USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 49
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In the meantime Mr. Merrill had married, having on the 10th of February,
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1881, wedded Miss Henrietta Saxton, a daughter of Frederick and Sarah Saxton, early settlers of Hallock township. Mrs. Merrill died May 13, 1892, leaving two children, Mabel and Clifford. On the 16th of October, 1900, Mr. Merrill wedded Mrs. Florence A. West (nee Humphrey), a native of Lima, Livingston county, New York. They now reside at 114 LaSalle avenue, Peoria, in a beautiful home in every sense of the word. Mrs. Merrill is very much interested in benevolent and philanthropic projects, is now president of the Florence Crittenden Home and is interested in the Neighborhood House. She is also a member of the Re- searchi Club and takes an active part in the practical club work for the poor and needy. She cares nothing for those clubs which are formed merely for sociability and display but cooperates heartily in every organized project for the benefit of those to whom the public should render assistance.
In politics Mr. Merrill is a republican and has frequently been honored with positions of political preferment. For five years he was a member of the Poor Farm board of inspectors. lle was elected to the state legislature for Peoria county in 1894, and was reelected in 1896, '98 and 1900, thus serving for four consecutive terms in the Illinois house of representatives. He was appointed to a number of important committees and during the fortieth general assembly was chairman of the committee on public charities, one of the most important in the state. As a politician his reputation was unsullied, and his independence of thought and action gained for him the admiration and confidence of those who had elected him. His record in the house was characterized by the utmost devotion to the public good, based upon an intimate knowledge of needs and conditions and an understanding of the opportunities for advancing the public welfare. As deputy internal revenue collector he travels over central Illinois and "knows every boy and girl, every road and every store in the revenue district." Recently Mr. Merrill was a candidate for congress running against Colonel Fred H. Smith and made a very good race, although he was beaten. It seems that everybody is acquainted with him, that everybody likes him and that his worth is appreciated by all. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen camp. While well fitted for leadership by reason of his ability he is "of the people and for the people." He has ever regarded a public office as a public trust and no trust reposed in Mr. Merrill has ever been betrayed.
PHILIP MAHER.
Philip Maher, who since 1904 has resided in Elmwood, is a native of this county, born in Brimfield, August 3, 1862, his parents being John and Saloma (Snyder ) Maher. The father was a native of Ireland, and the mother was born in Middletown, Butler county, Ohio. The father came to America when he was twenty years of age, and located in Ohio where he was married. In 1857 he removed to Peoria county and here became the owner of an excellent farm where he spent the remainder of his life. He was a democrat in politics, but being a quiet and retiring man, he never aspired to public office. He died May 5, 1908, and his wife, preceding him by a few years, passed away in 1902. She was a member of the Presbyterian church. In their family were four children, the eldest of whom died at the age of four years. The others are: MIrs. Clara Reed, Edwin M. and Philip, of this review.
The last named received his education in the common schools of this county and Brimfield high school. He grew to manhood on his father's farm, and in 1888 started out in life for himself by purchasing a farm of seventy acres in Brimfield township. Later selling that he purchased another farm, and now is the owner of an excellent tract of two hundred and eighty acres. Besides his land in this county he also owns some farmland in Canada. Since 1904 he has
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lived in Elmwood in a beautiful home which he erected here. In 1908 he pur- chased the Elmwood telephone exchange in partnership with D. E. Kemp, and later he bought the interests of Mr. Kemp. After two years he sold the tele- phone exchange to his brother, and has since lived retired.
On the 30th of September, 1891, Mr. Maher was united in marriage with Miss Anna Davis, a native of Millbrook township, this county, and a daughter of R. C. and Margaret (Kaiser) Davis. To Mr. and Mrs. Maher has been born one son, John R., who died in infancy. Mr. Maher has always been an energetic and progressive man, highly honored in his community, and he served as member of the board of review in 1910. Both he and Mrs. Maher are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Maher has ever been a man of action, rather than of theory, and with clear brain and willing hands he has applied himself seriously to the rules of labor and responsibilities of life, and now is counted among the good, substantial residents of Peoria county.
