USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 23
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Mr. Off is a Knight Templar and thirty-second degree consistory Mason, and has crossed the Sands of Desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a Red Cross Knight of Constantine. He is prominent in Episcopal church circles and has always taken a keen interest in his church. His religion is un- assuming, kindly, very charitable. and charged with a keen realization of the universal brotherhood of man. He is a member of St. Paul's church in Peoria. Mr. Off's political allegiance is given to the republican party and in early man- hood he served as supervisor for one year and has been alderman from the third ward. In more recent years, because of the rapid growth and extent of his business, he has not taken an active part in politics. yet is never remiss in the duties of citizenship, his aid and influence being given in support of worthy project for the benefit of the city and state. He has, indeed, been an important factor in business life and his prosperity is well deserved, as in him are embraced the characteristics of an unbending integrity, unabating energy and industry that never flags.
EMMET C. MAY.
Emmet C. May, attorney at law and the vice president of the Peoria Life Insurance Company, has in both connections established himself in a creditable position as a representative business man of the city of Peoria and one whose life record is worthy of more than passing notice. His birth occurred in Salyers- ville, Kentucky, October 5, 1875, his parents being Dr. William A. and Fannie E. (Holderby) May. The father has been a life-long physician and is still en- gaged in the practice of medicine in Kentucky. In his native town the son was reared and the usual experiences of lads of that locality and age were his. He
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attended the public schools to his graduation from the high school at Salyers- ville, then in further pursuit of his education entered the Northern Indiana University, at Valparaiso, where he devoted two years to the scientific course. Hfe then took up the study of law which he finished in the same institution and was admitted to the bar in March, 1896.
The following September Mr. May located for practice in Peoria, where he has since remained. He became junior partner of the law firm of Wolfenberger & May, his partner coming to this city with him. They have since been closely connected in their professional interests, conducting a general law practice, and their standing is indicated in the importance of the litigated interests which they have safeguarded in the courts. Mr. May is a deep thinker and logical reasoner and is seldom if ever at fault in the application of legal principle or precedent to the point involved in his case. He has always prepared his cases with great thoroughness and care and his clear and forceful presentation has been the means of gaining many favorable verdicts for his clients. Moreover, he is gen- eral counsel for the Peoria Life Insurance Company and its active vice president, having been connected with this company since its organization.
In 1898 Mr. May was united in marriage to Miss Nellie O'Hara, of Chenoa, Illinois, and they now have one child, Walter E. Mr. May is a member of the Creve Coeur Club. Ile is an excellent type of the southern gentleman and at the same time possesses the progressive spirit so characteristic of the present age. He ever keeps before him a high standard of professional service and at the same time is ever mindful of his duties and obligations of citizenship and of his responsibilities as a man among his fellowmen.
GUY C. GOODFELLOW.
Guy C. Goodfellow is general agent at Peoria for the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company and in this connection has jurisdiction over several counties in central Illinois. Since entering business circles his attention has been given exclusively to insurance and few men have wider knowledge con- cerning its possibilities or the scope of the business. Laboring earnestly and indefatigably in the interests of the company which he has represented he has gradually worked his way upward and now occupies a position of large respon- sibility.
He was born on a plantation at Courtland, Alabama, on the 30th of August, 1867, his parents being Thomas Miles and Elizabeth ( Milton) Goodfellow. The father was a native of Pennsylvania and in ante-bellum days established his home in the south. He was a minister of the gospel and at the time of the Civil war enlisted for service as a chaplain in the northern army. Because of his sympathy with and support of the Union cause he was driven out of the south by the Ku Klux Klan, establishing his home in Chicago when his son Guy was but a year and a half old.
