USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 66
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J. W. BUSHELL
THE NEW HOEK PUBLIC LIENARY 1
LK ION ANT CUINCA" ...
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HISTORY OF PEORIA COUNTY
John W. Bushell received his education in the grammar and high schools of Peoria. Upon his father's death in 1888 he succeeded to the business, which still retains the firm name of A. A. Bushell & Son. It is a magnificent concern at the present time, located on South Washington street, and doing an immense business in its different branches. The roofing department has progressed and flourished more and more every year, while the asphalt interests are a business in itself. Most of the asphalt pavements in Peoria are the work of A. A. Bushell & Son, and the success in this line which Augustine Bushell won by hard work, constant absorption in business, and strict honesty. John W. Bushell has carried on by the kindred qualities of broad intelligence, energy, a thorough knowledge of the science of asphalt making from beginning to end, and a con- tinnation of the honest principles of his father.
In 1885 John W. Bushell married Miss Catherine Donnelly of Peoria and they became the parents of eleven children. Mr. Bushell attends St. Marks church and is actively interested in its affairs. His business reputation is un- questioned in Peoria, and his success is founded upon uprightness of purpose and scrupulously honest methods.
HENRY G. SCHWEITZER.
Henry G. Schweitzer, president of The Cereal Food Company, is one of the enterprising representatives of the manufacturing interests of Peoria, who has made a name and place for himself in the local business circles by reason of the keen discernment, well defined methods and general intelligence he has mani- fested in the development of his industry. He was born in San Jose, Mason county, Illinois, on February 14, 1864, and is a son of Henry G. and Christina Schweitzer. The father was one of the very early pioneer settlers of Mason county, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits during the remaining period of his active life. He was living in retirement at the time of his death which occurred in July, 1894, at the venerable age of eighty-three. He was survived by the mother, who was seventy-seven when she passed away in 1897. The family is of German nationality, the father having been born and reared in the old country, whence he emigrated to the United States in 1830.
Reared on the farm where he was born, Henry G. Schweitzer passed the early years of his life in a manner typical to the country lad of Illinois at that period. He received but a limited education, having left school at the age of eleven years in order to assist his father with the operation of the farm. Dur- ing the succeeding six years he gave his undivided attention to the work of the fields and care of the stock, but at the expiration of that time he started out to inake his own way in the world. Feeling that commercial activities offered better remuneration for the same amount of labor than agriculture he deter- mined to qualify himself for a business career. The first two years after leav- ing home he worked at various occupations, subsequently coming to Peoria where he obtained a salesman's position with The Comstock Avery Furniture Com- pany. He continued in the service of this firm for seventeen years, thus ac- quiring a very thorough knowledge of modern commercial methods and at the same time slowly accumulating the necessary capital to engage in business for himself. In 1900, he resigned his position and went into the vinegar and pickle business, his establishment being conducted under the name of The Central City Pickle Company. After developing this into a well organized and thriving activity, he disposed of it and bought up the Norman, Case, Smith Cereal Food Com- pany. He increased the capitalization of this concern from five thousand to twenty-two thousand dollars, which resulted in a corresponding increase in its sales department. Mr. Schweitzer possesses sound judgment and practical ideas
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and reinforces these with the tireless energy and the determination of purpose that invariably bring success in any undertaking. He incorporated his enter- prise in April, 1910, and removed his plant to the foot of Cedar street, where they are still located. Through his intelligent and capably executed system the business is developing in a highly satisfactory manner and they now occupy a new building, three hundred by fifty feet.
Mr. Schweitzer has been twice married. His first union was with Miss Lucy Muhl, who passed away on February 22, 1896, and was laid to rest in Spring- dale cemetery. Two boys were born to them: Harry E., who is now twenty- two years of age and the secretary of The Cereal Food Company; and Lucien M., who is a youth of fifteen years. On the 6th of May, 1898, Mr. Schweitzer was married to Miss Katherine Strunk, a daughter of Carl Strunk, the father a well known merchant tailor of this city. One child has been born to Mr. Schweitzer and his second wife, Corrinne, who is attending school. The fam- ily live at 122 Barker avenue, where Mr. Schweitzer erected a very pleasant residence in 1890.
