Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed., Part 24

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 24

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When the Illinois Naval Militia was organized as a part of the National Naval Reserve, lie 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

162

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. Eiglit 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 tlie 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. liave 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.

I11 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 him to give up work. Father and so11 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 native 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 eigh- teen he emigrated 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 27tlı of April, 1887, lie 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 an early day came to America. The others set- tled in Connecticut, Vermont and Ohio, respec- tively. Mrs. Statira Tobey was a native of the Empire State, but her parents were born in Penn- sylvania, and were of German descent. Her death occurred in1 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. In1 1851 he became a resident of Milwaukee, and tlience went to Strong's Landing, Wis. The following spring he came to Cook County, Ill., settling in Worth Township. .

In 1856, Mr. Tobey purchased his present farm near Worth Station. It was then a tract of wild land, but he at once began to clear and cultivate it, and now has a finely improved farm, supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences. He has bought and sold considerable real estate, and this branch of his business has also proved to him a good source of income. For ten years after locating on his farm, his nearest postoffice was Blue Island, a distance of nine miles, but through his efforts offices were established at Worth, South Mount Forest and Grosskopf. For a year after this result was attained the mail

was brought from Blue Island by private enter- prise, for the Government had not then estab- lished a mail route. Mr. Tobey, in connection with two other men, supported tlie mail route by subscription.

On the 8thi of January, 1858, Mr. Tobey was united in marriage with Elizabeth Van Horn, daughter of A. C. Van Horn, of Homer, Ill. They had three children: Jolın Dillon, a dealer in hay, grain and ice, in Chicago; Emma, wife of F. Hepperley, of Norfolk, Neb .; and Marion, wife of John Elliott, of Winside, Neb. The mother of this family passed away February 14, 1870, at the age of thirty years. She was a member of the Methodist Church.

Mr. Tobey was married to his second wife, Elizabeth M. Burt, daughter of Alvin Burt, of Westport, N. Y., January 8, 1874. She was the mother of one child, Charles Clifford Tobey. She passed away June 14, 1892, at the age of forty-seven years.

Mr. Tobey attends the services of the Meth- odist Church at Worth, which was built upon land contributed by him. In earlier years lie was a Republican, but since the formation of the Prohibition party has been identified with that movement. He has never sought, nor would he accept, public office. He has witnessed the mar- velous development of Chicago and Cook County for more than forty years, and has borne no small part therein, ever striving to promote the moral and intellectual growth of the community as well as its material prosperity.

HIRAM PRATT CRAWFORD

G IRAM PRATT CRAWFORD, a real-estate dealer of Crawford's Station, Chicago, is a native of the Empire State, his birth having occurred in Buffalo on the 3d of January, 1831.

He is a son of Peter Crawford, whose biography will be found elsewhere in this work. He at- tended the public schools of Buffalo and Chicago. At the age of nineteen, he was established by his

165

FRANK H. NOVAK.

father in a lumber-yard in Marengo; and when the railroad was extended to Belvidere, he removed to that place, whence lie afterward went to Rock- ford, Ill. In 1855, he became a resident of Gales- burg, where he carried on business for two years. Since 1857, he has resided at the old homestead, where he is engaged in looking after his exten- sive real-estate interests. The original farm pur- chased by his father has constantly increased in value, and now includes some of the most valuable suburban property adjacent to the city.

I11 1870, Mr. Crawford married Miss Sarah A. Launt, daughter of Lewis Launt, of Hamden, Delaware County, N. Y., the birthplace of Mrs.

Crawford. Three children graced this union, namely: Sadie B., wife of M. D. Broadway, of Chicago; Nettie S., and Jessie L., deceased. The parents and their children hold membership with the Baptist Church. In his political views, Mr. Crawford is a Republican, and stanchly advocates the principles of that party. He has filled vari- ous positions of trust, having been Assessor, Tax Collector and Superintendent of Public Works in Cicero Township. Mr. Crawford is a gentleman of rare physical strength for one of his years. He is kindly in manner, hospitable, and deeply in- terested in the growth and progress of Chicago.

FRANK H. NOVAK.

RANK H. NOVAK, a leading attorney of West Pullman, was born near Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa, on the 16th of No- veniber, 1862, and is a son of Frank and Barbara Novak, who are still living on a farm near Iowa City. The former is a native of Vienna, Austria. He crossed the Atlantic to America in 1858, and became one of the pioneer settlers of Johnson County, Iowa. He is now one of its inost ex- tensive farmers and representative citizens. His wife, who was born near Praug, Austria, is a daughter of Frank and Mary Hiek, early settlers of Lynn County, Iowa, who emigrated to America from Praug, Austria, in 1855.

