History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 79

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948

USA > Illinois > Union County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 79
USA > Illinois > Pulaski County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 79
USA > Illinois > Alexander County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 79

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).

BIOGRAPHICAL:

JOHN H. ROBINSON, County Judge, Cairo, is a native of Ross County, Ohio, and is the fourth of a family of eleven children of John J. and Katie Robinson, both natives of West- moreland County, Va. They were married in the State of Ohio, about 1826, and settled in Ross County, where John H. was born May 31, 1833. The father was born December 17, 1801, and died in Springfield, Mo., December 24, 1882. The mother, whose maiden name was Katie Hutt, was born May, 1809, and is now a resident of Springfield, Mo. John H. left the parental roof at the age of sixteen, and worked for some time at his trade of cigar-making which he had previously learned. In 1853, in Somerset, Ohio, he was married to Miss Clara M. Brunner, daughter of Jacob and Julia Brunner. She was born in Ohio, October 9, 1833. Mr. Robinson came to Cairo, from Louisiana, in May, 1858, and started a cigar manufactory on the corner of Eighth street and Commercial avenue, which business he coll- tinued for about one year. He was soon after elected to the office of County Constable and Deputy Sheriff. In 1862, he organized Com- pany C, One Hundred and Thirtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in as its Captain, which position he continued to the close of the war. He took part in the battles of Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Black River and the siege of Vicksburg ; was then trans- ferred to the department of the Gulf under Banks, and participated in the famous and fatal Red River expedition. He was mustered out at New Orleans in February of 1865. On returning to Cairo, he was appointed Chief of Police of the city, which he filled about two years to acceptance. Since that time he has been for about nine years in the employ of the Cairo City Property Company, as superinten- dent of lands and levees, during which time he was twice elected to a seat in the Board of Aldermen. Has been frequently elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, and in November

of 1882, he was the choice of the people for the office of County Judge, which position he now holds. In politics he is a Democrat, a member of the I. O. O. F. He has a family of two children, viz. : Kate, wife of James M. Murry, of Alexander County, and Florence Robinson. Family residence on Eighth street, between Walnut and Cedar streets.

SAMUEL ROSENWATER, of the firm of Goldstine & Rosenwater, Cairo, Ill., was born in Hungary on the 13th of May, 1840. His pa- rents, Aaron Rosenwater and Leah Gross, were each natives of Germany, the former born in 1798 and the latter in 1809. The father, who was a farmer and hotel-keeper, died in Europe, in 1872. The mother is still living and enjoys a pleasant home with her son, Samuel, in Cairo. She is the mother of seven children, three of whom are deceased, and of the four sur- viving ones, two are in Europe, one in Sikes- ton, Missouri, and one in Cairo, Ill. Samuel was educated in his native place, and when twenty years old came to the United States, and, being possessed of limited means, he be- gan business as a peddler at Cleveland, Ohio. He pursued this business in Ohio for three years, and also for a few months after coming to Cairo, which he did in 1863. During this time he had so multiplied his twenty-dollar gold coin (which was the amount of his cash account on landing in this county) as to be able to locate in regular style ; accordingly, in the early part of 1854, he formed a partnership with J. A. Goldstine in the dry goods and clothing trade, and has been in active. success- ful business ever since. They are located on Commercial avenue and have three well stocked rooms. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., the I. O. B. B. and the Hungarian Aid Society. Politics, Republican. He was married in Cai- ro, Ill. August 31, 1868, to Miss Fannie Black, daughter of Adolph Black. She was born De- cember 31, 1850. Their family comprises three children -Eddie L., born June 5, 1869 ; Ernes-

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tine B., born August 23, 1879, and Vintie Ro- senwater, born December 31, 1881. Family residence on Eighth street, between Washing- ton avenue and Cedar street, Cairo.

JAMES ROSS, grocer, on the corner of Tenth street and Commercial avenue, is a native of Ireland, County of Cork. His parents, James Ross and Margaret McCarty, were both natives of Ireland, where they were reared and married, and where they died, leaving the subject, a lad of tender age. When he was about fifteen years old he came, unaccompanied by any rela- tives, to the United States and located in the city of " Brotherly Love," where he managed to avail himself of the privilege of going to school for a brief period. He soon obtained regular employment in a hat manufactory, and remained thus employed in Philadelphia, until 1858, when he came to Cairo, Ill., where for about three years he was in the employ of W. Gra- ham. He was thus enabled to provide himself with a horse and dray, which, during the war, produced a very handsome income. He also established a retail coal business, which he conducted with profit until 1875, when he em- barked in mercantile business, and that year established his grocery store, where he is now located. He was married in Cairo, Ill., on the 24th of November, 1863, to Miss Ellen Farrell, who was born in Ireland in 1844. Their marriage has been blest with a family of ten children, viz .: James Ross, born April 19, 1865; Jolin Ross, August 17, 1866; William Ross, April 12, 1868, died on the 14th August, of same year ; Margaret Ross, born April 29, 1869 ; George Ross, January 16, 1871 ; Anna Ross, November 27, 1874 , Mary E. Ross, September 2, 1876 ; Katie Ross, October 15, 1878, and Henriettie and Antenettie Ross, November 2. 1880. Henriettie died May 18, 1881, and An- tenettie, died June 21, 1881. The family are members of the Catholic Church of Cairo. Mr. Ross owns four lots including the residence houses on Walnut street.

