USA > Illinois > Kane County > History of Kane County, Ill. Volume II > Part 37
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On the 30th of September, 1875. Mr. Mason was married to Miss Roma L. AAdams, a daughter of Charles H. and Harriett L. ( Coleman ) Adams, of Fort Ann, New York, who arrived in Aurora in 1867 and spent their remain- ing days here. There is but one son of that marriage, Marquis Edgar Mason. who attended the public schools of Aurora and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he remained for two years prior to his matriculation in the Massachusetts School of Technology at Boston, from which he was graduated in 1904. He is now a well known chemist of that city. He married Laura E. Rice, a daughter of Dr. and Mrs. M. S. Rice, of Aurora. Mr. and Mrs. James O. Mason are now rearing the children of his brother, the Rev. Warren Mason, who died in February, 1906, in North Granville, New York, while his wife passed away a week later.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Mason are sincere and valued members of the Bap- tist church. He also belongs to Waubonsie Lodge. I. O. O. F., while his political allegiance is given to the republican party and he served as city treasurer for two years. He is interested in all that pertains to the general welfare and was one of the first directors of the Young Men's Christian Association in Aurora, filling that position from 1870 to the present time. He is also treasurer of the building committee of that association, and they are now erecting one of the handsomest buildings in the state, Mr. Mason de- voting much of his time to this interest. His wife is also actively identified with the Young Women's Christian Association, and they have contributed several thousand dollars to these organizations. Mrs. Mason is now president of the Aurora Young Women's Christian AAssociation, and vice president of the Illinois State Association.
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Mr. Mason is especially active in matters relating to the public welfare and his cooperation may always be counted upon to further any movement for the public good. A man of great natural ability, his success in business from the beginning of his residence in Aurora has been uniform and rapid. He has persevered in the pursuit of a persistent purpose and has gained a satis- factory reward for his labors. His life is exemplary in all respects and he has ever supported those interests which are calculated to uplift and benefit humanity, while his own high moral worth is deserving of the utmost commendation.
NICHOLAS C. PAULOS.
Nicholas C. Paulos has in his business career made that steady progress which results from experience and the fit utilization of one's opportunities and innate powers. He was born in Tripoli, Greece, December 6, 1873, but at the age of twenty years sought the advantages offered in the new world and by their improvement has come to be recognized as a representative and suc- cessful business man of Aurora and as the leader of the Greek population of the city. His father has always been an agriculturist and both parents are still living in Greece. There were seven sons and four daughters in their family, of whom Nicholas C. Paulos is the eldest. His brothers, Harry and Angelos, have charge of his store at No. 33 Broadway. Thomas is engaged in business in Elgin and Spiros in Chicago. Another brother is an officer in the Greek army on the king's staff.
Spending his boyhood and youth to the age of twenty years in his native land, Nicholas C. Paulos then sailed from Greece to America and spent the first few months after his arrival in this country at Paterson, New Jersey. He also remained for seven months in New York City and the following year secured employment in a confectionery establishment in Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania, while during the succeeding year he was at Little Falls, New York. Making his way westward to Des Moines, Iowa, he there attended Highland Park College for three and a half years and for two and a half years was a student in Drake University, from which institution he was graduated. He was very ambitious to receive a thorough English education as well as to acquaint himself with the manners, habits and customs of the American people. but not possessing the means to obtain the much-desired knowledge. he had almost given way to despair when a fortunate incident transpired and doubt- less changed the whole course of his life. Following his arrival in Des Moines he sought a situation, for his financial condition rendered immediate employ- ment a necessity. While sauntering on the street looking in the window of a stationery store, he was accosted by a gentleman who proved to be Mr. Gray, the superintendent of the dining hall at the Highland Park School in Des Moines. Mr. Gray was interested in the striking personal appearance and intelligence of the Greek youth and, becoming cognizant of the fact that he possessed a naturally bright mind and was eager for an education, Mr. Gray
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invited him to the school, where he presented him to the principal, Professor Longwell, who manifested much interest in the boy, as did the other pro- fessors and teachers in the school. In order to assist him in meeting his needs while acquiring a knowledge of English, they gave him work at building furnace fires and doing errands and in this way he managed to work his way through school. He displayed keen appreciation of the kind treatment which he had received in his faithfulness to every task entrusted to him and his devotion to those whom he served.
