DAVIS, JOSEPH M.; Engineer; born at Winchester, Delaware County, Indiana, December 23, 1851; son of James F. and Polly (Balny) Davis. His father was born in North Carolina in 1812, and his mother in Westchester County, Pennsylvania. The paternal grandparents were Jonathan and Lucy Davis. The former was born in Wales and came to the United States as a soldier in the English Army. but deserted and entered the ranks of the Continental Army and fought for American independence. He settled in Delaware County, Indiana, where he became the owner of a section of land, dying at the age of one hundred and nineteen years, and his wife at ninety-nine. They were the parents of four sons and four daughters. One of the former is now living at the age of ninety. James F. Davis learned the blacksmith trade, and, in 1856, left Indiana and came by wagon to Peoria. After settling here he became an engineer and acted in this capacity on one of the early steamers on the Illinois River. Later he became a stationary engineer, and was killed bv the explosion of a boiler at Chandlerville, Illinois, in 1876. Mrs. Davis died in 1878. They left six children, four of whom are still living. Joseph M. Davis first learned a trade in the machine and brass finishing shop with Frazier, Thompson & Company in Peoria, where he worked five years. He then operated stationary and, later, steamboat engines. He spent fifteen years on Western rivers and the Great Lakes, making his home all the time in Peoria. For six years and a half he was engineer at the Vienna Mill and, for two years, master machinist at the Glucose Factory in Peoria. In December, 1899, he became engineer at the Strawboard Factory, where he is new employed. He is the only Republican ever elected Alderman in the Third Ward. This occurred when P. B. Miles was elected Mayor. During the Mayoralty of William Allen, Mr. Davis was Superintendent of Streets. He is a Mason, a Knight of Pythias and a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which last order he has filled all the chairs. August 5, 1883, he married Mary Sexton, of Pekin, who died September 3, 1899, leaving no children. Since 1899 he has been a member of the Board of Examiners of Engineers of the City of Peoria.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
DISTLER, ANDREW; born in Peoria, August 15, 1856; son of Paul Distler, a native of Bamberg, Bavaria, and Johanna (Zeitz) Distler, a native of Munich. Bavaria. Mrs. Distler (the mother) died May 9. 1901, at eighty-one years of age. Her husband was a cabinet-maker, who came to America with his family in 1850 and lived two years in the State of New York. Coming to Peoria in 1852. he began working at his trade, and operated a furniture factory for about a year, but closed it in 1861, when he enlisted in Col. R. G. Ingersoll's Regiment, the Eleventh Illinois Cavalry, of which he was for some time drill-master. On the organization of the Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry, he was made Captain of Company B of that regiment, and served with it till he was captured soon after Stoneman's Raid, afterwards being imprisoned at Atlanta and Charleston. For a time he was Provost Marshal at Macon, Georgia. While with his regiment he took part in all the battles in which it was engaged, and was commended for bravery by General Sherman in his Memoirs. He returned to Peoria after the war and, from 1870 to 1880, was engaged in the manufacture of furniture. He put in the interior finish and office furniture of the Peoria Court House and of several banks. He died in 1882 at the age of fifty-six. Andrew Distler began work in his father's shop at the age of twelve years and, in later years, had charge of much of the fine work which they put up. After the death of his father he continued the business, at a later date being superintendent of several large wood-working establishments. Between 1896 and 1900 he had a proprietary interest in a factory where fine interior finish and store and bar fixtures were made. On the organization of the Archarena Company in Peoria, in 1900, he became its Superintendent. Mr. Distler and Mary A. Sipp were married in Peoria, June 9, 1878, and
have three children: Fred William, Veronica and Florence M. Mr. Distler is a member of Western Lodge of Odd Fellows.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
DODGE, JOHN M.; Retired. Mr. Dodge is a descendant from a long line of New England ancestors. John Dodge, a native of Beverly, Massachusetts, married Susannah Morgan of the same State. Their son. John Dodge. Jr., married Polly B. Stone, of Rutland, Massachusetts, and moved to Beverly, Ohio, where William M. married Amanda M. Fisher, a native of Harmon, Ohio, whose grandfather, Daniel Fisher, of Dedham, Massachusetts, married Sybil Draper of the same town, and their son, Andrew, who removed to Ohio and married Mary Gray of Waterford, was the father of Amanda M. (Fisher) Dodge. William M. Dodge and wife came to Illinois in 1837 and settled at Bernadotte, Fulton County, where John M. was born August 9, 1837. In the following year they moved to Peoria, and here were born two other children: Loring S., and Alice M., now a resident of this city. John M. Dodge began life as a clerk on the levee in the employ of W. C. Boilvin, a steamboat agent. He was clerk on various steamboats, among them being the Schuyler, 1868, the Illinois, 1869, the P. W. Strader, 1872, the New Boston, 1873, and the St. John's, 1874. He became passenger agent for the steamboat Fayette at Peoria May 10, 1875, and in the same year was licensed as Master to run on the Illinois River. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was Check Clerk for the Rock Island Railroad at Peoria. August 22, 1862. he enlisted in Company C, One Hundred and Eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and six days later was made Regimental Commissary Sergeant, in which capacity he served till February 19, 1863, when he was discharged on account of disability incurred in the service of the army in the vicinity of the Yazoo River, Arkansas Post, and Vicksburg. Returning to Peoria he again entered the employ of the railroad company, where he remained till 1868. During the years between 1875 and 1885 he was employed in the Internal Revenue service as Storekeeper at Peoria. Mr. Dodge married Josephine Black, in Peoria, October 1, 1891.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
OSCAR F. DUBUIS; Superintendent Glen Oak Park; born in Canton Vaud, Switzerland, June 15, 1849; son of John and Rosalie (Lugrin) Dubuis, natives of Vaud. The father was a professor of natural sciences and teacher in the public school. The mother's people were farmers. Oscar Dubuis graduated from the common schools and took a two years' course at the Polytechnic Institute at Winterthur, Switzerland. The succeeding four years he spent as apprentice to an architect. In 1870, he came to America and settled in Chicago and took a position as architect and first-class draughtsman with W. L. B. Jenny, Engineer of the West Park, where he remained till after the first of 1871, when, for want of funds, the city discontinued work on the Park. After a years spent in W. L. B. Jenny's office, he was appointed Engineer and Superintendent of the West Chicago Park system, where he remained till 1893 -- a term of twenty-one years. In the latter year, in common with many others, he was removed for political reasons, but soon after became Engineer of Lincoln Park, where he remained one year. In 1805 he accepted an invitation to come to Peoria, where, as Engineer and Superintendent of Parks, he has transformed wild hills and glens into beautiful parks. He was married in Chicago, December 8, 1874, to Fanny Girard, daughter of Jason Girard, a native of California. They have six children: John O., Ernest G., Francis M., Pearl, Harry F. and George G. Mr. Dubuis is a member of the Lutheran Church. His family are Episcopalians. He is a Republican, a Mason and a member of the Elks.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
DUCE, CHARLES M.; Locomotive Engineer; born in Tazewell County, Illinois, November 25, 1858; son of Michael and Anne (Hein) Duis, as the name was formerly spelled. The father was born December 16, 1827, and the mother, November 10, 1835. The paternal grandfather was Michael Duis, and the maternal grandparents Oeja and Mary (Gerdes) Hein. All were natives of Oldebolg, Ostfriesland, and were farmers. Michael Duis came to America in 1852, sailing from Bremerhaven to New Orleans in nine weeks, and from the latter place, by boat to Terre Haute, Indiana. Anne Hein's father died when she was seven years old, and her mother in 1878. Accompanied by a brother and sister, she left Bremerhaven in 1853, and after a voyage of six weeks, landed at New Orleans, where the brother and sister died of yellow fever. She remained in New Orleans six months, when she ascended the rivers to Evansville, Indiana. In that State she first met Mr. Duis, who lived three miles from her home in Ostfriesland. Both came west afterward and were married in Tazewell County. Three of the children born to them are now living: Charles, Mary and Sallie, who reside with their mother in Peoria. Michael Duis was. for many years, a farmer in Tazewell County. Charles M. Duce lived on the farm with his parents till he was twenty- two years old. He then became a fireman on the Illinois Central Railroad, where he worked three years. Following that he was Engineer at the Coal Shaft at Minonk two or three years, but came to Peoria in 1887, and entered the employ of the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway Company, serving as fireman two years. Since then he has been an engineer on that road. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen. In politics, he is a Republican. He married Annie Plice in Peoria, November 17, 1881. They have three children: Minnie, Nellie and Mabel. Mrs. Duce was born in Tazewell County, August 26, 1862. Her parents were Fred and Jennie Plice, natives of Ostfriesland. The father died when Mr. Duce was an infant, and the mother now lives in Peoria.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
DUKE, WILLIAM B.: Locomotive Engineer; born in Indianapolis, Indiana, October 25, 1851; son of James and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Duke. The father was born in Indianapolis in November, 1826, and died March 26. 1899; the mother, a native of Kentucky, died February 22. 1898. James Duke and wife had seven children, of whom five are living: William B.. James S.. Flora M., Charles S. and Homer B. William B. Duke married Mary Thorne, a native of Peoria, in that city, December 19, 1876. She is the daughter of Michael Thorne, born in Prussia in 1821. He came to the United States with his parents when a boy, and, on reaching manhood, married Margaret Winter, a native of Alsace. Of this marriage seven children were born, three of whom are now living: Martin, Mary and Michael. Mr. Thorne died in 1865, and Mrs. Thorne, May 15, l895. The family are members of the St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church of Peoria. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Duke are: William E., Walter C., Harry E.. Flora M., Clarence M. and Alma M. William is in the United States Mail Transfer service at the Union Depot. Walter is a pressfeeder with Franks & Son. Harry is in the office of Blusch & Company, Insurance Agents. Mr. Duke has been in railroad service for more than thirty years, having been in the engine department since 1874 and a locomotive engineer since 1876. His term of service with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway extends back ten years. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Roman Catholic Church.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
DUNCAN, NELSON: Foreman; born in Sullivan County, Tennessee. January 14, 1858; son of Edward and Elizabeth (Dixon) Duncan, natives of Tennessee. The family moved to Illinois when Mr. Nelson was but a year old. His father, a farmer bv occupation, served as a soldier in an Illinois Regiment in the War of the Rebellion. At nine years of age Mr. Duncan was obliged to begin making his own way in life. which he did by working wherever work was obtainable. While still a boy he went to work in the Great Western Machine Shops at Joplin, Missouri, where he learned the machinist's trade. Afterward he had charge of gangs putting up plants for concentrating lead and zinc ore in Missouri, Kansas. Texas and other States, following this occupation for six years. He came to Peoria in 1892 and took the position of foreman of the Feed Department of the Peoria Glucose Sugar Refining Company, where he has charge of a force of over seventy men—a. position which he has held eight years. He has acted as foreman of gangs in various occupations since he was nineteen years old. September 6, 1892, he married Serena Musgrove at Kahoka, Missouri, and they have two children: Elsie and Willie. Mrs. Duncan is the daughter of Henry and Clio (Gibson) Musgrove, natives of Alabama. Mr. Musgrove was a Union soldier in a Missouri Regiment in the War of the Rebellion, and for a number of years was a resident of Stone County, in that State. Mr. Duncan obtained such an education in the common schools as his circumstances permitted. He is a member of the Republican party.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
DUNLEA, JAMES T.; Live-stock and Grain Commission Merchant, born in Peoria, September 7, 1856. His grandfather, James, and his father, Patrick Dunlea, were natives of Cork, Ireland. Patrick Dunlea married Eliza- beth Byrne, a native of the Emerald Isle. At the completion of his studies in the High School, James T. Dunlea took a position as clerk in the employ of the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad, where he remained one year. He then entered the employ of Fifer and Company, Live-stock and Grain Commission Merchants, as book- keeper, and in 1891, became a member of the firm. This house was established in 1870, the same year as the organization of the Peoria Board of Trade, is one of the oldest of its kind in the city, and has handled a large share of the total volume of the business. James T. Dunlea and Almyra Wonder were married in Peoria, October 7. 1891. She is the daughter of Henry and Matilda Winder, who came to Peoria at an early day. Mr. Dunlea is a Democrat, liberal in his political views, and votes for what he considers the best in local matters. He is successful in business and a favorite among his acquaintances.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
EBAUGH, WILLIAM H.; Contracting Mason; born at Westminster, Maryland, January 21, 1847. His grand- father was the owner of a large farm on which his children and grandchildren grew up. and on one of the three divisions of this farm Zachariah and Elizabeth (Armacost) Ebaugh, the parents of William, had their home. Mr. W. H. Ebaugh began to learn his trade when nineteen years of age, and completed it at the age of twenty-one, when he went to Baltimore and stayed one year, came to Illinois in 1870 and was employed at several places until 1885, when he settled in Peoria. He began as a mason contractor in 1888, and, in the past twelve years, has done the mason-work on various large buildings, including the Ballance Building, on Adams Street, (Ebaugh & McFarland); Monarch Distillery (rebuilt) ; the Peoria Wagon Works; and, since the dissolution of the partnership, the Peoria Livery Stable. Rhea-Thielens Implement Company's Warehouse, Peoria & Pekin Railway Company's shops and roundhouse, the Van Sant Block, on South Adams Street, Kingman Plow Company's Works (four buildings—the largest eighty by four hundred and forty feet, the entire plant containing four million bricks) ; a warehouse for the Avery Planter Company, containing one million bricks; a brick schoolhouse in Geneseo, and one in Tremont; Robinson's business house opposite the Union Depot, and Rhea's Building in the same block. In 1890 Mr. Ebaugh built himself a handsome residence at 701 Seventh Avenue, where he resides. He owns several dwellings and other property in the city. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen and of the Bankers' Mutual Association. On January 19, 1883, William H. Ebaugh and Nancy J. Allgire were married, in Carroll County, Maryland. Mrs. Ebaugh was born on a farm adjoining that on which her husband was born. She is the daughter of Melchor and Julia (Houck) Allgire. Mr. and Mrs. Ebaugh have four children: Flora, Glenn M., Imogene and Loretta.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
ECKLEY, OSCAR E.; Railway Conductor; born in Peoria, April 11, 1858; son of John W. and Barbara (Weidner) Eckley. His father was born at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, July 12, 1834, and died October 29, 1899. The mother is a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, and is still living. The parents were married in Philadelphia, later came west and settled in Peoria in 1855. The father was a carpenter. The firm of Eckley & McKinzie were the builders of most of the houses on the Bluff in those days, succeeding in this line to the place occupied by A. J. Hodges. They built the Griswold, the Cooper and other residences well known in those days. Mr. Eckley retired from business about twenty years before his death. There were four children in the family: Oscar, Lillie (the wife of Thomas West), Sherman and Kate. Thomas attended the Peoria High School and also Cole and Parish's Business College, and, at the age of eighteen years, went to St. Louis, where he was employed two years in a millinery store. He subsequently became a clerk in the office of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Company, where he worked two years, when he became a brakeman and, eight months later, was made a conductor. After four years' service with this road he went to Evanston, Wyoming, and spent one year in the service of the Union Pacific Railroad Company. While in the cab of an engine at Evanston the engine exploded, severely injuring Mr. Eckley and killing the man at his side. Returning to Peoria he had charge of a train on the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad for two years, and afterward held a similar position with the Santa Fe, with headquarters at Chillicothe. For no other purpose than a change of occupation, Mr. Eckley took charge of a grocery store in Peoria for one year, but afterwards worked one year for the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway; then filled the position of yard- master at Urbana for four years, that of conductor on the Iowa Central for three years, and for the past six years has been a passenger conductor on the Lake Erie & Western. His railway service covers a period of twenty- three years. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Order of Railway Conductors, and of the Modern Woodmen of America. He married Clara Cooper in Peoria, August 23, 1881. Her parents were natives of Ohio, who came to Illinois and settled in Washington, Tazewell County, more than fifty years ago. They now live at Pekin, where Mr. Cooper is engaged in fruit-growing; also conducts railroad excursions to California and Mexico. Mr. and Mrs. Eckley have seven children: Bessie, Flossie, Grace, Howard, Fred, Clarence and Mona.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
EICHHORN, LOUIS G.; Clerk; born at Spring Bay, Woodford County. Illinois, August 28, 1861; son of John C. and Magdalena (Rapp) Eichhorn, natives of Waldorf, Baden, a sketch of whom is given under another head in this volume. Louis Eichhorn was educated in the common schools and at Cole's College, at which latter place he obtained the principles of a good business education. September 25, 1882, he entered the employ of the Great Western Distillery, where he has worked ever since and now holds the position of Shipping Clerk. He married Clara Belle Green in Peoria, December 24, 1885. She was born at Lebanon, Boone County, Indiana, December 2, 1865, daughter of Frank Green, a Union soldier in the Civil War who died at the Soldiers' Home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1897. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Eichhorn are: Lena May and Myrtle Irene. Mr. Eichhorn has
a handsome cottage at 1811 Western Avenue, which he built and moved into June 1, 1899. He is a Democrat and was School Inspector in Peoria in 1892 and 1893. He is a member of Baker Camp, and the "Modern Woodmen of America."from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
EICHHORN, PETER J.; Dry-gauger; born at Spring Bay, Woodford County, Illinois, November 17, 1867; son of John C. and Magdalena (Rapp) Eichhorn, natives of Waldorf, Baden. The paternal grandfather, Peter Eichhorn, was also a native of Waldorf. The family of Magdalena Rapp were relatives of the well-known Astor family. John C. Eichhorn was a brewer and cooper in his native town and possessed a large property, consisting of a block of buildings in which he carried on his trade. He was an officer on the People's side in the Revolution of Forty-eight and left Germany to find a home in America. He first settled at Newark, Ohio, where he carried on coopering. From there he came to Spring Bay and, with his father, formed the firm of Eichhorn Brothers, brewers and coopers. In 1860 he moved to Peoria and operated a cooper shop, employing from fifty to one hundred men. He bought the property at the corner of Lisk and Washington Streets, known as the La Fayette Hotel, together with a piece of ground 150 by 350 feet in dimensions. Here he ran the cooper-shop, a hotel and a saloon, doing a large business for several years, but retired in 1876 and died in 1881. He was a man of influence and was Sheriff of Woodford County one term, and twice Alderman of the old Sixth Ward and Township Collector in Peoria. He was the father of eight children, of whom six, four daughters and two sons, grew to maturity. Mrs. Eichhorn died in 1885. Peter J. Eichhorn started in the employ of the Great Western Distillery in 1881, and has been in the employ of that Company ever since without missing a pay day. He has charge of the trimmers, of whom there are twenty-eight. He married Louisa Meidroth, in Peoria, October 15, 1877, the daughter of William F. Meidroth, an old citizen of Peoria. They have six children: William F., Clara Louisa, Frank G., John P., Edna May and Hazel. Mr. Eichhorn was educated in the common schools. He is a Democrat, and served as President of the Board of Trustees of South Peoria three terms—1896, 1897, 1898. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, of the Redmen, and the Columbian Knights. His residence is 1411 Howett Street, where he built a house in 1892.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
ELLIS, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN; Merchandise Broker and Real-estate Agent, Peoria; was born at Middle- own, Monmouth County, New Jersey, January 21, 1826, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Atwood) Ellis, who came to Peoria in 1836, where the father died two years later. The son was educated in the academy at Rochester, Massachusetts, and at sixteen years of age accepted a position in a clothing store at Galena, Illinois, where he remained six years. Inspired by the gold discoveries in California, at the age of twenty-two he fitted out an expedition and crossed the plains, reaching his destination in October after a six months' journey, and spent the winter in Northern California. Going to Sacramento the following spring, after passing through a serious illness he joined a small party which, having crossed Mt. Shasta, began prospecting on the western slope with fair success.
The following autumn he returned East by way of Panama, Cuba and New Orleans, and thence up the river to Peoria, where, in 1852, he engaged in the grocery business, which he conducted successfully some twenty years. He then gave his attention to a brokerage business for the wholesale grocery trade, which he continued twenty years longer, when he retired. In politics though in no sense a seeker for office he is a stanch Republican and an original Blaine man, being a delegate to the Chicago Convention of 1884, which nominated Blaine for the Presidency. In religious belief he is an Episcopalian, serving twenty-two years as a vestryman of St. Paul's Church, but, as an opponent of extreme ritualism, joined in the establishment of Christ (Reformed Episcopal) Church, of which he has ever since been a vestryman. On September 17, 1860, Mr. Ellis was married to Esther T. Woodworth, daughter of George and Louisa (Hovey) Woodworth, of Hebron, New Hampshire, and related to the author of the celebrated poem, "The Old Oaken Bucket." A genealogy of the Woodworth family in possession of Mrs. Ellis traces their lineage to Walter Woodworth, one of the original settlers of Scituate, Massachusetts, in 1632. Her grandfather Woodworth was a soldier in the War of the Revolution and took part in the battle of Bunker Hill; also assisted in the removal of Dartmouth College from Lebanon, Connecticut, to its present location at Hanover, New Hampshire. Her great-grandfather Tucker was a trumpeter in the army of the Revolution and was publicly thanked and presented with a silver trumpet by General Washington at the close of the war for conspicuous bravery. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ellis, three of whom died in infancy, those still living being Benjamin Franklin, teacher of Physics in Northwestern High School Chicago; Elizabeth, Reference Librarian in Peoria Public Library; and Louise Woodworth, Designer, in Kansas City. Mr. Ellis resides at No. 104 North Perry Avenue.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
FELTEN, JOHN S.; Locomotive Engineer; born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, November 14, 1860; son of Christian and Polly (Nycum) Felten, natives of Pennsylvania. The grandfathers were Christian Felten and John Nycum. Christian and Polly Felten were the parents of seven children, four sons and three daughters: Martha, Leonard, Elizabeth, Wilson, John S., William and Emma. Christian Felten was a soldier in the Union Army during the War of the Rebellion, Company K, Seventy-eighth Regiment, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. He died in 1898, and his widow October 17, 1899. They were people of high religious standing. Mr. John S. Felten married Sophia Gaus in Lincoln, Illinois, March 6, 1883. They have one daughter, Leila B. Mrs. Felten is the daughter of Lawrence and Katherine (Baumann) Gaus, natives of Wurtemberg, Germany.
