USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Mount Morris > Mount Morris : past and present, an illustrated history of the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois > Part 4
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served and laid out as therein repre- sented, the streets for public use and the lots for the Trustees of Mount Mor- ris for the use of Mount Morris Semi- nary."
It appears that the original survey and plat of the Village was not properly recorded and in 1875 the Village Board of Trustees employed A. Q. Allen to make a new survey which brought out the interesting fact that the chain used for the original survey was too long. The record of this re-survey as it was officially filed with the Recorder of Deeds is as follows:
"A. Q. Allen, County Surveyor of Ogle County, certifies that at the request and by the authority of the Board of Trus- tees of the Corporation of Mount Mor- ris, he made a re-survey of the Original Town of Mount Morris (there appear- ing no plat upon record of the same) and having ascertained, both by ob- servation and personal examination of the chain by which the original survey was made, that it was 8/10 of a foot too long, he made the survey to correspond with said measurement and marked on the plat the exact size of the lots, blocks, streets and alleys in feet and tenths of a foot, and that the plat made by him is a correct representation of the plan and location of said town as made by Fletch- er Hitt in the original survey of said town, and that he found the old orig- inal stones still standing; that said town is situated, as shown by said plat, partly on the South East 1/4 of Section 27 and partly on the South West 1/4 of Section 26, Township 24 North, Range 9 East of the 4th P.M., and that this sur- vey was made to correspond as near as practicable with the original survey thereof.
"Samuel Lookabaugh, President, and Samuel Mumma, Secretary, certify that said survey and plat was made in ac- cordance with an order of the Board of Trustees of the corporation of Mount Morris, inasmuch as there appeared no plat of record of the original survey; said order was passed for the express purpose of perpetuating said survey and the more fully to confirm the titles to the lots in said town, and to conform more fully to the law in such cases made and provided."
THE FIRST SETTLERS
THIS PICTURE of the well-known William Watts family was taken about the year 1890. The father and mother are seated in the center. They were married in 1849. Mr. Watts came to Mount Morris in 1837 and Mrs. Watts, who was Anna Amelia Ankney, came with her widowed mother in 1837. The others in the family are as follows: Seated at left, Fred Watts and Fanny Felker Watts; seated at right, Martha Avey Watts and Thomas Watts;
three children in center. Willis, Alvin and Ada Fahrney; back row, left to right, Earl Watts, Grace Watts Baker, Oliver S. Watts, Mollie Watts, James L. Watts, Martha Watts, Ella McNett Watts, Ella Watts Fahrney, William Watts, Albert Fahrney, Vic- toria Weller Watts, Albertus Watts. The picture in the frame is of John Watts who died before the picture was taken.
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THIS GROUP OF OLD MEN were among the earliest settlers in this locality. They all came in about 1837, 100 years ago. From left to right, Michael Bovey, Michael Brantner, Benj. Swingley, Henry Sharer and Frederick Drexler. All have been dead for many years.
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
Chapter 2
EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
D URING the hundred years since the founding of Mount Morris, hundreds of business enterprises have been established and conducted for various periods of time. In the early days nearly every store carried a general line of merchandise including dry goods, clothing, hardware, groceries, drugs, etc., but as the years went by more stores were established and these various lines of merchandise were car- ried separately. Naturally many of the business enterprises were short-lived or kept changing hands, while a few were conducted for many years by the same men.
As far as can be learned, the first store in Mount Morris was opened in October, 1841, by Daniel Brayton and his son, Frederick. This was a general store in an addition on the west side of a small house which they erected that summer located just west of the present Wishard Building. The senior Brayton was a Methodist minister and occa- sionally preached in the old Seminary chapel. On page 41 is shown a repro- duction of the first ad ever inserted in a newspaper in Ogle County and shows the great variety of merchandise car- ried in this store. After the death of Daniel Brayton, the business continued in the Brayton family, first by Freder- ick B. Brayton and then for many years by his son, A. W. Brayton. Thus the first store established stayed in the same family through the entire early history of the village.
The second store of any importance was a general store opened several years after that of the Braytons by Samuel Brents. This store was located in a small brick building which stood on the north- east corner of Wesley Ave. and Front St., which was later replaced by the
large brick building known as the Sei- bert Block.
From the time of its founding in 1839, the village gradually increased in size until in 1855 it became a prominent trading point and seemed destined to become the largest town in Ogle County, but during that year the Illinois Central Railroad was built from Freeport to Dixon and the new town of Polo at- tracted some of the business which Mount Morris had formerly enjoyed. The village continued to grow neverthe - less.
