USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 46
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Alfred. The daughter, Mrs. Clark, also has a daughter, Elizabeth. There are now two great-grandchildren of John McDougal, the elder being John McDougal, III, while the younger is Murray. Mr. McDougal has every reason to be proud of the success of his six sons, all of whom have made most creditable and hon- orable records in business circles and have gained much more than ordinary success. They have been a credit to their excellent home training and the prin- ciples instilled into their minds by their father, following his example concerning activity, enterprise and integrity in business. Mrs. McDougal, too, was a most wise and affectionate mother and they owe much to her counsel and instruction. Mr. McDougal hands down to his posterity an untarnished name, and his record may well serve as a source of inspiration and encouragement as well as an example to his children and to the representatives of the name in future genera- tions. His life is an illustration of the fact that old age need not suggest help- lessness or want of interest. He is still well preserved and he keeps in touch with the general topics and questions of the day. He possesses also a retentive memory and speaks with authority upon matters relative to Peoria, her history and her upbuilding. No record of the city would be complete without mention of John McDougal, one of its most honored and venerable citizens.
CHRISTIAN BUEHLER.
Success is ever the outcome of persistent, intelligently directed labor. It is true that certain men profit by the efforts of others, sometimes unjustly, but in the main the prosperous man is he whose labors measure up to a high stand- ard not only of industry but of integrity. One is led to this train of reflection in considering the life record of Christian Buehler, now the president of the E. Godel & Sons Company, owners of an extensive packing house situated at the foot of South street in Peoria. He was born in Chicago, November 24, 1860, his parents being Christian and Anna (Schlenker) Buehler. The father was at one time proprietor of a meat market in this city. His name indicates his German ancestry and nativity. He was born in Stuttgart, Wurttemberg, December 25, 1821, and after spending the period of his boyhood and youth there came to the United States in 1849, when a young man of about twenty- eight years, settling first at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On the Ist of January, 1857, he was married in Chicago to Miss Anna Schlenker and there resided for three years, coming to Peoria in 1860. He then engaged in the pork-packing and general butchering business, establishing one of the pioneer industries of that kind in this city. He began the business on a small scale and was one of the first packers in the United States to successfully carry on business along that line in the summer months. Packers came from other places to inspect his small plant and investigate his way of preserving meats, for he was in advance of the great majority in the use of a refrigerating system in connection with meat-packing in the summer seasons. He died in Peoria, October 15, 1878, and his wife passed away in April, 1895, when visiting in Chicago. Fraternally he was connected with the Masons and politically with the democratic party.
Christian Buehler was an infant of a few weeks when the family came to this city, where he subsequently attended the public schools for a brief period, acquiring the greater part of his education in the old German school on Second street, and at Coles Business College. While still attending school he worked with his father in the meat business and later for a number of years was an employe in the retail grocery house of Downing & Straesser. In 1888 he entered the employ of E. Godel & Sons, meat packers, whom he represented upon the road as a traveling salesman for about five and a half years.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDAT N
CHRISTIAN BUEHLER
RESIDENCE OF CHRISTIAN BUEHLER
BRARY
OX AND TILDE VONDATIONS.
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
In 1894 Christian Buehler removed to Chicago where in connection with his brothers he entered the retail butchering business, in which he continued until 1906. In the meantime he had become well known to the meat trade through- out this city and in 1906 returned to Peoria to assume the vice presidency of the firm of E. Godel & Sons, and became president in 1909. His brother, Her- man Buehler, now of Cleveland, Ohio, is the vice president, while another brother, Carl Buehler, of Chicago, is the secretary and treasurer. The business has been developed along well defined lines of trade and has been crowned with success, making theirs one of the important productive industries of the city. In connection with their packing business in Peoria the Buehler Brothers oper- ate twenty-seven meat markets, located in twenty-seven different cities in eight states of the Union, namely, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia. Thus, year by year, they have extended their activities until the name is now widely known to the trade especially in the middle west. Moreover, Christian Buehler is also largely interested in Chicago real estate and in 1910 erected in this city twenty-four residences which he still owns. His investments have been most judiciously made and indicate his sound judgment and enterprise.
