USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 3
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
his brothers began the erection of the Orpheum Theater on Madison street, which was completed, equipped and furnished at a cost of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and will compare with the finest theatrical structures in the middle west. All this indicates how largely Edward C. Leisy has been identified with the improvement and upbuilding of the city and how impor- tant has been his work in its behalf.
In 1893 Edward C. Leisy was united in marriage to Miss Emma Welte, of Peoria, a daughter of Ferdinand Welte, and they have four children, Florence, Lucile, Lena and Elizabeth. Mr. Leisy stands for all that is of general in- terest to the Peoria public and is now president and largely the financial backer of the Peoria Baseball Club. He belongs to the Schiller Lodge of Masons and to the Redman Camp and is also a member of the Creve Coeur and the Country Clubs. Speaking of the Leisy brothers one of the local papers said, "They are men with brains, and with the constantly increasing capital at their command have ideas that extend beyond their original business and make for a city beall- tiful." They are still in the prime of life, and what they have done is an ex- ample of what they will continue to do. Their future is rich in hope and the promise of still greater achievements.
THOMAS J. PURSLEY.
No history of the grain trade in Peoria would be complete without extended mention of Thomas J. Pursley, now the honored president of the Board of Trade and for many years a partner in the well known firm of Buckley, Pursley & Company. For a long period his opinions have been accepted in this locality as authority concerning operations in grain and he attributes his success to just those qualities which have accomplished it-determined energy and straight- forward dealing.
Mr. Pursley is a native of Hartsville, Tennessee, and represents one of the old families of that state. His father, W. L. Pursley, was a lifelong farmer and always retained his residence in the south. The family removed to western Tennessee when Thomas J. Pursley was twelve years of age, and, true to his loved southland, he responded to the call of the Confederacy following the outbreak of the Civil war, enlisting in the fall of 1861. He served for more than three years as a private and participated in many important engagements although but a boy in his teens at the outbreak of the war. The Thirty-third Tennessee In- fantry, of which he was a member, was assigned to Strahl's Brigade, Cheatham's Division and Hardy's Corps, and he participated in all of the engagements with his command in the state of Georgia from Lookout Mountain to Atlanta. He was twice wounded and at the battle of Nashville, Tennessee, was taken pris- oner, being sent to the state penitentiary which his father had advised him long before was a good place to keep out of. Later he was transferred as a prisoner of war to Columbus, O., where he was incarcerated for six months. While there he became ill with smallpox and while lying in his ward could look down from the upper window and see the white headboards erected over the newly-made graves of his comrades who had succumbed to that disease. At length he was paroled at Columbus and following the close of the war removed to Illinois. He devoted two years to the improvement of his education as a student in Hedding Seminary at Abingdon, Illinois, and then returned to his native state, spending two years with his father on the farm. On the expiration of that period he located in Bardolph, Illinois, where he engaged in the grain trade, there residing until 1873, when he removed to Peoria and in the intervening period, covering nearly forty years, he has been continuously connected with the grain trade in this city and has since attained to a place of prominence. For
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THOMAS JJ. PURSLEY
THE NEW YOR! PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONAL
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
two years he was employed as traveling agent by the grain firm of N. B. Ilaynes & Company and following their failure he embarked in business on his own account, entering into partnership under the firm style of McMillan & Pursley, grain merchants. After a year the partnership was dissolved and for ten years Mr. Pursley was alone in business. He then entered into partnership with Warren R. Buckley under the firm name of Buckley, Pursley & Company and theirs was a most harmonious relation during the twenty-seven years in which they were associated. Their connection was terminated in the death of Mr. Buckley in March, 1910, but the firm name was not changed as his brother, C. W. Buckley, assumed his interests. The latter is a resident of Chicago and they maintain offices in that city as well as in Peoria, Mr. Buckley being in charge in Chicago. This is one of the fore- most firms operating in the grain trade in Illinois. They have twenty elevators, all in this state, situated along the lines of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroads west of Peoria.
