Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed., Part 55

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 55

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).

Five children were born after their arrival, namely: Otto, now a resident of Indiana; Augus- ta, who became the wife of John Paccaduck, of Chicago; Otto, who died at the age of seventeen

Henry Rumstick was educated in the public schools of Cook County, but was obliged to give most of his time from an early age to his own support, and that of the family. 'At the age of eighteen years he went to learn the trade of stone-cutter, and after serving an apprenticeship of three years he continued as journeyman until 1890. He then engaged in gardening and now

378

JOSEPH CLARK.

tills thirteen acres of land. He has never sought for political preferment, and has given his time and talents to the prosecution of his private business, but has always been an enthusiastic Republican in politics.

July 4, 1874, Mr. Rumstick was married to Miss Barbara Klein, a daughter of Christopher and Anna Klein, whose history is given in this volume, in connection with the sketch of Celestial Keller. Mrs. Rumstick was born January 24, 1856, in Germany, and has had five children,

namely: Anna, born June 26, 1875, now the wife of Axel Lindgren of Chicago; Otto, July 13, 1877, died October 13, 1879, at the age of two and one-half years; Minnie, April 7, 1879; Emma, August 13, 1882; Katharine, December 28, 1886.

The family is associated with the Lutheran Church, and Mr. Rumstick is a member of the Knights of Honor; he is a progressive citizen, who appreciates the advantages and benefits of American institutions, and is providing his chil- dren with excellent educational opportunities.

JOSEPH CLARK.

OSEPH CLARK, one of the worthy pioneers of Cook County, was born August 8, 1826, in Brechin, Forfarshire, Scotland. He is a son of David and Catherine (Dackers) Clark, both natives of that county. David Clark died when Joseph, his son, was a child, leaving his nine children to the care of his wife. They were: John, who came in 1832 to Chicago, where he died many years ago; Margaret, Elizabeth, James, William, Alexander, David, Robert, and Joseph, the last-named being the only one surviving.

Joseph Clark received a good common-school education in his native land. His brothers John and Alexander were so well pleased with the op- portunities offered to young men in the United States, whither they had come, that Joseph was ambitious to come to this country also. He sailed from Greenock in May, 1844, 011 a sailing-ship, spending three months on the voyage. He land- ed in Quebec, and came through to Chicago by the lakes. When he arrived in Chicago, in August, he had a cash capital of but twenty- five cents. He went immediately to section 14, Jefferson Township, where his brothers were lo-

cated. He began gardening on land which was furnished him by his brother, who had bought it from the Government for one dollar and a-quarter an acre. Ever since that time, Mr. Clark has lived on this land, with the exception of three years spent in California. He originally had eighty acres, but has given each of his children five acres, and has only about twenty-five acres remaining.

In 1849, attracted by the vast fortunes being made in the gold-mining regions of California, he went thither by the overland route, seven months being consumed by the journey. He spent a short time in mining, and then bought a mule- train and engaged in packing for the miners, which business was so lucrative that, at the end of three years, he returned to Cook County, Illi- nois, well satisfied with his expedition. At the time of his return, the county was only sparsely settled, and he engaged in farming and gardening, which he continued until, in 1890, he was obliged to retire on account of advancing years.

Mr. Clark has always taken an active interest in public affairs, and has been a useful member of soci-

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

FRANK A. BAER

379

F. A. BAER.

ety, having filled many local offices. In 1857 he married Miss Sallie Ann Ferguson, daughter of Stauts Morrison and Neoma (Rice) Ferguson, pio- neers of this county. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have five children, namely: Charles, a gardener; Richard; Martin; Maud, the wife of Winfield Glenn; and Kittie, wife of Harry Jackson, of Bowmanville.

Mr. Clark was a Whig until the formation of the Republican party, whose cause he has since esponsed. He is intimately connected with the growth and development of the town of Jefferson, and has always favored public enterprises. He has given his faithful service to his adopted land on all occasions, and is a progressive citizen. He is a member of Myrtle Lodge No. 795, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Irving Park.

Stauts M. Ferguson, the father of Mrs. Clark, was born in Orange County, New York, of Scotch and English ancestry. Neoma Rice was a native of Pennsylvania. After their marriage they set- tled in Tioga County, New York, where Mr. Ferguson engaged in mercantile business at Fac- toryville, until he came to Cook County in 1838.

