The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 96

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr.
Number of Pages: 1092

USA > Illinois > McLean County > The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 96

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JACOB JACOBY, grocer, of the firm of F. Oberkoelter & Co., wholesale grocers and liquor dealers, Bloomington ; came to Bloomington, Ill., in 1853 and has been a wholesole grocer for upwards of eight years. His place of business is 111 & 113 S. Main street, where he keeps a grocery store. Mr. Jacoby is a native of Germany, and was born in Rhenish Bavaria, June 22, 1828, where he received a good education in German, Latin and French. He came to the United States in 1850, and located in Greenfield, Mass., thence to Illinois as above mentioned. He began do- ing for himself with no means, but to-day he ranks with the solid men of Bloomington. He has also hell a number of responsible and prominent positions. He married Miss Mary Niergath, of Woodford Co., Ill., in February, 1855. They have a family of three-Rosa, now Mrs. Charles Froschaurr, of Indianapolis; William A. and Etta M.

F. JOHNSON, JR., milling, Bloomington. There is probably no flouring-mill in the county so well known as the old McLean County Mills, of Bloomington. Many years ago, Mr. F. John- son, Sr., came west from his home in Ohio and took charge of the mills. In June, 1873, he bought the entire mills, and later, sold an interest to T. J. Cox; in 1879, the mills were leased to F. Johnson, Jr., and F. F. Beard, the firm being known as Beard & Johnson. Mr. F. John- son, the subject of this sketch, is a native of McLean Co; he was born Sept. 2, 1852. Ilaving been a resident of Bloomington, he has had the advantage of attending good schools, which he has improved, being a commercial graduate, and a good literary scholar. His earliest business experience was in the mill business, helping his father; he had full charge of the books, and was conversant with all the details of the business; by close attention, he had become a thor- oughly practical miller before his father quit the business. With his thorough knowledge of the business, there is but little doubt of his ultimate success in his present undertaking. They have a flouring capacity of 100 barrels of flour every twenty-four hours, and fifty barrels of meal. They are kept running the year round to supply the demand for their goods.

S. F. JOIINSON, grocer, of the firm of Sprague & Johnson, Bloomington ; was born in Bel- mont Co., Ohio, Sept. 9, 1824; during his early life he began to study for the ministry in

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connection with the M. E. Church. In 1845, he removed to Christian Co., and, in 1847, became regularly engaged in the work of the ministry. He was married in July, 1851, to Miss Mary Ellis, of Christian Co. He continued in the ministry until 1861, when he organized the 17th Kentucky Cavalry, and entered the service as Colonel, serving four years. He came to Bloom- ington in 1875, and, in 1877, became engaged in the grocery business. He is a man of good physical as well as mental powers, and a much-respected citizen.

OTTO KADGIHN, saloon and restaurant, Bloomington: was born in Germany, in 1827; emigrated to America, and landed at Galveston, Tex., in 1857; he went to San Antonio, Tex., and remained there but a short time : from there he went to New Orleans, thence to St. Louis, where he learned the trade of a painter, which he followed in St. Louis about nine months ; from there he came to Bloomington, Ill., where he commenced to work at his trade; since then lie has been engaged in the grocery business; after that he entered the restaurant and saloon business, which he has followed ever since. He is one of the prominent German citizens of Bloomington.

PATRICK KEATING, Bloomington ; was born in County Limerick, Ireland, in August, 1837, and is the son of Patrick Keating. In 1846, he emigrated with his parents to America, landing in Quebec, Canada, and from there they went to Albany, N. Y. He states that the first money he made was here, as newsboy for the Albany Evening Journal, edited by Thurlow Weed and Mr. Seward. In 1855, he became fireman on the Albany Northern Railroad; in 1856, he came to Chicago, and was fireman on the Illinois Central Railroad, and Galena Railroad : he returned East, and was fireman on the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad until 1860; he then returned to Albany, N. Y .; here he enlisted, in 1861, in 25th N. Y. V. I. (Albany Burgess Corps) ; this regiment did a good three months' service in the Eastern campaign ; Mr. Keating was at length mustered out ; he then returned to the New York Central Railroad as fire- man ; in 1864, he came West as a locomotive engineer ; he accepted a position on the Chicago & Alton Railroad ; he has been connected with this road ever since; he has run a passenger engine on the Chicago & Alton Railroad, from Bloomington to Chicago, for ten years ; perhaps there is not an engineer on any line running out of Chicago better known and liked than Patrick Keating. In 1875, he was one of the invited guests with a very prominent party to a trip to California. He is now engineer on the pay-car train, which position he was appointed to in 1875. In 1877, his friends in the Fifth Ward elected him as Alderman ; this office he is now filling with honor and credit. Mr. Keating is a Democrat in politics.

