USA > Illinois > Biographical and memorial edition of the Historical encyclopedia of Illinois > Part 19
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SAMUEL A. TOLMAN.
Samuel A. Tolman, who is the executive head of one of the largest and most successful cor- porations doing business in the wholesale gro- cery trade of Chicago, being president of John A. Tolman and Company, wholesale grocers, Chicago, is one of the alert and enterprising men, who, during the last half century, have so utilized the opportunities offered here for busi- ness preferment that the fame of Chicago has been extended to the uttermost parts of the civilized world. Nothing so builds up a country or section as its commerce and the directing forces are those men whose marvelous foresight see the opportunities which their courage ena- bles them to seize. As the metropolis of the great Middle West, this city stands preeminent in many lines, a main one being the wholesale mercantile business.
Samuel A. Tolman was born at Camden, Me., February 5, 1835, and is a son of Daniel and Mary (Achorn) Tolman. In the public schools of his native village and at Thomaston, Me., Mr. Tolman had educational advantages, and when he left home to enter a business field, in 1852, he chose a position in a wholesale grocery house in Boston. From there, in 1857, he came to Chicago and here established himself in the grocery business, in which he continued until 1865, in which year, under the firm style of Tolman and Pinkham, he embarked in the whole- sale drug business. In 1866 the firm name be- came Tolman, Crosby and Company, and later, Tolman and King, the latter style continuing until February, 1882, when Mr. Tolman sold his interests to John A. King. Two years later, in 1884, Mr. Tolman again became interested in, and clearness of commercial foresight.
his former line and in 1SS5 became vice-presi- dent of the John A. Tolman Company, whole- sale grocers, which name was retained until Samuel A. Tolman became president of the com- pany, in 1906, when the name became John A. Tolman and Company.
At Boston, Mass., on August 16, 1860, Mr. Tolman was married to Miss Bessie A. Roberts, a member of an exclusive family of that city, and they have one daughter, Grace A., who be- came the wife of John A. Davidson. Among the many beautiful homes and spacious residences on Prairie Avenue, Chicago, is that of Mr. and Mrs. Tolman.
For fifty-seven years Mr. Tolman has been actively identified with the business interests of Chicago, and in addition to the large enter- prise of which he is the head and front, he is a director of the Davidson Brothers Marble Company and is also on the directing board of the Great Northern Hotel Company. 1 Repub- lican in politics, he has supported its policies from principle and not for personal advance- nient, for he has never been willing to enter the political arena. To advance the general wel- fare of his city he has ever felt to be a responsi- bility incumbent on good citizenship and he has been foremost in encouraging movements prom- ising to be beneficial to all rather than a fa- vored few. Like many men of large affairs he is quiet and unostentatious in manner but genial and companionable with those admitted to the inner circle of acquaintance and friendship. In times of business stress he is often consulted for he is known to be a man of unusual sagacity
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HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
EDWARD ANCEL KIMBALL.
It may be said that biography is history of the purest type, and to possess a history is what distinguishes man from the lower creatures about him. From age to age they possess the same appearance, unchanging in their instincts and habits, except in so far as they have been modified by contact with man, and therefore the history of one generation of irrational ani- mals is the history of every other. But in the human race there is progressive change which it is the part of history to both record and accelerate and the duty of the living to per- petuate in biographical form for the coming generations. In this connection it is a pleasant task to sketch the career of the late Edward Ancel Kimball, who, although he has now passed beyond, has left his impress upon the com- munity in which he so long lived and labored, and his memory deeply graven on the hearts of those who knew him. Mr. Kimball was a native of the Empire State, born in the city of Buffalo, New York, August 27th, 1845, and was a son of Lovel and Elvira (St. John) Kimball. He was a direct descendant of Gov. William Bradford, of Massachusetts. and Elder Wil- Ham Brewster, both of whom arrived in America on the Mayflower in 1620. His lineage is also traced back directly to Richard Kimball, who arrived in America in 1684, and to Matthias St. John, who landed in this country in 1631, and the ancestral record, as given below, is to be found in the Newberry Library, Chicago.
From Governor Bradford, the line is traced down through his son, Major William Bradford, to Hannah Bradford, who became the wife of Joshua Ripley. Their son, Joshua Ripley, Jr., was the father of William Ripley, who married Lydia Brewster. From her the ancestry is traced back to William Brewster and comes down in successive generations through Lovel, Wrestling, Jonathan and James Brewster to Lydia Brewster, who, as stated, was the wife of William Ripley, and they became the parents of Salinda Ripley.
