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JOHN BAGGS, D. V. S. Dr. John Baggs was one of Peoria's pioneer residents
and for many years was an interested witness of the growth and progress of the
city. Here he engaged in business and followed his profession of veterinary
surgery to the later years of his life, when he retired and spent his remaining
days in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He was born in Urbana, Ohio, January
13, 1837, and passed away March 23, 1909, having attained the ripe old age of
seventy-two years. His parents were Abraham and Mary Baggs, also natives of
Ohio, who removed westward to Illinois in 1838. Peoria was then a town of but a
few hundred inhabitants and the entire countryside was largely wild and
undeveloped. The father secured a tract of land and became a prominent pioneer
farmer, converting his place into rich and productive fields and thus aiding
greatly in the agricultural development of the community.
Dr. Baggs was only a year old when brought by his
parents to this state. The educational advantages which Peoria offered in that
early day constituted the extent of his education. In his youth he assisted his
father on the home farm and early became familiar with the arduous task of
developing and cultivating new land. He carefully saved his earnings and at the
age of twenty years was himself the owner of a good farm, which he continued to
cultivate successfully until 1861. At the time of the outbreak of the Civil war,
however, all business and personal considerations were put aside that he might
respond to the country's call for aid. He enlisted in the Eighty-sixth Regiment
of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was organized and commanded by Colonel D.
D. Irons, and later by Colonel McGee. He was on active duty until injuries
sustained at the front caused him to be honorably discharged and he returned
home with a most creditable military record.
About that time Dr. Baggs disposed of his farm and took
up his abode in the city. Here he became a veterinary surgeon and practiced his
profession successfully for many years, his ability in that direction making his
services in constant demand. In 1905 he retired from all active business, having
in the years of his previous labor acquired a competence sufficient to supply
him with all the necessities and comforts and many of the luxuries of life.
On the 17th of November, 1858, Dr. Baggs was united in
marriage to Lydia Meredith Gill, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Moss) Gill,
the latter a representative of the Moss family that figured prominently in the
early history of Virginia. Her grandfather, a member of that family, served in
the Revolutionary war. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Baggs was born one son, William, who is
now deceased.
Dr. Baggs was preeminently a home man and found his
greatest happiness at his own fireside. He was very hospitable and greatly
enjoyed entertaining company in his own home. He also manifested a marked
fondness for music and literature and these added greatly to the joys of his
life. His political allegiance was always given to the republican party from the
time that age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He believed it to be
the party of reform and progress and recognized the fact that it was the defense
of the Union in the dark days of the Civil war. In manner he was quiet and
unassuming but his genuine personal worth gained him recognition and won him
many friends. He was deeply interested and closely associated with the pioneer
development of this part of the state and mention should be made of him in a
history of Peoria county's upbuilders and promoters.
(Peoria, City
and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice, pages 29-30, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BAILEY, BERNARD, justice of the peace, 110 1/2 N. Adams street, was born in Howard county, Md., March 26, 1812, and is the son of Vincent and Susanna (Barnard) Bailey, natives of Chester county, Pa. He left his native county in 1829 with his parents, and coming to St. Louis stayed there a few months, and then came on to Illinois and settled in Tazewell county. He taught school there for some time and worked at an ox mill which his father and brother had built. He then moved to Pekin, where, for the next two or three years, he worked at the grocery business, and afterwards at wagon making for a little over a year, saving up, by rigid economy, about $500, and by its aid read law with his brother for two years; taught school in Sand Prairie township for six months, and thence removed to Mercer county, Ill., where he practiced law for one year, having been admitted to the bar at Springfield in 1840. He married in January, 1841, at Millersburg, in the last named county, Miss Arabella Gilmore, a Creole and native of Louisiana, and removed to that State, engaged in sugar and cotton planting in the parish of East Baton Rouge until 1848, when he returned to Pekin, Ill. He was elected mayor of that city in the years 1849 and 1850 and was the first to hold the office. He bought out the Tazewell Mirror, and after conducting it for about six months, disposed of it and in 1852 came to Peoria and purchased an interest in the Peoria Republican, in the publication of which he was associated with Thos. J. Pickett. Disagreeing shortly afterwards on a matter of politics, he disposed of his interest and devoted himself for about a year to the business of insurance agent, and then engaged in the boot and shoe business, in which he remained until 1856, when he was elected justice of the peace, and has held the office, with the exception of about one and a half years, ever since. He is the oldest acting justice in Peoria. He has held the office of city and township collector for one term each. The fruits of his marriage were eleven children, only four of whom are now alive, May, Samuel P., Bernard and Ellie. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 624, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BAKER, GEORGE W. attorney at law, 112 N. Adams street, was born in Lowell, Mass., May 29, 1840, and is the son of Samuel R. and Mary B. (Carr) Baker. His father was a native of Massachusetts and his mother of New Hampshire. He was raised and educated in his native State and came to Peoria county March 26,1856. In May, 1861, he enlisted in Co. K, 8th Mo. Vol. Inf., Col. Morgan L. Smith commanding, as private, and was commissioned 2d Lieutenant July 9, 1861, and was promoted 1st Lieutenant May, 1862; was mustered out July 8, 1864. He then raised in Peoria, Co. I, in 146th Ill. Inf., and was commissioned its Captain. While with his first regiment he took part in seventeen engagements, besides many skirmishes, and in the latter one did duty in Illinois most of the time; was one of the officers detailed to act as guard of honor at President Lincoln's burial at Springfield, and was finally mustered out of the service July 8,1865, and, returning to Peoria, commenced the study of law with Hon. W. W. O'Brien, and was admitted to the bar January 18, 1870, since when he has continued to practice in Peoria. He married in February, 1873, Miss Juliette A. Edgecombe, a native of Ottawa, Ill., by whom he has had four children, two now alive, George W. and Leon H. His father died in 1855, and his mother is still alive and resides with him. Has been secretary of Peoria Shooting Club for three years, and for one year secretary of Illinois State Sportmans' Association; has always taken a strong interest in matters connected with field sports. In politics is a red-hot Democrat. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 624-625, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BALLANCE, CHARLES (deceased), attorney at law, settled in the village of Peoria in 1831, being one of the three first lawyers in the place. He descended from an ancient family of Durham, England, but his ancestors immigrated to Virginia over two centuries ago. His grandfather, Charles Ballance, was killed in the war of the revolution. Willis Ballance, the father of the subject of this sketch, married Miss Rejoice Greene, of Virginia. Charles was born in Madison county, Ky., Nov. 10, 1800; his educational opportunities were limited to the common schools and his individual efforts; taught several Winters to defray current expenses while pursuing his studies. To his innate desire for knowledge were supplemented an indomitable will and splendid memory, which soon gave him a well stored mind. He spent about thirty years of the prime of his life in the "French claims" legal controversy which so perplexed and harassed the early American settlers of Peoria. He seemed to be the only attorney who possessed the faith and courage to battle in behalf of the early settlers against those old claims. But he fought to the bitter end, carrying the matter from one court to another, until he won a final triumph and forever silencing the last French claimant and leaving the rightful owners in peaceful possession of their property. Mr. Ballance had in early times purchased a large tract of land in the lower end of the city where some of those French claims rested, and the successful results of his litigations forever removed the incubus from his, as well as his neighbors', lands. Those contests gave him a knowledge of the laws bearing upon real estate, which rendered him famous as a land title lawyer. In addition to his extensive legal labors, Mr. B. found time to prepare and publish a history of Peoria in 1870, a book of 270 pages, which was the last work of his life. He was elected alderman from the 1st ward in 1852, and mayor of the city in 1855. Mr. B. married Julia Schnebley, of Peoria, in 1835, who bore him ten children, —— living. He died on August 10, 1872, leaving an extensive estate, chiefly lying in the lower end of the city, and much of it is now occupied by the large manufactories in that quarter. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 625, submitted by Janine Crandell)
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HON. CHARLES BALLANCE.