THOMAS J. EDWARDS.
An analyzation of the business career of Thomas J. Edwards shows that no especially favorable circumstances aided him at the outset of his career but that persistent effort and intelligently directed labor have brought him to the creditable position which he now occupies. After long connection with agricultural inter- ests he entered into active connection with the coal trade and is now president of the Edwards Coal Company of Peoria, operating mines four miles west of Edwards Station. Almost his entire life has been passed in Peoria county, to which his parents removed during his infancy, so that he was here reared and educated. His birth, however, occurred in Marshall county, this state, December 23, 1853, his parents being Sylvester S. and Mary J. (Schimp) Edwards. In the paternal line he comes from one of the old Virginia families. His grand- parents were Thomas and Elinor (Scott) Edwards, both of whom were natives of Hampshire county, Virginia, where they owned a large plantation and a number of slaves. However, they sought the opportunities of the growing west in 1834, removing to Illinois when all this section of the state was a wild and unimproved district, in which the work of civilization and progress seemed scarcely begun. Thomas Edwards secured a tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres, on which not a furrow had been turned or an improvement made, but with characteristic energy he began its development and transformed the wild prairie tract into rich and fertile fields, from which were annually gathered rich harvests. The family bore all the hardships and privations of pioneer life and the county owes much to their efforts, for they have not only contributed to the agricultural progress of the community but have ever stood loyally in sup- port of all interests and measures which have been an element for growth and . advancement here. Unto Thomas and Elinor Edwards were born five children : Sylvester S., Isadora, Sarah Jane, George W. and Edward D., all now deceased.
Sylvester S. Edwards was a lad of but nine years when his parents became residents of Rosefield township and from that time until his demise he resided on the old homestead. He assisted his father in the arduous task of developing new land, of breaking the sod and turning the first furrows. He thus early learned the value of industry, determination and perseverance-qualities which placed him with the substantial citizens of the community as the years passed by. He turned from farm life to commercial pursuits and for a short period engaged in the grocery business prior to the Civil war, but when hostilities broke out between the north and the south his patriotic spirit was aroused and he offered his services to the country, enlisting as a member of Company K, Seventy- seventh Illinois Infantry. He was assigned to the position of second lieutenant
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and participated in Bank's Red River expedition. He was captured and im- prisoned at Camp Ford, Tyler, Texas. At the time of his capture he was acting as captain of Company F. Subsequently he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant in recognition of his bravery, daring and efficiency on the battlefield. He made a most creditable military record, showing himself to be possessed of fine soldiery qualities, combined with the spirit of patriotism which led the boys in blue year after year to stand by the old flag and defend the Union interests. When the war ended he resumed farming but again entered the mercantile field in the winter of 1875-76, opening a store at Edwards Station, where he also served as postmaster. His was an active, useful and well spent life, commending him to the good-will and confidence of all who knew him.
The boyhood days of Thomas J. Edwards were spent upon the old home farm which his grandfather had entered from the government when this was a frontier district. He attended the district schools and also pursued a thorough course in the Normal School at Peoria. For ten or twelve terms he engaged in teaching, proving a capable educator who imparted readily and clearly to others the knowledge that he had acquired. He also took up the study of telegraphy in Oberlin, Ohio, but the occupation to which he was reared proved most attractive to him and when twenty-one years of age he began farming on his own account. Year after year he tilled the soil and year after year gathered golden harvests as the reward of his labors. He was busily employed in this way until about 1890, when his fellow townsmen, appreciative of his worth and ability, elected him to the state legislature, in which he served for two years. On his retirement from office he established his home in Peoria, where he became connected with the coal trade, being now president of the Edwards Coal Company of this city, engaged in the operation of mines four miles west of Edwards Station. For about twenty years he has now been engaged in the coal business as a mine operator and has met with splendid success in this field.
