USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Quincy and Adams County history and representative men, Vol. II > Part 47
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Mr. Elmer Lummis remained at home with his father until he was twenty- one. At that time the old farm was sold and Elmer, going to Columbus, Illi- nois, had experience in merchandising for ten months. Returning to Quincy he was shipping clerk with the Lummis Implement Company for a year. On January 20, 1894, he took the civil service examination for a position as clerk in the Quiney postoffice. This was a special examination, and thirty-four took it, Mr. Lummis being one of the three highest in standing. He was then ap- pointed to a minor elerkship and began his duties February 15, 1894. Sinee that date all his work and interests have eentered at the postoffice and he has filled nearly every department. His last subordinate position was in charge of the stamp and registry division. Mr. Lummis was appointed postmaster by President Wilson on May 1, 1915.
March 16, 1898, he married Josie Gray, a native of Adams County and a daughter of former sheriff Richard Gray of this county. They have two sons, Joseph Gray and Harold Elmer. Mr. Lummis is a democrat, a member of the Masonic order and is on the official board of the Vermont Street Methodist Episcopal Church.
WILL H. SOHM has a career of special interest to Quiney people because of his prominence in theatrieal movements, and especially as associate director and manager of the Belasco Theater.
He is member of an old and prominent family of the eity, and was born here June 2, 1872, son of Edward Sohm, the Quincy banker, whose eareer is sketched on other pages.
Will H. Sohm graduated from St. Francis College in the elassieal eourse at the age of eighteen and soon afterward became connected with his father in the latter's ehina and glassware establishment. He made a good business record, but part of his time for twenty years was spent in promoting with an unusual degree of snecess both amateur and semi-professional theatrieals. The theatrical business is his real forte, and he has shown exceptional judgment and gained a notable success during his. management of the fine Quincy house of amusement above named.
Mr. Sohm is independent in polities, with his family is a member of St. Boniface Catholic Church and is a member of the Rotary Club of Quincy.
September 11, 1896, Mr. Sohm married Rose Granaeher, a native of Quincy.
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They have one son, Herbert B., born October 21, 1898, and now a student of Creighton University at Omaha, Nebraska, and in active military training.
WILLIAM E. KENDALL. The transfer business in a city of the size and im- portance of Quincy necessarily is an important one, second only as regards public convenience to railroad transportation service. For thirteen years, more or less continuously, William E. Kendall, a well known business man and a prominent political force of this city, has been identified with the transfer business, and during the most of this time has been the owner of the Quincy Transfer Company.
William E. Kendall was born at Quincy, Illinois, December 1, 1860. His parents were Franklin C. and Sarah (McCormick) Kendall, and his paternal grandfather was Lewis Kendall. The latter came to Adams County, Illinois, in 1845, one of the early pioneers in the section, and his cabin was the first house in the county built north of Quincy. He developed a farm from the wilderness and lived on the same until his death. Franklin C. Kendall was born in Ohio, came early from Warren County in that state to Adams County and died here in 1898. He married Sarah MeCormick, who was born in Penn- .sylvania and died in Adams County in 1896. They had five children, namely : John F., who is deceased ; William E .; Harry, who is a resident of Kansas City and an engineer on the Quincy & Kansas City Railway; Luella, who is the wife of Z. A. Lear, at Santa Barbara, California; and Minnie, who died in 1895.
William E. Kendall had educational advantages that ineluded a public school course and one in a business college, and when eighteen years old learned telegraphy and in 1880 secured a position as night clerk in the freight house of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railway, and after leaving the yards was car accountant for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy road, which had absorbed the former railway. In 1889 Mr. Kendall was made baggage master and when he retired from railroad life he had twenty-two years of honorable and appre- ciated service behind him and friends among the traveling public all over the country.
In 1905 Mr. Kendall embarked in the transfer business, and during the next six years built up the Quiney Transfer Company into one of the impor- tant business mediums of the city, sparing no pains to make it reliable and efficient. At that time symptoms of failing health caused him to dispose of it for a time, but in 1914, with health re-established, he bought the business once more and with increased facilities has operated it ever since, his stables and garage being situated at 118-120 Sonth Fourth Street, Quincy.