The record of the life of Mr. Ballance is an interesting one; it is a record of
energy, of perseverance in the face of difficulties, and of final success.
Through the long period of his life of more than three-score and ten years, he
retained his enterprise of disposition, his cheerfulness and his belief in human
nature.
As a member of the bar he was quick in decision and
prompt in execution; he saw at a glance the difficult point in any case, and as
readily pursued the means that must be used to gain success. His portrait, which
is presented in connection with this account of his life, will be welcomed by
the many friends to whom a long acquaintance had endeared him.
Tracing the ancestry of our subject, we find that he
was descended from an ancient family, who resided in Durham, England, and some
of whom immigrated to Virginia more than two centuries ago. The grandfather,
bearing the same name as he of whom we write, was a Revolutionary soldier and
was killed during that famous conflict. Our subject was a son of Willis and
Rejoice (Green) Ballance, natives of Culpeper County, Va., and during their
residence in Madison County, Ky., their son Charles was born November 10, 1800.
His boyhood days were passed in Kentucky, and ambitious
to obtain an education, he did whatever he could to procure the means, and for
several years engaged in teaching. He subsequently read law in Harrodsburg with
Judge Terry T. Haggin, and was admitted to the bar when about twenty-nine or
thirty years of age.
Entering upon the practice of his profession in
Kentucky, Judge Ballance continued there two or three years, and then, coming to
Illinois opened an office in Peoria in 1832, and there he was engaged in active
professional work until the time of his death. His legal ability was of a
superior order and in all questions regarding the land laws and rights of
property-holders he had no equal and was famous as a land-title lawyer. During
those early days the settlers of Peoria were much troubled to secure titles to
their lands, on account of the "French claims," and with unfaltering faith and
true courage he took up the battle in their behalf, against these old claims. He
waged a long and bitter warfare against the French claimants, and at last
secured to the rightful owners the peaceful possession of their property. He had
in early times purchased a large tract of land in the lower end of the city,
where some of those French claims rested and as a result of his litigations,
gained a clear title to them, and their possession added much to his wealth.
Besides attending to the interests of his large clientage, Mr. Ballance
published a history of Peoria, a book of two hundred and seventy pages, this
being the last work of his life and appearing in 1870.
His fellow-citizens occasionally called Mr. Ballance to
devote some of his energy and valuable time to aiding in the administration of
public affairs, and thus in 1852, he was Alderman of the city from the First
Ward, and in 1855, served very acceptably as Mayor of the city. He passed from
the busy scenes of earth August 10, 1871, and thus was rounded out and finished
an eventful life that was closely associated with the rise and progress of the
city and county. His death caused a general feeling of regret throughout this
section of Illinois, where he was so well known and where his ability and the
strict integrity of his character made him respected and esteemed by the entire
community. Mr. Ballance took a lively interest in politics and supported the
Whig party so long as it existed, and on the organization of the Republican
party he became one of its strongest supporters.
During the Civil War Judge Ballance was a stanch Union
man, and raised, largely at his own expense, the Seventy-seventh Regiment,
Illinois Infantry, of which he was elected Colonel. On account of his advanced
age he resigned before the regiment was ordered to the front. His son-in law,
Lysander R. Webb, was elected Lieutenant-Colonel of the Seventy-seventh Regiment
and participated in all the battles in which they took part. While gallantly
leading the men he was killed in the disastrous Red River Expedition. His share
in the success of the Union was no inconsiderable one and his name is held in
grateful remembrance by the people of Peoria and the citizens of Illinois,
whereever patriotism is known.
The wife of our subject, to whom he was indebted for a
happy wedded life and the comforts of a well-appointed home, survives him. She
occupies an elegant residence at No. 212 Randolph Avenue, and in this beautiful
home is quietly passing the declining years of a well-spent life. She is a true
Christian and a member of the Second Presbyterian Church, in whose good work she
has long been active. She bore the maiden name of Julia Schnebly, and was born
in Maryland, July 13, 1816. Her parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Snavely) Schnebly,
were natives of Washington County, Md., where her father carried on farming
exclusively. Concluding that slavery was wrong he came West in the fall of 1835,
and settled among the pioneers of Peoria County, where he died in 1852. He had
been a Whig all his life and in the days of the incipiency of the Republican
party before its organization, he was at loss to know where he belonged, and
asked Mr. Ballance, "Where do I, amidst the confusion, belong?"
The wedding of our subject and his estimable wife was
celebrated March 24, 1836. They reared nine children, of whom the following six
are living: Mrs. Daniel N. Bash, wife of Maj. Bash, of the regular army; Mrs.
James M. Rice, wife of an attorney in Peoria; Charles, now living in Omaha;
Willis H., is one of the owners and Secretary of Gipps Brewery Company; Mary B.,
wife of H. O. Collins, an attorney of Los Angeles, Cal.; John G., First
Lieutenant of Twenty-second Infantry, United States Army, now stationed at Ft.
Keogh, Mont. The deceased are Josephine R., first wife of Daniel N. Bash; Julia,
former wife of Leslie Robison, and Amy, former wife of William S. Brackett.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), page 217, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BALLARD, WILLIAM H., lumber merchant, corner Washington and Fayette streets, is the pioneer now in that branch of trade in Peoria, having been engaged in it since 1849. Mr. B. was born in 1819, in the city of St. Louis, his father, James H. Ballard, being then stationed there as a lieutenant in the regular army, in which service he died in 1822, at St. Augustine. His widow, formerly Miss Maria C. Darling, married again, when William H. was nineteen years old, and died three years after. Mr. B. lived chiefly with his grandfather in New Hampshire, until he attained his majority; spent one Winter in Florida; thence came to Peoria in 1848. In January, 1857, he married Ermina Trusdale, in Peoria, a native of Ohio. Less than two years after she died, leaving a daughter, Mina. Mr. Ballard married again in the Fall of 1862, to Anna Wentworth, born in New Hampshire, left an orphan in infancy, and brought up and educated by Judge J. Smith, of that State. Three living children are the fruit of the second marriage, Helen M., Charles R., and Edward B. Mr. Ballard steadily devoted his attention for thirty-one years to the lumber trade, and has been fairly prosperous; owns several pieces of property in the city, and the annual sales from the yard reach a million feet. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 625, submitted by Janine Crandell)
EUGENE F.
BALDWIN. There is no struggle more continuous or more severe than that which
is constantly transpiring in the wonderful operations which furnish men with
news. The demand for live, honest and up-to-date news, is constantly increasing,
but the supply is dependent on many contingencies of which he must be a clear
observer and accurate reasoner who measures. The revolution, too, in methods of
business that has been witnessed even by the young men of this generation, has
had the effect of stranding many who could not conform to the new systems. The
most successful editor or newspaper man today is he who is most comprehensive in
his grasp of thought; who perceives most clearly; discriminates most keenly;
seizes on the right means and the right time most decisively; and retains his
equanimity in situations most complex and difficult. The successful newspaper
man of today must be a man well versed in every line of culture, and must be
able to estimate this culture truly and apply it properly.