HERMAN SANDER, dealer in groceries and provisions, No. 113 Commercial avenue, is a native of Hanover, Germany, and was born on the 19th of February, 1826. His father, Gerhardt Sander, was born in Hanover in 1795; served as a soldier in the German army, after which, in 1825, he married Miss Rebecca M. Wessel, of Germany ; she was born in 1806, and is now living with her son, John H. Sander, in Missouri. The father died in the old country, in 1843. They reared a family, consisting of seven sons-Herman, John H., Casper, Conrad, Gerhardt H., George H. and George Herman Sander. Casper, Gerhardt H. and George Herman are deceased. Herman Sander, our subject, came to the United States in 1847, and was for fifteen years a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he adopted the trade of machinist, and where, on the Sthi of January, 1850, he married Miss Maria Horstmann. She was born in Germany on the 19th of January, 1826, and came to this country in the same year and in the same vessel in which Mr. Sander sailed. She died in 1861, leaving but one child, John D. Sander, the junior partner of the firm of Sander & Son ; he was born December 8, 1859. Mr. Sander came to Cairo in 1869, and for ten years was employed as salesman in the business house of William Kluge. He opened a store in 1879, on the corner of Tenth street and Washington avenue, where he remained about a year, when, in 1880, in connection with his son, John D. Sander, he purchased the stock of L. H. Meyers and then removed to Commercial avenue, No. 113, where they now have a full and complete line of groceries and provisions. In January, 1864, he was married to his present wife, Mary K. Cohn, who was born in Hanover, on the 2d of July, 1846. Their marriage has been blest with six children, viz .: Marie E., born No- vember 21, 1865 ; Casper L., born June 25, 1868 ; George W., born March 4, 1870 ; Her- man, born December 10, 1872, died in infancy; Herman, Jr., born October 25, 1874, and died

BIOGRAPHICAL:

in May, 1877; Carolas B. Sander, born Febru- ary 28, 1881. The family are members of the Catholic Church and have a city residence on Cedar street, between Seventh and Eighth streets, Cairo, Ill.

WILLIAM G. SANDUSKY, Captain of the Iron Mountain Railway Transfer (Julius Mor- gan), is a native of Fayette County, Penn. He is the oldest of a family of seven children of Albert G. Sandusky and Martha McClain, and was born August 4, 1846. The parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, the father of Scotch and English ancestry, and the mother of Irish origin. The former is now living in his native State, at an advanced age. The mother was born in 1827, and died in 1865, at the old homestead in Fayette County. The father served as a soldier through the late war, being a member of a Pennsylvania cavalry regiment, with which he took part in several of the most decisive and hard-fought battles of the war, and during his service received but one wound. William G., when a mere child, manifested a strong inclination for a life on the water, which was as strongly discouraged by his father, resulting, as is often the case, in a radical move on the part of the boy. He left home when eleven years old, and was that year (1857). in Cairo, but not to remain, and his experience for several years was a varied one, although he demonstrated his ability to take care of him- self, which is an exception to the rule, with boy's under similar circumstances. He spent con- siderable time in traveling in different parts of the South and West, thus gaining a practical idea of life while a mere boy. His first expe- rience in boating was on the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, and on the Ohio, as far south as the city of Cincinnati. He was a reg- ularly licensed pilot on those rivers before he had become of age, and has been thus em- ployed ever since with slight exception. Dur- ing the war, he was in G nment employ as pilot, principally on the Mississippi River. From

1868 to 1877, he was Captain of the steam ferry boats "Missionary," "Cairo" and the " Three States," but in July of the latter year, was appointed to the position of Master of Iron Mountain Transfer " Julius Morgan," which he still retains. He was married in Dubuque, Iowa, to Miss Mary E. Deveren, of Tuscaloosa, Ala. Their residence is Walnut street, between Eleventh and Twelfth.