In the meanwhile Mr. Kendall had entered politics and his sterling char- acter soon induced his political friends in the republican party to urge his election as alderman from the first ward, and to this civic position he was elected in 1893 and served continuously for the following eight years. During the entire period his public spirit and interest as a citizen never failed, while his sturdy support of commendable measures made him an unusually valuable publie servant.
Mr. Kendall was married June 1, 1884, to Miss Katherine Bower, a native of Illinois, and they have one son, Marcellus E., who was born July 3, 1888. Mr. Kendall has been a member of the Masonic fraternity for many years and belongs also to the Royal Arcanum and the Court of Honor.
FREDERICK WILLIAM F. SCHMIEDESKAMP. As the Schmiedeskamps have been identified with Quincy and Adams County for over seventy years, most peo- ple are familiar with the name and are also appreciative of the many excellent qualities in the eitizenship of Frederick William F. Schmiedeskamp, who is now living retired in Quincy, and was formerly in the stove manufacturing business in that eity and still later a farmer.
Mr. Schmiedeskamp was born in Westphalia, Germany, June 26, 1841. In
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March, 1846, his parents, Frederick William and Wilhelmina Henrietta (Brand) Schmiedeskamp, set out for America. Their proposed destination was Galves- ton, Texas. They reached New Orleans, and there were given the information that Galveston had neither churches nor sehools, being a somewhat remote and pioneer community, and they therefore changed their minds and eame up to Quiney instead. Along with them and from the same loeality of Germany eame Gottlieb Horning and family, Mr. Broekschmidt, William Meise and sey- eral others. Mr. Brockschmidt settled on a farm on Mill Creek. Mr. Horning was a blacksmith and had a shop in Quincy. Mr. Meise also remained in Quincy, where his daughter Charlotta became Mrs. Pfansehmidt and another daughter beeame the wife of Doctor Sehmidt.
William Fred Schmiedeskamp was a mason by trade and for many years was a sneeessful building contraetor in Quincy. He built the old home on Fifth Street adjoining the Horning residence. He was also contractor in the building of the old Salem Lutheran Church on Seventh and Jersey streets. Ile put up many residenees in and around Quiney. His later home was on Fifth between Ohio Street and Payson Avenne, and he lived there until his death at the age of seventy-two. His widow survived him about twenty years and passed away at the age of eighty-three. He was a strong republiean in polities, began voting as soon as he could aequire American citizenship. and was deeply interested in demoeratie processes, though he was never an aspirant for publie office. He was one of the leading members of the Salem Evangeli- cal Lutheran Church, at first worshiping in the church which he erected and later in that at State and Ninth streets. He was an officer for many years in the church. His life career might largely be described by three interests, his home, his business and his church. He and his wife had only two children to reach maturity and they are still living, Frederick W. F. and August, the latter oeeupying the old home in Quiney.
Frederick W. F. Schmiedeskamn after getting his education in the local schools served an apprenticeship of three years learning the molder's trade. After that he worked eighteen years at the trade and about 1870 became a stockholder in the Excelsior Stove Works, now one of the largest companies of its kind in Quincy. About 1884 Mr. Schmiedeskamp moved to a farm in Con- cord Township, four and a half miles southwest of Clayton Village and five miles southeast of Camp Point. He acquired 239 acres, and made of it as good a farm as could be found in that loeality. He still owns 235 acres. It has been improved by the ereetion of a new house, various barns and other build- ings. Mr. Schmiedeskamp direeted its productive activities for twenty-five years. but since 1909 has been retired. His son John now handles the farm. Mr. Schmiedeskamp built his comfortable city home at 308 North Twenty- fourth Street. He has used his capital to invest in and handle a number of farms all over Adams County, and of the various places that have passed through his hands he still owns one of eighty aeres in Mendon Township. He has visited in other states, but has never found general agricultural eondi- tions that satisfied him quite so well as those in Illinois. Mr. Schmiedeskamp is a republican, has had that political faith sinee early youth, but does not hesitate to support the man rather than the party when the situation demands sneh a course. He is a member of the Vermont Street Methodist Church.