He bought land in Leyden Township, where the village of Norwood Park now is. He owned two hundred acres of land and engaged in farming, stock-raising and dairying, continuing until 1859, when he sold out and moved into Chicago. He lived retired until his death, which occurred while on his way from California about 1873. His wife passed away in Chicago in 1862. They had nine children, namely: Emily and Henrietta (now de- ceased); Mary, who married Dr. Richard Ever- ett, a pioneer physician of Cook County, and died in 1894; Martha (Mrs. B. Bryant), of California; Mrs. Clark is next in order of birth; Caroline, wife of Thomas Turner, of Ellis Park, Chicago; Charles G., now a miner of Cripple Creek, Colo- rado; Frances, wife of Anson Bryant, of Galt, California; and Jennie, now Mrs. Samuel Wrist- on, also of Galt, California.

Mr. Ferguson was quite prominently identified with the early history of Cook County. Although not an office-seeker he held a number of official positions, and was a very earnest worker in the Presbyterian Church.

FRANK A. BAER.

RANK ADAM BAER. Among the well- known and popular men of the younger gen- eration, comprising North Siders, none were held in higher esteem or more widely known than Frank A. Baer. He was born in Rosehill in 1853, and was the son of Franz and Dorothea Baer, na- tives of Germany, who emigrated to America and settled in Rosehill in 1851. Here Mr. Baer was engaged in business for many years, and was a prosperous and influential citizen.

The boyhood of Frank Baer was spent in Rose- hill, and in the parochial schools he received a

practical education in the English branches. He remained under the parental roof until he became of age, when he, in company with his brother Lawrence, started a saloon business, at which they were engaged for several years.

The subject of this sketch moved to Ravenswood and conducted a greenhouse three years, and was prosperous in this venture. In 1892 he disposed of his interest and established the Lake View Exchange, which became a popular resort, and which he conducted until his death. In his busi- ness relations Mr. Baer reached a high standard.

380

COL. JAMES QUIRK.

His reputation for integrity and fair dealing was of an order that always inspired confidence in his business associates. His attentiveness to his per- sonal business was marked, and led to the achieve- ment of financial success.

Public office had no allurement for him. In1 politics he was a Republican, and always dis- charged the duties of citizenship at the polls. The only office he ever held was that of street commis- sioner, while he was living at Rosehill. He was an honored member of the Catholic Order of For- esters and Sons of Chicago, and a communicant of

the Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, of which he was a liberal supporter. He was united in marriage with Miss Auna, daughter of Margar- ita Koch, who settled in Chicago in 1865. To Mr. and Mrs. Baer were born four children, three of whom are living, Frank P., Anna and Julius. Margaret, the other, lived only to the age of five years. Mr. Baer was a kind and indulgent hus- hand and father, and a most exemplary citizen. His last illness was of brief duration, and after five days of suffering he passed away, Marclı 29, 1897.

COL. JAMES QUIRK.

OL. JAMES QUIRK, a valiant soldier of the Civil War, and a prominent citizen of Chicago, was born April 27, 1832, in Castle Gregory, County Kerry, Ireland. He is a son of Francis and Ellen (Lynch) Quirk, who were born in the same town.

Francis Quirk was a shoe manufacturer and employed a number of people in his business. He was induced by friends to come to the United States, and sailed from Ireland about 1840. For a few years he was located in Buffalo, New York, whence he came to Chicago in 1844, arriving in this city September 14 of that year. He brought with him his wife and eight children.

He continued in the business of shoe manu- facturer in this city, and some of his sons became familiar with the trade. Only two of these are now living, Capt. Bartholomew Quirk (see biog- raphy on another page) and the subject of this sketch. All of the others, as well as the parents, died in Chicago, except John, who died in St. Joseph, Missouri. The father reached the good age of eighty-four years, and the inother that of eighty-eight years. Both of Mr. Quirk's grand- parents lived to be over ninety years of age. He was an intelligent and successful business man,

and was numbered, with the members of his fam- ily, among the faithful adherents of the Roman Catholic faith.

James Quirk attended school in Chicago, being a pupil in the old Dearborn School, the first free public school erected in the city. In early life he was employed as a clerk in a shoe store kept by William H. Adams, where he continued several years. In 1857 he entered the employ of the city, as a clerk in the old Court House. In 1854 he joined the State militia, in a company known as the Shields Guards, belonging to the Sixtieth Regiment, Illinois National Guard, in which five of his brothers also served. He enjoyed the military training which this connec- tion afforded, and became quite proficient in mili- tary tactics, and was elected captain of the com- pany. In this capacity he entered the Union army, having in the mean time raised another company known as Company B, of the Shields Guards. These were technically known as Companies I and K of the Twenty-third Illinois Regiment. When he opened his recording office for the first company, on the 17th of April, 1861, he enrolled one hundred and forty-nine inen in one hour.

