USA > Illinois > Cook County > Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 19th ed. > Part 66
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448
J. G. SHORTALL.
rebuilding of the city. Mr. Shortall continued with his associates in the conduct of the business until 1873, when the property was leased to Messrs. Handy & Company, and Mr. Shortall retired from active participation in it, though still retaining his holdings and interest.
On the 5th of September, 1861, Mr. Shortall married Miss Mary Dunham Staples. They be- came the parents of one son, John L. Mrs. Shortall died in August, 1880. There are two grandchildren, Katherine and Helen.
Although he retired from private business, Mr. Shortall has been none the less active, for he has devoted his time and energies untiringly to matters pertaining to the welfare of the city, be- lieving a man's duty to his fellow-citizens to be continuous. For twenty-five years he has been devoted to the welfare of his townsmen, doing all in his power to aid in the promotion of the city's welfare, and imbued with an exalted pride in its progress. He is a constant patron of the fine arts, and was one of the Directors of the old Philhar- monic Society, and afterwards was President of the Beethoven Society, during almost its entire existence. He is also one of the honorary mem- bers of the Amateur Musical Club of this city. A writer of intelligence and force, he has made valuable contributions to papers and periodicals. His keen appreciation of the thoughts of master minds through all ages has led him to do much for literature. As a member of many organiza- tions, he has sought through them to influence public opinion in high and honorable channels. In 1880 he was appointed by the School Board one of the appraisers of the school property, and in 1886 was appointed Appraiser of School Lands by Mayor Harrison. In the appraisement of 1880, the application of the rental value to ma- terially aid in determining the value of realty was, it is believed, first introduced and applied as a system. It has since become almost universal. In 1883 Mr. Shortall was appointed a Director of the Chicago Public Library, served three terms as President, and conducted negotiations on be- half of the board which resulted in securing Dearborn Park as the site of the public library building and in the successful adjustment of all
opposing claims. Under his administration the plans of the superb new library building were se- lected under large competition, and the necessary appropriation of moneys made by the city. He was originally made a Director by Mayor Harrison and re-appointed by Mayors Harrison, Cregier and Washburn, successively, and still serves in that position. In politics he is independent. He has been connected with various reform movements in the city government, and the Municipal Re- form Club, which did such valuable service, and the Citizens' Association attest in their records his service and labors.
Of the Masonic fraternity, Mr. Shortall is an old, though no longer an active, member. In re- ligious belief he is an Episcopalian and formerly was a member of Trinity and Grace Episcopal Churches; but since the withdrawal of Professor Swing from the Presbyterian Church, and his organization of the "Central Church," he has been a regular attendant on its services.
Along few lines of work, however, has the name of Mr. Shortall become so widely known as through his connection with the Illinois Hu- mane Society. In 1869, one of its original or- ganizers, he became one of its Directors, and in May, 1877, was chosen President of that most commendable organization, to which position he has ever since been annually elected. He has earned the recognition and gratitude of the benevolent people of the city and State, for it is largely through his instrumentality, his business ability and legal acumen, as well as his industry and devotion, that the success of what is now one of the strongest forces of our social system was assured. Its beneficial results cannot be over- estimated. It was through his efforts that the society joined the protection of children to its work. Mr. Shortall called the American and Canadian societies for the prevention of cruelty together in 1877, and the American Humane As- sociation was thereupon organized in Cleveland, Ohio, in that year. In 1884 Mr. Shortall was elected its President, and again in 1892 and 1893. He is also an honorary member of the Pennsyl- vania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. During the World's Columbian Ex-
449
J. A. MALTBY.
position, Mr. Shortall, as the Chairman of the Men's Committee on Moral and Social Reform of the Auxiliary Congresses, assisted in the noted work of that committee, and organized and con- ducted the Humane Congress in October, 1893, which was so successful. He also arranged the Humane exhibit of the American Humane As- sociation in the Liberal Arts Building, for which it obtained a reward, medal and diploma. Of social organizations not above mentioned, Mr. Shortall is a member of the Chicago Club, the Chicago Literary Club and the Algonquin Club
of Boston. If asked what is the controlling ele- ment in the life of Mr. Shortall, his many friends would undoubtedly respond," A sense of justice and kindness." A warm and sympathetic heart, which reaches out in charity and love to the worthy helpless, the suffering and the needy, has made his name synonymous with good works, yet it is but just to him to say that he does not seek the admiration of the public, and, were it pos- sible to do so, his works would be concealed from all save himself.
