Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 8

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724

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BATES, Clara Doty, author, was born at Ann Arbor, Mich., Dec. 22, 1838; published her first book in 1868; the next year married Morgan Bates, a Chicago publisher; wrote much for juvenile periodicals, besides stories and poems, some of the most popular among the latter being "Blind Jakey" (1868) and "Æsop's Fables" in verse (1873). She was the collector of a model library for children, for the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893. Died in Chicago, Oct. 14, 1895.

BATES, Erastus Newton, soldier and · State Treasurer, was born at Plainfield, Mass., Feb. 29, 1828, being descended from Pilgrims of the May- flower. When 8 years of age he was brought by his father to Ohio, where the latter soon after- ward died. For several years he lived with an uncle, preparing himself for college and earning money by teaching and manual labor. He gradu- ated from Williams College, Mass., in 1853, and commenced the study of law in New York City, but later removed to Minnesota, where he served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1856 and was elected to the State Senate in 1857. In 1859 he removed to Centralia, Ill., and com- menced practice there in August, 1862; was com- missioned Major of the Eightieth Illinois Volunteers, being successively promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel, and finally brevetted Brigadier-General. For fifteen months he was a prisoner of war, escaping from Libby Prison only to be recaptured and later exposed to the fire of the Union batteries at Mor-

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

ris Island, Charleston harbor. In 1866 he was elected to the Legislature, and, in 1868, State Treasurer, being re-elected to the latter office under the new Constitution of 1870, and serving until January, 1873. Died at Minneapolis, Minn., May 29, 1898, and was buried at Spring- field.

BATES, George C., lawyer and politician, was born in Canandaigua, N. Y., and removed to Michigan in 1834; in 1849 was appointed United States District Attorney for that State, but re- moved to California in 1850, where he became a member of the celebrated "Vigilance Committee" at San Francisco, and, in 1856, delivered the first Republican speech there. From 1861 to 1871, he practiced law in Chicago; the latter year was appointed District Attorney for Utah, serving two years, in 1878 removing to Denver, Colo., where he died, Feb. 11, 1886. Mr. Bates was an orator of much reputation, and was selected to express the thanks of the citizens of Chicago to Gen. B. J. Sweet, commandant of Camp Douglas, after the detection and defeat of the Camp Doug- las conspiracy in November, 1864-a duty which he performed in an address of great eloquence. At an early day he married the widow of Dr. Alexander Wolcott, for a number of years previ- ous to 1830 Indian Agent at Chicago, his wife 'being a daughter of John Kinzie, the first white settler of Chicago.

BATH, a village of Mason County, on the Jacksonville branch of the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railway, 8 miles south of Havana. Popu- lation (1890), 384; (1900), 330; (1910), 475.

BAYLIS, a corporate village of Pike County, on the main line of the Wabash Railway, 40 miles southeast of Quincy; has one newspaper and wagon factory. Pop. (1900), 340; (1910), 385.

BAYLISS, .Alfred, Superintendent of Public Instruction, was born about 1846, served as a private in the First Michigan Cavalry the last two years of the Civil War, and graduated from Hillsdale College (Mich.), in 1870, supporting himself during his college course by work upon a farm and teaching. After serving three years as County Superintendent of Schools in La Grange County, Ind., in 1874 he came to Illinois and entered upon the vocation of a teacher in the northern part of the State. He served for some time as Superintendent of Schools for the city of Sterling, afterwards served as Principal of the Township High School until 1898, when he was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction and re-elected in 1902, serving two consecutive terms. On retirement from the Superintendent's office in

1907, he became Principal of the State Normal School at Macomb, Ill., but died August 26, 1911.

BEARD, Thomas, pioneer and founder of the city of Beardstown, Ill., was born in Granville, Washington County, N. Y., in 1795, taken to Northeastern Ohio in 1800, and, in 1818, removed to Illinois, living for a time about Edwardsville and Alton. In 1820 he went to the locality of the present city of Beardstown, and later estab- lished there the first ferry across the Illinois River. In. 1827, in conjunction with Enoch March of Morgan County, he entered the land on which Beardstown was platted in 1829. Died, at Beardstown, in November, 1849.

