 
 in Oakwood Cemetery. 
 
 Nelson Bowerman was born June 12, 1838, in 
 Bloomfield, Prince Edward County, Ontario, and 
 is a son of Josiah and Sarah (Brewer) Bowerman, 
 the former a native of Massachusetts and the 
 latter of the State of New York. The family can 
 trace its ancestry back to the early Massachusetts 
 colonies shortly after the coming of the Pilgrims 
 in 1620. The Brewer family is of Holland origin. 
 Nelson Bowerman was educated in the schools of 
 Canada, and later at Brockway College, Ripon, 
 Wisconsin. In 1860 he entered the field of liter- 
 ature, by securing an interest in the Ripon Times, 
 of which he became publisher and editor. He 
 lived in that city until May, 1864, when he en- 
 
 tered the army as First Sergeant of Company B, 
 Forty-first Wisconsin Volunteers, Army of the 
 Tennessee. 
 
 Mr. Bowerman remained with the army until 
 his regiment was mustered out, in October, 1864. 
 He returned to Wisconsin after the war, and 
 served one year on the Milwaukee Sentinel, after 
 which he was employed on the Madison Stale Jour- 
 nal twelve years. He has shown great ability 
 in his work, and for nearly twenty years has been 
 employed on the Chicago Tribune. He is an ar- 
 dent supporter of the Republican party, his first 
 presidential vote having been cast for Abraham 
 Lincoln, in 1860. 
 
 Mr. Bowerman has always been a popular man 
 socially, and is a member of many societies. He 
 was made a Master Mason in 1873, in Madison 
 Lodge No. 5, Madison, Wisconsin, and is now a 
 member of Landmark Lodge No. 422, Ancient 
 Free and Accepted Masons. He belonged to 
 Hope Lodge No. 17, Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows, and was an active worker in Capital 
 Lodge No. i , Independent Order of Good Tem- 
 plars. He is a comrade of U. S. Grant Post No. 
 28, Grand Army of the Republic; is a member of 
 Press Council No. 71, National Union, and an ac- 
 tive member of No. 16, Chicago Typographical 
 Union. He has a genial manner, and is a good 
 conversationalist, a man whom it is a pleasure to 
 know, and his acquaintance and friendship are 
 highly valued by those who know him. 
 
 ISAAC D. KINNE. 
 
 CVSAAC DUDLEY KINNE was born August 
 
 10, 1820, in Hannibal, Oswego County, New 
 
 A York, and is a son of Isaac and Lydia (Dud-. 
 
 ley) Kinne, the former from Dutchess County, 
 
 New York, and the latter a native of Shaftsbury, 
 
 Vermont. The Kinne family was founded in 
 Rhode Island some time during the seventeenth 
 century, and is of Scoth-Irish origin. Elijah 
 Kinne, the great-grandfather of the subject of 
 this article, served in the War for Independence,
 
 I. D. KINNE. 
 
 605 
 
 as did also his son, Elijah, who crossed the Dela- 
 ware River with General Washington, at Trenton. 
 A pair of moccasins which he wore on that 
 memorable occasion is still carefully preserved by 
 the family. Elijah Kinne was a captain, and he 
 died in Ovid, Seneca County, New York, about 
 1830. 
 
 Isaac Kinne was a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 He was married twice, his first wife being Lois 
 Seely, who bore him one daughter, Orpha, who 
 died in 1850. For his second wife he married 
 Lydia Dudley, of English origin, and a member 
 of one of the oldest New England families. She 
 was a descendant of Lord Dudley and a 
 daughter of John Dudley, her mother's maiden 
 name being Miner. She was one of a large 
 family of children, all of whom lived to old age. 
 Isaac Kinne and his second wife became the 
 parents of five daughters and two sons. 
 
 In 1832, with his family, he removed from 
 New York to Ohio, settling in Lucas County, 
 where they spent two years on a farm, and then 
 came farther west and settled at what was then 
 known as Meecham's Grove, in Cook County. 
 After the division of the county it became a part 
 of Du Page County, and is now situated in Addi- 
 son Township. On his arrival Mr. Kinne took a 
 claim of one hundred acres, which he bought 
 from the Government when it was placed upon 
 the market, and he continued the cultivation of 
 this farm until his death, in 1849. His wife died 
 in 1876, at the venerable age of nearly ninety-six 
 years. Their children were: Elijah, who con- 
 ducted the farm at Bloomingdale, Du Page County, 
 several years, and now resides at Kansas City, 
 Missouri; Lois, who married Alanson Watson, 
 and lives in Kansas with her daughter; Lydia, 
 who married James Vint, and died in Iowa; 
 Clarissa, who is dead; Mariette, deceased; Isaac 
 Dudley, whose name heads this biography; and 
 Miranda, the widow of James Shaw, who resides 
 at No. 1449 Fulton Street, Chicago. 
 
 Isaac Dudley Kiune was reared on the frontier 
 and had but a limited chance for education, hav- 
 ing attended the public school only three months 
 after coming to Cook County, and while in New 
 York he was able to attend school only a few 
 
 days. He is almost entirely self-educated, and 
 has made the most of his opportunities. In his 
 boyhood he studied reading and writing at home 
 in the evening, by the light of a hickory baik 
 fire. He formed habits of reading, which he has 
 cultivated until he is a well-informed man on all 
 subjects of general interest. He was reared to 
 farming and stock raising and has made this his 
 life-work. Since the age of fifteen years he has 
 been self-supporting. At the age of sixteen he 
 made a claim to one hundred sixty acres of 
 prairie land in Addison Township, which he 
 afterward bought. He improved it and for many 
 years cultivated it. He also bought twenty-two 
 acres of timber. 
 
 In 1855 he removed to Wheaton, and there 
 spent six years, conducting a hotel, until he was 
 burned out in 1861, losing a valuable property 
 which cost him five thousand dollars, and he also 
 lost five hundred dollars in money. He then re- 
 turned to the farm. In 1876 he moved into Chi- 
 cago, for the purpose of affording his children 
 greater educational advantages. Three years 
 later he sold his farm and invested in city real 
 estate. He has a farm of one hundred twenty 
 acres in White County, Indiana, and eleven lots 
 on St. Louis Avenue, between Van Buren Street 
 and Colorado Avenue, in Chicago. 
 
 June 10, 1845, Mr. Kinne married Miss Eveline 
 A. Kinney, born March 31, 1827, in the town of 
 Ira, Oswego County, New York, a daughter of 
 Asa and Betsy (Miller) Kinney, of Scotch-Irish 
 descent. They had ten children, seven of whom 
 are living, namely: Asa Winfield, of Blooming- 
 ton, Illinois; Leland D., who resides at the corner 
 of Park and Fortieth Avenues, Chicago; Morris 
 B., who lives at No. 896 West Harrison Street, 
 Chicago; Humphrey H., who lives on St. Louis 
 Avenue; Minnie, wife of William Barret, of No. 
 448 Colorado Avenue; Isaac B., of No. 52 Shake- 
 speare Avenue; and Mina. 
 
 In early life Mr. Kinne was a Whig, and since 
 the organization of the Republican party he has 
 been one of its firm supporters, though he has 
 not been bound by its action at all times. When 
 he was about twenty- one years of age, he was 
 elected constable, and served seven years. He is
 
 6o6 
 
 A. D. RICKEY. 
 
 a member of the Masonic Order, of the Independ- 
 ent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Tippecanoe 
 Club. He now lives in ease and retirement at 
 
 No. 254 St. Louis Avenue, Chicago. He has 
 earned and enjoys the respect and esteem of many 
 friends and acquaintances. ' 
 
 ALFRED. D. RICHEY. 
 
 GJLFRED DAY RICHEY was born De- 
 | I cember 13, 1866, in Marseilles, LaSalle 
 / I County, Illinois, and is a son of Henry 
 Chapin and Susan Adelia (Day) Richey. Henry 
 C. Richey is a son of William Welch Richey who 
 is still living in Ontario, Washington, at the age 
 of eighty-three years. William W. Richey for- 
 merly lived in Noblesville, Indiana, where he had 
 a home for many years. He was married four 
 times and was the father of three children, Henry 
 C. being one of the two children of his third 
 marriage. He was for many years a merchant, 
 and later was engaged in agriculture. 
 
 Henry C. Richey has lived in the State of 
 Illinois most of his life. He was a member of 
 Company C, Seventy-second Illinois Volunteer 
 Infantry, during the Civil War, and was at one 
 time taken a prisoner and exchanged. He was 
 in early life a bridge builder, later a merchant 
 and then a coal miner. For ten years he has been 
 engaged in agriculture. His wife died in 1867, 
 leaving three children, namely: Friedel Lincoln, 
 who is a credit man in the wholesale house of 
 Marshall Field & Company; Gertrude Adelia, 
 now Mrs. Henry T. Reed, a resident of Roseland, 
 Louisiana; and Alfred D., the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 Alfred Day Richey lived in Marseilles, Illinois, 
 until he was six years old, and then spent five 
 years in Braceville, Peoria and Henry, Illinois. 
 In 1877 he went to Archer, Alachua County, 
 Florida, where he remained two years and then 
 returned to Braceville and resided in that place 
 nine years. He attended school until he was 
 twelve years of age and was employed in the 
 office of the Braceville Coal Company eight 
 
 years, beginning as office boy and rising to 
 a better position. He then went to Iowa with 
 his father to assist him in conducting a farm, 
 and remained there one year, after which he re- 
 moved to Chicago. 
 
 In 1887 he was employed by the Fidelity and 
 Casualty Accident Insurance Company, and re- 
 mained with it six months, soliciting through 
 the central part of Illinois. He was next em- 
 ployed in the Freight Claim department of the 
 Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. 
 
 April 7, 1897, he married Mrs. Carrie N. Miller, 
 of Aurora, Illinois. She is a daughter of James 
 and Anna Eliza (Graves) Freeman, the former a 
 boot and shoe dealer in Aurora for forty years. 
 He died in 1896 and his widow still resides there. 
 He was a native of Nantigo, England, and his 
 wife is a native of New York, daughter of Daniel 
 T. Graves, who was a pioneer Baptist minister 
 of Aurora. Mr. Freeman was ten years old when 
 he came with his parents to Aurora, which was 
 then only a small village. 
 
 Mrs. Richey is a member of the Baptist Church 
 of Irving Park. Mr. Richey is connected 
 with the Royal Arcanum, being a member of 
 Irving Park Council No. 891 . He is also a mem- 
 ber of the Irving Park Club, of which he was 
 secretary in 1895 and 1896. In politics he sup- 
 ports the Republican party. He is a member of 
 the Irving Park Cycling Club, of which he was 
 president during the first three years of its exist- 
 ence. He has been a collector for four years. 
 He is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, 
 and is connected with many movements of reform. 
 He is an intelligent and well-read man, and is in- 
 terested in the affairs of the day.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 MICHAEL WINANDY 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
 
 MICHAEL WINANDY. 
 
 607 
 
 MICHAEL WINANDY. 
 
 I ICHAEL WINANDY, contractor, builder 
 and gardener, living in what was formerly 
 known as West Ridge, is one of the most 
 prominent business men of that community. He 
 was born December 16, 1849, in Merscheid, and 
 was reared from the age of three years at Esch- 
 dorf, Luxemburg, Germany. He is a son of 
 Valentine and Elizabeth Winandy, both of whom 
 died in that country, and where their sons were 
 reared to farm life. 
 
 In May, 1869, the subject of this notice set out 
 for America, in company with his brother, John. 
 About two years later, two more of the brothers, 
 Jean and Joseph, came to join them, but the last- 
 named returned to his native country and did 
 not become a citizen of this. John is a resident 
 of Rosehill, and Jean lives near by. 
 
 Michael Winandy acquired the trade of cabinet- 
 maker before coming to this country, and took 
 employment in this line as soon as he arrived in 
 Chicago, whither he came direct from Europe. 
 He continued this through the summer, and in the 
 mean time attended a night school, by which 
 means he was considerably benefited. He had 
 received a fair education in his native language 
 and needed only to gain some knowledge of the 
 English tongue to fit him for an active business 
 life here. 
 
 In 1870 he joined his brother in renting land 
 in Lake View, then a suburb of Chicago, and be- 
 gan market-gardening. Immediately after the 
 Great Chicago Fire of 1871, he began taking 
 
 building contracts in the city, in which he con- 
 tinued two years. He then resumed gardening, 
 and at the same time continued building opera- 
 tions. He erected most of the greenhouses in 
 Lake View, a region thickly dotted with that 
 class of structures. His industry and good 
 management have been rewarded with success, 
 and he now tills about eight acres of land, nearly 
 half of which is under glass, and is a very ex- 
 tensive producer of vegetables for the market. 
 He has one boiler which supplies steam for heat- 
 ing about an acre of space. 
 
 In 1877 he was married to Miss Mary Borst, 
 who was born in Port Washington, Wisconsin. 
 She is a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Weis) 
 Borst, natives of Germany. Of the eight chil- 
 dren born to this union, six are living, namely: 
 Mary, Regina, Susie, Frederick, Michael and 
 Peter, all residing with their parents. Valentine 
 died when four months old, and Albert at the age 
 of eight years. The family is associated with 
 Saint Henry's Roman Catholic Church, and con- 
 tributes its share to the social enjoyment of the 
 community. Mr. Winandy is a member of the 
 Catholic Order of Foresters and takes a com- 
 mendable interest in the general welfare of the 
 community, and the country generally. He acts 
 with the Democratic party, which represents his 
 political principles. During all the years in 
 which the incorporated village of West Ridge 
 existed as a separate municipality, he acted as its 
 treasurer.
 
 6o8 
 
 CAPT. C. VON LUKOWITZ. 
 
 CAPT. CHARLES VON LUKOWITZ. 
 
 EAPT. CHARLES VON LUKOWITZ, a 
 distinguished officer of both the German 
 and American armies, is now a retired resi- 
 dent of Chicago, with which city's commercial 
 interests he was honorably connected for seven- 
 teen years. He was born August 20, 1826, in 
 Koenigsberg, East Prussia, and, as the name 
 shows, is descended from noble ancestry. At the 
 time of his birth his father, Peter Paul Aloisyus 
 Von Lukowitz, was a colonel, commanding the 
 First Regiment of German Infantry, which is 
 the oldest regiment in the German army, having 
 been organized in 1619, before the landing of the 
 Puritan Pilgrims on the shores of Massachusetts. 
 His mother was Antoinette Paulina, nee Thiel. 
 
 Ernest Adolph Hugo Charles Von Lukowitz, 
 the subject of this sketch, attended the public 
 schools of his native land from his fifth to his 
 twelfth year, and then entered the military 
 academy, where he continued until his seven- 
 teenth year. After a successful examination he 
 was commissioned, August 20, 1843, a second 
 lieutenant in the Fourth Regiment of German 
 Lancers. 
 
 February u, 1847, he was married to Miss 
 Johanna Borchert, a daughter of Christian and 
 Caroline (Stande) Borchert, of Koenigsberg, in 
 East Prussia. Mrs. Von Lukowitz was born 
 September 8, 1828, in Koenigsberg, in East 
 Prussia. On the fiftieth anniversary of their 
 wedding, Captain and Mrs. Von Lukowitz cele- 
 brated the happy occasion in the parlors of the 
 Chicago Avenue Church, in the presence of their 
 three children and sixteen grandchildren (nine 
 
 boys and seven girls) and a concourse of one hun- 
 dred and fifty friends. One great-grandchild, too 
 young to appreciate the festivities, will here- 
 after read this record with pride and gratification. 
 
 Appreciating the fact that the old world offered 
 few opportunities for advancement, Lieutenant 
 Von Lukowitz resigned his commission in the 
 army in 1850 and set out for America, accom- 
 panied by his bride. They crossed the ocean in 
 a sailing-vessel from Liverpool to New York, 
 called the "Rebecca," and landed in New York 
 in the early part of June of that year. After re- 
 maining about five years in New York City, Mr. 
 Von Lukowitz went to Pottsville, Schuylkill 
 County, Pennsylvania, where Mrs.Constantine, his 
 youngest daughter, was born, and where the be- 
 ginning of the Civil War found him. He at once 
 offered his services to his adopted country, and 
 became a member of Company F, Sixth Pennsyl- 
 vania Volunteer Infantry, a three-months regi- 
 ment. This company was one of the first five to 
 reach Washington, and was attacked by rioters in 
 Baltimore. Mr. Von Lukowitz re-enlisted at the 
 close of his first term, for three years or during 
 the war, and became a member of Company B, 
 Seventy-second Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 
 under Colonel Baxter. The term of this or- 
 ganization expired soon after the battle of Gettys- 
 burg, and the subject of this biography was trans- 
 ferred to the One Hundred and Eighty-third 
 Regiment, known as the Fourth Union League 
 Regiment, both this and the Seventy-second hav- 
 ing been recruited in the city of Philadelphia. 
 
 Captain Von Lukowitz was one of those who
 
 NICHOLAS BRITZ. 
 
 609 
 
 fought at Appomattox, and saw Gen. Robert E. 
 Lee's flag of truce come into General Grant's 
 headquarters. He was mustered out as a second 
 lieutenant, having been promoted by Governor 
 Curtin, of Pennsylvania, for bravery in the field. 
 He assisted in planting the colors of his regiment 
 on the South Side railroad, the last one in the 
 possession of the rebels. In all, Lieutenant Von 
 Lukowitz took part in seventeen engagements. 
 
 After the war he returned to Pottsville, and 
 about a week before the 4th of March, 1869, 
 wrote a personal letter to General Grant, asking 
 for a position in the regular army. This letter 
 was answered in the same manner, and he called 
 upon the President March 8, in response thereto. 
 About April 10, he was given the executive ap- 
 pointment of first-class clerk in the Second 
 Auditor's office of the Treasury Department, and 
 continued twelve years in this service, after pass- 
 ing successfully through three competitive ex- 
 aminations, attaining the rank of fourth-class 
 clerk, with a salary of eighteen hundred dollars 
 per year, serving two terms under President 
 Grant and one under Rutherford B. Hayes. 
 
 In 1880 he resigned his position and came to 
 Chicago, and September 10 of that year entered 
 
 the credit department of Marshall Field & Com- 
 pany. He served this employer seventeen years, 
 and was honorably discharged with a pension of 
 two-thirds of his salary, January 8, 1897. He is 
 the only living pensioner of this firm, and the 
 only office man who was ever pensioned by it. 
 He is also a pensioner of the general Government, 
 receiving twelve dollars per month in recognition 
 of his long and faithful services in the army. 
 
 Captain Von Lukowitz is a Lutheran in re- 
 ligious faith, and has sustained the principles of 
 the Republican party since becoming a citizen of 
 thie United States. He is a member of Lyon 
 Post No. 9, Grand Army of the Republic, of 
 Washington, District of Columbia, and a gentle- 
 man honored and respected in civil life, as he is 
 in military circles of Europe and America. His 
 children are: Annie, now the widow of James 
 Thompson, the mother of four children, of whom 
 two are married; Eli, the father of seven living 
 children; and Antoinette, Mrs. A. W. Constantine, 
 mother of five children. Eight grandchildren of 
 Captain and Mrs. Von Lukowitz are deceased, 
 and a great-granddaughter and great-grandson 
 make proud and glad the ancestors of whom this 
 record is written. 
 
 NICHOLAS BRITZ. 
 
 KJNlCHOLAS BRITZ, a retired farmer resid- 
 r7 ing at No. 815 Dover Avenue, has spent 
 I Is most of his time in Cook County, the family 
 having located here in 1852. He was born Oc- 
 tober 20, 1842, in Luxemburg, Germany, and 
 came to this country when ten years old, with 
 his parents, Henry and Katherine Britz. Their 
 passage across the ocean was attended with some 
 thrilling experiences. The ship on which they 
 sailed was wrecked in a violent storm, and a num- 
 
 ber of lives were lost. Mr. Britz and family lost 
 all their effects, except the clothing they wore. 
 Their lives were saved, with some others, by an 
 English sailing-vessel, which took them back to 
 Europe. The ship that brought them on the 
 second trip encountered severe storms, but finally 
 reached harbor in safety. Their hardships did 
 not end with the sea voyage, for they saw hard 
 times after their arrival in Cook County. 
 
 They located at Rosehill, and were obliged to
 
 6io 
 
 JACOB SICKINGER. 
 
 accept any employment that offered, as they were 
 left, by their misfortunes, in poor circumstances. 
 Wages were low, and on account of their lack of 
 knowledge of the language of the country, they 
 were at a disadvantage. But they persevered, 
 and at the end of three years, Mr. Britz pur- 
 chased fourteen acres of land, where the son, 
 Nicholas, now lives, and engaged in gardening 
 for several years. He is still living, at the age 
 of eighty-four years, in good health and spirits. 
 His faithful wife died October 10,1884. Nicholas, 
 whose name heads this article, is the eldest of 
 their children and the only son. All were born in 
 Germany except the youngest. Anna, the eldest 
 daughter, is the wife of Nicholas Treff, residing 
 at South Evanston. Maggie married William 
 Bergemeir, of Ashland; and Katherine is Mrs. 
 Christian Muno (see sketch in this volume), of 
 Ridge Avenue, Evanston. 
 
 Nicholas Britz received little education in the 
 schools of this country, as he was early obliged 
 to assist in the support of the family, but he is 
 
 possessed of native intelligence and is able to 
 transact business in a creditable and able manner. 
 He assisted in the cultivation of the farm from the 
 time of its purchase, and has been many years 
 its sole manager. 
 
 October 12, 1869, he was married to Miss 
 Elizabeth Welter, a native of Germany. They 
 have four sons and one daughter, namely; Peter, 
 Nicholas, Katherine, Henry and Edward, and all 
 are enjoying good educational advantages. All 
 are connected with Saint Henry's Roman Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 For many years Mr. Britz followed gardening 
 with satisfactory results, but the rapid advance- 
 ment in value of the land for building purposes 
 caused him to sell much of it at a handsome price. 
 He is now living a retired life in his pleasant 
 home, enjoying the fruits of his former industry. 
 He is a quiet, unassuming man, who has never 
 sought notoriety, and enjoys the respect and con- 
 fidence of the community in which he makes his 
 home. 
 
 JACOB SICKINGER. 
 
 (JACOB SICKINGER, who resides at No. 
 
 I 902 Devon Avenue, is a native of Chicago 
 (~) and a member of a pioneer family. He was 
 born February 27, 1846, in the then suburb of 
 Ravenswood, now a part of the city of Chicago. 
 His parents were Sebastian and Mary Sickinger, 
 natives of Germany, who emigrated to the United 
 States in 1843 and settled in Cook County at 
 once. 
 
 Soon after his arrival, Sebastian Sickinger 
 bought thirty acres of timber land, near the 
 present site of Summerdale, and began to clear 
 and improve it. On this ground he reared his 
 family and carried on farming operations until his 
 death. He subsequent!}' purchased ten acres a 
 
 few miles farther west. At the beginning his 
 means were limited, and this part of the country 
 was mostly in a primitive condition. As a con- 
 sequence of these circumstances, the family en- 
 dured the numerous trials and hardships incident 
 to pioneer life. There were six children, all, 
 save the eldest, born in Cook County. Their 
 names are as follows: Katherine, born in Ger- 
 many, now the widow of John Simler, residing at 
 Washington Heights; John, who lives on the old 
 homestead in Summerdale; Jacob, whose name 
 heads this notice; the fourth died, unnamed, in 
 infancy; Lawrence, a resident of Niles Center; and 
 Maggie, wife of Michael Barthlme. Mary Sick- 
 inger, mother of this family, was accidentally
 
 SEBASTIAN KEIL. 
 
 611 
 
 drowned in a well in 1855, and the father died 
 May 7, 1887. They were frugal, industrious 
 people, and faithful members of Saint Henry's 
 Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Jacob Sickinger secured a limited education in 
 the early schools of the county, and was reared to 
 fanning and gardening, which have been his life 
 work. By industry and the assistance of his frugal 
 wife, he has won success in it. October 7, 1870, 
 he was married to Miss Anna Eager, who was 
 born in Germany December 9, 1849, a daughter 
 of Albert and Josephine Eager. Both her parents 
 died in Germany, when Mrs. Sickinger was only 
 sixteen years old, and she left her native land and 
 came direct to Cook County, where she had rel- 
 atives living. She supported herself by her own 
 labor until her marriage. Her first two children 
 are now deceased, the second passing away in in- 
 fancy. The others still reside with their parents, 
 
 and the names of all in order of birth are: Casper, 
 Emma, Joseph, Augustine and Anna Sickinger. 
 The family is in communion with Saint Henry's 
 Roman Catholic Church, and the son is a mem- 
 ber of the Catholic Order of Foresters. 
 
 Mr. Sickinger is still occupied with gardening, 
 cultivating about four acres of land, growing 
 vegetables for the city market. He remembers 
 well when most of the land upon which Summer- 
 dale, Ravenswood and Rosehill are built was 
 almost entirely covered with timber or stumps of 
 trees, and the few dwellings occupied by the set- 
 tlers were built of logs. He has not only wit- 
 nessed the marvelous growth of this part of the 
 city, but has contributed his share to its develop- 
 ment and upbuilding. He is a Republican in 
 politics, but not an office-seeker; is public-spirited 
 and ever ready to encourage any undertaking cal- 
 culated to serve the general welfare. 
 
 SEBASTIAN KEIL 
 
 (7) KBASTIAN KEIL was an early settler of 
 ?\ Chicago, where he located in 1857. He was 
 VlJ/ born in the Rhine Province of Prussia, Ger- 
 many, near the city of Trier, in 1824, and was ed- 
 ucated in his native land. For several years he 
 was the superintendent of an asylum in Trier, 
 and his wife also occupied a position in the same 
 institution. They were there married, the bride 
 being Miss Elizabeth Laux, also a native of the 
 same locality. 
 
 The family, consisting of the parents and three 
 children, came to the United States in 1856, and 
 remained the first winter with friends in Windsor, 
 Connecticut. The following spring they came 
 to Chicago and took up quarters on Indiana Ave- 
 nue, at the corner of Twenty-sixth Street, and 
 lived there until 1863, when Mr. Keil was elected 
 superintendent of Saint Boniface Cemetery. He 
 
 removed to the locality of the cemetery and as- 
 sumed the duties of that office, which he held 
 nearly twenty- four years. He then retired from 
 active business, and on the gth of August, 1893, 
 he passed from earthly scenes. His wife is still 
 living at the age of eighty years. 
 
 John Keil, their eldest son, died April 1 1, 1887, 
 leaving a wife and two children. Katharine, the 
 second child, is the wife of Peter Williams, resid- 
 ing at No. 254 North Clark Street, Chicago. 
 Mr. Keil was a life-long Democrat in political 
 principles and associations, and was a faithful 
 member of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
 Jacob, the youngest child of Sebastian Keil, 
 was born July 29, 1854, and was educated in the 
 public schools of Chicago. After attaining his 
 majority he secured employment in a meat market 
 at Rogers Park, and within a few years succeeded
 
 6l2 
 
 F. J. WENDT. 
 
 his father in charge of Saint Boniface Cemetery, 
 where he continued twelve years. .He then built 
 the restaurant now occupied by August Biewers, 
 on North Clark Street, which he conducted eight 
 years. He is now engaged in the manufacture of 
 a compound for cleaning steam boilers. 
 
 April 29, 1879, he was married to Miss Mary 
 Mann, daughter of Nicholas Mann, an early resi- 
 dent of the locality. Six of their seven children 
 are living, the third, named Elizabeth, being now 
 
 deceased. The others are: Nicholas, Sebastian, 
 Katharine, Mathias, Molly and Peter. 
 
 Mr. Keil is independent in politics, but his 
 worth and integrity have been recognized by his 
 appointment as building inspector for the Twen- 
 ty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Wards, which position 
 he filled two years. He is an active and 
 efficient member of Saint Matthew's Roman 
 Catholic Church, and of the Catholic Order of 
 Foresters. 
 
 FREDERICK J. WENDT. 
 
 f~ REDERICK JOHN WENDT, of Ravens- 
 1M wood, is a well-known early resident of that 
 | * part of Chicago. Mr. Wendt is a native of 
 North Germany, where he was born September 
 21, 1841. His father, William Wendt, was a 
 shepherd by occupation, and Frederick in early 
 life followed the same business. The father died 
 when his son was but nine years of age, leaving 
 the mother with four children, of whom Freder- 
 ick was the eldest. One of the younger brothers 
 survived the father but a short time. The only 
 daughter of the family is still a resident of Ger- 
 many, and the only surviving brother of the sub- 
 ject of this sketch is Charles Wendt, a resident of 
 Summerdale, in this city. The mother, who has 
 now attained an advanced age, lives with her son 
 in Ravenswood. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Wendt emigrated to America. 
 His first year in this country was spent in Ozau- 
 kee County, Wisconsin. There he was engaged 
 with a man named Membler, a prominent con- 
 tractor and builder. In April, 1869, he came to 
 what is now Ravenswood, and engaged in work 
 for the Ravenswood Land Company. 
 
 In November of the same year he was married 
 to Miss Minnie Nave, a native of Holstein, Ger- 
 many, and the following winter was passed in 
 
 Chicago. Ravenswood was not identified with 
 the city until a number of years later. In the 
 spring of 1870 Mr. Wendt returned and continued 
 in the service of the company above mentioned 
 for about two years, when he was engaged by Mr. 
 Daniel Downing, of the Sunny Side Hotel, with 
 whom he continued until 1875. While in the 
 service of Mr. Downing he assisted in laying out 
 and beautifying Sunny Side Park, and with his 
 own hands planted many of the trees with which 
 that elegant park abounds. It is an interesting 
 fact that when the site of the park was purchased 
 by Mr. Downing not a tree was growing upon it. 
 Many of the larger ones had attained a large 
 growth when set out, and one thousand dollars, 
 or one hundred dollars each, were paid by Mr. 
 Downing for ten of the largest trees and the trans- 
 planting of the same. 
 
 Mr. Downing erected for Mr. Wendt his first 
 residence, which is still standing, and is one of the 
 landmarks of Ravenswood, and there the three 
 oldest children of Mr. and Mrs. Wendt were born. 
 In 1875 Mr. Wendt was engaged as janitor of the 
 Ravenswood school building, and on July 23d of 
 that year removed his family into the building, 
 the lower part of which he has occupied as a resi- 
 dence to the present time having served contin-
 
 A. P. GLINES. 
 
 613 
 
 uously as janitor for the long period of twenty- 
 two years. Here the youngest child of the family, 
 Rosa, was born. The children in the order of 
 their birth are: Anna, who is now the wife of 
 Clarence Gilberg, Gustave, William and Rosa. 
 
 When Mr. Wendt first became a resident of 
 what is now known as Ravenswood, much of the 
 land was devoted to the nursery industry, and the 
 many acres of nursery and evergreen trees pre- 
 sented a most beautiful appearance. These have 
 now given place to elegant homes with beautiful 
 lawns, paved streets and stately business blocks 
 a transformation so complete that no evidence re- 
 mains that Ravenswood was a rural district but a 
 
 few short years ago. The many years that Mr. 
 Wendt has occupied his present position attest the 
 faithfulness with which he has performed its du- 
 ties. He also has charge of the Masonic build- 
 ings at Ravenswood. 
 
 He is connected with many societies, is a prom- 
 inent Mason, having passed the Royal Arch 
 degrees, is a member of the Order of the Eastern 
 Star, National Union, Royal League, Royal Ar- 
 canum, Columbian Knights and the Engineers 
 and Janitors' Association of Chicago. 
 
 Mr. Wendt is well known socially, and has ever 
 possessed the respect, confidence and esteem of 
 his fellow-citizens. 
 
 ANDREW P. GLINES. 
 
 G\ NDREW PERRY GLINES, a retired gar- 
 LJ dener living on Bowmanville Road, is one of 
 / I the pioneers of this part of the city (formerly 
 Lake View). He was born in Grafton County, 
 New Hampshire, January 31, 1822, and is the son 
 of Isaac and Hannah (Kimball) Glines, both of 
 whom were natives of that State. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received such edu- 
 cational training as the public schools of the time 
 and region afforded, and at the age of twenty 
 years began learning the stone-cutter's trade. He 
 served a regular apprenticeship, and worked as a 
 journeyman several years at Quincy, Massachu- 
 setts. About 1846 he went to Jackson, Vinton 
 Count} 1 , Ohio, where he remained three years, 
 working at his trade, and subsequently spent a 
 like period in Missouri, in the employ of the Iron 
 Mountain Railroad, as stone-cutter. 
 
 In 1852 he came to Chicago, and has been a 
 resident of Cook County ever since, with the ex- 
 ception of two years spent in Louisiana, before the 
 war. In 1863 he enlisted in the service of the 
 Union, as a carpenter, and served six months. 
 
 For four months, in 1861, he worked at his trade 
 at Rosehill, and, with the above exceptions, has 
 followed market-gardening up to the time of his 
 retirement. At first he tilled leased land, and 
 later came into possession of land which he cared 
 for until 1890, and then retired from active busi- 
 ness. His success is due to the patient exercise 
 of diligence, coupled with prudent management. 
 
 August 18, 1865, Mr. Glines was married to 
 Mrs. Elizabeth Moore, widow of John Moore. 
 She is the daughter of Robert and Maria Dixon, 
 both of whom were born in England and died in 
 Ireland. Mrs. Glines was born March 14, 1832, 
 in the North of Ireland, and came to Canada when 
 about ten years old. She lived in Montreal until 
 1854, and then came to Cook County, where, in 
 1859, she married Mr. Moore. The latter died in 
 1862, leaving two children, both of whom are now 
 deceased. Mr. Moore was possessed of the prop- 
 erty where Mr. and Mrs. Glines reside, and 
 here Mr. Glines resumed gardening immediately 
 after marriage. Six children have been born to 
 Mr. and Mrs. Glines, of whom four are now liv-
 
 614 
 
 PETER MUNO. 
 
 ing, namely: Minnie, wife of Louis Magrath; 
 Ellsworth, of Lake View; Beatrice (Mrs. Louis 
 Higgins), and Walter, at home. 
 
 Mr. Glines acted with the Democratic party in 
 early life, but is now independent of party affilia- 
 tions, being unwilling to endorse wholly the 
 policy of any party. Though not a communicant 
 
 of anj' church, Mrs. Glines is a firm adherent of 
 the faith of the Congregational Church, and her 
 influence over her family has always been elevat- 
 ing and progressive. All the children have been 
 given excellent educational advantages, and the 
 family occupies a good position in the society 
 with which it mingles. 
 
 PETER MUNO. 
 
 r*\ETER MUNO, a retired farmer and early 
 L^ settler of Cook County, was born in Damflos, 
 }3 near Trier, Prussia, September 16, 1816, 
 and is a son of Christian and Elizabeth Katharine 
 (Detample) Muno, further mention of whom is 
 made in the sketch of Henry Muno, in this volume. 
 Peter Muno was educated in his native land, 
 and at the age of fifteen years went to learn the 
 trade of shoe-nail-making, which he followed un- 
 til he emigrated to America. In February, 1842, 
 he was married to Miss Anna Pink, who was born 
 and reared in the same locality as himself. 
 
 In 1857, in company with his wife and four 
 children, his brother, Henry, and sister, Mary, 
 he came to America. The year after his arrival 
 he and his brother bought land about thirty 
 miles south of Chicago, near the Indiana line, 
 which they ultimately lost. After remaining 
 there a few years, he removed to High Ridge, 
 Cook County, and for the first five years rented 
 land from Michael Weber, and engaged in market- 
 gardening, meeting with good success. He then 
 purchased forty acres of land on section 24, 
 Evanston Township, where he now resides. This 
 land was in its raw state, but he cleared and 
 developed a farm, engaged in its cultivation, and 
 carried on farming and gardening until about 
 1886, when he retired. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Muno had born to them ten chil- 
 
 dren, but one of these, Henry, died in the old 
 country when a child. Nine are now living, 
 namely: Mary, wife of Adolph Arndt, a gardener 
 at Evanston; John, of No. 194 North Avenue, 
 Chicago; Carl, of Rogers Park, a gardener on 
 Touhy Avenue; Maggie, wife of Peter Kloss, a 
 coal merchant of Fullerton Avenue; Barbara, 
 wife of Lorenz Bugner; Katharine, now Mrs. Au- 
 gust Richard, of Indiana; Lena, Mrs. Lawrence 
 Marthaler, of Chicago Heights; Caroline, wife of 
 Michael Wiltgen; and Mary, wife of Christian 
 Michials, of No. 735 Larrabee Street, Chicago. 
 
 Mrs. Muno died January 28, 1897, at the age 
 of seventy-six years and nine months, after a 
 married life of fifty-four years. Mr. Muno is a 
 member of Saint Nicholas* Roman Catholic 
 Church of South Evanston, and acts with the 
 Democratic party in political matters. 
 
 Michael Wiltgen was born in Luxemburg, 
 Germany, December 14, 1862, and is a son of 
 Mathias and Anna Wiltgen , who came to Amer- 
 ica in 1873, settling in Evanston. The wife died 
 in 1889, and Mr. Wiltgen in 1895, leaving four 
 sons, Michael being the eldest; the others are, 
 Martin, Felix and Eugene. Michael married 
 Caroline Muno November 17, 1886. They have 
 two children, Anna and Joseph. Mr. Wiltgen 
 supports the Democratic party, and is a member 
 of Saint Nicholas' Church.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 HERMAN A. SCHMEDTGEN
 
 MRS. H. A. SCHMEDTGEN
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 H. A. SCHMEDTGEN. 
 
 615 
 
 HERMAN A. SCHMEDTGEN. 
 
 HERMAN AUGUST SCHMEDTGEN, for 
 many years one of the most enterprising citi- 
 zens of Chicago, who is now retired from 
 active labor, occupying a pleasant home on North 
 Western Avenue, Chicago, is a native of Butt- 
 staedt, Saxe-Weimar, Germany, born August 
 26, 1834. Both his parents, Frederick and 
 Sophia (Werner) Schmedtgen, were born in the 
 same locality. They followed the son to Amer- 
 ica, coming two years after him, and died soon 
 after the father at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, in 
 1856, and the mother in Buffalo, New York, in 
 
 1859- 
 
 The subject of this sketch learned the trade of 
 shoemaker in his native land, and there received 
 the excellent common-school education for which 
 Germany is famous. He is of ingenious mind, 
 and could readily take up almost any kind of 
 mechanical work. In 1852 he came to this coun- 
 try, and worked for nine months after arrival at 
 his trade in Buffalo, New York. He then took 
 up cabinet-work and painting, and was found to 
 be a hand}' man with tools of any kind. He re- 
 mained in Buffalo three years, and then went to 
 Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where for three years 
 he was engaged in cabinet-making. 
 
 In April, 1858, he came to Chicago, and for two 
 years was employed in a daity, and a like period 
 in a wholesale grocery house on South Water 
 Street. His next undertaking was an independ- 
 ent one. Having saved his earnings, he pur- 
 chased a horse and wagon and for two years did 
 an express business. He then secured a con- 
 tract for sprinkling streets on the North Side, 
 
 and, beginning with one wagon, soon increased 
 the number to six. For about twenty-two years 
 he continued this occupation. At the time of the 
 Great Fire of 1871, he was able to haul away a 
 portion of his furniture and saved his teams and 
 wagons, but his home and stables were left smok- 
 ing ruins. He still had the lot, however, and 
 possessed the confidence of the business men, so 
 that he could readily borrow money with which 
 to resume business and replace his buildings. 
 
 In 1885 he purchased one hundred and twenty 
 acres of land where he now lives, and carried on 
 agriculture four years. He planted all the beau- 
 tiful shade trees which surround his home, and 
 otherwise improved and beautified his property. 
 The next year after his purchase he built the sub- 
 stantial brick mansion in which he lives, and also 
 large farm buildings. He has sold twenty-five 
 acres of his land, and has retired from active 
 business. 
 
 Mr. Schmedtgen has always supported the Re- 
 publican ticket in political contests, though he is 
 independent of party lines in selecting local of- 
 ficials. He entertains liberal religious views, and 
 has, for that reason, refrained from associating 
 himself with any sect. His upright character 
 and straightforward manners have won and held 
 the esteem and respect of his fellow-citizens, and 
 he is considered a valuable member of society. 
 
 October 31, 1856, he was married to Miss 
 Bertie BischofF, who was born in the same place 
 in Germany as her husband, and came to Chi- 
 cago in 1848. They had six children, namely: 
 Anna, wife of Frederick Capel, a butcher of Chi-
 
 6i6 
 
 J. A. GORGES. 
 
 cago; William, an artist in the employ of the Chi- 
 cago Record; Bertha, Mrs. Henry Capitain, resid- 
 ing in Chicago; Herman, also of Chicago, and 
 Emma and Matilda, at home. Mrs. Schmedtgen 
 died March 21, 1894, in San Diego, California, 
 while visiting that country. 
 
 Mr. Schmedtgen is a progressive and enterpris- 
 
 success in life. When he arrived in the United 
 States he was in debt for his passage, and is now 
 in affluent circumstances. This is due to his 
 energy and unflagging diligence, and the prac- 
 tice of economy and good judgment in business. 
 His habits have always been regular and 
 exemplary, and he is now enjoying the fruit of 
 
 ing citizen, and is entitled to great credit for his his industry and upright life. 
 
 JOHN A. GORGES. 
 
 (JOHN ADAM GORGES, who is now retired 
 I from active business and liyes in a pleasant 
 Q) home at No. 4645 North Western Avenue 
 (Rogers Park), Chicago, is one of the honored 
 pioneers of this locality. He is a native of 
 Prussia, Germany, born about eighteen miles 
 from Trier, September 8, 1820. He came to 
 America in 1845, landing in New York in the 
 autumn of that year. He went to Philadelphia, 
 Pennsylvania, and remained in that State until 
 the following spring, when he came to Cook 
 County. In his native land he was reared to 
 farming, and received the usual liberal education 
 provided to every subject of the German Em- 
 peror. 
 
 For the first three years after his arrival here 
 he worked by the month, to earn means with 
 which to begin life for himself. He then en- 
 gaged in farming, and continued until he retired 
 in 1886. When he came to this part of the coun- 
 ty it was sparsely settled, and he has borne no in- 
 considerable part in developing and improving 
 the land, and in promoting the moral and ma- 
 terial welfare of the community. 
 
 In the early years of his citizenship Mr. Gorges 
 supported the Democratic party, but he could 
 not agree with its policy in regard to slavery, 
 and when the Republican party was organized 
 he gave it his allegiance and has ever since sup- 
 
 ported its men and measures, but never sought 
 any official position for himself. He is a faith- 
 ful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and zealous in every good work. He is still in 
 hale and hearty enjoyment of the blessings of life, 
 and has accumulated a competence by the prac- 
 tice of diligence, and upright dealings. 
 
 November 19, 1849, he was married to Miss 
 Susan Rohrer, who was born near Indianapolis, 
 in Marion County, Indiana, in 1832, and is a 
 daughter of Samuel Rohrer, a native of Mary- 
 land. Further mention of Mr. Rohrer will be 
 found on another page of this article. One 
 daughter, Susie Birdie, completes the family of 
 Mr. Gorges. 
 
 Samuel Rohrer, the father of Mrs. Gorges, 
 came of an old Maryland family, of German de- 
 scent. He came to Cook County in 1835 and 
 bought a large tract of Government land in what 
 was afterwards called Ridgeville (now in the 
 town of Evanston). He was the first actual set- 
 tler in this immediate vicinity, at a time when 
 Chicago contained but a few small shanties. 
 He followed farming here for several years and 
 then moved to Niles Center, where he continued 
 in the same pursuit until about 1860. At this 
 time he removed to Blackhawk County, Iowa, 
 settling on a farm at what is now Hudson, where 
 he remained until his death, nearly twenty years
 
 OTTO RISTOW. 
 
 617 
 
 later. He was three times married. By the first 
 wife he had seven children, three of whom are 
 living, namely: Rebecca; Jacob, a resident of 
 Chilton, Wisconsin; and Samuel, now in Hud- 
 son, Iowa. His second marriage resulted in 
 nine children, Mrs. Gorges being the eldest of 
 these. Two others are now living: Jane, wife of 
 Chester Cory, of Hudson, Iowa; and Sarah, Mrs. 
 Charles Currier, residing in Omaha, Nebraska. 
 The mother of these children died at Niles Center, 
 Illinois. 
 
 Mrs. Gorges established, in 1879, a retreat for 
 
 the protection of unfortunate women at her home 
 near Rogers Park, and has done a noble and im- 
 portant work. The large mansion and adjacent 
 cottages afford accommodations for a large num- 
 ber of patients, and hundreds have been treated 
 here. In all these, not a patient has been lost, a 
 phenomenal record, and many children have been 
 provided with good homes. Mrs. Gorges is by na- 
 ture designed for a nurse. She is exceptionally 
 kind and sympathetic, a true Christian woman, 
 with an acute sense of her responsibility to her 
 God and society. 
 
 OTTO RISTOW. 
 
 ITTO RISTOW, who is a successful florist of 
 Chicago, with greenhouses on North Western 
 Avenue, was born July 22, 1850, in Ger- 
 many. His parents, Erdman and Katherine 
 Ristow, were born in the same locality, where 
 they resided most of their lives. They passed 
 away in Chicago, whither they had followed their 
 children after their own retirement from active 
 life. 
 
 Otto Ristow received the excellent education 
 provided in German laws for all the natives of 
 that happy Empire, and was reared to the busi- 
 ness of a florist, so that he was prepared to enter 
 at once upon a successful career upon his arrival 
 in this country. He left his native home at the 
 early age of seventeen years, and came to the 
 United States, being the first of his family to be- 
 come a citizen of this country. The next year 
 he was followed by his brother, Julius, and two 
 years later the parents and three sisters came. 
 All the sisters are now residents of Chicago. After 
 landing at New York, young Ristow proceeded 
 to Milwaukee and continued two years in Wis- 
 consin, where he was employed as a farm hand 
 and gardener. 
 
 He came to Cook County in 1870, and has ever 
 since continued to reside here. For a year or 
 two he worked in the service of other florists, and 
 about 1872 he and his brother began business for 
 themselves, as florists. They leased land and 
 conducted business under the title of Ristow 
 Brothers, and this connection continued several 
 years. The partnership was dissolved by mutual 
 consent and each purchased a small tract of 
 ground where they now live. Owing to his lim- 
 ited means, Mr. Ristow was compelled to begin 
 business on a small scale, first building two green- 
 houses. As he was prospered he built additional 
 roofs of glass, and now has about an acre of space 
 thus covered. At this time he produces nothing 
 but roses for the cut-flower trade, and markets 
 them through a commission house in the city. 
 
 The example of Mr. Ristow is commended to 
 all ambitious youths, who may, if they will, learn 
 from it the secret of success. By diligent attention 
 to one line of labor, he was enabled to earn some 
 money, and his careful habits made it possible to 
 save some of the money earned. An investment 
 of this money gave him land on which to produce 
 that which found ready sale, and the same indus-
 
 6i8 
 
 J. C. SCHIESSWOHt. 
 
 try and prudent management which has charac- 
 terized all his life extended his operations, until 
 now he owns and operates ten large greenhouses. 
 Although he is now in an independent position, 
 he continues his careful attention to business, and 
 thus preserves the accumulations of industry and 
 prudence. He is a good citizen, and does his 
 part in the support of all worthy public enter- 
 prises. He is independent in political action, 
 using his best efforts to ensure the selection of 
 competent and faithful men for the administration 
 of public trusts. He is a faithful member of the 
 Lutheran Church, as are his wife and children, 
 and is among the most liberal contributors to its 
 support. 
 
 Mr. Ristow has been twice married. In 1871 
 Miss Fredericka Haas became his wife. She was 
 born in Germany and came to this country in 
 1867. She bore her husband eleven children, of 
 whom seven are now living, namely: Krnest, 
 William, Louis, Lena, Lily, Arthur and Frede- 
 rick. The eldest married Miss Tina Haker Sep- 
 tember 24, 1896, and is established in business as 
 a florist, while the others still reside with their 
 father. The mother of this family died in March, 
 1892, and September 29 of that year Mr. Ristow 
 married Miss Louise Konka, who was born in 
 Chicago, and is a daughter of Peter and Johanna 
 Konka, both of whom were born in Germany and 
 are now residents of St. Louis, Missouri. 
 
 JACOB C. SCHIESSWOHL. 
 
 flACOB CHRISTOPHER SCHIESSWOHL, 
 I who is living in retirement at his beautiful 
 Qj home, No. 3957 Ridge Avenue, Chicago, has 
 been actively identified with the business inter- 
 ests of Chicago and Cook County forty-four years. 
 He is a native of Wurtemburg, Germany, born 
 November 29, 1835, a son of John and Christina 
 (Ried) Schiesswohl, both of whom were born in 
 the same locality. 
 
 In his native land, Jacob C. Schiesswohl en- 
 joyed the advantages of the splendid school sys- 
 tem in vogue there, and at an early ajje became 
 proficient in the elementary branches, in the 
 mean time having learned the butcher's trade. 
 In 1852, when he was seventeen years of age, 
 with his parents and only sister, Albertina, he 
 set out for the United States. At Havre, France, 
 the port from which they were to embark, they 
 found immediate passage could not be obtained, 
 owing to the vast throng of emigrants from the 
 continental countries of Europe who were crowd- 
 
 ing to the guards every outgoing vessel. After 
 waiting three weeks, they joined a party of two 
 hundred people, mostly Germans, who chartered 
 the sailing brig ' 'Excelsior, ' ' commanded by Capt. 
 George Smith. During the voyage, a long and 
 tedious one, young Jacob was selected to appor- 
 tion the ship's supply of water to the passengers, 
 each receiving a certain daily allowance. As 
 supplementary to this duty, he was charged with 
 the duty of looking after the sanitary condition 
 of the vessel, by the enforcement of its rules. 
 
 After disembarking at Castle Garden, New 
 York, the family started for the West, traveling 
 by rail to Buffalo, thence to Detroit by boat, and 
 to Chicago by rail. The father was possessed of 
 but limited means, and he and Jacob worked at 
 any employment offered, the first work of the 
 latter being in unloading lumber from lake ves- 
 sels. Both were industrious, and by frugal liv- 
 ing, they were enabled to save something. In 
 1856 the}' established themselves in a meat market
 
 J. C. SCHIESSWOHL. 
 
 619 
 
 on Fifth Avenue, between Harrison and Polk 
 Streets. Shortly afterward Jacob left the busi- 
 ness to the sole care of the father and accepted 
 employment in a packing house. 
 
