Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 91

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388

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ROANOKE, a village of Woodford County, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, 26 miles northeast of Peoria; is in a coal district ; has a bank and two newspapers. Population (1880), 355; (1890), 831.

ROBB, Thomas Patten, Sanitary Agent, was born in Bath, Maine, in 1819; came to Cook County, Ill., in 1838, and, after arriving at man- hood, established the first exclusive wholesale grocery house in Chicago, remaining in the busi- ness until 1850. He then went to California, establishing himself in mercantile business at Sacramento, where he remained seven years, meanwhile being elected Mayor of that city. Returning to Chicago on the breaking out of the war, he was appointed on the staff of Governor Yates with the rank of Major, and, while serv- ing in this capacity, was instrumental in giving General Grant the first duty he performed in the office of the Adjutant-General after his arrival from Galena. Later, he was assigned to duty as Inspector-General of Illinois troops with the rank of Colonel, having general charge of sanitary

affairs until the close of the war, when he was appointed Cotton Agent for the State of Georgia, and, still later, President of the Board of Tax Commissioners for that State. Other positions held by him were those of Postmaster and Col- lector of Customs at Savannah, Ga .; he was also one of the publishers of "The New Era," a Republican paper at Atlanta, and a prominent actor in reconstruction affairs. Resigning the Collectorship, he was appointed by the President United States Commissioner to investigate Mexi- can outrages on the Rio Grande border; was sub- sequently identified with Texas railroad interests as the President of the Corpus Christi & Rio Grande Railroad, and one of the projectors of the Chicago, Texas & Mexican Central Railway, being thus engaged until 1872. Later he returned to California, dying near Glenwood, in that State, April 10, 1895, aged 75 years and 10 months.

ROBERTS, William Charles, clergyman and educator, was born in a small village of Wales, England., Sept. 23, 1832; received his primary education in that country, but, removing to America during his minority, graduated from Princeton College in 1855, and from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1858. After filling vari- ous pastorates in Delaware, New Jersey and Ohio, in 1881 he was elected Corresponding Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, the next year being offered the Presidency of Rutgers College, which he declined. In 1887 he accepted the presidency of Lake Forest Univer- sity, which he still retains. From 1859 to 1863 he was a Trustee of Lafayette College, and, in 1866, was elected to a trusteeship of his Alma Mater. He has traveled extensively in the Orient, and was a member of the first and third councils of the Reformed Churches, held at Edin- burgh and Belfast. Besides, occasional sermons and frequent contributions to English, Ameri- can, German and Welsh periodicals, Dr. Roberts has published a Welsh translation of the West- minster shorter catechism and a collection of letters on the great preachers of Wales, which appeared in Utica, 1868. He received the degree of D.D., from Union College in 1872, and that of LL.D .. from Princeton, in 1887.

ROBINSON, an incorporated city and the county-seat of Crawford County, 25 miles north- west of Vincennes, Ind., and 44 miles south of Paris, Edgar County ; is on two lines of railroad and in the heart of a fruit, corn, wheat and wool- growing region. The city has a private bank and two weekly newspapers. Population (1880), 1,380; (1890), 1,387.

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ROBINSON, James C., lawyer and former Congressman, was born in Edgar County, Ill., in 1822, read law and was admitted to the bar in 1850. He served as a private during the Mexican War, and, in 1858, was elected to Congress as a Democrat, as he was again in 1860, '62, '70 and '72. In 1864 he was the Democratic nominee for Governor. He was a fluent speaker, and attained considerable distinction as an advocate in crimi- nal practice. Died, at Springfield, Nov. 3, 1886.

ROBINSON, John M., United States Senator, born in Kentucky in 1793, was liberally educated and became a lawyer by profession. In early life he settled at Carmi, Ill., where he married. He was of fine physique, of engaging manners, and personally popular. Through his association with the State militia he earned the title of "General." In 1830 he was elected to the United States Senate, to fill the unexpired term of John McLean. His immediate predecessor was David Jewett Baker, appointed by Governor Edwards, who served one month but failed of election by the Legislature. In 1834 Mr. Robinson was re- elected for a full term, which expired in 1841. In 1843 he was elected to a seat upon the Illinois Supreme bench, but died at Ottawa, April 27, of the same year, within three months after his elevation.

ROCHELLE, a city of Ogle County and an intersecting point of the Chicago & Northwesteru and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railways. It is 75 miles west of Chicago, 27 miles south of Rockford, and 23 miles east by north of Dixon. The surrounding country is a rich agricultural and stock-raising region, rendering Rochelle an important shipping point. Among its industrial establishments are two foundries and a flouring mill. The city has two banks, five churches and three weekly newspapers. Population (1880), 1,893; (1890), 1,789.