BEARDSTOWN, a city in Cass County, on the Illinois River, being the intersecting point for the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern and the Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy Railways, and the northwestern terminus of the former. It is 111 miles north of St. Louis and 90 miles south of Peoria. Thomas Beard, for whom the town was named, settled here about 1820 and soon after- wards established the first ferry across the Illi- nois River. In 1827 the land was patented by Beard and Enoch March, and the town platted, and, during the Black Hawk War of 1832, it became a principal base of supplies for the Illi- nois volunteers. The city has six churches and five schools (including a high school), three banks and daily and weekly newspapers. Several branches of manufacturing are carried on here- flouring and saw mills, cooperage works, extensive fishing and packing interests, two button factories, one shoe factory and large machine shops. The river is spanned here by a fine railroad bridge, costing some $300,000, and a steel wagon bridge. Pop. (1900), 4,827; (1910), 6,107.

BEAUBIEN, Jean Baptiste, the second per- manent settler on the site of Chicago, was born at Detroit in 1780, became clerk of a fur-trader on Grand River, married an Ottawa woman for his first wife, and, in 1800, had a trading-post at Mil- waukee, which he maintained until 1818. Ho visited Chicago as early as 1804, bought a cabin there soon after the Fort Dearborn massacre of 1812, married the daughter of Francis La Fram- boise, a French trader, and, in 1818, became agent of the American Fur Company, having charge of trading posts at Mackinaw and else- where. After 1823 he occupied the building known as "the factory," just outside of Fort Dear- born, which had belonged to the Government, but removed to a farm on the Des Plaines in 1840. Out of the ownership of this building grew his , claim to the right, in 1835, to enter seventy-five

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

acres of land belonging to the Fort Dearborn reservation. The claim was allowed by the Land Office officials and sustained by the State courts, but disallowed by the Supreme Court of the United States after long litigation. An attempt was made to revive this claim in Congress in 1878, but it was reported upon adversely by a Senate Committee of which the late Senator Thomas F. Bayard was chairman. Mr. Beaubien was evidently a man of no little prominence in his day. He led a company of Chicago citizens to the Black Hawk War in 1832, was appointed by the Governor the first Colonel of Militia for Cook County, and, in 1850, was commissioned Brigadier-General. In 1858 he removed to Nash- ville, Tenn., and died there, Jan. 5, 1863 .- Mark (Beaubien), a younger brother of Gen. Beaubien, was born in Detroit in 1800, came to Chicago in 1826, and bought a log house of James Kinzie, in which he kept a hotel for some time. Later, he erected the first frame building in Chicago, which was known as the "Sauganash," and in which he kept a hotel until 1834. He also engaged in mer- chandising, but was not successful, ran the first ferry across the South Branch of the Chicago River, and served for many years as lighthouse keeper at Chicago. About 1834 the Indians trans- ferred to him a reservation of 640 acres of land on the Calumet, for which, some forty years after- wards, he received a patent which had been signed by Martin Van Buren-he having previ- ously been ignorant of its existence. He was married twice and had a family of twenty-two children. Died, at Kankakee, Ill., April 16, 1881. -Madore B. (Beaubien), the second son of General Beaubien by his Indian wife, was born on Grand River in Michigan, July 15, 1809, joined his father in Chicago, was educated in a Baptist Mission School where Niles, Micli., now stands; was licensed as a merchant in Chicago in 1831, but failed as a business man; served as Second Lieutenant of the Naperville Company in the Black Hawk War, and later was First Lieutenant of a Chicago Company. His first wife was a white woman, from whom he separated, after- wards marrying an Indian woman. He left Illi- nois with the Pottawatomies in 1840, resided at Council Bluffs and, later, in Kansas, being for many years the official interpreter of the tribe and, for some time, one of six Commissioners employed by the Indians to look after their affairs with the United States Government .- Alexander (Beaubien), son of General Beau- bien by his white wife, was born in one of the buildings belonging to Fort Dearborn, Jan. 28,

1822. In 1840 he accompanied his father to his farm on the Des Plaines, but returned to Chicago in 1862, and for years past has been employed on the Chicago police force.

BEBB, William, Governor of Ohio, was born in Hamilton County in that State in 1802; taught school at North Bend, the home of William Henry Harrison, studied law and practiced at Hamilton ; served as Governor of Ohio, 1846-48; later led a Welsh colony to Tennessee, but left at the out- break of the Civil War, removing to Winnebago County, Ill., where he had purchased a large body of land. He was a man of uncompromising loyalty and high principle; served as Examiner of Pensions by appointment of President Lincoln and, in 1868, took a prominent part in the cam- paign which resulted in Grant's first election to the Presidency. Died at Rockford, Oct. 23, 1873. A daughter of Governor Bebb married Hon. John P. Reynolds, for many years the Secretary of the Illinois State Agricultural Society, and, during the World's Columbian Exposition, Director-in-Chief of the Illinois Board of World's Fair Commissioners.

