USA > Illinois > Madison County > Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 1912, Volume II > Part 86
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On the 9th of September, 1903, was cele- brated the marriage of Mr. Schoeck to Miss Ruby Rule, a daughter of Henry Rule, a rep- resentative citizen of St. Jacob township. Mrs. Schoeck was born and reared in this sec- tion of the state and she is a woman of most gracious personality, being deeply beloved by a ยท wide circle of friends and acquaintances. Mr. and Mrs. Schoeck are the fond parents of one child, Russell Emerson Schoeck, whose birth occurred on the 22nd of March, 1908. In their religious belief the Schoeck family are consistent members of the German Evan- gelical church, in whose faith he was reared.
BEN H. SCHRUMPF. A man of undoubted enterprise and ability, Ben H. Schrumpf, junior member of the firm of Mewes & Schrumpf, is actively identified with the de- velopment and advancement of the mercan- tile prosperity of Pierron, where he is carry- ing on a highly satisfactory business. He was born March 26, 1882, in Pocahontas, Bond county, Illinois, and there grew to manhood.
His father, Peter H. Schrumpf, was born in Germany, in 1841, and in 1856 came with his parents to the United States, locating in Missouri. He began his active career as a farmer, after his marriage settling on a farm in Bond county, where he still resides, he and his good wife being among the most respected and esteemed members of their community. He married Elizabeth Mollett, a native of Switzerland, and to them eleven children have been born, ten of whom are now, in 1911, liv- ing, as follows : Sophia, wife of Louis Ruedy ; William, who married Mary Knebel; Peter N., Jr .; Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Ambruehl; Catherine, wife of Nick Suess; Samuel; Ben H .; August ; Theodore; and Louis.
Brought up in Bond county, Ben H. Schrumpf was educated in the common schools of Harned, attending steadily until sixteen years old. The four ensuing years he worked on the parental homestead, obtaining
a pretty good knowledge of farming. Not content with rural life, he then went to St. Louis, and having secured a position as clerk in a hardware store retained it for five and one half years. Returning home at that time, he stayed with his father five months, assist- ing in the care of the farm. Coming then to Pierron, Mr. Schrumpf embarked in the har- ness business, which he conducted for six months, giving it up then to become a partner of Mr. William F. Mewes, a general mer- chant, with whom he is still associated, their store being one of the best stocked and best equipped of the kind in this part of Madison county. Mr. Schrumpf has been successful in his undertakings, and has acquired town property in addition to his mercantile inter- ests. He is a straightforward Republican in politics, and at the present time is serving as notary public. He is a member of the Bank- ers' Life Insurance Company and of the Pru- dential Life Insurance, two live and strong organizations.
Mr. Schrumpf married, July 22, 1909, Min- nie Salzmann, daughter of Ernest and Teresa Salzmann, of Highland, Illinois.
LOUIS LATZER. Among the enterprising and progressive citizens of Helvetia township, Madison county, Illinois, Louis Latzer, agri- culturist, president of the Helvetia Milk Con- densing Company at Highland, Illinois, and identified with banking interests, stands prom- inent. As one at the head of an industry which has important bearing upon the progress and stable prosperity of the community, he occu- pies a representative position and it is emi- nently fitting that he be accorded recognition in this volume devoted to the builders of Madison county, Illinois. Of that large and constantly growing concern, the Helvetia Milk Condens- ing Company, Mr. Latzer was an organizer and leading spirit and under his enlightened man- agement it has encountered the fairest of for- tunes. The present buildings were erected in 1904, and in addition to the Highland concern there are seven other plants. The company is incorporated under the laws of Illinois, and its officers are as follows: Louis Latzer, presi- dent ; Adolph Meyer, secretary and treasurer : and Fred Kaeser, vice president. Mr. Latzer is a stockholder in the State and Trust Bank of Highland and has numerous other interests.
Mr. Latzer is a native son of Madison county, his birth having occurred on November II, 1848, the son of Alois and Margaret (Ga- duff) Latzer, the father a native of Tyrol. Austria, and the mother of Switzerland. Both
Louis Latzer
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came to this country about the year 1846 and became acquainted with each other after lo- cating at Highland. The subject is the only living child of this worthy couple, a brother John dying in early manhood.