When he had received his diploma from Drake University Mr. Paulos jectured in many towns in Iowa, taking for his subject "The Manners and Customs of the Greek People." Later he engaged in the confectionery busi- ness in Chicago for a year and a half and in 1900 he came to Aurora, pos- sessing at that time the sum of sixteen dollars of his own. However, he bor- rowed from friends sufficient money to enable him to establish a small confectionery store on New York street, near the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy depot. From the beginning this venture proved successful and after six months he leased a large store on South Broadway, paying a rental of sixty-five dollars per month. After one year he renewed the lease for a period of five years, paying the sum of $140 per month for the entire build- ing, a portion of which he sublet. In May, 1905, the Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railroad Company leased the building on the corner of Broadway and Fox streets, now used as their transfer station, and the company sought Mr. Paulos to establish and conduct a confectionery store in the building. This he did in connection with his other store and has been very successful in the new undertaking, having at present the largest confectionery business in Aurora. For his privileges of conducting the restaurant and confectionery business in the transfer station he pays the sum of $2,200 per annum. Two of his brothers are somewhat interested with him in this enterprise, having come to America at the suggestion of their brother, who sent them money to pay their passage. Nicholas Paulos also has a brother in Chicago and one in Elgin, whom he aided in a similar manner and he has also assisted each one in starting in business.
Mr. Paulos has not only been extremely kind and helpful to the members of his father's family but to his fellow countrymen as well, and is a recognized leader among the Greek residents of Aurora, who number seventy-five. Most of these are employed in mechanical lines and Mr. Paulos acts as interpreter and arbitrator between employer and employed. In October. 1907. the Greeks of Aurora organized Lycurgus Lodge, which is of a charitable and literary nature. Every male Greek in Aurora is a member of this lodge, of which Mr. Paulos is president. During the winter months he instructs its members in the English language and in the manners and customs of the English-speaking people, and thus he is doing much to aid his fellow country- men, not only in gaining material advancement but also in becoming good citizens, loyal in their support of their adopted land.
On the 31st of December, 1902, Mr. Paulos strengthened the ties which bind him to America by his marriage to Miss Edith M. Page, a native daughter of Illinois, born at Naperville, October 31, 1884. Her father, Al-
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bert Page, residing at No. 424 Fifth street, Aurora, is engaged in cement work. Both Mr. and Mrs. Paulos are members of the Trinity Episcopal church, and his political allegiance is given the republican party. His posi- tion on political questions is not the result of chance or influence or of partiality but has come as the result of his thorough investigation into the political questions and conditions of his adopted land. He is actuated in all that he does by an American spirit. While feeling a deep attachment for the land of his nativity, he is thoroughly loyal to the land of his adoption and Aurora recognizes in him a representative and valued citizen.
HON. JOHN W. LINDEN.
Hon. John W. Linden belongs to that class of men that the world calls self-made and to whom the public instinctively pays deference because of the success to which they have attained, but it is not alone his prosperous business career that has made John W. Linden a representative citizen of Aurora. He has been a prominent factor in democratic circles for many years and has twice represented his district in the state legislature, leaving the impress of his individuality upon the laws enacted during that period. He was born in Luxemburg, Germany, January 26, 1859. His father, Peter Linden, was also a native of that place and in 1861 came to the United States. In the meantime, however, he had resided for fifteen years in Paris and was engaged in business as a wagon-maker. After crossing the Atlantic and establishing his home in Kane county, Illinois, he did not follow his trade but turned his attention to general farming in Big Woods, being thus identified with agricultural interests until he retired from active business. He then removed to Aurora, where he lived for some years in the enjoyment of well earned rest ere he passed from this life in 1884 at the age of sixty-two years.
