Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed., Part 21

Author: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Chicago : Calumet Book and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 930

USA > Illinois > Cook County > Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed. > Part 21

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Mr. Phelps was twice married. First, to Miss Emerette Steele of Windham, New York, about the year 1846. She died, without issue, in the year 1880, and was buried at Graceland. Second, to Mrs. Sarah Van Buren, the widow of Aaron R. Van Buren, of Catskill, New York, in Decem- ber, 1882. Her first husband was of the family of the so-called "Kinderhook" (New York) Van- Burens, which has produced a number of illus- trious men, chief among them being our eighth National Chief Magistrate, Martin Van Buren.

Mrs. Sarah (Van Buren) Phelps survives her husband, in good health, and without children. Mrs. Phelps' parents were Franklin and Hannah (Groom) Graham, of Catskill, New York, her fa- ther being a son of Samuel and Martha (French) Graham, of Windham, New York. Her grand- mother French was of French parentage, and from Montreal, Canada. It is needless to remark that the Grahams are of Scotch antecedents. From Beers' "History of Greene County, New York" (p. 402), we learn that the said Samuel Graham went from Conway, Massachusetts, about the year 1800 to Windham, New York, where, in the village, he bought of one Constant A. Andrews a property (at present known as the Matthews Place, and owned by N. D. Hill), whereon the first tannery of the place, a large one for the times, was constructed prior to 1805 by said Samuel Graham. The latter passed into a son's hands, and continued to be operated up to 1832. Samuel died there in 1830, aged seventy years.

The Massachusetts Grahams are undoubtedly descended from old Connecticut stock, which has been very prolific in numbers and emigrating members to other of the United States, not a few of whom have made prominent names for them- selves. From Cothren's "History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut" (pp. 545 et seq.), we

glean the following of both the trans-Atlantic and native tree:

The family arms are: Or, on a chief sable three escalops of the field; crest, an eagle, wings hover- ing or, perched upon a heron lying upon its back, proper beaked and membered gules; motto, Ne Oubliez.

The family is of great antiquity, tracing its de- scent from Sir David Graeme, who held a grant from King William the Lion of Scotland from 1163 to 1214. His descendant, Patrick Graham, was made a Lord in Parliament about 1445, and his grandson, William, Lord Graham, was, in 1504, by James IV., created Earl of Montrose. His son William was second earl, succeeded in turn by John, John ( Junior) and Jamies, fifth earl, a very distinguished character in history. He was born in 1612, and joined the Covenanters against Charles I., but later became loyal to his sovereign, who created him Marquis of Montrose. He had a varied career, which ended by his execution in 1645 by the axe on the scaffold, as did that of so many contemporaries. He was succeeded by James, James, and James, fourth Marquis, who was made Lord High Admiral of Scotland in 1705, and in 1707 Duke of Montrose. Then came David, Earl and Baron Graham, succeeded by William (his brother), James, James, the fourth Duke of Montrose, etc., who was a Com- missioner of India Affairs, Knight of the Thistle, Lord Justice-General of Scotland, Chancellor of Scotland, etc.

The Rev. John Graham, A. M., a second son of a Marquis of Montrose, was born in Edinburgh in 1691; he graduated at the University of Glas- gow, and studied theology at his native Edin- burgh; came to Boston in 1718, where he married Abigail, a daughter of the very celebrated Dr. Chauncey, of Harvard College. Later Rev. Mr. Grahamı removed to Exeter, New Hampshire, but in 1722 to Stafford, Connecticut, and in 1732 to Woodbury, Connecticut, where he lived until his death, in December, 1774. He was an eminent man and left a family of five sons and four daughters, from whom are descended a numerous progeny.

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

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S. B. COBR.

143

SILAS B. COBB.

ILAS BOWMAN COBB. In the entire his- tory of the world it has been vouchsafed to but few men to witness the growth of a mu- nicipality from a few dozen in population to a million and a quarter souls. No story of Chicago's development can be written without cognizance of Silas B. Cobb as one of its initial forces. It was such sturdy, self-reliant and hopeful young men as he that began the development of hier great- ness, and carried forward her growth in middle and later life. Ever since the little band of Pil- grims established a home on the rocky and frost- locked shores of Massachusetts, New England has been peopled by a race of enterprising and adven- turous men, whose habits of industry and high moral character have sliaped the destinies of the Nation. It is not strange, then, that the hamlet planted by their descendants on the swampy shore of Lake Michigan in the 30s' should become tlie commercial, industrial and philanthropical me- tropolis of America.

