History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 28

Author: Kiner, Henry L., 1851-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : The Pioneer Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1138

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FRED C. ZIMMERMAN.

The business activity and enterprise which are the salient factors in the up- building and growth of Geneseo, find a worthy exponent in Fred C. Zimmerman, who is numbered among the leading merchants of the city. He is conducting here a furniture and undertaking business, and his is a well appointed establishment, while the reliability of his business methods entitle him to the success which he is now enjoying. He was born in Geneseo, Illinois, April 7, 1863, and is a son of Daniel F. Zimmerman. The father was a native of Wurtemburg, Germany, born September 21, 1833, and was a son of Daniel and Magdalene (Lappel) Zimmerman. Daniel F. Zimmerman came to America in 1854 and first located in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he remained for about a year. In 1855 he removed to Chicago and in 1856 became a resident of St. Louis, but soon afterward estab- lished his home in Galena, Illinois. In the spring of 1857, he went to Davenport, where he remained until 1861, conducting business in that city for four years and also at Rock Island and Moline. In November, 1861, he arrived in Geneseo and established a furniture and undertaking business, which he managed success- fully until shortly before his death, or for a period of forty years. He was thus long one of the most prominent and active of the business men of Geneseo, and his labors were of a character that contributed not only to his individual success, but were an element in the city's growth and development. He lost his factory and machinery by fire in 1869 and there was no insurance upon it. At once he re- built, however, and was again prospering, when, in 1872, his store and stock were burned, and he was again a heavy loser. Notwithstanding the fact that he sus- tained a loss of four thousand dollars above the insurance which he carried, he resolutely set to work to establish again his place in the business circles of the city, soon had his store in readiness for patrons and through energy, perseverance, and capable management he succeeded in again winning substantial success. The dimensions of his store were eighty-two by twenty-six feet and two stories in height. He carried a large and well selected line of goods and not only enjoyed a substantial trade as a dealer in furniture but also was finely equipped for the undertaking business.

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On the 3d of September, 1859, Mr. Zimmerman was married in Rock Island, to Miss Kunigunda Tresel, a native of Bavaria. Mr. Zimmerman was a wide reader and a man of scholarly attainments. He loved to talk about his young days in Germany and the scenes with which he became familiar in his youth. He told many interesting tales concerning his boyhood days, when he was a pupil in the gymnasium-an institution of learning equal in character to the high school or college in this country. His father was a skilled mechanic in wood work. Dying just as Daniel finished his school days, the son took up the father's work and continued it successfully. Later he worked at his trade in some of the large cities in Germany and thus gained a knowledge of that country, which enabled him to talk most interestingly concerning the land of his birth. He always manifested the deepest attachment for the land of his adoption and was greatly interested in the welfare and progress of the town, giving aid and assistance to every worthy cause. An upright and honorable man, his worth was appreciated by all who knew him and his death was the occasion of deep regret to many friends. His wife was born in Obernseis, near Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany, and came to the United States with an elder sister and brother-in-law, Mrs. K. F. Miller, who arrived in Rock Island in 1854. It was in that city in 1859 that she gave her hand in marriage to Daniel Zimmerman, to whom she was ever a faithful wife, while to her children she was a devoted and loving mother, and in the community was known as a true friend.

Fred C. Zimmerman, whose name introduces this review, was born and reared in Geneseo, where he has always made his home. When sixteen years of age he began working in his father's store, where he continued as an employe until the 26th of August, 1905, when he purchased the business which he has since con- ducted. He now has a well appointed furniture and undertaking establishment, and a liberal patronage, which he well merits, is accorded him.

On the 27th of October, 1887, Mr. Zimmerman was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Stubinger, a daughter of Fred Stubinger. Her father died in Leaven- worth, Kansas, in March, 1907, and her mother is still living there. They were the parents of four children : Carrie; William F., of St. Louis; Emma, the wife of H. F. Schmelzer, a resident of Kansas City, Missouri; and Ada, who makes her home in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Fred C. Zimmerman is a worthy representative of one of the early families of Henry county and is now conducting an enterprise which has constituted one of the leading commercial undertakings of the city through many years. He holds to the highest standards of business ethics and his honorable record is a most commendable one.