During the early period of his residence here Mr. Pursley became a member of the Board of Trade and throughout the intervening years to the present has served almost continuously on its more important committees and in the fall of 1911 was elected president. One of the local papers in writing of him said : "Oldest among the members of the Peoria Board of Trade, Thomas J. Pursley, its president, has come to be regarded as its Nestor and the dean of the estab- lishment and its younger members look up to him with regard that is almost paternal. Advancing years have not chilled the geniality of his nature and to the older members he is the same 'Tom' that he was more than a third of a century ago. Tom Pursley, as he is familiarly known, presents the qualities that have made the southerner distinctive as a social and business factor. The oc- casion of his election to tlre presidency of the Board of Trade was made mem- orable from the fact that on assuming the duties of the office Tom served a buffet lunch of such dimensions and variety that its like has never been seen before, and it will be many a year before it is repeated."
In Prairie City, Illinois, Mr. Pursley was married to Miss Beagles, and tinto them have been born three children : C. B., who died in Peoria about seven years ago : Mrs. C. W. McCollough, of Decatur, Illinois : and W. L., who is now living in Waverly, Kansas. That Mr. Pursley is one of the most prominent and popular members of Illinois Lodge, No. 263, F. & A. M., is indicated by the fact that he has been its treasurer for twenty-seven years and for twenty-two vears has been treasurer of Peoria Consistory. He likewise belongs to the Mystic Shrine and the beneficent spirit of the craft finds exemplification in his life. while its principles have been a guiding factor in his career. Moreover, the old-time southern hospitality and chivalry are points in a life that have brought to Thomas J. Pursley success, respect and popularity.
WALTER J. MURRAY.
Walter J. Murray was called to the position of secretary of the board of park commissioners on the 20th of June, 1910. This was not his first public office for in other connections he had proven his loyalty to the best interests of the city in the faithful performance of duties which devolved upon him. He is one of Peoria's native sons, his birth having here occurred October 27, 1870. His parents were James J. and Mary ( McLean) Murray, the latter a daughter of William McLean who was a native of England. In the paternal line Walter J. Murray comes of Irish and English ancestry. His father was born on the Emerald isle and the mother in Liverpool, England. In 1854 the father was brought by his parents to the United States, the family home being established in Peoria. He became a moulder by trade and afterwards served for a number of Vol. II-2
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
years on the police force of the city. Both he and his wife have now passed away, but their son, Walter J. Murray, still occupies the old home at 1208 North Monroe street in which he was born and to which his parents removed in 1864.
The public schools afforded him his early educational privileges, and after he began earning his own livelihood he continued his studies by attending night school. He was first employed as a page in the circuit court under Sheriff Berry and was afterward connected with the firm of Singer & Wheeler for two years in the wholesale drug business. He then entered the employ of Nickol- Burr & Company, serving an apprenticeship at the machinist's trade. He after- ward spent eleven years as a machinist in the shops of the Rock Island Rail- road and then became superintendent of sewers of Peoria under Mayor Bryan. That his services were appreciated by the railroad company is indicated in the fact that he was solicited to return to his old position where he continued until the shops were moved from the city. He next entered the service of the Key- 'stone Fence Company as a machinist, and while there became his party's nominee for city clerk against Robert Joos, the republican candidate. He lost the elec- tion by a majority of one hundred and thirty-four votes, but was appointed as- sistant city comptroller under Mayor Tolson, and acted in that capacity for two years. When Thomas O'Connor succeeded Mr. Tolson to the position of mayor Mr. Murray was appointed city comptroller and continued in the office for two years more, after which he returned to the Keystone Fence Company. A year later he was elected by the park commissioners to the office of secretary of the park board, and has now filled that office for two years. In this connec- tion he is rendering valuable service and is doing much to further the park in- terests of the city.
Mr. Murray is connected with various fraternities and societies. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp, the Independent Order of Foresters and was the first financial secretary of Court Gibbons Independent Order of Foresters. He is also a member of the Peoria Yacht Club. He likewise holds membership with the Knights of Columbus and the International Association of Machinists and for three years was secretary of the Machinists' Union. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church. He has made a creditable record in public office, and in his different private positions has proven himself thoroughly loyal and faithful to the interests which he has represented.