JASPER A. MALTBY.
EN. JASPER ADALMORN MALTBY, Jasper A., Elizabeth, Henry A., Matilda and one of the distinguished officers of the great Civil War, was born November 4, 1832, in Ashtabula, Ohio, and died December 12, 1867, in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Maltby family comes from England. The great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch settled in Ohio, being one of three brothers who came from England, the others settling, respectively, in New York and Baltimore. The Ohio and New York brothers left many descendants. David Maltby, a grand- son of one of these, was the father of Gen. Jasper A. Maltby.
David Maltby was an able attorney, and also a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal Church and an ardent churchman. He was a man of considerable local prominence in Ohio. He finally removed with a younger son to Texas, and died in Corpus Christi, in that State, at the age of seventy-eight years. His wife, Lucy Marsh, was a daughter of Dr. Marsh, a prominent physician of Ohio. She died at Plymouth, in that State, and left three sons and two daughters, namely:
William. The last-named died in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he had been a noted editor, and was at one time publisher for the Emperor Maxi- milian. He was the author of a sketch entitled "Poor Carlotta," which was published immedi- ately after the death of the unfortunate Maxi- milian, and was received with much favor and widely copied. He was a Captain of Confederate artillery in the Civil War, and was captured dur- ing General Banks' expedition up the Red River. He was paroled, and a year later returned to Texas. His brother, Henry A., also a prominent newspaper man, now resides in Brownsville, that State. Elizabeth Maltby married Albert Barber, and is the mother of two sons, one of whom is a teacher in a college at Oberlin, Ohio. Matilda Maltby married Allen Barber, a brother of her sister's husband, and is now deceased, having left five children.
David Maltby and Sarepta Marsh, a sister of the wife of the former, were among the founders of Oberlin College, in which the latter taught many
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J. A. MALTBY.
years. Mrs. Lucy (Marsh) Maltby was also a teacher, as was her husband. She was a woman of rare character, and was highly reverenced by all who knew her, especially by her husband's family.
Jasper A. Maltby enlisted in the Mexican War at the age of sixteen years, and served gallantly, receiving a wound at the battle of Chapultepec. He came to Chicago in 1850, and a year later went to Galena, where he at once assumed promi- nence through his energy, ability and sterling character. Soon after taking up his residence there, he perfected the telescope sight for the rifle, which made his name famous. He was an ex- tensive dealer there in sporting goods.
He was associated with Gen. John E. Smith, now a resident of Chicago, in raising the famous "Washburne Lead Mine Regiment"' for the Union army, which became the Forty-fifth Illi- nois, and within a short time after the fall of Fort Sumter it was in the field. Mr. Smith was elected Colonel of the regiment, and Mr. Maltby Lieutenant-Colonel, on the organization at Camp Douglas, in Chicago. The first action was at Fort Henry. At Fort Donelson, Colonel Maltby received a bad wound, and was carried to the hospital in the same ambulance with General Logan, who was struck about the same time. Immediately after the battle of Pittsburg Land- ing, Colonel Maltby was able to rejoin his regi- ment, which, as a part of Logan's division, participated in the marches, engagements and siege which led to the fall of Vicksburg.
Col. John E. Smith having been promoted for gallant conduct in battle, he was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel Maltby, who led the charge at Fort Hill on the bloody 25th of June, 1863, receiving three wounds before gaining the coveted position. This was accomplished with great loss, and temporary breastworks were immediately thrown up to hold the ground. While Colonel Maltby was personally adjusting a heavy piece of timber for the protection of his sharpshooters, it was struck by a cannon ball. The shot passed close to his person, and the timber was shivered, hurling splinters in every direction. Three of these penetrated his body, making six wounds
which he suffered in that costly, but victorious, action. For his fearless and effective bravery, Generals Sherman and Logan sent a recommen- dation from the field that he be made a Brigadier- General, and President Lincoln forwarded his commission as such at once.
