USA > Illinois > Kendall County > Genealogical and biographical record of Kendall and Will Counties, Illinois : containing biographies of well known citizens of the past and present > Part 71
USA > Illinois > Will County > Genealogical and biographical record of Kendall and Will Counties, Illinois : containing biographies of well known citizens of the past and present > Part 71
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M ESHACK DANDO, who is engaged in the insurance, real-estate and conveyance busi- ness at Braidwood, was born in Bristol, England, in 1847, a son of Jeremialı Dando, a native . of the same city. Under the instruction of his father, who was a practical coal miner, he gained a thorough knowledge of mining, when lie was only fifteen years old. He then left honie and went to the coal mines in Monmouthshire, Wales, where he was employed for two years. In 1865 he set sail for America, crossing from Liverpool to New York, and thence going to Pittston, Pa., where he secured work in the mines. In December, 1866, he went to New- buryport, Mass. Three months later he came west. He dates his residence in Will County
from February, 1867. At that time he began to work in the old Cady mine near Wilmington, remaining there during the summer. In the fall of the same year he came to Braidwood, then a new mining camp. His first work here was in "B" shaft. From that time until 1874 he was engaged principally in mining. In 1874 he was elected city clerk of Braidwood, being the second incumbent of that office, and serving for two years. To fill an unexpired term, caused by the election of Justice William Mooney to the legis- lature, he was elected justice of the peace in the spring of 1875, and this commission he held un- til 1877. From that time until 1885 he served as police magistrate. Later he was again elected to that office and was again chosen to serve as justice of the peace, which he filled for a period, altogether, of more than twenty years. It was partly due to his efforts that the city library was started and the cataloguing of the books was conducted under his personal supervision; he has since acted as a director of the Library Associa- tion and was for years clerk of the board. In every enterprise for the benefit of his home town he has taken a warm interest. The growtli of Braidwood interests all of its citizens and none more so than those who have been identified with its history ever since its pioneer days as a mining camp. To this class Mr. Dando belongs. A respected citizen, a stanch Populist, and a inan of firm convictions upon matters pertaining to our national welfare, he is a fine represen- tative of our foreign-born citizens, who are true and loyal to their adopted country. In 1877 he assisted in organizing the Greenback party in this county, but when the People's party sprang up he transferred his allegiance to it, for its principles accurately represented his views. He was at one time the Populist candidate for the legislature, but was defeated.
In a number of fraternal organizations Mr. Dando has been active. He was among the charter members of the Lodge of Foresters in Braidwood and several times was elected chief ranger; also served as delegate to the subsidiary high court at St. Louis, Boston and Providence, R. I. He was the first vice-commander of the
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Knights of Sherwood Forest, which was organ- ized at Providence. As a charter member he took an active part in the organization of the Sons of St. George at Braidwood, which he served as president a number of terms. For several years he held office as secretary of the Miners' Union. In other labor organizations he has also been quite active. In 1868 he married Miss Martha Swansboro, a native of South Wales. She died in 1883, leaving five children, viz .: William J .; Hattie, wife of George Milner; Ada, Thomas and Albert. The oldest and youngest sons are both employed in Joliet.
NTON SCHAGER was born in Chicago, August 22, 1858, a son of Anton and Eliza- beth (Hagemann) Schager. He was the eldest of twelve children, of whom five beside himself are now living. Rose M. resides with her mother at Ravenswood, Chicago. Julia F., who also makes her home in Ravenswood, is the widow of George L. Schintz, who was the youngest man ever elected to the office of district attorney in Langlade County, Wis., and was also prominent in the public life of his home town (Appleton, Wis). Hattie M. is the wife of M. S. Sanders, who is chief clerk and financial man- ager for Crerar, Clinch & Co., with office in the Rookery building, Chicago, and who previously held the position of chief clerk with the Illinois Steel Company in Joliet. Lillie F. married George E. Stevens, a commercial salesman for the Mclaughlin Coffee Company of Chicago; they reside in Janesville, Wis. Edward J., who was for some time a collector for the Joliet National Bank, is now with the Kirk Soap Company in Chicago, and resides with his mother.
