USA > Illinois > Biographical and memorial edition of the Historical encyclopedia of Illinois > Part 4
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lican, he took an active interest in the affairs of the Illinois Republican Editorial Association, and at the Republican national convention of 196 assisted in writing the gold standard into the national Republican platform; has toured old Mexico ten times, has written many articles descriptive of that country and has land hold- ings in the Tampico valley. He is vitally in- terested in local and Illinois history and for a number of years has been a member of the board of directors of the Illinois State Historical So- ciety. In 1910. together with other parties, he organized the Albion Shale Brick Company, which operates with a paid capital of $200.000.
RUFUS BLANCHARD.
Rofus Blanchard, historian and cartographer, was Born et Lyndeboro, N. II., March 7, 1821. win of Amazlah and Mary (Damon) Blanchard. He attended the academy at Ipswich, and also Attained Instruction from private tutors, show- ing n great fondness for books from his early years. While still a youth he entered the estab- Ishment of Harper Brothers in New York, and there formed the acquaintance of many of the literary men of the time, among others, Benson J. Lossing, the historian. He was married, about 1853, to Permilla Farr, at Albany, N. Y., who was fatally injured a few hours after the marriage in a railway wreck; and in 1858, to Annie Hall, at Buffalo, N. Y. While in New York he was, for a time, in the employ of the
map house of the Coltons, then the largest establishment of its kind in the country. Mr. Blanchard afterwards removed to . Chicago, where, in 1853, he opened a general book and map store at No. 52 LaSalle street, which was later continued exclusively as a map making and publishing business. He made his home in Wheaton, a few miles west of Chicago, where he lived the remainder of his life. In the great fire of 1871, his place of business was destroyed together with the plates of many valuable maps. His works include: "A Historical Map of the United States," "The History of the Northwest and Chicago," and many historical maps. He died at Wheaton. January 3, 1904.
WILLIAM RUSSELL LOCKWOOD.
The late William Russell Lockwood of Quincy was a man whose efforts were directed towards the improvement of the commercial life of his home city. He believed in the impor- tance and dignity of business life. Mr. Lock- wood was born in Quincy, January 28, 1851, a son of William R. and Sarah ( Vincent) Lock- wood. Good blood flowed in the veins of Wil- liam Russell Lockwood, for his father, Col. Lockwood, was a son of David and Comfort
(Russell) Lockwood, and was born at Smyrna, Del., February 24, 1815. In August. 1844, Col. Lockwood came to Quincy, and until the outbreak of the Civil war pursued a peaceful career in that city as a business man, engaged in handling harness and saddlery. Feeling that his services were required, he enlisted, and served as lieutenant-colonel of the Thirty- third Illinois Volunteer Infantry, remaining in the service until 1864, when on account of
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falling health he was compelled to tender his resignation. However, he was a man of action, and in 1876, when he was elected justice of the peace, he administered justice so impar- tially that he was retained in office until his death, August 31, 1892. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah Vincent, was a native of Northumberland County, Pa., and a cousin of Bishop John H. Vincent of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. She passed away August 19, 1900, leaving one son to survive her, the other two being deceased. These sons were: Robert C., born April 18, 1816, died at Denver, Col., March 7, 1895; Vincent, born September 7, 1848, died in childhood; and William Russell.
Mr. Lockwood secured his preliminary edu- cational training in the schools of Quincy, fol- lowing this with a course at Erie, Pa., leaving school when fifteen years of age. From boy- hood, he was active in business life, and was associated with the firms of Kingsbury Broth- ers, George J. Metzgar and Brown and Pope of Quincy, during the years between 1866 and 1874. In the latter year, Mr. Lockwood became traveling salesman for the agricultural imple- ment firm of Pope & Baldwin. In 1881, he became a partner in this concern, and when a year later, Mr. Baldwin died, the style became Pope, Lockwood & Co., which was continued until the business closed in 1891. On June 5, 1893, Mr. Lockwood became a director of the State Savings, Loan and Trust Company, and later its vice president, on April 15, 1897, which office he held until he resigned. Too strenuous effort by this time had impaired Mr. Lockwood's health, and he went to Buffalo Lithia Springs, of Virginia, hoping to receive some benefit, but was taken seriously ill before reaching his des- tination. After some months' sojourn at Old Point Comfort he returned to his home. A second attack prostrated him, in 1901, and he was sent to Bad Nauheim, Germany, for treatment of heart disease. The treatment there afforded him temporary relief, and he
made two additional trips subsequently, one in 1902, and one in 1900, but the trouble was too deep-seated for a cure to be effected, so that when in February, 1910, he was again pros- trated, he could not rally, and death ensued, he passing away March 6, 1910. His physicians attributed his immediate cause of death to a complication of heart disease, including hard- ening of the arteries.