ROCHESTER, a village, and one of the oldest settlements in Sangamon County, having been laid out in 1819; situated in a rich agricultural district, on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad, 71/2 miles southeast of Springfield. It has one newspaper. Population (1890), 380.

ROCK FALLS, a city in Whiteside County, on the Rock River, and a station on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. It has excellent water-power, a good public school system (includ- ing a high school), banks and a weekly newspaper. Agricultural implements, barbed wire, furniture, flour and paper are its chief manufactures. There are also railway machine shops located here. Population (1880), 894; (1890), 1,900.

ROCKFORD, a flourishing manufacturing city, the county-seat of Winnebago County ; lies on both sides of the Rock River, 92 miles west of Chicago. Four trunk lines of railroad-the Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago & North- western, the Illinois Central and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul-intersect here. Excellent water-power is secured by a dam across the river, and communication between the two divisions of the city is facilitated by three railway and three highway bridges. Water is provided from five artesian wells, a reserve main leading to the river. The city is wealthy, prosperous and pro- gressive. The assessed valuation of property, in 1893, was $6,531,235. Churches are numerous and schools, both public and private, are abundant and well conducted. The census of 1890 showed $7,715,069 capital invested in 246 manufacturing establishments, which employed 5,223 persons and turned out an annual product valued at $8,888,- 904. The principal industries are the manufac- ture of agricultural implements and furniture, though watches, silver-plated ware, paper, flour and grape sugar are among the other products. Population (1880), 13,129; (1890), 23,584.

ROCKFORD COLLEGE, located at Rockford, Ill., incorporated in 1847; in 1898 had a faculty of 21 instructors with 161 pupils. The branches taught include the classics, music and fine arts. It has a library of 6,150 volumes, funds and en- dowment aggregating $50,880 and property valued at $240,880, of which $150,000 is real estate.

ROCK ISLAND, the principal city and county- seat of Rock Island County, on the Mississippi River, 182 miles west by south of Chicago. It is the converging point of five lines of railroad. The name is derived from an island in the Mis- sissippi River, opposite the city, 3 miles long, which belongs to the United States Government and contains an arsenal and armory. The river channel west of the island is navigable, the east- ern channel having been dammed by the Govern- ment, thereby giving great water-power to Rock Island, Milan and Moline. A combined railway and highway bridge spans the river from Rock Island to Davenport, Iowa, crossing the island, while another bridge connects the city with Moline. The island was the site of Fort Arm- strong (consisting of a group of block-houses) during the Black Hawk War, and was also a place for the confinement of Confederate prisoners during the War of the Rebellion. Rock Island has extensive manufactures of lumber, agricul- tural implements. glass, iron, carriage and wagon

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works, with several banks, four newspapers, two issuing daily editions. Population (1880), 11,659; (1890), 13,634.

ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, in the northwestern section of the State bordering upon the Missis- sippi River (which constitutes its northwestern boundary for more than 60 miles), and having an area of 440 square miles. In 1816 the Govern- ment erected a fort on Rock Island (an island in the Mississippi, 3 miles long and one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide), naming it Fort Armstrong. It has always remained a military post, and is now the seat of an extensive arsenal and work-shops. In the spring of 1828, settle- ments were made near Port Byron by John and Thomas Kinney, Archibald Allen and George Harlan. Other early settlers, near Rock Island and Rapids City, were J. W. Spencer, J. W. Bar- riels, Benjamin F. Pike and Conrad Leak; and among the pioneers were Wells and Michael Bart- lett, Joel Thompson, the Simms brothers and George Davenport. The country was full of Indians, this being the headquarters of Black Hawk and the initial point of the Black Hawk War. (See Black Hawk, and Black Hawk War. ) By 1829 settlers were increased in number and county organization was effected in 1835, Rock Island (then called Stephenson) being made the county-seat. Joseph Conway was the first County Clerk, and Joel Wells, Sr., the first Treas- urer. The first court was held at the residence of John W. Barriels, in Farnhamsburg. The county is irregular in shape, and the soil and scenery greatly varied. Coal is abundant, the water-power inexhaustible, and the county's mining and manufacturing interests are very extensive. Several lines of railway cross the county, affording admirable transportation facili- ties to both eastern and western markets. Rock Island and Moline (which see) are the two prin- cipal cities in the county. though there are several other important points. Coal Valley is the center of large mining interests, and Milan is also a manufacturing center. Port Byron is one of the oldest towns in the county, and has con- siderable lime and lumber interests, while Water- town is the seat of the Western Hospital for the Insane. Population of the county (1880), 38,302; (1890), 41,917.