Mr. and Mrs. Schweitzer are members of the German Methodist Episcopal church, and fraternally he is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Travelers Protective Association, while in politics he is a republican. He has been a resident of Peoria for practically thirty years, having first lo- cated here in 1883, and during the intervening years he has manifested those qualities that have won him recognition as a man of more than average ability. His progress in the business world has not been at all phenomenal, but the slow, steady advance of the man with a definite aim and strongly concentrated forces ; the essential factors for success in any career.
JAMES TOWLE ROGERS.
Sixty years of successful business in a city, entitles a man to be numbered among the citizens who have contributed to the growth and progress of that city. Individual success in business is coincident with a share in the communal prosperity. No man can do his work well and honestly, build up his business along lines of integrity and honor, from small beginnings to a successful cul- mination, without being a factor in the growth and industrial upbuilding of the city in which he lives. A man of this class, one who has given his undivided attention for a half a century to an honorable calling, promoting the prosperity of Peoria by the sure means of his personal success, is James Towle Rogers, pioneer lumberman and successful business man of this city.
James Towle Rogers was born in Brockport, New York, January 10, 1833. His parents were Pelatiah and Mary Rogers, of good old American stock, proud to trace their ancestry back to the Captain Rogers, who came over to this coun- try in the Mayflower, and whose descendants in this country wherever found, are carrying out his traditions of stanch and sturdy independence. Mr. James Rogers' education was received in the country schools and in Knox Seminary. He came to Peoria at an early age, and after two years spent in the grocery business in this city, he began dealing in all kinds of lumber. His first lumber mill was opened in Peoria in March, 1858. It was situated at the corner of Fayette and Washington streets. He put his entire time, and his concentrated efforts into his work, doing almost all of the work himself, and building up by his unflagging industry, his strict honesty and his unvarying attention to the turning out of perfect workmanship, an industry which grew and flourished year by year. He next opened a plant at the corner of Adams and Harrison streets, and this was an enlargement and improvement over the original lumber inill. When the business grew too large even for these quarters, Mr. Rogers
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moved his establishment to its present location at 1016 South Washington street. ]Je has been known for half a century in Peoria as an expert lumber- man, who is intimately acquainted with the details of the business, and as a man who carved out his own success by the sure methods of honesty and fair dealing. He does not specialize in any particular branch, but does general mill- ing and sawing of lumber. He has always been affiliated with the republican party, but reserves the right to vote for the man whom he considers best fitted for the position. He belongs to no secret societies nor to any clubs, but lets his business absorb all his energies. He is a devoted and prominent member of the First Congregational church.
On October 8, 1863, Mr. Rogers was married to Miss Anna Williams Dinwid- die. a daughter of Hugh and Mary Dinwiddie of Peoria. Of this union were born four children: Harry James, who married Caroline Sammis; Mary, the wife of James L. Bickford; Herbert Dinwiddie, who married Edith A. Quinn; and Charles Offield, who married Jetta M. Bailey. He is now seventy-nine years of age, and stands at the summit of a successful career, happy in the knowledge that his prosperity is the deserved reward of an honorable and upright life.
AUGUSTIN V. D. ROUSSEAU.
Among the leading members of the legal profession in Peoria who have dis- tinguished themselves in comparatively early life may be mentioned Augustin V. D. Rousseau, a general practitioner, with offices at No. 127 North Jefferson avenue, at which he has been practicing since 1901. He was born in Peoria, October 16, 1874, a son of the late A. V. D. and Katherine E. ( Bowman) Rous- seau. The father was a well known wholesale grocer of Peoria, formerly of Hennepin, Putnam county, Illinois, who settled in Peoria in 1869. From the time of his identification with the wholesale grocery trade in Peoria until his death he made that his business. The family is of French origin and was es- tablished in the new world before the days of the Revolutionary war and the great-grandfather, Charles Huelett, was a soldier in the American army during the Revolutionary period. The great-grandfather, Louis Rousseau, emigrated from France to the island of San Domingo, having obtained from Louis XIV a large tract of land in that island. He emigrated to the United States in 1789 and settled in Philadelphia. The father died in 1903, at the age of sixty years, and the mother passed away in 1906, at the age of fifty-seven years. The mother's family settled in Peoria in 1860.
