Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I, Part 83

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

USA > Illinois > St Clair County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I > Part 83

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OSBORN, Thomas O., soldier and diplomatist, was born in Licking County, Ohio, August 11, 1832; graduated from the Ohio University at Athens, in 1854; studied law at Crawfordsville, Ind., with Gen. Lew Wallace, was admitted to the bar and began practice in Chicago. Early in the war for the Union he joined the "Yates Phalanx," whichi, after some delay on account of the quota being full, was mustered into the serv- ice, in August, 1861, as the Thirty-ninth Illinois Volunteers, the subject of this sketch being com- missioned its Lieutenant-Colonel. His promotion to the colonelcy soon followed, the regiment being sent east to guard the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, where it met the celebrated Stonewall Jackson, and took part in many important en- gagements, including the battles of Winchester, Bermuda Hundreds, and Drury's Bluff, besides the sieges of Charleston and Petersburg. At Bermuda Hundreds Colonel Osborn was severely

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wounded, losing the use of his right arm. He bore a conspicuous part in the operations about Richmond which resulted in the capture of the rebel capital, his services being recognized by promotion to the brevet rank of Major-General. At the close of the war he returned to the prac- tice of law in Chicago, but, in 1874, was appointed Consul-General and Minister-Resident to the Argentine Republic, remaining in that position until June, 1885, when he resigned, resuming his residence in Chicago.

OSWEGO, a village in Kendall County, on the Aurora and Streator branch of the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railway, 6 miles south of Aurora. Population (1890), 641; (1900), 618.

OTTAWA, the county-seat and principal city of La Salle County, being incorporated as a vil- lage in 1838, and, as a city, in 1853. It is located at the confluence of the Illinois and Fox Rivers and on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. It is the intersecting point of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway and the Streator branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, 98 miles east of Rock Island and 83 miles west-southwest of Chi- cago. The surrounding region abounds in coal. Sand of a superior quality for the manufacture of glass is found in the vicinity and the place has extensive glass works. Other manufactured products are brick, drain-tile, sewer-pipe, tile- roofing, pottery, pianos, organs, cigars, wagons and carriages, agricultural implements, hay carriers, hay presses, sash, doors, blinds, cabinet work, saddlery and harness and pumps. The city has some handsome public buildings including the Appellate (formerly Supreme) Court House for the Northern Division. It also has several public parks, one of which (South Park) contains a medicinal spring. There are a dozen churches and numerous public school buildings, including a high school. The city is lighted by gas and electricity, has electric street railways, good sewerage, and water-works supplied from over 150 artesian wells and numerous natural springs. It has one private and two national banks, five libraries, and eight weekly newspapers (three German), of which four issue daily editions. Pop. (1890), 9,985; (1900), 10,588.

OTTAWA, CHICAGO & FOX RIVER VALLEY RAILROAD. (See Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.)

OUTAGAMIES, a name given, by the French, to the Indian tribe known as the Foxes. (See Sacs and Foxes.)

OWEN, Thomas J. V., early legislator and Indian Agent, was born in Kentucky, April 5,

1801; came to Illinois at an early day, and, in 1830, was elected to the Seventh General Assem- bly from Randolph County; the following year was appointed Indian Agent at Chicago, as suc- cessor to Dr. Alexander Wolcott, who had died in the latter part of 1830. Mr. Owen served as Indian Agent until 1833; was a member of the first Board of Town Trustees of the village of Chi- cago, Commissioner of School Lands, and one of the Government Commissioners who conducted the treaty with the Pottawatomie and other tribes of Indians at Chicago, in September, 1833. Died, in Chicago, Oct. 15, 1835.

PADDOCK, Gaius, pioneer, a native of Massa- chusetts, was born in 1758; at the age of 17 he entered the Colonial Army, serving until the close of the Revolutionary War, and being in Washington's command at the crossing of the Delaware. After the war he removed to Ver- mont; but, in 1815, went to Cincinnati, and, a year later, to St. Charles, Mo. Then, after hav- ing spent about a year at St. Louis, in 1818 he located in Madison County, Ill., at a point after- wards known as "Paddock's Grove," and which became one of the most prosperous agricultural sections of Southern Illinois. Died, in 1831.