ORMAN R. WARNER.

Orman R. Warner, formerly identified with agricultural interests and now the secretary of the Farmer's Mutual Insurance Company, of Kewanee, came to Henry county in September, 1845, and is therefore among its oldest resi- dents in the length of time with which he has been associated with its interests.

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He has lived to see remarkable changes here as wild land has been converted into rich fields, while towns and villages have been builded and all of the in- dustrial and commercial interests of the older east have been introduced. In the work of general progress Mr. Warner has borne his part as the years have gone by and his value as a citizen is widely acknowledged. He was born in Canada, on the 22d of March, 1835, and was therefore a youth of ten years when the family home was established in Illinois. His parents were Ralph and Clara Warner, who came from Canada and on reaching their destination settled in Burns township, the father securing eighty acres of wild land from the govern- ment. Not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made upon this place, but with characteristic energy he began its development and soon converted the tract into rich fields. He continued to carry on farming there until his death, which occurred when he was fifty-eight years of age, while his wife sur- vived to the advanced age of eighty-two years.

Orman R. Warner was educated in the country schools and remained on the farm until twenty-four years of age, during which period he became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and cultivating the crops. About 1869 he purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres adjoining his father's original tract of eighty acres and thus started out upon an independent venture as an agriculturist. For a long period he successfully carried on general farm- ing and as his financial resources permitted invested from time to time in land until his property holdings were extensive. He has since sold all but the orig- inal eighty acres which his father took up from the government. It is his purpose never to sell this, hoping that it may be handed down from father to son through successive generations.

On the 3Ist of December, 1857, Mr. Warner was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Cosner, of Burns township, a daughter of Henry and Ann Cosner, who were farming people of that community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Warner were born three children: Lartie May, now Mrs. H. C. Doty, a resident of Palmyra, Nebraska; Samuel C., a resident farmer of Burns township; and Morton K., who is a merchant of Kewanee.

Mr. Warner continued to reside upon the farm until 1888, when he removed to Kewanee and for six years thereafter lived retired, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former labor. In 1894, however, he was elected secretary of the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, which position he has since filled. He is also a director of the Kewanee Building & Loan Association and is thus prominent in a financial way in connection with important business concerns of the district. Throughout his life he has manifested keen discrimination and sound judgment, combined with unfaltering perseverance, and these qualities have brought him substantial success. The Farmers Mutual Insurance Com- pany, of which he is now secretary, was organized in 1875 with M. B. Potter as president, Levi North, as secretary, and E. M. Vail, as treasurer. They protect against losses by fire and lightning among farmers and in the small towns, making assessments for losses. The business is owned and managed by farmers and retired farmers, and the amount of insurance now in force is one million, eight hundred thousand dollars. The present officers are: presi-

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dent, N. W. Tibbetts ; vice president, George W. Fuller ; secretary, O. R. Warner ; treasurer, H. A. Calhoun.

In 1909 Mr. Warner was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife who passed away on the 6th of January, of that year. She was an exceptionally good woman, devoted to the welfare and happiness of her family, and her life was characterized by many good deeds to her friends, to the poor and needy and to all with whom she came in contact. Mr. and Mrs. Warner traveled life's journey together for more than half a century, their mutual love and confidence increasing as the years went by. At the time of her demise one of her warm friends with whom she had been intimately associated in the work of the church wrote of her:

"Mrs. Warner came to Kewanee to make her home twenty-one years ago. She united with the Methodist Episcopal church and at once identified herself with the work of the Ladies' Aid Society. In the years that have followed, in sickness and health, her interest in the welfare of her church and the work of the Aid Society has never lessened.

"For ten years she was president of this society and so faithfully did she perform the duties of the office, so highly did we value her presence and counsel that at the end of the term of active service she was unanimously elected 'hon- orary president' of the society, an office she still held at the time of her death. The only criticism we ever heard of her was, 'she knew not how to spare herself.' So earnestly did she desire the success of every enterprise under- taken by the society that many times she carried the burdens of responsibility that should have rested upon younger, stronger shoulders. We knew so well her energy and whole-hearted interest that we have wondered if we had not become too much accustomed to her frail health and perhaps sometimes over- taxed her strength. Yet we know she loved the work and we do not believe she ever felt it burdensome.

