USA > Illinois > Kane County > Elgin > The history of Elgin, Kane County, Illinois, 1835 to 1875 > Part 6
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We also note with pleasure the following complimentary item :
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CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 1871.
G. P. LORD, EsQ. :
DEAR SIR- * * We have been duly placed in possession of the truly generous donation of $1,591.50, from the liberal and sympathizing employes of the National Watch Company.
[Signed]
GEO. M. PULLMAN, C. G. HAMMOND.
Treasurers Chicago Relief and Aid Society.
It is further stated, in a note from T. M. Avery, president of the National Watch Company, acknowledging this remittance, that "it was made up to a considerable extent by contributions from young ladies who necessarily had to make great sacrifices for the accomplishment of so noble a charity." What higher praise could be paid to the liberality and intelli- gence of our industrial population ?
On the night of the 18th of April, 1872, Collin Root, nephew of C. P. Gilbert, of this place, was shot with two pistol balls in the head and killed, by unknown parties, on the railroad track near the West Side station. He was a young man about twenty-one years of age, just reaching Elgin with the intention of settling here. No certain motive for the deed or clue to the perpetrators, have as yet been discovered. Much excitement was caused in the city at the time, and a reward of $500 is still pending for the capture of the murderer. The sleepless eye of the law is still watching for the guilty one.
" Foul deeds will rise,
Though all the earth o'erwhelm them to men's eyes."
On the 14th of May, 1872, appeared the first number of The Lady Elgin, a monthly newspaper edited and published by the lady operatives of the National Watch Factory.
Mr. Asa Barrows died on the 25th of June, 1872, soon after having com- pleted the new Baptist church edifice, of which he was the architect. The funeral ceremonies were according to the ritual of the Masonic fraternity, and among the most imposing ever witnessed in Elgin.
Mr. George Saulsbury also died on the same date. He was elected to the office of town collector in the spring of 1871. Having been a soldier of the republic during the late civil war, his remains were buried by the members of the G. A. R. with imposing ceremonies.
In July, 1872, the new temperance law of Illinois, which is still in opera- tion, took effect. There were some prosecutions under this law in Elgin, some of which resulted in favor of the prosecutors, and some in favor of the defendants.
The Rev. Nathaniel Catlin Clark, one of the earliest, if not the very first, minister of the gospel in the Fox river valley, died in Elgin on the 3d of December, 1872, aged 71 years. Frequent reference has been made in other parts of this history to the life and services of this most estimable man, who
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had resided here most of the time since 1838, and had been pastor of the Congregational church at three different times. Aside from his great influ- ence as a clergyman, he was honored by his fellow townsmen, during the latter part of his life, with the civic offices of superintendent of public schools and of town collector, the duties of which he discharged with singular ability and fidelity.
The Hon. Isaac W. Swan came to this city in 1870, and died here on the 15th of August, 1873, aged fifty-six. Mr. Swan was born at Waterloo, N. Y., but had lived for over thirty years in Medina, N. Y. His eminent finan- cial activity was appreciated in this city, and his death at an age when his powers were as yet unimpaired, constituted a loss to the business com- munity.
On the 4th of September, 1873, a convention of mill-owners and gentlemen interested in the water-power at various points along the Fox river, was held in Elgin for the purpose of discussing the most feasible plan of increasing the water power of Fox river. A committee was appointed to visit Geneva Lake and ascertain its size, amount of water, etc., and whether there was any feasible means of drawing water from that lake for the supply of power along the river. They visited the lake but failed to make any formal report, and the project appears to have been abandoned for the time being.
William Todd and his wife, long respected residents of this city, were lost on board the ill-fated steamer Atlantic, which was sunk about twenty miles off Halifax on the morning of the 1st of April, 1873, by which catas- trophe over seven hundred lives were lost. Mr. and Mrs. Todd were return- ing from Europe, where they had been on a visit to friends in Scotland.
Captain Elisha Lee, a resident of Elgin from 1853, died on the 11th of April, 1873, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. In early life he commenced the business of steamboat navigation on the St. Lawrence river, and was the second oldest engineer on the great lakes, which business he followed during his lifetime up to 1871, and during all that period when the waters of our great inland chain of lakes and rivers formed the grand. channel of travel and commerce between the east and west. He was chief engineer at the Northern Insane Hospital at the time of his death.
The question of granting license to liquor saloons, has at various times agitated the people of Elgin. In 1868 the experiment had been tried of refusing license. Litigation followed, and either through the fault of the law or the apathy of its supporters, it failed to secure the results antici- pated.