John W. Linden was but two years old at the time of the emigration to the new world and has been, therefore, practically a lifelong resident of Kane county. He attended the public schools until the age of eleven years, when he entered upon an apprenticeship in Stolp's woolen mill, where he dis- played such adaptability and enterprise that while yet a boy he was given charge of the carding and spinning department of the mill. Few men are forced to start out in life so early as he did and few, with no better equip- ment as offered by the public schools and other training, gain such a creditable measure of success. However, Mr. Linden has always advanced in intel- lectual as well as business lines, for reading, observation and experience have kept him well informed. As he passed on in his business career, his fidelity winning him promotion with increased salary, he at length acquired capital sufficient to enable him to engage in business on his own account. In 1885 he embarked in the wholesale liquor trade and is now owner of a very exten- sive wholesale liquor house. He makes shipments to various parts of the country and has a business which has constantly developed along substantial lines, bringing him a gratifying financial return.
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Mr. Linden is well known as a worker and leader in democratic ranks. In 1891 he was elected alderman, being a member of the city council for sixteen consecutive years, and his fellow townsmen further showed their confidence in his ability and integrity in political lines by electing him to the legislature, where he served in the forty-third and forty-fourth general assemblies. He has been a close student of the political questions of the day. has worked earnestly in party ranks and has been chairman of the democratic senatorial committee. In recent years he has refused to become a candidate for office, preferring to devote his time to his business affairs, yet he is still actively interested in the party and its success and as a public-spirited citizen is loyal to all that he believes will conserve the best interests of his city and the commonwealth.
In 1885 Mr. Linden was married to Miss Katherine Winkle, of Aurora. He has never courted publicity yet the qualities he has displayed in his busi- ness and public career have called to him the attention of his fellow citizens and the nature of his service has gained for him their commendation and respect.
WILLIAM ANDERSON.
William Anderson, a successful farmer and dairyman of Kane county. was born near Kirkcudbright, in the southern part of Scotland, of the mar- riage of William Jane ( Dixon) Anderson. The father followed general agricultural pursuits as a life work. His family numbered two sons, namely : William, of this review; and James, who resides in Scotland.
William Anderson was educated in the public schools of his native land, and in 1872 crossed the Atlantic to America, locating in Chicago, where for one year he was engaged in stone work and assisted in rebuilding the metropolis after the great fire of 1871. In 1873 he came to Elgin and for the three succeeding years was employed as manager of the farm which was conducted in connection with the insane asylum. Subsequently he removed to Kendall county, where he was employed for two years, on the expiration of which period he returned to Elgin, being employed as a farm hand in Elgin town- ship for one year and for a similar period in Dundee township. In 1881 he took up his abode in Dundee township and was there successfully engaged in the operation of rented land for seven years, when he purchased sixty acres of land in Elgin township, where he has since made his home. He afterward added twelve acres to the tract, has a nice residence and good barns and is also the owner of from thirty-five to forty cows. He is now conducting an extensive dairy business, employing several men to assist him, and is recog- nized as one of the successful dairy farmers of the county. It is a widely acknowledged fact that the Scotch are the most successful dairymen in the world ard Mr. Arderson is no exception to this rule, his carefully conducted interests having gained hi'm a creditable and gratifying measure of prosperity.
On the 4th of April, 1878, Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Emeline B. Redmond, a daughter of Thomas and Betsie (Thorn) Redmond,
WILLIAM ANDERSON
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natives of Ireland and England, respectively. The parents came to this country when their daughter, Mrs. Anderson, was quite a little girl. Their family numbered eleven children, as follows: John, deceased; Charles, who has also passed away; Edward, formerly of Britt, Iowa, but now deceased; George, who lives in Whitewater, Wisconsin; Emily, the widow of W. A. Tanner; Emma J .; Emeline; D. I., of Kane county ; Lavina; Orlando, who has departed this life; and Ida, the deceased wife of J. L. Fulton, of White- water, Wisconsin. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have been born two chil- dren : W. T., who wedded Mabel Kelly, a daughter of J. H. Kelly; and George E., who was united in marriage to Sadie Molton, daughter of Fred G. Molton.
