The biographical encyclopedia of Illinois of the nineteenth century, Part 15

Author: Robson, Charles, ed
Publication date: 1875
Publisher: Philadelphia, Galaxy
Number of Pages: 770

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ICKOX, VIRGIL, was born in Jefferson county, in the northern part of New York, on July 12th, 1806. Ilis parents emigrated from New Haven county, Connecticut, in 1803, to New York. He received a common school education, and on August 25th, 1828, started by wagon to the then almost unknown wilderness of Missouri. After a toilsome journey of two months he arrived in St. Louis (a city then containing but 5500 inhabitants) at twelve o'clock at noon. The traits of energy and perseverance which have dis- tinguished his later life, and from which may be traced his eminently successful career as a citizen and business man, were here displayed in a marked manner. When one o'clock came he found himself engaged as a journeyman carpenter. At six o'clock he received the sum of fifty cents for his half day's labor, and from that time to the present day he has hardly known an idle moment. He remained in St. Louis until 1834, with the exception of one year-1833-which he spent at the Galena Lead Mines. On May 5th, 1834, he opened a store in the city of Spring. field, where he has since resided, and in that business he continued most of the time until January Ist, 1853. He was one of the pioneers of the Chicago and Alton Railroad (originally the Alton and Sangamon), and was in the direc- tory of that road from its commencement in 1851 until the road was finished from Alton to Joliet. He also took an active part in the construction of the road, and had charge of the right of way from Alton to Joliet. All matters con- nected with taxation were under his sole control. From hin cmanated the railroad law of 1855 regarding assessment

and taxation of railroad property, which continued in force until 1872. He withdrew from his active connection with the road in May, 1874, having been connected with its workings in active superintendence from 1851. His office stood in the same place for twenty-two years, and may rightly be called an old landmark. He is a leading Demo- crat in the State, having acted as Chairman of the Demo- cratic State Committee for nearly twenty years. He was a very intimate political and personal friend of the late Ste- phen A. Douglas. The last letter that Judge Douglas ever dictated (the famous letter of May 10th, 1861) was to him in his official capacity. The original of the letter still exists in the possession of Mr. Hickox. He has never been a candidate for nor held public office with the exception of being appointed Canal Commissioner in March, 1869, by Governor Palmer, the Governor at that time being a Re- publican. He served a term of two years and was reap- pointed for the same length of time. The bank of which he is now President and manager, the Springfield Savings Bank, was organized in 1867, he being one of the original stockholders, but did not assume executive charge until January, 1874, when his name was needed to restore con- fidence in the resulting fright caused by the crisis. In October, 1839, he married a Miss Cabiness, from Kentucky. He has six children now living, three sons and three daughters ; has lived in the same house that he brought his wife to after marriage for thirty-five years. In 1839, '40 and '41 he was a Director in the old State Bank, having been appointed by Governor Carlin. In all his habits in business and otherwise he has been an carnest disciple of Benjamin Franklin, having taken his character as a guide from his earliest youth. In an active business life of over forty-five years his honesty and integrity have never been called in question. And during all the panics of 1837, 1857 and 1873 no one ever heard him talk about or complain of " hard times." Ilis advice to all, and more particularly to the young men, is to " keep out of debt " and never to be idle. He has always claimed that it was as much a duty to ob- serve and obey the injunction of " six days shalt thou labor " as it was to kcep the one day (the Sabbath) " holy." Hc is a firm believer in the eleventh commandment, and never violates it knowingly. " Let every man mind his own business," he regards as the eleventh commandment. In politics, as heretofore stated, he has always been a Demo- crat of the Jeffersonian school-in fact, a disciple and fol- lower of Thomas Jefferson, and an advocate of the resolu- tions of '98 even to this day, notwithstanding the results of the Civil War, contending that the States that seceded, or whose people rebelled, never were out of the Union, and that therefore all the reconstruction acts admitting these States into the Union the second time werc in violation of the letter and spirit of the Constitution of the United States. In short, he declares himself in favor of the Constitution of the United States as framed by the fathers of the country, claiming that it needs no construction upon its meaning,

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.

