History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 119

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875

USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time > Part 119

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HISTORY OF NORWOOD PARK.

of years, held the same position in Niles. Ile was Commis- sioner of Highways for six years in Niles, and has heen Treas- urer of same township since 1873. Besides these minor offices, Mr. Klehm was Representative in the Illinois Legislature. from the Seventh District, during the session of the Thirtieth General Assembly, and was elected t'onnty Commissioner from the Second District of Cook County in the fall of 1881. lle is also Justice of the l'eace for the township of Niles.

M. II. LUKEN. M. D., physician and surgeon. is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. Ile graduated from Rush Medical College, Chicago, in 1873. He commenced practice in Niles Centre in 1877. where he has, by skill, intelligence and industry, gained an extensive and lucrative practice.

SAMUEL MEYER, store-kerper, was born In Niles C'entre in 1849 llis father. Nicholas Meyer, was one of the early settlers, having located in Niles as early as IN44. where he fol- lowed the occupation of farmer until his death. Mr. Meyer obtained a situation as clerk in a t'hicago grocery and feed store. In which business he remained till the t'hiengo fire, after which he returned to the farm, where he worked nutil JAN0. Then, In company with John W. Brown, he bought the large dry goods and grocery business of ti. C. Klehm, of Niles t'en- tre. forming the firm of Meyer & Brown. Mr. Meyer married, in 1881, Miss Julia Zimmerman, of Chicago, and has one son. lle is a member of the Lutheran Church.

WVAN PAROUBEK, harness-maker, was born in Bohemia, Austria, in 1847, and immigrated to the United States in 1867. lle followed his trade of harness-maker In ('hicago for one year, then rumoved to Jefferson, where he remained six months, and finally located in Nilest'entre, in 1860. Ile married Kune Bellert, of Baden, in 1870, by whom he has two sons and two daughters. lle does a good business and keeps two men at work. lle belongs to the Roman t'atholic Church and has filled the position of school director for eight years,

HERMAN SCHILLER, of the firm of Schiller & Kuske. landscape gardeners atıl florists, was born in Stolp, Prussia. in 1831. ]le removed to Niles, t'ook Courty, in 1881. huving bought his interest in the above firm while in Germany. Ile was married in 1879 to Louise R. tiodde, and has twochildren. a boy and girl. Their green-house covers nearly an nere of ground and has 25,000 square feet of glass in the roofing. It is heated by hot water. 8.500 feet of four-inch pipe being huld. the heat being supplied by three large boilers. Ile ships cut flowers, roses, violets, carnations, etc .. principally to f'hicago, GUSTAVE SCHRAEDER, farmer. P. O. Niles C'entre. wns

born in Mecklenburg, Germany, in the year 1827. He immi- grated to Vinerien in 1854 and settled in Niles Township, close to Niles l'entre, where he owns fifty-four acres of good land. A log house, inhabited by Peter Bergmann, was the only one there at that time. In 1850 he was married to Sophia Burg. They have two daughters living. Mr. Schraeder is a promi- uent member of the Evangellenl t'hurch, which numbers nearly a handred members here. A very fine church was built by this society a few years ago.

WILLIAM SCHROEDER. of the firm of R. G. Emmons & Co., brick-makers, P. O. Evanston, was born in Prussia March 23, 18MIL, lle came with his parents at the age of eight years to Milwaukee, Wis., where he learned his trade and worked there until twenty-three years of age. From 1873 to 1875 he worked with Nicholas Williams In Winnetka, Cook Co., Ill .; then four years with Christian Huntoon, and from that time up to 1881 with R. G. Emmons, at Highland Park. In 1881 he came to South Evanston and bought out the brick yard of Mike MeDonakl, which is carried on under the style of R. ti. Enunons & Co. Hle was married to Miss Caroline Schultz. of Prussia, April 25, 1874. They have two children, William and Max.