In the St. John ancestry, the founder was Matthias St. John, who landed in America in 1631. The direct ancestors of Mr. Kimball in the second, third and fourth generations were also named Matthias; then came Luke, Ezra, Holley and Solomon St. John. The last named wedded Mary Magdalena von Beekman (in Ger- man "von Beitman") and among their children was Elvira St. John, who became the mother of
Edward A. Kimball. The Kimball ancestry had its beginning in America with Richard Kimball, who landed from the ship Elisabeth in 16S4. The line comes down through Benjamin, Rich- ard, Job, Eliphalet and Eliphalet Kimball II, who on April 4, 1700, married Salinda Ripley. Their son, Lovel Kimball, wedded Elvira St. John and they became the parents of Edward Ancel Kimball, whose name heads this review. Among the above mentioned ancestors were a number of people of unusual gifts, notably Lydia Brewster, whose intellectuality and social qualities made her name prominent even at a time when women were more or less restricted in the expression of their talents. Therefore to those who believe in heredity, it does not seem strange that brilliancy, which was a no- ticeable quality in Mr. Kimball's mentality, should have been the fruitage of a line of gifted progenitors.
Edward Ancel Kimball received his early ed- ucational training in the public schools of his native city and later attended the Massachu- setts Metaphysical College, from which he re- ceived the degree of C. S. D. Entering into active connection with the lumber trade, he was thus first associated with business interests and later turned his attention to the manufacture of paving cement and roofing materials. For twenty years he was connected with this busi- ess, which was first conducted under the name of Barrett & Arnold, later becoming Barrett, Arnold & Kimball, and finally Barrett & Kim- ball. From 1590 up to the time of his passing, August 13, 1900, he devoted himself exclusively to the study and practice of Christian Science, during which time he was first reader of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago, and also teacher and lecturer on the subject. In the latter counvetion he was one of the ablest and best known men in the country and thus gained a wide acquaintance, winning friends among many of the prominent men of America.
On May 8, 1873, Mr. Kimball married Miss Kate Davidson, a daughter of Daniel and Sarah E. (Congdon) Davidson, and to this union were born two children : Wallace Davidson, who married Miss Julia Van Rensselaer Lane, and has one child -- Madeline; and Edna, who was married May 24, 1913. to Henry Heilewan Wait, and has one child-Edward Kimball. Mr. Kim- ball occupied a prominent position in the regard of those who knew him by reason of the en-
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terprise, progressiveness and reliability which he had displayed in his business affairs, and because of his unequivocal loyalty to any move- ment or project which he believed to be right. They felt that his investigations of Christian Science were most thorough, and by his logical and persuasive utterances won to the cause a large following. A constant student of the great
questions of the day, he found pleasure also in literature, art and travel, as well as in con- genial companionship, although the place dear- est to his heart was his home. When he passed beyond he left here a wide circle of friends, who had been drawn to him by his many excellences of mind and heart, and in whose memory he will . always live.
HARRY SKEELES.
Business reliability has marked the entire business career of Harry Skeeles, who is presi- dent of Skeeles Brothers Company, undertakers, conducting livery and boarding stables at Nos. 5127-20 South State street, Chicago. Mr. Skeeles is widely known in business circles in Chicago, of which city he has been a resident for thirty-nine years, and has the distinction of being the oldest living undertaker here in point of continuous years in the business.
Harry Skeeles was born at St. Ives, Hunting- donshire, England, March 15, 1853, and is a son of William and Elizabeth (See) Skeeles. The parents were English born. In 1869, when Ilarry was sixteen years of age, the family im- migrated to the United States and in that year located at Momence. Ill. In 1870 they removed to a farm near Monee, in Will County, Ill., and still later they went to Indiana and the father engaged in farming for some years near Good- land. When prepared to retire from active life he purchased a comfortable residence at Rem- ington, Ind., which continued bis home during the rest of life to within a few weeks, his death occurring while on a visit to his son in Chicago. Ile was a man of sturdy character, honest and dependable, a fine example of English indus- trial stability. William Skeeles was thrice mar- ried. first to a Miss Hopkins, second to Miss Elizabeth Sec, and third to Maria Freeman. By his first marriage he became the father of two children, Thomas and William ; by his see- ond marriage, of two more children, Thomas B. and Harry, the third marriage being withont issue. All three marriages were solemnized in England, and the two first wives died there, but the third wife survived him in America for many years.