The hope that led Mr. Anderson to leave his native land and seek a home in America has been more than realized. He found the opportunities he sought,-which, by the way, are always open to the ambitious, energetic man,-and making the best of these he has steadily worked his way upward. He possesses the resolution, perseverance and reliability so characteristic of his nation, and his name is now enrolled among the best citizens of Kane county.
MERTON ELLSWORTH WESTON.
Merton Ellsworth Weston, who successfully follows agricultural pur- suits and also conducts an ideal dairy in Virgil township, was born in Kane- ville, Kane county, November 28, 1872. His parents were Wirt Franklin and Mary Ann (Watson) Weston, the former a native of Rutland county, Vermont, and the latter born in Beatyestown, Warren county, New Jersey, June 26, 1852. In the early '50s the father came to Illinois with his parents, locating in Kane county, where for a number of years he was very active as a school teacher. He likewise took a prominent part in the work of the Methodist Episcopal church, while fraternally he was connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mrs. Weston still survives her husband and now makes her home in Hammond, Louisiana. The record of her chil- dren is as follows : Madian M., the wife of R. S. Harter, who is an undertaker of Maple Park: Charles M., a painter and paper hanger; Minnie I., the wife of J. J. Roman, an undertaker and furniture dealer of DeKalb. Illinois; J. Scott, who is a contractor of irrigation work and makes his home in Fallon, Nevada, and Robert L., deceased.
Merton Ellsworth Weston, the other member of the family, attended the district school in Kaneville until eighteen years of age and on putting aside his text books went to Chicago, where he learned the trade of a painter and paper hanger, which line of activity he followed for seven years. Subse- quently he worked at his trade in DeKalb for a short time and afterward. resided in Iowa for eleven months, but on the expiration of that period he returned to Kane county and has here since made his home. In addition to the work of general farming he conducts a model dairy, having thirty-five
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cows. Both branches of his business yield him an excellent annual income and he is now numbered among the prosperous residents here.
Mr. Weston was joined in wedlock to Miss Emma Sophia Freeland, who was born near Kaneville, December 9, 1875. The children of this union are : Mildred A., who is attending school; Russell F. and Everett R., both of whom are deceased, and Evelyn I., at home.
In his political views Mr. Weston is a stanch democrat, while fraternally he is identified with the Modern Woodmen of America. Both he and his wife are widely known and highly esteemed throughout the community and the hospitality of their pleasant home is greatly enjoyed by their many friends.
CHARLES KAMMRAD.
A German by nativity, born in the historic city of Rouen, October 27. 1865, and having become a resident of Illinois when he was but fifteen, Charles Kammrad has exemplified in his citizenship and achievements here the sturdy and sterling qualities of both the land of his birth and that of his adoption, combining the indomitable industry and persistency of the German with the enterprise, energy and activity of the American.
His father, Louis Kammrad, brought the rest of his family to the United States in 1882, and hastening to the teeming interior of the country, took up his residence on a farm in Kane county, locating near Plato Center. He is still living on this farm, which he has greatly improved and to the value of which he has materially added by the skill and vigor with which he has handled it. His wife, whose maiden name was Minnie Kramke, was also born in Germany. They are members of the Lutheran church and in political affairs the father supports the republican party. They became the parents of seven children: Gussie, the wife of Charles Misner, who lives at Wasco in this county; Bertha, the wife of Henry Dittmar; Mattie, who is dead; Alvina. Plato township farmers, and Charles.
Charles Kammrad went to school in his native land until he was fifteen years old, then came to the United States and took up his residence in Kane county. He was employed in various capacities until he reached his maturity, assisting his father on the farm and doing other things as he found them to do, and doing all he undertook with an upright and determined effort to secure the best results.
