Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, Volume 1899, Part 11

Author: La Salle Book Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : La Salle Book Co.
Number of Pages: 910

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"Possibly the not least remarkable feature of his oratorical power was his ability to employ pathos. Herein, when occasion required, he rose to a most effective level. He was both rhetorical and natural in this direction, the former being to some extent a sequence to the latter, in that he felt what he said, and therein, as usually happens, was eloquent. He was exceedingly happy in the use of this powerful element. When in this mood he smote the rock of men's hidden emotions, and obediently, as in the case of Moses, the waters gushed forth in response to the summons. From the possession of this subtle power to touch ef- fectively men's emotional natures, Mr. Swett had what the world would suspect from seeing him, and that was a powerful element of poetry in his character. This was true; and its existence was not only the source of his power to touch the hearts of others, but it refined his nature and gave him a chivalry that exhibited itself in a lofty regard for women, an integrity in business mat- ters that could not be disturbed, and a kindly con- sideration that leavened all his intercourse with others. In fine, the poetical quality, while it in- troduced no element of effeminacy in his char- acter, while it did not detract from his masculine vigor or interfere with his comprehensive ability, softened his naturally rugged make-up, and gave him an efficient refinement." Leonard Swett was one of nature's noblemen, and worthy to be re- membered as Abraham Lincoln's most trusted friend.

I,ESLIĘ LEWIS.

LESLIE LEWIS.

ESLIE LEWIS, who is assistant superin- tendent of schools of the city of Chicago, has been one of the prime factors in the de- velopment of the comprehensive school system of the city. Coming from a direct line of educated and refined ancestors, Mr. Lewis has devoted his entire life to educational work. He was born at Otsego, New York, December 10, 1838. When Leslie was ten years of age, his father, Corydon Lewis, removed his family, consisting of his wife and three children, to Freeport, Illinois.

Leslie Lewis was graduated from the Freeport High School, and subsequently attended for two years Phillips Academy, at Andover, Massachu- setts. After completing the course at the last- named institution in 1862, he was graduated from a four years' course at Yale College, finishing in 1866. He soon after accepted a position as principal of the Washington Academy. In Sep- tember, 1867, he was elected principal of the old Dearborn School, Chicago, which was on Madison Street, opposite McVicker's Theater. Mr. Lewis was next made principal of the Haven School, which position he held until 1876, when he resigned to enable him to take up the duties of superintendent of schools of Hyde Park, to which office he had previously been elected.

He had taken up his residence in this town a short time before the fire of 1871, having pre- viously resided in a house which was located near where the Leland Hotel now stands. He has been re-elected to the office mentioned every year since that time, but the office became subordinate to the city of Chicago when Hyde Park was annexed, in 1889. He has now held the office twenty-two years, and under his super- vision the growth in number of pupils, as well

as number and quality of teachers, has been phenomenal. The examinations were not so rigid then as now, and as teachers were not so numer- ous, the requirements were less. Over five thou- sand teachers, who have passed through the pres- ent rigid system of examinations, are at present employed. The school buildings have been greatly improved, and in the place of wooden and poorly ventilated buildings, stand fine brick structures of the most modern pattern. The schools are now conducted with the view to fur- thering the physical as well as mental welfare of the pupils.

Leslie Lewis was married to Miss Mary E., daughter of John Waterman, of Chicago. She was born in Grafton, Worcester County, Mas- sachusetts, her father being a native of Vermont. Mrs. Lewis is the mother of two children, Mary Catherine and Susan Whipple, who are now young ladies.

The Lewis family is of very old American stock, and the grandfather of Leslie Lewis served with distinction in the War of the Revolution. His name was Justus Lewis, and his son, Corydon Lewis, was the father of Leslie, whose name heads this article.

Mr. Lewis is a thorough-bred American, and believes in upholding, at any price, the good name of his country. He is a man of sturdy character, and believes that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well. He affiliates with the Republican party in national politics, but in municipal matters is always thoroughly inde- pendent. He owns his pleasant residence at No. 5605 Madison Avenue. Being a man of pleasant personality, he is alike beloved by friends and relatives.

LIBRARY OF THE L.VIVERSITY OF ILLING';

ELISHA GRAY

ELISHA GRAV.