Her father was born August 9, 1828, and came to the United States when a young man, locating at Lincoln, Illinois, where he married Miss Katharine Baumann. Five children were born of this union: Reinhold, Sophia, Oswald, Rosa and Bertha. Mr. Gaus died May 20. 1893. He was a member of Mozart Lodge, No. 345, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,. of Lincoln. Mrs. Gaus is still living. Mr. Felten has been employed by the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Company for twelve years, the last ten years holding the position of Loco- motive Engineer. He is a. member of Division No. 417. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. In politics he is a stanch Republican. He and his family are members of the Lutheran Church.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
FISCHER, JACOB H.; Grocer; born in Peoria May 10, 1854; son of Henry and Talleta (Harbers) Fischer, natives of Holland. His father was a skillful millwright, who came to Peoria in 1851 and assisted in the construction of all the principal mills about Peoria in his time. He was also a carpenter and boat-builder and worked at the latter trade when Peoria was a boat-building center. He died in 1858, and Mrs. Fischer in 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Fischer were the parents of four children. The only daughter living is Mrs. R. F. Walter, who lives on First Avenue, Peoria. The maternal grandparents came to America and settled at St. Louis in 1852, where they remained one year and then came to Peoria County and settled on a farm. Mr. Jacob H. Fischer started to work in a grocery house when thirteen years of age, but afterwards attended school four years, taking a course in the German and English Schools and Cole's Business College. At the age of twenty he became a partner with his step-father, Mr. John Goodhardt, the firm taking the name of Goodhardt & Fischer. This partnership lasted till 1882, when Mr. Fischer became sole proprietor of the business, which he has since carried on. In 1900 he left the store at 739 Lincoln Avenue, where he had been for several years, and moved into a handsome brick building which he erected during the summer of that year and still occupies. In 18— Mr. Fischer was nominated for Supervisor on the Democratic ticket without his consent, and elected without effort on his part. He served but one term, not caring for re-election. He is a member of the Lutheran Church. He is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, The Turners, and the "City Club of Bowlers." He married Lydia Dilzer in Peoria Septem- ber 7, 1882. Of eight children born to them, seven are now living: Talleta, Lydia, Jacob, Robert, Rosie, Virginia Ruth, Freda and Erma. Mrs. Fischer is the daughter of John and Rosa Dilzer, who were married in Peoria. The father was a native of Baden, Germany, and was a carpenter by trade. The mother was born in Switzerland. Mr. Dilzer came to America in 1853, and Mrs. Dilzer in 1854. For several years they kept the Washington House in Peoria.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
FISHER, EDGAR; Foundry Foreman; Averyville; born at Selinsgrove, Snyder County, Pennsylvania, April 28, 1859, the son of Charles and Phoebe (Bergstresser) Fisher, natives of Selinsgrove. The paternal grandfather, Jonathan Fisher, owned a large farm on the banks of the Susquehanna River, where he spent his life. The great- grandfather, George Fisher, was a Hollander by birth and owned a large estate in his native country. On account of trouble that grew out of hunting deer out of season, he came to America when a young man and settled in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, and never came in possession of his property again. Charles Fisher lived on his father's farm till 1865, when he came to Illinois and settled at Pekin, where he spent the remainder of his life except two years that he lived at Spring Lake. He died in 1874, and Mrs. Fisher in August, 1879. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom Edgar is next to the youngest. All grew up and live in this portion of Illinois. Edgar Fisher received his education in the schools of Pekin, and then learned the baker's trade, serving four years, when he learned the iron-molder's trade, at which he worked six years in Pekin. Then coming to Peoria he entered the employ of the Avery Planter Company, where he has been since, except one winter spent in Pekin. He has been with this company constantly for fourteen years, the last ten years acting as foreman of the foundry. At twenty years of age he became interested in politics and a friend of good government. In 1899 he was elected one of the Trustees of the Village of Averville for a term of two years. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Royal Neighbors and the Molders' Union. In politics he is independent. He married Oma Hulbert in Peoria September 21, 1887, and they have two children: Lena J. and Leonard E. Mrs. Fisher was born March 19, 1869, and is the daughter of John and Eliza (Steele) Hulbert. The father was born at Alton, Illinois. The mother was born in Virginia, February 9, 1832, and is still living. Seven children were born to them, of whom three are living. Mr. Fisher lives at 511 Haungs Avenue, where he owns a lot and a nice cottage which he built in 1896.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
FRANCIS, WILLIS Y.: Retired Manufacturer ; born at Lexington, Kentucky, August 8, 1830; son of Littlebury and Mary (Hubbard) Francis, natives of the same State. The Francis family originally came front Virginia, and set- tled in Garrard County, Kentucky. Littlebury Francis and wife were the parents of eleven children, all of whom grew up and married. He lived to the age of seventy-four years and died in 1879. Mrs. Francis died in 1853, aged forty-five years. Willis Y. Francis came to Will County. Illinois, at the age of eighteen years, having previous- ly lived in Dearborn County, Indiana. Two years later he came to Peoria, and, in partnership with his brother John, who had settled in Peoria a year previous, engaged in the coopering business, employing seventy-five men and having the largest establishment in the State outside of Chicago. This business continued ten years. Jas. H. McCall was senior partner in the firm of McCall & Francis, coopers, which was succeeded by Moss, Bradley & Co., coopers and distillers, in which business the Francis Brothers had a fourth interest. Mr. Francis was a distiller till 1880. About that time he became Superintendent of the warehouse and cistern room at the Monarch Distillery, and later spent a year mining in Wyoming. Subsequently he became inspector of cooperage at the Great Western Distillery, and it was through him that the Government adopted the present practice of weighing the spirits instead of measuring the barrels to ascertain the quantity. This method was adopted in 1890, and saves both the Government and the distillers many thousands of dollars each year. In October, 1850, Mr. Francis married Sarah Jane Brunson in Dearborn County, Indiana. She was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, daughter of George and Mary Brunson. The father was from New York and the mother from New Jersey. Of this marriage eleven children were born, four of whom grew to maturity, and of these two are now living. Lewis and Albert died after attaining manhood. Mary Jane is the wife of Ernest Pfeiffer, and Alice is the wife of William Balser, of Peoria. August 8, 1878, Mr. Francis married Mary Elizabeth Freeland, born at Seneca Falls, New York, November 7, 1841, daughter of David and Elizabeth (Kniffin) Freeland; the father being a native of New Jersey, and the mother of Seneca Falls, New York. Of this marriage there is one child, Frank R. Mr. Francis is a Republican and was a member of the Board of Health in 1875. In 1890 he was reelected Alderman of the Third Ward by a large majority in a three candidate contest, though the ward was largely Democratic. In 1892 he was elected Township Assessor and held that office three years. He was Deputy Assessor in 1899. He joined the Peoria Lodge of Masons in 1861. He is now a thirty-second-degree Mason, has twice filled the chair of Worshipful Master in the Blue Lodge, and has taken all the degrees in both the Commandery and Consistory, in both of which he has frequently held office. The residence he now occupies at 1212 South Adams Street, he built on the edge of a cornfield in 1853 and has lived there ever since.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
FRANKS, GERALD B.; President and Manager of J. W. Franks & Sons, Printing, Lithographing and Binding Plant; born in Chicago, August 8, 1860, the son of Joseph W. and Nano (Barrett) Franks, the former a native of Nottinghamshire, England, born April 13, 1829, and the latter of Milltown, County Kerry, Ireland, born June 21, 1829. Joseph W. Franks learned the printing trade in Chicago, came with his family to Peoria in 1864, and for a time, was connected with the publication of the "National Democrat," but in 1872 established the job-printing concern of J. W. Franks & Sons, which has since grown to be the largest establishment of its kind in Central Illinois. Gerald B. was educated in the public schools of Peoria, after which he was employed in the grain commission house of Tyng & Brotherson until 1878, when he became connected with the printing house established by his father and brothers six years previous. On December 8, 1891. he was married at Washington, Illinois, to Katherine Danforth, who was born November 2, 1868, and they have one child, Danforth W. Franks. In religious affiliation, Mr. Franks is an Episcopalian, and politically a Republican. At the present time he is President of the Printing and Lithographing firm of J. W. Franks & Sons, which, in a period of thirty years, has had a remarkable development, and is also President of Franks' Peoria Directory Company. Mr. Franks' father, J. W. Franks, the founder of the concern, still survives.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
FREEMAN, SETH WALTER; born at Pocasset, Massachusetts, August 31, 1830, is the son of Charles H. and Permelia (Davis) Freeman, the former born at Sandwich and the latter at Falmouth, Massachusetts. Sandwich appears to have been the home of the Freemans for several generations, as it was here that both the grandfather and the great-grandfather—both named Seth—were born. Seth (I.) married Experience Hatch, a native of Pembroke, Massachusetts, and his son, Seth (II.), Maria Nye, also born in Sandwich, the last named couple becoming the parents of Charles H. Freeman, already mentioned. Charles H. Freeman's wife, Permelia Davis, was the daughter of Walter and Hannah (Hatch) Davis, both born at North Falmouth, Massachusetts. Seth Walter Freeman was educated at Galesburg, Illinois, and became a farmer. He has been twice married; first on January 4, 1859, to Amanda S. Dudley, at Oxford, New York, and the second time, on May 10, 1893, to Mellie E. Emery at Peoria. Mr. Freeman has five children: Charles Walter, Carrie Nye, Jessie Lee, Minnie Miles and Helen Dudley. In religious belief he is a Universalist, and, in his political relations, a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
GATES, GOODWIN; Locomotive Engineer; born in Kirtland, Ohio, August 3, 1850. The Gates family of New England originated from Thomas Gates, who was born in Hingham, England, and came to America in the ship "Diligent," with his wife and two children, in 1638. He settled at Hingham, Massachusetts, and died at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1662. The parents of Goodwin Gates are Lorison and Salome P. (Felt) Gates. The father, a minister of the Christian denomination, was born in Malone, Franklin County, New York, March 3, 1813, and is still living. The mother was born in Cavendish, Windsor County, Vermont, October 11, 1815, and died January 3, 1869. They were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters; Stillman; Lorison L., who died in California; Salome E., deceased; Ira R., deceased; Lucy J.; Hosea F., who resides at Fort Dodge, Iowa, and is an engineer for the Iowa Central Railway Company; Goodwin; and Ruth, who died in infancy. Goodwin Gates married Theory A. Williams, in Mechanicsville, Iowa, December 29, 1869. They have one son, J. Willard, born November 12, 1870. Mrs. Gates' father, Miles William's, was born in Plainfield, Oswego County, New York, August 22, 1822. He was a farmer, and married Mrs. Emily C. Brown (nee Bristol), November 3, 1845. To them were born nine children—five sons and )four daughters: Pomeroy, Filenas, Theory A., Emily T., Elmina J., Irvin M., Miles, Jerusha E. and Benjamin F. Mrs. Williams died August 13, 1887, and Mr. Williams April 6, 1893. J. Willard is in the employ of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company as conductor. He was married twice— first to Agnes J. Glass, February 19, 1890. Two children were born of this union: Theory A. and Agnes G. The mother died February 6, 1898. The second wife was Annie White, who has one son, Willard. Goodwin Gates came to Peoria to reside in 1873, and entered the employ of the Peoria Horse Railway Company. In March, 1883, he was promoted to the position of engineer. He is a member of Division No. 417, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; also of Hargrove Lodge, No. 310. Ancient Order of United Workmen; and of the District Court of Honor. No. 765, of Forrest, Illinois. He is independent in politics. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
GAUSS, WILLIAM P.; Confectioner and Wholesale Grocer; Peoria; was born July 19, 1842, at Nurtingen, Wurtemburg, Germany, which had been the home of his ancestors on both sides for generations. In 1853 his parents came to the United States, settling first at Amboy, New Jersey, where they remained two years, when they came to Peoria and engaged in cigar manufacturing. In 1869, Mr. Gauss embarked in the grocery business on his own account, which he has continued ever since, being now at the head of one of the largest wholesale establishments of its kind in the city. Mr. Gauss was married October 31, 1867, to Miss Louise Potthoff, who was born in Germany in 1846, and they have a family of seven children: William F., Sophia, Julia, Tillie, Louis Julius, Ida and Clara. He is a Republican in politics, and has served as Alderman of his ward and in religious belief is a Lutheran.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
GIESE, DANIEL; Blacksmith; born in Germany, March 2, 1853. His parents died when he was still a child. At the age of twenty years, he came to America, and, after traveling about the country for two years, he came to Peoria in 1877. He worked as a journeyman blacksmith till 1881, when he erected a two-story building and opened a blacksmith and general repair shop at 2322 South Adams Street, where he has since carried on the trade. He is the inventor and patentee of a coal-drilling machine, which he manufactures. He employs two men and is doing an increasing business. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen and a Republican. In 1881 he was married to Julia Gager, in the city of Peoria, and they have two children living, Annie and Emma.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
GLASS, ALEXANDER; Engineer; born in Belmont County. Ohio, December ll, 1848; son of Vincent and Lucinda (Graham) Glass, natives of Ohio. The father was engaged in farming till the discovery of gold in California, when he went there and engaged in mining. After spending three successful years in the mines, he wrote to his family that he had secured gold enough to spend the remainder of his life in comfort and would soon be home again. Later news came that he was dead. His family never obtained any of the property he was supposed to possess. He left a widow and four children: Lucretia, Sanford. John and Alexander. The mother afterward married David Riegel, by whom she had two children. The family moved to Pontiac, Illinois, about 1857. Here Alexander Glass lived on a farm till 1871, when he came to Peoria and obtained employment in the Mash and Yeast room of the Darst Distillery, working in that department for ten years and, later being employed about three years in Spurck's Distillery. He also spent a year in distilleries about St. Louis and Kentucky. On account of poor health his friends secured for him the appointment of United States Storekeeper, and he filled that position from 1889 to 1893. He has been in the employ of the Monarch Distillery as engineer from 1879 to the present time, except for five years as stated above. Since 1894, he has been chief engineer. In May, 1809, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Examining Engineers of Peoria, for a term of two years, under Mayor Lynch. This appointment was unsolicited and has been well and conscientiously filled. Mr. Glass is a member of the Order of Mutual Protection, and the Association of Stationary Engineers. In 1900 he represented his Lodge at the meeting of the National Society of Stationary Engineers, which met at Milwaukee. October 15, 1871, he was married to Frances Ingram, at Pontiac, Illinois, and three children were born of this union, of whom two are living: Frank, and Mary, now Mrs. Charles Smith. Mrs. Glass was born at Wheeling, West Virginia, September, 1848, daughter of Richard and Nancy Ingram. The father died at the age of sixty-eight, but the mother lived till 1900, dying at the age of seventy-eight. Mrs. Alexander Glass died in June, 1898. Mr. Glass has charge of about thirty men and is capable of filling any place about a distillery.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
GREEN, JAMES; Highway Commissioner; born at Wilkinsburg, a suburb of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, February 5, 1845; son of Lawson and Sarah (Baker) Green. Both parents were natives of Allegheny County, the father born in 1812, dying in Peoria in 1882, while the mother died in 1871, aged. forty-five years. She was the daughter of Samuel Baker, a native of Germany, who came to America and married in this country. The paternal grandfather, Patrick Green, was a native of Ireland, and his wife of Scotland. He was a showman and traveled over all the Western States. His home was in Allegheny County, where he had a large landed property. He died about the age of seventy-five years. Lawson Green was the monied man of Wilkinsburg and a prominent contractor. He built many highways and, among other things, ballasted the Pennsylvania Central Railroad when it was constructed. He also built the Greensburg Turnpike, and for many years kept it in order. He came to Knox County, Illinois, about 1859, and was engaged in farming. Returning to Pennsylvania, he enlisted in the Sixty-third Infantry, known as the "Kelly Guards," and served two years and ten months. He took part in both the battles at Bull Run, the Seven Days' Battle before Richmond, the battle of Gettysburg, and others. Having been struck on the head by a gun in the hands of a Union soldier, as the latter fell in battle, he was never after wards able to walk. He had four sons and three daughters, three of the former seeing service in the army. Morris L., died in the three months' service, and was the first soldier from Allegheny County to give his life for the Union; Jacob had three honorable dis- charges from the service. James Green, the third son, enlisted in the Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry, February 5, 1865, and went direct to the front. With a portion of his regiment, he fought at Fort Hell, Petersburg, April 2 and 3, 1865, as dismounted cavalry. He was discharged July 1, of that year, and came to Peoria and, after farming awhile, located in Peoria, where he remained till 1870, when he returned to Pittsburg, remaining there until 1876. Returning to Peoria in the latter year he entered the service of the Woodruff Ice Company, where he was employed nine years. Three years following he was a bridge carpenter on the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway; for five years was a member of the Peoria police force; and served as Constable and Deputy Sheriff four years, resigning. April 18, 1808, to assume the office of Commissioner of Highways, to which he had been elected. By careful management the debts of the Board were paid and it now has a fund to its credit. He is now Treasurer of the Board. Mr. Green married Rebecca A. Pace in Peoria, December 29. 1869. She is the daughter of William and Mary (Frazier) Pace, and was born in Richwoods Township, April 16, 1852. Her father was born in Ohio, and her mother in Virginia. The former was a farmer, and served during the War of the Rebellion as a soldier in the Seventy-seventh Illinois Infantry, and was a prisoner fourteen months at Tyler, Texas. He was the father of five sons and five daughters all of whom are living—most of them in Peoria County. Mr. and Mrs. Green have three children : Charles Clinton, Harry James and Wilbur Morgan. Mr. Green owns his residence at 328 Chicago Street, also the house at 330. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and votes the Republican ticket.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
GRIER, ROBERT C.; Secretary of the Board of Trade, Peoria, was born in Danville, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1835, the son of John C. and Elizabeth (Perkins) Grier, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The elder Grier was the son of Rev. Isaac Grier, a Presbyterian clergyman, who was President of Northumberland College, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1814. This was also the birthplace of his son, John C., who was born there in 1808, went to Danville, in the same State, in 1819, where he obtained employment in a mercantile house, remain- ing twenty-seven years. Having in the meantime been married to Elizabeth Perkins, who was born in Wyoming Valley, in 1814, he removed in 1846 to Wilkesbarre, and there spent the next five years in mercantile business. In 1851 Mr. Grier removed with his family to Peoria, where he soon entered into the grain business, and became one of the leading business men of the young Western city. His death occurred July 27, 1891. Robert C. Grier came to Peoria with his parents in 1851. He was educated in the common schools of Pennsylvania and at Michi- gan University, graduating from the latter in 1854. Meanwhile he had been in course of training for a business career, and early engaged in the grain trade, and in 1866, joined his brother, Gen. D. P. Grier, in the erection of the first grain elevator in the city of Peoria. Mr. Grier was the second President of the Peoria Board of Trade under its present organization, and for the past twelve years has been Secretary of the Board; was also one of the original incorporators of the Chamber of Commerce and at the present time, is President of the Association. On May 14, 1863, he was united in marriage to Caroline M. King, of St. Louis, and they have had three children: Mary, Elizabeth and Wyllys King. The latter entered upon a successful business career in New York City, but died February 1, 1902. General David P. Grier. who was a prominent soldier during the War of the Rebellion, was Mr. Grier's next younger brother.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
GUTSCHE, ERNST; Dyer; son of Gottlob Gutsche: born at Zirke, Prussia, December 6, 1834, and learned his trade with his father, who .was also a dyer. After completing his three years course as apprentice, he. spent three years (1852-55). traveling through Germany and working in different towns and learning the various features of the work. He served three years in the Prussian Army (1855-58), and in the latter year he came to America, reaching New York on November 2. He spent several years in various occupations, visiting Chicago (where he stayed one year), New Orleans and other cities. He was in New Orleans at the outbreak of the war and left when General Butler took the city. He came to Peoria in 1868 and started the Peoria Steam Dye-Works—the first establishment of its kind in the city. He has been in business thirty-two years, and at the present time enjoys a very lucrative trade. He owns and occupies a handsome brick block and the lots on which it stands, 206-208 North Jefferson Street. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In politics he is independent. Ernst Gutsche married Anna Guenther in Peoria, October 21, 1870. They have eight children: Pauline, the wife of Charles F. Weber; Mathilda; Charles; Ernst; Emma, wife of Ormo H. Garrets; Lillian; William, and Elsa.
From Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Edited by David McCulloch, Vol. II; Chicago and Peoria: Munsell Publishing Company, Publishers, 1902.