June 20, 1878, at Quincy, Mr. Schmiedeskamp married Miss Louise Ger- mann, daughter of Philip Germann. Philip Germann came from Germany in 1848, joining a brother in this country. After a few months in New York he eame on to Quincy, where he was a shoemaker by trade, but for many years was associated with his son Henry in the drug business at State and Ninth streets. He died at the age of seventy-one. Mrs. Schmeideskamp was born at Quiney and was educated in the common schools. Mr. Schmiedeskamp mar- ried his first wife in 1865, Henrietta Lnecking, of Quinev. She was the mother of five children: William Herman, in the ereamery business at Quincy : Lydia,
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wife of Fred Kuntz, a farmer near Payson; August, who has been in Cali- fornia for the past eight years; and two who died in infancy.
By his present wife Mr. Schmiedeskamp has eight children: Henry, a Quincy attorney ; Fred, a Montana rancher; John, on the old home farm in Concord Township; Lola, wife of Rufus E. Morley, of Riverside Township; Anna, wife of Steven E. Lawless, of Liberty, cashier of the Liberty Bank; Walter, a farmer in Ellington Township; Edna, wife of Dr. Henry F. Lafler, a chiropractor at Quincy; and Carl, who is a student in the law department of the University of Michigan and during 1918 was a member of the reserved officers training camp in that university.
CHARLES T. HEWES. Active in his profession as a doctor of dental surgery for over thirty-five years, Doctor Hewes has had honors and distinctions cor- responding to the length of his professional service .. He has been prominent as an official of the Adams-Hancock County Dental Society, is well known to the members of the state organization as a regular attendant at its meetings and frequently on the program for the reading of technical papers, and has attended many conventions of the national association, including that held at Chicago in 1918.
Doctor Hewes graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery at Philadelphia with the class of 1880. Even in the field of general medicine the advance and progress has not been so great since that time as in dental surgery, and with that advance Doctor Hewes has kept pace by constant study and contact with the leading men of his vocation. On graduating he returned to his old home at Payson in Adams County, where he practiced until 1887. Since then for thirty years he had had his offices in Quincy, and for the past fifteen years he has had offices in the Sterns Building.
Doctor Hewes, who was born at Payson in Adams County June 18, 1857, represents two very well known families of pioneer times, the Hewes and Avises. Doctor Hewes is of Welsh ancestry. His parents were George and Saralı A. (Avise) Hewes, both natives of New Jersey, the latter born about twenty miles from Philadelphia. In 1836 George Hewes and wife came West, making the trip by the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to Quincy. One of the incidents he often told of his first experiences at Quincy was being offered a corner lot at Fifth and Maine streets for a hundred dollars. After a year he took his family to Hancock county, and had his home near the Mormon settle- ment. Occasionally a letter arrived from his people back in New Jersey and it cost the price of a bushel of wheat, twenty-five cents, to get such a letter from the postoffice. George Hewes subsequently returned to Quincy, and in the early '40s went to Payson, where his services as a blacksmith were in great demand. He was first employed there to fix up the windmill that ground the grain for the community. The residents desiring the local services of a black- smith agreed to move his goods from Quincy to Payson as an inducement for his location. For many years he followed his trade, but finally retired to a farm near Payson and died there in the spring of 1877. He was born in Jan- nary, 1812, and his wife was born in September of the same year and lived ten years longer, passing away in 1887.
Both the Hewes and the Avise families in New Jersey were Episcopalians of the low church branch. When Jesse Avise came to Quincy in the early '30s, he was one of the most active leaders in establishing a low Episcopal Church, and he and his daughter, Mrs. George Hewes, were charter members of that church, now known as St. John's. Some of the early services of this church were held in Mr. Avise's house. Jesse Avise was the first vestryman.
Doctor Hewes was one of a large family of brothers and sisters. His brother Rev. M. A. Hewes, who was born in Quincy, entered the ministry of the Methodist Church and had a long and active career. He died in 1914, leaving a family. The second of the family was Mrs. Rebecca Kay, who lives with her family at Los Angeles. Samuel E. Hewes was a soldier in the Civil Vol. II-19
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war from 1861 to 1864, afterwards was a merchant and farmer at Payson, and finally died at Quincy, where his widow and daughter still live. Sarah E. is the wife of William McK. Gooding, a retired Methodist minister at Champaign, Illinois. George, Jr., is a farmer in Western Kansas and is married and has a family.