381

REV. W. H. GANSKE.

In the following June he was elected lieuten- ant-colonel of the Twenty-third Regiment, with which he proceeded to Missouri, the services of the regiment being accepted by President Lincoln, although rejected by the State of Illinois under the Twelve Regiment Bill. They participated in the Siege of Lexington, Missouri, where the regiment was captured and paroled, and sent to Benton Barracks, Missouri, to await exchange.

Owing to the supersedure of General Fremont by General Halleck, the regiment was mustered out of the service by order of the latter. This justly provoked the leading officers of the regi- ment, and Colonel Mulligan, Major Moore and Lieutenant-Colonel Quirk visited General Mc- Clellan and President Lincoln at Washington, and secured the countermanding of General Hal- leck's order. The regiment went East in June, 1862, and joined the Eighth Army Corps in Virginia.

Colonel Quirk remained with his regiment, participating in its active service, until Septem- ber 28, 1864, when he resigned and returned to Chicago. He had been in command of the regi- ment nearly three years, as his superior, Colonel Mulligan, was most of the time in charge of a brigade or division. Colonel Quirk received a wound in Missouri, from which he quickly recov- ered, and was an efficient and brave officer. He

was a good disciplinarian, kind though just, and very popular with his men, whom he was willing to lead and never followed.

After the war Colonel Quirk was for many years the incumbent of prominent civil positions. He entered the Custom House service as inspector, and was connected with the United States Custom House of Chicago about twenty years. For some time he was in the auditor's department, later in the clearance department, and organized the weighing department, of which he was chief. Later, he was gas inspector under Mayor Roche. In politics he has always been a Republican. Having made judicious investments in real estate, his wealth has been much increased by its appre- ciation in value, and he is now the owner of many houses in Chicago, and has practically retired from active business.

September 5, 1854, he was married to Miss Rose C. McKenna, a native of central New York, born in 1835. She came to Chicago with her parents when an infant. Mrs. Quirk died May 6, 1895. She was a faithful member of the Roman Catholic Church, as are her husband and children.

The latter were three in number, namely: Daniel F., who died in California; Alice, wife of Ed F. Haydon; and James P., a successful physician of Chicago.

REV. WILLIAM H. GANSKE.

R EV. WILLIAM H. GANSKE is pastor of Saint Philippus' German Evangelical Lu- theran Church and teacher of the parochial school connected therewith. The church build- ing is located on the corner of Oakley and Law- rence Avenues, Chicago.

Mr. Ganske has been pastor and teacher since August, 1893. For about two years previous to that time, this was a mission-post in charge of Rev. J. H. Miller, the present pastor being the first settled minister. The church was completed in October, 1896. Previous to the completion of

382

P. L. GORMAN.

the church, religious services were held in the present school building.' The Saint Philippus' Church property is valued at about eleven thou- sand dollars and the school property at fifteen thousand dollars. The church has forty-two members, but the families that attend its services number about two hundred.

Rev. William H. Ganske is a native of Chi- cago, having been born on the West Side. His father, William Ganske, is a pioneer in school work in that part of the city, and has had charge of Saint Matthew's Church and parochial school for the past twenty-seven years. He is a native of Germany, a successful educator and a well- known and esteemed citizen.

Rev. William H. Ganske received his early education in the school under his father's super- vision, and later was a student at Concordia Col- lege, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for four years. He graduated from the college of the same name at Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the class of 1890. He pursued a theological course at Concordia Col- lege, at St. Louis, and was ordained pastor Au- gust 6, 1893. Previous to that time he had been assistant to Rev. J. H. Miller for one year. He was married January 20, 1897, to Miss Emma Wegner, also a native of Chicago. Saint Philip- pus' Church, under the pastorate of Rev. W. H. Ganske, is making rapid progress and takes high rank among the churches of that denomination.

PATRICK L. GORMAN.

L ATRICK LAWRENCE GORMAN was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in the year 1837, and is a son of Patrick and Margaret (Dur- kin) Gorman. The family moved to England when Patrick Gorman, the subject of this sketch, was eleven years of age. He began the serious business of life at a very early age, his first work being at a furnace. This was soon after the family moved to England, and he carried pig iron twenty years. They were first located in Staffordshire, and later in North Lancashire, where young Patrick worked at the furnace at Barrow.