Silas W. Cobb, father of the subject of this sketch, gained a livelihood by various occupa- tions, being in turn a fariner, a tanner and a tav- ern-keeper, and the son was early engaged in giving such assistance to his father as he was able. When other boys were applying themselves to their books, he was obliged to employ lis strength in support of the family. His mother, whose maiden name was Hawkes, died when he was an infant, and he knew little of maternal love or care, growing up in the habit of self-reliance which carried him through inany difficult enterprises and made him a successful man. He was born in Montpelier, Vermont, January 23, 1812, and

is now entering upon the eighty-fourth year of his age. He is keenly active in mind and sound in body, taking a participating interest in all tlie affairs of life.

At the age of seventeen, young Cobb was regu- larly "bound out," according to the custom of those days, for a term of years, as apprentice to a harness-maker, having previously made a begin- ning as a shoemaker, whichi did not suit his taste. Within a twelvemonth after he was "articled" to the harness-maker, his employer sold out, and the new proprietor endeavored to keep the lad as all appurtenance to his purchase. Against this the manly independence of the youth rebelled, and the new proprietor was obliged to give him more ad- vantageous terms than he had before enjoyed. Having become a journeyman, he found employ- ment in his native State, but he was not satisfied with the conditions surrounding him. After nine months of continuous toil and frugal living, he was enabled to save only $60, and he resolved to try his fortune in the new country to the then far West.

Joining a company then being formed at Mont- pelier to take up land previously located by Oliver Goss, the young man-having but just at- tained lıis majority-in spite of his father's re- monstrance, set out. From Albany, the trip to Buffalo was made by canal packet, and in the journey from home to this point all his little sav- ings, except $7, were exhausted. The schooner "Atlanta" was about to leave Buffalo for Chicago, and Mr. Cobb at once explained to the captain his predicament. The fare to Chicago was just $7, but this did not include board, and Mr. Cobb

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was delighted, as well as surprised, when the captain told him to secure provisions for the jour- ney and he would carry him to Chicago for the balance. After a boisterous voyage of five weeks, anchor was dropped opposite the little settlement called Chicago. Its hundred white and half-breed inhabitants were sheltered by log huts, while the seventy soldiers forming the garrison occupied Fort Dearborn. And now a new hardship assailed the young pioneer. Disregarding the bargain made in Buffalo, the tricky commander of the schooner refused to let him leave its deck until his passage money had been paid in full. For three days he was detained in sight of the promised land, until he was delivered by a generous stranger, who came on board to secure passage to Buffalo. His first earnings on shore were applied by Mr. Cobb in repaying the sum advanced by his kind deliverer. Before the boat sailed he found employment on a building which James Kinzie was erecting for a hotel. He knew noth- ing of the builder's trade, but had pluck and shrewdness, and took hold with such will that he was placed in charge of the work, at a salary of $2.75 per day-a very liberal remuneration in his estimation. The building was constructed of logs and unplaned boards, and did not require a very high order of architectural skill, but within a few days a man, seeking the position, called at- tention to the lack of experience on the part of the youthful superintendent, and clinched the matter by offering to do the work for fifty cents less per day.

Mr. Cobb now invested his earnings in a stock of trinkets and began to trade with the Indians, by which he secured a little capital, and resolved to erect a building of his own and go into busi- ness. The nearest sawmill was at Plainfield, forty iniles southwest of Chicago, across unbroken prairies. Getting his directions from an Indian, Mr. Cobb set out on foot to purchase the lumber for his building. There being no trail, he was guided solely by the groves which grew at long intervals, and found only one human habitation on the way. From one of the settlers at Plain- field he secured the use of three yoke of oxen and a wagon, with which to bring home his purchase

of lumber. He was but fairly started when a three-days rain set in, and the surface of the prairies became so soft that the wagon sank deep in the mud, making progress almost impossible and compelling an occasional lightening of the load by throwing off a part. After sleeping three nights on the wagon with such shelter as could be made with boards from the load, with the rain beating down pitilessly and the wolves' howling the only accompaniment, he arrived at the Des Plaines River, still twelve miles from his destina- tion. The stream was so swollen by the rains that it was impossible to cross with the wagon, and the balance of the load was thrown off and the oxen turned loose to find their way back to their owner, which they did without accident. After the rains were over and the ground became settled, the trip was repeated, the lumber recov- ered and brought safely to Chicago. These are some of the experiences of the pioneer, and can never be forgotten by those who pass through them.