"When the word came to us that she had passed away we did not feel that she was lost to us, but only gone before, for as the poet has sweetly said:

'There is no death !

What seems so is transition : This life of mortal breath

Is but a suburb of life elysian, Whose portal we call Death.'

"We will miss her presence with us, her voice in the prayer meeting, raised in testimony and prayer we will hear no more, in the home there will be a vacant chair, yet we feel that our loss is her gain. And now that she has gone and we are left to carry on the work, we earnestly desire that a double portion of her spirit may fall upon us.

"If we were asked to sum up her character in two words we would say, 'faithful and true,' and the prayer of our hearts is that we may as faithfully perform the work that is given us to do; may fill as well the niche to which we are assigned; and when the time comes for us to lay down the cares and pleasures of life, may we, each one, as richly deserve to hear the words, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of the Lord.'

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'Rest in peace, thou gentle spirit, throned above,

Souls like thine with God inherit, Life and Love.'"

Mr. Warner has been somewhat active in public affairs, his fellow townsmen calling him to various offices. In 1866-67 he served as collector of Burns town- ship and for seventeen years was it assessor. He was also school director for seventeen years and the cause of education found in him a stalwart cham- pion. In January, 1858, he joined the Methodist Episcopal church, served as a trustee of the congregation in Burns township and upon his removal to Ke- wanee was made a trustee here. His life has been in strict conformity with his profession and he stands today as one whose many sterling traits have gained for him the high honor and respect which are uniformly accorded him. He well deserves mention in this volume as one of its representative pioneer citizens and his example may well serve as a source of encouragement and emu- lation to others.

CARL J. LAGER.

Among the business enterprises which are factors in Geneseo's commercial activity is the store of Carl J. Lager. He has for some years successfully con- ducted business as a dealer in clothing and men's furnishings, and the spirit of modern business enterprise actuates him in all that he does. He was born in Lonsas parish, Ostergotland, Sweden, April 23, 1854, and is a son of John P. and Maja Greta (Swensen) Lager, both of whom were natives of Sweden. The father was a tailor by trade and in the year 1871 brought his family to the United States. He settled at Princeton, Illinois, where he lived for four years, and in 1875 he came to Geneseo, where he has since engaged in the tailoring business. His wife died in 1906 at the age of seventy-nine years, and he is now seventy-nine years of age. He was a member of the regular army in Sweden, serving for twenty-three years. His religious faith is indicated by his member- ship in the Swedish Lutheran church to which his wife also belongs. They were the parents of four children: Carl J .; Anna L., the widow of William An- derson, now living in Minneapolis; Mary, the wife of Car! J. Hagalin, of Gen- eseo; and Hilma C., the wife of Rev. John A. Frost, of Minneapolis.

Carl J. Lager was seventeen years of age when he came to the United States with his parents. He had acquired a good common-school education in the schools of his native country and had learned the tailor's trade there. On his arrival in America he worked at farm labor and was employed in other ways for a time, after which he followed his trade for a few years, or until 1880. He then engaged in the sewing-machine business until 1883, after which he accepted a clerkship in a clothing store. Six years were devoted to his duties as a salesman and at the end of that time he took charge of a store for M. Nusbaum & Com- pany, acting as manager of the business for three years. In 1903 he formed a partnership with William A. Offerle and the style of the firm is now Lager, Offerle & Company. During the time that he was managing the business of M. Nus- baum & Company, he and Mr. Offerle, in 1897, purchased the lot on which the

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old "red mill" used to stand-one of the landmarks of Geneseo-and there they erected a modern brick building which is known as the Lager & Offerle block. In that they are conducting business, renting out one room for a dry-goods store, for the second story constitutes the Masonic hall. They have a well equipped store, carrying a large line of men's furnishing goods and clothing and their sales reach a gratifying annual figure. Their business methods are reliable, and the enterprise which they manifest has brought them into important relations with the commercial life of the town.