but that it should be taken literally as it reads, and that | whose notes were secured by deposit of bonds with the every one who can read can understand it. Hence he op- poses all internal improvements by the general government, and all the improvements of even rivers and harbors ex- cept those actually needed for the defence of the whole country. Ile is an advocate of absolute free trade in every- thing, holding that indirect taxation in any form, either in the shape of licenses or otherwise, is contrary to the prin- ciples upon which our institutions were founded. In other words, that all revenue for all purposes should be derived from direct taxes on property ; that no one should be re- quired to pay for privilege of being engaged in any sort of business or occupation. He believes that the United States should not own any property anywhere except what is needed for forts and arsenals, and for the proper transac- tion of the public business at the seat of government. IIe also holds that the whole postal system should and ought to be abolished; that there are no good reasons why the government should undertake to carry letters and papers for individuals any more than there are why it should un- dertake a general business of transportation ; claiming of course that the price (three cents) for an ordinary letter to be carried, whether one mile or one thousand miles, is an unjust price : in other words, that if it is worth three cents to carry a letter one mile it is worth more than three cents to take one a thousand miles. In short, he maintains that the laws of trade should regulate the transportation of what is known as mail matter in the same manner as such laws regulate all other transportation.

AVIDSON, ORLANDO, Bank President, was born, May 3d, 1825, in Windham, New Hamp- shire, and is a son of James N. and Lucy (Lan- caster) Davidson. When he was two years old his parents removed to Amoskeag, in the same State, and in 1835 settled in Sandusky, Ohio. In this latter town he was educated in the common schools, where he remained until nineteen years old, and then en- tered the banking house of A. Brand & Co., a wealthy and very successful Chicago firm, with whom he remained until 1852, when the senior partner, a Scotchman, closed up the business on account of ill-health and returned to his native country. He was now appointed teller in the Marine Bank of Chicago, which position he filled until 1854, when he removed to Elgin and became interested in the grain busi- ness, which occupied his attention for about a year. Dis- posing of his interest in the store he next opened a private banking house, where by his strict attention to business and rigid integrity he soon won the confidence of the public, and the enterprise proved a profitable one. He continued in the same until the outbreak of the Rebellion in 1861, | Jefferson county, Missouri, and was there as President of a when he was forced to close up. This was owing, as many may remember, to the peculiar status of the Illinois banks,

Controller of the Currency. Very many, indeed a majority of these, were bonds of Southern States, which were now in rebellion against the majesty of the Union, and proved worthless, as did also the notes based upon such " securi- ties." Subsequently the " Home Bank " charter was ob- tained and O. Davidson was made President of that corpo- ration, which office he yet retains. Since his residence in Elgin he has been prominently identified with its prosperity, and active in advancing the interests of the community. He has held various positions of trust and prominence. In 1864 he was elected an Alderman, and served as such for two years, during which period much was accomplished by the city government ; and to it, in no small degree, does Elgin owe her present high position among her sister cities of the Northwest. He has been a firm supporter of Repub- lican principles since the organization of that party, and has labored earnestly in a quiet way to advance the interests of that political body. Ile has been chosen as a delegate to many county and State conventions, and has ever carried out the wishes and instructions of the constituents he repre- sented to their entire satisfaction. He is Treasurer of the Board of Trustees of the Northern Illinois Insane Asylum, located at Elgin, and has filled that office since its incorpo- ration. He is also Secretary and a Trustee of the Elgin Academy-one of the most successful schools in the State- and has held this position for the past twenty years. In 1873 he visited Europe and saw many of the most famous cities in the Old World during his three months' tour. Financially he has been very prosperous, and ranks among the wealthy citizens of Elgin. He is principally the archi- tect of his own fortunes, and by his own energy and perse- verance has won for himself a position in society that few attain. He was married in 1848 to Caroline A., daughter of James T. Gifford, one of the earliest settlers of Elgin, and is the father of one son and four daughters.

EADING, JAMES NEWELL, Judge, was born in Flemington, Hunterdon county, New Jersey, August 8th, 1808, his father bcing Joseph Read- ing, a farmer. His first studies were pursued in a common school and then a grammar school, after which he entered Princeton College, in the junior class, in 1827, and graduated in 1829. He then studied law with Governor S. L. Southard, in Trenton, and was admitted to the bar of New Jersey in 1832. He prac- tised law in his native town from that time until 1850. Ile was married February 10th, 1835, to Sarah C. A. Southard, niece of the Governor. For fifteen ycars he was Prosecut- ing Attorney for Hunterdon county. In 1850 he went to lead mining company for two years. He then returned to New Jersey, settled up his private business and moved to

BIOGRAPIIICAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA.