The first marriage of Mr. Lockwood occurred December 9, 1855, when he was united with Ella Moffet. She bore him a son, Erasmus Moffet, on May 5, 1SSS, who died on July 31, of the same year. Mrs. Lockwood died Feb- ruary 25, 1897. The second marriage of Mr. Lockwood was to Miss Kate Wells, daughter of Edward and Mary B. (Evans) Wells. With the death of Mr. Lockwood, Quincy lost an honored citizen. He was a man of quiet, un- ostentatious manner, who accomplished much, considering the state of his health for so long prior to his demise. Although often suffering intensely, he hid his pain and strove to make others happy about him. A man of keen busi- ness sagacity, he prospered, and yet at the same time established a reputation for integrity and unflinching honesty of purpose. Ilis true worth, was early recognized by his fellow citi- zens, who would doubtless have honored him by election to some responsible office, but he did not care to enter public life. The example he set in bearing patiently the burden laid upon him by his failing health is well worth follow- ing by the younger generation. Unselfishness towards others is a wonderful developer of character, and Mr. Lockwood's was beauti- fully rounded out, and his memory is cherished by the many with whom he had business rela- tions as well as those who came closer to him in social intercourse. While no public works stand as a monument to him, much of the ad- vancement in commercial conditions in Quincy can be traced to his connection with the busi- ness life of the city.
BENJAMIN REYNOLDS DE YOUNG.
Varied interests directed with dignified capa- bility, coupled with a keen sense of duty in either war or peace, are characteristics which make not only for good citizenship, but also for successful and progressive advancement. Chi- cago affords any ambitious man an excellent field for his operations, and in no line are there
more openings than those connected with realty transactions. One of these typical Chicagoans of high merit and recognized worth is Capt. Benjamin Reynolds De Young. He was born at New York City, August 18. 1843, a son of Ben- jamin and Emily ( Warwick) De Young, who removed to Pennsylvania when Captain De
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Young was a child, or in 1844. Attending the public schools of that city, he also learned there the printer's trade, and followed it until his enlistment for service in the Civil war, in 1862, when he enrolled in the One Hundred and Four- teenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was soon promoted to the rank of captain. He participated in the battles of Chancellorsville. Fredericksburg and Gettysburg and many other hotly contested battles and skirmishes. After the war, Captain De Young came to Chicago, and in 1870 he was appointed quartermaster of the United States army, which office he held for a year, being stationed at Pembina, N. Dak., then resigned his commission and returned to Chicago. For some time thereafter he was con- nected with various insurance companies, and in 1850 formed the firm of B. R. De Young & Company, real estate agents, of which he is the executive head, and has so continued to operate heavily in realty transactions in this city. In 18SS, he was selected by a large English syndi- cate of London to appraise the properties of breweries and elevators purchased by them in this country. Captain De Young has also been prominent politically as a Republican. as in 144; he was elected assessor of the South Town of Chicago, and was re-elected three times in succession. He has also served on valuation committees of the real estate board, for he is one where business judgment is recognized, and his decisions regarded as sound and reliable. Cap- taln De Young was one of the organizers, in
1877, and served as captain and major of the Sixth Illinois National Guards. During the Columbian Exposition in 1893, he was a mem- ber of the finance committee. He belongs to Columbia Post, G. A. R., and to the Western Society of the Army of the Potomac. Socially he is a member of the Union League Club.
Captain De Young was married at Philadel- phia, Pa., to Miss Euzabeth Farnon of that city, and they have had one daughter, Sadie, who is now Mrs. Arthur W. Brintnall, of Glencoe, Ill.
The substantial worth of Captain De Young is unquestioned, and his keen judgment and thor- ough knowledge of real estate make him a valued member of any business circle, and his advice is heeded. During the time that his country was in sore need of his services, he did not shrink from what he regarded as his duty, but risked his life and health, and continued in its service, during a part of the reconstruction period, out in the bleak hills of Dakota. Life has been full of experience for Captain De Young, and his career a noble one. His friends are numbered by legions, and he has few if any enemies. Countless numbers have profited through his gen- erosity of both material assistance and sage advice, and unless he knows that a party is utterly unworthy, he never turns an applicant for help away emptyhanded, and sometimes not even then. His firm transacts an immense amount of business annually, upon the same basis and honorable policies of the executive head.