Louis Latzer was born on the farm upon which he and his family now make their home, the same being located two miles from High- land. He received his elementary education in the schools of Highland and for a limited time attended McKendree College at Lebanon, Illinois, and also the state university at Cham- paign, Illinois. He later also specialized in chemistry under private instruction, and when thus equipped he took charge of the technical end of the Helvetia Milk Condensing Com- pany. He ownes one hundred acres of land, this being highly improved and most advan- tageously situated. In 1885 the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company was organized with Mr. Latzer as a director. In 1889 he was elected president and has continued in this office ever since that time. The output of the company is large and finds a market all over the world, having eight plants in this country.
On the 10th day of December, 1874, Mr. Latzer established an independent household by his marriage to Eliza Luehm, of Swiss descent. She was born in this country and was educated in the public schools. Her par- ents were Albert and Barbara (Hiltbold) Luehm. This union has been blessed by the birth of seven children, six of whom are liv- ing. These young people have received the best of educational advantages and are a credit to the county which gave them birth. The eld- est daughter, Alice, is a graduate of Elmira College, and for three years attended the State University of Illinois. John was graduated from the State University of Illinois with the degree of M. S. and is at the present time man- ager of a branch plant of the Helvetia Milk Condensing Company in Pennsylvania. Jen- nie graduated from the State University with the degree of Master of Science and subse- quently became an instructor in that institution. She is the wife of Dr. Albert Kaeser, of High- land. Lenore graduated from the Illinois State University with the degree of A. B., and from the University of Michigan with the degree of M. S. She is now an instructor at the Univer- sity of Illinois ; Robert L. was graduated from the University of Illinois with the degree of B. S., and afterward matriculated at Cornell, at which celebrated institution he took his Master's degree. He organized an independ- ent milk condensing company, called the High-
land Milk Condensing Company, at Elkland, Pennsylvania. Irma, the youngest member of the interesting sextet, was born in 1891, and is a student in the University of Illinois.
Mr. Latzer has ever given heart and hand to the policies and principles of the Republican party and is helpfully concerned in all matters of public import. He has several times given splendid service in public office, having served as supervisor of Helvetia township for eleven years, as highway commissioner for six years, as school trustee for over twenty years and for one year as chairman of the board of supervis- ors of Madison county. In every capacity he has gained credit for himself and honor and profit for his fellow men.
WILLIAM F. MEWES. One of the foremost citizens of Pierron, and an enterprising and successful merchant, William F. Mewes, head of the firm of Mewes & Schrumpf, is identi- fied with the best interests of his community, and is held in high esteem as a man of in- tegrity and worth. A son of the late August Mewes, he was born February 24, 1874, in Jamestown, Clinton county, Illinois, coming from thrifty German stock.
Born in Germany about 1830, August Mewes remained in the Fatherland until 1865, when he immigrated to the United States. Settling first in Hancock county, Illinois, he there became accustomed to farming as car- ried on in the great middle west. At the end of two years he bought a tract of land in Jamestown, Illinois, and was there engaged in agricultural pursuits many years, residing there until his death, in 1905. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Kautzbon, was born in Germany, and died, in 1906, in Jamestown, Illinois. Of the six children born of their union three are living, as follows : William F., the special subject of this brief biographical sketch; Matilda, wife of John Hartlieb; and Ida, wife of George Klein.
William F. Mewes was educated in the schools of Jamestown and Greenville, attend- ing quite regularly until fifteen years of age. The ensuing ten years he assisted his father in the management of the home farm. Aban- doning agricultural pursuits, Mr. Mewes then embarked in mercantile business with his brother, H. A. Mewes, in Pierron, and after the death of his brother admitted to partner- ship Philip Hartlieb, with whom he was asso- ciated from 1901 until 1905. From that time until 1908 Mr. Mewes conducted the business alone, but has since been in partnership with Benjamin H. Schrumpf, under the firm name
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of Mewes & Schrumpf, and is carrying on an extensive and lucrative trade. A man of ex- cellent judgment and foresight, Mr. Mewes has acquired valuable interests in outside in- vestments, and also owns some land in the vicinity of Jamestown, Clinton county, Illi- nois. Since 1901 he has served as postmaster at Pierron, and at the present time he is city treasurer. In his political affiliations he is a stanch Republican. He was reared in the Lutheran faith, of which his parents were de- vout followers.