ELISHA GRAY.

ROF. ELISHA GRAY, whose inventive genius and persevering industry have played no inconspicuous part in revolutionizing the business methods of the modern world, bears in his veins the sturdy and vigorous blood of some of America's founders. His grandfather, John Gray, was of Scotch-Irish descent, and was a farmer in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where he died. Mary Moore, wife of John Gray, was a native of Delaware, presumably of English blood. She survived her husband and moved, with her younger children, to the vicinity of Georgetown, Ohio, and afterward to Monroe County, in the same State, where she died. She was the mother of Thomas, Elijah, Elisha, David, John and Samuel Gray.

David Gray was an Orthodox Quaker; a quiet man, of noble character, and beloved by all who came within his benign influence. He was a farmer, and lived near Barnesville, Ohio, whence he moved to Monroe County, in that State, where he died, in 1849, in the prime of life, at the age of about forty years. His wife, Christiana Edg- erton, was a native of Belmont County, Olio, .where her parents, Richard and Mary (Hall) Edgerton, were early settlers. Richard Edgerton was born in North Carolina, of English descent, and was a prominent member of the Society of Friends. The family was noted for the large size of its members, all being six feet or more in height. They were also brainy people. John Edgerton was a noted leader of the "Hicksite" Quakers, and a powerful'anti-slavery agitator in Ohio and Indiana. His brother, Joseph Edger- to11, was the leading Orthodox Quaker of his day, and a great. preacher. He was vigorous to the

end of liis life, which came after he had attained the age of eighty years. The Halls were also a vigorous and intelligent people, and prominent among the Quakers.

David Gray and wife were well-read and intell- igent, and engaged in teaching in early life. Mrs. Gray was liberally educated for that day in Olio, and her influence went far in preparing her son for the prominent part he was destined to take in the development of modern practical science. She survived her husband many years, reaching the venerable age of seventy-eight, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Sarah Cope, in New Sharon, Iowa.

Elisha Gray was born near Barnesville, Bel- mont County, Ohio, August 2, 1835. From a recent work, entitled "Prominent Men of the Great West," the following legant and carefully prepared account of Professor Gray's life is taken: "When young Gray was but twelve years of age, he had received three or four months of dis- trict schooling and the usual industrial training given to farmers' lads of his age and condition of life. Over forty years ago his father died, leav- ing Elisha in a large measure dependent upon his own resources for a living. When fourteen years of age he apprenticed himself to a blacksmith, and partly mastered that trade, but, his strength being greatly overtaxed, he was forced to give it up and joined his mother, who had removed to Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Here he entered the employ of a boat-builder, serving three and a- half years' apprenticeship, learning the trade of ship-joiner.

"At the end of this time he was a first-class mechanic and began to give evidence of his

ELISHA GRAY.

inventive genius. He was handicapped, how- ever, by the meagreness of his education, and was little more than able to experiment with the simplest contrivances. The testimony of one who knew him intimately at this time indicates that he had a consciousness of his own resources and was of the belief that Nature had destined him to accomplish some important work in life. He had a great desire to acquire that funda- mental knowledge which would open for him the way to intelligent research, investigation and ultimate achievements.

"While working as an apprentice, he formed the acquaintance of Prof. H. S. Bennett, now of Fisk University, then a student at Oberlin College, Ohio, from whom he learned that at that institution exceptional opportunities were afforded to students for self-education; and immediately after he had completed his term of service he set out for the college, with barely enough money in his possession to carry him to his destination. He arrived in Oberlin in the summer of 1857, at once going to work as a carpenter, and supported himself by this means during a five-years course of study in the college. As a student he gave especial attention to the physical sciences, in which he was exceptionally proficient, his ingenuity being strikingly mani- fested from time to time in the construction of the apparatus used in the classroom experiments. His cleverness in constructing these various appliances made him a conspicuous character among the students. While pursuing his college course he was not fully decided as to what pro- fession he would take up, and, at one time, he is said to have contemplated entering the ministry, finally deciding, however, not to do so. Perhaps the course of his life was decided by a remark of the mother of the young lady who afterwards became his wife. This was in a joking spirit, to the effect that 'it would be a pity to spoil a good mechanic to make a poor minister.' In fact, to this casual remark the now famous in- ventor has declared himself to be, in great meas- ure, indebted for what he has since accomplished. Truly, the worthy lady must have been of a sound and discriminating judgment, to discover

the hidden worth of the young man, and she, doubtless, more than any one else, in his earlier days, fanned the latent sparks of genius into the flame which, in later days, revealed to his brain the contrivances which have made his name famous, and which have proved of inestimable valtie to civilization.