HAMMER, JULIUS; Locomotive Engineer; born at Hammersebo, near Oscarshamn, Sweden, April 16, 1866; son of N. P. and Matilda S. Hammer, natives of the same vicinity as their son. The mother died in 1868. The father was born in 1848 and is still living (1901). He was a sailor in the King's Fleet, and as such visited many parts of the world, especially the countries bordering upon the Mediterranean, around the British Isles and in the far North. In 1872-73 he was a member of the expedition commanded by Prof. Nordenfeldt in search of the North Pole. Mr. J. C. Hammer came to America in the spring of 1884, and settled in Boone County, Iowa, where he worked two years on a farm. In 1886 he came to Peoria, and became an employe of the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway Company, and for several years worked about the round-house and shops. Later he worked as a fireman on an engine for two years, and, in August, 1892, was promoted to engineer, and has since served in that capacity. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. In politics he is Independent. He and his family are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. In 1888 he was married in Peoria to Beda Flack, who was born in Jonkoping, Sweden, and died in Peoria, November 9, 1891, leaving two children, Albert and Edward--the latter dying eighteen months after his mother. May 22, 1894, Mr. Hammer was again married to Miss Louisa Johnson, in Peoria, daughter of John and Sophia (Monson) Johnson. She was born in Sweden and came to Peoria in 1893. They have two children: George C. and Nannie J.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HARMS, CHARLES G.; Millwright; ex-Mayor of South Peoria; is a native son of Peoria, born September 19, 1856, and is the son of Daniel G. and Ahltje (Frerichs) Harms, whose sketch appears in this volume. Before he was twenty-one years of age Mr. Harms had learned the trade of plowmaker and that of carpenter, working at the latter in summer and. the former in the winter until 1892. In that year he engaged to the American Glucose Sugar Refining Company as a millwright, where he has continued to the present time. He is a Republican and takes an active part in politics. He was elected Mayor of the Village of South Peoria in 1889, and re-elected the next year. In 1803 he was elected for a third term, was re-elected in 1896, and for a fifth term in 1900. The Village Hall was built during his third term .and the Fire Department organized in his fourth year as Mayor. Mr. Harms does what he thinks is right and has the courage of his convictions. September 5, 1883, he married Fannie Folkers, a daughter of Seibolt and Gretie Backer Folkers, natives of Ost Friesland, Germany. They have four children: Daniel G.; Grace, Alice and George.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HARMS, DANIEL G.; Plow manufacturer; born at Ochtelbur, Hanover, November 24, 1832, where he received his education in the public schools. His father, Harm Weets, was the son of Weet Uphoff, each following the ancient custom of that country, by taking as a surname the Christian name of his father, to which he added an "S" prefixed to the Christian name. Uphoff was the name of an estate, which the family used as a name until it was dropped by Harms, who took for his cognomen the name of "Weets" from "Weet," his father's first name. Harm Weets was a freeholder and proprietor of a grocery store, in his native village, and a farm near by. Daniel G. Harms learned blacksmithing and came to America in 1851. He crossed the Ocean from Bremen to New Orleans between April 18 and June 18, on the sailing vessel "Edmund." He came up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, reaching Peoria July 1. In 1853 Harm Weets and other members of his family came to Peoria. Daniel G. began work in Rodecker's Plow Factory and was later employed by Tobey and Anderson and Pettengill & Lazell, and later for the factory of the Peoria Plow Company, also worked independently, and his knowledge extends back almost to the beginning of plow making in Peoria. For many years he has been in business for himself, and he now manufactures the Peoria Steel Plows, Cultivators, and other farm utensils, which meet ready sale. He is an industrious and honest representative of the laboring men of the city. In Peoria, March 20, 1852, he married Ahltje Frerichs, who was born in Morhusen, Hanover, January 1, 1825, and came to Peoria, via New Orleans, in 1849, reaching America after a voyage of thirteen weeks on the Ocean. Mr. and Mrs. Harms have
six children: Anna, now Mrs. Lewis Clausen; Mary, the wife of Joseph Peters; Charles; Frank; Louise, now Mrs. John E. Zoller, and William.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HAVENS, ERNST A.; Proprietor of Pattern and Model Works; born near Tonica, La Salle County, Illinois, April 1, 1861 ; the son of Jesse D. and Martha (Curtis) Havens. His father was born in Ohio in 1818, and his mother at Erie, Pennsylvania, June 22. 1828. The maternal grandfather was Nathan W. J. Curtis, and the grandfather on the paternal side, Jesse Havens, born June 23, 1787, near the mouth of Squawn River, New Jersey. The father of the latter came from Wales when quite young, was a sea captain and lost his life in a ship- wreck on the ocean. In boyhood Jesse Havens went to Virginia, and lived with a brother-in-law, named Newman. While there he frequently went bear-hunting with his brother-in-law and killed many of these animals. Mr. Newman made bear-hunting a business and during these hunting tours Mr. Havens often spent three months' at a time without seeing a human being, except members of the company. He was a fine marksman and many stories are told of his hunting adventures. In 1801 he went to the site of Newark, Ohio, and built several log cabins for a company that settled there. He married Rebeca Hinthorn and settled in Licking County, about eight miles north of Newark, and there cleared off a small farm, also kept a furniture shop. He enlisted in the war of 1812, and was at the desperate defense of Fort Stephenson made by Major Croghan and his band of one hundred and sixty men at Lower Sandusky. He came to Illinois in 1829 and settled on the site of what is now Leroy, in McLean County, moving his family there in December of that year. In 1830 he settled where Hudson now is, bought land and went to farming, but in 1850 removed to Iowa, where he remained most of the time till his death, December 2, 1862. He was buried at Havens Grove, Illinois, to which place he gave his name. Mr. Havens was one of the first Commissioners elected in McLean County after its organization. He had eleven children, all of whom became men and women. Jesse D., the seventh of these, and father of Ernst A. Havens, is a resident of Lincoln, Illinois. Ernst A. Havens grew up on his father's farm, but in his youth began to learn the potter's trade, at which he worked for two years. He then became a millwright, but later learned his present business in St. Louis, and in March, 1889, opened a shop in Peoria using footpower. From that beginning he has built his business up to its present proportions, and now manufactures all sorts of wooden and metal patterns, rubber molds and all similar work, using electric power. Mr. Havens was married in Peoria, December 18, 1883, to May C. Lawrence. They have five children: Jesse T., Rena May, Ruth J., Grace and Lee H. Mr. and Mrs. Havens are members of the Union Congregational Church. In politics he is a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HECHT, JACOB; Merchant; Peoria; born in Giershofen, Prussia, February 20, 1848; son of Gerson and Dorothea (Baer) Hecht, the former of Giershofen and the latter of Puderbach, Prussia. Mr. Jacob Hecht learned his trade while working with his father who was a butcher and dealer in cattle. In 1867 he came to Illinois, stopping for a time at Springfield and La Salle, and in the fall of 1868 located in Peoria. For two years he worked for wages, and in 1871 engaged in business for himself. In 1885 he and his brother Solomon engaged in the clothing business, under the firm name of Hecht Brothers, which has proved very successful. Mr. Hecht owns the buildings at Nos. 2109 and 2111 South Adams Street, where he conducts his business; he also owns other valuable property in Peoria. In politics Mr. Hecht is a Republican. In 1891-2 he was fruit inspector, and in 1895 he was elected Alderman of the Seventh Ward and re-elected in 1898; he was a prominent member of the Seventh Ward Republican Club, of which he was President in 1899. He is a Mason; a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America; he is a member of the Swedzeit Turnverein, of which he has been the presiding officer. Mr. Hecht was married to Louisa Schmidt in Peoria, August 22, 1871. They have four chil- dren living; Gerson, Jacob, Bertha and Louisa, In 1883 Mr. Hecht visited his parents, and traveled through various parts of Germany, France and England. Mr. Hecht is one of the substantial and influential men of the Seventh Ward.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HEID, LEWIS; Locomotive Engineer; born in Pekin, Illinois, February 5, 1871; son of Jacob and Eliza Held, natives of Germany. They were the parents of four children: Lewis, Emma, George and William. At thirteen years of age Lewis Heid began work in a machine shop in Pekin, where he remained several years, but at the age of eighteen found employment in the round-house of the Peoria and Pekin Union Railway Company, and later accepted a position as locomotive fireman which he held for about eight years, running an engine part of the time. About 1897 he was given permanent employment as an engineer, which position he still holds. In politics he is an independent Democrat. He has been a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen for several years.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HENSELER, JOHN E.; Carpenter and Builder; born in Opladen, near Dusseldorf, Rheinfalz, Germany, February 2, 1820. His parents were Henry and Margaret (Muenster) Henseler. The father was born at Blankenburg, Rhine Province, February 2, 1788 and died in July, 1857. The mother was a native of Opladen, born December, 1799, and died in June, 1834. She was the daughter of William and Gertrude (Neusz) Muenster, the former a native of Opladen and the latter of Hittdorf. The paternal grandparents were John E. and Margarite (Dorn) Henseler, natives of Blankenburg. The grandfather was the proprietor of a vineyard and died at the age of seventy. Henry Henseler was a builder and served in Spain and Russia under Napoleon between 1810 and 1815. Only two of his ten children grew to adult age. William Muenster, who died at the age of forty, was a tax collector for nearly twenty years. His son, Fred, was with Napoleon in the Russian campaign. After leaving school, John E. Henseler served three years in the Engineer Corps of the Prussian Army. In 1854 he came to America and settled in Chicago, where he lived from September to April. He then came to Peoria, and soon after the outbreak of the Civil war (September, 1861), entered the service of the United States, afterwards holding the position of Captain in the Engineer Corps. He went from St. Louis to Paducah and from there to Columbus, Kentucky, and superin- tended the construction of the fortifications there. He also performed similar services about Vicksburg. After years' service in the army he returned to Peoria County, and for nine years lived in Princeville, where he served as Alderman two terms. He has been a resident of Peoria since 1872, except one year, when he lived in Washington, Tazewell county. He carried on the contracting business in Peoria until 1885, when he retired. From 1884 to 1888 he held the position of Government store-keeper. For two years in the early seventies he was a member of the Old Volunteer Fire Company, Number 2. In politics he is an independent Democrat. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Henseler married for his first wife, Wilhelmina Kirsch, and five children were born to them, of whom John .and Alexander, the only two who survived childhood, were merchants in Peoria. Alexander died in 1898. For his second wife Mr. Henseler married Margaret Doyle, born in Dublin, Ireland, February 6, 1846. They have had fifteen children, of whom eleven grew to maturity: Philip, Clara, Nellie, Henrietta (who died at the age of twenty-two), Regina (the wife of Julius Breckinridge), Anna (wife of John B. Otten), Isabel (wife of Charles W. Green). John, Lucy (wife of Rudolph Trefzger), Francis and Mary.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HEWITT, FRANK E.; Railway Engineer; born in Galesburg, Illinois, June 23, 1858; son .of William O. and Minerva (Kennedy) Hewitt, natives of Upper jay, Essex County, New York. The father was born in July, 1831, and died at the age of fifty-three years; the mother died in 1887, aged fifty-four. The paternal grandfather was William Hewitt, and the grandfather on the maternal side. Jerome Kennedy, a native of Upperjay. Both were farmers. William O. Hewitt was a school teacher when a young man, but coming to Galesburg in 1855, entered the employment of the Chicago. Burlington and Quincy Railroad, working in the machine shop until 1867. for most of the time acting as a foreman. Coming to Peoria at a later date, he started with the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway as a common workman. By repeated advancement he became successively foreman for a term of twelve years, and then master mechanic of the Peoria shops for the twelve years following. Later he went to Belleville, Illinois, where he was master mechanic of the Illinois and St. Louis Railroad for one year. On account of poor health he returned to Peoria and died one year later, June 4th, 1883. Frank E. Hewitt took a three years' course in the High School and also learned telegraphy. During his vacations he was employed as carrier for the "Peoria Transcript." He left school in 1874, and after being engaged for a short time as telegraph operator, storekeeper and time-keeper for the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad Company, became a locomotive fireman for three years, and on May 29, 1879, at twenty-one years of age, was put in charge of a locomotive. Since that time to the present he has filled the same position with the T. P. & W. and Wabash Companies, except one year (1883-84) when he was in the employ of the Chicago & Alton, with headquarters at Roodhouse, Illinois. On July 10, 1882, he was married in Peoria to Mrs. Ruecklos (whose maiden name was Carrie Grant), the youngest daughter of David and Marietta (Gulick) Grant, born at St. Louis, Missouri, September 25, 1851. Her father was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October, 1800, and died in St. Louis, Mo. For many years he was a steam- boat captain on the Mississippi River. The mother was born at Maysville, Kentucky, October 2, 1803, and died in August, 1897, aged nearly ninety-four years. Capt. Alex. Grant, a brother of Mrs. Hewitt, and a prominent steamboat owner and pilot, commanded a United States dispatch-boat between New Orleans and Cairo during the War of the Rebellion, and afterwards commanded the steamer Atlantic. Mr. and Mrs. Hewitt have one son, Frank E., born November 23, 1884, and now in the first year of the High School. At the Field Day Exercises of the schools in 1900 he took most of the prizes in athletics, except that for wrestling. Mrs. Hewitt is a graduate of the Lake Forest Seminary, near Chicago. Mr. Hewitt is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, a Master Mason and a Knight of Pythias.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HILL, WILLIAM H.; Physician; born in Keokuk, Iowa, June 15, 1873; son of Benjamin F. and Elizabeth (Steinberger) Hill. The father was born in Richmond, Indiana, and the mother in Iowa. William H. Hill graduated from the city schools of Keokuk at the age of seventeen years; subsequently was stamp clerk in the Keokuk Post Office four years, and for two years engaged in the tobacco business at Honey Grove, Texas. Having graduated from the Keokuk Medical College in 1898, he entered upon the practice of medicine, and after a brief sojourn in Missouri came to Peoria in 1899, where he has enjoyed a growing practice. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of the World, of the Home and Fireside, Fraternal Tribunes, Columbian Knights, and the Royal Circle, for all of which he is medical examiner. He has lately been chief officer of the Home and Fireside and Fraternal Tribunes. In 1887 Dr. Hill became interested in silk-culture, and has since devoted much time to the study of the silkworm and the silk industry. He has a wide experimental knowledge of the worm and its product, and is one of the best authorities on the subject in America. He has the largest Magnanerie, or place for silk-worm culture, in the United States. Dr. Hill married Anna V. Johnson in Keokuk, Iowa, March 24, 1897, and they have one child. Garnet B. Mrs. Hill's parents, Louis and Eliza (Rupe) Johnson, were early settlers of Minnesota. Mr. Johnson was a dentist by profession. Dr. Hill is a Republican. He and his wife are members of the Congregational Church at Keokuk, Iowa. They reside at 2520 South Adams Street.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HILLYER, FRANK R.; Yardman; born in Ohio, March 7, 1867; son of James M. and Martha Hillyer. His father was born in Coshocton, Ohio, in 1831, and the mother in Hudson, New York. The paternal grandfather, Abram R. Hillyer, was a native of New England. James M. Hillyer had three children, two sons and a daughter: Anna R., Frank R. and George L. The last named is in the theatrical business. James M. Hillyer died in 1893. His widow is still living. Frank R. Rillyer married Eva M. Macy at West Superior, Wisconsin, January 7, 1894. She is the daughter of Theodore Macy, a native of New York, horn September 24, 1833. He was a railroad employe for twenty-five years. He married Sarah Wilkes, February 7, 1864. She was s. native of London, England, and came to America when one year old. To them were born nine children—six daughters and three sons: Frankie, George, Lottie, Lulu, Eva M., George, Blanch, Theodore and Daisy. The two sons named George and the daughter Daisy died in infancy. Mr. Macy died April 18, 1899, leaving a widow. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hillyer are Harry J. and Sarah L. Mr. Hillyer is politically a Democrat. He has been in the railway service fifteen years, six years of that time with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Road. He is a member of Burlington Voluntary Relief Corps.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HITCHCOCK, CHARLES F.; Real-estate and Loan Agent; Peoria; was born at Pittstown, Rensselaer County, New York, January n, 1836, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Freeman) Hitchcock. The father, who was a merchant tailor, resided at Pittstown until his retirement from business, when he removed to New York City, where he died. He was a man of retiring disposition, positive in his convictions and a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. Charles F. Hitchcock was educated in the common schools and at Salem Academy, New York, and, at an early age, obtained employment as clerk in a general store, in which he continued until he reached his majority. He then came to Illinois, and in April, 1857, engaged in the clothing and gentlemen's furnishing business at Aurora. In May, 1862, he removed to Sparland, Marshall County, and there embarked in the grain trade, also acting as railroad agent; but in June, 1875, came to Peoria, where he opened up a grain commission business, and for ten years was a member of the Peoria Board of Trade. For the past fifteen years Mr. Hitchcock has been engaged in the real-estate business, and is now a member of the firm of Hutchinson & Hitchcock, real-estate and loan agents. He is prominent in the Masonic fraternity, of which he became a member in August, 1858, and has held official positions in all branches of the order, at the present time being a thirty-third-degree Mason and Past Grand Master of the State. He is also a member of two benevolent societies, and although not a church member, is affiliated with the Society of the Universalist Church. On politics he is an unswerving Republican, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln for President. He was married in October, 1861, to Mary E. Pease, and they have three children—one son and two daughters: Harry P., Grace and Maude.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
HURD, CHARLES T.; Merchant; born in Peoria, November 16, 1840; son of Thomas and Sarah D. (Hall) Hurd. His father was a native of New York, born May 25, 1810, and his mother at Stephentown, New York, February 20, 1813. Both the paternal and maternal ancestors were residents of New York and New England. Thomas J. Hurd, who came to Peoria in the early 'thirties, was a carpenter by trade, but was engaged in the mercantile business in Peoria for several years previous to 1837. At the latter date he resumed carpentering and helped to build up the new city. Among some of the contracts that he filled was that for the old Peoria House. In 1850 he sent a ship-load of lumber to San Francisco via Cape Horn, taking a shorter route himself via the Isthmus. He engaged extensively in contracting and building in San Francisco, but died in 1851. Mrs. Hurd was the daughter of Judge Hall, of Rensselaer County, New York, coming to Peoria in 1837. After receiving a common-school education in Peoria, Charles T. Hurd went to Massachusetts and attended school at Lanesboro for two years, but afterward lived in Boston, where he held a position as cashier in a dry-goods store for one year. Returning to Peoria in 1861, he organized a wholesale paper house, associating with him Asa Mayo and T. E. C. Wheeler. In August. 1862, he enlisted in Company A, Seventy-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He took part in the battles at Vicksburg and Arkansas Post, but was afterwards transferred to the Signal Service Corps, a branch of the regular army, where he served as Sergeant till the close of the war. After the surrender of Vicksburg he took part in the Red River Campaign and about Mobile. He was mustered out of service July 4, 1865, and returning to Peoria engaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1869 he became a partner in the firm of Kingman & Company, agricultural implement dealers, where he remained three years. Subsequently he engaged in the manufacture of buttons from vegetable ivory, but discontinued in 1881 on account of the influence of tariff reduction on the business. Since then he has been a commercial traveler and is now manager of the Peoria Trading Association, a combination of Peoria merchants for advertising purposes. Mr. Hurd is an Independent Republican. He and his family are members of the Presbyterian Church.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
IRWIN, WILLIAM T.; Attorney at Law, was born in the ancestral home at Dayton, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1856, the son of Joseph T. and Mary J. (Travis) Irwin. On the paternal side Mr. Irwin is of Scotch-Irish descent, his great-grandfather, Benjamin Irwin, having been born in the North of Ireland. His grand- father, Benjamin (2d), was a native of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and married Margaret J. Marshall, who was born in Armstrong County in the same State, which was also the birthplace of their son, Joseph T. Mr. Irwin's maternal grandparents were William and Jane Travis, both of whom were natives of Indiana County, Pennsylvania. His great-grandfather, Benjamin Irwin, already mentioned, although born under the British flag, was a soldier in the war of the Revolution, and after the achievement of National Independence settled in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, but later took up his residence on the farm in Armstrong County which has been the home of his descendants for three generations. William T. Irwin was educated in the common schools of his native town and at Glade Run Academy, graduating from the latter in the class of 1878, taking a turn during his vacations in labor on his father's farm; taught for a time in the graded schools at Dayton, and in .1879 came to Illinois and began the study of law with Judge Alfred Sample at Paxton, Ford County; was admitted to the bar at Springfield in May, 1881, and, in the following autumn, came to Peoria, where he entered into partnership with Judge J. W. Cochran, which continued until the removal of the latter to Fargo, North Dakota. Then after practicing alone for some time, in 1896 Mr. Irwin formed a partnership with W. I. Slemmons, which still exists. In 1891 he was elected City Attorney for the city of Peoria, and re-elected two years later, although a Republican, winning at each election by a decisive majority in a city where the preponderance of votes has been largely on the side of Democracy. In religious belief Mr. Irwin is a Presbyterian, and fraternally a thirty-second-degree Mason, and member of the Knights of Pythias. On June 1, 1886, he was married to Miss Ida M. Woodruff, daughter of Nelson L. Woodruff. Mrs. Irwin died in Peoria, August 7, 1899, leaving one son, Joseph W. Irwin, who was born September 19, 1889.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
JANSSEN, JOHN G.; Bookkeeper; born in Hanover, Germany, February 18, 1847. He emigrated with his mother to America in 1861, and for several years lived in Freeport, Illinois, attended school at Mt. Morris, and came to Peoria in 1863, where he has since lived. For eighteen years he was clerk and bookkeeper for the late A. W. Bushnell. He has been connected with various fraternal organizations and served two years as National President of the Order of Mutual Protection. In 1899 he was elected Township Assessor of Peoria Township, an office to which he has been re-elected each of the succeeding years, and is now serving his third term. He is a Republican in polities, and is a member of the Methodist Protestant Church. He married Annette Potthoff at Bloomington, Illinois, August 14, 1869. They are the parents of six children: George, Joseph, Annie, Nettie, Rosa and Ella.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
JOHNSON, ANDRES G.; Railway Engineer; was born in Sweden. His father, Peter Johnson, lived and died in Sweden; but his mother, Brita C. Johnson, came to the United States, where she lived until her death, January, 1884. Andres G. Johnson was educated in his native country and came to the United States in 1873, and located in Peoria. In 1880 he married Hannah Johnson, a native of Sweden. They have two daughters: Hilda C. and Anna E. Mr. Johnson has been in the employ of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad Company since the year 1875, filling various positions, for the last ten years serving as an engineer. He is a member of Division No. 417, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; of Fort Clark Lodge, No. 109, and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The family are members of the Lutheran Church.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
JOHNSON, AUGUST P.; Locomotive Engineer; born near Gottenburg, Sweden, July 30, 1860; son of Johan Johnson. The father was also a native of the same place, born June 27, 1821. The mother died in 1861 when August was but one year old. Immediately after her death the father came to America and settled in Lewistown, Illinois, where he died March 3, 1899. Mr. August P. Johnson remained in Sweden with a cousin till he was eleven years old, when he sailed from Gottenburg to New York and from there came to Lewistown, where he lived till he was seventeen years old. He then went to Chicago, where he was in the employ of the Western Union Telegraph Company two and a half years. From there he came to Peoria and entered the service of the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway Company. After working about the roundhouse for a time he became a fireman and filled that place seven years. He then accepted a position as engineer, which he has filled for the past fourteen years. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and of the Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a Repub- lican. He and his family are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. On March 17, 1884, he married Augusta Hammer in Peoria, and they have four children: Annie, William, Minnie and Tillie. Mrs. Johnson; was born at Oscarshamn, Sweden, December 12, 1863. Her parents were Nels P. and Tillie (Swanson) Hammer. The mother died when the daughter was but five years old. The father (who is still living in Sweden at the age of sixty-three) has been a sailor all his life, and has made many long voyages over the world. He accompanied the celebrated Baron Nordenfeldt on his Arctic voyage, and was not heard of for two years. He now lives on a
farm which he bought with the savings from years of sea service.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