In 1866, after the close of the war, there appears to have been a consider- able increase in business in Mount Mor- ris and numerous new stores were opened.
The first bank in Mount Morris was established in 1877 by Charles New- comer and Isaac Rice and continued for nearly twenty years when it was consolidated with the Citizens Bank.
The hotel business dates back almost to the founding of the village. Daniel Brayton kept a public house from the time of the establishment of his store in 1841. The first regular tavern was erected by James Clark several years later. This was an old brick building which stood on the corner of Wesley Ave. and Main St., now occupied by the Wishard Building. In 1851, W. S. Blair opened Blair's Hotel in the brick house on the corner of McKendrie Ave. and Bangs St., and this hotel continued in operation until about the year 1880. In 1854, Johnathan Mumma built the old hotel on the present site of the Kable Inn, which was known as the "Eldorado House." It was purchased in 1858 by J. M. Webb and continued for many years as Webb's Hotel. This building was torn down in 1894 and the front part of the
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
*
REV. DANIEL BRAYTON was a Method- ist minister for many years in New York State and came west with his family by way of the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes, arriving in Mount Morris in 1841. With his son, F. B. Brayton, he opened the first store in Mount Morris in October, 1841. It was a general store and was lo- cated in an addition on the west side of a small house which they erected that sum- mer at about the present location of Schmucker's Restaurant on Main St. At about this same time, Rev. Brayton's wife, whose maiden name was Ann Wing, oper- ated the hotel in the old brick building which stood on the corner now occupied by the Wishard Bldg. It is said that the hotel was often crowded with land seekers
who stopped in Mount Morris on their way to Dixon where the land office was then located. Transportation in those days was very slow by team and wagon over very poor roads, and there was con- sequently a rush to get started early from the hotel. Mrs. Brayton frequently worked until 12 o'clock at night, spent three or four hours in a rocking chair and went to work again in the hotel at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning in order to get the land seek- ers started on their way. Rev. Brayton died June 30, 1851. The date of his wife's death is not available. There were four children in the family: Frederick B., George, Mary (Mrs. Nathan Judson), and Elizabeth.
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present hotel erected by Chas. Rohrer.
When the Chicago & Iowa Railroad was put through Mount Morris in 1871, a remarkable business boom followed. Elevators were built and the stock and grain buying business flourished. Rob- ert R. Hitt and Emily Hitt laid off the Railroad Addition to the Village in 1872. Maurice Hitt thought that the building of the railroad north of the business sec- tion of the village would draw all new mercantile structures in that direction and consequently he erected a store building a few rods south of the depot on the site now occupied by the Kable plant. This supposition proved a mis-
D. BRAYTON & SON,
AVE now fully opened their store at MT. MORRIS, where they have, and design to keep constantly on hand, ALL THINGS NEEDED IN A COUNTRY STORE; SUCH AS
CLOTH S,
uf different qualities and various colors, for Ladies' and Gentlemen's wear, for Summer and for Winter.
ALSO, - GROCERIES, PROVISIONS, FRUITS, CROKERY, TIN WARE, BOOKS AND STATIONERY, PAINTS, CARPENTER'S TOOLS, LUMBER, &c. Which they offer LOW FOR CASII ST. ose who wish to make a little money go a great way; and country and traveling merchants wish- ing to purchase to sell again, will please turn their attention this way. Country pro- duce taken in small quantities. January 15, 1842. S --
THE ABOVE advertisement of D. Brayton & Son is unique in the fact that it adver- tises the first store started in Mount Mor- ris is 1842. It appeared in the Rock River Register which was the first newspaper published in Mount Morris and also in Ogle County. The owners of this store were Rev. Daniel Brayton and Frederick B. Brayton, grandfather and father of A. W. Brayton.
GEORGE BRAYTON, brother of F. B. Brayton, conducted a tailor shop in Mount Morris for about 15 years in the early days. His advertisement in the Mount Morris Gazette of Jan. 9, 1851, states that he was located one door south of F. B. Brayton's Drug and Dry Goods Store on Wesley Ave. Mr. Brayton later moved to Minneapolis, where he died.
take and the building was moved south- ward to the business portion of the village. This building was later used by A. W. Brayton for many years and is still standing.
Shortly after the building of the rail- road through Mount Morris, a large number of substantial brick structures were erected. The Seibert Building, a two-story brick structure with an opera house above and three business rooms below, was commenced in April, 1873, and was completed in March of the following year.