"From 1857 to 1861 the Professor devoted himself to unremitting toil and study, and the result was that his naturally delicate constitution was impaired by the great strain upon his mental powers. In 1861, just when the future was brightening with the promise of success, and when he thought his days of struggling were past, he was stricken with an illness from which he did not recover for five years. After his mar- riage, in 1862, to Miss Delia M. Sheppard, of Oberlin, and, with a view to the betterment of his health, Mr. Gray devoted himself for a time to farming as an occupation. This experience was disappointing, both in its financial results and in its effects upon his health, and he returned to his trade, working in Trumbull County, Ohio, until he was again prostrated by a serious illness. Following this, came two or three years of strug- gle and privation; of alternate hope and disap- pointment, during which he experimented with various mechanical and electrical devices, but was prevented by his straitened circumstances from making any headway in profitable invention. Pressed by his necessities, he was once or twice on the point of giving up his researches and investigations entirely and devoting himself to some ordinary bread-winning industry; but he was stimulated by his faithful and devoted wife and her mother, both of whom had an abiding faith in his genius, and who aided him in his work with all the means at their command, and to whose influence was largely due the fact that he continued his efforts in the field of invention.

"In 1867 a more prosperous era dawned upon him, with the invention of a self-adjusting tele- graph relay, which, although it proved of no practical value, furnished the opportunity of in- troducing him to the late Gen. Anson Stager, of Cleveland, then General Superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Company, who at once

ELISHA GRAY.

became interested in him and furnished him facil- ities for experimenting on the company's lines. Professor Gray then formed a co-partnership with E. M. Barton, of Cleveland, for the manufacture of electrical appliances, during which time he invented the dial telegraph.

"In 1869 he removed to Chicago, where he continued the manufacture of electrical supplies, General Stager becoming associated with him. Here he perfected the type-printing telegraph, the telegraphic repeater, the telegraphic switch, the annunciator and many other inventions which have become famous within the short space of a few years. About 1872 he organized the West- ern Electrical Manufacturing Company, which is still in existence and is said to be the largest establishment of its kind in the world. In 1874 he retired from the superintendency of the elec- tric company and began his researches in teleph- ony, and within two years thereafter gave to the world that marvelous production of human genius, the speaking telephone. Noting one day, when a secondary coil was connected with the zinc lining of the bath tub, dry at the time, that when he held the other end of the coil in his left hand and rubbed the lining of the tub with his right, it gave rise to a sound that had the same pitch and quality as that of the vibrating contact- breaker, he began a series of experiments, which led first to the discovery that musical tones could be transmitted over an electrical wire. Fitting up the necessary devices, he exhibited this inven- tion to some of his friends, and the same year went abroad, where he made a special study of acoustics and gave further exhibitions of the invention, which he developed into the harmonic, or multiplex, telegraph. While perfecting this device, in 1875, the idea of the speaking tele- phone suggested itself, and in 1876 he perfected this invention and filed his caveat in the Patent Office at Washington. That another inventor succeeded in incorporating into his own applica- tion for a telegraph patent an important feature of Professor Gray's invention, and that the latter was thereby deprived of the benefits which he should have derived therefrom, is the practically unanimous decision of many well informed as to

the merits of the controversy to which conflict- ing claims gave rise; and the leading scientists and scientific organizations of the world, accord- ing to a certain periodical, have accredited to him the honor of inventing the telephone. In recog- nition of his distinguished achievements, he was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor at the close of the Paris Exposition of 1878, and Amer- ican colleges have conferred upon him the degrees of Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Science.