BECKER, Charles St. N., ex-State Treasurer, was born in Germany, June 14, 1840, and brought to this country by his parents at the age of 11 years, the family settling in St. Clair County, Ill. Early in the Civil War he enlisted in the Twelfth Missouri regiment, and, at the battle of Pea Ridge, was so severely wounded that it was found necessary to amputate one of his legs. In 1866 he was elected Sheriff of St. Clair County, and, from 1872 to 1880, he served as clerk of the St. Clair Circuit Court. He also served several terms as a City Councilman of Belleville. In 1888 he was elected State Treasurer on the Republican ticket. Died Jan. 2, 1908.

BECKWITH, Corydon, lawyer and jurist, was born in Vermont in 1823, and educated at Provi- dence, R. I., and Wrentham, Mass. He read law and was admitted to the bar in St. Albans, Vt., where he practiced for two years. In 1853 he removed to Chicago, and, in January, 1864, was appointed by Governor Yates a Justice of the Supreme Court, to fill the five remaining months of the unexpired term of Judge Caton, who had resigned. On retiring from the bench he re- sumed private practice. Died, August 18, 1890.

BECKWITH, Hiram Williams, lawyer and author, was born at Danville, Ill., March 5, 1833. Mr. Beckwith's father, Dan W. Beckwith, a pio- neer settler of Eastern Illinois and one of the founders of the city of Danville, was a native of Wyalusing, Pa., where he was born about 1789,

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

his mother being, in her girlhood, Hannah York, one of the survivors of the famous Wyoming massacre of 1778. In 1817, the senior Beckwith, in company with his brother George, descended the Ohio River, afterwards ascending the Wabash to where Terre Haute now stands, but finally locating in what is now a part of Edgar County, Ill. A year later he removed to the vicinity of the present site of the city of Danville. Having been employed for a time in a surveyor's corps, he finally became a surveyor himself, and, on the organization of Vermilion County, served for a time as County Surveyor by appointment of the Governor, and was also employed by the General Government in surveying lands in the eastern part of the State, some of the Indian reservations in that section of the State being set off by him. In connection with Guy W. Smith, then Receiver of Public Moneys in the Land Office at Palestine, Ill., he donated the ground on which the county-seat of Vermilion County was located, and it took the name of Dan- ville from his first name-"Dan." In 1830 he was elected Representative in the State Legisla- ture for the District composed of Clark, Edgar, and Vermilion Counties, then including all that section of the State between Crawford County and the Kankakee River. He died in 1835. Hiram, the subject of this sketch, thus left fatherless at less than three years of age, received only such education as was afforded in the com- mon schools of that period. Nevertheless, he began the study of law in the Danville office of Lincoln & Lamon, and was admitted to practice in 1854, about the time of reaching his majority. He continued in their office and, on the removal of Lamon to Bloomington in 1859, he succeeded to the business of the firm at Danville. Mr. Lamon-who, on Mr. Lincoln's accession to the Presidency in 1861, became Marshal of the Dis- trict of Columbia-was distantly related to Mr. Beckwith by a second marriage of the mother of the latter. While engaged in the practice of his profession, Mr. Beckwith was for over thirty years a zealous collector of records and other material bearing upon the early history of Illinois and the Northwest, probably becoming the owner of one of the most complete and valuable collections of Americana in Illinois; was also the author of several monographs on historic themes, including "The Winnebago War," "The Illinois and Indiana Indians," and "Historic Notes of the Northwest," published in the "Fer- gus Series," besides having edited an edition of "Reynolds' History of Illinois" (published by the

same firm), which he had enriched by the addition of valuable notes. During 1895-96 he contributed a series of valuable articles to "The Chicago Tribune" on various features of early Illinois and Northwest history. In 1890 he was appointed by Governor Fifer a member of the first Board of Trustees of the Illinois State Historical Library, serving until the expiration of his term in 1894, and was re-appointed to the same position by Governor Tanner in 1897, in each case being chosen President of the Board. Died Dec. 22, 1903.