FREDRICK STIELOW, gardener and florist, is a native of Prussia, and came to the United States in 1869. Ile was engaged in the green-house business In Boston fur about seven years. lle then removed to Niles t'entre, and is now proprie- tor of one of the largest green-houses there. This house covers a large area of ground and is heated by a system of hot-water pipes. Hle ships large quantities of potted and cut flowers to Chicago, the receipts for which last year amonnted to about 88.000. lle is a member of the Lutheran Church.

PETER THORSEN, store-keeper and brick manufacturer. is a native of Denmark. lle served with credit In the war between Prussia und Demmark, after which, in 1864, he came to the United States. He worked at briek-making till 1871. when he established his brick yard in Niles, which has been in successful operation ever since. Many of the buildings in the suburban towns of Evanston, Park Ridge, Niles Centre, etc., are built of his brick, as are also the Couk County Asylum and Infirmary. In 1878 he built a large brick store. . 36x72, in Niles, and has carried on a good business in dry goods and groceries ever siner. Ilis brick yard turns out annually uboni 2.000,000 bricks. Mr. Thorsen has held various offices, as Commissioner of Highways und school director, and is at present Postmaster at Niles and County Toll-road Inspector.

HISTORY OF NORWOOD PARK.

This township is located northwest of Jefferson Towu- shipand northeast of leyden Township. It is three miles square, and contains, therefore, nine square miles. When it was organized in 1872 it took from Jefferson Township Sections 6, 7 and 18, and one-half of each of Sections 5, 8 und 17. From Leyden Township it took Sections 1, 12 und 13, and half of each of Sections 2, 11 and 14. In addition to these portions of Jefferson and Leyen town- ships. it contains a narrow strip, about one hundred aud twenty-five acres, off the southwest corner of Niles, und abont forty acres off the southeast corner of Maine. Benring in mind the fact of its recent organ- ization. the history of which will be given in its proper chronological connection, it will be interesting to sketch the history of the territory now comprising Nor- wood Park, as though it were one of the original townships. The first house built in this township was the log one of Mark Noble, Sr., as has been narrated

in the sketch of Jefferson Township. This was m 1833. In 1834 Phineas Sherminu moved to Norwood Park from his claim on the Desplaines River, near the Higgins rond, on account of the prevalence of fever and ague in that section. With his sons, Phineas, Jr., Nicholas and William, he located on the south half of Section 12. Leyden Township. In 1835 the three brothers, Marcellus B., Gustavns V., and Israel G. Smith settled an Section ", Jefferson Township, and were followed by their father, Henry Smith, in 1836. During this latter year, Ephraim Payne and Ezra Alger selected the north half of Section 1, Leyden, and a Mr. Cliff selected the southeast quarter of the same section, and sold his claim, in 1838, to S. M. Ferguson. In 1837 John Pennoyer settled on the southeast quarter of Section 1. Stephen Pennayer, one of his sons, then twenty-five years old, in 1838, settled on the southeast quarter of

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HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

Section 2, and James Pennoyer, another son, eighteen years old, came nbont the same time. In 1838, Russel Morton built a honse ou the southwest quarter of Section 6. John and Jucob Kline settled on the south- west quarter of Section 11, us also did Samnel Hum- mel, their brother-in-law, George Coleman, Heman Rowley, Sr., and his sons, Heman, William and Allrie. Mr. Hill and Mr. Bumstedd settled and built on the north half of Section 6; William Sporleder subsequently bought Hill's claim. In 1839 Peter Lundby settled on what is now the Poor Honse Farm, the southeast quarter of Section 18, and Joseph Shaw located on the southwest quarter of the same Section. John Robin- son, in 1840, settled on what is the present home of John R. Stockwell. Rees Eaton, one of the early school teachers of Jefferson, built a log house and planted an apple orchard on tho northwest quarter of Section 17. In 1842, Charles R. Ball arrived ; in 1845, John and Thomas Shaw, and in 1850, John Harris settled on land he had previously purchased of the Government.