The father of our subject was born in Austria in 1832, and came to America in 1850. It was customary for youths who preferred business en- terprise to army service to secure permission to do a traveling mercantile business, and thus, by traveling from one country to another, to finally
reach their destination without the use of a pass- port. In this way he reached the United States. Here he resumed his work as a traveling mer- chant, and sold in the states of Michigan, Wis- consin, Indiana and Illinois, finally settling in Chicago. October 15, 1857, he married Miss Hagemann. Soon afterward he opened a dry- goods store in partnership with his father-in-law on South Canal street, where he remained until the year before the great Chicago fire. By pre- vious experience as a clerk with leading mercan- tile firms he had gained a thorough knowledge of the business and a wide acquaintance with merchants. In 1870 he built a business house on the corner of Halsted and Forquer streets, and in connection with the sale of dry goods also operated a large knitting factory. After the fire his was the largest dry-goods house, whole- sale or retail, in the city. The close attention given to his knitting factory interests under- mined his health through the inhaling of dust that constantly filled the knitting rooms. A change of business was thus rendered necessary. He associated himself with the Kraker Stone Company of Joliet, and in this way he was in- duced to establish his home here. He also en- gaged in the dry-goods business, though on a smaller scale than when in Chicago. However, his health continued to fail and he died in Janu- ary, 1894. In politics he was an ardent Demo- crat. While in Chicago he was a very prominent member of St. Francis' Catholic Church on West Twelfth street, in which he served as president of various societies. For some years he was a director of the German Catholic orphans' home, the property of which he assisted in purchasing. He was a director of the Home Insurance Com- pany, the Germania Bank, and the Teutonia Life Insurance Company of Chicago.
The mother of our subject was born in one of the ancient fortresses near Koblentz on the Rhine, February 2, 1839. She was a daughter of An- ton and Gertrude Hagemann, who came to Amer- ica in 1846 and settled in Chicago, where for years Mr. Hagemann was a mill watchman. One of the sons of the family, Hubert A. Hagemann, recently deceased, was treasurer of the seventh
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ward Democratic club, and a leading Democrat of that part of Chicago. Another son, Joseph A. Hagemann, volunteered in the Civil war, and served under Hecker, Siegel and Rosecrans. At Gettysburg he was wounded and taken pris- oner, but afterward exchanged. He now lives at Hanceville, Ala., on a farm, but has never re- covered from the effects of his wounds, and is in very poor health. Mrs. Schager survives her husband and now makes her home in Ravens- wood.
The primary education of our subject was ob- tained in St. Francis German Catholic school. At the age of twelve he entered St. Ignatius College, from which he graduated in 1876. One of his classmates and particular friends was the well-known Judge Prendergast, now deceased. After his graduation he devoted his time to his father's business until 1887, when he was ap- pointed store keeper of the Illinois state peni- tentiary at Joliet, taking charge of the office January 1, 1888. Notwithstanding the fact that he was Democratic in politics, and was the only representative of that party holding office in this institution, he retained the position for three years and seven months. Shortly before he re- signed he was married, October 22, 1890, to Miss Celia M. Stanton, daughter of Nicholas Stanton, a well-known business man of Joliet. They have three children, Leo A., Anton J. and Cecilia M. Mrs. Schager has been prominent in musical societies. She is leading soprano and assistant organist in St. Mary's Church, and at one time was organist in the old church. She was the first organist at Sacred Heart Church of Joliet, and filled the position for six years, Mr. Schager, our subject, being director of her choir the greater part of the time.
In 1891 Mr. Schager embarked in the insurance business. He also gave considerable attention to expert accounting, in which he gained a repu- tation. May 19, 1894, lie was appointed assistant postınaster, which position he held until Septem- ber, 1898, and then resumed his insurance busi- ness, being general agent for the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia, and the health department of the Security Trust and
Life Insurance Company of the same city. He also settled up the affairs of the Rauft soda fac- tory and bottling works after the death of the proprietor, putting the business in a profitable condition.
