USA > Illinois > Cook County > Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, 8th ed. > Part 97
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
John Hufmeyer received his elementary educa- tion in the public schools of Chicago, supple- menting his training with a course in a commer- cial college. As a further preliminary to his business career he spent some time as clerk in a mercantile establishment. When but twenty years of age he engaged in the grocery business on his own account, and by close attention to de- tails, fair dealing and the courteous treatment of his customers, soon established a profitable trade.
The fire of 1871 not only swept away his entire property, causing a loss of eight thousand dol- lars, but also left him somewhat in debt. This, however, did not discourage him, as he was still full of pluck and energy, and had an abiding faith in the future of Chicago. He did not seek to compromise with his creditors, as he might have done, but claiming their indulgence for a few years, promised to pay each in full. He at once opened a general store at No. 701 Lincoln Ave- nue, which from the first enjoyed a prosperous career, and in a comparatively short time satis- fied every claim against him with one hundred
674
AUGUST BUSSE.
cents on the dollar. Mr. Hufmeyer possessed a keen business foresight, which, combined with industry and strict integrity, enabled him to acquire a competence tlirough the legitimate chan- nels of trade. He changed from his former bus- iness to that in which he is at present engaged in 1885.
In politics Mr. Hufmeyer is a Republican and takes a keen interest in the success of his party. Though not an office-seeker, he has several times accepted positions of trust from his fellow-citizens, and was at one time a member of the town board of Lake View. Fraternally he is a member of the
Masonic order, in which he has attained the Royal Arch degree.
In 1865 the subject of this notice was married to Miss Nellie Gilette, who was born in Belgium, being a daughter of William Gilette. Mrs. Huf- meyer died in 1878, leaving four children: Jolın E., Matilda, Edward and Frederick, who is now deceased. In 1879 Mr. Hufmeyer married Miss Katharine Hoyt, who is a native of Wisconsin, and a daughter of Peter Hoyt. Three children have been born of this union, as follows: Nellie, Gertrude and Laurina. The family is connected with the Lutheran Church.
AUGUST BUSSE.
UGUST BUSSE, one of the earliest settlers of South Chicago, was born January 14, 1839, in Berlin, Germany. He received his early education in his native country, where he also learned and practiced the profession of veteri- nary surgeon. He was a lover of horses.
In 1859 he emigated to America, locating in Chicago, where he joined his brother Frederick, and the two lived on the corner of Chicago Ave- nue and Wells Street, where the latter conducted a saloon. August Busse was employed in the old gas works as an engineer. In1 1862 he re- moved to Racine, Wisconsin, where he was em- ployed as engineer in the tannery of Burbank & Son, and remained two years.
On April 29, 1865, he removed to South Chi- cago and opened a general merchandise store, and also kept a hotel. He changed his location to what is now No. 9205 Commercial Avenue, and the hotel was called the Ainsworth Inn. He conducted the first store in Ainsworth, after- ward called South Chicago. He entertained dis-
tinguished guests, and many of the most promi- nent men in Chicago made their headquarters with him when they came to the Calumet region for hunting. The house which he first built is still standing, and he conducted his business until his death, September 12, 1884.
I11 1864 Mr. Busse was married in Racine, Wisconsin, to Miss Caroline Albert, born April 11, 1829, in Kaup, on the River Rhine, Germany. She was a daughter of Reinhardt and Charlotte (Weichman) Albert, her mother having been born April 10, 1816. Mr. and Mrs. Albert were the parents of the following children besides Mrs. Busse: Charles Daniel, born November 3, 1825; Hubert, March 28, 1827; Magdolin, February 18, 1830; Nanchen, September 11, 1834, and William, November 5, 1835.
The maternal grandmother of Mrs. Busse, Katharine (Van Banın) Richard, was born in Antwerp. The Albert family dwelt in the forests of Germany, and its members were sometimes employed in the service of the king. Mrs. Albert
675
MATHIAS SCHMITZ.
died when Caroline was only ten years of age, and the latter became a lady's waiting maid, and resided for fifteen years with an old English lady named Miss Hicks. She emigrated to America, and made her home with her uncle, C. D. Albert, who then lived in Racine, Canada, but who now resides in Racine, Wisconsin.