Mr. Mewes married, January 18, 1899, Car- oline Hartlieb, a daughter of Philip Hartlieb, of Saline township, Madison county, and of the four children born of their union three are living, namely : Donald, Duane and Melba.
PHILIP M. ESSENPREIS. A man of good business capacity, great intelligence and keen foresight, Philip M. Essenpreis stands promi- nent among the well-to-do citizens of Pier- ron, where, as a dealer in grain and lumber, he is carrying on a substantial business. A native of Bond county, Illinois, he was born February 13, 1866, near Pierron, on the farm of his father, the late Leo Essenpreis.
His grandfather, Antoine Essenpreis, a na- tive of Germany, remained in the Fatherland during the earlier years of his life. Immigrat- ing then with his family to America, he lo- cated at Highland, Illinois, where he bought land and was engaged in cultivating the soil until his death. To him and his wife, who also spent her last years on the home farm, six children were born and reared.
The third child of the parental household, Leo Essenpreis was a lad of fifteen years when he crossed the ocean with his parents. He subsequently lived with his parents until about twenty years of age, when he began farming on his own account, buying land in Bond county, in the vicinity of Pierron. There he and his bride began housekeeping. In 1880, after the death of his wife he moved to Pierron and retired. He married Emma Weiss, and they had one boy, William G. Of the seven children born of the first marriage five died in childhood, and two are living, as follows: F. H., of Pierron, and Philip M., with whom this sketch is chiefly concerned.
Obtaining his elementary education in the district schools, Philip M. Essenpreis after- wards attended school in Pocahontas, High- land and Pierron, continuing as a student un- til eighteen years of age. Beginning life then for himself, he clerked in different Pierron stores, including general hardware establish-
ments, being thus employed until 1886. He was afterwards engaged in farming in Bond county for about thirteen years, as an agricul- turist meeting with excellent pecuniary re- sults. In 1899 Mr. Essenpreis returned to Pierron, where he has since been actively and successfully engaged in the grain and lumber business. He has acquired property of value, owning four hundred and ten acres of Bond county land, and in addition to his business at Pierron is interested in other enterprises of importance. He is far-secing and practical, and carries life insurance in the New York Mutual and in the Bankers' Company, of lowa. Politically Mr. Essenpreis is affiliated with the Democratic party, and has held the office of alderman six years, and for nine con- secutive years was school director.
On April 19, 1887, Mr. Essenpreis was united in marriage with Anna Weindel, a daughter of Stephen and Fredericka Weindel, of Bond county. Six children have blessed the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Essenpreis, five of whom are now living, namely : Clara, wife of Carl Metzger; Victor; Edgar; Milda; and Nora. Mr. Essenpries and his family are Catholics in religion, and valued members of the Church of the Immaculate Conception, at Pierron.
JOIIN A. FOEDERER. Beginning life for himself poor in purse, but the possessor of an unlimited stock of perseverance and energy, John A. Foederer, of Pierron, has achieved success in his industrial career, and is a fine representative of the self-made men of our country. A son of Andrew Foederer, he was born in Bond county, Illinois, near Pierron, November 8, 1876.
Andrew Foederer was born in America, of German ancestry, and died in early manhood, when his son John A. was but eighteen months old. His widow, whose maiden name was Mary Foederer, subsequently married for her second husband Bartol Hotz, a native of Germany, and they became the parents of six children, of whom four are living, as fol- lows: Charles Hotz; Joseph; Anna, wife of Dr. Rush; and Rosie, wife of Edward Steitz.
Brought up on the home farm, John A. Foederer attended first the district school, afterwards being a pupil for a brief time in the Highland schools. When thirteen years old he left school to work on the farm, and was thus employed for four years. Going then to Grant Fork, Madison county, he worked two years at the blacksmith's trade, after which he was employed in a smithy at
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Highland for some time. Going thence to ant consent and he left home, going direct to Missouri, Mr. Foederer there followed his trade on his own account for four years, as a blacksmith being well patronized. Returning to Saline township in 1890, he opened a black- smith's shop at Pierron, and has here followed his trade successfully since, having at the same time been an important factor in advanc- ing the industrial interests of his community.