Morris, Illinois, where he now resides. He was led to the | remained some years. About 1829 there was a great ex :- place by the opportunities it presented for engaging in land business, which he had observed on his way to Missouri. Ilis voice had nearly failed him, and he followed his pro- fession only partially, saving his voice thereby and ulti- mately recovering it fully, when he again resumed his practice in full. He engaged at once in a land business, and continues in it to this day. In 1865 he was elected County Judge of Grundy county, which position he has held for ten years. He was also a member of the Legislature from the same county for one term, and for a period Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county. During his residence in New Jersey he was at one time Colonel of a regiment of militia. From 1869 to 1871 he resided in Chicago and practised law with Judge Wallace, after which he returned to Morris. The judge is a gentleman very generally re- spected in his county and highly esteemed for his worth of character.

URNHAM, EDWIN, Wholesale Druggist, and son of Nathan and Rebecca Burnham, was born in Middletown, Vermont, October 20th, 1804. From the number of Burnhams in that immediate locality, and from the fact that his grandfather was-like some of the Western farmers of the present day-an operator on a large scale, and the owner of some thousands of acres of the valley, the place was better known as " Burnham Hollow." Some members of the family at the East, who cared more for ancestral records than he, have been tracing the genealogy of the family, and find that it took its rise in the tenth century. The name was uncommon twenty years ago, but now is attaining prominence in this country, in connection with many things of art, manufacture, and general enterprise. Owing to some misunderstanding between the father and grandfather of Edwin, growing out of the natural independence and pride of character which is a family trait, his father and family removed to Jefferson county, New York, in ISII. In that locality his father had a fine farm and a small store of the olden time country fashion. The opportunities for education were limited ; but he qualified himself by private application in the leisure hours he could snatch between " working on the farm " and " clerking in the store," to act as teacher of the district school in Adams, a thriving town of the county, about twelve miles from his home-Ellisburg. Here, at the age of fifteen, he started in life for himself. Two years after he entered the service of Mr. Rosa, the leading merchant of the town, and when nineteen years of age was sent by his employer to New York city to purchase goods for the house. That was at that time a more ardu- ous trip than from New York to San Francisco at the present date. Two years later his employer, though loth to part with him, advised that he should seek a wider field for his talents. This he did in Utica, New York, where he he held the office of Postmaster for eight years. Although

citement concerning the benefits to be gained by young men in New Orleans. Ile started out under that influence, and reached Louisville, Kentucky, where he stopped to visit some friends, and by them was persuaded to remain there, which, however, proved a mistake. He supported himself during the winter teaching book-keeping, in which he was proficient, and then he returned to his old home in Ellis- burgh, Jefferson county, New York. His father was an "infidel "-the term then bestowed upon unbelievers in the doctrines of Calvin, and the Word as interpreted by him. It so happened, however, that Holland Weeks, who had been formerly a leading light in the Presbyterian Church in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and one of their most able preachers, had by some means met the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, and thereby become convinced of the falsity of his theological views, and espousing the new light, was tried for heresy and expelled from the church (this was sixty to seventy years before the " Irving " trial), and had moved to the then wilderness of New York. IIe had sev- eral attractive daughters, and when the young gentlemen of the neighborhood went to see them it happened often that the reverend father introduced the subject of the new church. The peculiar clearness and rational explanations which these doctrines afforded of the Word of God, and the life here and hereafter, reclaimed Mr. Burnham from what would have been an unbeliever's life; and thus from two motives-Religion (he having previously been under the influence of Mr. Weeks) and Love (for the same gentle- man's daughter)-his return from Louisville to Jefferson county, New York, was brought about, and his establish- ment in business at Woodville in that county and marriage with Elizabeth K. Weeks, on May 31st, 1832. He started with small capital, but so managed his business that in the crash of 1837 he weathered the storm handsomely. About that time he had an excellent opportunity to join Oliver Newbury, one of the pioneers of the forwarding steamboat lines on the upper lakes, and accordingly, in 1838, removed to Detroit, the then head-quarters, while Chicago was a mere trading-post. Again his convictions of duty and love moved him to return to Jefferson county, New York, to care for his revered father-in-law, Holland Weeks, who being stricken with paralysis in his old age, and needing a daughter's and son's attention, it .devolved upon him, who had never at any time shunned his duty, to return to the East and care for him who had been, through Providence, his leader to the eternal joys. There he remained in busi- ness as a general dealer, i. e., combining in one stock all kinds of merchandise-dry goods, hats, caps, ready-made clothing, boots and shoes, hardware, iron, steel, nails, groceries, drugs, wines and liquors, tobacco, etc. It was the common saying that you could " get anything at Burn- ham's" that was ever called for. Here he remained until 1854, when he removed to Chicago. While in Henderson