When he was twenty-seven years old he was married to Miss Margaret Reed, the marriage occurring on December 28, 1892. Four children have been born to them: Carl Louis, Walter William, Lily Charlotte and Harvey Samuel. The father is a republican politically, belongs to the Methodist church in religious affiliation and is a Modern Woodman of America fra- ternally. He is rendering the township valuable service as school director, taking a great interest in the cause of public education. The farm he works
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contains two hundred and forty acres and is devoted to a variety of crops, much of the land being in grass for pasture and hay to feed the fifty cows which make up the basis of his large and remunerative dairy business. He has thriven in his efforts for advancement in this country, and he has repaid the opportunities it has given him by loyal and intelligent support of its in- stitutions, exhibiting on all occasions and in reference to every local and general interest an elevated, intelligent and patriotic citizenship.
WILLIAM H. McCULLOUCH.
William H. McCullouch is the junior member of the firm of Finch & McCullouch, printers, binders and stationers of Aurora. In the prosecution of his business there has been manifest one of the sterling traits of his character-his desire to carry forward to the highest perfection attainable any- thing he undertakes. Not content with mediocrity in any line of life, he has given deep and earnest thought to the work of raising his business to a high standard, approaching the ideal in the character of its service to the public and in the methods employed in the prosecution of the work of the office.
Mr. McCullouch is one of Aurora's native sons, his birth having here occurred September 6, 1866. His parents were William and Catharine (Irven) McCullouch, the former a native of Liverpool, England, and the latter of the state of New York. The father came to America when six years of age. His parents died when he was very young and he was early thrown upon his own resources. He attained his majority in St. Louis years. Immediately after the close of the Civil war in 1865 he removed to Aurora. In his younger days he was a member of the navy and later and there learned the shoemaking business, which he has followed for many served as a soldier of the Confederate army, being captain of a company. He took part in many important engagements and after the close of hostilities between the north and the south he located in Aurora, where he engaged in the custom-made shoe business for many years. Since 1889 he has resided in Chicago and for eight years he was superintendent of the shoe department at Dunning, Illinois. Politically he is a stalwart republican, prom- inent in political circles of Chicago and has held several offices. Unto him and his wife have been born seven children, three sons and four daughters: William H., John Edward; Elizabeth, deceased ; Mary; Nellie, the wife of M. W. Quinn, of Chicago; Catherine; and Henry Emmett.
William H. McCullouch was reared in the city of his nativity and acquired his education through the medium of the public schools. When twelve years of age he went to work to learn the printer's trade and has followed that business continuously since. He was first connected with the Evening Post and afterwards became associated with the Aurora Beacon, with which he was connected for twenty-one years. He then formed a partnership with E. C. Finch, the present mayor of Aurora, and in November, 1903, estab-
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lished the enterprise which they have since conducted. They began operations on a small scale but their business has rapidly developed owing to their unfalter- ing diligence and perseverance, their close application and thorough under- standing of the trade. In May, 1907, they began the erection of a large and handsome building on the corner of La Salle and Benton streets, where they now employ forty-five workmen in the conduct of a printing, binding and stationery establishment. Their output is of such quality as to insure a con- tinuance of the trade, which has increased with each passing year. Their office building is one of the finest business plants in Aurora and the firm is very popular with the general public, while the owners enjoy the full trust and respect of their employes. They have conducted their business on the principle that if they treat their employes fairly and with consideration they will receive good and faithful work in return and the years have proven the wisdom of this policy.
On the 23d of October, 1894, occurred the marriage of William H. McCullouch and Miss Catharine E. Garvey, a daughter of Thomas and Celia Garvey, who were natives of Ireland and came to America, settling at Batavia. Illinois, at an early day. They had seven children. There are three children of the union of Mr. and Mrs. William H. McCullouch: Florence Irene. Marion and William Leslie. The parents are consistent members of St. Mary's Catholic church and Mr. McCullouch belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Order of Foresters. He now resides at No. 151 Fourth street, where he erected an attractive residence in 1906. that stands as a monument to his business capacity and enterprise.
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