In 1838 the question of building a school-house was, for the first time, considered. A meeting of several of the citizens, among them the Smith brothers, Mancel Tuleott, Frank Wheeler, W. H. Bishop and Lyman IInsted, was held at the house of John Pennoyer, at which definite netion was decided upon. It was resolved that all the adult male citizens of the district, in- elnding bachelors, should each contribute $5 to pur- chase Inmber. All then lent a helping hand to erect the building. In the winter of 1838-39, school was opened in this building, Miss Susan Pennoyer, now the wife of Israel G. Smith, being the teacher.

The cemetery grounds were purchased about this time, and the first to be buried in them was Henry Smith. From that time to the taking of preliminary steps toward the organization of the town of Norwood Park but little of general interest transpired. Ordinary family and social events occurred, as in other sections of the country, except that the people of this corner of Jefferson Township. with perhaps some in Leyden Township, considered themselves somewhat imposed upon by the powers that then had control of public affairs, inasmuch as it was exceedingly difficult to have what they considered the proper proportion of the taxes levied for road purposes expended in their part of the township, and, as a consequence, while the roads in other parts of the township were kept in tol- erably good ropair, those in the northwest portion were at certain seasons of the year in an almost impassible condition. Other motives may have influ- enced some of the citizens, but certain it is that a movement was made with the end of a separate cor- porate existence in view-taxation without improve- ments being equally intolerable to the citizens of the future Norwood Park, as was taxation without repre- sentation to certain other patriots one hundred years before. George Dunlap appears to have been the lead- ing spirit in favor of the movement. Informal dis- cussions were had, and informal meetings held, until at length, in 1872, a petition was circulated, signed by twenty of the thirty electors living within the territory desired to be erected into a separate town, and pre- sented to the County Commissioners. This petition was read at the meeting of the Commissioners held September 11, 1872. The territory described in this petition was as follows : Sections 6, 7 and 18, and the west half of Seetions 5, 8 and 17, Township 40 north, Range 13 cast, of the third principal meridian (from Jefferson Township), and Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13 and 14, Township 40 north, Range 12 east, of the third prin-

cipal meridian (from Leyden Township). The petition was referred by the Board of Commissioners to its Committee on Town and Town Accounts, as was also a petition from residents of Leyden, praying that the board do not set npart Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13 and 14 into a new town. Both petitions were referred by this committee to Commissioner Crawford, of that com- mittec. On the 16th of December, 1872, there was read at the meeting of the Board of Commissioners held that day a communication from the President and Trustees of the village of Jefferson, protesting against the setting aside of a portion of the town of Jefferson into a new town, which communication was also referred to the Committee on Town and Town Accounts, and likewise, through it, to Commissioner Crawford.

On the 3d of February, 1873, Commissioner Craw- ford made a verbal report, returning the papers to the board without recommendation, and asking that the committee be discharged from further consideration of the subject. The report having been received and the committee discharged, Commissioner Bogue sub- mitted the following preambles and resolution :

" Whereas, There are thirty legal voters residing within the territory hereinafter described, and twenty of such voters hare petitioned this board for a new town, to be composed of such territory: and

" Whereas, Due notice, as required by law, has been given of the application for a new town, before presenting this petition ; therefore,

" Resolved. That there be, and hereby is, established within the county of Cook, a town to be known and designated as 1be town of Norwood Park, which shall embrace the territory bounded and described as follows, to wit: Sections 6, 7 and 18, and the west half, respectively, of Sections 5, 8and 17, in Town- ship 40 north. Range 13 east, of the third principal meridian, together with Sections 1, 12 and 13, and the cast half, respect. ively of Sections 2, 11 and 14 in Township 40 north, Range 12 east, of the third principal meridian."