J. B. BARTHOLOMEW.
Out of the struggle with small opportunities J. B. Bartholomew has come finally into a field of broad and active influence and usefulness. Industry has been the root of his notable success and added to this is the quality of quick discernment and the faculty of separating the important features of any subject from its incidental or accidental circumstances. In other words, sound judg- ment passes upon the value of every situation. The broader spirit of the new twentieth century finds expression in his activities as the president of the Avery Company, manufacturers of farm implements and machinery. This is the larg- est manufacturing plant of the city and in addition to the position of president which he fills in this connection he is also the president of the Bartholomew Company, manufacturers of the Glide automobile. Moreover, the soundness of his judgment and the wisdom of his opinions are uniformly recognized.
Mr. Bartholomew's identification with the Avery Company dates from De- cember 8, 1879, when he began driving a team used in hauling lumber, his salary being a dollar and ten cents per day. He has been a life-long resident of Peoria county, his birth having occurred upon a farm in Elmwood township, February
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
19, 1863. His parents were Albertus Y. and Mary E. ( Ennis) Bartholomew. The father was the second white child born in Elmwood township and was a son of Luzern Bartholomew, who was the first settler in Peoria county north of what is now the town of Elmwood. He took up his abode there at a very early period in the settlement of this part of the state and subsequently went to Cali- fornia in 1849, attracted by the gold discoveries on the Pacific coast. However, he afterward again became a resident of Peoria county and his death occurred in Washington, D. C., whither he had gone to see about a patent in which he was interested. Death came to him very suddenly. His son, Albertus Y. Bar- tholomew, made farming his life work.
On the old homestead farm J. B. Bartholomew was reared and his first posi- tion was with the Avery's, then in Galesburg. In 1882 the company moved its plant to Peoria and Mr. Bartholomew thus became a factor in the industrial circles of this city. The faithfulness and capability which he displayed in his original position with the firm led to his promotion. He ceased team driving to enter the assembly shop where the machines were put together and he became thoroughly acquainted with the trade in all the different mechanical phases of the business. He then went upon the road as an expert demonstrator and afterward joined the sales force. Each different connection brought him larger duties and broader experience, calling forth his latent powers and energies. He afterward established a branch for the company at Des Moines, Iowa, where he resided for ten years or from 1882 until 1892. In the fall of the latter year he returned to Peoria to take charge of the manufacturing and designing depart- ment and later he was elected to the vice presidency of the company and also became a member of its board of directors. He succeeded to the presidency on the death of C. M. Avery and has since been at the head of a business which is the foremost industrial enterprise of Peoria, employing thirteen hundred workmen. The company has not only followed a progressive lead but has been foremost in the work of advancement in the line of agricultural implement manu- facture. Mr. Bartholomew's long experience has made him thoroughly acquainted with every phase of the business and its success is atributable in large measure to his enterprise and efforts. At the present time he is bending his energies to executive control and administrative direction and the great concern of which he is the head has been so carefully systematized that the business runs on with the smoothness of clock work. Of course there are problems, often most in- tricate ones, arising again and again, but the keen sagacity and discernment and the long experience of Mr. Bartholomew have enabled him to find ready solti- tion for these.
Although at the head of the foremost manufacturing industry of the city, this does not comprise the scope of Mr. Bartholomew's activity. He is also the president of the Bartholomew Company, a large Peoria concern engaged in the manufacture of the Glide automobile. This was organized in 1892 to take over a small personal business which had been developed by Mr. Bartholomew in Des Moines-the manufacture of peanut roasters, which the company still con- tintes, although in later years their largest output has been the automobile. The business was removed to Peoria in 1900 and Mr. Bartholomew's son, A. Y. Bartholomew, is now vice president of the company. The father is also a di- rector of the Merchants National Bank of Peoria.
One of the recent honors, which has brought Mr. Bartholomew wide ac- quaintance throughout the nation, was that of president of the National Imple- ment and Vehicle show, which was held in Peoria September 27 to October 5. The event was an extremely successful one, promoting the interests of trade and advancing an understanding among manufacturers and business men that is of untold value.
