USA > Illinois > St Clair County > Portrait and biographical record of St. Clair County, Illinois : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 27
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Our subject was born in the Seventh Ward of the city, September 28, 1843. Ilis father, Capt. Englehard Gross, was born in Strasburg, Alsace, France, and was a soldier in the French army from the time he was sixteen years of age, While on the way to Moscow, Russia, he was promoted to the
rank of Captain. lle was instrumental in saving the life of a Russian officer who, as a token of grati- tude, gave him a handsome gold watch set with a diamond, which the subject of this sketch now has in his possession and which he values very highly as an heirloom. Capt. Gross was always conspicu- ous for his bravery, and his services were highly valued by that famous commander, Napoleon Bona- parte. In 1836, he came to America and located in Cahokia Township, St. Clair County, III., where the first work he did was for old Father Cable, a Catholic priest, in whose service he remained for some time. He was very finely educated and could speak and read German, French and English, his knowledge having been acquired principally by self-application.
In the city of St. Louis. Capt. Gross organized a company, which he drilled in French, and which became a part of the State militia. After leaving Father Cable, he leased forty acres of land, which is now within the city limits, and from that time on bought and traded in lands until his death, which occurred on the 4th of November, 1855. Ile was pre-eminently a man of business, and in the conduct of his worldly affairs showed judgment and shrewdness. Ile became very prominent throughout St. Clair County and was highly hon- ored by all who had the pleasure of his acquaint- ance. Politically, he was a Whig. Ils wife, formerly Mademoiselle Bridgette Roth, was born in Alsace, France, and died in East St. Louis in 1846. She bore her husband six children, but only two grew to mature years. The elder, Ferdinand, was drowned in Indian Lake near this city when twenty years of age, and Louis, the subject of this sketch, is the only survivor. After the death of his first wife Capt. Gross married again, but his second un- ion was childless. The paternal grandfather was a native of Germany but became a tradesman of Strasburg, Alsace, Germany. At the advanced age of eighty-two years, he joined his son, Capt. Gross, in East St. Louis, but his residence in this country only covered a period of six weeks, his death oc- curring in 1849.
When twelve years okl, Lonis Gross was left fathorless, but oyen at that early age he could drill almost as well as his accomplished father, who had
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been his teacher. He was thoroughly educated in English and German in the Christian Brothers' school on Seventh Street in old St. Louis, and upon leaving that institution at the age of fifteen years, he began clerking in a general store, which husmess occupied his attention for three years. Ile then began farming, a calling with which he had become familiar prior to his twelfth year, and un- til he attained his twenty-first year he continued to till the soil. Ile then took charge of the forty aeres of land that had been left to him, and in the spring of 1865 he responded to the draft, but his services were not accepted. He then returned to his farm, which he continued to till for five years, at the end of which time he leased Pittsburgh Lake and engaged in fishing for five years. He found this a profitable business and supplied the St. Louis market, as well as the country on this side of the river.
In 1873, our subject laid out the Lonis Gross Subdivision to East St. Louis, which was the first outside of the city. These lots fonnd a ready sale and laid the foundation for his present business. In 1864. he built and started a hotel, the Hunters' Retreat, which he conducted in a very successful and praiseworthy way until 1874, when he built the New Lake House on Broadway, of which he was the popular and prosperous proprietor until January 1, 1891, since which time he has rented the house. Upon retiring from the business, he soon formed a partnership with Henry Voss, his son-in-law. the firm being known as Gross & Voss, and these gentlemen have since been quite exten- sively engaged in the real-estate business. Since 1873. Mr. Gross has laid ont the Gross Subdivision to East St. Louis, the Louis Gross Addition of lot 33. the Arlington Place Addition and the Casper Voss Addition. In the spring of 1865, he opened Gross Park on Collinsville Avenue, now the Seventh Ward, which is five aeres in extent and is nicely shaded by beautiful native trees, oak, maple and pecan. It is neatly arranged with seats and is supplied with a fountain. platform and a hall. Mr. Gross owns four or five good farms, besides other valuable real estate, and is considered an authority on values, present and prospective. Ile p. courteous, affable and genial, and it is noticeable
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that all his patrons are his friends, owing to the fact that he is frank, prompt and straightforward.
