USA > Illinois > St Clair County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume II > Part 89
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95
SUNKEL, Frederick, Cashier of the East St. Louis & Suburban Railroad Company, and a pioneer resident of Belleville, St. Clair County, was born in Hersfelt, Hessen, Germany, August 22, 1843. His parents, Carl and Henrietta
1134
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
(Humberg) Sunkel, were also natives of Ger- many. After pursuing a course of study in a collegiate institution in that country, he came to the United States in 1859 and proceeded directly to Belleville. Thence he went to St. Louis, where he learned the trade of a copper-
smith. £ Returning to Belleville in 1861, he joined Company A, Ninth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served three months. He then returned to St. Louis and enlisted in Company A, Twelfth Regiment, Missouri Volunteer Infantry, organized by General Osterhaus. In this regiment he served three years, participating in some of the most famous battles of the war. After the conflict was ended he settled in St. Genevieve, Mo., where he remained until 1868. He then re- turned to Belleville and conducted a store for a short time. In 1876, Mr. Sunkel was elected a member of the State Board of Equalization, on which he served four years. From 1885 to 1889 he was a member of the Belleville City Council, and from 1895 to 1897 was Mayor of that place. He served as Chief Deputy County Clerk of St. Clair County during the period be- tween 1880 and 1894, and was a member of the Belleville Library Board from 1886 until 1895.
Frederick Sunkel was married October 17, 1865, to Eva Zeiser, a native of Baden, Ger- many, who obtained her education in the pa- rochial schools. The children resulting from this union were as follows: Mrs. Adelaide Mur- ray, deceased; Julia (Mrs. Al. Funsch) ; Wil- liam F .; Louisa (Gundlach) and Wilhelmina (twins) ; Amanda; Ivo (Fournier) ; and Eu- genia. Politically, Mr. Sunkel is a Democrat. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the K. of H. and is a member of the Liederkranz Singing Society.
SUTTER, Benjamin, Manager of the Millstadt (Ill.) Creamery Company, and one of the pro- gressive and energetic business men of that place, was born in Stookey Township in 1879, and there educated in the district schools. His early life was spent on his parents' farm in Stookey Township, where he remained until 1901, when he became associated with the Mill- stadt Creamery Company, which has been in operation for the past ten years. He learned the business from the ground up, is a practical butter-maker, and is thoroughly competent to perform the duties of the position he now holds.
The company handles about 6,000 pounds of milk per day, all of which is made into butter and shipped to other cities. In 1900 Mr. Sutter was united in marriage to Barbara Wirth, whose birth occurred in Stookey Township, and they have two children-Elmer and Theophil Sutter. Mr. Sutter's parents are Steven and Bena (Keller) Sutter, both natives of Germany.
SWITZER, Christian, who is a hay and feed dealer, in East St. Louis, this county, was born in that city in 1864, and pursued his early studies in its public schools. His father, George Switzer, and mother, Gertrude (Schnei- der) Switzer, were natives of Germany. The former, on emigrating to the United States in 1840, settled in East St. Louis, where he fol- lowed the trade of a carpenter. His son, Chris- tian, was employed in a packing house until July 2, 1900, when he built a store house and office, seventy by seventy feet in dimensions, at Ninth and Exchange Streets, and there es- tablished a hay and feed store, which he has since successfully conducted. Mr. Switzer was married, in 1890, to Ada Chiles, of Palmyra, Ill., and they have one child-Lee S.