On the 2d of July, 1884, occurred the marriage of Mr. Bartholomew and Miss Luella Moore, who was born in Eureka, Illinois. They became the parents
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
of four children: A. Y., vice president of the Bartholomew Company ; Ethel, the wife of Francis W. Gray; Margaret; and John B. Mr. Bartholomew be- longs to the Creve Coeur Club, the Country Club and the Illinois Valley Yacht Club and was president of the first named when they completed their new building. He was also vice president and one of the directors when the enter- prise was undertaken. His life history is another proof of the fact that there is no success in life without effort. Not seeking honor but simply endeavoring to do his duty, honors have come to him and prosperity has followed his un- dertakings.
WILLIS H. BALLANCE.
Willis H. Ballance, president of the Gipps Brewing Company, which is located at the foot of Bridge street in Peoria, was born in this city on November 6, 1849. He is a son of Colonel Charles and Julia (Schnebly) Ballance. The family is of French huguenot origin and came to America before the Revolution. Colonel Charles Ballance was a prominent real-estate lawyer and practiced in the supreme court of Illinois and in the supreme court of the United States. He did more than any attorney to settle the titles of Illinois settlers that were claimed by French land sharks. During the Civil war he organized the Seventy- seventh Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and he has also served as mayor of Peoria. He was a great friend of Abraham Lincoln.
Willis H. Ballance laid the foundation for his education in Peoria and later became a student in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, New York. Afterward he studied in the Williston Seminary at East Hampton, Massachu- setts. Subsequently he returned to Peoria, where he became bookkeeper for the Central City Elevator Company, remaining with them for one year. He then took a position as bookkeeper for the Gipps & Shurtleff Company and afterward for the Peoria Beer, Ale & Malt Company. He then became interested in the Gipps, Cody & Company and when the firm was reorganized in 1887, as the Gipps Brewing Company, he became secretary and treasurer and remained in that position until October, 1910, when he was elected president. He has been connected with this establishment since 1870. The brewery is located on the ground of the old Miller brewery, which was the first establishment of its kind in Peoria. The business was first established by John M. Gipps, a graduate of Cambridge University, England, and a younger son of an English clergyman who was a brother of Lord Methuen and also a brother of the celebrated Eng- lishman, Mr. Gipps, who was governor of Australia and for whom Gippsland was named. After Mr. Gipps' demise his interest was purchased by his partners Leslie Robison and Mr. Ballance, and ever since that time the business has grad- ually increased until it has reached its present capacity. Its growth for the past ten years has been largely due to the business sagacity and foresight of Leslie Robison, seconded by his son, Charles W. Robison and by the subject of this sketch, Mr. Willis H. Ballance. Owing to the advanced age of Mr. Robison, Sr., and at his urgent request, Mr. Ballance purchased the former's interest on October I, 1910. Since Mr. Ballance has become president the growth of the business has surpassed that in any of its previous existence.
In Peoria, in 1871, Mr. Ballance was married to Miss Augusta Nevius, who passed away in 1899, leaving seven children. Virginia, who is now the wife of Lewis Starke, makes her home at Atlanta, Georgia. Florence, living at Denver, gave her hand in marriage to Dr. E. W. Stevens, who passed away in October, 1910. Dr. Harriett Ballance is a practicing physician of San Francisco, Califor- nia. Julia gave her hand in marriage to Ernest E. Watson, general claim agent for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. Myrtle is the wife of Henry
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111STORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
M. Towar, president of the Atlas Belting Company of Harvard, Illinois. Willis H., a graduate of the mechanical engineering department of Cornell University and also of the Wahl Henius Institute in Chicago, is the vice president of the Gipps Brewing Company. Nevius V. is pursuing a course in chemical engineer- ing at the University of Wisconsin. In Peoria, in 1903, Mr. Ballance was again wedded, his second union being with Miss Ida Lundquist, and of this marriage have been born two children: Robert Green, whose birth occurred in San Fran- cisco on the ioth of July, 1905; and Bettina, who was born at Yuma, Arizona, on the 20th of April, 1909. The family reside at No. 256 Randolph avenue in a beautiful home which was erected in 1879. In his political views Mr. Ballance is an independent republican.