Mr. and Mrs. Busse have the following chil- dren: Amelia Dorothea, Barbara Ellen, August Hubert (an account of whose life is to be found on another page of this volume), and Frederick William. Amelia Dorothea married Joseph Bitz, and they are the parents of four children. Mr. Bitz follows the trade of carpenter and resides at Monroe, Michigan. Barbara Ellen makes her home with her brother Frederick, who married Marie Anna Kleefisch, daughter of Theodore and
Marie Annie (Lussem) Kleefisch, August 19, 1896. They have one child, George Ira. Mrs. Caroline Busse is now deceased.
Mr. Busse was connected with all the early growth and improvements of South Chicago, and was always a most public-spirited citizen. He was one of the organizers of the old Volunteer Fire Company, No. 5, of South Chicago. He did a great part of the contracting for, and build- ing of, the streets of South Chicago. He was a man of social instincts, and had many warm friends, whose esteem and confidence he well merited. He was a member of the German Order of Harugari. He was reared in the Protestant, and his wife in the Catholic faith. Their chil- dren were taught the Catholic doctrine, of which they have remained adherents.
MATHIAS SCHMITZ.
ATHIAS SCHMITZ, a prominent German- American citizen of Chicago, was born Oc- tober 12, 1831, in Niederscheidweiler, in the Rhein province of Trier, Prussia. His parents, Jacob and Lena (Schmitz) Schmitz, were natives of that place, where they spent their entire lives. Jacob Schmitz was a gardener by occupation, and died when Mathias was ten years old, his wife having preceded him three years. Mathias was thus left an orphan at an early age, as was also his elder brother, Nicholas. The latter died in 1888 in the Fatherland, leaving six children, all of whom Mathias brought to America at his own expense, and provided for until they were able to be self-sustaining.
Mathias Schmitz made his home with a relative until he was thirteen years old, and attended a village school. He then began learning the tailor's trade, at which he served an apprentice- ship of two years. At the end of this time he
began life as a journeyman tailor, which he con- tinned for a number of years in many different localities.
April 7, 1857, he sailed from Rotterdam on the steamer "Mary Bridgeport" for New York by way of London. After a sailing voyage of forty- five days, during which time they encountered many storms, the good ship landed in New York. From here Mr. Schmitz proceeded to Philadel- phia, and subsequently to Chicago, reaching the end of the journey June 7, 1857. He arrived during the panic, and wages at any trade were very small, so that he was able to earn only four or five dollars per week at his trade, using a sew- ing machine.
In 1868 he established himself in business on the corner of Mohawk Street and North Avenue as a merchant tailor, and kept a small stock of ready-made clothing. In July, 1870, he sold his business, and after the Great Fire of 1871 he
676
JOSEPH ROELLE.
engaged in life insurance as an agent for the Teu- tonic Life Insurance Company, continuing with it until 1874, at which time he formed a partner- ship with Joseph H. Ernst, in their present line of business, at No. 271 North Avenue, where they deal in real estate and loans.
Mr. Schmitz has been identified with the North Side since he became a resident of the city. After his marriage, in 1861, he located at No. 278 Blackhawk Street. In the fire of 1871 he was burned out, losing four houses, valued at about seven thousand dollars, on which he recovered only forty-five dollars insurance. He rebuilt after the fire and resided there until 1883, when he erected his present beautiful mansion, at No. 545 Larrabee Street, where he has since resided, enjoying all the comforts and many of the lux- uries of life. Mr. Schmitz is a self-made man in the truest sense of the term and is the architect of his own fortunes.
Since 1876 Mr. Schmitz has been president of the German Mutual Fire Insurance Company of North Chicago. He supports the Democratic party, but was never an aspirant for public office of any kind. Since 1858 he has been a member of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, and was for
a number of years its president. He belongs to Saint Michael's German Catholic Society, with which he has been connected since 1866, and has many times served as its president. The two last-named societies are composed of members of St. Michael's Parish.
January 13, 1861, Mr. Schmitz married Mrs. Elizabeth Eich. By her first marriage she had one daughter, now Mrs. John Knappstein, of Chicago. The parents of Mrs. Schmitz, Peter and Marguerite Lenz, were natives of Reil, Rhein province of Kreis Weitlich, Germany, where they spent their last days. She came to Chicago No- vember 7, 1856. Mr. and Mrs. Schmitz had five daughters and one son, namely: Louise, wife of Martin Schmitzens, of Osgood Street, city; Ger- trude, deceased; Anna M .; Susanna, now Mrs. Henry W. Frische, of Chicago; Nicholas J., who is associated in business with his father; and Bar- bara, who is the wife of Joseph P. Koeller, of Chicago. Nicholas J. Schmitz married Miss Cecilia Jung, October 24, 1894. The family is connected with Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church. Its members are people of refined tastes and in the community where they reside they are regarded with universal respect.