 At the outbreak of the Civil War, in 1861, the 
 elder Mr. Schiesswohl laid aside his business and 
 enrolled himself as a member of Company E, 
 Eighteenth Kansas Volunteer Infantry. He nobly 
 did his duty, and for three years and four months 
 he maintained the proud record of his country- 
 men as being among the best soldiers in the 
 world. He participated in many of the hottest 
 engagements of the war, and marched with Gen- 
 eral Banks in the famous Red River Expedition 
 and other exploits somewhat similar, in Arkansas. 
 The war over, he received an honorable discharge 
 and returned to his home in Chicago and resumed 
 business. This he continued until 1872, in 
 which year both he and his good wife expired, 
 their deaths occurring within two weeks. Sub- 
 sequent to his death, the colonel of his regiment 
 in the army, without consulting the son, ordered 
 a headstone to be erected at his grave. His gal- 
 lant conduct in the ranks had endeared him to 
 his commanding officer, and this graceful act was 
 a tribute of remembrance of a soldier's duty well 
 done. 
 
 Jacob C. Schiesswohl began business on his 
 own responsibility in 1860, when he opened a 
 small meat market at Ohio and North Clark 
 Streets, which he conducted successfully three 
 years. He then entered into a co-partnership 
 and acquired an interest in a pleasure garden 
 known as Huck's Garden, and in a brewery. 
 Six years later he disposed of these interests and 
 purchased property on the corner of Sheffield and 
 Fletcher Avenues, and engaged in general team- 
 ing. This property, which has greatly enhanced 
 in value, he still owns. Two years later he re- 
 sumed the butcher business, which he conducted 
 in different places, uninterruptedly, for nineteen 
 consecutive years, and with profit to himself and 
 satisfaction to his patrons. 
 
 By judicious investments of his savings in real 
 property, he accumulated a valuable estate. He 
 bought lots 41 and 43, on Evanston Avenue, 
 while a member of the firm of Schiesswohl & 
 
 Peterson, and in 1873 he acquired land at the 
 corner of Lincoln and Wrightwood Avenues, op- 
 posite the car barns, which proved a profitable 
 venture. He also owns other valuable properties, 
 among which are eleven stores. In all his various 
 enterprises he has been ably assisted by his de- 
 voted wife, who has done much to make his 
 career successful. They builded sure at the bot- 
 tom, and as their business expanded, it took on 
 healthful growth under their joint management, 
 and developed into a handsome fortune. 
 
 At his twenty-first birthday he was a qualified 
 voter, and cast his first presidential vote for Gen. 
 John C. Fremont, since which time he has con- 
 tinuously voted with the Republican party, hav- 
 ing always taken an active interest and leading 
 part in public affairs. In 1863 he became a resi- 
 dent of Lake View, and in 1866 he was elected 
 police justice for four years, and at the end of 
 the term was re-elected, creditably serving in this 
 capacity eight years. Before the expiration of 
 the second term he was elected to a place on the 
 Board of Trustees of Lake View, in which he 
 acted three years, and upon the incorporation of 
 Lake View as a city he was honored with a seat in 
 the Council as alderman, and re-elected the follow- 
 ing year without opposition. So acceptably did 
 he discharge the duties incumbent upon him, that 
 at the beginning of the second term as alderman 
 he was petitioned by a large number of leading 
 citizens, irrespective of party, to allow his name 
 to be presented as a citizens' candidate forMayor, 
 which honor, however, he declined. 
 
 He is an acceptable member of the Turner's 
 Society, which he joined soon after arriving in 
 Chicago, and he is now one of the oldest living 
 who belonged to it at that time. He is a charter 
 member of Mythra Lodge No. 410, Ancient Free 
 and Accepted Masons, and was as well a charter 
 member of Wright's Grove Lodge No. 779, of 
 the same order, and a charter member of Lincoln 
 Park Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. 
 
 Mr. Schiesswohl was united in marriage No- 
 vember 27, 1860, with Miss Maria Phillip, daugh- 
 ter of Jacob and Katharine Phillip, early settlers 
 in Rogers Park. Eight children have blessed the 
 union of Mr. and Mrs. Schiesswohl, as follows:
 
 62O 
 
 HENRY KEMPER. 
 
 Anna, who died in her eighteenth year; Philip, 
 a butcher and grocer of Chicago; Elizabeth, the 
 wife of Albert U. Peterson; John A., grocer and 
 meat dealer at Argyle Park; Albertina, residing 
 with her parents; Jacob, who carries on a fruit 
 ranch in Colorado; Ottillie and May, at home. 
 While not members of any church, both Mr. and 
 Mrs. Schiesswohl are Christians in their lives and 
 character, and take an active interest in and sup- 
 port all enterprises that subserve the public good. 
 Mr. Schiesswohl retired from active business 
 March i, 1889, at which time he turned the busi- 
 ness over to his son and daughter. Since then 
 
 he has lived in the quiet retirement of his well- 
 appointed home. When he arrived in Chicago, 
 the city's population scarcely exceeded fifty thou- 
 sand souls. Boundless prairies extended to the 
 south and west, while on the north, adjacent to 
 the lake shore, was a dense growth of dwarfish 
 timber. During the forty-four years he has resided 
 here, the wonderful transformation has been ac- 
 complished, by which the prairies and chaparral 
 have disappeared covered now by mammoth 
 business blocks and stately mansions of brick and 
 stone, and the population has been increased 
 more than thirty-fold. 
 
 HENRY KEMPER. 
 
 HENRY KEMPER, of the firm of Kemper 
 Brothers, dealers in flour and feed at Nos. 
 663 and 665 North Halsted Street, is a rep- 
 resentative of the progressive element of Chicago. 
 He was born February 17, 1845, in Westphalia, 
 Prussia, a son of Frank and Elizabeth Kemper, 
 both natives of that place. 
 
 Frank Kemper was a laborer, who saw little 
 hope of bettering his condition in his native land, 
 and, when his family included three children, he 
 determined to seek a home in America. Bidding 
 a sad farewell to wife and children, he set out, 
 strong in hope and faithful resolve to carve out 
 his fortune in an unknown land, whose language 
 was as strange to him as its people. Arriving in 
 New York, he shortly found employment in the 
 city, but soon removed to Woodstown, New 
 Jersey. In the course of a year he saved up 
 enough to send for his wife, and with her aid he 
 was able, within the next year, to send for two of 
 the children. Henry, whose name heads this 
 article, was the last to come, arriving in January, 
 1860. Another child, Christina, was born to the 
 
 parents after their arrival in this country, but she 
 is now deceased. The others are, beside the sub- 
 ject of this sketch: William, his partner in busi- 
 ness; and Anna, wife of Albert Westphal, of No. 
 66 1 North Halsted Street. The family remained 
 in New Jersey until 1868, when they removed to 
 Chicago. Soon after his arrival Mr. Kemper 
 bought forty acres of land on the present site of 
 Grogan, then called Whiskey Point, half a mile 
 south of Fullerton Avenue, and engaged in farm- 
 ing for a few years. He then sold his land and 
 moved into the city. At the time of the Great 
 Fire he lost nearly all he possessed, but he ulti- 
 mately recovered his fortune, and is now living 
 in honored retirement. Mrs. Kemper died in 
 1890, aged seventy-two years. 
 
 Henry Kemper was educated in the public 
 schools of his native place, and was employed in 
 practical pursuits from the time of his arrival in 
 this country. He remained with his parents and 
 assisted in the labors of the farm until he was of 
 age. In 1872 he began the business in which he 
 is now engaged, and located in his present store
 
 FREDERICK BRISTLE. 
 
 621 
 
 about ten years since. Although he began life 
 with few advantages, he has steadily advanced to 
 a position of affluence and importance in the com- 
 munity. In 1891 he built the handsome and 
 commodious residence in which he has since 
 dwelt, at No. 3749 North Paulina Street, Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 In 1868 Mr. Kemper was married to Miss Anna 
 Stilling, a native of Westphalia. Three of the 
 children born of this union are now living, name- 
 ly, William, Albert and Clara. Death robbed the 
 children of their mother in July, 1887. In the 
 spring of 1888 Mr. Kemper married Miss Kath- 
 erine Altenhofeu, who was born in Prussia, across 
 the river opposite Lunenburg, Germany. By this 
 
 marriage there are five children: Lena, Frank, 
 Hubert, Matthias and Carrie. 
 
 Mr. Kemper is a public-spirited citizen, and a 
 thorough American in ideas and principle, be- 
 lieving this to be the best country in the world.- 
 In State and National elections he supports the 
 candidates of the Republican party, but in local 
 affairs, the man he deems best fitted to administer 
 affairs receives his vote. Both he and his family 
 are faithful communicants of Saint Henry's Ro- 
 man Catholic Church, and he enjoys the confi- 
 dence and esteem of the entire community in 
 which he lives. His example of energy, industry 
 and fair dealing is commended to the youth of the 
 land as worthy of emulation. 
 
 FREDERICK BRISTLE. 
 
 P~ REDBRICK BRISTLE (deceased) was a 
 r3 native of Chicago, born in that portion of 
 I ^ the city then called Lake View, August 21, 
 1857. Extended mention of his parents, Chris- 
 tian and Katharine Bristle, is made in this vol- 
 ume, in connection with the biography of Conrad 
 Bristle. 
 
 The boyhood of the subject of this sketch was 
 spent beneath the parental roof and he was edu- 
 cated in the public schools. During his early 
 youth he was taught the rudimental branches of 
 learning. His school days, however, were of 
 brief duration. When he became large enough it 
 was necessary for him to perform his part of the 
 manual labor required for the support of the 
 family. It was early in life that he learned the 
 all- important lesson of depending upon his own 
 efforts, and as well did he recognize and respect 
 the rights of dependence upon himself of those 
 who had just claim upon his strength. 
 
 At the age of twenty-one he began life on his 
 own account, as a market-gardener. The frugal 
 
 and industrious boy soon developed into a shrewd 
 and energetic man of business. He exercised 
 good judgment in the investment of his surplus 
 capital in real estate, and its rise in value in a 
 short time made him comfortably well off. 
 
 He was married June 27, 1883, to Miss Mary 
 E. Johnston, who was born July 30, 1861, in Chi- 
 cago, and is a daughter of John and Jane (Keys) 
 Johnston, natives of County Tyrone, Ireland, 
 where they were married. Immediately after, in 
 1860, they came to the United States, and resided 
 in Pike County, Illinois, nearly a year before 
 coming to Chicago. The father was first em- 
 ployed in the old Chicago Cemetery, and about 
 1867 he bought five acres of land in Lake View 
 Township and engaged in gardening, at which he 
 was very successful. He departed this life in 
 1889, at fifty- five years of age, surviving his wife 
 a period of eighteen years. They were the par- 
 ents of seven children, three of whom died in 
 infancy. Those living are: Mary E. (Mrs. F. 
 Bristle) ; Arthur, residing on Ridge Avenue, Chi-
 
 622 
 
 REV. OTTO GRCENEBAUM. 
 
 cago; Jane, wife of John B. Sanderson, of the 
 same city; and William, of Downer's Grove, Illi- 
 nois. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston were adherents of 
 the Episcopal Church, and lived in strict con- 
 formity to the requirements of their creed and 
 religious convictions. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bristle were born three chil- 
 dren: Frederick John, Joseph Henry and Jennie 
 Katharine. Mr. Bristle's death was untimely and 
 unexpected. His career was full of promise, and 
 his early achievements predicted for him assured 
 success, had his life been spared. He passed 
 away August 21, 1887. His early religious 
 
 training was in the Lutheran faith, but in man- 
 hood he became a member of the Congregational 
 Church, of which he was a liberal supporter. His 
 devoted wife survives him, and has proven her- 
 self equal to the emergencies incumbent upon 
 widowhood, and has managed the unfinished life- 
 work of her husband, as contemplated by him, 
 with an adroitness that has crowned her efforts 
 with success. She combines with her business 
 acumen all the graces of true womanhood, and 
 her. mind and heart are in her home, where her 
 domesticity is apparent to her large circle of 
 friends and acquaintances. 
 
 REV, OTTO GRCENEBAUM. 
 
 REV. OTTO GRCENEBAUM. Among the 
 highly esteemed and respected citizens of 
 South Evanston, none are more worthy than 
 Rev. Otto Graenebaum, who is now pastor of 
 Saint Nicholas' Roman Catholic Church. He 
 was born in the Province of Westphalia, Ger- 
 many, August 28, 1837. His parents were Frank 
 and Ludovika Grcenebaum, natives of that place. 
 In the parochial schools of his native place he re- 
 ceived his rudimentary education. When a young 
 man he entered the gymnasium of Warendorf, 
 from which he graduated in 1859, after which he 
 spent four years at the University of Minister, in 
 the Province of Westphalia, completing his philo- 
 sophical and theological education. 
 
 In May, 1864, he came to America, locating in 
 Wisconsin, and for over two years was a teacher 
 in different academies in Milwaukee. In the fall 
 of 1866 he resumed his studies for the priesthood, 
 and was ordained February 15, 1867, at Milwau- 
 kee. Subsequently he assumed charge of a church 
 in Omaha, Nebraska, where for fourteen years he 
 labored faithfully and efficiently. In 1881 he 
 came to Illinois, and for several years he had 
 
 charge of different congregations. In 1887 he or- 
 ganized Saint Nicholas' Church in South Evans- 
 ton, with sixty-three families. In that year he 
 purchased the ground and built the church and 
 residence, at an expense of twenty thousand dol- 
 lars. The church is a plain, but substantial 
 structure, the upper part being used for the church 
 and the lower or ground floor for a school room 
 and dwelling for the Sisters. 
 
 Under the careful and able management of 
 Father Groenebaum the church has prospered and 
 grown, until the congregation numbers about one 
 hundred seventy families. His own excellent 
 education eminently fitted him to look after the 
 welfare of the school, and at present it has an av- 
 erage attendance of about one hundred fifty 
 scholars. Father Grrenebaum is loved by all his 
 flock, for his careful watch over them and his 
 kindness to the poor. Not only is the church out 
 of debt, but it has a handsome surplus in its 
 treasury. Father Grcenebaum is a ripe scholar, 
 a kind, genial gentleman, and deservedly popular, 
 not only with the members of his large congrega- 
 tion, but also with the community.
 
 LIBRARY 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 GEORGE A. PHILBRICK 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 G. A. PHILBRICK. 
 
 623 
 
 GEORGE A. PHILBRICK. 
 
 (2JEORGE ALBERT PHILBRICK, who has 
 l_ been connected with public affairs in the 
 \^4 town of Cicero for over a quarter of a 
 century, is a descendant of one of the oldest New 
 England families. The Philbricks have always 
 belonged to the great middle class, which is the 
 mainstay of our modern civilization. While re- 
 ceiving their share of public offices, they have never 
 been willing to sacrifice their independence to se- 
 cure any position, either political or commercial. 
 Thomas Philbrick was a sea captain, and man}' 
 of his descendants have followed the sea, or made 
 their homes near the ocean or some other body of 
 water. They have usually been fairly prosper- 
 ous men, none of them being either very rich or 
 very poor. 
 
 The first of the family in America was Thomas 
 Philbrick, who emigrated from Lincolnshire, 
 England, to Watertown, Massachusetts, about 
 1630. He was a shipmaster, and, about 1650, 
 removed to Hampton, New Hampshire, where 
 two of his sons had preceded him. He died in 
 1667, surviving his wife, Elizabeth, who passed 
 away in 1663. The names of the parents in 
 direct line from Thomas to George A. Philbrick, 
 are as follows: James (eldest son of Thomas) and 
 Ann Roberts (daughter of Thomas Roberts); 
 Capt. James and Hannah (Perkins); Deacon 
 Joseph and Elizabeth (Perkins) ; James and 
 Tabitha (Dow); David and Jane (Marston); and 
 Simon and Louisa (Young). The family has 
 been known in England for many centuries; one 
 member (then called De Philbrique) was one of the 
 followers of William the Conqueror, in his conquest 
 of that country. In England the name is gen- 
 erally spelled Philbrick, though by some it is 
 still called Philbrique. 
 
 Simon Philbrick was born in Ossipee, New 
 Hampshire, and there learned the trade of car- 
 penter. After his marriage he removed to 
 Corinna, Maine, where he purchased a farm and 
 lived for the remainder of his life. He was a man 
 universally loved and respected, being noted for 
 his strict honesty and integrity. He was a sin- 
 cere member of the Free Will Baptist Church, 
 and his house was the meeting place for all the 
 clergy, who always found a warm welcome. He 
 died June 19, 1878, aged seventy-five years. 
 Mrs. Louisa Philbrick was of Scotch descent. 
 She passed away in 1888^ aged eighty-two years. 
 They were the parents of three sons, as follows: 
 Jacob, a farmer in Corinna, Maine; George, the 
 subject of this notice; and John W., who died in 
 Corinna in 1873. The latter, who was a most 
 estimable young man, contracted the small-pox 
 of a woman for whom he did a service on a rail- 
 way train, which caused his death. 
 
 George A. Philbrick remained on the home 
 farm until he reached the age of twenty years, at- 
 tending the country schools and the academy at 
 Corinna and Fox Croft. He then taught school two 
 years in the country schools of his native State, 
 and the same length of time in Delaware and 
 Maryland. In 1857 he removed to Illinois, where 
 he taught one year in Adams Count}-, and then 
 served six years as principal at Hamilton. In 
 1864 he entered the employ of Gafford & Com- 
 pany, pork packers in Iowa, as bookkeeper, and 
 in May, 1865, he came to Chicago. In the school 
 year of 1868-69 he taught in a part of Cicero, 
 which is now included in the city, and in the 
 meantime was elected town clerk, also receiving 
 at this time the office of secretary of the, Union 
 Park Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted
 
 624 
 
 JOHN BARTELS. 
 
 Masons. He held the office of town clerk four 
 and one-half years, and April 24, 1874, was ap- 
 pointed treasurer of the school trustees of Cicero. 
 The latter position he has ever since retained, his 
 term expiring in 1898, and making twenty-four 
 years of continuous service. During that time 
 the town of Cicero has had remarkable develop- 
 ment, and though of much smaller area than for- 
 merly, its population is made up largely of 
 wealthy and intelligent men, who take great pride 
 in their schools, and insist upon having the best 
 in the State. The amount expended through 
 Mr. Philbrick, as shown by his report for the year 
 from April, 1896, to April, 1897, was $235, 593. 72. 
 On the organization of the Cicero Building and 
 Loan Association, in 1886, Mr. Philbrick became 
 a director and was four years treasurer, and since 
 1891 he has been secretary. At the time of the 
 Great Fire of 1 87 1 he was in charge of the books 
 of the township treasurer of Cicero and many 
 corporations, and so thoroughly familiar was he 
 with their financial affairs, that, though the 
 books were destroyed, including many notes, he 
 was able to supply substitutes for all the missing 
 papers and the names of all the debtors of the 
 town in school matters. It is doubtful if there is 
 another record of such powers of concentration 
 and memory in America or elsewhere. At this 
 time he filled the following offices and kept their 
 
 accounts: secretary of Union Park Lodge; town 
 clerk of the town of Cicero; ex-officio secretary 
 of the board of trustees of the town of Cicero; 
 secretary of the Chicago Asphalt Company and 
 secretary and treasurer of the Chicago and Joliet 
 Gravel Company, also secretary of the town 
 treasurer and supervisor. Over one and a-half 
 million accounts were destroyed and not a dollar 
 was lost track of, owing to his remarkable memory. 
 October 25, 1855, Mr. Philbrick married Mary 
 Hinds Stevens, who was born in Dover, Maine, 
 and is a daughter of Nathaniel M. and Betsy 
 (Hinds) Stevens. One daughter was born of 
 this union, Mary A., now the wife of Oliver W. 
 Marble, an architect of Chicago. Mrs. Philbrick 
 is an enthusiastic disciple of Christian science, 
 devoting much of her time to that study. She is 
 one of three ladies that prevented saloons from 
 being established in Austin. Her husband also 
 takes great interest in this subject, feeling that 
 he has had practical demonstration of the truth of 
 this science. Mr. Philbrick was initiated into 
 Masonry in Penobscot Lodge, Dexter, Maine, in 
 1855. He was subsequently connected for ten 
 years with Union Park Lodge, of Chicago. He 
 is now a member of Cicero Chapter, No. 180, 
 Royal Arch Masons, at Austin, and has been its 
 treasurer since 1878. He is also a member of 
 Siloam Comtnandery. 
 
 JOHN BARTELS. 
 
 QOHN BARTELS was born December 4, 1828, 
 I in Luderditmarshen, Holstein, Germany, of 
 Q) honored German ancestry. He came to 
 America when he was twenty-four years of age, 
 being an ambitious youth, and attracted thither 
 by the great opportunities offered to men of en- 
 terprise. He settled in Chicago, and being a 
 frugal and industrious man, worked and saved 
 
 until he was able to engage in business for him- 
 self, and gradually gained prosperity. In 1880 
 he started a flour and feed store on the corner of 
 Milwaukee Avenue and Pratt Street, and two 
 years later he was able to buy a lot on the corner 
 of Milwaukee Avenue and Carpenter Street, where 
 he built a store. This was about the time of the 
 assassination of President Lincoln. Mr. Bartels
 
 W. L. WILCOX. 
 
 625 
 
 continued business there until his death. For 
 many years John Baumgartner was his partner. 
 
 January 7, 1871, Mr. Bartels' death occurred, 
 resulting from an injury done by a wagon. His 
 wife continued the business many years, with 
 commendable commercial tact and enterprise. 
 She finally sold out and began improving the 
 real estate she owned, and in this she was also 
 successful. John Bartels was well and favorably 
 known by the community, and especially by the 
 German element. He was a shrewd business 
 man and had a remarkably large acquaintance. 
 
 He was a member of the Independent Order ol 
 Odd Fellows, the Schleswig-Holstein Verein and 
 the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 January 9, 1872, Mrs. Bartels married Jacob 
 Bartels, a brother of her first husband. She was 
 married the first time on June 14, 1857, and by 
 this union had two children, Robert Herman and 
 Lewis. She and her second husband became the 
 parents of two children, Alvina A. and Alfred J. 
 The family is connected with the Lutheran 
 Evangelical Church, and its members are honored 
 and respected by all who know them. 
 
 WILLIAM L WILCOX. 
 
 LE ROY WILCOX was born, 
 November 13, 1859, in Allegany County, 
 New York. He was the son of William 
 and Elizabeth (Van Velzor) Wilcox, of Allegany 
 County, near the town of Friendship. The fam- 
 ily moved in 1871 to Grand Rapids, Michigan, 
 where, a few years later, his mother died, leaving 
 the other children in his care. Notwithstanding 
 this heavy responsibility, he was able to enter 
 the Michigan Agricultural College at Lansing at 
 the age of eighteen years, teaching school during 
 vacations and pursuing the study of medicine 
 without a preceptor, when not engaged at his 
 regular duties. 
 
 In 1 88 1 he moved to Chicago and entered Ben- 
 nett Medical College, where a number of prizes 
 for scholarship marked his devotion to his work. 
 Upon his graduation, in 1883, he began the prac- 
 tice of his profession at Irving Park, near Chi- 
 cago, at the same time occupying successively the 
 chairs of Demonstrator of Chemistry and Assist- 
 ant Professor of Surgery in his alma mater. In 
 time his increasing practice compelled a relin- 
 quishinent of these positions. He graduated 
 
 from Rush Medical College in 1889, and was 
 health inspector of the Twenty-seventh Ward until 
 his trip to Europe in 1891. He took his family 
 with him and spent a year abroad, most of it in 
 the London hospitals and Heidelberg University, 
 Germany. 
 
 December 18, 1883, Dr. Wilcox married Miss 
 Mary Elma Adams, daughter of James W. and 
 Lee (Bowman) Adams the former of Scotch 
 descent and a native of Ohio, and the latter a 
 native of Canada. Four children blessed their 
 union, namely: Hazel Lee, Leon Bowman, Albyn 
 Adams and Mary Eula. 
 
 Dr. Wilcox was always true to the trust left 
 him by his mother, and never forgot the welfare 
 of his brothers and sisters. He was the architect 
 of his own fortunes and made a success in life, 
 under circumstances that would have appalled 
 most men. In his noble life-work he was ably 
 assisted by his wife, who survives him and who 
 was a worthy companion of such a man. She was 
 ever ready to aid and support him in all his un- 
 dertakings, with her encouragement and faith in 
 him. Both were active members of the American
 
 626 
 
 ARCHIBALD CLYBOURN. 
 
 Reformed Church of Irving Park. At the time 
 of Dr. Wilcox' death he was a member of the 
 Illinois State Medical Society and Chicago Medi- 
 cal Society. He was a member of the Masonic 
 
 order, being a Master Mason; a member of Irving 
 Park Chapter and Saint Elmo Commandery. He 
 died from an accident, September 22, 1895, and 
 was buried with Masonic honors. 
 
 ARCHIBALD CLYBOURN. 
 
 RCHIBALD CLYBOURN, the second civil- 
 I 1 ian settler of Chicago, might with much 
 / I truth be called the first. Though he was 
 preceded by Gurdon S. Hubbard, the latter came 
 here to trade with the Indians, and it is an open 
 question whether he intended at the time to make 
 a permanent location. Mr. Clybourn left his Vir- 
 ginia home with the intention of settling here, be- 
 cause he had heard glowing accounts of the beauty 
 and fertility of the country. In his day he saw 
 the wilderness grow to be a city, having a popu- 
 lation of many hundreds of thousands. 
 
 He was born in the second year of the present 
 century, on the 28th day of August, at Pearis- 
 burgh, Giles County, Virginia, and was a son of 
 Jonas and Elizabeth (Mackenzie) Clybourn. 
 His mother, with a sister, was stolen from their 
 home near Pearisburgh, by the Indians in child- 
 hood, but was afterward restored to her friends. 
 While in captivity she married a trader named 
 Clark; and her sister married John Kinzie, of 
 whom extended mention appears elsewhere. 
 
 Archibald Clybourn lived on a Virginia farm 
 until he attained his majority, enjoying the 
 limited advantages of that period and region. 
 On the 24th day of August, 1823, he arrived in 
 Chicago, and soon afterward took a position in the 
 store of John A. Kinzie at that point. In 1826 
 he was located on the Fox River, engaged in 
 trade with the Indians. The next year, in com- 
 pany with his brother, Henly Clybourn, he en- 
 tered into a contract with the United States 
 Government to furnish beef to its soldiers in this 
 section, and for several years traveled over the 
 
 State and Northwest, buying up and driving in 
 cattle with which to carry out this agreement. 
 On one occasion, the Rev. Peter Cartwright, 
 afterward celebrated as a pioneer preacher, was 
 assisting him to drive in some cattle which Cly- 
 bourn had purchased from Cartwright; and being 
 provoked at the clergyman's clumsiness in hand- 
 ling cattle, the frontiersman, with characteristic 
 bluntness, assured the preacher that he would 
 have to be a better herder of sinners than of cattle 
 or he would never make his salt in the business. 
 During the Black Hawk War, when thousands of 
 settlers flocked to Fort Dearborn for protection, 
 Mr. Clybourn drew heavily on his large flocks 
 for the sustenance of the refugees, for which he 
 never received any appreciable remuneration, and 
 this liberality was all that avoided a famine in 
 the little hamlet of Chicago. 
 
 After a short time Mr. Clybourn bought out 
 his brother's interest in the beef contracts, which 
 he continued to fulfill until the removal of the 
 garrison from Chicago to Green Bay. He con- 
 tinued extensively in the meat business at Chi- 
 cago until his death, which occurred on the 
 2jd of August, 1872. 
 
 In the course of his life Mr. Clybourn dealt con- 
 siderably in real estate, and one of the principal 
 North Side avenues is named in his honor. For 
 a short period, at the time of the first settlements 
 at Milwaukee, he was interested with Byron Kil- 
 bourn in the site of that town, and one of its 
 thoroughfares now bears his name, but he soon 
 returned to Chicago. Mr. Clybourn took an 
 active interest in the affairs of this city during its
 
 ARCHIBALD CLYBOURN. 
 
 627 
 
 formative period, and was called upon to bear his 
 share in the conduct of local affairs. He served 
 several years as a justice of the peace, being 
 appointed in 1831 the first in Chicago, and was 
 the first treasurer of Cook County. While Chi- 
 cago was yet a precinct of Peoria County, he was 
 made its constable, and later served as trustee of 
 the school section. In early life he was in polit- 
 ical sentiment what was known as a Henry Clay 
 Whig, was an ardent Abolitionist and was among 
 the founders of the Republican party, which he 
 lived to see in possession of all the departments of 
 the National Government; and was able to rejoice 
 with many others in the emancipation of the 
 American slave. In religious faith he was a Uni- 
 versalist, and was one of the organizers of Saint 
 Paul's Church of that denomination in Chicago. 
 He helped to build Baptist and Methodist 
 churches, and in every way sustained his part in 
 developing the moral, as well as the material, wel- 
 fare of his home city. In the memory of the 
 pioneers of Chicago he has ever been cherished as 
 one of her most upright and worthy citizens. 
 
 Jonas Clybourn was descended from one of the 
 founders of the American Nation, Capt. Will- 
 iam Clayborne, a member of the council and 
 secretary of the colony of Virginia. Captain 
 Clayborne was the first to settle on lands now 
 within the State of Maryland, and contested the 
 possession of Kent Island, in Chesapeake Bay, 
 with Lord Baltimore. From him are descended 
 all bearing the name, which has undergone sev- 
 eral changes in spelling, being oft en written Clai- 
 borne, as well as Clybourn, in America. The 
 Magazine of Western History says: "Coming of 
 this stock on his father's side, Archibald Clybourn 
 inherited in addition, from his mother, a love of the 
 broad, grassy plains, the hills and dales, the riv- 
 ers and lakes, of the far West with which she had 
 become acquainted in childhood and young wo- 
 manhood. The acquaintance was not made 
 under the most favorable circumstances, it is true, 
 but the natural beauty of the country had ap- 
 pealed to her in the midst of her savage surround- 
 ings. " After eighteen years of captivity 1777 to 
 1795 she was restored by the treaty of Wayne 
 to her parents and friends, and was married in 
 
 her native Virginia to Jonas Clybourn. At the 
 time of her capture by predatory Shawnees, her 
 mother, brother and older sister and a baby were 
 killed. The father and a brother were at the 
 time at a fort in quest of protection for the 
 settlers. 
 
 Archibald Clybourn was one of the three origi- 
 nal white settlers of Chicago. The first was John 
 Kinzie, who married Cly bourn's aunt while 
 she was in Indian captivity, and who came to 
 Chicago in 1804. Following him was GurdonS. 
 Hubbard, who arrived in 1818 and engaged in 
 trade with the Indians. The story of Clybourn's 
 journey to Chicago is thus interestingly told by 
 the same writer quoted above Mr. Howard 
 Louis Conard: "Accepting from his father a pres- 
 ent of one hundred dollars in money and a 
 horse, he left his Virginia home on the 23d day 
 of May, 1823. He had determined to make the 
 trip to Fort Dearborn on horseback, and the 
 journey which commenced when he turned his 
 back on the place of his birth was a long and 
 tedious one. After leaving Chillicothe, Ohio, 
 his course lay through an almost unbroken wil- 
 derness until he reached the open, prairie coun- 
 try. There were no roads and in many places no 
 well-defined trails to be followed, and his progress 
 was necessarily slow. For hundreds of miles he 
 traveled through a country almost as thickly 
 settled now as New England in which there was 
 not to be found so much as a settler's cabin. 
 When he laid down at night it was with no other 
 shelter than the starry canopy overhead, while 
 for protection against wild animals and savages 
 alike he could only rely upon the rifle, which was 
 always at his side. The same trusty rifle fur- 
 nished him the means of subsistence, which con- 
 sisted of the game shot from day to day and 
 cooked in the most primitive fashion over a camp 
 fire. ' ' Two years later he induced his parents to 
 come to Chicago, with the entire family. "Jonas 
 Clybourn, the father, was a sturdy old Virginian, 
 who had served his country in the War of 1812, 
 fought Indians in his boyhood and early man- 
 hood, and felt quite at home among the natives 
 of the prairie region. * * Mrs. Clybourn found 
 herself in a familiar locality. Twent3'-five years
 
 628 
 
 JOHN KAY. 
 
 earlier she had traversed the country with the 
 Indian tribe by which she had been brought up, 
 and the changes of a quarter of a century had not 
 materially altered the appearance." 
 
 Mr. Cly bourn's business experience was not 
 unlike that of many early residents of Chicago, 
 who supposed themselves able to retire on a com- 
 fortable competence before the Great Fire of 1871. 
 He was a diligent worker and shrewd investor, 
 and by the time he had been a dozen years in Illi- 
 nois he was considered immensely wealthy. He 
 owned large tracts of land in Wisconsin and 
 Michigan, besides his extensive holdings in the 
 embryo city of Chicago. The financial troubles 
 of 1837 found his interests widely diversified, 
 and he endeavored by the sale of his lands out- 
 side the city of Chicago to retain his business 
 standing and credit. He succeeded in selling the 
 lands, but before he could get to Chicago with 
 the "carpet sack full of money" which they 
 brought him, the money had become almost 
 valueless and his sacrifice was largely in vain. 
 However, he had in large measure recovered his 
 fortune when the Great Fire again robbed him of 
 most of his accumulations. He was now almost 
 seventy years of age, and it was too late to begin 
 life anew. He never lost his cheerfulness, and 
 his closing years were passed in the peaceful con- 
 
 templation of the city 's rapid growth and in happy 
 social intercourse with his contemporaries. His 
 handsome brick dwelling, which stood on a slight 
 eminence near the North Branch of the Chicago 
 River, on what is now known as Elston Avenue, 
 was the first of that material in or near Chicago, 
 and was known as the Clybourn mansion. 
 
 In 1829 Mr. Clybourn was married to Miss 
 Mary Galloway, who was born in Conneaut, 
 Erie County, Pennsylvania, on the I2th of Aug- 
 ust, 1812, and who still survives, in a vigorous 
 and peaceful old age. She is a daughter of James 
 Galloway, of whom extended mention will be 
 found in the biography of Joel Ellis. Of the ten 
 children of Archibald and Mary Clybourn, Sarah, 
 Mrs. Vincent Barney, resides at Morley, Illinois. 
 Margaret, now deceased, was the wife of Richard 
 Holden, who resides in Chicago; James is the 
 successor of his father in business, being proprie- 
 tor of a fine meat market in Chicago. John died 
 here, as the effect of his service in the Union 
 army; he went out as a captain, and returned as 
 major of the Twelfth Illinois Volunteers. Will- 
 iam and Henry C. reside in Chicago, where 
 Charles died, leaving five children. Mary is Mrs. 
 John C. Parks, of Chicago; Frank is a commis- 
 sion dealer at the Stock Yards in Chicago, in 
 which city Martha also resides. 
 
 JOHN KAY. 
 
 (lOHN KAY was born April 14, 1842, in 
 Yorkshire, England, at Borrow Bridge. He 
 is a son of Abel Archdale and Elizabeth 
 (Marshall) Kay, both of whom were born in the 
 same locality, which was the home of their fam- 
 ilies. Abel A. Kay was a poor man, and his 
 wife was the daughter of a wealthy landowner. 
 They came to America with their eight children 
 in 1843, and went direct to the hotel of Charles 
 
 McDonald, on the corner of Market and Randolph 
 Streets, Chicago, which was the rallying place 
 for all English emigrants who came to Cook 
 County. Mr. Kay bought over one hundred 
 acres of land, on which Captain Johnson had filed 
 a claim and built a very comfortable house, and 
 in this Mr. Kay lived until his death. He died 
 in 1848, and for several years his wife conducted 
 the farm, and then rented it until her son John
 
 LUDWIG HAMMERSTROM. 
 
 629 
 
 was old enough to cultivate it. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Kay had the following children: Ann, who mar- 
 ried Mr. McClanathan and is now dead; Abel, 
 who died in 1891; Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas 
 Burkill, of Jefferson Township), now deceased; 
 Frances, Mrs. McClanathan;'Jane, who married 
 Edward Gray, and is deceased; Emma, Mrs. 
 William Myers, who lived on the old homestead, 
 and is now deceased; Marshall, who died at the 
 age of seventeen; John, the subject of this sketch; 
 and Joseph Archdale, who was born in Jefferson 
 Township, and still lives on part of the old farm. 
 John Kay enjoyed a very limited opportunity 
 for an education. His father and a neighbor built a 
 log schoolhouse, and his father's house was 
 usually the home of the teacher. When he was 
 
 sixteen years of age, he began the care of the 
 farm, and he was engaged at this until 1869, when 
 it was divided. Mrs. Kay died in December, 
 1889, aged eighty-four years, and thus ended the 
 life of one who had been of good influence in the 
 community, and who had lived a long and useful 
 life. She was reared in the Church of England 
 and joined the Congregational Church in later 
 life, and her children were reared in the Baptist 
 faith. 
 
 John Kay is a member of the Sons of Saint 
 George. In politics he thinks for himself, and 
 does not follow the dictates of any party, but sup- 
 ports the man he regards as most fitted for office. 
 He is a good, reliable citizen and enjoys uni- 
 versal respect. 
 
 LUDWIG HAMMERSTROM. 
 
 I UDWIG HAMMERSTROM, an old citizen 
 It of Cook County, was born January 17, 
 l_2r 1829, in Tueckhude, Kreis Demmin, Pom- 
 mern, Germany. He received a limited educa- 
 tion in his native country and then learned the 
 trade of mason. Being eager for an opportunity 
 to rise in position, and hoping to find this in 
 America, he decided to emigrate. 
 
 With his wife and one child he set sail from 
 Hamburg in the summer of 1856, and arrived in 
 Chicago October 15 of the same year. Since 
 that time Mr. Hammerstrom has been a resident 
 of Cook County, taking great interest in the 
 growth of the great metropolis. He followed 
 his trade until the fire of 1871, when his home 
 on Tomey Street and his household furniture 
 were destroyed. He owned two houses on Sedg- 
 wick Street, from which he received one hun- 
 dred and sixty dollars in insurance, on a claim 
 
 of thirty-five hundred dollars. Shortly after the 
 fire he built a comfortable residence on Sedg- 
 wick Street, and in 1872 he established a saloon 
 and liquor store at the corner of Willow and Hal- 
 sted Streets, which he conducted for five years. 
 
 About 1877 Mr. Hammerstrom bought land 
 near Niles Center, where he resided two years, 
 engaged in farming, and then removed to the 
 northwest corner of Halsted and Willow Streets. 
 Five years later he sold his business interests, 
 and now lives in retirement and ease. In 1883 
 he built the handsome brick structure on that 
 corner, in which he has his residence. 
 
 Mr. Hammerstrom is a supporter of the Re- 
 publican party, but has never held any public 
 office. He is a member of the Workingmen's 
 Society. He and his family are connected with 
 the Lutheran Church, and are respected as in- 
 telligent and refined members of society.
 
 630 
 
 FRANK KILCRAN. 
 
 In 1855 Mr. Hammerstrom was married to 
 Miss Caroline Gutyahr, who was born in 1834 
 in the same place as her husband. They have 
 four children, namely. William, who is a coal 
 
 dealer at Cly bourn Avenue and Garfield Street; 
 Elizabeth, the wife of Jacob Sherrer, of Niles 
 Center; Louis, who resides on Halsted Street; 
 and Anna, the wife of Henry Richter, of Chicago. 
 
 FRANK KILCRAN. 
 
 [""RANK KILCRAN, who was one of the old- 
 rft est settlers of South Chicago, was born in 
 | ^ County Leitrim, Ireland, and was a son of 
 Patrick and Bridget Kilcran, natives of that 
 country. He received his education in his native 
 land, and in 1847 emigrated to America, settling 
 on the South Side in the city of Chicago. For a 
 number of years Mr. Kilcran was in the employ 
 of Richmond & Company, vessel owners and 
 grain shippers, and later he was engaged by Gage 
 & Haynes, with whom he remained until their 
 business closed out. 
 
 He went on the Board of Trade as a represent- 
 ative of his last employers, buying and selling for 
 them, and later entered the commission business 
 with Michael Kerwin. Mr. Kilcran became an 
 expert grain inspector, and as such found employ- 
 ment on the Board of Trade, this position then 
 being an important one. He was thus employed 
 when there were only ten members on the Board, 
 and was the most expert inspector, all matters of 
 dispute being settled by him, and his opinions 
 were unquestioningly received. 
 
 In 1875 he retired from active business and 
 removed to South Chicago, where he resided un- 
 til his death. He bought land on Superior Av- 
 enue, between Eighty-eighth and Eighty-ninth 
 Streets, where he remained five years, and then 
 bought property at No. 9056 Ontario Avenue, 
 where he built and occupied a comfortable resi- 
 dence and hotel. 
 
 February 4, 1855, he was married to Miss 
 Hannah Cagney, daughter of Cornelius and Mary 
 (Connel) Cagney, born in Limerick, Ireland, in 
 1834. She emigrated to America in 1849, and 
 has lived here since. Mr. and Mrs. Kilcran had 
 six children, as follows: Mary, who married Peter 
 Jackson, a biography of whom appears on another 
 page of this volume; Frank, who died at the age 
 of fourteen years; William, who died when twen- 
 ty-five years of age; Annie, who died at the age 
 of seven months; another Annie, who died when 
 four months old; and James T. , who has a posi- 
 tion in the county recorder's office, and who 
 married Nellie A. Reilly, and has two children, 
 Frank and James. 
 
 Mr. Kilcran was a communicant of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. He died June 23, 1891, at his 
 residence, and in his death Chicago lost a valu- 
 able and useful citizen. He always had a kind 
 look and word for all who had dealings with him, 
 and was beloved by old and young alike. He was 
 genial and witty, and liked to detail his early ex- 
 perience in the city when it was in its infancy. 
 He was sick only ten days before his death, from 
 dropsy, which followed an attack of la grippe. 
 He was a member of the Old Settlers' Associa- 
 tion, and had the respect and esteem of all resi- 
 dents of South Chicago. In politics he was a 
 supporter of the Republican party. In all his 
 business dealings he was honest and fair, and al- 
 ways inspired confidence in others.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF fHE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 LOUIS F. J. M. KURZ 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 L. F. J. M. KURZ. 
 
 631 
 
 LOUIS F. J. M. KURZ. 
 
 I GUIS FERDINAND JOSEPH MAXIMIL- 
 
 I 1 LIAN KURZ was born November 23, 1835, 
 l J at Salzburg, Austria, which place is well 
 known all over the continent for its picturesque 
 scenery, the magnificent Alps forming the back- 
 ground, and the grand old castle of Hohen 
 Salzburg seeming to stand as the pinnacle of a 
 high rocky mound, round which the town is built. 
 The salt mines, from which this city received its 
 name, are also far-famed. 
 
 The father of Mr. Kurz was an officer in the 
 Austrian army and was appointed to the office of 
 controller, an important one on account of col- 
 lecting the revenue of the country. However, 
 Mr. Joseph Aegid Kurz thought a better field 
 opened for him in America, and in 1846 he ar- 
 rived in New York City, where he remained two 
 mouths. Not being satisfied with his opportu- 
 nities in this city, he followed the advice of Hor- 
 ace Greely to "Go West, young man," and 
 reached Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Here he formed 
 a musical society, celebrated for its encourage- 
 ment of high-grade music. He also frequently 
 visited Chicago, and formed in that city and in 
 Milwaukee the first German theatre. His meth- 
 ods were conducive of culture and refinement, 
 and Mr. Kurz had the respect and admiration of 
 all who knew him. In 1855 the worlds of music 
 and drama were called upon to mourn the loss of 
 this benefactor. 
 
 The subject of this sketch received his first 
 education in the Normal school of his native 
 town, Salzburg, and subsequently attended a 
 military school, where he devoted most of his 
 
 time to the study of drawing and painting. His 
 first work, which drew attention to his art, was a 
 pitcure of the battle of Buena Vista, Mexico, 
 which was brought before the public in 1848. 
 He has also made many paintings of churches in 
 America, and many scenes in the theatres of Mil- 
 waukee and Chicago and other cities are the 
 work of his hand. 
 
 Mr. Kurz spent his time in both Milwaukee 
 and Chicago. Going to Chicago in 1848, he re- 
 mained two months, then returned to Milwaukee, 
 where he remained until 1852, and after the burn- 
 ing of his father's theater in 1854 he again went 
 to Milwaukee. In 1863 he located in Chicago and 
 formed a partnership with William Floto and Ed- 
 ward Carqueville, the company then being known 
 as the Chicago Lithographic Company. This 
 firm was burned out in the Great Fire of 1871, 
 when Mr. Kurz removed to Milwaukee and re- 
 mained until 1878. He then formed a partner- 
 ship with Alexander Allison, and they still con- 
 tinue business at art publishers at Nos. 267 and 
 269 Wabash Avenue. He always retained his 
 interest in affairs of art, and was of immense serv- 
 ice to the people of Chicago by founding what 
 was then known as the Academy of Design, now 
 called the Art Institute. 
 
 In the year 1857 he was married to Miss Mary 
 Erker in Jefferson, Wisconsin. She was born in 
 Truebau, Moravia, Austria, and came with her 
 parents to the United States when very young. 
 For several years Mrs. Kurz' parents made their 
 home in New York City, and when the}' came 
 West located in Jefferson, where Mr. Erker was a
 
 632 
 
 H. W. MARTIN. 
 
 cabinet-maker. Mr. and Mrs. Kurz have ten 
 children living. The eldest daughter, Laura, 
 was born in 1858, Louis Otto in 1860, Frank 
 Siegel in 1861, Martha in 1863, Ida in 1865, 
 George Maximillian in 1867, John Hans in 1869, 
 Anna in 1872, Henry in 1874, and Mollie in 
 1876. 
 
 During the Civil War Mr. Kurz was employed 
 in making topographical sketches of the southern 
 forts. When he sailed from Bremen in the old- 
 fashioned side- wheel steamer "Washington," the 
 voyage was scarcely begun when it was necessary 
 to put into Southampton for repairs to the ma- 
 chinery, which again gave out in mid-ocean, so 
 
 that the voyage to New York occupied thirty 
 days. This he describes as being more of a hard- 
 ship than he experienced while in service during 
 the war. He came up the -Hudson to Troy in the 
 old "Isaac Newton," from there went by canal 
 to Buffalo, and thence to Milwaukee by the 
 steamer "Niagara." 
 
 It is such highly educated people as Mr. Kurz 
 that realize the needs of America, give a tone 
 of refinement to our society, and make us ad- 
 vance in the arts and sciences as a nation. 
 America has always a warm and heart}' welcome 
 for such men and feels proud of being able to 
 record them among her citizens. 
 
 HARRY W. MARTIN. 
 
 HARRY WESTLUN MARTIN was born 
 October 15, 1837, in a United States Arsenal 
 at Bridesburg, now in Philadelphia, Penn- 
 sylvania, and is a son of John Thomas and Eliza 
 Ann (Westlun) Martin. 
 
 His maternal great-grandfather was a Scotch 
 Highlander, who took part in the Revolutionary 
 War, and his son, Charles Westlun, the father of 
 Eliza A. Westlun, was born in New Jersey. He 
 was a shoe manufacturer of Philadelphia, and 
 took part in the War of 1812. His wife, Char- 
 lotte Jones, was born in New Jersey, and they 
 were the parents of the following children: Elmer, 
 Alvey, Mary, Eliza Ann (mother of Harry W. 
 Martin), Charles and Annie. 
 
 John Thomas Martin was born in the northern 
 part of Ireland, and emigrated to America with 
 his parents when six years old. He was a cedar 
 cooper, and was working in the arsenal at Brides- 
 burg when his son Harry was born. He died 
 in 1858, at the age of forty years, and his wife 
 died March 8, 1869, at the age of fifty-one years. 
 
 Harry Westlun Martin received his education 
 in the common schools of Philadelphia, and at the 
 age of fourteen years began learning the trade of 
 paper-making, which he followed three years, and 
 was subsequently engaged three and one-half 
 years at the trade of machinist and engineer. He 
 remained in Philadelphia until 1859, and then re- 
 moved to Wheeling, West Virginia, where he 
 was living at the outbreak of the Civil War. 
 
 He enlisted at Wheeling in May, 1861, in 
 Company I, First West Virginia Regiment. He 
 served for three months, and then went into the 
 United States Navy, as a fireman on the gun-boat 
 ' ' Massachusetts. ' ' He served eight months, and 
 was then made third assistant engineer and served 
 as such until the close of the war. He took part 
 in the engagements at Fort Fisher and Mobile, 
 and the vessel on which he was employed co- 
 operated with General Sherman on his famous 
 March to the Sea. Mr. Martin was taken prisoner 
 at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and spent four 
 months in a prison at Belle Isle before he was ex-
 
 W. H. SPIKINGS. 
 
 633 
 
 changed. Me was discharged in New York, 
 July 2, 1865, from the gun-boat "State of 
 Georgia." 
 
 At the close of the war Mr. Martin removed 
 to Decatur, Illinois, and was employed by his 
 uncle, John K. Cole, who owned a paper mill, 
 where he remained two years, and then went to 
 Moline, Illinois, where he worked at the same 
 trade. Later he started a mill for the New York 
 & Fred ericksburg Fiber Company, in Fredericks- 
 burgh, Virginia, and conducted it three years. 
 At the end of this time he removed to Elmwood, 
 New Jersey, and was engaged as a machinist in 
 a mill, in the employ of Nelson Gavit, of Phila- 
 delphia. He erected works at Pittston, Pennsyl- 
 vania, went to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and 
 later to Newark, Ohio, and this was the close of 
 his career in paper mills. 
 
 In February, 1882, he came to Chicago, and en- 
 tered the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail- 
 road as engineer and engine dispatcher. He re- 
 mained in this employ for three years and then 
 went into the service of the Illinois Steel Com- 
 pany, then known as the North Chicago Rolling 
 Mill Company, as stationary engineer, and he 
 has since continued this work, having won the 
 trust of his employers by his attention to duty. 
 
 He was married October 15, 1861, to Lydia Ann 
 Weese, a daughter of Absalom and Eunice 
 (Marstellar) Weese, of Randolph, West Virginia. 
 They have three children, namely: Clifford Henry, 
 Emlin Albert and Ell wood Preston. Mr. Martin 
 and his family are connected with the Baptist 
 Church. He takes an active interest in politics, 
 and is a stanch supporter of the principles of the 
 Republican party. 
 