PAINE, (Gen.) Eleazer A., soldier, was born in Parkman, Geauga County, Ohio, Sept. 10, 1815; graduated at West Point Military Academy, in 1839, and was assigned to the First Infantry, serving in the Florida War (1839-40), but resigned, Oct. 11, 1840. He then studied law and practiced at Painesville, Ohio, (1843-48), and at Monmouth, Ill., (1848-61), meanwhile serving in the lower branch of the Eighteenth General Assembly (1852-53). Before leaving Ohio, he had been Deputy United States Marshal and Lieutenant- Colonel of the State Militia, and, in Illinois, became Brigadier-General of Militia (1845-48). He was appointed Colonel of the Ninth Illinois in April, 1861, and served through the war, being promoted Brigadier-General in September, 1861. The first duty performed by his regiment, after this date, was the occupation of Paducah, Ky., where he was in command. Later, it took part in the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, the battles of Shiloh, New Madrid and Corinth, and also in the various engagements in Northern Georgia and in the "march to the sea." From November, 1862, to May, 1864, General Paine was guarding railroad lines in Central Tennessee, and, during a part of 1864, in command of the Western District of Kentucky. He resigned, April 5, 1865, and died in Jersey City, Dec. 16,

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1882. A sturdy Union man, he performed his duty as a soldier with great zeal and efficiency.

PALATINE, a village of Cook County, on the Wisconsin Division of the Chicago & Northwest- ern Railroad, 26 miles northwest from Chicago. There are flour and planing mills here; dairying and farming are leading industries of the sur- rounding country. Population (1880), 731; (1890), 891; (1900), 1,020.

PALESTINE, a town in Crawford County, about 2 miles from the Wabash River, 7 miles east of Robinson, and 35 miles southwest of Terre Haute, on the Illinois Central Railway ; has five churches, a graded school, a bank, weekly newspaper, flour mill, cold storage plant, canning factory, garment factory, and municipal light and power plant. Pop. (1890), 732; (1900), 979.

PALMER, Frank W., journalist, ex-Congress- man and Public Printer, was born at Manchester, Dearborn County, Ind., Oct. 11, 1827; learned the printer's trade at Jamestown, N. Y., afterwards edited "The Jamestown Journal," and served two terms in the New York Legislature; iu 1858 removed to Dubuque, Iowa, and edited "The Dubuque Times, " was elected to Congress in 1860, and again in 1868 and 1872, meanwhile having purchased "The Des Moines Register," which lie edited for several years. In 1873 he removed to Chicago and became editor of "The Inter Ocean," remaining two years; in 1877 was appointed Post- master of the city of Chicago, serving eight years. Shortly after the accession of President Harrison, in 1889, he was appointed Public Printer, continu- ing in office until the accession of President Cleve- land in 1893, when he returned to newspaper work, but resumed his old place at the head of the Government Printing Bureau after the inaugura- tion of President Mckinley in 1897.

PALMER, John McAnley, lawyer, soldier and United States Senator, was born in Scott County, Ky.„Sept. 13, 1817; removed with his father to Madison County, Ill., in 1831, and, four years later, entered Shurtleff College, at Upper Alton, as a student; later taught and studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1839. In 1843 he was elected Probate Judge of Macoupin County, also served in the State Constitutional Convention of 1847; after discharging the duties of Probate and County Judge, was elected to the State Senate, to fill a vacancy, in 1852, and re-elected in 1854, as an Anti-Nebraska Democrat, casting his vote for Lyman Trumbull for United States Senator in 1855, but resigned his seat in 1856; was President of the first Republican State Convention, held at Bloomington in the latter year, and appointed a

delegate to the National Convention at Philadel- phia; was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1859, and chosen a Presidential Elector on the Republican ticket in 1860; served as a member of the National Peace Conference of 1861; entered the army as Colonel of the Fourteenth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry ; was promoted Briga- dier General, in November, 1861, taking part in the campaign in Tennessee up to Chickamauga, assuming the command of the Fourteenth Army Corps with the rank of Major-General, but was relieved at his own request before Atlanta. In 1865 he was assigned, by President Lincoln, to command of the Military Department of Ken- tucky, but, in September, 1866, retired from the service, and, in 1867, became a citizen of Spring- field. The following year lie was elected Gov- ernor, as a Republican, but, in 1872, supported Horace Greeley for President, and has since co- operated with the Democratic party. He was three times the unsuccessful candidate of his party for United States Senator, and was their nominee for Governor in 1888, but defeated. In 1890 he was nominated for United States Senator by the Democratic State Convention and elected in joint session of the Legislature, March 11, 1891, receiving on the 154th ballot 101 Democratic and two Farmers' Mutual Alliance votes. He became an important factor in the campaign of 1896 as candidate of the "Sound Money" Democracy for President, although receiving no electoral votes, proving his devotion to principle. His last years were occupied in preparation of a volume of personal recollections, which was completed, under the title of "The Story of an Earnest Life," a few weeks before his death, which occurred at. his home in Springfield, September 25, 1900.