BEECHER, Charles A., attorney and railway solicitor, was born in Herkimer County, N. Y., August 27, 1829, but, in 1836, removed with his family to Licking County, Ohio, where he lived upon a farm until he reached the age of 18 years. Having taken a course in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, in 1854 he removed to Illinois, locating at Fairfield, Wayne County, and began the study of law in the office of his brother, Edwin Beecher, being admitted to prac- tice in 1855. In 1867 he united with others in the organization of the Illinois Southeastern Rail- road projected from Shawneetown to Edgewood on the Illinois Central in Effingham County. This enterprise was consolidated, a year or two later, with the Pana, Springfield & Northwest- ern, taking the name of the Springfield & Illinois Southeastern, under which name it was con- structed and opened for traffic in 1871. (This line-which Mr. Beecher served for some time as Vice-President-now constitutes the Beards- town & Shawneetown Division of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern.) The Springfield & Illi- nois Southeastern Company having fallen into financial difficulty in 1873, Mr. Beecher was appointed receiver of the road, and, for a time, had control of its operation as agent for the bond- holders. In 1875 the line was conveyed to the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad (now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio), when Mr. Beecher became General Counsel of the controlling corporation, so remaining until 1888. From that date he con- tinued to be one of the assistant counsel of the Baltimore & Ohio system. His later home was in Cincinnati, although for over a quarter of a century he had been prominently identified with one of the most important railway enterprises in Southern Illinois. In politics Mr. Beecher had always been a Republican, and was one of the few in Wayne County who voted for Fremont in 1856, and for Lincoln in 1860. He was also a member of the Republican State Central Committee of Illinois from 1860 for a period of ten or twelve years. Died April 11, 1904.

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

BEECHER, Edward, D. D., clergyman and educator, was born at East Hampton, L. I., August 27, 1803-the son of Rev. Lyman Beecher and the elder brother of Henry Ward; graduated at Yale College in 1822, taught for over a year at Hartford, Conn., studied theology, and after a year's service as tutor in Yale College, in 1826 was ordained pastor of the Park Street Congregational Church in Boston. In 1830 he became President of Illinois College at Jacksonville, remaining until 1844, when he resigned and returned to Boston, serving as pastor of the Salem Street Church in that city until 1856, also acting as senior editor of "The Congregationalist" for four years. In 1856 he returned to Illinois as pastor of the First Con- gregational Church at Galesburg, continuing until 1871, when he removed to Brooklyn, where he resided without pastoral charge, except 1885- 89, when he was pastor of the Parkville Congre- gational Church. While President of Illinois College, that institution was exposed to much hostile criticism on account of his outspoken opposition to slavery, as shown by his participa- tion in founding the first Illinois State Anti- Slavery Society and his eloquent denunciation of the murder of Elijah P. Lovejoy. Next to his brother Henry Ward, he was probably the most powerful orator belonging to that gifted family, and, in connection with his able associates in the faculty of the Illinois College, assisted to give that institution a wide reputation as a nursery of independent thought. Up to a short time before his death, he was a prolific writer, his productions (besides editorials, reviews and con- tributions on a variety of subjects) including nine or ten volumes, of which the most impor- tant are: "Statement of Anti-Slavery Principles and Address to the People of Illinois" (1837); "A Plea for Illinois College"; "History of the Alton Riots" (1838); "The Concord of Ages" (1853); "The Conflict of Ages" (1854); "Papal Conspiracy Exposed" (1854), besides a number of others invariably on religious or anti-slavery topics. Died in Brooklyn, July 28, 1895.

BEECHER, William H., clergyman - oldest son of Rev. Lyman Beecher and brother of Edward and Henry Ward-was born at East Hampton, N. Y., educated at home and at An- dover, became a Congregationalist clergyman, occupying pulpits at Newport, R. I., Batavia, N. Y., and Cleveland, Ohio; came to Chicago in his later years, dying at the home of his daugh- ters in that city, June 23, 1889.

BEGGS, (Rev.) Stephen R., pioneer Methodist

Episcopal preacher, was born in Buckingham County, Va., March 30, 1801. His father, who was opposed to slavery, moved to Kentucky in 1805, but remained there only two years, when he removed to Clark County, Ind. The son enjoyed but poor educational advantages here, obtaining his education chiefly by his own efforts in what he called "Brush College." At the age of 21 he entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church, during the next ten years traveling different circuits in Indiana. In 1831 he was appointed to Chicago, but the Black Hawk War coming on immediately thereafter, he retired to Plainfield. Later he traveled various circuits in Illinois, until 1868, when he was superannuated, occupying his time thereafter in writing remi- niscences of his early history. A volume of this character published by him, was entitled "Pages from the Early History of the West and North- west." He'died at Plainfield, Ill., Sept. 9, 1895, in the 95th year of his age.