TANNEHILL, James (deceased), was one of the well known pioneers, and one of Belleville's most active and enterprising men. When he moved to Belleville, in 1817, he was engaged for a time as a wagon maker, but afterwards built a hotel, where the National Hotel now stands. This house was made of hewn logs and framework. The main building was two stories high, but additions and sub-additions were made to it from time to time, until the whole structure was said by Governor Reynolds to look like a French village. Although a, most excellent landlord, Mr. Tannehill was not a very good business man-in the usual accepta- tion of that term-for, though his house was always well filled with guests who received every proper attention from him and his fam- ily, and although he worked hard, at the same time, at his trade, he could save no money; and so, after keeping the hotel for a while, he traded it to Judge Latham, of Edwardsville, and bought a half-section of fine land, on High Prairie, on which he opened a farm. Subse- quently, he erected a distillery and a mill, but had no better success with these than he had with the hotel. The first distillery erected by
II35
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
him was on a twelve-acre tract, near the South Belleville flouring mill. This land had a fine heavy body of timber on it, which, alone, would be worth at the present day $500 an acre. All this tract he obtained for an old horse that was valued at $35. His was the first distillery, and he gained some notoriety by introducing novel principles in its management. The steam connected with the works
was conveyed through hollow logs that had been bored out for that special purpose-instead of metal pipes, as now. He created some sensation when he undertook to build a windmill for grinding grain, on his farm in High Prairie. He got the mill to run, but was unable to control it, for want of a regulator, which, it seems, he did not know how to construct. This deficiency resulted in the complete failure of the experi- ment, and the destruction of the whole fabric shortly after it had been started. The mill was so constructed that the wind acted upon a hori- zontal shaft, about thirty feet long, into which long arms were framed, having a spiral incli- nation around the shaft, the end to windward being small in diameter, and increasing as it approached the mill. To these arms were at- tached with wooden pins, half-inch boards, forming the wings or sails of the mill; the whole, when finished, representing the twist of an auger more than anything else. Gearing attached to the end of the shaft gave motion to the burrs. The wind had the greatest power when applied to the outer end of the shaft. When it was completed, the neighbors were in ecstasies about the prospect of having such a mill in their vicinity. But a storm caused the sails to run with such velocity that the runner was projected some sixty or seventy feet, where it was embedded in the soil, and there long afterward remained. When this oc- curred, the shaft had gained such momentum that, though thrown out of its bearings, it con- tinued to run with great speed, tearing down everything before it, until it and the machinery attached, were broken to pieces.
Being thoroughly disgusted with the fickle- ness of the wind as a motive power, Mr. Tanne- hill concluded that he would try water power; so, in 1828, he purchased a mill and fifty acres of land from the heirs of Etienne Pensoneau, for $433. This land lies west of Race Street and adjoins West Belleville. The mill had long been idle, and Mr. Tannehill proceeded to put
it in repair by constructing new dams and making other additions and improvements. Mr. Tannehill's farm, mill and distillery might be considered as auxiliaries to the hotel which had been kept by him. This hotel was prob- ably the largest in Southern Illinois and was the headquarters of Judges, lawyers, jurors, witnesses and politicians. The entire products of Tannehill's distillery were consumed there. It was no rare sight, on public occasions, to see three or four barrels of whisky emptied in a single day. Tannehill's whisky was, equally with Creamer's rifles and Scott's pow- der, always considered dead shots, when the charge was properly adjusted; was generally used in its virgin purity-today brought from the still and tomorrow drunk by thirsty cus- tomers. A few dried apples, roasted brown and put into a barrel of whisky, gave it a very rich color. In those days, by substituting peaches for apples, a very fair so-called peach brandy was made, for which a ready sale was had. When we consider that there were no temperance societies at that early period, and take into account the abundance and cheap- ness of grain of all kinds, and that, as a conse- quence, whisky was plentiful and cheap, we need not wonder at its free and almost uni- versal use on all occasions. At that early day lager beer was not known; there was not a single brewery in the State nor a person here who, while cheap whisky lasted, would have drunk beer had there been ever so much brewed.
In 1830 or 1831, Tannehill's distillery burned down, and in 1832 he sold the mill and a greater part of the land to Thomas Harrison, for $800. Shortly after that he exchanged the hotel prop- erty and five lots with William Orr for a farm in the American Bottom, to which he moved, and where he finally died. His farm in High Prairie had been sold to John and Edward Tate for a small sum. Mr. Tannehill filled the offices of Justice of the Peace and Jailor. He possessed great skill in the use of the divining rod in discovering springs and the general lo- cality of water-so it was said. He acquired a great reputation in this art, and many persons had almost unlimited faith in his skill. As commonly used, the divining rod is a forked, slender switch, of hazel or other elastic wood. One branch of the fork was taken in each hand, the two ends being held pointing downward. In this way the operator passed the rod over
II36
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
the surface of the ground and by the particular inclination of the point of the rod, decided whether or not, and where, water might be found, and, oracle-like, gave a vague hint as to the probable depth below the surface at which it would be found. It was a compara- tively easy matter with the credulous and some- what superstitious pioneers to establish and confirm the faith of many of them in the art of using the divining rod. At one time Mr. Tanne- hill engaged in mining lead in Missouri, but, like the windmill, his mining operations did not prove a very remarkable success and therefore were abandoned.
Mr. Tannehill stood about six feet four inches high, and was stoutly built. His acquired abil- ities were somewhat limited, but he was a kind- hearted, moral and good natured man. He was a South Carolinian by birth and a zealous ad- vocate of negro slavery. As might be expected of one who was almost as inconstant and fickle as the wind that destroyed his early enter- prise, he did not accumulate much of this world's goods, and though, in his lifetime, he had owned much very valuable property, he died poor.