PALMER, Potter, merchant and capitalist, was born in Albany County, N. Y., in 1825; received an English education and became a junior clerk in a country store at Durham, Greene County, in that State, three years later being placed in charge of the business, and finally engaging in business on his own account. Com- ing to Chicago in 1852, he embarked in the dry- goods business on Lake Street, establishing tlie house which afterwards became Field, Leiter & Co. (now Marshall Field & Co.), from which here- tired, in 1865, with the basis of an ample fortune, which has since been immensely increased by fortunate operations in real estate. Mr. Palmer was Second Vice-President of the first Board of Local Directors of the World's Columbian Expo- sition in 1891 .- Mrs. Bertha M. Honore (Palmer), wife of the preceding, is the daughter of H. H.

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Honore, formerly a prominent real-estate owner and operator of Chicago. She is a native of Louisville, Ky., where her girlhood was chiefly spent, though she was educated at a convent near Baltimore, Md. Later she came with her family to Chicago, and, in 1870, was married to Potter Palmer. Mrs. Palmer has been a recognized leader in many social and benevolent movements, but won the highest praise by her ability and administrative skill, exhibited as President of the Board of Lady Managers of the World's Colum- bian Exposition of 1893.

PALMYRA, a village of Macoupin County, on the Springfield Division of the St. Louis, Chicago & St. Paul Railway, 33 miles southwest from Springfield; has some local manufactories, a bank and a newspaper. Population (1900), 813.

PANA, an important railway center and prin- cipal city of Christian County, situated in the southeastern part of the County, and at the inter- secting point of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwest- ern, the Illinois Central and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroads, 35 miles south by west from Decatur, and 42 miles southeast of Springfield. It is an important ship- ping-point for grain and has two elevators. Its mechanical establishments include two flouring mills, a foundry, two machine shops and two planing mills. The surrounding region is rich in coal, which is extensively mined. Pana has banks, several churches, graded schools, and three papers issuing daily and weekly editions. Population (1890), 5,077; (1900), 5,530.

PANA, SPRINGFIELD & NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD. (See Baltimore & Ohio South- western Railroad.)

PARIS, a handsome and flourishing city, the county-seat of Edgar County. It is an important railway center, situated on the "Big Four" and the Vandalia Line, 160 miles south of Chicago, and 170 miles east-northeast of St. Louis; is in the heart of a wealthy and populous agricultural region, and has a prosperous trade. Its industries include foundries, three elevators, flour, saw and planing mills, glass, broom, and corn product factories. The city has three banks, three daily and four weekly newspapers, a court house, ten churches, and graded schools. Pop. (1890), 4,996; (1900), 6,105.

PARIS & DECATUR RAILROAD. (See Terre Haute & Peoria Railroad.)

PARIS & TERRE HAUTE RAILROAD. (See Terre Haute & Peoria Railroad.)

PARKS, Gavion D. A., lawyer, was born at Bristol, Ontario County, N. Y., Sept. 17, 1817;

went to New York City in 1838, where he com- pleted his legal studies and was adınitted to the bar, removing, to Lockport, Ill., in 1842. Here he successively edited a paper, served as Master in Chancery and in an engineering corps on the Illinois & Michigan Canal; was elected County Judge in 1849, removed to Joliet, and, for a time, acted as an attorney of the Chicago & Rock Island, the Michigan Central and the Chicago & Alton Railroads; was also a Trustee of the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb at Jackson- ville; was elected Representative in 1852, became a Republican and served on the first Republican State Central Committee (1856); the same year was elected to the State Senate, and was a Commissioner of the State Penitentiary in 1864. In 1872 Mr. Parks joined in the Liberal-Repub- lican movement, was defeated for Congress, and afterwards acted with the Democratic party. Died, Dec. 28, 1895.

PARKS, Lawson A., journalist, was born at Mecklenburg, N. C., April 15, 1813; learned the printing trade at Charlotte, in that State; came to St. Louis in 1833, and, in 1836, assisted in estab- lishing "The Alton Telegraph," but sold his interest a few years later. Then, having offi- ciated as pastor of Presbyterian churches for some years, in 1854 he again became associated with "The Telegraph," acting as its editor. Died at Alton, March 31, 1875.

PARK RIDGE, a suburban village on the Wis- consin Division of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, 13 miles northwest of Chicago. Popu- lation (1880), 457; (1890), 987; (1900), 1,340.