 WILLIAM H. SPIKINGS. 
 
 IILLIAM HARDING SPIKINGS, a 
 
 well-known contractor and public-spirited 
 citizen of northwest Chicago, was born 
 May 3, 1848, within a few rods of his present 
 residence. He is the oldest son of Richard Y. 
 and Cornelia A. (Harding) Spikings, of whom 
 extended notice will be found elsewhere in this 
 volume. 
 
 William H. Spikings spent his early years on 
 the old homestead, which was near the North 
 Branch of the Chicago River. He attended the 
 common schools of the district, then a part of 
 the town of Jefferson, and later he completed his 
 education at the Newberry, Franklin, Ogden and 
 Mosely schools of this city, graduating from the 
 latter in 1866. On leaving school, he chose the 
 trade of wire-working, in which he became quite 
 
 proficient, but in order to take up work more in 
 keeping with his vigorous nature, he became a 
 member of the Northwestern Bill-Posting Com- 
 pany. This enterprise was quite successful, 
 though at that time this method of advertising 
 was still a novelty. In 1867 Mr. Spikings 
 opened a brick yard on the old farm, where he 
 manufactured brick about seven years. Much of 
 the product of this yard is still in use, being seen 
 in many of the finest houses of Irving Park and 
 vicinity. 
 
 Having acquired a considerable knowledge of 
 building, he began taking contracts for the erec- 
 tion and moving of houses and other structures. 
 In this line of work he has since continued with 
 marked success, making a specialty of raising 
 and moving various kinds of buildings. As an
 
 634 
 
 ROBERT HASTINGS. 
 
 evidence of his versatility, it may be mentioned that 
 he manufactured bricks for the fine residence he 
 now occupies, and that he built the same through- 
 out, having the assistance of only one man. On 
 his own estate he has built several houses, which 
 are good evidences of his skill as a mechanic. 
 
 January i , 1874, was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Spikings and Miss Minnie Steele, who was 
 born in Stockholm, Sweden, at which place her 
 parents are buried. This union was blessed with 
 five children, as follows: Alice Cornelia, Florence 
 Matilda, William Robinson, Frank and Richard 
 Young. The three eldest children are graduates 
 of the Jefferson High School. The second is the 
 wife of Dr. F. I. Brown, of Irving Park, and the 
 third is in the collecting department of the mer- 
 cantile establishment of Marshall Field & Com- 
 
 pany. The family is connected with the Re- 
 formed Church of Irving Park. Mr. Spikings 
 contributed a lot for the benefit of the branch of 
 the church in his vicinity. 
 
 Fraternally he is a member of Jefferson Lodge, 
 No. 103, Independent Order of Mutual Aid, and 
 Court Irving, No. 45, Independent Order of 
 Foresters. Since attaining his majority, he has 
 been an adherent of the Republican party, and 
 has been judge of election in his ward for manj- 
 years. He is a warm supporter of the free edu- 
 cational system, and for about thirteen years 
 previous to the annexation of Jefferson to the 
 city, acted as school director. Though modest 
 and unassuming in manner, he is, moreover, genial 
 and companionable, and has many warm friends 
 among all classes. 
 
 ROBERT HASTINGS. 
 
 ROBERT HASTINGS, who is now an hon- 
 ored citizen of Jefferson Park, was born 
 July 2, 1822, in Kirkliston, Linlithgow- 
 shire, Scotland, and is a son of John and Jane 
 (Dunlop) Hastings, both of whom were born in 
 that locality, where they spent their lives dying 
 on the same day, about 1858 or 1859. John 
 Hastings was a farmer, and to this occupation his 
 son was reared. Robert Hastings received his 
 education in the schools of his native country, 
 and when he became a man he resolved to 
 emigrate to America, of whose opportunities he 
 had heard so much. 
 
 He came in 1855, directing his steps to Chi- 
 cago. The country in Jefferson Park pleased 
 him so much that he bought land there, of which 
 he still owns forty acres. He was occupied in 
 general farming until 1891, when he sold two 
 hundred acres, and since that time the remainder 
 has been mostly rented to gardeners. Mr. 
 
 Hastings has a very pleasant home, which is lo- 
 cated on a slight elevation of ground. In 1846 
 he married Mary Duncan, a native of Kinrosshire, 
 Scotland, and she came to the United States with 
 him, dying here in 1876. 
 
 Mr. Hastings has learned to love the country 
 of his adoption, and takes an active interest in 
 the affairs of the nation. He is a naturalized 
 citizen, and since he gained the opportunity to 
 vote has been a stanch supporter of the prin- 
 ciples and candidates of the Republican party. 
 He is active in religious matters and is a 
 member of the Jefferson Park Congregational 
 Church. For more than thirty years he has been 
 connected with Saint Andrew's Society, of Chi- 
 cago. His success in life is due to his industry, 
 integrity and to his frugality. Mr. Hastings has 
 always shown very good judgment in the manage- 
 ment of all his affairs, and has won the respect 
 and friendship of all who know him.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 FRANK DIESEL 
 
 (From Photo, by \V. J. ROOTI
 
 FRANK DIESEL. 
 
 635 
 
 FRANK DIESEL. 
 
 |"~ RANK DIESEL, president and treasurer of 
 to the Frank Diesel Can Company, is a fine 
 | type of the progressive and successful Ger- 
 man-American citizens, among those who have 
 contributed an important portion of Chicago's 
 population. He was born April 9, 1838, in 
 Rhenish Bavaria, being the second in a family of 
 five children born to Michael and Theresa ( Deris) 
 Diesel. The parents were natives of Buechel- 
 berg, on the border of Alsace. They came to 
 America in 1842 and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 Michael Diesel was a poor man, and came to 
 the United States in the hope of bettering his 
 financial condition and to rear his family where 
 they could have greater opportunities for ad- 
 vancement and broader fields of usefulness. On 
 his arrival in Cincinnati his cash capital consisted 
 of three five-franc pieces. He bought an axe 
 and spent the first winter in chopping wood, after 
 which he worked for a time in a packing house. 
 Two years later he engaged in digging wells, 
 and soon began taking contracts for this line of 
 work on his own account, meeting with gratify- 
 ing success. This avocation he industriously pur- 
 sued until his death, in 1854. The following year 
 his widow sold her effects and brought her fam- 
 ily to Chicago, where she had relatives. The 
 first two children, Frank and Peter, were born in 
 Germany, and the latter died in Cincinnati about 
 1867. Charles, the third, was born upon the 
 ocean and died at the age of ten years. Eliza- 
 beth and Mary, who were born in Cincinnati, are 
 deceased. The mother survived her husband 
 
 many years, and died in Chicago, at the home of 
 her son Frank, in April, 1895, in the eighty- 
 second year of her age. 
 
 Frank Diesel, the only surviving member of 
 the family, was instructed in the common branches 
 of learning in Saint John's Parish School at Cin- 
 cinnati, in addition to which he attended night 
 school one winter. At the age of twelve years he 
 was bound out for a period of five years to learn 
 the barber's trade, but he was not satisfied with 
 the business, nor contented to remain away from 
 home, and was soon released. He was then em- 
 ployed in a tin and hardware store for a year. 
 At the age of fourteen years he began learning 
 the tinsmith's trade, and by working in different 
 places he followed the trade nearly three years in 
 Cincinnati. 
 
 Soon after his arrival in Chicago he entered 
 the employ of Michael Greenebaum, as a journey- 
 man, and remained with him until 1860. He 
 was then induced by a friend to go to Memphis, 
 Tennessee, and he remained in that city about 
 six months. He was urged to enlist in the Con- 
 federate service after the- Civil War began, but 
 this was not to his liking. On the 26th of April, 
 1 86 1, he took passage for Cincinnati on the last 
 passenger steamer which came north before the 
 realities of war were inaugurated. He arrived in 
 Cincinnati on the first day of May, and spent a 
 few days there in visiting his old home and re- 
 newing the acquaintances of his youthful days. 
 He found that most of his old associates had 
 joined the Union army, and he immediately came
 
 6 3 6 
 
 FRANK DIESEL. 
 
 to Chicago and again entered the employ of Mr 
 Greenebaum. 
 
 August 26, 1862, he enlisted for three years in 
 the Union army, and became a member of Com- 
 pany K, Eighty-ninth Illinois Volunteer Infan- 
 try, entering at once upon active duty. On the 
 last day of that year he was wounded at the bat- 
 tle of Stone River, near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 
 and was sent to the hospital at Nashville, go- 
 ing from there to Louisville, and thence to 
 Quincy, Illinois. He was discharged at the last- 
 named point on account of disability, April 10, 
 1863. He now returned to Chicago, and was 
 soon established with his old employer, with 
 whom he continued until June i, 1864. He then 
 accepted a position with Cross & Dane, manu- 
 facturers of tinware, at No. 50 State Street, and 
 for some time was employed in cutting out piece 
 work for their men. He was promoted to fore- 
 man in the pressing and stamping department, 
 and remained with this establishment during 
 various changes of ownership. He became su- 
 perintendent for the Dane, Westlake & Covert 
 Company, under Mr. Westlake, who was general 
 manager. After the Great Fire this concern was 
 consolidated with Crerar & Adams, and Adams 
 & Westlake Manufacturing Company was estab- 
 lished, with whom Mr. Diesel continued to fill 
 the position of superintendent until March, 1877. 
 
 About this time he formed a partnership with 
 Conrad Folz, who was at that time county jailer, 
 under the firm name of Diesel & Folz, and in a 
 small way they began business at No. 425 Larra- 
 bee Street. Most of their capital was borrowed, 
 but they did a successful business, and this con- 
 nection lasted six years, at the end of which time 
 Mr. Diesel bought out his partner's interest and 
 continued the business alone. In 1885 he bought 
 two lots on North Halsted Street, on which he 
 built a large factory, which he later enlarged to 
 meet the growing demands of his trade. In 1887 
 he bought additional ground and erected his 
 present commodious residence, at No. 701 North 
 Halsted Street. Under Mr. Diesel's able manage- 
 ment the business continued to grow, and as- 
 sumed such proportions that the capacity of the 
 plant had to be enlarged, and in order to enjoy 
 
 .better shipping facilities, in 1894, at a cost of 
 twenty-four thousand dollars, Mr. Diesel pur- 
 chased lots on the corner of Stewart Avenue and 
 Fortieth Street, on which he erected the present 
 large factory, and it was occupied in October of 
 that year. In the previous year the present cor- 
 poration, known as the Frank Diesel Can Com- 
 pany, was formed, the stock being held by Mr. 
 Diesel and his sons. They bought out the can de- 
 partment of the Chicago Stamping Company, 
 which was added to their already large plant. 
 This is the most important industry of its kind 
 in the West, if not in the United States. In it is 
 carried on the manufacture of fruit, meat and 
 oyster cans, sheet-metal specialties and dec- 
 orative ware. In connection is maintained a 
 lithographing department. An average of forty 
 people are employed, and the goods are marketed 
 in various parts of the United States, the annual 
 output amounting to nearly one million dollars. 
 
 Mr. Diesel is an earnest supporter of Repub- 
 lican principles in politics, but has no time for 
 office seeking, and has declined the urgent request 
 of friends to become a candidate for alderman in 
 his ward. He is a member of American Post, 
 No. 708, Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 In 1864 he was married to Miss Barbara Roos, 
 a native of Rhenish Bavaria, and daughter of 
 Louis Roos, who came to Chicago in 1851. His 
 family includes five sons and two daughters, 
 namely: Louis, Conrad, John A., Lambert, Rosa, 
 Charles and Lena. Two daughters and one son 
 beside these died in childhood. All are com- 
 municants of Saint Michael's Roman Catholic 
 Church. 
 
 Mr. Diesel is essentially a self-made man. 
 Without wealth or influential friends to start him 
 in life, by his own industry and the care of his 
 earnings he was enabled to begin business in a 
 small way. He did not relinquish his industry 
 and thrift, but continued to give close attention 
 to his business and was thus enabled to enlarge 
 and extend it until it became one of the greatest 
 industries of Chicago. To such men the city 
 owes its commercial supremacy, and the example 
 afforded by the story of his life is earnestly com- 
 mended to the emulation of our youth.
 
 J. P. CHAPIN. 
 
 637 
 
 JOHN P. CHAPIN. 
 
 (JOHN PUTNAM CHAPIN, one of the 
 I worthy pioneers and early mayors of Chi- 
 C/ cago, was descended from one of the earliest 
 settlers of Massachusetts. Deacon Samuel Cha- 
 pin came from England in 1642, and settled at 
 Springfield, Massachusetts, where he died No- 
 vember n, 1675. His son, Jacob Chapin, born 
 in 1642, died February 20, 1712. He married 
 Aberlenah Cooley, and they had ten children. 
 The third son, Thomas, born May 10, 1671, died 
 August 27, 1755. He had eleven children, and 
 his eldest son, Thomas, born January 2, 1694, 
 reached the venerable age of eighty-seven years, 
 dying in 1781. 
 
 Luther, youngest of the five children of Thomas 
 Chapin, junior, had six children. His third son, 
 Eber, died in 1839. The last-named married 
 Sarah Putnam, of Bradford, Vermont, who was 
 a daughter of Adjutant John Putnam, an officer 
 of General Washington's staff, and a cousin of 
 the famous Gen. Israel Putnam. Eber and 
 Sarah (Putnam) Chapin had four sons, Eber, 
 William, Pascal and John Putnam, the last- 
 named being the subject of this biography. The 
 second Eber Putnam above mentioned was a 
 prominent lumber merchant of Chicago in the 
 early years of the city's history. 
 
 John Putnam Chapin was born in the year 
 1808, in Haverhill, Vermont, and received his 
 education in his native State. He began his mer- 
 cantile career as an employe of a general store in 
 his native place, where he grew to manhood. 
 He first visited Chicago in 1833, and invested the 
 small amount which he had been able to save 
 from his earnings in real estate. After a resi- 
 dence of two years here, he went to Morris, Ill- 
 inois, where he bought a farm, a portion of which 
 now forms a park adjoining the town of Morris. 
 He did not find agriculture a congenial pursuit 
 
 and was anxious to mingle in the commercial life 
 which was already springing into activity at Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 Returning to this city he established the first 
 line of boats on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. 
 He speedily became interested in the grain trade, 
 to which he devoted the most of his business life. 
 He was very industrious, had the fullest faith in 
 the future development of the city, and was ever 
 ready to establish new enterprises calculated 
 to develop the resources of the surrounding coun- 
 try and extend the commercial influence of his 
 home city. He predicted that the time would 
 come when a waterway would be opened between 
 Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico, for which 
 he was ridiculed at the time. His long foresight 
 is proven by the fact that this prediction is on the 
 speedy road to realization, through the move- 
 ments of the Chicago Drainage District and the 
 national Government. For many years Mr. 
 Chapin was identified with the grain forwarding 
 firm of Wadsworth, Dyer & Chapin, and he was 
 at one time in partnership with Nat. Laughlin 
 and Ebeu Doore, of Buffalo, and owned the wharf 
 property on the south side of the Chicago River 
 from its mouth up to Clark Street. 
 
 In May, 1842, at Lancaster, New Hampshire, 
 Mr. Chapin was married to Miss Harriette Louise 
 White, daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Freeman) 
 White. For a time after bringing his bride to 
 Chicago Mr. Chapin resided at the old Lake 
 House, a landmark of pioneer days on the North 
 Side, which was destroyed by the Great Fire of 
 1871. He built a substantial residence at No. 
 7 Randolph Street, and this was for many years 
 conspicuous in what was at the time of its erec- 
 tion a suburban district. It was constructed in 
 the colonial style, finished by workmen from New 
 York City, and was for many years one of the
 
 6 3 8 
 
 G. W. GIVEN. 
 
 handsomest residences in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Chapin were very hospitable, and the pleasant 
 gatherings at this home are still fondly cherished 
 in the memories of the few of their contemporaries 
 now living. Six children came to bless this hap- 
 py home, namely: William, Henry Clay, John 
 Putnam, junior, Louise W., Ella Dana and Fan- 
 nie. The eldest daughter is now the wife of J. 
 H. Norton, a prominent member of the Chicago 
 Board of Trade. 
 
 During the Civil War Mr. Chapin dealt quite 
 extensively in cotton, a commodity which offered 
 tempting profits to the shrewd dealer at that time. 
 In the midst of a busy career, and in the prime of 
 his social and political usefulness, he died, after 
 an illness of only three days, in this city, June 27, 
 1864. His wife survived him until June 3, 1895, 
 reaching the age of seventy-nine years. 
 
 Mr. Chapin was a great reader and possessed a 
 
 wonderful memory. Time spent upon his Morris 
 farm was not lost, for he continued at all times 
 to be a student, and did not permit himself to 
 grow dull. He was in early life a vigorous sup- 
 porter of the public policy of the Whig party, 
 and was one of the most faithful adherents of its 
 successor, the Republican party. He was not, 
 however, a spoilsman, and when he was elected 
 mayor of the city, in 1846, he accepted the trust 
 because he was the spontaneous choice of a large 
 majority of his fellow-citizens. Had he been 
 more selfish and labored more exclusively for his 
 own interests, and less for those of the city, he 
 would to-day be remembered as one of the mill- 
 ionaires for which Chicago is noted. But his aim 
 in life was higher, purer and nobler than that of 
 many in commercial life. His monument is in 
 the grateful remembrance of those who knew him 
 best and esteemed him for his good qualities. 
 
 GEORGE W. GIVEN. 
 
 WALLACE GIVEN, an iron- 
 
 b worker, whose residence is in South Chicago, 
 was born September 8, 1855, nl Lewiston, 
 Maine, and is a son of Benjamin L. and Sarah 
 (MacFarland) Given. His father and grand- 
 father were born in the same town, the family 
 being thus an old one in the place. The great- 
 grandfather of George W. Given was a merchant 
 in Liverpool, and later a Revolutionary soldier, 
 serving through the war. Benjamin L. Given 
 was an engineer by trade, and he served as a 
 Union soldier through the War of the Rebellion. 
 In 1868 he removed to Chicago, settling on Ash- 
 land Avenue, where his wife still resides. 
 
 George W. Given learned the machinist's 
 trade, helping his father, who had charge of an 
 engine in the tanneries, and later working in a 
 
 machine shop. At the age of sixteen he left 
 home, and began the serious business of life on 
 his own account, finding employment in a ma- 
 chine shop for a period of three years. In 1882 
 he came to Chicago, and was engaged by the 
 Illinois Steel Company for spiegel work, and he 
 has continued at this occupation until recently. 
 During the last year he has been employed at 
 Whiting, Indiana. 
 
 June i, 1881, Mr. Given married Miss Lottie 
 Lyman, of Chicago, a daughter of Henry and 
 Catherine (Earle) Lyman. They became the 
 parents of five sons, only one of whom, Earle 
 Lawrence, is still living. Mr. Given is connected 
 with the Ancient Order of United Workmen. 
 He worked his way to the position he recently 
 occupied by his faithfulness and attention to duty.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 MARTIN WIORA 
 
 (From Photo. l>y W. J ROOT)
 
 MARTIN WIORA. 
 
 639 
 
 MARTIN WIORA. 
 
 [ARTIN WIORA, an influential citizen of 
 South Chicago, was born November n, 
 1857, near the corner of Larrabee and Oak 
 Streets, Chicago, and is a son of Frank and Ed- 
 wiga Wiora. Frank Wiora was born in Poland, 
 and came to America in 1848, settling in Chicago, 
 on the North Side. He was a workingman, and 
 in 1860 he removed to Black Oak, in the Town 
 of Worth, Cook Count}-, and engaged in farming. 
 In 1872 he bought a farm of three hundred and 
 twenty acres in Jefferson County, Illinois, and in 
 1877 he moved to it, and was occupied in its cul- 
 tivation until 1881, when he retired, and lived a 
 life of quiet until his death, May 14, 1888, at the 
 age of seventy-eight years. Mrs. Edwiga Wiora 
 was born in 1814, in Poland, and was united in 
 marriage with Mr. Wiora a short time before 
 they emigrated to America. She died July 26, 
 1877. They had the following children: Law- 
 rence, who resides in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, 
 and is engaged in agriculture; John, who died in 
 1880, at the age of thirty-four years; Martin, 
 whose name heads this article; and Lora, who 
 married Frank Hiduck, an undertaker, and resides 
 at Exchange Avenue and Eighty-eighth Street, 
 Chicago. 
 
 Martin Wiora's opportunities for obtaining an 
 education were limited. He attended public 
 school about three months in a year until he 
 was thirteen years old, and after that time his 
 education was acquired by his independent read- 
 ing and study. He was a boy who cared enough 
 about learning to gain a very fair amount of in- 
 formation. He learned the trade of carpenter, and 
 
 when he was twenty years old he went with his 
 parents to the farm in Jefferson County, where 
 he had the greater part of the management of its 
 cultivation. Later he returned to Chicago and 
 followed his trade, locating at Sixteenth and 
 Paulina Streets. 
 
 In 1883 he began the business of a contractor, 
 on his own responsibility, and he has continued 
 at this occupation many years, his location hav- 
 ing been in South Chicago since the beginning of 
 the enterprise. In 1887 he bought property at 
 No. 8754 Exchange Avenue, and built a house. 
 In 1896 he moved his house to its present loca- 
 tion, No. 8753 Escanaba Avenue. His work 
 has been chiefly in South Chicago, though he 
 has erected buildings in other cities. He built 
 the Polish Catholic Church in Hammond, Indi- 
 ana, and has built many handsome residences 
 north of Ninety-first Street, in the city of Chi- 
 cago. 
 
 August 2, 1 88 1, Mr. Wiora married Mary 
 Zedroseki, a native of Poland, who came to 
 America in 1880. They had the following chil- 
 dren: Joseph, deceased; Frances, Agnes, John, 
 Peter, Mary (deceased), Thomas and Joseph. 
 Mr. Wiora is connected with Saint Michael's 
 Church of the Conception, and is a member of 
 the six church societies, being always active in 
 church affairs. 
 
 Mr. Wiora was always actively interested 
 in political movements. His first participa- 
 tion was in the Garfield-Hancock campaign. 
 In the spring of 1896 he was a candidate for 
 supervisor, but was defeated. While living on
 
 640 
 
 A. A. KAY. 
 
 his father's farm he was elected street supervisor 
 and served one year. In 1897 h was nominated 
 for alderman, and was elected by the largest ma- 
 jority ever given a candidate in the Thirty-third 
 Ward. He has a place on the following commit- 
 tees in the council: fire department, health 
 
 department, streets and alleys south, and city 
 markets. He is a self-made man in the true 
 sense of the term, holding the respect of the en- 
 tire community which sends him to the city 
 council, and the friendship of a great number of 
 people. 
 
 ABEL A. KAY. 
 
 Gil BEL A. KAY was born January i, 1801, in 
 LJ Yorkshire, England, and was reared in his 
 / I native land, where he learned the trade of 
 shoemaker. He was married in England to 
 Miss Elizabeth Marshall, and in 1843 they came 
 with their family, comprising eight children 
 (and a daughter-in-law), to America. They 
 came in the sailing-vessel "Shakespeare," the 
 voyage taking six weeks and two days, and the 
 passage being very rough. From New .York 
 they traveled to Albany, thence by way of the 
 Erie Canal to Buffalo, and from there to Chicago 
 through the Great Lakes, the last voyage occupy- 
 ing two weeks, thus making the entire time in 
 coming from England to Chicago nearly three 
 months. 
 
 Mr. Kay bought a farm of ninety-three and 
 one-third acres of fertile soil, in Jefferson Town- 
 ship, for five hundred dollars. It was an im- 
 proved farm with a large house and barn, fenced, 
 and partly in cultivation, being located one mile 
 north of the Jefferson depot. He also bought ten 
 acres of timber land, and continued to live on his 
 farm until his death, which occurred in 1847. 
 His wife survived him forty years, expiring in 
 1887, at the age of eighty-four years, having 
 been born in 1803. 
 
 Mr. Kay was a Methodist in his religious be- 
 lief, and was a true Christian, giving his sym- 
 pathy to members of all denominations. He 
 took an active part in religious matters, and for 
 
 many years his house was a meeting place for all 
 denominations, and many services were held 
 there. Mr. and Mrs. Kay had the following 
 children: Ann, who married Loren McClanathan, 
 and died in March, 1847, soon after her marriage; 
 Abel, who died June 16, 1889, leaving one son, 
 who is now dead, and a daughter, who is the 
 wife of Thomas Wheldon, of Cook County; 
 Elizabeth, who married Thomas Burkill and died 
 in August, 1896, leaving a large family of chil- 
 dren (Almira, wife of James Carpenter, a resident 
 of Cook County; Thomas A., a resident of Jeffer- 
 son; Sydney, who dropped dead on the day follow- 
 ing the death of his mother; Althea Moisley, who 
 lives in Mayfair; Stella, who married William 
 Ditcher, and lives in Jefferson; Alice, now Mrs. 
 Klink, of Mayfair; Scott, a resident of Jefferson); 
 Frances, who married Loren McClanathan, Sep- 
 tember 16, 1849; Jane, who married Edward 
 Gray, and died, leaving two children, Lida and 
 Emma; Emma, who married William Myers, 
 and died, leaving seven children (Eliza Young; 
 Anna, wife of Charles Low, of Norwood Park; 
 William; Ella, now Mrs. Stockbridge, who lives 
 in Jefferson; Clarence, who resides in Jefferson; 
 Ida, of Dakota; and Frank, a resident of Jeffer- 
 son); John and Joseph Kay, who still live on the 
 old homestead. 
 
 Loren McClanathan was born January 24, 1818, 
 in Madison County, New York. He was edu- 
 cated in the schools of New York, and after he
 
 CARL WENZLAFF. 
 
 641 
 
 became of age he went to the Southern States, 
 teaching at one time in Kentucky. In 1843 he 
 came to Chicago, and here he married his first 
 wife soon after. He was a currier by trade and 
 was for a short time foreman in a currier shop. 
 In 1855 Mr. McClanathan taught school in Jef- 
 ferson Township. In 1856 he entered the em- 
 ploy of the Illinois Central Railroad Company 
 as a conductor, and remained with it until a short 
 time previous to his departure for the South, to 
 engage in the defense of his country. 
 
 In August, 1861, he enlisted in the Union 
 army, and was one of General McClellan's body 
 guard, in which capacity he served a year and a- 
 half, when he was transferred to the Twelfth 
 Illinois Cavalry, Company I, and was discharged 
 March 18, 1864, on account of disability. He 
 took part as a private in the battles fought in 
 
 front of Richmond, while McClellan was in com- 
 mand of the army. After the war he returned to 
 Chicago, where he was made yardmaster of the 
 Great Eastern Yards, having charge of passenger 
 trains. 
 
 September 16, 1849, he married Miss Frances 
 Kay, and when he died, January 20, 1895, he left 
 two children, as follows: Loren B., who re- 
 sides in Boston; and Harriet A., wife of Henry 
 Elkins, of Chicago. One child, Lucien L., died in 
 1893, at the age of thirty-nine years. 
 
 Mr. McClanathan was a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, being connected with 
 Winfield Scott Post, No. 445, of Chicago. He 
 took an active interest in the questions of the day, 
 and was a Republican in political opinion. He 
 was a well-informed man, and a public-spirited 
 and Valuable citizen. 
 
 CARL WENZLAFF. 
 
 EARL WENZLAFF was born December 27, 
 1835, in Grosjanewitz, Kreis Lauenburg, 
 Pommern, Germany. He lived in his na- 
 tive land until he was thirty-five years old, and 
 then came to America with his wife and three 
 children. He came to Chicago and located at 
 Blue Island, where he found employment as a 
 laborer. In 1872 he went to South Chicago and 
 leased land from the Calumet & Chicago Canal 
 & Dock Company, where he built a small house 
 for his family. This is the location at which he 
 still lives. In 1882 he bought the land, and im- 
 proved the house as he was able, by building ad- 
 ditions. In 1893 the house was destroyed, with 
 others, by a large fire. He then built the house 
 which he still occupies, and which is situated at 
 No. 9041 Mackinaw Avenue. 
 
 Ever since coming to South Chicago, Mr. 
 Wenzlaff has been employed in lumber yards, 
 having served several different firms. He first 
 worked for the firm of Cook & Powell five years, 
 then five years for Blanchard & Giddy, and then 
 he was engaged by A. R. Beck, with whom 
 he remained until he was unable to work longer, 
 on account of age and failing strength. The 
 length of time he remained with each establish- 
 ment named attests his faithfulness and honesty. 
 He was always industrious and prudent, and so 
 was able to buy his own home, besides property 
 on Green Bay Avenue, which he has improved. 
 In 1896 he retired from active labor, and now 
 lives a life of ease. 
 
 Mr. Wenzlaff was married in Germany, in 
 November, 1859, to Miss Henrietta Behnke, who
 
 642 
 
 FRANKLIN STEWART. 
 
 was born Decembers, 1841, in Pommern, Ger- 
 many. They had twelve children, four of whom 
 were born in Germany, and five of whom are 
 dead. Charles, William, Albert, Lisette, Emil, 
 Martha and Johann are living, and Johanna, 
 Wilhehnina, Emma, Frederick and Hermina are 
 
 deceased. Mr. Wenzlaff is a good citizen and an 
 honest and industrious resident of South Chicago. 
 He and his whole family are members of the 
 German Lutheran Church. In politics he be- 
 lieves in and supports the principles of the Repub- 
 lican party. 
 
 FRANKLIN STEWART. 
 
 r"RANKLIN STEWART was born May 8, 
 r^ 1844, in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, 
 | ^ and is a son of John and Sarah D. (Warfel) 
 Stewart. His grandfather, James Stewart, was 
 born in Scotland, and when a young man emi- 
 grated to America. He was a teamster, and 
 carried freight between Philadelphia and Pitts- 
 burg. He was successful in this business, and 
 was enabled to buy a farm of about two hundred 
 acres in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he 
 located and spent the remainder of his life. He 
 married Miss Gray, and their children were: 
 William, John, Thomas, Andrew, Matthew, 
 Robert, Alexander, James,. Jane, Eliza, Mary, 
 Margaret, and a girl who died when very young, 
 thus making thirteen. Mary married Henry C. 
 Warfel, and lived at Ashkum, Iroquois County, 
 Illinois. Robert and Alexander made their home 
 in Pleasant Valle\-, near Columbus, Ohio. An- 
 drew lived in Fairfield County, Ohio, and the 
 other children resided in Huntingdon County, 
 Pennsylvania. James Stewart died on his farm, 
 which has now been divided and is not owned by 
 the family. 
 
 John Stewart was born March 23, 1813, in 
 Pennsylvania, and died February 22, 1883, at 
 Cummings, Cook County, Illinois. He was a 
 carpenter and cooper, and spent most of his time 
 in Huntingdon County, in his native state. In 
 1857 ne moved to Franklin County, Missouri, 
 where he remained a year. He enlisted at the 
 
 outbreak of the Civil War, but was discharged 
 at Camp Chase, Ohio, because of poor health. 
 In 1862 he removed to Buffalo County, Wiscon- 
 sin, and remained a year. He then worked at 
 his trade wherever he found employment, and in 
 this way traveled over a great deal of territory. 
 In 1882 he located in Cook County, where his 
 death occurred the next year. 
 
 He married Sarah D. Warfel, who was born 
 January 12, 1828, in Huntingdon County, Penn- 
 sylvania, and was a daughter of Adam Warfel. 
 The latter was probably born in Germany, and 
 was a farmer by occupation. He married Asenith 
 Clark, who was of English descent, and their 
 children were Elizabeth, Sarah D., Arietta and 
 Henry C. Mr. and Mrs. John Stewart had the 
 following children: Franklin, whose name heads 
 this article; Elizabeth Jane, who was born Sep- 
 tember 2, 1845, and died March 18, 1847; Laura 
 Etta, who was born January 10, 1848, married 
 Hugh W. Brandle, and resides in South Chicago; 
 Millard Fillmore, born June 30, 1850, was hurt 
 by a boiler explosion in a pump-house, where he 
 was employed as engineer, and died ten days later 
 from his injuries, September 29, 1886; and 
 Asenith Bilda, born December 26, 1869, married 
 John Long, and lived in Hammond, Indiana, 
 where she died March 15, 1897. 
 
 Franklin Stewart attended school until the 
 beginning of the Civil War, at which time he 
 was in Buffalo County, Wisconsin, and enlisted
 
 JOHN WINSTON. 
 
 643 
 
 August 12, 1862, in Company G, Twenty-fifth 
 Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, for three years, or 
 until the end of the war. He remained with 
 this company until January 24, 1863, and then, 
 under an order from the war department, giving 
 all volunteers the privilege, he went into the reg- 
 ular army in Company C, Eighth United States 
 Infantry, enlisting for five years. While with 
 the first-named company he was sent to Minne- 
 sota to help subdue the Indians. He remained 
 with the Eighth United States Infantry five 
 years, and during that time was never wounded 
 or taken prisoner. He was at the great City 
 Point explosion, where fifty-two were sent to the 
 hospital, and though within a few feet of the 
 explosion, he alone of the number escaped in- 
 jury. Only fourteen were able to join the regi- 
 ment after this calamity, the others either being 
 killed or sent to the hospital. Mr. Stewart was 
 discharged from the sendee January 24, 1868, 
 at Columbia, South Carolina. 
 
 At the close of his service he visited home, 
 and then spent some time in traveling, stopping 
 wherever he found employment. He spent four 
 years in Kansas, and then returned home, after 
 
 which he spent two years at a blast furnace at 
 Moselle, Missouri. He came to Cummings (now 
 the city of Chicago) in August, 1883, and found 
 employment in mills, part of the time as engineer. 
 He then worked in the shops of the Nickel Plate 
 Railroad. In 1890 he found employment in the 
 Morden Frog Works, South Chicago, as machin- 
 ist, and two years later was installed as engineer, 
 and since that time has filled that position without 
 losing a single day's time, except one week on 
 account of illness. His industry and integrity 
 are recognized by all who know him, and he is 
 regarded as a patriotic and valuable citizen. He 
 is connected with A. E. Burnside Post, No. 109, 
 Grand Army of the Republic, and is held in high 
 esteem by the members of this organization. He 
 gives his political support to the Republican 
 party. The family attends the Methodist Church. 
 November 30, 1875, Mr. Stewart married 
 Susan Frances Witt, daughter of William Witt, 
 of Missouri. They became the parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Arthur Wesley, Frank Elmer, 
 Annie L,oretta, Jessie, Adda May and Claude 
 Henry. Mrs. Stewart died January 29, 1890, at 
 the age of thirty-one years. 
 
 JOHN WINSTON. 
 
 (TOHN WINSTON, a citizen of South Chi- 
 I cago, was born January 13, 1841, in Brecken- 
 G) shire, England, and is a son of John and 
 Elizabeth (Harris) Winston. His education 
 was very limited, as he was able to attend school 
 only until he reached the age of fourteen years. 
 He was then employed as a stone cutter, and 
 for twenty-two years he followed this occupation. 
 He remained in his native country until he was 
 forty years of age, and then determined to emi- 
 grate to the United States. He sailed to New 
 York in 1883, reaching that city in April, and 
 
 came direct to Chicago. He spent ten and one-half 
 years at caging in a furnace of the Illinois Steel 
 Company, and then became a fireman in the boiler 
 house of the same establishment. At present he 
 is employed in the same department, where crude 
 petroleum is used for fuel, his duties involving 
 the care of the boiler flues. 
 
 In 1886 he bought a lot at No. 8924 Superior 
 Avenue, and has since built himself a comfort- 
 able residence there, which is now occupied by 
 the family. 
 
 March 10, 1874, he married Mrs. Elizabeth
 
 644 
 
 C. H. SAUER. 
 
 Jones, widow of John Jones, and a daughter of 
 John and Elizabeth (Hardwick) Williams. She 
 was born in Herefordshire, South England, Jan- 
 uary 28, 1835. Mr. and Mrs. Winston have the 
 following-named children: Alfred John and 
 Ronwyn Elizabeth (twins), Breeza Annie and 
 William. Mrs. Winston has two sons and a 
 daughter by her first marriage. George Jones, 
 the eldest of these, is assistant superintendent of 
 the furnace department of the Illinois Steel Com- 
 
 pany. Evan, the second, resides on Eighty-ninth 
 Street; and Sarah is the wife of Walter Ander- 
 son, also a resident of South Chicago. Mr. 
 Winston is an energetic and progressive citizen, 
 and enjoys the confidence and esteem of his many 
 friends and acquaintances. He is a member of 
 the Sons of St. George. He began life in a hum- 
 ble position, but has steadily improved his oppor- 
 tunities, and has used every means of progress 
 open to him. 
 
 GLAUS H. SAUER. 
 
 ELAUS HENRY SAUER was born on 
 the 2oth of October, 1842, in Winkeldorf, 
 Hanover, Germany, and is a son of 
 John Adam and Mary (Detels) Sauer, natives of 
 that country. John A. Sauer was married twice. 
 He and his first wife had four children, namely: 
 Peter, John, Jacob and John Henry. He had 
 six children by his second marriage, namely: 
 Katrina, Herman, Gersche, Glaus Henry (the 
 subject of this sketch), Heinrich and Frederich 
 Wilhelm. Peter and Jacob were the first of the 
 family to emigrate to the new world. They 
 landed in New York, living there for a time, and 
 then Peter removed to Wabasha County, Min- 
 nesota, where he still lives, at the age of eighty 
 years. Jacob lives at Reed's Landing, in the 
 same county. John came next, and is now 
 living in the State of Washington. John Henry 
 also came to this country, and is residing in 
 Minnesota. Katrina is a resident of Hamburg; 
 Herman is in New Zealand, and Heinrich is now 
 postmaster in Gibbon, Minnesota. 
 
 Claus Henry Sauer came to America a year 
 after his brother Heinrich. He removed first to 
 
 London, England, where he met Heinrich, 
 and both found employment in sugar factories, 
 gas houses, and at the trade of blacksmith, which 
 Claus had learned in his native country. They 
 next came to Canada, reaching Quebec in May, 
 1870. Claus proceeded to Chicago, and located 
 first on Huron Street, where he lived a year and 
 a-half. He lived next on Chicago Avenue, and 
 later on Milwaukee Avenue. Mr. Sauer was 
 engaged in working at his trade on his arrival in 
 Chicago, following it most of the time since. 
 
 In May, 1875, Mr. Sauer moved to South Chi- 
 cago, which has been his place of residence till 
 the present time. In the fall of 1883 he bought 
 a lot at No. 8804 Buffalo Avenue, and built a 
 house the following spring, which he now occu- 
 pies. For seven years he was engaged at his 
 trade in a mill, and then he worked for black- 
 smiths. At present he is in the employ of the 
 Standard Oil Company at his trade, in Whiting, 
 Indiana. 
 
 February 14, 1872, Mr. Sauer married Miss 
 Susanna Haab, daughter of William and Susanna 
 (Baer) Haab. She was born September 20,
 
 W. G. WRIGHT. 
 
 645 
 
 1842, in Zurich, Switzerland, and emigrated to 
 America in 1866 with her brother Wilhelm, who 
 is living in New York City. Her brother 
 Henry came to the United States later, and he, 
 too, resides in New York. Mrs. Sauer removed 
 to Racine, Wisconsin, where she lived until her 
 marriage, coming to Chicago on her wedding 
 day. Mr. and Mrs. Sauer had five children, 
 
 namely: William, George, Frederick (deceased), 
 Clara and Lydia. 
 
 Mr. Sauer is a deacon in the First German 
 Baptist Church of South Chicago, with which 
 the family is connected. In politics he supports 
 the Republican party and its principles. He is 
 an intelligent and useful citizen, and is an upright 
 and highly respected member of society. 
 
 WILLIAM G. WRIGHT. 
 
 GEORGE WRIGHT was born 
 June 23, 1839, in Melton Mowbray, 
 Leicestershire, England, and is a son of 
 George and Mary (Barsley) Wright. His great- 
 grandfather was Francis Wright, whose son, 
 William Wright, married Elizabeth Benson, and 
 became the father of one child, George. William 
 Wright was a captain on a canal boat for many 
 years, and died at the age of eighty-six years. 
 
 George Wright, father of William G. Wright, 
 was born in 1818, in Ratcliffe, England, and was 
 employed on a canal boat. He lived in his native 
 country until his death, which occurred in 1891. 
 He married Mary Barsley, and their children, 
 besides the subject of this sketch, were: Anne 
 Elizabeth, who married Robert Wood, and is 
 deceased; Mary, who married John Davidson, and 
 is deceased; and John, who resides in Columbus, 
 Ohio. Mary Barsley's father was a native of 
 England, where the members of his family were 
 cottagers. He had the following children: Will- 
 iam, Frank, Samuel, Richard, John, Jane and 
 Mary. The Wright family has always been con- 
 nected with the Methodist Church. 
 
 William G. Wright received a very limited 
 education, being obliged to leave his studies and 
 engage in the business of life at a very early age. 
 When he was three years old his parents re- 
 moved to Grantham, England, where he remained 
 
 until he reached the age of eighteen years. He 
 served as an apprentice to a blacksmith until 
 1857, an d continued to work as a journeyman at 
 his trade until 1888. On leaving Grantham he 
 spent two years in Boston, England, returned to 
 Grantham and spent a short time, and then emi- 
 grated to America in 1871. 
 
 He spent a short time in Belvidere, Illinois, 
 and removed thence to Berlin, Minnesota, and 
 remained a short time. He was engaged at his 
 trade during this time, and after spending a year 
 in Winona, Minnesota, a short time in Cleveland 
 and Delaware, Ohio, and a year at Columbus, in 
 the same state, he removed to South Chicago, 
 which has been his place of residence ever since 
 that time. He reached this city in 1874 and for 
 six years was employed in the service of the 
 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company at its 
 shops. 
 
 In 1880 he moved to Saline County, Nebraska, 
 where he conducted a farm two years, and then 
 returned to South Chicago. He found employ- 
 ment with the Illinois Steel Company, remaining 
 in its service until 1885, and for three and one- 
 half years did blacksmith work for the Illinois 
 Central Railroad Company. He has been faith- 
 ful and earnest in his work, and has always 
 proved a useful and reliable employe. After 
 leaving the employ of the Illinois Central Rail-
 
 646 
 
 J. H. WRIGHT. 
 
 road Company he spent three and one-half years 
 in the service of the New York, Chicago & St. 
 Louis Railroad Company. 
 
 Mr. Wright is a firm supporter of the Re- 
 publican party. He served as sewer inspector 
 two years when Mr. Washburne was mayor, and 
 held the same position two years during the 
 administration of Mayor Swift. 
 
 May 29, 1859, he married Martha Robinson, 
 and they have the following children: Robinson 
 William, John Henry, Mary Elizabeth, George 
 Francis, Martha Ann, Frederich Harris and 
 Nettie Pearl. One daughter, Rebecca, died when 
 four and one-half years old, and another, Delia 
 
 Agnes, when eleven months old. Mr. Wright is 
 a member of the Masonic order, being connected 
 with Harbor Lodge, No. 731, and Sinai Chapter, 
 No. 185. He joined Calumet Commandery, No. 
 62, and was knighted in 1892. He was one of 
 the charter members, and is now a standard 
 bearer, and expects to become a member of the 
 Shrine, and take the Scottish rite degrees. He is 
 connected with the First Congregational Church, 
 and is a trustee of same. He has improved his 
 opportunities for gaining knowledge, and is well 
 informed on matters of public interest, and has a 
 social disposition, and his many friends recognize 
 his ability and good judgment. 
 
 JOHN H. WRIGHT. 
 
 HOHN HENRY WRIGHT was born March 
 15, 1862, in Grantham, Lincolnshire, 
 G) England, and is a son of William George and 
 Martha (Robinson) Wright (see biography else- 
 where). He emigrated to the United States at 
 the age of nine years, and received the greater 
 part of his education here. He attended school 
 until he was fourteen years old, and then entered 
 the employ of Willard Sons & Bell Company, 
 where he was first engaged as a hammer boy, and 
 then spent two and one-half years learning and 
 working at shingling. He subsequently removed 
 to Fort Kearney, Nebraska, and became a cattle- 
 drover. After remaining two years he entered 
 the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 
 Railroad Company, working seven months in its 
 blacksmith shop in Plattsmouth, Nebraska. 
 
 In 1883, being attracted by the active business 
 methods of Chicago, he removed to this city, and 
 in May began to work for the Illinois Steel Com- 
 pany, remaining in the blacksmith shops one 
 year. He was for six months fireman on the 
 Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and for one year, 
 
 beginning April i, 1884, was rail inspector in the 
 mill of the Illinois Steel Company. For. the 
 same period of time he was steel charger, for 
 three years he operated a buggy, and subse- 
 quently became the day foreman of the rail mill, 
 where he remained until 1895. In that year he 
 became the night superintendent, and retained 
 this position until August i, 1897. He has 
 steadily advanced in position since entering the 
 employ of this company, and has done this 
 through his energetic and systematic exercise of 
 ability and skill. 
 
 Mr. Wright was united in matrimony October 
 1 6, 1884, to Miss Harriet Eliza Wilder, daughter 
 of Ebenezer and Mary Elizabeth (French) 
 Wilder, of English extraction. Her father was 
 born July 21, 1813, in Middleboro, Massachusetts, 
 and died November 7, 1890, in Chicago. He re- 
 ceived his education in Middleboro, and removed 
 to Baltimore, Maryland, when a young man. 
 He was a member of the Red River Iron Works 
 Company, and was a builder of bridges. He 
 subsequently lived for short periods in Kentucky,
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 CARL MKWKS 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 CARL MEWES. 
 
 647 
 
 near Lexington; in Dover, Delaware; and in 
 Newcastle, Pennsylvania (in which latter place 
 he was a nailer) ; and removed to Chicago in 
 1868. 
 
 He located in Englewood, bought land at 
 Fifty-ninth Street and Princeton Avenue, and 
 built a house. He was then engaged in putting 
 in filter wells in which force pumps were used, 
 and later became Brink's City Express agent, 
 locating at Wentworth Avenue and Sixty-second 
 Street. Mrs. Mary Elizabeth (French) Wilder 
 was born September 9, 1830, in Baltimore, Mary- 
 land, and died March 20, 1891, in Chicago. She 
 was a daughter of Judge John French, of Mary- 
 land. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wilder were parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Sylvanus, deceased; John F., 
 deceased; Anna A., who married Dr. O. J. Price, 
 and resides at No. 538 West Adams Street, Chi- 
 cago; Sylvanus, who lives at Seattle, Washington; 
 Carrie L., deceased; Mrs. Wright, wife of the 
 subject of this sketch; and Nettie F., who married 
 L. P. Brown, a dealer in hardware, and lives at 
 
 Cheltenham Place, Chicago. Mrs. Wright's 
 grandfather, Eben Wilder, was born in Middle- 
 boro, Massachusetts, and was a Methodist 
 minister. He married Mary Bump, sister of the 
 father of Lavina Stratton Bump, the midget who 
 married Tom Thumb. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. John H. Wright had four chil- 
 dren, as follows: Earl Davis; Athlene Mary, who 
 died when four years old; Bernice, who died in 
 infancy; and Elva Eunice. 
 
 Mr. Wright was made a Master Mason in 1886, 
 becoming a member of Englewood Lodge, No. 
 690, with which he is still connected. He took 
 the degree of Royal Arch Mason in 1887, and is 
 connected with Englewood Chapter, No. 176. 
 His wife is a member of the Lady Garfield Chap- 
 ter, No. 91, Order of the Eastern Star. He is 
 also a member of the Royal Arcanum and of the 
 Royal League. He is a genial and sociable 
 gentleman, and has the happy faculty of making 
 friends and also of retaining them. Those who 
 are favored with his friendship give him their full 
 confidence, and regard him with great respect. 
 
 CARL MEWES. 
 
 EARL MEWES was born Febuary 26, 1843, 
 in Pommern, Germany, and is a son of John 
 and Marie (Huthe) Mewes. His paternal 
 grandfather was a carpenter in Germany, and his 
 children, beside John, consisted of three daugh- 
 ters, one of whom married Fred Wilt. She died 
 in Germany and her husband removed to Amer- 
 ica with their children. John Mewes spent his life 
 in Germany. One of his daughters, Marie, was 
 married in Germany to John Flack, and emigrat- 
 ed to America with her husband, settling in 
 Cleveland, Ohio, where they and their four chil- 
 dren now live. 
 
 A son of John Mewes, Henry, was the first of 
 
 the family to come to America. He arrived in 
 1868, and took up his residence in Syracuse, 
 New York, where he remained until 1872, and 
 then removed to Chicago, with his brother Carl, 
 the subject of this article. In 1873 he moved to 
 Cleveland, Ohio, and was employed at general 
 labor until his death, in 1881. The maternal 
 grandfather of Carl Mewes, Mr. Huthe, was a 
 native of Germany, where he resided and fol- 
 lowed the trade of miller. 
 
 Carl Mewes was educated in Germany, and 
 learned the trade of stone mason, which he fol- 
 lowed in his native country until about thirty 
 years of age. He emigrated to America in 1872,
 
 6 4 8 
 
 PETER RINGGENBERG. 
 
 reaching New York in November. He came to 
 Chicago, locating on the North Side, and found 
 employment at his trade. He entered the em- 
 ploy of J. H. Jones, who removed his business 
 to South Chicago, whither Mr. Mewes went to re- 
 tain his position. April 7, 1880, he was engaged 
 by the Illinois Steel Company at mason work on 
 its mill, and when the mills were completed he 
 did general mason work. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Mewes bought a lot at No. 8835 
 Commercial Avenue, and immediately built a res- 
 idence, which he has since occupied. He was 
 married February 7, 1872, to Miss Augusta 
 Luedtke, a daughter of John and Louisa (Keller- 
 man) Luedtke. She was born July 24, 1844, in 
 Pommern, Germany, and in emigrating to Amer- 
 ica took the same vessel as her future husband. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mewes are the parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Charles Frank Louis, Martha, 
 Emma, Albert, Annie Matilda, Johannah, Au- 
 gust William, Emil and Walter Christopher Louis. 
 Charles F. Louis is a hard-wood painting finisher, 
 and is also a musician, making a specialty of vio- 
 lins and mandolins. He is a pupil of Prof. Will- 
 iam Keuhner, of Chicago, and is a teacher of 
 music himself. Martha died when fifteen months 
 old, Emma when nine months old, and Albert is 
 also deceased. Johannah is employed as a clerk 
 by Charles Fink. 
 