Harry Skecles was two years old when his mother died. Ile remained at home with his father and attended the public school and was so forward in his studies that he was graduated from the Woodhurst High school before accom-
panying the family to the United States. After- ward he assisted his father on the farm and probably would have made a very creditable agriculturist had he not decided to seek a future in the city of Chicago, to which he came in the spring of 1875. Soon after reaching this city he went into partnership with his brother, Thomas B. Skeeles, in a livery business, with quarters at Fiftieth street and Wabash avenue, where they conducted a livery and sales stable for two years, later adding undertaking and continued until 1892, when their establishment was destroyed by fire. In the same year they resumed business, purchasing the present site on South State street, upon which they erected a fine three-story brick building with stone front, 53x161 feet, and the business has since been con- ducted at this place. Thomas B. Skeeles died in August, 1907, and Harry Skeeles purchased his brother's interests from the heirs, continuing to carry on the business under the old name until February, 1913, when it was incorporated and became Skeeles Brothers Company, of which Harry Skeeles is president, and his son, George W. Skeeles is secretary. They do a general un- dertaking, livery and boarding stable business and are classed with the most reliable firms in their line in the city.
Mr. Skeeles was married at Goodland, Ind., in 1879, to Miss Harriet Sharp, and to this union four children were born: Ethel, who is now deceased; George W., who is associated with his father; Myrtle C., who is the wife of Joseph Nuelle. of Watertown, N. Y .; and Thomas, who is deceased. The mother of these children died in 1886. In 1892 Mr. Skeeles mar- ried Miss Fannie L. Meads, and two daughters have been born to this union, Irene V. and Alice, For more than a quarter of a century Mr. Skeeles has been a member of the Masonic fra- ternity and he belongs also to the Sons of St George.
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HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
CASSIUS CLAY ROGERS.
The ideal physician is one who brings into the sick room a cheerful presence, uplifting the patient from the slough of despair, so that in this manner he cures quite as much as he does by administering medicines. The modern phy- sician understands and recognizes the value of a strong personality, as well as the achieve. ments in all the branches of the profession that are commanding the admiration of modern civilization. Many of these discoveries have grown out of the fact that the man of science believes in giving much of himself as well as of the contents of his medical case. All the lead- ing instructors teach that unless the physician is in harmony with the patient he cannot hope for best results. These ideas as well as count- less others are the outcome of years, even cen- turies of study, and are freely accepted by the men who advocate progress in this most im- portant of all the learned professions. One of the physicians of Chicago, whose name is associated with much that is important in his profession, is Dr. Cassius Clay Rogers. He was born at Minonk, Ill., July 17, 1560, a son of Alma and Johannah ( Kerrick ) Rogers. After attending the schools of his native place, the lad entered Valparaiso ( Indiana) University, from which he was graduated with the degree of R. S. in 1890, and in 1891 the further degree of A. B. was given him, while in 1907, he received the honorary degree of A. M. from this same institution. Having completed his classical course, he taught school two years, the first year as assistant principal of the high school at Liberty, Mo., and the second year as principal of Greely school of Streator, Ill. He then de- cided upon entering the medical profession and matriculated at Rush Medical College of Chi- cago, from which he was graduated in 1896, with the degree of M. D. Soon thereafter, he established himself in a general practice, but gradually came to devote himself to the spe- cial branch in which he was interested, and for the past ten years has confined himself to surgical and diagnostic work, in which he has become an expert. From 198 to 1906, Dr. Rogers was assistant surgeon at the Chicago Clinical school. He is now surgeon to the Frances Willard, Evangelical Deaconess and West Suburban hospitals. From 1906 to 1914 he was professor and head of the depart- ment of surgery in the Chicago College of Medi- cine and Surgery. From 1901 to 1908 he was