On the 16th of May, 1873, a petition was presented to the Common Council signed by 1,537 persons, praying them " not to grant license to saloon- keepers." The petition was reported upon adversely by two of the mem- bers of the committee on license, E. S. Joslyn and W. F. Lynch, giving at length the arguments against any attempt to prohibit the traffic, and recom- mending a license at $100 per annum. Ald. R. P. Jackman moved to substi-
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tute $300 for $100. Lost, 10 to 2. The report adverse to the petition was then adopted by a vote of 11 to 1.
On the 28th of May, 1873, the Illinois State Association of Congregational churches held their annual meeting in Elgin, continuing four days. During the session frequent reference was made to the late Rev. N. C. Clark. For twenty-nine years he had met regularly in the state association, and all seemed to miss his kindly presence and fatherly love.
The Elgin National Watch Factory, in October, 1873, caused a large num- ber of medals to be struck off, with the representation of an Elgin watch on one side and the Chicago worlds' exhibition building on the other. Large numbers of these were sold at the Chicago exhibition and elsewhere at ten cents each, and the proceeds given to aid the sufferers from yellow fever at the south.
John W. Ranstead was nominated for the office of county judge by the farmers' convention, on the 16th of October, 1873, and at the county election, on the 4th of November, following, was elected by 1,246 majority, out of a vote of 2,876.
E. W. Vining died on Sunday, 2d of November, 1873. At his death he held three positions of honor, viz. : mail route agent, from Elgin to Geneva, Wis. ; police justice, and master in chancery of the Elgin City Court.
Mr. Phineas Smith died on the 21st of November, 1873. He was the pioneer dairyman of Elgin, having commenced shipping milk to Chicago in 1852.
Another item, to which we allude with melancholy interest, is the death of the first white woman who ever saw the banks of the Fox river at this point. This lady was Mrs. Mary Jane Gifford, wife of Hezekiah Gifford, whose name is familiar in these pages. Her death occurred on the first day of January, 1874, just thirty-eight years and a half from the date of her first appearance upon the spot where her career was ever afterward marked with all the respect and esteem due to a brave pioneer, as well as a pious, kind and gentle woman.
Gail Borden died on the 13th of January, 1874, in Borden, Texas, where he had gone but a few days before from this place, and after having made arrangements to permanently reside here. A fuller reference to this excel- lent and enterprising man will be found in our article on the condensing factory.
Lysander Beverly, a prominent member of the Baptist church of this place, died at his residence near the city on the 1st of February, 1874. He had contributed largely toward the erection of the Baptist church edifice, and also donated $1,000 to the Chicago university.
On the 1st of February, 1874, occurred the death of Mrs. Bessie C., wife of Frank H. Moseley, from consumption. On the 3d of that month the death of her husband occurred from the same disease. They were buried in the same grave. They had been residents here since the establishment
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of the National Watch Factory, with which Mr. Moseley was connected, and left a large circle of relatives and friends in the city.
On the 27th of February, 1874, Mr. James P. Knott, an old and highly respected citizen of Elgin, died instantaneously at his residence, after hav- ing just come in from a ride and attending to business in the city. Mr. Knott was an Englishman by birth, and a gentleman of the old school.
At the city election in March, of this year, D. F. Barclay was elected mayor over A. H. Barry, by a majority of 369, and was re-elected in the spring of 1875 without material opposition ..
The public library of Elgin was formally opened March 19, 1874. The rooms were densely filled by the cultured citizens of Elgin, and speeches were made by several leading gentlemen of the city, amid much enthusiasm and enjoyment.
On Monday morning, March 23, 1874, Elgin was visited by one of the most destructive fires which ever occurred here. The ground burned over was the two prominent business corners of the city, fronting on Chicago street, Douglas avenue and Fountain place. The total loss was estimated at $150,000. . Insurance on this property, buildings and goods was paid to the amount of nearly $100,000, and by October, of the same year, the entire ground, with the exception of one lot on Chicago street, was entirely rebuilt in a much more substantial and ornamental style.
In April, of this year, Major D. W. Whittle and Prof. P. P. Bliss, of Chicago, who have since become somewhat famous as lay evangelists, held a meeting of several days in this place, which was one of their first.