In 1886 Mr. Buehler was united in marriage to Miss Phoebe B. Potthoff, a daughter of Albert Potthoff, and unto them was born one child, Anna, who died when but five months old. They occupy an elegant home on the West Bluff, at No. 103 West High street, which commands a beautiful view of the lower sec- tion of Peoria, also the river and the lake, with the hills of Tazewell county in the distance. The residence is surrounded by extensive grounds which are laid out as a pretty park in which Mr. and Mrs. Buehler take a justifiable pride and which is an adornment to the city. It was principally through Mr. Bueh- ler's efforts that the beautiful new thoroughfare on which the house stands was opened. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America but he has never sought prominence nor honors outside of the strict path of business. He has achieved success because he desired to succeed and was willing to make the sacrifices to business which are required if one would work his way upward. He has never allowed social or other interests to interfere with the capable con- duct of his business, day by day, and his close application, unremitting energy and executive force have so combined in a harmonious whole that the results obtained are most gratifying. It means much to successfully, control a business of the magnitude and importance of that which is now being carried on by the E. Godel & Sons Company with Christian Buehler as its chief executive officer, a business that has already been established in eight different states, retail stores being conducted in twenty-seven different cities while plans are now be- ing perfected to still further extend the operations of the company. The most careful consideration is given to every phase of the business in all of its multi- tudinons details and as a directing force of this enterprise Christian Buehler has won recognition as a representative and honored business man of Peoria.
WILLIAM A. WERCKLE.
As a dealer in farm implements and machinery William A. Werckle is recog- nized as one of the enterprising and progressive business men of Peoria. He is today the oldest in his line of trade here, having entered this field in 1886. His life history is illustrative of the fact that many of foreign birth find that America is for them the land of opportunity and through the utilization of existing condi- tions here they steadily work their way upward from a humble position to one of affluence. Mr. Werckle was born in France, October 20, 1851, and in the year 1853 arrived in Peoria, having been brought to this city by his parents, Henry
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and Caroline Werckle, who established their home in this county on the 4th of July of that year. The father secured a tract of land in Richwoods township and with characteristic energy began the further development and improvement of his farm, which he converted into a productive and valuable property that he cultivated to the time of his demise. Six children of his family are yet living, namely : William A .; Henry, who was born on the old homestead farm in Rich- woods township, November II, 1855, and was there reared, while at present he is engaged in business with his brother William; Caroline; August C., who is living on a farm in Richwoods township and is serving as township supervisor ; Sarah; and F. W., a farmer and dairyman of Richwoods township.
In his youthful days William A. Werckle began following the plow in early springtime and continued to assist in the cultivation of the crops until the har- vests were gathered in the late autumn. His educational opportunities were afforded by the district schools. As he advanced in years and looked at life from a continually broadening standpoint he came to the conclusion that he did not desire to engage in farming as a life work and in 1880 took up his abode in Peoria, where he secured employment in connection with the implement trade. Six years' experience along that line brought to him not only an exact and com- prehensive knowledge of the business but also provided him with the capital necessary to engage in business on his own account. Therefore, in 1886, he began dealing in agricultural implements and is today the oldest merchant in his line in the city. He first opened a store in the Board of Trade block on South Washington street, where he remained for two years, when he removed to No. 810 Main street. In 1897 he again sought more commodious quarters by re- moving to 109 North Washington street and in 1899 he came to his present loca- tion at No. 113 North Washington street. Here he carries a large line of farm implements and machinery, including the latest improvements, and his annual sales have now reached a very gratifying figure. His earnest desire to please his patrons and his thoroughly reliable methods have been the chief features in his success.