JOSEPH ROELLE.
OSEPH ROELLE, who was for many years an influential business man of Chicago, was born January 1, 1832, in Olpa, Westphalia, Prussia. While Joseph was still a young boy his father died, but he enjoyed the splendid edu- cational advantages offered by the school system of his native land, and learned the trade of painter. In 1846 he emigrated to the United States, and located at Burlington, Wisconsin, where he worked at his trade a year, and then re- moved to Chicago. After remaining five years
in America he returned to Germany and brought to this country his widowed mother, two sisters and a brother.
He was engaged in contracting work at his trade in this city, and had sometimes twenty men in his employ, thus doing a profitable business. About 1857 he formed a partnership with Anton Junker, and they opened a distillery at River- dale, and a store and warehouse on Kinzie Street, Chicago. The profits of this industry were such that Mr. Roelle was soon on the way to fortune.
681
PHILIP SCHUETZ.
Mobile, whence he was removed to Montgomery, Alabama, and later to Andersonville, Georgia. Six weeks afterward he was transferred to Ca- haba, Alabama, where he spent nine months. He was then paroled and sent to Vicksburg on the ill-fated steamer, "Sultana," which blew up in the early morning of April 25, 1865, with two thousand persons on board, mostly Union pris- oners. Of this number only seven hundred and eighty-six were rescued. An investigation of the catastrophe showed that the steamer's capacity . was but three hundred and seventy-six.
The war having ended, Mr. Brachtenidorf re- turned to Chicago, and for a time was employed in the establishment of the crockery firm of Bur- ley & Tyrrell. About 1881 he engaged in the
livery business on Larrabee Street, and still car- ries on a successful establishment in that line. In 1890 he added the undertaking department, in which he has a large patronage.
Mr. Brachtendorf has uniformly supported the Democratic party, and though he has been averse to holding public office, was induced to accept the nomination for alderman in the Twenty-first Ward, to which place he was elected in 1893 and served two years. Socially and fraternally he is active, being a member of the Knights of Pythias, of the Independent Order of Foresters, of the Sharpshooters' Club, and of Hancock Post, No. 560, Grand Army of the Republic. September 21, 1868, he was married to Miss Helene DeWald, who has since been his faithful helpmate.
PHILIP SCHUETZ.
HILIP SCHUETZ, who is now spending his days in ease and retirement at No. 540 Larrabee Street, is one of the older settlers of Chicago. He was born June 17, 1839, in the Province of Trier, Germany. His wife, Margaret (Lock) Schuetz, was born in the same country, December 1, 1836. Her parents had five chil- dren, namely: Philip, Margaret, Caroline, Kath- arine and Peter. The father, John Nicholas Lock, died when Margaret was about fourteen years of age.
Mr. Schuetz and Margaret Lock came to America in the same ship, sailing from Hamburg, and ar- riving in Chicago January 30, 1860. In April of that year their marriage was solemnized, in the old Saint Joseph's Church. They were the pos- sessors of only a small amount of money, but though their cash capital was small, both were young and strong, as well as ambitious. He
soon found employment and she did washing at . twenty-five cents a day for the first year. I11 1861 Mr. Schuetz was the recipient of some money from the estate of his father. With this they purchased the lot on Larrabee Street where they still make their home, and in a small way began gardening, Mrs. Schuetz taking charge of it, and also doing the marketing.
Mr. and Mrs. Schuetz were very prosperous until the Great Fire of 1871, in which they lost all their property except the land, but they bravely started anew, and by diligence and thrift regained what they had lost. Since 1880 Mr. Schuetz has been an invalid, but his faithful and dutiful wife continued to carry on her garden, and she has some customers who have given her their patronage for a great many years. She supplied the Grand Pacific Hotel with vegetables for twenty-two years, the Palmer House eighteen
682
ROBERT LENARD.
years, the Auditorium since its establishment, and the Great Northern, Leland, Sherman and Tremont for some time.
Mr. Schuetz owns eight acres of land on West- ern Avenue, near Bowmanville, also five lots on Southport Avenue. The gardening is now car- ried on by the son and sons-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Schuetz. They had twelve children, only four of whom are now living. They are: Mar- garet, Alphonzo Frederick, Anna and Lena.
Margaret is the wife of Charles Geniskie, of Rav- enswood, and Anna is now Mrs. Frank Schneider, of Lincoln Avenue. Lena resides with her parents.
