USA > Illinois > Cook County > Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed. > Part 95
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ton Ludwig, September 12, 1885, was drowned in Lake Michigan, at the foot of Ninety-fifth Street, August 4, 1896, while out swimming. He was a very bright lad, and had become a fine violinist. His loss is deeply mourned, not only by his own immediate family, but by many friends who feel that a promising career was suddenly cut short.
Mr. Kriewitz is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has his name on the rolls of Earl Lodge No. 333, Hubbard, Indiana. He takes much interest in the order, and has filled all its chairs. He also belongs to the Sons of Hermann No. 41, South Chicago. In religion he affiliates with the Congregational Church, and in politics acts with the Republican party. He was school director in Lake County, Indiana, for six years, and served a short term as postmaster at Clark Station. He is an active and capable bus- iness man, and takes much interest in public af- fairs.
ROBERT COLLINS.
R OBERT COLLINS. Many men in our great metropolis have risen to positions of trust and responsibility through their own efforts, unaided by money or the influence of others, and among these valuable citizens is found Robert Collins. He was born November 22, 1857, in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, and is the son of William and Lavinia (Harvey) Collins. His genealogy will be found with that of his brother, W. H. Collins, contained in this work.
William Collins was foreman of a blast fur- nace, and worked at the following places: Youngs- town and Cleveland, Ohio; Knightsville, Indi- ana; Grand Tower, Illinois; and Saint Louis, Missouri. When Robert Collins was a lad of lit- tle more than nine years, he thought best to leave
school and begin the battle of life. From that time he has worked all his life. Until he was twenty-three years of age he gave liis earnings to his parents, as soon as received. In November, 1882, he began life for himself, and after a few years of traveling about, in which time he saw many hardships, he was able, by reason of his skill as a mechanic, to secure a valuable and perma- nent position with a reliable establishment. He first began as a common laborer for the Illinois Steel Company in South Chicago. After a year and one-half of this, he spent a year as runner- man; then, beginning as fourth vesselman, he has advanced to the position of second vesselinan, which last position he has held five years, to the satisfaction of his employers.
659
RICHARD SPARROW.
August 23, 1880, Mr. Collins married Miss. Eliza Horner, and they are the parents of three living children, Malissa, Stella and Arthur. Joshua died in infancy. They live at their com- fortable home, No. 9742 Avenue M, Chicago. Mr. Collins is a true representative of the substan- tial class of American self-made men. He has
well earned the respect and admiration that the community accords him, and deserves the many firm friends he has, and whom he is so willing to serve. In politics Mr. Collins is independent in his views, believing that true patriotism looks rather to the ability than the party affiliations of a candidate.
RICHARD SPARROW.
L ICHARD SPARROW was born August 1, 1831, in Dudley, Staffordshire, England, and is a son of James and Mary (Turner) Sparrow. His mother died when he was but five years of age, and two years later his father ınar- ried again. His first employment was with a glass house. At the age of eight and one-half years he began work as savator, which he con- tinued two years, and then secured employment in iron works, which business he continued right along. He was helper to a puddler until nineteen years of age, and was then "boss" of a furnace, and continued as such until he came to America.
In February, 1868, he reached America and came direct to Chicago. Mr. Crossley Law, who inarried the sister of the first wife of Mr. Sparrow, was then working in the North Chicago Rolling Mills, and through him the latter secured a posi- tion as puddler in this mill. He then took charge of the furnace, and in 1879 was made night"boss" of the puddlers. In 1881 he went to South Chi- cago and was put in charge of the boiler house. In 1887 he left the mill, and has lived a retired life since that time.
Mr. Sparrow was married in 1853 to Miss Mary, daughter of Joseph and Mary Brown. She died February 27, 1868, at the age of thirty-six years, leaving one child, Arthur James. He was born August 20, 1856, and married Sarah Ann Cooper, and is now a bookkeeper in San Francisco,
California. His children are named: Mary Ade- laide Cooper, Harvey Mark Cooper and Howard Cooper. Mr. Sparrow married for his second wife Dr. Hannah Steele, whose biography appears elsewhere in this volume.
James Sparrow, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, located in New York City, where he married a second wife, and his descendants are very prominent there. By his first wife he had a son and daughter, the former being the father of Richard Sparrow. The second wife, Miss Rhodes, was a lady of wealth, and at her death she left her property to James Sparrow, who was, therefore, at one time a man of very comfortable means, but he had reverses and lost so much of his property that in later life he was compelled to work for his living. His children by his first marriage were seven in number, namely: James, now deceased; Elizabeth, Mrs. John Bolton, now deceased; Mary, wife of Joseph Chance, now de- ceased; John, deceased, and Richard. Joseph resides at Seventy-ninth Street and Coles Avenue, Chicago.