Mr. Werckle was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Junglin, and unto them have been born three children, Henry J., Frank W. and Grace. The family residence is at No. 220 North Garfield avenue. Mr. Werckle belongs to the Fraternal Mystic Circle and also to the Association of Commerce. He is in hearty sympathy with the purposes of the latter organization in its endeavors to advance the trade relations of the city and to add to Peoria the modern im- provements which show that Peoria's spirit of progress is a dominant one.
THE H. THIELBAR SHOE COMPANY.
The name of Henry Thielbar has been prominently connected with the shoe business in Peoria for over fifty-five years. Its policy has always been founded upon principles of honorable dealing, strict business integrity, energy and en- thusiasm in the conduct of its affairs, and these policies upon which the house was founded half a century ago, are in active force in the large business to which it has grown today.
The H. Thielbar Shoe Company was founded in Peoria by Mr. Henry Thiel- bar in 1856. He had personal charge and was the dominating factor in the busi- ness until his death on February 19, 1897. During the course of his connection with the organization, he gave to his establishment certain traditions of honesty, fair dealing, quality of output, and high business standards which are the secret of its success and prominence today. He incorporated the business in 1893, four years before his death, under the name of The H. Thielbar Shoe Company, under which title it operates today. The present members of the firm are his
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son, Henry W. Thielbar, and his daughter, Miss Minnie Thielbar, who are dominating factors in the business life of Peoria. They are both native Peorians, pioneers in the county, and are identified with all the leading business organiza- tions of the city. Their firm has attained that prominence in its line of activity, which is the inevitable result of a long period of active and honorable business life. Its policies have never changed since the organization of the firm, as its principles were then, as they are now, active, energetic and honorable; the qual- ity of its product, however, has grown in worth with each succeeding year, as new methods of manufacture, and more efficient workmanship came into being. The qualities which made the first Henry Thielbar, who had the distinction of retailing the first stock of factory-made shoes in central Illinois, a prominently successful man, are operative today in his son and daughter, who are at the head of one of the largest shoe firms in the city, and are numbered among the active factors in Peoria's development.
CHARLES H. KEACII.
Sixteen years have passed since Charles H. Keach was called to his final rest on the 3Ist of May, 1896, but this extended period has not served to blot out his memory among those who were his associates and friends during his active life here. He was a resident of Peoria county from early boyhood, and in the course of years won a prominent position among the representative farmers, owning and controlling important agricultural interests. He was born in Han- cock, Massachusetts. June 1, 1833, his parents being Henry and Lucy ( Hall ) Keach, the former a native of Rhode Island and the latter of Rensselaer county, New York. In 1837 a removal was made from Hancock, Massachusetts, to Rensselaer county, New York, and Charles H. Keach there pursued his educa- tion in the public schools until he reached the age of thirteen years. He then accompanied his parents on their further removal westward, arriving in Peoria in 1846. Soon afterward they settled in Radnor township, and again Charles H. Keach took up his studies, dividing his time between attendance at the dis- triet school and the work of the home farm. At a later date the father re- moved to Hallock township, and Charles H. Keach was thereafter connected with agricultural interests in that district until 1854 when he again became a resident of Radnor township and secured a tract of land upon which he engaged in general farming until 1862. In that year he removed to Kickapoo township where he carried on most successfully general agricultural pursuits. The care- ful, practical and progressive manner in which he tilled the soil enabled him to annually gather rich harvests, and prosperity attended him year by year, and as his financial resources increased he added to his holdings until he became the owner of over three hundred acres of very valuable and productive farm land located in Kickapoo township. He was recognized as one of the most prominent and best known farmers of Peoria county. He raised the crops best adapted to the soil and climate, and his methods brought forth good results, enabling him to add annually to his income. He continued in active farming to the time of his death, and in that way provided a most comfortable living for his family.
