USA > Illinois > Peoria County > Peoria > Peoria city and county, Illinois; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. II > Part 87
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Mayor Woodruff and the appointment was approved by the city council. He is now serving for the second term and his service has been marked by devotion to duty that none can question.
Mr. Wolgamott is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Modern Woodmen of America and he also belongs to the International Association of Electricians. At the meeting held at Atlantic City in September, 1911, he was elected chairman of its executive committee, a position which indicates his high standing in the order and his recognized ability.
J. ELLSWORTH BURBY, M. D.
Dr. J. Ellsworth Burby, physician and surgeon, has been known as an able representative of the medical profession in Peoria since 1898, maintaining an office at No. 120 North Adams street. His birth occurred at Fort Edward, New York, on the 13th of October, 1870, his parents being John and Ann Burby. The father was engaged in business as a paper manufacturer and gave his politi- cal allegiance to the republican party. He passed away in 1896 and was buried at Fort Edward. His widow still makes her home at that place.
J. Ellsworth Burby obtained his early education in the graded and high schools of his native town and subsequently pursued a course of study in the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. Having determined upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he devoted his attention to the mastery of the profes- sion and in 1895 won the degree of M. D. at Baltimore, Maryland. Locating for practice at Fort Edward, New York, he there remained for three years, making a specialty of the diseases of men and women. During the past four- teen years he has been numbered among the medical practitioners of Peoria, being accorded a constantly increasing practice as he has demonstrated his skill and ability in his chosen field of labor.
On the 11th of November, 1901, in Chicago, Dr. Burby was united in mar- riage to Miss Sophia Eisler, by whom he has one daughter, Eleanor. The family residence is at No. 801 Perry avenue.
HON. JEFFERSON R. BOULEVARE.
Hon. Jefferson R. Boulevare, junior member of the law firm of Mansfield, Cowan & Boulevare, has been identified with the legal fraternity in Peoria since June, 1896. He was born in Putnam, Illinois, July 27, 1867, the son of Judge W. Boulevare. The father was judge of the county court of Clark county, Missouri, having filled out a partly expired term and later two full terms, and he also held numerous other honorary offices in that county. He was holder of large landed interests in Missouri and during the Civil war was a wearer of the gray in the Confederate army. He died in December, 1907, at the age of seventy-one years, and his remains lie in the family cemetery in Clark county. He is survived by his wife, Martha ( Woolridge) Boulevare, whose family is of English extraction, having been founded in this country several centuries ago. Her immediate family removed from Kentucky to Illinois at a comparatively early date. The family of Boulevare is well known in Mis- souri and has the distinction of being a family of lawyers. Of French extrac- tion, the progenitors of the family settled on the American continent, emigrat- ing from England at a very early period, its various members having won dis- tinction in the Civil, Mexican and Black Hawk wars. John N. Boulevare, the grandfather of the subject of this review, had the distinction of being one of the
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youngest and also one of the oldest members in the Missouri legislature. He was a large landowner, owning at one time about four thousand acres in Missouri and being a close personal friend of John West.
The boyhood days of Jefferson R. Boulevare were spent in Illinois and his primary education was gained in the district schools. He later attended Grave's College at La Grange, Missouri, from which he was graduated in 1885 with the degree of A. B. Following his graduation he went to Tallula, Menard county, Illinois, and there taught as superintendent in the high school for five years, hav- ing previously taught for two years in the country schools. He inherited the legal instincts and inclinations of his family and, deciding to become a lawyer, in 1893 he entered the St. Louis (Mo.) Law School, where he remained a stu- dent until 1895. In that year he was licensed by the supreme courts of Missouri and Illinois to practice law and shortly afterward he went to Petersburg; Illi- nois, where for a year he engaged in teaching and also followed his profession. In 1896 he came to Peoria and engaged in the practice of law at first inde- pendently but later entering into various partnership relations. In. 1910 he be- came the junior member of the law firm of Mansfield & Cowan, a relationship which still continues. He showed marked skill in the handling of causes com- mitted to him and is now attorney for numerous corporations. He is a member of the Peoria and Illinois State Bar Associations and takes every opportunity to keep abreast of the times in all matters affecting his professional life.