BEIDLER, Henry, early settler, was born of German extraction in Bucks County, Pa., Nov. 27, 1812; came to Illinois in 1843, settling first at Springfield, where he carried on the grocery business for five years, then removed to Chicago and engaged in the lumber trade in connection with a brother, afterwards carrying on a large lumber manufacturing business at Muskegon, Mich., which proved very profitable. In 1871 Mr. Beidler retired from the lumber trade, in- vesting largely in west side real estate in the city of Chicago, which appreciated rapidly in value, making him one of the most wealthy real estate owners in Chicago. Died, March 16, 1893 .- Jacob (Beidler), brother of the preceding, was born in Bucks County, Penn., in 1815; came west in 1842, first began working as a carpenter, but later engaged in the grocery business with his brother at Springfield, Ill .; in 1844 removed to Chicago, where he was joined by his brother four years later, when they engaged largely in the lumber trade. Mr. Beidler retired from business in 1891, devoting his attention to large real estate investments. He was a liberal contributor to religious, educational and benevolent institutions. Died in Chicago, March 15, 1898.

BELFIELD, Henry Holmes, educator, was born in Philadelphia, Nov. 17, 1837; was educated at an Iowa College, and for a time was tutor in the same; during the War of the Rebellion served in the army of the Cumberland, first as Lieuten- ant and afterwards as Adjutant of the Eighth Iowa Cavalry, still later being upon the staff of Gen. E. M. McCook, and taking part in the

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

Atlanta and Nasliville campaigns. While a prisoner in the hands of the rebels he was placed under fire of the Union batteries at Charleston. Coming to Chicago in 1866, he served as Principal in various public schools, including the North Division High School. He was one of the earli- est advocates of manual training, and, on the establishment of the Chicago Manual Training School in 1884, was appointed its Director-a position which he has continued to occupy. During 1891-92 he made a trip to Europe by appointment of the Government, to investigate the school systems in European countries.

BELKNAP, Hugh Reid, ex-Member of Congress, was born in Keokuk, Iowa, Sept. 1, 1860, being the son of W. W. Belknap, for some time Secre- tary of War under President Grant. After attending the public schools of his native city, he took a course at Adams Academy, Quincy, Mass., and at Phillips Academy, Andover, when he entered the service of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, where he remained twelve years in various departments, finally becoming Chief Clerk of the General Manager. In 1892 he retired from this position to become Superintendent of the South Side Elevated Railroad of Chicago. He never held any political position until nomi- nated (1894) as a Republican for the Fifty-fourth Congress, in the strongly Democratic Third Dis- trict of Chicago. Althoughi the returns sliowed a plurality of thirty-one votes for his Democratic opponent (Lawrence McGann), a recount proved him elected, when, Mr. McGann having volun- tarily withdrawn, Mr. Belknap was unanimously awarded the seat. In 1896 he was re-elected from a District usually strongly Democratic, receiving a plurality of 590 votes, but was defeated by his Democratic opponent in 1898, retir- ing from Congress, March 3, 1899, when he re- ceived an appointment as Paymaster in the Army from President Mckinley, with the rank of Major.

BELL, Robert, lawyer, was born in Lawrence County, Ill., in 1829, educated at Mount Carmel and Indiana State University at Bloomington, graduating from the law department of the latter in 1855; while yet in his minority edited "The Mount Carmel Register," during 1851-52 becoming joint owner and editor of the same with his brother, Victor D. Bell. After gradu- ation he opened an office at Fairfield, Wayne County, but, in 1857, returned to Mount Carmel and from 1864 was the partner of Judge E. B. Green, until the appointment of the latter Chief Justice of Oklahoma by President Harrison in 1890. In 1869 Mr. Bell was appointed County

Judge of Lawrence County, being elected to the same office in 1894. He was also President of the Illinois Southern Railroad Company until it was merged into the Cairo & Vincennes Road in 1867; later became President of the St. Louis & Mt. Carmel Railroad, now a part of the Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis line, and secured the construction of the division from Princeton, Ind., to Albion, Ill. In 1876 lie visited California as Special Agent of the Treasury Department to investigate alleged frauds in the Revenue Districts on the Pacific Coast; in 1878 was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress on the Republican ticket in the strong Democratic Nineteenth District; was appointed, the same year, a member of the Republican State Central Committee for the State-at-large, and, in 1881, officiated by appointment of President Garfield, as Commissioner to examine a section of the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in New Mexico. Judge Bell is a gifted stump-speaker and is known in the southeastern part of the State as the "Silver-tongued Orator of the Wabash."

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 8

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857- Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 724

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724