When the final entry was made into Vicksburg, the Forty-fifth Illinois led the way, with General Maltby's horse and trappings at its head. The General was also at the head of his regiment, but rode in an ambulance. The fight at Fort Hill was hand-to-hand, and the colors of the Forty-fifth were literally torn to tatters. General Maltby was mustered out January 16, 1866, and was soon thereafter made Military Mayor of Vicks- burg. He never recovered from his wounds, , and died from their effects December 12, 1867, while still administering the office of Mayor. He was also operating a plantation, and kept a com- mission store in Vicksburg. He was held in the highest regard by the people of the conquered city, and was the idol of the colored people.
General Maltby was married at Galena, March 25, 1852, to Miss Malvina A. James, who sur- vives him, and now resides in Chicago. Besides his widow, he left a son, Henry Maltby, a journal- ist. Mrs. Maltby is a daughter of David James, a Sergeant under General Scott, who fought at Lundy's Lane in the War of 1812. Her mother, Catherine Jamieson, was the daughter of an Irish- man who was a famous distiller. He owned the ground in Canada where Tecumseh was killed. David James was a native of North Carolina, and his wife of Canada.
Many of the most noted military men of the war testified to General Maltby's great courage and moral worth, and the following extract from the Vicksburg Republican shows the estimation in which he was held by his erstwhile enemies:
"With an unfeigned regret, we announce the death of Gen. J. A. Maltby, the recently ap- pointed Mayor of this city. No northern man who has cast his fortunes with our people has commanded more respect from our citizens than General Maltby. As an officer of the United States army, he was humane to our people; as a citizen of Mississippi, he was kind in his social
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A. B. CAPRON.
life and impartial in his official action. We sin- cerely sympathize with his bereaved family, and we believe they have the sympathy of the entire community.
"He met us upon the field of battle in aid of a
cause which he felt sacred; but, like a true soldier, he recognized the valor and honor of his enemy, and, when Peace spread her white wings over the land, all animosity was sheathed with his sword. Peace to the gallant soldier."
ALBERT B. CAPRON.
OL. ALBERT BANFIELD CAPRON, a member of the Chicago Board of Trade and a brave soldier of the Civil War, was born at Laurel, Prince George's County, Maryland, June 12, 1844. His father was Gen. Horace Capron, who went to Maryland when a young man and erected the Laurel Cotton Mills, whose product, the famous Laurel Cotton, was shipped to all parts of the world. His mother was Louise Snowden daughter of General Snowden, whose grandfather received a patent from the king for twenty thousand acres. His estate joined that of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton. Louise Snow- den was born July 3, 1811, and married Horace Capron June 5, 1834. She was a devout church- woman, and built the Episcopal Church of Laurel, which she gave to the people. Her life was full of kind deeds. She died March 27, 1849, mourned by the entire community. She left five children: Ad- aline, Horace, junior, Albert Banfield, Elizabeth Snowden, and Osmond Tiffany (the eldest child, Nicholas Snowden, died in infancy). The planta- tion on which their childhood was passed was known as the "Model Farm of Maryland," it being a pet scheme of General Capron to see to what a state of perfection that soil could be brought.
The genealogy of the family points to Ban- field Capron as the progenitor of those bearing the name in America. He was born in England, but was of French-Huguenot descent, and derived his Christian name from Lord Banfield of Eng- land. He came to America near the close of the seventeenth century and settled in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where he became the possessor of large estates. He was a man of marked ability,
both mental and physical, having great muscular development and wonderful powers of endurance. He lived to the age of ninety-two years, dying in 1752. He was twice married. His first wife was a Miss Callender, of Rehoboth, Massa- chusetts, daughter of a former neighbor in Eng- land. The second wife was Sarah Daggett. He was the father of twelve children. Jonathan, sixth child of Banfield Capron, married Rebecca Morse, and was the ancestor of the subject of this biog- raphy. His son, Jonathan, junior, married Alice Alden, a great-granddaughter of John Alden, of the Plymouth Colony. Elisha, another son of Jonathan Capron, married Abigail Makepeace, and they had nine children. The eldest son, Dr. Seth Capron, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Massachusetts, September 23, 1762, and married Eunice, daughter of Dr. Bezaleel Mann, of Attleboro, Massachusetts, a man of prominence as a physician and educator. Dr. Seth Capron served in the War of the Revolution. He enlisted March 31, 1781, and was first at- tached to General La Fayette's corps of light in- fantry. In 1782 he was transferred, and served until the close of the war as aide-de-camp on Gen- eral Washington's staff. He was a personal friend of General Washington, and commanded the barge which conveyed him to Elizabethtown Point, after he had taken leave of his army at New York at the close of the war. Immediately on returning home Dr. Seth Capron began the study of medicine with Dr. Bezaleel Mann, all eminent physician of that period. In 1806 he settled in Whitesboro, Oneida County, New York, where he practiced his profession.