In taking up the personal history of our sub- ject, we present to our readers the life record of one who is both widely and favorably known in this section of Cook County. After attending the common schools, he entered the Iowa City Commercial College, from which he was graduated in the Class of '85. He then engaged in teach-

ing for several terms, and met with good success in that line of work. He afterward became a student in the Iowa State University, of Iowa City, and, on the completion of the collegiate course, entered the law department, having de- termined to become a member of the legal pro- fession. He received his diploma in 1889, and was thereby entitled to admission to the Bar and to practice in the federal courts.

Immediately after completing his law studies, Mr. Novak opened an office in Iowa City, and was there engaged in business until August, 1893, when he crossed the Mississippi into Illi- nois and located at West Pullman, where he has since made his home, becoming the leading at- torney of that growing suburb, and doing business as a lawyer and loan and collection agent. He is also interested in real-estate and in live-stock investments near Iowa City, where the breeding of English Shire horses and Red Polled cattle is made a specialty.

166

JOHN J. LEAHY.

On the 28th of March, 1890, Mr. Novak was united in marriage with Miss Nellie M. Burke, daughter of Thomas Burke, a resident of Oxford, Iowa. The lady is a native of Ottawa, Illinois. Their union has been blessed with one child, Marie Barbara.

The parents both attend the Catholic Church. Mr. Novak is a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity, the Knights of the Maccabees and the Order of Red Men. In politics, he is a Democrat,

and warmly advocates the principles of that party. He has held a number of public offices, was Town- ship Clerk both in Lucas and Monroe Townships of Johnson County, Iowa, was Assessor of Mon- roe Township, and filled other positions of public trust. Mr. Novak is a gentleman of pleasing address, good business judgment and marked pro- fessional ability, making friends of all with whom he comes in contact in either business or social relations.

JOHN J. LEAHY, M. D.

7 OHN J. LEAHY, M. D., who is successfully engaged in the practice of medicine in Le- mont, was born in April, 1863, and is a na- tive of County Limerick, Ireland. His father, Thomas Leahy, was a native of Tipperary, and his mother, Margaret Leahy, of Kitteely. The Doctor acquired his primary education in the na- tional schools of the Emerald Isle, and then began the study of medicine in the College of Surgeons in Dublin, where he remained for three years. In 1883, he emigrated from Ireland, and in Sep- tember of that year reached Chicago, where he be- came a student in Rush Medical College. He there spent two years, and still another year in the Cook County Hospital.

In April, 1885, Dr. Leahy acted upon the ad- vice given to the young men of America by the · sage of Chappaqua and went West, settling at Delmar Junction, Clinton County, Iowa. At- tracted by the inducements offered at Lemont, however, he, in the autumn of the year 1885 settled in this place, where he has enjoyed a large and constantly increasing practice. Much of the

time Dr. Leahy has been employed by corpora- tions working large forces of men. From 1886 to 1891, he was surgeon for the Santa Fe Railroad Company, and during the year 1892 he was physician and surgeon for the firm of Frazier & Chalmers, manufacturers of mining machinery at Chicago, where he was busily engaged, having in charge a thousand men and their families. Since the beginning of 1894, he has been physician and surgeon to the Illinois Stone Company, and also to Section 5 of the Drainage Canal at Lemont, in addition to his general practice.

In 1887, Dr. Leahy married Miss Margaret Reardon, of Lemont, daughter of Thomas and Helen Reardon, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. Three bright and beautiful chil- dren, two girls and a boy, have blessed this un- ion. They are Clara Louise, John J. and Mar- ion. Dr. Leahy's cheerful disposition makes him many friends, professionally and otherwise, and he enjoys a large and lucrative practice. He has one brother in this country, Rev. Patrick Leahy, of Lyons, Iowa.

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

C. N. M Cormick

CYRUS H. McCORMICK.

167

CYRUS HALL McCORMICK.

D YRUS HALL McCORMICK, measured by his achievements and their influence upon mankind, must rank as one of the greatest benefactors of modern times. This statement is, perliaps, a comprehensive one, but it is not un- warranted by facts, and indeed was given an au- thoritative stamp when, in the latter years of Mr. McCormick's life, lie was chosen a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences, on the ground of his having done more for the cause of agriculture than any other living man. Why this broad and generous tribute? Why is the name of Cyrus Hall McCormick remembered and honored, and why will his memory hold a sacred niche in Fame's enduring temple throughout all coming time? To answer queries of this nature we must give a brief sketch of the life, the influ- ences, and the labors of him concerning whom they are asked.