professor and head of the department of physi- cal diagnosis in the Chicago College of Dental Surgery. In the summer of 1907 Dr. Rogers went abroad, and again in 1909, 1910 and 1913, pursuing further studies at Vienna, London and Paris, where he visited many of the principal medical schools and hospitals. Formerly a mem- ber of the hospital corps of the Second Regi- ment of Illinois National Guards, he was ap- pointed a first lientenant of the United States Army Medical Reserve Corps, in February, 1911. In addition to his services in other directions, Dr. Rogers has contributed some valuable pa- pers to medical science, being the author of a number of monographs and valuable articles on surgery. In 1909, Dr. Rogers represented the Chicago Medical Society as a delegate to the Sixteenth International Medical Congress at Budapest, Hungary ; and attended the Seven- teenth International Medical Congress held at London, England, in 1913. Dr. Rogers' special study has been along the lines of the surgery of the brain and spinal cord, to which subjects he has devoted much time in clinics both in this country and abroad. He was a member of the council of the Chicago Medical Society for four years, aiso belongs to the American Med- ical Association, the Illinois State, Chicago Surgical, the Tri-State, Fox River and North Central Illinois Medical societies, and the Mis- sissippi Valley Medical Society. In politics he is a Republican. His religious home is in the Methodist church, of which he is a consistent member. Fraternally he belongs to the Ma- sonic order, having passed through the Chapter and Council. and is a Thirty-second degree Ma- son and a Shriner, while he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias. Dr. Rogers belongs to the Alpha Kappa Kappa, a college fraternity, is a Fellow of the American College of Sur- geons, is a member of the Playgoers Club of Chicago, the Association of Commerce, in which he is serving on the Committee on Drainage and Sanitary Efficiency, the Art Institute, the Y. M. C. A., Hamilton Club, the Chicago Automobile Club, Alliance Francaise, and the South Shore Country Club.
On April 17, 1901, Dr. Rogers was married at Chicago to Miss Rena B. Richards, and they reside at No. 3240 Washington boulevard. A man of the highest ideals, Dr. Rogers has al- ways lived up to them, and set a standard of excellence difficult of attainment.
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HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
JOHN R. PORTER.
No man can die without leaving a mark upon his time and community, whether good or evil. Some there are who go through life gaining prestige with every change, rounding out their period of usefulness with dignity and capability. While their position in the history of the coun- try may not have been an imposing one, yet their memory is enduring because of the acknowledged good that they accomplished. The record of such a life cannot be effaced, for its influences are tremendous. The city of Rock- ford has a number of these impressive records of man's accomplishments, from which has grown the city's present proportions, for no community can be greater than its citizens. A man who played well his part in the drama of life, never shirking a duty assigned him, or trying to avoid a responsibility, was the late John R. Porter. Mr. Porter was born at Ful- ton, Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1833, and died at Rockford, Ill., October 28, 1895, after many years of successful endeavor here as a druggist.
Early in life Mr. Porter removed to Zanes- ville, Ohio, where he entered into the drug business with W. A. Graham. The latter was connected later on in life with extensive bank- ing interests at Zanesville, Ohio. In 1859 Mr. Porter came west to Rockford, Ill., where he established the large drug store now conducted by his son, Hosmer C., who succeeded him at his death. Coming to the city at the time he did Mr. Porter was able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by any growing place, and developed them sanely, always main- taining a golden mean in his operations. Pos- sessing as he did the essential qualities that go so far towards the makeup of a successful busi- ness man, he achieved prosperity and died a wealthy man. It was obvious that such a man would take an active part in municipal affairs, although he did not desire publie preferment,
for he was a family man in its truest sense. All his life he was adequate to any contingency, and was held in the highest esteem by all who knew him.
In October, 1861, Mr. Porter married Lucretia V. Hosmer, daughter of Stephen R. and Lucy A. (Spicer) Hosmer, natives of New York and Ohio, respectively. Mrs. Porter was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, but was married at Zanesville. She and Mr. Porter became the parents of the following children : Charles H., of Chicago ; Hosmer C., of Rockford ; Lucy May, deceased; William, of Walla Walla, Wash., and Frances, wife of Lewis M. Sands, of Arizona, issue, Lewis M. and John P'. Charles H. mar- ried a Miss Earle, of Rhode Island, and they have three children. Hosmer C. married Mar- garet Butterworth, and they have three sons and two daughters. Mr. Porter was a Knight Templar, having passed through the Blue Lodge, Royal Arch and Chapter. The Congregational church held his membership and he did not fail to carry out its teachings in his everyday life. He was a successful business man, a brave fighter for civic improvements, a citizen whose life was shaped by the sentiment of local pride and actuated by motives of pure patriot- ism. Mr. Porter took a deep interest in every movement for the betterment of his community. His charm of manner was acknowledged, his in- tegrity inflexible, his capacity for winning friends and keeping them boundless. The pass- ing away of such men as Mr. Porter is a heavy blow to those whose privilege it is to be in in- timate association with them, but his family have had the consolation that he did not live in vain, and that without his useful, helpful life the world would be just that much the worse, while those whom he so ably assisted in every way would have been doubly deprived of much that made existence worth while.