When Mr. Cobb had completed his building, which was two stories in height, he rented the upper story, and began business on the ground floor. The capital consisted of $30, furnished by Mr. Goss, who was a partner in the venture, and was invested in stock for a harness shop. The industry and business ability of the working part- ner caused the enterprise to prosper and grow, and at the end of a year he withdrew and set up business on his individual account in larger quarters. His business continued to grow, and in 1848 he sold out at a good advance. He then engaged in the general boot and shoe, hide and leather trade, in partnership with William Os- borne, and found success beyond his fondest an- ticipations, and in 1852 he retired from mercan- tile operations. About the same time, he was appointed executor of the estate of Joel Matteson and guardian of the latter's five children. When this trust closed in 1866, the estate was found to have been vastly benefited by his shrewd man- agement of the trust.

With characteristic foresight, Mr. Cobb early began to invest in Chicago realty, and the wisdoni of his calculations has been abundantly demon-

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strated. He has also been identified with semi- public enterprises, or those which largely con- cerned and benefited the city, while yielding a return to the investors. In 1855 he was elected a Director of the Chicago Gas Light and Coke Company, and subsequently one of the Board of Managers. This position he held until he sold his interest and retired from the company in 1887. It was his executive ability which was largely re- sponsible for thé establishment of cable roads in the city, those 011 State Street and Wabash Ave- nue being constructed under his advice and direc- tion, while President of the Chicago City Railway. He is still active in the councils of that company, as well as of the West Division horse railway. For many years he was among the controlling members of the Chicago & Galena Union and Beloit & Madison Railroads, now a part of the Northwestern System (see biography of John B. Turner). Mr. Cobb is a Director of the National Bank of Illinois, and several blocks of fine build- ings in the business district contribute to his in- come, as the result of his faith in the city and sagacity in selection.

While being prospered, he has not forgotten to add to his own felicity by contributing to the happi- ness of others. He has been one of the kindest husbands and fathers, and not only his family but the city of his home have often shared in his bene- factions. When the effort to raise $1,000,000 for the buildings of the new University of Chicago was straining every resource of the Trustees, Mr. Cobb caine forward unsolicited and donated $150,- 000, assuring the success of the movement. The "History of Chicago," by John Moses, says: "It is believed that up to the time when this subscrip- tion was made, few, if any, greater ones had ever been inade to education by a Chicago citizen at one time. A noble building, the Cobb Lecture Hall, now stands on the University campus, a monument of the builder's liberality and public spirit. As long as the great university endures, this memorial of Silas B. Cobb's life will stand, the corporation having pledged to rebuild the hall if it should be destroyed." The Presbyterian Hospital and Humane Society of Chicago are also among the beneficiaries of his generosity, and Mr.

Cobb will be remembered as one of the city's largest benefactors, as well as a successful busi- ness 11a11.

In 1840 Mr. Cobb married Miss Maria, daugli- ter of Daniel Warren, whose biography appears elsewhere in this work. He thus describes his first meeting with his future bride: "I arrived in Chicago in the spring of 1833. In October of the same year I was occupying my new shop op- posite the Kinzie Hotel-in the building of which my first dollar was earned in Chicago. Standing at my shop one afternoon, talking with a neigh- bor, my attention was attracted by the arrival at the hotel of a settler's wagon from the East. With my apron on and sleeves rolled up, I went with my neighbor to greet the weary travelers and to welcome theni to the hospitalities of Fort Dear- born, in accordance with the free and easy cus- toms of 'high society' in those days. * * There were several young women in the party, two of them twin sisters, whom I thought partic- ularly attractive, so much so that I remarked to my friend, after they had departed, that when I was prosperous enough so that my pantaloons and brogans could be made to meet, I was going to look up those twin sisters and marry one of them or die in trying." The same pertinacity and acumen which characterized his every undertak- ing carried him through seven years of toil and privation until he had won the prize, which in- deed she proved to be. Their wedding took place on the 27th of October. Her twin sister married Jerome Beecher (for sketch of whom see another page).