The children of James Sparrow by his second marriage were: Martha, who died at twelve years of age; William and Thomas, both of whom are in England.
Mr. Sparrow is a member of the Order of Foresters of Court Briscoe, No. 9, and is a Re- publican in politics.
660
W. B. MONTGOMERY.
WILLIAM B. MONTGOMERY.
ILLIAM BELL MONTGOMERY, who has the honor of being one of the first per- sons to locate a home in Taylor's First Ad- dition, sometimes known as the East Side of South Chicago, was born March 8, 1836, in Mercer County, Illinois, and is the son of John and Sarah (Vail) Montgomery. John Montgomery was a Presbyterian minister, of what is termed by some the Old School, and came West as a missionary to the Indians. He went among the Osage Indi- ans of Missouri, and finally settled in Mercer County, Illinois, where he entered land, engaged in farming, and lived until his death in 1842. His wife was born in Connecticut. She also died in the same year and place as her husband. Their children now living are: William Bell and Asen- ath; the latter married Solomon Gardner, and is now a widow, living in Austin, Illinois. The names of the deceased children are: Joseph V., a merchant, and Christiana, wife of W. I. Moore, of Austin, Illinois.
William Bell Montgomery lost both parents when he was only eight years of age, and his guardian was Thomas Vail, his mother's brother, who lived at the old homestead. William lived with him until he was fourteen years old, and then, at his own expense, attended the Geneseo Higli School. When eighteen years old, he began learning the trade of carpenter and joiner in Gen- eseo. In 1856 he began a dry-goods business for himself, in Kewanee, Henry County, Illinois, with W. I. Moore as partner, and they continued
two years. For a year he conducted the Empire House in that city, and then went to Memphis, Tennessee, and followed his trade. He stayed two years, and in 1861 went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and enlisted in General Fremont's mounted body guard, known as the Kentucky Company, made up of picked men. He remained with then until General Fremont was superseded, and is one of the few survivors of the famous Fremont's Body Guard charge, October 24, 1861, at Springfield, Missouri.
He returned to Cincinnati and worked at his trade until 1869, when he went to Put-In-Bay Is- land (Lake Erie), Ohio. There lie did his first contracting. He built all the first-class hotels at this summer resort during his three-years stay, and this gave him a start in life. Next he went to Sandusky, Ohio, where he spent one season in contracting and building.
In the spring of 1873, he came to Chicago and bought some property at what is now No. 992 Avenne K. He was one of the first investors on the East Side .after the town was located. He ·came under a contract to build mills for the Ness Silicon Steel Company, from Rome, New York. The company failed later, and though the mills had been completed, they were never used by the builders.
Mr. Montgomery remained in South Chicago until 1878, and in this time built principally houses, among them the Taylor and the Krimbill residences. Some of the work done by him in
661
J. O. KNALL.
1875 was the building of the first draw-bridge across the Calumet River at Ninety-fifth Street. He also built the Chittenden and the One Hun- dred Sixth Street Bridges. In 1878 he removed to Chicago, living on the West Side, although he still retained his property in South Chicago. He lived on the West Side until 1890, following his trade mean time. When he returned to South Chicago, he improved his property, and continued building operations. In the spring of 1893, he erected the present building ou his property, and opened the hotel, Saint Elmo, the following July.
Since that time he has given his time and energy to the successful and satisfactory conduct of this hotel.
November 5, 1879, Mr. Montgomery married Mrs. Hattie De Wolf, widow of Louis De Wolf. She died March 24, 1893. In politics Mr. Mont- gomery is a Republican, but he has never held any office. The friends of the genial landlord of the Saint Elmo Hotel are many, and he is re- spected by all who know him. He is truly a ben- efactor of his city, and is most intimately con- nected with its past and present growth.
JOHN O. KNALL.
OHN OSCAR KNALL, chief engineer of the Illinois Steel Company, was born February 5, 1858, in Nörköping, Sweden. He is the son of August and Louise (Johnson) Knall. August Knall was born May 10, 1826, in Sweden, and his wife, Louise Johnson, was born March 25, 1824, in the same country. The former was a carpenter by trade, but served thirty-two years as a soldier in his native land. He and his wife came to South Chicago, by the request of their children, who were already there, in 1883, and they have ever since made that locality their home.