JOHNSON CHARLES A.; Contractor and Builder; Averyville; born at Andover, Henry County, Illinois, June 12, 1861; son of Charles E. and Carrie (Lindborg) Johnson, natives of Sweden, who were the parents of seven children, four sons and three daughters. When sixteen years of age Charles went to work in a planing mill at Cambridge, and in connection with that employment learned carpentering. In 1885 he bought the proprietor's (George Webster) interest and operated the mill one year, when it was destroyed by fire and Mr. Johnson was a heavy loser. The same year he came to Peoria, where he worked as a carpenter till 1893. He then formed a partnership with his brother John, and since that time they have been engaged in contracting and building. Among some of the principal buildings they have erected are the residence of Rev. Arthur Tapping, Knoxville Avenue; ten houses for Callender & Company; City Livery Stable; Peoria Livery Stable; three dwellings for Thomas Hayden on Perry Avenue; St. Andrews Parsonage on Madison Avenue, which was the first stone residence in Peoria; Michael Meyer's residence, 1606 Madison Avenue; the Callender Flats, Eaton Street; the Forbes Flats on Perry Street: the residence of Herbert Powell in Fairbury, and buildings at Laura. Mr. Johnson is a Master Mason, a member of the Consistory and the Shrine; a Past Vice-Grand in the Odd Fellows, which order he joined when twenty-one years of age; a member of the Redmen, the Maccabees, and the Modern Woodmen of America. He has a handsome two-story residence at 201 Rock Island Avenue, which he built in 1896. Mr. Johnson married Carrie M. Burger in Peoria, November 19, 1896. They have one child, Ruth Evelyn. After completing the gram- mar school course she attended the High School one year. Her father, George W. Burger, was born in New York State, September 14, 1826, came west when a boy and settled in Detroit, Michigan. In 1848 he married Hannah E. Green, a native of New York. They lived together forty-six years and were the parents of ten children, six of whom—four sons and two daughters—grew to maturity. Mr. Burger died October 19, 1894, and Mrs. Burger March, 1900. At the time of his death Mr. Burger was one of the oldest railroad men in the western service, having been employed as an engineer and in the shops for forty-five years. He was first employed in the construction of engines, then as engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad, and later as an engineer on trains in the .military service during the War of the Rebellion. After the close of the war he was an engineer on the California and Sacramento Road two years. Coming to Peoria, he was with the Toledo, Peoria & Western eight years, then with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe in New Mexico, and afterwards returning to Peoria operated a stationary engine for two years previous to his death.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
JOHNSON, JOHN S.; Contractor and Builder; born in Sweden June 27, 1857; son of Carl Eric Johnson. He left school when eighteen years of age, but at sixteen began to learn the carpenter trade, which he followed until twenty-one. In August, 1881, he came to Peoria and worked as a carpenter for thirteen years, but in 1893 became a partner with his brother Charles. Since that time they have been engaged in contracting, erecting each year an average of twenty houses. Some of their important contracts embrace the remodeling of the New Peoria House (1900); the construction of two houses for John Powers, on Dechman Avenue, and one for Herman Alts on Frye Avenue. Mr. Johnson was married in Peoria June 30, 1886, to E1iza B. Waughop. They have two children: Winifred J. and Genevieve L. Mrs. Johnson is the daughter of Richard Waughop, who was born in Virginia. Mr. Johnson and his family are members of Grace Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a Republican. He is a Mason, a member of the Blue Lodge, the Consistory, the Chapter and the Shrine. He is also a member of the Woodmen of the World. He has a pleasant home at 713 Morton Street.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
JOOS, RAGETH; Carpenter and Builder; born in Andeer, Canton of Graubuinden, Switzerland, January 14, 1832; son of Conradin and Annie (Men) Joos, natives of Andeer. The maternal grandmother was Margaret Men. In 1849 the brothers, George and Rageth Joos, came to America, landing at New York after a voyage of forty-two days. From there they went to West Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Mr. Rageth Joos worked on a farm for three months, when, in September of the same year, he came to Peoria, where he learned the carpenter trade. He worked as a journeyman till 1873, much of this time being in the employ of Valentine Jobst and Michael Meintz, contractors. In 1873 he engaged in business for himself and, between, that time and the date of retiring from business (1897), built many fine houses in Peoria. Mr. Joos has been married twice—first in March, 1856, to Barbara Walter, a native of Woodford County, by whom he had seven children, only one of whom, Mrs. Mary Ann Frey, is now living. Mrs. Joos died in July, 1870. In 1872 he married Catherine Kraut, a native of Bavaria, born April 25, 1844, by whom he has two children, August and Robert. Mr. Joos is an Odd Fellow and has passed all the chairs of the Western Lodge, No. 295, of Peoria, and represented that organization in the Grand Lodge of the State for many years. He is also a member of Peoria Lodge No. 15, Ancient Order of United Workmen; of the Independent Order of Mutual Aid; of the Turners, and other societies. He is the owner of the Champion Flue Scraper, which is manufactured by himself and his son Robert. He lives at 902 South Adams Street, where he has a handsome house, and in the rear a large workshop, both built in 1878. August Joos was born February 8, 1874; worked at the carpenter trade for his father six years; then became partner in a bird store on South Adams Street with his brother Robert, whose interest he bought in June, 1899, since then being sole proprietor. Robert Joos was born April 22, 1876. He is now conducting the publication of the "American Pigeon Keeper," of which he is the editor and proprietor.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KAMMERER, CHARLES; Brickmaker; Peoria ; was born in Peoria January 19, 1862. Both his great-grand- father and grandfather were named Martin Kammerer. The latter was a brick mason, and the father of four sons. One of these, Philip, born in South Germany, October 23, 1828, came to America, arriving in New York May 1, 1854. After remaining in New York two months he came West, making brief stops at Pittsburg and Wheeling, and reaching Peoria August 28, 1855. Two of his brothers, Adam and John, came later and located at Warsaw, Illinois. Mr. Kammerer is a brick mason and plasterer, and built numerous residences and other buildings in Peoria. For six years he served as Alderman of the Sixth Ward. He was chairman of the first fire and water committee appointed in the city. In politics he is a Democrat, and in religion a Catholic. Philip Kammerer was married May 11, 1866, to Mary Frye, a daughter of Samuel and Anna Frye, who were natives of Lanzberg. Mr. and Mrs. Kammerer are the parents of seven children: Charles, Philip, Lizzie, Mamie, August. John and Ida. Charles and his three brothers learned the trade at which their father worked all his life. Charles Kammerer began contracting in 1888, and has been very successful in business. The brick work on Plymouth Church was done by him, as was the brick work on the German Baptist Church, and also on St. Anthony's Church, the Cordage factory, the Lee School, the East Bluff Hose House, and other Peoria structure. On February 23, 1883, he married Mary Manser, of Peoria, by whom he has three children: Herbert, Ida and Charles. Mrs. Kammerer is the daughter of John and Mary (Haase) Manser, both natives of Germany. Her father was a bugler in a New Jersey regiment during the Civil War. Mr. Kammerer owns a handsome residence, which is well furnished, at No. 815 Fifth Avenue, and possesses other property in the city. He is a Mason, an Odd Fellow, a Modern Woodman and a member of the Old Peoria Volunteer Fire Company, No. 4.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KEENE, JOHN E.; Manager for Aetna Life Insurance Company, Peoria; born in Loudoun County, Virginia, March 28, 1853, is a son of Thomas W. and R. E. A. (Jacobs) Keene. His father was born in Virginia, a son of J. N. T. G. E. and Harriet (Triplett) Keene, natives of that State. Thomas Keene, his great-grandfather, the original representative of his family in Virginia, was born in England and married Ann McAdams, an Englishwoman. Price Jacobs, his great-grandfather in the maternal line, was the father of Elam Jacobs, who was born in Virginia and married Eleanor A. Lyons, a native of Ireland, and became the father of R. E. A. Jacobs. John E. Keene was educated in Illinois public schools, and at De Pauw University, at Greencastle, Indiana, where he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1877, in which year he represented his University in the State oratorical contest. He was selected to deliver the Master's oration for De Pauw University in 1880, and that year received from his Alma Mater the degree of Master of Arts. Mr. Keene was brought bv his parents to Elmwood in 1858 and has lived in Peoria County almost continuously since. He assumed the duties of his present position at Peoria in 1884. He is junior partner in the firm of R. W. Kempshall & Company; VicePresident of the Peoria Title and Trust Company ; member of the Peoria Public Library Board and School Inspector for the Fifth Ward. He is a Republi- can and a communicant of the Congregational Church. He married Florence M. Murray, at Chicago, August 8, 1893, and they have two children, Floyd E. and Florence R. Mr. Keene's aptitude for, and his devotion to, business have made him prominent in Peoria's financial circles.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KELLERSTRASS, CHARLES H.; Barber; Peoria; born in Peoria August 7, 1873, is a son of Robert and Margaret (Augustin) Kellerstrass. His father was born February 14, 1831, at Salingen, Rhine Province, Germany, and his mother at Gimeldingen, Rheinpfalz, Germany, September 22, 1829. Robert Kellerstrass came to America in 1851, with three brothers, and settled in Peoria. For several years he was a baker, but later went into the liquor business. Later in life he retired entirely from business, and died January 14, 1887. Mrs. Kellerstrass came to America when twenty-three years old, making her home at first in Ohio, but subsequently came to Peoria, with her two brothers, making the journey in wagons. Mr. and Mrs. Kellerstrass were married in 1853, and became the parents of fourteen children, eight of whom are now living. The others died when young. Mrs. Kellerstrass is still living at the age of seventy-two years. Charles H. Kellerstrass began the barber's trade when only thirteen years of age, and was employed at it four years. In 1891 he opened a shop for himself, which he has since conducted in the lower part of the city, at first being located at No. 2025 South Washington Street, where he remained two years, when he moved to No. 1203 South Adams Street, where he has been since 1893. October 29, 1895, he was married at Bloomington, Illinois, to Anna Feldkamp, a daughter of George and Christiana (Lund) Feldkamp, who have been residents of Peoria for many years. To this marriage was born one child, Earl C. Kellerstrass. In the spring of 1809 Mr. Kellerstrass was elected Assistant Supervisor by the largest majority any candidate received at that election. During his first year he was a member of committees on Public Buildings and Finance. In 1900 and 1001 he was chairman of the Public Buildings Committee, and was re-elected in 1901, again receiving the largest vote of any candidate on the ticket. He belongs to Western Lodge, No. 295, indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows; Barbers' Local Union, No. 44, and Knights of the Maccabees, of which latter organization he is Finance Keeper. He is a stanch Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KELLERSTRASS, ROBERT; Sheet Metal Worker; born October 12, 1860; son of Robert and Margaret (Augustin) Kellerstrass. His father was born February 14, 1831, at Solingen, Rhine Province, Germany; his mother was born at Gimeldingen. Rheinpfalz, Germany, September 22, 1829. Robert Kellerstrass, Sr., came to America with his parents, three brothers and two sisters in 1851, and settled in Peoria the same year. For several years he followed the trade of baker, but later engaged in the liquor business, which he conducted until 1876, when he retired. He died January 14, 1887. Margaret Kellerstrass came to America in the spring of 1851, making her home for a short time in Ohio, and came to Peoria September 23, 1851. making the journey by wagon. She is now conducting a confectionery store at 2008 South Washington Street. Mr. Kellerstrass and wife were married in Peoria August 29. 1853, and became the parents of fourteen children, eight of whom are now living: Maggie, who is Mrs. John Rouse: Minnie, who is Mrs. Edward Meinders; Robert; Rickie, now Mrs. Charles Baumgard- ner; Ernst; Christian; Charles; and Joseph. Robert Kellerstrass was educated in the Peoria Public Schools, the German Free School and Cole's Business College. In 1876 he began working at his trade, which occupation he has since followed. He has always been a stanch Democrat, and in 1890 was nominated for Alderman, but was defeated by a very small majority. In 1898 he was again nominated and elected Alderman of the Sixth Ward by a large majority, holding the office for two years. In 1901 he was appointed Oil Inspector of the city of Peoria. Mr. Kellerstrass was married July 23, 1884, to Elizabeth Mackey, daughter of Edward and Mary Mackey, natives of Ireland. Edward Mackey came to America in 1854 and died in 1862; his widow died November 1, 1900. Mrs. Elizabeth Kellerstrass was born November 5, 1861. and is the mother of five children: Mary Elizabeth, born October 15. 1885; Margaretta, born March 20, 1887; Lorena, born December 30, l888: James Robert, born November 25. 1890; and Ruby, born February 11, 1897. Mr. Kellerstrass has for a number of years been a member of the Knights and Ladies of Honor Lodge, Independent Order of Foresters; Heptasophs Lodge; New Peoria Fire Company, No. 4, Sheet Metal Workers Union, and Trades and Labor Assembly.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KENNEDY, JAMES; Superintendent of Highways; was born in the city of New York, and received his education in the common schools. His parents, John and Margaret (Clary) Kennedy, were both natives of County Tipperary, Ireland, where they were married, and came to the United States some years prior to the birth of James. After living in New York for a time the family moved to Flushing. Long Island. When James was eleven years old the family left Flushing, and located in Bloomington, Illinois, soon after coming to Peoria. Here the father worked in Barker's Distillery for many years, and here both father and mother died. While still a young man James entered into the employment of the Street Car Company, where he was engaged for five years, and for four years drove a transfer team. He worked in the distilleries for the same length of time. and was then foreman of the repairing crew for the water-works, being employed in replacing street paving. For a year and a half he was Assistant Superintendent of Streets, and foreman at Glen Oak Park three years; also held the same position one year at Bradley Park. During these four years he also carried on a grocery and drug business at No. 1805 South Adams Street. For about two years he was in the employ of the Gas Company, and during the season of 1809 he held a city position as sidewalk inspector, and in the spring election of 1901 was chosen Superintendent of Highways on the Democratic ticket. Mr. Kennedy was married in Peoria June n, 1872, to Bridget Doyle. They have five children: Thomas J., John D., Edward, Mary and Agnes. Mrs. Kennedy is the daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Malone) Doyle, both natives of Ireland, but residents of Peoria for forty-five years. They are members of the Catholic Church. Mr. Kennedy owns his handsome residence at No. 700 Milman Street.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KIRK, WALTER H.; Attorney-at-law; Peoria ; born at Baxter Springs, Kansas, December 5, 1870, the son of John E. and Laura J. (Sevier) Kirk—the former born at Richmond, Ray County, Missouri, March 4, 1850, and the latter, in Sullivan County, Missouri, December 3, 1852. John E. Kirk's father was James F. Kirk, a native of Tennessee. Walter H. Kirk came to Peoria with his father's family in August, 1884 and attended the. Franklin School and the Peoria High School, graduating from the latter in 1890. The same year, he entered the Literary Department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, later taking the course in the Law Department of the same institution, from which he graduated in June, 1894. with the degree of LL. B. In October following he opened a law office at his present location in Suite 444 Woolner Building, in the city of Peoria, which he has occupied ever since. In the spring of 1901, Mr. Kirk was elected, to the office of Supervisor of Peoria County, and has been employed by the Board as assistant and associate counsel in the defense of the celebrated small-pox cases brought by the City of Peoria against the County, involving $18,000, recently compromised by the payment on the part of the County of $7,000. Mr. Kirk was married in Peoria. November 12, 1895, to Miss Pearl Matthews, who was born June 30, 1870, and they have one daughter, Evangeline born November 12, 1897. In religious views he is a Liberal, and in politics a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KLINGENBERG, NICHOLAS; Confectioner ; a native of Riepe, Hanover, where he was born June 5, 1838, son of Nicholas N. Klingenberg, who was a hunter and fisher, and died at the age of forty, leaving his widow, Anna (Remps) Klingenberg, with four sons, of whom Nicholas, the youngest, was only four years old. She died about 1880, aged eighty years. Nicholas Klingenberg attended school during the winters until he was fifteen years old, when he spent two years on a farm. In 1857 he came to the United States, and was nine weeks on the ocean between Bremen and New Orleans. He came up the river as far as Naples, Illinois, where the steamer was frozen, in and he made the remainder of his journey to Peoria by rail, arriving here about the first of December. For a time he worked at farming, and then secured a position in a blacksmith shop until 1862. That year he
enlisted in Company B, Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, but was afterward transferred to Company A of the same regiment, when the command underwent reorganization. He served in all the campaigns and was present at every battle in which his regiment participated until his discharge. When he left the service he had a record of the following engagements at which he was present: Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863 ; Assault on Vicksburg, May 22d; Siege of Vicksburg, June 4th; Richmond, Louisiana, June 15th; Fort De Russy, Louisiana, March 14, 1864; Henderson Hill, Louisiana, March 24th; Pleasant Hill, April 9th; Chentsville, Louisiana, April 21st: Cane River, Louisiana, April 22d; Bayou Rapids, April 24th ; Skirmish near Alexandria, Louisiana, from May 2d to May 9th; Mansura Plains, Louisiana, May l4th; Coffeeville, Louisiana, May 15th; Yellow Bayou, May l6th; Lake Chicot, Arkansas, June 6th; Tupelo, Mississippi, July l4th, 15th and l6th; Abbeville, Mississippi, August 23d; Campaign through Arkansas and Missouri in September, October and November; and Siege of Spanish Fort, Alabama, from March 27th to April 9, 1865. Mr. Klingenberg was discharged August 12, 1865, at Selma, Alabama. Returning to Peoria, he was engaged in mechanical employment until 1870, when he opened a confectionery establishment, which he carried on for six years. During the next fourteen years he was a policeman for six years and had charge of the County Jail eight years. In 1885 he built a house and store at No. 1206 North Adams Street, where he has since carried on business as a confectioner, since 1898 Mr. Klingenberg has con- ducted the Glen Oak Park Pavilion, one of the finest pleasure resorts in the State. On September 12, 1877, he was married to Maggie George, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth George, early settlers of Mount Pleasant, Iowa. They have two daughters, Anna and Elizabeth Viola, and an adopted daughter, Minnie.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KNEER, RUDOLPH; Retail Liquor Dealer; born in Peoria, April 8, 1859; son of Wendelin and Mina (Seibold) Kneer. The father was born in Germany October 20, 1836, and died in 1892. The mother was born in Germany in 1840. Wendelin Kneer came to the United States in 1856. For thirty years he was proprietor of the Railroad Exchange Hotel in Peoria. He and his wife were the parents of nine children, five of whom are still living: Frederick W., who is in the liquor business at 501 South Adams street, Peoria; Renia; John W., a plumber, Peoria; Emil, Bookkeeper and Manager of the Godel Packing Comoany; August, deceased, who was Deputy County Recorder of Deeds of Peoria County: William, Frieda and Minnie, deceased. Rudolph Kneer married Carrie Rawlings in Milwaukee in 1892. Mr. Kneer is a Democrat.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KRAUSE, CHARLES A.; Market Gardener, South Peoria; born at Jarchow, Stettin, Prussia, September 17, 1841, is a son of Christian and Joanna (Schultz) Krause. His father was born at Garstin, Prussia, and died September 27, 1876, at the age of eighty-one years. His mother was born at Sterum, Prussia, and died in June. 1877, at the age of seventy-four. Charles A. Krause left home when he was sixteen years of age, and came to Quebec, by way of Hamburg, crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel in forty-six days. Then going to Milwaukee, he worked on a farm near there for a year and a half, when, in January, 1858, he came to Peoria, where he held a position as clerk, for eighteen months. For the next seven years he was employed as a journeyman painter. In 1865 he moved to South Peoria where he bought two acres of ground, leased five more, and built a house, which has since been greatly enlarged and improved, affording a commodious home. At the present time he owns a finely equipped market farm of twenty-three acres of rich land, for part of which he paid at the rate of $1,100 an acre. During the summer season he employs eight people, and disposes of a large amount of produce about the city. He also owns several buildings in Peoria, and has a well-improved farm near Bluehill, Nebraska. Mr. Krause was married in Peoria October 18, 1863, to Caroline Seibold, daughter of Frederick and Fredericka (Neff) Seibold, of Peoria. She was born at Felbach, near Stuttgart, Germany, and came to this country with her parents in 1854. Her mother died in 1887, at the age of seventy-five years; and her father in 1892, at the age of eighty. Mr. and Mrs. Krause have eight children now living: Minnie (who is Mrs. A. B. Weers), Anna, Charles, Carrie, Otto, Henrietta, Paul A. and Olga. Mr. and Mrs. Krause visited the Fatherland in 1892, and renewed their acquaintance with many places of interest there. Mr. Krause is a Democrat, and he and his family are members of the Lutheran Church.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KRAUSE, FRITZ; Market Gardener; son of Christian and Johanna Schultz) Krause, was born near Kolburg, Prussia, February 9, 1849. When he was sixteen he came to this country, landing at Quebec, and making his way first to Chicago, and from there to Peoria. Until 1873 he was employed by market gardeners. By this time he had learned the business thoroughly, and with his savings bought seven acres of land in what is now South Peoria, paying for this tract, with some small improvements, $3.000. To this he has since added three acres, and now has on his place a handsome residence, green houses, and all the conveniences needed for a successful market farm. He is also a part owner of other land and valuable buildings in Peoria, and is one of the leading market gardeners in the city. In 1891 he took a trip to Europe, traveled through Ostfriesland, Holland, Alsace-Lorraine, and parts of Germany, seeing much of the magnificent scenery of the Alps. On his return to the United States he visited Washington, D. C., New York, and other points of interest in the Eastern States. Mr. Krause is a popular man, and has served two terms as Alderman of the village of South Peoria in 1889 and 1893. He is now President of the Peoria Market Gardeners' Association. Mr. Krause and Matilda Bruntzel were married in Peoria March 16, 1873. They have twelve children: Fred L., August, Hannah. Mathilda, Louisa, Wilhelmina, Harry, Frank, Emma, Edith, Jennie and Elmer.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KRIEG, FRIDOLIN; Carpenter; son of George and Mary (Bootz) Krieg, was born at Ettenheim, Baden, February 7, 1850. His father was a gardener by trade, and was also born at Ettenheim in 1812, and died in 1875. His mother, who is now living, was born in 1815. George Krieg the grandfather of Fridolin, served in the Napoleonic Wars on the side of the French. Fridolin Krieg, who was reared to the weaver's trade, came to New York February 7, 1868, and from there made his way direct to Peoria, where he was engaged as a mason's helper. Afterwards he worked at the carpenter's trade, and was in the employ of Joseph Miller & Sons sixteen years. For the next fifteen years he was a carpenter at the distilleries. While in the employ of John H. Francis he was head carpenter for the distillery; also superintended the construction of the residence and three other houses on High Street for Mr. Francis, working two and a half years. He made the drawings and laid out the plant of the Great Western Distillery, the construction of which he superintended, and is now head carpenter of that enterprise. Mr. Krieg is. a Catholic, and in politics independent. He married Katherine Minchbach in Peoria February 9, 1873, and they have had six children, all but one of whom are now living: Freda the wife of Albert Santo; Louisa, the wife of Robert Arends; Katie, George, Fridolin and Caroline. Mrs. Krieg is a daughter of Franz Joseph and Mary (Wetterer) Minchbach, and was born April 24, 1845. Her father was a butcher, and he had seven children, of whom three came to this country—a son and two daughters. Mrs. Krieg came to the United States in 1870, and made her home in Peoria. Her grandfather, Peter Wetterer, was Mayor of Ichenheim nine years. Her brother, Carl Joseph, a cavalryman, was killed near Belfort, in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Theodore Krieg, a brother of Fridolin, died from a gunshot wound received at Tauber, Bischoffsheim, while in the infantry service.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KRUSE, HENRY; Retired Stock-dealer; a son of Frederick and Louisa (Fly) Kruse, was born in Hanover, Germany, June 27, 1824. He came to the United States in 1844 and settled in Chicago, where he made his home until 1847, when he came to Peoria. In 1850 he opened the first butcher shop at Canton, Illinois, but soon returned to Peoria, where he established a packing-house, and engaged in killing animals for others engaged in the trade. In 1853 he began a butchering and cattle-feeding business, in which he was engaged for some time, when he established a distillery, which he operated until he sold out to "the Trust." Later he was engaged in pork packing, in which business he was engaged until he retired from active business in 1880. He now lives in a fine house on property he has occupied for thirty-five years. In 1850 Mr. Kruse was married to Johanna Kruse, who was born in Germany April 28, 1832, by whom he has had four children: Frederick G., Lewis H., George O. and Lena L. Mr. Kruse has been Alderman two terms in Peoria, and has always taken an active interest in the welfare of the city. Mrs. Kruse died March 19, 1900.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KUCHER, THEODORE N.; Master Mechanic; born at Fort Wayne, Indiana, November 9, 1870, is the son of the Rev. John J. and Anna Kucher, both natives of Germany. His father was sent by the Missionary Society of Basel, Switzerland, to preach the Gospel among the German's of the United States. He was married in Philadel- phia March 2, 1859, to Anna Murck, who was born at Stuttgart, Wurtemberg. To them were born nine children, of whom Theodore N. is the sixth. He entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1885 as messenger, and the following year he became an apprentice in the company's machine shops. In 1890 he was made assistant foreman, and four years later went on the road as fireman for six months. The following year he was put on special work for the Superintendent of Motive Power. In 1898 he became assistant master mechanic of the shops at Allegheny City. In 1900 he was appointed Master Mechanic of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad at Peoria. He was educated in the Lutheran Schools and College at Fort Wayne, and holds to his ances- tral faith. In politics he is a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
KUCK, HENRY G.; of the firm of Stuber & Kuck; manufacturers of piece tinware; was born in Peoria September 26, 1866. His grandfather, Henry Kuck, was born at Colheim, Hanover, and was a glass blower bv trade. He married Anna Adelheit Maeyer, and was the father of Dietrich Kuck, who married Trintje Willms, a native of Norden, Ostfriesland. Her parents were George Willms, a miller at Uphusson, and Itje Clausen. of Norden, Ostfriesland. Henry G. Kuck learned the tinner's trade between his fifteenth and eighteenth years, after which he worked as a Journeyman for H. Sandmeyer and Company. When he was twenty-one he was admitted as a partner in the firm of Stuber & Kuck, the only general manufacturers of tinware in Peoria. A notable item of their large trade was the recent order of 25,000 dozen roach-traps. Henry G. Kuck married Anna Janssen in Peoria February 15. 1893, and they have one child, Catherine E. Mr. Kuck was educated in Peoria, is a stanch Republican, and belongs to the Baptist Church.From Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Edited by David McCulloch, Vol. II; Chicago and Peoria: Munsell Publishing Company, Publishers, 1902.