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452
A. B. CAPRON.
Doctor Capron was a man of great enterprise and industry, and was possessed of large resources and fertility of commercial ideas. His name is identified with the history of the manufactures of the State of New York. He was the originator of the enterprise which, in 1807, resulted in the establishment of the "Oneida Factory," the first cotton-mill erected in the State of New York, followed shortly by the "Capron Factory," of New Hartford. In 1809 he organized a con1- pany and established the "Oriskany Woolen Factory," the first woolen factory ever erected in the United States. Another enterprise of which he was the originator was the importation from Spain of the first Merino sheep ever introduced into Oneida County.
In 1825 he removed to Orange County, and with his son, Capt. Seth Capron, established the beautiful manufacturing town of Walden, on the Walkill, where he died September 8, 1835. Dr. Seth Capron had six children. Gen. Hor- ace Capron, father of Albert B. Capron, was the fourth son. He was born August 31, 1804, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and died at the Na- tional Capital on Washington's birthday, 1885. His death was caused by exposure at the dedica- tion of the Washington Monument the day before, on which occasion he and the orator of the day, Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, were among the few survivors of those who officiated at the laying of the corner-stone, forty years before, when he commanded the cavalry which took part in the ceremony.
General Capron was connected with the army" many years before the outbreak of the Civil War. For seven years he was stationed in Texas, hav- ing charge of the Indians under the War Depart- ment. After the removal of these Government wards to the Indian Territory he came to his farm in Alden, Mc Henry County, Illinois, to which, a few years previously, he had moved his family and valuable stock from Maryland. He married Miss Margaret Baker, of New York City, and now settled down to the agricultural pursuits of which he was so fond. His beautiful farm of a thousand acres was conducted on principles so superior to anything then dreamed of in this part
of the country, that it soon became famous, and visitors wondered and admired. The latest inven- tions and improvements in machinery and farm implements were always at hand, and his noble herds were his pride. His home was beautiful in all its appointments and pervaded by an atmosphere of culture and refinement. His large library was ever at the disposal of his neighbors and friends.
General Capron was in every sense a pro- gressive man, and was always foremost in advancing better methods. He was, at this time, much interested in the State Fairs, feeling that they should have the influence of the best agri- culturists of the land. In 1858 he was appointed by the United States Government as General Superintendent of the United States Fair, which was held in Chicago in September of that year. The fair was at that time considered a great event, and to this day is spoken of as a notable success. He had on exhibition his famous herd of forty-two Devons and a large number of his blooded horses, many of which won first premiums. About this time he decided to make a change of home, and moved to another farm near Peoria, Illinois.
Soon the war broke out, and his two eldest sons quickly enlisted. Governor Yates requested Gen- eral Capron to drill and prepare cavalry troops for the field, as that branch of the service was much needed. He therefore raised and drilled three cavalry regiments, and in 1862 went out him- self in charge of the last one, the Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry. He was soon promoted to the command of a brigade.
After the war General Capron was appointed Commissioner of Agriculture by President Grant. At this time the department was located in dark, dingy quarters in the Interior Department. Gen- eral Capron felt that it was a disgrace to the great interests it represented, and spared no efforts until he had secured appropriations for a building. He was given full charge of plans, and in due time the stately Agricultural Building, with its beautiful grounds, gave to the department a home befitting its dignity. In General Capron's cor- respondence is found a letter from Secretary and
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A. B. CAPRON.
Adjutant-General Dent, in which he says: "When Sheridan met his beaten, demoralized army near Winchester, Virginia, and turned it right about and on to victory, he did what you have done with the Agricultural Department of the United States."