The first of the family to remove to America was Matilda, the eldest daughter. In 1869 she came to Chicago, and lived here ten years before she visited Sweden. After remaining at home a year, she returned to this city, and has lived here ever since that time. She has never married, and now resides with her parents in South Chicago. Her brother Charles was the next to come to the United States. He came in 1860 to Chicago, and later he removed to Santa Barbara County, Cali-
fornia, where he has lived since, and is engaged in farming. He is married and has five children. Annie Knall, another daughter, came with her eldest sister in 1881, when the latter returned from Sweden. Annie Knall married Edward Reen, and has two children. She and her hus- band make their home in South Chicago. Ida A., the youngest daughter of August Knall, gradu- ated in May, 1897, from the University in Cali- fornia. She is a student of ability and a rare linguist, owing her education to her individual efforts.
John Oscar Knall reached New York March 3, 1880, and came on to Chicago immediately. In Sweden he had prepared himself for the work of machinist, having served an apprenticeship of seven years. He first began work in the city in the service of Crane Brothers, dealers in elevators, with whom he remained three months. He then worked six months at the Deering Harvester Works as machinist. July 5, 1881, he began working for the Illinois Steel Company, and he has ever since been one of its most valuable
662
L. A. FREY.
employes. He worked four years as a machinist, and then was made assistant to James Penuy, the chief engineer. In less than a year he was made chief engineer, and he has since retained that responsible position.
Mr. Knall bought some property on Avenue H in 1883, and in 1886 built a comfortable home on it, in which he has since made his home. He also owns property on Exchange Avenue, between Eighty-ninth and Ninetieth Streets.
October 6, 1882, Mr. Knall married his first wife, Charlotta Hulltner, a native of Sweden.
She died January 9, 1884, leaving one child, Frank, who still lives at home. June 9, 1888, he married Miss Hedwig Carolina Hermann, a native of Sweden. They have three children, John, David and Joseph. Mr. Knall and his family are mem- bers of the Lutheran Church. On national ques- tions Mr. Knall favors the Republican party. He is an expert at his trade, and is one of the oldest and most trusted of the employes of the corpora- tion which he serves. He is progressive in his ideas and warmly interested in all public im- provements.
LOUIS A. FREY.
OUIS ALOIS FREY carries on an extensive real-estate, loan, insurance and steamship- ticket business in South Chicago, and is re- garded as authority on anything that relates to values or business deals in this part of the city. He was born in New York, February 26, 1852, and his parents, Lucas and Catharine (Muller) Frey, moved to Detroit in 1853, and came to Chi- cago the next year. Mr. Frey was given good educational advantages, both in the parochial and public schools and in Deyrenfurth College. When he was sixteen years old he left school to engage in business under his father's direction. His father owned the Lake House, then located at the corner of Kinzie and Rush Streets, and young Louis took charge of it for him.
In 1873 he went into the real estate business with Jacob Bremer, and continued until 1881. He formed a partnership that year with Capt. R. D. Lender, under the firm name of Frey & Lender, which continued for three years; and then, Mr. Frey carried on business alone until 1889. At this time he went into the firm of Frey &
Schlund, and the partners were together for six years. Since that time Mr. Frey has been alone. He has served as president of the Royal Building and Loan Association, an institution in which he takes a lively interest.
Mr. Frey united his matrimonial destinies with those of Anna Katharine Schwall, May 3, 1881, and from this union have come the following chil- dren: Mary Magdalene, born February 2, 1882; Anna Maria, October 1, 1884; Elizabeth Pauline, January 26, 1887; Frances Catharine, December 26, 1888; Louis Alois, May 16, 1890 (dead); Frauk Alois, twin of Louis (dead); John Louis, July 18, 1891 (died October 29, 1895) ; and Olive Euphrosine, March 29, 1895. Mrs. Frey was born at Wilmette, Cook County, Illinois, Decem- ber 21, 1862, and is a daughter of Jacob and Ma- ria Schwall.
