USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > History of Chicago. From the earliest period to the present time > Part 40
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genial qualities of our deceased brother. his heart was warm and his hand ready.
ile was a zealnus friend; In losing him the com- munity have Inst one of its most valuable citizens, and this Bar one nl its most respected members." Twenty years after death he was characterized by llon. Thomas Hoyne as being "of a generous and open nature, a good citizen, a kind man, and one of those men who were then shaping the destinies of the State."
AUGUSTINE DEODAT TAYLOR was born April 26, 1796, in Ilartford, Conn. His father's name was Solomon Taylor, and he likewise was born in Connecticut. Ilis mother's maiden name was Mary Hartshorn. She was of Welsh decent, but was born in Con- necticut. Solomon and Mrs. Taylor lived in Hartford until he died in 1813, and Mrs. Taylor continued to live there until 1833, when the subject of this sketch came to Chicago. Augustine D. Taylor received his early education in the common schools and
grammar schools of Hartford and afterward he attended two private schools. He was then apprenticed to the trade of his father, that of carpenter and builder. When the Presbyterian Church pulled down their frame church building to replace it with a brick one, Mr. Taylor bought the old one, and converted it into a new Cath- olic church. This was his first experience in church building. In ISO2, his father went to the West Indies, where he remained one and a half years. During this time young Taylor, who was the oldest of eight children, took charge of the family, which lived then with his grandfather Hlartshorn, at Columbia, Conn. In 1813, his father was killed by falling from a building he was erecting, and young Taylor once more became head of the family, which he remained until attaining his majority in April, 1817. In August, ISI4, he was drafted and served three months in the Hartford Ar- tillery, under Captain Nathan Johnson, in New London and Say- brook. On June 7, he was married to Miss Mary Gillett, when the support of the mother devolved upon the younger children. In the fall of ISIS, he went to North Carolina, and lived in Fayetteville until the next July, during which time he built a Presbyterian
A.D. Jaylos
church. In the winter of 1819-20 he worked at his trade in Wil- mington, N. C., when his health failed, and in the spring he re- turned home, and for two years was under the care of a physician. In IS25, he contracted to build the chapel for Washington College, an Episcopal institution, and he also built the bishop's house. Continuing in the carpenter business, he bought the old Episcopal church at Hartford, moved it on to another lut, put a basement under it and fitted it up for a Catholic church. This was the first Catholic church erected by him. Soon after this, in 1833, he came to Chicago, arriving here in June, and in a short time thereafter, commenced work on St. Mary's Church building, completing it in the fall of the same year. Under Rev. Maurice de St. Palias, he commenced, and under Bishop Quarter he completed the carpenter work on St. Mary's new brick church, the first cathedral in Chicago, standing near the corner of Wabash Avenue and Madison Street. He then in I837 built St. James' (Episcopal) church, and in 1846 built St. Patrick's, St. Peter's and St. Joseph's churches, the first on the West Side for the Irish Catholics, the others on the South and North sides respectively, for the German Catholics. In the fall of this year he built a Presbyterian church at Naperville, Ill., which was the last church erected by him.
Since that time MIT. Taylor has occupied himself with his reg- ular trade, accumulating property, and filling such municipal offices as he has been called upon to fill. He was one of the origi- nal trustees of the town of Chicago, was an Alderman two years, and has been City Collector and County Assessor. In 1859 he built the house 39S West Taylor Street, in which he has resided since 1860.
Upon arriving in Chicago he first lodged in a loft on South Water Street, he then removed to Wolf Point, next to Lake Street, then to Desplaines Street, and finally in 1860 to West Taylor Street.
Mr. Taylor belonged to the Presbyterian Church in Hartford. Conn., over which presided Parson " ung, who was succeeded by Rev. Joel Hawes. During the latter's pastorate Mr. Taylor be- came acquainted with Bishop Cheverus, the first Catholic bishop of Boston, Mass., and was by him converted to Catholicism, not- · withstanding the efforts and protests of Rev. Mr. Hawes, and the good deacons of the Presbyterian Church, all of whom thought him insane.