Doctor Hewes married at Payson Mary E. Sinnoek, who was born there and grew up in that community. Doetor and Mrs. Hewes have five children. Clar- enee Avise is a graduate of the Quiney High School, of Illinois University in the civil engineering eourse, and is now connected with the engineering de- partment of the Missouri Paeifie Railway, with headquarters at Kansas City. He married May Goodwin, of Sedalia, Missouri, and their children are Charles and Helen. Floyd S., the second son, is a graduate of the Quiney High School and the State University, taking the civil engineering course at the same time with his brother and is now a eivil engineer with the Santa Fe Railway sta- tioned at Amarillo, Texas. He married Rena Middaugh, and they have a (laughter, Martha Louise. Charles K., third son, graduated from the Quincy High School in 1908, from Illinois University in 1912, and specializing in chemistry, was given his master's degree in 1914. He is now chief superin- tendent of the General Petroleum Company at Los Angeles, California. He married Marjorie Kilburn, of Roekford, Illinois, a graduate of Rockford Col- lege and Illinois State University. Lois E. Hewes is a graduate of high school and of Lombard College at Galesburg with the elass of 1918. The youngest of the family, Mildred, is a graduate of high school and normal school and for three years has been a teacher in the Quiney publie schools. All the family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church on Vermont Street. Doctor Hewes is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a past grand, and with the Modern Woodmen of America. Politically he is a republican.
JAMES ASBURY MITCHELL, M. D. It would be hard to conceive of a more exacting standard and measure of a man's service and usefulness to a eom- munity than thirty-seven years of continuous work as a physician. That has been the distinction of Doctor Mitehell, who since 1881 has been located at Ursa, and has been the standby and resource in time of trouble to nearly all the families of that community, including children and children's children.
Doetor Mitchell was born in Lewis County, Missouri, on a farm, May 26, 1854, and represents one of the old established families in Northeastern Mis- souri. His father, James P. Mitehell, was born in Center County, Pennsylvania, December 22, 1815, and was reared in Ohio, and in 1836 as a pioneer entered land in Missouri. A few years later he enlisted and served in the Mexican war under the command of Gen. Sterling Priee, participating in the battle of Monterey. He was a strong Union man, though when the war eame on he went on the bond of some Southern sympathizers who were captured by Gen- eral McNeil, and taken to Palmyra. He also studied law and was admitted to the bar and served about twelve years as county judge and as county sur- veyor for twelve years. He was a member of the constitutional convention after the war in 1865 at St. Louis. He worshiped in the Christian Church and lived a life of commendable usefulness and honor. He died in 1916, at the remarkable age of 101. The maiden name of his wife was Mary E. Asbury, who was born in Pendleton County, Kentucky, and went as a child to Mis- souri. She died at the age of fifty-six.
Doctor Mitehell grew up on his father's farm, attended Monticello Semi- nary and also the State Normal Sehool at Kirksville. Before entering normal sehool he had taught one year and for three years afterward followed the some pro- fession. His preparation for medieine was made at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Keokuk, where he graduated in 1881. Through the influenee of Doetor Byrd of Quiney he located in the same year at Ursa and in that eom- munity has been a resident throughout the subsequent years. In that time
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Henry Renken Jette 8. Renken.
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five other physicians have come and gone in the community and three of his contemporaries died at Ursa, Dr. John C. Pearson, Dr. W. W. Wooley and Dr. J. F. Fletcher.
Doctor Mitehell is active in the County and State Medical societies and in the American Medical Association, and has given all his time to practice and the service of his people. He is examiner for a number of fraternal and old line insurance companies. He has filled the chairs and has represented his lodge of Odd Fellows in the Grand Lodge, and is also a member of the Wood- men, the Court of Honor and the National American. Though a republican voter he is no politician.
May 16, 1883, Doctor Mitchell married Elizabeth C. Patton, of Lewiston, Missouri. Of their eleven children nine reached maturity, William, Frank Patton, Ruth Ellen, Charles, James, Arthur, Zona, George and Russell.
ALFRED A. SEEHORN has been a man of affairs in Quiney for many years, was prominent in educational work during the early half of his active career and at one time served as county superintendent of publie instruction of Adams County and later has proved his ability as a merchant. He now has one of the chief establishments in the county for farm implements, handling all classes of farm machinery, inehiding wagons, buggies and the varied line of imple- ments manufactured by the International Harvester Company.