Lucas Frey was a native of Baden, Germany, born in 1822, and died June 4, 1871, in Chicago. He left Germany when he was twenty-four years old, and came to New York, where he began to manufacture brushes on a large scale. He came
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
PETER J. RUBEY
(From Photo by W. J. ROOT)
663
P. j. RUBEY.
to Chicago in 1853, and enlarged liis business. He was also interested in a brewery, which he operated in connection with his brush factory on State Street, between Congress and Harrison Streets. He sold his brewery interests in 1862 to Mosler Brothers, and two years later started a hotel at the corner of Twelfth Street and Fourth Avenue, which he called the Chicago House. He disposed of it in 1867, and the next year opened the Lake House, at the corner of Rush and Kinzie Streets, and was its proprietor when he died. His wife, Catharine Muller, who survives him, and lives at Colehour, is an Alsatian, and was born at Rohweiler, France. Her father, Michael Muller, was a farmer, who never left the land of
his birth. He owned the land he tilled, and was the sire of many children. Mrs. Frey, with her brother, sisters and uncle, Anthony Muller, emi- grated to America in 1847, and was married to Mr. Frey in the city of New York.
Louis A. Frey is a man of social instincts and is associated with several fraternal societies. He is a member of Calumet Council No. 569, Royal Arcanum, and is a charter member of Branch No. 317, Catholic Knights of America. He is one of the leading spirits of St. Peter and Paul's Benevolent Society, of South Chicago, and is a member of the Columbus Club. He has a pleas- ant home on Exchange Avenue, and is sur- rounded by a charming and interesting family.
PETER J. RUBEY.
ETER JOSEPH RUBEY is one of Chicago's most progressive and reliable business men. He is one of the largest cigar manufacturers in South Chicago, and does both a wholesale and retail business in this line, thus providing employment for many men. Among these are numerous agents, who do business in fields out- side the city, as well as in it.
Peter J. Rubey was born March 31, 1856, in Hostan, Germany, and is the son of Joseph and Katharine (Thomas) Rubey. In 1869 his par- ents came to America, locating in Chicago Sep- tember 19 of that year. Here Joseph Rubey died in 1885. Peter J. Rubey began in early life to work in the tobacco business, being employed by Alfred Singer, at No. 31 1 Larrabee Street, and otlı- ers, seven years. During this time he learned the essential features and methods of the business, as he was an observing youth, and with the typical German ambition and thrift, he was able to start in business for himself August 12, 1876. He be- gan at No. 87 Cornell Street, manufacturing only
cigars at this time. He remained there till 1882, when he removed to No. 217 Ninety-second Street, where he bought a lot and where his present building stands. Mr. Rubey has been very successful in business and has, ever since moving to his present location, not only manu -. factured cigars, but also employed many agents for the sale of these goods, both at wholesale and retail.
June 12, 1882, Mr. Rubey married Catherine Paul, daughter of John Paul, of Wisconsin. They are the parents of the following children: Catlı- erine, Frances, Annie, Clara, Joseph and Charles. Mr. Rubey is a member of Saints Peter and Paul's Roman Catholic Church, of the Catholic Knights and of the Benevolent Society of Saints Peter and Paul's Church. In politics he supports the Democratic party, believing its principles to be best for the interests of his adopted country. Mr. Rubey is a good linsband, a kind father, a good neighbor, and is a respected member of the com- munity in which he resides.
664
E. A. STARR.
ELIZA A. STARR.
LIZA ALLEN STARR. In its early days Chicago held little of encouragement for the artist or litterateur, and the subject of this sketch may be rightly considered the pioneer in turning the thoughts of the citizens of Chicago toward the fine arts. Since 1856 she lias labored with brush and pen, and as a teacher, and the city owes much to her refining influence, not only as an artist, but in the purity and beauty of her personal life and example.
Miss Starr came of old and true Puritan stock. Her first ancestor in this country was Dr. Comfort Starr, of Ashford, County Kent, England, who came to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1634. His son, the Rev. Comfort Starr, was graduated from Harvard College in 1647, and was one of the cor- porators of the college in 1650. Next in line was Joseph Starr, whose son, William, was the great- grandfather of Eliza Allen Starr. William Starr was a merchant engaged in the West India trade, owning his vessels, and was lost at sea. William, so11 of the last-named, was a ship-carpenter, and later a miller at Deerfield, Massachusetts. He entered the Revolutionary Army at the age of six- teen, and served four years. Having wintered at Valley Forge, gone through the battle of Mon- mouth, and seen Lord Cornwallis' sword given up to General Washington, he returned to his home, hatless, coatless and shoeless. In Decem- ber, 1781, he was married to Miss Elizabetlı, daughter of Samuel and Chloe Crittenden, and they had the following children: Esther S., Will-
iam, Elizabetlı, Samuel, Seth, Oliver, Lucy, Elizabeth and Beverly. Miss Starr still preserves with care much of the furniture with which this couple, her grandparents, began their house- keeping.