Mr. Taylor's first wife died in 1844, and in March, 1845, he was married to Mary Grovan, who died July 16, 1879. By the first marriage he had five children, two of whom died in Massa- chusetts, and the other three he brought with him to Chicago. But one of these, Lewis D. Taylor, is now living. By the second wife he had ten children, three of whom are living-James .1 .. who was elected in the fall of 1832 to the Illinois Legislature ; Harvey A., who is a clerk in the office of O. K. Keith & Co .; and Frank J .. who is a student in Watertown College, Wisconsin.
JOIN BATES was born in Fishkill, Duchess Co., N. Y., De- cember 28, 1303. His father, John, was a farmer and was born on the same farm. Ilis mother. Catharine McBride, was a native of l'oughkeepsie County, N. V. He was bred a farmer, and received such early educational advantages as the public schools of the vicinity afforded. llis tastes were averse to farming, and, at the age of sixteen he went to New York City, where he entered a gro- cery house on Hanover Square. Ile remained with this house un- til 1832. At that time the scourge of Asiatic cholera, which vis- ited the city in its most virulent and fatal form, completely broke up the business of the house where he had been so long employed.
IO
146
HISTORY OF EARLY CHICAGO.
He accordingly determined to emigrate to the Far West. He ar- rived in Chicago, coming by the land route from Detroit. He came in company with one William Winston, an English officer some fifty years of age, who remained in Chicago some three years thereafter speculating in land. Bates hrst stopped at Charles Tay- lor's hotel on the West Side (the old Wolf Point tavern, formerly kept by Elijah Wentworth). He was at the time of his arrival twenty-nine years of age, and unmarried. He was first employed
the early years. He sold the school section, in lots and blocks in Oct. 1833, Colonel Hamilton being the commissioner, and E. W. Casey, secretary. After severing his connection with the post-office in 1835-36, he continued his business as auctioneer uninterruptedly until 1871, at which time he quit active business. During the period of his active business life, in 1852, he took the census of the city. He was, also, enrolling officer. for the draft of 1863-64, under Provost Marshal James. Ile built his first house in Chicago, on what is now Canal Street, in the fall of 1833. The lumber for the structure was purchased in Green Bay, at a cost of $900.
He married, November 13, 1833, Miss Harriet E. Gould. Col- onel R. J. Hamilton, Justice of the Peace, performed the marriage ceremony. She was a native of Massachusetts, and was at the time of her marriage a member of the family of Lemuel Brown, having come West with them.
The young couple moved into the new house, which, owing to its close vicinity to the cabin of Chief Jo. Laframboise, did not prove a pleasant residence for the new and timid wife, owing to the fre- quent and unceremonious visits of the chief's many Indian friends at all times of the day and night. Mr. Bates accordingly sold out to Jo. and his wife, at a round profit, and his house was the last and most aristocratic home of Chief Jo. aud his family, where they lived until their emigration to the West in 1836.
The couple have had born to them four children, two of whom survive:
Ellen, born July 24, 1834, died in infancy ; Helen, born August 7, 1836 ; John L., born August 12, 1839 ; and Charlotte, born July 10, 1844, died November 10, 1844.
Mr. and Mrs. Bates are, as early settlers, the oldest couple in Chicago. They are still, after having celebrated the fiftieth anni- versary of their wedding, in good health, and with promise of many earthly years of life. Preceding the celebration of their golden wedding, the Chicago Times thus alluded to the aged and respected couple :
"On Tuesday next, November 13, Mr. and Mrs. John Bates, two of the oldest settlers of Chicago, and perhaps the oldest couple now living who were married in what is now the city of Chicago, but .which was a mere hamlet at the time of their marriage, will celebrate the golden anniversary of their wedding, and propose to receive calls from their friends in honor of the event at the Douglas House, corner of Cottage Grove Avenue and Thirty-fifth Street, be- tween the hours of four and nine o'clock in the evening. Their mar- riage was announced in the first number of the Chicago Democrat, which was published November 26, 1833, and of which the follow- ing is a copy :
"'Married-In this village, on Sunday, the 13th inst., by the Hon. R. J. Hamilton, Mr. John Bates, Jr., of New York, aod Miss Harriet E. Brown, of Springfield, Mass.'