H. T. KELLEY, machinist, Bloomington. The iron and molding department of the plow manufactory of John T. Walton is under the supervision of Mr. H. T. Kelly, who is a native of Alleghany Co., Md. He came West as early as 1836, and located in Illinois. remaining fourteen years ; then returned East, where he resided for nine years ; in 1862, he came to Bloomington, where he has since resided. The same year of his arrival, he accepted a position in the plow factory then run by Walton & Ilamilton ; in 1866, he became foreman of the molding depart- ment, which position he has since held. During his early life, he had but little chance of getting an education, having the advantage of nothing but the old subscription school system. He learned his trade in 1838, in Warren Co., Ill .; by close attention to business, he has for many years held a responsible position, having most of the time about eight men under his charge. He is an honored and respected citizen, and enjoys a good name and reputation, which he has earned by honesty and industry.

JOIIN KEMEDY, chairmaker, Bloomington. Another important feature of the Blooming- ton Chair Factory is the finishing department ; this is under the charge of John Kemedy, who is a native of Ontario, Canada. In the fall of 1839, he came to Detroit, Mich., and, in 1841, began learning the trade of making and finishing chairs. He remained in Detroit until 1843 ; then removed to Milwaukee, Wis., where he stayed but a short time, coming to Chicago in Sep- tember of the same year ; here he made his home for nearly eight years, and for the next twenty years spent his life in Wisconsin and Chicago. In 1873, he accepted a situation with a manu- facturing company in Clinton, Iowa; remaining there about four years, then removing to Bloom- ington to accept the position of superintendent of the finishing department of the Bloomington Chair Manufacturing Company; this position he has filled with perfect satisfaction to all parties interested ; he employs from seven to nine hands in this department, they being usually girls ; he is a thoroughly reliable gentleman ; by his honesty, sobriety and industry, he is now hold- ing a good situation.

J. A. KERR, livery, Bloomington ; Mr. J. A. Kerr, of the firm of Carlton & Kerr, of whom we have spoken, is a native of Harrison Co , Ohio : born Jan. 16, 1836; while he was yet a boy his parents moved to Logan Co .; the early part of his life was spent in farming in different localities. In 1861, he enlisted in the war of the rebellion in Co. F, 41st I. V. I., remaining in the service about two years, when he was discharged on account of disability ; among the heavy battles he was engaged in may be mentioned those of Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, the battle of Shiloh and the siege of Corinth. Upon his return from the army, he took a contract to carry the United States mail from Pekin to Bloomington ; he also established a passenger route, and ran this line for six years, when he accepted an appointment of postal clerk on the Illinois Ceu- tral Railroad, his " run" being between Centralia and Freeport ; this he followed for three years,

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then resigned and engaged in the grocery trade in Bloomington with Mr. Carlton, his present partner, the firm being known as Carlton and Kerr, the same as at present ; in 1875, he began, with Mr. Carlton, in the livery business, where we now find him. He has passed through many and varied experiences during his life, but is now probably permanently located, as they have a well-established business, which they are conducting successfully.

D. P. KING, harness manufacturer, Bloomington ; one of the business men of this city, who has seen much of the world, and has met with many and varied experiences in travel, is D. P. King, who is a native of Somerset Co., l'a. He was born April 22, 1822; at the age of II years, he, with his parents, moved to Ashland, Ohio, where he remained about fifteen years. It was there that he learned the trade of a saddle and harness-maker, and received a fair education. From there he went to Pittsburg, remaining but one year ; thence to Wheeling, W. Va., for one and a half years, and from there to Galena, Ill, where he lived about one year ; removing again, he went to St. Louis, and from there to California, via Santa Fe route; he was there mining and prospecting one year; he concluded to make his home voyage by water; was shipwrecked on Nov. 22, finally landing in Acapulco, from whence he made his way to the City of Mexico, and from there to St. Louis, Mo. ; thence to Lexington, Ky., where he was located for twelve years ; thence to Cincinnati, where he remained until 1865, then removed to Springfield, Ill., and to Bloomington in 1866; here he began working at his trade until 1870, when he engaged in busi- ness for himself; his establishment is located opposite the post office, on Center street ; here he is manufacturing everything in the line of harness, saddles, bridles, etc. By his energy and indu-try, he has established a good business.