Near that city the boy was reared, acquiring his education in the public schools and entering business life in connection with insurance interests. He was first employed by the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York and has continuously been connected with the insurance business since 1883, or for a period of more than twenty-eight years. He made it his purpose to thoroughly acquaint himself with every phase of the business and his close application, study and energy were the features which gained him advancement. He came to Peoria in 1889 as a representative of the company with which he was then connected, and ten years later, or in 1899, he entered the employ of the Con- necticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, which he represented in the capacity of agent until June, 1910, when he was advanced to the position of general
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agent, having under his direction the work of the company in six counties- Peoria, Knox, Fulton, Tazewell, Mason and Woodford. In this connection he directs the labors of a number of sub-agents and has thoroughly and carefully systematized the work of his district so that the best possible results are being obtained.
Mr. Goodfellow was married in 1893 in Peoria to Miss Ella Chuse, a daugh- ter of Marion X. Chuse. They have become the parents of four children, Marion, Thomas, Sarah and Ferdinand. Mr. Goodfellow is well known socially in this city, being accounted a valued member of a number of leading clubs and fraternities. He is now the secretary of the Illinois Valley Yacht Club, a mem- ber of the Peoria Country Club and of the Creve Coeur Club. He has also taken various degrees in Masonry, becoming a Knight Templar and a member of the Mystic Shrine. He possesses a genial nature, is appreciative of the value of friendship and his unfeigned cordiality has won for him many friends.
FRANKLIN S. DAVIS, M. D.
The science of homeopathy has made remarkable strides in the past half century, and is rapidly gaining in the medical field the place which was for a long time denied it. The extraordinary results which have been obtained by its followers, and its now unquestioned efficiency have raised homeopathy to a recognized science. A prominent physician of this branch of medicine in Peoria is Dr. Franklin S. Davis, who has his offices at 712 Hamilton boulevard. Dr. Davis has attained a reputation in Peoria for his skill in the treatment of the diseases of little children.
He was born in Lacon, Illinois, June 12, 1869, the son of Dr. George and Emily (Sheaff) Davis of that city. His father was a practicing physician in Lacon for many years but came to Peoria for a wider field in 1872 and remained in active practice here up to the time of his death in 1873, when his son was only four years old. Dr. Davis, the subject of this sketch, received his early education in the grammar grades of Lacon, and was graduated from the high school of that city in 1887. He spent the following year teaching school and in 1888 entered the Urbana University of Urbana, Ohio, where he remained for one year, coming to Peoria in 1889 to read up on the subject of medicine. He entered the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College soon after, and was gradu- ated from this institution in 1893. He returned immediately to Peoria, and opened his office, and his practice has increased in a gratifying manner year by year. Dr. Davis is well known in this city, and his remarkable success in the treatment of the ailments of small children has gained for him a local reputa- tion which is well deserved. He does a general medical practice, but takes a great interest in the subject of obstetrics and pediatrics, in which field he has been very successful.
Dr. Davis was married in 1894 to Miss Maude Alexander of Sterling, Illi- nois, a daughter of Hon. J. W. Alexander, a prominent attorney of that place. Fraternally Dr. Davis is a Mason, and is prominent in the Modern Woodmen of America and the North American Union. He is very active in medical circles in this city, and his ability and success have been recognized by the pro- fession as well as the citizens of Peoria county. Since 1901 he has been at- tending physician for the Home of the Friendless of this city, is on the staff of the Deaconess Hospital and is attending physician for the Crittenton Home. Dr. Davis takes a great interest in the affairs of his profession, keeps his knowl- edge up to date and his methods modern, and is in every respect an able and worthy physician. He served as city medical inspector of schools for the last two years, and is a member of the Peoria City Medical Society. Mrs. Davis is
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secretary of the Peoria Women's Club of which she has been a member for many years.
During all the years of his practice in Peoria Dr. Davis has kept his ideals un- tarnished and his professional conscience clear. He keeps abreast of the times and is thoroughly acquainted with the most modern professional discoveries. The life of any doctor who is enterprising and scrupulous in the various relations of his life is not an easy one, but Dr. Davis' has always been an honor to the city he has made his home.
FRANK P. KINSEY.
