Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 2nd ed., Part 15

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : Calumet Book & Engr. Co.
Number of Pages: 808

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mained for a time at Philadelphia, where he had distant relatives. He at once began to learn the language of the country, and in order to do so in what he thought would be the most successful way, he obtained employment on a farm where he would hear only English spoken. He re- mained on the farm one month, and in after life he often jocosely said that in that time he learned just five words, "breakfast, dinner and supper, horse and harness." He was not long, however, in acquiring a knowledge of English. Among his earliest acts was filing a declaration of his in- tention to become a citizen of the republic whose political institutions were so dear to him.

His first permanent employment was as travel- ing salesman for a Philadelphia book house, and in that business he remained for some time and traveled much. He early became an enthusiastic worker in the cause of the abolition of slavery. He was a delegate to the first Republican Na- tional Convention held at Cincinnati in 1854, and stumped the state of Indiana with Oliver P. Mor- ton for that party, speaking in German. Later, he went to Kansas, where he thought his efforts in the abolition cause would be more helpful, and there had charge of a station of the "underground railroad," as it was called, for the aid of slaves escaping from the South. He spent some time in the law office of Sherman & Ewing, and was assistant Secretary of the famous Topeka Con- vention. John Brown numbered him among his band, and when he planned his historic raid on Harper's Ferry sent for him; but he arrived at the place of rendezvous twelve hours too late. In the early part of 1860 he started an abolition paper at St. Joseph, Missouri, but one night a mob visited his office, threw his type and presses into the river, and he was compelled to seek a more promising field of operations. Coming to Illinois, he recruited a company of one hundred men for the famous Hecker regiment, and was elected Captain. On account of defective sight, caused by injury to his eyes when a child, he was prevented from going to the front.

Soon afterward he came to Chicago and bought out a German school of small proportions and en- gaged in the work of education. He was very

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B. M. WIEDINGER.

successful as a teacher, and soon had three hun- dred pupils in attendance. Later he organized a company which built a schoolhouse on the corner of La Salle Avenue and Superior Street. His health failing, he was compelled to give up teach- ing in 1868 and seek outdoor employment. Sub- sequently he gave private lessons, was a clerk in the postoffice for a year, and also held a position in the City Clerk's office for two years. A por- tion of the time between 1868 and 1878, when his health permitted, he was engaged in teaching. He spent a part of this time in the school, but most of the time as a private tutor. In those years, beside the misfortune of bad health, he suffered the loss of his schoolhouse and household goods in the great fire.

In 1865 Mr. Wiedinger was married to Miss Mary D. Moulton, a native of Maine, and a daughter of Judge Jotham Tilden Moulton, of Chicago. Mrs. Wiedinger is a descendant of an- cestors who helped build up the New England States. Her father, born October 8, 1808, was a graduate of Bowdoin College, where the poet Longfellow was one of his teachers. He gradu- ated from Harvard Law School, where he was a classmate of Wendell Phillips and Charles Sum- ner, with the latter of whom he maintained a life- long friendship. Coming to Chicago in 1852, he bought a third-interest in the Chicago Tribune, which he sold a year later. He held the office of Deputy Clerk of the United States Court, and United States Commissioner and Master in Clian- cery, which last office he held until after the fire. His death occurred in 1881. Mr. Moulton was the son of Dr. Jotham Moulton, and grandson of Colonel Moulton, who died in 1777, after serving one year in the struggle for independence. Mrs. Wiedinger has been a teacher for a large part of her life, rendering valuable assistance to hier hus- band in his profession. She has also written for the press, contributing translations, original stories and poetry.

Mr. Wiedinger left three sons: George T., Bernhard M. and Frank A. The first of these is a lawyer, the second is engaged in real-estate work,

and the third has chosen the newspaper profession.