"For several years after his invention of the telephone he was connected with the Postal Tel- egraph Company, and brought the lines of this system into Chicago, laying them underground. He also devised a general underground telegraph system for the city, and then turned his attention to the invention of the 'telautograph,' a device with which the general public is just now becom- ing familiar through the public accounts of its operation. On March 21, 1893, the first exhibi- tions of the practical and successful operation of this wonderful instrument were given simultane- ously in New York and Chicago, and on the same day the first telautograph messages were passed over the wires from Highland Park to Waukegan, Illinois. The exhibitions were wit- nessed by a large number of electrical experts, scientists and representatives of the press, who were unanimous in their opinion that Professor Gray's invention is destined to bring about a revolution in telegraphy.

"One of the beauties of electrical science is the expressiveness of its nomenclature, and among the many significant names given to electrical inventions none expresses more clearly the use and purpose of the instrument to which it is applied than the term, 'telautograph.' As its name signifies, it enables a person sitting at one end of the wire to write a message or a letter which is reproduced simultaneously in fac simile at the other end of the wire. It is an agent which takes the place of the skilled operator and the telegraphic alphabet. Any one who can write can transmit a message by this means, and the receiving instrument does its work perfectly, without the aid of an operator. The sender of the message may be identified by the fac simile of

ELISHA GRAY.

his handwriting which reaches the recipient, and pen-and-ink portraits of persons may be as readily transmitted from one point to another as the written messages. In many respects the telautograph promises to be inore satisfactory in its practical operations than the telephone. Com- munications can be carried on between persons at a distance from each other with absolute secrecy, and a message sent to a person in his absence from his place of business will be found awaiting him upon his return. These and many other advantages which the telautograph seems to possess warrant the prediction that in the not very distant future telautography will supplant in a measure both telephony and telegraphy. The transmitter and the receiver of the telauto- graph system are delicately constructed pieces of mechanism, each contained in a box somewhat smaller than an ordinary typewriter machine. The two machines are necessary at each end of a wire, and stand side by side. In transmitting a message an ordinary feed lead pencil is used. At the point of this is a small collar, with two eyes in its rim. To each of these eyes a fine silk cord is attached, running off at right angles in two directions. Each of the two ends of this cord is carried round a small drum supported on a ver- tical shaft. Under the drum, and attached to the same shaft, is a toothed wheel of steel, the teeth of which are so arranged that when either section of the cord winds upon or off its drum, a number of teeth will pass a given point, corres- ponding to the length of cord so wound or un- wound. For instance, if the point of the pencil moves in the direction of one of the cords a dis- tance of one inch, forty of the teeth will pass any certain point. Each one of these teeth and each space represents one impulse sent upon the line, so that when the pencil describes a motion one inch in length, eighty electrical impulses are sent upon the line. The receiving instrument is prac- tically a duplicate of the transmitter, the motions of which, however, are controlled by electrical mechanism. The perfected device exhibited by Professor Gray, and now in operation, is the result of six years of arduous labor, an evolution to which the crude contrivance used in his earliest

experiments bears little resemblance. The man- ufacture of the instruments will be carried on by the Gray Electric Company, a corporation having offices in New York and Chicago and a large manufacturing establishment just outside the limits of the suburban village of Highland Park, Illinois, of which place Professor Gray has been for many years a resident. Here, in addition to his workshop and laboratory, the renowned inventor has a beautiful home, and his domestic relations are of the ideal kind.

"The title by which Professor Gray has been known for so many years came to him through his connection with Oberlin and Ripon (Wis- consin) Colleges as non-resident lecturer in physics, and his general appearance is that of the college professor or the profound student. He has none of the eccentricities which are the con- spicuous characteristics of some of the great inventors of the age, and, when not absorbed in his professional work, he is delightfully genial and companionable.

"When the World's Congress of Electricians assembled in the new Art Institute in Chicago, on the 21st of August, 1893, there were gathered the most noted electricians of all the world. The congress was divided into two sections, one of which-termed the official section-was com- posed of representatives designated by the vari- ous Governments of Europe and the Americas, and was authorized to consider and pass upon questions relating to electrical measurement, nomenclature and various other matters of import to the electrical world. To the other section of the congress were admitted all professional elec- tricians who came properly accredited, and they were permitted to attend the sessions and partici- pate in the deliberations of the congress, although they were not allowed to vote on the technical questions coming before it.