He succeeded in business Mr. J. L. Martin, a pioneer dealer in agricultural implements at Quiney. Mr. Martin for a number of years represented both in the wholesale and retail lines, the MeCormick Harvester Company, beginning back in the '70s, and was afterwards local representative for the International Harvester Company. Mr. Seehorn first entered the service of Mr. Martin in 1887 and on January 1, 1904, succeeded to the retail business.
Mr. Seehorn was born in Adams County October 1, 1860. He was carefully reared and liberally educated, attending the Payson High School and also Chaddock College. He taught his first school in Hancock County, Illinois, at the age of twenty-three and continued active in educational work for about fifteen years, chiefly in Adams County. In 1894 he was elected county superin- tendent of publie instruction and filled that office one term, three years. He was then elected city superintendent of schools at Quiney and was in that office four years. Later he spent three years as a member of the board of education. Mr. Seehorn is a democrat, and that has been the political faith of the Seehorn family throughout all the generations.
Mr. Seehorn is a great-grandson of Nicholas Seehorn, a grandson of Gabriel Seehorn, and a son of Alfred Seehorn. This is one of the old families of Ger- man ancestry found in Adams County, and some of the facts in regard to their history are found in another part of this publication. Alfred Seehorn was born in Lincoln County, Tennessee, June 30, 1822, and came to Adams County with his parents in 1831. He became a very successful farmer in Fall Creek Township of Adams County, and had over 300 aeres of land there. As a family the Seehorns have been identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Alfred A. Seehorn married in his native township of Fall Creek, Miss Laura C. Carr, who was born in that township March 7, 1864, daughter of Lewis G. and Rhoda (Inman) Carr. Lewis G. Carr was born in Missouri, and came with the Carr family to Adams County, Illinois, about 1832. Mrs. Seehorn's mother was a native of Adams County, Illinois. Her father, Jonathan Inman, was one of the earliest settlers in the rural districts of Adams County. Lewis G. Carr and wife had a farm in section 3 of Fall Creek Township and both died there, Lewis G. in 1913. The Carr family were members of the Christian Church.
HENRY RENKEN. There are a number of things about the Henry Renken family which might well be copied and emulated by others. The members of the family have shown that spirit of co-operation which is not only productive
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of prosperity and furnishes the means of getting ahead in the world, but in- creases the happiness of life in general. The founder of the family, the late Henry Renken, is now deceased, but all his three sons and two daughters main- tain the close family ties, keep the old home farm in Honey Creek Township and operate it as a business partnership as well as a family concern.
The late Henry Renken and his wife, Tette (Myer) Renken, were both natives of Germany. He came to the United States when a young man, and after a short time at Alton came to Quiney in 1854. For several years he was employed by the Biddleson people and the Libbeys. Henry Renken in their employ had the distinction of carrying the last mail that went over a stage route from Quincy to Palmyra, Missouri, before the completion of the rail- road. His chief ambition, however, was to own a farm, and he carefully in- vested all his savings in land, his first purchase being eighty acres, included in his present home place. He bought that for $2,400. He and his wife were married on that farm and their thrifty co-operation brought them abundant prosperity. Henry Renken had received some money from Germany, but it was lost in banks, so that he paid for his farm out of his own earnings. At the time of his marriage he and his wife had their lives insured, each in favor of the other, and kept the insurance in force until their property was paid for. That was a very unusual proceeding at that time, and indicates the spirit of progressiveness which was part of the character of Henry Renken and wife. From his first purchase his holdings grew until he had 330 acres, all in section 35 of Honey Creek Township, and all operated as one farm. This farm lies half way between Coatsburg and Paloma and along the right of way of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.
Henry Renken and wife were active members of the Evangelieal Lutheran Church. He was a republican, and was honored frequently by his fellow cit- izens in public affairs. He was township assessor, tax collector and school director for many years, until he refused to qualify for further service. He was one of the directors of the Camp Point Fair for years from the time of its organization. On his farm he erected the principal buildings, the oldest part of the house being more than fifty years old. These improvements have been kept np and increased by his children. Henry Renken died January 7, 1903, at the age of seventy-two, and his wife passed away August 15, 1911, in her seventy-second year.
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