Such a man is Eugene F. Baldwin, veteran editor of
Peoria. Mr. Baldwin has climbed the journalistic ladder from the bottom round,
and has attained his present position in the newspaper world through his own
individual efforts and by strict application and hard work, and has brought his
paper, The Peoria Evening Star, to a position of honor and distinction which it
richly deserves. Mr. Baldwin is more than a mere newspaper editor. He is a
scholar and a gentleman. In the course of his long editorial career, he has
acquired a style that is classic, brilliant, scintillating, with wit, scholarly
and fluent with the ease of rare culture and learning. His success in the
important department of journalism, against many adverse influences, is truly
creditable to his intelligence, enterprise and industry. But his success is not
simply individual in its results; through the Peoria Star, he is aiding to
advance all the interests of Peoria, advocating its institutions and
enterprises, and helping to increase its wealth, and extend its proportions to
that of a metropolitan city.
Eugene F. Baldwin was born in Watertown, Connecticut,
on December 1, 1840. His parents were Stephen and Julia (Pardee) Baldwin.
Stephen Baldwin was a deacon in the Congregational church, as was his father
before, and the boy was brought up in strict Calvinistic principles, an early
training which gave a distinct trend to his mind, and flavors his writings to
the present day. The religious influences of his early life were remarkably
intense. The Bible was his daily reading, and his deep and detailed knowledge of
the Book of Books is perhaps due to this early education in its beauties.
Stephen Baldwin, the father of Eugene, was strongly religious in his tendencies,
and being a builder by trade, conceived the idea that God had called him by
Divine appointment to devote his energies exclusively to the building of
churches. The mental food of the family consisted of Watt's Hymns, the Shorter
Catechism, and Baxter's Saints' Rest. Mr. Eugene Baldwin's keen mind absorbed
this religious atmosphere, and it colored all his life and writings.
Stephen Baldwin came west in 1855 and settled with his
family in Milwaukee. Eugene was at this time of high-school age, and he attended
the high school at Milwaukee. In 1860 he secured a position as teacher in
Clinton county, Illinois, a situation which he gave up to enter the State Normal
School at Bloomington, in
order better to fit himself for what he believed at that time to be his life's
profession. However, the next spring found him working at his carpenter's bench
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father had moved in the interval. In 1861,
when the Civil war had commenced, Eugene Baldwin enlisted in the Twelfth Indiana
Volunteers, and served honorably and bravely until 1863, when after having been
captured by the Confederates, and broken down physically, he was discharged as
an invalid. In 1864, Mr. Baldwin came to Chillicothe, Illinois, to take the
position as principal of the schools there. He made such a success of this work
that he was soon called to Peoria to take the head of the First Ward school
there. When a year later, he accepted the position as local editor of the Peoria
Transcript, his long newspaper career began. After serving four years in this
capacity, he resigned, and went to El Paso, Illinois, where he bought the El
Paso Journal. The next year, however, he returned to Peoria, and in partnership
with Mr. A. R. Sheldon established the Peoria Review, which remained in
existence but three years. There followed a short experience as editor of the
Rock Island Union, after which Mr. Baldwin again purchased the El Paso Journal.
In 1877, with Mr. J. B. Barnes as a partner, he came to Peoria and established
the Peoria Journal, which is today one of the leading newspapers of the city.
In 1891, Mr. Baldwin left the newspaper world, and
associated himself with Charles H. Powell in the Sylvan Remedy Company, dealing
in patent medicines. This venture proved disastrous financially, and when it
failed entirely three years afterward, Mr. Baldwin went back to the business for
which he was so uniquely fitted, and began the publication of the Peoria Star,
the first issue appearing September 27, 1897. Neither Mr. Baldwin nor Mr.
Powell, who was still associated with him, had at this time, any money. They
bought the printing press on credit, and even found themselves unable to pay the
freight when it was shipped down to them. In comparing the humble beginnings of
the Peoria Star of fifteen years, with the magnificent organ of weight and
influence to which it has grown, we can but be struck with the commanding force
of energetic perseverance in a worthy cause. Mr. Baldwin was then, as he is now,
a forceful, aggressive, earnest man, and in those fifteen years has demonstrated
the advantages of the city he has made his home, and abundantly verified the
good opinions of his many friends. He has always kept abreast of the times, and
in his enthusiastic pursuit of his business is often in advance and always ready
to meet the demands of this rapid age of improvement. He is a man of progressive
ideas, has been successful in his business and has proved his ability as a
manager of an enterprise which calls for intelligence, tact and skill. He has
long been one of Peoria's energetic and enterprising citizens. He has brought
the Peoria Star, from its precarious beginning to a position in the journalistic
world which makes it one of the most weighty and influential newspapers in the
city today.
Mr. Baldwin is now sole owner of the paper, and acts as
its editor. His editorial remarks are read eagerly every day, for their clear,
concise and pointed expositions of the current affairs of the day. In addition
to the editorials, the Sunday issue of the Star contains a page from the pen of
Mr. Baldwin, called The Philosopher. In this page, Mr. Baldwin has an organ for
the expounding of his views on science, religion, current events, and all the
various and manifold influences which make up the world. It is always a page of
the most profound, cultured and scholarly philosophy, written in the pointed,
witty, telling style, which is Mr. Baldwin's own. This Sunday page has earned
for its author, a reputation which extends far beyond local limits.
Mr. Baldwin's style is strong and forcible, clear in
expression, and of commanding purity of English. Mr. Baldwin himself is
public-spirited, without being partisan; charitable without ostentation;
enterprising, but careful; imbued with high religious principles, always
accomplishing remarkable results with quiet power. (Peoria,
City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice, pages 5-7, submitted by Janine Crandell)
WILLIS
H. BALLANCE. Willis H. Ballance, president of the Gipps Brewing Company,
which is located at the foot of Bridge street in Peoria, was born in this city
on November 6, 1849. He is a son of Colonel Charles and Julia (Schnebly)
Ballance. The family is of French huguenot origin and came to America before the
Revolution. Colonel Charles Ballance was a prominent real-estate lawyer and
practiced in the supreme court of Illinois and in the supreme court of the
United States. He did more than any attorney to settle the titles of Illinois
settlers that were claimed by French land sharks. During the Civil war he
organized the Seventy-seventh Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
he has also served as mayor of Peoria. He was a great friend of Abraham Lincoln.
Willis H. Ballance laid the foundation for his
education in Peoria and later became a student in the Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute at Troy, New York. Afterward he studied in the Williston Seminary at
East Hampton, Massachusetts. Subsequently he returned to Peoria, where he became
bookkeeper for the Central City Elevator Company, remaining with them for one
year. He then took a position as bookkeeper for the Gipps & Shurtleff Company
and afterward for the Peoria Beer, Ale & Malt Company. He then became interested
in the Gipps, Cody & Company and when the firm was reorganized in 1887, as the
Gipps Brewing Company, he became secretary and treasurer and remained in that
position until October, 1910, when he was elected president. He has been
connected with this establishment since 1870. The brewery is located on the
ground of the old Miller brewery, which was the first establishment of its kind
in Peoria. The business was first established by John M. Gipps, a graduate of
Cambridge University, England, and a younger son of an English clergyman who was
a brother of Lord Methuen and also a brother of the celebrated Englishman, Mr.
Gipps, who was governor of Australia and for whom Gippsland was named.
