Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I, Part 10

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. jt. ed. cn; Wilderman, Alonzo St. Clair, 1839-1904, ed; Wilderman, Augusta A., jt. ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 698

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BLACKWELL, Robert S., lawyer, was born at Belleville, Ill., in 1823. He belonged to a prominent family in the early history of the State, his father, David Blackwell, who was also a lawyer and settled in Belleville about 1819, having been a member of the Second General Assembly (1820) from St. Clair County, and also of the Fourth and Fifth. In April, 1823, he was appointed by Governor Coles Secretary of State, succeeding Judge Samuel D. Lockwood, after- wards a Justice of the Supreme Court, who had just received from President Monroe the appoint- ment of Receiver of Public Moneys at the Edwardsville Land Office. Mr. Blackwell served in the Secretary's office to October, 1824, during a part of the time acting as editor of"The Illinois Intelligencer," which had been removed from Kaskaskia to Vandalia, and in which he strongly opposed the policy of making Illinois a slave State. He finally died in Belleville. Robert Blackwell, a brother of David and the uncle of the subject of this sketch, was joint owner with Daniel P. Cook, of "The Illinois Herald"-after- wards "The Intelligencer" - at Kaskaskia, in 1816, and in April, 1817, succeeded Cook in the office of Territorial Auditor of Public Accounts, being himself succeeded by Elijah C. Berry, who had become his partner on "The Intelligencer," and served as Auditor until the organization of the State Government in 1818. Blackwell & Berry were chosen State Printers after the removal of the State capital to Vandalia in 1820, serving in this capacity for some years. Robert Blackwell located at Vandalia and served as a member of the House from Fayette County in the Eighth and Ninth General Assemblies (1832-36) and in the Senate, 1840-42. Robert S .- the son of David, and the younger member of this somewhat famous and historic family-whose name stands at the head of this paragraph, attended the common schools at Belleville in his boyhood, but in early manhood removed to Galena, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. He later studied law with Hon. O. H. Browning at Quincy, beginning practice at Rushville, where he was associated for a time with Judge Minshall. In 1852 he removed to Chicago, having for liis first partner Corydon Beckwith, afterwards of the Supreme Court, still later being associated with a number of prominent lawyers of that day. He is de- scribed by his biographers as "an able lawyer, an eloquent advocate and a brilliant scholar." "Blackwell on Tax Titles," from his pen, has been accepted by the profession as a high authority on that branch of law. He also published a revision

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of the Statutes in 1858, and began an "Abstract of Decisions of the Supreme Court," which had reached the third or fourth volume at his death, May 16, 1863.

BLAIR, William, merchant, was born at Homer, Cortland County, N. Y., May 20, 1818, being descended through five generations of New England ancestors. After attending school in the town of Cortland, which became his father's residence, at the age of 14 he obtained employ- ment in a stove and hardware store, four years later (1836) coming to Joliet, Ill., to take charge of a branch store which the firm had established there. The next year he purchased the stock and continued the business on his own account. In August, 1842, he removed to Chicago, where he established the earliest and one of the most extensive wholesale hardware concerns in that city, with which he remained connected nearly fifty years. During this period he was associated with various partners, including C. B. Nelson, E. G. Hall, O. W. Belden, James H. Horton and others, besides, at times, conducting the business alone. He suffered by the fire of 1871 in common with other business men of Chicago, but promptly resumed business and, within the next two or three years, had erected business blocks, succes- sively, on Lake and Randolph Streets, but retired from business in 1888. He was a Director of the Merchants' National Bank of Chicago from its organization in 1865, as also for a time of the Atlantic & Pacific Telegraph Company and the Chicago Gaslight & Coke Company, a Trustee of Lake Forest University, one of the Managers of the Presbyterian Hospital and a member of the Chicago Historical Society. Died in Chicago, May 10, 1899.

BLAKELY, David, journalist, was born in Franklin County, Vt., in 1834; learned the print- er's trade and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1857. He was a member of a musical family which, under the name of "The Blakely Family," made several successful tours of the West. He engaged in journalism at Rochester, Minn., and, in 1862, was elected Secretary of State and ex-officio Superintendent of Schools, serving until 1865, when he resigned and, in partnership with a brother, bought "The Chicago Evening Post," with which he was connected at the time of the great fire and for some time after- ward. Later, he returned to Minnesota and became one of the proprietors and a member of the editorial staff of "The St. Paul Pioneer-Press." In his later years Mr. Blakely was President of the Blakely Printing Company, of Chicago, also

conducting a large printing business in New York, which was his residence. He was manager for several years of the celebrated Gilmore Band of musicians, and also instrumental in organizing the celebrated Sousa's Band, of which he was manager up to the time of his decease in New York, Nov. 7, 1896.

