Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, Volume 1899, Part 60

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

USA > Illinois > Cook County > Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, Volume 1899 > Part 60

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In 1858 Mr. Welbourn married Mrs. Mary

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J. C. CHRISTENSEN.

Connors (born Smith), widow of Ned Connors. She was a native of Ireland, and died at Summit in 1891. During the absence of hier husband in the Union army, she conducted the hotel now managed by her son, and thus supported her family. She had two sons, John and James Connors, the latter being now deceased, and the other a resident of Chicago. She gave three sons to Mr. Welbourn, namely: Thomas, Will- iam and George. The first is the owner of a store at Summit, which is now rented, and was until recently engaged in mercantile business at La Grange. The second is a farmer at Effing- ham, Illinois, and the third is he whose name heads this notice. For his second wife Mr. Wel- bourn wedded Mrs. Julia, widow of William Corbett, who was born Tobin, in this country, of Irish parents. Mr. Welbourn and family are affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, and he and his sons are faithful supporters of the Democratic party in political matters.

Early in 1864, Mr. Welbourn enlisted as a recruit in Company I, Forty-fourth Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, and served until the close of the Civil war. He experienced the hardships of the veteran soldier, taking part in the Tennessee campaign under General Thomas, and participat- ing in the hard-fought battles of Franklin, Spring Hill and the two battles of Nashville. At Frank- lin his head was grazed by a bullet which inflicted a scalp wound, and at the same contest another

bullet bent his belt-buckle double, the buckle alone saving his life. Out of the full regiment of one thousand and one men, only one hundred and sixty came back to Nashville at the close of this terrible service.

George Henry Welbourn was born in the year 1866, in the house where he now conducts a hotel, and has passed his entire life in and near the village of Summit. His education was supplied by the public schools of this place. When he ap- proached man's estate he became associated with his father in the management of his affairs, and took active charge in the spring of 1893, when they became proprietors of the hotel. In con- nection with this he maintains a weighing scale, which is a great convenience to the farmers and business men of the vicinity.

May 1, 1895, Mr. Welbourn was married to Miss Anna Corbett, who was born in Chicago, and is a daughter of the late William Corbett and of John Welbourn's second wife, as above shown. The other children of Mr. Corbett, Lida and John Corbett, are residents of Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. George Welbourn have a son, born Au- gust 6, 1897, and christened George Francis, a very bright and promising child.

Mr. Welbourn is widely known in the southern part of Cook County, and is a genial and sound- minded gentleman. The confidence of his neigh- bors is shown in the fact that he has served them six years as a trustee of the village of Summit.

JENS C. CHRISTENSEN.

ENS CHRISTIAN CHRISTENSEN, who is a skilled and competent watchmaker and jeweler, belongs to the class of men who have learned the art of their profession in a foreign land, where instructors are severe and the term of apprenticeship long, and traveled to the United

States to practice where services are better re- warded. He is well known in the vicinity where his business is located and his ability in his line is recognized.

Mr. Christensen was born April 26, 1841, in Denmark, and is the only child of Christian John-

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H. L. HUGUELET.

son and his beloved wife. He was reared and educated and learned the trade which he has followed since in the region of his birthplace. He passed through the long apprenticeship of five years, bravely and successfully, and emerged a watchmaker and repairer of the first class. After being employed in Copenhagen two years, he loca- ted in the western part of Denmark, where he established a business in manufacturing time- pieces. He remained in the vicinity and in the same business twenty years.

In 1884 Mr. Christensen decided to come to America and embarked for this country. He traveled directly to Chicago and opened business at No. 96 Ohio Street, remaining at this number three years, conducting a repair shop. He re- moved to No. 57 Huron Street, where he re-

mained until 1896, at which time he went to his present location, No. 765 West North Avenue. He is a first class business man and turns out some very fine work.

Mr. Christensen was married before he left the land of his nativity, in 1870, to Miss Christiana Anderson. They became the parents of two sons, who are a credit to the rearing they have received and to their parents' name. Christ, the older, is a jeweler, living in the State of Missouri. John resides in Chicago, on the North Side. Mr. and Mrs. Christensen are refined and intelligent peo- ple and move in very good society. They are influential members of the Danish Lutheran Church, in which they are useful in many ways. They are possessed of quiet and kindly minds, and their home is one of harmony and happiness.