After Mr. Gipps' demise his interest was purchased by his partners Leslie
Robison and Mr. Ballance, and ever since that time the business has gradually
increased until it has reached its present capacity. Its growth for the past ten
years has been largely due to the business sagacity and foresight of Leslie
Robison, seconded by his son, Charles W. Robison and by the subject of this
sketch, Mr. Willis H. Ballance. Owing to the advanced age of Mr. Robison, Sr.,
and at his urgent request, Mr. Ballance purchased the former's interest on
October 1, 1910. Since Mr. Ballance has become president the growth of the
business has surpassed that in any of its previous existence.
In Peoria, in 1871, Mr. Ballance was married to Miss Augusta Nevius, who passed
away in 1899, leaving seven children. Virginia, who is now the wife of Lewis
Starke, makes her home at Atlanta, Georgia. Florence, living at Denver, gave her
hand in marriage to Dr. E. W. Stevens, who passed away in October, 1910. Dr.
Harriett Ballance is a practicing physician of San Francisco, California. Julia
gave her hand in marriage to Ernest E. Watson, general claim agent for the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. Myrtle is the wife of Henry
M. Towar, president of the Atlas Belting Company of Harvard, Illinois. Willis
H., a graduate of the mechanical engineering department of Cornell University
and also of the Wahl Henius Institute in Chicago, is the vice president of the
Gipps Brewing Company. Nevius V. is pursuing a course in chemical engineering
at the University of Wisconsin. In Peoria, in 1903, Mr. Ballance was again
wedded, his second union being with Miss Ida Lundquist, and of this marriage
have been born two children: Robert Green, whose birth occurred in San
Francisco on the 10th of July, 1905; and Bettina, who was born at Yuma,
Arizona, on the 20th of April, 1909. The family reside at No. 256 Randolph
avenue in a beautiful home which was erected in 1879. In his political views Mr.
Ballance is an independent republican. (Peoria, City and
County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice, pages 26-28, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BARNEWOLT, ADOLPH, grocer, 701 Plank road, was born on the first day of August, 1843, in Hanover, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1856; located in Peoria. Married Miss Mary E. Mitchel, Nov. 20, 1865, a native of Pennsylvania, came to Peoria in 1861. They were blessed with five children, two boys and three girls living: Henry, born May 31, 1869; Catherine, born Aug. 20, 1871; Elizabeth, born July 19, 1869, and Myron and May (twins), born July 21, 1876. One died in infancy. Mr. B. is a member of the order of Druids, I. O. O. F. and Knights of Honor. Politics, Democrat. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 625, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BARRETT, JOHN, retired mechanic, res. 103 Greenleaf street, was born in Hampshire county, Va., June 10, 1812; is the son of Nathan and Sarah J. (Unglesbe) Barrett. When seventeen years of age, he went to Clark county, Ohio, where he learned the carpenter trade; married Isabel Mackentire, when twenty-one years old, and settled there. Mrs. Barrett died about twelve years after their marriage, having been the mother of five children, none of whom are living. Mr. B. came to Peoria in 1850; pursued his trade till disabled by a stroke of palsy in 1868. In August, 1851, he married Lydia Oakley nee Dewey, a native of Pennsylvania, but has been a resident of Peoria county forty-six years. They have one child, now Mrs. Caroline Schupp, of Peoria. Mrs. B. has two children by her first husband, Obediah Oakley (deceased) Mrs. Sarah Roberts and Obediah Oakley. She has lived in their homestead thirty-three years; settled there when they crossed a cornfield to get to the house. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 625-626, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BARRON, JOHN, maltster and grain commission merchant. 420 S. Water street, was born in Kilkenny county, Ireland, and came to America alone in 1850, landing at New York, Dec. 4, of that year. The next four years he spent in New York and Philadelphia, and came to Illinois in 1854; was railroad boss on C. B. & Q. R. R., between Peoria and Hannibal, for about five years, and afterwards moved to Peoria city, where he has since resided. He began dealing in grain in August, 1864, and the manufacture of malt in 1869. Also began to manufacture brick in the latter year, and still runs a brick yard on Elizabeth street. He turns out from his malt house 36,000 bushels a year. Mr. Barron also owns a large saloon on S. Washington street. He owns several houses and lots in the city, and is a member of the Catholic Church. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 625-626, submitted by Janine Crandell)
J. B.
BARTHOLOMEW. Out of the struggle with small opportunities J. B. Bartholomew
has come finally into a field of broad and active influence and usefulness.
Industry has been the root of his notable success and added to this is the
quality of quick discernment and the faculty of separating the important
features of any subject from its incidental or accidental circumstances. In
other words, sound judgment passes upon the value of every situation. The
broader spirit of the new twentieth century finds expression in his activities
as the president of the Avery Company, manufacturers of farm implements and
machinery. This is the largest manufacturing plant of the city and in addition
to the position of president which he fills in this connection he is also the
president of the Bartholomew Company, manufacturers of the Glide automobile.
Moreover, the soundness of his judgment and the wisdom of his opinions are
uniformly recognized.
Mr. Bartholomew's identification with the Avery Company
dates from December 8, 1879, when he began driving a team used in hauling
lumber, his salary being a dollar and ten cents per day. He has been a life-long
resident of Peoria county, his birth having occurred upon a farm in Elmwood
township, February 19, 1863. His parents were Albertus Y. and Mary E. (Ennis)
Bartholomew. The father was the second white child born in Elmwood township and
was a son of Luzern Bartholomew, who was the first settler in Peoria county
north of what is now the town of Elmwood. He took up his abode there at a very
early period in the settlement of this part of the state and subsequently went
to California in 1849, attracted by the gold discoveries on the Pacific coast.
However, he afterward again became a resident of Peoria county and his death
occurred in Washington, D. C., whither he had gone to see about a patent in
which he was interested. Death came to him very suddenly. His son, Albertus Y.
Bartholomew, made farming his life work.
On the old homestead farm J. B. Bartholomew was reared
and his first position was with the Avery's, then in Galesburg. In 1882 the
company moved its plant to Peoria and Mr. Bartholomew thus became a factor in
the industrial circles of this city. The faithfulness and capability which he
displayed in his original position with the firm led to his promotion. He ceased
team driving to enter the assembly shop where the machines were put together and
he became thoroughly acquainted with the trade in all the different mechanical
phases of the business. He then went upon the road as an expert demonstrator and
afterward joined the sales force. Each different connection brought him larger
duties and broader experience, calling forth his latent powers and energies. He
afterward established a branch for the company at Des Moines, Iowa, where he
resided for ten years or from 1882 until 1892. In the fall of the latter year he
returned to Peoria to take charge of the manufacturing and designing department
and later he was elected to the vice presidency of the company and also became a
member of its board of directors. He succeeded to the presidency on the death of
C. M. Avery and has since been at the head of a business which is the foremost
industrial enterprise of Peoria, employing thirteen hundred workmen. The company
has not only followed a progressive lead but has been foremost in the work of
advancement in the line of agricultural implement manufacture. Mr. Bartholomew's
long experience has made him thoroughly acquainted with every phase of the
business and its success is attributable in large measure to his enterprise and
efforts. At the present time he is bending his energies to executive control and
administrative direction and the great concern of which he is the head has been
so carefully systematized that the business runs on with the smoothness of clock
work. Of course there are problems, often most intricate ones, arising again and
again, but the keen sagacity and discernment and the long experience of Mr.
Bartholomew have enabled him to find ready solution for these.
Although at the head of the foremost manufacturing
industry of the city, this does not comprise the scope of Mr. Bartholomew's
activity. He is also the president of the Bartholomew Company, a large Peoria
concern engaged in the manufacture of the Glide automobile. This was organized
in 1892 to take over a small personal business which had been developed by Mr.