In the spring of 1874, what is known as the temperance crusading wave, reached Elgin. Mass meetings were held in the churches and at DuBois opera house, at which the pledge was circulated and signed by large num- bers of our citizens. The ladies were especially active in promoting the cause of temperance during the spring and summer of this year. On the 15th of April a petition was presented to the city council by a committee of prominent ladies, praying that no license to sell liquor be granted. The petition was considered at the next meeting of the council, April 22, and rejected by the casting vote of the mayor-six aldermen voting in favor and six against it.
The death of Miss Foneta A. Newcomb, only child of J. B. Newcomb, who had been a most successful teacher in our public schools for several years, and was very much respected, occurred on the 30th of April, 1874.
A few days after, viz. : on the 2d of May, Miss Ada J. Joslyn, daughter of the late Rev. A. J. Joslyn, and also one of the teachers in our public schools, was called away by death, and on the same day Mrs. Jane E. Lar- kin, wife of C. H. Larkin, who had been a resident of our town from her childhood.
About the 1st of May, 1874, the Elgin Gazette, which had been published longer than any other paper ever started here, ceased to exist, from mis-
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management and consequent financial difficulties. Its office and a portion of the material on which it was printed, were soon after secured by Mr. S. L. Taylor, proprietor of the Elgin Advocate, who has made it one of the best country newspapers in the state. Mr. E. Keogh, the last editor of the Gazette, immediately after its demise started the Elgin Times.
The Elgin watch factory was partially closed for repairs and putting in new machinery on the 10th of June, 1874, and remained so until the 1st of August, when it opened with increased facilities, and the whole city again felt the throb of its pulsations.
On the 4th of June, 1874, the old settlers held their annual gathering at the fair grounds, where speeches were made by several of the old residents of the vicinity, and by Governor Beveridge, who was present by invitation.
The death of S. P. Burdick, one of our oldest and most respected citizens, occurred on the 7th of July, 1874. He settled on a farm near Elgin as early as 1838, but for several years of the latter part of his life was a resident of the city, and part owner of the City mills.
On the 2d of August, Stafford McOsker, another old resident, departed this life. He carried on the merchant tailoring business here longer than any other man, with perhaps a single exception, and by attention to business and wise investments amassed a competence.
In the month of November, 1874, an agent from Smith county, Kansas, visited Elgin, and presented the claims of the sufferers from drought and grasshoppers in that region. The agent being known to Dr. Joseph Tefft, of this city, the appeal was met by the citizens of Elgin in the most liberal spirit. Upward of $1,000 worth of goods, clothing, etc., were donated and shipped to Smith county, and $530 in cash was raised and paid over to the agent for that purpose.
Building operations in Elgin during 1874 were unusually active. In addi- tion to rebuilding the burnt district, a large number of other business build- ings and private residences were erected. Not far from half a million of dollars were expended in this way, including $150,000 upon the Asylum.
Important matters which have taken place in Elgin since the commence- ment of 1875, are so recent as to be fresh in the memories of our readers. But we record a few of them, as we have recorded some before, not simply for present information but for future reference.
Mr. Martin Coney, another of the old residents of Elgin, and father of Mrs. P. J. Kimball and Mrs. J. N. Truesdell, died January 10, 1875, aged nearly seventy-seven. The death of Miss Libby Tuck occurred on the 21st of the same month.
During the last few years dairymens' conventions have repeatedly been held in our city. The ninth annual meeting of the Northwestern Dairy- mens' Association convened here on the 9th of February, 1875, and con- tinued in session three days.
The annual city election was held on the first Monday of March, as usual.
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License or no license was to some extent an issue, and although the com- plexion of the Common Council on this subject was not materially changed, they soon after raised the price of license from $125 to $300, and the number of licensed saloons has been reduced about one-half. The city sexton's report was read at the first meeting of the new council, showing the number of deaths in the city during the past year to have been 108. This, in a pop- ulation of 8,000, speaks well for the health of the place. With the com- mencement of this year, R. W. Padelford, who had been clerk of the council ever since the establishment of the city government in 1854, and had given universal satisfaction, ceased to act as such, and W. F. Sylla was appointed in his place.
On the 25th of March occurred the death of Jonathan Hinsdell, aged eighty-four. He had resided in the vicinity about thirty-eight years, and was one of the original trustees of the Methodist church.
The Chicago & Pacific railroad, to which Elgin is so much indebted, was during this month completed to Byron, on Rock river, fifty-eight miles west of our city.
About the first of April the spelling-school mania reached Elgin, and for a month or so drew full houses on frequent occasions.