Frank P. Kinsey, superintendent and director of the Avery Company of Peoria, has been actively connected with it since 1882. When the Avery Com- pany, which has grown so wonderfully in the twenty years which have since elapsed, first located in Peoria in the big shop, Mr. Kinsey came with them as foreman of the machine shop. All during the years of his connection with the great implement firm, his work has been of a high order, showing a thor- ough knowledge of the details of the machinist trade, and expert workmanship.
Mr. Kinsey was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the son of Thomas P. and Ellen Kinsey. The family early removed to Reading, where Frank Kinsey re- ceived his education, and where he served his time as a machinist apprentice in the general shop of Millert & Kinsey of which his father was at that time a partner. The elder Kinsey was an expert mechanical engineer, and brought his son up to an appreciation of the value of honest and expert workmanship, and to a knowledge of what the qualities of hard work and intelligent industry will gain for a man in the world of business. Frank Kinsey subsequently worked in Iowa shops, the last place being the Reading Iron Works. He came to Peoria in October, 1882, to take the position as foreman of the machine shop of the Avery Company. His promotion was rapid and well deserved. In 1894 he was appointed assistant superintendent, and was made a director in the company in 1904, rising to his present position of superintendent two years later in 1906.
Mr. Kinsey is a prominent man in Peoria today. He is a member of the Creve Coeur Club, and actively interested in the Association of Commerce. His position of responsibility in a firm employing over thirteen hundred men, and doing an immense amount of business in farm implements of all kinds, and whose market comprises the whole civilized world, is not a sinecure. Mr. Kin- sey has a constant call upon his business initiative and his ability in the manage- ment of men, and the call never goes unanswered.
R. R. BOURLAND.
The name of Bourland has been a synonym for over a half century in Peoria for all that is honorable and worthy in business life and all that is charming in social circles in this city. The family is now represented by B. L. T. Bourland, the first of the name to settle in this city, who is eighty-seven years old and is still prominent and active in commercial circles, and by his son, R. R. Bourland, who has been identified with the firm of Bourland & Bailey, dealers in real estate and investments, for over thirty years. B. L. T. Bourland is the father of the subject of this sketch and senior member of the firm of which R. R. Bourland is now manager. There is no more active or public-spirited citizen in Peoria today than the elder Mr. Bourland and the qualities of energy, sound
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business judgment and keen discrimination which were the foundations of his success he has handed down as a heritage to his son.
R. R. Bourland was born in Peoria, March 12, 1856, and received his early education in the public schools of this city. At the age of fifteen he left Peoria to enter the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York, where he re- mained one year and then entered the University of Illinois at Champaign, where he continued his civil engineering course. He followed the profession of en- gineering for about five years or until, in 1879, he entered into the employ of the real-estate firm of Bourland & Bailey, and is now occupying the position of manager of that concern.
In 1879 Mr. Bourland married Miss Ida V. Bailey, of Plainville, Michigan, a sister of Oliver J. Bailey. They have three children: Morrison B., now a prominent printer of Peoria; Julia Preston, who married Arthur G. Clark; and Fred B., an engineer and farmer of southern California. Mr. Bourland be- longs to the Creve Coeur Club and is also actively identified with the Royal League. During the entire course of his business life R. R. Bourland has mani- fested the honorable traits of high-minded business dealing and strict integrity which distinguished his father for so many years, and has gained a position in the business and social circles of this city not unworthy of his name.
ROBERT SCHOLES.