Mr. Wiedinger was one of those earnest and tireless men whose energies keep them always em- ployed. As a friend of freedom, he took an active part in the great moral struggle that pre- ceded the appeal to arms, in which he was unable to engage on account of physical infirmity, but to the aid of which his most effective assistance in every other way was given. He aided in the organization of the Republican party, in order that a bulwark of freedom might be es- tablished, and stood in the forefront of progress of that party till 1888, when he considered the party had gone from the position it formerly oc- cupied, and he then joined the ranks of the Dem- ocracy. As an educator, he took a place among the leading Germans of Chicago, and his worth as a teacher is often testified by the leading Ger- man-American citizens of Chicago, who were his pupils and life-long friends. He was liberal in his ideas and progressive in his work, and said that, if he had done nothing else, he had made it impossible to have a successful German school in Chicago without having an English teacher in it. In the organization of societies of various kinds lie took a leading part. He was one of the or- ganizers and President of the Turners' Associa- tion of Chicago, also one of the organizers of the Schiller Liedertafel, and its musical director. In recent years a bowling club, composed of his former pupils, assumed the name of "Wieding- er's Boys."

In physique Mr. Wiedinger was a powerful man, and a complete master of the art of self-de- fense. Once, when attacked by three ruffians, he knocked one down with his fist, kicked over an- other, and the third, seeing the condition of his companions, fled for safety. He was a prolific writer in his early years, and the habit of con- tributing to the newspapers he kept up througlı life. As a friend, a husband and father, he showed those rare characteristics that endeared him to his familiars. His gentle, confiding nature, his do- mesticity and devotion to his family were ap- parent to all.

159

SAMUEL J. JONES.

SAMUEL J. JONES, M. D., LL. D.

AMUEL J. JONES, M. D., LL. D., is a na- tive of Bainbridge, Pennsylvania, born March 22, 1836. His father, Doctor Robert H. Jones, was a practicing physician in the Keystone State for a third of a century, and died in 1863. The mother, whose maiden name was Saralı M. Ekel, is a member of one of the pioneer families of the old town of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, of Swiss and Huguenot descent. At the age of sev- enteen, their son Samuel, having finished his pre- paratory studies, in the fall of 1853, entered Dick- inson College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated four years later with the degree of A. B. In 1860 he received the degree of A. M., and in 1884 was honored by his alma mater with the degree of LL. D. His choice of a vocation in life was no doubt influenced by his father's successful practice of medicine, and at an early age he determined to follow in his father's professional footsteps. Accordingly, on leaving college, he began the study of medicine, which lie pursued for three years under his father's super- vision. In the fall of 1858 he matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania, and after pursuing the studies prescribed in the curriculum of the medical department of that institution, took the degree of M. D., in the spring of 1860, just thirty years after the father had graduated from the same university.

The advantages and opportunities for observa-

tion and adventure presented by the United States naval service proved too attractive for the young practitioner to resist, and he became one of the competitors in the examination of candidates for the position of Assistant Surgeon. He success- fully passed the examination, and received liis ap- pointment just before the outbreak of the War of the Rebellion, and entered upon a life which, for activity, change, excitement and opportunity for acquiring experience, should have fully satisfied his desires in those particulars. He first saw service on board the United States steam frigate "Minnesota," which sailed under sealed orders from Boston, May 8, 1861, as flag-ship of the Atlantic blockading squadron. Three months later he was present at the battle of Hatteras In- let, which resulted in the capture of the Confed- erate forts with fifteen hundred prisoners, and ended the blockade-running there. This was the first naval battle ever fought in which steamships were used and kept in motion while in action. In January, 1862, Doctor Jones was detached from the "Minnesota" and detailed as Surgeon of Flag-Officer Goldsborougli's staff, on the expedi- tion of Burnside and Goldsborough, whichi re- sulted in the capture of Roanoke Island. Later he was assigned to duty as Staff Surgeon under Commander Rowan, and was present at the cap- ture of Newbern, Washington and other points on the inner waters of North Carolina.

160

SAMUEL J. JONES.