" Mr. Bates was born in Fishkill, N. Y., December 23, IS03, and Mrs. Bates was born in Charlestown. Mass., February 12, 1810. Both are yet vigorous and in excellent health, and enjoy life seemingly as well as they did when the nuptials were cele- brated, fifty years ago. The maiden name of Mrs, Bates was Harriet Gould, but at a very early age she was taken by Lemuel Brown and wife to bring up, and was given their name. Mr. Brown is still living in Chicago, and will be ninety-nine years old Decem- ber 14. He came to Chicago in 1833, and was a blacksmith at the Government works at what was then known as the harbor of Chicago, which was certainly a very crude affair in comparison with the protection that is now afforded +' _ snipping interests of the great lakes at this port."
by J. S. C. Hogan as Deputy Postmaster. He performed the duties of this office for three years, during which time he was the executive head so far as doing all the work-sorting mails, deliver- ing letters, and answering the questions of anxious inquirers for mail matter-could make him so. His reminiscences of these The occasion was graced by a large assemblage of old settlers stantial testimonials to the esteem and affection in which this aged couple are beld. early times appear elsewhere in this volume. He obtained a license . and newer friends, who testified by their presence and many sub- as an auctioneer soon after his arrival, and, in addition to his duties as Deputy Postmaster, did a fair share of auction business during
GOVERNMENT APPOINTEES
POST-OFFICE AND POSTMASTER.
The first Postmaster of Chicago was an Indian trader named Jonathan N. Bailey, who was appointed March 31, 1831, and opened the post-office in a log house occupied as a store by John Stephen Coates Hogan, near the present corner of Lake and South Water streets. Mr. Hogan, subsequently the son-in- law of Mr. Bailey, assisted the appointee in the per- formance of the merely nominal duties of his office ; gradually assuming its entire control, and was himself appointed Postmaster, November 2, 1832, after Mr. Bailey's departure, with his family, for St. Louis. In
1833, John Bates, Jr., became Deputy Postmaster ; he having made an arrangement with Mr. Hogan, whereby the store was partitioned off into two parts, one of which was occupied by John Bates and the receiving, mailing, registering and delivering department of the Chicago post-office, and the other portion by Brewster, Hogan & Co. Some idea may be formed of the limited accommodations that were ample for the post-office of those days, when it is stated that the store only occu- pied an area of forty-five by twenty feet. In the sum- mer of 1834, John L. Wilson became second assistant Postmaster, and about July of this year, the post-office was moved to near the corner of Franklin and South Water streets, at which place Thomas Watkins was the assistant, in which position he gave so much satisfac- tion that he remained in office until some time after the appointment of Mr. Abell. Thomas Watkins married the daughter of the Indian chief Joseph Laframboise during the winter of 1836-37.
March 3, 1837, Sidney Abell was appointed Post- master, and in May of this year, to accommodate the large increase in the business, the post-office was removed to Bigelow's Building on Clark, between Lake and South Water streets, where it remained for some time and then removed to the noted Saloon Building. During the tenure of office of Sidney Abell, Ralph M. P. Abell was an assistant, but Charies Robert Stark- weather was the principal assistant, and remained in that office until 1860. July 10, 1841, William Stuart- erroneously spelt Stewart in official records-the editor of the American, was appointed Postmaster, and by him the post-office was removed to the west side of Clark street, on the south side of the alley, next to the Sher- man House, and is numbered 50 Clark Street in the directories of this period, and specified as being at that number in the several directories until 1852-53 ; when it is designated as " upon Clark, between Randolph and Lake," and in the directory of 1853-54, as on the east side of Clark Street, between Lake and Randolph. Hence the precise date of its removal from the west, to the east, side of Clark Street is undeterminable. Prior to such removal Hart L. Stewart* was nominated by
* 11. [., Stewart was the first Presidential appointee, his precursors were appointed by the Postmaster-General.