THOMAS C. KERRICK, Bloomington ; Thomas C. Kerrick was born in Franklin Co,, Ind., April 25, 1848; there he received the benefits of the excellent school system of that State ; these advantages he improved and made the most of, being, it is said, from boyhood, an indefatigable student, and placing his books above all other objects. He thus, in comparatively early child- hood, obtained a valuable groundwork for his future education. In the fall of 1860, Mr. Kerrick removed, with his parents, to Woodford Co., this State. He remained upon the farm, following the plow and his studies until the fall of 1868. During these eight years, he had mastered all the various branches of an English education, and added to his knowledge of literature, so that, when he entered the Illinois Wesleyan University in 1868, he was already far advanced in his studies. Here he remained, following the beaten path of the college students for two years ; he then entered into active business as Superintendent of L. H. Kerrick's extensive stock and grain farm, in Funk's Grove Township ; meantime, he devoted all his leisure time to the study of law, and afterward read law with MeNulta & Aldrich. He toiled patiently and faithfully until 1875, when he passed a rigid examination creditably, and was admitted to practice in the month of January of that year. He formed a partnership with MeNulta & Aldrich as soon as he was ad- mitted to practice. In 1876, Gen. McNulta formed a partnership with Hon. Lawrence Weldon, and, in 1877, Mr. Aldrich accepted a professorship in the Wesleyan University, which, of course, dissolved the firm. Mr. Kerrick then opened an office and began practice on his own account. He has secured the services, as assistant, of Mr. H. D. Spencer, an active and ambitious young lawyer, whose attainmeuts in all legal knowledge must soon bring him into deserved prominence. Mr. Kerrick was appointed City Attorney by Mayor Reed, and since he has held the office has done good work, and a service which promises to make him a capable and efficient officer. As a lawyer, Mr. Kerrick is prompt, decisive and sincere.

A. D. KIRKPATRICK, merchant, Bloomington, is another of the old residents of McLean Co ; he is a native of Adams Co., Ohio; came to McLean Co. in 1850, and in time, had estab- lished a reputation as an auctioneer in the sale of stock and other personal property; he was engaged in this business for twenty-one years; when his hearing becoming affected, he was obliged to give it up; after this he engaged in the mercantile business. His establishments are located at Nos. 502, 504 and 508 North Main street ; No. 502 is used as a general salesroom of china and glassware, carpets, wall-paper, dry goods and notions, and in fact everything pertain- ing to a general variety store. This store is 66x23; basement same size, which is used for man- ufacturing and finishing furniture; No. 504 and basement is used exclusively for furniture. of which he keeps a full and complete stock ; No 508, first floor and basement being same size as No. 504, viz .: 60x23 feet. This store is used for etoves and tinware ; prominent in this stock is the Champion Monitor cook stove, which is highly recommended by hundreds of housewives This entire business comes under the direct supervision of W. A. Kirkpatrick, who is now 23 years old, and has already proved himself to be an able financier, as he, for some time, has done all the buying, and has had charge of the books. He is verifying the old proverb, that " goods well bought are half sold." When Mr. A. D. Kirkpatrick gave up the business of stock-selling. his brother, J. H., who came to this county the same year as himself, took it up. From his thorough knowledge of stock, and natural ability as a salesman, he has done a business that in every way has been gratifying to himself, and to those for whom he has conducted sales. sometimes realizing 25 per cent above the owner's invoice of property. Ile is not one of the slow kind of auctioneers, but gets his buyers to evince some interest and enthusiasm, and sometimes "run- ning off" $10,000 worth of stock in two hours' time-his sales, sometimes, reaching $15,000. As this is decidedly a stock county, and as he does about 9) per cent of the selling, his business

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is of much greater magnitude than one would at first suppose, being about $200,000 per annum- He is a thoroughly educated man in his business; and not only does the principal business in this county in his line, but condnets large sales in the adjoining counties and other parts of the State of Illinois.

11. KUMMER, furniture, Bloomington. Mr. Il. Kummer, of 113 S. Main street, is a native of the south of Germany ; he came to the United States in 1872, and located in this city ; he began working for Mr. C. L. Camp in 1875, and became his successor in 1879: before leaving Germany he had received a fair education ; though he has been a resident of the United States only seven years, he has already learned to speak the language very fluently ; he does a general business in stoves and tinware, new and second-hand furniture, and, in fact, any articles of house-furnish- ing goods he is always ready to buy, providing they are such that can be sold again. Though he has not been in business so long as some, he has already established his character and rep- ntation for honesty and square-dealing.