LANDIS, WILLIAM C.: Locomotive Engineer; born in Dauphin County. Pennsylvania, November 22, 1848: son of Adam and Mary (Caley) Landis, natives of Pennsylvania. They are now residents of Kansas. Their children are: William C., Samuel C.. Daniel C.. Lizzie, Franklin C., Mary and Solomon B. William C. Landis married Hannah Ellinger, in Palmyra, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1868. They are the parents of seven children: Ida M., Harry H., Katie, Charles F.. John E.. William A. and Robert M. Of these Ida M., Katie, Charles F., John E. and Robert M. died in infancy. Harry is a tin and sheet iron worker. He married Margaret Schroder, of Peoria. They have three children: William F., Frederick C. and Robert H. Mrs. Landis' father, Michael Ellinger, was born in Pennsylvania in 1811, and was a farmer. He married Hannah Ulmer and to them were born seven children: Lizzie, John, George W., Fannie, Jacob, Hannah and Kate. Mr. Ellinger died January 9, 1895, and Mrs. Ellinger in 1885. William C. Landis came to Illinois in 1860 and has been in the railway service since 1872, when he entered the employ of the Toledo. Peoria & Western Railway Company. He has been an engineer on this road since 1876. He is a member of Division No. 417, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, of which Division he is Chaplain. He is also a member of Peoria. Lodge, No. 15, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of Chapter No. 7, Royal Arch Masons; Peoria Commandery, No. 3, Knights Templar; Central City Lodge, No. 202, Ancient Order of United Workmen. He and his family are members of Calvary Presbyterian Church, of which he is an Elder and Trustee. In politics he is a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LAPP, AUGUST; Dairyman; Averyville; born in Wolferode, Hesse Cassel, February 11, 1873; son of Conrad Johannes and Elizabeth (Bussenberner) Lapp. The father was a native of Hesse Cassel, born May 28, 1835, and died August n, 1899; the mother, born at Axtaf, Hesse Cassel, November 6, 1837, is now living in Peoria. Mr. and Mrs. Lapp were married in Germany, and there all their children, of whom there were five daughters and one son, were born. They came to America in 1881, sailing from Bremerhaven and landing at Baltimore, coming thence direct to Peoria. Mr. Lapp was a stonemason, but did not work at his trade in this country. He purchased three and a half acres of land on North Madison Avenue, and in 1898 erected a handsome two-story frame house and other buildings at No. 3523, which occupy a part of this property. August Lapp attended school till about fourteen years of age, and afterward worked at whatever employment he could obtain. He spent one year in the rolling mill and two years at the Peoria Water Works. In 1893 he engaged in dairying on a small scale, and now has thirty cows and does a good business. He married Matilda Fagot, in Averyville, August 23, 1890, and they have one child, Anna Elizabeth. Mrs. Lapp is the daughter of Peter Fagot, a native of France, and his wife, Anna (Kerker) Fagot, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. They are farmers and reside in Woodford County, Illinois. Mr. Lapp is a member of the German Methodist Church. He votes the Republican ticket.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LEISY, EDWARD C.; Brewer; was born in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1859, and the history of his family for nearly two centuries is a matter of record. All his ancestors were born in Germany. John Leisy, his father, born in 1828, married Christina Schowalter, who was born in 1831. Abraham Leisy, born in 1802, married Catharine Rohrer, born in 1805, and they were the parents of John Leisy. Edward C. Leisy's great-grandfather was born about 1738 and married Miss C. Runer, who was born about 1742. John Schowalter, Mr. Leisy's grandfather in the maternal line, was born about 1736, and married a member of the Fellman family born in 1740. Their son, Christian, born in 1777, married Magdalena Bader, born in 1787, who was the mother of Christian Schowalter. Edward C. Leisy was educated at Keokuk, Iowa, and early acquired a practical knowledge of brewing. He has long been President and General Manager of the Leisy Brewing Comoany, and is prominent in the business circles of Peoria, and, as a Democrat, is influential politically. He married Emma Walte, at Peoria, April 12, 1893, and they have three children— Florence, Lucille and Lena.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LEISY, ALBERT E.; Brewer; brother of the preceding, was born in Keokuk, Iowa, in 1868. —the son of John and Christina (Schowalter) Leisy. The genealogy of the family has been given quite fully in the preceding paragraph. Albert E. was educated in his native city, and on reaching manhood became Secretary and Treasurer of the Leisy Brewing Company, of Peoria, which position he still retains. A history of this enterprise will be found elsewhere in this volume. under the head of "Manufactures." In politics Mr. Leisy is a Democrat. He was married October 18, 1899, in Peoria, to Miss Jennie Thode, and resides at No. 1709 North Perry Avenue.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LEVINSON, ISAAC J.; Lawyer; born at Cincinnati, Ohio, November 30, 1857, is a son of Jacob and Deborah (Hirsch) Levinson, natives, respectively, of Prussia and of Bavaria. Louis Levinson, his grandfather, and his wife Fanny were born in Prussia. Isaac and Hannah Hirsch, his grandparents in the maternal line, were natives of Bavaria. Mr. Levinson received his entire education at Cincinnati, and was admitted to the bar at Chicago March, 1880, and was the first lawyer of the Jewish faith to practice ins Peoria. He came here in September, 1880, to enter upon his profession, and has gained a lucrative practice. He devotes his, leisure time to social and charitable work, and since 1880 has been at the head of the local Jewish charitable societies, and has done great work in that line. As an ardent Democrat he is active in politics, but has no ambition for public office. He was married to Miss Belle Woolner, in Peoria, June 24. 1885, and they have two sons Jerome and Melville W. Fuller Levinson.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LINES, CALVIN CURTISS; Assistant Cashier, Peoria National Bank; was born in Baltimore, Maryland, June 20, 1833, the son of Edwin L. and Elizabeth (Curtiss) Lines. His family, in both of its branches, was of New England colonial origin—the ancestors of the Lines family having settled in New Haven Colony (Connecticut) at an early day, while the Curtiss branch came over in the ship Lyon to Plymouth Colony in 1632. Mr. Lines' great- grandmother on the maternal side was a sister of John Eliot, the celebrated missionary and translator of the "Eliot Bible" in the Indian tongue, while one of his great-grandfathers was a soldier in the War of the Revolution. Soon after Mr. Lines' birth his parents moved to Brownsville, Pennsylvania, where his boyhood was spent and he attended the common schools. After clerking for two or three years, in 1854 he came to Peoria and entered the banking house of J. P. Hotchkiss & Co., as bookkeeper; later was employed in the same capacity by their successors, Lewis Howell & Co., and the Second National Bank of Peoria—now the Peoria National Bank. Previous to the reorganization of the Second National under its present name, he became Assistant Cashier, a po- sition which he has retained under various changes since, and in length of service is now the oldest banker in the city of Peoria. Mr. Lines was one of the founders and a charter member of Grace Presbyterian Church, while the present Mrs. Lines was one of the founders of the Peoria Free Kindergarten system, including a Training School, and for several years has been President of the board of management.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LITTLE, JOHN W.; Farmer, born in Hampshire County, West Virginia, January 13, 1832; son of David C. and Ann (Harrison) Little. His father was born in West Virginia and his mother in Devonshire, England. The paternal grandparents were George Little, a native of Scotland, and Miss Carlyle, a native of Pennsylvnaia, and his maternal grandfather, Robert Harrison, a native of Devonshire, England. John W. Little came to Peoria March 23, 1853; went to Brimfield the next day and settled in Princeville, where he has since resided, except ten years when he lived in Iowa. He came to Peoria County in very moderate circumstances, but with the assistance of his wife has acquired a large estate. He now owns nine hundred acres of land besides property in Princeville and Peoria. Mr. Little married Harriet E. Harrison, in Princeville, March 28, 1865, and they have had four children: Lillie M., Henry G., Lenora (who died at the age of twenty) and M. Emma (who died at nineteen). Mr. and Mrs. Little now reside in Peoria, where their son and daughter are attending school. Mr. Little is an independent Democrat in politics.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LOHMAR, ALEXANDER W.; Proprietor of Grocery Store. Meat Market and Saloon; born at Oquawka, Illinois. August 23. 1855. His grandfathers were John Lohmar and Robert Burrus; his father, Henry Lohmar, born in Prussia May 1824, died February, 1898, and his mother, Theresa (Burrus) Lohmar, born in Prussia, May, 1825. Robert Burrus and his family accompanied by Henry Lohmar came to America in 1853 via Bremen and New York. Soon afterward they settled at Oquawka, where Henry Lohmar and Theresa Burrus were married. He carried on a tin and hardware business there, afterward lived fifteen years at Bonaparte, Iowa, and later practiced law in that State and at Cassville. Barry County, Missouri. Alexander W. Lohmar began life for himself at thirteen years of age as a painter, and worked at that business twenty years. In 1883 he came to Peoria, and was in the employ of the Avery Planter Company for several years. He left that firm in 1890, and started a grocery store and meat market, three years later adding a saloon next door. He now has a handsome stock of goods and a large trade. He is a member of the Domestic Circle. In politics he is independent. He was married at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. August 23, 1883. to Lena Haeffner, and they have four children: Rollie, Lulu, Leo and Elmer.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LOUIS, AUGUST and CHARLES N.; Roofers; sons of Nicholas J. and Juliana (Goehring) Louis. Nicholas J. Louis was born in Lorraine, France, April. 1832, and was the son of Christopher and Elizabeth Louis. At eighteen years of age he came to America, landing at New York in March, 1850. Having learned the tinner's trade at Utica, New York, after three years' service as an apprentice, he came to Chicago, where he worked as a journeyman three and a half years. In 1857 he came to Peoria. where he spent the remainder of his life. He began business for himself in 1865, making a specialty of galvanized cornices, slate, tin and gravel-roofing. The business was carried on at 225 Bridge Street until 1891, when it was moved to Maple and Forsyth Streets. Mr. Louis was for three years Chief Engineer of the Peoria Volunteer Fire Department. June 9. 1859. Nicholas Louis married Julian Goehring, born at Ganershein, Germany, June 24, 1837. Four children were born of this marriage: Annie, Juliana, August and Charles N. Mr. Louis died December 2, 1885. The firm since has long been known as N. J. Louis & Company, but since the death of the elder Louis, the business has been conducted by his sons, who do a large business, employing an average of fifteen men. Among some of the principal buildings upon which they have put roofs and galvanized iron work are: The Union Depot; the Peoria and Pekin Freight-house: the Sumner, Douglas and Greeley schoolhouses, and St. Joseph's Church; and more recently the roof of the Peoria & Pekin Terminal's Depot at Pekin; the round-house, car-house and power-house at South Bartonville; also the roofing for the Marsden Company in Bartonville, Chenoa and Lincoln. August Louis, the elder of the two sons, was born in Peoria October 5. 1863, spent one year in the public schools and then about five years in St. Joseph's School, after which he assisted his father in business. He is a Democrat. Charles N. Louis was born September 18, 1869, and was educated in the public and St. Joseph's schools. He was married to Margarite McEnany in Peoria, on Thanksgiving Day, 7898. In 1898 he was elected Alderman of the Third Ward on the Democratic ticket, and re-elected in 1900; is very popular with his constituents.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LOVETT, ROBERT H.; County Judge, Peoria County; was born in Brimfield, Peoria County, Illinois, July 2, 1860. His parents came from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and located at Brimfield several years before he was born, wherefore he claims the honor of being the only "sucker" in the family. He had three brothers, and three sisters, two of whom have died. Judge Lovett comes from the common people, his father and his father's father having been blacksmiths, while his mother's parents were farmers in Pennsylvania. He attended the high school in Brimfield. working on the neighboring farms in the summer until he was sixteen years of age, when. having completed the his school studies, he began teaching in the public schools, following this vocation for seven years, with the exception of one year spent in the State Normal, at Normal. Illinois. While engaged in teaching he studied law under the supervision of James M. Cameron. of Peoria, afterwards entering his office as a student, and was admitted to the bar in March, 1885, ranking the highest in his class. After remaining with his tutor one year he formed a partnership with Dan R. Sheen, of Peoria, which lasted until he was elected County Judge, taking his seat in December, 1894. Soon after his election he received railroad passes, all of which he returned with thanks, which action called forth favorable resolutions from the "Pomona Grange" of Peoria County. In politics .Judge Lovett has always been a Republican, and is serving his second term, with a strong prospect for a third, for which he has already been nominated without opposition by his party for the election of 1902. He does not smoke, chew or drink. He belongs to the order of Masons, the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America and Maccabees. He was married in 1886 to Miss Laura Gilson, of Brimfield, where they were both born. They have a son and daughter, born, respectively, in 1806 and 1899.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LUCAS, ADAM; Structural Iron and Steel Works; born February 19, 1822. His father, George Lucas, son of Adam Lucas, Sr., was born in 1800, and died in Pekin, Illinois, at the age of seventy-one. His mother was Johanna H. (Metzger) Lucas. All were born at Gimbsheim, Hesse Darmstadt, Germany. Adam Lucas began to learn the trade of locksmith at the age of fifteen years in Darmstadt. In 1849 he came 'to this country, the voyage from Rotterdam to New York occupying forty-nine days. After a "brief stay at Cincinnati, Ohio, he went to New Orleans, where he remained one year, going thence to St. Louis, Missouri, where he remained till 1857, when he moved to Peoria. On his arrival here Mr. Adam Lucas started the first safe and lock factory in Peoria, his location being at 211 Fulton Street. For a time he did most of his work himself with the help of one assistant. Before the end of the second year he employed five or six men and supplied the demand for safes and locks throughout a large territory west of Peoria. Later he went into the manufacture of architectural steel and iron work. In 1897 the firm of A. Lucas and Sons, was incorporated and the business moved into a large and well equipped new building at the corner of Cedar and Washington Streets, where fifty men are now employed. Safe opening and repairing are still features of the business. Many of Mr. Lucas' locks are still in use in Peoria. In December, 1846, Mr. Lucas was married to Anna G. D. Erkes, a native of Crefeld, Rhein Preusen. Seven children were born of this marriage: George H., Friderika, Edward R., Emma L., Emil E., Hugo V. and Helen J., the latter now Mrs. Herman Erkes. Adam Lucas is one of the representative men who have assisted in making Peoria a manufacturing and business center.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
LYNCH, HENRY W.;Wholesale Coal-dealer, Peoria; was born at Magnolia, Putnam County, Illinois, July 26, 1857, the son of Jesse and Harriet (Whitcomb) Lynch. His father was a native of New York and his mother of Michigan—his maternal grandfather being Oren Whitcomb. After receiving an education in the common schools of his native county and at the University of Illinois, in 1888 Mr. Lynch came to Peoria and accepted a position as manager of a coal company, but for the past eight years has been engaged in the same line of business on his own account. At the present time he represents several mining companies in this and adjoining States, besides other coal interests in different parts of the country. Mr. Lynch is a conservative but earnest Republican, and has been prominent in political affairs, having been twice elected to the City Council—1895 and 1897—and in 1899 was elected Mayor of the city, serving one term. His religious affiliations are with the Congregational Church. On July 24, 1884, he was married in Oxford, Indiana, to Miss Frances Baldwin, and they have two sons—Ralph and Harold. Mr. Lynch's business and social standing in the community is attested by the official trusts which have been reposed in his hands.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
McCABE, WILLIAM L.; Foreman; born at Pekin, Illinois, May 12, 1871, is a son of Daniel and Kate (Nelson) McCabe. The father was born in County Kings, Ireland, August 10, 1839; the mother at Scranton, Pennsylvania, June 24, 1852. The grandfather McCabe came to this country and settled in the city of New York after the death of his wife. He died in 1871, leaving a family of eight sons and three daughters. Two of the sons, James and John, became members of the New York police force. William, another son, was a farmer near Danville, Illinois, and now has his home in Champaign. The other members of the family are widely scattered, and the whereabouts of several are not known. The two brothers. Daniel and William, met in Illinois after being absent from each other's sight for over thirty years. Daniel wore the Union blue, and proved a gallant soldier from 1861 to 1865. Daniel and Kate (Nelson) McCabe had eleven children, all of whom are living. Mr. McCabe was killed by the explosion of a boiler in the Glucose Sugar Refining Works, where he was employed, in 1895. Mrs. McCabe afterward became the wife of James Fitzsimmons, and now lives at Pekin. William L. McCabe attended school until he was sixteen years of age, and at eighteen assumed the responsibility for his own support. For three years he was in the employ of the Chicago & Alton Railway at Delavan, when he came to Peoria, and was employed in the Great Western Distillery, in the cooperage works of the Hutchinson Company. and on the Fort dark Car Line. In 1891 he began work for the Glucose Refining Works, where he is still to be found, in 1897 becoming foreman. Mr. McCabe is a member of the Catholic Church, and votes the Democratic ticket. He was married in Peoria, August 7, 1894, to Emma Raschert, and of this union three children have been born, two of whom—Annie and May —are still living. Mrs. McCabe is the daughter of George and Annie (Schwab) Raschert, natives of Darmstadt, Germany, who came to Peoria in 1879. They are engaged in the gardening business near East Peoria. The father served in the German army.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
McCLELLAND, FRANK W.; Railroad Conductor ; born in Coles County, Illinois, October 11, 1861, is a son of Robert W. and Euvena (Ricketts) McClelland. The father was born in Pennsylvania June 14, 1833; the mother in Rising Sun, Indiana. The grandfathers were Robert McClelland and Isaac Ricketts. Robert W. McClelland and wife have six children: Charles B., Frank W., Eva R., Jennie L. (died in infancy), Lee W. (who died in infancy), and Catharine. Mr. McClelland was a soldier in Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in the War of the Rebellion, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war in 1865. Frank W. McClelland married Catharine Lehr, in Peoria, January 22, 1891, and they have one son, George L., who was born March 6, 1892. Mrs. McClelland's father, Henry W. Lehr, was born in Germany May 16, 1825; came to the United States in 1853, and married Katherine Kohrell, a native of Germany, by whom he had eight children: Anna C., Frederick, Marguerita, Elizabeth, Henry P., Louisa (who died in infancy), Catherine and George M. Mr. Lehr died in September, 1893, and his widow December 23, 1898. Mr. McClelland has been a railroad man for seventeen years, has been in the employ of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway since 1884, and is now a conductor on that line. He is a member of Peoria Division, No. 79, Order of Railway Conductors, and of Peoria Lodge, No. 15, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
McCLURE, COLONEL JOHN DICKSON; Real Estate and Loans; Peoria; born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, November 4, 1835, the son of Josiah Espy and Jane (Dickson) McClure. Colonel McClure's great-great-grandfather was Richard McClure, an emigrant from the north of Ireland, who, prior to 1730, settled in Paxtang Township, then Lancaster County. Province of Pennsylvania, where he took up a tract of six hundred acres of land. His great-grandfather was William McClure, second son of Richard, who married Margaret Wright, a native of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Their son, Robert McClure, born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, married Priscilla Espy, a native of the same County, and they became the parents of Josiah Espy McClure, already mentioned. On the maternal side. Colonel McClure is descended from James Dickson, a native of Ireland, whose son, John Dickson, born in Adams County, Pennsylvania, married Jane Russell, a native of Gettysburg, and they became the parents of Jane Dickson, the wife of Josiah Espy McClure and the mother of Col. J. D. McClure. Colonel McClure came to Peoria in May, 1849, in the fourteenth year of his age, was educated partly in his native State and in Galesburg, Illinois, after' wards engaging in the lumber and grain trade
until the beginning of the Civil War, when he enlisted in the Forty-seventh Volunteer Infantry; was elected Captain of Company C, in which position he served one year, when he was promoted to the rank of Mayor, and six months later to the colonelcy of the regiment, which position he continued to fill for the remaining eighteen months of the regiment's term of service. While serving as picket officer on the staff of General Sherman, Colonel McClure was severely wounded in the breast, and had his horse shot under him. Returning to Peoria at the expiration of his term of service, he was elected Clerk of' the County Court, serving for eighteen years. Since retiring from that office he has been engaged in the real estate and loan business, in the meantime, however, having served for a period of twelve years as a member of the Board of Supervisors of Peoria County—also one term
on the first Park Board. He was for ten years a member of the old Mercantile Library Board, and a member of the committee which superintended the erection of the new Library Building. On September 17, 1863, Col. McClure was married, in Peoria, to Miss Virginia Cunningham, and they have had four children: Martha Herron, now Mrs. Luther M. Thurlow; Jane Dickson, now Mrs. Frederick F. Blossom, William Cunningham, and George Nathaniel. Colonel McClure is a member of the Second Presbyterian Church, a Republican in political principles, a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Loyal Legion.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
McCOWAN, SAMUEL M.; Superintendent of the Indian Industrial School at Phoenix, Arizona ; born in Canada, the son of Robert and Hannah McCowan. The father was of Scotch-Irish descent, and the mother English. Mr. McCowan came with his parents to Illinois when an infant, and was educated in the schools of Elmwood, completing his education at Valparaiso College, Indiana. At the age of eleven, on account of the death of his father, he was obliged to leave school and engage in farming and coal mining. For nine months he was employed on the farm at Elmwood, and was for three months in the year at Edwards Station in the coal mines. When he was eighteen he attended the Elmwood high school for one year, during which time he filled the position of janitor of the building. For about a year he worked in the coal mines, and then attended college. For some years after this he studied law, while teaching school. In 1893 he was admitted to the practice of the legal profession in Kingman, Arizona. In 1889 he was appointed Superintendent of the Government Schools on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. After serving there but eight months he was promoted for merit to the Fort Mojave Indian School in Arizona. During his six years' occupancy of that position his salary was twice increased. In 1897 he was made Superintendent of the Industrial School at Albuquerque, with an increased salary. After a year there he was made Supervisor of Indian Schools, having under his inspection all the Indian schools of the nation, but declined the appointment. In the same year he was named for the Phoenix Industrial School. This institution has become, under his able management, the second largest of the kind in the United States, having seven hundred students. Since going to Arizona Mr. McCowan has taken a prominent part in the Republican politics of the Territory, and has been honored in many ways. He is now serving as Colonel on the Governor's staff, and is a Trustee of the Territorial Normal School at Tempe. In 1900 he was urged to accept the nomina- tion of his party for delegate to Congress, but declined. In November, 1901, he was asked by the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to take charge of the Indian School at Chilocco, Oklahoma, and make it a large agricultural college.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
McDONALD, JOHN J.; General Contractor; was born in New York City .June 22, 1853, and is the son of Alexander and Ellen (Connerly) McDonald, both natives of County Langford, Ireland. When young he learned the mason's trade, and in 1876 he went to San Francisco by way of the Isthmus route. After two years in California he went to Denver, and was there and at Omaha for some years, returning to Peoria in 1881. Until 1891 he worked for wages, when he began contracting. His first contract was for the rebuilding of the Central City Power House, and other important contracts taken since that time, including the Pabst Brewing Company's Storehouse, on Hamilton and Water Streets; St. Joseph's Home for the Aged ; St. Boniface's Church; the Peoria Public Library Building; ten flats for Jamison & Heidrich, on Creston Avenue; Nailon Brothers' business house on Liberty Street; the high school building at Fairbury; the Great Western Distillery, which was rebuilt; the power plant of the Peoria & Pekin Terminal Railway at South Bartonville; the plant of the Marsden Cellulose Manu- facturing Company, and several other almost, if not quite, as important undertakings. In 1892 Mr. McDonald was elected Alderman on the Democratic ticket for the Seventh Ward, and has since been twice re-elected to that position. In 1897 he was chosen City Treasurer and served two years. He is a charter member of Glen Oak Court, Independent Order of Foresters. Mr. McDonald was married to Mary M. Sullivan, of Lafayette, Indiana, in 1889, and they have had two children, both of whom are dead.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