Augustin V. D. Rousseau attended the common schools of Peoria and was graduated from the high school in 1894. He then entered the University of Michigan, wherein he pursued his studies for four years, being graduated from that institution with the degree of A. B. His legal knowledge was obtained partly in the University of Michigan and partly in the law office of Jack S. Tichenor in Peoria. Mr. Rousseau was admitted to the bar in 1901 and he has since practiced his profession in this city. His career has been a distinguished and successful one and he is an honored member of the Peoria Bar Association. He has always taken a deep interest in matters affecting the welfare of his city, community and state and is secretary of the Peoria Deep Waterway Association.
In Tremont, Tazewell county, Illinois, on June 2, 1903, Mr. Rousseau was united in marriage to Miss Helen M. Campbell. a daughter of Adams A. and Lida (Briggs) Campbell. The father passed away recently and the mother died in Peoria in 1897, being buried in Springdale cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Rous- seau have one daughter, Dorothea, born September 10, 1908, and a son, Clem- ant Van Dyke, born September 26, 1911.
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Politically Mr. Rousseau is affiliated with the republican party, and was justice of the peace from 1905 to 1909. He is a member of the Creve Coeur Club, and in his religious connection belongs to St. Paul's Episcopal church, of which he was a vestryman. The family during the winter months occupy their home at No. 302 Bigelow street and during the warm season they reside at Prospect Heights. Peoria is fortunate in having as a member of its legal pro- fession a young man with the ability possessed by Mr. Rousseau. His profes- sional knowledge is exhaustive and in his presence he is tactful, his ability win- ning him a greater degree of success than usually falls to the lot of an attorney of his age and experience.
CHARLES H. FELTMAN.
Peoria, with its pulsing industrial activities, its excellent shipping facilities and its favorable location in the center of the great grain belt of the country, is continuously drawing to itself important business concerns and eliciting the co- operation and activity of business men of marked enterprise and capability. For a quarter of a century Charles H. Feltman has occupied a central place on the stage of commercial and financial progress and is today widely known as a suc- cessful grain merchant, as a promoter of the Central National Bank and as the president of the Peoria Board of Trade. He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, March 31, 1859, his parents being Henry and Catharine (von der Velde) Felt- man. The father, leaving Westphalia, Germany, in 1836, when a mere boy, sailed for America and for a number of years thereafter made his home in Chicago. He was married in Wisconsin to Catharine von der Velde, who in the year 1848 accompanied her parents from Hanover, Germany, the family being among the first to leave their section of the fatherland for America. The family home was established in Wisconsin and there Mr. and Mrs. Feltman began their domestic life, removing several years later to Pekin, Illinois. It was in 1864 that Henry Feltman took up his abode in Pekin, where for many years he con- ducted business successfully as a lumber merchant.
Charles H. Feltman, a lad of five years at the time of the removal to this state, pursued his early education in the public schools of Pekin and made such progress, owing to his natural aptitude for study, that at the notably early age of fourteen he was able to enter the Iowa Wesleyan University at Mount Pleas- ant, having the distinction of being the youngest scholar ever enrolled in that institution of learning. While a student there he joined the Beta Theta Pi, a college fraternity, and the only secret society with which he has ever become identified. After two years of steady work at Mount Pleasant he decided to enter the business world and although his father was a man of considerable wealth and would gladly have aided his son in establishing himself in business, the latter preferred to "row his own canoe," as he expresses it, and from the age of sixteen has depended entirely upon his own labor and resources. He secured the position of bookkeeper at the Smith Wagon Works in Pekin and afterward became bookkeeper for Wilson & Holcomb, proprietors of a distillery there. On the incorporation of that business, the members of the firm, in recogintion of the efficient and faithful service of Mr. Feltman, had certain stock in the cor- poration laid away for the young bookkeeper. The work of the latter was so satisfactory that when he was eighteen years of age he was elected secretary and manager of the company, filling the dual position with distinction for a number of years.