Mr. Gross was married in French Village, De- cember 25, 1864, to Miss Natale Weagand, who was born in Frankfort, Germany, and who died November 30, 1890, leaving three children : Natalie, wife of Henry Voss; Louisa and Emma. Mr. Gross was a School Trustee for three years, and is, a be- liever in Republican principles. St. Henry's Catlr- olic Church counts him among its most active members. Ifis home is a very pleasant residence and is located at Gross Park.
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C ASPER VOSS, dealer in lime, cement, brick, builders' material and supplies, is a member of the firm of Voss & Ilaas, of East St. Louis, Ill. The enterprising members of this firm are business men of rare capacity, and the eminent success of their undertaking has more than justified their sagacity in establishing this most important branch of business. Mr. Voss was born in what is now East St. Louis, in the Old Prairie House, December 14, 1868, a son of Henry Voss, a native of Germany (see sketch elsewhere). He attended the public schools, and from thirteen till sixteen years of age his attention was given to the monotonous duties of farm work. Hle then began learning the trade of a blacksmith at the Western Forge and Rolling Mills, and at the end of four years was a practical blacksmith.
After the death of Mr. Voss' father, he and his brother Henry operated the home farm for two years, but in 1889 severed their connection, and ('asper J. became the owner of forty aeres of land adjoining the city limits. He continued to till this land until 1891, and during this time was en- gaged in contracting on roads, but on the 11th of April, 1892, he became associated in business with II. T. Haas, a practical contractor, who now has charge of that department. In April, 1892, Mr. Voss purchased his warehouse of Thorn & Hun- kins, dealers in lime, cement, etc., of St. Louis, and is now doing a very extensive retail business on
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Belmont Avenue. They deal in river sand, in the hauling of which five teams are employed. Their warehouse is 85x50 feet, and, as they keep a large and excellent class of goods, they have a corre- sponding patronage.
Mr. Voss was Road Supervisor for three years, and is still frequently called to superintend road work, his superior judgment, long experience and consequently thorough knowledge of the business being in demand. His land has been laid ont into lots, and is known as Casper Voss' Addition to East St. Louis. He has made himself a name of enduring value in the city, and is a practical and wide-awake man of business. He was married in 1889, on the 5th of November, to Miss Laura Blue- myer, a native of St. Louis, and their union has resulted in the birth of one child, Henry. Our sub- ject and his wife attend St. Henry's Church, and he has always been in sympathy with the measures of Democracy.
L OUIS F. EIDMANN, the subject of this sketch, resides on section 18, Engelman Township, St. Clair County, Ill. The father of the gentleman of whom we write was named Bernhard Eidmann, and was born in the town of Umstadt, in the Province of Darmstadt, Germany, March 14, 1817. Hle was the son of Martin Eidmann, who carried on the trade of a wagon-maker in the Old Country, and was there married to Miss Elizabeth Haas. He came to America in 1833 with his wife and seven children, and was one of the first settlers of Freeburg 'Town- ship, St. Clair County, Il. Ile lived his life out in that place, and there his family was reared.
Bernhard Eidmann, the father of our subject, was educated in the schools of Germany, and be- fore coming to America was employed as a clerk in the "Law House" of the province where he lived. When he reached his home in Illinois, he began the life of a farmer and continued it sue- cessfully until the close of his life. Ile married Frederica Gruebel, who was the daughter of George
Gruebel, who came to this country from Germany and was a brewer on Dutch Hill, in Lenzburg Township, this county. After marriage, he moved to the farm which our subject now owns and which he had purchased previous to that time. The wed- ding ceremony took place November 10, 1842, and as soon as the young couple were married they began to plan for the future. A nice house was built and the farm was improved until no bet- ter could be found in the neighborhood. Three children were born to this couple.
Of the family of Mr. Bernhard Eidmann, only two remain, and these are our subject and his be- loved sister, Lisetta, who is the wife of Charles Morlock, a farmer who makes his home near Carlyle, Ill. The brother, Edward, died at the age of twenty years. Mr. Eidmann was a member of the Evangelical C'hureh, and took an interest in relig- ious matters until the time of his death, October 31, 1869. Ile started in life a comparatively poor man, but by hard work gained what he owned at his demise. By close economy, added to good management, he acquired a farm of two hundred and seventy acres, and had the satisfaction of giv- ing his two children a good start in life. His widow is still living in Engelman Township.