MICHAEL HOFFMAN.
Self-made men are to be found in every country but nowhere have they developed as in the United States for the opportunities here afforded are so much better that one who pos- sesses energy, ambition and thrift can rise far above his beginnings and take a place among the successful of earth. In the career of the late Michael Hoffman this was clearly demon- strated and his record proves that a man need
not depart from the strict principles laid down in the Golden Rule to achieve the rewards of this world. A man of towering ambition, he never allowed his desire for success to cloud his appreciation of the rights of others and as a result he made and retained the warm per- sonal friendship of many and the enmity of but few. Mr. Hoffman was born at Thalexweiler, West Prussia, Germany, about twenty miles
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HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.
from the frontier, December 12, 1812, and had the misfortune to lose his father when still a child. What educational advantages he had were secured in his native land which he left in May, 1833, and on July 21 of that same year he landed in New York City, having made the trip in a sailing vessel which necessitated sev- eral months on the voyage. For some four years he remained at New York City working in various woolen mills, and then in 1837 he started for Chicago which had just been incor- porated as a city. Where he could, he traveled on the Erie Canal, but made the greater portion of the long trip on foot, and was the only one of the party of twelve who set out for Chicago who persevered long enough to reach his des- tination. Perhaps this trip is typical of his course in life. He succeeded because he did not give up, but went steadily ahead toward a de- sired goal no matter what the obstacles. His journey was broken by a short stay at Detroit, Mich., and another at LaSalle, Ill., but in No- vember, 1837, he reached Chicago and immediate- ly secured employment on the Illinois and Michigan canal which was then in process of construction. With the cold weather, however, work was discontinued upon the canal, but Mr. Hoffman found other work. peddling water which he hauled from the corner of Lake and State streets. On May 1, 1840, he entered the employ of William B. Ogden and was received at the latter's house as a boarder. Although he left Mr. Ogden's employ in November, 1844, the friendship thus formed was not discontinued until death separated the two, and Mr. Hoffman always looked up to and admired the older man. As soon as he had sufficient money, Mr. Hoffman began investing in realty, and in 1844 embarked in a general teaming businesss, and in 1850 established a gardening business. The lat- ter venture proved very profitable and he con- tinued in it until 1870. As time went on he continued his investments in real estate and his judgment was justified as his property in- creased so in value as to make him a man of considerable means. Among other purchases he had bought a large tract of land between' State and Dearborn streets near what is now Goethe street, and had also invested in property on Chicago avenue, and in some wooded land on the outskirts of the city. He sold his Chi- cago avenue property just prior to the fire of 1871. During that terrible conflagration, seven of his houses were burned and he suffered heavy losses, but he held his other pieces of
property which continued to increase in valne so that in time he was recouped for his other losses.
In November, 1844, Mr. Hoffman was married to Miss Marie Echternacht, born in 1821, a descendant of the best type of the German aristocracy. In 1840 she was brought to Chi- cago by her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Hoffman had eight children of whom two survive: John P., who is a retired commission merchant of Chi- cago; and Margaretha, the widow of the late Dr. Frederick Rohr of Chicago. Mr. Hoffman was a resident of Chicago for more than half a century, figuring prominently in the business interests of the city. Publie-spirited and char- itable he always studied and fostered move- ments which aim to improve the public weal. Hle ranked with the best citizens of his adopted city and when he was removed from it by death, September 5, 1591, Chicago lost one of its best and most useful men. Mr. Hoffman was one of the original members of the Old Settlers Club which was organized at Chicago in 1847. He was one of the early members of the German Catholic Church of Chicago, being first con- nected with St. Mary's parish, and later for many years was a member of St. Joseph's par- ish, and always lived in close sympathy with the noble teachings of his faith. He contribute generously to the support of his church, assist- ing in erecting the original building in the first parish, and was active in all the benevolent and charitable work of the church. Remember- ing his own early struggles, he was ever willing to lend a helping hand to others, and many have just cause to be grateful to him. In every sense he was a lovable, kind-hearted Christian gentle- man, and should each person to whom his chari- ties were extended place but one rose upon his grave he would sleep amid a pyramid of flowers.
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