JOHN BAGGS, D. V. S.
Dr. John Baggs was one of Peoria's pioneer residents and for many years was an interested witness of the growth and progress of the city. Here he engaged in business and followed his profession of veterinary surgery to the later years of his life, when he retired and spent his remaining days in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He was born in Urbana, Ohio, January 13, 1837, and passed away March 23, 1909. having attained the ripe old age of seventy-two years. His par- ents were Abraham and Mary Baggs, also natives of Ohio, who removed west- ward to Illinois in 1838. Peoria was then a town of but a few hundred inhabi- tants and the entire countryside was largely wild and undeveloped. The father secured a tract of land and became a prominent pioneer farmer, converting his place into rich and productive fields and thus aiding greatly in the agricultural development of the community.
Dr. Baggs was only a year old when brought by his parents to this state. The educational advantages which Peoria offered in that early day constituted the ex- tent of his education. In his youth he assisted his father on the home farm and early became familiar with the arduous task of developing and cultivating new land. He carefully saved his earnings and at the age of twenty years was himself the owner of a good farm, which he continued to cultivate successfully until 1861. At the time of the outbreak of the Civil war, however, all business and personal considerations were put aside that he might respond to the country's call for aid. He enlisted in the Eighty-sixth Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was organized and commanded by Colonel D. D. Irons, and later by Colonel McGee. He was on active duty until injuries sustained at the front caused him to be honorably discharged and he returned home with a most creditable military record.
About that time Dr. Baggs disposed of his farm and took up his abode in the city. Here he became a veterinary surgeon and practiced his profession success- fully for many years, his ability in that direction making his services in constant demand. In 1905 he retired from all active business, having in the years of his previous labor acquired a competence sufficient to supply him with all the necessi- ties and comforts and many of the luxuries of life.
On the 17th of November, 1858, Dr. Baggs was united in marriage to Lydia Meredith Gill, a daughter of James and Elizabeth ( Moss ) Gill, the latter a repre- sentative of the Moss family that figured prominently in the early history of Virginia. Her grandfather, a member of that family, served in the Revolutionary war. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Baggs was born one son, William, who is now deceased.
Dr. Baggs was preeminently a home man and found his greatest happiness at his own fireside. He was very hospitable and greatly enjoyed entertaining com- pany in his own home. He also manifested a marked fondness for music and
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
literature and these added greatly to the joys of his life. His political allegiance was always given to the republican party from the time that age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He believed it to be the party of reform and progress and recognized the fact that it was the defense of the Union in the dark days of the Civil war. In manner he was quiet and unassuming but his genuine personal worth gained him recognition and won him many friends. He was deeply inter- ested and closely associated with the pioneer development of this part of the state and mention should be made of him in a history of Peoria county's upbuilders and promoters.
DOUGLAS H. BETHARD.
No history of Peoria and its commercial activities would be complete without extended reference to Douglas H. Bethard, the president of the Jobst-Bethard Company, and therefore head of one of the most extensive wholesale grocery establishments of the middle west. Under the title of "The Acorn and the Oak," this house has issued an attractive little pamphlet, telling the story of the growth of the business. The same simile may well be applied to Mr. Bethard, whose advancement to his present prominent position is indicative of the wise use he has made of his time, talents and opportunities. Peoria is proud of his record and called him to the first presidency of the Peoria Association of Com- merce. Moreover, he is widely known throughout the country in trade circles and has been honored with the presidency for the term of one year of the National Wholesale Grocers Association. He was born in the village of Derby- ville, Pickaway county, Ohio, October 10, 1858, a son of George W. and Eliza (Hurst) Bethard, who during the early boyhood of their son Douglas removed from the Buckeye state to Peoria county. The father for many years was a coal operator and general merchant at Kingston Mines in this county. He was an active factor in the life of his community and both directly and indirectly contributed to the development and welfare of the county. For three terms he was mayor of Wenona, Illinois, and resided in this place until his death which oc- curred in 1910.
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