McGINNIS, JOHN; Packer and Live-Stock Commission Merchant; born near Rockville, Park County, Indiana, September 24, 1833, is a grandson of James McGinnis, who was born May 17, 1776. He married Temperance (Irwin) McGinnis, and their son, George I., was born in Granger County, Tennessee, and married Sarah Johnson Montgomery, a native of Russell County, Virginia. She was a daughter of John Montgomery, a native of North Carolina, born in 1764. He married Elizabeth Harris. Montgomery was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, entering the service when only twelve years of age, and serving seven years. He was a contemporary of Daniel Boone in Kentucky, and died near Peoria January 26, 1845. John McGinnis has erected recently to his memory a fittingly inscribed monument in a cemetery in Princeville Township. John McGinnis was brought by his parents to Princeville, Illinois, in October, 1835, where they settled on a farm. This he continued to make his home until his marriage, when he purchased a farm for himself, which he still owns. August 7, 1862, he enlisted in Company K, Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with which, he served until mustered out June 6, 1865, at Washington, D. C. He entered the service as a private, and rose by successive steps to be Second Lieutenant at the time he left the service. Among the battles in which he participated were: Perryville, Chickamauga, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Rome, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro and Nashville. He was present at the surrender of General John- ston. At the close of the war he returned to his farm. In 1871 he engaged in business at Princeville, and ten years later was made United States Storekeeper. Four years after he became Government Gauger, serving four years Since 1881 he has been engaged in business in Peoria with very successful results He belongs to the Methodist Church; in politics he is a Republican, and frequently writes well and entertainingly to the local press on current topics He was married December 9, 1858, to Sarah Jane Russell, of Akron Township, Peoria County who died April 1, 1893.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
McKINNEY, DAVID; Grain Commission Merchant; was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, September 5, 1829, and is descended from early settlers of that State. His grandfather, David McKinney, was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 1745, and lived to be seventy-four. He married Janet Smith, who was born at Fagg's Manor, Chester County, Pennsylvania, in 1752, and died in the ninety-first year of her age. His maternal grandparents were William and Elizabeth (Maclay) Reynolds. The former was born in Roxbury, Pennsylvania, and Mr. McKinney's father, Abraham Smith McKinney, in Cumberland County, and died in Peoria in his eighty- second year. The wife of the latter was Margaret Reynolds, the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Maclay) Reynolds, born in Roxbury, Pennsylvania, in 1801, and died in 1886. David McKinney acquired his education at the Academy in Shippensburg, the Academy at Chambersburg, and at Jefferson College, graduating from the latter institution in 1849. He taught in Millwood Academy and at Shade Gap from 1850 to 1852, came to Peoria in 1853, and was junior partner in the firm of Bushnell & McKinney, lumber dealers. In 1862 he retired from the firm to take a position as secretary of the City Fire Insurance Company at Peoria. This position he resigned to become Regimental Quartermaster of the Seventy-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. While filling that position he saw service in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, was present at the capture of Arkansas Post, Vicksburg, in the Red River Campaign and at Pass Cavallo. He was promoted to a captaincy and became Assistant Quartermaster of Volunteers in 1864, being stationed at the mouth of White River and Duvall's Bluff, where as Master of Transportation, he had charge of the steamboats and other means of transportation. He was mustered out of service in February, 1866, and returning to Peoria, became a member of the firm of Roswell Bills & Company, Insurance Agents. This was his occupation until 1870, when the Chamber of Commerce Association having been organized, he became one of its Directors and Secretary. These positions he still holds. During tills time he has been engaged also in the grain commission business. Mr. McKinney belongs to the Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a Republican with independent tendencies, and served for some time as Alderman from the old Third Ward.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MANSFIELD, HENRY (deceased) ; Druggist and Capitalist in his lifetime in Peoria, born in Esperance, New York, March 22, 1816. He was the son of Leverett and Sarah (Sanford) Mansfield. His father was born in North Haven, Connecticut, in 1786, and his mother in New Haven. The American branch of the Mansfield family is descended from Richard Mansfield, who came from Devonshire. England, in 1639, and locating near the town of Hampden, Massachusetts, became the progenitor of a large family. Nearer the present in time came Joseph Mansfield, the father of Titus, the great-grandfather of Henry. He was a large landowner and proprietor of the famous Mansfield farm. Titus Mansfield married Mabel Todd. and their son, Richard, a native of North Haven, married Mary Styles. They be came the parents of Leverett Mansfield, who lived many years in Esperance, New York, where he held a prominent place in the community. In 1843, having disposed of his property, he settled near Elgin, Illinois, but lived later at Princeville, Peoria County, where he died in 1868. His wife, born in North Haven, Connecticut, March 8, 1789, died December 20, 1868, preceding the passing away of her husband by only three days. Henry Mansfield left home at an early age, going to Albany, New York, where he secured a position in one of the prominent drug stores in that city, remaining until his health demanded a change of occupation. He became a member of a Government surveying party in Northern Michigan, among the Chippewa Indians, a hundred miles from a white settlement. For four years he was engaged in this service, when he came to Peoria on his way to St. Louis, in search of a warmer climate to alleviate lung and throat trouble. Compelled to stop here on account of inability to continue his journey, he placed himself under treatment of Dr. Tucker, a nephew of Dr. Ed. Dickinson, which finally resulted in a partnership between him and Dr. Tucker in the drug business. They were intimately associated in business enterprises until the death of the Doctor in 1888, after a continuance of fifty years lacking only three months. Mr. Mansfield accumulated a fortune by investments in city property and farm lands, which with the addition of property that came to him by inheritance, made him one of the wealthier citizens of Peoria. In 1846 Mr. Mansfield was married to Harriet A. Elding, a native of Red Hook, Dutchess County New York. With her people she came west to Peoria at an early day, and, at the time of her marriage, was living in this city. She had three children, only one of whom, Fannie (now Mrs. Blakesley, of Chicago), is living. In 1856 Mr. Mansfield married Isabelle F. Servoss, a native of New York City, and a daughter of Thomas L. Servoss and granddaughter of John Pintard, of New York City. Of this union were born eight children, all of whom are now living: Louise P., the wife of C. W. Mosher, of Chicago, afterwards of Nebraska ; Henry, a lawyer of Peoria; Nathaniel S.; Eleanor T., now Mrs. J. Harold Ross; Isabelle F., now Mrs. J. Lee Newton; Margaret F., now Mrs. F. J. Green; Sarah Sanford, now Mrs. George H. Newton, and Eliza H., unmarried.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MAPLE, JOSEPH W.; Lawyer; born in Hollis Township, Peoria County. Illinois, April 14, 1862, the son of Abraham and Louisa Maple. His paternal grandfather, Isaac Maple, was a native of Ohio, who, with his wife, Mary Maple, also a native of Ohio, where their son Abraham Maple was born in 1830, settled in what is now Hollis Township as early as 1838. Mr. Maple's grandparents on the maternal side were Samuel and Julia Watrous, who were natives of Ohio, also settled in Hollis Township at an early day, and their daughter, Louisa Watrous, married Abraham Maple. Joseph W. Maple's birthplace was on a farm about one mile north of the present village of Mapleton, where the house in which his parents then lived still stands. His father, Abraham Maple, still survives in the best of health at seventy-two years; of age, a resident of Glasford in Timber Township. Joseph W. was educated in the common schools and at the Elmwood High School, spending the winter of 1881-82 in the latter, and' for about four years engaged in teaching, a part of this time being prior to his term in the high school. On March 20, 1886, he was admitted to the bar, and continued in practice in the city of Peoria up to 1897, when he was elected Probate Judge of Peoria County to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Judge Leslie D. Puterbaugh. At the close of his term in 1898, he resumed practice, which he continues at Rooms 538 and 539 Woolner Building. On September 15, 1887, Judge Maple was married in the city of Peoria to Monnie F. Miller, and they have three children: Ethel, Lucille and Phyllis. In religious belief, he is a Protestant and in political affiliation, a Democrat. Judge Maple is 'widely known and occupies a front rank among the younger members of the bar in Peoria County.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MARKLEY, JOHN H.: Superintendent of Bridges and Buildings. Toledo, Peoria and Western Railway; was born in Pennsylvania, November 8, 1856, the son of Christian and Sarah (Swank) Markley, both natives of Pennsylvania. The father was born in Bucks County, October 9, 1810; the mother in Montgomery County, December 24, 1841. To them were born seven children : Mary, Lavina. Aaron S., Levi, George L., John H. and Abel S., who died at the age of thirty-nine. Mr. Markley died October 9, 1862, and his widow March 18, 1863. John H. Markley married Fannie E. Ramsey, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, May 22, 1877. They have two children, Harriet and J. Wallace. Pleasant Ramsey, the father of Mrs. Markley, was -born in Kentucky, about 1810, where he was bred a carriage maker, but during the Rebellion he was in the employ of the United States Commissary Department. He was twice married: first to Bernetta Fish, by whom he had two sons, William T. and Alexander P., now residents of Crawfordsville, Indiana; and, as his second wife, to Elizabeth Renfro, who was a native of Crab Orchard, Kentucky. The latter was the mother of seven children: Anna, Fannie C., Mary, Harriet, Commodore, Alice and John, the last of whom died in infancy. Mr. Ramsey died Tn 1876; his widow still lives. John H. Markley has been in the railroad service in various positions since he was eighteen years old, and has been superintendent of bridges and buildings, for the Toledo, Wabash and Western, and the Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad Companies for sixteen years. He belongs to West Bluff Lodge, No. 199, Knights of Pythias, and to the Association of Superintendents of Bridges and Buildings. The family are connected with the First Baptist Church of Peoria, of which Mr. Markley is a Trustee. He is a Republican in politics.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MAXWELL, WESLEY C.; Railway Employe: was born in Hancock County, Illinois, October 29, 1872, and is a son of William and Jenny (Metcalf) Maxwell. The father was born in Ohio in 1829, and the mother in Utica, New York. The elder Maxwell and his wife were the parents of eight children: William, who married Nellie Graves, of Virginia, Illinois, and has one daughter, Virginia; Charles, who was killed in the service of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Company; Wesley C., whose name appears above, and who is connected with the train service of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway; Louis A.; Lela A., the wife of Axel Applegreen, and now the mother of one son—Charles Wesley; and Ethel D.. who resides at home. Two members of the family died in infancy. The father and mother are both living. Wesley and Louis are members of Enterprise. Lodge. No. 27, Brotherhood of Railway Firemen. Wesley also belongs to Glen Oak Lodge, No. 3027. Order of Foresters. The family is of Scotch origin and are Protestants in religious faith and, in politics, Republicans.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MEALS, BARNHART; Retired Manufacturer; born in Adams County, Pennsylvania, November 15, 18,30, is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Jones) Meals, natives of that State, where his grandparents, Samuel and Mary (Balsey) Meals, were also born. Mr. Meals came to Peoria in 1854, and began his career as a blacksmith with the firm of Tobey & Anderson, plow manufacturers. Mr. Anderson having retired from the firm, it was reorganized in 1862 with William Tobey, L. G. Pratt and Barnhart Meals as partners. Upon the retirement of Mr. Tobey. about two years later, the firm assumed the style of L. G. Pratt & Company, and, in 1866, it became the St. Louis & Peoria Plow Company. In 1873 it was incorporated as the Peoria Steel Plow Company. Mr. Meals retained an interest in the concern and was Superintendent from 1879 to April, 1884, when the works were burned down. Mr. Meals and E. B. Pierce acquired the stock of the corporation, rebuilt the works and continued the business till the fall of 1890, when they sold the enterprise to an Ohio firm that failed a few years later. Mr. Meals has not since been in active business. He has been a Director in the People's Loan and Homestead Association since its organization twenty-five years ago, and, except one year, has been on the Board of Directors and its President continuously for the last fifteen years. He was elected Treasurer of Peoria in 1874; served two terms as Supervisor, three years on the poor farm committee, and has been a member of the School Board nine years, its President eight years, and has lately been elected Inspector for two years longer and President of the Board for one year. He married Mary C. Woodruff, at Peoria, July 18, 1865, and they have had three children: Charles and Harry (twins) and Frankie, who is dead. Mr. Meals is a Republican and a Protestant.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MEIDROTH, WILLIAM F.; Retail Liquor Dealer; born in Peoria, September 9, 1856; son of William and Caroline (Lidle) Meidroth. William Meidroth was born in Nordhausen in 1822, and died in Peoria in 1873, at the age of fifty-one. He was a cabinet maker, and came to America about 1854. Mrs. Meidroth was born in Swabia, and came to America, accompanied by her brother and two sisters. Mr. and Mrs. Meidroth were married in Peoria in 1855. William F. Meidroth did his first work in Peoria in a tobacco factory, and subsequently became a typesetter in the office of "The Deutsche Zeitung," where he was employed for five years, during which time Captain Fresenius was the editor. He also "held cases" on the "National Democrat." He afterwards went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa., where, for two years, he had charge of a fine Kentucky stock ranch, and prepared cattle
for exhibition. In 1878 he became a member of the Peoria Fire Department, serving four years. From 1881 to 1885 he was employed by Charles Block in his present line of business. In 1885 he engaged in business for himself at Bridge Junction, where he remained five years. In 1890 he opened "The Pabst," on the ground floor of the Niagara Building, which was one of the largest and most elegantly furnished resorts in the State outside of Chicago. He prided himself on the good quality of the refreshments, both solid and liquid, and the attention and service rendered by his employes. In 1901, his ten-year lease at the Niagara Building having expired, he fitted up a new place of business, at No. 104 South Jefferson Avenue, which is one of the coziest gentlemen's resorts in the State. Mr. Meidroth was married to Josephine Moutier, in Peoria, January 15, 1878. Two sons were born to them: Arthur J., who is now with the City Engineer, and William F., a resident of Denver, Colorado. Mrs. Meidroth died in 1884. Mr. Meidroth's second marriage was with Josephine Tendering, in Pekin, Illinois, October 12, 1886, and to them have been born two children, Leslie and Bernardine. Mr. Meidroth is a Democrat. He is a Mason, and a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, and the Heptasophs.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MEINTS, FREDERICK; General Contractor; born March 26, 1858, at Peoria. His father was Meint F. Meints, a native of Ostfriesland, Holland, where he was born, January 10, 1826, and died January 12, 1888. He married Ofka Tervehn, who was horn in the same vicinity, September 23, 1830. She died June 10, 1886. Her parents died of cholera in Peoria in 1853. M. F. Meints and wife became the parents of four children : Ida, who is now Mrs. Dewein; Mary J., now Mrs. Hall; Herman and Frederick. Mr. Meints came to Peoria before the railroad era, landing at New Orleans in 1848, and making his way up the river to Pekin, Illinois. Six months later he came to Peoria, where he worked at the carpenter trade for a year, at the end of that time beginning contracting. Among the buildings which he has erected may be mentioned the Davis buildings, Dr. Murphy's store and the Kidder buildings, on Main Street. He also built the residences of Mr. Mahler and Mr. Francis, on Adams Street; the three-story building at the corner of Main and Madison Streets; the German Methodist Church, which was erected in 1886, and the building occupied by Frederick Meints, as a residence, at No. 416 Second Avenue, which was completed in 1865. After concluding his studies in the Grammar School, and at Cole's Business College, Frederick Meints became a partner with his father in business, continuing until the latter retired from business in 1886. Among the buildings erected by Frederick Meints are the bonded warehouse for the Monroe Distilling Company, which is capable of holding 50,000 barrels of spirits, no two touching ; the Dewein block, M. D. Spurck's residence on Monroe Street, the Franklin, the Whittier, the Longfellow and the Lincoln School buildings, the County Poor House and many other notable structures. For twenty-five years he has been one of the four leading contractors of Peoria. Frederick Meints was married in Peoria, January 4. 1887, to Emma Borries, the daughter of T. H. Borries, of Nuremberg, Germany. Her mother, Emma Potthoff, was born in Westphalia. Mr. Meints is a Gold Democrat, a Mason and a gentleman of marked character and exceptional intelligence.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MILES, PHILO BUCKINGHAM; Grain Commission Merchant; born at Washington, Illinois, December 12, 1849, is a son of Benjamin E. and Jane (Crane) Miles, natives, respectively, of Athens and of Putnam, Ohio; a grandson of Joseph B. and Elizabeth (Buckingham) Miles, born, the one at Rutland, Massachusetts, the other at Ballston, New York; and a great-grandson of Benjamin and Hannah (Buckminster) Miles, natives of the Bay State, the former of Rutland. His mother's parents were Matthew and Martha (Rogers) Crane, the latter a native of Ohio. Benjamin E. Miles was a farmer, but eventually located at Washington, where his son was educated, and there engaged in the milling and grain business, giving Philo B. that predilection which, as he grew older, led him into a wider field. After taking a commercial course at the St. Louis Business College, the young man became bill clerk and telegraph operator for the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway at Washington. In 1870 he entered one of the grain offices of the Board of Trade, at Peoria, as a clerk, and five years later he and his brother embarked in the grain business under the style of P. B. & C. C. Miles. In 1883 he was elected President of the Peoria Board of Trade, and since then has served almost continuously on some of its important committees. He represented his ward as Alderman four years and served as Mayor pro tem. a short time in 1892. and on his record was elected Mayor by more than 2,000 majority. In many respects his administration was an admirable one, marked by close attention to the city's finances and public improvements, and the street-paving done during his term was the best up to that time and every department of the city government was kept under careful supervision. Mr. Miles is an ardent Republican and a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church. He married, at Washington, Illinois, March 6, 1873, Maria Helen Wrenn, and they have a son and a daughter: William S. Miles and Julia (Miles) Birks.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MOELLER, CARL: Chief of Fire Department; born at Waldkappel, Keurhessen, Germany, July 26, 1841; on September 12, 1857, arrived in New York, and immediately came to Peoria, where he went to work for his uncle, John Schmidt, then conducting a meat market at the corner of Adams and Cedar Streets. Having served his time as a butcher, about 1860 he started in business for himself at the corner of Warner and Lincoln Avenues. In 1862 he joined Volunteer Fire Company, No. 4, and in 1866 was appointed Foreman—a position which he held for the next eighteen years. This was before the era of a paid Fire Department, and, during a part of the time he received a salary of $50 a year from the city as second in command. In 1887 he was appointed Chief of the Peoria Fire Department, continuing in this office the remainder of his life. During his connection with the Peoria Fire Department. Chief Moeller took part in numerous firemen's tournaments in various cities, including Monmouth, Springfield, Galesburg, Pekin, Ottawa, Bloomington, Decatur and Quincy, and, it is claimed, never failed to return with a prize. At a national tournament held in Chicago, participated in by some forty companies, his company won the championship of the United States, bringing home with them $750 in gold prize money and a valuable silver trumpet. In 1861 Mr. Moeller brought over his parents from Germany, and they lived in Peoria during the remainder of their lives. On January 5. 1864, he was married to Miss Eva Kratzert, who bore him seven children: William, Louisa, Carl Jr., Albert (deceased), Mary, Emil and Anna. In 1870 he purchased a lot and built a home on South Adams Street, where he conducted his business until 1887, when he began giving his entire attention to protecting the city from fires. His death occurred November 25, 1901.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MOOREHOUSE, LOUIS W.; Proprietor Meat Market; son of William and Amelia Moorehouse, natives of Germany, was born in Peoria November 2, 1857. His father died when he was two years old, and when he was seven years old he began work in the Peoria Pottery. From the time he was eleven years of age he has made his own way in the world. At fifteen years of age he secured employment in the plumbing business, and at nineteen was employed in hotels. Five years later he became chef, and for about ten years was at work in Chicago, and in various other cities and places, including summer resorts about the lakes. During the period of fourteen years he had his home in Chicago. For three years he was engaged in the National Hotel at Peoria under W. H. Murtagh. In 1892 he entered into the meat business, and opened the First Street Market, at No. 224 First Avenue, where he is now located, and enjoys a flourishing trade. For some years past he has been active in politics, and is now a member of the Democratic Central County Committee and of the City Central Committee. He was President of the Peoria Butchers' Protective Association. He is a Mason, a Knight of Pythias, a Knight of Khorassan, a Modern Woodman, and a member of the Home Fraternal League, of which he was Vice-President. Mr. Moorehouse was married to Maggie Kerwin in Battle Creek, Michigan, March 20, 1881, and they have eight children: Kate, George J., Lewis W., Jr., Harry C., Charles E., Albert E., Henry O. and Leroy. Mr. Moorehouse is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and has worked his way against much adversity and trouble to a good business, and a position of usefulness in the community.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MOUNTS, CHARLES T.; Locomotive Engineer ; born in Peoria, September 3, 1861, is a son of Caleb A. and Naomi (Newton) Mounts. The grandfather Mounts, born in Virginia, was a civil engineer, and was engaged in public works in that State. He died at the age of sixty. Caleb A. Mounts, who came to Peoria in the early '40s, kept a hat and fur store, where he manufactured hats and fur garments on Main Street, opposite Davis' Drug Store. His store was destroyed by fire, but his insurance having just expired it was a total loss. For several years after this misfortune he had a market garden, and ran a huckster wagon. In 1868 he removed to Crawford County, Illinois, where he bought a farm, and died there ten years later. Mrs. Mounts is still living. To them were born eleven children, of whom nine lived to reach maturity. Charles T. Mounts was educated in the public schools, and when he was seventeen years old began for himself as a farm laborer. In this line of work he was engaged for three years, whence became a fireman on the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad. In December, 1887, he was made engineer, running a freight train until 1898. During that year he was put in charge of a passenger engine, a position which he still occupies. Mr. Mounts was married, May 14, 1890, to Elizabeth Causey, at Washington, Illinois, where she was born. She came to Peoria with her parents when an infant. Her father, Aaron Causey, a native of Kentucky, was married August 27, 1842, to Mary M. Walker, who died April 14, 1860, leaving a family of seven children, of whom two are still living. On December 24, 1863, he married, as his second wife, Sarah A. Blackburn, a native of Pennsylvania, who still survives. Six children were born of this: union—four still surviving: Mrs. Elizabeth May (Causey) Mounts, born in Washington, Illinois, May 10, 1867; Charles E., born May 1,1869; Walter G., born September 22, 1871; and Harry B., born May 14, 1880. The father of Mrs. Mounts died in Peoria, in November, 1879, but her mother is still living. They were the parents of six children. Mr. Mounts is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, in which he has been First Engineer. He is a Master Mason and a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
MURPHY, JOHN; Physician and Surgeon; born in Belfast, Ireland, January 17, 1814, the son of John Murphy, a merchant of that city. In his youth he enjoyed exceptional advantages for acquiring am education and, having taken a preliminary literary course, spent some time in Edinburg University, after which he entered the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, in London, from which he graduated in medicine and surgery on August 31, 1840. Two years later he came to America, locating first in New Orleans, where he remained until 1845, when, on account of the effect of a semi-tropical climate upon the health of his wife, he determined to come North. Ascending the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, he reached Peoria, then a village if some 1,200 inhabitants, and, being attracted by the natural beauty of the scenery, he decided to remain here, which has remained his home for a period of over fifty years. His contemporaries of that period include such well-known names as Drs. Rouse, Dickinson, Frye, and of a later period, Drs. Andrew, Arnold, and William R. and John L. Hamilton, of whom he and Dr. W. R. Hamilton are the sole survivors. Dr. Murphy's career as a physician and surgeon has been conspicuously successful, and he has acquired a handsome competence, which he still lives to enjoy with remarkable physical and mental vitality at an age of eighty-eight years. Although retired from active practice for several years, he still retains a deep interest in whatever relates to the advancement of a profession with which he has been identified for more than half a century. His ripe scholarship and intimate acquaintance with general and classical literature enable him to spend the evening of his days in the enjoyment of one of the most complete libraries in the city and in the society of his friends.From Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Edited by David McCulloch, Vol. II; Chicago and Peoria: Munsell Publishing Company, Publishers, 1902.