It was in November, 1854, that Mr. Keach was united in marriage to Miss Laura Jane Doty, who died in September, 1858, leaving a son, William E., who married Miss May E. Sammis, and is a resident farmer of Kickapoo township. Mr. Keach was again married on the 25th of March, 1862, his second union being with Miss Marion A. Fash, a daughter of Abraham and Georgietta V. (Smith) Fash. The father died in Peoria in 1886. Abraham Fash's father, John Fash, who married Ann Bogart in New York, made the overland trip from that state to Illinois in the early '30s, at which time he took up his abode in the
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city of Peoria, which was then a tiny town. The Fash family were among the earliest settlers of Peoria county and hardly a home had been established in this part of the state. Indians were still numerous in Illinois, for the Black Hawk war had not then occurred, ending forever the supremacy of the red men in this section. Deer were numerous and wild game was to be had in abundance. As the years passed the Fash family bore their part in the work of general improve- ment and development, and their name deserves an honored place upon the pages of Peoria county's history and the history of the state of Illinois.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Keach were born four children: Effie G., who is married to George Holmes, of Akron township, and has had two children-Raymond, who is still at home, and Nellie May, deceased; Chester B., a resident of Peoria, who married Miss Emma Slough, and has a son Charles J .; Cora May, deceased ; and Jessie, who is the wife of Edwin Kaufman and has three children, Hazel, Earl, and Russel H. Mr. Keach was always interested in the cause of education, gave his children good advantages in that direction and for several terms served as school director. He was independent in politics, usually voting for the can- didate whom he regarded as best qualified for office. His life was quietly spent but was an active and useful one, and during his half century's residence in Peoria county he merited and enjoyed the confidence and good-will of all who knew him.
ERNEST B. CLOUGH.
Next in importance to its rich and fertile farm lands, the Illinois valley around Peoria owes much of its wealth to the extensive dairy interests which abound there. The dairies of Peoria county supply local and other markets with milk, butter, cheese and other products of a high order. Ernest B. Clough, the subject of this sketch, is one of the veteran dairymen of this section of the country, having been engaged in the business in Peoria since 1893. Mr. Clough is also intensely interested in music and has acquired some local reputation in that art as a member of Spencer's band of Peoria.
Ernest B. Clough was born in Brimfield, Peoria county, Illinois, September 19, 1870. The family in the paternal line is of English extraction, and had settled in America before the War of 1812. Ernest B. Clough's two great-uncles fought against the British in that war. The maternal family comes originally from France, the first members to reach America settling on a farm in Mary- land. Although the family was southern and had a large number of slaves, its male representatives fought in the Federal army during the Civil war. The father of the subject of this sketch was Cassius M. Clough, a native of New Hampshire, who came to Illinois in 1857, residing successively at Rockford and Brimfield. He served in the war of the Rebellion from 1861 to 1865, first in the Seventy-seventh and then in the Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He was married January 15, 1868, to Miss Rachel E. Roby, a native of Mary- land, who came to Illinois in 1860.
Ernest B. Clough's early education was received in the schools of Southport and Oakhill, Illinois, and in the Peoria city graded schools. He afterward at- tended the Peoria high school. Upon his graduation therefrom about 1887, he apprenticed himself to the firm of Selby, Starr & Company of Peoria, and worked in their foundry from 1887 until 1893, when he found that the nature of the work was injuring his health, and he bought a small tract of land in the outskirts of Peoria and started a dairy farm, in which business he is still engaged. His venture was successful from the start. He kept his dairy clean and his output pure, and soon gained a reputation in his city for wholesome milk and dairy products. He owns a comfortable and well furnished home near his dairy,
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and is the proprietor of a considerable amount of improved and unimproved real estate in this city.