On the 24th of September, 1877, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Edwards and Miss Martha J. Ball, who was born March 2, 1853, at St. Anthony's Falls, Minnesota, and is a daughter of Reuben F. and Rebecca ( Fullerton) Ball, both natives of Maine, the former born in Wilton and the latter in Woolwich. The father was one of the three children of Levi and Mary ( Le Land) Ball and the former was a son of John Ball, a representative of an old English family that was founded in America in colonial days. The Le Lands were also of English lineage, one of their ancestors being James Le Land. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Edwards was a farmer by occupation. The father followed merchandis- ing until 1849 when, attracted by the discovery of gold on the Pacific coast, he went to California. In 1851 he became a resident of St. Anthony's Falls, Min- nesota, and resumed mercantile pursuits, conducting three stores in that town and two at St. Cloud. He likewise acted as Indian agent and was one of the prominent factors in business life upon the frontier, for Minnesota was then in the period of its pioneer development. In 1863 he removed with his family to Vineland, New Jersey, becoming proprietor of the only store of the town, which he was largely instrumental in upbuilding. About the close of the Civil war he became a resident of Peoria, where he successfully conducted mercantile interests. Mr. and Mrs. Ball were very prominent in the community where they lived and were faithful members of the Universalist church. Mr. Ball has now passed away but his widow still survives. They were the parents of five chil- dren, of whom four are yet living, Martha, Susan J., William L. and Abigail F. As previously stated, the eldest became the wife of Mr. Edwards and unto this marriage there were born nine children, Otis W., Thomas J., John, Anthony R., LeRoy E., Malcolm H., May, Clarence L. and Essie E. There are also five grandchildren, Walter, George, Julian, Esther and Louisa Edwards.
When age conferred upon Thomas J. Edwards the right of franchise he became a supporter of the republican party, casting his first vote for General Grant. While a resident of Kickapoo township he filled the office of justice of
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the peace and twice he has served as supervisor, his reelection coming to him in recognition of his faithfulness and capability during his first term. He holds membership in the Episcopal church, to which he is most devoted, contributing generously to its support and doing all in his power to further its interests. He belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also to the Sons of Veterans. Progress and patriotism may well be termed the keynote of his char- acter. At all times he stands for that which is most beneficial to the welfare of city, county and state. He has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful man of business and in his dealings is known for his prompt and hon- orable methods, which have won him the deserved and unbounded confidence of his fellowmen.
HON. JOHN DAILEY.
Peoria and the surrounding country know the Hon. John Dailey as an able member of the bar. The state at large is familiar with his record as a member of the senate to which he was elected on the republican ticket. His mental force, his patriotic spirit, his devotion to the general good have placed him in a position of leadership in the upper house, and his friends, who are many, are predicting that higher honors await him. Should he not again enter public office he will undoubtedly leave his impress upon the history of the state because of his well known ability as advocate and counselor, his work during twenty-one years' connection with the Peoria bar being evidence of his ability in that direc- tion. He was admitted to practice in 1890 at which time he was a young man of twenty-three years. His birth occurred in Peoria on the 17th of April, 1867, his parents being John and Hannah ( Murphy) Dailey. The father was a veteran of two wars, the Mexican and the Civil. He first came to Peoria in 1849 from the state of New York and remained here for several years, after which he re- returned east and enlisted in a Massachusetts regiment in defense of the stars and stripes, following the outbreak of hostilities between the north and the south. He was wounded at the battle of Antietam and as a result of his injuries was honorably discharged. After the war he returned to Peoria where he conducted business as a shoemaker. He died in December, 1908, but his wife is still living.
It was in this city that the Hon. John Dailey was reared and in the local schools he pursued his education until graduated from the high school with the class of 1885. He afterward entered the University of Michigan and there studied until graduated from the law department with the class of 1890. He likewise pursued a literary course in that institution and thus came to the bar well equipped for the duties which devolved upon him, his broad knowledge and natural resourcefulness qualifying him to take up the onerous duties of the pro- fession. In connection with Harry S. Miller in 1904, he organized the law firm of Dailey & Miller and has since continued in practice. The carefulness with which he has prepared his cases and the force with which he presents his cause have often excited and always won the admiration of his contemporaries and colleagues. He readily understands the relation of cause and effect and this is a valuable element in sifting out his evidence to gain the salient points in the litigation. He always prepares for defense as well as attack and his ability is further attested by the many verdicts which he has won favorable to the inter- ests of his clients.