TANNEHILL, James William, saloon and boarding house proprietor, at Birkner, this county, was born in Freeburg, Ill., September 7, 1865, the son of James W. and Mary (Jen- nings) Tannehill, natives of Virginia, who came to Illinois about the year 1817, and set- tled in St. Clair County. James William, Jr., remained in the parental home for several years after completing his education in the public schools of his neighborhood. He chose mining as his occupation. On July 13, 1886, he was married to Rachel, daughter of David and Gwynne Jones, of Pittsburg, Ill., and of this union nine children were born-Mary El- len, Rachel, Elizabeth, Alvina, Albert, James William, Joseph, Annie and Mildred. For a year after his marriage, Mr. Tannehill labored in the Pittsburg coal mines; he then went to Troy, Ill., for twenty-four months and in 1891 removed to Birkner, where, for a period of eleven years, he was employed in the mines, and on August 8, 1902, opened a saloon and boarding house for the accommodation of the public. In his political views, Mr. Tannehill is a Republican. He belongs to the I. O. R. M. and was Secretary and Treasurer of the local U. M. of A., No. 688, for eight years.
TAPHORN, William H., foreman of the foun- dry department of the Queen City Stove and Range Company, was born in Tennessee, in 1868, and acquired his education in the public schools of his native State. Subsequently he obtained employment in a foundry, and in 1897 came to Belleville, this county, where he ac- cepted a position in the Belleville Stove Works as assistant foreman in the foundry depart- ment. This he retained until June, 1903, when the Crown Foundry Company sought his ser- vices and offered him the position of Superin- tendent of their entire works, which office he continued to fill most creditably until appointed to his present position in May, 1904. In 1891 Mr. Taphorn was married to Lillian Van Housen, a native of Kentucky, and of this union have been born the following children: Lillian Lucille, William Loraine and Ethel.
TATE, George R., a prosperous and highly respected farmer and fruit grower of St. Clair County, was born August 30, 1840, in Smith- ton Township, and received his education in the public schools of that section. He is a son of Edward and Lavina (Stuntz) Tate, both of whom were natives of Fayette County, Pa., their marriage having taken place April 24, 1823. In 1818 the father came to St. Clair County with Frank Wilderman, walking all the way from Fayette County and settling on Tur- key Hill, where he lived until 1827. He then moved to High Prairie, Smithton Township, and entered 440 acres of land, of which 240 acres are still in possession of the family. Con- rad Stuntz, the maternal grandfather, was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and was a Hessian soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Trenton, N. J., was released by joining the Colonial Army, and fought until the end of the war, when he settled in Pennsylvania ..
George R. Tate was the tenth of twelve chil- dren born to his parents, and was reared on a farm where he now resides. He attended the public schools and worked at farming un- til 1862, when he began teaching a school near his home, continuing thus employed for two terms. He then went to Oregon, where he taught school for two years, besides farming and dealing in cattle. Subsequently, he re- turned to St. Clair County, teaching school for eight years, and then engaged in mercantile pursuits at Freeburg, but after three years
II37
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
disposed of his business and became Prin- cipal of a school, which position he retained for two years. Agricultural life appealing to him again, he returned to the farm where he has since remained, giving most of his atten- tion to the cultivation of fruit. His farm con- sists of 120 acres. In politics, Mr. Tate is a Democrat, and was Justice of the Peace for eight years. Socially, he is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Patrons of Hus- bandry, and has been on the Executive Commit- tee of the latter order for twenty years. On November 22, 1866, he was married to Sarah C. Smith, a native of Prairie Du Long Town- ship, of whose public schools she is a graduate. She is a daughter of Robert J. and Mary (Mc- Culley) Smith, natives of Maine and St. Clair County respectively, her grandparents being John and Hannah (Jordan) Smith, both of whom were also born in the Pine Tree State. To Mr. and Mrs. Tate have been born the fol- lowing children: L. Clara; John J., who died May 12, 1891, aged twenty-one years; May C., Hallie M., Mildred A., and Dosia A. The pa- ternal grandfather of George R. was Robert Tate, who was a native of Pennsylvania.