 Mr. Mewes is a thorough master of his trade, 
 and has been favored with prosperity. He is a 
 member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 
 and is a friend to movements of public reform 
 tending to the general welfare. 
 
 PETER RINGGENBERG. 
 
 PETER RINGGENBERG, a fisherman of 
 South Chicago, was born August 12, 1845, 
 J5 in Canton Berne, Switzerland, and is a son 
 of Charles and Mary (Ringgenberg) Ringgen- 
 berg. He decided to come to America when 
 about twenty years of age, and accordingly sailed 
 for New York, from which city he proceeded di- 
 rect to Chicago, reaching the latter place in May, 
 1866. He went from here to Quincy, Illinois, 
 and after remaining two months, he returned to 
 the city and located in South Chicago. He found 
 employment with three brothers, Henry, Theo- 
 dore and Alexander Oehmich, who were engaged 
 in fishing. He had been with them several 
 years, when an accident occurred which will 
 never be forgotten by those who escaped with 
 their lives. 
 
 At three o'clock on the morning of April 8, 
 1874, nine men went to Whiting, Indiana, to 
 drive piles for fishing, taking a scow and a sail- 
 
 boat with them. It was a calm day, and they 
 worked until four o'clock in the afternoon, driv- 
 ing one set of piles in that time. Suddenly a 
 storm came up, which Mr. Ringgenberg describes 
 as the hardest storm and the quickest to gather 
 of any he has witnessed in his experience, one 
 which has been quite extensive. At the time he 
 was on the scow, and the remaining eight, includ- 
 ing the three brothers who owned the boats, were 
 on the sail-boat. Each man tried to save his own 
 life, the boat being turned over instantly. Mr. 
 Ringgenberg held to the scow, and was drifted 
 ashore at Whiting, and the only one of the others 
 saved was Alexander Oehmich. Mr. Ringgenberg 
 remained in the employ of Alexander Oehmich 
 until 1875. The latter died in 1888. 
 
 For a year Mr. Ringgenberg was engaged at 
 general labor, and in 1876 he formed a partner- 
 ship with John Stengel for the purpose of fishing. 
 After two years the partnership was dissolved,
 
 CARSTEN ANTHONISEN. 
 
 649 
 
 and he found various employments, much of the 
 time doing general work for Hausler & Lutz. 
 In January, 1897, he resumed his partnership 
 with John Stengel, and they continue to carry on 
 a fishing business. In 1874 Mr. Ringgenberg 
 bought property at No. 9807 Avenue M, where 
 he now makes his home, having improved the 
 house and added to it. From 1884 to 1894, he 
 was employed on bridges, serving successively on 
 those at Ninety-second, Ninety-fifth and One 
 Hundred and Sixth Streets. 
 
 He was married December 21, 1873, to Matilda 
 Hubner, daughter of William and Henrietta 
 (Post) Hubner. They became the parents often 
 children, three of whom died in infancy. The 
 others are: Matilda, Henry, Edith, Rudolph, 
 Martha, Frederick and William. Mr. Ringgen- 
 berg is connected with the Order of Harugari, 
 being a charter member of Melomania Lodge, 
 No. 330,- which was organized in 1874. He is a 
 patriotic and law-abiding citizen, and is a friend 
 to progress and improvement. 
 
 CARSTEN ANTHONISEN. 
 
 EARSTEN ANTHONISEN was born July 
 2 3> '859, in Sueder Luegem, Schleswig, 
 Germany, and is a son of Martin and Chris- 
 tina Anthonisen. Martin Anthonisen was born 
 January 28, 1812, in Germany, where he spent 
 his entire life. He was superintendent of a large 
 farm, and held this position for a term of fifty 
 years. His children were: Nicholas, Helena, 
 Katrina, Carsten, Theodore and Mathias. 
 
 Carsten Anthonisen and his sister Helena emi- 
 grated to America, coming to Chicago by way of 
 Quebec, and arriving here June 30, 1882. Carsten 
 was a miller in German y, but he never worked 
 at his trade in this country. He located in 
 South Chicago, and has lived there ever since, 
 with the exception of about two months spent in 
 Decatur, Illinois. He worked a short time in a 
 stone quarry, and then found employment with 
 the Illinois Steel Company, and he was engaged 
 seven years firing in the boiler house. For one 
 and one-half years he was selling milk, and then 
 he obtained the position he now holds, as roll- 
 hand in a mill. In 1887 he bought land at No. 
 8932 Buffalo Avenue, built a house in 1888, and 
 has made his residence there ever since. 
 
 Soon after he came to this country, Mr. An- 
 
 thonisen had an experience which he will always 
 remember with horror. He and a very deai 
 friend, Christ Johnson, were traveling south from 
 Chicago, and looking for work. They tried to 
 obtain a ticket for a ride on a freight train which 
 was about to leave, and when the agent refused 
 to sell it to them they tried to get on the train 
 after it began to move. Mr. Johnson's foot was 
 caught between a brake and a wheel, and he was 
 instantly killed. Thus Mr. Anthonisen was left 
 alone with his dead friend, and was unable to ex- 
 plain the circumstances, because he could not 
 speak English. 
 
 His brother, Boyd Theodore Anthonisen, fol- 
 lowed him to America a few months after he 
 emigrated, and came to South Chicago. He 
 learned the trade of blacksmith, but he never 
 worked at this trade in the United States. He 
 found employment with the Illinois Steel Corn- 
 pan}-, as a straightener, and has been with this 
 company ever since. He resides at No. 167 
 Ninety-third Street, between Superior and On- 
 tario Avenues. October6, 1887, Carsten Anthoni- 
 sen married Miss Bertha Struebing, daughter of 
 Peter Struebing. 
 
 Peter Struebing was born January 15, 1835, in
 
 650 
 
 T. F. DOYLE. 
 
 Pommern, Germany, and is a son of Peter and 
 Mary (Westfall) Struebing. He emigrated to 
 America with his wife and five children, land- 
 ing in New York, and reached Chicago May 30, 
 1869. He located in South Chicago immediately, 
 and has made it his residence ever since. He 
 leased land from the Calumet & Chicago Canal 
 & Dock Company, on the northeast corner of 
 Ninety-second Street and Buffalo Avenue, where 
 he built a small house, fourteen by twenty-two 
 feet in dimension, and having only two rooms on 
 the ground floor. He paid for it with German 
 money, which he brought with him, and it cost 
 about one hundred and fifty dollars. The house 
 is still standing, and is used as a stable by Mrs. 
 Clark. He lived there three years, and then 
 moved to his present place, No. 9024 Green Bay 
 Avenue, and leased land from the same company 
 until he was able to buy it, in 1875. The house 
 he first lived in was bought from a Frenchman 
 who had lived at this place. When Mr. Strueb- 
 ing came to South Chicago, he found employment 
 in a factory, and then for two years he was a 
 fisherman. Next he worked in a lumber yard, 
 where he remained until 1887, since which time 
 he has been retired. November 5, 1858, Mr. 
 Struebing married Albertina Ulrech, daughter of 
 William and Wilhelmina (Krum) Ulrech. She 
 studied for a midwife when a young woman, "and 
 
 has been engaged in her profession in South Chi- 
 cago. They had the following children: Caro- 
 lina; Minnie; William; Frederick, who died at 
 the age of one year; Annie, who died when five 
 years old; Herman, who died at the age of three 
 months; Bertha, now Mrs. Carsten Anthonisen; 
 Emma, who died at the age of eighteen years; 
 Louis, who died when eighteen months old; and 
 Matilda, who died at the age of two and one-half 
 years. Mr. Struebing and his wife are members 
 of the Zion German Lutheran Church, Mr. 
 Struebing being one of the organizers and first 
 members of the church, and having served many 
 years as a trustee. 
 
 Mrs Bertha Anthonisen was born September 
 10, 1867, in Charles Hagen, German}', and was 
 eighteen months old when she came with her 
 parents to the United States. 
 
 Mr. 'and Mrs. Carsten Anthonisen have three 
 children, namely: Martin William, Elmer Peter 
 and Ruth Jacobina. The family has been con- 
 nected with the German Lutheran Church twelve 
 years. Mr. Anthonisen is a member of the 
 Amalgamated Association, and of other societies. 
 He has been a trustee of the church and also of 
 the school connected with it, and his wife is a 
 member of the Ladies' Society. Mr. Anthonisen 
 takes an active interest in the progress of his 
 adopted country. In politics he is independent. 
 
 THOMAS F. DOYLE. 
 
 'HOMAS FRANKLIN DOYLE, a promi- 
 nent business man of South Chicago, was 
 born February 22, 1850, in Westchester, 
 New York, and is a son of Michael and Cathe- 
 rine (Cullen) Doyle. Michael Doyle was born 
 in Wicklow, Ireland, and emigrated to America 
 in 1848, settling in Westchester, New York. 
 Thomas F. Doyle received his early education 
 
 in the schools of Chicago, and this has been 
 supplemented by reading and observation through 
 his later life. At the age of fifteen years he left 
 his studies, and found employment with the 
 Northwestern Fertilizing Company, where he 
 held the position of shipping clerk four years. 
 At the age of twenty-one years he engaged in 
 business for himself, by opening a store on Com-
 
 J. H. CUNNINGHAM. 
 
 651 
 
 mercial Avenue, south of the railroad tracks, 
 where he dealt in groceries and liquors about 
 three years. In 1876 Mr. Doyle became justice 
 / of the peace. He also entered the real-estate 
 business, having an office in the Commercial 
 Building, South Chicago. He was the agent of 
 Colonel Bowen, locating factories and selling 
 land for him, retaining this position until the 
 death of Mr. Bowen, and then continued busi- 
 ness on his own responsibility. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Doyle removed to Omaha, Neb- 
 raska, where he was for three years interested in 
 the real-estate transfers of that growing town. 
 In 1886 he changed his location to Sioux City, 
 
 engaging in the same occupation, and in 1892 
 returned to Chicago. He secured an office at No. 
 80 Dearborn Street, which he retained until 1896, 
 and then moved to his present quarters in the 
 Commercial Block, South Chicago. He has pros- 
 pered in his ventures, and is one of the reliable 
 business men of the community. His residence 
 is at No. 8006 Bond Avenue, Chicago. 
 
 July 12, 1884, Mr. Doyle was united in matri- 
 mony with Miss Elizabeth Quass, of Cedar Rap- 
 ids, Iowa. He is a most public-spirited and pro- 
 gressive citizen, and his ideas are modern and 
 practical. His interest in political affairs never 
 fails, and he is a stanch Democrat. 
 
 JOSEPH H. CUNNINGHAM. 
 
 (JOSEPH HENRY CUNNINGHAM, an en- 
 I ergetic business man of South Chicago, was 
 Q) born August 12, 1840, in County Armagh, 
 Ireland, and is a son of John and Jane (Brooks) 
 Cunningham, natives of that country. His 
 grandfather, William Cunningham, was a fann- 
 er, and members of his family were extensive 
 manufacturers of Irish linen. His children were 
 John, Leonard, William, Thomas, Sarah and 
 Elizabeth. Joseph H. Cunningham's maternal 
 grandfather, John Brooks, was engaged in agri- 
 culture. His children were James, John, Jane 
 and Ann. 
 
 Joseph Henry Cunningham was educated in 
 his native county-, where he spent his early life. 
 February 12, 1860, he emigrated to America, and 
 spent a few years in Westchester Count}', New 
 York, where he found employment at farm labor. 
 He remained a year in New Jersey, six years in 
 Zanesville, Ohio, and one year in Licking County, 
 Ohio, during all of which time he followed the 
 occupation of fanner. In 1878 he removed to 
 Francisville, Indiana, where he spent a year on a 
 
 farm, and then moved to South Chicago and en- 
 gaged in teaming and expressing. He met with 
 success in this venture, and has since continued 
 the occupation. He is now associated with part- 
 ners, under the title of Cunningham, Son & Com- 
 pany, and their offices are located at No. 306 
 Ninety-second Street. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Cunningham married Miss Lizzie, 
 daughter of Thomas Ferguson. She was born in 
 County Monaghan, Ireland. Their children are, 
 Libbie Jearette, Amber Zala and James Pierce. 
 The first married Charles G. Bryon, and resides 
 at No. 9716 Exchange Avenue. The second be- 
 came the wife of George Shortridge, and their 
 home is at No. 9131 Houston Avenue. The son 
 married Elenore Cutter, daughter of Abijah and 
 Amanda (Poole) Cutter, of Cincinnati, January 
 14, 1891, and they have a son named for his fa- 
 ther. Their first-born, Blanche Hazel, died when 
 fourteen months old. He is associated with his 
 father in business, and is one of the most active 
 business men in South Chicago. He has a keen 
 observation, a practical knowledge of his occupa-
 
 6 5 2 
 
 I. J. REIS. 
 
 tion, and the ability to put his ideas into practice. 
 The firm is known for its honest and fair 
 dealings with customers, and prompt attention to 
 their wants. 
 
 Mr. Cunningham is a member of the First 
 Presbyterian Church of South Chicago, cherish- 
 
 ing the faith of his parents, and is connected with 
 Calumet Lodge, No. 44, Independent Order of 
 Foresters. His birthplace is near that of the 
 late famous New York merchant, A. T. Stewart, 
 with whom he was personally acquainted in 
 earlv life 
 
 IGNACE J. REIS, 
 
 CjTGNACE J. REIS was born November 24, 
 1864, in Kis Palugya, Hungary, and is a son 
 Jt of Jonas and Julia Reis, both of whom are 
 living at his birthplace. Jonas Reis was a lieu- 
 tenant in the army of Kossuth and fought in the 
 Revolution of 1848. 
 
 The subject of this notice received his early 
 education in Buda Pesth, and after graduating 
 from the gymnasium there he took up the study 
 of medicine, which was his mother's choice of 
 profession for him. He continued his studies in 
 Vienna, Austria, and later studied in Berlin, 
 Germany. He served a year in the army, and 
 then traveled through western Europe. 
 
 On the invitation of an older brother, who 
 lived in San Francisco, he came to America. 
 The activity of the American people appealed to 
 his tastes and habits, and after visiting New 
 York, San Francisco, St. Louis, Milwaukee and 
 Chicago, he decided upon the last-named city as 
 a place of residence, and in 1889 settled in the 
 great a'nd growing metropolis. He engaged in 
 his profession immediately, but his inability to 
 speak the English language prevented him from 
 establishing himself in business in his own name, 
 so he became an assistant to a prominent chirop- 
 odist, until he was able to master our language. 
 His employer wondered at his success in the 
 treatment of corns, bunions, ingrowing nails, de- 
 
 formed toes, club feet and all foot diseases, and 
 offered him a very good income if he would re- 
 main, but Dr. Reis wished to be independent, 
 and established an office of his own. He soon 
 had a large practice, and in six months his suc- 
 cess warranted his obtaining a large and com- 
 modious office, at No. 125 State Street, next door to 
 Mandel Brothers, where he was proclaimed "the 
 most successful surgeon-chiropodist in the coun- 
 try. " His fame has reached all over the United 
 States, and he has patients from the 'far North, 
 West, South and East. He is the inventor of 
 the bunion shield, which has been of great bene- 
 fit to suffering humanity. 
 
 The fame and success of Dr. Reis are still in- 
 creasing, and he enjoys the confidence and friend- 
 ship of his patients. He is connected with many 
 social orders, and in all of them enjoys the re- 
 spect and esteem of its members. He has a beau- 
 tiful home for his family, which consists of his 
 wife and one son. He was united in matrimony, 
 March 31, 1895, with Miss Mamie Ashenheim, a 
 well-known author, and a translator of English, 
 German, French, and other languages. 
 
 Dr. Reis has a reputation for great integrity in 
 all his dealings. His affable manners and ready 
 flow of thought in conversation make him an 
 agreeable companion, and he is soon recognized as 
 a man of superior attainments in any assemblage.
 
 H. A. FARNUM. 
 
 653 
 
 HENRY A. FARNUM. 
 
 HENRY ALBERT FARNUM, a valued 
 citizen of Norwood Park, was born Novem- 
 ber 27, 1844, in Dublin, near Monadnock, 
 New Hampshire, and is a son of Rowland and 
 Mary W. (Brooks) Farnum, natives of New Eng- 
 land. Rowland Farnum was a son of Joshua and 
 Mary W. (Borden) Farnum, the former a native 
 of Draycot, Massachusetts. He was a soldier in 
 the Revolutionary Army, having run away from 
 home to join it. After the war he settled in 
 Mount Monadnock, New Hampshire, and there 
 spent the remainder of his life. Family tradition 
 says that the blood of the red men ran through 
 his veins, though there is no satisfactory proof of 
 it. His wife, Mary W. Borden, was a native of 
 New Hampshire, and a daughter of Jonas and 
 Mary (Filton) Borden. Her father was a native 
 of New Hampshire, and his wife of Massachusetts, 
 but both were of English origin. Rowland Far- 
 num and his wife had four children, of whom an 
 account is given below: Henry Albert Farnum, 
 of whose life this article is written, and John M. 
 were the sons. The latter was a soldier for a 
 short time during the Civil War and later a whole- 
 sale grocer at Keene, New Hampshire. He sub- 
 sequently opened a retail grocery store in Nor- 
 wood Park, Illinois, where his death occurred 
 July 17, 1896. Sobrina, wife of C. P. Grant, 
 resides on West Seventy-second Street, Chicago. 
 Frances is the widow of Stephen A. Randall. 
 Rowland Farnum and his wife died at Keene, 
 New Hampshire, at an advanced age. 
 
 Henry Albert Farnum remained on the home 
 farm in New Hampshire and attended the com- 
 mon schools, where he received his early educa- 
 tion. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was 
 attending a high school, but he left his studies 
 
 and enlisted, September 20, 1861, and was must- 
 ered- into service and assigned to Company F, 
 Sixth New Hampshire Regiment Volunteer In- 
 fantry. He went first to Maryland, and then on 
 Burnside's expedition to Hatteras. Of the nine 
 transports sent, only the "Old Louisiana" was 
 not sunk. Mr. Farnum spent most of the time 
 during the war with the Army of the Potomac, 
 being in battles at Roanoke, Hatteras, Chantilly, 
 South Mountain, Antietam, the second battle of 
 Fredericksburg, at Vicksburg, Jackson, and other 
 places, being under General Grant at Vicksburg 
 and Fredericksburg. He returned to the Poto- 
 mac under General Grant and fought in the bat- 
 tle of the Wilderness. On the second day, May 
 6, 1864, he was taken prisoner, and sent to Rich- 
 mond to Libby Prison and then to Danville, 
 spending a few days in each place. He was then 
 sent to Andersonville, where he was confined 
 eight months. Later he was sent to Florence, 
 South Carolina, and while in the prison pen was 
 not only starved nearly to death, but was also ex- 
 posed to extreme cold and had his feet so badly 
 frozen that part of the flesh fell from his toes. 
 From Florence he was taken to Wilmington, 
 North Carolina, and there exchanged, after which 
 he spent a few days in Grant's general hospital at 
 Willit's Point, New York, and was then sent to 
 the hospital at Manchester, New Hampshire. 
 After gaining strength and partially recovering 
 his health, he went to Concord to get his dis- 
 charge, May 20, 1865. Two reports of his death 
 had been published before his safety became 
 known to his friends. 
 
 At the close of the war, Mr. Farnum learned the 
 trade of cabinet-maker, and worked at it at Keene, 
 New Hampshire, and also Fitchburg, Massachu-
 
 654 
 
 F. M. WOJTALEWICZ. 
 
 setts. In 1876 Mr. Farnum came to Chicago 
 and worked at the trade of making sashes, blinds 
 and doors, and later found employment with the 
 Johnson Furniture Company. He chose Nor- 
 wood Park as a home and still resides there, oc- 
 cupying a comfortable residence at No. 3585 
 Clarendon Street, which he built in 1897. Since 
 1890 he has taken charge of the Union Ridge 
 Cemetery, as superintendent. 
 
 October 15, 1867, Mr. Farnum married Sarah 
 E. Wheeler, and they had two children, namely: 
 Edward Ellsworth, now residing at Athol, 
 Massachusetts; and Isora L. , wife of L,. L. Foster, 
 of the same place. Mr. Farnum was married 
 
 June 24, 1893, to Eleanor A. Turner, a native of 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of 
 Miles S. and Clara (Moore) Turner. The former 
 was a native of New Jersey and fought with the 
 Sixth Regiment New Jersey Volunteer Infantry 
 in the late Civil War. He was also a member of 
 the Thirty-sixth Company, Second Battalion Vet- 
 eran Relief Corps. He lived in Milwaukee, and 
 is buried in Union Ridge Cemetery. Mr. Farnum 
 is a member of B. F. Butler Post, No. 754, Grand 
 Army of the Republic, of Irving Park. He is a 
 Republican in his political views, and a member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is his 
 wife. 
 
 FRANCIS M. WOJTALEWICZ. 
 
 |~~ RANCIS MAXIMILIAN WOJTALEWICZ 
 r^ was born December 2, 1861, in Zalesie, Po- 
 | * land, and is a son of Maximilian and Lucy 
 (Budzbanowska) Wojtalewicz, who were both 
 natives of that country. His maternal grand- 
 father, John Budzbanowski, was the superintend- 
 ent of an estate in Poland, and his father's people 
 were farmers in that country. Maximilian 
 Wojtalewicz and his family emigrated to America 
 April 25, 1869, and settled in Chicago, locating 
 at No. 31 Chapin Street. He is a tailor by trade, 
 and still lives in this city, where he has bought 
 ground and built upon it. 
 
 The subject of this biography attended Saint 
 Stanislaus' School, of Chicago, until he was 
 thirteen years old, and was then employed at 
 gilding picture frames in a factory a short time. 
 He next attended public school until he was 
 eighteen years of age, and subsequently entered 
 Saint Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, where he 
 completed a classical course. He next attended 
 school at Saint Meinrad, Indiana, completing the 
 course in 1889. 
 
 December 21, 1889, he was ordained at Holy 
 Narne Cathredal, by Arch-bishop Feehan. He 
 was then appointed assistant to Reverend M. 
 Pyplatz, and remained with him one year. For 
 nine months he had charge of Guardian Angel 
 Orphan Asylum, at High Ridge, and for eight 
 months was in charge of a mission at Downers 
 Grove, DuPage County, Illinois. His occupa- 
 tion had fitted him for more independent efforts, 
 and he next engaged his energies in organizing 
 a mission at Sobieski, Cook County, in which he 
 was very successful, and he remained in charge 
 there three and one-half years. 
 
 September 20, 1895, Reverend Wojtalewicz 
 took charge of the Church of the Immaculate 
 Conception, Blessed Virgin Mary, of South Chi- 
 cago, and he has since been engaged in promoting 
 the welfare of this church. He is the friend of 
 the poor, the comforter of the sorrowful, and 
 sympathizes with the joys and trials of all his 
 parishioners. All who attend the services, and 
 are connected with the church, give him their 
 utmost confidence and regard.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OP THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 CitI<rmI &oij]< L 119 Co Q
 
 C. W. WILLARD. 
 
 655 
 
 CHARLES W. WILLARD. 
 
 EHARLES WRIGHT WILLARD was born 
 January 31, 1826, in Deerfield, Worcester 
 County, Massachusetts, and is a son of Hez- 
 ekiah and Sultana (Fisk) Willard. He is a di- 
 rect descendant of Maj. Simon Willard, who was 
 born at Horsmonden, England, in 1605. A gen- 
 ealogy of the Willard family, a copy of which is 
 in possession of the subject of this sketch, was 
 compiled by Joseph Willard in 1858. David Wil- 
 lard, grandfather of C. W. Willard, married Re- 
 becca Pratt, a native of Winchester, New Hamp- 
 shire, and had the following children: Hezekiah, 
 Amos, Rebecca, Thirsa, Seraph and Olive. 
 
 Hezekiah Willard, father of Charles W. Wil- 
 lard, was born September 30, 1803, in Winchester, 
 New Hampshire. Sultana Fisk, his wife, was 
 born December 21,1 792 , in South Deerfield , Mas- 
 sachusetts, and was of Scotch descent. Their 
 children were: Amos Fisk, Charles Wright, Hez- 
 ekiah Oscar and John Peters. 
 
 The business life of Charles W. Willard began 
 at the age of sixteen years, in Alstead, New 
 Hampshire. From there he went to Nashua, in 
 the same State, and worked as a blacksmith two 
 years. Going thence to Dorchester, Massachu- 
 setts, he there learned the trade of steam forger, 
 having as companion, his brother, John P. Wil- 
 lard. Together they went to Bridgewater, Mas- 
 sachusetts, where they worked the hammer which 
 turned out the armor for the first monitor, the 
 old Roanoke, comprising one hundred sixty tons 
 of armor plate. They subsequently duplicated 
 this order for twenty-three gunboats, and also 
 filled various other Government orders. 
 
 In 1862 they came to Chicago and engaged in 
 
 business with the firm of Pynchon, Willard & 
 Company. They established a forge at Archer 
 Avenue and Twenty-fourth Street, which was 
 known as the Chicago Steam Forge Works. Mr. 
 John Pynchon was the recognized head of the 
 concern, and had its financial management until 
 he was bought out by Charles W. Willard. They 
 started with one hammer, and by the help of in- 
 ventions perfected by the Willard brothers, and 
 which are protected by patents, the volume of 
 business was increased until it employed ten ham- 
 mers. The first of these patents covered an im- 
 proved valve-gear, and the next invention, which 
 proved the more valuable of the two, was an iron- 
 helve hammer. In course of time, Mr. C. W. 
 Willard bought out all his partners, the first one 
 to sell being Mr. James W. Maxwell, who left the 
 firm in 1868, the next being Mr. Willard's broth- 
 er, and the last Mr. Pynchon. 
 
 In 1878 a charter covering the business was se- 
 cured, with the title of Willard Sons & Bell 
 Company. The plant was moved to South Chi- 
 cago and located on the Calumet River, fronting 
 on Ninety-eighth Street, in 1882, at which time 
 its capacity was quadrupled. The product con- 
 sists chiefly of car and locomotive axles, and in- 
 cludes all kinds of forgings for railroad work. 
 Since the World's Fair, Mr. Willard's sons, Frank 
 and L emue l> have assumed the practical manage- 
 ment of the business, thus giving the father a 
 much-needed rest after a long life of useful activ- 
 ity. The two brothers, Charles W. and John P. 
 Willard, are now enjoying a competency, which 
 they have earned by a life of hard labor and hon- 
 est endeavor.
 
 6 5 6 
 
 C. W. WILLARD. 
 
 September 28, 1846, Charles W. Willard was 
 married to Miss Martha Ann Babcock, a daughter 
 of Lemuel E. and Sarah Emmeline (Buell) Bab- 
 cock. Martha A. Babcock was born October 22, 
 1832, in Windsor, Vermont, and died September 
 20, 1883, at South Chicago. She was the mother 
 of eight children. The eldest of these, Charles 
 Edward Willard, was born May 22, 1849, at Dor- 
 chester, Massachusetts. He married Ellen, daugh- 
 ter of Charles E. Felton , of Chicago, and has one 
 child, named George Gale. Martha Emma Wil- 
 lard, born April 12, 1851, at Dorchester, Massa- 
 chusetts, married Kossuth H. Bell, March n, 
 1879, and has five children. 
 
 Frank Eugene, third child of C. W. Willard, 
 was born November 10, 1854, in East Boston, 
 Massachusetts. In March, 1885, he married 
 Anna, daughter of John Moran, of Cleveland, 
 Ohio. Their children are: Frank Valentine, 
 born February 14, 1894; Dorothy, April 26, 1895; 
 and Gladys, March 22,1896. After graduating 
 from the Chicago High School in 1870, Mr. Wil- 
 lard was employed six years at the forge. He 
 then went into the offices of the Chicago Steam 
 Forge Works, which were located in the Holley 
 Building, in 1882. Seven years later they were 
 moved to the Western Union Building, and in 
 August, 1896, to the Great Northern Building. 
 Since July i, 1889, Mr. Frank E. Willard has had 
 entire charge of these offices. 
 
 Freddy C., the fourth child of C. W. Willard, 
 born February 17, 1855, i n Dorchester, Massa- 
 chusetts, died July 30, 1857. Harriet Emmeline, 
 next, was born May 30, 1859, in Bridgewater, 
 Massachusetts, and died in Chicago, May i, 
 1877, having just graduated from the Chicago 
 High School. 
 
 Lemuel Clifton Willard was born October 17, 
 1862, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. December 
 12, 1885, he was married to Miss Ellen, daugh- 
 ter of Anton Kahl, of Chicago. Their children 
 are: Ella Martha, born May 2, 1887; Harriet 
 Emmeline, December 12, 1893; and Wright 
 Clifton, September 6, 1896. At the age of six- 
 teen years, he left school, and entered his fa- 
 ther's employ. In 1888 he took charge of the 
 mechanical portion of work of the establishment, 
 
 and has continued in this position ever since. 
 Mr. Willard is connected with Court South Chi- 
 cago, No. 171, Independent Order of Foresters. 
 He was made a Mason in August, 1892, in 
 Triluminar Lodge, No. 767, and is identified 
 with Sinai Chapter, No. 185, and Calumet Com- 
 mandery, No. 62, of that order. 
 
 The last two children of C. W. Willard and 
 wife were twins, Willie and Winnie, born in 
 Chicago, October 10, 1865. The former died on 
 the following day, and the latter September 30, 
 1867. 
 
 November 19, 1888, Charles W. Willard was 
 married the second time, the bride being a sister 
 of his first wife, and the widow of his younger 
 brother, H. O. Willard. Hezekiah Oscar Wil- 
 lard was born February 13, 1827, in Winchester, 
 New Hampshire, and died March 22, 1886, at 
 Alstead, in the same State. January 28, 1846, 
 he was married to Sarah Emmeline Babcock, and 
 they became the parents of nine children. 
 
 Mr. Charles W. Willard was made a Mason, at 
 Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in 1861, becoming a 
 member of Bridgewater Lodge of that city. He 
 is a steadfast Republican in political principle, 
 but has never aspired to political offices or 
 honors. 
 
 Amos Fisk Willard, eldest son of Hezekiah 
 Willard, was born March 20, 1824, and died in 
 Winchendon, Massachusetts, May 15, 1894. He 
 was married December 31, 1846, to Amelia M. 
 Smith, of Langdon, New Hampshire, and became 
 the father of eight children. 
 
 John Peters Willard, youngest son of Hezekiah 
 Willard, was born November 24, 1830, in Al- 
 stead, New Hampshire. The history of his early 
 life is given in connection with that of his elder 
 brother, Charles W. Willard, whose name heads 
 this article. In 1872 he sold out his interest in 
 the firm of Pynchon, Willard & Company, and 
 moved to De Pere, Wisconsin. Here he estab- 
 lished himself in business under the title of the 
 De Pere Steam Forge Works, and has achieved a 
 most gratifying success. He became connected 
 with the Masonic order in that city in 1876, in De 
 Pere Lodge. He is a Republican in politics. 
 
 He married Harriet P. Hurd, daughter of
 
 CHARLES KRIEWITZ. 
 
 657 
 
 Collins and Sarah (Way) Kurd. Their children 
 are as follows: Cora Sultana, born December 24, 
 1855, died September 3, 1856, in Alstead, New 
 Hampshire; Nellie Asenath, born April 17, 1857, 
 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, married Paul 
 Scheuring, April 12, 1877, and had eight chil- 
 dren; Myra Hurd, born January 23, 1859, in Al- 
 
 stead, New Hampshire, married Harry McRoy, 
 of Chicago, June 16, 1880, and has three children; 
 Freddie Collins, born May 18, 1861, in Bridge- 
 water, Massachusetts, died February 9, 1862; 
 Mabel Emma, born September 16, 1866, in Chi- 
 cago, died July 20, 1895; Clara May, born April 
 4, 1870, in Chicago, died April 17, 1874. 
 
 CHARLES KRIEWITZ. 
 
 EHARLES KRIEWITZ, a very successful 
 South Chicago grocer, has been established 
 in his present location some thirteen years, 
 and has acquired an enviable reputation along 
 Commercial Avenue, where he has a store at No. 
 9700. Mr. Kriewitz is of German origin, his 
 parents, Jacob and Fredrika (Lubtke) Kriewitz, 
 residing in the little Pommeranian town of Lassan 
 at the time of his birth, September 2, 1844. His 
 father was a fisherman, and died at the early age 
 of forty-three, in 1864. His mother kept her wid- 
 owed state many years, and died in Chicago, 
 when past seventy-five years of age. She was 
 the mother of four sons and one daughter, 
 who are living in this country, except as noted 
 below. She crossed the ocean in 1871 to spend 
 her declining days with her children in their 
 American home, and her only daughter, Minnie, 
 bore her company. Her son Frederick was the 
 first to emigrate, and now lives atTolleston, Indi- 
 ana, where he cares for a family of four children. 
 John, the only son who persisted in clinging to the 
 Fatherland, still lives at Kiel, where he follows 
 ship carpentering. He is the father of four chil- 
 dren. Ernst lives in South Chicago; and Minnie 
 is Mrs. Rudolph Hargens, and has her home at 
 Clark Station, Indiana. She is the mother of 
 four children. 
 
 Mr. Kriewitz struck out for himself early in life, 
 and something of his sturdy character may be at- 
 
 tributed to the discipline of these earlier years. 
 When fourteen he left home and became a sailor, 
 serving for several years on coast trading vessels. 
 Before he was twenty he took an able-bodied sail- 
 or's position on an ocean-going vessel, and was on 
 the salt water for ten years. He served in the 
 German navy for upwards of two years, from 1864 
 to 1866, and has an honorable record in that ca- 
 pacity. In 1869 he came to this country on 
 board the barque ''Lincoln," of Bath, Maine. He 
 landed at Philadelphia, and came straight on to 
 Chicago, where his brother Frederick was already 
 established. He was a capable and trusty sea- 
 man and at once found remunerative employment 
 on the lakes. He left the water in the autumn of 
 1872 to engage in business for himself as propri- 
 etor and manager of a saloon and grocery at Clark 
 Station, Indiana, and continued in this business 
 for the next ten years. In June, 1883, he came 
 to his present location, put up a convenient store 
 building, and has built up one of the most com- 
 plete grocery establishments on the street. 
 
 January 17, 1873, Mr. Kriewitz married Miss 
 Matilda Ludewig, whose parents, Henry and Eliza- 
 beth Dorothea (Kroekel) Ludewig, werenativesof 
 Hanover, Germany. She came to this country in 
 1870, in company with her three brothers, all of 
 whom have met with success in the intervening 
 years. William is a physician at Rock Island; 
 Fred is a farmer near Woodstock ; and Adolph is
 
 6 5 8 
 
 ROBERT COLLINS. 
 
 seeking restoration of health under Italian skies. 
 She is a lady of many musical gifts, and is es- 
 pecially proficient on the guitar. Her two older 
 sons, Charles Frederick, born September 12, 1874, 
 and Bernard Otto, February 17, 1876, were estab- 
 lished by Mr. Kriewitz in the meat and grocery 
 business at No. 1010 Commercial Avenue, in May, 
 1895, an d have rapidly risen to the front rank in 
 that line. They do a large business with freight 
 boats that come in the Calumet River, and seek 
 renewal of their larder before returning to the 
 lake. A daughter, Freda, August 4, 1877, lived 
 only eleven days. Clara Matilda, born August 
 8, 1878, inherits her mother's musical gift, and 
 is a graduate of the Chicago Musical College, and 
 was a pupil of Dr. F. Ziegfeld. She is now at- 
 tending the Chicago Female College, and teaches 
 a class in musical home. Emmertina Elsie, Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1883, died on the last day of July in 
 the year of her birth. John, who was born Janu- 
 ary 10, 1884, died in the following August. Mil- 
 
 ton Ludwig, September 12, 1885, was drowned 
 in Lake Michigan, at the foot of Ninety-fifth 
 Street, August 4, 1896, while out swimming. 
 He was a very bright lad, and had become a fine 
 violinist. His loss is deeply mourned, not only 
 by his own immediate family, but by many friends 
 who feel that a promising career was suddenly cut 
 short. 
 
 Mr. Kriewitz is a member of the Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows, and has his name on the 
 rolls of Earl Lodge No. 333, Hubbard, Indiana. 
 He takes much interest in the order, and has filled 
 all its chairs. He also belongs to the Sons of 
 Hermann No. 41, South Chicago. In religion he 
 affiliates with the Congregational Church, and in 
 politics acts with the Republican party. He was 
 school director in Lake County, Indiana, for six 
 years, and served a short term as postmaster at 
 Clark Station. He is an active and capable bus- 
 iness man, and takes much interest in public af- 
 fairs. 
 
 ROBERT COLLINS. 
 
 ROBERT COLLINS. Many men in our great 
 metropolis have risen to positions of trust 
 and responsibility through their own efforts, 
 unaided by money or the influence of others, and 
 among these valuable citizens is found Robert 
 Collins. He was born November 22, 1857, m 
 Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and is the son of 
 William and Lavinia (Harvey) Collins. His 
 genealogy will be found with that of his brother, 
 W. H. Collins, contained in this work. 
 
 William Collins was foreman of a blast fur- 
 nace, and worked at the following places: Youngs- 
 town and Cleveland, Ohio; Knightsville, Indi- 
 ana; Grand Tower, Illinois; and Saint Louis, 
 Missouri. When Robert Collins was a lad of lit- 
 tle more than nine years, he thought best to leave 
 
 school and begin the battle of life. From that 
 time he has worked all his life. Until he was 
 twenty-three years of age he gave his earnings to 
 his parents, as soon as received. In November, 
 1882, he began life for himself, and after a few 
 years of traveling about, in which time he saw 
 many hardships, he was able, by reason of his skill 
 as a mechanic, to secure a valuable and perma- 
 nent position with a reliable establishment. He 
 first began as a common laborer for the Illinois 
 Steel Company in South Chicago. After a year 
 and one-half of this, he spent a year as runner- 
 man; then, beginning as fourth vesselman, he has 
 advanced to the position of second vesselman, 
 which last position he has held five years, to the 
 satisfaction of his employers.
 
 RICHARD SPARROW. 
 
 659 
 
 August 23, 1880, Mr. Collins married Miss. 
 Eliza Horner, and they are the parents of three 
 living children, Malissa, Stella and Arthur. 
 Joshua died in infancy. They live at their com- 
 fortable home, No. 9742 Avenue M, Chicago. 
 Mr. Collins is a true representative of the substan- 
 tial class of American self-made men. He has 
 
 well earned the respect and admiration that the 
 community accords him, and deserves the many 
 firm friends he has, and whom he is so willing to 
 serve. In politics Mr. Collins is independent in 
 his views, believing that true patriotism looks 
 rather to the ability than the party affiliations of 
 a candidate. 
 
 RICHARD SPARROW. 
 
 RICHARD SPARROW was born August i, 
 1831, in Dudley, Staffordshire, England, 
 and is a son of James and Mary (Turner) 
 Sparrow. His mother died when he was but five 
 years of age, and two years later his father mar- 
 ried again. His first employment was with a 
 glass house. At the age of eight and one-half 
 years he began work as savator, which he con- 
 tinued two years, and then secured employment in 
 iron works, which business he continued right 
 along. He was helper to a puddler until nineteen 
 years of age, and was then "boss" of a furnace, 
 and continued as such until he came to America. 
 
 In February, 1868, he reached America and 
 came direct to Chicago. Mr. Crossley Law, who 
 married the sister of the first wife of Mr. Sparrow, 
 was then working in the North Chicago Rolling 
 Mills, and through him the latter secured a posi- 
 tion as puddler in this mill. He then took charge 
 of the furnace, and in 1879 was made nighf'boss" 
 of the puddlers. In 1881 he went to South Chi- 
 cago and was put in charge of the boiler house. 
 In 1887 he left the mill, and has lived a retired 
 life since that time. 
 
 Mr. Sparrow was married in 1853 to Miss 
 Mary, daughter of Joseph and Mary Brown. She 
 died February 27, 1868, at the age of thirty-six 
 years, leaving one child, Arthur James. He was 
 born August 20, 1856, and married Sarah Ann 
 Cooper, and is now a bookkeeper in San Francisco, 
 
 California. His children are named: Mary Ade- 
 laide Cooper, Harvey Mark Cooper and Howard 
 Cooper. Mr. Sparrow married for his second 
 wife Dr. Hannah Steele, whose biography appears 
 elsewhere in this volume. 
 
 James Sparrow, the grandfather of the subject 
 of this sketch, located in New York City, where 
 he married a second wife, and his descendants are 
 very prominent there. By his first wife he had a 
 son and daughter, the former being the father of 
 Richard Sparrow. The second wife, Miss 
 Rhodes, was a lady of wealth, and at her death 
 she left her property to James Sparrow, who was, 
 therefore, at one time a man of very comfortable 
 means, but he had reverses and lost so much of 
 his property that in later life he was compelled to 
 work for his living. His children by his first 
 marriage were seven in number, namely: James, 
 now deceased; Elizabeth, Mrs. John Bolton, now 
 deceased; Mary, wife of Joseph Chance, now de- 
 ceased; John, deceased, and Richard. Joseph 
 resides at Seventy-ninth Street and Coles Avenue, 
 Chicago. 
 
 The children of James Sparrow by his second 
 marriage were: Martha, who died at twelve years 
 of age; William and Thomas, both of whom are 
 in England. 
 
 Mr. Sparrow is a member of the Order of 
 Foresters of Court Briscoe, No. 9, and is a Re- 
 publican in politics.
 
 66o 
 
 W. B. MONTGOMERY. 
 
 WILLIAM B. MONTGOMERY. 
 
 BELL MONTGOMERY, who 
 
 has the honor of being one of the first per- 
 sons to locate a home in Taylor's First Ad- 
 dition, sometimes known as the East Side of South 
 Chicago, was born March 8, 1836, in Mercer 
 County, Illinois, and is the son of John and Sarah 
 (Vail) Montgomery. John Montgomery was a 
 Presbyterian minister, of what is termed by some 
 the Old School, and came West as a missionary 
 to the Indians. He went among the Osage Indi- 
 ans of Missouri, and finally settled in Mercer 
 County, Illinois, where he entered land, engaged 
 in farming, and lived until his death in 1842. His 
 wife was born in Connecticut. She also died in 
 the same year and place as her husband. Their 
 children now living are: William Bell and Asen- 
 ath; the latter married Solomon Gardner, and is 
 now a widow, living in Austin, Illinois. The 
 names of the deceased children are: Joseph V., a 
 merchant, and Christiana, wife of W. I. Moore, 
 of Austin, Illinois. 
 
 William Bell Montgomery lost both parents when 
 he was only eight years of age, and his guardian 
 was Thomas Vail, his mother's brother, who lived 
 at the old homestead. William lived with him 
 until he was fourteen years old, and then, at 
 his own expense, attended the Geneseo High 
 School. When eighteen years old, he began 
 learning the trade of carpenter and joiner in Gen- 
 eseo. In 1856 he began a dry-goods business for 
 himself, in Kewanee, Henry County, Illinois, 
 with W. I. Moore as partner, and .they continued 
 
 two years. For a year he conducted the Empire 
 House in that city, and then went to Memphis, 
 Tennessee, and followed his trade. He stayed 
 two years, and in 1861 went to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 and enlisted in General Fremont's mounted body 
 guard, known as the Kentucky Company, made 
 up of picked men. He remained with them until 
 General Fremont was superseded, and is one of 
 the few survivors of the famous Fremont's Body 
 Guard charge, October 24, 1861, at Springfield, 
 Missouri. 
 
 He returned to Cincinnati and worked at his 
 trade until 1869, when he went to Put-In-Bay Is- 
 land (Lake Erie), Ohio. There he did his first 
 contracting. He built all the first-class hotels at 
 this summer resort during his three-years stay, 
 and this gave him a start in life. Next he went 
 toSandusky, Ohio, where he spent one season in 
 contracting and building. 
 
 In the spring of 1873, he came to Chicago and 
 bought some property at what is now No. 992 
 Avenue K. He was one of the first investors on 
 the East Side .after the town was located. He 
 came under a contract to build mills for the Ness 
 Silicon Steel Company, from Rome, New York. 
 The company failed later, and though the mills 
 had been completed, they were never used by the 
 builders. 
 
 Mr. Montgomery remained in South Chicago 
 until 1878, and in this time built principally 
 houses, among them the Taylor and the Krimbill 
 residences. Some of the work done by him in
 
 J. O. KNALL. 
 
 66 1 
 
 1875 was the building of the first draw-bridge 
 across the Calumet River at Ninety- fifth Street. 
 He also built the Chittenden and the One Hun- 
 dred Sixth Street Bridges. In 1878 he removed 
 to Chicago, living on the West Side, although he 
 still retained his property in South Chicago. He 
 lived on the West Side until 1890, following his 
 trade mean time. When he returned to South 
 Chicago, he improved his property, and continued 
 building operations. In the spring of 1893, he 
 erected the present building on his property, and 
 opened the hotel, Saint Elmo, the following July. 
 
 Since that time he has given his time and energy 
 to the successful and satisfactory conduct of this 
 hotel. 
 
 November 5, 1879, Mr. Montgomery married 
 Mrs. Hattie De Wolf, widow of Louis De Wolf. 
 She died March 24, 1893. In politics Mr. Mont- 
 gomery is a Republican, but he has never held 
 any office. The friends of the genial landlord of 
 the Saint Elmo Hotel are many, and he is re- 
 spected by all who know him. He is truly a ben- 
 efactor of his city, and is most intimately con- 
 nected with its past and present growth. 
 
 JOHN O. KNALL. 
 
 (JOHN OSCAR KNALL, chief engineer of the 
 Illinois Steel Company, was born February 
 Q) 5, 1858, in Norkoping, Sweden. He is the 
 son of August and Louise (Johnson) Knall. 
 August Knall was born May 10, 1826, in Sweden, 
 and his wife, Louise Johnson, was born March 
 25, 1824, in the same country. The former was 
 a carpenter by trade, but served thirty-two years 
 as a soldier in his native land. He and his wife 
 came to South Chicago, by the request of their 
 children, who were already there, in 1883, and 
 they have ever since made that locality their 
 home. 
 
 The first of the family to remove to America 
 was Matilda, the eldest daughter. In 1869 she 
 came to Chicago, and lived here ten years before 
 she visited Sweden. After remaining at home a 
 year, she returned to this city, and has lived here 
 ever since that time. She has never married, and 
 now resides with her parents in South Chicago. 
 Her brother Charles was the next to come to the 
 United States. He came in 1860 to Chicago, and 
 later he removed to Santa Barbara County, Cali- 
 
 fornia, where he has lived since, and is engaged 
 in farming. He is married and has five children. 
 Annie Knall, another daughter, came with her 
 eldest sister in 1881, when the latter returned 
 from Sweden. Annie Knall married Edward 
 Reen, and has two children. She and her hus- 
 band make their home in South Chicago. Ida A. , 
 the youngest daughter of August Knall, gradu- 
 ated in May, 1897, from the University in Cali- 
 fornia. She is a student of ability and a rare 
 linguist, owing her education to her individual 
 efforts. 
 
 John Oscar Knall reached New York March 3, 
 1880, and came on to Chicago immediately. In 
 Sweden he had prepared himself for the work of 
 machinist, having served an apprenticeship of 
 seven years. He first began work in the city in 
 the service of Crane Brothers, dealers in elevators, 
 with whom he remained three months. He then 
 worked six months at the Deering Harvester 
 Works as machinist. July 5, 1881, he began 
 working for the Illinois Steel Company, and he 
 has ever since been one of its most valuable
 
 662 
 
 L. A. FREY. 
 
 employes. He worked four years as a machinist, 
 and then was made assistant to James Penny, the 
 chief engineer. In less than a year he was made 
 chief engineer, and he has since retained that 
 responsible position. 
 
 Mr. Knall bought some property on Avenue H 
 in 1883, and in 1886 built a comfortable home on 
 it, in which he has since made his home. He 
 also owns property on Exchange Avenue, between 
 Eighty-ninth and Ninetieth Streets. 
 
 October 6. 1882, Mr. Knall married his first 
 wife, Cbarlotta Hulltner, a native of Sweden. 
 
 She died January 9, 1884, leaving one child, 
 Frank, who still lives at home. June 9, 1888, he 
 married Miss Hedwig Carolina Hermann, a native 
 of Sweden. They have three children, John, David 
 and Jos( ph. Mr. Knall and his family are mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran Church. On national ques- 
 tions Mr. Knall favors the Republican party. He 
 is an expert at his trade, and is one of the oldest 
 and most trusted of the employes of the corpora- 
 tion which he serves. He is progressive in 
 his ideas and warmly interested in all public im- 
 provements. 
 
 LOUIS A/ FREY. 
 
 I OUIS ALOIS FREY carries on an extensive 
 It real-estate, loan, insurance and steamship- 
 IH/ ticket business in South Chicago, and is re- 
 garded as authority on anything that relates to 
 values or business deals in this part of the city. 
 He was born in New York, February 26, 1852, 
 and his parents, Lucas and Catharine (Muller) 
 Frey, moved to Detroit in 1853, and came to Chi- 
 cago the next year. Mr. Frey was given good 
 educational advantages, both in the parochial 
 and public schools and in Deyrenfurth College. 
 When he was sixteen years old he left school to 
 engage in business under his father's direction. 
 His father owned the Lake House, then located 
 at the corner of Kinzie and Rush Streets, and 
 young Louis took charge of it for him. 
 
 In 1873 he went into the real-estate business 
 with Jacob Bremer, and continued until 1881. 
 He formed a partnership that year with Capt. 
 R. D. Lender, under the firm name of Frey & 
 Lender, which continued for three years; and then, 
 Mr. Frey carried on business alone until 1889. 
 At this time he went into the firm of Frey & 
 
 Schlund, and the partners were together for six 
 years. Since that time Mr. Frey has been alone. 
 He has served as president of the Royal Building 
 and Loan Association, an institution in which 
 he takes a lively interest. 
 
 Mr. Frey united his matrimonial destinies with 
 those of Anna Katharine Schwall, May 3, 1881, 
 and from this union have come the following chil- 
 dren: Man' Magdalene, born February 2, 1882; 
 Anna Maria, October i, 1884; Elizabeth Pauline, 
 January 26, 1887; Frances Catharine, December 
 26, 1888; Louis Alois, May 16, 1890 (dead); 
 Frank Alois, twin of Louis (dead); John Louis, 
 July 18, 1891 (died October 29, 1895); and Olive 
 Euphrosine, March 29, 1895. Mrs. Frey was 
 born at Wilmette, Cook County, Illinois, Decem- 
 ber 21, 1862, and is a daughter of Jacob and Ma- 
 ria Schwall. 
 