PARTRIDGE, Charles Addison, journalist and Assistant Adjutant-General of the Grand Army of the Republic, was born in Westford, Chittenden County, Vt., Dec. 8, 1843; came with his parents to Lake County, Ill., in 1844, and spent his boy- hood on a farm, receiving his education in the district school, with four terms in a high school at Burlington, Wis. At 16 he taught a winter district school near his boyhood home, and at 18 enlisted in what became Company C of the Ninety-sixth Regiment Illinois Volunteers, being mustered into the service as Eighth Corporal at Rockford. His regiment becoming attached to the Army of the Cumberland, he participated with it in the battles of Chickamauga and the Atlanta campaign, as well as those of Franklin and Nashville, and has taken a just pride in the fact that he never fell out on the march, took medicine from a doctor or was absent from his regiment during its term of service, except for four months while recovering from a gun-shot

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wound received at Chickamauga. He was pro- moted successively to Sergeant, Sergeant-Major, and commissioned Second Lieutenant of his old company, of which his father was First Lieuten- ant for six months and until forced to resign on account of impaired health. Receiving his final discharge, June 28, 1865, he returned to the farm, where he remained until 1869, in the meantime being married to Miss Jennie E. Earle, in 1866, and teaching school one winter. In 1869 he was elected County Treasurer of Lake County on the Republican ticket, and re-elected in 1871; in January of the latter year, purchased an interest in "The Waukegan Gazette," with which he remained associated some fifteen years, at first as the partner of Rev. A. K. Fox, and later of his younger brother, H. E. Partridge. In 1877 he was appointed, by President Hayes, Postmaster at Waukegan, serving four years; in 1886 was elected to the Legislature, serving (by successive elections) as Representative in the Thirty-fifth, Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh General Assem- blies, being frequently called upon to occupy the Speaker's chair, and, especially during the long Senatorial contest of 1891, being recognized as a leader of the Republican minority. In 1888 he was called to the service of the Republican State Central Committee (of which he had previously been a member), as assistant to the veteran Secre- tary, the late Daniel Shepard, remaining until the death of his chief, when he succeeded to the secretaryship. During the Presidential campaign of 1892 he was associated with the late William J. Campbell, then the Illinois member of the Republican National Committee, and was en- trusted by him with many important and confi- dential missions. Without solicitation on liis part, in 1894 he was again called to assume the secretaryship of the Republican State Central Committee, and bore a conspicuous and influ- ential part in winning the brilliant success achieved by the party in the campaign of that year. From 1893 to 1895 he served as Mayor of Waukegan; in 1896 became Assistant Adjutant- General of the Grand Army of the Republic for the Department of Illinois-a position which he held in 1889 under Commander James S. Martin, and to which he has been re-appointed by succes- sive Department Commanders up to the present time. Mr. Partridge's service in the various public positions held by him, has given him an acquaintance extending to every county in the State.

PATOKA, a village of Marion County, on the Western branch of the Illinois Central Railway,

15 miles south of Vandalia. There are flour and saw mills here; the surrounding country is agri- cultural. Population (1890), 502; (1900), 640.

PATTERSON, Robert Wilson, D.D., LL.D., clergyman, was born in Blount County, Tenn., Jan. 21, 1814; came to Bond County, Ill., with his parents in 1822, his father dying two years later; at 18 had had only nine months' schooling, but graduated at Illinois College in 1837; spent a year at Lane Theological Seminary, another as tutor in Illinois College, and then, after two years inore at Lane Seminary and preaching in Chicago and at Monroe, Mich., in 1842 established the Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago, of which he remained the pastor over thirty years. In 1850 he received a call to the chair of Didactic Theology at Lane Seminary, as successor to Dr. Lyman Beecher, but it was declined, as was a similar call ten years later. Resigning his pastor- ship in 1873, he was, for several years, Professor of Christian Evidences and Ethics in the Theological Seminary of the Northwest; in 1876-78 served as President of Lake Forest University (of which he was one of the founders), and, in 1880-83, as lecturer in Lane Theological Seminary. He received the degree of D.D. from Hamilton Col- lege, N. Y., in 1854, that of LL.D. from Lake Forest University, and was Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly (N. S.) at Wil- mington, Del., in 1859. Died, at Evanston, Ill., Feb. 24, 1894.