Having thus succeeded, a Board of Trustees was elected to serve temporarily, and on April 1, 1823, a meeting of this board was held, which was called to order by George Dunlap. Cyrus J. Corse was chosen Moderator, and D. C. Dunlap, Town Clerk, pro tem. In the afternoon, among other business trans- acted, was the passing of a resolution to raise #200 for town purposes, and it was decided to hold the next annual meeting in the railway station. The election for township officers, held that day, resulted. as follows: Stephen Pennoyer was elected Supervisor by 75 votes ; Cyrus J. Corse, Clerk, by 74; Jesse Ball, Assessor, by 75; Frederick II. Kline, Collector, by 74; James Winship and John B. Foote, Justices ef the Peace, by 74 votes each : Frederick H. Kline and John R. Stockwell, Constables, by 72 and 74 votes, respectively ; Israel G. Smith, Charles Jones and Thomas If. Seymour, Commissioners of Highways, by 24, 73, and 43 votes, respectively. Charles Winston received 32 votes for Commissioner of Highways. The Commissioners of Highways then held a meeting, and drew lots for their respective terms. Charles Jones drew for one year, Israel G. Smith for two years, and Thomas H. Seymour for three years. Israel G. Smith was then elected Clerk and Treasurer of the Commis- sioners. On the 4th of November, 1873, the Board of Town Auditors, consisting of Stephen Pennoyer, Supervisor ; James Winship, Justice of the Peace; Jesse Ball, Assessor : and Cyrus J. Corse, Clerk, approved the bill of Jesse Ball for making the assess- ment, twenty-six days at $2.50 per day-$65.

Since the election in 1873, the following officers have been elected by the votes appended to their respective names :

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HISTORY OF NORWOOD PARK.

Supervisors .- Stephen Pennoyer, in 1874, by 99 votes ; Solomon H. Burhans, in 1875, by 91 votes; in 1876, by 144 votes ; in 1827, by 168 votes : in 1878, by 109 votes; in 1879, by 94; Frederick HI. Kline, in 1880, by 144 votes ; in 1881, by 161; in 1882, by 142 ; in 1883, by 166.

Clerks .- Cyrus J. Corse, in 1874, by 99 votes ; John Cammack, in 1875, by 139 votes; in 1876, by 147 votes; in 1877, by 173; in 1878, by 152 votes; in 1879, by 111; in 1880, by 79; in 1881, by 159; Henry HI. Miller, in 1882, by 75 votes ; in 1883, by 164 votes.

Assessors .- Jesse Ball, in 1874, by 95 votes; in 1875, by 135; in 1876, by 147; in 1877, by 124; in 1878, by 120; in 1879, by 116; in 1880, by 140; in 1881, by 157; in 1882, by 115; in 1883, by 145.

Collectors .- John R. Stockwell, in 1874, by 52 votes ; Frank M. Gray, in 1875, by 87; Richard Versema, in 1876, by 147; in 1877, by 174; Edward A. Cammack, in 1878, by 153; Horace C. Rutter, in 1879, by 112; in 1880, by 77; James F. Willis, in 1881, by 156; A. A. Fox, in 1882, by 73; Albert Firleke, in 1883, by 105.

Justices of the Peace .- Benjamin S. Cheever, Zin 1874, by 99 votes; Frederick H. Kline, in 1875, by 101; M. N. Smith, in 1826, by 147; George P. Cun- ningham and Horace C. Rutter, in 1877, by 171 and 132, respectively ; Henry C. Willis, in 1828, by 101; John B. Foot and Horace C. Rutter, in 1881, by 149 and 128, respectively ; Charles R. Ball. in 1882, by 24; George Harris and Joseph Shaw, in 1883, by 164 and 117, respectively.

Constables .- George Harris and John Hinchley, in 1874, by 100 and 96 votes, respectively; John R. Stockwell and Frank M. Gray, in 1875, by 94 and 87. respectively : Daniel T. Kennedy, in 1876, by 145; Thomas W. Gray and Patrick J. Carney, in 1877, by 171 votes each ; Patrick J. Carney, in 1878, refusing to qualify. Henry A. E. Turner was elected, May 14, to fill the vacancy, Robert Orr and' Henry A. L. Turner, in 1881, by 112 and 104, respectively ; Charles Ball, in 1882, by 84; H. A. Farnum, in 1883, by 163.