FRANCIS ADAM SIEBER.
The medical profession is for mankind, and Its greatest problem is to secure honest and faithful performance of professional obligation. Whatever may be the favorite line of profes- sional work, the physician cannot overlook the fact that he and his associates are a body of organized men laboring for the common good of humanity. Because so many of the most eminent of the world's physicians and surgeons recognize this, progress is constantly being made. The discoveries made by one are shared by all for the common good of humanity, and thus it has been that remedies have been dis- covered for so many of the diseases which were once declared incurable. One of the men who has added luster to their profession and to the city in which their activities have been centered is Dr. Francis Adam Sieber. He was born at Neisse, Silesia, Germany, March 28, 1841, a son
of Paul and Frances ( von Peickert) Sieber. At- tending the College of Neisse and the Univer- sities of Bonn and Breslau, all in Germany, Dr. Sieber was a well-educated man even prior to his service in the German-Danish war dur- ing 1864, and with Austria in 1866. In the latter year, he left his native land for he be- lieved better opportunities would be afforded him in the United States than in Germany. Upon his arrival in this country, he was for a time an assistant surgeon at Fort Harker, Kan., and then practiced his profession at New York City, Leavenworth, Kan., Santa Fe, N. M., and since 1882 has been in an active practice in Chicago. From 1874 to 1880 Dr. Sieber was county physician and coroner of Ellsworth County, Kan., and was railroad surgeon for the Kansas Pacific Railroad, now the Union Pa- cific, from 1873 to 1879. In 1873 he was dis-
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coverer and founder of the Sieber Serum Toxin, a noted and valuable specific in the treatment of blood diseases. In 1883, Dr. Sieber was grad- uated from Rush Medical College of Chicago, with the degree of M. D., and from 18$4 until it became the City of Lake View, he was health commissioner of Lake View.
While at Santa Fe, N. M., Dr. Sieber was united in marriage with Miss Louise Brooks, and they became the parents of three children, namely : Agnes Isabella; Paul, who died in in- fancy ; and Frances May. Dr. Sieber is a man
who has ever lived up to high ideals in his pro- fession, and is now reaping the reward of his years of faithful service. Standing high among his associates, he earnestly strives to prove worthy of the great trust reposed in his skill and ability and the success which attends his practice proves that the confidence he inspires is well merited. Broad in his sympathies, he has always given liberally to aid worthy chari- ties, and his support can be depended upon in the furtherance of measures he believes will work for the advancement of the majority.
JAMES SKILES MCCULLOUGH.
Public preferment is not usually accorded a man unless he has merited it, for the people as a rule inquire into the life and qualifications of those whom they elevate to office, and especially is this true when the position in question is connected with the handling of public funds. The late James S. McCullough was a man whose public and private life was without a stain. Faithful in the little things of life, he was able to discharge the duties of responsibility when the occasion arose. and he died as he had lived, a true, earnest and patriotic citizen. The scene of Mr. Mccullough's efforts was in and about Urbana, Ill., but he was greater than his sur- roundings, and his fame spread far beyond the state, while his memory belongs to posterity.
James S. McCullough was born at Mercers- burg, Franklin County, Pa., May 4, 1843, and died June 22, 1914. He was a son of Alexander W. and Elizabeth (Siler) Mccullough. The father was born February 19, 1810, in the same county as his son, and was there given a district school education. Until he left Pennsylvania for Illinois, in 1854, Alexander W. McCullough worked as a teamster and blacksmith, but upon his arrival at Urbana, he settled upon a farm, where the rest of his life was spent. He and his wife had the following children: James S., born May 4, 1843; Sarah Jane, born July G, 1845, died July 21, 1852; Adelaide Chambers, born June S, 1847; Ann Elizabeth, born August 27, 1849; Frederick Frank, born March 9, 1852: Margaret, born October 11, 1554; Samuel Albert Carl, born April 19. 1857; Benjamin T., born June 7, 1860; and John S., born December 5, 1862.