At Pittsfield, Illinois, April 23, 1908, Mr. Boulevare was united in marriage to Miss Jeannette L. Hicks, a daughter of N. T. and Charlotte Hicks. The father is cashier of the First National Bank of Pittsfield. Mrs. Boulevare is the niece of Judge Harry Higbee, circuit judge of the eighth Illinois judicial circuit and appellate judge of the fourth district of Illinois. She is a member of the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution, being a direct descendant of Captain Simon Hicks, an officer in the Revolutionary army.
Mr. Boulevare has always been a stanch democrat and popular in the councils of his party. He served in the forty-third and forty-fifth sessions of the general assembly of the state of Illinois, representing the eighteenth senatorial district. In his fraternal relations he is a blue lodge Mason and is also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America. He has likewise held membership in the Creve Coeur Club. Through his political and profes- sional activities Mr. Boulevare has become well known not only in Peoria but throughout the state of Illinois and Peoria is fortunate in numbering among her citizens so able and representative a man.
JOHN W. WINZELER.
The undertaking business has no more able representative in this city at the present time than John W. Winzeler, who has been connected with that line of activity in Peoria since 1902. Mr. Winzeler is a good example of a self-made man, who has worked out his own honorable career by hard work, native in- telligence, and a high standard of honesty. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, Nov- ember 21, 1871, the son of Theophile and Lydia (Ott) Winzeler. The hard- ships of his early life left him very little opportunity to acquire an education, and it was not until he was twenty years of age that he had the advantage of more than a few years study in a country school. Theophile Winzeler, the father of the subject of this sketch, was a farmer near Toledo, Ohio, but died when his son, John Winzeler, was but four years old, leaving his wife with five small children. One year later, the mother moved to Topeka, Kansas, bought a farm, and faced the world alone. All of her five children were compelled to assist in the management, and their early life was filled with the hard work which farm life implies. When John Winzeler was twenty years old, he went
J. W. WINZELER
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to school in Bloomington, Illinois, and added to this a course at Brown's Busi- ness College, in Peoria, from which he was graduated in 1893. One year later, he started in the furniture and undertaking business in Tremont, Illinois, and was very successful. In 1902, being desirous of enlarging his field of activity, he moved to Peoria, where he opened his undertaking parlors and has done a successful business since that time.
John Winzeler was married in Tremont, Illinois, November 13, 1895, to Miss Zella E. Johnson, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Johnson of that city. Mr. Johnson is a very prominent resident of his native county, is a veteran of the Civil war, and the owner of much valuable Illinois farm land.
John Winzeler takes no active part in the politics of his city, beyond voting a consistently republican ticket. He is not connected with any church, believing in freedom of thought and in the right of every man to be the captain of his own soul. He is a Knights Templar Mason, and has been a member of the Creve Coeur Club of Peoria since his arrival here in 1902. His many genial qualities of heart and character have gained for him hosts of friends throughout the city, and his high standards of honor and integrity, have made him a prosperous and successful business man.
SAMUEL WOOLNER.