Mr. Foederer married Barbara Hoelscher, a daughter of John Hoelscher, of Madison county, Illinois, and into the household thus established five children have been born, namely: John P., Matilda, Oscar A., Hilde- garde and Raymond. Politically Mr. Foed- erer is affiliated with the Democratic party, and has served as township trustee and as justice of the peace. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of the Catholic Knights of America, and religiously he belongs to the Catholic church at Pierron.
FREDERICK HAUCK. Education is the capi- tal which every man or woman must have in order to succeed in life, but education does not consist alone or even chiefly in book knowledge. Frederick Hauck, as a matter of fact, had very little schooling, but he studied to do everything faithfully that was laid to his charge. A man perfects himself much more by work than he does by reading, and so it has been with Mr. Hauck. He has made the best possible use of his opportunities, nor has he always waited for opportunity to knock, but has gone out to meet it. He has become a man who is honored and admired not only in Collinsville, but in the whole min- ing district, where he is very well known.
He was born in Bavaria, Germany, Febru- ary 22, 1856, the son of John and Katharine Hauck. The mother's maiden name was also Hauck, but she belonged to an entirely dif- ferent family, having no connection with that of her husband. John Hauck was a sergeant on the police force in Bavaria, having done good service. For twenty years he served as postmaster of his town; after his death his wife was given his position, which she filled for twenty-three years. Their daughter, Lisetta Jantzer, is the postmistress of the same place to-day, the office having been in the family for sixty years. Neither Mr. or Mrs. John Hauck ever came to this country.
Frederick went to school in Germany until he was thirteen years old, at which time his sister, who had come to the United States some time before, sent for him to join her in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents gave a reluct-
his sister. He was apprenticed to a harness- maker, serving two years, but he did not find the work suited to his tastes or capabilities. He, therefore, gave it up and went to Ken- tucky, where he worked on a farm for a time. In 1877 he came to Collinsville, Illi- nois, where he worked in the mines for a time. He went to Glen Carbon, where he made rapid progress, being promoted by de- grees until he became mine manager. Later he became the superintendent of the Consoli- dated Coal Company, the company being in- corporated in 1899 under the laws of the state of Illinois. The officers are: Kingdon Gould, president; W. L. Schmick, vice president ; A. W. Carr, secretary and treasurer; J. H. Shaw, general superintendent; J. R. Jen- nings, chief clerk of the district. Mr. Hauck is now and has been since October, 1911, gen- eral sales agent for the Harding Brothers Real Estate Company in East St. Louis, Illi- nois.
In 1883 he married Maggie Wendler, a young lady of German descent, like himself also born in Bavaria, Germany. Two children have been born to this union, Frederick J., who completed the public school course at Glen Carbon, and Maggie, who also finished the public school course at Glen Carbon and is now the wife of Webster Hayes, a mine manager. Both children now live at Staun- ton, Illinois. Mrs. Hauck is a member of the Evangelical church of Collinsville.
Mr. Hauck is not a member of any church but he is, nevertheless, a man who contrib. utes to the church and any other cause that he deems worthy. He is a Mason, holding membership in Edwardsville lodge, No. 99, A. F. and A. M .; he belongs to the Edwards- ville Chapter, No. 146, Royal Arch Masons; to the Council, No. 8, and to the Knights Templar, No. 2, at Alton, Illinois. He has taken the thirty-second degree in masonry and in addition to this high position he is a member of the Mystic Shrine, St. Louis, Mis- souri, and also belonging to two insurance orders. In politics he is a Democrat, but has never taken any active part in public affairs, being content to leave them to others. Mr. Hauck is the descendant of good old German stock, possessing the characteristics of the German race to a very marked degree. He is honest and upright, on which two qualities a sermon might be preached; suffice it to say that it is through these attributes and many others that he has been deemed worthy of the
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office he now holds and in which he has made good in a marked degree. He is a man of whom the citizens of Collinsville are proud, and with reason.
BENJAMIN WESLEY JARVIS, editor and owner of the Troy Call for the past thirteen years, has been a newspaper man from his boyhood up, and is likewise the son of a news- paper man. Although it was not his early intention to become identified with the work, circumstances shaped his course in life, and despite his intention, Mr. Jarvis has found a field of activity wherein his natural abilities have been given exercise, and which has con- duced to his prosperity and popularity as per- haps another line of endeavor might have failed to do.