 Lucas Frey was a native of Baden, Germany, 
 born in 1822, and died June 4, 1871, in Chicago. 
 He left Germany when he was twenty-four years 
 old, and came to New York, where he began to 
 manufacture brushes on a large scale. He came
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 PETER J. RUBEY 
 
 (From Photo by W. J. ROOTI
 
 P. J. RUBEY. 
 
 663 
 
 to Chicago in 1853, and enlarged his business. 
 He was also interested in a brewery, which he 
 operated in connection with his brush factory on 
 State Street, between Congress and Harrison 
 Streets. He sold his brewery interests in 1862 to 
 Mosler Brothers, and two years later started a 
 hotel at the corner of Twelfth Street and Fourth 
 Avenue, which he called the Chicago House. He 
 disposed of it in 1867, and the next year opened 
 the Lake House,at the corner of Rush and Kinzie 
 Streets, and was its proprietor when he died. 
 His wife, Catharine Muller, who survives him, 
 and lives at Colehour, is an Alsatian, and was 
 born at Rohweiler, France. Her father, Michael 
 Muller, was a farmer, who never left the land of 
 
 his birth. He owned the land he tilled, and was 
 the sire of many children. Mrs. Frey, with her 
 brother, sisters and uncle, Anthony Muller, emi- 
 grated to America in 1847, and was married to 
 Mr. Frey in the city of New York. 
 
 Louis A. Frey is a man of social instincts 
 and is associated with several fraternal societies. 
 He is a member of Calumet Council No. 569, 
 Royal Arcanum, and is a charter member of Branch 
 No. 317, Catholic Knights of America. He is 
 one of the leading spirits of St. Peter and Paul's 
 Benevolent Society, of South Chicago, and is a 
 member of the Columbus Club. He has a pleas- 
 ant home on Exchange Avenue, and is sur- 
 rounded by a charming and interesting family. 
 
 PETER J. RUBEY. 
 
 QETER JOSEPH RUBEY is one of Chicago's 
 
 LX most progressive and reliable business men. 
 J5 He is one of the largest cigar manufacturers 
 in South Chicago, and does both a wholesale 
 and retail business in this line, thus providing 
 employment for many men. Among these are 
 numerous agents, who do business in fields out- 
 side the city, as well as in it. 
 
 Peter J. Rubey was born March 31, 1856, in 
 Hostan, Germany, and is the son of Joseph and 
 Katharine (Thomas) Rubey. In 1869 his par- 
 ents came to America, locating in Chicago Sep- 
 tember 19 of that year. Here Joseph Rubey died 
 in 1885. Peter J. Rubey began in early life to 
 work in the tobacco business, being employed by 
 Alfred Singer, at No. 31 1 Larrabee Street, and oth- 
 ers, seven years. During this time he learned the 
 essential features and methods of the business, as 
 he was an observing youth, and with the typical 
 German ambition and thrift, he was able to start 
 in business for himself August 12, 1876. He be- 
 gan at No. 87 Cornell Street, manufacturing only 
 
 cigars at this time. He remained there till 1882, 
 when he removed to No. 217 Ninety-second 
 Street, where he bought a lot and where his 
 present building stands. Mr. Rubey has been 
 very successful in business and has, ever since 
 moving to his present location, not only manu- 
 factured cigars, but also employed many agents 
 for the sale of these goods, both at wholesale and 
 retail. 
 
 June 12, 1882, Mr. Rubey married Catherine 
 Paul, daughter of John Paul, of Wisconsin. They 
 are the parents of the following children : Cath- 
 erine, Frances, Annie, Clara, Joseph and Charles. 
 Mr. Rubey is a member of Saints Peter and Paul's 
 Roman Catholic Church, of the Catholic Knights 
 and of the Benevolent Society of Saints Peter 
 and Paul's Church. In politics he supports the 
 Democratic party, believing its principles to be 
 best for the interests of his adopted country. Mr. 
 Rubey is a good husband, a kind father, a good 
 neighbor, and is a respected member of the com- 
 munity in which he resides.
 
 664 
 
 E. A. STARR. 
 
 ELIZA A. STARR. 
 
 IT LIZA ALLEN STARR. In its early days 
 Yy Chicago held little of encouragement for the 
 L_ artist or litterateur, and the subject of this 
 sketch may be rightly considered the pioneer in 
 turning the thoughts of the citizens of Chicago 
 toward the fine arts. Since 1856 she has labored 
 with brush and pen, and as a teacher, and the 
 city owes much to her refining influence, not 
 only as an artist, but in the purity and beauty 
 of her personal life and example. 
 
 Miss Starr came of old and true Puritan stock. 
 Her first ancestor in this country was Dr. Comfort 
 Starr, of Ashford, County Kent, England, who 
 came to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1634. His 
 son, the Rev. Comfort Starr, was graduated from 
 Harvard College in 1647, and was one of the cor- 
 porators of the college in 1650. Next in line was 
 Joseph Starr, whose son, William, was the great- 
 grandfather of Eliza Allen Starr. William Starr 
 was a merchant engaged in the West India trade, 
 owning his vessels, and was lost at sea. William, 
 son of the last-named, was a ship-carpenter, and 
 later a miller at Deerfield, Massachusetts. He 
 entered the Revolutionary Army at the age of six- 
 teen, and served four years. Having wintered 
 at Valley Forge, gone through the battle of Mon- 
 mouth, and seen Lord Cornwallis' sword given 
 up to General Washington, he returned to his 
 home, hatless, coatless and shoeless. In Decem- 
 ber, 1781, he was married to Miss Elizabeth, 
 daughter of Samuel and Chloe Crittenden, and 
 they had the following children : Esther S. , Will- 
 
 iam, Elizabeth, Samuel, Seth, Oliver. Lucy, 
 Elizabeth and Beverly. Miss Starr still preserves 
 with care much of the furniture with which this 
 couple, her grandparents, began their house- 
 keeping. 
 
 Oliver Starr was born April 2, 1791, in Middle- 
 town, Connecticut, and was two years old when his 
 parents removed to Deerfield, Massachusetts. He 
 was an enthusiastic student of chemistry, and be- 
 came an expert in the science. He continued to 
 till his farm, Meadow Homestead, until the 
 winter of 1854-55, when he determined to move 
 West. The old home was sold, and he settled 
 with his family at Laona, Winnebago County, 
 Illinois, where he died April 26, 1870. His wife, 
 Lovina, was a daughter of Caleb and Judith 
 (Hawks) Allen. "The Aliens of the Bars" came 
 from Chelmsford, Essex, England, and their de- 
 scendants were distinguished in the Colonial period 
 of Massachusetts, being identified with the old 
 town of Deerfield from the time of King Philip's 
 War. Samuel Allen was killed August 25, 1746, 
 while defending his family against the Indians. 
 His daughter, Eunice, was tomahawked, but sur- 
 vived, and his son Samuel was taken captive, but 
 rescued by his uncle, Col. John Hawks. Caleb, 
 another son, became the father of Lovina Allen 
 Starr, who was born October 9, 1786. She died 
 at Laona February 15, 1864. Her children were: 
 Caleb Allen, Eliza Allen, Eunice Allen and Oliver 
 Starr. The mother was a remarkable woman, 
 and bequeathed to her children many of her lovely
 
 E. A. STARR. 
 
 665 
 
 traits of character, among which were a marked 
 ideality and love of family traditions. 
 
 Eliza Allen Starr was born in Deerfield, Massa- 
 chusetts, August 29, 1824, and was educated in 
 the famous old academy of that historic town. She 
 afterwards studied drawing in Boston, under Mrs. 
 Caroline Hildreth, wife of the well-known histo- 
 rian, Richard Hildreth, and made rapid advance- 
 ment, owing to her natural talents and faithful 
 application. She taught drawing in a large 
 boarding school in Brooklyn, New York, and 
 went thence to Philadelphia, where she taught 
 drawing and the French language, having per- 
 fected herself in the latter accomplishment by 
 diligent study while pursuing art work. In 1851 
 she accepted a position as teacher in the family of 
 wealthy planter at Natchez, Mississippi, where 
 she remained two years. 
 
 During all this time she labored with her pen, 
 as well as with the pencil, and contributed both 
 prose and verse to different magazines and papers. 
 Subsequent to the above-mentioned year, she 
 opened an art studio in Boston, but the climate of 
 the latter city began to tell upon her health, and 
 she removed to Chicago in 1856. 
 
 The population of this city was growing stead- 
 ily, and many of its citizens who came from East- 
 ern centers began to realize the need of art schools 
 and teachers in the community. Miss Starr's 
 studio was immediately crowded with pupils, and 
 her time was happily divided between literary and 
 art work. She was urged by friends to collect 
 and publish her poems, and in 1866 the first vol- 
 ume was issued. In 1869 appeared "Patron 
 Saints;" this was so successful that large editions 
 followed in 1880 and 1896. In 1885 "Pilgrims 
 and Shrines," a two- volume work, came out, and 
 a second edition followed later. This work was 
 illustrated from designs by the authoress, who 
 etched the pictures as well. In 1887 Miss Starr 
 published "Songs of a Life-time," including both 
 her early and late poems, which have been im- 
 mensely popular; some of the poems have been 
 re-published in school text books. In 1889 was 
 published "Isabella of Castile, which gained for 
 the authoress the benediction of the Pope and the 
 thanks of all scholars. In 1890 and 1891 were 
 
 issued several works, entitled "What We See," 
 "Christian Art in Our Own Age," and "Christ- 
 mas Tide. ' ' Several of her later works have been 
 published by the authoress. The twelve illustra- 
 tions in "Patron Saints" were drawn on wood by 
 her, and she etched twelve similar ones on steel 
 plates for a second volume under the same title. 
 Her "Ode to Christopher Columbus" formed a 
 prominent feature of the celebration of the four- 
 hundredth anniversary of the landing of that 
 discoverer at New York, in 1892, where it was 
 sung by a chorus of five hundred trained voices, 
 accompanied by an orchestra of fifty pieces. 
 
 The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed many of her 
 art treasures, which can never be replaced. Her 
 beautiful home, called Saint Joseph's Cottage, 
 was swept out of existence, with the collections 
 of all her previous years. She accepted an invita- 
 tion to make her home at Saint Mary's Academy, 
 near South Bend, Indiana, until her own home 
 in Chicago could be re-established. While there, 
 she aided the Sisters of the Holy Cross, in charge 
 of the academy, in establishing an art depart- 
 ment after the best models of Europe and America. 
 In 1875, in company with her nephew, William W. 
 Starr, the sculptor, she visited Europe, remaining 
 several months, during which time much of the 
 material for "Pilgrims and Shrines" was gath- 
 ered. Illness prevented the consummation of 
 her plan to visit the home of her ancestor at Ash- 
 ford, England, during this trip abroad. 
 
 In 1877 she re-built Saint Joseph's Cottage, 
 which has accumulated many new treasures, and 
 holds a valuable collection of manuscripts and 
 works of art. Miss Starr is better known to the 
 public as an authoress than as an artist, though 
 her talents and work in the latter direction are 
 well known to connoisseurs. Since 1877 she has 
 given annual courses of lectures to the ladies of 
 Chicago on the "Literature of Christian Art," 
 beginning with the Catacombs and ending with 
 the artists of the present century. She possesses 
 a fine voice for the rostrum, and has been very 
 successful as a lecturer throughout the United 
 States. In 1896 she gave a course before the 
 Winter School at New Orleans, and at the Sum- 
 mer School at Madison, Wisconsin. In her home
 
 666 
 
 W. H. MEYERS. 
 
 is an auditorium capable of seating two hundred 
 persons, and here she gives a course of ten lect- 
 ures upon art and literature each year. She was 
 the first woman to receive the Laetare Medal, 
 which was conferred upon her in 1885 by the 
 University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana. 
 This is a medal of gold annually given to some 
 one distinguished for contributions to the welfare 
 of mankind. It is now granted to a woman every 
 third year. 
 
 On her arrival in Boston, in June, 1845, Miss 
 Starr heard a sermon by the famous Dr. Theodore 
 
 Parker, which awakened in her mind doubts as to 
 the correctness of Puritan teachings. In 1848 
 she went to Philadelphia, where she met many re- 
 fined and talented Catholics, among them Arch- 
 bishop Kenrick. After nine years of mental 
 struggle, she adopted the faith of the Roman 
 Catholic Church, and has been ever since one 
 of the most faithful workers and teachers of that 
 organization. Many of her writings have been 
 inspired by her enthusiastic devotion to her re- 
 ligion, and she is held in the highest regard by 
 both the priesthood and laity. 
 
 WILLIAM H. MEYERS. 
 
 HENRY MEYERS, a member 
 of the firm of W. H. Meyers & Company, 
 leading hardware dealers of South Chicago, 
 was born October 10, 1854, in Westphalia, Ger- 
 many. He is the son of Charles and Katharine 
 (Heidenrich) Meyers, natives of Germany. 
 His parents were attracted to this free land, 
 and in 1865 the family emigrated to Amer- 
 ica, and located at Burlington, Iowa, where 
 Charles Meyers became engaged in farming. 
 Both he and his wife lived on their farm near 
 Burlington until their death. They were the 
 parents of three children: Frederick, who lives on 
 the old home farm; Mrs Mary Fellows, who lives 
 near there; and William H., the subject of this 
 notice. 
 
 William H. Meyers spent his youth, from the 
 time he was eleven years of age until he was 
 twenty-four, at his father's farm. In 1878 he 
 left home and began for himself, by going to 
 Kansas City and working as clerk for the Hall 
 & Willis Hardware Company. Later he was 
 employed in the establishment of Richardson & 
 
 Conover, of the same city, and dealers in the 
 same goods. 
 
 In 1885 he came to Chicago and was six 
 months a conductor on a street car line. In 
 March, 1886, he went to South Chicago and be- 
 gan working for C. Carr & Sons, at No. 275 
 Ninety-second Street, where he himself is now 
 located. In the fall of 1892 he opened a hard- 
 ware store for himself at the northeast corner of 
 South Chicago and Commercial Avenues, in the 
 Eigenman Block. Later he took as a partner 
 in the business Mr. S. M. Arnold, and the firm 
 for the term of one year was Meyers & Arnold. 
 In 1893 W. J. Lightburn took an interest, and 
 the next year Mr. Meyers bought him out and 
 took in his present partner, Christian Feldman, 
 of Burlington, Iowa. The firm then became W. 
 H. Meyers & Company, which it has ever since 
 remained. Under its present management the 
 business has prospered, and the trade at present is 
 lucrative. Mr. Meyers is a shrewd, careful and 
 thrifty business man. 
 
 In February, 1886, Mr. Meyers married Miss
 
 C. W. PETRIE. 
 
 667 
 
 Katy, daughter of Anthony Oxford, of LaFayette, 
 Indiana. They are the parents of one daughter, 
 Antoinette, who was boni January 24, 1890. 
 Mr. Meyers is a sociable man, and is a member 
 of South Chicago Lodge No. 696, Independent 
 Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is chairman 
 of the Board of Trustees. He is connected with 
 the Knights of Pythias, being identified with 
 
 Bowen Lodge No. 213. He is also a member of 
 Calumet Lodge of South Chicago Gesang- Verein . 
 Mr. Meyers' parents were Lutherans and he was 
 reared in their faith, though he is not now con- 
 nected with any church. In political opinion, he 
 is a stanch Republican. He has many friends, 
 and is popular with a large class of people, being 
 universally respected. 
 
 CHARLES W. PETRIE. 
 
 OHARLES WILLIAM PETRIE was bom 
 
 I ( April 7, 1862, in Michigan City, Indiana, and 
 \J is the son of Alexander and Elathyne (Poor) 
 Petrie. Alexander Petrie's father was a native of 
 Paris, France. He moved to Canada and there 
 married a Canadian lady. He was a lumberman 
 and engaged extensively in contracting. His 
 children were: William, Susan, James (now de- 
 ceased) , and Alexander. The last-named is a 
 farmer and lives with his wife at Watseka, Illi- 
 nois. He was born October 19, 1822, in Canada, 
 and his wife was born in New Brunswick, Nova 
 Scotia. She is seventy-three years of age, and is 
 the daughter of David Poor, who was born in 
 Maine, and was a lumberman in very comfortable 
 circumstances, owning mills and other property. 
 He lived to be seventy-five years of age. His 
 children are: Joshua and Elathyne (now Mrs. 
 Petrie). Joshua Poor lives at Walkerton, Indi- 
 ana, and is retired from active business. David 
 Poor was descended from an old New England 
 family, and was a soldier in the War of 1812. 
 
 Charles W. Petrie went to Ontario, Canada, 
 with his parents in 1866. After living there two 
 years, they went to North Liberty, Indiana, and 
 in the latter place Charles attended school. Then 
 his family removed to Walkerton, and he there 
 
 attended school two years, which finished his ed- 
 ucation by books. In March, 1879, he came to 
 Chicago and had a home with his uncle, H. A. 
 Lewis, a contractor for filter and artesian wells, 
 who lived on Ninety-second Street, between Com- 
 mercial and Houston Avenues. Young Petrie 
 worked for Wilder & Parker, grocers, located on 
 Ninety-second Street, near Commercial Avenue, 
 for about three years. 
 
 Then he engaged with William Farnsworth, a 
 grocer at Ninetieth Street and Superior Avenue, 
 and continued with him as a clerk five years. For 
 eighteen months he was employed in the rolling 
 mills as tonnage timekeeper and superintendent's 
 clerk, and then for a year he was made a steel 
 charger. Since that time he has been a crane 
 man on tonnage, and has been continuously with 
 the Illinois Steel Company since he first entered 
 its service. 
 
 He was married December 30, 1886, to Miss 
 Minnie Cameron, a native of Syracuse, New York, 
 and a daughter of Hugh and Euretta (McElroy) 
 Cameron. Her father has been dead since she 
 was two years of age, and her mother subsequent- 
 ly married James Maher. Mr. and Mrs. Petrie 
 have no children of their own, but they have an 
 adopted son, Harry Cecil Petrie.
 
 668 
 
 C. D. L. NEWTON. 
 
 Mr. Petrie is a charter member of Nonpareil 
 Lodge No. 361, Knights of Pythias, and also of 
 the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel 
 Workers. In politics he is a stanch Republican, 
 and is one of South Chicago's most reliable citi- 
 
 zens. While he is working in the mill, his indus- 
 trious wife conducts a store at No. 9100 Superior 
 Avenue, which is a profitable venture. Both Mr. 
 and Mrs. Petrie are useful members of society , 
 and have the respect of the whole community. 
 
 CHAUNCEY D. L. NEWTON. 
 
 fTjHAUNCEY DE LOS NEWTON, a direct 
 1 1 descendant of the illustrious Sir Isaac New. 
 l^J ton, was born September 17, 1841, in 
 Genesee County, New York. He is the son 
 of Alanson and Eunice (Palmer) Newton. 
 Alanson Newton and his family moved to Chi- 
 cago in 1846, and after staying here a week, 
 went to Beloit, Wisconsin, where they remained 
 two years. In 1878 they moved to Rockton, 
 Illinois, where they were engaged in farming. 
 
 Alanson Newton was born August i, 1795, at 
 Windsor, Vermont, and died July 4, 1877. His 
 wife was born August 10, 1807, and died in Rock- 
 ton, Illinois, April 29, 1877. They were the par- 
 ents of four children, three of whom are living, 
 namely: Charles A., Hiram P. and Chauncey D. 
 Newton; the latter lived at home and worked on 
 his father's farm until he was thirty-five years of 
 age. He was an expert penman, and taught the 
 Spencerian system of penmanship successfully for 
 thirty-three years, from 1857 t 1890; from the 
 Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean ; in twenty states, 
 two territories, and also in Canada; devoting the 
 winter months principally to this occupation, and 
 then came to Chicago, arriving May 5, 1890. 
 
 In 1875 he went to California, followed the next 
 year by his family. He was in that State two 
 years and was very successful in his profession. 
 
 In the spring of 1877 he returned to Rockton, 
 Illinois, being induced to take this step by the ill- 
 health of his parents. He remained with them 
 till their death, after which he removed to Michi- 
 gan, and after twelve years returned to Illinois 
 and located in South Chicago. 
 
 February 27, 1867, Mr. Newton married Miss 
 Mary Eliza, daughter of Darius Stephen and 
 Paulina (Miller) Towne. Their children are: 
 Hattie Eunice, who married William Owen, and 
 is living in the city; Jennie Paulina and Lily Lu- 
 cindy. Hubert Harry, the second child, died 
 when an infant. 
 
 Mr. Newton is a member of Rockton Lodge 
 No. 74, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. He 
 has served as secretary of this lodge, and in May, 
 1867, he was made Master Mason. In 1870 he 
 was made a Royal Arch Mason, at Beloit, Wiscon- 
 sin, in Beloit Chapter No. 9. He has also been 
 an active member for nine years of Belding Lodge 
 No. 32, Ancient Order of United Workmen. In 
 political opinions Mr. Newton is a Republican, 
 though he is not in any sense an office-seeker. He 
 is an honest, hardworking citizen, and a social, 
 genial gentleman, having the respect and regard 
 of his associates. For the last two years he has 
 been in the employ of the city of Chicago, at the 
 Hyde Park waterworks.
 
 CAPT. j. MCDONALD. 
 
 669 
 
 CAPT. JAMES MCDONALD. 
 
 EAPT. JAMES MCDONALD was one of the 
 first lake captains to sail a steamboat out of 
 Chicago. He was born in Waterford, Ire- 
 land, and was of Scotch descent, and was reared 
 in the Emerald Isle, and there learned the baker's 
 trade. He was a wide awake youth, and came 
 to America when a mere lad. He came direct to 
 Chicago and at once engaged in the lake marine 
 service, where he was promoted by rapid stages 
 to captain, and at the time of his untimely death 
 owned the ill-fated brig "Welland," which was 
 lost November 5, 1857, during a terrible storm. 
 With him perished fourteen sailors and passen- 
 gers, including his brother-in-law, Capt. William 
 White, whose vessel was at that time in dry dock. 
 
 Captain McDonald was one of the forty-niners 
 that crossed the continent in search of gold. He 
 traveled by way of Saint Louis and Saint Joseph, 
 and after a successful career of four years as a 
 miner, returned to Chicago, with the intention of 
 again visiting California. His wife induced him 
 to remain in Chicago, and he bought the "Wel- 
 land," in which he found his grave. 
 
 He was married in Chicago, in November, 1846, 
 to Miss Mary A. Cummings, daughter of Capt. 
 M. Cummings, of Picton, Nova Scotia, British 
 America,- who came to Chicago in 1844, with his 
 wife and six children, of whom only Mrs. Mc- 
 Donald survives. Her brother, Hon. Michael 
 Cummings, was the first city marshal of Saint 
 Paul, one of the first members of the Legisla- 
 ture of Minnesota, and a prominent man in Saint 
 
 Paul, having filled almost every office of any im- 
 portance in that city. Mrs. McDonald was born 
 December 28, 1825, in Picton, Nova Scotia. She 
 was the mother of four children, Mary, Michael, 
 James P. and Alice M. All are now deceased 
 except the last, who resides at home. Michael 
 W. attended the Ogden School, and worked for 
 the Illinois Central and Chicago & Northwestern 
 Railroads as check clerk, and from there entered 
 the service of Franklin MacVeagh, wholesale 
 grocer, where he was entry clerk fourteen years. 
 His services were valued by the latter employer, 
 and he earned the sobriquet of "Old Reliable," 
 through his punctuality and attention to busi- 
 ness. He had a great political influence and a 
 wide acquaintance. He died October 19, 1893. 
 
 James P. McDonald was also educated in Chi- 
 cago, where he is remembered by pioneers through 
 all his life of boyhood and sturdy manhood. He 
 was, like his father, charitable, and helped many a 
 man who was in distress and trouble. He was a 
 fine specimen of manhood, being nearly six feet in 
 height, very strong, and was known as one of the 
 best horse-shoers in the city, and had a host of 
 friends. 
 
 He was a dutiful son, and as soon as he was old 
 enough he helped support the family. It is ow- 
 ing to the efforts of himself and brother that the 
 family enjoys its present easy circumstances and 
 was enabled to keep the property left by the father. 
 The children were born in a little frame, one- 
 story white cottage at No. 177 Dearborn Avenue,
 
 6yo 
 
 GUSTAVE LUEDTKE. 
 
 which was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1871. 
 This was replaced by a two-story frame house, 
 which was in turn succeeded by a handsome four- 
 story Bedford stone front flat building. The 
 family worships at the Cathedral of the Holy 
 Name. 
 
 Much credit is due Mrs. McDonald for her 
 courage and perseverance in rearing her family 
 amid the adversity and vicissitudes she had to 
 contend with. When left a widxjw her youngest 
 
 child was but three months old, but she never 
 lost courage, doing her life-work faithfully, and, 
 although afflicted by the loss of her eyesight, is 
 kind, cheerful, and a worthy example to others. 
 Captain McDonald was one of the best known and 
 most highly esteemed lake captains in the early 
 history of the lake marine service. He was pop- 
 ular and beloved by all whose pleasure it was to 
 know him. He was charitable to a fault, and 
 loved his home and family. 
 
 GUSTAVE LUEDTKE. 
 
 ftJUSTAVE LUEDTKE was born January i, 
 |__ 1838, in Darsow, Pommern, Germany, near 
 ^| the town of Lauenburg, and is a son of John 
 and Caroline (Drisius) Luecltke. He received a 
 liberal education in his native land and then 
 worked at the trade of carpenter and millwright 
 until he came to America. His brother Richard 
 was the first to emigrate. In 1864, in company 
 with his sister, Augusta, and her husband, Charles 
 Bjeck, he came through to Chicago. The father, 
 mother and their children, Minnie, Adolph and 
 Albert, were the next to come over, arriving in 
 1868, and coming direct to Chicago, where they 
 made their home. 
 
 The subject of this sketch landed in New York 
 the last of April, 1872, coming thence to Chicago. 
 He secured work as carpenter and millwright 
 with his brother, with whom he remained a year 
 and a-half, then began contracting, which busi- 
 ness he continued until 1894. When unable to 
 secure contracting work, he was employed at 
 piece work. He built many private residences in 
 different parts of the city, also erected the John L. 
 Marsh school building. In the spring of 1894 he 
 opened a grocery in the Misch block, Erie Ave- 
 nue, remaining about two months, when he came 
 to his present location, No. 9112 Superior Avenue. 
 
 November 22, 1863, he was married to Fred- 
 ricka Konetke, daughter of Carl and Henrietta 
 (Krift) Konefke, in the town of Carthaus, Ger- 
 many. Mrs. Luedtke was born June 25, 1838, in 
 Germany, and is the third of seven children, four 
 of whom died. The other two came to America. 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. Luedtke are as fol- 
 lows: Emil, born June 27, 1865, in the town of 
 Carthaus, Germany, now living at No. 948 Bel- 
 mont Avenue, is a machinist by occupation; 
 Reinhold Hermann, born March 22, 1866, was 
 married November 14, 1889, to Elvira Heimke, 
 daughter of August and Wilhelmina (Behn) 
 Heimke; Gustav, born March n, 1873; Richard, 
 March 17, 1875; Agnes Emily Evelina, March 17, 
 1882. 
 
 In 1890 Mr. Luedtke erected a three- story frame 
 building at No. 132 Ninety -first Street, which 
 was destroyed by fire August 2, 1893. This loss 
 financially embarrassed Mr. Luedtke, but he now 
 owns property on Superior and Ontario Avenues. 
 
 He is a member of the Old Settlers' Society, also 
 a member of the German Lutheran Church, being 
 one of its organizers. He is a Republican in prin- 
 ciple, but has never sought any part in the man- 
 agement of party affairs, having refused all honors 
 that might have been conferred upon him.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSI1V OF ILLINOIS
 
 /"trff 
 
 trt/i
 
 NICHOLAS KRANSZ. 
 
 671 
 
 NICHOLAS KRANSZ. 
 
 lOlCHOLAS KRANSZ (deceased), of whom 
 | / it is a pleasure to write, was for many years 
 | /9 an important factor in the business and 
 social affairs of Chicago and Cook County. He 
 was a native of the Fatherland, born in Bus- 
 chrodt, Province of Luxemburg, August 16,1816. 
 
 His boyhood was passed under the parental 
 roof and in a manner common to German lads of 
 that period. When old enough he was sent to 
 school. Being of a studious nature, he closely ap- 
 plied himself to study and soon became proficient 
 in the elementary branches of learning. Upon 
 leaving school he accepted a position in a dry- 
 goods manufacturing establishment in his native 
 town, where he remained for a number of years, 
 acquiring a practical knowledge of the business 
 in all its details. Subsequently he engaged in 
 the same line of business on his own account for 
 several years and was successful. 
 
 Early in life he realized the narrowness of op- 
 portunities surrounding him in his native land, 
 and longing for a field of wider environment, he 
 decided to seek his fortune in America. Conse- 
 quently he set sail, in 1845, and after an unevent- 
 ful, though tedious, voyage on a sailing-vessel he 
 landed in New York, whence he came direct to 
 Chicago. At that time the city had a population 
 of less than fifteen thousand, while Cook County 
 could boast of having only about twenty thousand. 
 Upon his arrival he obtained work as a laborer 
 for one year. The following year he purchased 
 one hundred and twenty acres of land in Lake 
 View, near Rosehill, where his family now reside. 
 At that date only a few families were living in 
 that part of Cook County. 
 
 Prairie abounded to the south, west and north. 
 The surface of the country was low, wet, and in 
 places covered with a scraggy growth of timber. 
 But these conditions, hard as they were, did not 
 dismay Mr. Kransz. He resolutely set to work 
 to put his land in condition to be cultivated, and 
 ere long, under his intelligent efforts, his raw and 
 apparently non-productive acres soon began to 
 pay tribute as a reward to labor well performed. 
 
 Mr. Kransz, immediately upon settling in 
 Lake View, took an active part in local public 
 affairs. His townsmen soon recognized his fit- 
 ness for office, and he was elected to all the 
 offices of the township excepting that of supervis- 
 or. He possessed good executive ability, was us- 
 ually accurate in his judgment, and candor and 
 absolute fairness characterized every move of his 
 life. He was public spirited too, and gave liber- 
 ally to any enterprise which in his judgment 
 would be a benefit to the public. His success in 
 the accumulation of means was steady from the 
 beginning of his business career in America. He 
 became interested by large investment in the 
 American Insurance Company, to the affairs of 
 which for many years he gave his personal atten- 
 tion, only ceasing his efforts when the demands of 
 advancing years demanded a laying aside of 
 the burdens and cares of business which he had 
 so long borne. Mr. Kransz was generous and 
 charitable. December i, 1886, he endowed a 
 school in his native village with one thousand 
 five hundred dollars, for the education of poor 
 children. This fund was so invested that the in- 
 come from it supports and pays tuition for one 
 pupil each year.
 
 672 
 
 WILLIAM BOENING. 
 
 He was, perhaps, as well informed upon busi- 
 ness and economic questions as any other man in 
 Cook County. He was a close student, the range 
 of his reading covering nearly the whole field of 
 literature, and his deductions were invariably 
 drawn from correct premises, which made him 
 nearly always right in his conclusions. It was 
 while sitting in his favorite chair, reading a morn- 
 ing paper, that he suddenly expired, February 
 12, 7896. 
 
 He was united in marriage with Miss Margaret 
 Faber, February 7, 1849. She is a native of 
 Luxemburg, Germany, and a daughter of John 
 and Mary Faber, who came to the United States 
 in 1845. John Faber, the father of Mrs. Kransz, 
 was twice married, first to Mary Grent, by whom 
 he had two children, Andrew and Katherine. 
 After the death of his first wife he married Mary 
 Ockolau, who bore him three children: Margaret 
 
 (Mrs. Kransz), Mary Ann and John, the last 
 now deceased. Both Mr. and Mrs. Faber died 
 in Cook County, the former May i, 1864, and 
 the latter in 1873. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Kransz were born nine chil- 
 dren, four of whom died in infancy, and five are 
 living at this date, as follows: Nicholas H., Peter 
 P., both well-known and successful insurance 
 men of Chicago; Mary A., wife of N. J. Schrup, 
 of Dubuque, Iowa; Henry P., in the real-estate 
 and loan business; and Anna M., wife of B. F. 
 Weber, of Ravenswood, whose biography appears 
 in this work. 
 
 Mr. Kransz was a Republican from the organ- 
 ization of that party, and at the polls usually sup- 
 ported its men and measures. He and his es- 
 timable wife were communicants of Saint Henry's 
 Catholic Church and were among its most liberal 
 supporters. 
 
 WILLIAM BOENING. 
 
 BOENING, one of the pioneers 
 who have contributed to the city's growth 
 and development, is now living in com- 
 parative ease and retirement. He was born De- 
 cember 5, 1837, in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, 
 and is a son of George and Elizabeth Boening, 
 who were also natives of that place. 
 
 George Boening followed the trade of mason 
 and brick-layer, and worked at it until fifteen 
 years before his death. In 1852 he emigrated 
 with his family to Chicago, where he spent his 
 remaining days. He continued at his trade in 
 this city, one piece of work done by him being 
 the first Kettle Brewery in Chicago. He died in 
 1890, about ten years subsequent to the demise 
 of his wife. They had two sons and three daugh- 
 ters, all of whom are living. They are: Mary, 
 now the wife of William Nicolai, of Kensington; 
 
 Eliza, Mrs. John Schmidt, of Chicago; William, 
 whose name heads this article; Katharine, widow 
 of John Hoop; and Herman, who resides on Cly- 
 bourn Avenue. 
 
 William Boening received his early education 
 in his native country, and continued in school 
 after coming to Chicago, first attending the old 
 Franklin School, and later a night school. He 
 learned his father's trade, and has followed it 
 most of his life. Through his thrift and industry 
 he is now able to enjoy a competency. For two 
 years he engaged in building on his own respon- 
 sibility as a contractor. 
 
 Mr. Boening supports the principles and candi- 
 dates of the Republican party. His first presi- 
 dential vote was cast for Abraham Lincoln. He 
 has never been an office-seeker, preferring rather 
 to spend his time and energy in the care of his
 
 JOHN HUFMEYER. 
 
 673 
 
 private interests. In the fire of 1871 he lost all 
 his property, but by careful management he soon 
 recovered from the loss. 
 
 October 9, 1859, Mr. Boening was married to 
 Miss Christina Egenhafer, who was born in Ger- 
 many and came to Chicago in 1852. They have 
 
 eight children living, namely: William, Herman, 
 George, Elizabeth, Henry, Frances, May and 
 Lena. Mrs. Boening and the other members of the 
 family are communicants of the Roman Catholic 
 Church. They are people of high intelligence, 
 and enjoy the esteem of all who know them. 
 
 JOHN HUFMEYER. 
 
 (lOHN HUFMEYER, of the real-estate and 
 I general brokerage firm of Sickels & Huf- 
 G/ meyer, No. 695 Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, is 
 a native of Cook County, and a member of a 
 prominent pioneer family. He was born July 10, 
 1845, in Niles Township, and is a son of Adam 
 and Gertrude (Gang) Hufmeyer, both natives of 
 Hanover, Germany. This couple emigrated to 
 America in 1834, first locating at Syracuse, New 
 York, and two years later removing to Cook 
 County, Illinois, where they settled on a home- 
 stead, in what afterward became Niles Township. 
 They were among the first settlers in that part of 
 the county, and for a time their only neighbors 
 were the Indians. They cleared the farm to which 
 they had laid claim, and there made their home 
 until 1853, when they removed to Chicago, in 
 order to give their children better educational 
 advantages. 
 
 Mr. Adam Hufmeyer filled many public offices, 
 the most important of which was that of county 
 commissioner. He was an excellent example of 
 the better class of German emigrants, and died 
 August 7, 1854, mourned by a large circle of 
 friends among the early settlers of the county. 
 His wife survived until 1860. Of the nine chil- 
 dren born to them, two died in Germany. The 
 others, all of whom reached maturity, were as 
 
 follows: Eliza, Mrs. F. Eiterman; Augusta C. D., 
 widow of John Naper; Mary, Mrs. Jonas Huehn; 
 William, deceased; Ellen, Mrs. Richard Aspin- 
 wall; John and Theodore. All those living are 
 residents of Chicago. 
 
 John Hufmeyer received his elementary educa- 
 tion in the public schools of Chicago, supple- 
 menting his training with a course in a commer- 
 cial college. As a further preliminary to his 
 business career he spent some time as clerk in a 
 mercantile establishment. When but twenty 
 years of age he engaged in the grocery business 
 on his own account, and by close attention to de- 
 tails, fair dealing and the courteous treatment of 
 his customers, soon established a profitable trade. 
 
 The fire of 1871 not only swept away his entire 
 property, causing a loss of eight thousand dol- 
 lars, but also left him somewhat in debt. This, 
 however, did not discourage him, as he was still 
 full of pluck and energy, and had an abiding faith 
 in the future of Chicago. He did not seek to 
 compromise with his creditors, as he might have 
 done, but claiming their indulgence for a few 
 years, promised to pay each in full. He at once 
 opened a general store at No. 701 Lincoln Ave- 
 nue, which from the first enjoyed a prosperous 
 career, and in a comparatively short time satis- 
 fied every claim against him with one hundred
 
 674 
 
 AUGUST BUSSE. 
 
 cents on the dollar. Mr. Hufmeyer possessed a 
 keen business foresight, which, combined with 
 industry and strict integrity, enabled him to 
 acquire a competence through the legitimate chan- 
 nels of trade. He changed from his former bus- 
 iness to that in which he is at present engaged 
 in 1885. 
 
 In politics Mr. Hufmeyer is a Republican and 
 takes a keen interest in the success of his party. 
 Though not an office-seeker, he has several times 
 accepted positions of trust from his fellow-citizens, 
 and was at one time a member of the town board 
 of L,ake View. Fraternally he is a member of the 
 
 Masonic order, in which- he has attained the 
 Royal Arch degree. 
 
 In 1865 the subject of this notice was married 
 to Miss Nellie Gilette, who was born in Belgium, 
 being a daughter of William Gilette. Mrs. Huf- 
 meyer died in 1878, leaving four children: John 
 E. , Matilda, Edward and Frederick, who is now 
 deceased. In 1879 Mr. Hufmeyer married Miss 
 Katharine Hoyt, who is a native of Wisconsin, 
 and a daughter of Peter Hoyt. Three children 
 have been born of this union, as follows: Nellie, 
 Gertrude and Laurina. The family is connected 
 with the Lutheran Church. 
 
 AUGUST BUSSE. 
 
 (31 UGUST BUSSE, one of the earliest settlers 
 | I of South Chicago, was born January 14, 
 I I 1839, in Berlin, Germany. He received his 
 early education in his native country, where he 
 also learned and practiced the profession of veteri- 
 nary surgeon. He was a lover of horses. 
 
 In 1859 he emigated to America, locating in 
 Chicago, where he joined his brother Frederick, 
 and the two lived on the corner of Chicago Ave- 
 nue and Wells Street, where the latter conducted 
 a saloon. August Busse was employed in the 
 old gas works as an engineer. In 1862 he re- 
 moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where he was em- 
 ployed as engineer in the tannery of Burbank & 
 Son, and remained two years. 
 
 On April 29, 1865, he removed to South Chi- 
 cago and opened a general merchandise store, 
 and also kept a hotel. He changed his location 
 to what is now No. 9205 Commercial Avenue, 
 and the hotel was called the Ainsworth Inn. 
 He conducted the first store in Ainsworth, after- 
 ward called South Chicago. He entertained dis- 
 
 tinguished guests, and many of the most promi- 
 nent men in Chicago made their headquarters 
 with him when they came to the Calumet region 
 for hunting. The house which he first built is 
 still standing, and he conducted his business 
 until his death, September 12, 1884. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Busse was married in Racine, 
 Wisconsin, to Miss Caroline Albert, born April 
 n, 1829, in Kaup, on the River Rhine, Germany. 
 She was a daughter of Reinhardt and Charlotte 
 (Weichman) Albert, her mother having been 
 born April 10, 1816. Mr. and Mrs. Albert were 
 the parents of the following children besides Mrs. 
 Busse: Charles Daniel, born November 3, 1825; 
 Hubert, March 28, 1827; Magdolin, February 
 18, 1830; Nanchen, September n, 1834, and 
 William, November 5, 1835. 
 
 The maternal grandmother of Mrs. Busse, 
 Katharine (Van Baum) Richard, was born in 
 Antwerp. The Albert family dwelt in the forests 
 of Germany, and its members were sometimes 
 employed in the service of the king. Mrs. Albert
 
 MATHIAS SCHMITZ. 
 
 675 
 
 died when Caroline was only ten years of age, 
 and the latter became a lady's waiting maid, and 
 resided for fifteen years with an old English lady 
 named Miss Hicks. She emigrated to America, 
 and made her home with her uncle, C. D. Albert, 
 who then lived in Racine, Canada, but who now 
 resides in Racine, Wisconsin. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Busse have the following chil- 
 dren: Amelia Dorothea, Barbara Ellen, August 
 Hubert (an account of whose life is to be found on 
 another page of this volume), and Frederick 
 William. Amelia Dorothea married Joseph Bitz, 
 and they are the parents of four children. Mr. 
 Bitz follows the trade of carpenter and resides at 
 Monroe, Michigan. Barbara Ellen makes her 
 home with her brother Frederick, who married 
 Marie Anna Kleefisch, daughter of Theodore and 
 
 Marie Annie (Lussem) Kleefisch, August 19, 
 1896. They have one child, George Ira. Mrs. 
 Caroline Busse is now deceased. 
 
 Mr. Busse was connected with all the early 
 growth and improvements of South Chicago, and 
 was always a most public- spirited citizen. He 
 was one of the organizers of the old Volunteer 
 Fire Company, No. 5, of South Chicago. He 
 did a great part of the contracting for, and build- 
 ing of, the streets of South Chicago. He was a 
 man of social instincts, and had many warm 
 friends, whose esteem and confidence he well 
 merited. He was a member of the German Order 
 of Harugari. He was reared in the Protestant, 
 and his wife in the Catholic faith. Their chil- 
 dren were taught the Catholic doctrine, of which 
 they have remained adherents. 
 
 MATHIAS SCHMITZ. 
 
 b A ATHIAS SCHMITZ, a prominent German- 
 I V I American citizen of Chicago, was born Oc- 
 \(y\ tober 12, 1831, in Niederscheidweiler, in the 
 Rhein province of Trier, Prussia. His parents, 
 Jacob and Lena (Schmitz) Schmitz, were natives 
 of that place, where they spent their entire lives. 
 Jacob Schmitz was a gardener by occupation, and 
 died when Mathias was ten years old, his wife 
 having preceded him three years. Mathias was 
 thus left an orphan at an early age, as was also 
 his elder brother, Nicholas. The latter died in 
 1888 in the Fatherland, leaving six children, all 
 of whom Mathias brought to America at his own 
 expense, and provided for until they were able to 
 be self-sustaining. 
 
 Mathias Schmitz made his home with a relative 
 until he was thirteen years old, and attended a 
 village school. He then began learning the 
 tailor's trade, at which he served an apprentice- 
 ship of two years. At the end of this time he 
 
 began life as a journeyman tailor, which he con- 
 tinued for a number of years in many different 
 localities. 
 
 April 7, 1857, he sailed from Rotterdam on the 
 steamer "Mary Bridgeport" for New York by 
 way of London. After a sailing voyage of forty- 
 five days, during which time they encountered 
 many storms, the good ship landed in New York. 
 From here Mr. Schmitz proceeded to Philadel- 
 phia, and subsequently to Chicago, reaching the 
 end of the journey June 7, 1857. He arrived 
 during the panic, and wages at any trade were 
 very small, so that he was able to earn only four 
 or five dollars per week at his trade, using a sew- 
 ing machine. 
 
 In 1868 he established himself in business on 
 the corner of Mohawk Street and North Avenue 
 as a merchant tailor, and kept a small stock of 
 ready-made clothing. In July, 1870, he sold his 
 business, and after the Great Fire of 1871 he
 
 676 
 
 JOSEPH ROELLE. 
 
 engaged in life insurance as an agent for the Teu- 
 tonic Life Insurance Company, continuing with 
 it until 1874, at which time he formed a partner- 
 ship with Joseph H. Ernst, in their present line 
 of business, at No. 271 North Avenue, where 
 they deal in real estate and loans. 
 
 Mr. Schmitz has been identified with the North 
 Side since he became a resident of the city. After 
 his marriage, in 1861, he located at No. 278 
 Blackhawk Street. In the fire of 1871 he was 
 burned out, losing four houses, valued at about 
 seven thousand dollars, on which he recovered 
 only forty-five dollars insurance. He rebuilt 
 after the fire and resided there until 1883, when 
 he erected his present beautiful mansion, at No. 
 545 Larrabee Street, where he has since resided, 
 enjoying all the comforts and many of the lux- 
 uries of life. Mr. Schmitz is a self-made man in 
 the truest sense of the term and is the architect 
 of his own fortunes. 
 
 Since 1876 Mr. Schmitz has been president of 
 the German Mutual Fire Insurance Company of 
 North Chicago. He supports the Democratic 
 party, but was never an aspirant for public office 
 of any kind. Since 1858 he has been a member 
 of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, and was for 
 
 a number of years its president. He belongs to 
 Saint Michael's German Catholic Society, with 
 which he has been connected since 1866, and has 
 many times served as its president. The two 
 last-named societies are composed of members of 
 St. Michael's Parish. 
 
 January 13, 1861, Mr. Schmitz married Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Eich. By her first marriage she had 
 one daughter, now Mrs. John Knappstein, of 
 Chicago. The parents of Mrs. Schmitz, Peter 
 and Marguerite Lenz, were natives of Reil, Rhein 
 province of Kreis Weitlich, Germany, where they 
 spent their last days. She came to Chicago No- 
 vember 7, 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Schmitz had five 
 daughters and one son, namely: Louise, wife of 
 Martin Schmitzens, ofOsgood Street, city; Ger- 
 trude, deceased; Anna M.; Susanna, now Mrs. 
 Henry W. Frische, of Chicago; Nicholas J., who 
 is associated in business with his father; and Bar- 
 bara, who is the wife of Joseph P. Koeller, of 
 Chicago. Nicholas J. Schmitz married Miss 
 Cecilia Jung, October 24, 1894. The family is 
 connected with Saint Michael's Roman Catholic 
 Church. Its members are people of refined tastes 
 and in the community where they reside they 
 are regarded with universal respect. 
 
 JOSEPH ROELLE. 
 
 (lOSEPH ROELLE, who was for many years 
 I an influential business man of Chicago, was 
 (*) born January i, 1832, in Olpa, Westphalia, 
 Prussia. While Joseph was still a young boy 
 his father died, but he enjoyed the splendid edu- 
 cational advantages offered by the school system 
 of his native land, and learned the trade of 
 painter. In 1846 he emigrated to the United 
 States, and located at Burlington, Wisconsin, 
 where he worked at his trade a year, and then re- 
 moved to Chicago. After remaining five years 
 
 in America he returned to Germany and brought 
 to this country his widowed mother, two sisters 
 and a brother. 
 
 He was engaged in contracting work at his 
 trade in this city, and had sometimes twenty men 
 in his employ, thus doing a profitable business. 
 About 1857 he formed a partnership with Anton 
 Junker, and they opened a distillery at River- 
 dale, and a store and warehouse on Kinzie Street, 
 Chicago. The profits of this industry were such 
 that Mr. Roelle was soon on the way to fortune.
 
 PHILIP SCHUETZ. 
 
 68 1 
 
 Mobile, whence he was removed to Montgomery, 
 Alabama, and later to Andersonville, Georgia. 
 Six weeks afterward he was transferred to Ca- 
 haba, Alabama, where he spent nine months. 
 He was then paroled and sent to Vicksburg on 
 the ill-fated steamer, "Sultana," which blew up in 
 the early morning of April 25, 1865, with two 
 thousand persons on board, mostly Union pris- 
 oners. Of this number only seven hundred and 
 eighty-six were rescued. An investigation of the 
 catastrophe showed that the steamer's capacity 
 was but three hundred and seventy-six. 
 
 The war having ended, Mr. Brachtendorf re- 
 turned to Chicago, and for a time was employed 
 in the establishment of the crockery firm of Bur- 
 ley & Tyrrell. About 1881 he engaged in the 
 
 livery business on Larrabee Street, and still car- 
 ries on a successful establishment in that line. In 
 1890 he added the undertaking department, in 
 which he has a large patronage. 
 
 Mr. Brachtendorf has uniformly supported the 
 Democratic party, and though he has been averse 
 to holding public office, was induced to accept 
 the nomination for alderman in the Twenty-first 
 Ward, to which place he was elected in 1893 and 
 served two years. Socially and fraternally he is 
 active, being a member of the Knights of Pythias, 
 of the Independent Order of Foresters, of the 
 Sharpshooters' Club, and of Hancock Post, No. 
 560, Grand Army of the Republic. September 
 21, 1868, he was married to Miss Helene DeWald, 
 who has since been his faithful helpmate. 
 
 PHILIP SCHUETZ. 
 
 SCHUETZ, who is now spending 
 LX his days in ease and retirement at No. 540 
 J3 Larrabee Street, is one of the older settlers 
 of Chicago. He was born June 17, 1839, in the 
 Province of Trier, Germany. His wife, Margaret 
 (Lock) Schuetz, was born in the same country, 
 December i, 1836. Her parents had five chil- 
 dren, namely: Philip, Margaret, Caroline, Kath- 
 arine and Peter. The father, John Nicholas 
 Lock, died when Margaret was about fourteen 
 years of age. 
 
 Mr. Schuetz and Margaret Lock came to America 
 in the same ship, sailing from Hamburg, and ar- 
 riving in Chicago January 30, 1860. In April of 
 that year their marriage was solemnized, in the 
 old Saint Joseph's Church. They were the pos- 
 sessors of only a small amount of money, but 
 though their cash capital was small, both were 
 young and strong, as well as ambitious. He 
 
 soon found employment and she did washing at 
 twenty-five cents a day for the first year. In 1861 
 Mr. Schuetz was the recipient of some money 
 from the estate of his father. With this they 
 purchased the lot on Larrabee Street where they 
 still make their home, and in a small way began 
 gardening, Mrs. Schuetz taking charge of it, and 
 also doing the marketing. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Schuetz were very prosperous 
 until the Great Fire of 1871, in which they lost 
 all their property except the land, but they 
 bravely started anew, and by diligence and thrift 
 regained what they had lost. Since 1880 Mr. 
 Schuetz has been an invalid, but his faithful and 
 dutiful wife continued to carry on her garden, 
 and she has some customers who have given her 
 their patronage for a great many years. She 
 supplied the Grand Pacific Hotel with vegetables 
 for twenty-two years, the Palmer House eighteen
 
 682 
 
 ROBERT LENARD. 
 
 years, the Auditorium since its establishment, 
 and the Great Northern, Leland, Sherman and 
 Tremont for some time. 
 