President Tyler for the postmastership at Chicago on April 25, 1845, and the nomination was confirmed Feb- ruary 3, 1846. On April 23, 1849, Richard L. Wilson was appointed by President Taylor, and on September 25, 1850, George W. Dole was appointed to the post- mastership by President Fillmore. On March 22, 1853, Isaac Cook-now of the Imperial Wine Company of St. Louis-was made Postmaster, and Charles S. Dole was his assistant, and in 1854 H. A. Wynkoop became the Assistant Postmaster. During the administration of Isaac Cook, the office was removed to the ground floor of Nos. 84 and 86 Dearborn Street, opposite the Masonic Temple. The next incumbent was William Price, appointed March 18, 1857, who retained this position until the re-appointment of Isaac Cook by Mr. Buchanan, March 9, 1858. In the spring of 1855, the Government building on Monroe Street was commenced, and to the advocacy of John Wentworth, while a mem- ber of Congress in 1853, the appropriation for its erection is due ; until its occupancy, the post-office occupied the ground floor of Nos. 84 to 92 Dearborn Street .*
The earliest authentic account of mail communica- tion with Chicago is in Keating's "Narrative of an Expedition to the Source of St. Peter's River," t etc., wherein it is stated that in May, 1823, at Fort Wayne, the exploring party met "the express sent from the latter place (Chicago) for letters, and detained him as guide. His name was Bemis." A courier appears to have been dispatched once a month from Fort Dear- born with, and for, mail matter, which service was presumptively maintained until the establishment of a regular mail with an office at Chicago, thus John Wentworth states that in 1830 t Elijah Wentworth, Jr., carried the mails; and, in 1832, Doctor Harmon amputated the feet of a half-breed Canadian,§ which were frozen while carrying mail from Green Bay to Chicago. In 1832 a weekly mail was established, which was carried on horseback, and in 1833 the means of transportation were improved by the employment of a one- and then a two-horse wagon.|| In 1834 a four- horse stage-line was established, that carried a semi- weekly mail. In 1835 the service was increased to tri- weekly, and in 1837 a daily Eastern mail was established. In the Chicago American of 1839 the arrival and departure of the mails at the post-office in Chicago are thus advertised :
ARRIVAL.
Eastern. Daily, by 5 P. M. Galena.
Ottawa. Via Juliet, daily (Sundays ex- cepted) by 10 P. M. Dixon's Ferry.
Via Belvidere and Apple River, Wednesdays and Fridays by 6 P. M.
Milwaukee.
Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by 9 P. M.
Once a week, Wednesdays by 5 P. M. McClure's Grove. Saturdays by 6 P. M.
* A list of the Chicago Pustmasters and their date of appointment was sup- plied by C. M. Walker, Chief Clerk, Post-Office Department, Washington. t London : Printed for George D. Whittaker, Ave-Maria Lane, 1825, Chi- cago Historical Society.
+ Fariy Chicago, 2d paper, Fergus's Historical Series.
§ Vide chapter on Medical Ilistory.
I Dr. John Taylor Temple had the mail contract in 1833, from Chicago to Green Bay.
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147
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148
HISTORY OF CHICAGO.
DEPARTURE.
Eastern.
Ottawa.
Daily at 3 A. M.
Via Juliet, daily (Sundays ex-
Galena.
cepted) at 2 A. M.
Tuesday and Thursday at 6 Dixon's Ferry.
A. M.
Thursdays at 6 A. M.
Milwaukee.
McClure's Grove.
Monday, Wednesday and Fri- day at 4 A. M.
Wednesdays at 6 A. M.
An advertisement of August 24, 1839, has the additional information that the Milwaukee mail travels via Southport and Racine; that there is a tri-weekly mail to and from Buffalo Grove via Geneva and Oregon City, and a weekly mail to and from Iroquois, via Thornton. Of the mail facilities of these days the following item from the Cleveland Herald and Gazette, published in the Daily American of May 31, 1839, will furnish an accurate idea:
"Distance in these days should be measured in hours not miles. Newspapers are now received here from New York in three and a half days-distance, six hundred and sixty miles. From this to Chicago one may travel in a good steamboat in four days- distance by the route about eight hundred miles ; or to Green Bay in three days-distance, six hundred and thirty miles, Or the traveler may go from this place to Detroit in eight or ten hours, and thence by railroad, stages and steamboat to Chicago, and by stage to Galena, going the whole distance in six days. New York to Cleveland, distance S4 hours; Cleveland to Chicago, by lake, 96 hours; Cleveland to Green Bay, 72 hours; Cleveland to Detroit, Io hours; Detroit to Galena, 144 hours."