Mrs. Schuetz is widely known among the bus- iness men of the city. She is a member of Saint Michael's Roman Catholic Church. In 1891 she visited her native land, and travelled through France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany, spend- ing about five months in the trip.
ROBERT LENARD.
OBERT LENARD, an enterprising and energetic young business man of South Chi- cago, partakes of the spirit which has made Chicago famous as a business center, as well as the home of art and culture, the spirit which makes the city the arena of activity among young men whose ambition and tireless industry have told upon the commerce of the whole world. It is a well-known fact that the trade and social circles of this city are dominated by men below middle age, and that the highest rewards are being daily gathered by these dauntless spirits. In olden times it was the fashion for old men to direct affairs almost wholly, while the younger population was forced to be content to fill sub- ordinate positions, under the direction of those of large experience. Under our present educational system men and women are early fitted for re- sponsible situations, and the spirit of the age de- mands that only those possessed of strong ambi- tions and the greatest energy take control of affairs. Hence we find every leading enterprise in the hands of young and energetic persons, and the commercial supremacy of Chicago is to-day the result of this arrangement.
Mr. Lenard is a native of Chicago, having been born March 27, 1873, and has been reared in the
midst of that city's developing influences. His father, Martin Lenard, is a native of Germany, born in the Province of Posen November 11, 1841. His parents, John and Rosalie (Kaczmarek) Len- ard, lived and died in his native country, where his grandfather, Charles Lenard, was a laborer. John Lenard died in 1847, when Martin was six years old, and the mother survived only two years after that. The orphan then entered the home of his maternal uncle, Kashmier Kacz- marek, with whom he remained one year. He then began to carry the serious responsibilities of life, and took up the trade of glazier. By the time he had reached the age of thirty years he resolved to seek a betterment of his fortunes in the Western world. The experiment has proved a most happy success. He arrived in Chicago,. by way of Baltimore, July 4, 1872, and accepted any employment he could secure, being engaged for some time as a common laborer. In the mean- time he acquired a knowledge of the English language, and was competent to establish a bus- iness on his own account.
About the beginning of the year 1879 lie se- cured a position in the service of the South Chi- cago Rolling Mills, and took up his residence in what was then the suburb of South Chicago. In
683
J. J. JUNG.
1881 he opened a grocery and meat market on Mackinaw Avenue, and a year later moved to the northwest corner of Superior Avenue and Eighty- fifth Street, where he erected a building. In 1893 this was destroyed by fire, and he immediately put up the handsome brick block that now occu- pies the site. I11 1872 he married Katharine, daughter of Simon Schnaza, who bore him the following children: Robert, whose name heads this article; Margaret, who died at the age of eight years; Baldina, Medard, Cecelia (who died in infancy), Leon, Felix and Joseph. The last died at the age of one year. Mr. Martin Lenard is the fourth of his father's six children, and the only one who came to America.
Robert Lenard attended the public schools of Chicago, the German Catholic and Polish schools, and went to Notre Dame, Indiana, in 1888, and spent two years in pursuit of a business course at the famous Notre Dame College. He next entered the Northwestern University School of Pharmacy, from which he secured a degree in 1893. In August of that year he established himself in the drug and prescription business on Superior Ave-
nue, near Eighty-fifth Street, where he has con- tinued with success to carry on business since. During the World's Columbian Exposition he operated a restaurant at the south end of the grounds, known as the Tunis Cafe, with satisfac- tory results.
Mr. Lenard is active in the social and political life of the community, and is recognized as an in- fluential member of society. He is a member in good standing of Nonpareil Lodge, No. 361, Knights of Pythias, and acts in political matters with the Democratic party. He has been useful in the committee work of his party, and did some very effective campaign work in the fall of 1896. In the spring of 1894 he was nominated for supervisor of the Town of Hyde Park, but was de- feated with other candidates on his party ticket.
September 18, 1895, he was married to Miss Clara Isabella, daughter of John Biedrzicki, of Milwaukee. One child born to this union did not long survive. Mr. Lenard still has much of the world before him, and is bound to inake his mark on the social, political and commercial life of the great Western metropolis.
JOHN J. JUNG.