In 1886 Mr. Feltman resigned his position and came to Peoria, entering the grain commission firin of Smith, Hippen & Company, which had its home office in Pekin. He acted as managing partner at Peoria and five years later, follow-
C. H. FELTMAN
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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ing the death of Mr. Hippen, entered the grain trade on his own account, thus establishing himself in the business in which he is now most successfully en- gaged, ranking with the foremost grain merchants of Peoria. He is a man of determined purpose and keen insight, forceful and resourceful, and his persever- ance, combined with keen business judgment, enables him to carry forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. In addition to the grain business Mr. Feltman is the owner of two well improved forms, one comprising three hundred acres in Elmwood township and the other two hundred and forty acres in Richwoods township. He is identified with financial circles as one of the directors of the Central National Bank of Peoria, to which office he was called in 1908, while for a long term of years he has been one of its stockholders. For a quarter of a century he has operated on the Board of Trade of Peoria and is now its honored president. He is also a member of the Illinois Grain Dealers' Association, the National Hay Association and the National Grain Dealers' As- sociation.
On the 7th of February, 1895, in Peoria, Mr. Feltman was married to Miss Ethel E. Smith, and they are now parents of two daughters and a son, Catharine, Marion and Carl. The family occupies a beautiful and well appointed residence at No. 401 West Armstrong avenue, and Mr. Feltman owns other choice resi- dence property in the city. The family attend the First Congregational church. Mr. Feltman serving at the present time for the third term as a church trustee. He belongs also to the Creve Coeur Club, the Transportation Club and to the Association of Commerce, organizations in which he takes a lively interest, con- tributing to their advancement in a financial way and through active cooperation. It is characteristic of him that he works diligently in behalf of any movement or measure with which he becomes identified. His interests are varied and each organization or enterprise with which he is connected feels the stimulus of his indefatigable energy and his progressive spirit. His opinions carry weight in social as well as business circles and he has attained a position that classes him with Peoria's most representative and honored business men.
HUGH LINWOOD DICKSON.
Hugh Linwood Dickson, general counsel for the Brotherhood of Locomo- tive Firemen and Enginemen, with offices on the twelfth floor of the Jefferson building, Peoria, since January 1, 1909, is an attorney of broad professional knowledge and experience. He was born in Water Valley. Mississippi, August 12, 1871, the son of William R. and Ella P. ( McCornico) Dickson.
His preliminary education was acquired in the public and high schools of Water Valley and he later entered the law department of the University of Mississippi, remaining a student of that institution during 1895 and 1896. On March 20, 1896, he was admitted to the bar by the supreme court of Jackson, Mississippi, and at Water Valley. Mississippi, he at once engaged in the practice of his profession. In December of that year he went to Memphis, Tennessee, where he remained until June, 1899, when he removed to Kingman, Arizona. In November, 1900, he was elected attorney for Mohave county and in 1902 he was reelected. serving until 1905, when, in January of that year he removed to San Bernardino, California, where he again engaged in the practice of his profession. In November, 1906, he was elected district attorney for a term of four years but resigned this position toward the close of 1908 and immediately thereafter set- tled in Peoria. Mr. Dickson still retains his membership in the San Bernardino Bar Association, of which he is an honored and valued member.
His family consists of two daughters : Margaret, who is six years of age; and Dorothy, aged three years. His fraternal connection is limited to membership Vol. II-28
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in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. The family residence is at No. 319 Indiana avenue. Mr. Dickson possesses a broad knowledge of the law and has the advantage of a diversified experience in different parts of the United States. He is fast building up a lucrative practice in Peoria and has already attained a creditable standing in professional and business circles in the cty of his adoption.
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M. D. SPURCK, M. D.
Dr. M. D. Spurck, a well known representative of the medical profession in Peoria, makes a specialty of the treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and throat and has maintained his offices in the Jefferson building since the Ist of May, 1910. His birth occurred in this city on the 16th of May, 1882, his par- ents being M. D. and Harriet (Selby) Spurck. The father, a pioneer manu- facturer of corn planters, passed away in 1897, at the age of sixty-three years, his remains being interred in St. Joseph's cemetery. His widow makes her home at No. 401 Monroe street and has an extensive circle of friends in Peoria.