On the 30th of May, 1878, Mr. Lager was married to Miss Dora M. Larson, a daughter of Peter and Anna M. Larson. Mrs. Lager was born in Geneseo, while her parents were natives of Sweden. Her father arrived in 1852, coming from Baros, while the mother, whose home was in the parish of Sand, Wern- land, Sweden, came to the United States in 1854. Mr. Larson died in 1898 at the age of seventy-six years and is still survived by his wife. In their family were four daughters: Laura, now the wife of Fred Gotch; Dora M., now Mrs. Lager; Emily ; and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Lager had two children, a son and a daughter who died in infancy. They also have an adopted child, Florence Ruth, who married Fred C. Brutsehe, of Coon Rapids, Iowa. The religious views of the parents are indicated by their membership in the Unitarian church. Mr. Lager belongs to Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A. F. & A. M .; Geneseo Chapter, No. 12, R. A. M .; Rock Island Commandery, No. 18, K. T .; and Kaaba Temple, A .. A. O. N. M. S., of Davenport, Iowa. He also affiliates with Geneseo Lodge, No. 172, I. O. O. F., and Geneseo Encampment, No. 34. He likewise belongs to the Patriarchs Militant, the Uniform Rank, Canton No. 60, of Moline, and he holds the commission of major as a member of the staff of General C. M. Lytle of the Patriarchs Militant, who is commander of the Second Brigade. At the present time he is a representative of the camp and is a past representative of the grand lodge of Odd Fellows in Illinois. He also belongs to Utopia Lodge, No. 310, K. P., of which he is a past representative, and is a charter member of the Improved Order of Red Men. His political allegiance is given to the de- mocracy and he is now serving as the supervisor of Geneseo township. Some years ago he acted as alderman of the city from the fourth ward, and at all times he is loyal to the interests of the community, exercising his official prerogatives for the public good but laboring, as well, as a private citizen for the best interests of the town and county at large.

MORTON K. WARNER.

Morton K. Warner, the junior partner of the firm of Spickler & Warner, dealers in men's furnishing goods in Kewanee, is one of Henry county's native sons, his birth having occurred in Burns township, November 29, 1867. He is a son of O. R. Warner, one of the honored pioneer residents of the county, men- tioned elsewhere in this volume. He was reared to farm life, early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. After mastering the preliminary branches of learning in the district schools he con-

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tinued his studies in Heding College, at Abingdon, Illinois, and after his college days were over came to Kewanee, where he accepted a clerkship in a clothing and men's furnishing goods store. He was there employed for five years and on the expiration of that period purchased an interest in the business, the firm be- coming Huntington, Spickler & Warner in 1893. Upon the death of Mr. Hunt- ington, in 1900, the business continued under the firm style of Spickler & Warner, which has since been maintained. They carry a large and well selected line of clothing and men's furnishing goods, doing a business of creditable proportions. Their trade is constantly growing and their enterprise is such as causes them to be classed with the foremost merchants of the city. Mr. Warner is also vice president of the Kewanee Building & Loan Association and is a man of laudable ambitions, resolute purpose and unfaltering energy-qualities which are en- abling him to push steadily forward on the high road of life to the goal of success.

Mr. Warner was united in marriage on the 26th of November, 1890, to Miss Bird Gleason, of Kewanee, a daughter of Lucien P. and Ella Gleason, the former a traveling salesman. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Warner have been born two children who are yet living, Leslie Harold and Eleanor. They also lost two, Wilma and Wendell. Mr. Warner is a devoted member and active worker in the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has served as trustee and steward for fifteen years. He is a generous contributor to the support of the church and does everything in his power to promote its growth and extend its influence. Mrs. Warner was also a member and prominent worker in the same church until her death, which oc- curred July 14, 1909. Fraternally Mr. Warner is connected with the Masons, the Knights of Pythias, and the Modern Woodmen of America, but is not more es- teemed in those organizations than he is in business and social circles.

JOHN ALBERT LINDSTRUM.