Bartholomew in Des Moines—the manufacture of peanut roasters, which the company
still continues, although in later years their largest output has been the
automobile. The business was removed to Peoria in 1900 and Mr. Bartholomew's
son, A. Y. Bartholomew, is now vice president of the company. The father is also
a director of the Merchants National Bank of Peoria.
One of the recent honors, which has brought Mr.
Bartholomew wide acquaintance throughout the nation, was that of president of
the National Implement and Vehicle show, which was held in Peoria September 27
to October 5. The event was an extremely successful one, promoting the interests
of trade and advancing an understanding among manufacturers and business men
that is of untold value.
On the 2d of July, 1884, occurred the marriage of Mr.
Bartholomew and Miss Luella Moore, who was born in Eureka, Illinois. They became
the parents of four children: A. Y., vice president of the Bartholomew Company;
Ethel, the wife of Francis W. Gray; Margaret; and John B. Mr. Bartholomew
belongs to the Creve Coeur Club, the Country Club and the Illinois Valley Yacht
Club and was president of the first named when they completed their new
building. He was also vice president and one of the directors when the
enterprise was undertaken. His life history is another proof of the fact that
there is no success in life without effort. Not seeking honor but simply
endeavoring to do his duty, honors have come to him and prosperity has followed
his undertakings. (Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by
James M. Rice, pages 26-28, submitted by Janine Crandell)
HENRY S. BARTON. Henry S. Barton, an
extensive farmer and stock-raiser of Limestone Township, is the son of a
well-known pioneer family, and since attaining manhood has taken his place among
those who are most active in sustaining and extending the great agricultural
interests of Peoria, his native county.
He is the eldest son of William C. H. Barton, and was
born in Peoria Township, within half a mile from where he now lives. He was
given excellent educational advantages, attended the Tomey school, now known as
Oak Grove, and the district schools, and completed his studies by a course at
Cole's Business College of Peoria. After marriage he took charge of the old
homestead, and has resided on it ever since, carrying on an extensive farming
business, and paying particular attention to stock-raising. There are about four
hundred acres of land in the farm, and much of it is finely adapted to
stock-raising purposes, and is used for pasturing. It is under good improvement,
has substantial, well-appointed buildings, and is in all respects one of the
most desirable estates in the township. This location may be considered
historical, as it was once the home of an Indian tribe, and directly in front of
the Barton homestead was the old camping ground of the noted Shabbona, the Chief
who was so friendly with the whites, he and his braves having their wigwams in
the mouth of Shabbona hollow or creek, five miles south of Peoria.
Mr. Barton was married in 1879, to Miss Mary J.,
daughter of Henry and Margaret K. Bickerton, and their pleasant home circle is
completed by the presence of their only child, Pearl May. Mr. and Mrs. Barton
are exceedingly hospitable, and render their charming home attractive alike to
friend or the stranger who may happen within their gate.
Mr. Barton's career as a practical agriculturist, as a
man and a citizen, has been such as to reflect credit on the place of his birth.
A man of many resources, possessing a clear, well trained mind, and a good
capacity for business, he has been instrumental in advancing the prosperity of
Limestone, and the township finds in him a citizen who takes a genuine interest
in its welfare, and never hesitates to use his influence to forward all schemes
that are in any way likely to benefit the community. In politics he is, and
always has been a stalwart Republican, and his means and energy have always been
at the disposal of his party to a most generous extent. He takes quite an
interest in political matters, and during the war when as a boy, he went to
school in the neighborhood, he and his cousin were the two only representatives
of Republican families, the other scholars being rebel sympathizers and
Democrats. They would jump on the two Bartons and many a hard battle was fought
between them. But our subject and his cousin always stood bravely by their
colors, though so greatly in the minority.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), page
617, submitted by Gaile Thomas)
WILLIAM C. H. BARTON, a man of wealth and one of the largest landowners in
Peoria County, is the proprietor and founder of Bartonville. His name is
indissolubly associated with the growth and progress of Peoria County, almost
from its origin, as he has always been foremost in all enterprises to promote
its development and there has been no scheme evolved to advance the business and
social interest of Limestone Township, where he makes his home, with which he
has not been prominently connected. He has also been a conspicuous figure in
public life, and has held many offices of trust and responsibility. He has been
largely identified with agricultural interests in the county and owns one of the
finest farms to be found in this part of the State.
Mr. Barton is a native of Licking County, Ohio, where he was born May 14, 1818,
to Vincent and Mary (Wright) Barton. The family on the Barton side was related
to Gen. William H. Harrison, and our subject was named for him and for his
brother Coatsworth, the former being then but a Lieutenant in the army. The
parents of our subject were of old Virginia stock and were married in Ohio. He
was seven years of age when they came to this State and to Peoria, then but a
trading-post. There was one store here and two in the village of Wesley, then a
larger and more important place than Peoria, and where the Bartons and their
neighbors had to go to do the most of their trading. A Frenchman by the name of
Crozier kept a little trading store in Peoria for the sale of such articles as
he could barter with the Indians.
Our subject has a distinct remembrance of the red men who once made their home
here, and knew Shackle, who had a large family and used to camp on the hills
opposite Peoria, a little above the town. Old Shabbona, with his family, used to
camp just below where Mr. Barton now lives, sojourning there several winters.
The squaws were very virtuous, as to lose their chastity was to have their noses
cut off, and Mr. Barton can remember seeing several who had been thus punished.
The Indians here were mostly Pottawatomies, a few Sauks and Foxes, and an
occasional Ottawa. To illustrate the Indian character, Mr. Barton tells the
following story: “At one time an Indian killed a Frenchman at the ferry where
the bridge now stands, and he was arrested and given a trial and sentenced to be
hanged. A Mr. John L. Bogardus was the only lawyer here at the time, and was
Court Constable and Sheriff, and also Judge of the Court, and in his capacity of
Sheriff he was given the custody of the prisoner for safe keeping. He had no
room in which to imprison him as his house was but a small log cabin, and he had
to allow him to sleep in the corn crib. The Indian made no attempt to effect an
escape. Mr. Bogardus thought to put him to good use, and set him to work in his
garden to pull weeds. That was too much for the Indian, who ran away and was
never heard of afterward. He could stand it to be hanged, but drew the line at
work.”
The parents of our subject died in 1834, one in August and the other in
December, and are now lying sleeping their last sleep near Mossville, where they
owned a farm at the time of their death. Our subject has lived within six miles
of Peoria and much of the time in the town since he came here more than half a
century ago. As a boy he traded with the Indians, which was an easy matter if
one could secure a jug of whisky. There were no schools in or about the town,
though once in a while some one would start a subscription school, so that he
was twenty years of age before he obtained any schooling, with the exception of
three weeks he went to a Mr. Ward, who opened a school in a small log cabin on
the ground where our subject’s house now stands. In 1826, a Mrs. Clark started a
school in a little log house on Farm Creek, in Tazewell County. She conducted it
for awhile with good success, and then a number of Mormons came and got so many
to join them and go back to Missouri that the school was broken up for want of
support, and the teacher married a Mormon by the name of Cooper and went away
with him.
Our subject went to a school on LaSalle Prairie in 1838-39, taught by Mr.