BLAKEMAN, Curtiss, sea-captain, and pioneer settler, came from New England to Madison County, Ill., in 1819, and settled in what was afterwards known as the "Marine Settlement," of which he was cne of the founders. This settle- ment, of which the present town of Marine (first called Madison) was the outcome, took its name from the fact that several of the early settlers, like Captain Blakeman, were sea-faring men. Captain Blakeman became a prominent citizen and repre- sented Madison County in the lower branch of the Third and Fourth General Assemblies (1822 and 1824), in the former being one of the opponents of the pro-slavery amendment of the Constitution. A son of his, of the same name, was a Represent- ative in the Thirteenth, Fifteenth and Sixteenth General Assemblies from Madison County.

BLANCHARD, Jonathan, clergyman and edu- cator, was born in Rockingham, Vt., Jan. 19, 1811; graduated at Middlebury College in 1832; then, after teaching some time, spent two years in Andover Theological Seminary, finally gradu- ating in theology at Lane Seminary, Cincinnati, in 1838, where he remained nine years as pastor of the Sixth Presbyterian Church of that city. Before this time he had become interested in various reforms, and, in 1843, was sent as a delegate to the second World's Anti-Slavery Convention in London, serving as the American Vice-President of that body. In 1846 he assumed the Presidency of Knox College at Galesburg, remaining until 1858, during his connection with that institution doing much to increase its capacity and resources. After two years spent in pastoral work, he accepted (1860) the Presidency of Wheaton College, which he continued to fill until 1882, when he was chosen President Emer- itus, remaining in this position until his death, May 14, 1892.

BLANDINSVILLE, a town in McDonough County, on the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Rail- road, 26 miles southeast of Burlington, Iowa, and 64 miles west by south from Peoria. It is a ship- ping point for the grain grown in the surround- ing country, and has a grain elevator and steam flour and saw mills. It also has banks, two weekly newspapers and several churches. Popu- lation (1890) 877; (1900), 995. 1

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

BLANEY, Jerome Van Zandt, early physician, born at Newcastle, Del., May 1, 1820; was edu- cated at Princeton and graduated in medicine at Philadelphia when too young to receive his diploma; in 1842 came west and joined Dr. Daniel Brainard in founding Rush Medical College at Chicago, for a time filling three chairs in that institution ; also, for a time, occupied the chair of Chemistry and Natural Philosophy in Northwest- ern University. In 1861 he was appointed Sur- geon, and afterwards Medical Director, in the army, and was Surgeon-in-Chief on the staff of General Sheridan at the time of the battle of Winchester; after the war was delegated by the Government to pay off medical officers in the Northwest, in this capacity disbursing over $600,- 000; finally retiring with the rank of Lieutenant- Colonel. Died. Dec. 11, 1874.

BLATCHFORD, Eliphalet Wickes, LL.D., son of Dr. John Blatchford, was born at Stillwater, N. Y., May 31, 1826; being a grandson of Samuel Blatchford, D. D., who came to New York from England, in 1795. He prepared for college at Lan- singburg Academy. New York, and at Marion College, Mo., finally graduating at Illinois College, Jacksonville, in the class of 1845. After graduat- ing, he was employed for several years in the law offices of his uncles, R. M. and E. H. Blatchford, New York. For considerations of health he re- turned to the West, and, in 1850, engaged in busi- ness for himself as a lead manufacturer in St. Louis, Mo., afterwards associating with him the late Morris Collins, under the firm name of Blatch- ford & Collins. In 1854 a branch was established in Chicago, known as Collins & Blatchford. After a few years the firm was dissolved, Mr. Blatch- ford taking the Chicago business, which has continued as E. W. Blatchford & Co. to the pres- ent time. While Mr. Blatchford has invariably declined political offices, he has been recognized as a staunch Republican, and the services of few men have been in more frequent request for positions of trust in connection with educational and benevolent enterprises. Among the numer- ous positions of this character which he has been called to fill are those of Treasurer of the North- western Branch of the United States Sanitary Commission, during the Civil War, to which he devoted a large part of his time; Trustee of Illi- nois College (1866-75); President of the Chicago Academy of Sciences; a member, and for seven- teen years President, of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Eye and Ear Infirmary; Trustee of the Chicago Art Institute; Executor and Trustee of the late Walter L. Newberry, and, since its