Aside from his profession Mr. Dailey's greatest activity is manifest in the field of politics. He served as assistant city attorney from 1894 until 1896 and in the latter year was elected to the office of state's attorney of Peoria county for a four years' term. He was a member of the forty-fourth general assembly, and is now serving for his first term as a member of the senate. He is chair- man of the legislative public utilities committee and was the author of the cor-
JOHN DAILEY
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
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rupt practice bill which was passed in the last senate but was defeated in the house. He was also chairman of the committee on primary elections which pre- pared the present primary law. Senator Dailey doing much of the work on that document. In relation to his public service one of the local papers has said : "In 1895 he was appointed assistant city attorney and in that capacity he demon- strated his capabilities to such effect that in the following year he was nominated for the office of state's attorney on the republican ticket and was elected by a large majority. Here his talents were given full play, and during the four years that he held the office his profound knowledge of the law and his forensic ability brought him conspicuously to the front. In 1905 he was elected one of the rep- resentatives from the Peoria district to the forty-fourth general assembly and in 1900 was elected a member of the state senate. As a state senator his course has been marked with an honesty of purpose, an aggressiveness and a natural gift of oratory that have made him the leader on the floor and placed him in the front rank as one of the political leaders in the state in the interests of the re- publican party and of the people at large. John Dailey, in the exercise of natural qualities, rises far above the ordinary politician. Skilled in the rules of debate, gifted with a splendid oratorical presence and power, equal to any emergency and actuated by an inborn sense of right and justice, he exhibits all the qualities of the statesman and in the not distant future he will be called upon to guide the destinies of this, the third state in the Union, or to take a seat in the coun- cils of the nation.
In 1895 Mr. Dailey was united in marriage to Miss Clara F. Johnston, of Peoria, the daughter of Robert F. Johnston, who was a retired farmer and died in 1910. Mrs. Dailey was born and reared in this county and by her marriage has become the mother of one daughter, Lucille. Fraternally Mr. Dailey is con- nected with the Masons and his belief in and loyalty to the order has caused him to advance through it various branches until he has reached the thirty- second degree of the Scottish Rite. He is also a member of Mohammed Temple of the Mystic Shrine and in his further fraternal relations is connected with the Knights of Pythias, Knights of Khorassan, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is well known in the member- ship of the Creve Coeur Club and those who oppose him politically have enter- tained the highest respect for him personally, recognizing the fact that he has made wise use of his natural gifts and that they have been enhanced by persist- ent application, bringing him to a most creditable position in the front ranks of the active men, distinguished lawyers and political leaders of the state. He is ever a factor to be reckoned with for it is well known that nothing can swerve him from a course which he believes to be right.
OTHMAR M. KLEIN.
In this commercial age character and attainments are to a large extent judged by business success. The standard is a good one since commercial prominence is gained only through hard work and alert judgment and a discriminating mind. A man in whose business career these qualities have been dominating factors is Othmar M. Klein, president of the Klein-Watson Company, engaged in the general contracting and plastering business in this city. The firm has offices in the Jefferson building, where they have been located since March, 1910. Mr. Klein was born in Pekin, Illinois, December 5, 1876. His family is of German origin but has been in this country since before the Revolution. His parents were Jacob and Augusta Klein, the former a prominent contractor in Pekin and a member of the city council for some time. He died in 1896, at the age of Vol. II-21
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sixty-one years, and is buried in St. Joseph's cemetery. His wife still survives him and is living in Peoria.
Othmar M. Klein received his early education in the German Catholic and public schools of his native city but laid aside his books at the age of fifteen. He engaged in the plastering business for a short time but, seeing greater pos- sibilities in the line of activity which his father followed, he and his brother Emil joined their father in his general contracting and plastering business, which association was extremely successful and continued until 1896, when Jacob Klein passed away. The two brothers did not sever their connection until 1900, at which period Othmar Klein came to Peoria and started in business for him- self. He was successful from the beginning. His business increased annually and his hard work and ability brought him many new clients every year. . In March, 1910, he entered into partnership with L. L. Watson and incorporated the business under the firm name of the Klein-Watson Company, Mr. Klein retaining the office of president, in which capacity he is serving at the present time.