Commissioners of Highways .- Frederick H. Kline in 1874 by 54 votes; Melchon Miller in 1875 by 82; Jolın Firleke in 1876 by 146; John R. Stockwell in 1877 by 166; Richard Versema in 1878 by 106; John . Firleke in 1879 by 102; Jolm R. Stockwell in 1880 by 96; Elijah Shaw in 1881 by 88; E. A. Smith in 1882 by 74; II. A. S. Tanner in 1883 by 110.

Treasurers of Commissioners of Highways .- Frederick H. Kline in 1875 and 1876; John R. Stockwell in 1877, 1878, 1879, 1880.

Overseers of Highways .- There appear to have been no Overseers elected in 1874, and there is no record of any having been elected in 1875, but the following per- sons filed applications as such officers claiming to have been elected, und were accepted as such and given papers: John Waterman for District No. 1; Jolin Berner for District No. 2; Walter B. Gray for District No. 3; E. D. Smith for District No. 4. In 1876 tho following were elected : Joseph Shaw, Dis- triet No. 1 ; John Berner, No. 2 : Hermann Schrader, No. 3. In 1877, Joseph Shaw, No. 1; Charles Mars- ton, No. 2; Hermann Schrader, No. 3: in 1880, Stephen Pennoyer, No. 1; W. W. Smith, No. 2; Will- iam Phillips, No. 3; in 1881, Henry Miller, No. 1; E. A. Smith, No. 2; Walter Gray, No. 3; in 1882, John Wermerslaugh, No. 1; John Myers, No. 2; Hermann Schrader. No. 3; and in 1883, Joseph Show, No. 1; Henry Miller, No. 2; and Richard Versema, No. 3.

A few isolated events and financial facts may not inappropriately Le introduced in this connection. Very little business of any account was transacted in the year 1874. by the town of Norwood Park, and that little, with the exception of two transactions by the Commissioners of Highways, failed to be recorded. These transactions were in relation to petitions for new roads, one commencing at the northwest corner of the northeast quarter of Section 18, and running thence in a sonthierly direction on the half section line of said section to the south line of Section 18. The owners of the land through which this road was to run were Israel G. Smith, Charles R. Ball, John Firleke, the estate of Joseph Shaw, Richard Versema, and the County Poor Farm. The other road was to commence at the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of Section 18, and to run thence in an east- erly direction on the half section line through Sections 18 und 17 to the east line of the town. The owners of the land through which this road was to pass wore Isruel G. Smith, Charles R. Ball, the estate of Joseph Shaw, the County Poor Farm, A. J. Snell, and Jolm Firleke.

On the 14th of August, 1825, 8400 was levied on the taxable town property for town purposes. In 1876 the levy was twenty cents on each $100 of real and personal property for road purposes, and $400 again for town .purposes. On the 3d of April, 1872, John L. Card made a motion which was seconded by Allen Hemingway that $1,000 be raised by assessment for the purpose of building a Town Hall. The motion was lost by a large vote, and no attempt to build a town house has since been made. In 1877 the Supervisor reported that his totul receipts of money were $1,295,84, and total cx- ponditnres $805.74; in 1878 his receipts were $685.87, expenditures, $345.27; in 1879, receipts, $417.80, ex- penditures, $281,08; in 1880, receipts, $285.10, ex- penditures, $280.00; in 1881, receipts, *395.84, ex- penditures, $208.88; in 1882, receipts, $436.91, ex- penditures, #215.89.

The receipts and expenditures of the Treasurer of the Commissioners of Highways in 1877 were, receipts $1,184.83, expenditures, $1,084.29; in 1878 receipts, $932.92, expenditures $888.86; in 1879, receipts $748.12, expenditures $730.25; in 1881, receipts 8446.73, expenditures $316.80: in 1882, receipts $1,121.65, expenditures $434,32.