incorporation, President of the Board of Trustees of The Newberry Library; Trustee of the John Crerar Library; one of the founders and Presi- dent of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Manual Training School; life member of the Chicago Historical Society; for nearly forty years President of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Theological Seminary ; during his resi- dence in Chicago an officer of the New England Congregational Church; a corporate member of the American Board of Commissioners for For- eign Missions, and for fourteen years its Vice- President; a charter member of the City Missionary Society, and of the Congregational Club of Chicago; a member of the Chicago Union League, the University, the Literary and the Commercial Clubs, of which latter he has been President. Oct. 7, 1858, Mr. Blatchford was married to Miss Mary Emily Williams, daughter of John C. Williams, of Chicago. Seven children- four sons and three daughters-have blessed this union, the eldest son, Paul, being to-day one of Chicago's valued business men. Mr. Blatchford's life has been one of ceaseless and successful activity in business, and to him Chicago owes much of its prosperity. In the giving of time and money for Christian, educational and benevo- lent enterprises, he has been conspicuous for his generosity, and noted for his valuable counsel and executive ability in carrying these enterprises to success.

BLATCHFORD, John, D.D., was born at New- field (now Bridgeport), Conn., May 24, 1799; removed in childhood to Lansingburg, N. Y., and was educated at Cambridge Academy and Union College in that State, graduating in 1820. He finished his theological course at Princeton, N. J., in 1823, after which he ministered succes- sively to Presbyterian churches at Pittstown and Stillwater, N. Y., in 1830 accepting the pastorate of the First Congregational Church of Bridge- port, Conn. In 1836 he came to the West, spend- ing the following winter at Jacksonville, Ill., and, in 1837, was installed the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, where he remained until compelled by failing health to resign and return to the East. In 1841 he ac- cepted the chair of Intellectual and Moral Phi- losophy at Marion College, Mo., subsequently assuming the Presidency. The institution having been purchased by the Free Masons, in 1844, he removed to West Ely, Mo., and thence, in 1847, to Quincy, Ill., where he resided during the remainder of his life. His death occurred in St. Louis, April 8, 1855. The churches he served

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

testified strongly to Dr. Blatchford's faithful, acceptable and successful performance of his ministerial duties. He was married in 1825 to Frances Wickes, daughter of Eliphalet Wickes, Esq., of Jamaica, Long Island, N. Y.

BLEDSOE, Albert Taylor, teacher and law- yer, was born in Frankfort, Ky., Nov. 9, 1809; graduated at West Point Military Academy in 1830, and, after two years' service at Fort Gib- son, Indian Territory, retired from the army in 1832. During 1833-34 he was Adjunct Professor of Mathematics and teacher of French at Kenyon College, Ohio, and, in 1835-36, Professor of Mathematics at Miami University. Then, hav- ing studied theology, he served for several years as rector of Episcopal churches in Ohio. In 1838 he settled at Springfield, Ill., and began the prac- tice of law, remaining several years, when he removed to Washington, D. C. Later he became Professor of Mathematics, first (1848-54) in the University of Mississippi, and (1854-61) in the University of Virginia. He then entered the Confederate service with the rank of Colonel, but soon became Acting Assistant Secretary of War; in 1863 visited England to collect material for a work on the Constitution, which was pub- lished in 1866, when he settled at Baltimore, where he began the publication of "The Southern Review," which became the recognized organ of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. Later he became a minister of the Methodist Church. He gained considerable reputation for eloquence during his residence in Illinois, and was the author of a number of works on religious and political subjects, the latter maintaining the right of secession; was a man of recognized ability, but lacked stability of character. Died at Alexandria, Va., Dec. 8, 1877.

BLODGETT, Henry Williams, jurist, was born at Amherst, Mass., in 1821. At the age of 10 years he removed with his parents to Illinois, where he attended the district schools, later returning to Amherst to spend a year at the Academy. Returning home, he spent the years 1839-42 in teaching and surveying. In 1842 he began the study of law at Chicago, being admitted to the bar in 1845, and beginning prac- tice at Waukegan, Ill., where he has continued to reside. In 1852 he was elected to the lower house of the Legislature from Lake County, as an anti-slavery candidate, and, in 1858, to the State Senate, in the latter serving four years. He gained distinction as a railroad solicitor, being employed at different times by the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St.