When twelve years of age Mr. Schager became a member of St. Aloysius Young Men's Society of St. Francis Church, Chicago. Later he was secretary of the Acolythical Society of the Holy Family Church, better known as the Jesuit Church. At college he was secretary of the Chrysostomian debating society and college ath- letic club, also assistant prefect of the college sodality. He was a charter member and one of the first trustees of St. Stanislaus Young Men's Benevolent Society, organized in St. Francis' parish in 1873, and which is now the largest, old- est and most influential young men's benevolent society in the United States. During eight of the twelve years he was connected with this organi- zation he served as its president, and for a short time also held the secretary's office. He was for five years director of the dramatic section in connection with the association, and was for fif- teen years a prominent member of the Catholic Casino of Chicago, through which he obtained his well-earned reputation as one of the best and most prominent tenors of Chicago. He made his debut as choir director at the church of the Sacred Heart in Chicago, having been appointed to that position by the great Jesuit missioner, Father Damen, and his worthy successor, Rev. Bronsgeest, S. J. On his removal to Joliet in 1885 he resigned the presidency of the society.
When he came to Joliet Mr. Schager joined the Joliet Saengerbund and the St. Alois branch of the Western Catholic Union .. A year later he was elected vice-president of the Saengerbund, and in December, 1889, was made president, which office he held until September, 1892. He is now secretary, and for three years has been the musi- cal director of the society. At a local gathering of singing associations in Lincoln, Ill., in 1890, lie offered a resolution that a state society be formed. It was acted upon, and the Central Illi- nois Saengerbund sprang into existence, with him as its president. He continued to hold the
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office during the existence of the society, but was obliged by official duties to withdraw from active management when he entered the post- office, to the detriment of the society, its mem- bers refusing to elect another man to the presi- dency. He was a charter member of the Or- pheus Glee Club, organized July 1, 1886, by our subject, Charles H. Talcott, Gallus Mueller, William Dingley, Joseph B. Hudson, Edward Demond, W. J. Carter and Louis H, Hyde. A permanent organization was effected six days later, with the additional names of John B. Rich- mond, George F. Knapp, Dr. O. H. Staehle and R. W. Grinton. From 1887 to 1890 Mr. Scha- ger was secretary of the club. In 1897 the Joliet Glee Club was organized, which later was consolidated with the Joliet Banjo Club, and is now known as the Joliet Glee and Banjo Club. At the organization he was made director, a po- sition he has since held. For one year he was musical director of St. Patrick's Church choir. In August, 1893, he accepted the charge of St. Mary's Church choir. November 21, 1899, he assisted in organizing the Steel Works Choral Society, at the request of the superintendent, F. M. Savage, and was made its director. For ten succe sive years he has been a Joliet representa- tive in the conventions of the Western Catholic Union. In 1893 he was elected supreme vice- president at Mount Sterling, Ill., and the next year was re-elected at Aurora, also at Springfield in 1895. In 1896, at Quincy, Ill., he was nomi- nated by acclamation for a fourth term in the same office, but declined in favor of Joseph Braun, Jr., of Joliet. At the Aurora convention in 1894 he proposed the reserve fund plan, submitted by the Joliet delegation, which has since proved the strongest feature of the Western Catholic Union. For three years he was president of St. Alois So- ciety, and immediately afterwards was made chairman of the board of trustees of said society, an office which he has since held. As a mu- sical director it is the testimony of the men in Joliet who are most familiar with his work that he lias few equals. He throws his whole soul into his work, and has the faculty of arousing the enthusiasm of those whom he leads, while at
the same time he develops to the fullest extent their native powers of song. He tolerates no half-hearted efforts, but is satisfied only with the best, either in himself or in others; and it is this very quality of his,-the demanding of the high- est and best from every one-that has made him so prominent and successful a figure in the musi- cal and social circles of northeastern and central Illinois. In politics he is a quiet, conservative Democrat, and always in favor of the best obtain- able form of government, being a firm believer in the almost vanished maxim that the office shall seek the man, rather than the contrary.
ESSE BARRETT BROWN, alderman from the seventh ward of Joliet, is a member of the firm of Brown & Bell, boiler-makers, at No. 107 Ottawa street. In its special line the firm is one of the best-known in this section of the state. Among the boilers for which it has held contracts are those made for the Joliet Manufacturing and Joliet Limestone Companies, Western Stone Company, American Steel and Wire Company, Baker, Eriksson, Globe, Porter, Pioneer and Rowell Brothers Stone Companies; Selz, Schwab & Co., at the state penitentiary; Union Steam Laundry and C. Hacker Company ; besides which, the firm has received contracts for boilers at Coal City, Braidwood, Nevada, Chi- cago Heights, Wilmington, Lockport, and many other Illinois towns, as well as some in Indiana and other states.