NEWMAN, MAX; Cigar and Tobacco Dealer ; born in the kingdom of Wurtemburg, Germany, in 1834; came to Chicago, Illinois, in 1856, and became bookkeeper in a wholesale house in that city, retaining this position until 1859. He then entered into partnership in Peoria with Harry Ullman, under the firm name of Newman & Ullman, and began a jobing trade in cigars and tobacco, which has continued without change of name ever since, constitu- ting the oldest original firm in the city. While still a resident of his native land Mr. Newman held the position of Assistant United States Consul for the Kingdom of Wurtemburg under the administration of Franklin Pierce, and, by frequent association with Stephen A. Douglas while in Chicago and by an intimate acquaintance with the late Robert G. Ingersoll after coming to Peoria, he imbibed the principles of the Democratic party. Yet, in common with the great mass of the German American population of that period, he rigorously supported the policy of the General Government in the War of the Rebellion, and, although financially embarrassed at the time and physically disqualified for giving his personal service in defense of the flay, he hired a substitute to bear arms in his place without being drafted, paying therefor $800—a very considerable sacrifice at that early period of his business career. In 1896 Mr. Newman left the party of Bryan and free-silver and adopted that of McKinley and a sound currency, and finding as the outcome a period of universal prosperity declares his purpose to "stick." In 1864 he was married to Rebecca Ullman, who, with four sons and one daughter, constitutes his family. Fraternally Mr. Newman is a member of the Schiller Lodge, A. F. & A. M.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
NEWMAN, WILLIAM G.; son of George and Jane Newman, was born July 28, 1868. His parents settled on a farm on Orange Prairie, Peoria County, in the '60s. William G. stayed with his parents until the year 1886, when he went to Normal College, Valparaiso, Indiana, where he remained three years, returning in 1890. He retired from farm life and came to Peoria in 1896. He purchased property on Fairholm Avenue, Averyville, one of Peoria's suburbs, and erected a large and modern residence. where he has since made his home. He was united in marriage September 8, 1896, to Miss Isabelle McLoughlin daughter of Patrick and Maria McLoughlin, who reside at 1705 North Jefferson Avenue, Peoria. Mrs. Newman was one of Peoria County's teachers, having taught at Pottstown, Orange Prairie, Dunlap and Kellar Station between the years 1890 and 1896. To Mr. and Mrs. Newman three sons were born: William Anthony (deceased), Louis Edwin and Clarence Eugene. Mr. Newman was elected a member of the Village Board of Averyville in 1900.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
NEWSAM, JOHN; Proprietor of a General Store: born in Lancashire. England, April 13, 1853, is the son of John and Sarah Ann (Blakely) Newsam, both natives of Lancashire. John Newsam, Sr., came to this country in 1870. Several of his sons had preceded him, and he was soon after joined by the remaining members of the family, including his wife and John, Jr. They settled near Peoria. where John Newsam, Jr., engaged in coal mining. About 1885 he became a member of the Orchard Mines and Mapleton Coal Company, and soon after united with the firm of Newsam Brothers, remaining with the latter company until 1894, when he came to Peoria to engage in the grocery business. Soon after locating he bought two lots at Nos. 3109 and 3111 South Adams Street, where he built a handsome two-story and basement brick building, in which he now handles a large stock of general merchandise and does a good business. Mr. Newsam and Mary Eberly were married in Peoria December 19, 1875, and have five children : Mary Ann, Lena, John, Sarah Ann and Frank. Mr. Newsam is a Mason, a member of the Second Congregational Church choir, and an active worker in the Republican party. He has frequently been a delegate to conventions, and was a member of the Peoria County delegation to the Convention in Peoria in 1900 which nominated Richard Yates for Governor, and took a prominent part in the "stampede for Yates," by carrying the county banner forward to the place where Yates' portrait was displayed.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
NORVELL, THOMAS B.; Physician; born in Moniteau County, Missouri, December 2, 1851, is the third son of George W. and Luvisey (Boyd) Norvell. His father was born in Virginia, and his mother in Moniteau County, Missouri. To them were born eight children, five of whom are now living: John S., for many years a missionary of the Baptist Church in China, is now a resident of Los Angeles, California; Joseph S., a Methodist clergyman in South Dakota; Mary and Martha, twins, living in Iowa, and the wives, respectively, of Anthony Hyme and William Williams. The father was a pilot on a Mississippi river steamer, and from that occupation passed to farming in Moniteau County. In 1852 he went to Iowa, where he made a settlement in Mills County, dying there at the age of eighty years. Mrs. Norvell was about seventy-six years old when she died. Dr. Thomas B. Norvell attended Tabor College for a time, and then read medicine in the office of Dr. Merrill Otis three years at Tabor, when he entered the Chicago Medical College as a student. He began practice in 1874 at Percival, Iowa, locating later at Pacific Junction, Iowa, and at Harker's Corners, Illinois. In 1880 he opened an office in Peoria, and since that time has resided in the Seventh Ward, at No. 2106 South Adams Street. On December 31, 1874, he was married at East Nebraska City, Iowa, to Miss Alice Lumm, daughter of John and Sarah (Burns) Lumm, and they have two children: Helena D., who is the wife of J. F. Greene; and Justin W. The Doctor is a Medical Examiner for the Prudential Life Insurance Company and for the Death and Sick Benefit Association. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen, the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. In his politics he is a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
NYBERG, JOHN HERMAN; Locomotive Engineer; born in Stockholm, Sweden, March 16, 1854. His grandparents on the paternal side were named Kellstrom. The father, who was a shoemaker, died when the son was two years old. The latter attended school from seven to fourteen years of age. From the age of four to fourteen he lived on a farm in the Island of Gothland. Returning to Stockholm, he lived with an uncle six months, then learned the potter's trade and spent years in that business. In his twentieth year he came to America, leaving Stockholm August 27, 1873, coming to Chicago by way of Hull, Liverpool and New York. His first employment in this country was on a construction train near Logansport, Indiana, and later he was variously employed in and about Indianapolis. He then worked on a farm near Decatur, Illinois, and was later employed about Bloomington, finally coming to Peoria in the fall of 1878. Here he was employed on a section of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad under Swan Olander, and for two years following was employed in the C. B. & Q. freighthouse at Peoria, and after pursuing various lines of work two years began as wiper for the Peoria & Pekin Union, November 24, 1884, working for three years on the night crew, and for one year during the day. After firing a locomotive four years, two years of which time he worked nights, he became an engineer, August 15, 1891. In 1885 Mr. Nyberg undertook to quit the railroad service and go to farming in Nebraska, but having been swindled out of $2,300 was compelled to return to his old labor on the railroad. He bought his present home, No. 421 Gallatin Street, in 1900. He was married, in Peoria, February 3, 1879, to Betsy Peterson, who was born July 13, 1859, and is a daughter of P. G. and Anna Nelson, natives of Sweden. Mrs. Nyberg's mother died in 1873, leaving three daughters. Her father was born July 24, 1824, came to Peoria in 1877, and is still living. The daughter (Mrs. Nyberg) came to this country in 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Nyberg have seven children: Ivan Hubert, John Hugo, James Herman, Joel Harold, Ulrica Carolina, Arthur Edgar and Robert Theodore. The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. Nyberg belongs to both the Engineer and Firemen Brotherhoods. In politics he is independent.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
NYSTROM, NELS A.: Foreman Blacksmith, Agricultural implement Manufactory; born in Oscarshamn, Sweden, April 11, 1842, is the son of Erland and Christina Nystrom. The father was born in 1812, in Oscarshamn, and died about 1878, at the age of sixty-six. The mother was born in the same vicinity as her husband, and in 1901 was still living in Sweden. Nels Nystrom, the grandfather of Nels A., was a farmer who became a marine in the Swedish navy. It is customary in Sweden for those who have no surname to take one on entering the service of the Government, and he became Nystrom, which has since been the family name. He died in 1848. Nels learned the blacksmith trade with his father, soon thereafter taking contracts for building stone bridges on the public highways. In 1869 he came to America, by way of Oscarshamn, Lubeck, Hamburg, Hull and Liverpool, landing at Quebec, whence he came direct to Galesburg, Illinois, arriving there August 9, 1869. Then after being employed nearly a year on a construction tram of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, he spent two winters in the blacksmith shop of an agricultural implement factory at Monmouth, working during the summer on a farm. For about six months he worked in the blacksmith shop of the Burlington Road at Galesburg. In 1872 he was in the employ of the Avery Planter Company, and for five years was connected with the factory of George Brown in Galesburg. In 1878 he began work for the Avery Manufacturing Company, where he has since been employed for twenty-two years. When he began with that company they made about 500 stalk-cutters a year, and he was the only blacksmith. When the plant was opened at Peoria he was made foreman of the blacksmith shop, and has retained that position to the present time. In Galesburg he was married to Sarah Carlson, January 4, 1872, who was born near Oscarshamn, Sweden, in March, 1848, and is the daughter of Carl and Lena Pierson. The father is a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Nystrom have three children: John Lawrence, Elmer Edwin and Carl August. Mr. Nystrom has land in Kansas, and a good home in Peoria, which he built at No. 2102 North Jefferson Avenue in 1891. He belongs to the Swedish Lutheran Church, and in his politics is a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
OLANDER, FREDERICK; Grocer; was born in Sweden February 6, 1862, a son of Olaf and Margaret (Hurlting) Olander, who were natives of Sweden. He early learned the painter's trade, it which he worked in Peoria for five years after coming to America, in 1882. He then embarked in business as a grocer and dealer in coal and feed, which he carried on for fourteen years at Nos. 305 and 307 Antoinette Street. In July, 1900, he removed to 308 Antoinette Street, near the corner of Warren, where he owns a block of land 100 feet square on which are several buildings, including a residence at 532 Warren Street. Mr. Olander married Hannah Swanson at Peoria, November 24, 1886, and they have three children, named Allen, Edward and Ethel Lucile. Mr. Olander, who is a Republican, was elected Alderman of the Seventh Ward in 1899, and in the City Council served as a member of four committees, and chairman of the committees on sewers, sidewalks and crossings. He was, for two years, a member of the Peoria Republican Central Committee. He is identified with the Masons, the Knight's of Pythias, the Knights of Khorassan, the Heptasophs, the Knights and Ladies of Honor, the Red Men, the Turners and the Swedish Singing Society of Peoria.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
OLANDER, SWAN; Railway Foreman; was born in Sweden, September 1, 1839, a son of Olaf and Bertha (Larsen) Jensen, natives of Sweden. Olaf Jensen was born in 1800 and died in 1842. The family came to America in 1868 and located at Princeton and removed to Peoria in 1873. The mother died in 1886. Olaf and Bertha Jensen had children named John, Betsey, Ole and Swan, besides three who died in infancy. Swan Olander was married in Sweden, April 28, 1865, to Anna Carlson, daughter of Carl Magnusson and his wife Christina, both of whom were born in Sweden, the father in 1824. Mrs. Olander had brothers and sisters named Elsie, Caroline, Hannah, Carl and Swan, and another who died in infancy. Her father died about 1885; her mother is living. Swan and Anna Olander have had children named Hannah, Emma N., Ida A., Anna L. and Albert E., be-
sides five others deceased. The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr. Olander is a Republican. He has been in the railroad service thirty-one years, and for twenty-eight years has been yard foreman in the employ of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. He is a member of the Burlington Volunteer Relief Corps, and has been trustee of his church organization.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
OLSON, OLANDER; Locomotive Engineer; was born at Corlsom, Sweden, September 6, 1861, a son of Olaf and Betsy (Swanson) Larson. also natives of Corlsom. Mr. Olson's paternal ancestors were farmers and his grandfather fought under Napoleon in the latter's German campaigns. From the age of fifteen to the age of twenty-one years Olander Olson worked on a farm at Longburg, ten miles from Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein. He then sailed from Amsterdam for America and came directly to Peoria by way of New York. He arrived June 20, 1882, and at once entered upon a connection with the Peoria & Pekin Railroad Company, which has continued to the present time. For a time he was a section laborer, then a wiper in the round-house, then boiler-maker's and machinist's helper in turn, and later he had charge of the workmen who removed about a hundred of the company's wrecked cars from the ruins of the burned elevator A. In 1890, after having served two years as a fireman, he became a locomotive engineer, and for ten years he has been in charge of an engine in the switch yards. Mr. Olson married Betsy Swanson, at Peoria, October 16, 1885, and they have six children: Oscar W., Fred A., Bernard S., Bertha D. O., John Elmer and George L. Mrs. Olson was born at Maimo, Sweden. April 25. 1862, a daughter of Swan and Selma (Johnson) Benson, and came to America in 1884 and located at Peoria. Mr. and Mrs. Olson are Lutherans. In politics Mr. Olson is independent. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and is influential in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He owns a fine two-story and basement residence at 628 Warren Street, which contains twelve rooms.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
ORR, ROBERT M.; City Clerk; Peoria; was born at Wellsburg, West Virginia, September 21, 1838, the son of James and Martha (McKelly) Orr—the former a native of Ireland, born February 28, 1791, and the latter at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, August 7, 1802. His ancestors were of Scotch-Irish extraction, his great-grandparents on the paternal side, William and Mary Orr, and his grandparents, Patrick and Rose (Reed) Orr, being natives of County Antrim, Ireland. On the maternal side his great-grandparents, Mathew and Jane McKelly, were also born in County Antrim, while his grandfather, Mathew McKelly, was a native of County Down, his wife being Mary (Bourland) McKelly. Mr. Orr's father arrived in America, October 4, l816, and spent most of his after life in or near Wheeling, West Virginia, dying at the age of seventy-nine, while his wife lived to be ninety years old. Mr. Orr left home to seek his fortune in the West in 1859, first locating at Fort Wayne. Indiana, where he engaged in railroad business on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad; in 1862 was promoted to engineer, remaining until February, 1869. In March, 1869, he came to Peoria and took a position as engineer on the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad, which he continued to occupy until April 20, 1897, when he was elected City Clerk of Peoria, and has held that office through various changes of the city administration since—being twice re-elected through the voluntary efforts of his friends. He was married, September 29, 1870, at Zanesville, Ohio, to Mary Caroline Carlow, and has four children: H. Miller, Selsor, Burt and Kitty. In politics he is a Democrat, and in religious belief a Presbyterian, the faith of his fathers.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
O'ROURKE, FRANK H.; Horseshoer; born at Killowen, County Down, Ireland, in 1845, is a son of Michael and Alice (Cunningham) O'Rourke. His paternal grandparents, John and Mary (Sloane) O'Rourke, and his maternal grandparents, James and Ellen (Colgan) Cunningham, were natives of Killowen. His father and grandfather were both horseshoers. The latter died at the age of eighty-six, his wife at the age of seventy-three. Michael O'Rourke was born in 1818, his wife in 1820; he died in his seventy-third year, she at the age of seventy- four. They had three sons and five daughters. Mr. O'Rourke's maternal grandparents lived to old age on their farm in Ireland. Frank H. O'Rourke learned horseshoeing in his father's shop. He landed in New York May 12, 1866, and went thence direct to Peoria, where some of his cousins had located. There at the age of twenty-one years he began life in America as a journeyman horseshoer. About ten years later he opened a shop for himself, and for more than a quarter of a century he has been one of the best-known horseshoers in Illinois. Mr. O'Rourke is a Democrat, and as such he was in 1888 elected Alderman for the then First Ward of the city of Peoria, and in 1893 Alderman for the Sixth Ward, serving two full terms of two years each. In 1900 he visited Ireland, England. Scotland and Wales and renewed his old acquaintance in the place of his birth. He and his family are members of the Roman Catholic Church. He was married at Peoria February 1, 1877, to Margaret McDonough, daughter of James and Ellen (Day) McDonough, and they have four children: Frank H.. William L., James P. and Mary E. Mrs. O'Rourke, whose father was a farmer, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1853, and came to America in 1868.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
OTTEN, JOHN B.; Locomotive Engineer; was born in Peoria May 21, 1868, a son of John H. and Heermanna (Bremer) Otten. After attending the public and St. Joseph's parochial schools, Mr. Often was a clerk for one year in the wholesale millinery and dry-goods store of Jacob Conigiski, and later worked for a year in the china store of Kawin & Co. Then for two years he was a messenger for the Western Union Telegraph Company. Meanwhile having learned telegraphy, he was for two years in charge of a branch telegraph office at the National Hotel, Peoria. Later he was for a time in the employ of the Rock Island Railroad Company until October 1, 1888, when he entered the employ of the Peoria & Pekin Union Railroad Company as fireman on engine No. 7, under Engineer Thomas Blair. For two years he worked on night runs, and from 1890 to November 10, 1893, was employed on day runs. He then became engineer of engine No. 7, and has been employed in that capacity ever since. In politics Mr. Otten is a Democrat. He and his family are members of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church. He was married to Anna M. D. Henseler, daughter of John E. and Margaret (Doyle) Henseler, of Peoria, October 29, 1890, at St. Joseph's Church by the Rev. Father Rotter, and they have four children: Mildred, Clara, John and Alexander. Mr. Otten is a member of the Order of the Knights of St. John.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
OTTEN, JOHN H.; Foreman; born in Werlte, Osnabrueck, Westphalia, Germany, November 19, 1841, is a son of John B. and Mariana C. (Grote) Otten. George and Elizabeth Otten, his grandparents in the paternal line, were born at Werlte. Herman and Telgrate (Benten) Grote, his maternal grandparents, were born at Lorup and Lahn, respectively. George Otten and his son John B. were both farmers. The latter, who had a family of ten children, died in 1866, aged about sixty years. His wife died one year earlier at the age of fifty-eight. Herman Grote was a merchant. John H. Otten became a clerk in a store at the age of sixteen years, and was so employed until he came to America ten years later. He landed at New York in July, 1865, and came thence direct to Peoria. He was employed in various capacities as opportunity offered for four years, and after that worked for five years in the carshops of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Company. Then for six years he was in the employ of the Rock Island & Peoria Railroad Company until he became car inspector for the Peoria & Pekin Union Company, which position he held for twelve years. For the past six years he has been foreman of the car department of the company last mentioned. Mr. Otten was married at Peoria October 14, 1865, to Heermanna Bremer, who was born in Germany in 1847, and came to America in 1865. They have seven children, as follows: John B., Anna M. C., Lizzie, Harry H. J., William H., Frederick A. and Agnes. Mr. Otten is a Democrat, and he and his wife are members of St. Joseph's Catholic Church.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
PAGE, GEORGE T.; Attorney-at-law: was born at Spring Bay, Woodford County, Illinois, September 22, 1859, the son of T. C. S. and Cordelia E. (Shope) Page. Mr. Page's ancestors on the paternal side had been natives of New Hampshire for several generations; his great-grandparents, Andrew and Elizabeth Page, and his grandparents, John and Betsy Page, having all been born in that State, which was also the native State of his father. On the mother's side his great-grandfather, Andrew Richmond, was a Mississippian: his grandfather, Simon P. Shope, a native of Pennsylvania, and his grandmother, Lucinda (Richmond) Shope, of Mississippi ; his mother also having been born in the latter State. Mr. Page was educated in the public schools of his native county, also spending six months in the University of Illinois at Champaign, after which he engaged in teaching for a time in Woodford County. He then began the study of law with his brother, then the senior member of the firm of Page & Elwood, at Metamora, and was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court at Ottawa, January 14, 1882. During the following year he commenced practice at Denver, Colorado, whither he had gone for the benefit of his health. Having regained his health, he returned to Illinois, locating in Peoria, where he was associated for a time with his brother, S. S. Page (afterwards a Justice of the Circuit Court for Peoria County); was also a member of the firm of Worthington, Page & Brady, but now the senior member of Page, Wead & Ross. In political faith Mr. Page is a Democrat, and a Presbyterian in religious belief and affiliation. On September 7, 1887, he was united in marriage, at Decatur, Illinois, to Miss Jessie S. Stevens, of that city, and they have one child—Gerald H. Page.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
PARKER, JAMES WILLIAM; Physician; of New England ancestry, was born at Nauvoo, Illinois, July 4, 1867. His great-grandparents in the paternal line were Abijah and Phoebe (Harris) Parker, natives of Cheshire, Massachusetts. Their son, Leonard Cornwell Parker, born in Madison County, New York, married Betsy Tarbal Bennet, of Flat Hill, Connecticut. Their son, Roland Milton Parker, born at Bouckville, Madison County, New York, married Dr. Jennie Angelina Swan, born at Milan. Ohio, granddaughter of Adam Swan, of Stonington. Connecticut. Adam and Angelina (Betts) Swan— the latter a native of Norwalk, Connecticut— were the parents of George M. Swan, also born at Norwalk, who married Jane Gardner Knight, of Huron County, Ohio. Dr. James William Parker, son of Dr. Roland Milton Parker (also a physician of fifty-six years experience), began his literary education in the high school at Nauvoo, and completed his course at the University of Iowa in 1888. After receiving ample education at that mixed medical institution he took a post-graduate course at the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College, which he completed in 1893. In 1894 he took a course in the Post-Graduate Medical School of Chicago, while acting as Demonstrator of Anatomy and Lecturer on Surgical Anatomy in the National Medical College, and in the same year took a postgraduate course at Rush Medical College, Chicago. He began practice in 1888 at Warsaw, Illinois, where he was physician to the Board of Health and County Physician for Hancock County; also a member of the State Board of Health Auxiliary Association and President of the Board of Education. He came to Peoria July 1, 1809, and at once took high rank as a surgeon. He makes a specialty of general surgery, diseases of women and rectal and genito-urinary diseases. Associated with him in his practice is his wife, Dr. Donna M. Parker, who. after having attended various institutions of learning, entered the State University of Iowa in 1884 and there completed the Homeopathic and Allopathic courses with extra hospital advantages. She has since taken post-graduate courses in Chicago medical colleges, and since 1888 has been active and successful as a medical practitioner. They were married at Riceville, Iowa, July 11, 1888, and have four children: Roland Bennett, Mildred, Jennette, Theodore Chase and James William. Mrs. Parker is a daughter of Captain James E. and Eliza V. Bennett. Captain Bennett, who was during his early life long engaged in whale fishing, settled at Riceville, Iowa, in 1855. Dr. James William Parker is a Mason, a Modern Woodman, a member of the Order of Maccabees, of the Court of Honor, and of the Knights of Pythias. (see chapter on "Medical Profession.")from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
PECK, JAMES D.; Painter and Paperhanger; is a son of Leonard and Harriet (Short) Peck, and was born near Providence, Rhode Island, September 3, 1839. He was educated in the public schools and brought up to farm work, and at the age of twenty-one entered upon a three years' apprenticeship to the painter's trade. He worked as a journeyman until 1862, when he enlisted in Company I, Eleventh Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, with which he served nine months in the army of the Potomac. He came to Peoria in 1865, worked for a time for wages, and was for three years a partner in the firm of Frazier & Co. In 1871 he engaged in his present business, which is so extensive that during busy seasons it gives employment to fifteen to twenty men. He has done a large amount of ornamental painting and fresco work on the residences of J. B. Greenhut, William Bartlett, Samuel Bartlett, Frank Hall and Walter Barker, and on other residences scarcely less conspicuous, and on several public buildings. His store, at 208 Main Street, is well stocked and well patronized. In politics Mr. Peck is a Republican, and he was a member of the City Council under Mayor Leslie Robinson, and again in 1898-1900. He is a member of the First Congregational Church of Peoria. He was married, in 1862, at Providence, Rhode Island, to Harriet Woodbury, and their only child, June, is the wife of Oliver C. Boynton.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
PETERS, CYRUS; Railway Engineer; son of John and Mary (Curtz) Peters, was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, June 13, l868. So far as known, his paternal ancestors for many generations have been farmers. His grandfather, Frederick Peters, who married Christine Bleicher, was born in Pennsylvania, and their son John was born in Dauphin County of the same State. Mr. Peters' father and grandfather settled with their families in Putnam County, Illinois, in 1878, and John Peters still lives there on a farm. Cyrus Peters had two brothers and eight sisters, all of whom are living. He began life for himself as an employe in the shops of the Peoria & Pekin Union Railway Company, where he remained a year. Then, at the age of twenty-three, he became a fireman. In 1895 he was given charge of an engine, which he has since run. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. On March 16, 1893, he was married at Hennepin, Illinois, to Miss Frances May Coleman, daughter of William and Margaretta (Rauch) Coleman, and they have three children: Hazel May, Franklin C. and Harry L. Mr. Coleman, the father of Mrs. Peters, was born September 9, 1845, became a farmer in Putnam County, was married March 2, 1871, and died January 29, 1900. He was taken by his parents to Oregon in 1847, and after four years' residence in Oregon and California, the family returned by way of Panama and New Orleans and the rivers to Hennepin, where they arrived April 2, 1851. Mr. and Mrs. Coleman had eight children, six of whom are living. Mrs. Peters has borne her husband three children: Hazel May, Franklin S. and Harry L.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
POOL, ARTHUR Q.; Railway Conductor; born in Morgantown, West Virginia, is a son of Hamilton S. and Mary (Wood) Pool, natives respectively, of West Virginia and Fayette County, Pennsylvania. Asby Pool, his grandfather, was born in Maryland. The American ancestors of the family came from England to Vermont two hundred years ago. Hamilton S. and Mary (Wood) Pool had seven children: Asby, Arthur Q., Alvin, Annie C., Cora H., Hamilton W. and Ollie A. Asby and Alvin are dead; the parents are living. Arthur Q. Pool has been in the railway service twenty-four years, and in the employ of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Company in different capacities eighteen years, and has been a conductor for a like period. He is a member of Peoria Division. No. 79. Order of Railway Conductors; Peoria Lodge, No. 15, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; and Central City Lodge, No. 202, Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a Republican and he and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Pool has been a resident of Illinois since 1863. He was married in September, 1884, to Nellie Stokes, who died in February, 1895. Mr. Pool married Katie Malone, daughter of Lawrence and Ann (Whalen) Malone, and they have two children Irene M. and Arthur Q. Mr. and Mrs. Malone had nine children, of whom five are living: James, Julia, Katie, Mary A. and Lawrence. Mr. Malone died in January, 1897. and Mrs. Malone in January, 1894.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
POPPEN, HERO TJARKS; Grocer; born February 4, 1867, in Grosholum, Amt Aurich, Ost-Friesland Germany, is a great-grandson of Johan Christoph and Hilke Margaret (Ommen) Poppen, whose son, Gerd Bruns, married Eitsche Margaret Braams and was the father of Diedrich Hermann Poppen, who married Martha Catharine Becker, daughter of Hero Tjarks and Maria (Hicken) Becker. Gottfried and Elizabeth (Menssen) Becker, the parents of Hero T. Becker, were natives of Ostfriesland. Johan C. Poppen was a goldsmith and George B. Poppen was a teacher. Diedrich H. Poppen was liberally educated arid taught school in Germany until 1887, when he came to America. He and his wife and five of their six children are living. Hero Tjarks Poppen received a common-school education, and worked a year and a half in a grocery store, and August 4, 1883, sailed from Bremen for America on board the Moselle, which three days later was totally wrecked on Lizard Point on the English coast. No lives were lost, and Mr. Poppen came to Baltimore on the ship Hermann, arriving August 23, and reached Peoria five days later. After attending school a few months to gain a knowledge of the English language, he became a clerk in a store, and afterward was junior partner in the firm of D. H. Poppen & Sons until 1893, when he engaged in the grocery business independently at No. 1000 Lincoln Avenue. In 1898 he more than doubled the capacity of his store, and since then, at Nos. 1000-1002, he has had the leading mercantile business on that avenue. He sells both groceries and meats, employs nine persons and owns another good property across the avenue. Mr. Poppen was married September 19, 1893, to Louise E. Gloeckel, of Peoria, and they have children named Helena M., Walter J., Telma M. and Alma M. George Gloeckel, Mrs. Poppen's father, was of a prominent family of Hanover and held the office of Oberforester. Her mother, Marie (Nitschke) Gloeckel, was a native of Milwaukee.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