C. F. KOCH, grocer, Bloomington ; son of Frederick and Caroline (Deininger) Koch, was born in Esslingen. Germany, March 17, 1848; he came to this country with his parents in 1853. locating in Cincinnati, Ohio; where they remained until 1856 ; they then came to Bloomington ; here he received a good education, laying the foundation for future usefulness; his father died Jan. 5. 1875. leaving but one child-C. F., who began in mercantile life in 1869, at his present location, which is No. 810 West Front st .; here he keeps an excellent grocery store. Ile mar- ried Miss Katie L. Feisel, of this place, Aug. 22, 1872 ; they have two children-Louisa C. and Emma C.

JOHN KOESTER, editor, Bloomington ; editor of the McLean County Deutsche Presse : was born in Germany July 11, 1815, and received his education at. Hessen, Marburg and Goettingen ; he came to the United States in 1859, locating in St. Louis, where he engaged in the business of a florist ; he also taught school for a time ; in 1864, he came to Bloomington and established his present paper, beginning its publication in March, 1871 ; since which time, he has hy diligence and ability built up a good circulation ; it is the only German paper printed in McLean Co. He married Miss Wilhelmina Grosbernd, of his native country, in October, 1859 ; they have a family of six living.

M. G. KOPF, M. D., Bloomington. Dr. Kopf is a native of France ; in June, 1853, he left his native country and sailed for the United States : came West as far as Belleville, where he remained until 1857 ; then removed to Leavenworth, Kan. ; the doctor was eight years a Surgeon in the French army, four of which was spent in Africa; he passed through twelve heavy battles: by his knowledge of surgery he was induced to enter the army in 1861 as Surgeon of the Leavenworth Hospital ; he passed through many of the border troubles of Kansas and aided in suppressing the war of the late rebellion ; he was a brave and true soldier, and still retains his sword and bugle. In 1865, he went to East Liberty, Penn., where he lived for one year ; then came to Bloomington ; he is a regular graduated physician of the allopathic school, a gentleman and a soldier.

I. R. KRUM, grain dealer, Bloomington. Among the citizens of McLean County who have in many instances been identified with the development and improvement of the county, is I. R. Krum, dealer in grain, lumber and coal ; he is a native of Green Co., N. Y .; in 1849, he came West with his parents ; he being then 12 years old; they located in MeLean County, where for five years he was engaged in many different kinds of work for the farmers and cattle dealers : for a year or two he was engaged as clerk in the grocery business ; after which, he engaged as bookkeeper with Mr. Elihu Rogers, which situation he held until he was 21 years of age ; he had been dependent upon his own resources in procuring an education, but, being obliged to work hard, he had but little time, except nights, for study ; but in this way he secured a good business education ; also learned phonography and the German language; at the age of 21, he formed a partnership with Mr. Robinson, engaging in the coal, lumber, grain trade and milling business ; the latter business they had conducted but about two years, when their mills were burned, causing a loss for them of $20,000 ; the firm was known as Krum & Robinson, the part- nership lasting for thirteen years, when he bought. Mr. Robinson out, and has since conducted the business alone ; in 1871, he established a branch house at what is now Arrowsmith and, in 1877. he established another branch house at Lilly ; the combined shipments of the three houses now amounting to about 1,700 cars per annum: this immense business is wholly the result of Mr. Krum's energy, industry and good financiering; he has always been liberal and public-spirited, helping to forward any enterprise that he deemed for the public good ; he is a gentleman so well known that any compliments of the press are wholly unnecessary.

IRA LACKEY. druggist, Bloomington. Mr. Ira Lackey, of the firm of Funk & Lackey, is another of the old residents of Bloomington, and a man long established in business ; he is a native of Wayne Co., Ind. ; was born in 1838, and. in 1855, came to Illinois, Jocating at Bloom- ington ; his first business engagement was in the capacity of a clerk for the drug firm of Paist & Elder, with whom he remained for about three years ; the firm changing to Paist, Marmon & Co., he still remained with them for two years ; then he and his brother engaged in business in the Ashley-House block, where they carried on the drug business for five years, the firm being

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known as I. & G. W. Lackey : his health then failing, he sold out to his brother, went to Chicago and began traveling for Fuller, Finch & Fuller, wholesale druggists ; he traveled for this firm until 1869 ; having regained his health, he returned to Bloomington, and again began the retail drug business by buying the drug establishment of J. M. Major, since which time he has been permanently located, gradually increasing his business until now he has one among the finest retail drug houses in this part of Illinois, doing a retail trade of about $33,000 per annum, besides his jobbing-trade, which is gradually increasing; his establishment is located at No. 110 W. Washington street ; by his careful management and close attention to business, he has established a business, of which any man should be proud, and has no less reason to look for success in the future as he has had in the past.