ROCK ISLAND & PEORIA RAILWAY, a standard-guage road, laid with steel rails, extend- ing from Rock Island to Peoria, 91 miles. It is lessee of the Rock Island & Mercer County Rail- road, running from Milan to Cable, Ill., giving it a total length of 118 miles-with Peoria Terminal,

121.10 miles .- (HISTORY.) The company is a reorganization (Oct. 9, 1877) of the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad Company, whose road was sold under foreclosure, April 4, 1877. The latter Road was the result of the consolidation, in 1869, of two corporations-the Rock Island & Peoria and the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad Compa- nies-the new organization taking the latter name. The road was opened through its entire length, Jan. 1, 1872, its sale under foreclosure and reorganization under its present name taking place, as already stated, in 1877. The Cable Branch was organized in 1876, as the Rock Island & Mercer County Railroad, and opened in De- cember of the same year, sold under foreclosure in 1877, and leased to the Rock Island & Peoria Rail- road, July 1, 1885, for 999 years, the rental for the entire period being commuted at $450,000 .- (FINANCIAL.) The cost of the entire road and equipment was $2,654,487. The capital stock (1898) is $1,500.000; funded debt, $600,000; other forms of indebtedness increasing the total capital invested to $2, 181,066.

ROCK RIVER, a stream which rises in Wash- ington County, Wis., and flows generally in a southerly direction, a part of its course being very sinuous. After crossing the northern boundary of Illinois, it runs southwestward, intersecting the counties of Winnebago, Ogle, Lee, Whiteside and Rock Island, and entering the Mississippi three miles below the city of Rock Island. It is about 375 miles long, but its navigation is partly obstructed by rapids, which, however, furnish abundant water-power. The principal towns on its banks are Rockford, Dixon and Sterling. Its valley is wide, and noted for its beauty and fertility.

ROCKTON, a village in Winnebago County, at the junction of two branches of the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railroad, on Rock River, 13 miles north of Rockford; has manufactures of paper, flour and agricultural implements and a local paper. Population (1880), 949; (1890), 892.

ROE, Edward Reynolds, A.B., M.D., physician, soldier and author, was born at Lebanon, Ohio, June 22, 1813; removed with his father, in 1819, to Cincinnati, and graduated at Louisville Med- ical Institute in 1842 ; began practice at Anderson, Ind., but soon removed to Shawneetown, Ill., where he gave much attention to geological research and made some extensive natural his- tory collections. From 1848 to '52 he resided at Jacksonville, lectured extensively on his favorite science, wrote for the press and, for two years (1850-52), edited "The Jacksonville Journal," still

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later editing the newly established "Constitu- tionalist" for a few months. During a part of this period he was lecturer on natural science at Shurtleff College; also delivered a lecture before the State Legislature on the geology of Illinois, which was immediately followed by the passage of the act establishing the State Geological Department. A majority of both houses joined in a request for his appointment as State Geolo- gist, but it was rejected on partisan grounds- he, then, being a Whig. Removing to Blooming- ton in 1852, Dr. Roe became prominent in educa- tional matters, being the first Professor of Natural Science in the State Normal University, and also a Trustee of the Illinois Wesleyan University. Having identified himself with the Democratic party at this time, he became its nominee for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1860, but, on the inception of the war in 1861, he promptly espoused the cause of the Union, raised three companies (mostly Normal students) which were attached to the Thirty-third Illinois (Nor- mal) Regiment; was elected Captain and succes- sively promoted to Major and Lieutenant-Colonel.

. Having been dangerously wounded in the assault at Vicksburg, on May 22, 1863, and compelled to return home, he was elected Circuit Clerk by the combined vote of both parties, was re-elected four years later, became editor of "The Bloom- ington Pantagraph" and, in 1870, was elected to the Twenty-seventh General Assembly, where he won distinction by a somewhat notable humorous speech in opposition to removing the State Capital to Peoria. In 1871 he was ap- pointed Marshal for the Southern District of Illi- nois, serving nine years. Dr. Roe was a somewhat prolific author, having produced more than a dozen works which have appeared in book form. One of these, "Virginia Rose; a Tale of Illinois in Early Days," first appeared as a prize serial in "The Alton Courier" in 1852. Others of his more noteworthy productions are: "The Gray and the Blue"; "Brought to Bay"; "From the Beaten Path"; "G. A. R .; or How She Married His Double"; "Dr. Caldwell; or the Trail of the Serpent"; and "Prairie-Land and Other Poems." He died in Chicago, Nov. 6, 1893.