The movement to organize the new town of Nor- wood Park was opposed by the citizens of both Jefferson and Leyden townships; but it appears not to have been opposed so strenuously by those of the latter as of the former township. An agreement was reached by the officers of the two townships with reference to the division of the property of Leyden between that township and Norwood Park, on the 10th of May, 1873. According to the records a meet- ing of the Supervisors and Assessors of these two townships took place at Norwood Park on that day "for the purpose of making an agreement concerning the apportionment of money, rights, credits and other personal property lately belonging to said town of Leyden, there being no real estate belonging to said town." The following proceedings were had : Leyden was found to be possessed of $350.55 in the hands of the Supervisor, and the unpaid town and road taxes for 1878 and 1872, amount of said taxes not known at that date. . The apportionment agreed upon was that Norwood Park should have $15.25 out of each $100 of said money and unpaid taxes, and Leyden

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should have $84.75 of each $100, the turnpike scrapers to belong to the road districts as before the organiza- tion of Norwood Park. This agreement was signed by Stephen Pennoyer. Supervisor, and Jesse Bull. Assessor of Norwood Park, und by Henry Boesen- berg, Supervisor, and Henry Kolze, Assessor of Leyden.

As intimated earlier in this sketch, the movement to organize the new town was opposed more persistently mid strennonsly by Jefferson than by Leyden. On the 24th of May, 18;3, the Trustees of the village of Jefferson hell a meeting, at which William P. Gray made a report that he had had a meeting with certain parties cluiming to represent the pretended town of Norwood Park, for the purpose of ascertaining what property, if any, belonging to the town of Jefferson should be apportioned"with said pretended town of Narwood Park. At this meeting Mr. Gray further re- ported that he, as Supervisor of the town of Jeffer- son, contended that there was no property to which the said pretended town of Norwood Park was entitled, and that he consequently refused to make any division.

This report was adopted, and a committee, consist- ing of W. C. Hazelton and L. A. Budlong, appointed to investigate the subject of the report. The report of this committee was as follows:

" The undersigned committee, appointed to inquire into the claim as to whether there is any property of the town of Jef- ferson to be divided with the pretended town of Norwood Park, beg leave to submit the following preamble, resolutions and report :

"Whereas, Froin the best information we can get, the town of Jefferson, asit existed under the township organization law, has no property, real or personal, and

" Whereas, The town of Jefferson became Incorporated by special act of the Legislature in 1869, and all the property be- longing to the town has been acquired since the incorporation thereof, and

"Whereas, The incorporated town of Jefferson was duly organized as a vittage corporation in the month of August, 1872, therefore

"Resolved, That, in our opinion, all the property has passed to and is vested in the village of Jefferson, and that there is no property, real or personal, belonging to the old town of Jefferson capable of being, or proper to be divided with any other town that has been, or that may be, erected out of any portion of said town to which the statute in such cases ap- plies, and

. Whereas, It is pretended that a new town, called Norwood Park, has lately been erected out of a portion of said town of Jefferson, and that certain officers have been elected in said pretended town of Norwood Park, which pretended officers have made application to W. P. Gray, the Supervisor of the sald town of Jefferson, who is also the President of the Board of Trustees of said village of Jefferson, to divide the proper- ty, rent and personal, which they claim belongs to the town of Jefferson, asis provided by statute, therefore

"Resolved, That so far as your board have jurisdiction or control of such subjerts, we recommend that said Supervisor and President, W. P. Gray, be instructed to make no division of any property with said pretended town of Norwood Park, and we further recommend that it be adopted as the sense of the board, that all property, both real and personal, that may be claimned by said pretended officers of said pretended town of Norwood Park ought to be divided, bas vested in and now betongs to the village of Jefferson, which it is the duty of the board to protect from the claim of any other organization whatever.

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History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 119

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas Number of Pages: 875

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875