ROBERT LOUDON, steam-fitting, Bloomington. In all cities of the size of Bloomington, there is always room for one first-class plumbing and steam-fitting establishment ; this want has been supplied by Mr. Robert Loudon, who is a native of Ayrshire, Scotland ; he was born March 22, 1832, and at the age of 25, emigrated to the Uni ed States ; though before leaving his native country he had learned the trade of a machinist, and had received a good education, upon his arrival in the United States, he located at Alton, Ill., where he entered the employ of the Terre Hlaute & Alton Railroad ; he was there one year, when the company moved their shops to Litch- field, he and one other man being the only ones retained out of forty men ; he was with the Rail- road Company until 1859, when he went to Jacksonville and started a machine shop ; the firm was Ellis, Shields & Loudon ; he was there but a short time, when he again went back to the Railroad Company's employ, remaining with them until 1862; then went to Cairo, where he was employed in the United States Navy Yard for one year ; in 1863, he came to this city and accepted a posi- tion as foreman in the C. & A. R. R. shops; this position he held for some time; then took charge of Mr. Ollis' foundry ; he remained with Mr. Ollis about six years, when he concluded to engage in business for himself; his business, though on a small scale when he began, has since grown to such proportions as to be a credit to himself and the city ; he is not only engaged in plumbing and steam-fitting, but also in the manufacturing of engines, ang. in fact every- thing pertaining to plumbing and steam-fitting; a more complete conception of his business may be gained by referring to his card, which is found in our classified directory ; his establishment is known as the Eagle Machine Works, and is located at 620 and 622 N. Main street, and 607 and 609 N. Center street. Mr. L. is a thoroughly educated business man, and is well known to the citizens and business men of Bloomington. He has fitted up his works with $12,000 worth of machinery ; his manufacture of engines and boilers may be seen at the Pantagraph office and at the tile- works, where they have given good satisfaction.

DR. A. H. LUCE, physician and surgeon, Bloomington. In the practice of medicine, in all cities, there are those physicians who, by long practice, have become so well known to the peo- ple that the compliments of the press are unneeded on their part. Among this class of the physicians of Bloomington we find Dr. A. H. Luce, who has been a resident of the city since 1842. lle is a native of Wayne Co., N. Y., and was born Feb. 28, 1816. IIe began the study of medicine in 1838, and graduated at the Geneva Medical College of New York in 1842, and located in Bloomington the same year. Since his residence here, he has given his time exclu- sively to his profession. He is a member of the MeLean County Medical Society, of the Illinois State Medical Society, and of the A. M. Medical Association. In 1864, he was elected President of the State Society. He was one of the organizers of the MeLean County Medical Society, in 1854, of which he was the first President, as he has also been since. He has also frequently written articles for the different medical journals.

N. LOAR, M. D., Bloomington. Dr. Loar is a native of Greene Co., Penn., and was born April I, 1840. He began the study of medicine under Dr. J. Loar, then of Mount Pleasant, Penn., but now a resident of Bloomington. During the winter of 1864-65, he attended the Physio- Medical College of Cincinnati ; practiced medicine during the summer of 1865, and, during the winter of 1865-66, he again attended lectures at the College ; summer of 1866, he spent his time in practice, and, in the winter of 1866-67, he again attended college, graduating in the spring of 1867. Ile spent the summer of 1867 in practicing his profession in Knox Co, Ohio, and in the fall of the same year removed to Bloomington, where he has since resided, giving his time and attention fully and exclusively to his profession. He came here young and a stranger, and, being naturally of an unassuming nature, the future sometimes looked dark; but, being a gen- tleman as well as a thoroughly well-read physician, his practice gradually increased, as did also his circle of friends, until now, by his close attention to business, he has a fine practice and a host of warm friends, some being of the poorer class, to whom he has been a friend in many cases of need.

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The History of McLean County, Illinois; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, Part 96

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr. Number of Pages: 1092

Author: Le Baron, Wm., Jr. & Co., Chicago, Pub
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Chicago : W. Le Baron, Jr.
Number of Pages: 1092