Mr. Jarvis was born on June 15. 1877, at Troy, Illinois, and is the son of James Nelson and Elizabeth (Donoho) Jarvis. The father was born in Troy on June 1, 1849, and was the founder of the first newspaper Troy boasted. The paper was started on May 18, 1872, when Mr. Jarvis was a young man of twenty-three, and his entire equipment was an Army press and about forty dollars worth of material. The paper was called the Com- mercial Bulletin, and five hundred copies were printed semi-monthly for free distribution. On February 22, 1873, the paper was suc- ceeded by the Weekly Bulletin, which was continued for many years thereafter. Mr. Jarvis was a man of unusual versatility, and was known for his ability as a musician, sur- veyor, accountant and other lines. He held many official positions of honor and trust in both Jarvis township and the city of Troy during his life time, and was a notary public for forty consecutive years. He died on July 31, 1911. The wife and mother still lives. She is a daughter of Benjamin and Marion (Shane) Donoho, who came to Illi- nois from Delaware and were residents of this section of the country for many years. Not only is Mr. Jarvis a native born son of Troy, but his father was born here, and his grandmother, Mary A. Jarvis, the wife of Wesley Jarvis, was a native of the county, born between Troy and Edwardsville, on September 6, 1813. At the time of her death in 1902 she had the distinction of being the oldest native born resident of Madison county. The paternal great-grandparents of Mr. Jarvis were George W. and Isabella (Roseberry) Kinder, who were pioneer set- tlers of Madison county. Mr. Kinder first
came here from near Louisville, Kentucky, in 1811, making the trip alone on horseback through the country. After prospecting about and purchasing land between Troy and Ed- wardsville, he returned to Kentucky in 1812, and in the spring of 1813 came back to Mad- ison county with his wife and two children. The trip was again made on horseback, the horses carrying the bedding and provision. They drove a herd of cattle before them, and Mr. and Mrs. Kinder walked a great deal of the way, carrying the children, Jacob J. and Jane R. Kinder.
Benjamin Wesley Jarvis was educated in the public schools of Troy, and later took a night business course in the McCray-Dewey Academy. He was practically reared in his father's printing office, but never anticipated following the business. One of his earliest boyish desires was to be a railroad engineer, but he never found an opportunity to carry out his young ambition in that respect. His first position after leaving school was as a clerk in the store of August Droll. Later he secured work at the old Brookside mine "feeding" elevator, and had charge of the engine running same, after which experience he was employed below as a "trapper" in the old Troy mine. He gave up this work, how- ever, and returned to a clerkship in the Droll store, but it was the least of his intention to remain a clerk in another man's establishment for very long. He was yet a clerk in Droll's store when August Droll, with J. F. Edwards, purchased the Troy Star, changing its name to the Troy Call. The previous experience of Mr. Jarvis in his father's place of business made him a valuable man to his employer, Mr. Droll, and much of the detail work was left to him, with the result that in a few years he was in complete charge of the business. In 1897 he took a lease on the business, the firm being known as A. L. Bounds and B. W. Jarvis. The senior member was seventy years old and the junior member was twenty. After about six months he discontinued as a part- ner, but remained in the employ of the owner. On March 13, 1899, Mr. Jarvis purchased the Troy Call from August Droll. He promptly set about rejuvenating the plant, installing new and up-to-date equipment, and has since added to the plant and improved the paper until it now ranks as one of the representative weekly journals of Madison county. The plant is now equipped with cylinder and job presses, typesetting and folding machines, and
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other modern apparatus for the carrying on of the newspaper and general job printing business.
Mr. Jarvis held the office of township clerk for two years, and as a stanch member of the Democratic party has been active in the interests of the cause. He has on various occasions represented the party in county, dis- trict and state conventions. He is a citizen of most admirable public spirit, and is ever fore- most in matters affecting the civic welfare of the city. He is especially active in his efforts to secure an interurban electric line for Troy, and has aided very materially through the medium of his newspaper in the establish- ment of various enterprises in Troy during the past decade. Mr. Jarvis is a member of the Modern Woodmen since 1898. He is a Presbyterian by training and parentage, al- though not a member of any church. His grandparents, Wesley and Mary Jarvis, do- nated the site for the present Presbyterian church in Troy and were instrumental in its organization and the erection of the building. These worthy people also donated to the city a spot for its present cemetery, and in other ways gave lasting evidence of their loyalty and affection for the town of their birth.
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