The McCormick family lived in Rockbridge County, Virginia. They were descendants of an early settler in that portion of the State, who had been invited thither by the fertile fields lying in the broad valley between the Shenandoalı and Blue Ridge mountain ranges. It was here that Cyrus Hall McCormick was born on the 15th of February, 1809. His parents were Robert and Mary Alın (Hall) McCormick, and their circum- stances, while perhaps not warranting luxurious living, were, nevertheless, conducive to comfort and the peaceful enjoyments common to that pe- riod. It was an era when modern frivolities and diversions were comparatively unknown, and when the hearts of men and women found their sweetest solace in the regularly recurring services held in the little church. Light literature was there unknown, and books of travel, history and biog-

raphy were almost equally scarce. As a conse- quence, the Bible was much read in the homes of the people, and its precepts were more carefully instilled into the minds of its students than is com- mon in this push-and-hurry age of ours. The parents of young McCormick were recognized by their neighbors as the possessors of marked abil- ity and integrity of character, and their lives and actions were shaped in conformity with the best ideals of Christianity.

It was amid surroundings such as these that the subject of this sketch acquired those traits which mark the career of the successful man, and to which men of all times and of all nations have paid the tribute of their admiration and their praise. This schooling of his character at home was supplemented by young McCor- mick's attendance upon the "Old Field " school, where the rudiments of book knowledge were acquired, and this was further enhanced by an evident desire for knowledge not found in books, a knowledge of the practical, of the common things about him. Genius is rarely an accidental trait, and it will be seen that the natural environments in which young Cyrus lived were shaping his destiny. His father was a man of more than or- dinary ability, himself a student throughout all the years of his life, with an inclination toward in- vention, and indeed an inventor in fact, as sever- al useful devices are accredited to his ingenuity in this line. He was extensively engaged in farming, and had upon his premises both black- sinith and wood-working shops for the prompt re- pairing of the various farm implements, as occa- sion demanded. He appears to have been fond of the workshop, and it was but natural that he should give considerable time and attention to the

168

CYRUS H. McCORMICK.

construction of experimental devices as they sug- gested themselves to him. Among some of the improvements resulting from his experiments were a hemp-breaking machine, a threshing-machine, and a blacksmith's bellows. As early as 1809, he conceived the idea of a grain-cutting mechan- ism, and in the summer of 1810 his conception had assumed a tangible form and was taken into the field for practical test. The cutting device consisted of a system of rotary saws, revolving past the edges of stationary knives, so as to cut like shears. A witness who saw its performance in the grain field described it as " a somewhat fright- ful looking piece of machinery when moving." It failed to meet the expectations of its inventor and was laid aside, though the idea of the reaper kept possession of him for several years thereafter, and he in fact made one or two subsequent at- tempts to perfect the machine, but without success.

To his father's experiments and failures young Cyrus paid much attention, and it is not un- likely that at an early age he brought himself to believe that he would some time bring order out of the chaos which had marked the elder's reap- er-inventing career. He had a natural liking for mechanical inventions, and spent a goodly portion of his time in his father's workshops, becoming quite an adept in the use of the various tools. At the age of fifteen he made a grain cradle, by the use of which he was enabled to go into the har- vest field and keep pace with the older laborers. A little later he constructed a hill-side plow, a practical and useful invention, which threw alter- nate furrows either right or left. This was pat- ented, but was in turn superseded by his horizon- tal self-sharpening plow. It was at the age of twenty-two that he determined to devote his en- ergies to the reaper; and with his father's fail- ures before him plainly showing what was im- practicable, and perhaps offering vague suggest- ions as to what the practicable machine must be, he dreamed, he thought, and he worked. He first convinced himself that the principle adopted by his father was fundamentally wrong, he believing that the cutting device should give way to a hori- zontal reciprocating blade, which should operate upon the grain in mass. Deciding upon the de-

tails of such a machine, he set to work with his own hands to combine them in wood and iron. He became so deeply absorbed in his work that his father, remembering his own futile attempts in the same line, sought to discourage the boy, telling him that he was wasting both his time and talents. Happily, however, Cyrus saw deeper, and with that persistence which was an inborn trait of his character, continued on in his work, and in the summer of 1831 went into a field of grain with the first successful reaper that was ever built. The distinguishing features of that machine were the reciprocating blade, operating in fixed fingers; the platform for receiving the falling grain; the reel to draw the grain back to the knives; and the divider, to separate the grain to be cut from that left standing. These features and their combina- tion inust be credited to the genius and skill of Cyrus Hall McCormick. They are found in all grain-cutting machines now extant, of whatso- ever name or nature, and to dispense with them " would be to wipe every reaper out of existence."

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Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed., Part 24

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