TAYLOR, Joseph, who owns and operates ex- tensive mining properties at O'Fallon, St. Clair County, was born in Lancashire, England, Feb- ruary 8, 1840. His parents, Samuel and Allen (Spencer) Taylor, were also of English birth, and came to this country in 1865, being sent for by their son Joseph. Having finished his school- ing in his native land, Mr. Taylor was em- ployed in the mines there when quite young, and continued thus until he accompanied the family to the United States. He worked in the mines at Pittsburg, Pa., and on coming to O'Fallon still pursued a mining vocation. In 1874 he embarked in general merchandising. He is the sole proprietor of the Taylor, Ridge Prairie and St. Ellen coal mines, having dis- posed of his other mining properties at a re- cent date. In 1877, he purchased the Alma Mine; in 1888 the Taylor Mine; and in 1898, the Ridge Prairie Mine. In August, 1903, Mr. Taylor opened what is now known as the St. Ellen Mine, from which two tons of coal per minute are hoisted. The output of his mines is about 3,000 tons daily, furnishing employ- ment to 500 persons. Mr. Taylor built the town of Alma, now called Carbon, which he owns.
There, and at O'Fallon, he has erected more than 100 houses, which are his property and are rented to his employes.
Joseph Taylor was married in 1871, to Mary Garthside, who was born in Oldham, Lanca- shire, England. He has served in the ca- pacity of Town Treasurer of O'Fallon, and is Treasurer of the Commercial Club. Politically, he is a Republican. He has been a remarkably successful man, his continuous advancement being due to his own efforts and to the good, sterling principles of his character.
TEGTMEIER, (Dr.) E. H., a popular and suc- cessful young physician of Millstadt, this coun- ty, was born in the place named, August 25, 1878, a son of Charles and Christina (Theo- bald) Tegtmeier, the former of whom was a native of Brunswick, Germany, and the latter of St. Louis. The father came to the United States in 1852 and followed the trade of a tailor. Dr. Tegtmeier was educated in the private schools of Millstadt, where later he received private instruction of F. L. Balz, now Mayor of the town. He then obtained a diploma as a teacher from Charles Hertel, County Superin- tendent of Public Schools, and, in 1897, at- tended the College of Physicians and Surgeons, from which he was graduated in 1901. He subsequently pursued a special course of study under Dr. R. M. King and Dr. G. Howard Thompson, and then began the practice of his profession in Millstadt, which he has since continued to follow, meeting with the success due his earnestness, industry and ability. He is interested in other lines of business, and is also a member of the City Board of Health. In politics, he is a Republican, and socially, is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of Amer- ica, the M. P. L., U. A. S., the I. O. O. T., and the Masonic fraternity. On September 25, 1902, Dr. Tegtmeier was united in marriage to Otel- lia Dornman, a native of Millstadt, and they have two children-Loraine Edward and Lydia Tegtmeier.
TEGTMEIER, Henry, Jr., merchant tailor of Millstadt, this county, was born in that place on December 11, 1862, a son of Henry and Christina (Bodenhagen) Tegtmeier, born in Germany in 1834 and 1837 respectively. The elder Tegtmeier was educated in his native land, apprenticed to a tailor at the age of fourteen,
1138
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
and emigrated to the United States in 1854, having since been in business in St. Clair County. His son owes his knowledge of tailor- ing to his skillful instruction, and has been his partner since completing his trade. Henry Tegtmeier, Jr., is the oldest son in a family of nine children, thé others being Louise, Caroline, Charles, Fred, Helen, Minnie, Louis and Albert. The family are members of the Evangelical Church, and both father and son have espoused the Republican cause. Henry Tegtmeier, Jr., is unmarried.
TETTAR, Hubert De Fler, was born July 9, 1841, in St. Clair County. His parents were John B. and Mary Rose (Boisseau) Tet- tar, both of whom were natives of France. The father emigrated to the United States, lo- cating in St. Clair County, May 28, 1841, and there worked on a farm, eventually purchasing forty acres of land three miles west of French Village, and assisted in building the French Village church, in which Hubert was one of the first to be christened. The father died December 13, 1851. Hubert continued to live with his mother until her death, which oc- curred in August, 1884. He then removed to East St. Louis and erected a residence at No. 644 North Sixth Street. At present he owns three business blocks, and 120 acres of land in Section 16, Centerville Station Township, and has since been occupied in looking after his property. At one time he owned a threshing machine, which he operated for about thirty years. In religion, Mr. Tettar is a Catholic. In 1894 he was married to Mrs. Joseph Barthol- emy, whose maiden name was Amelia Chaput, a native of French Village, whose education was acquired in the common schools of that place. Their children are Joseph, Alfred and Edward.