On November 30, 1902, Mr. Klein was united in marriage to Miss Anna Walsh, a daughter of James and Mamie Walsh, the former a circuit court clerk for many years prior to his death in 1900. He is buried in St. Mary's cemetery. His wife still survives him and resides in this city. Mr. Klein and his wife are the parents of one daughter, Beatrice Marie, now a student in the Peoria public schools. The family reside in the old homestead at 1218 Perry avenue and are well known and widely popular in this city.
Mr. Klein is a consistent member of the republican party and takes an active interest in local affairs. For six years he has served on the county board of supervisors and has done able and efficient work in this capacity. He is a devout adherent of the Roman Catholic church, in which faith he was reared, and belongs to the fourth degree of the Knights of Columbus. His religion is an active and vital force in his life and has given to an upright and honest busi- ness man the added qualification of a worthy and honorable Christian gentleman.
REV. ELIJAH F. HOWE.
Five years' service as pastor of the First Congregational church served to endear the Rev. Elijah F. Howe not only to his own parishioners but to many of other denominations. In fact, wherever he was known he was honored and esteemed for his life and his character was as clear as the sunlight. No man came in contact with him but at once appreciated him at his true worth and he was a man who not only cherished a high ideal of duty but who lived up to it. His friends have sorely missed him but the memory of his noble life, of his sin- cerity and simplicity will not be forgotten. It seemed that he should have been spared for years to come and yet in the almost fifty-five years of his earthly pilgrimage he accomplished very much more than many a man whose life span stretches out to three score years and ten.
Rev. Howe was born in Crafton, Massachusetts, September 19, 1832, and prepared for college at Munson, Massachusetts. The Rev. James Tufts, a pro- fessor in the academy, says of him: "E. Franklin Howe called at my boarding place in the spring of 1853, to see me in regard to entering the academy to prepare for college. He was, I saw at once, a mature, prompt, earnest young man, desiring, if he came, to teach penmanship in the academy in aid of his support, which he did very successfully through his course. He commenced his studies the spring term and continued here the two following years, enter- ing Yale College well prepared in 1855. Mr. Howe was not a brilliant scholar and probably did not learn so easily as if he had commenced his studies younger,
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but he was always industrious and faithful, striving to get every lesson as well as he could. Such scholars usually improve rapidly so that Mr. Howe stood much higher relatively as a writer and scholar when he entered college than when he commenced his preparation. Uncommonly patient and persistent, he did all his work thoroughly as he was able, never relaxing his efforts, no matter how great the difficulties. This was especially noticeable in his writing and his composition exercises. Though he could debate fluently and speak acceptably in religious meetings, yet he could not write and compose easily, and had none of that felicity of diction which he afterward developed. Still his patience never failed. There was not a student in school who showed more persistence in learning to think, write and compose than Mr. Howe, till he really began to excel in a clear, terse, thoughtful style, somewhat as he afterward appeared in his pulpit performances." With the completion of his college course at Yale in the class of 1859 Mr. Howe entered upon the study of theology at New Haven and also prepared for the active work of the ministry in Princeton University. He entered upon pastoral duties at South Canaan, Connecticut, in 1861, and after- ward accepted a call from a church at Terre Haute, Indiana, remaining in charge there for eleven years, or from 1865 until 1876. He then returned to New England and for six years had a pastorate at Newtonville, Massachusetts. In 1882 he received a unanimous call to the First Congregational church at Peoria and in September of that year entered upon his duties in this city. He was untiring in his efforts to build up the church, adding to its strength numeric- ally and spiritually. While he was a firm believer in the principles for which his denomination stood there was nothing narrowly sectarian about him. His was the Christianity that transcends creeds and dogmas and stands on the broader plane of Biblical teaching. It was only when ill health compelled such a course that he put aside his active duties as pastor of the church, hoping that rest might restore him to his wonted health.
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