In 1874, another large two-story building, costing $12,000.00, was erected by Henry Sharer, John Sprecher and J. H. Nye. It is located on the south- east corner of Wesley Ave. and Main St. This building also contained three store rooms on the first floor. The pres- ent Masonic Building was built by Sprecher & Clevidence in 1876 and the brick building just south of it was built by Cyrus Alden in 1875.
During the early nineties, another period of prosperity overtook the village as the result of which more than sev- enty-five new residences, two college buildings, the Old Folks' Home, five or six store buildings and the old bank
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4
12
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IF GROCERIESE
THIS BIRDS-EYE VIEW of Mount Morris was taken about 1870 from the top of "Old Sandstone." No. 12 is the only building now standing. It was built by Brayton & Baker for their store, and is now occupied by the Hough Hardware Co. The two-story brick building, No. 1, was built between 1842 and 1845, but at first was only one story high. In this building Wood & Petrie kept their general store at an early day, and later Lookabaugh & Middour
were engaged in business there. The building was torn down in 1873 to make room for the present building, known as the Seibert Block, now owned by J. H. Ritson. No. 16 was built by Brayton & Baker. After standing there for a number of years, it was moved to the northeast end of town and used for a residence until torn down by N. E. Buser for his new residence.
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
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THIS BIRD'S-EYE VIEW of the south business block of Mount Morris was taken from the top of Old Sandstone about the year 1870. The only building now standing is No. 25, which was built in 1857 by Joseph S. Nye and used as a hardware store by him for about ten years. Since then it has had many occupants, mostly as a grocery store. No. 18 is the old Masonic Building, which was built about 1848, and used as a Masonic Hall from that time until 1876, when the present Masonic Block was erected. In this old
building, many of the old-timers were given their degrees in Masonry. No. 19 was occupied by Samuel Knodle as a bookstore. No. 20 was the Sons of Temperance Building. No. 21 was Peyton Skinner's shoe shop. No. 22 was the property of Edward Davis and housed the postoffice at one time. It was torn down in 1899 to make room for H. E. Newcomer's new brick building. No. 23 was the office of Dr. G. B. Stephens.
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
building, together with various other structures of more or less importance, were erected. During 1894, more build- ings were put up in Mount Morris than all the other Ogle County towns com- bined.
The next building boom in Mount Morris commenced after the Kable plant began to grow rapidly in its new loca- tion at the north end of town. This building boom has never let up since that time except for several years dur- ing the depression of 1932-1935.
Robert Newcomer in 1920 opened up the Hitt Addition in the northwest cor- ner of town and Joseph Young later opened up an addition to the west of the Hitt Addition. Then in 1930 Kable Brothers Company laid out the Kable
UPTON MILLER, for many years a prominent business man of Mount Morris, died April 8, 1903, aged 75 years. He was born in Washington County, Md., March 21, 1828. He was the only undertaker in Mount Morris for nearly thirty years, and officiated at hundreds of funerals of Mount Morris people. He also built most of the coffins with his own hands. Mr. Miller came to Mount Morris in 1857, and was continuously in business for nearly fifty years, being followed by his son, Wm. H. Miller. He married Maria Louise Davis in 1849, and they had six children: Wil- liam H., Cyrus, Eliza J., John D., Mary E., and Thomas M. Mrs. Miller died in 1885, and in 1887 he was again married to Catherine (Koontz) Newcomer.
PETER FUNK, an early settler of Mount Morris, died Sept. 11, 1902, aged nearly 85 years. He was born at Beaver Creek, Md., Jan. 18, 1818, and came to Mount Morris in 1845. He conducted a blacksmith shop as early as 1851 and later opened the first livery stable in Mount Morris in 1852. He married Sarah A. Horner, who died in 1851. He was married again in 1852 to Isabella Heller, to whom were born seven children.
Addition directly west of the plant. Dur- ing this period, many new houses have been built in these three new additions. The fact of the matter is that building of new residences has lagged consider- ably behind the actual needs required by the growth of the Kable plant and many employes have been compelled to find living quarters in Oregon and other nearby towns.
Chapman Brothers History of Ogle County, published in 1886, gave the following list of business firms in Mount Morris at that time:
"The business and material interests of Mount Morris have always been of a substantial character, and this is true with the fall of 1885, as well as in all its past history. At that time the general merchandise was controlled by Sprecher & Clevidence and George Windle, who both carried good stocks of all goods usually found in stores of this kind. D. N. Wingert was a dealer in dry goods,
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EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
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ـمسمياتمن القلب الية
THIS PICTURE was taken about 1873 and shows Blair's Hotel at the left. This hotel was opened by W. S. Blair in the spring of 1851 and contained sixteen rooms for guests. It was used for a hotel for over thirty years. In later years, it was remodeled for a residence by Dr. G. B. McCosh and now occupied by Dr. J. H. Ritson. The brick house at the right was occupied for many years as a residence by Samuel Knodle, and is still standing.
