USA > Illinois > Cook County > Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed. > Part 37
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102
252
CAPT. ANDREW TORKILSON.
incorporated in General Grant's army at Cairo, Illinois. Under this redoubtable chietain the regiment took part in the decisive victories which resulted from Grant's first campaign, fighting at Perryville, Forts Donelson and Henry, and at Island Number Ten. Then under General Buell, but still in Grant's army, it fought in the last day's fight at Shiloh; then came the bloody en- gagements of Corinthi, Murfreesboro, Chatta- nooga, Missionary Ridge, and the subsequent fighting of Sherman's army up to the final siege of Atlanta. Captain Torkilson acquitted himself as became a true and gallant soldier, which he was. The deafening noise of the scores of con- flicts so impaired his hearing that he was obliged to surrender his commission, which he did with reluctance.
Upon his return to civil life he settled in Chi- cago, and was for the second time appointed to the police force, this time by his friend, Mayor John Wentworth. He was active in the city's politics, and wielded an influence that was con- siderable. Mayor Wentworth said of him, "To Captain Torkilson's influence I am indebted for my election." The mayor was his devoted friend, and their mutual confidence was never disturbed to the end of their lives.
Some years after the war Captain Torkilson settled in Fort Dodge, Iowa, where he followed coopering and hotel-keeping, and held numerous official positions of trust. In 1873 he returned to Chicago and settled in Rogers Park, which could then boast only a few scattering homes. For a timne following his settlement there he had charge of the toll-gate, and was subsequently engaged in the cooperage business.
He was an active and energetic inan, and en- joyed the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. In height he stood six feet three inches, and weighed about two hundred twenty pounds. His scholarly attainments were of a high order and he remained a student all his life, keeping himself informed upon the leading and important questions of the day. He was an honored mem- ber of the Masonic order, having attained to the Master's degree.
He was twice married, his second wife, Miss
Christina Smith, a native of Norway, being wed- ded to him in Chicago. Their union resulted in seven children, six of whom are living, namely: Benjamin; Andrew F., John A., Thomas F., Clara F. and Anna C .; Mary E. is deceased. Mrs. Torkilson, who is still living, is a daughter of Benedict and Elizabeth Smith, of Norway. The former still survives, and is a gentleman of influ- ence and worth, having followed the seas for a great many years. He has visited America twice, attending the Centennial Exhibition at Philadel- phia, in 1876, and in 1893 the World's Fair in this city, making the last journey both ways un- attended, though over ninety years of age.
Captain Torkilson was an ardent Republican in politics, and his party had 110 more stanch supporter than he. Public service was uncon- genial to him in many ways, but he sought to fulfill his share of the duties of a good citizen. His death occurred October 18, 1881, and his remains repose in Rogers Park, where they were interred with Masonic honors.
Benjamin Smith Torkilson, eldest son of Cap- tain Torkilson, was born in Chicago November 15, 1859. He was reared in the city, and edu- cated in its public schools. In youth he learned the cooper's trade, and later learned stone-cutting. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican par- ty. He was married to Miss Emma Collins in 1883, and they have four children, namely: Ella, Marion, Anna and Margaret. Mrs. Torkilson was born at Bailey's Harbor, Wisconsin.
The second son, Andrew F. Torkilson, was born in Chicago in 1863. He was reared in Rogers Park and educated in the elementary branches in the public schools of that suburb. This was supplemented by a course in a business college, and he has, for a number of years, ac- ceptably filled a responsible position with the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company, being store-keeper of its dining-car service. He is an esteemed member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Royal League. His wife, Clara (Bart- lin) Torkilson, has borne him a son, named Fremont. Mr. Torkilson is a young man of pleasing, affable manners, and of good business and executive ability.
253
HENRY WALLER.
HENRY WALLER.