Soon afterward Doctor Jones accompanied an expedition up the Nansemond River for the relief of the Union forces engaged in repelling General Longstreet's advance on Suffolk, Virginia. This force was under the command of Lieutenant Cushi- ing, of Albemarle fame, and Lieutenant Lamson. In the spring of 1863 Doctor Jones was assigned to duty at Philadelphia, there passed a second examination, was promoted to the rank of Sur- geon, and assigned to duty at Chicago, where, among other duties, he was engaged as Examin- ing Surgeon of candidates for the medical corps destined for naval service in the Mississippi River Squadron. While occupying this position he was ordered to visit various military prisons, and there examined more than three thousand Confederate prisoners who had requested permission to enlist in the Federal service, and who were accepted and assigned to men-of-war on foreign stations. He was ordered to the sloop-of-war "Ports- mouth," of Admiral Farragut's West Gulf Block- ading Squadron, in 1864, and was soon after as- signed to duty as Surgeon of the New Orleans Naval Hospital, where he was at the close of the Rebellion. In the fall of 1865 he was sent to Pensacola, Florida, as Surgeon of the navy yard and naval hospital. In 1866 he was again as- signed to duty at Chicago, where he remained until the marine rendezvous there was closed, in the same year. In 1867 he was ordered to the frigate "Sabine," the practice ship for naval ap- prentices, cruising along the Atlantic Coast, which was his last active service in the navy.

In 1868, after eight years' continuous service, Surgeon Jones resigned to devote liis attention to private practice. Not long after he was elected delegate from the American Medical Association to the meetings of the medical associations of Europe, and was, at the same time, commissioned by Governor Geary, of Pennsylvania, to report on hospital and sanitary matters of England and the continent. He attended the meetings of the societies at Oxford, Heidelberg and Dresden, and in the month of September, at the last place, participated in organizing the first Otological Congress ever held. Combining travel with study, he enjoyed the remainder of the year in visiting

various parts of Europe and investigating medi- cal and sanitary affairs, giving special attention to diseases of the eye and of the ear. On his re- turn to the United States he resumed practice in Chicago in 1868. Soon after he was elected President of the Board of Examining Surgeons for United States Pensions at Chicago, and was also made a member of the medical staff of St. Luke's Hospital, and there established the de- partment for the treatment of diseases of the eye and ear, with which he has since been connected.

In 1870 Doctor Jones was again elected a del- egate from the American Medical Association to the meetings of the European associations, and, during his stay abroad, spent some months in re- search and investigation. In the same year he was elected to the newly-established chair of Ophthalmology and Otology in Chicago Med- ical College, now Northwestern University Medi- cal School, a position he continues to hold. He also established the eye and ear department in Mercy Hospital and in the South Side Dispensary, having charge of each of them for about ten years. For a number of years lie was one of the attending staff of the Illinois Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago. In 1876 he was a delegate from the Illinois State Medical Society to the Centennial International Medical Congress at Philadelphia, and in 188x represented the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Medicine at the Seventh International Medical Congress at London. The Ninth Inter- national Medical Congress was held in Washing- ton, District of Columbia, in 1887, and of this Doc- tor Jones was a member. He was President of the section of otology, and was ex-officio a mem- ber of the Executive Committee, whose duty it was to arrange the preliminary organization of the congress.

In 1889 Doctor Jones was elected President of the American Academy of Medicine, whose ob- jects, as stated in its constitution, are: "First, to bring those who are alumni of collegiate, scien- tific and medical schools into closer relations with each other. Second, to encourage young men to pursue regular courses of study in classical and scientific institutions before entering upon the

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WILLIAM O. KEELER.

study of medicine. Third, to extend the bounds of social science, to elevate the profession, to re- lieve human suffering and prevent disease."

Doctor Jones, as may be inferred from the read- ing of the foregoing recital of his services in his profession, is an enthusiastic worker and an able physician, whose genial manner and success in practice have made him widely known. His la- bors in the many societies of which he has been a member have been ably supplemented by the product of his pen, which has been directed to- ward raising the standard of the practice of medi- cine. His writings have frequently appeared in medical journals, and for several years he was editor of the Chicago Medical Journal and Exam- iner, one of the leading periodicals of the country. He has successfully applied himself to acquiring knowledge pertaining to his specialty, and for twenty years has been recognized by both the medical profession and the public as authority on all matters pertaining to ophthalmology and otol- ogy. He has always stood high in the esteem of the profession, and has been active and influential in its councils and deliberations. His fine personal

appearance, genial manners, fund of entertaining conversation, and frank, manly deportment have made him a favorite, both as an individual and a practitioner, and drawn to him a large clientele.