ARER & SWINGL CROCERIES LE
AID) POR BUTTER EGGS
THIS IS THE WAY the business section of Mount Morris looked in 1876, looking south from the corner now occupied by the Wishard Building. Note the old town pump in the center of the intersection and the muddy condition of the street; also the large sign of Sharer & Swingley, who at that time were in the grocery business.
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
and in a separate room carried a fine stock of groceries. In addition to Mr. Wingert, the grocery trade was con- trolled by Holly C. Clark (who also carried a line of boots), Newcomer Bros., and A. R. Binkley; Armstrong & Price were clever dealers in hardware and carried a large stock. A. W. Bray- ton, as successor of the first firm ever in trade in Mount Morris, carried a fine line of drugs, books and stationery. Peyton Skinner and Henry Gebhardt were boot and shoe makers. The furni- ture trade was in the hands of Wm. Miller, who was also undertaker. A. R.
.
SAMUEL KNODLE was a prominent fig- ure in the business circles of Mount Mor- ris for many years. He was the son of Samuel and Jane Knodle and was born at Fairplay, Md., Aug. 4, 1820. He died Feb. 10, 1907, at the age of 87 years. For nearly 50 years he was continuously in business in Mount Morris, the greater part of the time in the jewelry business, and several times in the printing business. He taught school in the east, and came to Mount Morris in 1856, intending to teach school here, but instead opened a jewelry shop in the Eldorado House, conducted by Jonathan Mumma, and continued in that business until he retired in 1900. He filled many public offices in Mount Morris, in- cluding township clerk, village clerk, township collector, and member and presi- dent of the village board of trustees. Mr. Knodle married Ellen Dick in 1843, and they had nine children, five of whom died quite young. The others were Ernest, Edwin, Mrs. G. E. Coffman and Mrs. Jennie Walker. Mr. and Mrs. Knodle cele- brated their golden wedding anniversary Jan. 12, 1893.
MRS. SARAH J. COGGINS came to Mount Morris in 1845 and for over 50 years was engaged in the dressmaking and millinery business. In 1847, she married Thos. J. Coggins. Their son, Chas. T. Coggins, established the Mount Morris Index in 1890. Mrs. Coggins passed away May 6, 1911 at the age of 82 years.
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Binkley and H. E. Binkley each had restaurants where the hungry were fed. E. O. Startzman was the baker of the town. Mrs. Susie Sharer and Mrs. Sarah Coggins were milliners. Sprecher & Clevidence were dealers in grain, and also were engaged in the stock trade, together with Samuel Mumma. Wm. H. Jackson carried on the creamery busi- ness quite extensively, distributing quite a large amount of money among the farmers in the vicinity. Jacob Fager was in the jewelry business, and Joseph Thomas in the harness trade, each of whom had a good trade. Joseph Hos- king was the photographer. Newcomer & Mumma supplied the people with fresh meat. The banking business was conducted by Newcomer & Rice, men of experience and reliable in every respect. W. D. Rathbun was the livery-man. The lumber trade was in the hands of the Minnesota Lumber Co., represented here by Chas. Buck. The wagon mak- ers were Benj. Tracy, Jacob Knodle, Alferd Doward. The blacksmiths were Calvin Potter, Peter Valentine, Nicho-
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EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
3
HALE
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CHI
GROCERIES
THIS BIRD'S-EYE VIEW of the south business block of Mount Morris was taken about 1870, looking east from the top of "Old Sandstone." The brick building to the left is the only one now standing. The Methodist church had not yet been built.
THIS picture was taken in 1900 and shows in the foreground a rag-tag parade on the Fourth of July. Note the old brick building at the right which stood on the corner now occupied by the Wishard Building. This old house was used as a hotel in the early days. The frame building at the left was used for many years by the Brethren Publish- ing House but was occupied by the Index office when this picture was taken.
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT
las Koontz. The barbers were Joseph Patterson and Boone Washington. The medical profession was ably represented by Drs. David Newcomer, Wm. P. Speaker, Geo. B. McCosh and Joseph I. Mershon. The legal profession and the office of Justice of the Peace were rep- resented by John Weller and Daniel Fager. As an architect and builder, N. E. Buser represented the profession. Benj.