Paul, the Michigan Southern and the Pittsburg & Fort Wayne Companies. Of the second named road he was one of the projectors, procuring its charter, and being identified with it in the sev- eral capacities of Attorney, Director and Presi- dent. In 1870 President Grant appointed him Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. This position he continued to occupy for twenty-two years, resign- ing it in 1892 to accept an appointment by Presi- dent Cleveland as one of the counsel for the United States before the Behring Sea Arbitrators at Paris, which was his last official service.

BLOOMINGDALE, a village of Du Page County, 30 miles west by north from Chicago. Population (1880), 226; (1890), 463; (1900), 235.

BLOOMINGTON, the county-seat of McLean County, a flourishing city and railroad center, 59 miles northeast of Springfield; is in a rich agri- cultural and coal-mining district. Besides car shops and repair works employing some 2,000 hands, there are manufactories of stoves, fur- naces, plows, flour, etc. Nurseries are numerous in the vicinity and horse breeding receives much attention. The city is the seat of Illinois Wes- leyan University, has fine public schools, several newspapers (two published daily), besides educa- tional and other publications. The business sec- tion suffered a disastrous fire in 1900, but has been rebuilt more substantially than before. The prin- cipal streets are paved and electric street cars con- nect with Normal (two miles distant), the site of the "State Normal University" and "Soldiers' Or- phans' Home." Pop. (1890), 20,284; (1900), 23,286.

BLOOMINGTON CONVENTION OF 1856. Although not formally called as such, this was the first Republican State Convention held in Illinois, out of which grew a permanent Repub- lican organization in the State. A mass conven- tion of those opposed to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise (known as an "Anti-Nebraska Convention") was held at Springfield during the week of the State Fair of 1854 (on Oct. 4 and 5), and, although it adopted a platform in harmony with the principles which afterwards became the foundation of the Republican party, and appointed a State Central Committee, besides putting in nomination a candidate for State Treasurer-the only State officer elected that year-the organi- zation was not perpetuated, the State Central Committee failing to organize. The Bloomington Convention of 1856 met in accordance with a call issued by a State Central Committee appointed by the Convention of Anti-Nebraska editors held at Decatur on February 22, 1856. (See Anti-Neb-

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raska Editorial Convention.) The call did not even contain the word "Republican," but was addressed to those opposed to the principles of the Nebraska Bill and the policy of the existing Democratic administration. The Convention met on May 29, 1856, the date designated by the Editorial Convention at Decatur, but was rather in the nature of a mass than a delegate conven- tion, as party organizations existed in few coun- ties of the State at that time. Consequently representation was very unequal and followed no systematic rule. Out of one hundred counties into which the State was then divided, only seventy were represented by delegates, ranging from one to twenty-five each, leaving thirty counties (embracing nearly the whole of the southern part of the State) entirely unrepre- sented. Lee County had the largest representa- tion (twenty-five), Morgan County (the home of Richard Yates) coming next with twenty dele- gates, while Cook County had seventeen and Sangamon had five. The whole number of delegates, as shown by the contemporaneous record, was 269. Among the leading spirits in the Convention were Abraham Lincoln, Archi- bald Williams, O. H. Browning, Richard Yates, John M. Palmer, Owen Lovejoy, Norman B. Judd, Burton C. Cook and others who afterwards became prominent in State politics. The delega- tion from Cook County included the names of John Wentworth, Grant Goodrich, George Schneider, Mark Skinner, Charles H. Ray and Charles L. Wilson. The temporary organization was effected with Archibald Williams of Adams County in the chair, followed by the election of John M. Palmer of Macoupin, as Permanent President. The other officers were: Vice-Presi- dents-John A. Davis of Stephenson; William Ross of Pike; James McKee of Cook; John H. Bryant of Bureau; A. C. Harding of Warren; Richard Yates of Morgan; Dr. H. C. Johns of Macon; D. L. Phillips of Union; George Smith of Madison; Thomas A. Marshall of Coles; J. M. Ruggles of Mason ; G.D. A. Parks of Will, and John Clark of Schuyler. Secretaries-Henry S. Baker of Madison; Charles L. Wilson of Cook; John Tillson of Adams; Washington Bushnell of La Salle, and B. J. F. Hanna of Randolph. A State ticket was put in nomination consisting of William H. Bissell for Governor (by acclama- tion); Francis A. Hoffman of Du Page County, for Lieutenant-Governor; Ozias M. Hatch of Pike, for Secretary of State; Jesse K. Dubois of Lawrence, for Auditor; James Miller of McLean, for Treasurer, and William H. Powell of Peoria,