He has never held any political office, but has preferred the reward which has come to him, un- sought, in liis profession and in literature and science. He has for a quarter of a century been a member of the Chicago Academy of Science, and he is one of its Board of Trustees. He is also President of the Western Association of the Alumni of the University of Pennsylvania, and of the Illinois Alpha Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest Greek-letter society in the United States, founded in 1776, whose membership has always been restricted and conferred as a recognition of scholarship.

When the Illinois Naval Militia was organized as a part of the National Naval Reserve, he was solicited to give that organization the benefit of his large experience in the naval service in the War of the Rebellion, and he is now Surgeon of the First Battalion, and has taken an active in- terest in its development.

WILLIAM O. KEELER.

ILLIAM O. KEELER, who after an active career is spending his declining years at the home of his only surviving son, No. 6818 Wright Street, Englewood, was born in Danbury, Conn., on January 1, 1819. His paternal grand- father, of Scotch descent, was extensively engaged in farming, and gave to each of his children as they married considerable tracts of land. His death occurred at the advanced age of ninety-five years. Abraham G. and Sarah (Dan) Keeler, parents of William O., were natives of Connecti- cut. The father followed farming in that locality until his death, which occurred December 23,

1836, at the age of sixty-two years. He was drafted for service in the War of 1812, but hired a substitute. His wife lived until 1860, passing away at the age of seventy-seven years. She was a member of the Baptist Church, under the in- fluence of which church her children were reared.

William O. Keeler is the sole survivor of a family of eight sons and two daughters. He was reared in his native town, and at the age of seven- teen began learning the hatter's trade. For some years he engaged in the manufacture of hats and in merchandising, devoting his time and atten- tion to those enterprises throughout his business

I62

ALBERT WILSON KELSO.

career. He established the first hat manufactory in Yonkers, N. Y., employing eighty workmen, which was considered a large force at that time.

On the 26th of April, 1843, Mr. Keeler was united in marriage with Miss Abigail Stuart Clark, daughter of Sallu P. and Hannah (Benedict) Clark. Eight children were born of their union, six sons and two daughters. Ella, now deceased, was the wife of J. Deville Dennis. William P. married Miss Temperance Hayward, daughter of Ambrose D. and Martha (Wiley) Hayward, the former a native of Maine, and the latter of Mass- achusetts. They have two children, William P. and Martha Abigail. William P. Keeler has since April, 1872, held the responsible position of City Cashier in the wholesale house of Marshall Field & Co. He and his wife are members of the Englewood Christian Church. On the 11th of May, 1864, while yet a boy, he enlisted in the War of the Rebellion, joining the one hundred day men and becoming a member of Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Illinois Infan- try, U. S. A., continuing in the service until the 25th of October. Frederick S. and Isaac Ward were the next younger, but are now deceased, as also Frank, twin brother of Fannie. The latter is the wife of Walter Colby, of Chicago, and they have two children, Otis Keeler and Abigail

Stuart. Susan C. and Charles L. have also passed away, and the mother of this family, who was a devoted member of the Christian Church, died May 17, 1889, in her sixty-seventh year.

In 1852, William O. Keeler went to California in search of gold, and after a two-years stay re- turned to Danbury, Conn., remaining there until the fall of 1854. He then came to Chicago and opened the first hat, cap and fur store on Randolph Street, under the old Matteson House, occupying this stand for a number of years. He afterward removed to a new block on the opposite side of the street, conducting the business until 1861. He then accepted a clerkship with a hat house on Clark Street, near Lake, and later at No. 77 Lake Street, in the Tremont Block, remaining there until 1866. In that year he went upon the road as a traveling salesman, which calling he pursued for a limited time only. His later years have been mostly spent in the manufacture of dress hats, but in the spring of 1894, after pass- ing his seventy-fifth milestone, the infirmities of age compelled hini to give up work. Father and son have never been separated in their lives ex- cept for comparatively brief intervals, the home of the one having always been the home of the other.

ALBERT WILSON KELSO.

A LBERT WILSON KELSO, of Chicago, oc- cupies the responsible position of chief clerk in the office of the Assistant General Manager of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The record of his life is as follows: A native of Shippensburgh, Pa., he was born on the 22d of October, 1859, and is a son of James W. and Anna B (Shade) Kelso. His father was also a 11ative of Shippensburgh, and died in that town when the son was only six months old. By trade

he was a painter and decorator, and did a good business along that line. After the death of her first husband, Mrs. Kelso married Henry High, and is now residing in Wilson, Kan.