Our subject was born March 15, 1847, on the old home place in Engelman Township. He was sent to the public schools and there obtained his education. The farm of his father gave him plenty of occupation, and at the age of twenty- three, August 2, 1870, he was married to Miss Catherine Koob. She was the daughter of Philip H. Koob, a prominent farmer of Clinton County, III., who late in life moved to New Baden and then to Mascoutah, where his life ended. After the marriage of our subject, he lived on the home plaec until 1880, when he built the substantial brick residence where he now resides. When he bought his present place there were no improve- ments upon it. He has been very industrious and all the improvements have been the result of his own toil.
Mr. and Mrs. Eidmann have seven children, all of whom are living. Edward C., the eldest son, was graduated from the State ['niversity at Champaign, Ill., and is now a civil engineer; Bertha A, re-
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mains at home with her parents; Walter Philip is at St. Louis, a student at Beaumont Medical Col- lege; Alma F., Louis B., llilda L. and Gustav Il. are at home. This family resides on the fine farm of three hundred and ten acres of good land lo- cated in this township owned by Mr. Eidmann. In Clinton County, III., he also owns a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which is in a good state of cultivation, except twenty aeres which have been left in timber. Ile is a grain farmer, wheat being his most profitable crop.
Both Mr. Eidmann and his wife are valued members of the Evangelical Church at Mascoutah, and Mr. Eidmann is also connected with the Knights of Honor, a prominent organization of the State. Politically, our subject is a Republican, one who takes a great interest in the issues of the day, and has voted the ticket of his party ever since he obtained the right of suffrage. Ile has been a prominent man in the township, and was made the first Collector under the new organiza- tion, which ottice he held for two years. At pres- ent. his time is fully employed, as he is serving his fellow-citizens as School Director. Ile has served a> Trustee, and is now Supervisor of the township and Justice of the Peace. Ilis family is one of the oldest and best known in the township, and he is a man who enjoys the respect and esteem of everyone with whom he is brought in contact.
OIIN L. APPEL, Justice of the Peace of Ilinois, was born at Highland, Madison County, Ill., August 14, 1858, a son of John A. and Magdalena (Schwartz) Appel, both of whom were bom in Germany. In 1846, the father came to America and eventually found himself in St. Louis, Mo., but at a somewhat later period he settled in Madison County, Ill., near Highland, where he remained until 1860, at which date he became one of the substantial residents of St. Clair County,
In the vicinity of Summerfield. Mr. Appel pur- Creed a coal mine, which he successfully oper-
ated for about three years, at the end of which time he opened a mercantile establishment in the town, which he condueted until his death, which oceuried on the 26th of October, 1887. His widow survives him and has attained to the age of six- ty-three years. She bore her husband a family of nine children, as follows: Lizzie, who died in Summerfield in 1883, was the wife of Adam Wei- nenth; Frank; John L., the subject of this sketch; Amelia became the wife of Michael Frevele, a farmer living near Summerfield; Louise is the wife of Philip Biltz, a commission merchant, by whom she has one child; Bertha married Henry Miller, a miller by trade and a resident of Summerfield, by whom she has one child; Jacob is a wide-awake business man of Summerfield; Amalia. and Ida, who is at home.
John L. Appel was reared in the vicinity of Summerfield and, like the majority of boys, ob- tained a common-school education in the vicinity of his home, but he was given still further advan- - tages, and for some time was an attendant of the city schools of St. Louis, Mo., where he improved his time and became a well-informed young man. Possessing an energetic and wide-awake tempera- ment, it was not his nature to eat the bread of idleness for any length of time, and. being ambi- tious to become independent financially, he em- barked in business, which he conducted in a satis- factory way. In October, 1881. he was mar- ried to Miss Christina Ernst, a native of Kansas, whose parents are both deceased. The father of our subject was a member of the Board of Alder- men of Summerfield and, socially, belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which order he held official positions.