 Mr. Schuetz owns eight acres of land on West- 
 ern Avenue, near Bowmanville, also five lots on 
 Southport Avenue. The gardening is now car- 
 ried on by the son and sons-in-law of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Schuetz. They had twelve children, only 
 four of whom are now living. They are: Mar- 
 garet, Alphonzo Frederick, Anna and Lena. 
 
 Margaret is the wife of Charles Geniskie, of Rav- 
 enswood, and Anna is now Mrs. Frank Schneider, 
 of Lincoln Avenue. Lena resides with her 
 parents. 
 
 Mrs. Schuetz is widely known among the bus- 
 iness men of the city. She is a member of Saint 
 Michael's Roman Catholic Church. In 1891 she 
 visited her native land, and travelled through 
 France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany, spend- 
 ing about five months in the trip. 
 
 ROBERT LENARD. 
 
 ROBERT LENARD, an enterprising and 
 energetic young business man of South Chi- 
 cago, partakes of the spirit which has made 
 Chicago famous as a business center, as well as 
 the home of art and culture, the spirit which 
 makes the city the arena of activity among young 
 men whose ambition and tireless industry have 
 told upon the commerce of the whole world. It 
 is a well-known fact that the trade and social 
 circles of this city are dominated by men below 
 middle age, and that the highest rewards are 
 being daily gathered by these dauntless spirits. 
 In olden times it was the fashion for old men to 
 direct affairs almost wholly, while the younger 
 population was forced to be content to fill sub- 
 ordinate positions, under the direction of those of 
 large experience. Under our present educational 
 system men and women are early fitted for re- 
 sponsible situations, and the spirit of the age de- 
 mands that only those possessed of strong ambi- 
 tions and the greatest energy take control of 
 affairs. Hence we find every leading enterprise 
 in the hands of young and energetic persons, and 
 the commercial supremacy of Chicago is to-day 
 the result of this arrangement. 
 
 Mr. Lenard is a native of Chicago, having been 
 born March 27, 1873, and has been reared in the 
 
 midst of that city's developing influences. His 
 father, Martin Lenard, is a native of Germany, 
 born in the Province of Posen November 1 1, 1841. 
 His parents, John and Rosalie (Kaczmarek) Len- 
 ard, lived and died in his native country, where 
 his grandfather, Charles Lenard, was a laborer. 
 John Lenard died in 1847, when Martin was six 
 years old, and the mother survived only two 
 years after that. The orphan then entered the 
 home of his maternal uncle, Kashmier Kacz- 
 marek, with whom he remained one year. He 
 then began to carry the serious responsibilities of 
 life, and took up the trade of glazier. By the 
 time he had reached the age of thirty years he 
 resolved to seek a betterment of his fortunes in 
 the Western world. The experiment has proved 
 a most happy success. He arrived in Chicago,. 
 by way of Baltimore, July 4, 1872, and accepted 
 any employment he could secure, being engaged 
 for some time as a common laborer. In the mean- 
 time he acquired a knowledge of the English 
 language, and was competent to establish a bus- 
 iness on his own account. 
 
 About the beginning of the year 1879 he se- 
 cured a position in the service of the South Chi- 
 cago Rolling Mills, and took up his residence in 
 what was then the suburb of South Chicago. In
 
 J. J. JUNG. 
 
 683 
 
 1 88 1 he opened a grocery and meat market on 
 Mackinaw Avenue, and a year later moved to the 
 northwest corner of Superior Avenue and Eighty- 
 fifth Street, where he erected a building. In 1893 
 this was destroyed by fire, and he immediately 
 put up the handsome brick block that now occu- 
 pies the site. In 1872 he married Katharine, 
 daughter of Simon Schnaza, who bore him the 
 following children: Robert, whose name heads 
 this article; Margaret, who died at the age of 
 eight years; Baldina, Medard, Cecelia (who died 
 in infancy), Leon, Felix and Joseph. The last 
 died at the age of one year. Mr. Martin Lenard 
 is the fourth of his father's six children, and the 
 only one who came to America. 
 
 Robert Lenard attended the public schools of 
 Chicago, the German Catholic and Polish schools, 
 and went to Notre Dame, Indiana, in 1888, and 
 spent two years in pursuit of a business course at 
 the famous Notre Dame College. He next entered 
 the Northwestern University School of Pharmacy, 
 from which he secured a degree in 1893. In 
 August of that year he established himself in the 
 drug and prescription business on Superior Ave- 
 
 nue, near Eighty- fifth Street, where he has con- 
 tinued with success to carry on business since. 
 During the World's Columbian Exposition he 
 operated a restaurant at the south end of the 
 grounds, known as the Tunis Cafe, with satisfac- 
 tory results. 
 
 Mr. Lenard is active in the social and political 
 life of the community, and is recognized as an in- 
 fluential member of society. He is a member in 
 good standing of Nonpareil Lodge, No. 361, 
 Knights of Pythias, and acts in political matters 
 with the Democratic party. He has been useful 
 in the committee work of his party, and did some 
 very effective campaign work in the fall of 1896. 
 In the spring of 1894 he was nominated for 
 supervisor of the Town of Hyde Park, but was de- 
 feated with other candidates on his party ticket. 
 
 September 18, 1895, he was married to Miss 
 Clara Isabella, daughter of John Biedrzicki, of 
 Milwaukee. One child born to this union did 
 not long survive. Mr. Lenard still has much of 
 the world before him, and is bound to make his 
 mark on .the social, political and commercial life 
 of the great Western metropolis. 
 
 JOHN J. JUNG. 
 
 (JOHN JOSEPH JUNG was born June 10, 
 I 1847, in Canton Graubunden, Switzerland, 
 Q) and is a son of John and Fannie Jung. He 
 was reared in his native country, receiving his 
 education there. His family remained in the 
 mother country, and he was the only one of the 
 children who emigrated to America. He arrived 
 February 29, 1880, at Hoboken, New Jersey, and 
 came direct to Chicago. He had learned the 
 trade of watch-maker in Switzerland, and opened 
 a store and watch-making establishment at No. 
 141 West Randolph Street, which he conducted a 
 year and one-half. He then opened the first 
 
 Swiss hotel on the North Side, which was situ- 
 ated at Nos. 101, 103 and 105 North Wells Street. 
 It was called the Garden City House, and was 
 conducted by him three years, when he was com- 
 pelled to remove to the country on account of the 
 poor health of his wife. He opened a saloon at 
 what is now the corner of Western Avenue and 
 Indiana Street, and kept a summer garden there 
 three years. Then he became the proprietor of a 
 wine room at Nos. 128 and 130 Fifth Avenue. 
 He sold this one year later and invested in a 
 hotel known as the Exchange, located at No. 
 66 Wells Street. Later he became traveling
 
 68 4 
 
 WALTER McCALL. 
 
 salesman for the Old Hickory Distilling Com- 
 pany, and spent four years visiting the principal 
 cities of Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin 
 and Iowa, in the interests of that company. He 
 then became connected with the interests of the 
 Acme Distillery, of Tell City, Indiana, and still 
 has charge of its Chicago trade. 
 
 April 20, 1896, Mr. Jung opened business at 
 No. 10287 Indianapolis Avenue, and improved 
 what is now known as Jung's Grove. He also 
 began the improvement of ground now known as 
 Casino Grove, at No. 9601 Ewing Avenue. 
 These two resorts are among the most popular 
 ones on the East Side of South Chicago. They 
 
 have been fitted up with great care under the 
 personal supervision of Mr. Jung, and contain all 
 modern improvements and comforts to make them 
 attractive. 
 
 In December, 1879, Mr. Jung married Miss 
 Maggie Brenner, a native of Switzerland, and 
 they are the parents of seven children, namely: 
 Otto, Lena, John, Mollie, Anton, Louisa and 
 Frank. Mr. Jung is a member of Columbia 
 Lodge, No. 150, Knights of Pythias. In national 
 affairs he upholds the principles of the Republi- 
 can party, but in local matters he chooses rather 
 to consider the man than his party, and is thus 
 independent of partisan dictation. 
 
 WALTER McCALL, 
 
 McCALL, a self-made man of 
 South Chicago, was born April 13, 1865, 
 at Saint William's, Norfolk County, Can- 
 ada, and is a son of James Walter and Adelia 
 (Loftus) McCall. His paternal grandfather was 
 the founder of the family in this country. The 
 latter was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and in his 
 native country was a magistrate. On coming to 
 America he engaged in farming. His children 
 were: Fannie, John J., and James W. (father of 
 Walter McCall) besides others who are deceased. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of Walter McCall, 
 Dennis Loftus, was a native of Ireland, who emi- 
 grated to Canada about 1849, engaged in farm- 
 ing, and died in 1866. He married Miss Mar- 
 garet Denis, and they had six children, as fol- 
 lows: Hugh F. , Dennis, John, James, Mary and 
 Adelia. All of these children, except Mary, 
 emigrated to the United States. Hugh F. Loftus 
 is captain of the steamer ''Manhattan," and 
 resides in Chicago. 
 
 Walter McCall received his elementary educa- 
 tion in the schools of Saint William's, where he 
 
 lived until he was fourteen years of age. He then 
 removed to Buffalo, where he found employment 
 as time-keeper. After spending a few months in 
 this employment he became a conductor on a 
 street car line, which position he filled two years. 
 Realizing the advantages he would gain if his 
 education were supplemented, he completed a 
 course at Bryant & Stratton's Business College. 
 After taking a diploma from this school he be- 
 came a sailor on the lakes, and soon rose to the 
 position of second mate. He spent seven years 
 on the lakes, making Chicago his headquarters, 
 and became mate on the steamer' ' Massachusetts, ' ' 
 on which he remained four years. 
 
 In August, 1890, he entered the service of the 
 Illinois Steel Company as crane engineer, and 
 after two years in this position became a lever- 
 man in the finishing mills, where he spent three 
 years. May 15, 1895, Mayor Swift appointed 
 Mr. McCall harbor master of the Calumet dis- 
 trict, which office he retained until May 6, 1897. 
 He was then made superintendent of the Chicago 
 Ballast Company, with headquarters at the plant
 
 THOMAS BOYLE. 
 
 685 
 
 of the Illinois Steel Company, and is thus occu- 
 pied at this time. He is now pursuing a medical 
 course at Harvey Medical College, in Chicago, 
 and is a member of the class of "99. 
 
 February 19, 1890, Mr. McCall married Miss 
 Annie Gardner, daughter of James Gardner, of 
 Vittoria, Canada. Mr. McCall is a man who is 
 able to concentrate his attention on whatever oc- 
 cupation he is engaged in, and shows his ability 
 in a way that inspires the confidence and esteem 
 of his employers and associates. He was made a 
 
 Master Mason in Walsingham Lodge, No. 174, 
 Port Rowan, Canada, and is now a member of 
 Harbor Lodge, No. 731, of Chicago. He took 
 the degree of Royal Arch Mason in Sinai Chap- 
 ter, No. 185, in which he is a Past High Priest, 
 and belongs to Calumet Lodge, No. 569, Royal 
 Arcanum. He is a man of social habits, and has 
 a genial, pleasant disposition. In politics Mr. 
 McCall takes an active interest, and during the 
 last campaign gave his party valuable help. He 
 supports Republican principles. 
 
 THOMAS BOYLE. 
 
 'HOMAS BOYLE. Among Chicago's self- 
 made men who have been very successful 
 in business is Thomas Boyle. He was born 
 in Dundalk, Ireland, January 6, 1842, and was 
 the son of Patrick and Mary (Megham) Boyle, 
 who were natives of that place. He is descended 
 from sturdy Scotch ancestry, and as far back as 
 it has been traced the family were of the better 
 class of citizens, who were worthy the honor and 
 respect they received. His grandfather, Daniel 
 Boyle, was a farmer, and lived to the unusual 
 age of one hundred and eight years. Patrick 
 Boyle was a volunteer in the British army, and 
 fought in the battle of Waterloo. After the war 
 was over he left the profession of arms to engage 
 in farming. He was married at this time, and 
 became the father of nine children. He lived to 
 be sixty-six and his wife to be eighty-eight. One 
 son, William Boyle, is a government ganger. 
 
 Thomas had an opportunity to attend school 
 but a few years, but by making the most of his 
 time, and by dint of hard study by himself in the 
 evenings after his day's work was over, he had a 
 fair education before he came to America. For 
 many years after coming to this country he con- 
 tinued his habit of study, and he is therefore 
 practically a self-educated man. He came to the 
 United States in 1866, landing in Chicago on Fri- 
 
 day, February 13, with thirteen dollars in his pock- 
 et, but with perseverance and integrity, honesty 
 and rugged health in his possession, which were 
 worth thousands of dollars. So, as time proved, 
 he was fully equipped for the struggle with for- 
 tune in the New World. He was always very 
 conscientious in all his business relations, and is 
 regarded as one of the most careful as well as suc- 
 cessful business men of Chicago, who owes his 
 success to his own unaided efforts. 
 
 He had learned the carpenter's trade in Ireland, 
 and his first employment in Chicago was in the 
 exercise of this trade. The hours were long in 
 those days, but even though he worked sixteen 
 hours a day he took time in the evening to pur- 
 sue his studies, in order that he might be better 
 prepared to fight the battle of life. In 1868 he 
 established himself in the grocery and ice bus- 
 iness at the corner of White and Franklin Streets, 
 where he was burned out by the Great Fire. He 
 owned a lot at the corner of Halsted Street and 
 Garfield Avenue, and here he built a frame build- 
 ing only a week after the fire, with an ice-house 
 in the rear. Here he conducted his business for 
 nearly three years, when he built ice-houses on 
 Montana and Perry Streets in Lake View, and 
 devoted his whole attention to the ice business. 
 
 He commenced this venture in a small way,
 
 686 
 
 J. A. FAIR. 
 
 and for five years had but one wagon, which he 
 drove himself. From year to year he increased 
 the business, having a partner who started in the 
 business with him and continued with him till 
 called away by death. With his partner, P. J. 
 Maginis by name, he started the Lincoln Ice 
 Company, which at the present time is doing a 
 thriving business, often employing as many as 
 one thousand men in winter, and in summer four 
 hundred men, and eighty-two teams. For five 
 years they had ice-houses at Sturgeon Bay, ship- 
 ping by vessel to Chicago. Finally they built 
 ice-houses at Silver Spring, three miles north of 
 Milwaukee, and eventually sold them for twenty- 
 five thousand dollars, thus making a clear profit of 
 seventeen thousand dollars. Then they bought 
 land in Burlington, Wisconsin, on Rockland and 
 Brown's Lakes, where they erected new buildings, 
 which are connected with the Wisconsin Central 
 Railway. In 1886 they established ice-houses at 
 Camp Lake, Wisconsin, and in 1890 at Madison, 
 
 in the same State. Their business has steadily 
 grown and requires close attention, but the ad- 
 mirable way in which every detail is arranged by 
 Mr. Boyle makes it comparatively easy to con- 
 trol. The company steadily employs harness- 
 makers and blacksmiths, and raises its own 
 horses. Many of the men in Mr. Boyle's em- 
 ploy have been with him nearly a quarter of a 
 century, and the policy of the company is to keep 
 with it as many of the good men as possible. 
 
 Mr. Boyle was married to Miss Mary Maginis, 
 a sister of his partner, and they have four chil- 
 dren now living: John P., who was formerly 
 assistant prosecuting attorney under Hempstead 
 J. Washburne; James T.; and two daughters, 
 Mary Alice and Irene. 
 
 Mr. Boyle is. a citizen of whom our city may 
 well be proud. In his politics he is a stanch 
 Republican. He will compare well with many 
 men who have had a liberal education given 
 them and also a start in business and wealth. 
 
 JOHN A. FAIR. 
 
 (JOHN ADAM FAIR, an honest and reliable 
 I citizen of South Chicago, was born June 28, 
 Q) 1859, in Wyandotte, Michigan, and is a son 
 of John Adam and Margaret (Ruede) Fair. An 
 account of the life of his father may be found 
 elsewhere within these pages. He received his 
 education in the common schools, and when old 
 enough began work in a mill. He was satisfac- 
 tory to his employers, and has ever since been 
 occupied with this kind of labor, for which he 
 had ability and liking. 
 
 In 1882 he removed to South Chicago and en- 
 tered the service of the Illinois Steel Company in 
 the rolling mills, spending three years at work 
 connected with the furnace, and since that time 
 has been engaged on the rolls. He is energetic 
 and faithful to duty, and the fact that he has been 
 
 fifteen years in the employ of one establishment 
 attests his capability. 
 
 December 15, 1892, Mr. Fair married Miss 
 Bertha Zoerner, daughter of Ernst and Louise 
 (Debus) Zoerner, of Chicago. She was born on the 
 West Side of the city of Chicago, December 23, 
 1866. They have no children of their own, but 
 have adopted a girl, Edna Louise Zoerner, born 
 June 4, 1891, and she enjoys the privileges and 
 affection which would be hers if one of the family 
 by birth. 
 
 In his relations with his fellow-men Mr. Fair is 
 upright and honorable, and his many friends can 
 depend upon his interest in their welfare. He is 
 informed upon the most important subjects of the 
 day, and is a public-spirited and highly respected 
 citizen.
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 
 IIKK.M \N\ REVDTORFF 
 
 (From Photo, by W. J. ROOT)
 
 HERMANN RENDTORFF. 
 
 687 
 
 HERMANN RENDTORFF. 
 
 HERMANN RENBTORFF, an enterprising 
 German- American citizen, has been identi- 
 fied with Chicago for over thirty years. He 
 was born August 6, 1843, in Sauk City, Sauk 
 County, Wisconsin, being a son of Edmund and 
 Henrietta (Graepel) Rendtorff, both of whom 
 were natives of Hamburg, Germany. 
 
 Edmund Rendtorff came to the United States 
 in 1838. He was highly educated in his native 
 tongue, as well as in three other languages, and 
 was employed as correspondent and general office 
 man. On coming to this country he worked on a 
 farm in Illinois for a short time, and then went 
 to Wisconsin. He was among the first settlers 
 of Sauk City, and for some time was employed as 
 clerk on a steamboat on the Wisconsin River. He 
 made a pre-emption claim to Government land in 
 Sauk County, and was able to buy eighty acres of 
 it when it came into market. His education and 
 ability fitted him for activity in the management 
 of public affairs, and he soon became prominent 
 in the county, being its first treasurer. 
 
 He had been engaged to Miss Graepel before 
 leaving Germany. In 1842 she came to America, 
 and upon her arrival in New York they were 
 married and settled upon his land, where he con- 
 tinued farming for five years. In 1847 he went 
 to St. Louis as bookkeeper for Childs & Com- 
 pany, wholesale grocery dealers in that city. At 
 the end of six years he returned to Sauk City and 
 conducted a general store there for a period of 
 twenty-five years. Mrs. Rendtorff died in 1889, 
 at the age of seventy years, and her husband sur- 
 vived until 1892, reaching the good age of sev- 
 enty-six years. All of their six children grew to 
 maturity, the eldest being he whose name heads 
 this article. The second, J. Christian Rendtorff, 
 resides on North Avenue, in Chicago. Susanna 
 is the wife of F. A. Oswald, of the same city. 
 
 Johanna is the next in order of birth. Emma, 
 Mrs. Theodore Krueger, is also a resident of 
 Chicago; and Richard O. is deceased. 
 
 Hermann Rendtorff had but limited opportuni- 
 ties for education. He was reared on the farm 
 and attended school only during the winter 
 months. He remained with his parents until he 
 reached the age of eighteen years, and might have 
 continued longer but for the outbreak of hos- 
 tilities between the North and the South in 1861. 
 He was filled with patriotic love for the land of 
 his birth, and on the I4th of September, 1861, 
 having just completed the eighteenth year of his 
 age, he enlisted as a soldier in Company D, Ninth 
 Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He bore an active 
 part in all the engagements in which his regiment 
 participated, and was wounded in the right thigh 
 by a bullet at the battle of Newtonia, Missouri, 
 September 30, 1862. He spent three months in 
 hospitals at Fort Scott and Fort Leaven worth, 
 Kansas, and still carries in his flesh the bullet 
 which caused his injury. On his recovery he 
 rejoined his regiment, with which he continued 
 until honorably discharged at the close of his 
 period of enlistment, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
 December 4, 1864. 
 
 He returned to his native place and remained 
 until February 20, 1865, on which date he became 
 a resident of Chicago. He entered the employ of 
 Ressing, Inderrieden & Company, wholesale and 
 retail grocers, with whom he remained two years. 
 At the end of this time he entered into partner- 
 ship with G. E. Roscher, in a retail grocery 
 store at No. 206 North Clark Street, and two 
 years later sold out to his partner. 
 
 He now entered the hardware establishment 
 of his brother-in-law, Mr. Oswald, at Nos. 
 139 and 141 Milwaukee Avenue, and rapidly 
 mastered the business. At the end of one year he
 
 688 
 
 JOHN SCHIRRA. 
 
 formed a partnership with Mr. Oswald, and they 
 opened a store on the corner of Lake and Halsted 
 Streets, under the firm name of Rendtorff & 
 Oswald. This connection lasted only a few 
 years, and Mr. Rendtorff removed to the North 
 Side and established an independent business on 
 North Avenue. Two years later he purchased 
 property on the corner of North Avenue and 
 Mohawk Street, consisting of four lots and build- 
 ings, whither he removed his stock and contin- 
 ued business. In 1880 he added the manufacture 
 of stove-boards, which he carried on in connec- 
 tion with his hardware store. In the year 1883 
 he formed a partnership with his brother, J. 
 Christian Rendtorff, and they opened two stores, 
 one being at No. 154 North Avenue, and the 
 other at No. 700 Lincoln Avenue. Their brother, 
 Richard Otto, had charge of the former, and 
 after his death they sold the Lincoln Avenue 
 store. 
 
 In 1883 Mr. Rendtorff felt that he had earned 
 a vacation, and sailed for Europe in that year, 
 spending thirteen months in visiting England, 
 Ireland, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, 
 Holland, Italy and Germany. On his return he 
 opened a jobbing house in stoves, at No. 16 Lake 
 Street, which he conducted until 1896, and then 
 sold out. In 1894, when Mr. Rendtorff began 
 building the present block at the corner of North 
 Avenue and Mohawk Street, the stock was re- 
 moved to No, 154 North Avenue, now conducted 
 
 by his brother, J. Christian, who owns it, the 
 partnership having been dissolved by mutual con- 
 sent in 1896. 
 
 Mr. Rendtorff has continued the manufacture 
 of stove-boards since he first established it, and 
 is now extensively engaged in the manufacture of 
 a patent milk-pail with a detachable strainer, and 
 a patent split-lock stove-pipe elbow. At present 
 he is giving all his attention to his manufacturing 
 interests, which are rapidly growing under his 
 prudent and energetic management. Thirty-five 
 men are employed in this business, and the 
 products are shipped to nearly every state in the 
 Union. His long business career in Chicago has 
 made him a wide acquaintance, and firmly estab- 
 lished his reputation as an upright and fair-deal- 
 ing business man. 
 
 Septembers, 1875, Mr. Rendtorff was married 
 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Miss Ida Stuetze, a 
 native of that city. Though not connected with 
 any religious organization, Mr. Rendtorff is a 
 supporter of all good works, and feels a 'keen in- 
 terest in the moral, social and material welfare of 
 the community in which he resides. His first pres- 
 idential vote was cast in Little Rock, Arkansas, 
 in 1864, for Abraham Lincoln, and he has since 
 supported the candidates of the Republican party. 
 He is a member of Hancock Post, No. 560, 
 Grand Army of the Republic, and is highly 
 esteemed by all classes of citizens because of his 
 genial manner and manly worth. 
 
 JOHN SCHIRRA. 
 
 (JOHN SCHIRRA, a retired merchant of Chi- 
 I cago, was born January 18, 1822, in Dam- 
 (*/ floss, Trier, Germany. His education was 
 received in the schools of his native country, and 
 he was reared to farm life. He was ambitious of 
 better chances for advancement than were offered 
 
 by his native land, and in 1850 he came to the 
 United States, settling in Cook Count}-, Illinois, 
 where he found employment at various occupa- 
 tions. First he worked at farm labor, next at 
 getting out railroad ties, and then at burning char- 
 coal. Later he moved to the rapidly growing
 
 CHRISTIAN MADARY. 
 
 689 
 
 city of Chicago and opened the first grocery store 
 located north of Chicago avenue, at the corner of 
 Siegel and Wells streets, in the old stone house. 
 
 In October, 1857, Mr. Schirra married Miss 
 Barbara Scheidt, and soon after opened the store 
 above referred to. For nine years he did a large 
 and profitable business, and then moved to the 
 sharp corner of Wells and Clark streets and Lin- 
 coln avenue, where he conducted a saloon two 
 years. While at this location he bought the 
 property he now owns, at No. 606 Sedgwick 
 street, and moved a building onto it, where he en- 
 gaged in the grocery and saloon business, which 
 he conducted with good success until the fire of 
 1871 carried away all his property but the very 
 land. 
 
 After the fire Mr. Schirra rebuilt and resumed 
 business, carrying it on until 1880, when he re- 
 tired with a competence. After the fire he bought 
 
 two lots adjoining his business place and built on 
 them, and now occupies the house at No. 602. 
 Mr. Schirra's energies were always devoted to 
 his private interests and he spent little time in 
 politics, never having held an office. He is, how- 
 ever, interested in the affairs of the nation, and is 
 a supporter of the Democratic party. His suc- 
 cess in business is due to his industry and good 
 judgment in his investments and his careful and 
 frugal habits. 
 
 The union of Mr. and Mrs. Schirra has been 
 blessed with twelve children, only six of whom 
 are now living. Matilda is the wife of Mr. Jacob 
 Becker. George has been a member of the Chi- 
 cago Fire Department for many years. John fol- 
 lows the trade of plumber. The others are: Jo- 
 seph, Teresa, and Martha. All are communi- 
 cants of Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church, 
 and are worthy members of its large congregation. 
 
 CHRISTIAN MADARY. 
 
 CHRISTIAN MADARY, who, after a long 
 1 1 life of honest toil is enjoying a period of 
 \J comfort and rest in this city, has lived here 
 many years, and is well known among the older 
 residents of the city. He was born November 
 29, 1817, in Canton Basel, Switzerland, and re- 
 ceived his education in his native country. When 
 he was old enough to choose a trade, he wished 
 to learn silk manufacture, and was occupied in 
 this for many years in Switzerland. 
 
 He was married in March, 1844, to Miss Eva 
 Elizabeth Meyer, and soon after resolved to try 
 his fortunes in the New World. In 1845, accom- 
 panied by his wife and her parents, he embarked 
 at Havre, France, on a sailing-ship and, after 
 forty-five days on the water, reached New York. 
 They proceeded on their way to Chicago by 
 water, sailing up the Hudson River to Albany, 
 
 whence they traveled by canal to Buffalo, and 
 stopped six weeks at Detroit. Upon arriving in 
 Chicago Mr. Madary was compelled to work at 
 any honest labor he was able to procure for sev- 
 eral years, but he was industrious and reliable, 
 and rapidly succeeded in bettering his condi- 
 tion. 
 
 In 1849 he rented a piece of land on North 
 Clark street, and in a modest way, suited to his 
 means, began gardening. This venture was so 
 successful that, in 1852, he was able to purchase 
 a lot sixty-one by two hundred fourteen feet, on 
 North Avenue, where his home is now located, 
 and was able to build a house in 1855. For many 
 years Mr. Madary carried on gardening, and is 
 still in a small way interested in it. 
 
 Of the ten children who have blessed the home 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Madary, seven are living.
 
 690 
 
 JOHN BRUSZER. 
 
 Elizabeth is the wife of Fred Becker, of No. 78 
 Wells street. Next in order of birth are: Mary, 
 William, Charles, Carrie, Albert, and Sophie, 
 the last-named being the wife of Mr. William 
 Beenner. Mrs. Madary passed away April 9, 1886. 
 Mr. Madary's first presidential vote was cast for 
 John C. Fremont, and since that time he has sup- 
 
 ported the Republican party in national issues. 
 He and his family are members of the Reformed 
 Church or the Evangelical Association, and are 
 known as citizens of loyalty and patriotism to 
 their adopted country, and have the respect of 
 the community for their honest and upright lives 
 and good works. 
 
 JOHN BRUSZER. 
 
 (TOHN BRUSZER, a prosperous and influen- 
 I tial citizen of Chicago, was born November 
 G) 9, 1839, in Wadstena, Oster Gotland, Swe- 
 den, and is a son of Jonas and Catarina Larson, 
 his name being changed by him shortly after 
 coming to America. His education and training 
 for the business of life were received in the land 
 of his birth, where he spent all his earlier life. 
 At the age of eight years he entered the marine 
 service as cabin boy on a passenger steamer ply- 
 ing between Guttenberg and Stockholm. In 
 1851, at the age of thirteen years, he shipped as 
 cabin boy on the sailing-ship Eugenia, a govern- 
 ment vessel fitted out for scientific research and 
 exploration purposes, sailing in the northern 
 waters in search of the North Pole. He remained 
 on this boat till 1853. After this he became a 
 sailor in the summer and learned the machinist's 
 trade in the winter months. He followed this 
 for many years. About 1865 he bought a vessel, 
 the Freda Nord, and sailed it on Lake Wetter 
 until 1868, when he sold it, and the next year 
 came to America. 
 
 One brother, Andrew, came to America in 
 1868, and this roused the ambition of John Brus- 
 zer to follow him and try his fortunes in the land 
 across the water. He followed his brother the 
 following year, arriving in New York April 29, 
 and proceeded westward to the State of Illinois. 
 He remained one year engaged in farm labor 
 
 near Rock ford, and then spent some time in trav- 
 eling, going to Whitehall, Michigan; to St. Louis, 
 to New Orleans, to the State of Arkansas, to St. 
 Louis again, to St. Paul, and then worked along 
 the Mississippi River, which often brought him 
 to St. Louis, a city that he greatly liked. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Bruszer established himself in 
 Chicago, and found employment on the city 
 dredges arid tug-boats. He was willing to spend 
 his time and energy in any honest labor, and 
 during this time was rapidly mastering the Eng- 
 lish language. Mr. Bruszer removed to South 
 Chicago in May, 1873, and entered the employ 
 of the Calumet & Chicago Canal & Dock Com- 
 pany, on tug-boats. He remained at this work 
 about one year, and then secured a position with 
 the Chicago Forge & Bolt Company, where he 
 remained nine years. At the end of this period 
 of time he found employment in the coal yard of 
 E. L. Hedstrom, and since then he has continued 
 in this employ, now acting as engineer. His poor 
 health causes the loss of much time, but through 
 his reliability and faithfulness he is invaluable to 
 his employer. In 1894 he took a well-earned 
 vacation, and visited the scenes of his childhood 
 and also other parts of Europe, remaining from 
 September, 1894, to April of the next year. 
 
 Mr. Bruszer built a house in 1874, on Green 
 Bay Avenue, between Eighty-ninth and Ninetieth 
 Streets, on the east side of the avenue, and re-
 
 MRS. E. E. THILO. 
 
 69.1 
 
 sided there until 1880, when he built a house on 
 a vacant lot adjoining the one where his present 
 home is situated. In 1891 he built a dwelling on 
 the site where he now resides, which was de- 
 stroyed by fire in 1893. To meet his immediate 
 need he built a house on the rear of his lot, which 
 is still standing, and in 1894 built an elegant 
 apartment house of four stories, which is his 
 present home. He has been most successful in 
 his business transactions, and prosperity has 
 crowned his efforts. 
 
 Mr. Bruszer was married December 25, 1873, 
 to Miss Matilda Krantz, of his old home in Swe- 
 den. Their union has been blessed with five 
 children. They are Oscar Conrad, Carl Wol- 
 ford, Remer, Chester and Elsie. All are living, 
 with the exception of Remer, who died when two 
 and a-half years old. Mr. Bruszer is active in 
 social and political circles in his community, and 
 has many friends. He was reared in the Luth- 
 eran faith, to which he still adheres. In politics 
 he is a Republican. 
 
 MRS. EVA. E. THILO. 
 
 IV/lRS. EVA ELIZABETH THILO, an old 
 I V I and respected pioneer of Chicago, was born 
 101 in Langensaltz, Saxony, Germany, Sep- 
 tember 25, 1836. She is a daughter of Fred- 
 erick Christian and Christina (Ackerman) Sper- 
 ber, and came with her parents to Chicago in 
 1847. Christian and Christina Sperber were the 
 parents of five children, three of whom died in 
 Germany, and when they came to Chicago they 
 brought with them besides Elizabeth one other 
 daughter, Christine. Mr. Sperber died about 
 1869, and the mother survived him until August, 
 1893, when she also passed away, at the age of 
 more than ninety years. 
 
 Eva E. Sperber was married March 10, 1851, 
 to Charles Henry Nibbe, who was born December 
 6, 1828, near Hamburg, Germany. He left his 
 home at the tender age of twelve years and fol- 
 lowed a sailor's life, becoming a captain when 
 still a young man, and at one time became the 
 owner of a number of boats on the Great Lakes. 
 In 1848 he came to the United States, and until 
 about 1857 was a captain on the Lakes. At this 
 time he engaged in the grocer's business on 
 Larrabee Street, and continued this until the fire 
 of 1871, when he lost everything in the confla- 
 
 gration. He did not lose his courage, however, 
 and rebuilt and again engaged in business, being 
 successful. He was diligent and prudent and 
 was able to accumulate a competence. He was 
 an ardent Republican, and in the success of his 
 party he took an active interest, and contributed 
 largely to it. For two years he was custom- house 
 surveyor in Chicago, during which time he was 
 associated with the brother-in-law of President 
 Grant, William Dent. 
 
 Mr. Nibbe was a member of Saint Paul's 
 Lutheran Church. He and his wife were blessed 
 with seventeen children, of whom only the fol- 
 lowing are now living: Charles H., a printer; 
 Peter; Elizabeth, now widow of John Whitty; 
 Minnie, wife of Dr. W. H. Dodge; Emma, wife 
 of Reese Steffy; Paul; and Paulina. Mr. Nibbe 
 died January 19, 1881. 
 
 July 12, 1885, Mrs. Nibbe became the wife of 
 G. Wilhelm Thilo, who was born December 31, 
 1829, in Dering, Saxony, Germany. He re- 
 ceived his education in his native country, and 
 learned the trade of mason, which he followed for 
 many years. His ambition led him to leave his 
 home for the New World, where he determined 
 to seek his fortune, which, however, he knew
 
 692 
 
 GEORGE ERNST. 
 
 could come to him only through his own efforts. 
 In 1855 he left Germany, and upon his arrival in 
 the United States he came direct to Chicago. 
 For six years he was employed as a mason, and 
 then he engaged in gardening on Halsted Street. 
 He was married in Prussia to Miss Susanna 
 Hausen, a native of the same place as himself, in 
 1853, and by that marriage he had five children, 
 only two of whom lived to maturity Minnie, 
 now Mrs. Hammerstrom, and William, deceased. 
 The mother died in 1883. 
 
 Mr. Thilo continued the conduct of his garden 
 until he was able to retire, about twenty years 
 ago, having acquired a comfortable fortune. He 
 
 is now interested in a factory for making linseed 
 oil, belonging to the Crescent Linseed Oil Corn- 
 pan}'. He has been interested in this industry 
 for fifteen years, during most of which period he 
 has served as vice-president of the company- his 
 present position . Mr. Thilo has been for many- 
 years a member of the German Mutual Fire In- 
 surance Company of North Chicago, and served 
 as its treasurer several years. He is also promi- 
 nently connected with various social and benefit 
 societies. In political sentiment he adheres to 
 the principles maintained by the Republican par- 
 ty. He and his family are connected with the 
 Lutheran Church. 
 
 CAPT. GEORGE ERNST. 
 
 EAPTAIN GEORGE ERNST, who was 
 many years connected with the Fire Depart- 
 ment of Chicago, was born in Baden Baden, 
 German}-. He was a son of Joseph Ernst, who 
 came to Buffalo, New York, when George was but 
 eight years of age. He died during the epidemic 
 of cholera in that city, where his widow after- 
 ward made her residence until her death. Their 
 children were: Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, George 
 (of whom this article is written), and Charles. 
 The last three were residents of Chicago. Joseph 
 never married, and was a soldier in the Civil 
 War. He is now an inmate of the Soldiers' Na- 
 tional Home, at Milwaukee. 
 
 When a young man of eighteen years George 
 Ernst came to the growing city of Chicago to try 
 his fortunes. He was a cigar-maker by trade, and 
 found employment readily. He was married in 
 that city to Miss Anna Ludwig, a daughter of 
 Mathias and Mary (Preseau) Ludwig, natives of 
 the village of Idersdorf, Trier, Germany, who 
 came to Chicago when it was a mere village. 
 
 Mathias Ludwig was well known to the old 
 
 pioneers of the town, by whom he was honored 
 and respected, as an upright and honest citizen. 
 He was a grocery merchant, and accumulated 
 what was in those times considered a fortune. 
 Late in life he and his wife removed to Saint 
 Paul, Minnesota, where both died. Mr. Ludwig 
 had been educated in Germany with a view of 
 taking up the life of a priest, but he fell in love 
 with a pretty German girl, and gave up his desire 
 for the sacred robe to marry her and come to 
 America. Their six children who grew to ma- 
 turity are: Barbara, Leonard, Nicholas, Susan, 
 Anna and Mary. Barbara married Gilbert 
 Budgeser and they have three children Mary, 
 Mathilda, and Minnie. Leonard and Nicholas 
 are residents of Saint Paul, the former having 
 one daughter. Susan married John Cody, an 
 attorney, and Mary married Henry Stoebly, a 
 shoe merchant of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Anna 
 married Mr. George Ernst, the subject of this 
 sketch. 
 
 George Ernst was a member of Long John 
 Wentworth's Fire Brigade and was the first fire-
 
 EDWARD SIMONS, JR. 
 
 693 
 
 man in Chicago to receive any remuneration for 
 his services. He was Captain of John Went- 
 worth Hook and Ladder Company and served 
 for many years, rendering the city valuable 
 services in that capacity. He died in Chicago 
 May 18, 1890, at the age of sixty-three years, 
 and is buried in Rosehill Cemetery. Mrs. Ernst 
 survives him and is to-day one of the oldest liv- 
 ing pioneers of Chicago. She is a member of the 
 German Old Settlers' Society, and at a picnic 
 given in 1897, received a gold medal for being 
 the oldest woman settler on the ground. She 
 was well acquainted with the early notables of 
 
 Chicago, and is well remembered by the few sur- 
 viving pioneers. She is the mother of three chil- 
 dren, namely: George, who died at the age of 
 forty years; Susie, who died at the age of thirty- 
 eight years; and Louis, for twelve years a fireman 
 but now an employe of the Chicago, Alton & 
 St. Louis Railroad Company. The latter married 
 Lillie Whitchurch, and they have two children 
 Charlotta M. and Gertrude L. Mrs. Ernst is a 
 genial conversationalist and her memory of the 
 affairs of the city in its infancy is very clear and 
 reliable, and it is a pleasure to listen to her remi- 
 niscences of pioneer days. 
 
 EDWARD SIMONS, JR. 
 
 JT DWARD SIMONS, a contractor of Chicago, 
 K3 is a member of a prominent pioneer family 
 L_ of Cook Count}-. He was born June 4, 
 1843, on Section 35, of Jefferson Township, now a 
 part of the city of Chicago. He is a son of 
 Edward and Laura B. (Sprague) Simons, of 
 whom extended mention is made elsewhere in 
 this work. 
 
 Mr. Simons received his early education in the 
 common schools of Jefferson Township, and as- 
 sisted his father on the farm until the opening of 
 the Civil War. In July, 1862, though still a 
 mere youth, he enlisted in the Chicago Mercantile 
 Batten', and at once proceeded to the South. He 
 participated in General Sherman's campaign in 
 Mississippi, including the battles of Arkansas 
 Post and Yazoo Pass, and the Siege of Vicksburg, 
 and also in the Red River Expedition. In the 
 spring of 1863, having been taken violently ill 
 with swamp fever, he was placed on board the 
 hospital boat, City of Memphis, and sent to St. 
 Louis, where he was kept for some time. While 
 at St. Louis he was discharged on account of 
 disability, and later in the year was brought 
 
 home, though he had not fully re'covered, and in 
 fact suffered many years from rheumatism, due 
 to his exposures. 
 
 In 1866 he took a course of business training 
 in Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College, and 
 since that time has engaged successfully in vari- 
 ous lines of business, including real-estate trans- 
 actions and contracting for buildings, street pav- 
 ing and sidewalks. 
 
 October 5, 1871, was celebrated the marriage 
 of Mr. Simons and -Mary E. Orr, daughter of 
 Robinson and Margaret Orr. Mrs. Simons was 
 born in Guernsey County, Ohio, but during her 
 childhood removed with her parents to Sauk 
 County, Wisconsin. Robinson Orr was a mem- 
 ber of Company D, of the Eighteenth Regiment 
 Wisconsin Volunteers, and died from injury and 
 exposure during service. Six children have 
 blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Simons, named 
 as follows: Lottie, William W., Edith M. (now 
 Mrs. J. H. Stube), Edna L., Mary F. and 
 Frederick Glover. The first-named died at the 
 age of two years. 
 
 The family is connected with the Pacific Con-
 
 6 9 4 
 
 FREDERICK BERGMAN. 
 
 gregational Church and Mr. Simons is a member 
 of the following societies: George H. Thomas 
 Post No. 5, Grand Army of the Republic; Court 
 Black Forest, Independent Order of Foresters; 
 Humboldt Park Lodge No. 813, Ancient Free 
 and Accepted Masons; Court Justice No. 31, 
 United Order of Foresters; and Camp No. 22, 
 Patriotic Order Sons of America. Of the second, 
 
 third and fifth he was a charter member. Since 
 attaining his majority he has been a Republican, 
 casting his first presidential vote for Abraham 
 Lincoln, in 1864. He has always contributed to 
 the success of his party, and has held nearly all of 
 the township offices, including the important 
 ones of Commissioner of Highways, Supervisor 
 and Collector. 
 
 FREDERICK BERGMAN. 
 
 [~REDERICK BERGMAN, a retired gardener 
 rft of Chicago, has resided on the property he 
 I now occupies since 1853. He was born Oc- 
 tober 28, 1836, in Westphalia, Prussia, and is the 
 only living child of Frederick and Anna (Stern- 
 brier) Bergman. 
 
 The father was a mason in his native land, 
 from which he emigrated to America in 1839, 
 first settling in New Orleans. He subsequently 
 removed to St. Louis, whence he came to Chicago, 
 and here located permanently. He shortly after- 
 ward purchased two acres of land on North Wells 
 Street at what is now the corner of Carroll Street, 
 and was the first settler in that portion of the 
 city. Being without capital, he followed teaming 
 and laboring for some years, and in 1848 bought 
 twenty acres in section twenty-nine, Lake View 
 Township, where he carried on farming and 
 gardening. He disposed of his first purchase 
 and later secured a tract of timberland farther 
 north. Having left his wife and two children, a 
 son and a daughter, in Germany, he intended 
 sending for them as soon as he was able, but his 
 wife died before this could be brought about, and 
 shortly after the daughter followed her, so that 
 the son was the only one to reach America. 
 About 1845 Mr. Bergman again married and of 
 his second family three children are living: John, 
 
 Herman and Louise. Mr. Bergman died in 1879, 
 but his widow still survives, having reached the 
 advanced age of eighty-three years. 
 
 Frederick Bergman of this sketch was about 
 three years of age when his father left for Amer- 
 ica, and a year later was left an orphan. He was 
 supported by friends of the family for a few years, 
 but knew none of his relatives except an aunt 
 with whom he lived one year. He received the 
 ordinary educational advantages and since the 
 age of six years has been practically self-support- 
 ing. He earned his first wages during his seven- 
 teenth year, in a brick yard, and a friend of his 
 father's having looked him up for the purpose of 
 taking him to Chicago, he left his clothes and 
 what money he had earned in order to make the 
 journey. 
 
 In August, 1853, he sailed from Bremen for 
 New York, spending six weeks on the water. 
 He proceeded at once to Chicago where he joined 
 his father and remained with him until he be- 
 came of age. He subsequently worked for others 
 for two years, saving two hundred dollars, with 
 which modest sum he set up an establishment of 
 his own after his marriage. By diligent applica- 
 tion and hard work he accumulated one thousand 
 dollars, which he loaned to a friend and lost. 
 He then began investing his savings in building
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 UNIVFRSITY OF ILLINOIS
 
 CAPT. THOMAS BROWN
 
 THOMAS BROWN. 
 
 695 
 
 lots and at the time of his father's death owned 
 ten lots and inherited eighteen more. He con- 
 tinued his gardening operations until 1881, but 
 since that time has devoted himself principally to 
 building up and improving his property, also 
 dealing more or less in real estate. 
 
 May 6, 1860, occurred the marriage of Mr. 
 Bergman to Miss Augusta Arnhold, who was 
 born May n, 1843, near Nordhausen, Prussia, 
 and came to Chicago the same year as her hus- 
 band. Her parents, Christian and Justina Arn- 
 hold, both died in Chicago, the former in 1890, 
 
 aged eighty years, and the latter in 1892, aged 
 eighty-one years. Seven sons and seven daugh- 
 ters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bergman, 
 but only the following are now living: Frederick, 
 in the employ of the United States Express 
 Company; Augusta, wife of Henry Hachmeister, 
 residing on May Street; George, Annie, Hattie 
 and Frieda, living at home. The family is con- 
 nected with the Independent Evangelical Church. 
 Mr. Bergman has supported the Republican party 
 since its organization, but has never consented to 
 hold any public office. 
 
 CAPT. THOMAS BROWN. 
 
 EAPT. THOMAS BROWN was born in 
 Crail, Fifeshire, Scotland, October 28, 1823, 
 a son of Alexander Brown. The latter was 
 born in Crail in 1796, and was reared in his native 
 place, and educated in such schools as were then 
 in vogue. He married Margaret Brown, (no 
 relative) in 1820, and April 6, 1834, they, with 
 their family, took passage on the "Roger 
 Stewart," a sailing-vessel, from Greenock, Scot- 
 land, for the United States. The good ship was 
 five weeks and two days in plowing her way 
 through the waters of the Atlantic to New York, 
 where she arrived May second. 
 
 Chicago was the objective point and thither 
 they traveled, by boat up the Hudson to Albany, 
 thence by canal to Buffalo, where passage was 
 taken on a boat to Detroit. From that place they 
 traveled by ox-team and wagon across Michigan 
 to St. Joseph, where they again took boat, which 
 landed them in Chicago June 8, 1834. Mr. Brown 
 had been reared to farm pursuits. He was am- 
 bitious for the future welfare of his children, and 
 not wishing to change his vocation, soon after 
 arriving he made a selection of a quarter-section 
 
 of laud in Niles township, paying one hundred 
 sixty dollars for a claim upon it held by an- 
 other. There was a log house on this land, and 
 though small and somewhat uncomfortable, it was 
 made to answer the purpose of the family domicile 
 for two years. He was a hard-working and in- 
 dustrious man, and with such assistance as his 
 wife and young children could render, he soon 
 had a part of his land under cultivation and was 
 on the way to prosperity. 
 
 When the land came into market he bought 
 four hundred acres in all, at goverment prices. 
 For a year or two after his settlement in Niles, 
 they had a camp of Indians for near neighbors, 
 who were very annoying on account of their 
 largely developed thieving propensities. They 
 were only dangerous when drunk, at which times 
 they would become quarrelsome and murderous. 
 Mr. Brown was a man who possessed the material 
 which makes successful pioneers. He was hardy 
 and courageous. No hardship daunted him. He 
 was patient in his labors of conquering the pri- 
 meval soil, which, in this section, stubbornly re- 
 sisted man's effort at cultivation. He possessed
 
 6 9 6 
 
 THOMAS BROWN. 
 
 a high order of intelligence, which was supple- 
 mented by a good practical education. Reserved 
 as Justice of the Peace a great many years, and 
 was universally respected by all who knew him. 
 He and his estimable wife, who was in every 
 sense a true and faithful helpmate, were Presby- 
 terians and among the strictest of their faith. 
 Mr. Brown took an active and leading part in 
 erecting the first church in the township. It was 
 a sort of a union affair, as all evangelical de- 
 nominations used it. He took a keen interest in 
 political affairs, and was an adherent of the Dem- 
 ocratic party. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Brown were the parents of eight 
 children (five of whom were born in Scotland), 
 namely: Andrew, Thomas, Alexander, William, 
 Isabella, Grace, James and John. The last two 
 were born in Niles Township, and Grace was 
 born on the ocean. Mr. Brown died November 
 30, 1854, and Mrs. Brown passed to her final re- 
 ward in April, 1849, aged fifty-one years. 
 
 Thomas Brown was a little more than ten years 
 of age when he came to Chicago. He had learned 
 to read and write in his native land. There were 
 no schools here when the family arrived. Such 
 education as he received in his youth was obtained 
 in the "Land of the heather." 
 
 In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company I, 
 Eighty-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Soon 
 after, he with his regiment was transferred to the 
 seat of war in Kentucky, and October 8 following, 
 participated in the battle of Perryville. From 
 this time on his command was in the thick of the 
 fray, and fought at Stone River, Chickamauga and 
 Missionary Ridge. It then went to the relief of 
 Knoxville and the release of East Tennessee from 
 threatened rebel dominion. Subsequently, when 
 the Atlanta campaign opened, the Eighty-eighth 
 Regiment took an active and aggressive part, sus- 
 taining in many a severe conflict its well-known 
 and deserved reputation for the fighting qualities 
 of its men. After the fall of Atlanta the regiment 
 took part in the campaign against the rebel 
 general, Hood, acting in the battles of Spring Hill, 
 Franklin and Nashville, which so disastrously 
 resulted in the annihilation of Hood's army. 
 At Spring Hill Mr. Brown received a slight 
 
 wound, which, however, did not deter him from 
 accompanying his regiment in pursuit of Hood's 
 flying remnant, in which large stores were cap- 
 tured. Subsequently the regiment went to Hunts- 
 ville, Alabama, where it enjoyed for two months 
 a well-deserved rest, then went to East Tennessee, 
 and after Petersburg fell, proceeded to Nashville, 
 where it was mustered out of service June 24, 
 1864. 
 