PETER SAUP. Cairo, Ill., was born in Dun- kirk, N. Y., on the 18th of August, 1839. His father was a native of France, and came to the United States in 1816, being then sixteen years old. In 1833, he married Miss Elizabeth Smith, who was born in France in 1815. Her ances- tors are characterized for longevity, the parents celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of their wedding, in Mansfield, Ohio, where they died, the father at the advanced age of one hundred and thirteen years, and the mother at the age of ninety-nine years. Mr. Saup's father died in February, 1860, at Zanesville, Ohio, where the mother is still living. Peter is the third of their family of ten children. three of whom are dead. He was educated in Zanesville, Ohio, and learned the trade of cabinet-maker and wood-turner, which he followed for some years. He came from Zanesville, Ohio, to Cairo, Ill., in 1860, where, for some time, he was employed in a planing mill. In 1864, he enlisted in Company B of the One Hundred and Forty- third Regiment, in which he served until they were mustered out. He then became a mem- ber of Company G, of the One Hundred and Ninety-third Ohio Regiment, from which he was discharged at the close of the war. In each of these organizations he held the office of Ser- geant. In the winter of 1865, he returned to Cairo, Ill., which has been his home since. He has served the county as Sheriff one term, the city in the office of Councilman for several years, and is now one of the Board of County Commis- sioners. He was married in Cairo on the 17th of November, 1872, to Miss Philomena Botto, a

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native of Italy, where she was born in 1840.

SOL. A. SILVER, Passenger Agent for the Anchor Line Steamers at Cario, Ill., is a native of Baltimore, born July 26, 1830. His parents were Lewis Silver and Leah (Abrams) Silver ; his father was born in Maryland, in 1798, and was married to Miss Leah Abrams, in New York City, about 1827, by which union there were ten children, Sol A. being the second. The father followed merchandising in New York and Baltimore, and died in New York City in 1846. The mother is still living, and though seventy-five years old, retains mueh of her youthful vigor. She is still a resident of New York City. Sol A. was educated in Baltimore, Md., where he was reared until fif- teen years old. His parents then removed to New York City, and three years after the death of his father, in 1846, he went to California, where he remained until 1853, engaged in mer- chandising and mining, which proved success- ful. The two years intervening from 1853 to 1855 were spent in traveling in South America and Australia, returning to New York in 1856, by way of California. In 1857, he located at Centralia, Ill., where he was appointed to the office of Postmaster, by President Buchanan, in connection with which duties he conducted a book store. He remained there until coming to Cairo, Ill., in the fall of 1859, since which time the latter city has been his permanent home. During the war he was engaged in a general auction business, together with a news stand, continuing this business until 1869. In 1870, he was employed by the St. Louis Anchor Line Company, and has remained in their con- stant employ since. He was married in Cairo, Ill. on the Sthi of September, 1874, to Miss Lizzie Wallace, daughter of Bertrand Wallace, of Pulaski County, Ill. She was born at Villa · Ridge, in Pulaski County, on the 22d of Janu- ary, 1853, and is a second of a family of six children, the parents of whom are still living

in Pulaski County ; her mother was originally Miss Mary Robinson. Mr. Silver is a Demo- crat in politics, and a member of the Knights of Golden Rule. Ownes a fruit farm in Villa Ridge of fifty acres in Seetion 24, of Town 15, Range 1 west, including a dwelling house and other improvements.

PAUL G. SCHUH, one of the leading mer - chants and a prominent druggist of Cairo, is a native of the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Ger- many, where he was born on the Sth of Janu- ary, 1838, and where, until fifteen years old, he was reared and educated. His father, Chris- tian M. Schuh, was a native of Germany, and a Lutheran minister of some note. His mother was Augusta Geysel, also a native of Germany, where both parents died. Mr. Schuh received his early mercantile training with his brother, Herman Schuh, of St. Louis, who died several years ago. He was engaged in mereantile labor in St. Louis, Padneab, Ky. and Alton, Ill., until April, 1861, when he responded to the Presi- dent's call for troops and became a member of Company K, of the Ninth Illinois Regiment, enlisting for three months, but before the ex- piration of this time, he was detached to take the position of assistant, in the office of Med- ical Purveyor, under Dr. John P. Taggart. Mr. Schuh filled this position to acceptance until the time of his final discharge, January, 1863. Since that time he has been engaged in the drug business in the city of Cairo, in which he has been eminently successful. Being an able pharmacist, as well as an energetic and aggress- ive business man, he has been able to surmount all opposing obstacles, and while carving for himself the reputation of an eminent man of business, he has not stooped to any of the groveling customs so frequently resorted to by tradesmen. In 1863, Mr. Schuh commenced business in a frame building on Commercial avenue, between Fifth and Sixth streets, pay- ing the first year a rent of $40 per month and double that amount the following year, at the