"When it was determined that the convening of international congresses of various kinds should be made one of the leading features of the Columbian Exposition, a body, whichi became known as the World's Congress Auxiliary of the World's Columbian Exposition, was organized for the purpose of promoting and making all

B. C. MILLER.

necessary preparations for these gatherings. To Prof. Elisha Gray, of Chicago, this body as- signed the task of organizing the congress of electricians, and placed upon him the responsi- bility of formulating the plans and making all initiatory preparations for what was, unquestion- ably, the most important and interesting conven- tion of electricians ever hield in this or any other country. While the Professor called to his assist- ance many distinguished members of his profes- sion, by virtue of liis official position, he was the central and most attractive figure in this great movement.

"Professor Gray is a member of the Union League Club of Chicago. Politically, he is a Republican. He has traveled extensively, not only in this country but throughout Europe. He is now in his sixty-first year, and he stands as an illustrious example of the general rule, for, although not yet an old man, he is one of the few prominent in the early days of electrical development who maintained their prominence and added to their reputation in the rapid strides which have been made during the last decade.

But few of the early workers in the electrical sciences have maintained their prominence in the later development. This is undoubtedly due to the lack of plasticity which is usually attributed to maturer years, the possession of which in younger men often gives them the advantage in the rush for supremacy in new adaptation and under ever-changing conditions. Where, how- ever, this plasticity has been preserved during inaturer years, as has been the case with the subject of this sketch, the maturer judgment and riper experience which those years have enabled him to bring to bear upon the newer problems have in many cases resulted in inventions and improvements of the utmost importance to man- kind and the cause of civilization. Professor Gray is a man of fine personal appearance, pleas- ing address, commanding bearing, and a man who will attract attention in any assembly, and who, on account of his great electrical skill and general scientific attainments, and because of his pleasing and affable manner, has won for him- self many friends and admirers."

DR. BENJAMIN C. MILLER.

12 R. BENJAMIN COKE MILLER, one of the most successful physicians and most highly respected citizens of Chicago, passed away at his home on Everett Avenue, in that city, June 25, 1891. He was descended from a long line of American ancestors, who were dis- tinguished as physicians and gentlemen.

The founder of the family in this country was Adam Miller, who was born near Metz, France (now included in the German Empire), and from

whom the subject of this biography was a de- scendant in the eighth generation. He settled with his family in Frederick, Maryland, and be- came a large planter. He was noted as a man of wealth, culture and refinement, and hield many slaves. These were liberated by his bequest on his death, and their loss at that time almost beg- gared his heirs; but they honored his behest. The family continued to reside in Maryland for several generations. The great-grandfather of

B. C. MILLER.

Dr. Benjamin C. Miller moved to Shelbyville, Kentucky, where his son, Dr. Henry Miller, be- came an extensive planter. The latter was a tall and fine-appearing man, a noted physician and a man of affairs. He died at Shelbyville, of old age.

Dr. Jefferson Miller, son of the last-named, was born in Gallatin County, Kentucky, No- vember 29, 1807, and was educated in Virginia. Through over-confidence in his friends, he lost much of his property, and then took up the study of medicine witlı Dr. Clarke, a noted physician of his native State. While still a young man, he settled in the practice of his profession at Rush- ville, Indiana, and became widely known for his skill in the healing art. He united with the Methodist Church there in 1839. As a Chris- tian, he was liberal to all churches. As a citizen, he was public-spirited, and was much loved and respected by all. As a physician, he was un- usually successful, and was a man of extraordin- ary worth and usefulness in all relations of life. November 20, 1832, he married Eliza A. Stand- ford, of Greencastle, Indiana, and two of their children grew to maturity, namely: Dr. Benja- min C. and Henry Miller, the latter now a resi- dent of Ladoga, Indiana. The father died at that place, November 5, 1885, and his wife sur- vived him about five and one-half years, passing away in May, 1891.

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Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, Volume 1899, Part 11

Author: La Salle Book Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : La Salle Book Co. Number of Pages: 910

Author: La Salle Book Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : La Salle Book Co.
Number of Pages: 910