The family of which Mr. Brown is a member was early represented in New England. His great-grandfather, a native of Vermont, removed to Ontario, where the grandfather engaged in farming. The father, Calvin, was born in On- tario and there learned the carpenter's trade, but after his marriage, in 1852, he and his wife's relatives moved to Illinois, settling near Elwood, in Jackson Township, this county, where he en- gaged in sawmilling. Returning to Canada he soon became homesick for Illinois and in a year
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came back to Will County. He settled in Joliet, where he followed the carpenter's trade until his death in 1893. His wife, Nancy Ann Barrett, was born in Ontario and lives in Joliet. They were the parents of three sons and one daughter, the latter deceased. One son, William R., re- sides at Marley, this county, and another, Frank- lin K., is a carpenter for Humphrey & Sons, of Joliet. Mrs. Brown was a daughter of Jesse Barrett, a native of Ontario, who settled in Jack- son Township in 1852 and from here removed to Howard County, Iowa. He worked at the car- penter's trade there until he was accidentally killed by the running away of a team. His wife was a member of the old Canadian family of Boyce, that traced its ancestry to Great Britain.
Born in this county, May 31, 1854, Mr. Brown was an infant of six months when his parents rc- turned to Canada, but one year later they came back to Illinois and he was reared in Joliet, al- though he has made frequent visits to Canada. He learned the brickmaker's trade at the Joliet Mound, where he was employed for six years. In 1878 he entered the boiler department of what is now the Illinois Steel Company and under James G. Heggie learned boiler making, con- tinuing with the company for ten years. At the expiration of that time he resigned in order to embark in business for himself, organizing the fırın of Brown & Heggie, which for two years carried on business at the old Murphy boiler works on Michigan street. From there they removed to a new shop on North Joliet street, where they continued for two years. Mr. Brown then sold his interest to his partner and organ- ized the present firm of Brown & Bell, starting in business at the location where lic has since re- mained.
The first wife of Mr. Brown was Bertha E. Johnson, who was born in Schleswig-Holstein and died in Joliet, leaving three children : Charles, who is a boiler-maker with the Elgin, Jolict & Eastern Railroad; Jennie, who clerks for the Joliet Novelty Company; and Miles. The pres- ent wife of Mr. Brown was Sarah Kirkham, a native of England, and a daughter of Harry Kirkham, who was formerly head foundryman
for the Illinois Steel Company. The family are identified with the Richards Street Methodist Episcopal Church.
In politics Mr. Brown favors Republican prin- ciples. In the spring of 1899, on the Republi- can ticket, he was elected alderman by the high- est majority ever received in the seventh ward. As councilman he has been active in measures for the benefit of the city, and has served ef- ficiently as chairman of the committee on streets and alleys of the east side and as a member of the fire committee.
HOMAS STEVENSON. While his posi- tion as chief grain inspector for the Joliet district has given Mr. Stevenson a promi- nent position in Joliet, he is perhaps even better known through his connection with fraternal organizations, and his name is inseparably associa- ted with certain well-known orders. He is a native of Scotland, born in Glasgow, March 7, 1857. The number 7, which occurs both in the day and the year of his birth, has been the mystic num- ber in many of the important events of his life. His given name was also borne by his ancestors for several generations back. His father, who was a contractor, for years belonged to the Forty-sec- ond Highlanders, with which he served through the entire period of the Crimean war and also dur- ing the Scpoy rebellion in India. He married Isa- belle Barr, whose father, Allen Barr, was a mem- ber of the Scots Grays and took part in the battle of Waterloo. Mr. Stevenson died in 1867, at the age of forty-five years, and afterward his widow brought the children to America, arriving in this country in September, 1869. She died in Febru- ary, 1897, when seventy-onc years of age. Of her family one daughter died in infancy and John dicd at the age of forty-one years; Isabella, Mrs. Cherry, lives in Grundy County, Ill .; and Allen resides in Kansas.