Reared at Urbana, James S. McCullough ob- tained what educational advantages he could in the public schools, but much of his education was self secured in after life. At the age of
nineteen years, he enlisted for service during the Civil war, in Company G, Seventy-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was detailed in the Department of the Mississippi and the Gulf for three years, during that period taking part in the engagements at Vicksburg and about Mobile, Jackson, Benton, Jackson Cross Roads, Vaughn's Station and the Meridian campaign. It was during these operations, near the close of the war, on April 9, 1865, that he was so badly wounded in the left arm at Fort Blakeley, near Mobile, that amputation at the shoulder was necessary. from the effects of grape shot. Therefore, when he returned home after his final discharge, in July, 1865, it was in a condi- tion that in another would have been a handicap, but with him was but an incentive to prove him- self able to meet and conquer any misfortune. Recognizing the necessity for further instruc- tion, he went to school at Urbana for a year, and for two years attended the Soldiers' School, at Fulton, Ill. Returning to Urbana, he became a deputy in the office of the county clerk of Cham- paign County, and so continued until he was made county clerk in 1873, and succeeded him- self in that office until 1500, when he resigned to take office as the Auditor of Public Accounts of the State. He was nominated by the Republi- cans, and was elected by a plurality of 138,000 over his opponent. He served four terms, being renominated in 1900 and 1904 by acclamation, and in 1008 by a large majority, and by suc- cessive elections he held this otlice until Janu- ary, 1913, a longer period than any of his pre- decessors. It is a somewhat remarkable fact that when he received his nomination for andi- tor, he was serving his sixth term as county clerk, and met with no opposition, as had been the case upon each of the occasions when he had
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come before the convention for nomination for county clerk.
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On April 26, 1869, Mr. Mccullough was mar- ried to Miss Celinda Harvey, of Urbana, Ill., a daughter of Moses D. and Olive (Towner) Har- vey. Moses D. Harvey was born in Union County, Pa., November 27, 1820, the family re- moving to Stark County, Ohio, in his infancy. He came to Urbana, Ill., in October, 1839, and at Sidney, Ill., married Olive Towner, who was born in Vigo County, Ind. They commenced housekeeping at Urbana, Ill., where they spent the greater part of their lives. Mr. Harvey was a carpenter and cabinetmaker during his active life and helped to build the first frame court- house and log jail of Champaign County, as well as many of the early residences of this locality. His death occurred February 4, 1508, his wife dying October 10, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey had the following children: Izora, born Janu- ary 1, 1844, at Urbana, Ill .; Rufus Anderson, born August 30, 1845: Silas Mason, born Febru- ary 20, 1848; Celinda, born March 31, 1850; Clifton, born August 3, 1852; Charles Edward, born December 24, 1854; Harriet Frances, born January 9, 1:57; William Towner, born October 26, 1 59; Martha Elizabeth, born November 2, 1861; Celia Loretta, born March 14, 1864; and Harry, born December 11, 1860. Mr. and Mrs. MeC'ullough became the parents of two children : Leander Leal, who married Martha McCauly, of Olney, Ill., and they have a son, James Richard ; and Jessie O., who married Charles H. Meyer, and they have two children, Husted and Edith.
While it may well be said of Mr. Mccullough that in his public life he won the esteem of a state-wide constituency and that his public and private life was without a stain, yet it remains to be further said that it was in his home circle and within the precincts of his immediate neigh- bors and among the people of Champaign County, where his qualities and characteristics
were best known and first appreciated, that he was most truly loved and trusted. There and amidst many of his own age, who like him, were seeking success in life from a laborious boyhood on a new prairie farm, he from early boyhood met and bravely overcame the disadvantages and obstacles incident to such surroundings. Farm life in Illinois since then has changed greatly and may not properly be compared. The fencing of the farm, the breaking of the prairie sod, in all of which he participated, and the scanty accommodations of a prairie shanty, which was his early home, do not commend themselves to seekers after an easy job; but when earnestly followed with a purpose to win, as was the case with the boy in question, they do lay the foundations for sturdy character so essential to success in life. From this early training and with the solidity of a Scotch-Irish ancestry back of him, Mr. Mccullough came forth fully armed and won success.
In August, 1862, with many of his neighbors, among whom were his boy friends and associates of like mold and training, be entered the Union army, returning therefrom, as is above said, with but one arm. Unhesitatingly he at once set about preparing himself for what he could do as a citizen. Here his neighbors and friends, appreciating his efforts, put forth that assistance and support, which, well deserved, never failed him to the last. Most tender and marked were the love and sympathy which bound Mr. Mc- Cullough to his comrades of the Seventy-sixth Regiment, fully reciprocated by them in return. Only a few days before falling under the fatal stroke which terminated his life, Mr. Mccullough summoned such of the comrades of Company G as were within call, to his home, where, after the serving of a generous banquet, hours were spent in stich social converse as such occasions invoke, but which in this case called forth tears as well as rejoicings.