With the vast augmentation of population the postal service and facilities increased * until, in 1857, there were fifty-four clerks employed ; $103,000 per quarter received for postage on letters received for distribution ; amount received for stamps, $13,060; average number of mails made up daily, two thou- sand; and two hundred and fifty bags of news- papers were daily received and distributed, con- taining an average of seven hundred papers each. The first advertised letter-list was published in the Chicago Democrat of January 7, 1834, and contained one letter addressed to Erastus Bowen; the second, two letters. for Philo Carpenter and P. Pruyne & Company, and the first extended list is as follows, published in the Democrat of January 7, 1834, showing letters remain- ing in the post-office January 1, 1834:
O. P. Catran,
D. P. Clevinger,
E. W. Center,
George H. Clark,
Alfred Clarke,
Lamira and Laura Carrier,
J. P. Converse,
Daniel B. Clevinger,
Henry B. Clarke,
Alfred Churchill, James Childress, William Crissy,
Gustavus Clark,
Benjamin Chapman,
Loring Delano,
Samuel Devoe, Noel Dagenet,
E. Dimmick, David Dickson,
William Elliot,
Russell Baktwin,
G. W. Ewing,
Iliram Bowen,
Samuel Eberiden,
Erastus Bowen,
Dean Farron, .A. W. Flint,
Aaron Bemis, Ad. T. Breed,
11. K. Fay,
James Burk,
Aaron Friend,
T. R. Covell.
David P. Frame,
William l'. Cleaveland,
Thomas Conger,
. A city penny post was established by William McMillan in February. 1853, the terms being one cent prepaid, or two cents if collected on delivery.
T. E. Parsons,
Julius Perrin. Joshua Pruvis, S. F. Plumer,
Green Poel, C. H. Pease, Noah Phelps, Robert Robinson,
. William Gooding.
Thomas H. Richey,
Joseph A. Gooding.
David Groover,
Salmon Rutherford,
Eben Griswold,
William B. Green, O. Grant.
J. P. Gobb.
Pomeroy Goodrich,
Luther Hatch,
D. Sprague,
Nathan Hopkins,
B. P. Stafford,
Reuben IJart,
Chester Smith,
Nathan Huchins,
H. C. Smith,
Warren Hanks,
H. S. Steele, James Steward,
Philip Howard,
Wooster Harrison,
S. C. Stinson,
Benjamin Harrison,
Palmer Stearns,
J. P. Harkness,
Isaac Hays, Levi Hills
David Sprague, S. I. Scott, Ralph Stowell,
H. B. Hoffman,
Samuel Stout,
A. H. Howard,
J. F. Schermerhorn,
D. S. Haight,
William Shier
Edward Hill,
John Sewell, Stephen Sherwood,
Isaac Killigoss, Ira O. Knapp,
Alden Tuller,
J. H. Kinzie,
Elan Tuller,
Lewis Kercheval,
A. H. Taylor,
Lewis Lafton,
John Thompson,
Lewis Lake,
William Teal,
J. W. Lewis,
Platt Thorn,
J. S. Lacey,
Peter Temple,
Jacob Lorse,
Lewis Temple,
Miranda Miner,
W. Vanzandt,
A. McDaniel.
John Vaodine,
Charles Miller,
Adam Vanderwerker,
Mary Meriams,
John Wilson,
James Mackel,
William Winson,
Joseph S. Meeker.
Phillip Willsee,
James Makie,
Jesse B. Winn & Co.,
N. McCarty,
Daniel Warren,
Chester Marshall,
Sally Weed,
John Monreou,
Aaron Whitcomb,
F. T. Miner.
Delaney Wells,
F. B. Northrop,
Thomas H. Wrickey,
J. V. Natta,
Loiza Webb.
Lauretta Plympton,
Samuel Wright.