 Mr. Brown enlisted and was mustered in as a 
 private, and soon after was made company drill 
 master; later, third sergeant. After Stone River 
 was fought he was advanced to first sergeant, and 
 after the battle of Kenesaw Mountain he received 
 a first lieutenant's commission. A little later he 
 was promoted to a captaincy and assumed com- 
 mand of his company. His rise in rank was due 
 entirely to the soldierly qualities of the man. 
 Brave to a fault, clear of sight, decisive of action, 
 qualities indispensable to a good soldier, he won 
 the confidence of his superiors and the respect 
 'and esteem of his subordinate followers, whom 
 he so gallantly led on many hard-fought fields. 
 John Brown, brother of Capt. Thomas Brown, 
 served throughout the war in the same company 
 and regiment. He enlisted as a private and was 
 discharged a corporal. He was a good soldier, 
 and was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga. 
 He is now a resident of Cook County, Illinois. 
 
 When the war was over Captain Brown re- 
 turned to Niles Township, and in the following 
 spring settled in Chicago, where he has since re- 
 sided. He was married June 30, 1849, to Miss 
 Josephine Schroeder, who was born on Long 
 Island, New York, in 1833. To them a child was 
 born, Margaret Isabella, now Mrs. A. Caldwell 
 Anderson, of Chicago. Mrs. Brown ^ame to 
 Chicago with her mother, Sarepta Schroeder, in 
 1838. A few years after their arrival Mrs. 
 Schroeder married John Toops. They settled in 
 Northfield Township, where they lived until the 
 death of Mr. Toops, in September, 1848. Mrs. 
 Toops died in Chicago, in February, 1878. They 
 had five children, namely: Charles, John, Mary, 
 Anna and Almira. The last is deceased. Mrs. 
 Brown, although but five years old at the time, 
 well remembers the tedious journey of the family
 
 EDWARD SIMONS. 
 
 697 
 
 from New York to Chicago, being three weeks 
 en route. Aside from having held the office of 
 Justice of the Peace for several years, Captain 
 Brown has not been identified with public affairs. 
 
 His first presidential vote was cast for Henry 
 Clay, but since the formation of the Republican 
 party he has been a stanch supporter of its 
 principles. 
 
 EDWARD SIMONS. 
 
 IT DWARD SIMONS, deceased, was promi- 
 j^ nentty connected with the early history of 
 I Chicago and Cook County. He was born 
 in Hanover, Grafton County, New Hampshire, 
 January 30, 1811, and was a son of Cady and 
 Eunice (Loudon) Simons, whose ancestors settled 
 in New England prior to the Revolutionary War. 
 While he was a child his parents moved to Ripley, 
 Chautauqua County, New York, where his father 
 bought a farm, which he afterwards sold, and in 
 1820 moved to Conneaut (then called Salem), 
 Ashtabula County, Ohio. Here Edward received 
 his education and, in the spring of 1830, he ac- 
 cepted a position as clerk in the general store of 
 Bloss & Woodbury , at Monroe, Ashtabula County. 
 They also conducted a distillery and dealt in cattle. 
 He remained with them two years, after which he 
 had charge of a large store in Conneaut for a 
 time. On the first of April, 1834, he left Conne- 
 aut for Chicago, where he arrived on the eleventh. 
 He had formed a partnership with Sylvester 
 Marsh, an experienced cattle buyer, butcher and 
 packer. Some time during that summer he 
 bought Mr. Marsh's interest and conducted the 
 business alone, which included supplying the 
 garrison with meat. A severe illness in the fall 
 of 1834 compelled him to go out of business. 
 While settling up his affairs he took charge of 
 books in their market for Archibald Clybourn & 
 Son, and later formed a partnership with Mr. 
 Clybourn. This connection continuing about two 
 years. 
 
 In 1836, he made claim to the southeast quarter 
 of section thirty-five, Jefferson Township, then 
 called Monroe Precinct. 
 
 December 17, 1837, Mr. Simons was married to 
 Laura B. Sprague, and soon after this important 
 event the young couple located on his land and 
 began their domestic life in true pioneer style. 
 They erected a small frame house, twelve feet 
 square, which is still standing. He began the 
 arduous task of developing a farm from the raw 
 and wet prairie, and continued farming until the 
 fall of 1847, when he opened a general store at 
 No. 40 West Randolph Street, where he had 
 bought property a few years previously, when the 
 West Side began building up. Six years later he 
 gave up merchandising, returned to his farm and 
 engaged in its cultivation until his death, in 1876, 
 at the age of sixty-five years. 
 
 On his arrival in Chicago the city contained a 
 population of less than three thousand people. 
 Not only did Tie witness the wondrous growth of 
 the western metropolis, but nobly bore his part, 
 and aided in the material advancement of both 
 city and county. He was ever regarded as an in- 
 telligent, enterprising citizen, and on the organiza- 
 tion of Jefferson Township, was elected to the 
 school board, being its first treasurer. In early 
 life he was a Whig and later adopted the princi- 
 ples of the Republican party. In religion he was 
 a Universalist. 
 
 Laura B. Sprague was born in Hamburg, Erie 
 County, New York, February 2, 1815, and is a
 
 6 9 8 
 
 GEORGE METZ. 
 
 daughter of Hosea Sprague and Lucy Warren, 
 both natives of Vermont. The Sprague family 
 was founded in that State in colonial times, the 
 first immigrant being an English Quaker. Jabez 
 Warren, father of Lucy Warren, was a soldier in 
 the Revolutionary War, and the son of an English 
 officer. Mrs. Simons was educated in the district 
 schools of Erie County, New York, and at the age 
 of sixteen years began teaching. Two years later 
 she entered Aurora Seminary, and in 1835 left 
 that institution to move with her parents to 
 Illinois. She was also acompanied by her brother, 
 Jabez Warren Sprague, and her sister Almira, 
 now Mrs. Brearley, of Rockford, Illinois. 
 
 The family left Erie County, New York, May 5, 
 and reached Chicago June 3, having been four 
 weeks and two days making the journey with a 
 team of horses and covered wagon. They stopped 
 over night at a hotel kept by Franklin Washburn, 
 eighteen miles east of Chicago, and on arriving in 
 Chicago the}' rested some days at the home of 
 Seth Washburn, and then journeyed on to Du 
 Page County. In the spring of 1836, they moved 
 to McHenry County, which was afterward divided, 
 putting them in Lake County. 
 
 Jabez W. Sprague made a claim to eighty acres 
 of land in Vernon Township, which he bought 
 from the Government in the fall of 1838. In the 
 winter of 1837-1838, the first postoffice was estab- 
 lished at Half Day, with Seth Washburn as post- 
 master. 
 
 Jabez W. Sprague is still a resident of Lake 
 
 County. His father died there in October, 1837, 
 and his mother in March, 1872. 
 
 Laura B. Sprague began teaching school August 
 i, 1835, at Zarley's Grove, near Joliet, in a small 
 log house, at a salary of one dollar and a-half and 
 board per week. In the fall of that year she re- 
 turned to Half Day and taught the first school at 
 that place, it being the first school established in 
 Lake County. The schoolhouse was on the bank 
 of Indian Creek, and was built of logs, with a 
 puncheon floor. She had twenty-five pupils, 
 children of the pioneers, and as compensation she 
 received the munificent sum of one dollar and 
 a-half and board per week. She was also the 
 pioneer teacher in East Joliet, where she taught 
 in the summer of 1837, in a small unfinished 
 building that stood on what is now Chicago Street. 
 Mrs. Simons has been a resident of Chicago for 
 nearly sixty years, and is one of the few remain- 
 ing links that connect the pioneer days with the 
 present. She resides with her daughter, Mrs. 
 Winkleman, and although in the eighty-third 
 year of her age and somewhat frail in health, re- 
 tains her mental faculties to a remarkable degree, 
 and converses interestingly of the times when the 
 second city in the Union was in its infancy. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Simons were the parents of seven 
 children, four of whom grew to maturity, as fol- 
 lows: Junius, of Washington, District of Colum- 
 bia; Almira, wife of Frederick A. Winkleman, of 
 Chicago; Edward, whose biography appears else- 
 where; and Charles B., a Chicago attorney. 
 
 GEORGE METZ. 
 
 fTjEORGE METZ, a leading market-gardener 
 
 I ^^ 
 
 I of North Chicago, has the honor of being a 
 V.J native son of that city, born June 4, 1851. 
 His parents, George and Katharina (Spoerer) 
 Metz, natives, respectively, of Baden and Bavaria, 
 
 Germany, were married in that country, and set 
 out to make their home in the New World, which 
 held out so much better hopes of advancement 
 than the Old, in 1848. 
 
 Mr. Metz was possessed of no capital, save his
 
 CORNELIUS KUYPER, JR. 
 
 699 
 
 good health, ambition, and ardent hopes for the 
 future, all of which were shared by his faithful 
 wife. In his native land he had acquired the 
 trades of cooper and brewer, and for two years 
 after his arrival in Chicago he was employed in 
 this line of labor. In 1850 he established a brew- 
 ery on State Street, which he conducted success- 
 fully, until the great fire of 1871. About 1865, 
 he built a brewery at the suburban town of Blue 
 Island, and when the disaster of 1871 came he 
 had built up a very extensive business. His loss at 
 that time was nearly half a million of dollars. 
 About forty men were employed by him in the 
 two establishments. At this time his son-inlaw, 
 Edward R. Stege, was a partner in the business, 
 which was conducted under the firm name of 
 Metz & Stege. Through the losses they sustained 
 by the fire they were compelled to give up the 
 Blue Island establishment also, and Mr. Metz did 
 not again engage in active business. 
 
 Mrs. Metz died in 1873, and her husband sur- 
 vived until May, 1880. As was natural in the 
 case of an active and intelligent business man, 
 Mr. Metz felt a keen interest in the welfare of his 
 native country as well as the city of his home. 
 He was a Republican in political principle, and 
 acted upon the counsel of his party, but declined 
 to accept office for himself. In religious faith 
 both he and his wife adhered to the Lutheran 
 Church. They had four children who grew to 
 
 maturity, and two of these are now living the 
 subject of this sketch, and Katharine, wife of 
 Herman Prell, of Chicago. 
 
 George Metz was educated in the public schools 
 of Chicago, and Dyrenfurth's Commercial Col- 
 lege. After leaving the latter institution he vis- 
 ited Germany, and spent two years in college at 
 Munich, the capital of Bavaria, and at Wheinste- 
 phan, the brewers' school of that kingdom. After 
 this he traveled over Europe and worked in 
 various breweries, becoming a thorough master of 
 the arts there employed. On his return to 
 America he was enabled through the knowledge 
 thus gained, to be of great service to his father. In 
 1884 he engaged in gardening for the city market, 
 in Lake View, and has ever since continued in 
 this line of endeavor. He is at present engaged 
 in supplying club-houses and restaurants with 
 choice vegetables. 
 
 December 18, 1884, Mr. Metz was married to 
 Miss Emma Junius, a daughter of Peter and 
 Barbara Junius, of whom extended mention will 
 be found in another part of this volume. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Metz have two sons, George and Charles. 
 The family is identified with St. Michael's Roman 
 Catholic Church, and its head is a Republican in 
 political principles. He is a reading man, and an 
 intelligent thinker, and is recognized as one of 
 the progressive and useful citizens of his native 
 city. 
 
 CORNELIUS KUYPER, JR. 
 
 EORNELIUS KUYPER, JUNIOR, was born 
 March 28, 1853, on the corner of Michigan 
 Avenue and One-Hundred-Third Street, in 
 Roseland, Illinois, then known as Calumet. He 
 is a son of Cornelius Kuyper, one of the founders 
 of "The Holland Settlement," now known as 
 Roseland. 
 
 The latter was the only one of his father's fam- 
 
 ily to try his fortune in America, and came with 
 nine or ten other families of his countrymen who 
 set sail for New York City. They spent six weeks 
 on the water, and before they reached their desti- 
 nation were attacked by the terrible scourge of 
 cholera. Among those who lost their lives were 
 four children of Mr. Kuyper. On arriving in this 
 country the little band of immigrants made their
 
 700 
 
 PETER JUNTOS. 
 
 way direct to Cook County, and bought a quarter- 
 section of land in what seemed to them to be a 
 desirable location, for five dollars an acre. This 
 land was divided among them, Mr. Kuyper's 
 share being sixteen acres. He afterwards invested 
 in other tracts of land, as he was able, and all of 
 this is now a part of the city of Chicago. He 
 built his first house at the corner of Michigan 
 Avenue and One-Hundred-Third Street, and con- 
 ducted a market garden for a number of years. 
 He was prominent in the affairs of the community 
 and was one of the founders of the Dutch Re- 
 formed Church, which he always helped support. 
 Cornelius Kuyper, junior, attended the schools 
 of Roseland until he was fifteen years of age, 
 acquiring a good, common-school education. He 
 afterwards worked at farm labor for a time. At 
 the age of twenty-three years he took charge of 
 a farm at St. Johns, Lake County, Indiana, and 
 remained there five years. He then returned to 
 Chicago, and in 1881 secured employment in the 
 Allen Paper Car Wheel Works, at Pullman, 
 where he continued two years. In 1883 he en- 
 tered the employ of the Chicago & Western In- 
 diana Railway Company, with whom he is now 
 engaged as gateman. In 1885 he suffered the 
 loss of his left arm, by an accident. 
 
 In 1 883 Mr. Kuyper located at Burnside, where 
 he now resides, occupying property purchased by 
 him in 1895. He has always endorsed Republic- 
 an principles, and is a member of the Dutch Re- 
 formed Church, at Roseland, which his father was 
 so influential in founding. He was married 
 April 9, 1875, to Miss Wilhelmina Broertjes, who 
 was born in 1856, in Holland, and in 1886 came 
 to America, making her home at Roseland until 
 her marriage. Their children are: Cornelius, 
 born October 25, 1875; John, August 29, 1876; 
 Jacob, May 30, 1879; Marcus, February 12, 
 1882; Gertie May, July 18, 1885; William and 
 Cornelia (twins), August 8, 1888; Andrew, 
 January 15, 1890; Nellie Johanna, December 25, 
 1892; and Mary Martha, August 3, 1895. Jacob 
 died, May 9, 1881; William, September 20, 1888; 
 Cornelia, September 27, 1888; and John passed 
 away on the zgth of November, 1890. Jacob is 
 buried at Roseland, and the others at Morgan 
 Park. 
 
 Mr. Kuyper is a well-informed man, and takes 
 great interest in the affairs of the city, state and 
 nation. He has broad ideas on all subjects, and 
 his actions in life are governed by good judg- 
 ment and sound principles. He is a kind father, 
 and is a lover of his home. 
 
 PETER JUNIUS. 
 
 JUNIUS, a German- American citizen 
 yr of Chicago, who is now enjoying a life of 
 \S ease and comfort, which he earned by years of 
 toil and thrift, was born April 17, 1830, in Luxem- 
 burg, Germany. He is a son of Peter and Made- 
 line (Corth) Junius, the former being a native of 
 Lorraine, France, and the latter born in Luxem- 
 burg. 
 
 Peter Junius, the subject of this sketch, lived 
 in his native country until he reached middle life. 
 
 After receiving an education in the schools of his 
 native city, he began working in a manufactory 
 where he proved his industry and skill by quickly 
 learning the trade of woolen manufacture. He 
 rose rapidly, his ability being recognized by his 
 employers, and he remained in their service seven- 
 teen years, finally occupying the position of fore- 
 man. 
 
 June 29, 1853, Mr. Junius was married to Miss 
 Barbara Wellenstein, who was also a native of
 
 ADAM SCHILLO. 
 
 701 
 
 Luxemburg. Not being content with the meagre 
 opportunities for advancement offered in his native 
 country, he determined to seek a field of labor in 
 the New World, and accordingly he and his family, 
 which included four children, sailed for the United 
 States from Antwerp, in a steamship which landed 
 after a voyage of fourteen days, at Baltimore, on 
 April 14, 1872. The family came direct to Chi- 
 cago, where Mr. Junius spent two and one-half 
 years as a laborer, and then embarked in business 
 for himself. This venture was a garden in Lake 
 View, on the corner of Halsted and Addison 
 Streets. He built a residence at No. 225 Mohawk 
 Street, and here the family resided seventeen 
 years. 
 
 Mr. Junius was a careful manager, and was 
 prudent in carrying on his business affairs, in 
 
 which he was very successful. In 1888 he was 
 enabled to retire from business, and the family 
 removed to Los Angeles, California, remaining 
 there until 1895. While on a visit to Chicago, 
 Mrs. Junius died in that city, December 8, 1894. 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. Junius were: 
 Peter, John B., Emma K., and Anna. The 
 second is deceased. Emma is the wife of George 
 Metz; and Anna is the wife of Joseph P. Crosby, 
 of No. 169 Fremont Street, Chicago. The family 
 won the high esteem and regard of the community 
 in which its members lived for so many years, 
 and wherever they are known, they are held in 
 respect and honor. Mr. Junius is connected with 
 St. Theresa's Roman Catholic Church, and is in- 
 terested in all Christian and benevolent works, to 
 which he gives his sympathy and support. 
 
 ADAM SCHILLO. 
 
 (S\ DAM SCHILLO, one of the prominent 
 I_l German-American citizens of Chicago, has 
 / I been connected with the business interests 
 of this city since May 8, 1852, and is recognized 
 as a valuable and upright citizen. He was born 
 May 22, 1837, on the banks of the River Rhine, 
 in the Province of Trier, Germany, and is a son 
 of John and Katherine (Klein) Schillo, natives of 
 the same place. 
 
 John Schillo had served in the German army. 
 He and his family sailed from Antwerp in a sail- 
 ing-ship and in forty-eight days reached the 
 United States. Though this family was poor, 
 it was honest and industrious to an unusual de- 
 gree, and Mr. Schillo worked as a laborer, care- 
 fully saving his earnings until, he was able to 
 buy two lots on West Holt Street. Of the chil- 
 dren now living the following are the names: 
 Katherine, wife of Peter Kimllburger, of No. 
 
 202 Holt Street; and Peter, who resides on Wells 
 Street. John Schillo died in 1856, and his wife 
 survived him until 1864. 
 
 Adam Schillo received his education in his na- 
 tive land, and was employed as a laborer for a 
 time. In 1866 he purchased an interest in the 
 Union Lumber Company, and remained with it 
 three years, at the end of which time he formed 
 a partnership with Mr. William Waldo, with the 
 firm name of Waldo, Waters & Co. Mr. Waldo 
 and Mr. Schillo bought out the interest of Mr. 
 Waters, and the name became Waldo & Schillo, 
 under which they continued the lumber trade 
 six years. In the past twelve years Mr. Schillo 
 has been alone in the business. At the time of 
 the fire of 1871 Mr. Schillo lived at No. 440 
 Sedgwick Street, and in that conflagration lost 
 his home and household effects. 
 
 In 1858 he was married to Miss Mary Jung,
 
 702 
 
 LOUIS FISCHER. 
 
 (daughter of John and Ellen Jung), a native of 
 the same part of German}' as himself, who came 
 to Chicago in 1848. Mr. and Mr. Schillo had 
 five children, namely: Carrie, wife of Christian 
 Wildner; John; Louise, wife of Peter Bantze; 
 
 Mathias and Julia. All are communicants of 
 Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church, and 
 the family stands high in the esteem and regard 
 of the community. Mr. Schillo is a member of 
 Saint Vincent de Paul's Society. 
 
 LOUIS FISCHER. 
 
 I GUIS FISCHER, a member of the firm of 
 I C Kraetzer, Fischer & Company, manufac- 
 l**/ turers of sash and doors, is a well-known 
 resident of South Chicago. He was born Sep- 
 tember 26, 1826, in Sachsen- Weimar, Germany, 
 and is a son of Johannes and Katrina (Kett) 
 Fischer, natives of that country. Johannes Fis- 
 cher was a son of John George Fischer, a land 
 owner in Germany. The latter and his wife, 
 Mary Ann Fischer, were the parents of two chil- 
 dren: Johannes, before mentioned; and Ida, who 
 married and resides in Germany. 
 
 Johannes Fischer was a stonemason and owned 
 about six acres of land in his native State. His 
 children were: Rosa, who died when nine years 
 old; Louis, of whom this article is written; Law- 
 rence, who came to Chicago in 1892, and is now 
 in the employ of Kraetzer, Fischer & Company; 
 Elizabeth, now the wife of Peter Graff, of Chicago; 
 and the oldest child, a boy, who died in infancy. 
 Johannes Fischer died in 1887, at the age of 
 seventy-two years, and his wife preceded him two 
 years, passing away at the age of sixty-eight. 
 Louis Fischer received a limited education in 
 his native country, which has been broadened 
 since by his own efforts. He learned the trade of 
 cabinet-maker and followed it until his removal 
 to the United States in 1881. His wife had 
 friends in Chicago, and upon his arrival in this 
 country he proceeded thither. Mr. Fischer found 
 employment at carpenter work with Christ Rasch, 
 with whom he remained eight years, with the 
 
 exception of nine months when he worked for 
 the R. A. Beck Lumber Company. During this 
 time Mr. Rasch was associated with various 
 partners, but Mr. Fischer retained his position, 
 having risen in the confidence and esteem of his 
 employers until he became foreman. In 1889 the 
 firm of Kraetzer, Fischer & Company was formed 
 to succeed Rasch, Dornedden & Company, and 
 under this firm name the business has since con- 
 tinued. The factory is located on the corner of 
 Ninety-fifth Street and South Chicago Avenue, 
 and is one of the most extensive establishments 
 for the manufacture of doors, sash and other in- 
 terior finishings in the city. There is in connec- 
 tion with it a planing-mill. 
 
 Mr. Fischer married Miss Magdalena Reinhart 
 June 6, 1880. She is a daughter of Adam and 
 Martha (Miller) Reinhart, and was born Sep- 
 tember i, 1856, in Hessen, Germany. Their 
 children were: Charles, who lived to be four years 
 old; Herman, who also died at the age of four 
 years; Freda, ten years old; Lydia, aged eight 
 years; Louis, aged four years; and Emil, who 
 reached the age of seven months and then passed 
 away. 
 
 Mr. Fischer is known to be upright and hon- 
 orable in business and in his social relations. He 
 takes an interest in the affairs of his adopted 
 country, and has espoused the cause of the Re- 
 publican party. He does not care for popularity 
 in social circles, but rather finds his pleasure and 
 recreation in his home.
 
 FREDERICK WELLER, SR. 
 
 703 
 
 FREDERICK WELLER, SR. 
 
 REDBRICK WELLER, SR., a successful 
 locomotive engineer of Chicago, was born 
 January i, 1836, at No. 131 Scott Street, 
 Baltimore, Maryland, and is a son of Christopher 
 and Priscilla (Wilted) Weller. His paternal 
 grandfather was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, 
 and always lived in his native country, where he 
 was a land owner. Christopher Weller emi- 
 grated to America from Germany about 1834, 
 and located in Baltimore, spending the remainder 
 of his life there. He followed the trade of 
 butcher in his native country', but on coming to 
 the United States he became a farmer, and took 
 charge of the Ross Winans farm, near Baltimore. 
 His children were: Jac6b, Ephraim, Priscilla, 
 Frederick, Katie, George, Sophia, Caroline and 
 Charles. 
 
 Frederick Weller received his education in the 
 common schools of his native State, and at the 
 age of thirteen years began to assist his father, 
 for whom he worked until he was twenty years of 
 age. At the age of eighteen years he began 
 switching for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 
 and svas afterwards a fireman. In a few years he 
 became a competent engineer, and has continued 
 in this occupation since that time. For fifteen 
 years he had charge of an engine used in switch- 
 ing, and then for two years operated an engine 
 which ran between Baltimore and Martinsburg. 
 In January, 1883, he came to South Chicago, 
 where he had charge of a switch engine. In 
 June, 1886, he entered the service of the Illinois 
 Steel Company, and later was employed by the 
 Chicago, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad, in 
 
 whose service he is now engaged. Mr. Weller is 
 a very able engineer, and is reliable and trust- 
 worthy. The first engine, an old ' 'grasshopper, ' ' 
 so-called, was named the "Thomas Jefferson, " 
 and is now in the Field Columbian Museum, as 
 is also the next one he took charge of, which was 
 called the "Mazeppa." 
 
 June 12, 1857, Mr. Weller married Ann Maria 
 Rimby, daughter of Reuben Lewis and Sarah 
 (Hilton) Rimby. She was born February i, 
 1839, on Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland. 
 Her grandfather, Jacob Rimby, was born in 
 Holland, and was a carpenter. He married 
 Helen Taney, and their son, Reuben Lewis 
 Rimby, was an iron moulder. Mrs. Weller's 
 maternal grandfather, James Hilton, was pre- 
 sumably an Englishman, who followed the occu- 
 pation of farming. He married Polly Hickey, 
 and their daughter, Sarah Hilton, was born in 
 Harford County, Maryland. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Weller became parents of the following-named 
 children: Charles Christopher, Ida Priscilla, 
 Reuben Ellsworth, Frederick Washington, Annie, 
 Mary Virginia, Katie Adella, Lillie May, Ella 
 Viola, Harry Evers, Walter Willis, Edith and 
 Gracie Allen. Charles Christopher married 
 Clara Slaughter, and resides in Chicago, having 
 two children, Edna and Charles C. Ida Pris- 
 cilla died at the age of three years, and Reuben 
 Ellsworth at the age of twenty months. Annie 
 married Hurd Ingraham, and resides in South 
 Chicago. Katie Adella married Henry Peters, 
 and lives at Grand Crossing. Lillie May married 
 William Wjthnow a stationary engineer in the
 
 704 
 
 CHRISTIAN ERICKSON. 
 
 employ of the Illinois Steel Company, and lives 
 at Cheltenham. Ella Viola became the wife of 
 William Gubbins, and lives on Division Street, 
 Chicago. Gracie Allen died when twenty months 
 old. The other children reside at home. 
 
 In April, 1887, Mr. Weller built a residence at 
 No. 8218 Commercial Avenue, and here the 
 
 family has since resided. While living in Balti- 
 more Mr. Weller was a member of the United 
 Brethren Church, but the family is now con- 
 nected with the First Presbyterian Church, on 
 Houston Avenue. He is a public-spirited and 
 patriotic citizen, and takes a commendable interest 
 in the affairs of his country. 
 
 CAPT. CHRISTIAN ERICKSON. 
 
 EAPTAIN CHRISTIAN ERICKSON was 
 born May 7, 1839, in Bergen, Norway, and 
 is the son of Erick Christensen. The family 
 is an old one in Norway, where its members have 
 lived for centuries. Erick Christensen died at 
 the age of seventy-eight years, leaving a good 
 record behind him. His wife, Bertha, was born 
 in 1800, and died in 1882. She was the mother 
 of three children, namely. Mrs. Marie Anderson, 
 Christian Erickson and Ole Erickson. All are 
 now in America. 
 
 Christian Erickson received only a limited edu- 
 cation, but learned bookkeeping in Norway. At 
 the age of twenty years he came to the United 
 States, and when he arrived here at once recog- 
 nized the importance of a good education, and 
 with the intention of acquiring one, attended the 
 Lake Forest College, making his home for the 
 time with Professor Dickinson. After two years 
 of study he came to Chicago and took a position 
 in a dry-goods store on Lake Street, which was 
 owned by J. B. Shay. In March, 1862, he en- 
 listed in Company I, of the Eighty-second Illinois 
 Volunteer Infantry, as a private, and soon after was 
 promoted to Orderly Sergeant. Shortly after 
 entering the field in Virginia he was promoted to 
 Second Lieutenant, and after the battle of 
 Chancellorsville, to First Lieutenant, and as such 
 took command of the company until after the 
 battle of Gettysburg. The next year he took 
 
 part in the battles of Lookout Mountain and 
 Missionary Ridge, under the command of Gen- 
 eral Hooker. Later he went to Knoxville, but 
 arrived too late for that battle. He was with 
 Sherman's army on the campaign to Atlanta and 
 the glorious March to the Sea, participating in 
 the battles on the way. On the March to the Sea 
 he was on the Regimental Staff as Quartermaster, 
 and after being honorably discharged, was given 
 a captain's commission, signed by President 
 Johnson, for gallant and meritorious services 
 during the war. He was present when General 
 Johnson surrendered to General Sherman, and 
 after the return march to Washington took part 
 in the grand parade. 
 
 His company was nearly all from Chicago, and 
 composed of Scandinavians, and the other nine 
 companies were Germans. The regiment was 
 known in the army as the "Hecker Boys," who 
 could always be depended upon in a fight. Fol- 
 lowing is a list of the main battles in which Mr. 
 Erickson participated: Chancellorsville, Gettys- 
 burg, Vauhatchie, Tennessee, Missionary Ridge 
 and Lookout Mountain, Resaca, Dallas, Kenesaw 
 Mountain, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Savannah, 
 and Bentonville, besides which he took part in 
 many minor engagements. 
 
 Captain Erickson was a temperate man in all 
 things, and during the war saved enough money 
 to enable him to start in business in Chicago.
 
 G. F. F. SUBE. 
 
 705 
 
 He engaged in the dry-goods business on Mil- 
 waukee Avenue, and later he started a branch 
 store on Division Street, which later was de- 
 stoyed by the Great Fire. In 1882 he built a 
 four-story brick building at Nos. 1190-1192 Mil- 
 waukee Avenue, where he continued the dry- 
 goods business till 1896, when ill-health compelled 
 him to retire from a successful business career. 
 
 September u, 1870, he married Miss Agnete 
 Jevne, a native of Hamar, Norway. She is a 
 daughter of Hans Jevne, who was a tanner in 
 Norway and died there. She came to America 
 in 1867, and is a sister of C. Jevne, of Chicago, 
 and H. Jevne, of Los Angeles, California. She is 
 the mother of four children: Ernest Alexander, 
 Agnes Camilla, Forence May, and Christian 
 Arent. 
 
 Captain Erickson is a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic and the Loyal Legion, and 
 
 takes an active interest in their affairs, especially 
 since his retirement from business. He has been 
 successful, and has earned a competency for his 
 future years. Politically he is a stanch Re- 
 publican. Mrs. Erickson is a member of the 
 Relief Corps, and takes a deep interest in all 
 matters pertaining to the Grand Army. In April, 
 1897, she was appointed a member of the Board 
 of Trustees of the Illinois Soldiers' Widows' 
 Home, at Wilmington, by Governor Tanner. Both 
 Captain Erickson and his wife are valued and re- 
 spected by their many friends and acquaintances. 
 Their children are well settled in Chicago. 
 Ernest A. is in the grocery business; and Agnes C. 
 is a musician of great talent. She was educated in 
 Chicago and Germany, and during the World's 
 Fair received a bronze medal and diploma as an 
 amateur player. She has marked ability and 
 bids fair to become renowned in her art. 
 
 GUSTAV F. F. SUBE. 
 
 EUSTAV FREDERICK FERDINAND 
 SUBE was born July 8, 1847, in Pommern, 
 Germany, and is a son of Frederick and 
 Augusta (Krueger) Sube. Frederick Sube was 
 born December 27, 1820, in Pommern, and his 
 wife in September, 1823. He was a painter, and 
 died in April, 1884, at the age of sixty-four years. 
 His widow is still living in Germany. They were 
 the parents of four children, namely: Augusta, 
 Gustav F. F., Elizabeth and Annie. 
 
 Gustav Sube received his education in his na- 
 tive country, where he spent the early part of his 
 life. He resolved to emigrate to America, and 
 reached New York May 29, 1880, his wife fol- 
 lowing later. He came direct to Chicago and 
 lived at first on Weed Street, on the North Side. 
 He had learned the trade of machinist, and work- 
 
 ed six weeks in McCormick's Reaper Works, 
 after which he found employment with Brown & 
 Smith, and remained with them two years. He 
 next entered the service of Benjamin & Fisher, 
 who were then located on Jefferson Street. This 
 firm removed to South Chicago, April t, 1883, and 
 Mr. Sube went with it. In September, 1886, he 
 was engaged by the Illinois Steel Company, and 
 since that time has remained in this service. 
 
 On moving to South Chicago, Mr. Sube bought 
 ground at Colfax Avenue and Eighty-eighth 
 Street, and built a cottage, which he occupied 
 four years. At the end of that time he moved to 
 No. 8927 Commercial Avenue, where he built a 
 most comfortable residence, which is his present 
 home. 
 
 Mr. Sube was united in matrimony February
 
 706 
 
 N. L. SCHADE. 
 
 25, 1872, with Adelaide Quant, daughter of David 
 and Johanna (Dackow) Quant. She was born 
 February 28, 1846, in Pommern, Germany, and 
 joined her husband in Chicago, September, 12, 
 1880. They became the parents of the following 
 children: Adolph Otto, John Frederick, Mar- 
 garet, Annie, Otto, Mary, Elizabeth and Ger- 
 trude. Adolph O. Sube attended the public 
 school until he was fourteen years of age. He 
 learned the finishing trade, and is now a station- 
 ary engineer in the employ of the Illinois Steel 
 Company. He was married July 15,1897, to Miss 
 Bertha E. F. Becker, daughter of William and 
 
 Mary (Banclow) Becker. John Frederick is a cigar 
 maker; Annie married Adolph Berke, and resides 
 in South Chicago. Otto died at the age of eleven 
 years, and Mary at the age of eight weeks. 
 
 Mr. Sube is a supporter of the Democratic 
 policy, and favors the free coinage of silver. He 
 is a man of social habits and is connected with 
 several societies. He is a member of the Inter- 
 national Association of Machinists, the Ancient 
 Order of United Workmen, and the Knights and 
 Ladies of Honor. He was the only one of his 
 family who left Germany, and has won position 
 and prosperity through his independent efforts. 
 
 NICHOLAS L, SCHADE. 
 
 NICHOLAS LEONARD SCHADE, who is 
 
 nV now enjoying a retired life on North Avenue, 
 \ls was born December 10, 1836, in Prussia, 
 and is the eldest son of Henry and Margaret 
 Schade. The family came to America in 1847, 
 sailing from Bremen in a sailing-vessel, spending 
 ninety-two days on the ocean and landing at 
 Quebec. Thence they sailed up the St. Lawrence 
 River to Montreal, and from there to Oswego and 
 Buffalo, thence up the lakes on the steamboat 
 "Empire" to Chicago, and spent the first year in 
 what was then known as New Buffalo. 
 
 Nicholas Schade attended school in his native 
 land, where he learned to read and write the Ger- 
 man language. After coming to Chicago, he at- 
 tended the Wilder and Kingsbury schools for five 
 years, becoming familiar with the English lan- 
 guage, also attending a German parish school for 
 a few months. At the age of fourteen years he 
 began learning the machinists' trade, and served 
 an apprenticeship of two and one-half years at 
 Gates' shops He then entered the employ of 
 Walker & Company, where he learned wood- 
 
 turning and millwrighting, remaining a year and 
 a-half. He then worked for J. F. Temple, put- 
 ting up machinery for a time, after which he en- 
 tered the service of John McEwan, and for eight 
 years had charge of his planing mill. At the end 
 of this time he began working for the firm of 
 John L. Dietz & Company, where he remained 
 four years. 
 
 Mr. Schade was burned out in the great fire of 
 1871, losing his house and furniture, and re- 
 ceiving the paltry insurance of thirteen dollars. 
 After this he returned to the service of John L. 
 Dietz & Company, and remained three years, 
 after which he was employed by Charles Ridz & 
 Company, with whom he remained two and one- 
 half years, since which time he has been living 
 retired. 
 
 Mr. Schade has taken an active interest in 
 public affairs, and formerly endorsed the princi- 
 ples of the Republican party, though for several 
 years past he has given his support to the Demo- 
 cratic party. In 1856 he joined a volunteer fire 
 company, and served eight years.
 
 CORNELIUS KUYPER. 
 
 707 
 
 August 12, 1869, Mr. Schade married Miss John, Hattie and Nicholas. The daughter is the 
 Barbara Lang, who was born February 18, 1847, wife of Fred Schmidt. The family is not coil- 
 in Bavaria, Germany, and is a daughter of John nected with any religious society, though inter- 
 Lang. She came to Chicago in 1866. Mr. and ested in any reforms or movements conducive to 
 Mrs. Schade have four children, namely: Adam, the welfare of the public. 
 
 CORNELIUS KUYPER. 
 
 EORNELIUS KUYPER is the only male sur- 
 vivor of the founders of "The Holland Set- 
 tlement," now known as Roseland. He was 
 born near the historic city of Alkmaar, in the 
 Province of North Holland, February 13, 1816, 
 and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Dunnmeyer) 
 Kuyper. Jacob Kuyper lived and died in the lo- 
 cality of Alkmaar, dying at the early age of forty- 
 seven years. His wife lived to the great age of 
 ninety-one years and five months. 
 
 Cornelius Kuyper is the only member of his fa- 
 ther's family who came to America. In 1849 he 
 joined a colony of emigrants, consisting of nine 
 or ten families of his countrymen, and they set 
 sail for America, the country of free institutions 
 and cheap lands. They proceeded to Havre de 
 Grace, France, whence they took passage on an 
 American vessel for New York. The voyage 
 consumed six weeks, and although favorable 
 weather prevailed, its prosperity was sadly marred 
 by the deadly scourge that broke out among the 
 passengers, when only three days out from port. 
 The malady was soon discovered to be cholera, 
 and man}- of the immigrants became its victims 
 before New York Harbor was reached, four of 
 Mr. Kuyper's children being among the number. 
 The party proceeded by steamer to Albany, 
 thence by the Erie Canal to Buffalo, and by 
 steamer thence to Chicago. 
 
 After tarrying a few days in Chicago, in June, 
 1849, they decided to locate upon the sightly ridge 
 in Calumet Township, now famous as the site of 
 
 Roseland. A quarter- section of land between what 
 are now One-Hundred-Third and One-Hundred- 
 Eleventh Streets was purchased at five dollars per 
 acre, and divided among the families constituting 
 the colony. Mr. Kuyper secured sixteen acres as 
 his share, and subsequently bought other parcels 
 of land, becoming the owner of seventy-two acres 
 of laud at one time. He sold fifty-two acres about 
 1876 to the Calumet & Chicago Canal & Dock 
 Company at two hundred dollars per acre. He 
 afterwards sold thirteen acres for fifteen thousand 
 dollars, the property having advanced rapidly in 
 value after the previous sale. This land has all 
 been subdivided and is now a part of the city of 
 Chicago, most of it being improved. Mr. Kuy- 
 per built his first house at the corner of Michigan 
 Avenue and One-Hundred-Third Street, where 
 for a number of years he was engaged in market- 
 gardening. He is now the owner of a farm at 
 St. John, Indiana. 
 
 He was married in 1840, in Hollaud, to Mary 
 Dalenberg, who died April 16, 1865, aged forty- 
 six years. Five of their children grew up, name- 
 ly: Jacob, now deceased; Annie, Mrs. C. K. 
 Madderom, of Roseland; Mary, Mrs. Nick Rog- 
 geveen, of Chicago; Nellie, Mrs. John Brant, of 
 Roseland; and Cornelius, gateman of the Illinois 
 Central Railroad at Burnside. Mr. Kuyper has 
 twenty-three living grandchildren and four great- 
 grandchildren, seven grandchildren being now 
 deceased. 
 
 Soon after coming here Mr. Kuyper helped to
 
 708 
 
 JONAS HUEHN. 
 
 organize the Dutch Reformed Church at Rose- 
 land, of which he has ever since been a member. 
 Since becoming an American citizen he has sus- 
 tained the Republican party by his voice and 
 vote. He served six years as a County Con- 
 stable, and for a like period as a member of the 
 Hyde Park police force. For six years he was 
 Road Commissioner, and has served twenty-three 
 years as School Director. Though he is over 
 eighty years of age, Mr. Kuyper is still as active 
 and sprightly as most young men, and bids fair 
 to become a centenarian. He has seen marvelous 
 changes in the appearance of Cook County. When 
 he first arrived there was but one brick house in 
 
 Chicago on Randolph Street; the prairies to the 
 south of the city, in the midst of which he made 
 his home, are now occupied by many populous 
 suburbs. 
 
 Among the curiosities which he cherishes are 
 two rare products of the United States mint a 
 three-dollar gold piece of 1855, and a gold quar- 
 ter-dollar of 1875. For some years after he came 
 here the only bridge across the Calumet River be- 
 low Blue Island was a toll-bridge at Riverdale. 
 Through Mr. Kuyper's influence the county was 
 induced to build a public bridge at that place, 
 thus relieving a large number of people of an 
 unnecessary burden. 
 
 JONAS HUEHN. 
 
 (JONAS HUEHN, one of the wealthy old set- 
 I tiers of Chicago, who enjoys a life of quiet at 
 (2) his home on the North Side, is a representative 
 of the thrifty German element that has so largely 
 contributed to the material growth and prosperity 
 of the western metropolis. He was born January 
 8, 1827, in Eigenrieden, in Thiiringen, Prussia, 
 Germany, and is a son of Christian and Rebecca 
 Huehn, natives of that country. Jonas Huehn 
 was reared to the occupation of farming and 
 worked at this in the Fatherland until he 
 reached man's estate, and then he decided to 
 seek his home and fortune in the New World. 
 
 He took passage at Hamburg in April, 1848, 
 in a sailing-ship bound for America. After a 
 voyage of sixty days the boat landed at Quebec, 
 from which place Mr. Huehn made his way to 
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Though poor in purse 
 he had plenty of determination to succeed and 
 consequently was willing to engage in any honest 
 labor he might be able to find. For one year he 
 worked on a farm and then came to Chicago, but 
 he soon returned to the country and found em- 
 ployment again as a farm laborer, at Fox River, 
 Illinois. 
 
 From there, in March, 1850, accompanied by 
 a number of others, he started for California by 
 
 the overland route, then beset with so many dan- 
 gers. Five months were spent in crossing the 
 plains, and when they were in the vicinity of 
 the Sweetwater River their horses were stolen, 
 and in consequence they had to pack their goods 
 for a few days. For two years he was occupied 
 at mining, and when he returned at the end of 
 that time had about five thousand dollars. He 
 bought a farm of one hundred sixty-five acres in 
 Niles Township, near Evanston, and still owns 
 one hundred twenty -five acres of this. 
 
 After spending six months on his farm Mr. 
 Huehn engaged in teaming in Chicago for three 
 years and then spent two years in the cultivation 
 of his farm. He then located in Chicago and 
 built a store and dwelling house on the corner 
 of Beethoven and Wells Streets. He opened a 
 grocery store here in May, 1859, and successfully 
 conducted it until 1868, when he sold it to Mr. 
 John Hufmeyer. Mr. Huehn had bought a dock 
 on the canal, at the foot of Oak Street, in 
 1865, and the following year, 1866, started to 
 conduct a wood and coal yard, which, under 
 his judicious management, became a large and 
 profitable business. In 1871 his business career 
 was interrupted by the great fire which swept 
 away his coal and wood yards and also a number
 
 CHARLES LINDERMANN. 
 
 709 
 
 of houses he had built on lots which he had from 
 time to time purchased, thus causing him the loss 
 of a handsome fortune. Of his twenty thousand 
 dollars' insurance, he was able to collect only one 
 hundred fifty dollars. Soon after the fire he 
 built at No. 423 Wells Street and opened a gro- 
 cery store and saloon, where he did a thriving 
 business for six years. On land owned by him 
 he built a number of small houses, which are 
 rented. 
 
 Having acquired a competence, he retired from 
 active business in 1878. He was a Republican in 
 
 political sentiment, but has never sought political 
 preferment. September 23, 1852, he married 
 Miss Anna Mary, daughter of Adam Hufmeyer 
 a worthy pioneer of whom more extended men- 
 tion is made on another page of this work. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Huehn have two children Gertrude 
 Rebecca, wife of Theodore Hohenadel; and Fred- 
 erick August. Mr. Huehn and family are mem- 
 bers of Hartman's St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 
 whose house of worship Mr. Huehn helped twice 
 to build, and to the support of which he has lib- 
 erally contributed. 
 
 CHARLES LINDERMANN. 
 
 EHARLES LINDERMANN, a pioneer of 
 Cook County, was born September 16, 1837, 
 in North Germany, and is a son of Charles 
 and Frederica Lindermann, who were natives of 
 Germany. Charles Lindermann, junior, received 
 his education in the schools of his native country, 
 attending them until he was fourteen years of age. 
 He was then employed to take care of a gentle- 
 man's saddle horses. 
 
 In 1854 he sailed from Hamburg for the United 
 States, and landed in New York City, whence 
 he proceeded by rail to Chicago. The ship on 
 which he sailed for America was a two-master, 
 and the journey occupied ten weeks and three 
 days. Mr. Lindermann found employment with 
 a farmer, and remained with him until the fol- 
 lowing spring, when he worked for various 
 farmers in Jefferson Township, the first year re- 
 ceiving but six dollars per month. 
 
 Four years after Mr. Lindermann's arrival in 
 the United States, his parents and one brother, 
 Andrew, followed him. At about this time he 
 bought ten acres of land from the Northwestern 
 University, situated in Niles Township, where he 
 engaged in gardening. Later he bought eight 
 
 acres from Mr. Calvin DeWolf, and still later, ten 
 acres from Mr. McDonald. Mr. Lindermann 
 married, and lived in a log house built by him- 
 self, his life in the woods thus being passed in 
 true pioneer style. He cleared his land and culti- 
 vated it twelve years, growing trees, and conduct- 
 ing a small nursery and garden for the Chicago 
 market. At the end of that time he removed to 
 the city and leased two acres from Mr. W. B. 
 Ogden, and again engaged in the nursery trade, 
 this time on Diversey Street, and subsequently he 
 bought two and one-half acres on the corner of 
 Halsted and Diversey Streets. 
 
 For seven years Mr. Lindermann was super- 
 intendent of the Rosehill and Evanston gravel 
 road, attending to it in connection with his own 
 interests. In 1879 he became interested in real 
 estate, in addition to his regular business, and 
 has frequently acted as the agent of parties in 
 buying or selling property. He bought a small 
 tract of land on Lincoln Avenue, which he sub- 
 divided, and subsequently purchased five acres 
 from Mr. W. B. Ogden, on Belmont and Shef- 
 field Avenues. This he also subdivided and sold. 
 Later he purchased five acres between Baxter
 
 7io 
 
 HENRY BEST. 
 
 Street and Seminary Avenue from Mr. Altgeld, 
 which he sold in the same manner, being success- 
 ful in all three transactions. 
 
 Mr. Lindermann has always taken a great in- 
 terest in public affairs, though he is not a politi- 
 cian, and supports the Republican principles and 
 policy. He spent some time on the special police 
 force in Lake View. He is president of the John 
 A. Logan Building and Loan Association, which 
 office he has held for eight years. He was at one 
 time a member of the Sharpshooters. 
 
 In 1857 he married Miss Caroline Turner, a 
 daughter of Frederick Turner, and a native of 
 Prussia. They had seven children, of whom the 
 
 following are living: Charles J. , who is interested 
 in real estate and insurance; Carrie, wife of Theo- 
 dore Rieck, of Chicago; Mary, the widow of Mr. 
 Dieckman; and George H. , who is engaged in the 
 livery business in this city. All have emulated 
 the example of their father, and like him, they 
 have a reputation for fair and honest dealing with 
 their fellow-citizens. Mrs. Lindermann died, 
 December 13, 1891, in California, where she was 
 spending the winter with her husband. 
 
 The father of Mr. Lindermann died about one 
 year after arriving in Chicago, but his mother is 
 still living, at the venerable age of eighty-eight 
 years. 
 
 HENRY BEST. 
 
 HENRY BEST, of the undertaking and 
 livery firm of Best Brothers, Wrightwood 
 Avenue, was born August 6, 1842, on Rush 
 Street, North Chicago, and is the eldest of five 
 children, born to Henry and Helen (Bordiker) 
 Best. The former was born in Prussia in 1804, 
 and learned the trade of blacksmith in his fa- 
 ther's shop. In 1836 he immigrated to the United 
 States, first locating in Albany, New York, where 
 he worked at his trade until 1842. In that year 
 he came by way of the Erie Canal and the 
 Great Lakes to Chicago, where he secured work 
 on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. 
 
 Though he was a poor man when he arrived in 
 America, he was industrious and economical, and 
 after working one year in Chicago, was able to 
 purchase a team and wagon, with which he es- 
 tablished a teaming business, being engaged 
 principally in conveying new settlers to their 
 destinations. He also frequently accompanied 
 parties of English sportsmen, who visited Illinois 
 for the purpose of hunting on the prairies, and 
 
 for his services received two dollars per day for 
 himself and team, being frequently away from 
 home for several weeks at a time. He was the 
 first settler in what was called the Buffalo settle- 
 ment, and laid claim to a small tract of land at 
 what is now Rush Street and Bellevue Place, 
 which he bought from the Canal Company when 
 it came into the market. He continued teaming 
 for some years, and also hauled lumber for a lum- 
 ber company. 
 
 He invested his savings in eight acres of land 
 in Lake View Township, where his sons now 
 reside, and at one time owned one hundred 
 sixty acres at Barrington. He died in 1892, at 
 the age of eighty-eight years. His wife preceded 
 him one year, passing away at the age of seventy- 
 three years. They were both members of the 
 Evangelical Church. Their children, all resi- 
 dents of Chicago, are as follows: Henry, Jacob, 
 Mary (Mrs. Michael .Kunkel), Catharine (Mrs. 
 H. E. Muehlke), and John. For some years be- 
 fore his death, Mr. Best was a conspicuous figure
 
 PETER JUNG. 
 
 711 
 
 at the annual meetings of the German Old Set- 
 tlers' Society, and received a number of gold 
 medals for being the oldest settler present. 
 
 Henry Best, Junior, received his education in 
 the public schools of Chicago, and followed the 
 teaming business for many years, remaining with 
 his father until after his marriage. In 1885, in 
 company with his brother John, he established a 
 livery at No. 1412 Wrightwood Avenue, adding 
 an undertaking department two years later, and 
 now the company does a thriving business in each 
 line. Mr. Best has contributed to the success of 
 the Republican part}' in his locality, and was for 
 three years road commissioner in Lake View 
 Township, but has never consented to hold any 
 other office. He is a member of the Knights of 
 Pythias, and he and his family are connected with 
 the Evangelical Church. 
 