Mrs. Cobb passed away on the 10th of May, 1888. Of her six children, only two survive. Two daughters died in infancy, and Walter, the first-born and only son, and Lenore, wife of Joseph G. Coleman, are also deceased. The others are: Maria Louisa, wife of William B. Walker, and Bertha, widow of the late William Armour.

Being a man of firm principle, Mr. Cobb has always adhered to a few simple rules of conduct, in the adoption of which any youth may hope to win moderate success, at least. He early discov- ered the disadvantage of being in debt, and made it a rule as soon as he got out to stay out. The

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W. E. ROLLO.

other words forming his motto are: Industry, economy, temperate habits and unswerving in- tegrity. A few more words from the pen of Mr. Cobb will fittingly close this brief article. On the guests' register in the Vermont State Build- ing at the World's Columbian Exposition, ap- peared this entry over his signature: "A native

of Vermont, I left Montpelier in April, 1833, and arrived at Fort Dearborn, now the city of Chicago, May 29th of the same year. I have lived in Chi- cago from that time to the present day. Every building in Chicago has been erected during my residence here."

WILLIAM E. ROLLO.

W ILLIAM EGBERT ROLLO is a well- known citizen of Chicago and a veteran underwriter, having been engaged in that line of business since 1850. He was born in the Parish of Gilead, Hebron Township, Tolland County, Connecticut, January 3, 1851. His par- ents, Ralph R. Rollo and Sibyl Post, were natives of South Windsor, Connecticut. The former was a farmer by occupation, and a son of William Rollo, who, in addition to his agricultural inter-

ests, carried on the business of a tanner and cur- rier. Their progenitors were among the earliest colonists of Connecticut, and traced their lineage, through a long line of English ancestry, from the famous William Rollo, better known in history as William the Conqueror.

Ralph R. Rollo died in 1869, at the extreme old age of eighty-eight years. Mrs. Sibyl Rollo passed away in 1833, in her fifty-first year. They were strict adherents of the Congregational faith, and observed most rigidly the rules of its creed. The names of their children were: Lucy A., who died in South Windsor, Connecticut, in 1858; Evelyn S., who died in Chicago in 1882, while the wife of Elizur W. Drake; Ralph R., who be- came a resident of Chicago in 1870, and died in 1872; Henry, who died in childhood; Lucinda F., Mrs. Solyman W. Grant, who departed this life at Conneaut, Ohio, in 1845; Samuel A.,

whose death occurred in New Jersey in 1864; and William E., whose name heads this notice.

The last-named became a student at East Wind- sor Academy, and completed his education at a similar institution at East Hartford, graduating therefrom at the age of eighteen years. It had been his intention to take up the study of law, but his father sternly forbade that plan, declaring that 110 man could simultaneously be a lawyer and a Christian. Accordingly he abandoned his cherished hopes, and in 1850 he went to Colum- bus, Ohio, as a representative of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company. While in that city he was also the agent of the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company of Springfield, Mass- achusetts, the State Mutnal Fire of Pennsylvania, and the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Com- panies. His faithful and efficient management of the business in his hands soon caused other cor- porations to seek his services, and in 1858 he be- came the General Agent of the Girard Fire and Marine Insurance Company, and during the next two years established agencies in Chicago and all the principal cities of the West.

Since 1860 he has been permanently located in Chicago. In 1863 he organized the Merchants' Insurance Company of Chicago, which included among its stockholders many of the most substan- tial citizens and business men of the city. This

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corporation had become well established, and was . doing a most flattering, lucrative business, when it was overtaken by the great holocaust of 1871, going down-in company with many other or- dinarily invincible companies-before the un- dreamed-of assault upon its assets. The year fol- lowing that disaster, through Mr. Rollo's efforts, the Traders' Insurance Company was re-estab- lished and made a successful and solid institution. After two years, owing to failing health and other great demands upon his time, he turned over the enterprise to other parties. Since that time he has been carrying on the insurance agency of William E. Rollo & Son. This firm manages the

Western Department of the Girard Insurance Company, and represents a number of other lead- ing underwriting concerns.

Mr. Rollo was married, in October, 1845, to Miss Jane T. Fuller, daughter of Gen. Asa Ful- ler, of Ellington, Connecticut. Mrs. Rollo is a native of the same state, born at Somers. They are the parents of two daughters and a son, Jen- nie Sibyl, Evelyn Lavinia and William Fuller, the last-named being a member of the firm of William E. Rollo & Son. Mr. Rollo has adhered strictly to the business of underwriting, meeting with success where men of less energy and perse- verance would have despaired.