ROGERS, George Clarke, soldier, was born in Grafton County, N H., Nov. 22, 1838; but was educated in Vermont and Illinois, having re- moved to the latter State early in life. While teaching he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1860; was the first, in 1861, to raise a com- pany in Lake County for the war, which was mustered into the Fifteenth Illinois Volunteers;

was chosen Second-Lieutenant and later Captain ; was wounded four times at Shiloh, but refused to leave the field, and led his regiment in the final charge; was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel and soon after commissioned Colonel for gallantry at Hatchie. At Champion Hills he received three wounds, from one of which he never fully re- covered; took a prominent part in the operations at Allatoona and commanded a brigade nearly two years, including the Atlanta campaign, retiring with the rank of brevet Brigadier-Gen- eral. Since the war has practiced law in Illinois and in Kansas.

ROGERS, Henry Wade, educator, lawyer and author, was born in Central New York in 1853; entered Hamilton College, but the following year became a student in Michigan University, graduating there in 1874, also receiving the degree of A.M., from the same institution, in 1877. In 1883 he was elected to a professorship in the Ann Arbor Law School, and, in 1885, was made Dean of the Faculty, succeeding Judge Cooley, at the age of 32. Five years later he was tendered, and accepted, the Presidency of the Northwestern University, at Evanston, being the first layman chosen to the position, and succeed- ing a long line of Bishops and divines. The same year (1890), Wesleyan University conferred upou him the honorary degree of LL.D. He is a mem- ber of the American Bar Association, has served for a number of years on its Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, and was the first Chairman of the Section on Legal Edu- cation. President Rogers was the General Chair- man of the Conference on the Future Foreign Policy of the United States, held at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., in August, 1898. At the Con- gress held in 1893, as auxiliary to the Columbian Exposition, he was chosen Chairman of the Com- mittee on Law Reform and Jurisprudence, and was for a time associate editor of "The American Law Register," of Philadelphia. He is also the author of a treatise on "Expert Testimony." which has passed through two editions, and has edited a work entitled "Illinois Citations," besides doing much other valuable literary work of a similar character.

ROGERS, John Gorin, jurist, was born at Glasgow, Ky., Dec. 28, 1818, of English and early Virginian ancestry; was educated at Center Col- lege, Danville, Ky., and at Transylvania Univer- sity, graduating from the latter institution in 1841, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. For sixteen years he practiced in his native town, and, in 1857, removed to Chicago, where he soon

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attained professional prominence. In 1870 he was elected a Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court, continuing on the hench, through repeated re-elections, until his death, which occurred suddenly, Jan. 10, 1887, four years before the expiration of the term for which he had been elected.

ROGERS PARK, a village and suburb 9 miles north of Chicago, on Lake Michigan and the Chicago & Northwestern and the Chicago, Mil- waukee & St. Paul Railways; has a bank and two weekly newspapers; is reached by electric street- car line from Chicago, and is a popular residence suburb. Population (1890), 1,708.

ROLL, John E., pioneer, was born in Green Village, N. J., June 4, 1814; came to Illinois in 1830, and settled in Sangamon County. He assisted Abraham Lincoln in the construction of the flat-boat with which the latter descended the Mississippi River to New Orleans, in 1831. Mr. Roll, who was a mechanic and contractor, built a number of houses in Springfield, where he has since continued to reside.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The earliest Christians to establish places of worship in Illi- nois were priests of the Catholic faith. Early Catholic missionaries were explorers and histori- ans as well as preachers. (See Allouez; Bergier; Early Missionaries; Gravier; Marquette.) The church went hand in hand with the represent- atives of the French Government, carrying in one hand the cross and in the other the flag of France, simultaneously disseminating the doc- trines of Christianity and inculcating loyalty to the House of Bourbon. For nearly a hundred years, the self-sacrificing and devoted Catholic clergy of the seventeenth and eighteenth cen- turies ministered to the spiritual wants of the early French settlers and the natives. They were not without factional jealousies, however, and a severe blow was dealt to a branch of them in the order for the banishment of the Jesuits and the confiscation of their property. (See Early Mis- sionaries.) The subsequent occupation of the country by the English, with the contemporane- ous emigration of a considerable portion of the French west of the Mississippi, dissipated many congregations. Up to 1830 Illinois was included in the diocese of Missouri; but at that time it was constituted a separate diocese, under the episco- pal control of Rt. Rev. Joseph Rosatti. At that date there were few, if any, priests in Illinois. But Bishop Rosatti was a man of earnest purpose and rare administrative ability. New parishes were organized as rapidly as circumstances

would permit, and the growth of the church has been steady. By 1840 there were thirty-one parishes and twenty priests. In 1896 there are reported 698 parishes, 764 clergymen and a Catholic population exceeding 850,000. (See also Religious Denominations. )