HENRY L. HUGUELET.

ENRY LOUIS HUGUELET, who comes of an old and highly respected family, has spent his entire life in the land of his birth. He was born March 6, 1852, in Milwaukee, Wis- consin, which city was at that time a mere country town. For his ancestry see article on the life of Louis Huguelet, on another page of this work. The rudiments of hiseducation were obtained in the Ogden School, in Chicago, but his practical knowledge has been gained in the vast school of experience, which has turned out so many successful, useful men. On reaching the age of fourteen years he left school and was employed one year in the tin shop of the Adams & Westlake Company. He also was in the em- ploy of Mr. Clusher the same length of time, and six subsequent months worked in the interests of T. Alemdinger.

He was for a term of sixteen years in the serv- ice of Burley & Company, wholesale dealers in

crockery, which length of time in the employ of one concern proves his integrity and power to satisfy the demands of an employer. He was seven years in Marshall Field & Company's re- tail store and since that time was two years caging on the Lake tunnel. This position was only temporary and has since become extinct, as the tunnel was finished. At whatever Mr. Huguelet becomes occupied, he is sure to succeed, as he is naturally energetic and ambitious, and his fine characteristics are recognized, without fail.

Being economical and wishing to thrive, Mr. Huguelet became able, in 1887, to build a resi- dence at No. 1493 Roscoe Street, which was the first residence built on that street. He resides here with his family, the house furnishing a very comfortable home. He was very fortunate in securing a helpmate whose influence is conducive to his success and who is an aid in all matters of

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WILLIAM MOGENSEN.

business or social importance. He was married August 2, 1881, to Miss Nellie, daughter of Robert and Jane (Hamilton) Orr. Mrs. Hugue- let was born in Chicago, and has two children, Robert Edward, who was born July, 3, 1882, and Henry David, November 26, 1883. Mrs. Jane Orr and her sou, James, reside at No. 12 Water- 100 Place, Chicago.

Mr. Huguelet is identified with Press Council No. 71, National Union, in which he is promi- nent and well known. He is a staunch Republi- can and lends his influence in favor of his party at all times. He is a good, honorable citizen of Chicago, does all in his power toward the uplift- ing of mankind in general, and tries to rear his children in the way which they should go.

WILLIAM MOGENSEN.

ILLIAM MOGENSEN, though a native of a foreign country, is a notable example of what may be accomplished by that un- tiring energy and thrift for which Americans are justly noted. He was born in the city of Copen- hagen, Denmark, June 26, 1864, and is the son of a butcher of that place. He received the ad- vantages of a common school education, supple- mented by a course in a high school. At the age of fourteen years he entered his father's shop to learn the trade, and put forth every effort to be- come a practical workman. He continued in his father's employ until 1886, when he married and opened a shop of his own, which he conducted successfully about four years. He had already shown an aptitude for business, and in 1890 left his native town, traveling directly to Chicago, where he knew inany of his fellow-countrymen had found comfortable homes and good business advantages. Having acquired but little knowl- edge of the language and business methods of the city of his adoption, Mr. Mogensen was not able to take up the business for which he had already fitted himself, but was obliged to seek some form of manual labor. His determination to succeed, however, made him welcome any form of honest employment, his first attempt being as a hod car- rier. He subsequently worked five months for the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and six

months for Marshall Field. He saved his money carefully, at the same time doing his best to master the English language, and in 1892 was enabled to open a meat market in Armitage Av- enue. His capital at that time amounted to buit sixty-five dollars, and some idea of the success of his business may be obtained from the fact that his present stock is valued at ten thousand dol- lars. To his skill as a practical butcher is due 110 small amount of his success, but the greater part must be attributed to his rare business saga- city and persevering energy. Though at first his business was necessarily small, he soon won the trade of the best people in his locality, his judgment in the selection of goods being of the first order. He had served an apprenticeship in all branches of his trade and, as his business in- creased, he began packing meats and manufac- turing various meat products. He found a ready sale for these and has a good trade among other retailers in the northwestern part of the city. I11 1898 he bought the building at No. 759 Armitage Avenue, so that his establishment includes three buildings, Nos. 755, 757 and 759, in that street. As Mr. Mogensen is still comparatively a young man, it is easy to predict for him continued success, and the accumulation of a considerable fortune.