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

a straight-out Democrat, he held the office through the Whig administration; and at the close of his office the Post-Office Department wrote him a very flattering letter, and stated that in the time there had been but one differ- ence in accounts amounting to five cents, and that not his mistake. After arriving in Chicago he purchased an inter- est in the wholesale drug business with the firm of Sears & Smith, formerly L. M. Boyce, and the first drug store estab- lished in Chicago. IIe remained in this business up to the day of his decease, September 28th, 1874, the latter part of the time doing business under the name of E. Burnham & Son. This son is Edwin R. Burnham, who had been with him, first as book-keeper and afterwards as partner, during all this time. The business, by former agreement, is con- tinued under the same name, adding " & Co." for partners admitted about the time of his decease. Mr. Burnham was known as a man of the strictest integrity and uprightness of character in every respect. IIe was an exceptionally cor- rect and model man in every relation of life, and carried out in that life the exact teaching of his church, commonly called Swedenborgian - properly New Jerusalem. As

nearly as possible he was without a blemish, and his most intimate friends during his later years best knew his perfec- tions. While possessing unusual strength and force of character, his innate modesty kept him in the background, and he was a suggester and worker behind the scenes, while more self-asserting characters thrust themselves for- ward and reaped the prominence, benefit, and honor of his counsels. Ile was not a money getter for the money's sake, but for its use; and he never did an unjust act for gain. He was one who " sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not." The example of such a life is worth everything to the present and future generations. To live for the future as well as the present, and both well, was regarded by him as the acme of wisdom.

University, located at Kcokuk. At this institution he matriculated, and received his medical degree from it in 1854, having passed the regular course. Immediately after graduating, he repaired to Nauvoo, Illinois, where he spent but a few months, and then went to Chicago, where he re- mained until winter. In order to still further perfect him- self in the science of his chosen profession, he determined to avail himself of the advantages of some of the Eastern medical colleges, and in accordance with these views, in the winter of 1854-55 he took a course of lectures at New York Medical College, which at that time contained in its faculty Horace Green, Fordyce Barker, Doremus, Carno- chan, and Peaslee, all eminent men in the profession. Re- ceiving from this college a diploma, Dr. Curtis returned to the West and located in Chicago, in which city he contin- ued to practice for seven years, and during that time acquired considerable reputation as a surgeon ; performing, among numerous operations, one which was of sufficient importance to be noticed by the celebrated surgeon Gross, in his " Work on Surgery," vol. ii. This operation-" ex- tirpation of the clavicle "-had only been performed twice, and is considered a very difficult one in surgery. In 1862 Dr. Curtis, on account of the failing health of his wife, moved to Clarksville, Missouri, and continued the practice of his profession at that place until 1865. While here, on January 28th, 1863, his wife died. He was married to her on November 1Sth, 1857. She was Ada, a daughter of Samuel Israel, of Mount Vernon, Ohio. In 1865, at the earnest solicitation of his old preceptor, Dr. Sanford, who had a lively appreciation of the ability and scientific attain- ments reached by his pupil, Dr. Curtis was induced to leave Missouri and become associated with Dr. Sanford at Keo- kuk; where, however, he only remained for a year. In the spring of 1866 he located in Quincy, Illinois, where he has since resided and been in active practice. Although fol- lowing an extensive field of general practice, it is as an oculist and surgeon that Dr. Curtis has acquired a reputa- tion, having performed many difficult operations that bore evidence of his skill. Among these may be mentioned, for its boldness and novelty, the successful removal of the entire superior maxillary bone, with part of the palate and molar bones, and the pterygoid processes of the sphenoid up to this base. He has for the past six years acted as Surgeon to St. Mary's Hospital in Quincy. He was mar- ried, on June 14th, 1864, to Elizabeth Jennings, of Mount Vernon, Ohio. Although enjoying an extensive practice, Dr. Curtis has at the same time, in connection with Dr: M. F. Bassett and others, been largely interested in developing the resources of the far western country. In 1873, with other parties, he purchased a large tract of land in Kansas (Barton county) ; on it the town of Great Bend has been laid out, and owing to its beautiful location and numerous advantages, it is rapidly increasing in population, and bids fair to become one of the most thriving and populous towns