4
ENRY WALLER, for many years a promi- nent representative of the Chicago bar, was born in Frankfort, Kentucky, November 9, 1810, and died at River Forest, Illinois, July 28, 1893. He sprang from a family which has pro- duced many illustrious men, both in this country and in Europe. Among the noted members of the Waller family in England were Sir William Waller, a distinguished general and member of Parliament during Cornwall's time, and Edward Waller, the poet. A member of this family came to Virginia about the time of the Restoration, and settled in Spottsylvania County. Among his de- scendants were John and William Edmund Wal- ler, eminent Baptist ministers, who suffered con- siderable persecution from the Church of England. Richard, the son of Rev. William E. Waller, was the father of C. S. Waller, deceased, formerly commissioner of public works in Chicago, and at one time assistant state auditor of Kentucky. William 'S., another son of Rev. William E. Waller, was for about forty years cashier of the Bank of Kentucky. He married Miss Brecken- ridge, a lady whose deep religious convictions and conscientious devotion to principle made her a typical representative of one of the foremost fam- ilies of the Bluegrass State. The four sons of this couple, Henry, James B., William and Edward, became prominent citizens of Chicago, and all are deceased. There were two daughters, Mrs. Cath- arine Carson, deceased, and Mrs. Susanna P. Lees, who is a resident of New York City. The former was the mother of Mrs. Clifton Brecken- ridge, wife of the present United States Minister to Russia.
Henry Waller graduated from West Point in
1833, but soon resigned from the military service and studied law at Maysville, Kentucky, where he was a law partner of the Rev. John A. Mc- Clung, attorney, and was one of the lawyers en- gaged in the celebrated Dred Scott case. I11 1855 he came to Chicago, where he practiced law twen- ty years. In 1875 he was appointed a master in chancery. He continued to discharge the duties of that office until about 1891, when he declined a reappointment on account of failing health. He lived on Ashland Avenue abont twenty years, but in 1886 he moved to River Forest, where the re- mainder of his life was spent in retirement.
Mr. Waller was married to Miss Sarah Bell Langhorne, daughter of John T. Langhorne, of Maysville, Kentucky, a well-known hotelkeeper of that city, whose wife was Elizabeth B. Payne, a daughter of Col. Duvall Payne, who was a brother of the noted Col. Thomas Y. Payne. "She was the second of five children. The others were: Mrs. Elizabeth Green, Mrs. Judith L. Marshall, Maurice Langhorne, and John D. Langhorne. Maurice Langhorne was captain of a Mississippi steamer before the war, and a well-known charac- ter on the Father of Waters. His brother graduated from Annapolis, and was an officer in the United States Navy for many years. Mrs. Sarah B. Waller died in Chicago, December 13, 1883, at the age of sixty-two years. Mrs. Waller was a student at Aberdeen, Ohio, where she was a class- inate of Gen. U. S. Grant. She was married at the age of fifteen years, and was the inother of ten children before she was thirty-six years old. She was chiefly self-educated, and was a historian of some note. She was a remarkable woman, queenly in social circles and a leading spirit among
254
P. H. DOBBINS.
the brilliant men and women of her time. During the war she was a ministering angel to the sick and suffering Southern prisoners at Camp Doug- las. Her influence for good was felt by everyone who came within her reach, and many bless her memory. Following are the names of her chil- dren: William Smith Waller, who died in Chicago in 1874, aged thirty-six years, and who was a dealer in real estate; Rev. Maurice Waller, D. D., of Lebanon, Kentucky; Lilly L., chief matron of the Police Department of Chicago; Henry, a well- known real-estate dealer in Chicago; Edward C., of the same occupation, residing at River Forest; Catherine, wife of Rev. John G. Hunter, D. D., of Harrodsburg, Kentucky; Judith C. W. (Mrs. William S. Johnston), of Chicago; Jolin D .; Bell Langhorne, of Chicago; and James B., of Norfolk,
Virginia, who is connected with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company.
Politically Mr. Waller was a conservative Dem- ocrat. He served two terms in the Kentucky Legislature before leaving that State, from 1845 to 1849. In Illinois he was the firm friend and co-laborer of Stephen A. Douglas, at whose funeral he was an honorary pall-bearer. They stumped the State together in several campaigns. During his earlier years in Chicago, Mr. Waller was a member of the old South Presbyterian Church (of which Rev. W. W. Harsha was then pastor). He was afterward identified for a number of years with the Third Presbyterian Church of Chicago. He was firm and uncompromising in all his con- victions, and able to hold his own in debate with the ablest speakers of his day.
PARIS H. DOBBINS.