THOMAS C. BERMINGHAM.
For many years Chicago has been the recog- nized center of the commercial Middle West. being eminently fitted for such pre-eminence by its position with regard to the lakes and railroad systems. This supremacy, which is rec- ognized even in the old eastern cities, has been , brought about and maintained by the aggressive business men who have chosen this city as the field of their operations, many of which are far-reaching in their results. Among the men
belonging to this very class of citizens was Thomas C. Bermingham, once president of the Bermingham & Seaman Company, wholesale paper merchants of Chicago, whose career was one typical of the city's progressive spirit, and advanced commercialism. He was born on a farm in Washington County, Wis .. May 29, 1850, a son of Thomas and Ann (Costello) Bermingham. During his childhood he attended the public schools of Wisconsin, but early be-
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came self-supporting, and when eighteen years old began the battle of life on his own account. There was no royal road to fortune in his case, for he was essentially a self-made man in every respect.
Having begun his business life in 1868, as an office boy with the paper manufacturing firm of Davis, Lawrence & Davis, of Beloit, Wis., Mr. Bermingham early gained a thorough knowledge of the business, and steadily ad- vanced in it, passing through successive posi- tions until he became a traveling salesman for the firm in 1870, and for two years ably repre- sented his house upon the road. Severing his connections at that date with his first employ- ers, he entered the employ of the J. W. Butler Paper Company of Chicago, with which he re- mained for ten years. Later he went to Arap- ahoe County, Colo., where, for the next dec- ade he was profitably employed in cattle rang- ing. Changes in conditions in the cattle coun- try caused him losses, and he returned to Cbi- cago in 1892. Although he had practically lost all he possessed, he did not permit this to dis- courage him, but, re-entering the paper trade, was in the employ of several wholesale houses until 1899 when he secured an interest in the wholesale paper house of F. K. Moody & Com. pany. In 1902, the business was reorganized under the name of Moody & Bermingham Com- pany, Mr. Bermingham becoming the president and executive head. Two years later the name was changed, becoming the Bermingham and Seaman Company. The company occupies an enviable position among similar concerns of its kind in the country, and this was gained in large measure through the aggressive policy of Thomas C. Bermingham and those with whom he was associated, in the above mentioned house. New ideas were constantly being intro- duced, and carried out, and in many instances Bermingham and Seaman Company led the way in proving the advisability of advanced methods. As is but natural, Mr. Bermingham's former
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experiences were of great value to him in his Work as the executive head of this concern, and his excellent judgment and knowledge of men and affairs were constantly being brought into play.
Thomas C. Bermingham was married ( first) at Des Moines, Iowa, October 6. 1880, to Miss Belle Daugherty, who died January 5, 1912, without issue. Mr. Bermingham was married (second) March 28. 1914, to Mrs. Glendora (Searles) Nutter, the oldest daughter of Har- low A. Scarles, of Des Moines, Iowa. They had been married less than two months when Mr. Bermingham's death occurred, May 20, 1914.
In addition to his paper house, Mr. Berming- ham had other valuable interests, and owned a large amount of valuable realty. Although non- partisan in politics, his sympathies were in ac- . cord with the views held by the progressive Republicans, or reform Democrats. He was a member of the Chicago Association of Com- merce and widely known in this connection, as ctherwise in the business circles of the country. Although a man of quiet, unostentatious man- ner, he had many warm, personal friends, who knew and appreciated his earnest purpose and advanced principles. A man of substantial worth whose judgment was sound and sagacity keen, he never sacrificed a safe conservatism to ambition, in all his career wisely seeking ad- vancement on well established business prin- ciples. Few men of the country were better in- formed concerning the financial problems which are always an issue in the management of large interests. Mr. Bermingham always took a deep interest in the country's welfare, never hesitat- ing to advocate or oppose any measure or proj- ect which, in his judgment, merited endorse- ment or opposition. In short, to condense in a few words the character of Mr. Bermingham, he was interested in all that pertains to modern advancement, and was one of the level-headed, successful business men and typical citizens of Chicago.
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