In 1866 he came to America, being the only one of the family to do so. He located first at Scran- ton, Pennsylvania, and worked there at a furnace three and one-half years. He left Scranton for Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, in 1870, and there worked in mines a few years. In 1881 Mr. Gor- man came to South Chicago, and entered the service of the Potter Company, tending a furnace.

He has been in the same employ most of the time since. He has thus continued at the same kind of work till the spring of 1897, a thing which is done by very few inen.

Before leaving England, Mr. Gorman married Catherine Durkin, daughter of John and Bridget (Jordan) Durkin. They were married June 10, 1861, and their children are: Mary, Agnes, Sa- bina, John, Catherine and Gertrude. Sarah and William P. died at the age of sixteen years, re- spectively. Beside these, they lost three children. All are communicants of the Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Gorman is a member of the Catlı- olic Order of Foresters, and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is an honest, industri- ous citizen, and is careful and trustworthy in his work. Mrs. Gorman has been a faithful help- meet to her husband, and both have the con- fidence and esteem of the community in which they reside.

S. E. GROSS.

383

SAMUEL EBERLY GROSS.

AMUEL E. GROSS is one of Chicago's best known business men, and especially in real- estate circles has he a wide acquaintance. He has long been active in promoting the growth and advancement of the city, not merely for his own interest, but largely for the benefit of the community as well. He was born on the Old Mansion Farm in Dauphin County, Pennsylva- nia, November 11, 1843. He is descended from Huguenot ancestry, and reliable information shows that the family lived in America in 1726, at which time Joseph Gross was the owner of property in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. His grandson, who was the great-grandfather of our subject, valiantly aided the colonies in their struggle for independence and became a captain in the service, his commission, dated November 25, 1776, being signed by John Hancock, Gov- ernor of Pennsylvania. When the war was over he went to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, where he owned extensive farm and milling interests. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sahler, was of Holland descent on the paternal side, and of Huguenot on the maternal, coming from the Du Bois family, which was prominent in Kings- ton, New York, as early as 1649. The mother of Mr. Gross was in her maidenhood Elizabeth Eberly. She came of a family of German origin, whose representatives have been prominent in various professional walks in life.

The American people are coming to recognize more fully every day the fact that good blood tells. The most prominent characteristics of Mr. Gross are inherited from ancestors who were active in war and in the same lines of business as himself. His genealogy is traced as follows: Seigneur Jean de Gros, Master of the Chamber of the Count of Dijon, (died 1456), married Peronette le Roye; their eldest son, Jean, of Dijon, Secre-

tary to Duc de Bourgogne, married Philiberte de Sourlam; their son, Ferry, of Dijon, in 1521, married Phillipolte Wielandt; their son, Jean, of Dijon, (died 1548), married Catharine Laurym; their son, Jean, of Dijon, in 1599, married Jacque- line de Berneincourt; their son, Jean, of Dijon, in 1620, married Leonore de Briard; their son, Jacob, married Marie Debar, and removed from France at the time of the persecution of the Hugue- nots to the Palatinate, Germany, and later re- moved to Mannheim on the Rhine. Their son, Johann, of Mannheim, in 1665, married Miss Neihart; their son, Johann Christopher, of Mann- heim, in 1703, married Elizabeth Metger; and their son, Joseph, in 1719, accompanied the Men- nonites from the Palatinate to America, residing for some time on the banks of the Hudson, and removing afterward to Pennsylvania. He mar- ried Catherina ,owned property in the neighborhood of the Trappe, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, previous to 1726, and land in Philadelphia County in 1728, and died in 1753; their son, John, of Montgomery County, married Clara -, and died in 1788; their son, John, born in 1749, was a Captain in the War of the Revolution. In 1778 he married Rachel Sah- ler, and died in 1823; their son, Christian, born in 1788, of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, mar- ried Ann Custer, of Montgomery County, and died in 1843; their son, John C., in 1843, married Elizabeth Eberly, of Cumberland County, Penn- sylvania; and their eldest son, Samuel E., is the subject of this biography.

Through his great-grandmother, Rachel Sah- ler, wife of Capt. John Gross of Revolutionary fame, Samuel E. Gross is directly descended from Matthew Blanshan, Louis Dubois and Christian Deyo, Huguenots of France, who, like Jacob de Gros, at the time of the persecution, removed to

384

S. E. GROSS.

the Palatinate in Germany, and thence emigrated to America in the middle of the seventeenth cen- tury. Matthew Blanshan and his family were the first of the refugees to try their fate in the New World, sailing from the Palatinate April 27, 1660. Louis Dubois and Christian Deyo soon followed, and were two of the twelve patentees who, in 1677, obtained title to all the lands in Eastern New York State lying between the Shawangunk Mountains and the Hudson River, and were in- strumental in founding New Paltz and Kingston in Ulster County.