ARIS HORACE DOBBINS, a successful young business man of Chicago, who now resides at River Forest, was born in the city of Paris, France, October 6, 1869, and is a son of Thomas S. and Mary C. Dobbins, of whom ex- tended notice will be found in this volume. While an infant, Paris H. Dobbins was brought by his parents to the United States, arriving in New York City on the first anniversary of his birth. His education was obtained in Chicago, where he attended the public schools, and later the Har- vard School, one of the best-equipped private educational institutions in the city.
At the age of seventeen years, he began his business career as a clerk in the First National Bank. Three years in this connection sufficed to give him a thorough knowledge of practical business methods, and in 1890 lie formed a part- nership with his brother, Charles E. Dobbins, and engaged in the manufacture of steel springs. Though begun on a rather limited scale, the en-
terprise has been prosperous from the start, from twenty to forty men being now employed. All kinds of wagon and carriage springs are manufactured by the firm, which is now known as Dobbins & Company.
December 29, 1890, was celebrated the marriage of Paris H. Dobbins to Miss Lottie C. Spurck, daughter of P. E. Spurck, of Peoria, Illinois. They have two living children, named respect- ively, Mary Corinne and Thomas Deshler. Since May 1, 1896, their home has been at River Forest, where they attend Saint Luke's Catholic Church. In this rural suburb Mr. Dobbins finds much pleasant recreation from the noisy and tumultuous life of the city. He is connected with the Bank- ers' Athletic Club of Chicago. He has usually supported the Democratic party, but has more recently acted independent of party lines, and in the fall of 1896 supported William McKinley for President of the United States, believing his can- didacy to be in the interests of national prosperity.
255
.
A. B. MCLEAN.
ARCHIBALD B. McLEAN.
A RCHIBALD BRUCE McLEAN. It is a re- markable circumstance that this gentleman, although he has attained the age of over seventy-five years and has spent the greater part of this time either in active business or military service, has never been a witness of an accident. He was born at Stirling, Scotland, a locality teem- ing with romantic interest and historic reminiscen- ces, on the 7th of April, 1820. Both his parents were worthy representatives of the Scotch nation.
His father, Alexander McLean, who was born at Callendar, became a cabinet-maker at Stirling, where his death occurred when Archibald was but three years old. The mother, Elizabeth (Robinson) McLean, was a native of Bannock- burn. After reaching the age of eighty years she came to America, and died at Brooklyn, New York, in 1871, at the venerable age of one hun- dred and one years and two months. She was the youngest of a family of ten children which was conspicuous for the longevity of its members. Her eldest brother, James Robinson, reached the age of one hundred and fifteen years, dying at Glengary, Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander McLean were the parents of seven sons, four of whom still survive. James is a business man of Glasgow, Scotland. Alexander and George are citizens, respectively, of Brooklyn and Albany, New York. John died in Cork, Ireland, after serving fifteen years in the British army. Neal died in a hospital from the effects of wounds re- ceived during the great American Civil War; and Archibald B. is the next in order of birth. Don- ald, the eldest of the family, died in boyhood.
Archibald B. McLean grew to manhood in his native town, and at the age of ten years began to
learn the tailor's trade, an occupation which he has continued ever since, with the exception of the time spent in military service. At the age of seventeen years he entered the British army as a member of the Seventy-first Highland Light In- fantry, which was soon afterward ordered to Can- ada to assist in quelling the rebellion then in progress in that colony. He saw considerable skirmish duty during this expedition, and was stationed most of the time at Montreal or St. John's, Canada.
In 1843 he was discharged from the service of the Crown, and, coming to the United States, lo- cated at Albany, New York, where he worked at his trade for the next two years. At the end of that time he enlisted in the United States navy and embarked on the seventy-four-gun ship "Col- umbus," which sailed from Brooklyn, New York, upon a voyage around the world. While at a Chinese port the crew first heard of the war be- tween the United States and Mexico and received orders to sail for the coast of California. Upon their arrival they patroled that coast until the close of hostilities, when they returned to the Atlantic Coast by way of Cape Horn. The voy- age, which terminated at Norfolk, Virginia, had lasted for thirty-five months, during which time they had sailed sixty-eight thousand miles.