Robert Scholes, serving for the second term as state's attorney, has made a most creditable record in defense of the interests of Peoria county before the bar. He holds to the highest standards of professional service and has never deviated from the course which he believes to be right. Peoria is therefore proud to number him among her native sons and accords him rank with her representa- tive and honored citizens. He was born here in 1866, the son of Richard and Anna Scholes, and has always resided in Peoria, save for a brief period of a few years which the family spent in Pekin during his boyhood days. He attended the grammar schools of that city and upon his return to Peoria entered the high school, where he pursued the Latin course and was graduated with honors. A liberal literary education thus constituted the foundation for his professional knowledge. In preparation for the bar he became a student in the law office of Kellogg & Cameron and was admitted to practice on the 21st of November, 1889. He had displayed great thoroughness in the mastery of the principles of jurisprud- ence and thus took up his professional duties well equipped for the work which has since claimed his time and energies. It was soon manifest that his ideals of professional service were very high. From the beginning of his practice he declared that he would never take a disreputable case or descend to trickery or chicanery and to this rule he has always strictly adhered throughout his active career. He believes in the honesty and fair dealing of the lawyer just as thor- oughly as he believes in that of the business man, and it soon became evident that the word of Robert Scholes was to be relied upon. Moreover, he gave to his clients the benefit of well developed talents and of unwearied industry, yet never has forgotten that he owes a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law. Success came to him because his preparation of a case was comprehensive and exhaustive and his presentation of his cause before the court was strong, logical and forceful.
It was not long before Mr. Scholes was entrusted with much litigation in which the city was interested. He served as municipal attorney for three terms in the villages of South Peoria, Peoria Heights and Bartonville, being called to the last named on the organization of the village. Still higher political honors awaited him, involving work of even greater importance, for in 1904 he was
ROBERT SCHOLES
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elected by a large majority to the position of state's attorney for Peoria county. His record won the confidence and gained for him the honor and respect of repre- sentatives of every poiltical faith and at the close of his term there was practi- cally no other candidate in the field against him. On his reelection he received the unqualified indorsement of a majority of the voters of the county. During his first term the emoluments of the office were on the fee basis but by an act of the legislature at its recent session the position has been given a fixed salary.
Alr. Scholes' success in his profession affords the best evidence of his capa- bilities in this line. He is a strong advocate with the jury and concise in his appeals before the court. His seems to be a natural discrimination as to legal ethics and he is so thoroughly well read in the minutia of the law that he is able to base his arguments upon a thorough knowledge of and familiarity with prece- dents and to present a case upon its merits, never failing to recognize the main point at issue and never neglecting to give a thorough preparation. His pleas have been characterized by a terse and decisive logic and a lucid presentation rather than by flights of oratory, and his power is the greater before the court or jury from the fact that it is recognized that his aim is ever to secure justice and not to enshroud the cause in a sentimental garb of illusion which will thwart the princi- ples of right and equity involved. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality have so entered into his makeup as to render him a natural leader of men and a director of public opinion.
JACOB WACHENHEIMER.
One of the more prominent business men of Peoria is Jacob Wachenheimer, who was born in New York city. At an early age Mr. Wachenheimer removed from the American metropolis to Peoria, Illinois, where he received his educa- tion and initial business training. He started as a clerk, when quite a young man, with the insurance firm of Robinson & Callender and his services were so efficient and so much appreciated by his employers that after a few years' time he was called to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the general manager of the Franklin Fire Insurance Company of that city, where he served in the home office of that company for six years as assistant to the general manager-a position which he filled very creditably. Upon the death of Mr. Robinson, Mr. Wachenheimer returned to Peoria, where he became associated with Eliot Callender. Although the business of Mr. Callender before Mr. Wachenheimer became associated with him was very gratifying, it has expanded by leaps and bounds since the forma- tion of the firm of Callender & Company, which is now by far the largest con- cern of its kind in Peoria and the largest in Illinois outside of Chicago, and is doing a constantly increasing insurance business. Mr. Wachenheimer is the managing partner of his firm, his executive ability as well as grasp of detail being among his strong business qualifications. He was for two years president of the Illinois Association of Fire Insurance Agents, a fact which clearly in- dicates the esteem and confidence placed in him by his fellows. He is one of the directors of the Commercial German National Bank of Peoria, is president of the Peoria Livery Company and vice president of the Burlington Elevator Company and a stockholder in a number of other local business concerns.