M. D. Spurck pursued his education in this city until graduated from the high school in 1900, when he entered the University of Pennsylvania, which in- stitution conferred upon him the degree of M. D. in 1904. He then spent a year as interne in St. Christopher's Hospital at Philadelphia and subsequently served as externe at the Wills Eye Hospital for eighteen months. In 1907 he went to Europe, continuing his studies in the hospital of the University of Vienna and acting as clinical assistant in the ear, nose and throat department of that institu- tion during the years of 1907, 1908 and 1909. While a resident of Vienna he spent eighteen months as assistant in the private office and hospital of Dozent Hajek. His thorough training abroad well equipped him for his chosen life work and since his return to America he has practiced successfully as a specialist in the treatment of diseases of the ear, nose and throat, making Peoria the scene of his professional labors. He holds membership in the Peoria County Medical Society, the Pepper Medical Society of Philadelphia, and the Alpha Mu Pi Omega Medical Fraternity. He also belongs to the Creve Coeur and Country Clubs and fraternally is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His residence is at No. 401 Monroe street. Though still a young mari, Dr. Spurck has already attained a position in professional ranks which augurs well for the future.
CLARENCE W. HEYL.
Clarence W. Heyl, an attorney at law conducting a general practice, has of- fices at 307 German Fire Insurance building, in Peoria, where he has been lo- cated since 1907. He was born at Manito, Mason county, Illinois, on the 14th of May, 1884, a son of William E. and Etura Heyl. The former is a merchant, farmer and grain dealer residing at Manito. The family is of German origin and the grandfather, Christian Heyl, settled in Groveland, Illinois, in 1846.
Clarence W. Heyl received his preliminary education at the district school near his father's home and completed a high-school course at Washington. He then came to Peoria where he attended Brown's Business College, after which he was employed by Fred Ticknor, insurance inspector, as bookkeeper for three years. He then obtained the position of special representative for the new Eng- land Mutual Life Insurance Company and during the time he served this com- pany was engaged in going to school, his active service being during vacations. His choice of a profession having been determined, in 1904 he entered the Illi-
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nois Wesleyan University and Law School at Bloomington, taking both the lit- erary and legal courses, and upon the completion of his studies there he passed a satisfactory examination and was graduated with the degree of LL.B., being admitted to the bar in December, 1907. Immediately after his admission to the bar he settled in Peoria and began practicing his profession. He returned, how- ever, in June, 1908, to the law school for the purpose of taking post-graduate work. He is a member of the Peoria County and State Bar Associations, keep- ing in close touch with the advancement made in his profession.
Mr. Heyl was married in Paragould, Arkansas, December 25, 1909, to Miss Mayme Randolph, a daughter of E. E. and Laura Randolph, the former a lum- ber and stave manufacturer. To this union has been born a daughter, Helen Grace, whose birth occurred June 25, 1911. Mr. Heyl's allegiance is given to the republican party and though not a politician in the sense of being an office seeker he gives considerable attention to the political matters of the state and nation. He is a life member of the Phi Gamma Delta, a Greek letter fraternity, and is also affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In his religious connec- tion he is a trustee of the Hale Memorial Methodist Episcopal church and both he and his wife are actively engaged in church work. The family residence is at 103 Tobias street, a beautiful and comfortable home. Although a young man and of comparatively short professional experience he is rapidly building up a steady practice. He is among the most respected citizens of the city and the fidelity with which he cares for all cases entrusted to him has gained the con- fidence of the public generally.
WILLIAM S. KELLOGG.
William S. Kellogg, an attorney at law conducting a general practice with offices at 407 German Fire Insurance building, has been identified with Peoria and here practiced his profession since 1883. He was born at Pekin, Illinois, June 24, 1842, a son of Benjamin Kellogg, who was connected with the mercantile trade, being a member of the firm of Crain & Kellogg, established in 1829. He passed away December 22, 1855.
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