Michael Pfeifer 

Mr. Pfeifer was born 17 Jan 1829 in Rhine Phaltz. He came in the year 1849 to America and in 1855 to Peoria. In the year 1862 established himself first as a grocery store merchant, also since 1868 we find him in the hardware business, which he is still busy at today, at 222 Brickstreet. From 1882-1884, Mr. Pfeifer was on city council. He also was one of the first shareholders of the Central Streetcar Society and for 14 years one of its directors. Mr. Pfeifer was a founder of the German American Bank and the Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, the latter he belonged to for 12 years; further he belonged to the German worker association, so long a time as it existed. Mr. Pfeifer contributed three buildings of bricks in the course of the years, important for the firms, and erected 9 houses, thereby important for setting up our city. Today Mr. Pfeifer is, besides conducting his own business, of one of the directors the German Fire Insurance Society and treasurer the same, and finally a director of the Workingman's Loan and Homestead Association, a position he has held for 15 years already.