Mere success, throughout the history of the world, has never, save in a few rare instances, been the cause of any man being remembered by his fellowmen, and never has the mere accumulation of wealth won honor for the individual. The methods employed in the attainment of success however, may awaken ap- proval and admiration, for the world pays its tribute to him who, through en- terprise, unrelaxing efforts and clear-sighted judgment, makes advancement in business circles without infringing upon the rights of others, and who, in the years of his prosperity, recognizes his duties and his obligations to mankind. Such was the record of Samuel Woolner, who, throughout his entire career, never dev- iated from a course he found to be right and who, when prosperity rewarded him, gave cheerfully of his means to assist others. He figured in the life of Peoria as a distiller, financier and philanthropist. Here he passed away on the 4th of January, 1911, being then about sixty-six years of age, his birth having occurred at Szenitz, Hungary, on the IIth of March, 1845. He was the fifth son of Solo- mon and Sallie Woolner, also natives of Hungary, and while spending his youth- ful days under the parental roof he mastered the common branches of learning and also learned the distiller's trade, which had been the life occupation of his father. He was a youth of eighteen when he determined to come to America, hoping that better business opportunities might he secured in this country than he could obtain in his native land. He was practically empty-handed when he arrived in the new world. He made his way to Cleveland where he eagerly availed himself of any opportunity that would yield him an honest living, work- ing at various pursuits for several months. He afterward returned to Phila- delphia where he secured a position in a distillery, and the ability and resource- fulness which he displayed won him rapid advancement, and his labors brought to him a substantial financial return. . Carefully saving his earnings he was at length able to engage in business on his own account, joining his brothers Adolph and Ignatius in the purchase and conduct of a distillery at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1869. This they conducted for two years, when they sold out in that city and. in 1871. came to Peoria. They found a good field of labor here and purchased several distilleries which they successfully conducted for a long term of years. The business is now being conducted by the descendants of Samuel Woolner and of his brothers. When the three original partners had placed their busi-
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ness upon a substantial basis they sent to Hungary for their two other brothers, Jacob and Morris H., and all became partners in the distilling business, each super- intending and supervising certain lines of the work and all bending their efforts to- ward the development of the trade which, in course of time, reached extensive pro- portions. They became one of the most widely known firms in the distilling business in the middle west, nor did they confine their efforts to this line alone. They were instrumental in founding and building up the grape sugar industry in Peoria, holding a large amount of stock in the Peoria Grape Sugar Company, which they organized. From time to time Samuel Woolner extended his efforts into other business fields, and all enterprises with which he became connected profited by his cooperation, his sound judgment and his keen business discrimination. He became a leading factor in banking circles, and after serving for a time as director he was elected to the vice presidency of the German American National Bank, the leading moneyed institution of the city, and the predecessor of the Commercial German National Bank. Samuel Woolner also held stock in a num- ber of the leading Chicago banks. In 1894 he built the Atlas Distillery, then the largest in Peoria, and, in 1890, he was associated with his brother Adolph, in the erection of the Woolner building, one of the largest and most complete office buildings in the city, splendidly equipped according to modern methods and built in an attractive style of architecture. It would be difficult to measure the influence of Samuel Woolner and his brothers upon the trade and business relations of the city. They have been most active factors in promoting Peoria's growth and upbuilding.
In positions of a public or semi-public character Samuel Woolner figured prominently. For many years he was a member of the Peoria Board of Trade and filled nearly all of its offices. He was again and again called to positions of public trust and responsibility, and during his many years' service on the city council exercised his official prerogatives in support of various movements and projects which have become tangible elements for good in the city's im- provement and development. He was tendered the nomination for mayor, but pressing business duties always forced him to decline the proffered honor.
On the 20th of March, 1869, occurred the marriage of Samuel Woolner and Miss Johanna Levy, who died in Peoria in 1872, leaving a daughter, Hannah, now the wife of William B. Woolner. On the 19th of October, 1892, Samuel Woolner was again married, his second union being with Miss Miriam Steru- bach, a daughter of Louis Sterubach, of New York city. They became the parents of one son, Seymour, who is now a student at Yale College. Mr. Wool- ner greatly enjoyed travel and utilized much of his leisure in visiting points of interest in the new world and in the old. He was a lover of the beautiful in all its phases as manifested in both nature and art. His sterling qualities caused him to be admired and respected wherever he went. His word was as good as his bond, and his humanitarianism reached out in helpful spirit to all mankind. He held membership in Schiller Lodge, F. & A. M., and attained the thirty-second degree of Masonry of the Scottish Rite. He was president of the Anshai Ameth congregation of Peoria, thus holding to the religious faith of his fathers, and he was also honored with the presidency of the order of B'nai Brith for this district. He likewise served as president of the Home for Aged and Infirm Israelites at Cleveland, Ohio, and was a trustee of the Jewish Orphan Asylum in that city which maintains over five hundred orphan children. He served as president of the Union American Hebrew Congregations, which college is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. He contributed liberally to and was an active worker for almost every Jewish and non-sectarian charity and was recognized as a firm be- liever in conservative reform Judaism. He became known as one of the fore- most Jewish philanthropists of America, giving generously and liberally where it was needed, and seeking always the welfare and advancement of the race. It has been.said of him, "Nature endowed him with indefatigable will power and
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thorough business sagacity which, coupled with sterling honesty and truthful habits, had not only gained him a reputation of being one of the foremost busi- ness men of Peoria but also won him fame throughout the country." He never had occasion to regret his determination to come to America, for here he found the opportunities which he sought, and in their utilization won advancement and gained the financial position which enabled him to do so much for his fellowmen.