John Albert Lindstrum owns about one hundred and thirty acres of land in Weller township, on which stands one of the finest country homes in this sec- tion of Henry county. He was born in the vicinity of Bishop Hill, Henry county, December 28, 1870, a son of Eric and Britta (Olson) Lindstrum, both of whom were natives of Sweden, the former of Westmanland and the latter of Helsing- land. The parents emigrated to this country with a colony of their country- men, all locating in Bishop Hill, where Mr. Lindstrum, who was a carpenter and cabinet-maker by trade, did work along these lines for the colonists. Later he engaged in farming northeast of this village and became very successful, own- ing at the time of his death five farms, averaging over one hundred acres each. For many years he served as town clerk and as school trustee and filled other public offices of trust and responsibility. He never tried to influence others to cast a vote in his support and yet he seldom was defeated for an office to which he was nominated. He became an influential and prominent citizen of Henry county, and thus his death, which occurred March 9, 1889, was the occasion of deep regret to many friends. The mother is also deceased, her death occurring December 27, 1887.

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John Albert Lindstrum at the usual age entered the district schools, wherein he mastered the branches of learning usually taught in such institutions. In his early youth he had a taste for agricultural pursuits and when eighteen years of age put aside his books that he might devote his entire attention to that field of labor. He worked for others for two years and about this time his father died, leaving a large estate to his heirs. John A. of this review, inherited a tract of one hundred and twenty-three acres, located in Weller township, one mile north of Bishop Hill. He at once took charge of the same and in 1902 erected a fine barn thirty-eight by forty-six feet, while in 1905 he erected one of the most modern and finest country homes in Weller township. The house contains thirteen large, light rooms, all of which are nicely furnished, while it is supplied with hot and cold water, hot water heat and many other conveniences and comforts. Mr. Lindstrum purchased six and a quarter acres of land adjoining that which he inherited and it has all been placed in good condition by tiling and the rotation of crops. He raises principally corn and oats and also raises thoroughbred short- horn cattle, having forty head at the present time, in 1909. He also keeps Poland China hogs, having forty head at this time. In all his business affairs he mani- fests an enterprising and progressive spirit that is always sure to win success.

Mr. Lindstrum was married on the 15th of February, 1893, to Miss Lillie Nystrum, a daughter of Eric Nystrum, a prosperous farmer of Galva township. Four children grace this marriage, as follows: Raymond, who was born Novem- ber 30, 1894; Vernice, born September 7, 1897; Glenwood, August 11, 1901 ; and Pearl Anna, whose birth occurred July 30, 1905.

A democrat in his political allegiance, Mr. Lindstrum served as school director two terms but declined to serve longer. He is a member of the Select Knights and in religious faith is a Methodist. He is numbered among the county's suc- cessful farmers and is highly esteemed and respected by all with whom he has business or social relations.

ROY G. F. OFFERLE.

Roy G. F. Offerle is well known in Geneseo, where he has spent his entire life, his birth having here occurred on the 3d of December, 1882. He is a son of Albert F and Caroline J. (Dannenfelser) Offerle. His paternal grandfather, George J. Offerle, came to America from Alsace, which was then under the do- minion of France, but the family were of German lineage and spoke both the German and the French tongues. George J. Offerle settled in Warren, Pennsyl- vania, and was there united in marriage to Miss Magdalene Reig, who was also a native of Germany. Removing westward they spent their last days in Geneseo, where both died when more than sixty years of age. They were the parents of nine children who reached years of maturity. Albert F .; Lena, the wife of Philip Rapp; Edward, deceased; Patrick; Belle; Anna, the wife of J. V. Laver ; Louis ; Freeman; and Hattie, the wife of C. E. Hapgood. The maternal grandfather of our subject was Frederick Dannenfelser, who came from Lorraine and at a very early day settled in Phenix township, Henry county, Illinois. There he built a

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log cabin in which he began life in true pioneer style but later improved his farm with good buildings. A number of years afterward he removed to Geneseo where he died at the age of eighty-one years, while his wife was eighty-four years of age at the time of her death. They had a large family; Jacob, deceased; Wil- liam; Elizabeth, the wife of John O. Freed; Fred; Christina, the wife of F. E. Gresser ; Caroline J., who became Mrs. Offerle; and Julia, the wife of S. S. Ott.

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History of Henry County, Illinois, Volume II, Part 28

Author: Kiner, Henry L., 1851- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Chicago : The Pioneer Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1138

Author: Kiner, Henry L., 1851-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: Chicago : The Pioneer Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1138