It may be said truthfully of Mr. Stevenson that he is a self-made man. He has supported himself since he was ten years of age, and the education he acquired was gained solely through
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his own efforts. He is very fond of reading, and this has greatly aided him in the acquisition of knowledge. From time to time he has purchased books of value bearing upon general topics of interest, and he now has a good library, which is a source of much satisfaction to him. Upon com- ing to this county he was engaged in the Braid- wood coal mines. He continued there until after his marriage, when he opened a book and sta- tionery store in that town. On being appointed first deputy sheriff, in 1887, he removed to Joliet, and has since made this city his home. While living in Braidwood he was nominated for town clerk without his knowledge or seeking, he hav- ing never, up to that time, attended a political meeting. He was elected and filled the office for three years. For two years he was a member of the board of education and for three years served as assessor of Reed Township. After coming to Joliet he was in the sheriff's office for four years. He was appointed to his present office of state grain inspector April 7, 1897, and was re-ap- pointed two years later.
As above intimated, Mr. Stevenson is deeply interested in fraternal organizations. He has been a member of the Knights of Pythias since July 3, 1878, and on that night was elected keeper of records and seals. At that time there were but about two thousand members in the state. During his connection with the order it has increased from that small number to its pres- ent membership of about forty-five thousand. Since 1880 he has been a member of the grand lodge, in which he has filled the more important offices. For a number of years he was general traveling organizer in several states. In 1879 he joined the local lodge of Odd Fellows. He is a member of Stevenson Camp No. 2892, Modern Woodmen of America, which was named in his honor. For some years he has been a member of the head camp, and attended the meeting of the same in Dubuque in June, 1897. At that time he was promoted from a membership to the chair- manship of the committee on offices and salaries, and is also a member of the committee on griev- ances. In Masonry he is connected with Mount Joliet Lodge No. 42, A. F. & A. M .; Joliet Chap-
ter No. 27, R. A. M .; and Joliet Council No. 82, R. & S. M. In 1899 he was one of the organ- izers and the originator of the new order for fra- ternal insurance, the Order of the White Cross. The plan is a progressive one in fraternal insur- ance, providing a reserve fund, and making it much more reliable in the end than the generality of mutual insurance projects. With the assistance of Coll McNaughton and John Garnsey he pre- pared the charter and ritual of the order, in which he now holds the office of Supreme Recorder. From early manhood he has been an adherent of the Republican party, and has been a delegate to county and state conventions.
Mr. Stevenson erected the house which he occu- pies, at No. 116 Linden avenue. March 27, 1880, he married Emma Oliver, who was born near Mineral Point, Wis. They have five chil- dren: Thomas B., Emma L., Evan Charles, Evelyn and May.
e OSCAR SVENSON, who is one of the well-known Swedish-American citizens of ). Joliet, came to the United States in May, 1887, and at once settled in the city where he still resides. For a year he was employed at carpentering, after which he was a wood turner for F. W. Plant, with whom he continued until December, 1894. He then accepted an appoint- ment as clerk in the office of the county clerk, un- der W. F. Hutchinson, and this position he has since filled satisfactorily, having for his principal duties the recording and keeping of accounts for the county supervisors. In 1891 he built a house at No. 1001 South Desplaines street and in 1899 erected a residence on the adjoining lot, both of which properties he still owns.
Carl Johan Alfred Svenson, our subject's father, was a wood turner by trade, but after some years at the occupation he turned his atten- tion to merchandising, and this business he fol- lowed until his death at Oskarshamn, Smaland, Sweden, when fifty-seven years of age. He mar- ried Christine Danielson, whose father owned the
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farm, "Grimholt," in Fliserudsaken, and whose death occurred at seventy-three years. Both were strict members of the Lutheran Church. They had two children: Carl Oscar and Emily Olivia, the latter still living in Sweden. Samuel Svenson, grandfather of our subject, was an architect and builder and superintended the erec- tion of many of the principal buildings in his lo- cality.
In Oskarshamn, Sweden, the subject of this sketch was born April 3, 1857, and there he re- ceived a grammar and high-school education. Upon the completion of his studies he learned the trade of block making and turning under his father, for whom he afterward clerked in the store for four years. His next work was with a bus and stage line. He was successful in his en- terprises and accumulated a neat property. He built a handsome residence in Oskarshamn, which he and his sister still own. About the same time he erected the King Oscar hotel, which is the leading hotel in Oskarshamn, and this he first rented, but later sold. While his interests are now mostly in America, he has never ceased to hold his native land in fond recollection, and often, in thought and in conversation with his country- men, recurs to incidents of his youth in his home beyond the seas. He is a member of the Swedish Republican: Club and the Swedish Free Congre- gational Church, in the latter of which he lias served as trustee.
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