for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Hoff- man, having been found ineligible by lack of resi- dence after the date of naturalization, withdrew, and his place was subsequently filled by the nomination of John Wood of Quincy. The plat- form adopted was outspoken in its pledges of unswerving loyalty to the Union and opposition to the extension of slavery into new territory. A delegation was appointed to the National Con- vention to be held in Philadelphia on June 17, following, and a State Central Committee was named to conduct the State campaign, consisting of James C. Conkling of Sangamon County ; Asahel Gridley of McLean; Burton C. Cook of La Salle, and Charles H. Ray and Norman B. Judd of Cook. The principal speakers of the occasion, before the convention or in popular meetings held while the members were present in Bloomington, included the names of O. H. Brown- ing, Owen Lovejoy, Abraham Lincoln, Burton C. Cook, Richard Yates, the venerable John Dixon, founder of the city bearing his name, and Governor Reeder of Pennsylvania, who had been Territorial Governor of Kansas by appointment of President Pierce, but had refused to carry out the policy of the administration for making Kansas a slave State. None of the speeches were fully reported, but that of Mr. Lincoln has been universally regarded by those who heard it as the gem of the occasion and the most brilliant of his life, foreshadowing his celebrated "house- divided-against-itself" speech of June 17, 1858. John L. Scripps, editor of "The Chicago Demo- cratic Press," writing of it, at the time, to his paper, said: "Never has it been our fortune to listen to a more eloquent and masterly presenta- tion of a subject. . . . For an hour and a half he (Mr. Lincoln) held the assemblage spellbound by the power of his argument, the intense irony of his invective, and the deep earnestness and fervid brilliancy of his eloquence. When he concluded, the audience sprang to their feet and cheer after cheer told low deeply their hearts had been touched and their souls warmed up to a generous enthusiasm." At the election, in November following, although the Democratic candidate for President carried the State by a plurality of over 9,000 votes, the entire State ticket put in nomination at Bloomington was successful by majorities ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 for the several candidates.

BLUE ISLAND, a village of Cook County, on the Calumet River and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, the Chicago & Grand Trunk and the Illinois Central Railways, 15 miles south of

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

Chicago. It has a high school, churches and two newspapers, besides brick, smelting and oil works. Population (1890), 2,521 ; (1900), 6,114.

BLUE ISLAND RAILROAD, a short line 3.96 miles in length, lying wholly within Illinois; capital stock $25,000; operated by the Illinois Central Railroad Company. Its funded debt (1895) was $100,000 and its floating debt, $3, 779.

BLUE MOUND, a town of Macon County, on the Wabash Railway, 14 miles southeast of De- catur ;; in rich grain and live-stock region; has three grain elevators, two banks, tile factory and one newspaper. Pop. (1890), 696; (1900), 714.

BLUFFS, a village of Scott County, at the junction of the Quincy and Hannibal branches of the Wabash Railway, 52 miles west of Spring- field; has a bank and a newspaper. Population (1880), 162; (1890), 421; (1900), 539.

BOAL, Robert, M.D., physician and legis- lator, born near Harrisburg, Pa., in 1806; was brought by his parents to Ohio when five years old and educated at Cincinnati, graduating from the Ohio Medical College in 1828; settled at Lacon, Ill., in 1836, practicing there until 1862, when, having been appointed Surgeon of the Board of Enrollment for that District, he re- moved to Peoria. Other public positions held by Dr. Boal have been those of Senator in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth General Assemblies (1844-48), Representative in the Nineteenth and Twentieth (1854-58), and Trustee of the Institu- tion for the Deaf and Dumb at Jacksonville, remaining in the latter position seventeen years under the successive administrations of Gov- ernors Bissell, Yates, Oglesby, Palmer and Bever- idge-the last five years of his service being President of the Board. He was also President of the State Medical Board in 1882. Dr. Boal continued to practice at Peoria until about 1890, when he retired, and, in 1893, returned to Lacon to reside with his daughter, the widow of the late Colonel Greenbury L. Fort, for eight years Representative in Congress from the Eighth District.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I, Part 10

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. jt. ed. cn; Wilderman, Alonzo St. Clair, 1839-1904, ed; Wilderman, Augusta A., jt. ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 698

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. jt. ed. cn; Wilderman, Alonzo St. Clair, 1839-1904, ed; Wilderman, Augusta A., jt. ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 698