Mr. Clough served through the Spanish-American war as a member of the Sons of Veterans Provisional Regiment, and was appointed bugler of Company E. In October, 1899, he enlisted in Company G, Illinois National Guard, and was appointed battalion trumpeter, later being promoted to the position of chief trumpeter by Colonel Cullver, in which capacity he served for three years. When the term of his enlistment expired he reenlisted and again served as chief trumpeter under Colonel Wells, from which position he was given his honorable discharge in 1903. Mr. Clough has acquired some reputation around Peoria as a musician. Ile is a member of Spencer's band, one of the oldest and best known musical organizations in Illinois. He had the honor of playing the bugle calls at the dedication of the beautiful new Soldiers' Monument in the Court House Square and at the unveiling of the Lincoln and Douglas tablet in Glen Oak Park. He has sounded "taps" for many noted men, among them Governor Altgeld, and he acted as chief trumpeter for President Mckinley, Admiral George Dewey and ex-President Roosevelt. He is an active member of the American Federation of Musicians.
On July 5, 1893, at Peoria, Illinois, Mr. Clough was married to Miss Ella M. Sickels, a daughter of John D. and Wilhelmina Sickels, also residents of Peoria, although natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Clough have two chil- dren: Howard Lester, born at Peoria, Illinois, May 21, 1894, who was gradu- ated from the Peoria high school with the class of 1912; and Daniel R., born October 26, 1896, now attending the grammar schools of Peoria.
Mr. Clough has always voted the republican ticket in national politics. He has served as clerk of election, committee man, and also as delegate to county and state conventions, always in the interests of the republican party. Fra- ternally, he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, Peoria Camp, No. 812. He belongs to Camp Thrush, No. 25, Sons of Veterans, of which organization he has served one year as first lieutenant and one year as captain. Ernest Clough is not affiliated with any church, but no movement of church organization which is allied with any good work in which he believes, calls on hím for aid in vain. Mr. Clough's life has been an active and busy one, and he is rightly numbered among the solid citizens of Peoria.
THOMAS J. WASSON.
Thomas J. Wasson, who is located at 720 South Adams street, Peoria, where he carries a stock of building supplies, has been identified with the business he is now conducting for the past forty years, during fifteen of which he has been its sole proprietor. Ile was born in Duanesburg, Schenectady county, New York, on the 3d of October, 1847, and is a son of George Wasson. His people removed from the Empire state to Illinois in 1855, settling on a farm north- west of town, later known as the Aiken property. The father engaged in the operation of this place for many years, but he subsequently became interested in the raising of broom corn.
In the acquirement of his education Thomas J. Wasson first attended the common schools of his native state whence he removed with his parents at the age of eight years to Peoria. After locating in Illinois he continued his studies in the old Sixth Ward school, now the Douglas school, but was later given per- mission by Mayor McReynolds to attend the city schools. He laid aside his text-books when he was ten and began assisting his father with the operation of the farm. Later he was employed by Field's Baking Company, being in the service during the Civil war during which time he packed hard tack for the
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soldiers. He remained with this firm for nine years and nine months and then took a position in the J. C. Proctor Lumber Company, subsequently known as Proctor & Trapp. After leaving this concern he found employment with W. Bushnell, a lime and cement dealer. He became identified with this enterprise in 1871 and was employed there for twenty-five years thereafter. At the end of that time he purchased the business of the widow and has ever since been its owner. When he bought this enterprise it was located on the corner of Harrison and Washington streets, but in 1908-09 he erected the building he is now oc- cupying at 720 South Adams street. The business is constantly increasing and is now recognized as one of the most thriving enterprises of the kind in the city.
This city was the scene of the marriage of Mr. Wasson on the IIth of June, 1872, to Miss Estelle Osborn, a daughter of Reuben Osborn, formerly of Fulton, Missouri, who came to Peoria in 1861. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wasson took up their residence at 1117 Third street and there they have ever since resided. The house has been remodeled and practically rebuilt but it has always been their home. They have two children : Zir T. Wasson, and Lavre, the wife of George Hess, of this city.
Mr. Wasson is a member of the Mutual Protective Life Insurance Company and his political support he gives to the republican party, but he has never held any public office save that of township supervisor in 1887 and 1888. Mr. Wasson enjoys the respect and confidence of all with whom he has had transactions and has achieved creditable success in the development of his business, which an- nually nets him a comfortable income.
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