HON. JOHN G. ROGERS.

ON. JOHN GORIN ROGERS, who was for many years one of the ablest and most popu- lar jurists in Chicago, has been thus de- scribed by previous writers:

"Nature designed him for a Judge. His mind was of the judicial order, and he would in almost any community have been sought for to occupy a place on the Bench. The high esteem in which he was held as a jurist among the entire profession was the result of a rare combination of fine legal ability and culture and incorruptible integrity, with the dignified presence, absolute courage, and graceful urbanity which characterized all his offi- cial acts. Like the poet, the Judge is born, not made. To wear the ermine worthily, it is not enough for one to possess legal acumen, be learned in the principles of jurisprudence, familiar with precedents and thoroughly honest. Most men are unable wholly to divest themselves of preju- dice, even when acting uprightly, and are uncon- sciously warped in their judgment by their own inental characteristics or the peculiarities of their education. This unconscious influence is a dis-

turbing force, a variable factor, which more or less enters into the final judgment of all men. In this ideal jurist this factor was not discernible, and practically did not exist."

Judge Rogers traced his ancestry from some of the most honorable families of Virginia, being de- scended from Giles Rogers, who emigrated from Worcestershire, England, to Virginia in the sev- enteenth century. He settled at the present vil- lage of Dunkirk, on the Mattapony.River, in King and Queen County. The maiden name of his wife, whom he is supposed to have married in Virginia, was Eason, or Eastham. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters. One of the sons, John Rogers, married Mary Byrd, daughter of Captain William Byrd, who came from England to Virginia late in the seven- teenth century. Captain Byrd was a native of Cheshire, and received from the Crown a grant of land embracing most of the site of the present city of Richmond and of Manchester, on the op- posite side of the James River. Jolin Rogers was a farmer and surveyor, and lived in King and

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Queen County. He also took up land on the border between Carolina and Spottsylvania Coun- ties. His initials, with the date 1712, are carved upon a rock there. Among the descendants of John and Mary (Byrd) Rogers may be men- tioned General George Rogers Clark, the noted Kentucky frontiersman, and his brother, William Clark, the explorer of the American Northwest, beside a number of prominent military men, in- cluding Colonel George Grogham, of Fort Meigs and Sandusky memory, as well as several emi- nent statesmen and jurists. Among the latter was Hon. John Semple, who became a United States Senator from Illinois.

In the first year of the present century, Byrd Rogers, a son of John and Mary Rogers, moved to Fayette County, Kentucky, where he soon aft- erward died. He had four sons and two daugh- ters. One of the sons, George Rogers, became an eminent physician, and died at Glasgow, Ket- tucky, in March, 1860. He married Sarah Hen- sley Gorin, a daughter of General John Gorin, who served in the Continental army, and rose to the rank of Major during the War of 1812. Mrs. Sarah H. Rogers was born December 11, 1800, and died in 1870. Dr. and Mrs. Rogers had four sons and five daughters, and two of the former became Judges. These were John Gorin Rogers, the subject of this notice, and George Clark Rog- ers, who became a Circuit Judge at Bowling Green, Kentucky, and died there about 1870.

John Gorin Rogers was born at Glasgow, Ken- tucky, December 28, 1818, and died in Chicago, January 10, 1887. His primary education was obtained at the village school, and at the age of sixteen years he entered Center College at Dan- ville, Kentucky, au institution famous for its lect- ures on law, in which he acquired the founda- tion of his professional knowledge. Thence he went to Transylvania University at Lexington, from which he graduated in 1841, with the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts. He began his practice in his native town, being a part of the time asso- ciated with his uncle, Hon. Franklin Gorin, one of the oldest lawyers of the State.

In 1857 he became a resident of Chicago, where his talents and ability soon won him a prominent

position at the Bar. In 1870 he was chosen one of the five Judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County, a position to which he was repeatedly re-elected and continued to hold during the bal- ance of his life. He commanded the universal re- spect of the people and the members of the Bar, and, though he was always nominated as a Dem- ocrat, lie received the support of many leading Republicans.

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Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed., Part 21

Author: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, Chicago Publication date: 1897 Publisher: Chicago : Calumet Book and Engraving Co. Number of Pages: 930

Author: Calumet Book & Engraving Company, Chicago
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: Chicago : Calumet Book and Engraving Co.
Number of Pages: 930