JAMES CHRISTOPHER DOLAN.
In the later years of his life James C. Dolan operated prominently, extensively and successfully in the real-estate field in Peoria, becoming a leading represen- tative of that line of business in the city. He was born here August 26, 1842, at the corner of Fayette and Adams streets, and his death occurred on the 12th of December, 1893, so that he was at that time in the fifty-second year of his age. His parents were Thomas and Judith ( Boyle) Dolan, who were natives of County Louth, Ireland, and in 1836 came to Peoria county, where they were married April 22, 1839.
James C. Dolan began his education in the public schools of Peoria, passing through consecutive grades until he became a high-school student, but he put aside his text-books on the death of his father, being then a youth of fifteen years. In early life he learned the machinist's trade but in early manhood put aside all business and personal considerations that he might aid his country in the Civil war. He enlisted at Springfield in 1863 as a private of the Eleventh Illinois Cavalry and was detailed for duty at post headquarters in that city. The commander of the post had him commissioned as second lieutenant and he was later transferred to Company G, of the Fifty-eighth Illinois Infantry, which regiment he joined at Montgomery, Alabama. Subsequently he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant and later to that of captain, serving in that capacity when mustered out.
After the war Captain Dolan returned to Peoria, where he entered into the grocery business in connection with his brother, John F. Dolan. Later, how- ever, he returned to industrial pursuits, establishing a foundry and machine shop at Henry, Illinois. While thus engaged he took up the study of law with the firm of Lindsay & Feinse and was admitted to the bar about 1869. He con- tinued in practice for several years but the latter part of his life was devoted to real-estate dealing in Peoria, in which connection he became widely and pron- inently known, handling many important realty transfers and promoting many property deals. Ini this he manifested sound judgment and marked discrimina- tion and his labors brought him merited and well deserved success.
On the 18th of January, 1870, in the Mooney Settlement church, Mr. Dolan was united in marriage to Miss Mary A. Mooney, whose family came from New York city to Peoria county in 1835. It was through the efforts of her great- grandfather Mooney that the Dolan family came to Peoria county. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Dolan were born two children: Oliver J., who married Ida A. Mc- Kenzie, and they have two children, James C. and Mary Angela; and Elizabeth M., the wife of W. E. Mckenzie, by whom she has two children, Ryburn Edward and Lois Elizabeth. The family are communicants of the Roman Catholic church, to which Mr. Dolan also belonged. His political allegiance was ever given to the democratic party from the time that age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He filled a number of local offices, the duties of which he discharged with promptness and fidelity. He served as township assessor and collector for several terms, was alderman from the old third ward of Peoria in 1876 and 1877 and again from 1879 until 1890 inclusive, so that his incumbency in the position covered altogether thirteen years, during most of which time he
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was chairman of the finance committee. His various reelections to the position indicated clearly the confidence vested in him by his fellow townsmen and his loyalty to the trusts reposed in him. He was also a member of the public library board and he cooperated in various plans and projects for the public good, doing everything in his power to further the interests of the community along sub- stantial and enduring lines.
JOHN W. FULLER.