To Mr. and Mrs. Appel the following children have been born: Malinda. Edgar, Alfred and Walter, all of whom are living. Mr. Appel has held the office of Justice of the Peace since he was twenty-one years of age. or since 1879, and in 1888 was elected Assessor of Lebanon Township, and is now serving his fourth successive term. lle has been School Director two terms, and in 1883 received the appointment of Town Clerk to fill a vacancy, and served in this capacity for six months. Politically. he is a Democrat, and the
John Klop
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men and measures of that party always find in him a stanch supporter. Mr. Appel has many warm friends throughout the section in which he resides, and in every respect deserves the high esteem in which he is held.
OHN KLOESS. The life of this gentleman, of which we give a brief outline, affords an illustration of the power of courage and in- dustry in enabling a man to overcome early difficulties of no ordinary kind. When Mr. Kloess came to Belleville he had no money with which to embark in business, but, undaunted by obstacles, he labored untiringly, displayed good judgment in the investment of his earnings, and now, as a reward of his efforts, he has gained pros- perity. He owns considerable real estate, and is numbered among the most prominent business men of Belleville.
Our subject was born in Germany, on the 26th of August, 1830, the son of Philip and Catherine Kloess. He received a common-school education in his native country, where he learned the trade of a baker, and remained until 1848. His mother died in Germany, and his father departed this life in 1864, after he came here, aged seventy-eight years. Upon emigrating to America in 1849, our subject remained for two months in New York, and afterward came West to Belleville. His brother Nicholas had come here three years prior to his arrival and still makes this city his home.
After working at his trade for a time, Mr. Kloess engaged as a laborer in the coal mines and later embarked in business. For two years he was in partnership with Fritz Kempf on Main Street, after which he bought the place where his yard is now situated. Ile has thirty-five acres in a brick yard, and from employing ten men he has in- creased the number to one hundred. Hle has added to his property until he now has one hundred and twenty acres, at least seventy acres of which are in Belleville.
Mr. Kloess began brick-making in 1863, and has
constantly increased the business until he has one of the largest yards in the city. He nses the Tri- umph Dry Clay machine, with a capacity of thirty thousand; also the Henry Martin Machine for soft mud, capacity twenty thousand; and the Stiff Mud Brick Machine, of thirty thousand. Five large kilns are in operation, the brick being sold to both home and foreign markets. Mr. Kloess has built a fine brick house of two stories, with private office on the east side, 40x80 feet, and has planted hean- tiful shrubbery and flowers, thirty-eight acres being devoted to the home and brickyard. Mr. Kloess is a Director in the First National Bank, and a stockholder in the Belleville Savings Bank. 1Je was a partner from 1870 to 1879 in the Western Brewery.
March 14, 1855, was the date of the marriage of Mr. Kloess to Catherine Mueller, who was born in May, 1832, in Germany, near our subject's old home in the neighborhood of the Rhine. They have a family of six children, as follows: Louis, who mar- ried Mary Gintz, and is now in Pomona, C'al .; Eliz- abeth, who is the wife of Julius Kohl; John, who married Anna Hartman and is engaged with his father in the brick business; Emma, who married Henry Shoettler; and Julius and William, who are in business with their father. The three youngest sous will probably succeed to the management of the brickyard when Mr. Kloess retires from busi- ness.
C APT. GEORGE WASHINGTON EWING. The prominent gentleman whose well- known name appears at the head of this sketch is the efficient Superintendent and Manager of the East St. Louis Gas Works. The grand- father of this gentleman was a distinguished pro- fessor in Virginia's celebrated college of William and Mary, and was a native of Fairfax County, that State. In 1790, he removed to Adair County, Ky., where he combined farming and teaching and was a success at both, and beeame a man of means. He was made ligh Sheriff of the county, which
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was next to the highest office, that of Judge being given by heirship. He was an old-school Presby- terian. of Scotch-Irish descent, and lived until he was ninety-four years of age. lle was one of three brothers who came from Ireland and settled in Virginia.