Rachel Sahler was the daughter of Abraham Salıler and Elizabeth Dubois. Her mother, Eliza- beth Dubois, was the daugliter of cousins, Isaac Dubois and Rachel Dubois. Isaac Dubois, her father, was the son of Solomon Dubois, and her mother, Rachel Dubois, was the daughter of Sol- omon Dubois' eldest brother, Abraham. The mother of Rachel Dubois was Margaret Deyo, daughter of Christian Deyo, the patentee. Abra- ham Dubois, Rachel's father, and Solomon Du- bois, her husband's father, were both sons of Louis Dubois, the patentee and founder of New Paltz, and his wife, Catherine Blanshan, daugh- ter of Matthew Blanshan, the first of tliese Hugne- not arrivals.

In 1846, Mr. Gross came with his parents to Illinois, and after residing for a time in Bureau County removed to Carroll County. His early ed- ucation was acquired in the district schools, and he afterwards attended Mt. Carroll Seminary. Prompted by patriotic impulses, he enlisted in liis country's service on the breaking out of the late war, although ouly seventeen years of age. He joined the Forty-first Illinois Infantry, and took part in the Missouri campaign, but was then mus- tered out by reason of the strong objections made by his parents to his service, on account of his youth. He spent the following year as a student in Whitehall Academy, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, but in June, 1863, he again left school, for the Confederates had invaded the Key- stone State and he could no longer remain quiet- ly at his books. On the 29th of June he was made First Lieutenant of Company D, Twentieth Penn- sylvania Cavalry, being one of the youngest offi-

cers of that rank in the army. His faithful and valiant service won liim promotion to the rank of Captain of Company K, February 17, 1864. He participated in many of the important battles of the eastern campaign, and when the war was over was mustered out at Cloud Mills, Virginia, July 13, 1865.

At this time Chicago' was becoming a city of prominence and gave rich promise for a brilliant future. Attracted by its prospects, Mr. Gross liere located in September, 1865, and entered Un- ion Law College. The following year he was ad- mitted to the Bar, entering at once upon practice. In the mean time, however, he had invested a small capital in real estate. He built upon his lots in 1867, and as his undertakings in this di- rection met with success, he gave more and more attention to the business. He was instrumental in the establishment of the park and boulevard system in the winter of 1869. When the great fire broke out in 1871, and Mr. Gross saw that his office would be destroyed, lie hastily secured his abstracts, deeds and other valuable papers, as many as he could get, and, putting them in a row- boat, carried them to a tug. When the flames had completed their disastrous work, he returned to the old site of his office and resumed business. A financial depression from 1873 until 1879 fol- lowed the boom, and Mr. Gross gave his time to the study of politics, science, and to literary pursuits.

On the revival of trade, Mr. Gross determined

. to devote his entire time to real-estate interests, and to the southwest of the city founded several suburbs. In 1882, to the north, he began what has now become Gross Park. In 1883, he began the work which has made liim a public benefac- tor, that of building homes for people of moderate means, and the selling the same to them on time. Thus many a family has secured a comfortable home, where otherwise their wages would have been expended in rent, and in the end they would have had nothing to show for it. Unimproved districts under his transforming hand became pop- 11lated and flourishing neighborhoods. In 1886, Mr. Gross founded the town of Brookdale; platted Calumet Heights and Dauphin Park the following

385

CALVIN DE WOLF.

year, and platted a forty-acre subdivision on Ash- land Avenue. A large district near Humboldt Park was improved by him, and some three hun- dred houses were built near Archer Avenue and Thirty-ninth Street. The beautiful town of Gross- dale has been one of his most successful ventures. He established the town one mile west of River- side, and beautiful drives, lovely homes, churches, a theatre and fine walks make this one of Chica- go's best suburbs. He has also recently founded the beautiful town of Hollywood, and during the last twelve years he has founded sixteen thriving suburban towns and cities. His fortune is esti- mated at $3,000,000, or over, and although his reputation is that of a multi-millionaire the United Workingmen's societies showed their confidence in him by nominating him to the mayoralty in 1889, an honor which from press of private busi- ness he was obliged to 'decline.

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.

Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed., Part 55

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