In April, 1871, while still at the head of this department, he was waited upon by certain high officials of the Japanese Government, who pre- sented to him their plans and wishes in regard to the development of the agricultural and mineral resources of the island of Yesso, a very important possession of Japan, and invited him to accept a position as Commissioner and Adviser under their Government. This he decided to do, and his resignation being accepted by the President, he sailed in September, 1871, for Japan, where he entered upon this great work with his usual energy and earnestness. The island of Yesso, about two-thirds the size of the State of Illinois, was turned over to him as the site of his ex- perimental farms, mills and railroads. He de- veloped the gold and coal mines, and did such re- markable work and showed such grand results, as to win the lasting gratitude of the Emperor and his people. When General Capron took leave of the Emperor at his castle in Tokio, Japan, in 1875, the Emperor made use of the fol- lowing language in his parting address: "In- deed your services were valuable and deserve my highest appreciation, and it is hardly a matter of doubt that the future progress of the island, the fruit of your labor, will much advance the hap- piness of my whole empire."
A year after his return to this country the Hon. John A. Bingham, American Minister Plenipotentiary to Japan, in a letter to General Capron says: "Kuroda, Kido and others of the Ministers of State have spoken most kindly of you and said your name would live in the grateful remembrance of their people. Rely upon it, you may well commit your name to the present and future generations of Japan. Long after you shall have joined those who have gone before you, when Yesso shall be covered with cattle and sheep and fields of golden wheat and corn, and its mountains clothed to their summits with the
purple vine, will it be said of you, "This was the work of General Capron.'"
Ou January 16, 1884, General Capron was in- formed by the Charge d' Affairs that His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, had been pleased to confer upon him the decoration of the Second Order of the Rising Sun. This was the first time the order had ever been conferred upon a foreigner. The lacquer box in which the decoration is en- closed is said to be eight hundred years old. By right of inheritance his son, Col. A. B. Capron, is now in possession of the decoration.
The latter, as purchasing agent of his father, shipped to Japan machinery, horses, cattle, sheep and seed-grains. He sent over a great variety of fruit trees, and the Japanese were trained in the art of pruning and grafting. The shipments in- cluded the best strains of Morgan, Hambletonian, and Kentucky thorough-bred horses and all the choicest varieties of domestic animals. Every- thing flourished even beyond the most sanguine expectations.
General Capron remained four and one-half years in Japan, and then took up his residence in Washington, where he enjoyed nearly ten years of peaceful retirement from the activities which had engaged lim beyond the allotted years of inan.
His son, Col. Albert B. Capron, has a military record both unique and brilliant. The firing of the first gun roused the patriotic blood of this boy in his quiet home on the Illinois farm, and quickly he responded to the first call of his coun- try. He was soon after stationed at Benton Bar- racks, Missouri. His first taste of battle was when General Lyon ordered five hundred to cross over and seize the guns just unloaded on the opposite side and intended for the rebels at Camp Jackson, numbering three thousand infantry. It was a sharp contest, but the guns were secured and General Lyon's prompt and masterly action saved St. Louis to the Government.
Under Siegel's command he participated in the severe battle of Wilson Creek, August 8, 9 and 10, 1861, when they were under almost contin- uous fire during the three days.
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A. B. CAPRON.
The death of the brave General Lyon at the head of his command made a deep impression on this young soldier. At this time he was trans- ferred to the Thirty-third Infantry, where for eighteen months he was Color-Bearer.
When, in 1862, his father went into the field, it was his wish to be transferred to his father's com- mand. His older brother, Horace, was also transferred from the Eighth Illinois Cavalry. Soon, too, his youngest brother, Osmond, a mere lad, joined them, and now father and sons were together united in the one grand effort to protect their country's honor.
His brother, Capt. Horace Capron, was killed in an engagement with the Cherokee Indians at Cedar Cove, in North Carolina, February 2, 1864. He was a gallant soldier, and his untimely tak- ing-off was a loss to the service and to his many friends. He was buried at Peoria, Illinois, and a monument was erected to his memory by his de- voted company. While a Sergeant, he received a bronze medal for capturing a rebel flag, with this inscription:
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