Archibald Sayborn. After leaving school he went into the lumber business upon
the Kickapoo, and subsequently bought a mill in Peoria, located on the river
near the Moss distillery. This he operated for three years and then sold out to
Capt. Moss in 1847. In the meantime he had bought a large tract of land along
the Kickapoo River Bottoms, comprising one thousand acres, which he had
purchased for the timber. He felled the trees standing on it, manufactured the
logs into lumber at his mill, and then located on the land thus cleared and
commenced to place it under cultivation. He can truly say that he has made four
hundred acres of fine farming land from the primeval forest. He now owns about
six hundred acres, having sold some four hundred acres to his brother. His farm
comprises two hundred and fifty acres of the finest bottom land in the world. It
is surpassingly productive, and under judicious tillage yields him fine harvests
and a solid income. He has provided it with substantial, roomy and
well-appointed buildings, and first-class machinery, and everything about the
place wears the air of thrift and shows the best of management.
Mr. Barton was married, in 1850, to Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Isaac Ricketts,
of Peoria. Her family came to this county from Indiana and were pioneers of this
region. Mr. and Mrs. Barton’s pleasant wedded life has been productive to them
of three children: Harry Spencer, a farmer on his father’s farm, is married and
has one child, Pearl; Nancy J., wife of Samuel Brewer, of Shelby County, has two
children: William Warren is at home with his parents. They were all given
excellent educations in the public schools and the boys are graduates of the
commercial college at Peoria.
A residence here of more than sixty years has given Mr. Barton the advantage of
witnessing almost the entire growth of the county in whose development he has so
ably assisted, and his name is connected with many a worthy enterprise to
promote the welfare of the community. He has a wide and extensive acquaintance,
and the conduct of his life has been such as to win him the respect and regard
of all. His fellow citizens have honored him by electing him to various offices
of trust, which he has filled with characteristic fidelity and ability. He has
served two terms as Supervisor of the town, being a member of the Board at the
time the new courthouse was built, and in this connection we may remark that
when a young man he assisted in the erection of the old courthouse. He has been
Director of schools and School Trustee for the past twenty years, and to his
faithful work the town is greatly indebted for its present excellent school
system. In his early years Mr. Barton was a Whig, and on the formation of the
Republican party naturally took his place in its ranks, and has been in the line
ever since. He cast his first vote for William H. Harrison and supported the
grandson of that gentleman at the time of his election in 1888.
(Portrait
and Biographical Album of Peoria County, 1890, pages 835-836, submitted by Susan
Hare)
BEACH, CHARLES was born in Canandaigua, Ontario county, New York, March
18, 1809. His father, Jonathan M. Beach, married Betsey Phelps in about 1798, by
whom he had eight children, viz: Amanda, Lester, Eliza, Charles, Elvira,
Cornelia, Henry James Malany, and Jonathan M. Beach, three girls and three boys
now living.
Charles Beach came to Peoria in 1836 and staid there
three days; then he went to Farmington and lived there four years. He married
Laura Ann Atchinson, of that place, on the 14th of April, 1840, an excellent
woman, by whom he has had five children, viz: Henry H., Charles F., Cornelia E.,
Caroline A., and Nelson B. Beach. The same year, he, with his wife, came to
Princeville village, and lived there one year, then moved into Akron township,
and lived on section 6 seventeen years, and was assessor of said township two
years; then he moved into Princeville village, where he has lived ever since. In
the year 1858 he went to Kansas to locate some land to live on, but came to the
conclusion, after seeing that country, that Illinois is the better state to live
in. Mr. Beach has been a carpenter and joiner, and followed it before marriage,
after which he farmed. He cast his first vote for Jackson, and has voted the
straight democratic ticket ever since. Mr. and Mrs. Beach have always lived a
straightforward and consistent life and have many friends in Peoria county. Mr.
Beach's best friends say he has been too good and too liberal, but for his
goodness and charity every one likes him. As old settlers of Peoria county we
wish them much joy in their declining years. (Atlas Map of
Peoria County, Illinois, 1873, page 62, submitted by Janine Crandell)
JOHN C. BECKENHAUPT
John C. Beckenhaupt, who for nearly twelve years has
been grain sampler on the board of trade, is one of Peoria's native sons, his
birth having occurred here on the 6th of July, 1877, and a son of John H.
Beckenhaupt.
The education of John C. Beckenhaupt was acquired in
the public schools and the old business college, his student days being
terminated at the age of fourteen years. For two years thereafter he was
employed in the planing mill of George J. Raton. At the expiration of that time
he severed his connection with this enterprise and entered the employ of Rowley
& Wiley, members of the board of trade. During the succeeding seven years he
held various clerkships on the board and in 1900 was appointed to the position
he now holds. He has given very satisfactory service in this capacity, having
applied himself closely to the business and acquiring a thorough knowledge of
the essential points necessary to the successful discharge of his duties. He is
exceptionally well informed on all matters vitally affecting the grain business
and is recognized as a highly efficient man in his line, having manifested
unusual ability in this direction during the period of his connection with the
position he is now filling.
The city was the scene of Mr. Beckenhaupt's marriage of
the 12th of June, 1901, to Miss Mary Hastings Harlow. They are both members of
the Central Christian church. in the work of which they take a helpful interest,
and fraternally he is affiliated with Lodge No. 47, K. of P., in which he has
held all of the chairs. He is also a member of the Dramatic Order of the
Khorassan and of the North American Union. Mr. Beckenhaupt is one of the widely
known in the business and commercial circles of the city, among whom he numbers
many friends. He is a man with many estimable qualities, whose unsullied
reputation and honorable business methods entitle him to the respect he is
accorded by all who have had dealings with him.
(Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice, page
626, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BECKER, HENRY G. grocer, 821 W.Jefferson street, was born March 18, 1834, in Hanover, Germany; came to America in 1857, and landed in New Orleans, where he worked as a laborer a short time; came to Peoria the same year. Was married to Angeline Springer, on the 1st of December, 1857. They have eight children, six boys and two girls. Mr. B. carries on huxtering in connection with his grocery business. The family are members of the Lutheran Church. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 626, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BECKER, JOHN P. manufacturer of tin ware, 1404 Main street, was born on the 12th day of January, 1847, in Baltimore, Md., where he remained but a short time, when he came to Peoria in the same year. His father was a native of Germany, who came to the United States when a boy. Married Miss Mary A. Trumner, on the 3d day of April, 1873; she was born in Illinois, in 1847. They have three children, two boys and one girl. Is a member of the Independent Order of Mutual Aid. In politics a Democrat. He worked as a tinner since 1865, until he commenced his present business. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 625-626, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BELCHER, DANIEL, proprietor of the Brimfield House, Brimfield, is a descendant of one of three brothers who came from England at an early period in the history of New England, and founded Belchertown in the State of Massachusetts. His grandfather, John Belcher, was born in Wrentham, Mass., on the 20th day of July, 1744, and his father, Daniel Belcher, was born in the same village on the 6th day of July, 1797. The Belcher homestead at Wrentham is still in the possession of one of the family, and it is their pride and determination that it shall never know a change of name or ownership. In 1819, when twenty-two years of age, Daniel Belcher, the father of the subject of this sketch, left the old homestead and went to Boston. In 1825 removed to the city of New York and engaged in the hotel business. On the 6th of November, 1829, he united in marriage with Mrs. Rachel Hopkins, daughter of Moses and Elizabeth Drake, of Orange county, N. Y., where she was born on the 18th day of March, 1807. In 1837 he came to Brimfield, then called Charleston, on a tour of observation. He liked the country, and selected a site and erected a house for hotel purposes, the first frame house built in the township, where, in May, 1838, he was joined by his wife and children. The earliest religious services in that part of Peoria county were held at the Brimfield House. The late Bishop Chase, of the Episcopal Church, often conducted services there. Besides being opened for religious purposes, the Brimfield House was also opened for singing schools, lyceums and other public gatherings. No one ever applied at their door for food and shelter and was turned cold and hungry away. After an active and well-spent life of seventy-five years, thirty-five of which without intermission were spent in the management of the Brimfield House, Daniel Belcher died on the 20th day of March, 1872. On the 14th day of May, 1876, the wife, Rachel Belcher, died. Three children, two sons and one daughter, are living. Daniel, the eldest son, who succeeded to the management of the hotel, was born in the city of New York, October 3, 1836. Mary S. was born December 3, 1830, and married Rev. S. R. Child, of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Child died November 14, 1855, and Mrs. Child finds a home with her brother Daniel, and presides in the Brimfield House. Albert W., the third child and youngest son, was born February 22, 1840. When the war came on he enlisted in Co. H, of the 86th Regt. Ill. Vol., and was with Sherman in his " march from Georgia to the sea." Served three years, received honorable discharge, and returned home to Brimfield, where he still resides. He united in marriage with Miss Sarah Slocum, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Slocum, of Brimfield, December 26, 1868. The fruit of this marriage is three children. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 714, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BELCHER, JOHN H. monument and tombstone manufacturer, 213 S. Madison street, was born near Boston, Mass., in 1828 ; is one of five children of Abner Belcher and Malansa Alexander, natives of that State; father born in same house. Having spent his early life there on a farm, Mr. B. went to New York and spent two years — 1853-54 — in lumber trade, during which he lost $5,000 through the dishonesty of partners; came to Peoria on December 21, 1855 ; began the marble business the following Spring, on the 10th of March. He formed a partnership with Otto Triebel, and conducted the business twelve years under the firm name of Triebel & Belcher; since 1868 has carried it on alone. He makes a specialty of fine monumental work for both local and foreign trade, and has enjoyed a heavy business. Mr. B. married in Peoria in 1866 to Maria B. Wetherell, a native of Massachusetts; have one son living, Harry O., have lost one son and two daughters. Owns a homestead at 209 Second street. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 626, submitted by Janine Crandell)
BENDER, AMELIA, res. 603 N. Jefferson street. Was born on the 19th day of November, 1832, in Austria. Emigrated to the United States in 1849 and located in the city of Peoria. Was married to Phillip Bender April 25, 1852 in this city; was a native of Bavaria, and came to this country in 1835 and engaged in the saddlery business. Was elected to the office of city treasurer some time prior to the war. Was mayor of the city in 1867 and served a term of one year, and at the time of his death was city treasurer. Mr. B. died July 25, 1876, was a member of the I. O. O. F., and was buried by that Order. Mrs. Bender was living on the homestead where he was married, and has at home with her five children — four girls and one boy. (The History of Peoria County, Illinois, 1880, page 626, submitted by Janine Crandell)
ANDREW J.
BENNETT, a retired farmer, living in a very pleasant and comfortable home on
Fourth Street, Chillicothe, has pursued his calling to a successful issue, has
accumulated a competency, and is numbered amongst our substantial well-to-do
citizens.
He retired from active life about a year ago, having
been engaged in agricultural pursuits in Akron Township for thirteen years prior
to that time. He came to Illinois in 1856, settling first in this county, but
after his marriage went to Saratoga Township, Marshall County, and lived there
for six years. At the expiration of that time he returned and has since made his
home in Peoria County, devoting his time to farming and stock-raising.
Mr. Bennett is a native of New York, the city of Troy
his birthplace and February 28, 1835, the date of his birth. His father, Elisha
Bennett, was also a native of New York, born in Rensselaer County, where he was
reared to the life of a farmer. He was there married to Miss Betsey Chapman, who
was also born and reared in Rensselaer County, and they established their home
in Stephen Township, where they lived until middle age, when they came as far
westward as Martinsburg, Ind., and there the wife and mother died when she was
about fifty years old. Elisha Bennett subsequently returned to his native
county, was there married a second time, and died when he was fifty-five years
old. One child was born of this marriage. He was a sagacious, practical farmer,
and was a good, upright man.
The subject of this biographical review is the youngest
of a family of three sons and six daughters, five of whom are yet living; all
are married and settled in life and two reside in Illinois, the remainder still
living in New York State. Our subject grew to manhood in his native town, and
was educated in its public schools. He came from there to this State, and in
Radnor Township, this county, found a wife in the person of Miss Eliza Seely.
She is a woman of fine character and possesses those pleasantly womanly
qualities that make her well liked by all who come, in contact with her. She is
a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and is one of its active
workers. Mrs. Bennett was born in Stark County, Ill., January 25,
1840, to Samuel and Delia (Richman) Seely, natives of New York State. When they
were young they had accompanied their parents to Indiana and had there grown to
maturity and were there married in Allensville. They continued to live in that
State some years, but after the birth of their first child, when he was about
three years of age, they came to Illinois, and settled near Mossville, this
county. Later they moved to the vicinity of Wyoming, in Stark County, and there
they carried on farming for some years. In 1842, they came back to Peoria
County, and purchased a farm in Radnor Township, where they spent the rest of
their lives, Mrs. Seely dying January 25, 1863, at the age of fifty-eight years;
Mr. Seely dying February 20, 1869, at the age of sixty-seven years. They were
both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and were strong in the faith.
Mrs. Bennett was their next youngest child, they being the parents of eight
children, seven of whom lived to maturity, five of them still living and all
married. Mrs. Bennett was quite young when her parents came to Peoria County,
and here she was reared and educated.
Mr. Bennett in his career as a farmer, displayed an
active wide-awake temperament, forethought, and an excellent capacity for
shrewdly managing his affairs to the best advantage, and these traits have been
the means of his securing a desirable income and obtaining his cozy home. As a
loyal citizen should, he interests himself in national affairs and is identified
with the Democratic party.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), pages
367-368, submitted by Janine Crandell)
PETER A. BERGNER. Probably no young man in
Peoria has a more promising business career opening before him than has the
gentleman above named, who, with his partner is obtaining a fair share of public
patronage as a dealer in dry goods. The establishment of Bergner & Potter is now
located at No. 119 South Adams Street, and in the orderliness of its
arrangements, the neatness which pervades it, and its elegant stocks of
well-selected goods, is one of the most noticeable stores in Central Illinois.
The young men richly deserve success for the judgment they have displayed in the
selection and the business tact in the disposal of their goods, and the
honorable, courteous treatment which they accord to their customers; and there
is no doubt but that they will achieve the merited reward.
Mr. Bergner was born in Leer, East Friesland, Germany, December 1, 1862, being a
son of Charles W. E. and Hilke (Bonk) Bergner, natives of the same town as
himself. In 1870 the family emigrated to America, locating in Freeport, Ill.,
where the father opened a dye house. He is now living in Baileyville, engaged in
the sale of general merchandise. His industrious habits and thrifty ways were an
excellent example to his son, who inherits a fair share of the same traits, and
has also has to assist him, good advice from worthy parents.
The subject of our sketch began to work on a farm when twelve years old, and at
the age of twenty became a clerk for William Walton, in Freeport, with whom he
remained seven years. He then spent one year with Shippen & Block at Pekin after
which experience he opened a business for himself September 25, 1889 at No.
1327, South Adams Street. The business was removed to its present quarters May
15, 1890.
Mr. Bergner was married at Pekin, October 13, 1886, to Miss Emma Velde, an
intelligent and most estimable lady, well fitted to make a happy home. The
marriage has been blest by the birth of two children—Aaron H. and Clarence. Mr.