Mr. McLean again went to Albany and opened a tailoring establishment, carrying on business at that place until 1854, when he came to Chicago and engaged in business on Randolph Street. Three years later he removed to Janesville, Wis- consin. Here he carried on a merchant-tailoring establishment until the outbreak of the rebellion, when he was again seized with the spirit of mil-
256
R. N. TRIMINGHAM.
itary enthusiasm. Soon after the fall of Fort Sumter he recruited Company D of the Second Wisconsin Infantry, and, declining a Captain's commission, became the First Lieutenant thereof. He reached the field with his regiment in time to take part in the disastrous battle of Bull Run, and after serving six months resigned his commission and applied for a position in the Ma- rine Corps. Having passed the prescribed age, and the officers not being aware of his past naval experience, his services were declined, and he re- enlisted in Company C, of the Twenty-seventh Wisconsin. He chose the position of color-bearer, and served in that capacity until the close of hos- tilities. Though he was constantly exposed to the fire of the enemy, taking part in many of the bloodiest engagements of the war, Mr. McLean received no wounds and was never in a hospital. After participating in the battles of Fort Donel- son, Pittsburg Landing and Corinth, he took part in General Shield's expedition in Arkansas. This campaign encountered fourteen general e11- gagements in twenty-one days, besides meeting a great deal of guerrilla warfare. After the close of the campaign he was sent to Mobile and took part in the siege of that place, which terminated the war.
After peace came he remained one year in Janesville, but in 1866 again located in Chicago,
where he was continuously engaged in merchant tailoring until June, 1894, when he resigned the business to his son, W. S. McLean, who had previously been for some years a partner in the business. During the twenty-nine years' exist- ence of this establishment it has won and retained a valuable patronage and is still in a flourishing condition.
On the 11th of April, 1849, Mr. McLean was married to Margaret Shields, a native of Elgin, Morayshire, Scotland. Four children have been born to them, all of whom are residents of this city. They are: William S., the present successor of his father in business; Archibald, who is also connected with the establishment; George, who has charge of a department in the great wholesale establishment of Marshall Field & Co .; and Isa- bella, now the wife of William L. Melville. Mr. and Mrs. McLean are the proud grandparents of eight children.
For over forty years Mr. McLean has been con- nected with the Masonic order, and although he has been at times a member of other societies, is not identified with any other organization at the present time. He has been a steadfast Repub- lican from the organization of that party, and has. ever been a patriotic and public-spirited citizen of the land of his adoption.
RALPH N. TRIMINGHAM.
ALPH N. TRIMINGHAM, Secretary of the Chicago Underwriters' Association, is one of the best known insurance men in the city. He was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Sep- tember 2, 1838, and is the eldest son of Ralph and Ann (Brine) Trimingham, and a member of one of the oldest Colonial families.
The Trimingham family was founded in Ber- muda by James Trimingham, who emigrated
thither from England during the reign of Charles II. and died there April 1, 1735, The mercan- tile house which he established and conducted there during his lifetime was inherited and en- larged by successive generations of his descen- dants. He was the father of four sons and two daughters. Of these, John, the third son, mar- ried Elizabeth Jones. Francis, the third son of this couple, died in 1813. He inherited the rare
257
R. N. TRIMINGHAM.
commercial instincts of his ancestors, and under his able guidance the business assumed extensive proportions, and branch houses were established in the Barbadoes, St. Vincent, and St. John's, Newfoundland. Several of his sons became partners in the concern, and continued the busi- ness for some time after his death. The firm owned a number of vessels and maintained exten- sive trade between the places above mentioned and various ports in Great Britain and South America.
Francis Trimingham married Frances Light- bourn, and they were the parents of eight chil- dren, the youngest of whom was Ralph, father of the subject of this notice. The last-named gen- tleman, who was born at Bermuda in 1801, re- moved while a young man to St. John's, taking charge of the company's interests at that place. He was married there, and about 1847 removed to Baltimore, Maryland, where the firm of which he was a member also established a mercantile house. Four years later he disposed of his inter- est in the business, and in 1851 removed to St. Vincent, where he turned his attention to agri- culture and operated a large sugar plantation for the next four years. He then came to Chi- cago, and for a brief period re-engaged in mer- chandising, but soon retired from active business. His death occurred in 1869, at the age of sixty- eight years. His wife survived until August, 1874, departing this life at the age of sixty-three years. She was born in Newfoundland and was a daughter of Robert and Ann Brine. They came from the South of England and settled at St. John's, where Mr. Brine was for many years a prosperous merchant.