Oliver Starr was born April 2, 1791, in Middle- town, Connecticut, and was two years old when his parents removed to Deerfield, Massachusetts. He was an enthusiastic student of chemistry, and be- camne an expert in the science. He continued to till his farm, Meadow Homestead, until the winter of 1854-55, when he determined to move West. The old home was sold, and he settled with his family at Laona, Winnebago County, Illinois, where he died April 26, 1870. His wife, Lovina, was a daughter of Caleb and Judith (Hawks) Allen. "The Allens of the Bars" came from Chelmsford, Essex, England, and their de- scendants were distinguished in the Colonial period of Massachusetts, being identified with the old town of Deerfield from the time of King Philip's War. Samuel Allen was killed August 25, 1746, while defending his family against the Indians. His daughter, Eunice, was tomahawked, but sur- vived, and his son Samnel was taken captive, but rescued by his uncle, Col. John Hawks. Caleb, another son, became the father of Lovina Allen Starr, who was born October 9, 1786. She died at Laona February 15, 1864. Her children were: Caleb Allen, Eliza Allen, Eunice Allen and Oliver Starr. The mother was a remarkable woman, and bequeatlied to her children many of her lovely
665
E. A. STARR.
traits of character, among which were a marked ideality and love of family traditions.
Eliza Allen Starr was born in Deerfield, Massa- chusetts, August 29, 1824, and was educated in the famous old academy of that historic town. She afterwards studied drawing in Boston, under Mrs. Caroline Hildreth, wife of the well-known histo- rian, Richard Hildreth, and made rapid advance- ment, owing to her natural talents and faithful application. She taught drawing in a large boarding school in Brooklyn, New York, and went thence to Philadelphia, where she taught drawing and the French language, having per- fected herself in the latter accomplishment by diligent study while pursuing art work. In 1851 she accepted a position as teacher in the family of a wealthy planter at Natchez, Mississippi, where she remained two years.
During all this time she labored with her pen, as well as with the pencil, and contributed both prose and verse to different magazines and papers. Subsequent to the above-mentioned year, she opened an art studio in Boston, but the climate of the latter city began to tell upon her health, and she removed to Chicago in 1856.
The population of this city was growing stead- ily, and many of its citizens who came from East- ern centers began to realize the need of art schools and teachers in the community. Miss Starr's studio was immediately crowded with pupils, and her time was happily divided between literary and art work. She was urged by friends to collect and publish her poems, and in 1866 the first vol- ume was issued. In 1869 appeared "Patron Saints;" this was so successful thiat large editions followed in 1880 and 1896. In 1885 "Pilgrims and Shrines," a two-volume work, came out, and a second edition followed later. This work was illustrated from designs by the authoress, who etched the pictures as well. In 1887 Miss Starr published "Songs of a Life-time," including both her early and late poems, which have been im- mensely popular; some of the poems have been re-published in school text books. In 1889 was published "Isabella of Castile, which gained for the authoress the benediction of the Pope and the thanks of all scholars. In 1890 and 1891 were
issued several works, entitled "What We See," "Christian Art in Our Own Age," and "Christ- mas Tide." Several of her later works have been published by the authoress. The twelve illustra- tions in "Patron Saints" were drawn on wood by her, and she etched twelve similar ones on steel plates for a second volume under the same title. Her "Ode to Christopher Columbus" formed a prominent feature of the celebration of the four- hundredth anniversary of the landing of that discoverer at New York, in 1892, where it was sung by a chorus of five hundred trained voices, accompanied by an orchestra of fifty pieces.
The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed many of her art treasures, which can never be replaced. Her beautiful home, called Saint Joseph's Cottage, was swept out of existence, with the collections of all her previous years. She accepted an invita- tion to make her home at Saint Mary's Academy, near South Bend, Indiana, until her own home in Chicago could be re-established. While there, she aided the Sisters of the Holy Cross, in charge of the academy, in establishing an art depart- ment after the best models of Europe and America. I11 1875, in company with her nephew, William W. Starr, the sculptor, she visited Europe, remaining several months, during which time much of the material for "Pilgrims and Shrines" was gath- ered. Illness prevented the consummation of her plan to visit the home of her ancestor at Ash- ford, England, during this trip abroad.
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