THEBUS, August, was born on May 28, 1841, in Hubenrothe, Kreis Witzenhausen, Germany, a son of John Thebus, also a native of Ger- many. He came to St. Louis in 1858 and to Belleville in 1859, and learned the butcher's trade with John Kreuter, in 1865 buying out Mr. Rubel in West Belleville. In 1887 he sold his business to his son John and has since lived in comfortable retirement. In 1863 Mr. Thebus was united in marriage to Eleanor Wamser, and ten children have been born to them, as follows: John; George and Emma,
both deceased; William, Ferdinand, Alma, Lulu, Robert, Arthur and Bertha. Mrs. The- bus died November 26, 1888.
Mr. Thebus is well known in Belleville and St. Clair County. He was one of the original stockholders and for many years he has been a Director of the First National Bank of Belle- ville. He has left a reputation for honesty, in- tegrity and high principles to his descendants, as a rich legacy better than silver or gold, that will be to them a beacon light in generations to come. Religiously, he is a member of the St. Paul's Church.
THIELE, William, was born in St. Louis, Mo., November 21, 1837, son of William and Eliza- beth Thiele, natives of Germany, who came to this country in 1836. The father, who was a carpenter and builder, came to Belleville in 1838 and died in 1888, the mother having passed away during the preceding year. The son William obtained his schooling in Belle- ville, and in 1852 secured work as clerk in the bookstore of Harvey & Walker, and later held a similar position in the general merchandise stores of G. A. Harvey, Harvey & Terrell, Har- vey & Throp and T. A. Throp & Company, and in the dry goods store with W. H. Linn and Linn & Westermann. In 1869 he became a mem- ber of the dry goods firm of L. Westermann & Company, and subsequently of Thiele & De- tharding until 1887, when he retired from that business. In 1892 he became connected with his brother's grocery establishment, the associa- tion still continuing.
THOENE, Ferdinand A., proprietor of a gro- cery and meat market at 408 Illinois Avenue, East St. Louis, was born in East St. Louis, Sep- tember 19, 1870, a son of George and Catherine Thoene. The elder Thoene was a merchant. The son, Ferdinand A., was educated in the public schools of his native city, and when nineteen years of age was employed as a clerk in the Heim Brewery. He took his present business in hand about two years ago. He is a Catholic and a member of St. Patrick's Church. He married Josephine Norton, of East St. Louis. Politically, he is a Republican.
THOENE, Herman C., a prominent and highly respected merchant of East St. Louis, was born in that city December 29, 1877, son of George K. and Catherine (Heim) Thoene. He obtained
II39
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
his education in the public schools, and at the age of fourteen years started to work in the dry goods and furnishing store of Mr. Buerki, with whom he remained for four years. For the following three and a half years he was employed by G. F. Becker, and then, on Sep- tember 5, 1895, he founded a business, embrac- ing dry goods, furnishings and shoes, at the corner of Collinsville and Illinois Avenues. The lucrative and constantly increasing trade which he has there developed is the result of his energy, ability and business acumen. Although one of the younger merchants of East St. Louis, he has already established himself as a man of integrity, and enjoys the high es- teem of his fellow-citizens. He is now the President of the Retail Merchants' Associa- tion of East St. Louis, an association of high public value. In religion, Mr. Thoene is a firm believer in the precepts of the Catholic Church. He was united in marriage April 16, 1902, to Bertha Reeb, a native of East St. Louis, educated in the public schools of that place. They have one child, Bernice M., born November 25, 1903.
THOMAS, C. S. (deceased), formerly chief em- balmer and a large stockholder in the National Livery and Undertaking Company of East St. Louis, as well as a business man of varied and extensive experience, was born in Fair- field, Ia., February 7, 1873, a son of Van M. Thomas, of Indiana. At an early age Mr. Thomas began modestly with the Adams Ex- press Company, but advanced to various po- sitions of trust and responsibility, and re- mained in the company's employ for many years. In 1898 he became agent for the com- pany in East St. Louis, at the same time representing the American and National Ex- press Companies. In April, 1904, he became a member of the firm with which he was con- nected at the time of his death, and which owes its organization and superintendency to C. D. Millison, who is well known also as a prominent feed and coal merchant. The firni conducts a large business in both livery and boarding, and in their funeral department rep- resent the most advanced and practical ideas. In 1901 C. S. Thomas married Bertha Ingalls, who was born in Iowa on April 26, 1873, and who is the mother of one daughter, Thelma. After a short illness, Mr. Thomas passed away on the 29th of October, 1905.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.