Mr. Wachenheimer was married in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Miss Susie E. Hood, daughter of John and Mary A. Hood. Mrs. Wachenheimer comes of a very old and highly respected family of Philadelphia, which at one time owned all the property between that city and Chester, Pennsylvania.
In his political views and activities Mr. Wachenheimer is a republican. He has been a trustee of the Peoria park board, intimating very clearly not only his public spirit but his consideration for the needs of his fellow citizens along lines
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of recreation and also his eye for the beautiful as well as for the useful in city life. His standing among the business men of Peoria is evidenced by the fact that he was for some time president of the Board of Trade, a position in which he was very active, filling the place with credit to himself and much satisfac- tion to his business associates and friends. He is a worthy exemplar of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the blue lodge, the chapter, the consistory and the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Country Club of Peoria, and was its president and governor for eleven years. The Creve Coeur Club is for- tunate in numbering among its members Mr. Wachenheimer, who served as its president and on its board of directors for several terms. He likewise belongs to the Illinois Valley Yacht Club. The business and fraternal activities of Mr. Wachenheimer in Peoria have made him one of the best known and most highly respected residents of this city. His sterling integrity is a quality known and appreciated, while his genial manner has won for him a host of friends.
PETER F. JAMES, M. D.
Dr. Peter F. James, whose residence and office are at No. 2106 South Adams street in Peoria, has been a general practitioner of medicine here since June, 1910. On coming to this city he established himself in the Jefferson build- ing, there maintaining an office until February, 1911, when he removed to his present location, having taken over the practice of the late Dr. Norval, who had for over thirty-three years practiced in this block on South Adams street. Dr. James was born near Louisville, Kentucky, January 8. 1882, a son of John and Mary M. James. He was reared in Chicago and in the public schools he received a common and high school education. He then attended the Valparaiso (Ind.) University, from which he was graduated in 1905, having taken the scientific course. Subsequently he entered the Chicago College of Medicine and Surgery, which institution conferred upon him the degree of M. D. in 1910. During the last year of his studies in Chicago he acted as interne at the West Side Hospital, leaving for Peoria upon his graduation. Dr. James is a mem- ber of the Peoria County and Illinois State Medical Societies and the American Medical Association. He is building up a very satisfactory practice and in- dications are that he will attain a prominent place among the professional men of the city of his adoption.
Dr. James was married in 1909 to Miss Alice Ryan, of Chicago, and to them one child, Frances, has been born. Fraternally he is identified with the Mac- cabees and the Modern Woodmen of America.
WILLIAM MAJOR, M. D.
Since 1906 Dr. William Major has practiced in Peoria, maintaining his office at No. 3028 South Adams street. He was born on the farm of his father in Woodford county, Illinois, December 17, 1873, his parents being Joseph and Mary F. (Jones) Major. He was reared on the home farm and received a common-school education at the country schoolhouse, after which he entered Eureka College, from which he was graduated in 1896. Subsequently he en- tered the Chicago College of Physicians and Surgeons, winning the degree of M. D. in 1901. He commenced the practice of medicine in Mexico, where he went as surgeon for the American Smelting & Refining Company, now the American Products & Refining Company. This position he held with distinc- tion to himself and satisfaction to his employers until 1906, after which he re-
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moved to Peoria, entering upon a general practice. The Doctor is enjoying an extensive and lucrative patronage, particularly in South Peoria, which is grow- ing year by year as his professional skill is coming to be more generally recog- nized and as his acquaintance is being extended. He served for the two years of 1909 and 1910 as assistant county physician, a position which he filled with much credit.
On October 7, 1903, Dr. Major married Miss Mand Meacham, of Eureka, Illinois, and they reside at 2416 South Adams street. Fraternally he is a Mason, exemplifying in his life the beneficent teachings of the craft. Dr. Major is well and favorably known among the members of the medical fraternity here and in his practice has ever conformed to the highest professional ethics.
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