PAVEY, Charles W., soldier and ex-State Auditor, was born in Highland County, Ohio, Nov. 8, 1835; removed to Illinois in 1859, settling in the vicinity of Mount Vernon, and, for a time, followed the occupation of a farmer and stock- raiser. In August, 1862, he enlisted in the Eighti- eth Illinois Volunteers for the Civil War, and became First Lieutenant of Company E. He was severely wounded at the battle of Sand Mountain, and, having been captured, was confined in Libby Prison, at Salisbury, N. C., and at Danville, Va., for a period of nearly two years, enduring great hardship and suffering. Having been exchanged, he served to the close of the war as Assistant Inspector-General on the Staff of Gen- eral Rousseau, in Tennessee. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention of 1880, which nominated General Garfield for the Presi- dency, and was one of the famous "306" wlio stood by General Grant in that struggle. In 1882 he was appointed by President Arthur Collector of Internal Revenue for the Southern District, and, in 1888, was nominated and elected State Auditor on the Republican ticket, but was de-

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feated for re-election in the "land-slide" of 1892. General Pavey has been prominent in "G. A. R." councils, and held the position of Junior Vice- Commander for the Department of Illinois in 1878, and that of Senior Vice-Commander in 1879. He also served as Brigadier-General of the National Guard, for Southern Illinois, during the railroad strike of 1877. In 1897 lie received from President Mckinley the appointment of Special Agent of the Treasury Department. His home is at Mount Vernon, Jefferson County.

PAWNEE, a village of Sangamon County, at the eastern terminus of the Auburn & Pawnee Railroad, 19 miles south of Springfield. The town has a bank and a weekly paper. Population (1900), 595; (1903, est.), 1,000.

PAWNEE RAILROAD, a short line in Sanga- mon County, extending from Pawnee to Auburn (9 miles), where it forms a junction with the Chicago & Alton Railroad. The company was organized and procured a charter in December, 1888, and the road completed the following year. The cost was $101,774. Capital stock authorized, $100,000; funded debt (1895), $50,000.

PAW PAW, a village of Lee County, at the junction of two branches of the Chicago, Bur- lington & Quincy Railway, 8 miles northwest of Earlville. The town is in a farming region, but has a bank and one weekly paper. Population (1890), 635; (1900), 765.

PAXTON, the county-seat of Ford County, is situated at the intersection of the Chicago Divi- sion of the Illinois Central and the Lake Erie & Western Railroads, 103 miles south by west from Chicago, and 49 miles east of Bloomington. It contains a court house, two schools, water-works, electric light and water-heating system, two banks, nine churches, and one daily newspaper. It is an important shipping-point for the farm products of the surrounding territory, which is a rich agricultural region. Besides brick and tile works and flour mills, factories for the manu- facture of carriages, buggies, hardware, cigars, brooms, and plows are located here. Pop. (1890), 2,187; (1900), 3,036.

PAYSON, a village"in Adams County, 15 miles southeast of Quincy ; the nearest railroad station being Fall Creek, on the Quincy and Louisiana Division of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway ; has one newspaper. Population (1900), 465.

PAYSON, Lewis E., lawyer and ex-Congress- man, was born at Providence, R. I., Sept. 17, 1840; came to Illinois at the age of 12, and, after passing through the common schools, attended

Lombard University, at Galesburg, for two years. He was admitted to the bar at Ottawa in 1862, and, in 1865, took up his residence at Pontiac. From 1869 to 1873 he was Judge of the Livingston County Court, and, from 1881 to 1891, represented his District in Congress, being elected as a Republican, but, in 1890, was defeated by his Democratic opponent, Herman W. Snow. Since retiring from Congress he has practiced his pro- fession in Washington, D. C.

PEABODY, Selim Hobart, educator, was born in Rockingham County, Vt., August 20, 1829; after reaching 13 years of age, spent a year in a Boston Latin School, then engaged in various occupations, including teaching, until 1848, when he entered the University of Vermont, graduat- ing third in his class in 1852; was appointed Pro- fessor of Mathematics and Engineering in the Polytechnic College at Philadelphia, in 1854, remaining three years, when he spent five years in Wisconsin, the last three as Superintendent of Schools at Racine. From 1865 to 1871 he was teacher of physical science in Chicago High School, also conducting night schools for work- ing men; in 1871 became Professor of Physics and Engineering in Massachusetts Agricultural Col- lege, but returned to the Chicago High School in 1874; in 1876 took charge of the Chicago Acad- emy of Sciences, and, in 1878, entered the Illinois Industrial University (now University of Illinois), at Champaign, first as Professor of Mechanical Engineering, in 1880 becoming President, but resigning in 1891. During the World's Colum- bian Exposition at Chicago, Professor Peabody was Chief of the Department of Liberal Arts, and, on the expiration of his service there, assumed the position of Curator of the newly organized Chicago Academy of Sciences, from which he retired some two years later.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume I, Part 83

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