Ralph N. Trimingham was educated at private schools, it being the intention of his parents to give him a college education and fit him for the Episcopal ministry. This purpose had to be abandoned, however, and at the age of sixteen years he entered upon his business career as clerk in a lawyer's office at St. Vincent. His subse- quent occupations have usually been of a clerical order, and he seems to be peculiarly adapted for the accurate, methodical labors which are so es- sential to success in such avocations. For some
time previous to the departure of the family from St. Vincent he was employed as cashier in a dry- goods store, and his first occupation in Chicago was of a similar nature. A few years after locat- ing here he entered the office of Magill & La- tham, vessel-owners and commission merchants, with whom he remained for some time. He sub- sequently became a bookkeeper for his uncle, William Brine, who was a commission merchant operating upon the Board of Trade.
Since 1866 he has been identified with the fire- underwriting interests of the city. His first con- nection in that line was with the Home Insurance Company of New York, under the management of Gen. A. C. Ducat, with whom he remained for a little over ten years. After leaving the em- ploy of the Home he for a short time became en- gaged in mercantile pursuits, but soon re-entered the business of fire insurance. In 1882 he was elected Secretary of the Underwriters' Exchange, a combination of insurance companies, and when the members of that organization united with those of the Chicago Board of Underwriters in forming the Chicago Fire Underwriters' Associa- tion, an institution organized for a similar pur- pose, he continued to serve the new concern in the same capacity. In 1894 the last-named cor- poration was succeeded by the Chicago Under- writers' Association. In recognition of his expe- rience and previous services, Mr. Trimingham was elected Secretary of the new association, and the performance of his duties to these successive organizations has absorbed his time and attention since 1885.
On the 16th of April, 1885, he was married to Miss Carrie J., daughter of Robert G. Goodwillie, an early resident of Chicago. They are the par- ents of two daughters, named, respectively, Eliz- abeth and Anna. For thirty-eight years Mr. Trimingham held membership with the Third Presbyterian Church of Chicago, in which, for seventeen years, he was Elder and Clerk of the Session. He is now Elder of the First Presby- terian Church at Oak Park, where he lives. He has been identified with the Masonic order for the last twenty years, being a member of Cleve- land Lodge, Washington Chapter and Siloam
€ 258
G. W. BARNARD.
Commandery, Knights Templar, of which he is Past Eminent Commander. His life has been marked by diligent, punctual habits and the con- scientious observance of upright principles. He has witnessed the growth and development of
Chicago for nearly forty years, and during all that time he has spent but little time out of the city, his chief recreation being found in his domestic and social relations.
GILBERT W. BARNARD.
C ILBERT WORDSWORTH BARNARD is well known amid Masonic circles through- out America and Europe, and has a world- wide reputation for sterling character, accommo- dating manners, and devotion to the interests of the order. He was born at Palmyra, Wayne County, New York, June 1, 1834, and is the son of George Washington Barnard, whose death oc- curred previous to the birth of this son. The father of George W. Barnard, whose name was spelled Bernarde, was a Frenchman. Following the noble example of the immortal La Fayette, he came to America to enlist in the cause of free- dom, and upon the termination of the conflict settled in western New York, where he married and became the father of two sons. The elder of these died without issue, and the second lived and died in Wayne County, that state. The lat- ter became the captain of a passenger packet on the Erie Canal, a position of considerable import- ance in his time. His wife, Sabrina Deming, was a native of New York, and now resides in Howard City, Michigan, at the extreme old age of eighty years, lier present name being Preston.
Gilbert W. Barnard was reared in the family of his maternal grandfather, David Demming, a na- tive of Connecticut, who removed to Jackson County, Michigan, soon after his grandson be- came a member of his family. The Demming family was founded in America by four brothers, who settled in Connecticut early in the seven- teenth century. The name was originally spelled
Dummund, but by a process of evolution peculiar to foreign names in America, it became Demming, and was contracted by the present generation by the omission of one " m."
The subject of this biography spent the first fifteen years of his life in Jackson County, Mich- igan, whence lie came to Chicago and began his business career as clerk in a general store. He afterward engaged in the book and stationery business, which line of trade he carried on for several years, achieving a reputation for upright and honorable dealing, and winning the esteem and confidence of his fellow-citizens. During the first year of his residence in Chicago he joined the volunteer fire department, and during the next nine or ten years rendered much valuable service to the city.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.