Bergner is a member of the Presbyterian Church, while his wife is an equally
consistent believer in the principles of Methodism and is identified with the
Methodist Episcopal denomination. Both are endeavoring to carry their faith into
their daily walk and conversation, and therefore fain the respect of all who
know their lives, while their social qualities win many friends.
(Portrait & Biographical Album of Peoria, Illinois (1890), pages
820 & 823, submitted by Susan Hare)
DOUGLAS H. BETHARD.
No history of Peoria and its commercial activities would be complete without
extended reference to Douglas H. Bethard, the president of the Jobst-Bethard
Company, and therefore head of one of the most extensive wholesale grocery
establishments of the middle west. Under the title of ''The Acorn and the Oak,"
this house has issued an attractive little pamphlet, telling the story of the
growth of the business. The same simile may well be applied to Mr. Bethard,
whose advancement to his present prominent position is indicative of the wise
use he has made of his time, talents and opportunities. Peoria is proud of his
record and called him to the first presidency of the Peoria Association of
Commerce. Moreover, he is widely known throughout the country in trade circles
and has been honored with the presidency for the term of one year of the
National Wholesale Grocers Association. He was born in the village of Derbyville,
Pickaway county, Ohio, October 10, 1858, a son of George W. and Eliza (Hurst)
Bethard, who during the early boyhood of their son Douglas removed from the
Buckeye state to Peoria county. The father for many years was a coal operator
and general merchant at Kingston Mines in this county. He was an active factor
in the life of his community and both directly and indirectly contributed to the
development and welfare of the county. For three terms he was mayor of Wenona,
Illinois, and resided in this place until his death which occurred in 1910.
At the usual age Douglas H. Bethard began his education in the public schools
and during the periods of vacation worked in his father's store. He afterward
came to Peoria, where he spent a year's study in the high school and also a year
in Brown's Business College of Jacksonville, Illinois. When but a lad he entered
the employ of S. H. Thompson & Company as errand boy at a salary of three
dollars per week and that he was faithful, diligent and reliable is indicated by
the fact that he was continued in Mr. Thompson's employ until the latter went
out of business, when he became one of the owners of the store in which purchase
he was associated with Charles Jobst and Charles E. Fulks. Taking over the
business of S. H. Thompson & Company, they organized what is now the
Jobst-Bethard Company. Through intermediate positions Mr. Bethard had been
advanced from errand boy to department manager and was occupying the position of
sales manager when Mr. Thompson retired. His services in the meantime had
covered the positions of shipping clerk, billing clerk, assistant bookkeeper,
bookkeeper and traveling salesman. For fifteen years he remained upon the road
and then returned to the house to accept the position of department manager,
although even then he devoted half his time to traveling. Several years thus
passed and gradually he worked into the position of general manager, for he was
practically filling that position when the firm of S. H. Thompson & Company sold
out. The business at that time was located at Nos. 116 and 118 Main street.
Their capital was small but the partners felt this an excellent opportunity to
embark in business on their own account. W. P. Gauss and Herbert Simpson also
entered the partnership and the new firm was originally
known as Gauss, Jobst, Bethard & Company, but a little later the first named
sold his interest to Messrs. Jobst, Bethard and Fulks, who soon also purchased
the interest of Herbert Simpson. It was in 1895 that the interest of Mr. Gauss
was taken over and in 1902 that of Mr. Simpson, in which year the firm of
Jobst-Bethard Company was incorporated under the laws of the state, at which
time the three principals arranged to take in some of their old and trusted
employes under a mutually satisfactory working arrangement. The experience of
the men who constituted the company well qualified them for the successful
conduct of the business, and from the outset the new enterprise prospered. Their
original building was a double store with fifty feet frontage and three stories
in height, at Nos. 114 and 116 Main street. The growth of their trade
necessitated the acquirement of another building after a year or two and nearly
every year saw an additional building until they occupied practically the entire
north half of the block on Main street between Washington and Water streets, and
also a three story warehouse at No. 106 South Washington street. Again their
facilities were found to be entirely inadequate in 1909 and at a meeting of the
board of trustees it was decided to erect a building of their own. The
preliminary work of the architects was approved in the spring of 1910 and about
the 1st of June of that year ground was broken and work was begun in the
construction of their present mammoth, modern, up-to-date, reinforced concrete
and strictly fireproof warehouse, which was ready for occupancy on the 1st of
May, 1911. The dimensions of the building are one hundred and five by one
hundred and sixty feet, six stories in height, with basement. The floor space
comprises one hundred and fifteen thousand, one hundred and ten square feet,
their private tracks from the Peoria Railway Terminal and Chicago Burlington &
Quincy Railroad furnishing direct switch connections with the sixteen railroads
entering Peoria. In the year in which the new building was begun the capital
stock of the company was also increased. At its incorporation in 1902 it had
been capitalized for two hundred and fifty-five thousand, and in 1910 this was
increased to four hundred thousand, and in addition the building was erected at
a cost of two hundred thousand dollars. The present officers of the company are:
Douglas H. Bethard, president; Carl Jobst, vice president; and Charles E. Fulks,
secretary and treasurer, and in addition, Alexander Furst, George W. Fulks and
C. G. Cole are on the board of directors. Since the organization of the present
firm a high standard has been maintained in the personnel of the house, in the
class of goods carried and in the character of service rendered to the public. A
large and efficient office force is employed and there are between twenty and
thirty traveling salesmen upon the road. Theirs is a splendidly equipped plant
with handsomely outfitted offices and large store rooms for the various kinds of
goods handled, everything being most modern and attractive in appearance and
orderly in arrangement, while the handling of all goods is done in a most
systematic manner.
In 1887 Mr. Bethard was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Daugherty, of this
city, a daughter of James Daugherty, an early shoe merchant of Peoria who came
here in 1840 and died in 1909, at the very venerable age of ninety-three years.
Mr. Bethard is a member of the Creve Coeur Club, the Madison Avenue Golf Club,
the Illinois Valley Yacht Club, the Chicago Automobile Club and the Peoria
Country Club, associations which indicate much of the nature of his interests
and recreation. He is popular wherever known and is best liked where best known.
He is always approachable, genial and courteous. He is treasurer of the Peoria
Country Club and a member of its board of governors, and also serves as a
director of the Creve Coeur Club. He was the first president of the Peoria
Association of Commerce which was organized in 1910, Mr. Bethard becoming its
first chief executive officer. He is now the chairman of the ways and means
committee of this association, on which committee are serving two hundred and
fifty of Peoria's prominent men. His fitness for the position none questioned,
as his reputation in commercial circles is too well
established. He also served as a member of the executive committee of the Peoria
Association of Commerce. He is, further, the first president of the Illinois
Federation of Commercial Organizations and from 1903 until 1908 served as
chairman of the advisory committee of the Illinois Wholesale Grocers
Association, resigning to become president of the national body called the
National Wholesale Grocers Association, of which he was president for one
year—the longest term for which a president may hold office according to the
by-laws of this association. He has also been a member of the executive
committee since the organization of the association. In this connection he has
become known throughout the entire country. Business is after all necessarily
the principal feature in a man's life and in the department in which he chose to
concentrate his energies and his attention Mr. Bethard has made continuous
progress, nor has he ever sacrificed to success the high ideals which he holds
as a man and citizen.
(Peoria, City and County, Illinois (1912) by James M. Rice, pages
26-28, submitted by Janine Crandell)
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