UNITED STATES LAND-OFFICE .*
The location of the first United States Land. Office in Chicago was on the east side of Lake Street, between Clark and Dearborn streets ; in 1839 the Register had his office in the Saloon Building and the Receiver had his office at 175 Lake Street, and in 1845 the Register and Receiver had their offices at 100 and 92 Lake streets respectively ; while, in 1848, the Register occupied an office at 107 Lake Street, and the Receiver, an office at the old Bank Buildings ; the office of the Registers and Receivers were usually at their private offices, but the directories fail to give specific information on the matter.
The Registers of Chicago are as follows: James Whitlock, appointed March 4, 1835 ; James MI. Strode, commissioned July 7, 1836, to date from August 10, 1836, to the end of the next session of the Senate, and re-commissioned December 30, 1836, to date the 27th of that month ; and again commissioned January 4, 1841, to date the preceding 27th of December ; John H.
* Hon. N. C MeFarland, commissioner of the General Land-Office, for- nished a large portion of the day elaborated in this topic, and Law . William l'rockway, Kerorder of county, also extended many courtesies to the writers on the work.
Jane Forrister, Caleb Foster,
Robert Fisher, P. Field,
Alva Fowler,
Alburn Foster,
Jacob Fake,
Ebenezer Goodrich, Orinda Garyl, Dane Gray,
John Roult,
James H. Rinhart, S. W. Smith, Isaac Scarritt, S. Scott, Axtel & Steel,
George Johnson,
. H. C. Shearman,
Eliphalet Atkios, J. W. Anderson, Constant Abbott, William G. Austin, Almond Axtell, Myron K. Bronson, Timothy Burnett, B. H. Bertrand, Cynthia Burbee, Joseph Baben, İliram Bennett, Anthony Beers, Thomas Bennett, J. K. Blodgett, Joseph Britton, Mary Barrows, A. P. Benton, Avice Blodgett, Il. S. Bennett, Harriet Bradford,
Charles Babcock,
William il. Frazer,
GOVERNMENT APPOINTEES.
149
Kinzie, appointed September 27, 1841, re-appointed January 1, 1842 ; Eli B. Williams, appointed November 14, 1844, until the end of the next session of the Senate ; William M. Jackson, commissioned March 17, 1845, to date to the 14th ; Alfred Cowles, commissioned March 16, to date the 14th, 1849; James Long, commissioned March 25 to date the 21st, 1853 ; Richard J. Hamilton, commissioned March 7 to date the 3d, 1855; the bond of R. J. Hamilton was declined by the authorities at Washington and thereupon Samuel Ashton was temporarily appointed March 29, 1855, he continu- ing in office until the discontinuance of the Land- Office in Chicago, on June 9, 1855. The bond exacted from each Register was ten thousand dollars. The Receivers were E. D. Taylor, appointed March 4, 1835, at which time the bond was thirty thousand dollars ; but in May, 1836, in consequence of the augmenting of the receipts of the office a new bond, in the penal sum of one hundred thousand dollars, was required. Eli S. Prescott, appointed March 4, 1839, gave bond in one hundred thousand dollars, but the act of July 4, 1840, augmented the amount of the bond to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. September 27, 1841, Edward H. Hadduck was appointed ; re-appointed January 13, 1842, to date January 11; George L. Ward was appointed May 8, 1843, and the penalty being reduced from one hundred and fifty thousand, to seventy-five thousand dollars by the President, noon July 24, 1843, a new bond was filed in the latter amount ; Mr. . Ward was re-appointed March 12, to date the 8th, 1844; Thomas Dyer succeeding him on April 7, 1845, he, under the act of August 6, 1846, being required to give a treasury bond of one hundred and fifty thousand dol-
lars ; John H. Kinzie, appointed temporarily April 12, 1849 ; to qualify for the office, Mr. Kinzie had to file one bond for seventy-five thousand dollars and one treasury bond for one hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars, which he did, and upon September 2, 1850, was re-appointed ; the . only bond at this time required, appears to have been one of one hundred thousand dol- lars to the commissioner of the General Land-Office. March 28, 1853, Eli B. Williams was appointed, and shortly after his appointment was designated disbursing agent ; the bond for the faithful performance of his duties was five thousand dollars. Eli B. Williams was the last of the Receivers. May 29, 1835, when public sales commenced there were of public lands subject to entry at Chicago, 3,626,536 acres.
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