ROODHOUSE, a city in Greene County, Ill., 21 miles south of Jacksonville, and the intersect- ing point of the Chicago & Alton and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads. The surround- ing territory is a fertile agricultural region, and the city contains a flouring mill, grain-elevator, stock yards, railway shops, water works, two private banks, one daily and two weekly news- papers. Population (1890), 2,360.

ROODHOUSE, John, farmer and founder of the town of Roodhouse, in Greene County, Ill., was born in Yorkshire, England, brought to America in childhood, his father settling in Greene County, Ill., in 1831. In his early man- hood he opened a farm in Tazewell County, but finally returned to the paternal home in Greene County, where, on the location of the Jackson- ville Division of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, he laid out the town of Roodhouse, at the junc- tion of the Louisiana and Kansas City branch with the main line.

ROOT, George Frederick, musical composer and author, was born at Sheffield, Mass., August 30, 1820. He was a natural musician, and, while employed on his father's farm, learned to play on various instruments. In 1838 he removed to Bos- ton, where he began his life-work. Besides teaching music in the public schools, he was employed to direct the musical service in two churches. From Boston he removed to New York, and, in 1850, went to Paris for purposes of musical study. In 1853 he made his first public essay as a composer in the song, "Hazel Dell," which became popular at once. From this time forward his success as a song-writer was assured. His music, while not of a high artistic character, captivated the popular ear and appealed strongly to the heart. In 1860 he took up his residence in Chicago, where he conducted a musical journal and wrote those "war songs" which created and perpetuated his fame. Among the best known are "Rally Round the Flag"; "Just Before the Battle, Mother"; and "Tramp, Tramp, Tramp." Other popular songs by him are "Rosalie, the Prairie Flower"; "A Hundred Years Ago"; and "The Old Folks are Gone." Besides songs he composed several cantatas and much sacred music, also publishing many books of instruction and numerous collections of vocal and instru-

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mental music. In 1872 the University of Chicago conferred on him the degree of Mus. Doc. Died, near Portland, Maine, August 6, 1895.

ROOTS, Benajah Guernsey, civil engineer, and educator, was born in Onondaga County N. Y., April 20, 1811, and educated in the schools and academies of Central New York; began teaching in 1827, and, after spending a year at sea for the benefit of his health, took a course in law and civil engineering. He was employed as a civil engineer on the Western Railroad of Massachusetts until 1838, when he came to Illi- nois and obtained employment on the railroad projected from Alton to Shawneetown, under the "internal improvement system" of 1837. When that was suspended in 1839, he settled on a farm near the present site of Tamaroa, Perry County, and soon after opened a boarding school, continuing its management until 1846, when he became Principal of a seminary at Sparta. In 1851 he went into the service of the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad, first as resident engineer in charge of surveys and construction, later as land agent and attorney. He was prominent in the introduction of the graded school system in Illi- nois and in the establishment of the State Nor- mal School at Bloomington and the University of Illinois at Champaign; was a member of the State Board of Education from its organization, and served as delegate to the National Repub- lican Convention of 1868. Died, at his home in Perry County, Ill., May 9, 1888 .- Philander Keep (Roots), son of the preceding, born in Tolland County, Conn., June 4, 1838, brought to Illinois the same year and educated in his father's school, and in an academy at Carrollton and the Wes- leyan University at Bloomington; at the age of 17 belonged to a corps of engineers employed on a Southern railroad, and, during the war, served as a civil engineer in the construction and repair of military roads. Later, he was Deputy Sur- veyor-General of Nebraska; in 1871 became Chief Engineer on the Cairo & Fulton (now a part of the Iron Mountain) Railway; then engaged in the banking husiness in Arkansas, first as cashier of a bank at Fort Smith and afterwards of the Merchants' National Bank at Little Rock, of which his brother, Logan H., was President .- Logan H. (Roots), another son, born near Tama- roa, Perry County, Ill., March 22, 1841, was edu- cated at home and at the State Normal at Bloomington, meanwhile serving as principal of a high school at Duquoin; in 1862 enlisted in the Eighty-first Illinois Volunteers, serving through the war and acting as Chief Commissary

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 91

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1388

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388