The deaths of Wm. C. Kimball and Roswell Smith, the former aged sixty-nine and the latter sixty-one, and both of them old residents of the city, occurred at nearly the same hour on the 6th of May. We notice Mr. Kimball in our article on " The Merchants of Elgin," on a succeeding page. Mr. Smith was also for several years a merchant here, and one of our most respected and valuable citizens.
On the evening of May 13, another large meeting of citizens was held at the court house to hear a report from the Board of Education, relative to the contemplated new school-houses already referred to. They recom- mended an expenditure of $90,000 for this purpose, and we expect that ere long Elgin will be provided with school buildings which will be an honor to the city, and attract hither persons who have children to educate.
From information lately received, we are able to correct a statement that has heretofore been current, that the first white child born on the site of our present city, was Joseph Kimball, who now resides among us. It appears that Louisa, the daughter of John and Lydia Kimball, and Char- lotte, daughter of Sidney and Martha Kimball, were both born in the spring of 1836, and consequently saw the light sooner, by some months, than Joseph. After having borne these natal honors for so many years, putting on heirs in the belief that he was the first of his race in Elgin, it seems hard to strip the laurels from his brow and bind them upon the forehead of the feebler sex. But Louisa being still alive and the wife of one of our citizens, Mr. Louis Little, the progress of the age demands that women should have " their rights." " Sic transit gloria mundi."
ARTICLES ON SPECIAL SUBJECTS.
ESIROUS of presenting certain subjects more at length and more consecutively than could well be done in the general history, we have invited several of our citizens, who were well qualified for the purpose, to furnish articles on these subjects, and have also prepared several ourselves. These will be found on the following pages, and, while there may be some repetition, we trust the information contained in them will be both interesting and valuable.
THE SCHOOLS OF ELGIN.
BY PROF'S C. F. KIMBALL AND W. W. KENNEDY.
Miss Harriet E. Gifford, who is still a resident of this place, taught the first school ever kept in this city. Mr. James T. Gifford lived in a little log house which stood just in front of Mr. O. Davidson's present residence, and here, in 1837, Miss Gifford gathered a few children of those early settlers for instruction in the necessary branches of an education. In the following year she taught in the Union church, a small building which had been erected by the Baptists, Congregationalists and Methodists, where the old cobble-stone church or school-house now stands. Miss Gifford was followed, in 1841 or 1842, by Adin Mann and wife. School was continued in this church several years. Just before this time, the Methodists had withdrawn from the union congregation and put up a small house of worship where their present church now stands. In this house Mr. Mann taught in 1840. Subsequently, Mr. Bolles, the pastor, and others, taught in the same place.
About 1844, the first regular school-house was built. It was erected by private subscription, and stood on the ground now occupied by Dr. Tefft's residence. Miss Harvey, afterward Mrs. Paul R. Wright, taught in this building two or three years, and then was succeeded by others. But the rapid growth of the town made additional school accommodations necessary, and in 1845 Mr. R. W. Padelford circulated a subscription paper to raise funds for the erection of a new school-house. As a result, the old brick was
8
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commenced soon after, although it was not completed until 1847, nor formally dedicated until January, 1848. The building was opened January 3, 1848, with Mr. Ballard, principal of high school, salary $400 per year, and Mrs. Bal- lard and Miss Esther M. Graves, now Mrs. Jay J. Town, of Des Moines, Iowa, assistants. At that time it was the finest school building in this part of the state, and, far and near, there was no little talk about the "big school-house at Elgin." Before the building was fully completed, Mrs. Lucy Lovell taught a select school in one of the lower rooms, being the first school taught in the building. From this time educational matters pro- gressed, marked by nothing of special interest till 1851. It should be noted, that up to this time all the schools had been sustained by the payment of rate bills. No tax for educational purposes had been levied ; no public revenue had been received; no " free schools " had been known in the state. A radical change was now inaugurated. The legislature passed an act authorizing the levy of a tax for the support of free schools, and the next year, at a school meeting held in the old brick, the first tax levied in the state of Illinois for free schools, was voted in this city, and the tax afterward collected.