PUTNAM, FRANK H.; Wholesale and Retail Coal-dealer, Peoria; born in Peoria, September 9, 1866, the son of Parker T. and Laura A. (Austin) Putnam. His father was a native of New York and his mother of Vermont. The former came to Illinois in 1854, first locating at Rockford, but in 1860 came to Peoria, where he engaged in the live-stock commission business, and was first President of the Live Stock Exchange. He was a Republican in politics, and served two terms in the Board of Supervisors of Peoria County. The son passed a pleasant childhood in the paternal home, and had superior advantages for acquiring an education, but having aspirations for a business life, after passing through the ward school, took a course in Brown's Business College, then became a clerk in Day Brothers & Co.'s wholesale dry-goods store, and later an employe of J. C. Streibich, stationer, finally in April, 1892, embarking in the wholesale and retail coal trade, which he has continued since. In politics Mr. Putnam has been a firm and steadfast Republican, and has been three times elected a Supervisor of Peoria Township, serving from 1895 to 1901. In 1899 he was Acting Secretary of the Peoria Corn Expositioin and prominently connected with the Exposition of 1901. In religious belief he is a Universalist, and fraternally a member of the order of Free Masons, of Modern Woodmen of America, of Knights of Pythias and the Creve Coeur Club; is also a member of the Travelers' Protective Association and has served as a delegate to its conventions. Mr. Putnam was married, January 14, 1891, to Miss Hattie K. Miller, daughter of John A, and Margaret (Aultmeyer) Miller. They have two children: Richard Austin, aged eight years, and Frances, aged five years. Mr. Putnam is firm and sincere in his friendship, jovial in temperament, with generous impulses, but quickly resents a wrong inflicted, and enjoys the pleasure of home life rather than the fascinations of modern club life.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
RAILSBACK, WILLIAM P.; Locomotive Engineer; was born in Wayne County, Indiana, November 24, 1845, a son of David and Mary (Smith) Railsback. His father was born in Wayne County, Indiana, in 1809, and his mother in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His paternal grandfather, David Railsback, married a Miss Lewis, both being natives of Virginia. His maternal grandparents were Peter and Lizzie (Smulzer) Smith, natives of North Carolina. Mr. Railsback began his railroad service in 1868. He entered the employ of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Company January 16, 1869, and six months later was promoted to be an engineer, in which capacity he has labored continuously for thirty-two years. Mr. Railsback married Lavinia Davidson, who died March 31, 1868. On July 13, 1870. he was married to Viola Staples, of Hancock County, Illinois, who died October 16, 1875, after having borne five children: Frank P., Lenora B., Charles S., Lulu B. and Julia M. March is, 1893, he was married at Keokuk, Iowa, to Lenora M. Smith, of Hancock County, Illinois. She was a daughter of Joseph Smith, who was born in Ohio in April, 1829, and married Nancy J. Ellis in Hancock County, Illinois, who bore him six children: Ida B., Maria C., Lillian M., James L. A., Lenora M. and Nancy E. Mr. Smith died in 1894; his widow is living. Roy Jett Railsback is the only issue of his father's third marriage. Frank P. Railsback, Mr. Railsback's eldest son, is an engineer in the employ of the Illinois Central Railway Company. He married Estella Leitgart, of Hancock County, and has two children, named Ruby and Lee. Mr. Railsback's daughter Lenora B. married Samuel Cornelius, of Illinois, and has two daughters, named G. Irene and Helen.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
READ, JOHN A.; Auctioneer; was born in Hannibal, Oswego County, New York, July 16, 1850. Amos Read married Mary Bennett, in Connecticut, about 1776. Their second child, Caleb, born at Lisbon, Connecticut, November 24, 1780, died in Westmoreland, Oneida County, New York, March 15, 1849. He married, at Montville, Connecticut, September 6, 1804, Mary, daughter of Benjamin and Lettis (Camp) Leffingwell. who was born in Montville, or at Boswell. Connecticut, January 17, 1782, and died September 30, 1825. Their son, Dwight Ripley, the father of John A. Read, was born at Brookfield, Madison County, New York, and married Margaret J. Wasson, who was born at Little Sodus Bay, Cayuga County, New York, in 1825, a daughter of George and Sallie (Brewster) Wasson, who were born near Schenectady, New York. John A. Read at the age of twelve years began to earn his own living. In 1867 he accompanied his parents to Peoria. Two years later, having reached the age of nineteen, he went to Kansas, and in 1872 settled on a Government claim in Morris County in that State, where he remained two years. After spending some time in Iowa, he lived for a year at Elmwood, Illinois, where he was engaged in the auction business. He became an auctioneer and dealer in second-hand goods in Peoria in 1878, and is now the proprietor of the largest and oldest auction-house in his part of the State. In 1899 he was appointed Sealer of Weights and Measures for the city of Peoria. An active Republican politician and a fluent speaker, he has done much effective campaign work for his party. He was married at Brimfield, Peoria County, in May, 1887, to Mary E. Barlow, and they have children: Mary Lillie, Emma Alice, J. Stella, John Wilbur and Sala Hamilton.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
REEVES, WILLIAM HAWKS; Architect; born at Bloomington, Illinois, December 1, 1866, is the son of Owen Thornton and Mary E. (Hawks) Reeves, of Bloomington. His great-grandparents on the paternal side were Isaiah and Elizabeth (Davis) Reeves, who were natives of Virginia, and became the parents of William Reeves, also a native of Virginia, who married Mary McLain, a native of Ohio. Their son, Owen Thornton Reeves, was born in Ross County, Ohio, graduated at the Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, and came to Bloomington, Illinois, in 1854, has served for several terms on the Circuit Bench for the Bloomington District and has for many years been a Trustee and a Professor in the Law Department of the Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington. Judge Owen T. Reeves was married to Mary E. Hawks, whose parents were Matthew H. and Elizabeth (Major) Hawks, both born in Kentucky. The parents of last named Mrs. Hawks (who were the great-grandparents of William H. Reeves) were William J. and Margaret (Ship) Major, like their daughter, natives of Kentucky. William Hawks Reeves received his primary education in the public schools at Bloomington, took a three years' literary course at the State Normal University at Normal, and later studied architecture for two years in the State University at Champaign. Soon after leaving college he located at Peoria, and seven years ago became a member of the firm of Reeves & Baillie, architects, and for some five years has been official architect and superintendent of the Asylum for the Incurable Insane, at Bartonville. In 1897 at the establishment of the State Board of Examiners of Architects, he was appointed a member of that Board by the Governor for two years, and was then re- appointed for a second term of four years. His firm has furnished plans for the City Hall at Peoria, Spalding Institute, the Christian Science Church, and for other notable buildings, and has given much attention to designing and superintending the erection of large public school buildings. Mr. Reeves and Miss Colima French, of Spring- field, were married December 4, 1895, and have one child, Owen Thornton Reeves.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
REIGART, WILLIAM H.; Engineer; was born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1840, a son of Daniel and Barbara (Bechtold) Reigart. His grandfather in the paternal line came from England and settled at Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where his son Daniel was born August 6, 1812. The latter, a tanner by trade, came to Illinois in 1855, and settled at Ottawa, devoting his attention to the cultivation of a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in that vicinity. He died September 26, 1884, leaving several sons. Barbara Bechtold, his wife, was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, in February, 1818, and died at her son's home in Peoria December 13, 1886. William H. Reigart passed his early life on the farm, and in 1862 became a fireman on the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad. In six months he was made an engineer, and for more than four years ran a locomotive between Peru and Chicago. In 1866 he was given an engine on the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Road, and continued in the service of that line for twenty-seven and one-half years, running most of the time between Peoria and the State line, his engine drawing a passenger train after his first six months' service. It is a remarkable fact that, during that long period, he never suffered an injury. On October 20, 1875, he was presented with a solid gold watch worth $275, by the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railway Company, for meritorious service, his general record, as well as that for care of live-stock, being superior to that of any other engineer on the road. He retired from the road in 1894; is a Republican in politics, and still a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. He has lived at 1002 First Avenue for thirty-five years, and owns considerable property in that vicinity, and is one of the best known and most highly respected railroad men in Peoria. Mr. Reigart married Laura Cutting at Joliet November 9, 1864, who was born at Lowell, Massachusetts, March 14, l846. She is the daughter of John H. and Abigail (Emerson) Cutting, who were natives of Rochester New York and Methuen, Massachusetts, respectively. About 1849 Mr. Cutting and his family located at Chicago, and a year later removed to Joliet. where they lived thirty-five years. John Cutting, father of John H. Cutting, accompanied John C. Fremont in his western expedition and, in making those discoveries which have led to the development of a vast extent of country, attained distinction as an explorer. He died at the age of sixty-nine years.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
RHEA, EBENEZER B., Office Manager Kingman Plow Company; born in Peoria County, Illinois, August 1, 1857, the son of Elias B. and Phoebe (Paddock) Rhea, both of whom were natives of Preble County, Ohio. Mr. Rhea's great-grandfather was Robert Rhea, born in Mecklenberg County, North Carolina, and his grandfather, Jehu S. Rhea, a native of Monroe County, Tennessee. On the maternal side his grandfather was Ebenezer Paddock. He was educated in the common schools in the city of Peoria, and, in 1875, became office-boy in the office of Kingman & Co., where he remained until 1881, when he traveled for a year as agent in Minnesota and Dakota, selling agricultural implements. Returning to Peoria in 1883 he entered into the employment of Kingman & Co. as order clerk, soon after removing to St. Louis, where he occupied the same position in their St. Louis house until 1886, when he went upon the road selling heavy hardware. In 1889 he became associated with the branch house of Kingman & Co. at Kansas City, as correspondent and general office man, remaining there until 1896, when he again removed to Peoria to accept a position with the Rhea-Thielens Implement Company. Here he remained until 1900, when he became office manager for the Kingman Plow Company —a position which he has since occupied. Mr. Rhea ws married in Chicago, April 16, 1888, to Mary Bell Hart, and they have four children: Justina, Edith Belle, Helen and Harold Hart. In religious belief he is a Protestant and in political affiliation, a Republican.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
RICE, JAMES MONTGOMERY; Lawyer; born in Monmouth, Illinois, March 8, 1842; the son of George Poage Rice, born in Greenup County, Kentucky, October 27, 1812, and Caroline (Montgomery) Rice, a native of Danville, Pennsylvania. On the paternal side the Rice family trace their ancestry to Thomas Rice, born in England of Welsh parents, who came to Virginia in 1695, where the next three generations were born. His son, William Rice (who was the great-great-grandfather of James M. Rice, of Peoria) was a native of Hanover County, Virginia, and he and his wife, Sarah, had a son named John, born in, Culpepper County, Virginia, who married Mary Finney, a native of Accomac County. The next in line of descent was James Rice, born in Rockingham County, Virginia, married Ann Hopkins, a native of the .same county, and settled in Kentucky about 1804, which became the birthplace of their son, George Poage Rice, already mentioned. On the maternal side Alexander and Mary Montgomery, natives of North of Ireland, were parents of Gen. William Montgomery, of Revolutionary fame, born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, who married Margaret Nevin, a native of the same county. Their son, John Montgomery, also of Chester County, married Isabella Bell, and they became the parents of James Montgomery, of Danville. Pennsylvania, who married Margaret Reed, of Chester County, in the same State: their daughter, Caroline, becoming the wife of George Poage Rice, and the mother of James M., as stated above. George Poage Rice settled in Monmouth. Warren County, Illinois, in 1835, and after remaining there many years, removed to Omaha, Nebraska, where he lived with his daughter, Mrs. Lyman W. Case, until his death, July 7, 1890. His wife died in Nebraska, January 15, 1886. Both are buried at their old home at Monmouth. James M., who was the oldest child of the family, spent his boyhood on his father's farm near Monmouth, and acquiring a primary education in the district schools, entered Monmouth College. The Civil War having broken out during his freshman year, although still a minor, on August 20, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company E. Tenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving until September 14, 1864, a period of more than three years, without asking a furlough or losing a day from duty. His first service was as Military Storekeeper at General Grant's headquarters, but having been appointed Corporal, he returned to the ranks, and took part with his regiment in some of the most important battles of the war, including that at Pittsburg Landing, the advance on Corinth, the Nashville campaign of 1862, the battles of Mission Ridge and Chickamauga, and the march to the relief of Knoxville,. Tennessee. Having been promoted to the rank of Sergeant, in December, 1863, he was examined and recommended for a commission in a regiment of colored troops, afterward participating in the battles of Buzzard's Roost and Resaca, in the capture of Rome, Georgia, in Sherman's march to Atlanta, and the battles of Peach Tree Creek and Ezra Church. As opportunity afforded while in the service, he continued his studies which had been interrupted by his enlistment, and, on returning from the field, entered the Law Department of Michigan University, graduating there in March. 1866; was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Illinois and in the District Courts of Iowa, and, later, in the United States District, Circuit and Supreme Courts. Immediately after graduation he began practice at Oquawka, also serving as Master in Chancery, but early in the next year removed to Peoria, where, a year later, he became a partner of Judge David McCulloch, continuing until his election as Representative to the General Assembly in November, 1870. In 1875 he joined in the reorganization of the National Blues, which took a prominent part in guarding railroad and other property during the great railroad strike at East St. Louis, in 1877; the same year was commissioned Captain and Special Aid on the Governor's Staff; two years later became Lieutenant-Colonel and Inspector of rifle practice; in 1887, as Acting Assistant Adjutant-General of the Second Brigade, took part in suppressing the riots at East St. Louis, and, in 1890, was commissioned Colonel and Inspector-General of rifle practice, I. N. G., resigning this position on the accession of Governor Altgeld in 1896. Colonel Rice is the author of a volume on rifle firing, which has received the approval of officers of the regular army; has also written numerous articles for the periodical press (military and miscellaneous) in which he favored the incorporation of the National Guard into the organization for the National defense. While the principle has not been incorporated into the general law, it has received the approval of many leading military officers, and was partially recognized in the permission given to the National Guard, in several of the States, to enter the service with their regimental organizations at the beginning of the Spanish-American War. From the time of casting his vote for Mr. Lincoln for President in 1864, Col. Rice has been prominent in Republican circles, having served as Secretary of the Peoria County Republican Central Committee, and been a frequent contributor to the press on current political issues. He was a charter member of Bryner Post, G. A. R., organized in 1879, and its first Adjutant and, for three successive years (1894-96), Special Aid on the Staff of the Commander-in-chief, with a view to promoting military training in schools and colleges. In religious belief he is a Presbyterian, and a member of the Second Presbyterian Church. On September 14, 1871, he was married to Miss Eliza F. Ballance. a native of Peoria —where her father, Col. Charles Ballance, settled in 1831—and a graduate of Monticello Female Seminary, and they have five children: Lillian R. (now Mrs. Daniel R. Brigham, of Denver, Colorado), Caroline Montgomery, Mary Virginia, Montgomery, Gordon and Willis Ballance.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
RIGGS, JAMES L., pioneer settler, Peoria County; born in Maryland, the son of Romulus and Mercy A. (Levering) Riggs. His father lived for a time in Philadelphia, where the son was educated. The latter came to Peoria County in 1840 and settled on lands which his father had purchased in Jubilee and Brimfield Townships. He was one of the early County Commissioners of Peoria County, and was elected Sheriff in 1850, serving two terms. During his incumbency in the Sheriff's office, he resided in Peoria, but on the expiration of his second term returned to his farm. Mr. Riggs was, for a time, partner of Halsey O. Merriman in the real estate business under the firm name of Riggs & Merriman, and, during this time, laid off an addition to the city of Peoria, which bears his name. It embraced a tract of forty acres, on a part of which St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral is located. Politically Mr. Riggs was a Republican. He was married, February 11, 1846, at Springfield, Illinois to Marietta Francis, and they had one daughter, Alice, now the wife of Alexander G. Tyng, Jr. He died upon his farm in February, 1859.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
ROBERTSON, JOSEPH L.; Educator, County Superintendent of Schools, Peoria; was born at Prairie City, McDonough County, Illinois, October 27, 1864, the son of Hugh and Harriet (Lupher) Robertson. His father was a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, and his mother of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Mr. Robertson was educated in the high school of his native town. and in the Western Normal College at Bushnell, Illinois. His training in the Normal was acquired during his vacations while engaged in teaching in the district schools, in which he spent some five years, after which he became a teacher in the grammar school in Prairie City, where he remained two years, when he became Principal of the Sheffield school in Bureau County. In 1891 he was chosen Superintendent and Principal of the schools in Chillicothe, Peoria County continuing in that position four years. In the fall of 1894 he was elected County Superintendent of Schools for Peoria County, was re-elected to the same office in 1898, and in 1902 was nominated for a third term. His successive re-elections afford evidence of satisfaction on the part of the people with the manner in which he has discharged the duties of his office. Mr. Robertson is a member of the Union Congregational Church of Peoria, while politically he is a believer in the principles of the Republican party. In January, 1902, he was appointed by Governor Yates a member of the State Board of Education, which is charged with the management of the State Normal University at Normal, Illinois,—a position of honor rather than profit, as no salary is attached to the office beyond the payment of necessary expenses incurred by the incumbent in attending meetings of the Board. In this case the appointment seems to have been most happily bestowed. Mr. Robertson was married in Lee Township, Fulton County, on June 23, 1887, to Miss Eva L. Terhune, and they have a family of four children, viz.: Jennie N., Josephine, Hugh Schuyler and Dorothy.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
ROGERS, JOHN F.: Grocer and Meat Merchant; was born in Hardin County, Ohio, November 10, 1856, a son of William H. and Hannah (Caseman) Rogers, natives of that State. Mr. Rogers' paternal grandfather was William Rogers and his maternal grandfather Joshua Caseman. Only a common-school education was afforded him, but he was so studious and so industrious that he prepared himself for teaching, a work upon which he entered at the age of nineteen, and which he followed for five years until impairment of his health obliged him to seek other employment. After trading in stock for two years he was for ten years a farmer and stock raiser in Logan County, Ohio, and was awarded several premiums for meritorious exhibits at Ohio State Fairs. He located in Peoria in 1893, and in June, 1895, opened a meat market at 1716 North Jefferson Street, which he still owns. In 1896 he established a branch market on Adams Street, and in 1897 the firm of Rogers & Tawzer was formed and opened a grocery at 1903 Adams Street. Mr. Rogers has been successful in all his business ventures and his stores are well patronized. He is a Protestant Methodist and a Republican, a member of the Order of Foresters and of the Fraternal Tribune. He married Ida M. Miller in Logan County, Ohio, October 12, 1882, and they have a son and a daughter, named Clyde M. and Lena L.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
ROSKOTEN, ROBERT, M. D. (deceased); Peoria; was born of wealthy parents at Metman, near Dusseldorf, Germany. February 5, 1816. The repudiation by the Austrian Government of a debt of $80,000 due to the elder Roskoten, who was a cloth manufacturer, for military uniforms, left the family financially crippled, and, on the death of his father the son, being thrown upon his own resources, was compelled to work his way through the higher schools of Erfurt by giving private lessons. He then saw three years of military service, first in the Prussian uniform, then in that of France, and finally as a Lieutenant in the service of Portugal, during which time he acquired means to begin a four years' course in medicine at the University of Halle, taking his degree at Jena in 1848. Meanwhile, without neglecting the cultivation of his literary taste, he gained a working knowledge of pharmacy, which he hoped to utilize on his contemplated removal to America. A passionate lover of liberty and endowed with a fiery temperament, he soon became involved in the revolutionary movement then sweeping over Europe, and, on its collapse found himself agitating the cause in Paris, where he escaped arrest and imprisonment by immediate flight. Then coming to America, he was one of that large colony of educated and polished Germans scattered over the United States who did so much to pave the way for those who were to follow them from the Fatherland,—founding churches, schools and societies, many of which still exist. After a year's practice in New York City and a brief stay in Pekin, Illinois, in 1850, Dr. Roskoten came to Peoria, where he continued in practice until his death on May 8, 1897. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was one of the first to be appointed by President Lincoln member of the Board for the examination of Army Surgeons, next rose to the rank of Brigade Surgeon, but was compelled to ask for a discharge on account of injuries received at the battle of Shiloh. Few men could thus look back upon active service in the armies of four nations: pride would not permit him to apply for a pension, though fully entitled to one. For many years he served as Secretary upon the local Board of Pension Examiners. Among the numerous civil and social organizations with which Dr. Roskoten was associated in his later . years may be named the City Board of Education (one term) ; the Board of Directors of the Peoria German Free School: the local. State and National Medical Societies, and of the Association of Army and Navy Surgeons. He was also a member of the Masonic fraternity, and was one of the founders of the Cottage Hospital. His wide acquaintance and reputation for diagnostic acumen caused him to be much sought after as a consultant in general practice, giving freely, on all occasions, the fruits of his ripe experience. Even in his later years he mani- fested a remarkable ability in keeping abreast of the times, and was as popular among the young as with those of his own age. An accomplished linguist, he had a thorough knowledge of Latin and Greek, and besides writing with vigor and precision in English and German, also spoke fluently in the French, Spanish and Portuguese languages. With all he was a deep student of history and possessed marked literary ability, as shown by his drama entitled "Carlotta," founded upon the romantic career of the Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlotta of Mexico, and another based on the siege of Granada—both works containing evidence of strong individuality and dramatic power. An enthusiastic student of nature, a scientist, an ardent admirer of all that is good and pure, he was ever ready to tear the mask from the hypocrite and the charlatan. Dr. Roskoten was twice married—first to Miss Charlotte Haas, who died in 1862, and of whose four children only one (Dr. O. J. Roskoten, of Peoria) still survives; his second marriage was in 1865 to Miss Emma De Vries, who, with her two children, Charles Oscar and Miss Matilda, is still living.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
ROWCLIFF, JOHN WESLEY; Deputy Collector of Internal Revenue; born in Lynn Township, Huron County, Ohio, June 27, 1844, the son of William and Mary (Ford) Rowcliff. Both parents were natives of England, his father--late of Jubilee Township, Peoria County (Illinois)--born March 12, 1818, and his mother in January, 1819. His paternal grandfather was John Rowcliff and his maternal grandparents James and Mary Fordall, of English nativity. Mr. Rowcliff first saw Peoria at eight years of age, his parents coming to Peoria County early in 1853, and for the next fourteen years lived on a farm; in 1867 he removed to Princeville and engaged in the drug business until 1873, when he came to Peoria, and for eleven years traveled for Singer & Wheeler, wholesale druggists. December 25, 1879, he was married to Caroline M. Gilbert, of Peoria, and they have one son, Gilbert J. Rowcliff, who graduated with credit from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. During the last year of Cadet Rowcliff's term at the Naval Academy, he was a member of the editorial staff of the "Lucky Bag," an annual published by the graduating class of each year. Mr. Rowcliff has been twice elected Alderman for the Second Ward of the city of Peoria; is a Republican in politics and a Deputy in the office of Internal Revenue Collector for the Fifth District of Illinois; a member of the Masonic order, and a Presbyterian in religious opinion.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
RUCH, ADOLPH J.; Butchery was born in Peoria April 19, 1874, and is a lineal descendant of Christian Ruch, of Bleienbach, Switzerland, a wealthy tanner, who for more than twenty years was stadtholder or mayor of his village. Christian Ruch was killed accidentally while hauling a load of bark to his tannery, when he was sixty years old. His wife, Elizabeth, was also a native of Bleienbach. Their only son, Jacob, married Elizabeth Sollberger, a woman of wealth who lived to be eighty-six years old. He was killed while hauling stone for the foundations of a barn, and left thirteen children, of whom Jacob, the eldest, born at Wiedenbach, September 1, 1834, married Maria Josephia Diemer, born at Ardsheim, Bavaria, September 29, 1850. The latter was a daughter of Johann Peter and Elizabeth (Baum) Diemer, and granddaughter of Michael and Catharine Diemer, all of whom were natives of Ardsheim, Rheinpfalz, Bavaria. Michael, who was a soldier under the first Napoleon, died at the age of seventy-five years. Johann Peter and Elizabeth (Baum) Diemer died at the ages of forty-four and thirty-nine years, respectively. Their daughter Josephia came to Peoria witih her brothers and in 1873 married Jacob Ruch, already mentioned. Adolph J. Ruch, their eldest son, remained here until thirteen years of age, when he moved with his father's family to a farm in Akron Township, where he was brought up to farm work, and teamed one Summer in connection with the construction of the roadbed of the Santa Fe Railway. He received his early education in the public schools of Peoria, and afterwards attended four winter terms at the Princeville Academy, and one winter term at Brown's Business College, Peoria, after which he was for nine years (1890-99) a clerk in the grocery store of J. L. Schmitt, when he opened a meat market at 2907 South Adams Street, where he has built up a good trade. He is a Mason and a Modern Woodman.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
RUTTER, CHARLES; Railway Conductor; born at Cleveland, Ohio, October 17, 1854, is a son of Adolphus and Sarah Jenkins (Gilbert) Rutter, natives of Pennsylvania, where in Lancaster County their parents were farmers. Adolphus Rutter, a man of education and a poet, removed from Pennsylvania to Wooster, Ohio, of which city he became Mayor. He published newspapers at Cleveland and Columbus and died at forty-five, leaving six children, of whom Charles, then three years old, was the youngest. His widow died in 1898, aged seventy-seven. At nine Charles became an errand boy for the Arbuckle Coffee Company at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he remained for a year; then attended school some three years. Later he worked two years in a stone quarry, was a cash-boy in a store, became a street-car conductor, and, in turn, a brakeman on the Pennsylvania Railroad, running between Philadelphia and Harrisburg. Afterward he was in the service of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Road and of the Marietta & Ohio Road. Then he entered the employment of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company, in its yards at Montreal, and for a time ran on trains out of that city. Subsequently, at Toronto, he was again in the street-railway service for a short time, until he returned to the United States and resumed braking on the Wabash Road. Later he was employed near Bloomington as superintendent of a pile-driving gang for the Lake Erie & Western Railway Company. Then for five years he was conductor on the "Big Four" line, running between Peoria and Indianapolis, and after that for a short time was in the service of the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railroad Company until he entered the service of the Jacksonville, Springfield & Eastern (now the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis) Railroad Company, in which he has continued as conductor for fourteen years. His experience includes several accidents and injuries. In 1890 an accident to a driving rod and a driving wheel of the engine drawing his train threw him twelve feet over a fence. September 12, 1891, his train went through a bridge into the Sangamon River, killing one person and injuring Mr. Rutter and two others. He is a member of the Order of Railway Conductors, the Knights of Pythias and of the Order of Chrystal Lights, and a Democrat in politics. September 16, 1875, he was married at Charleston, Illinois, to Virginia Keyes, who was born in Piatt County, Illinois, May 15, 1858, a daughter of James and Catharine (Fisher) Keyes. James Keyes was born in Barbour County, West Virginia, January 19, 1842, and died June 14, 1891. His wife was born in Pickaway County, Ohio, and died March 21, 1876, aged fifty-three years. Mr. Keyes, who had been a slave-owner in Virginia, settled in Piatt County in 1857. Mrs. Rutter was the seventh in order of birth of his eight children. She has borne her husband one son, named Freddie B.from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Peoria County, Volume II, 1902
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