Despite the fact that business cares take a large

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HENRY MEINHEIT.

part of his attention, the subject of this notice finds ample time for various social obligations. He is a member of Denmark Lodge No. 112, Knights of Pythias; Commonwealth Council, No. 72, of the Royal League; Jefferson Lodge No. 20, Order of Columbian Knights; and Chicago Lodge, No. 17, of the Danish Brotherhood. Po-

litically he is a Republican. His business con- nections have given him a wide acquaintance and he has many friends among all classes. Mrs. Mogensen is also a native of Copenhagen, and has been a true helpmeet, assisting her husband very materially in the conduct of his business. They have one son, William.

HENRY MEINHEIT.

ENRY MEINHEIT is a worthy representa- tive of the German-American citizen, a pio- neer, and a resident of Chicago for more than fifty years. He was born in Marklendorf, Hanover, Germany, July 25, 1825, and is a son of J. H. and Marie (Brown) Meinbeit, both of whom died in the Fatherland.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Meinheit consis- ted of three sons and one daughter, namely: Hein- rich, who died in Cook County; Frederick, also deceased; Mary, who became the wife of Diedrick Kruse, and died in Cook County. Henry is the only one now living.

He was educated in the parish schools and after leaving school learned the trade of shoe- maker, serving four years, after which he trav- eled from city to city, working at his trade. May 15, 1847, he sailed from Bremen Harbor, in a sailing ship, bound for Quebec, where he landed after a sail of nine weeks and two days. He came directly to Chicago by water, the trip from Quebec to Chicago occupying two weeks and one day.

On his arrival in America he was poor in fi- nances, and was some fifty dollars in debt. For a few months after landing he worked for a dollar per week and board, and then was com- pensated by twelve dollars per month. For six years he was in the service of one concern and then started in business for himself, at No. 336

Milwaukee Avenue. He purchased his lot for one hundred and thirty-five dollars, and erected the fourth house on the street. At this location he conducted business eight years. Four years after locating there he built another house in the same block, on Green Street, and at the end of eight years he removed to Salt Creek, Du Page County, and there carried on a shoe shop nine years, with good success. He subsequently sold out and returned to Chicago, locating at No. 256 West Chicago Avenue, on property he purchased while living in the country, and has lived here continuously since. He built the house in 1871, and has since lived in retirement. By careful attention to business, and judiciously investing his savings in real estate, he has become wealthy. Besides his property on Chicago Avenue and 011 Ayers Court, he owns a section of land in Jackson County, Minnesota.

Mr. Meinheit has supported the Republican party since Lincoln was first elected President, but never sought public office of any kind. He has supported every movement for the benefit of the city. He was married in Chicago, September 15, 1849, to Mary Diercks, a native of Germany, who came to Chicago in 1845. They had seven children, namely: Carrie, now deceased; Sophia, wife of Otto Meinheit, of Matteson, Cook County; Henry, deceased; Augusta; Mary, who became the wife of Christ Brinckman and died in Sep-

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CHRISTIAN SINK.

tember, 1898; Melinda, wife of John Peter Gon- dolf, of Chicago; and Rosa, who died in child- hood. The mother died April 1, 1892. The family is connected with St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Mr. Meinheit has been a member of Goethe Lodge No. 329, Independent Order of Odd Fel-

lows, for over thirty years. During his residence of more than half a century in Cook County, he has proved himself an honest, industrious, capa- ble man of affairs, a loyal citizen and true friend, and has endeared himself to a host of friends, wlio honor him for his sterling integrity and upright- ness of character.

CHRISTIAN SINK.

D HRISTIAN SINK, who has been a loyal and worthy citizen of the United States since the day of his birth, is an employe of the Chicago City Railway Company and a mem- ber of an old and highly respected family. He was born February 8, 1861, in Michigan. For his ancestry refer to the article on the life of Bernhardt Sink, on another page of this volume. Like many another successful man, he has ob- tained the bulk of his education in the vast school of experience, and has a practical knowl- edge of the world, which stands him in good stead at all times.