John W. Fuller, now living practically retired in Peoria although prominently known in political circles, was born at Vevay, Switzerland county, Indiana, No- vember 1, 1839. His father, Benjamin F. Fuller, was a farmer by occupation, so that in his youthful days John W. Fuller had the usual experiences of the farm lad. He attended school in Ghent, Kentucky, and was also a public-school pupil in Illinois. He also attended the Hinman school and began work in the office of the county recorder, copying records under Joseph T. Barkman. He afterward accepted a clerical position in the office of Mors, Bradley & Company, beginning work in that connection when fifteen years of age. He remained with the house for some time and in 1865 went to Chillicothe, where for seventeen years he was closely connected with business interests as a grain and lumber dealer, as a grocer and as a loan agent. These various occupations claimed his time and attention and brought him substantial success until 1882, when his hearing became affected and he retired from business. He then returned to Peoria in 1884 and began writing editorials for the National Democrat and the Peoria Freeman. He was appointed chief clerk in connection with the construction of the government building and held that position for five years, or until the building was com- pleted. This was not his first connection with public office, however, for while in Chillicothe he had held the office of supervisor, at one time was acting mayor of the city and was a school director, highway commissioner and in fact took a very active and helpful part in public affairs and in promoting the welfare of the community.
In 1864, Mr. Fuller was united in marriage to Miss Sarah P. Truitt, a daughter of Henry Truitt, of Chillicothe, Illinois, who died April 28, 1890. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller are well known in Peoria and have an extensive circle of warm friends in this city. Mr. Fuller is prominent in Masonic circles, be- longing to Peoria Commandery, No. 4, K. T., and to other branches of Masonry here. As an Odd Fellow he has filled all of the chairs of the local lodge and was a delegate to the grand lodge for several years. He holds membership in the Episcopal church. His political support is given to the demo- cratic party and for fifteen years he served as chairman of the democratic central committee. He cast his first presidential ballot for Stephen A. Douglas and has voted for each democratic presidential nominee except Bryan. His influence in political circles has been of no restricted order. He has been an active worker for his party and in this as in other connections it is characteristic of Mr. Fuller that he labors entirely for the attainment of success.
BERNE M. MEAD.
Among the rising young bankers and business men of Peoria, Berne M. Mead occupies a prominent and honorable place. As cashier of and largest stock- holder in the State Trust & Savings Bank of Peoria he has his fingers on the financial and civic pulse of this city, occupying a conspicuous place in all its
BERNE M. MEAD
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activities. Illinois numbers Mr. Mead among her native sons, his birth having occurred in Chillicothe, Peoria county, May 17, 1880. He comes of ancestors identified with the banking business. His maternal grandfather, P. T. Matthews, came to Chillicothe in 1836, becoming a pioneer banker of that place, where after a well spent life he passed away in 1908. The parents of our subject are William M. and Minnie A. ( Matthews) Mead. His father is a prominent business man of Chillicothe, at present being cashier of the bank of Truitt-Matthews & Com- pany there. He was one of the original partners in that banking concern, a position which he has held since its establishment. Previously he was in the drug business, an occupation which he took up in 1868.
Berne M. Mead was reared in Chillicothe, where he received his early edu- cation in the public schools. After completing that course of instruction he entered St. John's Military School at Manlius, New York, where he remained for four years, subsequently becoming a student in Knox College at Galesburg, Illinois, from which he was graduated in 1900. Immediately after completing his school work he entered the bank at Chillicothe, where he occupied a respon- sible position. In Igor he accepted service with the old Peoria National Bank, where he remained for some time. Later he became identified with the Commer- cial German National Bank, serving that institution most acceptably. On Feb- ruary 1, 1910, succeeding W. M. Wood, former cashier of the Interstate Bank & Trust Company, he entered upon the discharge of his larger and more exact- ing duties, a position which he is holding with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the directory of the bank, which since has assumed the name of State Trust & Savings Bank of Peoria.
In 1901 Mr. Mead was married to Miss Lenna Short, of Topeka, Kansas, and there have been born to them two children, Charles William and Berne Matthews, Jr. Mr. Mead is a member of Phi Delta Theta, a college fraternity, and also belongs to the Creve Coeur and Peoria Country Clubs. He is an inde- fatigable worker for the commercial and civic interests of Peoria and is always on the alert to render the city any assistance within his power, striving to the extent of his physical, mental and financial ability to advance the interests of this important Illinois city. He is always ready to put his shoulder to the wheel to further any meritorious public enterprise and is recognized as being one of the most public-spirited in the set of the younger business men.
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