OHN JOSEPH JUNG was born June 10, Swiss hotel on the North Side, which was situ- It was called the Garden City House, and was conducted by him three years, when he was com- · pelled to remove to the country on account of the poor health of his wife. He opened a saloon at what is now the corner of Western Avenue and Indiana Street, and kept a summer garden there three years. Then he became the proprietor of a wine room at Nos. 128 and 130 Fifth Avenue. He sold this one year later and invested in a hotel known as the Exchange, located at No. 66 Wells Street. Later he became traveling 1847, in Canton Graubunden, Switzerland, ated at Nos. 101, 103 and 105 North Wells Street. and is a son of John and Fannie Jung. He was reared in his native country, receiving his education there. His family remained in the mother country, and he was the only one of the children who emigrated to America. He arrived February 29, 1880, at Hoboken, New Jersey, and came direct to Chicago. He had learned the trade of watch-maker in Switzerland, and opened a store and watch-making establishment at No. 141 West Randolphı Street, which he conducted a year and one-half. He then opened the first
684
WALTER McCALL.
salesman for the Old Hickory Distilling Com- pany, and spent four years visiting the principal cities of Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa, in the interests of that company. He then became connected with the interests of the Acme Distillery, of Tell City, Indiana, and still has charge of its Chicago trade.
April 20, 1896, Mr. Jung opened business at No. 10287 Indianapolis Avenue, and improved what is now known as Jung's Grove. He also began the improvement of ground now known as Casino Grove, at No. 9601 Ewing Avenue. These two resorts are among the most popular ones on the East Side of South Chicago. They
have been fitted up with great care under the personal supervision of Mr. Jung, and contain all modern improvements and comforts to make them attractive.
In December, 1879, Mr. Jung married Miss Maggie Brenner, a native of Switzerland, and they are the parents of seven children, namely: Otto, Lena, John, Mollie, Anton, Louisa and Frank. Mr. Jung is a member of Columbia Lodge, No. 150, Knights of Pythias. In national affairs he upholds the principles of the Republi- can party, but in local matters he chooses rather to consider the man than his party, and is thus independent of partisan dictation.
WALTER McCALL.
ALTER McCALL, a self-made man of South Chicago, was born April 13, 1865, at Saint William's, Norfolk County, Can- ada, and is a son of James Walter and Adelia (Loftus) McCall. His paternal grandfather was the founder of the family in this country. The latter was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and in his native country was a magistrate. On coming to America he engaged in farming. His children were: Fannie, John J., and James W. (father of Walter McCall) besides others who are deceased.
The maternal grandfather of Walter McCall, Dennis Loftus, was a native of Ireland, who emi- grated to Canada about 1849, engaged in farm- ing, and died in 1866. He married Miss Mar- garet Denis, and they had six children, as fol- lows: Hugh F., Dennis, John, James, Mary and Adelia. All of these children, except Mary, emigrated to the United States. Hugh F. Loftus is captain of the steamer "Manhattan," and resides in Chicago.
Walter McCall received his elementary ednca- tion in the schools of Saint William's, where he
lived until he was fourteen years of age. He then removed to Buffalo, where he found employment as time-keeper. After spending a few months in this employment he became a conductor on a street car line, which position he filled two years. Realizing the advantages he would gain if his education were supplemented, he completed a conrse at Bryant & Stratton's Business College. After taking a diploma from this school he be- came a sailor on the lakes, and soon rose to the position of second mate. He spent seven years on the lakes, making Chicago his headquarters, and became inate on the steamer"Massachusetts," on which he remained four years.
In August, 1890, he entered the service of the Illinois Steel Company as crane engineer, and after two years in this position became a lever- man in the finishing mills, where lie spent three years. May 15, 1895, Mayor Swift appointed Mr. McCall harbor master of the Calumet dis- trict, which office he retained until May 6, 1897. He was then made superintendent of the Chicago Ballast Company, with headquarters at the plant
685
THOMAS BOYLE.
of the Illinois Steel Company, and is thus occu- pied at this time. He is now pursuing a medical course at Harvey Medical College, in Chicago, and is a member of the class of '99.
February 19, 1890, Mr. McCall married Miss Annie Gardner, daughter of James Gardner, of Vittoria, Canada. Mr. McCall is a man who is able to concentrate his attention on whatever oc- cupation he is engaged in, and shows his ability in a way that inspires the confidence and esteem of his employers and associates. He was made a
Master Mason in Walsingham Lodge, No. 174, Port Rowan, Canada, and is now a member of Harbor Lodge, No. 731, of Chicago. He took the degree of Royal Arch Mason in Sinai Clap- ter, No. 185, in which he is a Past High Priest, and belongs to Calumet Lodge, No. 569, Royal Arcanum. He is a man of social habits, and has a genial, pleasant disposition. In politics Mr. McCall takes an active interest, and during the last campaign gave his party valuable help. He supports Republican principles.
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.