His first employment was in running errands, and after one year was occupied as driver, and subsequently removed to Wisconsin. He was by this time old enough to assist on his father's farm, and in the summer was employed on river boats. His work took him to the woods near Winona, Minnesota. This is a lumber district of wide renown, and a strong man can find plenty . of employment at almost any time in this region. Mr. Sink was in the service of the Lossig Bridge Company one year, after which he concluded to change his location and mode of living.

Mr. Sink came to Chicago in the summer of 1886, and was employed in iron works for a few months. He then entered the service of the com- pany that now employs him, the Chicago City Railway Company, as grip lifter. He occupied

this position six years and was then made barn man, and is thus occupied at the present time. He is a valued employe, and is admired and hon- ored by all who come in contact with his genial, generous nature. .

Conducive to the success and good character of a man is a pleasant, helpful life companion. It was Mr. Sink's good fortune to obtain a lady meeting these requirements and those of refine- ment and culture. Miss Mary Agnes Crane, daughter of John and Mary (Hoare) Crane, be- came Mrs. Christian Sink December 11, 1881. Mrs. Sink was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, about the year 1861. She came West with her parents when she was three years of age, and lived in La Salle, Illinois.

Mr. and Mrs. Sink are the parents of six chil- dren, namely: Frank Elmer, born June 20, 1884; Flora Marie, November 22, 1886; Benjamin Bernard, November 5, 1891; William, February 11, 1893; Christian, June 27, 1896; and Joseph, July 17, 1897. They compose a very bright and interesting family, and are a credit to their parents.

Christian Sink was reared in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, and follows the teaclı- ings of his fathers. He is a staunch Democrat in political matters. He is a well-known man, and his excellent qualities of heart are recognized and win him many lasting friends.

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A. C. DUCAT.

GEN. ARTHUR C. DUCAT.

G EN. ARTHUR CHARLES DUCAT was born in Dublin, Ireland, on the 24th of Feb- ruary, 1830. His father, Mungo Moray Ducat, was a gentleman who traced his lineage from a very ancient Highland family, renowned in the annals of Scotland. He was a native of Cupar Angus, but in early life removed to New Lawn, County Dublin, Ireland, where he also possessed large estates. His wife, Dorcas Julia Atkinson, was born in County Armagh, Ireland, and died in Downer's Grove, Illinois, in Novem- ber, 1889, aged eighty-six years. Her father was an Englishman, of Cambridgeshire.

Arthur C. Ducat was educated at private schools in his native city, and at the age of nineteen years came to America with the inten- tion of becoming a civil engineer. He pursued that profession for some years on important rail- road lines and other public works. This occupa- tion was abandoned when he was tendered the position of Secretary and General Surveyor of the Board of Underwriters of Chicago, which position he accepted and occupied until the opening of the Civil War. In the mean time he began to mani- fest a keen interest in the affairs of the city, and organized, drilled and disciplined the Citizens' Fire Brigade, a semi-military and armed body of citizens. Their duties were to attend fires and save and guard property and life. This action also had a deeper meaning, for Ducat had resolved to abolish the old "volunteer" fire department and

introduce a new one in its place on a paid and disciplined basis, employing steam fire-engines. He was obliged to protect the first engines brought to Chicago from the demonstrations and attacks of mobs, incited by the bad element of the volunteer department, which he did by the aid of his fire brigade. He wrote the ordinances estab- lishing and substituting steam engines for the old hand machines, and enlisted the vote of the Com- mon Council to adopt it.

Upon the beginning of hostilities between the North and the South, he was one of the first to offer substantial aid in support of the Government. His taste had led him to the study of military history and science, and he knew as much of the art of war as a lieutenant fresh from West Point. The roar of the first guns had scarcely ceased before he had raised and offered-first to the State of Illinois and then to the National Government -a corps of three hundred engineers, sappers and miners. Many of these men were professionals who had seen service and understood the details of field and permanent fortifications, and works connected therewith, the rapid construction of bridges, roads, etc. The Government was not aware, however, of the struggle before it and per- haps thought that engineers would not be neces- sary. So Ducat was chagrined and disappointed by the rejection of what he foresaw would be a much-needed service. Notwithstanding this re- fusal, he immediately enlisted as a private, and

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A. C. DUCAT.