JOHN SPRECHER, a prominent Mount Morris merchant for fifty years, was born in Washington County, Md., Sept. 22, 1832, the son of Philip and Catherine (Houke) Sprecher, and came to Mount Morris with his parents in 1839. He mar- ried Lydia Palmer in 1857; their children are George, John, Ella, Frank, Fred, Mae, Charles, Catherine, and Wentworth. Dur- ing the first seven years of his marriage he engaged in farming, then opened a general dry goods store in Mount Morris in 1866 in partnership with H. H. Clevi- dence in a building on the corner of Center and Wesley Streets. In 1876, Mr. Sprecher erected the building now known as the Masonic Building, and the firm of Sprecher & Clevidence occupied these spacious quarters until its dissolution in 1891, when L. C. Stanley of Chippewa Falls, Wis., bought the business. Mr. Sprecher re-entered the dry goods busi- ness in 1893 and continued in it under the firm name of John Sprecher & Co. until his death April 29, 1911, at the age of 79 years. His wife died Dec. 20. 1919, aged 81 years. The firm of John Sprecher & Co. continues under the competent man- agement and supervision of Catherine Sprecher Miller, assisted by her broth- Charles C. and
Wentworth W. Sprecher.
HENRY H. CLEVIDENCE, prominent business man, died Jan. 26, 1901, aged 65 years. He was born in Washington Coun- ty, Md., Jan. 18, 1836. He came to Mount Morris when 25 years of age and for nearly 40 years was engaged in business in Mount Morris, first in the mercantile business for 25 years with John Sprecher and later in the farm machinery and grain business. He served the town as super- visor, as town clerk, as village trustee and for two years as president of the village board. He married Sophia E. Mid- dlekauff, and they had eleven children. Those well known in Mount Morris were Mrs. Clara Wingert, Howard, Arthur, Bert and Earl.
Seibert was the owner of a fine hall and an opera house."
It is impossible to compile a complete list of all business and professional men who have conducted business enter- prises during the 100 years since the founding of the village, for the reason that no newspaper files except a few scattered copies are available prior to 1896. All available files and county his- tories have been searched and the list made as complete as possible. The busi- ness men and firms listed in this chap- ter do not include any who were in business at the time this book was pub- lished, as they are included in the chap- ter, "Mount Morris of Today."
ELIAS BAKER was one of the im- portant men in the early days of Mount
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EARLY BUSINESS ENTERPRISES
Morris and was connected with many of the early business enterprises. He was a native of Boonsboro, Md .; where he was born June 11, 1817. He learned the car- penter trade and came to Mount Morris in 1838. In partnership with James B. McCoy, he built a one-story machine shop in 1844 on the corner now occupied by the Methodist Church, where they en- gaged in the manufacture of traveling threshing machines. From 1850 to 1856, Mr. Baker was engaged in the mer- cantile business with F. B. Brayton and also in the publishing of the Mount Mor- ris Gazette. He served three terms as supervisor of Mount Morris Township and in 1852 was elected Sheriff of Ogle County. He later engaged in farming for eight years near Mount Morris and in 1868, he moved to Polo where he engaged in the lumber and grain business. He died in Polo in 1885. Mr. Baker was mar- ried in Mount Morris in 1848 to Mary M. Swingley, daughter of Michael Swingley, and they had two children, Frank H. and Vernie (Mrs. James W. Allaben).
DANIEL L. WINGERT died January 6, 1913, aged 92 years. He was born at Clearspring, Md., Oct. 26, 1820, and moved with his parents to Winchester, Ohio, when he was eleven years old. He came to Illinois in 1846, locating at Franklin Grove, where he purchased a farm. In 1875 he came to Mount Morris and en- gaged in the grocery business for twenty years, known as D. L. Wingert & Co. He was a plasterer and stone mason by trade. He married Nancy Foreman Oct. 26, 1843, and they had three children, two of whom survived him, Marcus D. Wingert and Mrs. Alice Trostle. Mrs. Wingert died in 1886, and he was married again in 1890 to Mrs. Catherine Butterbaugh, who died in 1900.
EMANUEL NEWCOMER was born March 11, 1829, near Hagerstown, Md., and died Oct. 5, 1928, lacking less than six months of being 100 years old. At the age of 15, he drove with a party from Maryland to Mount Morris, the trip re- quiring 42 days. For 84 years he lived in or near Mount Morris with the exception of four years in Missouri and five years in Tennessee, from 1883 to 1892. In the early eighties he owned a grocery busi- ness in Mount Morris. In 1853, he was married to Isabel Knock, and ten chil- dren were born to them, only two of whom survived him, Mrs. Martha Miller and Parnell Newcomer. Mr. Newcomer was active in the Church of the Brethren, having been elected to the ministry in 1869 and ordained to the eldership in 1888.
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