The father of our subject was the Hon. Mathew Ewing, who was born in Adair County, Ky., in 1795. He was a cousin of Hon. Thomas Ewing, who was known as a very prominent man in Ohio, and as one of the most powerful orators of the day; he also was a cousin of the celebrated Lin- ens Ewing, the father of the Cumberland Presby- terian Church. He was reared in Kentucky, and when only seventeen years of age volunteered in the War of 1812, and fought through the West with Gen. Harrison, being at Tippecanoe, and at the close of the war was a Lieutenant. Ile did not return to Kentucky after the close of the war. but located in Oxford, Ohio, under the following cir- enmstances. He went to Oxford to visit his friend and messmate, Henry Hall, and there met his fu- tnre wife. He married and located in her county and engaged in farming there. He owned a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in the Mi- ami Valley, but in 1836 he sold it and went to Ripley County, Ind., and bought a section of land. This he improved and continued on it until his death, in 1876. He belonged to the church of his family, and was a man of much prominence, having been a member of the State Legislature for one term. In his younger days he was what was then called a .Jackson Democrat, and then belonged to the branch that styled themselves War Democrats. The mother of our subject, who so completely captivated the young Kentuckian that he was willing to give up his old home and sur- roundings for her sake, was a native of Kentucky herself. Nancy Hall was born in Bardstown, Ky .. a daughter of Henry Hall, who was reared in Ken- tucky, but who removed to Ohio and became an ex- tensive farmer there. Mrs. Ewing lived to be ninety years of age, and died at the old farm in 1891. The record of her children is as follows: Peter H., who was Quartermaster in Louisville during the Civil War, died in Hopkins, Mo., in 1876; Isaiah, who is in the Home Guards. resides in Mis-
souri; James was a private in the Mexican War, and raised a company in Iowa County for service in the Civil War, and was made First Lieutenant of the Eighth lowa Cavalry; he was then promoted to be Major, and later, Lientenant-Colonel of the regi- ment, and now resides in Hopkins, Mo .; Henry, who was First Lieutenant in the Eighty-sixth In- diana Infantry, went through the late war and was killed on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad in 1885; Mary, who is married, lives in Osgood, Ind .; Sarah, who is Mrs. Meyers, lives in Ripley County, Ind .; Fannie, who is Mrs. Rutledge, also lives in Ripley County; and John, who died at the age of twenty- three.
Our subject was reared in Ohio until he was ten years of age, and enjoyed common-school advan- tages. Ile was then sent to Lawrenceburg, Ind., where he learned the bricklayer's trade, and then engaged in the business of contracting and build- ing. In 1852, he removed to Jeffersonville, Ind., where he contracted with the State for one hun- dred convicts to engage in the manufacture of brick, and for many years before the war he had the largest manufactory of brick in the State. He was a success at this business. In 1859, he built the gas works there, and when the war came on he had sixteen million of burned brick on hand, one- half of which he sold for anything he could get. In 1861, he contracted with the Government to build a cracker factory at Jefferson ville-a bakery that would manufacture four hundred barrels of hard-tack. He built it and put it into successful operation in one hundred days. In 1862, he ac- cepted a commission in the Forty-ninth Indiana Infantry, but resigned in two weeks, as he found there was too much bribery going on for an honest man. Ile then contracted to furnish the division with soft bread. He was all through the war a successful contractor, and at its close returned to Jeffersonville. His next big undertaking was to build the gas works at Lawrenceburg, Ind. At this time he was admitted to practice law at Charlestown, and in 1868 he became connected with the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad. He pro- cured the right of way from North Vernon to Louisville, and had the general superintend- ence of the building of the road, but this po-
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sition he resigned, and in 1872, he located in St. Louis. Hle there engaged in the manufacture of brick by machinery, with J. L. Griswold, but this was not a success, as the machinery failed and the result was a loss for all. He then returned to the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad and became As- sistant General Solicitor and Claim Agent until 1881, when he resigned that position to take his present one with the Gas Company. W. D. Gris- wold is sole owner of the plant, and Mr. Ewing has been sole manager since 1881. fTe has en- larged and improved the works greatly, and is now prepared to furnish one hundred and fifty thousand cubic feet of gas in twenty-four hours, in place of six thousand cubic feet as formerly. He carefully superintends all the buildings, and has a thorough knowledge of the whole business. During the flood of 1892, he continued to manu- facture and furnish the city with gas, to the aston- ishment and gratification of all. Mr. Ewing has not been left behind on real estate. He owns a fine residence on Eighth Street and Summit Avenue, which he built at a cost of about $10,000. Ile owns other property, and is a stockholder in the First Mutual Land Association and the St. Clair Building and Loan Association, and is President of the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is an Elder and a very active member, and is Chairman of the building commit- tee of the new Presbyterian Church. He is an ex- Mason and formerly a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows.
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