 In 1873, he was married to Miss Anna Wahl, a 
 
 native of Darmstadt, Germany, and five children 
 have blessed their union: Tillie, Ida, Anna, Clara 
 and Harry. John Best, youngest son -of Henry 
 and Helen Best, was born in Chicago, October 3, 
 1856. He received his primary education in the 
 common schools of his native city, and attended 
 Naperville College, at Naperville, Illinois, four 
 years. At the age of eighteen years, he entered 
 the grocery store of James Hickson, on Madison 
 Street, as a clerk. After serving one year in this 
 capacity, he opened a grocery on his own account, 
 at No. 1406 Wrightwood Avenue. He continued 
 this business successfully eight years, when he 
 sold out and made a visit to California. In 1885, 
 he engaged in the livery business with his 
 brother, Henry, as related above. In May, 1887, 
 he married Miss Lillie Nienstedt, who was born 
 in Wisconsin, of German parents. Both he and 
 his wife are members of the Evangelical Church. 
 
 PETER JUNG. 
 
 POSTER JUNG has been identified with the 
 LX business interests of Chicago since 1865. He 
 \3 was born December 13, 1838, on the River 
 Rhine, in the Province of Trier, Germany, and is 
 a son of Peter and Maria Jung, natives of the 
 same place. 
 
 Peter Jung was the first of the family to emi-" 
 grate to the New World. He sailed from Ham- 
 burg, November i, 1865, on a steamship, arriving 
 in Chicago the last of the same month. Seven 
 months later his brother Mathias came, and the 
 same year his parents and two sisters followed. 
 Peter Jung, Senior, was a carpenter by trade, 
 and served three years as a soldier. He had 
 four children, namely: Peter, the subject of this 
 sketch; Mathias; Lena, the wife of Mathias 
 Johannes, of Lake View; and Barbara, the widow 
 of Mathias Klein. The father of this family died 
 
 in the year 1880, at the age of seventy-five years, 
 and the mother, aged eighty-six years, is still 
 living. 
 
 Peter Jung, Junior, received his education in 
 the public schools, attending them until the age 
 of thirteen years, when he left to learn the trade 
 of carpenter with his father. At the age of 
 twenty-three years he voluntarily enlisted in the 
 army, where he served three years. He was oc- 
 cupied at his trade with his father until he came 
 to America, and after landing in Chicago, he 
 soon found employment at building. He re- 
 mained with one employer seven years, then in the 
 Fifteenth Ward, now the Twenty-first Ward. At 
 the end of that time he began contracting for 
 buildings on his own account, and was careful 
 and thrifty, so that he was able to invest in two 
 lots on Eugenie Street. On these lots he built
 
 712 
 
 ALBERT KRAETZER. 
 
 houses which were destroyed by the fire of 1871. 
 He is still engaged in contracting and building, in 
 which he has been very prosperous. 
 
 Mr. Jung is a Democrat in politics, but has 
 never sought office. He is a member of St. Vin- 
 cent de Paul's Society, being treasurer of that or- 
 ganization. He is a member of the German 
 Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and is a mem- 
 ber of the pioneer committee. 
 
 July 17, 1872, he married Margaret Seger, 
 daughter of Joseph and Margaret Seger, old set- 
 tlers of Chicago. She was born in Chicago, 
 
 January 31, 1854. Joseph Seger was born in 
 Baden, and his wife in Trier, Germany. They 
 were the parents of nine children, of whom the 
 following six are living: Susanna, widow of Peter 
 Joseph Hand; Christian, of Chicago; John; Mar- 
 garet, now Mrs. Jung; Bernard; and Joseph. Mr. 
 Seger died in 1879, aged seventy-five years, and 
 his wife died in 1877. To Mr. and Mrs. Jung 
 were born six children, of whom only two are 
 living, namely: John C., and Marie Tillie. The 
 family is well known in German circles, and is 
 everywhere regarded with respect. 
 
 ALBERT KRAETZER. 
 
 Gl LBERT KRAETZER, of the firm of Kraet- 
 L_l zer, Fischer & Company, was born May 
 / I 13, 1864, at Bainbridge, Michigan, and is a 
 son of Ferdinand and Marie (Wagner) Kraetzer. 
 Ferdinand Kraetzer was a native of Eisleben, 
 Saxony, Germany, the birthplace of Dr. Martin 
 Luther, and emigrated to the United States in 
 1854. He first settled in Two Rivers, Wiscon- 
 sin, where he was employed at the trade of car- 
 penter. He removed to Michigan later, and after 
 spending fourteen years there he came to Chi- 
 cago, where he has since lived. For a time he 
 was foreman for the Chicago Forge & Bolt Com- 
 pany. He spent five years in California, living 
 in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. 
 
 Albert Kraetzer received his education in the 
 public schools, which he attended until he was 
 fifteen years of age. Later he attended Cook 
 County Normal School for a short time, and then 
 worked one year in the South Chicago postoffice. 
 Mr. Kraetzer spent three years in the employ of 
 Christopher Carr, a hardware merchant, and then 
 one year as bookkeeper for the South Chicago 
 
 Wood-working Company. Later he became ship- 
 ping clerk in the employ of Thad Dean & Com- 
 pany, where he remained one year. 
 
 Mr. Kraetzer next bought a one-twelfth inter- 
 est in the firm of Crandall, Rasch & Company, 
 and later increased the interest to one-sixth. The 
 firm thus became Rasch, Dornedden & Company, 
 and two years later the name was changed to 
 Kraetzer, Fischer & Company. The business at 
 that time was conducted at the present address, 
 Ninety-fifth Street at the foot of South Chicago 
 Avenue. It includes the manufacture of sash 
 and doors, and the planing-mill business. At 
 first about fifteen men were employed, but later 
 an addition of machinery, engines, and boilers 
 required an increase of the force, and at present 
 about seventy -five men are here employed. The 
 firm has a local trade, and also a trade in all parts 
 of the South Side, including Hyde Park, Wood- 
 lawn, and other suburban points. 
 
 Mr. Kraetzer was married, October 20, 1889, 
 to Mrs. Marie Reidhead, daughter of James 
 Davidson. He built a comfortable residence at
 
 GEORGE WITTBOLD. 
 
 No. 8935 Exchange Avenue, in 1892, and now 
 resides there. He takes a commendable interest 
 in political affairs, and favors the principles of 
 the Republican party. He is a member of the 
 Bowen Cycling Club, whose rooms are at No. 309 
 
 Ninety-first Street. He assisted in its organiza- 
 tion, which occurred in March, 1896, and was its 
 first secretary, and is now its presiding officer. 
 He is a patriotic citizen, and is progressive in his 
 ideas, being a friend to improvement and reform. 
 
 GEORGE WITTBOLD. 
 
 WITTBOLD, a florist, who resides 
 at No. 1708 North Halsted Street, has been 
 engaged in his present business since 1862, 
 and has been a resident of the city of Chicago 
 since 1857. He was born on the 25th of April, 
 1833, in the city of Hanover, Germany, and 
 is the son of Frederick and Elizabeth Witt- 
 bold. 
 
 Frederick Wittbold was a florist, and after re- 
 ceiving his education in the schools of his native 
 city, George Wittbold learned the details of his 
 father's occupation. The former was very suc- 
 cessful in this line of work, which he followed all 
 his life. George Wittbold spent five years in 
 the king's garden and there learned many valu- 
 able points in his trade. In 1857 he set sail for 
 the United States from Bremen, in a steamship, 
 and landed in New York. He came direct to 
 Chicago, and upon arriving here, found employ- 
 ment with Ebenezer Peck, taking charge of his 
 greenhouses for three years, and then spent two 
 years in the service of L. B. McCaig. 
 
 In 1862 Mr. Wittbold established himself in 
 business on the corner of North Avenue and 
 North Clark Street, where he continued to pros- 
 per for many years. In 1867 he bought four 
 acres of land on North Halsted Street, where he 
 is now situated. Two years later he improved 
 
 this land and built two small greenhouses, where 
 he cultivated flowers for the city market. 
 
 Mr. Wittbold has confined his attention to 
 palms and ferns for the past ten years, cultivating 
 such varieties as can be successfully grown indoors, 
 and in winter he has a large decorating trade. His 
 plants are sent to most of the different states of this 
 country, and to Canada. About two acres of his 
 land are covered with glass, and he steadily em- 
 ploys a force of sixteen men. He has a sales- 
 room at No. 512 North Clark Street, where he 
 carries on a good retail trade, which has been es- 
 tablished fifteen years. His is the oldest estab- 
 lishment of its kind in the city. Mr. Wittbold 
 has always shown himself prudent and industri- 
 ous, and has attended carefully to the details of 
 his business, thus having little time for public 
 affairs. 
 
 He was married in 1861 to Miss Emma Fricke, 
 a native of Germany, who came to the United 
 States when a child. She is a daughter of Henry 
 C. Fricke, a sketch of whose life appears in these 
 pages. Mr. and Mrs. Wittbold were the parents 
 of eight children, namely: Henry, Fred, Gus- 
 tav, Louis, Otto, Mary, Sophia and Helen. 
 Four children died in infancy. Mr. Wittbold 
 and his family are faithful members of the 
 Lutheran Church.
 
 7*4 
 
 JOHN SCHOEN. 
 
 JOHN SCHOEN. 
 
 C|OHN SCHOEN, an enterprising business 
 
 I man of Chicago, was born January 12, 1843, 
 O in the Province of Schlesien, Germany. His 
 parents, Joseph and Anna Mary (Matchke)Schoen, 
 were also natives of that province, the former 
 having been born December 5, 1794, and the 
 latter August 15, 1804. 
 
 About 1812 Joseph Schoen was engaged as a 
 soldier in a war with Russia. He was taken 
 prisoner by a party of Russian soldiers, but while 
 his captors were intoxicated he escaped, muffling 
 his horse's hoofs with straw to prevent arousing 
 the soldiers. Returning to his home in Germany, 
 he learned the trade of carpenter and also worked 
 as a farmer. He was twice married before leav- 
 ing the Fatherland. By the first marriage he 
 had two children, neither of whom is living. Of 
 the second family two sons survive: Anton, now 
 living in retirement in Chicago; and John, whose 
 name begins this article. 
 
 The family emigrated to America in 1854, sail- 
 ing from Bremen to New York on the ship "Von 
 Stein, ''which was then making her third voyage. 
 They were seven weeks on the Atlantic, arriving 
 in New York August 10, and proceeding at once 
 to Chicago, which city they reached a week later. 
 Mr. Schoen brought with him one thousand four 
 hundred dollars in gold, and did not engage ac- 
 tively in business after reaching America. 
 
 John Schoen was a boy of eleven years when 
 
 the family located in Chicago. He was obliged 
 to devote himself whenever possible to profitable 
 employment, his first money being earned in dis- 
 tributing handbills. His first business venture 
 was the gathering of wild flowers which he made 
 into bouquets and sold on the streets, thereby 
 earning from three to five dollars a week. In 
 winter he attended school, receiving part of his 
 education in the old Franklin school and part in 
 Saint Michael's parochial school. When he was 
 unable to attend the day school he studied even- 
 ings, thus showing his desire to improve every 
 opportunity. At the age of thirteen years he be- 
 gan an apprenticeship in the upholstering busi- 
 ness at which he continued for seven years, gain- 
 ing a thorough knowledge of the furniture busi- 
 ness. 
 
 In 1859, in company with Patrick Walsh, he 
 opened a small furniture store on State Street, be- 
 tween Jackson and Van Buren Streets and two 
 years later bought out his partner and removed 
 his business to the corner of North Clark and Erie 
 Streets. After one year at this location, he sold 
 out and entered the employ of the Tobey Fur- 
 niture Company, in the upholstering department 
 of their establishment. Having built two build- 
 ings on North Avenue, he opened a retail fur- 
 niture store in one of them in 1870, and continued 
 in business until the great fire of the next year. 
 This conflagration destroyed all his property, but
 
 PETER SIMON. 
 
 having six hundred dollars in cash, and good 
 credit, he was able to rebuild at once, and again 
 started in business, clearing four thousand dollars 
 the first year. 
 
 A few years later he engaged in the wholesale 
 upholstering business, first as a member of the 
 firm of Seng, Schoen & Company, and afterward 
 of the Hafner & Schoen Furniture Company. 
 The establishment was on Canal Street, where 
 they did a very large business, shipping goods to 
 many foreign countries. At the same time Mr. 
 Schoen also had an interest in the Zangerly Manu- 
 facturing Company. In 1890 he gave up these 
 connections, and embarked in the lumber busi- 
 ness. He and his sous constituting the Columbia 
 
 Hardwood Lumber Company, located at 65 
 Southport Avenue, foot of C Street. 
 
 May 10, 1864, Mr. Schoen was married to Miss 
 Theresa Urwanger, a native of Bavaria, who was 
 brought to America while still an infant. Twelve 
 children have been born of this union, of whom 
 the following are living: Maria Theresa, Mrs. J. 
 P. Simon; John, President of the Columbia Hard- 
 wood Lumber Company; Anna Rosa, Mrs. Will- 
 iam Reueu; Joseph, Secretary of the Columbia 
 Hardwood Lumber Company; George William; 
 Edward C. ; Alexis Henry; and William Carl. 
 The family is connected with St. Michael's Roman 
 Catholic Church, and all are residents of the city 
 of Chicago. 
 
 PETER SIMON. 
 
 F^ETER SIMON was born June 29, 1829, in 
 LX Bierfelt, Prussia, and is a son of Mathias and 
 \3 Christina Simon, natives of that place. 
 Mathias Simon followed the trade of nail-maker 
 in his native land, and served three years in the 
 army. He decided to emigrate to the United 
 States, and, accordingly, sailed from Havre, 
 France, with his wife and eight children, and 
 thirty-seven days later they landed in New York. 
 The family located in Buffalo and lived there 
 fourteen months, removing thence to Chicago. 
 Mr. Simon found employment at his trade in Buf- 
 falo, but upon settling in Chicago, he was a gar- 
 dener until twenty years before his death. Mrs. 
 Simon died in 1873. From 1870 until his death, 
 which occurred in 1889, at the age of nearly 
 ninety-two years, Mr. Simon lived in retirement 
 from business cares. Of their eight children only 
 three are living, namely: Peter, of whom this 
 biography is written; Maria, widow of Joseph 
 Roelle; and Elizabeth, widow of Hugo Stern- 
 berg. 
 
 Peter Simon was educated in his native land , 
 and for a short time attended an evening school 
 in Chicago. In 1847 he began to learn the tin- 
 ner's trade with Mr. S. J. Surdam, at No. 178 
 Lake Street, and for thirty-seven years worked for 
 him without losing a single day; in addition, for 
 a few years after leaving his employ, helped him 
 a few months of each year during the busy sea- 
 son. 
 
 He was an industrious and prudent youth and 
 his habits enabled him to save a part of his earn- 
 ings, which he invested in real estate from time 
 to time. The property bought by him in this 
 way increased so much in value that he thus be- 
 came wealthy, and is now living a life free from 
 heavy business cares, having only to look after 
 his property interests. In 1848 he was offered a 
 nomination for alderman, but refused to accept it. 
 
 September 21, 1854, he married Miss Mary 
 Rasher, who was born within two miles of his 
 home in the Fatherland, and came to America in 
 1842. They -had five children, of whom the fol-
 
 7 i6 
 
 PAUL ABRAHAM. MATHIAS JUNG. 
 
 lowing are living: Mary, who married Christ 
 Temple, of No. 511 LaSalle Avenue; Joseph P., 
 who assists his father in the care of his extended 
 interests, and resides at No. 555 Cleveland Ave- 
 nue, with his wife, Theresa W., (born Schoen) ; 
 
 and Regina, wife of Walter Vogler, residing at 
 No. 484 Sedgwick Street. Mrs. Simon died Oc- 
 tober 12, 1896. The family is connected with 
 Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church, and is 
 highly respected and esteemed in the community. 
 
 PAUL ABRAHAM. 
 
 [~}AUL ABRAHAM, a German-American citi- 
 LS zen of South Chicago, who came to this city 
 1^3 when a young man, and who has always been 
 a desirable citizen, was born October 16, 1859, in 
 Posen, Germany, and is a son of Charles and Er- 
 nestina (Felberg) Abraham, both of them natives 
 of that country. His sisters, Minnie and Augus- 
 ta, came to America in 1870, and thus his at- 
 tention was turned to the opportunities offered by 
 this country. 
 
 Paul Abraham obtained his education in his 
 native country, and in 1880 he was able to sail 
 for the United States. He came direct to Chica- 
 go, arriving in October of that year. January i, 
 1 88 1, he removed to South Chicago, and the next 
 year his parents followed. The father lived only 
 a short time after his arrival. He bought a lot at 
 No. 8949 Superior Avenue, and built the house 
 now occupied by Paul Abraham. 
 
 Paul Abraham built a house at No. 8406 Mack- 
 inaw Avenue, and occupied this until 1893, when 
 he bought the property formerly owned by his 
 father. On coming to South Chicago, he entered 
 the employ of the Illinois Steel Company, in the 
 blast furnace, where he remained until 1894, and 
 then for one year he and his brother Otto conduc- 
 ted a milk route. In 1896 he returned to the 
 employ of the Illinois Steel Company, in the 
 plate-mill department, and has filled this position 
 ever since. 
 
 December 10, 1884, he was united in holy mat- 
 rimony with Emma Rosalinda Noehring, a 
 daughter of Ernest and Paulina (Shieve) Noeh- 
 ring. Mr. and Mrs. Abraham are the parents of 
 two children, Ida Paulina and George Paul. Mr. 
 Abraham is a useful and honored citizen, and he is 
 successful in his business life. He and his family 
 are connected with the German Lutheran Church. 
 
 MATHIAS JUNG. 
 
 IV /lATHIAS JUNG, youngest son of Peter 
 
 I V I Jung, whose biography appears elsewhere 
 1(91 in this work, was born March 24, 1841, in 
 Cornfeld, Rhine Province of Trier, Germany. He 
 received his education in his native land and 
 
 learned the trade of carpenter, following this oc- 
 cupation until he emigrated to America in 1865. 
 The sea voyage was made from Bremen in the 
 steamship "King of England," which landed 
 him in New York, and he then spent seven days
 
 PETER EBERTSHAUSER. 
 
 717 
 
 in a journey to Chicago. Mr. Jung reached the 
 United States not only a poor man, but owing 
 seventy-six dollars for his passage. A few days 
 after reaching Chicago he found employment 
 with Strauser & Kaserback, and he continued to 
 follow his trade until 1879. He and his brother 
 were contractors and builders for eight years, liv- 
 ing on Eugenie Street, near Sedgwick Street, 
 where the latter owned a good, two-story house 
 until the fire of 1871, which left them homeless. 
 In 1879 Mr. Jung opened a buffet on the cor- 
 ner of Sedgwick Street and North Avenue, and 
 conducted it with good success until 1884, when 
 he bought an acre of land on the corner of Ash- 
 land and Lincoln Avenues, and built the large 
 block now owned by him, which contains a saloon, 
 a large hall, which he rents to various societies, 
 and stables and sheds for the accommodation of 
 horses. Here he has carried on a lucrative busi- 
 ness, and his place is known for its quiet and or- 
 derly management. Mr. Jung is a genial host, 
 
 who never encourages excesses of any kind, and 
 is a public-spirited citizen, taking a commend- 
 able interest in everything pertaining to the pub- 
 lic good. He is a supporter of the Democratic 
 party, but has never sought the emoluments of 
 office, preferring rather to devote his energies to 
 the management of his own affairs. 
 
 Mr. Jung is a great lover of fine horses, and 
 himself owns a number of good specimens of that 
 noble animal. He is a member of Saint Vincent 
 de Paul, and Saint Joseph's and Saint Alphonse's 
 Societies. January 30, 1872, he was married to 
 Miss Anna, daughter of Mr. Kreoser, a native of 
 Germany, who came to America when two years 
 of age. They have two sons and two daughters, 
 namely: Lilly, George, Peter and Anna, all of 
 whom live with their parents and are enjoying ex- 
 cellent educational advantages. Mr. Jung and 
 his family are connected with Saint Alphonse's 
 Roman Catholic Church, of which he is one of 
 the most liberal supporters. 
 
 PETER EBERTSHAUSER. 
 
 QETER EBERTSHAUSER, a mason and 
 
 yr contractor, residing at No. 281 Cleveland 
 K9 Avenue, has lived in Chicago since 1867. 
 He was born October 27, 1848, in Nassau, Ger- 
 many, and is a son of Jacob and Anna Eberts- 
 hauser, natives of that place. The former, a 
 mason by trade, is still living, at the age of 
 seventy -five years, in this city. In 1867, the 
 family, including five children, came to America, 
 sailing from Antwerp in a steamship and spend- 
 ing eighteen days in the voyage. Their children 
 were: Peter, of whom this article is written; 
 Katharine, wife of William Lauer, of Chicago; 
 John, whoresidesat No. 32 Star Street, Chicago; 
 Jacob, who died in 1895, and Henry, who is the 
 owner of a cut stone yard in the city. The 
 mother of these children died the 7th of October, 
 1890. 
 
 Peter Ebertshauser had the advantage of a 
 common-school education in his native country, 
 and then learned the trade of his father. He has 
 always followed this occupation, and in 1876 be- 
 gan business on his own account, as a contractor 
 and builder. He was diligent in his efforts 
 when a young man, and has been successful in 
 his line of work, having built many prominent 
 buildings. Among these are churches, hospitals, 
 elevators, breweries and residences. When his 
 business is most prosperous he gives employ- 
 ment to from sixty to eighty men. 
 
 Mr. Ebertshauser is a man of broad mind, and 
 is well informed concerning the most important 
 questions of the day in all parts of the world. 
 He feels an interest in public affairs beyond his 
 city, and is a firm supporter of the Democratic 
 party. He was appointed building inspector in
 
 7 i8 
 
 P. A. BIRREN. BERNHARD KNOPF. 
 
 his district by the present Mayor, in June, 1897. 
 He is a member of Saint Michael's Society also 
 Saint Vincent de Paul's Society, having been for 
 seven years president of the latter. He is one of 
 the organizers of the Knights of Saint George 
 No. 68, all of whose members belong to Saint 
 Michael's parish. 
 
 He was married November 14, 1872, to Miss 
 
 Gertrude Eich, who was born in Germany. They 
 have had nine children, four of whom are living, 
 namely: Anna, Katharine, Josephine and May. 
 All the members of the family are communicants of 
 Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church, and 
 are well known and respected in the community, 
 for their sympathy and help in all movements for 
 improvement and reform. 
 
 PETER A. BIRREN. 
 
 |~}ETER A. BIRREN, a prominent business man 
 LX and popular undertaker, located at No. 842 
 K> Lincoln Avenue, was born February 14, 
 1862, in the city of Chicago. His parents were 
 Henry and Catharine (Faber) Birren, pioneer 
 settlers of Chicago, extended mention of whom 
 will be found on another page of this work. The 
 son received his education at Saint Michael's pa- 
 rochial school, and when old enough became the 
 assistant of his father, with whom he remained 
 until of age, learning all the details of the under- 
 taking business. In 1883, he and his brother, 
 John H. Birren, established themselves in the 
 livery business on Eugenie Street, where they 
 continued until December, 1895. In December, 
 1885, Mr. Birren opened his present undertaking 
 establishment, and has had a constantly increas- 
 
 ing and profitable trade. During the first two 
 years his was the only establishment of the kind 
 in Lake View. He also has a well-equipped car- 
 riage livery in connection. 
 
 July 24, 1882, Mr. Birren was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Julia K., daughter of Nicholas 
 and Catharine Schneider, by whom he has one 
 son, Alex C. The family is prominently con- 
 nected with Saint Alphonse's Roman Catholic 
 Church. Mr. Birren is a member of the Catholic 
 Order of Foresters, Independent Order of Mutual 
 Aid, and other organizations. He is not a poli- 
 tician, but usually gives his support to the Dem- 
 ocratic party in national elections. As he is an 
 enterprising and public-spirited citizen, he takes 
 an active interest in all that best subserves the 
 public good. 
 
 BERNHARD KNOPP. 
 
 BERNHARD KNOPP, a member of a pioneer 
 German family of Chicago, was born in that 
 city December 6, 1844. He is a son of 
 Henry and Anna Marguerita (Toening) Knopp, 
 natives of Germany, who were born near Han- 
 
 over, and came to Chicago in 1842. Henry 
 Knopp came to America about 1830 and located 
 in Philadelphia. His father had been a wealthy 
 farmer in Germany, and he had been reared to 
 farm work. He returned to Germany about 1841,
 
 JOHN KOENING. 
 
 719 
 
 and was married, bringing his bride to Chicago, 
 and settling on the North Side near the corner of 
 Oak and State Streets. He engaged in the dairy 
 business, and in this venture he was successful to 
 a great degree and accumulated a competence. 
 
 In 1848 Mr. Henry Knopp bought several 
 acres of land from the Illinois & Michigan Canal 
 Company, in what afterward became Lake View 
 Township. A few years later he removed to this 
 place, and for a number of years conducted a 
 large garden, until compelled by age to retire. 
 The last years of his life were spent in Oak Park, 
 where he died, in 1890, at the age of ninety-three 
 years. By his first marriage he had two sons, 
 namely: Bernhard, the subject of this sketch, 
 and Henry, who lives on Florence Avenue. Mrs. 
 Knopp died about 1847, and later Mr. Knopp 
 married again and had one son, Frederick, who 
 resides in Lake County, Illinois. 
 
 Bernhard Knopp was educated in the public 
 schools and at Plainfield College. He learned the 
 trade of painter, which he has followed for a 
 
 number of years. He is a Republican in politics 
 but has never held any office. 
 
 In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in Company D, 
 of the Forty-eighth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, 
 and participated in a number of engagements, 
 being wounded at luka, and losing the thumb 
 and forefinger of his left hand. He spent two 
 months in the hospital and then took part in the 
 battles at Vicksburg, Jackson and Raymond, 
 Mississippi, and was discharged in Chicago early 
 in 1865. He is a member of Washington Post 
 No. 573, Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 October 14, 1868, Mr. Knopp married Miss 
 Philipina Zahn, a native of Morscheim, Rhine 
 Provinces, of Germany, and a daughter of Diet- 
 rich Zahn. She came to the United States in 
 1864, and her father in 1869. Her mother died 
 when she was twelve years old, and her father died 
 in Chicago. Mr. Knopp and his wife have two 
 daughters, Julia and Clara. He and his family 
 are members of the United Evangelical Church, 
 and are held in high esteem. 
 
 JOHN KOENING. 
 
 (lOHN KOENING, a dealer in general hard- 
 I ware and house-furnishing goods, whose 
 Q) place of business is located at No. 494 Lar- 
 rabee Street, has been a resident of Chicago since 
 1851. He was born August 24, 1850, in Darm- 
 stadt, Germany, and is a son of Jacob and Mary 
 Koening, who were natives of that place. 
 
 Jacob Koening, with his wife and family, con- 
 sisting of four children, came to America in 1851 
 and located in Chicago. The ship on which they 
 took passage sprung a leak during the voyage, 
 which consequently occupied about three months. 
 Jacob Koening was by trade a basket-maker, and 
 had lived in America only a short time, follow- 
 ing this trade, when he died of cholera. His 
 
 widow married again, and died in 1894. Of their 
 four children only two are now living. Godfred 
 died in Chicago several years ago; Jacob died in 
 1896; Katherine is the widow of Adam Kehn, 
 and John, the other survivor, is the subject of 
 this biography. 
 
 John Koening was educated in the public 
 schools of Chicago. At the age of eighteen years 
 he began learning the tinner's trade with Louis 
 Henrich, and served an apprenticeship of three 
 years. He then worked at his trade as journey- 
 man until 1880, when he engaged in business on 
 his own responsibility in the same block where 
 he is now located. In 1889 he bought his pres- 
 ent store and moved into it. He carries a care-
 
 720 
 
 JOHN STENGEL. 
 
 fully selected stock, and has a growing trade, 
 having a reputation for fair dealing with his 
 customers. 
 
 In national politics Mr. Kjoening favors the 
 principles set forth by the Republican party, but 
 is not a politician. He is a member of the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Foresters. 
 
 October 13, 1876, he married Miss Magdalena 
 
 Brown, who was born in Rochester, New York. 
 They became the parents of one son, Robert 
 George. Mr. Koening and his family are members 
 of Saint Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church. 
 They are held in high esteem by their numerous 
 friends and acquaintances, and are valuable mem- 
 bers of society in the community where the)' 
 reside. 
 
 JOHN STENGEL. 
 
 (TJOHN STENGEL was born May 25, 1847, in 
 I Baden, Germany, and is a son of John and 
 Q) Annie (Dafferner) Stengel, who were na- 
 tives of that country. Mr. Stengel was the first 
 of his family to emigrate to America, landing in 
 New York, March 12, 1869, and immediately 
 traveling westward, as do the majority of foreign- 
 ers, on account of the better opportunities for 
 progress. He worked four weeks at farm labor 
 near Buffalo, and then came to Chicago, and was 
 engaged as a fisherman by Martin Hausler, by 
 whom he was employed almost continuously from 
 that time until 1889. During the years 1875, 
 1876 and 1877, he was a companion with Peter 
 Ringenburg, who managed a fishery of his own, 
 but he returned to Mr. Hausler at the end of 
 three years, and has since been connected with 
 
 his business, two years as pile driver and one 
 year driving a wagon, and is at present Mr. 
 Ha'usler's general business manager. 
 
 April ii, 1875, Mr. Stengel married Agnes 
 Wolter, a native of Germany, who was born in 
 Berlin, and came to America when a young wo- 
 man. They have three children, namely: Charles, 
 Albert and Theodore, besides two children who 
 died. In 1880 Mr. Stengel bought property at 
 No. 9700 Avenue M. He had previously been 
 living on the lake front, and he removed this 
 house to his lot, building an addition, and thus 
 making a comfortable home. Mr. Stengel takes 
 an interest in the affairs of the day, and in politics 
 he supports the Democratic party. He is an old 
 citizen of South Chicago, and is ever ready to 
 support any measure for its progress.
 
 INDEX 
 
 Abraham, Paul 716 
 
 Abrahams, Heury 285 
 
 Adams, Dr. Charles 549 
 
 Adsit, J. M 123 
 
 Alsip, W. H 283 
 
 Amick, Pleasant 493 
 
 Anthoniseu, Carsten 649 
 
 Armour. P. D 295 
 
 Arndt, Adolph 195 
 
 Ayars, C. G 459 
 
 B 
 
 Baer, F. A 379 
 
 Bailey, E. W 133 
 
 Baines, Dr. O. 468 
 
 Baker, H. D 433 
 
 Ball, G. H 33 
 
 Barnard, G. W 258 
 
 Bartels, John 624 
 
 Bassett, O. P 272 
 
 Beaubieu, Alex 392 
 
 Beck. August 239 
 
 Becker. Michael 516 
 
 Beecher, Jerome 509 
 
 Berg, John 241 
 
 Bergman. Frederick 694 
 
 Best, Henry 710 
 
 Beye, William 215 
 
 Birren, Henry 331 
 
 Birren, Peter A 718 
 
 Bisdorff, Peter 196 
 
 Boening, William 672 
 
 Bolles, C. E 327 
 
 Bowerman, Dr. M. A 603 
 
 Boyle, Thomas 685 
 
 Brachtendorf, A. J 680 
 
 Bradwell, J. B 134 
 
 Bradwell. Myra 135 
 
 Brinkerhoff, A. B 330 
 
 Bristle, Frederick 621 
 
 Britz, Nicholas 609 
 
 Brown, Capt. Thomas 695 
 
 Brundage, S. V. R 34 
 
 Bruszer, John 690 
 
 Bryan, C. P. . . 293 
 
 Buchanan, John 78 
 
 Budde, Henry 550 
 
 Budlong, J. A 200 
 
 Budlong, L.A 191 
 
 Burley, A. G 227 
 
 Bu?se, August 674 
 
 Busse, A. H 46 
 
 Buschwah, N 289 
 
 Butters, George 471 
 
 Byford, Dr. H. T 494 
 
 Caldwell, Joseph 56 
 
 Camp, 1. N 346 
 
 Capron, A. B 451 
 
 Carbine, Thomas 21 
 
 Carrington, N. S 561 
 
 Carter, Michael 365 
 
 Case, E. W 427 
 
 Castle. E. H 544 
 
 Cary, J. W 131 
 
 Caton, J. D 115 
 
 Ceperly, C. H 197 
 
 Chapin, Newton 305 
 
 Chapin, J. P 637 
 
 Chapleau, Octave 35 
 
 Chipp, John 399 
 
 Clark, Jonathan 183 
 
 Clark, Joseph 378 
 
 Clark, L.C 543 
 
 Clark, R. R 229 
 
 Clifford, J. O 273 
 
 Clybourn, Archibald 626 
 
 Cobb, S. B 143 
 
 Collins, Robert 658 
 
 Collins, Stewart 354 
 
 Cooley, C. A 554 
 
 Cossitt, F. D., Jr , 590 
 
 Coughlin, Timothy 602 
 
 Coulter, W. M 583 
 
 Courtright, Capt. J. D 352 
 
 Crawford, H. P 164 
 
 Crawford, John 292 
 
 Cunningham, J. H 651 
 
 Custer, G. G 184 
 
 Cutler, A. J, 279 
 
 Daniels, E. F 543 
 
 Davis, G. M 220 
 
 Dearlove, George 291 
 
 Dearlove, G. M 536 
 
 Derby, W. R lBf> 
 
 De Wolf, Calvin 385 
 
 Dibben, Alfred 409 
 
 Dickinson, John 100 
 
 Diesel, Frank 635 
 
 Dilger, R. F 204 
 
 Dobbins, P. H 254 
 
 Dollinger, J. A 304 
 
 Doyle, T. F 650 
 
 Dresel, August 44 
 
 Ducat, Gen. A. C 415 
 
 Dunlap, George 36 
 
 Dupee, C. B m 
 
 Dye, Nathan 276 
 
 E 
 
 Eberhart, J. F 151 
 
 Ebertshauser, Peter 717 
 
 Ebinger, Rev. C. F 194 
 
 Eckert, John 523 
 
 Eckert, M. I, 376 
 
 Edsall, J. K 592 
 
 Ellis, Joel 47 
 
 Erickson, Capt. Christian 704 
 
 Erickson, J. A 20 
 
 Ernst, Capt. George 692 
 
 Ernst, J. H 39 
 
 Evans, E. W 99 
 
 Fair, J. A 686 
 
 Fair, F. F 679 
 
 Farnum, H. A 653 
 
 Farwell, W. W 457 
 
 Patch, E. P 566 
 
 Felton, C. H 489
 
 722 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Fenn, J. G 202 
 
 Field, Marshall 33 
 
 Fischer, Louis 7 02 
 
 Fitch, Dr. C. M 388 
 
 Foley T. A 599 
 
 Fonda, Dr. D. B 103 
 
 Forsyth, Jacob 87 
 
 Fraser, George 39 
 
 Frey, L. A 662 
 
 Fricke, H. C 3' 
 
 Frink, H. F 122 
 
 Friuk, Johu '39 
 
 Fuller, M. W 127 
 
 G 
 
 Gage, J. N 223 
 
 Gage, L. J 271 
 
 Galloway, A. J S3 1 
 
 Ganske, Rev. W. H 3*1 
 
 Gardner, P. G 559 
 
 Garrity, Thomas 329 
 
 Gaugler, Moritz 248 
 
 Gauss, E. F. L 172 
 
 Gerardin, Victor 27 
 
 Given, G. W 638 
 
 Gliues, A. P 613 
 
 Goode, Thomas 108 
 
 Gorges, J. A 616 
 
 Gorman, P.I, 3& 2 
 
 Goudy, W. C 119 
 
 Gough, R. S 299 
 
 Gray, Prof. Elisha 79 
 
 Gray, P. W... 333 
 
 Greenebaum, Henry 567 
 
 Groenebaura, Rev. Otto 622 
 
 Gross, S. E 383 
 
 H 
 
 Hagen, Capt. P. N 514 
 
 Haggard, S. B 73 
 
 Hahne, William 480 
 
 Hakanson, Alfred. M. D 407 
 
 Hall, Z. M 37 
 
 Hallett, R. C 114 
 
 Halsey, Rev. L. J 105 
 
 Hamilton, R. J 577 
 
 Hamilton, William 483 
 
 Hammer=trom, I,udwig 629 
 
 Hammett, Edward 300 
 
 Hannahs, J. M 85 
 
 Hansen, H. C 244 
 
 Harrison, C. H 307 
 
 Harrison, C. H., Jr 563 
 
 Haskell, L. P 552 
 
 Haskin, J. H 412 
 
 Hastings, Robert 634 
 
 Hatch, A. F 294 
 
 Hausler, Martiu 520 
 
 Hawley, C. M 343 
 
 Haynes. Rev. N. S 397 
 
 Hedrich, E. F 512 
 
 Henderson, C. M 391 
 
 Hennebohle, Frank 403 
 
 Henuing, F F 13 
 
 Henrotin, Dr. J. F 581 
 
 Hervey, Robert 237 
 
 Hews, Dr. C. D 53 
 
 Hill, R. S 173 
 
 Hill, T. E 584 
 
 Hoffman, Mathias 557 
 
 Holden, C. C. P 419 
 
 Hollesen, Sivert 245 
 
 Holley, L. G 359 
 
 Hoos, G. H 332 
 
 Rowland, H. I '. 598 
 
 Hoxie, J. R 7 
 
 Hubbard, Dr. Theodore 275 
 
 Huber, Jacob 591 
 
 Huehn, Jonas 708 
 
 Huestis, I. N 474 
 
 Huey, C. P 491 
 
 Hufmeyer, John 673 
 
 Hughes, J. 23 
 
 Hull, Delos 211 
 
 Humphreville, T. L 209 
 
 Hunt, H. H 221 
 
 Huntington, Alonzo 430 
 
 Huutington, Charles 389 
 
 Huntington, John 369 
 
 Hutchinsou, C. G 234 
 
 Hutchinson, J. O 553 
 
 Hutchison, Francis 538 
 
 Ingraham, G. S 287 
 
 Jackson, Peter 16 
 
 Jacobs, F. 1 573 
 
 Jewett, E. A 348 
 
 Johnson, Capt. Christopher 93 
 
 Johnston, Shepherd 312 
 
 Johnston, W. S 207 
 
 Jones, F. E. R 155 
 
 Jones, J. H 401 
 
 Jones. S. D 499 
 
 Jones, S. J., M. D., 1,1,. D 159 
 
 Jones. W. H 311 
 
 Jung.J. J 683 
 
 Juug, Mathias 716 
 
 Jung Peter 711 
 
 Junius, Peter 700 
 
 Junk, Joseph 41 
 
 K 
 
 Karuatz, Henry 67 
 
 Karthauser, Nicholas 518 
 
 Kay, A. A. 640 
 
 Kay, J, A 466 
 
 Kay, John 628 
 
 Keeler, W. O. 161 
 
 Keil, Sebastian 6n 
 
 Keith, Edson 149 
 
 Keller, Celestial 246 
 
 Kelso, A. W 162 
 
 Kemper, Henry .; .620 
 
 Kemper, W. J 51 
 
 Kennedy, A. D 597 
 
 Kennedy, J. M 23 
 
 Kilcran, Frank 630 
 
 Kirabell, M. N 528 
 
 Kinne, I. D 604 
 
 Kirscht, P. N 371 
 
 Klehm, G. C 372 
 
 Kleindieust, Eduard 469 
 
 Knall,J.0 661 
 
 Knapp, Asa 217 
 
 Knapp, A. A 216 
 
 Knopp, Bernhard ." 718 
 
 Koenig, David 411 
 
 Koening, John 719 
 
 Kraetzer, Albert 712 
 
 Kramer, T. L 17 
 
 Kransz, Nicholas 671 
 
 Kransz, N. H 364 
 
 Knewilz, Charles .657 
 
 Kuhn, Frank 75 
 
 Kurz, L. F. J. M 631 
 
 Kuyper, Cornelius 707 
 
 Kuyper, Cornelius, Jr 699 
 
 Lacy, E. S 461 
 
 Lanimoris, A. J 63 
 
 Landou , A. W 475 
 
 Larimore, Prof. J. W 91 
 
 Lawrence, Henry 40 
 
 Leahy. J. J., M. D 166 
 
 Lee, William 49 
 
 Lenard, Robert 682 
 
 Leonard, C. M 77 
 
 Lewis, T. E 297 
 
 Lindemiann, Charles 709 
 
 Link, Ferdinand 263 
 
 Little, R. E 406 
 
 Louergan, Rev. A. P 526 
 
 Long, E. C 537 
 
 Lovett, H. 247 
 
 Ludlam, Dr. Reuben 497 
 
 Luedtke, Gustave 670 
 
 Lukowitz, Charles 608 
 
 Lull, A. G 541 
 
 Luut, Orrington 503 
 
 M 
 
 Mack, Rev. J. A 496 
 
 Madary, Christian 689 
 
 Magee, C. D 43 
 
 Magill, C. J 424 
 
 Maginnis, P. J 70 
 
 Magnussen, M. C 414 
 
 Maltby, J. A 449 
 
 Mann, Mathias 199 
 
 Manz, Jacob 259 
 
 Martiu, H. W 632 
 
 Mas ey. H. H 501 
 
 Mattes, Peter 678
 
 INDEX. 
 
 723 
 
 Matthews, P. P 302 
 
 McCall, Waiter 684 
 
 McConnell, Hon. S. P 177 
 
 McCormick, C. H 167 
 
 McCormick, C. H., Jr 487 
 
 McCullough, J.T 325 
 
 McDaniel. Alexander 188 
 
 McDonald, James 669 
 
 McEldowuey, John 484 
 
 McKldowney, W. J 52 
 
 McKinney, George 575 
 
 McLean, A. B 255 
 
 McLean, Dr. John 58 
 
 McMahon, James 181 
 
 Meisner, Joseph 595 
 
 Meredith, W. M 353 
 
 Merz, Gottlieb 349 
 
 Metz, George 698 
 
 Mewes, Carl 64? 
 
 Meyers, W. H 666 
 
 Migely, Frederick 374 
 
 Miller, B. C., M. D 83 
 
 Miller, Frederick 361 
 
 Miller, Nicholas 517 
 
 Montgomery, W. B 660 
 
 Moore, Dr. F. B 59 
 
 Morris. John 284 
 
 Muno, Peter 614 
 
 N 
 
 Neff, Z. A 5<> 
 
 Neuberger, Hugo 260 
 
 Newton, C. D. L 668 
 
 Nichols, C. L 429 
 
 Nommensen, Edward 404 
 
 Nordenholt, George 218 
 
 Northrop, H. M 357 
 
 Novak. F. H 165 
 
 Nowlen, A. J 596 
 
 O 
 
 Ollendorff. Aaron 437 
 
 Olson, Nicholas 601 
 
 Ortmayer. Andrew 317 
 
 Osgood, E. S 68 
 
 Oswald, Louis 60 
 
 Pardridge. Edwin 431 
 
 Parker, F. W 24 
 
 Parmelee. E. D 548 
 
 Parsons, W. B 422 
 
 Pearsons. J. A 112 
 
 Pecher, Joseph 405 
 
 Peck. F. W 339 
 
 Perkins, A. H 22 
 
 Perry, Rev. F. N. R 203 
 
 Peterman, G. H 55 
 
 Petersen, A. A 410 
 
 Petersen, Martinus 413 
 
 Petrie, C. W 667 
 
 Peugeot, E. F 262 
 
 Phelps, O. B 140 
 
 Phelps, W. W 266 
 
 Philbrick, G. A 623 
 
 Pinney, D. H 154 
 
 Piper, C. E 268 
 
 Polk, Wesley 562 
 
 Powell, G. N 109 
 
 Pratt, Dr. Leonard 589 
 
 Pregler, A. C. T 477 
 
 Preston, A. H 213 
 
 Prindiville, John 129 
 
 Proesel , John 370 
 
 Prosser, T. T 89 
 
 Pullman, George M 231 
 
 Q 
 
 Quirk, Capt. Bartholomew 65 
 
 Quirk, Capt. Daniel 76 
 
 Quirk, Col. James 380 
 
 Raap, J. H 42 
 
 Ranney, O. D 527 
 
 Raymond, Rev. M 178 
 
 Reedy, W. H 208 
 
 Reich, Christopher 66 
 
 Reinberg, Peter 368 
 
 Reis, J. A 240 
 
 Reis,I. J 652 
 
 Reis, Nicholas 522 
 
 Rendtorff, Herman 687 
 
 Rexford, Norman, 481 
 
 Rice, J. H 98 
 
 Rice, J. M 363 
 
 Richey, A. D .606 
 
 Ringgenberg, Peter 648 
 
 Ristow, Julius 249 
 
 Ristow, Otto 617 
 
 Roberts, Mrs. M. A 367 
 
 Robinson. H. M 125 
 
 Roelle. Joseph 676 
 
 Rogers, G. M 235 
 
 Rogers, J. G 147 
 
 Rogers, Philip 524 
 
 Roger-, T. S 558 
 
 Rollo, W. E 146 
 
 Roth, Gerhard 677 
 
 Rounds, H. E 205 
 
 Rubey, P. J 663 
 
 Rumsey, J. S 314 
 
 Rumstick. Henry 377 
 
 Rusk. Richard 242 
 
 Russell, J. J 310 
 
 Rutershoff, Rev. Joseph 511 
 
 Ruth.L.C 586 
 
 Sage, R. H 323 
 
 Sanger.J. Y 439 
 
 Sauer, C. H 644 
 
 Schade, Henry 473 
 
 Schade, N. L 706 
 
 Schaefer, Maternus 505 
 
 Scheurmeier, Henry 358 
 
 Schiesswohl, J . C 618 
 
 Schillo, Adam. 701 
 
 Schirra, Joh n 688 
 
 Schmedtgen, H. A 615 
 
 Schmidt, K. G 535 
 
 Schmitz, Mathias 675 
 
 Schoen, John 714 
 
 Schreiber, Michael 373 
 
 Schroyer, C. A 3 6o 
 
 Schuette, Rev. B. J 519 
 
 Schuetz, Philip 681 
 
 Scott, Willard 423 
 
 Seamens, Capt. Stephen 355 
 
 Shearburn, G. W 362 
 
 Shortall, J. G 447 
 
 Shurtleff, Benjamin 101 
 
 Sickinger, Jacob 610 
 
 Simon, Peter 715 
 
 Simon, Simon 250 
 
 Simons, Ed ward 697 
 
 Simons, Edward, Jr 693 
 
 Simpler, J. A 400 
 
 Skinner, S. P 438 
 
 Smith, Charles 201 
 
 Smith, C. B 587 
 
 Smith, Dr. D. S 571 
 
 Smith, I. G 319 
 
 Smith, James 464 
 
 Smith, L. J 45 
 
 Snow, W. B 540 
 
 Sohm, A 556 
 
 Sommerville, Dr. A. R 71 
 
 Spalding, Jesse 175 
 
 Sparrow, H. S., M. D 408 
 
 Sparrow, Richard 659 
 
 Spikings, R. Y 465 
 
 Spikings, W. H 633 
 
 Springer, T. G 72 
 
 Stafford, J. F 341 
 
 Starr, Eliza A 664 
 
 Stead, William 515 
 
 Stengel, John 720 
 
 Stewart, Franklin ...642 
 
 Stewart, Gen. H. L 95 
 
 St. John, Everitte 485 
 
 Sube. G. K. F 705 
 
 Sulzer, Frederick 525 
 
 Swain, E D 479 
 
 Sweet. J. A 426 
 
 Swett, Leonard 9 
 
 Taguey, Thomas 278 
 
 Teall, E. M 225 
 
 Thiele, Christian 564 
 
 Thilo, Mrs. E A 691 
 
 Thomas, Rev. H. W 441 
 
 Tobey. J. D 187 
 
 Tobey, Wales 163 
 
 Tompkins, Rev. James 533 
 
 Tope, Dr. J. W 351 
 
 Toppan, J. S 394 
 
 Torkilson, Capt. Andrew 251 
 
 Travis, C. W 402 
 
 Trimingham, R. N 256
 
 724. 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Turner, C. W 
 
 Turner. John 
 
 Turner, J. B 
 
 Turner, J. W 
 
 Turner, Leighton . 
 
 Turner, T. A 
 
 Turner, T. M 
 
 Tyler. W. O 
 
 U 
 
 Unold, John 551 
 
 Van derSyde, Goris.. 
 
 Van Natta, John 
 
 Voltz, Louis 
 
 W 
 
 Waller, Henry. . 
 Waller, Dr. J. D. 
 
 .470 Warner, Francis 269 
 
 .463 Warren, Daniel 418 
 
 .170 Warren, J. M 337 
 
 .467 Washburn, D. E 356 
 
 .324 Webb, A. F 565 
 
 .600 Weber, Henry 455 
 
 .320 Weber, Michael 198 
 
 .281 Webster. T. H 118 
 
 Weimer, George 506 
 
 Weller, Frederick 703 
 
 Wemple, L. C .'. 243 
 
 Wendt, F. J 612 
 
 Wenzlaff, Carl 641 
 
 Wenzlaff, C. A 326 
 
 West, William .186 
 
 Westergren, C. 322 
 
 Wheeler, C. T 19 
 
 Wheeler, J. R 588 
 
 Wheeler, U. H..'. 435 
 
 Wheldon, Thomas 478 
 
 White, Dr. W. S 508 
 
 Wiedhof, G. W 32 
 
 .253 Wiedinger, B. M 156 
 
 .219 Wietor, Henry 513 
 
 . 61 
 
 . 69 
 555 
 
 WilcoT, W. L 625 
 
 Willard, C. W 655 
 
 Winandy, Michael 607 
 
 Wingate, Albert 488 
 
 Winkelman, Henry 30 
 
 Winston, John 643 
 
 Wiorn, Martin 639 
 
 Withrow, T. F 335 
 
 Wittbold, George 713 
 
 Wojtalewicz, F. M 654 
 
 Wright, J. H 646 
 
 Wright, W. G 645 
 
 Young, J. P 500 
 
 Zender, John 521
 
 liiiifilr s 
 
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