BIOGRAPHICAL :

close of which he purchased the property at a cost of $5,000. He built a brick addition to this building and still owns it. In 1879 he erected a large brick business house, No. 106 Commercial avenne, where, two years later, he sustained quite a loss to building and stock by fire. He was married in Cairo 1866, to Miss Julia Korsmeyer, who died in 1869, leaving one son, Julius P, born November 10, 1867. Miss Evaline Clotter, his present wife, to whom he was married in October, 1872, was born July 21, 1854, in the city of St. Louis, Mo. They have two children-Carl and Alma, the former born October, 1873 and the latter November, 1877.

JAMES R. SMITH, merchant, Cairo Ill., of the firm of Smith Brothers, on Washington avenue, was born in the Dominion of Canada on the 3d day of August, 1854. His father, George Smith, who died in Cairo October 24, 1864, was born in England, in 1809, where he was married to Annie Groves, who died, leaving a family of six children. George Smith, with his children, emigrated to Canada about 1839 or 1840, and was there married to Cath- erine Turner, and to these parents were born seven children : Cyrus Smith, now of Denver, Col .; Arthur W. Smith, deceased by drowning; James R. and Egbert A. Smith, of Cairo; be- side whom there were three daughters-Clara, Mary E. and Carrie F. Smith. The two older are deceased, and the latter of Cairo, Ill. This family came to Cairo in 1859, and the father, the year following, engaged in the mercantile business which he continued with varied suc- cess until his death, after which a son by first marriage, William H. Smith, continued the business until 1869, when it was closed out. The mother having married Mr. Lewis Lin - coln, of Carbondale, the family removed to the latter town in 1869. In the fall of 1870, the members of the present firm of Smith Brothers returned to Cairo, and in 1872, having less than $100, laid the foundation of their immense bus-

iness by opening a small store, fronting on Pop- lar street, which is now a portion of their busi- ness house. Owing to their business energy and ability, their success has been very marked, and they now occupy a store room over forty feet in width, and extending from Poplar street to Washington avenue, in which they employ a large number of regular salesmen, and in addi- tion to their extensive stock of merchandise, they own a large quantity of valuable city real estate. James R. Smith, the senior partner, was married in Milan, Tenn., on the 8th of Jan- uary, 1882, to Miss Emma McDonald, who was born in Tennessee April 21, 1862. They have one child, James A., born in Milan, Tenn., Oc- tober 6, 1882. They are members of the Epis- copalian Church, and Mr. Smith is a member of the Knights of Honor, and of the American Legion of Honor. Egbert A. Smith, junior part- ner of the firm of Smith Bros., was born in Can- ada June 18, 1856. He is a man of pronounced business ability and sober habits, enjoying the confidence of an extensive circle of friends, and is now representing the Third Ward in the City Council for the second term. He is a member of the A. L. of H. Too much cred- it cannot be given to these sterling young men for their enterprise and material aid ren- dered to the city of Cairo. They have bravely fought for success, which has been won fairly and honorably, and their experience affords a valuable example to other young men, proving what may be achieved in a few years, by per- sistent and honest industry.

ROBERT SMYTH, merchant, Cairo, is the youngest of a family of six children of Dennis and Mary (Healey) Smyth, being the only sur- viving member. The family was first repre- sented in Cairo by Thomas Smith, who came to the United States in 1850, and to Cairo in 1855. His first business connection with the city was in the capacity of book-keeper for the Old Taylor House, which burned in 1859. He was afterward book-keeper for the wholesale

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firm of William Stephens & Co. His brother Bernard having come to Cairo in 1858, they began business together on corner of Sixth and Commercial avenue, but soon after moved to the building now occupied by Robert Smyth. In 1862 Thomas Smith died, leaving a wife and three children, of whom but one is now living. The business was conducted by Bernard Smyth until 1870, when the entire business fell into the hands of our subject, Robert. He was born in County Galway, Ireland, in 1843. He was reared in Ireland, where he received a fair bus- iness education. He came to Cairo in 1863. He owns the building known as the Stephens Block, including two large store rooms, one of which he rents. It was erected in 1855, and is the oldest brick building in Cairo. Mr. Smyth is a member of the A. O. H. and the Hibernian Fire Department, also of the Catholic Church. Politics, Democratic. Bernard Smyth, who was highly respected by the people of Cairo for his social and genial nature, as well as many other excellent qualities, died at his res- idence in Cairo on the 14th of June, 1883. .