The Elgin Seminary was established in the spring of 1851, by the Misses E. and E. E. Lord, now of Chicago. It was designed, principally, for the education of young ladies, though, during part of the time, several young gentlemen were admitted. The school was first taught in the basement of the Congregational church, and a house on DuPage street, now owned by Mr. C. K. Anderson, was used for the boarding department. In January, 1852, the " Elgin House " was purchased, and soon after fitted up for the purposes of the seminary. It then embraced not only the most of what is now known as the " Elgin Boarding House," corner of Chicago and Center streets, but the house next east of it, and afforded ample accommodations for a large number of pupils. In its new quarters the school was well pat- ronized, and hundreds now in middle life are living in this and other places who shared its benefits. Among its principals were Rev. Daniel S. Dick- inson, since deceased, and A. R. Wright, Esq., now of Sioux City, Iowa. Among its teachers were Miss Emily Lord (who was also the business man- ager), Miss Ellen E. Lord, Miss A. Town, Miss Towner, Miss Ballard, Miss L. Graves (now Mrs. Heywood), Mrs. Mary L. Dickinson, Mrs. Martha A. Lord, Miss Mary Blair, Miss Clara Edgecomb, Miss Irene Perine (now Mrs. Converse), and others. The school was continued until the summer of 1856, when it was decided to use the building for other purposes.
The establishment of the Elgin Academy was commenced in 1854, and a school opened in the new academy building in 1856, but as its history will appear in another part of this volume, we do not dwell on it here.
In 1854 the schools, by special charter from the legislature, were brought under the control of the city, and Edmund Gifford was elected superin- tendent. The schools opened with Mr. Curtiss principal in district No. 1,
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and Mr. Cole in No. 2. Mr. Curtiss failing, he was succeeded by Mr. Bick- nell, Oct. 18. In turn, Mr. Bicknell was discharged by the superintendent at the close of the term. Mr. F. S. Heywood became his successor, Jan. 21, 1856. Nov. 10, 1855, the new school-house in district No. 3 was dedicated, and Mr. Dagget employed as principal of the school, Oct. 26. Feb. 28, 1856, Mr. Dagget was discharged and Miss Jenques employed to take his place. July 3, 1856, Paul R. Wright entered on the duties of superintendent. The schools opened Sept. 1, with F. S. Heywood principal of grammar school in Second ward, and Harry Cole principal of south school. Mr. Wright resigned the superintendency Nov. 18, 1856. No successor was appointed until Dec. 10, when Dr. Thomas Kerr filed the necessary bond, and entered upon the duties of the office. The winter term opened Jan. 10, with an enrollment of 450 pupils. To curtail expenses, the services of Mr. Cole were dispensed with at the close of the spring term of 1857. Dr. Kerr resigned the superintendency Aug. 4, 1857, and Mr. Edmund Gifford was elected his successor, Sept. 1, 1857. The schools opened Sept. 7, with the following Board of Education : Rev. A. J. Joslyn, Jerome J. Smith, Charles Mor- gan and H. Hamilton. There were five schools on the east side of the river and two on the west side. Mr. Canfield was principal at the old brick, but he so signally failed, that as early as Sept. 20, he was discharged, and F. S. Heywood, the former teacher, was employed to fill the vacancy, at a salary of $1,000 per year. During this year, 1857, the new brick was erected, and, Nov. 14, the high school moved in procession from the old brick to their new quarters. Nov. 18, the building was dedicated with a good deal of eclat. Addresses were made by several gentlemen and a good time was had. On the whole it was a prosperous year for the schools. In June, 1859, Robert Blenkiron was elected superintendent, but kept no records of the schools. He resigned April 10, 1860, and Mr. J. B. Newcomb, who still survives to do good work in the cause of education, was elected his suc- cessor. Mr. Newcomb served as superintendent till July 3, 1866. During a portion of this time the schools were conducted with a view to the strictest economy. Mr. Heywood taught during the spring term of 1860 as principal of the high school, at a salary of $1,000, and from the fall of 1860 to the spring of 1861, at the rate of $900 a year. Mr. E. C. Lovell became principal of the high school in the spring of 1862. During that term the principal of the grammar school received $1.25 per day and the assistants $1.00 per day. Mr. Lovell was continued in 1862-3 at a salary of $475, and the female teach- ers at $200. In 1863-4, Mr. Lovell was paid $600; his assistants $250, and the other teachers $212.50. In the spring of 1865, Mr. Lovell laid aside the " birch " and took the sword in defense of his country. He was succeeded by Mrs. Wing, a teacher long and favorably known to this community. Mr. Burr Lewis succeeded Mrs. Wing in the fall of 1865, but remained only two terms, when in turn Mrs Wing was appointed his successor. The num- ber of public schools taught during the successive years, from 1859 to 1866,
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