URTIS, CHARLES R. S., M. D., was born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, August 29th, 1831. IIis father was Hosmer Curtis, an attorney-at-law. Ilis mother's maiden name was Eleanor Melick. His education was obtained at the High School in Mount Vernon. When in his eighteenth year he left home and followed his uncle, Colonel Samuel R. Curtis, to Keokuk, Iowa, where he became engaged in mercantile pursuits. Colonel Samuel R. Curtis had been in service in the Mexican war, and during the late rebellion was promoted to General, succeeded Fremont in the com- mand of his department in Missouri, and did effective ser- vice in driving the rebels from that State. When about twenty years of age Mr. Curtis selected the medical profes- sion and became a pupil of John F. Sanford, a prominent practitioner of Keokuk, Iowa, and also at that time Profes- sor of Surgery in the Medical Department of Iowa State / in the State. Dr. Curtis and D :. Bassett find in this

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.

interest occasion to absent themselves from the cares of pro- | sea of the prairies. In 1842 the State had become heavily fessional life for a week or two about twice a year, thus securing relaxation from professional toil, and agreeable and interesting change of climate, scenery, employment, and surroundings. And by their mutual efforts they have contributed in no small degree to the settlement and devel- opment of one of the most fertile and interesting portions of the western country.

RNOLD, HON. ISAAC N., Member of Congress, was born in Hartwick, Otsego county, New York, November 30th, IS15. His father was Dr. George W. Arnold. ITis parents were natives of Rhode Island, whence they moved to New York about 1800. Ilis education was obtained at the district and select schools of the county, and the academy of the village. These advantages he improved so well as to acquire a very fair education for the duties of practical life. At fifteen he was thrown upon his own resources. From the age of seventeen to twenty he divided his time between academical studies, teaching school, and reading law ; earning enough by teaching part of the year to enable him to pursue his studies the other part. The first law office he entered as a student was that of Richard Cooper, of Cooperstown, New York, a nephew of the author, J. Fenimore Cooper. He subsequently became a student of Judge E. B. Morehouse. Applying himself very assidu- ously he soon acquired sufficient knowledge of law business to make his services in the office available toward paying his personal expenses, trying causes before a Justice's Court, and otherwise earning an occasional fee. In 1835, when but twenty years of age, he was admitted to the Supreme Court of the State of New York. He immedi- ately entered into partnership with Judge Morehouse, with whom he remained until he left for the West. His first important case was a voluntary defence of a negro, sup- posed to have killed his brother in jealousy. The man was acquitted, and this was the beginning of an extensive criminal practice, in which no man charged with a capital offence, who was defended by him, was ever convicted. Ile arrived in Chicago in 1836 with but very limited means, and opened a law-office. The city was a mere village at that time, having but about three thousand inhabitants. Ile soon entered into partnership with Mahlon D. Ogden, and when in the following year Chicago was incorporated as a city, and William B. Ogden was elected its first Mayor, Mr. Arnold was elected City Clerk. Professional business rapidly increasing he soon resigned this office, and confined himself to the practice of law. Ile relates to his friends of the present day the incidents of his early experiences, his long and perilous journeys, horseback, and on foot, over the wild prairies, his escapes from wolves and Indians, and being lost in storms, when out on the almost boundless

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The biographical encyclopedia of Illinois of the nineteenth century, Part 15

Author: Robson, Charles, ed Publication date: 1875 Publisher: Philadelphia, Galaxy Number of Pages: 770

Author: Robson, Charles, ed
Publication date: 1875
Publisher: Philadelphia, Galaxy
Number of Pages: 770