in April, 1861, became a member of the Twelfth Illinois Infantry. He was without political, gov- ernmental or family influence, and resolved to do his duty and depend upon his merits for promo- tion. Although a good horseman, he selected the infantry arm of the service, as he believed it would do most of the fighting. His regiment was among the first that seized the important strategic point of Cairo and supported General Lyon in taking possession of the arsenal at St. Louis. It was not long before Ducat's military acquirements and capabilities were appreciated. Within a month he was commissioned Second Lieutenant, and afterwards appointed Adjutant of the regiment. Upon the expiration of the three mouths for which he had enlisted, he was again enrolled for three years in the same regiment, and appointed Captain of Company A. The Twelfth formed a part of the brigade that first occupied the sacred soil of Kentucky, taking possession of Paducah in August, 1861. Here he was pro- moted to be Major of his regiment, and in the month of April following, at Fort Donelson, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant- Colonel. In August, 1862, he was appointed to the command of the grand guards, pickets and outposts for the Army of the Tennessee. When Major-General Ord was appointed to the com- mand, Ducat was ordered to his staff, and when Major-General Rosecrans relieved General Ord, Ducat was attached to the staff of the former. At Rosecrans' great battle of Corinth and the subse- quent pursuit of the enemy, he served as acting Chief of Staff and Inspector-General, and so con- ducted himself as to receive the warmest con- gratulations of his superior officers, not only for bravery, but for efficiency, making most important suggestions as to movements, and carrying them out with great success.

Subsequently he was directed by the general in command to conduct a flag of truce to the enemy at Holly Springs, Mississippi, a distance of over seventy-five miles, through a country infested with a superior force of guerrillas and the enemy's cavalry, who were not to be depended upon to recognize a flag of truce. He succeeded, and dis- played as much tact and discretion in the im-

portant negotiations entrusted to him as in the field. He was afterward detailed to arrange with General Burnside the Knoxville campaign, rep- resenting General Rosecrans on that occasion.

When Major-General Rosecrans took command of the forces known as the Army of the Ohio (which subsequently became the Army of the Cumberland), Colonel Ducat was ordered to ac- company General Rosecrans and named as acting Chief of Staff and acting Inspector-General. In this important and responsible position he ren- dered the most efficient service in re-organizing, equipping, disciplining and drilling the army, in raising the siege of Nashville, and in opening the railway from that city to Louisville. He was afterward appointed by the War Department In- spector-General of the Fourteenth Army Corps, and after the battle of Stone River and the or- ganization of the Army and Department of the Cumberland, he was appointed Inspector-General of that army and department (the most military of the staff positions), in addition to which he had charge of the grand guards, pickets and out- posts, and the organization of the signal corps of the army. When it is recollected that Ducat was a self-educated soldier, his selection from among the many able and experienced men who had made war their profession is a distinc- tion indicating a high degree of merit. He or- ganized the Bureau of the Inspector-General on a system substantially new, but adapted to secure the greatest efficiency and discipline of a great army in the field. At first his strict and rigid exactions rendered him unpopular, but as soon as results began to manifest themselves in the greater efficiency of the troops, their sanitary condition and military spirit, he became, among officers and men, one of the most popular officers of that army. He formulated and put in practice a system of picketing and outposting an army which highly distinguished him. When General Rosecrans was relieved and Maj .- Gen. George H. Thomas took command, Ducat was ordered to the staff of the latter, in which capacity he served until he left the service at the close of the war, respected and beloved by all.

Many of these facts are obtained from an arti-

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A. C. DUCAT.

cle written by General Rosecrans, who also said of him: "I regard him as an extraordinary man, * * * an excellent tactician, * * a soldier by nature; so much so, that he never exacted the credit he easily merited, nor the promotion given to less able and more plodding men."

The following is from the pen of General Grant: "His services have been very valuable and have been highly appreciated." General Thomas wrote: "One of the most able and use- ful of the army staff and cannot well be spared." General Sheridan characterized him as "an officer of high standing and distinguished merit." Another writer on the war says: "Ducat was early distinguished for his thorongh knowledge of military details, his organizing powers and his executive ability; but especially for his sleepless vigilance and activity, that mastered all details of topography and the movement of hostile armies."

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Album of genealogy and biography, Cook County, Illinois, Volume 1899, Part 60

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