GEORGE W. STRODE, Cairo, Ill., was born in Galena, Ill., and is a son of Col. James M. Strode and Mary B. Parish. The father was born in Fleming County, Ky., about 1798, where he grew to manhood, receiving a liberal education and where he prepared for the profession of law. He was married in Elkton, Todd Co., Ky., in 1818 ; shortly af- terward moved to Sangamon County, Ill., and while there was a contemporary lawyer with A. Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, and was a warm friend of Judge Sidney Breese. In 1827, having removed to the north part of the State, he was enrolled as Captain of company known as the Galena Mounted Volunteers, and served in the Black Hawk war. He was after- ward appointed to the position of Registrar of the land office in Chicago. While on a busi- ness trip to his native State in 1862, he died, near Flemingsburg. Mary A. Parish was a

daughter of Benjamin Parish, an extensive land-owner, planter and tanner of Elkton, Ky. She was born in 1800, and died in Denver, Colo., in 1879. They reared a family of seven children-Eugene Strode, deceased ; William Strode, deceased ; Mary E., deceased wife of Dr. Banks of St. Louis ; James A. Strode, a lawyer and planter of Huntsville, Ala. ; Fannie, wife of Hon. J. Q. Charles of Denver, Col. ; George W. Strode, of Cairo, and Dr. E. C. Strode, who was a surgeon in the late war, and a young man who had acquired an enviable distinction. He died in Denver, Col., in 1871. George W. was educated at Galena, Crystal Lake and Woodstock, and his first business experience was in the capacity of druggist clerk ; then for several years was the business manager of the forwarding and commission business of H. F. McClasky, of Galena, Ill. In 1859, he went to the city of Memphis, Tem., when he obtained a position as Cashier for the firm of J. D. Morton & Co., remaining in this connection for three years, when he became the successor of W. D. Love, a former member of the firm. In 1866, he took a clerkship with the firm of Halliday & Co. in Columbus, Ky., and continued with them four years, He then established an implement store in Nashville, Tenn., which, owing to unfortunate business association, proved unsuccessful. He then re- turned to the employ of Halliday & Co., at Columbus, where from 1871 to 1877, he had chief control of their banking and stock yard business. At the latter date he came to Cairo, Ill., since which time he has been correspond- ing secretary for the Halliday Brothers. Mr. Strode was married in Gainsville, Ala. Novem- ber 14, 1865, to Miss Mary P. Stuart. She was born in Greene County, Ala., September 24, 1845, and is a daughter of Dr. R. F. Stu- art, a planter and physician of Alabama. He was a man who was characterized for broad and liberal views, and possessed of benevolent heart, with an open hand to relieve any who

BIOGRAPHICAL :

needed sympathy. He was a devoted member of the Baptist Church in which he was a pillar. He died on the 25th day of December, 1867, leaving the indelible impress of his ex- emplary life written upon the memories and hearts of an extensive circle of ardent friends. His wife, Martha A. Wilkes, was a remarkable adaptation to a remarkable husband. She also was a native of Greene County, Ala., born September 19, 1821, and for many years was devotedly attached to the Baptist Church in which she was an active member. She died March 10, 1863. They had but two children- Mrs. Strode and a brother, Emmett Stuart, who died September 27, 1853. Mr. and Mrs. Strode are members of the Baptist Church, in which he sustains the relation of a Deacon; he is also an ardent Sunday school worker, and the President of the Alexander County Bible Society. They have had but one child -- Mary Strode. She was born in Edgefield, Tenn., in 1870, and died in Cairo, Ill., September 13, 1880.

FRANK W. STOPHLET, grocer, Commer- cial avenue, between Twenty-eighth and Twen- ty-ninth streets, Cairo, was born in Pulaski County, Ill., February 9, 1858. He is the eighth member of a family of nine children born to Preserved and Sophia (Hurd) Stophlet, who were among the pioneers of Southern Illi- nois. Frank W. received the advantages of a common school education, and in 1872 came to Cairo, where he became a salesman for the firm of C. O. Patier & Co., with whom he continued about eight years, thus laying the foundation of a practical knowledge of business. He estab- lished his business house at the present loca- tion, on the 5th of July, 1882, and has thus far met with satisfactory success. He was mar- ried in Mound City, Ill., April 23, 1879, to Miss May Hawley, daughter of Robert and Mary Hawley, of Mound City, where the father still lives. The mother is deceased. Mrs. Stophlet was born in Cincinnati in 1862, and is

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History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 79

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 948

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948