Mr. Kelso whose name heads this record at- tended the public schools until fourteen years of age, thus becoming familiar with the common English branches of learning. His knowledge has since been greatly supplemented by reading, experience and observation, and he has thus be-

163

WALES TOBEY.

come a well-informed man. At the age of eigli- teen le enigrated westward, removing with the family to Wilson, Kan. From the age of eight years he had been accustomed to work in a brick- yard, and also engaged in other labor, thus con- tributing to his own support. He is a self-made man, and whatever success he has achieved in life is due entirely to his own efforts.

While living in Wilson, Kan., Mr. Kelso sought and obtained a position as night clerk in a hotel. Later he removed to Russell, Kan., where he was employed in the same capacity. In May, 1880, he entered the service of the Union Pacific Rail- road Company and removed to Wallace, Kan. For seven years he continued his connection with that road, becoming chief clerk in the Division Superintendent's office at Wallace, his merit and ability winning him a promotion to which he was justly entitled. Later he was in the office of the Superintendent of Bridges and Buildings of the Union Pacific Railroad Company at Omaha, and on the 27th of April, 1887, he engaged with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad at To- peka, Kan., occupying a position as clerk in the office of the Superintendent of Roadways. In August, 1890, he came to Chicago as chief clerk

in the office of the Assistant General Manager, which position he now holds. He discharges his duties with promptness and fidelity, and wins the respect of all with whom he is brought in contact.

Turning from the public to the private life of Mr. Kelso, it is noted that in June, 1883, was celebrated his marriage with Miss Elizabeth Spahr, daughter of John and Mary Spahr, who were residents of Carlisle, Pa. The family circle now includes four children, a son and three daughters: Mary, Edith, Newton and Nora.

Socially, Mr. Kelso is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has taken high rank in the order, belonging to Topeka Commandery and Medinah Temple of the Mystic Shrine. From his boyhood he has been an advocate of Republican principles, and since attaining his majority he has cast his vote for the men and measures of that party. He is an accurate and reliable scribe, who has won his way to his present responsible position by his own unaided efforts. His integrity, indus- trious habits and systematic business methods in- spire the confidence of his superior officers, and his many admirable social qualities have gained him numerous personal friends.

WALES TOBEY

ALES TOBEY, a leading citizen of Worth Township, claims New York as the State of his nativity, his birth having occurred near Plattsburg, on the 28th of September, 1831. His parents were Jesse and Statira ( De Kalb) To- bey. The father, who was born in Champlain, N. Y., was an attorney by profession and became a large land-owner and iron-founder. He traveled extensively through the West, and in the commu- nity where he lived was recognized as one of its most prominent business men. His death oc-

curred in Plattsburg, N. Y., in July, 1873, at the age of seventy-three years. The Tobey family was of English origin. Jesse Tobey, Sr., the grand- father of Wales, was one of four brothers who in a11 early day came to America. The others set- tled in Connecticut, Vermont and Ohio, respec- tively. Mrs. Statira Tobey was a native of tlie Empire State, but her parents were born in Penn- sylvania, and were of German descent. Her death occurred in 1841.

Wales Tobey spent his boyhood days upon a

164

HIRAM P. CRAWFORD.

farm in Jay Township, Essex County, N. Y., and attended the public schools and an academy. Thus he acquired a good English education, which well fitted him for the practical duties of life. At the age of nineteen he left home and entered upon his business career as book-keeper and salesman in a mercantile establishment in Newport, Mich., where he was employed for three years. He be- lieved it would be to his advantage to begin bus- iness in the West, and his judgment was not at fault, as the years have shown. He worked for the firm of E. B. & S. Ward, relatives of his grandmother. When the three years had passed, he went to Grand Haven, Mich., where he began business on his own account as a dealer in wood, furnishing steamboats on the lake. In 1851 he became a resident of Milwaukee, and thence went to Strong's Landing, Wis. The following spring he came to Cook County, Il1., settling in Worth Township.

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Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 2nd ed., Part 15

Author: Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Chicago : Calumet Book & Engr. Co. Number of Pages: 808

Author:
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Chicago : Calumet Book & Engr. Co.
Number of Pages: 808